Driver info please.

[bladehunter]

Ok.  I have about the most comfortable bag of clubs a person can have. None of my clubs can be bought. Save driver. I can never love a driver for some reason.   If I find one that’s low spin. It’s hard as a brick. Or it’s super fade biased etc. 

 

I want something that I can turn over , that launches ( I tend to launch lower because of a neutral aoa ) but I don’t want some spin machine that just balloons and flys short of where my 4 wood rolls. But maybe one of the biggest deal breakers is , a hard feel. I want something that feels fast off the face. To me hard feels slow. I’ll swing harder. And hit it worse.  I realize this post is. Fools errand. But. I’m wanting to pull the trigger on something different.  Because I’m down to one club.   
 

for reference.  I love the feel of the 300 mini. And the z745 Srixon.  And I might just buy another 300 mini.  But id love a full sized launcher that feels that way.  
 

thoughts ?  Any brand considered. Pxg to Srixon.  And all in between.  

Edited June 10 by bladehunter

[me05501]

AI Smoke Triple Diamond Max might be the ticket. 

 

Feels/sounds great

Lower spin with good forgiveness

Launches great

 

Hard to beat IMO. FWIW I also have a BRNR Mini in the bag and they feel quite similar to me. 

Edited June 10 by me05501

[bladehunter]

Just now, me05501 said:

AI Smoke Triple Diamond Max might be the ticket. 

 

Feels/sounds great

Lower spin with good forgiveness

Launches great

 

Hard to beat IMO. 

Thanks. I’ll give it a look.  I’ve just not hit many current offerings.  Or last years either. But I’m so disgusted with the merry go round I’ve convinced myself to have a look.  

[Josh H]

Gt2? 

[bcflyguy1]

Elyte TD Tour Draw would be the first one I'd build up for you.

[getitdaily]

Elyte TDTD...or the elyte (or smoke) td max

[Ben B]

The TM Sim is a monster. Of all the drivers I have hit, it launches the highest and goes a mile. When centered, I doubt you find a longer driver. The one word of caution is toe misses. These can be particularly harsh with the Sim. My miss is always toe side and being a lower spin player, the misses were tough. 

 

I recently picked up a core Qi10 and it has been a great driver. The toe misses are no where as punishing as the Sim and the ball speeds have been as good if not better. It does spin more than the Sim, so the total distance is a little less...maybe 5-10 yards on centered but longer and straighter on misses as it retains spin and the ball doesn't nose drive too bad. 

 

All that being said, most rounds I just use my mini....I cant argue with 265-270 in play. 

[phizzy30]

11 hours ago, bladehunter said:

Thanks. I’ll give it a look.  I’ve just not hit many current offerings.  Or last years either. But I’m so disgusted with the merry go round I’ve convinced myself to have a look.  

AI Smoke TD MAX is solid but Elyte TD MAX is slightly higher launch(maybe slightly lower COG) and spin was a wash when I tested it.  I also found the Elyte TD MAX a little easier to turnover as well.  Might be a better option for what you want.

 

AI Smoke TD MAX = neutral to slightly fade bias

Elyte TD MAX = dead neutral bias and a bit more "user friendly"

Edited June 11 by phizzy30

[bladehunter]

36 minutes ago, phizzy30 said:

AI Smoke TD MAX is solid but Elyte TD MAX is slightly higher launch(maybe slightly lower COG) and spin is a wash when I tested it.  I also found the Elyte TD MAX a little easier to turnover as well.  Might be a better option for what you want.

 

AI Smoke TD MAX = neutral to slightly fade bias

Elyte TD MAX = dead neutral bias and a bit more "user friendly"

Great info.  Thanks.  Gives me a starting point.  

[bladehunter]

50 minutes ago, Ben B said:

The TM Sim is a monster. Of all the drivers I have hit, it launches the highest and goes a mile. When centered, I doubt you find a longer driver. The one word of caution is toe misses. These can be particularly harsh with the Sim. My miss is always toe side and being a lower spin player, the misses were tough. 

 

I recently picked up a core Qi10 and it has been a great driver. The toe misses are no where as punishing as the Sim and the ball speeds have been as good if not better. It does spin more than the Sim, so the total distance is a little less...maybe 5-10 yards on centered but longer and straighter on misses as it retains spin and the ball doesn't nose drive too bad. 

