Question:
[...] On one of the holes I asked him if I could try it and I hit the ball like a rocket, and about 10 yards longer than my first drive with my club (which I hit well). Later in the round I tried it again, and again the same results. Finally, on the last hole, a long par 5, I asked to try it one more time, just to see if the first two times were a fluke, or if I really was hitting it better. [...]
I’ve had the experience of using a new club and discovering it was far superior to any club I’d ever used so far. Then I take it out on the golf course and it’s just another golf club and not even as good as some of my other tried and true favorites. The golf club certainly wasn’t responsible for your first round with two eagles in it! Start believing stuff like that and next thing you know, you’ll have your wife making fried chicken for you before each round.* It’s possible it’s a better driver for you, but it’s also quite possible it isn’t. If you get a chance to try it out on two more days and furthermore take it to the range more than once, and you still think it’s the greatest driver ever, then it’s time to consider buying one like it. But speaking as someone who has a decent swing and closer to a dozen than a half dozen drivers, if your current driver isn’t obviously wrong for you, it’s not the first thing to worry about. -joseph * Wade Boggs reference
Response:
[...] With the Hawkeye, all three drives I took were frozen ropes – a boring fight that never veered off the straight line it started on (luckly all three started down the fairway 
Hell, I’ve hit three dead straight drives over 280 yards long in a row before, on three different consecutive driver holes. I remember that day. Same driver I use now, and I can’t even do that on the range! (In other words, I WAS LUCKY!) -joseph
Response:
Exactly what sort of trajectory and yardage are you getting from your present club?…and was the other club going higher or lower? My current drives average around 240, with really good ones going about 260. My current GBB has a higher ball flight, but the interesting thing is that my current club usually had either a little draw or a little fade. With the Hawkeye, all three drives I took were frozen ropes – a boring fight that never veered off the straight line it started on (luckly all three started down the fairway
I think the Hawkeye is has a lower CG…(that’s what the tungsten screw is for)…This may be one of the factors that affected the flight pattern, it could also be the face specs (roll, bulge,lie)…Those factors won’t help you redo your GBB…However, I think you should compare the grip size and the swingweight of both clubs…Those are two factors that considerably affect flight path which you COULD change. As for reshafting…it’s a good bet that a firmer stick will lower your trajectory…MAYBE providing more distance…But you can’t be sure without trying it…the stiffer that shaft gets, the less efficiently it transfers energy, so you CAN loose energy, gain roll, and wind up hitting the same distance… BTW…I’d try a FIRM shaft in a few other manufacturers clubs first. Calaway’s flex ratings can’t always be trusted…They tend to be softer than other brands. Try that big ugly PING…(TSI) it’s incredible! ]]]Z[[[
Response:
Visit www.swingweight.com to look at shaft characteristics. From what I read, most amateurs use shafts that are too firm, and the manufacturers suggest they should consider more flexible types. I played with a 1 marker last week, and he crushed his driver. When i asked him about it, he told me is was an A-shaft! It demonstrated to me that you need to get the shaft option that suits you, and not presuppose that firm is "better" than regular. Shaft specs vary so much from manufacturer to manufacturer that one man’s firm is another man’s regular (see Rifle versus TT) Barrie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I need insight on my driver specs. I’m currently using a Callaway Great Big Bertha 10 degree with a Graffalloy ProLite 3.5 Regular flex. I got the club a couple of years ago and I love it. With my swing at the time the 10 degree regular was definitely the right club. In the past few months, through lessons, my swing has greatly improved. I have been hitting my driver better than ever and wasn’t even thinking about a different one. However, last Saturday one of the guys I was playing with had a Callaway Hawkeye 9 degree with a Firm flex (the normal Callaway UL shaft). On one of the holes I asked him if I could try it and I hit the ball like a rocket, and about 10 yards longer than my first drive with my club (which I hit well). Later in the round I tried it again, and again the same results. Finally, on the last hole, a long par 5, I asked to try it one more time, just to see if the first two times were a fluke, or if I really was hitting it better. Once again a rocket shot (combined with a great second shot 4 wood, I reached the green and eagled that hole for the first time ever! I actually eagled an earlier par 5 also, for two eagles in the round. Twenty years of playing golf and I’d only had a total of one eagle, and now I get two in one round!). Since the Hawkeye is basically the same Great Big Bertha head I have (with the addition of a tungsten screw) I don’t feel the head itself is the difference. My question is, since my swing is much better now, is the biggest factor the difference between the regular and firm shaft, or is it the 9 vs 10 degree loft, are a combination of both? If I had lots of money, I could buy a new club no problem. But with that not being the case, I need to weigh all the factors before doing anything. If it’s mainly the shaft, I could reshaft my current club. But if it’s the loft, then that wouldn’t work. If it’s a combination, then a reshaft could help a little. Any insightful and knowledgeable advice is appreciated. Jim Peplow http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/peplowj.htm Before you buy.
Response:
I need insight on my driver specs. I