[jamieuk23]

Hi as my old set of clubs got stolen last year and I have spent the last 12 months rebuilding my new set of clubs.

I am now on the look out for a 1 Wood.

I go round my local course in about 89-95 so I am not the best player but as I only Tee off with a 3 iron I am hoping a decent Driver will lower my score by making it much easier for me to reach the greens after my Tee off.

My swing is a fast powerful swing and I drive around 270-300 Yards with a good swing.

With so many different drivers on the Market I have no idea which one to go for , but will no doubt try to pickup up a second hand one as I dont play as much as I would like any more to warrant a expensive buy

What sought of loft would you recommend me going for in a Driver as I have no idea ?? from looking around I see they are around 9-12 Loft.

I have heard good things about King Cobra Drivers - any one got one and love it ??

Just any general advice that you think might help me is most appreciated !!

[paul1967]

From what I've seen with golf pro programs it would pay to go to a pro shop a get 1 set up for you then see if they have second hand 1 or recomend 1 as your height a play a big part in the club that you buy as it can effect your swing.

[jamieuk23]

thats not a bad idea mate

[jamieuk23]

any one no of any sites with loads of info and advice for newbies choosing clubs etc ??

thanks

[bitofatit]

The best advise you could take is to visit a pro ...and book some lessons! Honest! Ok get a driver you probably need one - you could pick a decent one up second hand that will last you for years. But asking for advice from enthusiatic ametuers will not help your game (hane I just shot myself inthe foot?). My tip... seek out a golf pro at a local course book 6 lessons and have them once a forntnight. Also ask the opinion of the pro. I have seen time and again guys buy expensive new clubs, drivers etc thinking this would do the trick - it doesn't. Practise and professional advise and more practise is the way forward!

P.S look at all the best pro's in the world for example - they have teaching pros helping them out - don't be put off going to a pro now and even when you get down to a single figure handicapper!

[The Dude]

all good tips...but 'professional advice' can't help much with choosing your clubs though... any Pro worth listening to would tell you the same.

They can help you with fitment, and give you some options, but ultimately what feels best in your hands is what's gonna do the best job for you out on the course..regardless of what it 'is'..


TBQH Jamie, If you can hit 250-300+ drives, then I'd say you'll soon be able to play with almost anything you buy



King Cobra 460SZ
Ping G2

would be the first two on my shortlist in your circumstances, you can pick them up new at 'used' prices these days.

The G2 looks better, the 460SZ sounds better (it sounds awwwwwesome).
They both hit long, straight, &loud when used properly.




A driver (and your putter) is a unique club in the bag... buy one that looks 'right' behind the ball, then head for the range and learn how to get the best out of it.

[jamieuk23]

thanks for help mate ! think I am gona try and find a King Cobra 460SZ

I notice there is a King Cobra 440SZ does the 440 stand for the size of the head ??

thanks for help !

[The Dude]

Yeah, just the different head size, they're identical in every other respect, and just about identical to hit. (the 440 is easier to hit from low tees)
I had a 440 for a quite while and loved it.

If you find a cheap 440 then go for it, I only got the 460 because I stumbled on a cheap one with a stiffer shaft than my 440.

I was playing them both for a while, and would definitely recommend either (to anybody).




The 460SZ is certainly confidence inspiring..... 'Die ball.... DIE!!!'

Forgot to add, both of mine have been 10.5d loft, which seems to be very common, and both very playable from the fairway when you're 'improvising'.. ;-)

[bitofatit]

[QUOTE=jamieuk23;4659856]Hi as my old set of clubs got stolen last year and I have spent the last 12 months rebuilding my new set of clubs.

I am now on the look out for a 1 Wood.

I go round my local course in about 89-95 so I am not the best player but as I only Tee off with a 3 iron I am hoping a decent Driver will lower my score by making it much easier for me to reach the greens after my Tee off.

My swing is a fast powerful swing and I drive around 270-300 Yards with a good swing.