 

All that being said, most rounds I just use my mini....I cant argue with 265-270 in play. 

Yep. I had the same idea. Last driver I loved was a sim max. But I never once hit a regular sim.  Losing 3-400 rpm would have made that combo perfect. The sim max cracked. And I never replaced it .  Went to a stealth plus. Liked it.  Face came off 🤣.  And the replacement wasn’t same.   I haven’t hit anything past the stealth on TM side.  I pretty much just stopped caring the last couple years.  I’ve been playing a mavrik max. But. She’s dead now too.  I like its look and sound. But it’s not long.  Spins a lot. 

[Pnwpingi210]

As others have said TD max is a good starting point if the face progression suits your eye( the last 2-3 generations of Callaway drivers almost have onset, which can look strange depending on eye dominance.)

 

the mizuno st-x 230 should be worth a look.  I think it’s going to give you the sound and feel you like and ability to turn it over with more forgiveness than the 300 mini of 745 and probably manage spin better.

[Tree Levino]

GT3 is the bees knees 

[boycer]

Keep hearing good stuff about the wilson dynapwr carbon, gt2, gt3, and ping g430 10k/g440 max. 

[J-Walker]

The Cobra DS-Adapt LS beat out all of the big 4 companies in my bag this year. And the FF-33 hosel is easily the most powerful fitting tool for controlling ball flight on the market right now.  

[iNeedMoreGolf]

Tsr2 was very soft to me in a great way. It also felt like the ball came off hot. Sounded great too. Mistake with that might have been shaft for me... great though. Ping g430 lst... love it. Sounds looks feele fantastic. Not the longest to me.. that goes to mavrik sim2 and rogue st but... the 430 lst is in play with the feel i love. Forged face feels forged.

[Haber]

Second on the g430 LST. 
 

Moonballs ✅

Lower Spin ✅

Hot Face ✅

Forgiveness ✅

[rsballer10]

5 hours ago, Haber said:

Second on the g430 LST. 
 

Moonballs ✅

Lower Spin ✅

Hot Face ✅

Forgiveness ✅

This. OP isn't looking for fade bias, 430LST is perfect. A lot of the other LS models I wouldn't recommend because they are either:

• too low spin
• not as forgiving
• too fade bias

[Tbone107]

Krank. Best driver head I've ever owned and it's not even close. They don't have to use crazy CG locations to manage MOI bc the greater bulge and roll on the face.

 

All these iterations of all these OEM heads are very slight tweaks on one another. At least you could say you tried something truly different..

Edited June 11 by Tbone107

[njmack]

Here's a wild card option. I'd agree with others on the recent Callaway lines--I've liked the TD models a lot, but for me they could sometimes get a touch dive-bomb-y on off center strikes. I also thought OG SIM was a great driver, but same re: launch/spin. Played the 430 LST line last year, and while very good, I found it could get a little float-y at 10.5* (also didn't like the feel/sound).

 

I picked this driver up in the spring after re-watching this, and wow... If you can get past the ridgeback carbon/titanium crown design, this driver is insane. High moi/low spin, feel and sound is very solid. I'm hitting it as long as I hit SIM, but it's more forgiving than the 430 LST line--probably closer to Ping Max territory, honestly. Don't know how TE managed to do that while also keeping spin down so well, but if you really want to go out on a limb, this is a cheaper one to try if you can find one with a shaft that suits you.

 

 

Edited June 11 by njmack

[getitdaily]

 

 

[mjo23]

Personally i’ve found that finding (probably getting fit) a shaft that suits your swing, and feels comfortable, is probably the most important factor. Next is loft, length, and head type (moi, low spin, etc.) - swing weight as well

 

I have a handful of shafts and I get wildly different results with each. One is exponentially better and more consistent (for me) than the rest

[radiman]

19 hours ago, bladehunter said:

Ok.  I have about the most comfortable bag of clubs a person can have. None of my clubs can be bought. Save driver. I can never love a driver for some reason.   If I find one that’s low spin. It’s hard as a brick. Or it’s super fade biased etc. 

