When did you last buy a new driver and why?

MarkT

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With loads of new models seemingly everywhere want to do something on when you last changed your chief (as Wayne Riley would say)?

What turns your head? Are you brand loyal? Where do you get them from? How often do you change? Buy new or old?

Had my G400 for four years and can't see it going for a while, was fitted last year for something else but still with it.
 
D

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Bought my Titleist 917 in April 2017, following a fitting at St Ives.

- Appearance-wise I like a driver which looks pretty plain from above...couldn't give a toss what the underneath or face look like. But generally I'm just interested in it being long and straight.
- Not brand loyal, have had Titleist, Callaway, TM, Howson, John Letters through my golfing life.
- Generally buy them from pro shops.
- I buy new, every 4 or 5 years
 

AAC

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I don't think I have bought a new current model driver in the last twenty years, I don't see them as value for money and prefer to buy a new driver from the previous seasons offerings. At my level the difference is negligible and I save upwards of 30% on the price. I am not brand loyal and don't really like anything that's too 'out there' style wise.
 

Lord Tyrion

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I bought my current driver about 3yrs ago from a fellow poster, no longer on here. It was a few years old at that point. I bought it as my previous one was not so forgiving and as I don't hit the middle of my driver 9/10 I thought I needed some extra assistance. This one definitely helps. At some point in the next year or 2, during a social round, I will hit a pp's driver, bomb it 20ds past my usual distance with half the effort and I will hit ebay to replace it. At the moment though, I am doing okay with what I have and will keep it a little longer.

I will either replace with something that looks aesthetically pleasing, shallow I know, or as per above, one that I have borrowed and liked.
 

Slab

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Bought current driver (cobra fly-z) in 2015 to replace an aged (2nd hand) callaway diablo. The fly-z was going to get replaced with new release so the price was great (£125) for a new driver
Always liked Cobra as a brand and had old cobra king II irons at that time so it was an easy choice. Bought untried and not disappointed

No plans to change it unless another bargain comes along with big performance gain
 

Kennysarmy

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April 2019 - Epic Flash Sub Zero.
Full fitting and gained about 15-20 yards over Mizuno driver I'd had for a few years that I wasn't fit for properly.

Can't see I'll swap for a while unless my swing really changes, even then I can probably just adjust the settings or swap the shaft out....
 

HeftyHacker

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I bought my Epic Flash from the Callaway Pre-owned site (but it had never been hit) in Dec 2020. I love it, it seems to suit me and I've not really hit anything else that is demonstrably better for me.

It replaced a Rogue that I had bought in May that year, but that i had caved the face in rather embarrassingly at the driving range.

Ultimately though, I enjoy buying new things and I'm already toying with the idea of chopping it in for a Ping G425. However, I don't think I could ever buy a new driver at £400 to £500 - much rather pick them up a year later for £250ish.
 

SimonC

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I've pre-ordered the Stealth Plus, this was prior to actually testing it but I have since done so & I saw an average of 2mph more ball speed with much tighter dispersion & standard deviation numbers than my current SIM2 driver so I decided to keep the order in place. I also just fancied a new driver so thought why not being as it's my money so I can do as I please with it even though it seems to offend some people for some unknown reason.
 

Biggleswade Blue

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With loads of new models seemingly everywhere want to do something on when you last changed your chief (as Wayne Riley would say)?

What turns your head? Are you brand loyal? Where do you get them from? How often do you change? Buy new or old?

Had my G400 for four years and can't see it going for a while, was fitted last year for something else but still with it.

10 years ago. G20. Can't imagine spending money on a new driver will make the blindest difference to my scores.
 

nickjdavis

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Bought my current driver Callaway Rogue last year, it replaced a Callaway Epic which was bought maybe in 2018. For the life of my I cannot remember the reasoning behind the change!!!

Generally I like unfussy, clean designs at address, dont really care what it looks like from below.

I usually try new drivers when they come out "just for research purposes" and if anything really seems to feel good I will possibly get on a LM and if things continue to look good then I might go for a fitting. Given that the Rogue model is a few years old now I'm certainly interested in having a thrash with the new Rogue model when it is available.
 
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Orikoru

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I've had mine over 2 years now. In 2019 I had a spell of form and did well in a few competitions, I didn't get prizes straight away, he kind of saved them up and ended up giving me 100 quid in vouchers for Complete Golfer. Up until that point I had only ever bought second hand drivers, so I took the opportunity to do an actual fitting for a new driver. Ended up with the G410 SFT with a Tensei Orange shaft, and my driving has been excellent ever since. I've no plans to change it any time soon - maybe after another 2 or 3 years I may do another fitting and see if there are improvements to be had. Since the general consensus seems to be you'll only see noticeable gains in equipment after 4 or 5 years.
 

