I have been trying to figure out my swing, and which hammer I intend to pair with it.

Been looking at other alternatives beyond the big brand names including KZG .... Alpha, and a variety of others. All look great, but do they perform like a store bought TaylorMade, Nike, or Cleveland driver?

Would love the insight of my fellow hammer throwers.

Great question. With so many products available, figuring out which big dog to keep in the bag can be a chore indeed. I was just looking around ebay and saw they had 9,000 drivers currently for sale. Yikes! So how do you narrow it down? I have been playing for almost ten years and there are still brands of clubs I’ve never hit before!

What’s the best Driver for you? Well, that depends on who you are. Your swing speed, plane, and ball trajectory are just a few things to consider when shopping for a new Driver. Don’t know what any of that means? Don’t worry, most people don’t. The good news is that there are thousands of professionals out there who can help you. The bottom line is there are some drivers out there that work better for your particular swing than others.

Most pro shops or club retailers can help you make some of the basic decisions (like flex of shaft, offset of clubhead, etc.), but ultimately it comes down to what you feel comfortable with. When Driver shopping, hit as many different clubs as possible and avoid pigeon holing yourself to a particular style or brand. Just because you learned how to play with that old Warbird, doesn’t mean the latest Callaway product is the one for you. Good Luck!

Well I’ve been playing seriously about 3 years now and I can tell you that it’s best to go get fitted by a professional clubmaker. I tried all kinds of the lastest and greatest in search of that “magic stick”. Truth is, if you get something that works well with your swing, THAT is what will produce the results. I have read alot of stuff on clubs from various people and Tom Wishon said that if you hit a club a few times and it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. With that said, get something that feels good and play. After switching back and forth between about a dozen drivers, I finally decided to stick with one. After a month of playing with one driver and not hoping I would find another that was better, I finally broke 80 thanks to 2 things. One being that I had a few drives over 300 but most importantly to the fact I hit 12 fairways.

I think we are all stuck in the “I-wanna-blast-like-Tiger-but-with-more-accuracy” phase that we forget that accuracy is what we mere mortals need…not Tiger-like distance.

I’ve found that I am not as picky about equipment as I thought I was. Trying drivers from TaylorMade, Cleveland, Callaway, Mizuno, Srixon and Nakashima that I have similar results. The trick? Getting fitted properly.

Every club head can impart its own ball flight characteristics so I feel that it’s especially important that a person gets fitted for the right head and shaft combination.

It also helps that I’m not influenced easily by marketing and which tour player is using a particular club. I am also not picky in regards to color, size, shape or sound of drivers (but I do have a preference or ideal) so for me that gives me a broad range of equipment I can get used to.

I am a gear head – and so my wife is scared shitless it is going to roll over into my golf. I am very pro-Nicklaus, as you can see from my avatar (Family connection), but everardo hit it on the head… Get fit properly. Avoid the young golf shop wanna-be pro that tries to sell to your ego and not your ability.

With that said – pretty much all the mainstream manufacturers hoover around the same technology. This year, all the focus is on increased “MOI” or moment of inertia – but if the club doesn’t fit you or your swing, all the MOI in the world won’t help you break 80.

Try to to go a DEMO Day. That way you can try several different clubs. I went to one two weeks ago, and ended up getting a Cobra Driver ordered as it was the best driver there and I was hitting it straight for 300 plus yards.

Now I am 56 years old and this driver is the best one I have used in years, and I have been playing for 35 years.

It weighs only 50 gms and the club speed is great.

I ordered the Cobra Speed LD M/ST offset with the stock Flex R shaft.

Can’t wait for it to get here.

Steve, how do you tolerate that noise when you hit that thing? I demoed the LD and thought I broke something when I hit the ball. Gawd awful sound.

I have the Cobra Driver Speed LD M Offset. Stiff shaft, 50 grams. I just picked it up about a month ago.

Its amazing how forgiving it is to anyones swing. Ive seen HACKS grab it and put balls straight out. The reviews on this club are overwhelming (exactly as SteveHawks).

I hated the sound at first, but ripping it out about 275-280 like a laser makes the sound annoy everyone else…and makes me smile. An intimidation factor per say! And when you get on the sweet spot, the sound is dramatically lower (amost comparable to any other Ti driver). And if you still hate the sound (or cant find the sweet spot) then put a 1.5” piece of medical tape on the sole. It cuts that tinny sound right out.

Anyone considering a new driver needs to try one of these out first!

Funny that you say that Hale, cause I played with a guy and I asked him the same question. He pretty much gave me the same answer you did. “Who cares what it sounds like? I like what the ball looks like in the middle of the fairway.”

My thoughts exactly, I have played both the Nike Sumo and the Cleveland HiBore XL, both are very loud clubs. I have actually had my ears start to ring after hitting my Cleveland, but it hits straight and far.

It is always best to either go to a demo day or get fitted by professionals. It is also nice to have a golf shop that has a 90 day money back guarantee. I have tried clubs for a couple of rounds to find out they are not for me, and exchanged them no questions asked.

I would play anything that would get into the fairway consistently. Name, size, sound and all other particiulars do not matter as much as how it feels and preforms. Go to a store that has a 90 guarentee, that way you can play a driver for 3 months. If you don’t like it, take it back and try something else. Keep an open mind for all shapes and sizes.

For me it is the TM Superquad that does the job.

Also, SteveHawks, your profile states your average driving distance is 196. Aren’t you hitting the cobra 300+?

Any one considering a new driver needs to try one of these out first.

jerryf I love http://buydiscountgolfballs.com

I have tried a number of different drivers over the years. have run the gamut from Calloway to Ping with many in between. Just purchased a TaylorMade Superquad7 and I must admit this one keeps me in the fairway much more consistantly. The moveable weights have negated my hook and even though I have lost maybe 5 yards it has not altered my game as I am finding more greens or missing on the right side more often now. Hope this helps.