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Apart from getting in a bit more practice than usual, I have been on a brutal culling exercise to only put best-performing JDM clubs in the bag. You can check out my sig to see what made it in (those irons and wedges, in particular, have been VERY loyal performers for me for a long time now).
Getting the distance gaps in the 3w, 5w and 4 iron took a while - but now it seems I can put the same tempo swing on all and get good separation and a wide array of shot shapes and trajectories. I can generally putt with anything, but the Gauge just puts a nice smooth roll on and is good for fast greens.
But finally we get to the driver - this has been my biggest struggle over the last few months, so I wanted to share some results with y'all. My heavy, tight and forgiving driver if the wind blows 50mph is a Titleist D2 9.5 with a heavy low torque Accra SE80* in x flex. This has become my "reference driver" because it is just so well-behaved. Doesn't go high or long, but I can hit almost any kind of tee ball with this thing and it responds really well. (This has a longer softer tip than the SE (non*) version - which makes it less of a barge pole - more on this later.....).
OK, so what if the conditions are more benign? I need something with ideal launch and low spin so I can have a go on the open holes, cut corners, carry fairway traps etc. I picked up a J-Beam 425 tour 10.5 degree head a few months ago. Everyone on this site raves about the low spin and distances possible. It came with extra weights so I can dial in 199-206 headweight and also shift them around and have fun. Of any driver I have ever owned, this is my favourite shape at address - like a cube with rounded corners, which makes aiming and squaring up at setup, well, really nice and square! Feel is perfect for mine - slightly crackly, slightly smooshy - enough feedback, but often big surprises when you walk out to your ball and see where it has finished (Supo67 has mentioned this a few times). Sound is my least favourite aspect - tingy, but I'm getting used to that now. My driver swing speed is around 105mph average up to 110 max, but as Petethepilot said to me the other day - "you drive it better when you don't thrash" - he's right.
Started out with a Quadra 65xs (tipped) - everything came out too low and drives were inconsistent. Have since learned that this head has a very deep bore, so any shaft will be firmed up. So unless you are a sasquatch, you need to go low-mid kicking, softer tip. ENTER the Roddio M7-x shaft bought from AussieFreddy here (thanks!). WOW! High straight balls and soft draws, and I can now relax in the tee box and get into a more effortless routine. At 41 y/o, I'm not getting any more flexible, and I think I have been guilty of-late to try and hang on to my driver specs of perhaps 5 years ago. My last 2 comp rounds with it have been really good, handicap is coming down again. Was even able to fine tune/reduce the draw bias by putting the heaviest wt out on the toe of the head - that was an added bit of fun for a scientist like me!!
Have rambled on long enough. I highly recommend this combo - go for the S7 (x) Roddio instead of the M7 if you have a faster tempo. Perhaps I'll come back with a photo or two from Barnbougle.
Happy JDM golfing!
Edited by daamartin, 04 February 2012 - 10:09 PM.
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