Jamie - my mis-undertanding: are you saying you drive 275 - 300 with a 3 iron? If this is the case stick with that mate!! Irons are more accurate than a driver. TBH I didn't read that bit last time I contributed to the debate. My thinking was not that the golf pro would tell you about the lie, loft of the club and stiffness of shaft but that he could recommend a club AFTER having assesed you stlye and ensured that you were doing the right thing andd had a swing that was repeatable. When you say you are going around your local course in 85-90 what is the PAR for the course - tell me it's not a 9 hole pitch and put!! (only kidding). Whats your handicap anyway - and don't say "Golf"!
regards
BoaT

[bitofatit]

King Cobra make good driver's (I have one) - TBH a lot of players at my club have them. As one wag pointed out to the lads the other day...Them King Cobra's are like clitoris' ......every [censored] got one !!

[jamieuk23]

[QUOTE=bitofatit;4661092]

Originally Posted by jamieuk23

Hi as my old set of clubs got stolen last year and I have spent the last 12 months rebuilding my new set of clubs.

I am now on the look out for a 1 Wood.

I go round my local course in about 89-95 so I am not the best player but as I only Tee off with a 3 iron I am hoping a decent Driver will lower my score by making it much easier for me to reach the greens after my Tee off.

My swing is a fast powerful swing and I drive around 270-300 Yards with a good swing.


Jamie - my mis-undertanding: are you saying you drive 275 - 300 with a 3 iron? If this is the case stick with that mate!! Irons are more accurate than a driver. TBH I didn't read that bit last time I contributed to the debate. My thinking was not that the golf pro would tell you about the lie, loft of the club and stiffness of shaft but that he could recommend a club AFTER having assesed you stlye and ensured that you were doing the right thing andd had a swing that was repeatable. When you say you are going around your local course in 85-90 what is the PAR for the course - tell me it's not a 9 hole pitch and put!! (only kidding). Whats your handicap anyway - and don't say "Golf"!
regards
BoaT

I used to have a nike Driver in my old set B4 it got stolen and that was the sought of distance I was getting when I hit it clean.

I wish I was hitting my drives that far with a 3 Iron !!

I haven't had a Driver in my bag for the last 6 months and even thou my score card is coming down more I still think a Driver will help me achieve my best score possible, by allowing me to use my higher irons on my approach shots to the greens.

With a 3 Iron off the Tee most times I am having to use a 3-5 Iron to just reach the green and as any novice knows its much easier to use the higher irons.

Looks like King cobra it is !

Thanks for advice people !!

[jamieuk23]

Originally Posted by bitofatit

King Cobra make good driver's (I have one) - TBH a lot of players at my club have them. As one wag pointed out to the lads the other day...Them King Cobra's are like clitoris' ......every [Censored] got one !!

[Graham27]

If you seriously hit it anywhere near 300 yards you NEED to be custom fitted

From experience I know it's damn difficult to work out how far your average drive goes. 300 yds would be comfortably in the top 10 on the US Tour If that is how far you hit it, don't even think about buying an off the shelf driver. Step away from the club racks !

I was a budding club pro, then (when I realised it paid £50 a week plus Mars bars...) I was a golf equipment salesman, ran golf shops, did a little clubmaking, did custom fittings, etc. etc. I'm even more of ananorak about clubs than I am about AV So I do know a wee bit about it and if you want to ask anything at all fire away !

What you should really do if you're a long hitter, before you even look at driver models, is get your swing speed checked to work out what shaft you need. And if you do get it checked you really need to be honest and try not to see how high you can get it clocked ! All that happens there is that you end up with a driver with too stiff a shaft and too litle loft. Seen it happen a million times, including with my own sticks. Been there, done that *looks at custom made Tour X-flex driver, shakes head, sighs* It's a little embarassing taking a driver back because your average swing on a frosty morning doesn't match up to your one-hit wonder on a heated range. And costly too !

A rough rule of thumb guide to shafts (based on swing speed with the big stick) would be 70-80 (Senior) 80-90 MPH (Reg) 90-100 (Stiff) 100-110 (X Stiff) 110+ (X stiff in a £100+ shaft !).

Regarding brands, you can usually get a good deal on Taylor Made as they change models fairly often. Cobra are good value for money but can be quite closed faced so if you fight the hooks it may be an issue. Callaway are ppretty much always safe, and hold value. Nike are also good but don't tend to hold value.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Anything else, feel free to ask...

