Trying out the '07 Drivers!

[Chubbsco]

Ok, I got to try out all of the new '07 drivers today at Golfsmith in Ontario, California. Fortunatley, when I arrived, the Taylormade Rep was there and had the new Burner, and the New r7.

Burner- Wow, had great feel, very solid club, it honestly felt like the ball was literally jumping off the club.

r7 SuperQuad- Another great stick. I tried it in the neutral position, and can honestly say I would not change the weight configuation on it. I am serioulsy thinking of buying it.

Callaway FTI- Eh... sort of a let-down. I am not a square driver type of guy. It just felt dead, and when swinging I was under the impression that it was slowing my swing dow like it was a big sail.

Nike Sumo- Nice club. very similar to the Burner, but I would rather buy the Burner. Nice solid feel, and the ball felt like it was hopping off the face.

Nike Sumo 2- Not a fan of it. I was scared to really swing at it, because it sounds like I was taking my wife's softball bat and was hitting golf balls with it. Plus, it felt sort of dead to me.
Also,
I tried out the Ping Rapture.
Being a big fan of Ping, I wanted so much to like this club, but just did not. It seemed a bit on the harsh feeling side, and also generated so much sidespin it was crazy.

I know this is not all of the '07 drivers out there, but they are all of the ones creating such a buzz. Also, I am not a professional, but a very good amateur (+ handicap, a good swing, and a swing speed of 109). So, if I offended anyone with the descriptions of these clubs, I am sorry, but I would love to hear what everyone else thought of these clubs!

[300Yards]

I too loved the burner, I liked the feel and the distance was pretty good. The R7, even thouigh draw bias clubs usually aren't my thing, was very nice! The weight thing is nice, but like you, I don't see myself ever using it too much.. I liked the Sumo as well, because as you said that face is HOT! The weight was perfect, and was a dream to swing. I was not impressed with the Sumo 2. It was just too much change, to fast..I thought the top line was to thick, and I couldn't get comfortable with it.. The Callaway...ehh, I've never been a huge fan of them..never have been able to hit their clubs real well, and the FT-1 was no exception. I hated the way it looked, felt, and sounded. It felt like I had to put much more effort in my swing, to get it to go anywhere..not a club I would ever buy.. now the Rpature, is one I haven't tried yet...but hopefully I'll get the chance to do so this weekend, when I make my trip to GS.

[tmtp]

I've hit most all of the new drivers for this season, here are my observations:

SuperQuad TP: The ball jumps off the face, really nice look at address and solid feel. I am able to control ball flight and trajectory very well with this club. The face is set 1 degree open, so I can go after it without fearing a hook.

Burner TP: Ball really takes off, the lower and deeper center of gravity launches the ball a little higher than the SuperQuad. I play this driver with a slightly longer shaft than I have in my SuperQuad (45.5 versus 44.5 inches) so I get a bit more club head speed. The crown graphics are not as visually distracting as I thought they would be. Again, the face is a degree open which helps prevent the ball from turning over too much.

FT5 Tour: Much better sound than the FT3, the face is hot and gives a solid feel at impact. Waiting for the OptiFit FT5 heads to really get a feel for this club, want to try it with the Diamana shaft.

FTi: Didn't seem to get as much distance with the FTi as I did with the FT5, it launches a little too high with a bit too much spin for my swing. Decent sound and solid feel.

SuMo: I like the distance with this driver, although somewhat unusual to look at, once you get used to the Power Bow, it doesn't look as big as the SQ or SuMo2. My old assistant pro is on the Nike staff he plays it with the VS Proto, this is a great combination.

SuMo2: Not a huge fan of the sound at impact, but it does want to hit the ball straight. Despite initial worries, I was able to shape the ball a bit with this club, but it is not what is designed to do. Wasn't able to get the ball out quite as far with the SuMo2 as I was with the other drivers I tried.

Big Bertha 460: An underrated club, was overlooked because of the FT5 and FTi drivers. A shallow profile, much like the Burner, helps launch the ball higher. This club is a little more closed than I would like in a driver, great for the slower swing speeds.

HiBore XL Tour: 3 degree open face sounds like a lot, but because of the design of the head, you need it or else you will hook the ball. Have to tee the ball lower to get the most out of this club due to the lower center of gravity being aligned with the COR hotspot on the face.

[Butter Knife Guy]

Originally Posted by 300Yards

I too loved the burner, I liked the feel and the distance was pretty good. The R7, even thouigh draw bias clubs usually aren't my thing, was very nice! The weight thing is nice, but like you, I don't see myself ever using it too much.. I liked the Sumo as well, because as you said that face is HOT! The weight was perfect, and was a dream to swing. I was not impressed with the Sumo 2. It was just too much change, to fast..I thought the top line was to thick, and I couldn't get comfortable with it.. The Callaway...ehh, I've never been a huge fan of them..never have been able to hit their clubs real well, and the FT-1 was no exception. I hated the way it looked, felt, and sounded. It felt like I had to put much more effort in my swing, to get it to go anywhere..not a club I would ever buy.. now the Rpature, is one I haven't tried yet...but hopefully I'll get the chance to do so this weekend, when I make my trip to GS.

Where did you try out all these clubs, 300?

[chollyred]

Have any of you tested the Bazooka GeoMax? If so, how does it compare to these listed?

[SolidRockGolf]

I haven't had the chance to try any of them out yet but I am going to say that I have heard from some other friends in the Golf Biz that the FT-5, SuperQuad, and the Ping Rapture were the OEM's hottest this golf season. That wasn't a fact but pretty much most of'ems opinion of whats to come.