Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond (low spin driver) not for the likes of me?

[nickjdavis]

Had a spare couple of hours after a range session today so ambled off down to my not quite local (in fact the opposite direction from home) Nevada Bobs for a browse.

Wasnt intending on hitting anything but having got my bag sorted for the coming year the only thing I've not really looked at over the winter and spring is my driver. Was quiet in the shop and (they know me there) after a little general chat I expressed a vague interest in having a hit with the Quantum driver...just to see how it compared to my "old" AiSmoke.

Had picked up the Quantum Triple Diamond Max whilst in the shop and really liked its shape and how it sat so was interested in having a go, even though such clubs arent really aimed at slower swingers who dont generate much spin....a view/opinion which was reinforced by the staff member.

Anyway, into a bay we went and I hit a few shots with my current driver and saw stats that I am familiar with...ball speeds around low 120's, spin mid/low 2000's, carry 190, total around 215-220 typically.

Was given a Quantum Max and proceeded to hook the living daylights out of it...looked at the sole of the club and found i'd been given a Max D...so even more draw biased. Mistake was corrected and the Max was put in my hands which instantly straightened things up a bit but without seeing a huge amount of gain's distance wise. A lighter shaft was thrown in to the mix which saw me gain an mph or two swing speed and a few yards distance in both carry and total. Still nothing that would instantly open my wallet though.

I once more expressed an interested in hitting the Triple Diamond Max so was duly given one, the assistant left me to it for a few minutes (dont think he still believed it was suitable) as he had something he needed to do (wasnt a proper fitting, just me wanting to hit a few for "research purposes", so I didnt mind)...I hit about 8 or 9 shots and stopped and waited for him to return. Cue slightly raised eyebrows as he saw club speeds around 88, ball speeds up in the high 120's, carry distances just above 200 and total distances around 230 to 235 on good hits....and then I showed him what club he had actually given me....instead of the Triple Diamond Max, he had given me the slightly more compact headed standard Triple Diamond....allegedly aimed at far better, faster swingers than I.

I did have a go with the Max version but never really felt it deliver the solid impact and balance that I felt the standard version did. Also I struggled to launch it as well as I did the standard version...though I do think the tee was a tad lower than I would normally use, so AoA was perhaps not optimal and a few shots may have been caught a tad south of the center of the club face...not taking advantage of the higher lofts available due to clubface roll above the club face equator. We did try the lightweight regular flex shaft in the Triple Diamond, a combination that the staff member admitted would likely raise eyebrows if an order was placed, but I felt the slightly heavier shaft provided better balance through the swing.

Ultimately, I never handed over any cash...but it just goes to show that, just because a club is "marketed" towards a certain demographic of golfer, it doesn't mean that it wont work in the hands of a golfer outside that demographic.

It highlights another issue with "club reviews" in my opinion (humble or otherwise)...almost all (especially drivers) are put in the hands of "near scratch" golfers, who carry the ball the best part of 300yds, and consider a 3yrd total distance difference between 2 clubs something worth highlighting....but this gives nothing to 97% of the readers (who are nowhere near scratch) that indicates how said club might work for them. Golf club reviews as currently presented are pretty much meaningless for the vast majority. If I were to believe everything I am told about such low-spin/high speed clubs, I would never have picked one up.....but because i'm an occasionally belligerent so and so, who doesn't like being told what to do (more than occasional if you ask my family) I often go against the grain and discover things that I guess some golfing gods would rather keep secret from me.

I will probably go back at a later date for a second go, in perhaps a more structured fitting session using the Chrome Softs I prefer, rather than the marbles (Titleist marbles no less but I didnt look closely at the model) than I hit today....there were definitely total distance gains that were worthwhile exploring further.

 

[Mel Smooth]

I bought a Ping G430 Max recently, went for a stiff shaft - didn't have a fitting and I doubt they'd have recommended a stiff shaft in the fitting. I've tried a few drivers recently with stiff shafts and couldn't get the ball in the air with them so took a punt on the Ping - and I absolutely love it - it's going 20 yards further than my old Cobra F8 with a regular shaft and I feel I can really go at shots with the Ping.

