Callaway FT-i

[silver77]

OK SO I STARTED WITH THE FT 5 AND I HAD NO LUCK NO MATTER WHAT I TRIED TO DO AND EVEN TRIED DIFFERENT LOFTS AND FLEX . MY SEARCH IS OVER WITH A FTI 10 DEG DRAW REG FLEX. THIS CLUB IS A BEAST. THIS IS THE BEST CALLAWAY HAS DONE WITH A DRIVER IN A LONG TIME. THE FEEL ON THIS CLUB IS INCREDIBLE. i'M A BIG FEEL PERSON WHEN IT COMES TO GOLF. I TRIED MOST TOP OF THE LINE DRIVERS AND THEY ALL HIT ABOUT THE SAME DISTANCE BUT WHAT REALLY MATTERS IS HOW IT FEELS WHEN TO MAKE CONTACT. THIS CLUB BOOTED MY 905R OUT OF MY BAG

[DaWiZZinAUS]

Heya all i am in the hunt for a new Driver. HAve been playing for about a year now and in love with teh game. My objecet this year is to shoot consistently in the 70s and get my handicap down to singles 6-8. I am currently at 10.5 and am buying a new wand for the tee. This is the part of the game that has me addicted and my course pro thinks i have a good drive on me. My swing speed was measured this week on the launcher at 105 and i am looking to take it at least to 110 this year with some of the things i have been reading this shouldnt be an issue. I am wondering what set up i should get knowing i think that the speeder 686 might be a little whippy for that swing speed.

 

Do the tour versions of the FT-i and FT-5 only come in 8.5 and 9.5??

 

Would one of these FT-5s with these shafts be better than the square 686 speeder?

 

I am looking at an FT-5 it says its a tour and its 10.5 does this sound legit?

The 3 different set ups are.

 

1. ft-5 has a Proforce V2 stiff 67g would this be a good starter shaft for my SS.

 

 

2. ft-5 10.5 with a diamana blue 83 Stiff.

 

 

3. Callaway Fusion FT-5 Driver 9.0 Neutral Pershing 65 S

 

 

 

Which of these two would be better for my SS or for straight long boring drives.

 

Probably should be in the ft-5 post but i dont know whether people like the ft-i or ft-5 better.

 

cheers

[jasonbarta]

I have played the FT-i and the FT-5. I am and 9 handicap. I hit the FT-5 farther but the FT-i a lot straighter but I had trouble hitting the sweet spot and lost about 15 yards. When I do hit the sweet spot it goes just as far, but it feels like to me that sweet spot might be a little small but when you miss it it still goes straight.

 

Jason

[pingi203]

I had a tough time transitioning from a ft-5 to the ft-i just because of the looks. After the purist in me got over that I really love this thing. It is not the longest driver but very straight. cant wait to get the Tour lcg model in 2 weeks/

[smp035]

I am hitting an FT-i (10 degrees) with the stock shaft. My ball is going very high and it gets little roll (if any). What shafts would you recommend to lower my ball flight and reduce spin?

please help me :rolleyes:

[azgreenskeeper]

I had already upgraded to the X-20 Tour irons and was thinking about making a change in my driver. I was playing a TM R7 Quad (9.5*) which I was pretty happy with… then I compared it with the FT-i Tour (9.5*) at an outdoor facility. I had previously hit 5 or 10 balls at an indoor facility and was concerned about the loudness. Hitting it in the outdoors, it was fine. After an adjustment period (maybe 10-15 balls), I started hitting it just about as long as the TM but a whole lot straighter! I ended up getting one from Callaway preowned with the Speeder 686 in x-flex. In playing a few rounds so far, I may be 5-10 yards shorter (which I think may just be the lost roll from the draw spin), but I'm in the fairway more often than not! With the added confidence, I've started hitting it on holes I would typically hit my three wood. I think it'll be in the bag for a while!

[Pinehurst1999]

I have the 10* draw with a Prolaunch Blue shaft. Great flight height but I lose 10-20 yards compared to my Nickent Square. I am ordering the new Nickent SuperMag and I am going to keep the Nickent Square as a back up driver. If anyone is interested in my FT-i send me a message...awesome shape with a great shaft and new grip, I just like the Nickent drivers better.

