Dave B
Q-School Graduate
A week ago I purchased a new driver which was an ex-demo 9.5 degree stiff shafted TM Superfast 2.0 TP. I'd tried several drivers on the range and hit this one far better than everything else and after trying it twice I took the plunge.
Bearing in mind that the driver was taped up during the demo my first swing on the course resulted in an out of bounds slice on the first tee and a power fade on the second ball which was just in bounds. Going onto the second tee was a repeat of the first tee.
After half a dozen holes and one good drive it stayed in the bag. I couldn't belive the problems I was experiencing as I'm normally quite straight off the tee. I tried a few things on the range later but the ball still wanted to go left and although I'd reduced the shot to a fade I left the course very frustrated.
A couple of days later I phoned the pro shop and on explaining the problems I'd experienced and they very kindly offered to take the club back as it was an ex-demo on the condition that I booked in for a fitting and bought a new club costing the same price or more.
The first club we tried was a Ping G15 with the first shot being a high power fade with 16-17 degree launch angle and 2000 + rpm of side spin.
A couple more shots and it was put to one side.
Next was the Nike 9.5 VRS in a regular shaft. It felt awful, like a lump of lead on a rope. I'm a big Nike fan but the heavy head combined with a light shaft wasn't for me and there was no consistency if you tried to put some umph into it. Both the launch angle and side spin were too high.
Next was the Titleist 910 D2 in 10.5 fitted with a Mitsubisha Diamana Kai. This actually felt very good to swing, however it felt harsh off the club face and was not very forgiving on miss hits. Good shots were a pleasing trajectory but side spin was still an issue.
At this point Richard noted that although my set up was sound when I dropped my right shoulder I pointed it inwards towards the ball which had the effect of opening my stance. At this point I must highlight that I wasn't aware of this however I've recently been suffering with a shoulder injury and I believe that in order to relieve the discomfort this little habit has crept into my swing causing the occasional slice.
A minor amendment to my set up, pushing my right shoulder back to the correct alignment plane and I started striking the ball a lot better. The launch angle was still too high at 16000 rpm and because I was still getting a little too much side spin Richard's opinion was divided as to whether we should persevere with a 9.5 degree or look at a 10 or 10.5 degree driver to reduce the side spin.
2 minutes later he cam back with the two most expensive drivers in the shop in the Callaway Razr fit and the TM R11S.
Now I'll be honest, I didn't want to pay £300 for a driver as I've had plenty of last year models at £100 which have been more than up to the job and lets face it, if you have to adjust the driver you are just hiding a flaw in your swing that you're too lazy to rectify.
Two or three hits with the 10.5 degree Razr Fit, fitted with a RIP NV regular shaft and I was very impressed. Launch was between 12 and 14 degrees depending on how I tee'd the ball up and side spin was as low as 600. Distance and trajectory were also very impressive.
With the TM it's a love or hate affair, however I do like TM products and I don't mind the white at all as I do think it looks good. I was really looking forward to swinging the R11S and thought that this would be the club, however to say I was disappointed was an understatement.
With the Razr Fit I could feel exactly where the club was and what it was doing but the TM felt light and awkward. I can't put my finger on it because the Superfast TP felt light and predictable but there seemed to be a sense of loss with the R11S as if it wouldn't suit my natural swing.
Several balls later, feeling very disappointed, I went back to the Razr Fit and had a few more swings. It was like night and day and my mind was made up.
The bad news is that they don't have one in stock and I'm going to have to wait 7-14 days for delivery.
I can't tell you how long the club is but I'm confident it will be several yds longer than my Nike VR, in addition it will also be much more forgiving on miss hits. The club looks superb and more like a 440 head than the 460 it is. It feels so natural through the swing and although the Aldila RIP NV is the stock shaft it is superb and felt so much better than the TM RIP Phenom.
I've always been sceptical of fittings however when you can see the launch angle and spin figures for yourself it takes away the guess work and indecisiveness in buying a new driver.
Now I only have two problems, one is the 1-2 week wait for the club to arrive and two is telling the wife. The next time the Alvaro Quiros Callaway add is on TV, I'll just have to explain that I couldn't help it
Two things I haven't mentioned in the post are distances and swing speed. Many people have been slated or questioned when they have posted their stats and for me the read out didn't quite go with the shaft selection as my club head speed was between 115-120 for most swings and up to 124 on the better swings. When I saw the club head speed figures Richard advised that the club head speed does not reflect swing speed and that my swing speed would be around 90 mph. If somebody could clarify this relationship I would appreciate it.
