Getting a few extra yards!!

[automaticsystemaddic]

Hi,

my dads asked me to sort him out a new driver as he struggles to get up to alot of the par 4's on our regular course. He's 65 and plays off 15. He averages about 180-210 off the tee but if he can get an extra 10-20 yards it will make a huge difference to his game.

Looking at some of the leading drivers out at tho moment its tough to know whether its all advertising rubbish or they're trying to actually sell you the real deal.

So far i;ve narrowed it down to some of the new Taylormade Burner drivers (the new 2009 model), (r7 Superquad) or the Taylormade Tour Burner.

If anyone has any reviews on any of these as to whether you think one if more beneficial than the other i would be most grateful.

Also has anyone got a Slazenger K1 fast driver?? if so does it actually make a difference??

Any replies would be most welcome

Jon

 

[TonyN]

Nothing to do with the heads, all about optimizing the launch angle, smash factor etc. *see post what degree is your driver*

Best thing for him to do is go and get custom fit, they will find the shaft/head that is going to get the best out of him.

k1 is a gimmick, they would have you beleiving we could all drive 300 yard carrys with a little draw everytime!

 

[theeaglehunter]

Hi there,

Firstly I would definitely avoid the K1 driver as from previous posts on here it is a complete waste of time, money and effort. That is always what I had thought as well- If you've seen the advertising, why does Sam Torrance play a Taylormade driver when he claims the K1 is the best ever?! It is just a load of spiel.

Your dads best options to gain extra yards though will definitely be through a custom fitting session where loft and shaft flex etc etc can be fitted to find his most suitable / optimum set up. Does he for example know what his swing speed is? As if not buying off the shelf could make things worse as it will be guesswork in finding his specification.

Get your dad down to a good custom fitting centre with a trained pro / launch monitor etc and let them do the work in finding the right club. Any of the clubs you mentioned are good and could work, but to get the most out of them they need to be custom fitted.

 

[Robobum]

Jon, the bit on the end of the stick won't make a huge difference in getting your dad the extra yards. It has to look right for him but it's all about the stick, get the shaft flex, shaft length etc right and he will eek out the best from his driving.

Boring answer but........go see your pro.

 

[USER1999]

The Slazenger K1 is rubbish for most golfers. If it was any good, it would be for sale in Pro shops, not JJB. Avoid like the plaque. It is cheap rubbish and the ads lie.

The R7 is a good driver, but is the outgoing model, there are also many variants, some of which threaten to hit the ball up your trouser leg, they sit so closed.

The burner has a longer shaft than normal, which some may struggle with in terms of accuracy.

The tour burner has the same issues as the burner, except it has an open face. If your Dad slices, this will make it worse.

The real upshot is, he needs to try a few, and see what works. Custom fitting would get the most out of his swing and set up.

For the cost, the MD and the Ben Sayers Benny get good reviews.

 

[Twire]

Has your dad ever been able to hit further than he is now?

Is it his age, therefore swing speed/clubhead speed been reduced with age? If this is the case, then I think he should be looking at shafts more than club head. See if you can try some clubs out at a driving range, and look at regular or even senior flex.

 

[bobmac]

Maddic, am I correct in saying your dads distance is carry plus roll?
If so then he needs a more forgiving shaft.
If he has a regular then change down to a senior shaft. If he is using a senior shaft, change to a ladies (but dont tell him). Take him to a pro shop with a range attached and ask the pro for a few demo clubs with the softer shafts and see how he gets on. Watch him hit a few shots and watch to see if the shaft bends. Hope that helps.

 

[CarpeDiem]

You can't go wrong with custom fitting, or just go upto your local AG with your dad and see what drivers they have there, and see how many they will let you hit. If you find 'the one' they offer a custom fit service aswell, so you can't go wrong.

 

[The23rdman]

It's not all about the shaft at all. Yes, the shaft is important, but the correct shaft/head combination in crucial. Different heads produce different amounts of spin with different shafts. Only a proper fitting will provide the answers.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Get him to a recognised custom fitter but avoid going to places like American Golf etc as they won't offer him enough variety in terms of specialist senior (or ladies) shafts and will try and flog their biggest mark-up range (Nicklaus, Yonex and Wilson).

If you can wait a few months a lot of companys like TM will start having demo days and you will be able to go and try out the various heads and use their launch monitors. The guys that run it aren't out and out salesmen (obviously they are looking for a sale) and will take the time to look at your dads swing and recommend what suits him best

 

[automaticsystemaddic]

Thanxs for all the replies,

i did think the K1 was to be avoided and now i can put a big tick in that box!!

Looks like the best bet is to get him booked in with one of the pro's down the club who can then analyse his swing so he can apply the best shaft/length/grip etc for him to maximise his overall yardage. At his age he's still pretty handy from 150yards in so giving him those few extra yards off of the tee will really make a difference.

I'm hoping to get mine all custom fitted as i bought my irons back in October, last weekend was the first time i had played since last November and i managed to knock it round in 4 over!! well pleased, glad to be back playin again, roll on summer!!

thanxs again

 

[bobmac]

Different heads produce different amounts of spin with different shafts.

Can you explain how please?

 

[USER1999]

Not for me to say, but when I went to Doug Maclelland golf to have a launch monitor session, their view was I neaded a low spin head (TM superquad - high cg to give a penetrating flight), as opposed to a higher spin head (Cobra L4V - designed with a low cg to get the ball up), and then faffed about trying to get a shaft which cut down on the back spin too.

The upshot was my 907D1 with HTD GXR was already about as good as they could get.

Could be rubbish, but the stats from the computer pointed this way. L4V went less than 200 yards, and back spin figures were like a wedge. Superquad was better, D1 was better still.

 

[Marko77]

I've never seen a review in the mag - but has GM ever tried out the Slazenger gear up against it's peers? Would be interesting to read the panel comments...

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'm sure twenty or so years ago when Slazenger were making decent irons (B51's etc) they would have bee featured in equipment articles. Now they are a bottom end producer aimed at the beginner and lowest common denominator market there is little chance their cheaply produced and poorly performing sticks would feature even comparing them to other cheaper names like MD. It simply wouldn't be a fair and comparable excercise in my opinion. I wouldn't be interested in seeing how Slazenger performed and believe not many others would either.

 

[jeffc]

If you're skint but passionate about playing well then the best of the cheaper clubs would be a good review.IMO

Not everyone has £500 quid for a set of irons, plus another £500-£600 for the latest woods and rescue clubs plus wedges plus latest putters etc etc.

 

[TomC]

If you want to know a little bit more about custom fitting there is a feature in the April Edition of GM on page 141 where three readers go and get fitted for new drivers.

Also in the back of the irons supplement for April GM Assistant Editor Alex Narey gets fitted for a new set of G10s.

Hope it helps