[PeteMTG]

I absolutely LOVE the Ft-I. I had been playing Cobra L4V, then went to NIKE SQUARE, and then FT-5. The FT-I isnt as long as Cobra, but Ill lose the 20 yards for the FAIRWAY FINDER FT-I!!!

 

Anyone have any feedback on the LCG?

[bueller]

a tour low cg with a matrix just bumped my rapture out of the bag. its all about fairways :D

[Johnny]

It's summer and I wanted even more run-out. Got another FT-i, this time a 7.5 LCG. Hitting bullets now and I like it. My 9.5 gets a little more carry 5-10 yards, but I think the 7.5 gives me a few more yards overall.

[sma1001]

What is the matrix shaft coupled with the LCG like? Can anyone compare it in the 9.5 S version with the stock speeder 586 on the non LCG version? My swing speed is 95-100 and i'm concerned this may be too stiff.

 

I am looking for a more penetrating flight but not too low as that'd simply lose distance. So the LCG (higher launch) with the matrix x-code (stiff tip therefore lower launch with less spin) seemed to be a good compromise.

 

Any comments?

[Bizcut1]

I tried this one out yesterday...when I hit it on the screws, it was decent.

 

I gotta tell you though, for me at least, the entire experience was like

swinging a small appliance on a stick.

 

Ben

[golfdad907]

I tried this one out yesterday...when I hit it on the screws, it was decent.

 

I gotta tell you though, for me at least, the entire experience was like

swinging a small appliance on a stick.

 

Ben

 

I got used to my 9.5 LCG draw bias Imix after about 4 swings. It's actually pretty cool looking and like the crown indents which remind me of path. Can't argue with straight, long and fairways....it could look like a garden rake, but if it's long and in fairway, who cares?

 

More I play it (about 5 rounds now) more I'm liking it.

[Bizcut1]

I tried this one out yesterday...when I hit it on the screws, it was decent.

 

I gotta tell you though, for me at least, the entire experience was like

swinging a small appliance on a stick.

 

Ben

 

it could look like a garden rake, but if it's long and in fairway, who cares?

 

 

 

Amen, brother!

;)

[Bill2e]

WOW, the price on this thing has still not came down. They were $499 last year, I would have thought that the price would have started to drop buy now. I found the Nike Square at half the price of last year. What gives?

[Roughneck]

I was at a demo day here, and hit this for the first time. It was a 10, with a stiffer Speeder 586, and OMG did i hit the cover off the ball on the range !! LONG and STRAIGHT. The harder i swung, the farther it went. If it wasn't for the fact i haven't tried a new SUMO 5900 yet, i would have bought it on the spot. I currently play the original SUMO Tour, with an ALDILA Proto 65, and the FT-I was much straighter, and longer.

[Serenity Now]

I ordered the FTi Tour LCG with a Diamana Whiteboard 63 from the tour dept in April and still have not got it. They say getting the high end lefty stuff takes longer to get. My club championships are in 3 weeks. I hope it comes soon as if I hit the fairways like I think I am going to, the title is mine! Well, they say we should be confident right?

[therobsclub]

So I just got a 500 dollar gift card to Callaway for playing in the 3M Championship pro am here in Minnesota. I was looking at the drivers they had to offer and this seemed to be the best one they offered since its the tour edition of the driver. I wanna get the Diamana blue board 73g, s or x. Does anyone have this shaft in this driver and if so can you give me some feedback on it?

[Serenity Now]

I just got mine delivered today from the Tour dept. It only took 3 months to get. LCG Tour 9.5 (Only one available left handed) with Matrix Ozik X-con 6 Stiff shaft. I ran to my course and hit a small bucket on the range. Takes some getting used to but then went out and played it on my buddies course that I have played half dozen times and shot 74 and hit 5/11 fairways with it. My old club was the BB460 with the offset and I used to hit about a 35 yard hook. With the FTi, My eye still wants to hit that hook so I found that I was hitting it straight at my target. I am playing my home course tomorrow so I will be better able to judge how it is on distance. I just need to trust that it is going to go where I aim. What a concept! I am going to play it for a few weeks before deciding whether or not to put the Diamana Whiteboard 73 or the Oban Revenge in it.