Golfnut1957

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I bought the PXG in October. A mate had had a fitting for the same club and I used his extensively and really liked it, so I bought an identical one. It is not a coincidence that they are half the price of most new drivers.

It replaced a Callaway FT3 which had been in the bag for a couple of months after winning a shoot out against a Rogue and a M5. There was nothing to choose between those three but the FT3 won on price - £45.

It is not unusual for me to change my driver two or three times a year, I just like trying things, although I am slowing down now and don't have any plans to change the PXG, well not at this moment anyway.
 

brendy

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2016 M2 (gold decal rather than lime). Imo still the best driver TM made, will eventually replace it and the R11S 5 wood I still have from 2011 but struggling to see anything noticeably better.
 

Bratty

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Have either bought used (twice) or previous seasons' models (three times) in the past 20 years. Have never been brand loyal, just with what I could get that worked. Most recently, I swapped out the 2018 Rogue for a Ping G425 SFT, and did it very differently!
The Rogue had been good for distance but not great for dispersion and control. Now, some of that is my swing of course, but some of it wasn't. I ended up putting a 75g shaft in and putting the loft down to close the face slightly, which kind of helped, but not enough.
So, I decided to go to Precision Golf, following a successful wedge fitting, and see what they had. I didn't care what they put me in, as long as it was more forgiving and better than I had. Which wasn't difficult!
Mike asked if I had anything in mind, and I said the Radspeed sounded good on paper, so we started with that. It wasn't bad, but he said we could do much better. He pulled 3 heads from the wall, a PXG, the Ping G425 Max and SFT, and 4 shafts.
My issue, he said, was squaring the clubface on the way through, and while a heavier shaft gave me more feel for the clubhead, I wasn't loading it consistently nearly enough to get the speed out of it.
The PXG was okay, but the Max felt really good. Then came the SFT, and it was a revelation. I could feel it better and the 23gm weight in the heel meant it squared better.
Shafts next, and we only needed to try two, an Oban and an aldila NV green, both 65g. Outcome was I could go for either shaft and the Max would be good eventually but the SFT would be good now and carry on for a while longer until (or if) my swing improved.
We also tried the Maverik, which was meh, and the Sim Max, which after 3 shots, I handed straight back - useless for me.
 
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Hobbit

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My last driver was bought new, a Titliest 915d2, when the 917 was released. Its been a revelation in fairways hit, typically 10-12 from 14 with the misses rarely more than a few yards offline.

However, I spotted the same 915d2 on Facebook Marketplace just before Christmas. Same spec as my current driver, and in better nick. It’s first reserve for when my driver gets retired.

I prefer unfussy looking drivers, without too much in the way of gimmicks weights etc. I’ve almost always bought from a club pro, providing they can get close enough to the High Street retailers.

There’s a few new releases that interest me, blingy-blingy, but I doubt there’d be enough improvement to warrant changing.
 

rksquire

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Bought Cobra F6 in 2016 to replace S3 that had developed an issue. Been recently considering a change, can't imagine that I'll deviate from Cobra as a brand but unlike 2016 will try others at a fitting session and will consider different shafts with a view to improve dispersion. That being said, I've been holding back as the F6 is going well, but the urge is there and I will eventually succumb!
 
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Last new one I bought was a M2(in 2016ish?) from I think Snainton Golf online.

Cant see me changing this year, the M2 works fine, when I hit it right.
 

Albo

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Last year, and 2 years before that. Then probably 15 years before that.

I have no brand loyalty, I will go with whatever gives me the best numbers.

I always buy new, mostly because I like new shiney stuff.
I'll probably change again in 2023 our 2024, again as I like new shiney stuff
 

Canary_Yellow

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With loads of new models seemingly everywhere want to do something on when you last changed your chief (as Wayne Riley would say)?

What turns your head? Are you brand loyal? Where do you get them from? How often do you change? Buy new or old?

Had my G400 for four years and can't see it going for a while, was fitted last year for something else but still with it.

Just started a new thread on this.

I’m in the market for a new one because the head on my R15 went pop over the weekend.

Noticed what appeared to be a small split towards the top of the face and a small crack on the crown on Saturday after a range session, but it was still going ok and sounded ok.

Back to the range on Sunday, two hits with the driver, split on the face still the same but the crack in the crown is now 2.5 inches. ?

Guilt free new driver purchase coming up. I don’t play enough to be able to justify spending lots on clubs, tend to just replace when the clubs get very old / broken. Or if there’s a major issue with what I’m using, but I tend to blame the wizard rather than the wand
 
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