£50 Vs £479 GM Test

Slab

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Re the GM driver test over there on the right>>>

Interesting watch and depending on what you want from your game then for lots there's clearly no way is the TM worth its cost when the Slaz can get so close in many areas

However if these margins make all the difference to you and your game then you'll spend the extra and absolutely get your moneys worth

Its probably why most of us spend somewhere in the middle of these price points looking to maximise cost v return

Not sure how you sort it and still have a direct comparison but it doesn't sound like Neil is the right person to test the Slazenger because he's just too good for it in terms of swing speed/shaft and the closed face configuration (in short it wasn't made for players like him to hit while the TM absolutely is aimed at him) So I wonder if results are skewed at all (inadvertently of course)

Its like a pro car driver testing a Ford std hatchback, its tough for him to replicate the use the car will get from the target buyer

Maybe alongside Neil there should've been a slower swinging mid to high(er) handicap player with 200yrd carry and a tendency to hit the odd 'power fade' that the Slaz is aimed at so we can see what he did with each club too and see if its 'worth' that calibre of player spending the extra money on the TM
(because I'm betting there's no way the higher h/cap player will be able to maximise the tech in the TM and again its why most of us probably spend in-between these two)

I'd like to see more of this type of content GM, maybe a Scotty up against a sub £50 putter next?
 

inc0gnito

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It’s symptomatic of the unscientific tests that all magazines and youtubers carry out. I’m not saying they are all worthless, but they don’t test things in the right way imo.

Youre absolutely right. Clubs should be tested by different ability levels.

They all also focus on distance and spin primarily. They’re all obsessed with it. What I want to know is how well a club can aid fades and draws, what are the dispersion rates like (and not just how the best shots perform), what happens when you strike 10 shots off the toe and ten off the heel, how does it perform in the hands of a high handicapper and low handicapper.

All these kinds of questions are much more relevant than a few strikes off the centre of the face by a well established good golfer.
 

Capella

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Just judging by the pictures, I like the look of the Slazenger much more than the Taylormade M3. I never cared much for the carbon crown black and white look of the current Taylormade drivers.

Still, the article has to be taken with a grain of salt, I think. Some points which are talked down here, the 7 yards or so less carry with the regular shaft and the wider dispersion and constant right miss with the Adlila shaft are not a minor detail. If it were one of the ususal endorsed club reviews comparing last years model to a new one, they would be talked up to a major thing instead.
 

chrisd

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My brother in law, like Neil, was a bog standard 5 handicapper and at the range people often offered him their drivers etc to have a hit with. No matter how good or bad, costly or cheap, he could usually after a couple of hits, bat a ball pretty long and straight. It suggests to me that Neil's video was really valid as, if the right swing is put on any driver, they will biff a ball a decent way down a fairway and it almost always a flaw in the swing mechanics that cause mi*****.

So the moral is - if it regularly goes bad it's probably you're swing and not the club
 

duncan mackie

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My brother in law, like Neil, was a bog standard 5 handicapper and at the range people often offered him their drivers etc to have a hit with. No matter how good or bad, costly or cheap, he could usually after a couple of hits, bat a ball pretty long and straight. It suggests to me that Neil's video was really valid as, if the right swing is put on any driver, they will biff a ball a decent way down a fairway and it almost always a flaw in the swing mechanics that cause mi*****.

So the moral is - if it regularly goes bad it's probably you're swing and not the club

:thup: (extremes of shaft excepted)
 

Slab

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My brother in law, like Neil, was a bog standard 5 handicapper and at the range people often offered him their drivers etc to have a hit with. No matter how good or bad, costly or cheap, he could usually after a couple of hits, bat a ball pretty long and straight. It suggests to me that Neil's video was really valid as, if the right swing is put on any driver, they will biff a ball a decent way down a fairway and it almost always a flaw in the swing mechanics that cause mi*****.

So the moral is - if it regularly goes bad it's probably you're swing and not the club

Yeah its just I got the impression it was a test comparing two sticks of wildly different pricing and not just a test of how good can a low handicap player hit two sticks of wildly different pricing

I think there's a crucial element missing by not having both the appropriate target buyers involved
 

drewster

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Just judging by the pictures, I like the look of the Slazenger much more than the Taylormade M3. I never cared much for the carbon crown black and white look of the current Taylormade drivers.

Still, the article has to be taken with a grain of salt, I think. Some points which are talked down here, the 7 yards or so less carry with the regular shaft and the wider dispersion and constant right miss with the Adlila shaft are not a minor detail. If it were one of the ususal endorsed club reviews comparing last years model to a new one, they would be talked up to a major thing instead.

Agree with your comments about aesthetics. From above the Slazenger looks much better in my opinion and would be my weapon of choice between the two irrespective of the cost.
 

Maninblack4612

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Looking at the numbers, the lower launch of the P500 could be responsible for the shorter carry. Had it been adjusted to get the same launch as the Taylormade I should imagine that the carry distance would be about the same, looking at the backspin figures.
 

garyinderry

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The test falls down because that aldila shaft was fitted for the Taylor made driver.

There could conceivably be a different shaft that would elevate the Slazenger driver up the same level as the TM.

Because the Slazenger's head is static and cannot be adjusted. Playing with different shafts may well yield those extra yards.


All in all, a pretty brave test and a little damaging for companies who rave about custom fitting.
 
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The test falls down because that aldila shaft was fitted for the Taylor made driver.

There could conceivably be a different shaft that would elevate the Slazenger driver up the same level as the TM.

Because the Slazenger's head is static and cannot be adjusted. Playing with different shafts may well yield those extra yards.


All in all, a pretty brave test and a little damaging for companies who rave about custom fitting.
Agree with this, good video, will there be an Iron set comparison or a head to head from GM Staffers, ie custom fit player v cheapest new brand bag.
 

jim8flog

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I was interested in the dispersion figures being reduced when the shaft was swapped on the Slazenger. It did make me wonder "what if the simply spine aligned the original shaft?"
 

bigslice

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The test falls down because that aldila shaft was fitted for the Taylor made driver.

There could conceivably be a different shaft that would elevate the Slazenger driver up the same level as the TM.

Because the Slazenger's head is static and cannot be adjusted. Playing with different shafts may well yield those extra yards.


All in all, a pretty brave test and a little damaging for companies who rave about custom fitting.
There is an adjustable one for 50. Not that i cud put the slazenger in my bag. Too noisy for my tinnitus
 
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