 

So far I like it and 74 my first time out is not too bad. The fact that I no longer have to play the big sweeping hook will take some time getting used to

[sma1001]

I've been playing mine now for the last month. Does what it says on the tin - lower penetrating trajectory with less spin and more roll. Ideal for links golf on the east of Scotland. Watch out if you are a slicer - the club face is slightly open (normal ft-i is 1 degree closed) so you need to be able to close the face through the ball. Hope this helps.

[wvufanatik]

Boy am I lucky. I bought my FTi Tour LCG Neutral Matrix XCon 6 without swinging it. At first before it arrived I was having buyers remorse and prayed the driver worked for me. Received the driver on Friday and hit the range with my two sons on Saturday.

 

I was close to a scratch golfer years ago and stopped playing due to family and work. So I wanted a "new age" driver with forgiveness because I couldn't go to the range and practice as often as I used to and didn't play nearly as often as I used to. So, I thought the FTi would bridge the gap between talent and the amount of time I had to play.

 

It is big.. that's for sure. The sound is like hitting a steel pipe with a wrench. My first hit with little to no warm up was pretty damn good.. Straight with a slight fade (5-10yds). It was at least as long as my Titleist 975 LFE which I thought was pretty long. However I'm not in the market for distance.. used to average (280-320) but was somewhat inconsistent and found that my drives cost me a few shots a round.

 

I don't buy the, "you can't work this club" comments. I could both draw and fade the club. My natural ball flight is a slight fade with my driver and a slight draw with my irons. This club maintains that which is a pleasant surprise because I would love to retain what I'm comfortable with. The ball just jumps off the face and has great roll on touch down.

 

Again, I'm very happy and lucky to have picked a club sight unseen and it work for me. I got a good deal $320 (new still in wrapper).

 

Hope this helps ... But, I don't recommend purchasing any golf equipment without first hitting it. I'm in WV so there isn't a whole lot of demo days here.

[Serenity Now]

I have now had my LCG Tour 9.5 Lefty with X Con 6 for 10 days. No one on tour plays it, it ain't sexy and it is pretty ugly square. It is without a doubt, the best driver I have ever owned.

 

First day out I shot 74 (I am a 7) but only hit 5 of 11 fairways. It was hard to get used to as the square head kind of gets into your head on how do I set up, etc.Been playing a BB460 that has the offset so my natural ball flight was this 40 yard hook. Spent most of that first day with the FTi setting up way left and hitting it way left.

 

The next day I played in a thick fog on my home course thru 8 holes and did not trust anything I did and hit it terrible, even when the sun finally came out. Shot somewhere in the mid 80s and was starting to have second thoughts about whether I had bitten off more than I could chew, flirted with changing the shaft for a white board or an oban that is sitting here by my desk. Finally on that Thursday, I went to the range and hit an entire bucket and really worked on my set up and my swing path. After really concentrating on staying behind it, the bombs started to come. I could hit a baby draw and a nice trustable fade. I was figuring it out.

 

My next 3 rounds have been 78, 77 & today a 74 where I was 9/12 in Fairways hit and even the 3 I did not hit the fairway were so long that I had short irons in from the rough. I did not hit one poor drive. No snaps, no blocks. I have been hitting it wherever I aim. This club will be in my bag for a while and I am so glad I did not change the shaft. There must be a good reason why the shaft costs 300 bucks. It feels amazing.

 

My club championship is in 2 weeks and I can't wait.

[happy_gilmore]

Bought one of these last year in search of more forgiveness, but found if mostly short, shriveled, and to the left. Sold it and went back to my FT-3, and have since moved on to an FT-5, which i like *alot* better. To be honest, part of my issue with the FT-i was the stock speeder 586 shaft which I do not think fit me at all, but I didn't like the head enough to warrant the cost of a reshaft. As far as square drivers go, I didn't find the shape all that objectionable. It's nowhere nearly as fugly or huge as the square Nikes, and it doesn't sound like beer can on a stick like the Nike does, but I still found it obnoxiously loud. I guess if you're striping it 300+ with that "look at me" loudness, it's not such a big deal, but when you hit it like crap, you just as soon not call so much attention to yourself ..

