Newbie question - Lifespan of a Driver

Hi Folks, I'm new to this forum and is amazed by the amount of useful golf information I can gather from fellow members.

I have a question which I hope to seek expert advice here. I have a Callaway x-460 driver which I have been using for about 4 yrs. I've the intention of visitng BFG for a fitting session. However, I was told by an assistant in a golf shop that my driver should have been 'injured' by now and has past its lifespan. Is there any truth in this? I was recommended to get a new driver from him obviously...

i doubt thats true, more likely the assistant is trying to push sales.

It may not have the latest technology and you probably may do slightly better with latest driver but I do believe that for most amateurs like ourselves, the swing is a bigger factor than the clubs unless you are talking about those dinosaur clubs

unless the club head has suffered damage, it is unlikely that you will need to change the head.

That said, I have been told in the past that graphite shaft characteristics do change / deteriorate over the years, and I am not sure if that applies to carbon composite club heads, or whether the X460 is a carbon composite head.

The folks at BFG are pretty straight up chaps, and I'm sure DGman will chip in to share his thoughts.

there are cases of metal fatique and it happens to all drivers at some point. if the user is a big hitter, the face can buckle in as well. i have a long drive golfer in thailand who goes through 2 heads every 3 months.

the callaways are very well make in that respect and i have not seen any case with regards to that brand.

however the higher cc driver heads tends to have a "thinner" top and more solid sole plate, and the sides of most "bigger drivers" have a thinner side.

you can always send in your head for an evaluation. but if you hitting it straight with no funny leaking sound or unusual spin on your launch, you should be fine.

DGman

sidenote - the best place to test durability of new driver heads is in south korea. most of the driving range charge by the hour, so golfers max out their ball use by as many balls as they can. hence manufacturers tell me that if it pass the S korean test, it should be ok elsewhere....

I have a friend who nails the ball 310 yds here. not consistently, but he does it a few times a round. I was there when his driver face collapsed - a weird sound at impact, then we checked out the driver and there was a small 1 cm fold at the bottom where the base meets the face. He was not able to hit far or straight after that.

Cobra SS-1 driver, I think. He had it for a few years already when it 'died'.

But man, that thing was LONG and STRAIGHT when it was fine...

is it like a small crack on the club face because today i saw i got one in my club face of nakashima driver ( using for a year)

No, it just looked like a dent, but rather than a dimple, it was a line, like that part got folded in. No cracks.

Are you losing any consistency, distance or accuracy?

my distance same but i lost some accuracy n consistency .... anyway i think better i check with mark higgs who did it .. he can tell me if anything wrong with it ....

Yup, nothing like having a professional take a look at it.

anyway thanks next i got pb i know abit wat it is !!!

hi shwong, can i check with you regarding your driver? is it any good?

if you want to know if the face is cracked or damage. use a metallic object like a key and knock this on the face. if the integrity of the driver face is compromised, you should hear dull pitch instead of a sharp pitch.

sometimes you see scratches so please do not rush out to buy another driver....

DGman

brendanzhuo wrote:

hi shwong, can i check with you regarding your driver? is it any good?

HI Brendan, my x460 looks fine. Sounds 'powerful' when kena the sweet spot. Any wayward shots will likely be caused by the owner (yours truly) rather than the driver. I like my driver very much that's why I am reluctant to change. Regardless, I will still pay a visit to the professionals for their advice...