Driver recommendation please

[IamMarkMac]

I didn't have much luck finding a driver I liked among US offerings so I'm hoping JDM might have the answer.

 

Basically, I like playing a small head, a short shaft (44in) and light swingweight (D2 or D3). Of the three, I would consider shaft length least important and swingweight most important.

 

I've been looking at the sub 400 cc heads (S-yard, Yonex) and was wondering if anyone could give me more suggestions. Thanks.

[chiromikey]

It's not required but if you're a hard hitter or have a decent swing speed, you have to consider the Jbeam or Crazy 435 and 425. They're very compact due to having a deeper face and are repeatedly the bombers of the jdm range. They don't have the same super soft feel of most jdm's but their distance is still unmatched several generations later. And being a few years old means great deals to be had!

[IamMarkMac]

[quote name='chiromikey' timestamp='1379988694' post='7901011']
It's not required but if you're a hard hitter or have a decent swing speed, you have to consider the Jbeam or Crazy 435 and 425. They're very compact due to having a deeper face and are repeatedly the bombers of the jdm range. They don't have the same super soft feel of most jdm's but their distance is still unmatched several generations later. And being a few years old means great deals to be had!
[/quote]

Nice. But where do I find these deals?

[chiromikey]

Keep a lookout in the bst section at tourspecgolf.com

[RLL33]

From your description of what you're looking for, I doubt you could do any better than the S-Yard t.388. It's the best driver I've ever hit.

[Bravo36]

Yep, I'm really enjoying hitting my .388. Straight, boring flight almost every time.

[IamMarkMac]

I'm narrowing down to the S-Yard t.388 and the Yonex eZone 380. The next trick though is to try them out with 44" shafts. Hopefully it doesn't affect performance too much.

[coops]

I wouldn't bother with the Yonex 380, despite it's devastating good looks.

I love my Mizuno Craft 611 (410cc) at 44" with a Nunchuk shaft - swingweight for what that's worth - does come out around d2 or d0, with a leather gripmaster grip.

Bonus is if you have a right to left tendency, the 611 can be ordered at 56.5 degree lie - beware the 60 deg lie of some nowadays...

[IamMarkMac]

[quote name='coops' timestamp='1380050411' post='7904727']
I wouldn't bother with the Yonex 380, despite it's devastating good looks.

I love my Mizuno Craft 611 (410cc) at 44" with a Nunchuk shaft - swingweight for what that's worth - does come out around d2 or d0, with a leather gripmaster grip.

Bonus is if you have a right to left tendency, the 611 can be ordered at 56.5 degree lie - beware the 60 deg lie of some nowadays...
[/quote]

Out of curiosity, what's the issue with the Yonex 380? I did notice it was pretty cheap for a JDM driver (although I don't disqualify cheap, I do take it as a warning to do my research).

[lumberman2462]

I'm playing the S-Yard 388 and love it.

The only problem I see is that if you start cutting down on that shaft from the stock 45.25 then you're gonna have swingweight issues.

You might have to try the Secret Grip or something to make it a little heavier.

I'd really hate to see you have to resort to lead tape on the S-Yard.

Good luck.

[fsusp]

Royal collection vs tour is the best driver I have ever played. I have it shafted with the Attas t2 shaft.

I've seen these on eBay. Also, I believe joe kwok has access to royal collection clubs. There are quite a few threads about his amazing work if you search.

[coops]

I wouldn't bother with the Yonex 380, despite it's devastating good looks.

 

I love my Mizuno Craft 611 (410cc) at 44" with a Nunchuk shaft - swingweight for what that's worth - does come out around d2 or d0, with a leather gripmaster grip.

 

Bonus is if you have a right to left tendency, the 611 can be ordered at 56.5 degree lie - beware the 60 deg lie of some nowadays...

 

Out of curiosity, what's the issue with the Yonex 380? I did notice it was pretty cheap for a JDM driver (although I don't disqualify cheap, I do take it as a warning to do my research).

 

The Yonex is not the best feeling/ sounding head around, performance is ok.... but in fairness, this is comparing it to my Adams 9015d (with same nunchuk shaft).

 

Alos the face is fairly small... compare the pic above of Yonex380 v Adams9015d v Mizuno 611, and you can see the smaller available face on the Yonex. The Mizuno by comparison has almost the same face area as a full 460cc Adams just with some of the unusable toe and heel removed.... Mizuno also has good pear shape from top view, and deep face as you can see

[IamMarkMac]

I wouldn't bother with the Yonex 380, despite it's devastating good looks.

 

I love my Mizuno Craft 611 (410cc) at 44" with a Nunchuk shaft - swingweight for what that's worth - does come out around d2 or d0, with a leather gripmaster grip.

 

Bonus is if you have a right to left tendency, the 611 can be ordered at 56.5 degree lie - beware the 60 deg lie of some nowadays...

 

Out of curiosity, what's the issue with the Yonex 380? I did notice it was pretty cheap for a JDM driver (although I don't disqualify cheap, I do take it as a warning to do my research).

 

The Yonex is not the best feeling/ sounding head around, performance is ok.... but in fairness, this is comparing it to my Adams 9015d (with same nunchuk shaft).

 

Alos the face is fairly small... compare the pic above of Yonex380 v Adams9015d v Mizuno 611, and you can see the smaller available face on the Yonex. The Mizuno by comparison has almost the same face area as a full 460cc Adams just with some of the unusable toe and heel removed.... Mizuno also has good pear shape from top view, and deep face as you can see

 

Great pic. Makes me want to start a driver collection :yess:

 

Still, looking at the heads side by side is just making me want to go with the smaller head (the last driver I felt I hit well was a Steelhead which is 205cc). You're right though, there's something about the shape of the Mizuno Craft. Gotta go find one to hit...

[coops]

More pics of the 611 and others here
http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/867130-the-best-looking-jdm-driver/page__p__7326230__hl__%20mizuno%20%20craft%20%20611#entry7326230

The 611 is deep face and not long from heel to toe, so if anything looks a bit smaller than it's already lower 410cc.