[PeteMTG]

I found the SAME problem so I switched to a 9.5* TOUR FT-I that comes stock with a 686 Speeder.

 

Give that a shot I think you will be VERY pleased

[Serenity Now]

I had the speeder in an R7 and hated it. This Matrix (once you get used to it) is legit.

 

 

That is funny because the day I brought it out to my Mens Club tournament last Wednesday, I had all the little old men in awe when I took it out of the head cover and told them it's MSRP was more than all of their first new cars. I then went out and sprayed it all over the place and threw up on myself in the process. They have been snickering ever since joking with me. When you hit it ugly you feel like an idiot but when you get used to it, it does what it advertises. After my 74 got posted today, all my little old buddies are suddenly silent.

[Callaway Girl]

I love this driver. I am a female and purchased the FT-i with the Fujikura Speeder 586 shaft. I have played over 50 rounds of golf with it and average 89.8% on fairway hits. My average distance is 240 yards, but I am looking forward to rebuilding my swing and fitness regimen during the off season, in order to gain more distance while still maintaining my accuracy.

 

I hit every driver known to man on a launch monitor and narrowed it down to the FT-i. After I found the right spin rate that I was looking for, I customized the shaft and head loft for my launch angles. The Callaway fitting system is top notch and would recommend everyone try their custom fitting services.

[biggdaddy18]

I had a 9.5 degree neutral w/ the Fuji shaft and was hitting it pretty darn good when I switched over to Taylormade stuff and have missed it ever since. I just got one w/ the Matrix shaft two days ago same loft and neutral configuration, and hit one ball across my yard today.......All I can say is "welcome back baby". Two warm up swings and 1 swing at the ball.....dead solid high draw right over where I was aiming. I did try a 9.5 w/ the draw configuration and hooked the do-do out of it. Also, the 9 degree w/ the 586 Fuji shaft is like a totally different club. I had one of them originally and didn't hit it very well. I learned that the half degree clubs are tour models and set up better for me. Give it a try. The sound is a little odd.....like an aluminum softball bat, but the feel and flight are great to me. As long or longer than any other driver I've hit too, but that could have something to do w/ being able to swing confidently knowing that the ball is prolly going where I want it to.

[R U S T Y]

First let me say this, this is the straightest driver built along with the 5900 and is very long also.

 

But Not stock!!

 

The shaft is crap too light and way too long at 46"

 

I am a + 2.3 handicap and I play this in an Imix head 10* with 73g Blue Diamana at 44.5"

 

Now you can steal this head at under 200 and get a nice shaft to go in it.

 

I tried the stock model and the tour stock model and they were terrible,

The right shaft makes all the difference. although the speeder 686 is a better shaft in this

 

Imix Ft-I Driver 10* w/ Diamana 83x

[R U S T Y]

if anyone wants one of these, I have 2...an FTI Tour 9.5 head with callaway hosel-ferrule. 9/10 shape... just pop in the shaft you like... pm me if you want it. CHEAP!!!!

 

I also have another 9.5 tour head shafted with a fuji speeder 686s tipped 1/2" plays at 44.5" great shape too 9/10 ... also cheap!!!

[warbirdlover]

I've been playing a G10 which up until now was by far the best I've found. A friend and I were at the range and I tried his Burner. Not as long or straight as my G10 but good. Tried his FTi. Longer then my G10 and straighter with a slight draw. I've bought one. Best driver I've ever hit.

 

Update. The FTi I was raving about above was a friend's 11º. I bought a different friend's 10º. All I hit with this are popups. I had my brother try it and same thing. And it's in like new condition. I think the face angle is WAY off on this one. If that's how Cally's QA works I won't fool with any more of them. If the face angle is actually what it says it's a good club. I'm betting mine is 15º!! I'm getting rid of it and have gone back to my trusy G10.