Updating my Driver

[Yuzo]

i am new to the game and my clubs (slazenger) are about 5 years old which cost under £150 for the full set.

i thought the first club to update would be my driver.

looking at reviews on websites, eg, Nike Sumo driver, which people are saying they now have more confidence in their game and are driving the ball much more straighter.

would upgrading my cheapo slazenger driver really make such a difference?

and the options to choose seem very confusing, especially the "loft". i think the loft on mine at the moment is 10.5 ... i used a friends more lofted driver and that weant slightly too high without much distance.. but i seemed to hit it straight.

my local pro also suggested that i get a stiffer shaft on my next driver as that would reduce my slice.

 

[Yuzo]

just been reading about drivers, it seems this is the theory for beginners:

bigger head to improve chances of making contact on scuff shots.

use a more lofted driver as easier to hit.

it seems the shaft depends on the speed on your swing. it says less experienced golfers should look for a more flexible shaft.. but my pro said this could improve the chances of a slice.

 

[TWM]

Ask your pro for a test of a suitable driver.
Get him to check all your clubs for suitability. You may be pleasantly surprised. (or not)

 

[ball_basher]

hi, im guessing your still scoring fairly heavily with being a new golfer ???? if so ask your self the qeustion do you really need a new driver or a driver at all ??? invest your money on a decent putter and maybe have a couple of lessons from a pga pro , that would be of far more value to you than a expensive shinny new driver that just causes problems , its so easy to get sucked in by these big brands
that proclaim to almost guarantee a strait drive every time , thing is you still need to have a decent swing to execute this consistently which takes years with some people.

im off 14 and rarely use my driver in fact it stays at home most of the time

regrads

 

[Region3]

Would your pro not let you try a few different makes out, maybe with different shafts as well?

It's always best to make your choices based on results rather than a theory.

 

[RGDave]

i thought the first club to update would be my driver.

looking at reviews on websites, eg, Nike Sumo driver, which people are saying they now have more confidence in their game and are driving the ball much more straighter.

would upgrading my cheapo slazenger driver really make such a difference?

and the options to choose seem very confusing, especially the "loft". i think the loft on mine at the moment is 10.5 ... i used a friends more lofted driver and that weant slightly too high without much distance.. but i seemed to hit it straight.

my local pro also suggested that i get a stiffer shaft on my next driver as that would reduce my slice.

Oooh, a lot to answer.

No.1 a quality driver will serve you better than a make-do one, but it depends on how decently you are hitting the ball.
No.2 the sumo seems good, are you talking about the square one, in which case, i.m.o. square drivers are straighter, but then again, straighter than what. My square-type driver is much straighter than my two other drivers, but that includes straight left and straight right too, the difference I have noted is the lack of sidespin. It's like magic.....really.....but I was already hitting more than half the fairways anyway.
No. 3 - loft. Hmm, hard to say. I have used all sorts from 9-13 degrees. Higher loft, a bit straighter, maybe but also shorter. I tend to trade max distance for a guaranteed flight. Depends how you hit it......the "launch angle" is the important thing.

My opinion (and it won't be well received around here) is that most folks play with too little loft. I'd rather get it right 9/10 with more loft than 7/10 with less loft.

I can't be doing with the morons at mine that clearly have lower swing speeds, hit the ball shorter than me and play with 10 degree drivers. If someone plays off single figures, doesn't hit it so far but always gets a good driver away, then fair enough.....but these guys are rare.

I played with a chap today who's off the same h'cap (12), took exactly the same irons as me to everything (no, I didn't ask) and had a similar relaxed tempo. He had a 10 degree driver, I was using my 12. I was 15-20 yards past him on average drives. You could literally see his drives landing shorter than mine.....OK, he got a bit more roll, but not enough. With my driver, I reckon he'd be past me.

If your pro reckons stiff is the way to go, he could be right. I wouldn't trust it to eye though, unless you either lash it or your irons go miles as well. This is where custom fitting is SO IMPORTANT.

When I went to try the Wilson Staff, I tried all 3 flexes (excluding X-stiff). There is A LOT of overlap in graphite shafts. On 80 mph, the answer would be simple - light/senior flex. On 100 mph, stiff. I was averaging what I have done for years and years, about 90-95 mph. Needless to say, the launch monitor confirmed that my carry was best with regular. If I'd been up to 95-100 though, it might have been close.

Straight is everything. Go to a range and try a few......ignore the full distance (I can't get over 220 with a range ball), see what feels good and goes well.

 

[DAC]

Hi Yuzo, I'm new to the game like you and I borrowed my first set of clubs. I went to my local golf pro at Stonebridge for my clubs who spent an hour or more with me going through several clubs until we found what was right for me, which happened to be some ping G10s. I play cack handed, that is I hold the clubs like a left hander but use right handed clubs; its the only way i can hit the ball. What the pro told me, and it did sort out my driving, was to use a higher lofted club as it gets more back spin on the ball and it tends to fly straighter, which is does, and it got rid of the fade I had. I now use a 13.5 loft G10 driver and its fine for me, granted the ball isnt going to land on the moon, but at least its on target, which I think is a decent starting point.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I think the simplest advice is go to a pro and have a chat. If you are spraying the ball off the tee a driver is only going to compund the problem whatever loft and shaft you go for. I think you need to be spending money on lessons first and worrying about getting a repeatable swing before looking to upgrade. Once you can hit your current driver fairly consistantly then look at what is out there