The youth has the Ai Smoke with a regular shaft but his swing speed is at 100mph on a good swing - so of course I let him have a go with my new Ping. He was on the internet within a few minutes seeing if he could get one at the lower lofted 9 degree rather than my 10.5.
I told him to hold fire, and go for a fitting first as he's a low single figure h'capper and growing/strengthening so better to get a trained eye on what best suited him. He went to Cleckheaton where he has his coaching, the young lad there set him up with a Taylor Made in a few options then got him on the Ping G440 - the one he hoped would work for him the best after hitting mine. Put a tipped stiff shaft in the 10.5 and after a few tweaks and he was getting 240 carry on a 97mph swing speed with a rollout to 260+. As the fitter said, that's taking him past all the fairway bunkers on most of the courses he plays regularly - but the most impressive stat was the dispersion - the balls were all grouped tight - well withing the fines of an average fairway. It's now on order of course.

I've always said if your buying a new driver, get fitted - but there are times obviously when you can drop on something you like, I'm happy with my purchase but I'm not sure it's optimal for me - but at the level I'm playing at, that's not really an issue.

If anybody wants an Ai Smoke in very good condition let me know.

 

[pendodave]

Interesting. I'd be a tad circumspect if I were you.
A mate of mine, with a little faster swing speed than you, was fitted into a low spin Callaway driver a couple of years back. In the fitting it delivered better numbers than all of the other heads.
On the course, the good shots were really good. But the slightly less good ones just fell out of the sky or veered off alarmingly. To our delight (and financial benefit) he persevered with it for quite a while, hoping that the bombs would prevail. They didn't. He got it exchanged for a more "normal" spin head and is now driving the ball the best I've ever seen.

 

[Orikoru]

Interesting. I'd be a tad circumspect if I were you.
A mate of mine, with a little faster swing speed than you, was fitted into a low spin Callaway driver a couple of years back. In the fitting it delivered better numbers than all of the other heads.
On the course, the good shots were really good. But the slightly less good ones just fell out of the sky or veered off alarmingly. To our delight (and financial benefit) he persevered with it for quite a while, hoping that the bombs would prevail. They didn't. He got it exchanged for a more "normal" spin head and is now driving the ball the best I've ever seen.

I do think there's something to be said for the longest driver on indoor sims not necessarily being the best one out on the course. The low-spin drivers will show lots of lovely, straight roll-out on the screen I'm sure. In reality it either won't roll nearly as far, or it'll roll off right into the cabbage.

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

Interesting. I'd be a tad circumspect if I were you.
A mate of mine, with a little faster swing speed than you, was fitted into a low spin Callaway driver a couple of years back. In the fitting it delivered better numbers than all of the other heads.
On the course, the good shots were really good. But the slightly less good ones just fell out of the sky or veered off alarmingly. To our delight (and financial benefit) he persevered with it for quite a while, hoping that the bombs would prevail. They didn't. He got it exchanged for a more "normal" spin head and is now driving the ball the best I've ever seen.

This is a good point. When I had my driver fitting we started off with the Mini Driver as I wanted one of those in the bag as well like a strong 3 wood for tight holes. I generate a lot of spin so we dialled the weights into a low spin setting and it was like a rocket even off the deck.

So when we moved into the actual driver the fitter assumed based on speed and numbers from The Mini, that in Driver the Low spin Tour head was the way to go. I got some really good distance but something felt off, moved up to the Tour Mid so still relatively low spin and the numbers were the exact same, yet still didn’t quite feel right. In the end tried the 10k Max head which he was adamant was to spinny for me, driver distance went up in both carry and rollout over both the lower spin models and my spin numbers were barely any different across all 3 drivers (less than 100rpm across all 3). Just optimum launch from the 10k Max meant the low spinners were absolutely pointless for me and off centre hits weren’t ruining my game.

 

[nickjdavis]

Interesting. I'd be a tad circumspect if I were you.
A mate of mine, with a little faster swing speed than you, was fitted into a low spin Callaway driver a couple of years back. In the fitting it delivered better numbers than all of the other heads.
On the course, the good shots were really good. But the slightly less good ones just fell out of the sky or veered off alarmingly. To our delight (and financial benefit) he persevered with it for quite a while, hoping that the bombs would prevail. They didn't. He got it exchanged for a more "normal" spin head and is now driving the ball the best I've ever seen.

