Driver head gone, need new, any ideas?

[dejf]

Hi again,

story of my driver is quite interesting

- bought fitted driver 9 yrs ago, brand Wilson Staff
- after ~18 months of using, the head cracked at the top - I was not given a money back (despite warranty) as I was told it was my fault of not hitting it on the sweetspot :ears:
- bought second hand Callaway FT-i 10 deg driver head for ~15 GBP and put it on the shaft
- worked well (minor issues with head felling of just a couple of months ago, but fixed that ...) for 7 yrs, until today, head cracked and is dead

Now I need a new head and no, I do not want to spend money on new super duper technology. What I am looking for is a decent head with loft between 9 and 10.5. That 10 deg FT-i thing was just lovely. My distance was not as good as with the original Wilson Staff super duper head (that cracked after 18 months), but I was still very happy about it.

If I go to eBay I see gazillions of options starting at 1 GBP, but I have not been looking into golf hardware for years. Don't know which one to take.

So, any ideas on which one to buy? I am happy with 1 - 5 year old model.

I know that I DO NOT want those adjustable things. I have cracked 2 normal heads, so I guess the simpler the design, the lower chance for me to crack it.
I want normal driver head, with no fade/draw preference, no adjustments, just simple, cheap, but something that is known for its qualities.


I am happy with the shaft I must say. It has been fitted those 9 yrs ago and I can't see a reason to change it. It was not cheap and works well, so I just need new head.

My skill level is single HCP.

Thanks for any tips.

 

[dejf]

Randomly from eBay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Titleist-...645753?hash=item3ab4b1ab39:g:nt4AAOSw9mFWK3VK

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Callaway-...755962?hash=item21050e7b7a:g:q7oAAOSwQoFWOIMw

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ping-ISI-...675640?hash=item3ab587bf78:g:UWEAAOSwyQtV3Jqv

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PING-G15-...893185?hash=item54265d2c01:g:n~sAAOSw9mFWNjap

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cobra-Bio...383032?hash=item235c0f9f38:g:bEgAAOSw14xWM2Y8


Maybe a good question to ask - are there any heads that does not fit normal shafts? Or - does any shaft go with any head?
And I forgot to mention, I am right handed golfer.

 

[srixon 1]

Ping G5 or Titleist 909 would probably fit the bill.

 

[dejf]

Thanks, but I have just found out that the shaft is dead too
So I will probably have to go for a brand new fitted driver ...

 

[Oddsocks]

G5, good bat!

 

[chrisd]

G5, good bat!

G15 Ping I'd say

 

[Foxholer]

G15 Ping I'd say

Likewise! I found that shaft very good too!

@OP...What was your original, now dead, shaft?

 

[Maninblack4612]

Amazing that people are recommending clubs when they have no idea about the OP's swing or normal ball flight.

If you want a uber cheap driver you should go to somewhere like American Golf and try all the used drivers you can afford, see which works best, there will be some some real bargains. What is more important than the head is getting a shaft as much like the old one as possible. As someone has already asked what kind of expensive shaft was it?

 

[dejf]

Sorry, really not relevant anymore as the shaft is dead too. I have found out that just after I opened this topic and searched eBay for candidates ...

The whole thing is gone and I will try to find a club maker to help me build a new club from scratch.

 

[dejf]

As for the dead shaft - Original club was stiff Wilson Staff Shockwave Driver 10.5, 44.5 inches, on the shaft itself there is S-Flex 50 series AXIVCORE Shaft by UST Mamiya. I know nothing more, but the feeling I had with it was excellent. Any time I tried a different driver to hit, it was no go. This one was perfect. I am so sad it is dead.

 

[Foxholer]

As for the dead shaft - Original club was stiff Wilson Staff Shockwave Driver 10.5, 44.5 inches, on the shaft itself there is S-Flex 50 series AXIVCORE Shaft by UST Mamiya. I know nothing more, but the feeling I had with it was excellent. Any time I tried a different driver to hit, it was no go. This one was perfect. I am so sad it is dead.

Does seem like you are after a specific feel, which may be hard to get - and perhaps expensive! I can sympathise btw...I spent quite a bit finding 'the right' type of shaft and feel rather uncomfortable with something that isn't right! My favourite shaft has actually been in 8 different heads over a number of years!

That said, I found the G15/Serrano combo pretty much spot on! A little tip stiff and flight seemed a bit high (but probably wasn't!, but it just went straight with very good distance! I'd suggest you take a punt at that one, provided the price is right! The Serrano is the standard low torque 'upgrade'.

909 D2 can be pretty good too, but (as seems to happen with quite a few Titleist heads) many have simply not got on with it. for that reason, I'd suggest you steer clear of purchasing one 'blind'!

 

[patricks148]

what about a Callaway Xhot 2 pro with a adila tour green shaft in stiff

 

[dejf]

What I would really like to do is the full dynamic fitting - trying all different combinations of shafts and club heads and measure that. I believe this is the way to find the optimal weapon. So I hope to try all of them across brands. And yes, I already realized that 300-400 GBP might be needed for that instead of originally prepared 30 pounds ...

 

[Deleted member 15344]

You can get a very good driver for less that £300 -400

Aeroburner
XR
Ping G30
Cobra
R15
SLDR

 

[dejf]

Including dynamic fitting? I am not sure how it works here in UK, but I suppose it is not cheap here. I know the process from my country, it took about 2 hours of very qualified work.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Including dynamic fitting? I am not sure how it works here in UK, but I suppose it is not cheap here. I know the process from my country, it took about 2 hours of very qualified work.

Most custom fittings are free if buying the club from them

But then it all depends on who you are seeing

Does your pro not do custom fit for drivers ?

 

[dejf]

I am new here, I do not have a pro


But ... my club has a pro ... but also a fitter, I have asked there, will see...

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I am new here, I do not have a pro

Ah I thought you had joined Pinnear Hill ?

 

[dejf]

Yup, asked for offer there already - there is a special club maker besides PRO, will see.

But I thought you were talking about some kind of personal PRO or something ... Don't know how does it work here yet.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Yup, asked for offer there already - there is a special club maker besides PRO, will see.

But I thought you were talking about some kind of personal PRO or something ... Don't know how does it work here yet.

Ah right :thup:

Well I don't think anyone has a "personal pro" as such

When ever someone talks about "their pro" they are mainly talking about the pro at their club or the pro they go to for lessons - some also call them their "coach"

My advice for anything fitting related is to go to your club pro first - most pros will be more than willing to help or at the very least offer advice of where to go if they can't fit you :thup:

Good luck and Pinner Hill is a cracking course