Bat

I can't say that I'm not tempted. I'm just getting along so well with the GR right now. Can't really see anything kicking this one out of the bag any time soon. But I'm sure you've heard that before. lol One thing for sure, is that I'll be demoing the XD445 as soon as it's available here. Bat

These new photos look soooo much better than the previous pics. Looks great at address. Bat

I saw a few sets of these X-Blade GR+ in the store. Can somebody tell me what's the difference between these and the regular X-Blade GR? Thanks Bat

A shallow face driver will have a lower CG, thus launches the ball higher than the deep face counterpart. This is also a result of a lower bend point in the shaft due to the shorter distance from shaft tip to the ground. The shallow face feature itself will not increase the forgiveness on heel and toe hits and can theoretically make it less forgiving for hits high and low on the club face. However, with a shallow face, manufacturer can increase other dimensions of the driver. Making the driver longer heel to toe will increase the MOI of the driver and make it more forgiving on toe and heel hits. Making the driver longer from front to back will move the CG back away from the club face. This should increase BOTH the vertical and horizontal MOI of the driver. With the CG towards the back, the shaft will also tend to bend forward more at impact and increase the driver's dynamic loft. Here's my take on the 46 inch shaft and upright lie angle on the EMB. First of all, a longer shaft will make the swing plane shallower. This can "theoretically" make the angle of attack shallower and reduce 'over the top' side spin. A longer shaft will also be more flexible and bend forward more at impact. This can help close the driver club face. The longer shaft will make the, already upright, lie angle on the EMB even more upright. Because our eyes are not on top of the ball, the upright lie angle will actually help with alignment of the club face. And, as you know, an upright lie also promotes a slight draw due to it's loft. IMO it's a very good solution for slicers, better than closed club face or draw bias drivers. With closed face driver there's no way you can aim the club correctly. While draw bias drivers will move the CG (and sweet spot) towards the heel. Of course, it's easier to control a shorter shaft and hit the ball in the center of the face. With ultra high MOI drivers, however, it's should be a fair trade. You will not loose as much distance for off center hits while center hits will yield higher ball speed. For slicers and most amateurs, the ability to square up the face at impact far outweighs hitting the sweet spot in a driver IMO. Bat

FWIW, my launch angle with the GR 9.5 is around 18-20* with around 2,500-2,600 rpm. Keep in mind though, that I'm normally a high ball launcher and like to tee it up high with the ball in line with my left heel. I'm actually working on teeing it a bit lower to get the launch angle down a tad for more roll. Bat

With the shorter hosel and relatively shallow face, the GR launches much higher than my old J33R. However, it's only slightly higher than the Epon for me. As a matter of fact, the GR and Epon also seem to have very comparable spin. Coming from the J33R, I prefer the softer feel of the Epon to the GR. The GR, however, has a straighter top line (less bulge) that I'm familiar with in the J33R. Bat

I average around 47 m/s (around 105mph) for driver swing speed and my normal ball contact is high on the club face launching it higher than most. My usual miss (at the moment) is towards the heel with a pull/slice. Comparing the following drivers: J33R 460 w/ Speeder 555 X-Drive GR w/ Rombax 6x07 X-Drive 460 w/ Quattro Tech 65 Epon 460 w/ Machline ?? 907 D2 & Rapture w/ VS Proto 65 SuperQuad w/ Rombax 5x07 FT-5 w/ stock Fuji ?? For me personally... Launch Angle (from highest to lowest) SuperQuad 907 D2 X-Drive GR Epon 460 FT-5 Rapture J33R 460 X-Drive 460 Spin (from highest to lowest) 907 D2 SuperQuad Rapture Epon 460 X-Drive GR FT-5 J33R 460 X-Drive 460 Forgiveness (from most to least) X-Drive GR 907 D2 Epon 460 SuperQuad FT-5 J33R 460 X-Drive 460 Rapture Feel/Sound (my personal preference) J33R 460 Epon 460 SuperQuad X-Drive GR X-Drive 460 Rapture 907 D2 FT-5 Please note that this is just from my memory of multiple range sessions. I have absolutely no data to back up the above rankings. Hope this helps. Bat

