I stayed with smaller drivers for quite a while. When they went to 460cc I stuck with a KZG PFT 300. Finally went to 360 (Adams I think) then 380, 400 and 420 before caving in and going 450-460cc.
I have a TM Mini driver from a few years back that I still use. I hit the Mini just as far (at times) and sometimes farther (lower spin so it rolls out more), but my Epic Max LS is a LOT more forgiving.
Feels good, man. Feels good.
214m is about 235 yards. Which, when faced with similar carries, I âknowâ I can do it, and yet often donât. The often is turning to seldom though, so thatâs good.
Best part of the game for me, is watching that little white ball get really small, really fast. And itâs so effortless when you do.
So, 133-138 Ball speed, high 1.4s for SF, and 250-ish carry, you sound like your driver/ball is dialed in about as well as it possibly can be. (Per Pingâs Driver launch optimization chart: https://ping.com/en-us/blogs/proving-grounds/optimal-launch-and-spin) Provided dispersion is good, of course.
Great job!
From the weekend. I had a couple duds 2. Those were the top 4
Thanks for all replies. Head and shaft agnostic fitting it is. Totally agree swing remains somewhat of a work in progress but with same swing I would pay a fair amount for an extra 10-15 yds. Dispersion / mishit forgiveness not quite so high on my list as driver a relative strength (compared to 8 ft putts FML !!)
you think, being 20 years old back then had anything to do with the distance ? 
Although, I had tried and owned a couple of newer drivers; canât seem to kick the 2012 Adams Speedline Tech ( 8.5 degree) out of my golf bag.
Never compared them on L/M. What I did was a few rounds of drives at my favorite par-5. Each driver will enjoy a new sleeve of golf balls from a new box. There be no excuse of how I feel, nor the condition, at the time of testing.
Ping is one of the very few that works with other manufacturers shaft engineers to match heads/shafts for optimal performance. So if you can hit a Ping driver well then it might last you longer. Maybe.
You guys are so lucky these days, to have the adjustable hosel which could switch shafts in seconds.
Back in the days, we had to pull the shaft and epoxy the new one in and wait for the epoxy to cure. Quite a bit a hassle to test out another shaft.
What took us days if not weeks to find out which shaft would work for our swing, you can do it in less than an hour with launch monitor and inter-changeable shafts.
Yeah but the courses were only 5,000 yards!!
We have a few shorter golf courses here which are quite popular. Tighter fairways and smaller greens.
Still need to putt the golf ball into the cup, right? A low scoring round at any of the golf course is no easy feat.
The chase for âperfectâ equipment is endless, as we all seek an easier solution as in life in general, especially with the younger generation, always looking for a âboxedâ solution as the culture is that way.
Getting a new piece of equipment is much easier than hours of labor on the driving range.
Of course, but I have a few friends that love the chase of the Holy Grail, it is what they do. But in the days you are talking about, the driver manufacturer tried hard to marry the shaft to the driver (except way back in time in the crooked stick days) and today I know of only Ping that have the engineers intimately involved with the shaft development for their heads. The rest just pass along specs. Mainly because of cost. But yes it is much easier now to try and find shafts that work for the individual, and I like it that way. Not every one is the same and not every driver head is the same. Early on I player the TM Burners and not every year was âhotâ some were, some were not. But in all my trial and error I found that Graphite Design shafts worked very well for me.
Canât agree with you more!
My feeling is, the chase for the Holy Grail had been heavy on the equipment side. Often golfers forgot the one holding the tools meant more than the tools.
I know those who could basically play any set of golf clubs to score close to par.
Ping had been true to the function of the golf clubs, but they seemed to make less noise in the product lines in recent years.
Yeah, and I am not sure why. Their drivers and fairways are still among the best and I have tried their irons but always thought they were ugly (i and G series). I hit the Ping driver long just couldnât control it. Again the G series of drivers. My opinion of PING is one of a company with integrity and committed to the art form as well as engineering. Others such as TM and Calloway - not so much. I say this butI have Cobra woods, Mizuno irons and Vokey wedges but my putter is PING!!
Odd. Wouldnât have expected that from any of the G400 on up. They may not be the longest, but by God theyâll stay mostly straight. Different people have different experiences.
Agreed that the irons are butt ugly if youâre a Mizuno/Miura/JDM-in-general kind of guy. I amâŚmeh about mine. They work. They muffle mishits pretty well. Theyâve got spinâŚ
I dunno. Need to play them more.
I admit I didnât play all models but my son and my best friend both play Ping G drivers and I still occasionally try them, especially if they inserted a new shaft. But in all honesty I am pretty satisfied with my Cobras.
same feedback about Ping drivers from a couple of guys I know. They are not high speed swingers, but they have issue controlling the driver. Their face light up after they test drove the Ping drivers on a demo day. One kept repeating the words of âamazingâ. It sure worked for him.
Iâm the guy who will play between 7/8 degree to 11/12 degree with shafts from 47"-44 1/2" from XS to regular flex. Iâm okay on adapting to whatâs on hands with some practice at the range.
So yes, Ping drivers supposed to go pretty straight according to the guys I known after test driving.
It really was one of those, âHoly Sh*t! This works!!â,â moments demoing a club. Just instant, "DING-CRAACK! (the sound is God-Awful), 10-14 degrees launch,150-ish ball speed 3,000-3,200 spin, and straight. Not the end-all, be-all, but a damned good 80% solution.
It just works. 240-ish carry; 260-270 roll. Not great, but itâs pretty consistent.
Really recommend anyone who is currently fighting with their driver, to give the 425 Max a try. (and reputedly, the 400 and 410 Maxes as well) The spin is too high, the smash isnât great (though thatâs likely me), and the stock shafts arenât amazing with feel. But itâll get you a lot of the way there.
Itâs not for the Craigers or BigDadEnergyâs of the world. They know what theyâre doing, and swing a bit faster than I do. For the rest of us, who canât practice a ton, this club ainât bad for the job.
