Driver for beginner.

As a beginner, how do you know what driver is suitable. I realise that many will say go out a try different drivers, but where would I go to try them? I would also prefer to purchase secondhand so is not really fair to try and walk away. How would I know if the driver feels good? Wouldn't they all feel the same to a beginner who doesn't know any better?
I currently own an Adamsgolf Speedline F11 that i cannot hit at all. Is it the driver or is it me (most likely me). How would I know? The only thing I do know is that the club feels rather long to me but then again aren't; drivers meant to be long? Would purchasing a Ping G20 driver head and getting a custom shaft be a good/silly idea?
Looking forward to your words of wisdom and the odd insult

My 2 cents...

1) A good place to try out different drivers would be to check out the demo days that some of the golf equipment manufacturers hold regularly. 2 places to find out when and where demo days are happening come to mind:
- Golf Greedy: http://www.golfgreedy.com/happenings.asp
- The free golf newsletter / magazine that you find in most driving ranges will list the dates for demo days as well

2) Purchasing a second hand driver is a good decision to start once you tried your hands on different drivers. As to how would you know if the driver feels good, it really is a personal preference. Factors like weight, looks and acoustics of the driver when you have a solid hit are a few that come to mind when considering "what is a good driver for me"?

3) If you feel that you can't handle the driver, it's perfectly OK to tee off with a 3 wood or even a 5 wood.

4) Lastly, you might wanna consider going to a coach to see what's wrong with your swing. There may some minor adjustments to your posture, grip and swing that you need to make in order to swing the big stick (and get better hits on the rest of your clubs)

Hope this helps!

shimizu.toruk wrote:

My 2 cents...

1) A good place to try out different drivers would be to check out the demo days that some of the golf equipment manufacturers hold regularly. 2 places to find out when and where demo days are happening come to mind:
- Golf Greedy: http://www.golfgreedy.com/happenings.asp
- The free golf newsletter / magazine that you find in most driving ranges will list the dates for demo days as well


Hope this helps!

+1

Brendanm wrote:

As a beginner, how do you know what driver is suitable. I realise that many will say go out a try different drivers, but where would I go to try them? I would also prefer to purchase secondhand so is not really fair to try and walk away. How would I know if the driver feels good? Wouldn't they all feel the same to a beginner who doesn't know any better?
I currently own an Adamsgolf Speedline F11 that i cannot hit at all. Is it the driver or is it me (most likely me). How would I know? The only thing I do know is that the club feels rather long to me but then again aren't; drivers meant to be long? Would purchasing a Ping G20 driver head and getting a custom shaft be a good/silly idea?
Looking forward to your words of wisdom and the odd insult

Brendanm, you already own Speedline F11. I think should be more than enough for beginner. If you cannot hit, why not ask a coach rather than spend money on another driver which maybe have a same result.

My 2 cents:

If you have an ok swing, you can launch all drivers... But a different driver may give you more control/distance.

If you can't launch, suggest you get a coach first.

maybe you can try to identify your mishits as where it usually end up as a hook or a slice. Generally, if you can swing the driver to a decent speed(90>mph) depending on your physical ability, you can pretty much hit the ball. Lack of accuracy maybe due to improper setup including grip, stance, spine tilt at address and many compensations to compensate your ball flight to your desired ball flight. Most golfers would prefer a draw for distance from my observation.

I would say if you want a driver for beginner, a lighter and softer flex would be better to develop a smooth tempo swing which can last as you age. Lofts played a important role too. Loft is always in every golfers mind when come to forgiveness as your sand wedge will be easier to hit that your 7I. With adjustable drivers, you can get a 12deg and gradually deloft it as your swing develop

imho finding ideal driver is like finding a soulmate... even seasoned beginners and pros will find better suited drivers as their game play progresses n new drivers come onto the market with their newdo-it-all features.... n your frens' new drivers are always v tempting n poisonous and they will always hit better when u try them hehe

Hi Brendanm, I went thru' the same situation as you not too long ago, trying to find a suitable driver. I am not very tall, only 5'4", and most modern drivers at 46" are simply too long for me to handle effectively.

My first driver was a Jack Nicklaus Golden Bear from a beginner package deal. That club was about 45.5". Like most beginners, I had a lot of problem controlling the driver, mostly slicing. I had it cut down by an inch to 44.5". Control was slightly better, but felt that the club was a bit heavy for my liking.

I started trying out a numbers of lighter clubs, bought 2nd hands from Creative Joe and traded in subsequently after a couple of weeks of trying. I finally settled on a Maruman i4000x, found it more suited to my swing style. The club length is 44.5" with a very light swing weight of D0 (I think). I am presently still using this club.

Since you already own a fairly good driver, suggest you try choking down your grip by 1"to 2" and see how it goes, and subsequently cut it down as necessary. You might already know that the driver length of most PGA pro is only 44.5". So a longer driver does not necessary mean better. It is all about controlling.

Alternatively, trying practicing with 3 wood, tee up. The swing is similar to driver. After you get the hang of it, swap to your F11, grip down to your 3 wood length and do the same swing, gradually increasing the length to your comfort.

Finally, if you still feel the need to change, other than length and swing weight, watch out for club face angle. For beginners, a slight closed face would be easier to handle. Hope this helps. Cheers

Hi Brendan.
Firstly, great for taking up Golf. a game call Go On Learing Forever.
well like all PGA pros, they also do see their Teaching Pro for advice n tuning of their swing.

Is better u see a teaching pro and ask for their adivse. like some says, why not just Tee off with ur fairway wood for the meantime. once u can better then u move on to a driver.

Frankly, a speedline driver, they are for better player then beginners.
Atleast for now, u should visit a Certified Club fitting shop just to check your swing speed, swing path, swing plain and few more, to see which is a better specs to start of from learning a driver. it will help u alot.

U can go to Big Fish, Golfwerkz, wizgolf and few more to check ur swing.
Spend a little n learn about which specs is good for u.

Thanks hope it helps

Thank you to everyone for the comments and advice. Think I will do as recommended and keep using my hybrid to tee off. Will keep practicing with the driver and when swing becomes more consistent will see a club fitter so that I know what sort of shaft I should be looking for.