Oh that's why I always go for a second go and often a third go. If a result repeats itself under different circumstances in a different environment, then it is likely not a fluke. Its when the 2nd time cannot reproduce the same results and a third time is inconclusive that I usually decide that the initial result was probably an outlier and look in a different direction. Yesterday was a mere "taster" to kill some time I had spare...I'd expect a proper fitting to be a bit more thorough. It would have been useful if they'd had the 10.5 degree lofts in either of the models to try... but they only had the 9 degree heads.

Really though...none of this interest would have happened if the bloke in the shop hadn't given me the normal by mistake...if he had given me the Max first off, like I asked, I'd have hit half a dozen shots and said...."nah, your right, its not for me" and wouldn't have tried the normal . It still may end up that the normal isn't ultimately for me either....its just that I'd have never even entertained it under normal circumstances, but, due to a mistake it may be something that actually works for me....which was really the gist of my post....keep an open mind and don't be pigeon holed into thinking a certain style of club is what you should/shouldnt be trying.

(One day I may even force myself to try a set of wide soled, super chunky, thick top edge, perimeter weighted, GI irons....but my heart still tells me I'm a "players iron" sort of guy )

 

[Smoj]

Had a spare couple of hours after a range session today so ambled off down to my not quite local (in fact the opposite direction from home) Nevada Bobs for a browse.

Wasnt intending on hitting anything but having got my bag sorted for the coming year the only thing I've not really looked at over the winter and spring is my driver. Was quiet in the shop and (they know me there) after a little general chat I expressed a vague interest in having a hit with the Quantum driver...just to see how it compared to my "old" AiSmoke.

Had picked up the Quantum Triple Diamond Max whilst in the shop and really liked its shape and how it sat so was interested in having a go, even though such clubs arent really aimed at slower swingers who dont generate much spin....a view/opinion which was reinforced by the staff member.

Anyway, into a bay we went and I hit a few shots with my current driver and saw stats that I am familiar with...ball speeds around low 120's, spin mid/low 2000's, carry 190, total around 215-220 typically.

Was given a Quantum Max and proceeded to hook the living daylights out of it...looked at the sole of the club and found i'd been given a Max D...so even more draw biased. Mistake was corrected and the Max was put in my hands which instantly straightened things up a bit but without seeing a huge amount of gain's distance wise. A lighter shaft was thrown in to the mix which saw me gain an mph or two swing speed and a few yards distance in both carry and total. Still nothing that would instantly open my wallet though.

I once more expressed an interested in hitting the Triple Diamond Max so was duly given one, the assistant left me to it for a few minutes (dont think he still believed it was suitable) as he had something he needed to do (wasnt a proper fitting, just me wanting to hit a few for "research purposes", so I didnt mind)...I hit about 8 or 9 shots and stopped and waited for him to return. Cue slightly raised eyebrows as he saw club speeds around 88, ball speeds up in the high 120's, carry distances just above 200 and total distances around 230 to 235 on good hits....and then I showed him what club he had actually given me....instead of the Triple Diamond Max, he had given me the slightly more compact headed standard Triple Diamond....allegedly aimed at far better, faster swingers than I.

I did have a go with the Max version but never really felt it deliver the solid impact and balance that I felt the standard version did. Also I struggled to launch it as well as I did the standard version...though I do think the tee was a tad lower than I would normally use, so AoA was perhaps not optimal and a few shots may have been caught a tad south of the center of the club face...not taking advantage of the higher lofts available due to clubface roll above the club face equator. We did try the lightweight regular flex shaft in the Triple Diamond, a combination that the staff member admitted would likely raise eyebrows if an order was placed, but I felt the slightly heavier shaft provided better balance through the swing.

Ultimately, I never handed over any cash...but it just goes to show that, just because a club is "marketed" towards a certain demographic of golfer, it doesn't mean that it wont work in the hands of a golfer outside that demographic.