Bearing in mind that the driver was taped up during the demo my first swing on the course resulted in an out of bounds slice on the first tee and a power fade on the second ball which was just in bounds. Going onto the second tee was a repeat of the first tee.
After half a dozen holes and one good drive it stayed in the bag. I couldn't belive the problems I was experiencing as I'm normally quite straight off the tee. I tried a few things on the range later but the ball still wanted to go left and although I'd reduced the shot to a fade I left the course very frustrated.
A couple of days later I phoned the pro shop and on explaining the problems I'd experienced and they very kindly offered to take the club back as it was an ex-demo on the condition that I booked in for a fitting and bought a new club costing the same price or more.
The first club we tried was a Ping G15 with the first shot being a high power fade with 16-17 degree launch angle and 2000 + rpm of side spin.
A couple more shots and it was put to one side.
Next was the Nike 9.5 VRS in a regular shaft. It felt awful, like a lump of lead on a rope. I'm a big Nike fan but the heavy head combined with a light shaft wasn't for me and there was no consistency if you tried to put some umph into it. Both the launch angle and side spin were too high.
Next was the Titleist 910 D2 in 10.5 fitted with a Mitsubisha Diamana Kai. This actually felt very good to swing, however it felt harsh off the club face and was not very forgiving on miss hits. Good shots were a pleasing trajectory but side spin was still an issue.
At this point Richard noted that although my set up was sound when I dropped my right shoulder I pointed it inwards towards the ball which had the effect of opening my stance. At this point I must highlight that I wasn't aware of this however I've recently been suffering with a shoulder injury and I believe that in order to relieve the discomfort this little habit has crept into my swing causing the occasional slice.
A minor amendment to my set up, pushing my right shoulder back to the correct alignment plane and I started striking the ball a lot better. The launch angle was still too high at 16000 rpm and because I was still getting a little too much side spin Richard's opinion was divided as to whether we should persevere with a 9.5 degree or look at a 10 or 10.5 degree driver to reduce the side spin.
2 minutes later he cam back with the two most expensive drivers in the shop in the Callaway Razr fit and the TM R11S.
Now I'll be honest, I didn't want to pay £300 for a driver as I've had plenty of last year models at £100 which have been more than up to the job and lets face it, if you have to adjust the driver you are just hiding a flaw in your swing that you're too lazy to rectify.
Two or three hits with the 10.5 degree Razr Fit, fitted with a RIP NV regular shaft and I was very impressed. Launch was between 12 and 14 degrees depending on how I tee'd the ball up and side spin was as low as 600. Distance and trajectory were also very impressive.
With the TM it's a love or hate affair, however I do like TM products and I don't mind the white at all as I do think it looks good. I was really looking forward to swinging the R11S and thought that this would be the club, however to say I was disappointed was an understatement.
With the Razr Fit I could feel exactly where the club was and what it was doing but the TM felt light and awkward. I can't put my finger on it because the Superfast TP felt light and predictable but there seemed to be a sense of loss with the R11S as if it wouldn't suit my natural swing.
Several balls later, feeling very disappointed, I went back to the Razr Fit and had a few more swings. It was like night and day and my mind was made up.
The bad news is that they don't have one in stock and I'm going to have to wait 7-14 days for delivery.
I can't tell you how long the club is but I'm confident it will be several yds longer than my Nike VR, in addition it will also be much more forgiving on miss hits. The club looks superb and more like a 440 head than the 460 it is. It feels so natural through the swing and although the Aldila RIP NV is the stock shaft it is superb and felt so much better than the TM RIP Phenom.
I've always been sceptical of fittings however when you can see the launch angle and spin figures for yourself it takes away the guess work and indecisiveness in buying a new driver.
Now I only have two problems, one is the 1-2 week wait for the club to arrive and two is telling the wife. The next time the Alvaro Quiros Callaway add is on TV, I'll just have to explain that I couldn't help it
Two things I haven't mentioned in the post are distances and swing speed. Many people have been slated or questioned when they have posted their stats and for me the read out didn't quite go with the shaft selection as my club head speed was between 115-120 for most swings and up to 124 on the better swings. When I saw the club head speed figures Richard advised that the club head speed does not reflect swing speed and that my swing speed would be around 90 mph. If somebody could clarify this relationship I would appreciate it.
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