Golf Monthly reviews - for real?

[KenL]

Watched a couple of comparison reviews and I'm not sure I believe the results.

New g400 - 8 yards further than g model.

Rogue said to be clearly longer than epic despite other reviewers saying there wasn't much in it.

So, are golf monthly sucking up to their advertisers and making dubious claims or do I need a new driver?

 

[Hosel Fade]

Wouldnt trust anything in the magazines, whether its concious or unconcious bias.

Look at mygolfspy, highly unlikely anything is jumping 8 yards over another fitted driver on a center strike

 

[guest100718]

you'll have the gm fanboys after you

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Watched a couple of comparison reviews and I'm not sure I believe the results.

New g400 - 8 yards further than g model.

Rogue said to be clearly longer than epic despite other reviewers saying there wasn't much in it.

So, are golf monthly sucking up to their advertisers and making dubious claims or do I need a new driver?

No idea about the Ping drivers but one of the guys I regularly play with certainly hits his G400 further

When I was recently getting fitted I tried the Epic and Rogue and was getting just over 10 yards extra distance from the Rogue

Same with the M2 and M4

 

[Jacko_G]

Advertisements are king because they pay for space in the magazine. They need to keep them onside!

Bias - well maybe a tad economical with the truth!

 

[KenL]

No idea about the Ping drivers but one of the guys I regularly play with certainly hits his G400 further

When I was recently getting fitted I tried the Epic and Rogue and was getting just over 10 yards extra distance from the Rogue

Same with the M2 and M4

People have been saying for years that drivers are maxed out in terms of distance and that the only way to increase distance was with a proper fitting.

 

[hovis]

i have personally witnessed a magazine editor asking a well known you tube coach to "lean on that taylormade driver mate" during a shoot

 

[JT77]

Not sure about the ping claim unless it different shafts too. The pro I use was telling me that drivers are pretty much at capacity, and forgiveness was paramount now, unless a person has a bad set up, wrong shaft etc, then gets a new one fit and boom, 10 more yards!

 

[Val]

I hit the G400 further than my G30, slightly different shaft but it’s further none the less

 

[Imurg]

The problem with head to head comparisons is the person holding the grip.
With the best will in the world, it's difficult to put even a similar swing together over enough shots to provide enough data to make the comparison meaningful.
Robot testing is the only way to judge comparable performance.
How any club performs for you is very much down to how you swing it.
There's a few reasons why you might get a better strike with one club than another.
And does anyone really buy a club/s on the word of Jake, Joel, Rick or Mark or any of the others..?

 

[big_matt]

I dont trust club reviews that i read anywhere apart from mygolfspy. I cant think of another industry where there hasnt ever been a single bad product released according to the reviews. Its been proven many times over that driver distance has not improved for years, yet you continuously read utter rubbish about new product going further than last year. It really is laughable.

 

[Grant85]

Personally feel & confidence are far more important.

If you get a driver you like and you can have a good day with it, then no reason the next drive you hit with it won't be good.

I accept technology can play its part, but lets be honest, technology hasn't moved on so much in the last decade or so.

Accuracy also more important than distance, once you get to a certain point.

£300 better spent on lessons, short game practice membership, range balls etc.

 

[big_matt]

Any 'increases' in distance seen in manual testing should also be ruled out due to strike inconsistency. Even DJ doesnt hit exactly the same spot on the face every time. Further distance could just be a better strike than your old driver.

 

[rulefan]

The US Course Rating notes suggest that driving length has only increased by 5 yards in the last 10 years or so.

 

[trevor]

If someone wants to spend £300 + to gain an extra 5 to 10 yards then fair enough but I don’t think my h/c would alter much by being 8 yards further down the fairway.

 

[Dan2501]

The TM M3/M4 improvements were ridiculous, no way you're getting that sort of distance gain from last years model unless last years model is poorly fitted and you're not comparing comparative strike. Clearly showing strike data in these reviews is a must, without it the numbers presented are meaningless.

 

[turkish]

I tried the rogue with same shaft as my epic and wasn't as long or as nice a feel... I really don't think there's much difference from one year to the next in drivers...

I've actually been on TM with a few mates who have old aeroburner and Titleist 909 drivers and they hit their current driver further than when I gave my epic- albeit maybe not a shaft that suits them.

I can't see me changing my epic for a few years now after being a serial club changer

 

[Hobbit]

Unless both have been hit by an IronByron I place very little credence to yardage claims from reviewers.

 

[The Autumn Wind]

I switched up to the Ping G400 driver towards the end of last year.

It's noticeably longer than the G or G30 which I've previously played. At least 10-15 yards longer for me, and that's in Winter conditions.

 

[Foxholer]

A centred strike with my old (2004/5) TM R510TP goes pretty much the same distance as my (10 years less old) Adams XTD with the same (Matrix TP7) shaft. However, average distance is significantly better with the Adams, purely because it is more forgiving!

On the other hand, the Speedline Tech goes noticeably (but not enormously) longer than either - imo, purely down to the (20gm lighter at 54gms vs 74) shaft!

I don't believe technology has changed distance for 'well struck' well fitted Drivers since CoR and size was capped. However, I believe the forgiveness, adjustability and the availability of more (and more consistent) shafts have resulted in improved average distances. The biggest increase in distance from one Driver to a potential new one was when I experienced a 650cc Integra (with a bright pink Harrison shaft!)! Boy did that go a long way - and make a lot of noise!