The STRAIGHTEST driver out there is the McHenry metals. This was THE club on the senior tour in 2000 and 1999. Get one at "second swing" or on ebay and you won't be sorry. Don't pay more than $50.00 though
Big Bertha War Bird with a steel or extra firm shaft. (Actually, I hit even better with the new generation Big Bertha's but don't want to spend the $ on one.) Imo, nothing else matters except the shaft stiffness. (Can you crush a golf ball with a rubber band or a sledgehammer?)
I'd have to say any decent club manufactured by the larger club manufacturers would suffice, but many people would rather spend time and effort searching for better equipment instead of practicing and learning how to improve their swing.
Amen to that!!!!! The movie "Tin Cup' may have sucked, but it wasn't that far from the truth. I play with a friend who has broken 90 many times using a $25 five wood and a putter only. And he probably could do it without the putter....he just never wanted to get hassled for using a club on the greens. It's how he practices his "touch". He doesn't do it to hustle fish like in the movie. His regular clubs: Mizuno blades, steel shafts. Taylor Made 3 and 5 woods, also steel shafts. Odyssey putter (not a fancy one) and a Cleveland sand wedge. Never uses a driver. Doesn't carry one in his bag. Scratch golfer. And not his primary sport (although it is getting to be more and more as he ages). As Mick Jagger said....."It's the singer, not the song". Peace, RS
That's hilarious! I've got an annoying friend like that as well. When I was a kid, he wouldn't play for 3 months and would go out and shoot an 80. Then we'd go bowling and he'd bowl 180. Then we'd play basketball and he'd swish everything from 30' on the side. Anything hand-eye was easy for him. Some of us are mortal I guess... But, anyway, I totally agree with what you said about the swing, but I'm curious what you guys think of the Noodles. I played with one and I really think it added 10-15 yards. I kind of dislike getting an advantage with "technology" - I feel like I'm cheating - but I'm just curious if you think the new low compression balls are really legit?
The shaft is more important than the head. The better player you are, the more important it becomes, since you're probably hitting it on the screws most of the time. One wrinkle that has become common is to use a relatively higher loft driver, say 10* instead of 8*, and use one of the high kick point shafts that give a lower ball flight. The Penley Stealth is a good example, also those ugly UST shafts. While the major manufacturers produce ok equipment, you can get great stuff from clubmakers and online shops for a lot less. The best driver I have ever hit is an Integra S450 head and the Accuflex Pro shaft. That combo may be tough to find now, but the Bang 450 and Penley Stealth shaft is an awesome combination for length and accuracy. But get the extra long tees to use with the 450 cc driver.
I enjoy my Integra Sooo Long 450 10.5* on an Aldila One Stiff Mid Launch Shaft, known as the "Blue Mailbox on a Stick". It's the COR legal one. Agree with AAA, the shaft is the ticket. I have a couple of Callaway GBB's (ebay specials) with varying shafts (some those ugly UST's, ) and the profiles and carry on each are significantly different. As much as the industry wants you to believe the technology in clubs is making a big difference in length for the avg hacker, it isn't IMO. If you took all the supposed 10-15 yard increases from my old persimmon wood that I hit 240-250 and added them on to the current clubs, why don't I hit the ball 380-400. I've hit a 9* GBB/ust PF65 X around 250-280 and in the 330 area a few times, but, the general accuracy isn't that of the Integra which is pretty straight in the 250-280 area, longest 310. The guys I play with don't hit the ball any longer with this years stuff vs. a few years ago, but, their misses are closer to or in the short grass. The big deal is that the swing with the Integra isn't as aggressive as with my Persimmon or the GBB, thus, the accuracy is much better. Here's my take on OEM clubs. Paying $400-500 for a driver is insane. You pay for the marketing and glossy ads in all the Mags. I like the Cleveland Launcher 400 the best out of the rest out there, but, I'm not paying 250+ for that when I can build a Driver for less than half that amount ($125) and get components that fit my swing profile. Additionally, I can Spine or Pure the shafts which a lot of the OEM's won't have done (they are coming around on this though). A lot of the problem is that people don't want to be seen with the component clubs because they are unwarrantedly deemed inferior. The guys I play with love that Integra driver when they hit it, they won't use it cause it doesn't say Callaway or TM or Cleveland, pretty dumb IMO. The next set of clubs I get to replace my Titleist DCI OS+'s (bought on Ebay for $150 a few years ago) are going to be Snake Eyes Forged 600B's & C's (comparable to Mizuno's, $700 price tag), Rifle 6.0s built to my specs for around $235. Just like in woodworking, it's the carpenter not the tools. Same for golf! Later, Cracked My bag: Integra Soo Long 450 10.5* (Ebay $45) Callaway Warbird 3 & 5 woods (freebies, did work at the foundry) with those ugly UST shafts...... sorry AAA Titleist DCI OS+ 4-9 Cleveland 588 wedges 49,53,56,60 (All Ebay Specials) Ray Cook Anser Putter
cracked, I have ruined many guys relationship with their expensive drivers by letting them hit the 450.