The GR launches much higher than the 460 (only because the 460 launches VERY low). If you're already getting 265 yards carry with the 460, you're not going to get much distance gain from the GR. The GR, however, is much more forgiving on off center hits. IMO it's the most forgiving square faced, traditionally shaped driver. Bat

I guess we have the same taste. I also wouldn't mind if it looks good at address. lol Bat

While the custom Gold Factory putters look sweet, I kinda miss Gauge Design stuff. If I remember correctly, Chris used to post photos of a new Gauge Design putter like every other week or something. I love how they had many different designs to choose from. Now that they're gone, are there any good retail JDM putters coming out? Bat Btw, what happened to their products when Gauge Design went under? Did anyone take over?

One of the lowest spinning (460cc) driver out there is the Tourstage X-Drive 460. It has deeper face and even lower spin than my previous J33 460 and WAY lower spin than my current X-Drive GR. I haven't tried the 445 or the older 430, but I hit the 460 way lower than the 405 and the 435. If you like deep face driver you'll love the X-Drive 460. Dead square at address and solid feel at impact. I didn't care for the color scheme of the Quattro Tech shaft but have to admit that it has a nice kick and tight dispersion. Or you can save a bit and go with the stock shaft if you already have other shaft in mind. I think it's available in 8.5* in the pro shop. For $599 I think you're going to have a hard time finding a better head. Bat Btw, I know it said "medium/high trajectory with low spin" in the pro shop but I personally didn't launch it any higher than my previous J33 460 which is a low launch / low spin head. Hope this helps

This is without a doubt, the most entertaining "Driver Shootout" ever! Glad to see that my new X-Drive GR made it to the final four. Too bad it had to square off against the winner in the semi-final though. lol Great job Gocchin. Thanks for the article. Btw, is that "8615 gcm" stat on the Burner TP it's horizontal (heel-toe) MOI? That's insanely high! Bat

Just to be sure. For "Height/Trajectory" does the higher number means higher ball flight? Bat

Has to be the Tourstage TS-202 irons. Great feel, nice profile, and very forgiving. I thought I needed more challenge at the time. lol Anyway, it's in good hand now in my friend's bag. Bat

The listed numbers for the R7 Forged are Face Progression measurements not Offset. Face progression is the measurement from the leading edge of the iron to the CENTER of the hosel. More face progression = less offset and vice versa. Bat

For me personally... JDM: 1. Tourstage X-UT 2. Srixon 2007 AD Hybrid 3. Royal Collection TD+ USDM: 1. Taylormade 2007 Rescue TP 2. Adams Idea Pro 3. Bridgestone J33 Utility

Now, that's more like it. Much better. ;) Bat

Personally, I don't mind the shape at all. I'm sure it'll help with alignment and the heavy wing weights should increase the MOI. I wish they didn't put that plastic badge in the cavity though. Bat

They're both .335" tip diameter, so yes it should fit fine. Bat

Another driver maybe? I mean, there should be AF-101 or something right? Btw, what does 207KGX stands for? Bat

Chris, isn't the 61* lie angle of the new driver more 'upright' than the older model? Thx. Bat

Very nice bag. That's a lot of accessories for walking. The best part is the Type S, of course. LOL You said that the Black Gold CPMed out at a strong stiff. Did you hard step these or just standard installation? What's the swingweight and length on these? I like the feel of my 1150 but might want to try Black Gold sometimes. Thx. Bat Btw, I believe the 3 wood in the pic is the X-ST not the X-Drive.

This is the first Bettinardi that really peaked my interest. As a matter of fact, I find myself coming back to this thread just to look at the photos a few times a day. lol Bat

It's .335" Bat

I'm sorry, I've never tried the 3001 so I can't really compare the two. The 7001 in the AF501 I tried, however, does have a good kick. It's much more stable with a flatter trajectory than the AC10 or NSPro950. I normally prefer heavier shafts, but if I were to choose a shaft in this weight range, the KS7001 is definitely on top of a very short list. I should note, however, that the club I demoed was build 1/2" shorter than standard length and that might play a part in the overall stiffness and accuracy of the shaft. Bat