It highlights another issue with "club reviews" in my opinion (humble or otherwise)...almost all (especially drivers) are put in the hands of "near scratch" golfers, who carry the ball the best part of 300yds, and consider a 3yrd total distance difference between 2 clubs something worth highlighting....but this gives nothing to 97% of the readers (who are nowhere near scratch) that indicates how said club might work for them. Golf club reviews as currently presented are pretty much meaningless for the vast majority. If I were to believe everything I am told about such low-spin/high speed clubs, I would never have picked one up.....but because i'm an occasionally belligerent so and so, who doesn't like being told what to do (more than occasional if you ask my family) I often go against the grain and discover things that I guess some golfing gods would rather keep secret from me.

I will probably go back at a later date for a second go, in perhaps a more structured fitting session using the Chrome Softs I prefer, rather than the marbles (Titleist marbles no less but I didnt look closely at the model) than I hit today....there were definitely total distance gains that were worthwhile exploring further.

My first proper driver was a TSi3, which I had no business playing with as a fairly new golfer at the time, but I just liked the look of it over the other TSi drivers. It worked out well for a while, but I had to put serious effort into getting it to work well. In the end, I decided I needed something a lot more forgiving and ultimately went with a stealth HD.

I bought a Ping G430 Max recently, went for a stiff shaft - didn't have a fitting and I doubt they'd have recommended a stiff shaft in the fitting. I've tried a few drivers recently with stiff shafts and couldn't get the ball in the air with them so took a punt on the Ping - and I absolutely love it - it's going 20 yards further than my old Cobra F8 with a regular shaft and I feel I can really go at shots with the Ping.

The youth has the Ai Smoke with a regular shaft but his swing speed is at 100mph on a good swing - so of course I let him have a go with my new Ping. He was on the internet within a few minutes seeing if he could get one at the lower lofted 9 degree rather than my 10.5.
I told him to hold fire, and go for a fitting first as he's a low single figure h'capper and growing/strengthening so better to get a trained eye on what best suited him. He went to Cleckheaton where he has his coaching, the young lad there set him up with a Taylor Made in a few options then got him on the Ping G440 - the one he hoped would work for him the best after hitting mine. Put a tipped stiff shaft in the 10.5 and after a few tweaks and he was getting 240 carry on a 97mph swing speed with a rollout to 260+. As the fitter said, that's taking him past all the fairway bunkers on most of the courses he plays regularly - but the most impressive stat was the dispersion - the balls were all grouped tight - well withing the fines of an average fairway. It's now on order of course.

I've always said if your buying a new driver, get fitted - but there are times obviously when you can drop on something you like, I'm happy with my purchase but I'm not sure it's optimal for me - but at the level I'm playing at, that's not really an issue.

If anybody wants an Ai Smoke in very good condition let me know.

I love talking about ping drivers as they're really that good. I started off with a G430 Max with a Tensei orange x flex (which was phenomenal on my stealthhd driver, but I wanted a newer driver). For some reason, I couldn't get on with it at all, struggled to get it over 200 yards, and couldn't hit it straight at all, huge slices for about 40% of my tee shots. So something was up, so I went back to my 3 wood, which I can hit straight and about 230yards off the tee. and sold the g430 max

Then I saw a great deal on a g430 sft driver head and went for it, and paired it up with a shaft which I loved a few years ago with the kai'li white. took a little while to get dialled in, just hitting the heel a lot, but still getting 200 yards off the heel.. interesting. Once I got things worked out and started to hit it in the middle, it became an absolute monster, baby fades, everything in play, right-hand side doesn't exist with that driver.

Then I started to block shots left ultra straight 270+ yards out of bounds, lol, again due to my swing. Put the loft down to 9degrees from 10.5 to open the face a little bit, something I would never dream of trying to open the face up with my history of slices, started to get a little bit of left to right movement and reducing these block shots by wuite a margin, I went out on Thursday to test some new, slower swings, trying not to go over the top too much.. to fantastic results, the one drive i hit started to draw, much to my amazement. After that, my shaft broke on the hosel, and I had to use my 3 wood for the rest of the round, lol.