Do Drivers "wear out"?

[timgolfy]

Excluding obvious damage, do drivers wear out through usage (metal fatigue in the face, fatigue in the shaft)?

For example, does a driver head have a maximum number of ball impacts before it begins to deteriorate. Does shaft performance alter with usage?

 

[G_Mulligan]

 

[madandra]

I only hit it 250 yards so my driver will last longer than yours coz I dont bash it as often.

 

[Andy]

Most def with 300 plus yard drives. Yours will be good for a few decades yet.

Andy

 

[Andy]

I only hit it 250 yards so my driver will last longer than yours coz I dont bash it as often.

I'm sure those warm up drives at Machrihanish into the Atlantic were carrying 315 Andy?

Andy

 

[sawtooth]

I think the shaft will deteriorat with age.

 

[Bacardibatman]

My driver will be 20 yrs old next year,it still beasts them out that to a distance that would make timgolfy cream himself

 

[DCB]

Yes, ask anyone who had a Callaway driver in the good old days. The faces did indeed suffer if you were a consistent ball striker.

 

[timgolfy]

Yes, ask anyone who had a Callaway driver in the good old days. The faces did indeed suffer if you were a consistent ball striker.

Thank you for the sensible answer. I've hit thousands of hard range balls with my G15 driver - the thought only came to me today that it could be ready for a change.

 

[brendy]

I used to have a Forgan Rocket back in the day and the face did eventually try to come away from the crown after a year and a half of heavy use on the driving range and course.

 

[robbest3offthetee]

Ask Mr Mickelson, He has cracked the face of his,and they wont let him change it!!!!..

 

[Crow]

The crown started to deform on one of mine and face to crown joint cracked open.

(Mind you, it was a Dunlop Titanium)

 

[NWJocko]

Guess the shaft would although not sure after what level of use.

Would be tough to tell on the clubhead unless there was something obvious/visual?

 

[richart]

I wore the heel away on my persimmon driver. :

 

[USER1999]

I can't see how you can possibly have worn out a G15, they haven't been out long enough, regardless of how many balls you think you have hit. It'll be good for a few years yet.

 

[surefire]

I'm not sure if 'wear out' is the right word either.

I thought that as it wears, the face gets thinner, so you actually get a better COR, due to the trampoline effect of the thinner face, which means you'll hit the ball further.

Until the face becomes so thin, it eventually cracks.

 

[bobmac]

I don't know about wearing out but mine gets tired about the 14th

 

[SatchFan]

Tim, I have also got a G15 with which I have managed to hit balls over every square inch of the driver face, the only damage being to my pride. The only reference I have ever seen to metal fatigue is when players have the lie or loft of their clubs altered but even then we are talking about extremely low levels. The only thing likely to wear out is the grip which is an easy fix. Or you might just be tempted by the new Ping G20 or whatever it might be called in which case you won't have time to wear yours out.