 

I want something that I can turn over , that launches ( I tend to launch lower because of a neutral aoa ) but I don’t want some spin machine that just balloons and flys short of where my 4 wood rolls. But maybe one of the biggest deal breakers is , a hard feel. I want something that feels fast off the face. To me hard feels slow. I’ll swing harder. And hit it worse.  I realize this post is. Fools errand. But. I’m wanting to pull the trigger on something different.  Because I’m down to one club.   
 

for reference.  I love the feel of the 300 mini. And the z745 Srixon.  And I might just buy another 300 mini.  But id love a full sized launcher that feels that way.  
 

thoughts ?  Any brand considered. Pxg to Srixon.  And all in between.  

Shameless plug for the Wilson Dynapwr LS.  I loved the feel of the TM mini drivers, and after playing TM drivers mostly since the OG Stealth, the Wilson definitely seems to remind me of that powerful crack.  Somewhat muted but not at all dull sounding/feeling.  

I use the 10.5 and it looks pretty neutral to me.  I believe it's 1° on paper but can be closed if you wanted to add some loft and get it to launch higher if you're worried about fade bias.  Plus, I don't know if you could find a driver with this deep of a face these days. 

[MizfanboyMP18]

Elyte mini bigger head than the 300 and is easy to turn over and still a bomber if needed. I have the 11.5 tuned up to 13. You can try either shorter shaft is easier to turn over and feels amazing.

[gs1184]

Ping g440 LST. If you need more spin g440 max.

[Itstoasted]

You seem to be the type of person who values the durability of your golf equipment, as you don't like making changes once you find something that works. Titleist is best in class when it comes to driver durability. I recommend giving the TSR series a whirl, the TSR has proven to be a great driver with the durability to match. However I have heard the GT series is better in almost every way, the GT2 might be the most played driver on tour this year by non-staffers. Most recently I played TM, then a Callaway Mavrik until it died, moved into a TSR2 late last year. The Mavrik was very hot but the TSR is much more consistent and while not quite as long, the spinny misses I would get from the Mavrick are all but gone with the TSR. I have no experience with Cobra but they are known to be durable as well. I stay away from new TM for obvious reasons. Callaway has made some great drivers I just loath the marketing machine they have turned into. 

Before you consider a head, like others have said get fitted for shaft and head together, try to do it as blind as possible. You will get the most optimal results from the right head if you have the right shaft. Especially if "you want it to turn over" yes there are fade biased heads, but the ability for a driver head to turn over will be determined by the shaft fit to your swing path/speed more than anything. Second to Cobra, Titleist and Callaway have the most versatile adapters which should be considered because its a powerful tool in the fitting process and helping dial the exact spin/shape and trajectory you are after. 

[bladehunter]

3 hours ago, radiman said:

Shameless plug for the Wilson Dynapwr LS.  I loved the feel of the TM mini drivers, and after playing TM drivers mostly since the OG Stealth, the Wilson definitely seems to remind me of that powerful crack.  Somewhat muted but not at all dull sounding/feeling.  

I use the 10.5 and it looks pretty neutral to me.  I believe it's 1° on paper but can be closed if you wanted to add some loft and get it to launch higher if you're worried about fade bias.  Plus, I don't know if you could find a driver with this deep of a face these days. 

My club actually has a few for demo.  I can hit that one easily.  Thanks for the idea. 

[straightshot7]

On 6/11/2025 at 5:59 AM, rsballer10 said:

This. OP isn't looking for fade bias, 430LST is perfect. A lot of the other LS models I wouldn't recommend because they are either:

• too low spin
• not as forgiving
• too fade bias

Another vote for the Ping G430 LST here. Depending on getting the right shaft obviously. I have a Ventus Black Velo TR 6X in it.

 

I've always used Taylormade and briefly Titleist drivers.

 

If you haven't tried the Ping G430 LST or 440, please do. 

 

I was hitting the Ping straighter from day one. 

Edited June 12 by straightshot7

[SwooshLT]

On 6/10/2025 at 3:49 PM, getitdaily said:

Elyte TDTD...or the elyte (or smoke) td max

 

JD, how about std elyte? 

[getitdaily]

20 minutes ago, SwooshLT said:

 

JD, how about std elyte? 

He said he doesn't like a hard feeling face. Elyte std is a very hard feeling face.

[SwooshLT]

6 minutes ago, getitdaily said:

He said he doesn't like a hard feeling face. Elyte std is a very hard feeling face.

 

Never hit, that's why I asked......