[Henry]

For what it's worth, I would advocate not buying a Driver. The jump from a 3-iron to a Driver is a big one. You may well end up scoring a lot worse as you'll struggle to keep it in play.

If you hit it as far as that (similar to me), I'd get a decent 3-Wood and work up from there. A 3-Wood will give you more control than a driver and enable you to stay in play more. You can then always progress up to a driver from there.

Plus it should be cheaper though as 3-Woods are normally quite a bit cheaper than drivers.

I'd go for a stiff shaft as a rule of thumb too on whatever you buy. But I'd definitely get a 3-Wood first. It may not be as sexy as a Driver, but I'd bet it'll improve your score more than a Driver initially.

[Graham27]

A 3 wood would indeed be a sensible choice ! And stiff would be better than regular. But for anyone who's hitting it anywhere close to 300 yds with a driver, they'd need a X flex or possibly even stiffer. Not just in the driver, in all their woods.

Club head speed for 280 yards is around 110mph, your average stiff shaft is good for about 95mph. Some of the premium shafts that are offered in the drivers may be a good match though. Look for Grafalloy Prolite/Prolaunch or UST V2, they tend to play stiff to flex. Only thing to be wary of is that stiff shafts don't tend to be so forgiving of poorly timed swings so sometimes you need to err on the softer side.

But I have to say again, anyone who's hitting long balls should be custome fitted. Some shafts work better with certain heads, some shafts change trajectory necessitating a loft change, and so on...

If you hit it more than 260yds (105-ish clubhead speed) on average you NEED fitted.

[Henry]

Originally Posted by Graham27

A 3 wood would indeed be a sensible choice ! And stiff would be better than regular. But for anyone who's hitting it anywhere close to 300 yds with a driver, they'd need a X flex or possibly even stiffer. Not just in the driver, in all their woods.

Club head speed for 280 yards is around 110mph, your average stiff shaft is good for about 95mph. Some of the premium shafts that are offered in the drivers may be a good match though. Look for Grafalloy Prolite/Prolaunch or UST V2, they tend to play stiff to flex. Only thing to be wary of is that stiff shafts don't tend to be so forgiving of poorly timed swings so sometimes you need to err on the softer side.

But I have to say again, anyone who's hitting long balls should be custome fitted. Some shafts work better with certain heads, some shafts change trajectory necessitating a loft change, and so on...

If you hit it more than 260yds (105-ish clubhead speed) on average you NEED fitted.

I'm surprised at that. I've got stiff shafts in all my woods but sometimes find them a bit unforgiving and unyielding.

I spent quite a bit of time trying to decide whether to get regular or stiff shafts for my two Taylor Made rescue woods. I ended up getting stiff shafts as I just found regular too whippy for me but it was a bit of a toss up.

I'd certainly never thought of going any stiffer than "stiff".

[Graham27]

It could be you're a very smooth tempo kinda guy, therefore you'll put less "load" into the shaft and you'll be able to get away with a softer flex. Generally if people are between reg and stiff you'd choose reg if you had a smooth tempo or for playability and distance, or you'd go to stiff if you had a quick tempo or for a stronger ball flight and accuracy.

With absolutely no offense meant to anyone, probably about 90% of the people I've custom fitted have overestimated their distance off the tee. It's an easy trap to fall into, all you need is a few good drives on a hot summers day, when you're loose and limber, and the ball is flying and running well, and you end up misjudging your distance.

We had a simulator that measured everything pretty accurately and probably less than 10% of people were capable of hitting it 270+ once, let alone on average. To do that, you need a 105+ swing speed, 90%-ish efficiency, and a dead centre hit. Tricky to do. I have a ss of 110ish, I'm a half decent ball striker, but I don't hit it anywhere near 300 on average. I have hit the odd couple well over that, including a 342 yd poke to win a long drive comp, but a sensible swing gets me about 270. I had a tour X driver built for me but I never got on with it, and I just hit moon balls with a standard S flex (probably more due to the LOFT... Lack Of Flippin' Talent ) so I go with a normal X now.

I have had a few notable occurences in the trade though. Some of the pro long drive guys have swing speeds in the 150's. One of the most prominent guys in that field is a former chemist, hmmm, go figure ! Fastest guy I've ever had the pleasure of fitting was 132mph. He asked me to hit a couple as he thought I'd be quicker than him, but I just couldn't seem to find my driver !

[Henry]

I try to be a "smooth tempo kinda guy"! It just doesn't always work that way.

I certainly wouldn't say that I average 300 yards. Winter golf would be 240-260 and summer 260+ and when I'm really swinging it well, the sky's the limit. Including a 385 yard drive at Beverley Golf Club (we won't talk about the 40 mph wind behind that day!).

I've got an old set of Ping Eye2s which I've been considering changing. I want to play quite a bit more this year as I'm off to Turnberry for 3 days in September and I really want to be in some kind of form for that weekend.

[Graham27]

Dependent on which variant of the Eye 2's you have, it may well be worth giving them a bit of attention, rather than changing them. They still see abit of play on the Tour.

You can send them to Karsten HQ in Gainsborough to have them "serviced" And you could also have them altered to your specs, if you weren't originally custom fitted.

The refinished heads come out really well, just need a quick tumble, bead and polish. You could get the shafts changed, as if your sticks still have the original shafts fitted, they're overdue a change. Steel shafts start to struggle after maybe 5 years, after 7 they should be changed, and after 10 they're goosed. New grips of your choice to finish.

It'd probably cost you £200-£250 to have them like new again, and there's no way you'll get a custom fitted set of new sticks of that quality for that sort of money

Sorry to go OT !

[Henry]

Originally Posted by Graham27

Dependent on which variant of the Eye 2's you have, it may well be worth giving them a bit of attention, rather than changing them. They still see abit of play on the Tour.

You can send them to Karsten HQ in Gainsborough to have them "serviced" And you could also have them altered to your specs, if you weren't originally custom fitted.

The refinished heads come out really well, just need a quick tumble, bead and polish. You could get the shafts changed, as if your sticks still have the original shafts fitted, they're overdue a change. Steel shafts start to struggle after maybe 5 years, after 7 they should be changed, and after 10 they're goosed. New grips of your choice to finish.

It'd probably cost you £200-£250 to have them like new again, and there's no way you'll get a custom fitted set of new sticks of that quality for that sort of money

Sorry to go OT !

Good idea. I went over there a few years ago. It's only about 45 mins over the river from me so it's pretty easy to get there. The shafts have only had relatively light use but would be somewhere near the 7 year mark. Do you still think they'd need changing? Any pointers as to how to check them out?

[Graham27]

If it's that close there's no reason not to pop down. Think you'll need to arrange your visit through a Ping account holder, which is where you'll pay for any work done. It's up to the account/shop what mark up they charge on Ping's repair prices though, so be careful when you choose who to book through. Some places do it as a service and take a minimal amount whereas I've known of other places who view it like any other product and add anything up to 100% mark-up.

Regardless of use of the shafts, 7 years is usually the sort of time when it's worth thinking about getting them changed. The shafts decay from the inside, so look for any rust spots coming through to the external chrome. Also, if you take a grip off, you can usually have a look into the shaft to see if there's much rust there. They tend to corrode quicker at the butt end if you play in inclement weather, as water runs down the shafts when the clubs are in your bag, and pools at the bottom. The rubber grips kinda soak the water up and keep the bottom of the shafts damp. Sometimes, when regripping, you find soggy grip tape underneath even though the person hasn't played in the rain for a fortnight

Also, even if the shafts are in decent nick, shaft technology has changed a lot in 7 years. Pings standard offering now is a lot lighter and comes in various flexes. Used to be the case that they only did one flex as old Mr. Solheim thought the effect of shaft flex was overstated. He passed on and his sons took over a changed a few things for the better. Also changed some for the worse but I digress...

Anyway, Pings clubmakers will tell you if they think you need them changed, and their clubfitters will tell you if you'd benefit from getting them changed. If you get fitted and there's any length alterations needed they'll probably recommend a whole shaft change.

It's usually a fun day at Karsten, and you can get fitted for woods, wedges and a putter while you're there. Might end up being more costly than you imagine !