Anser Driver Fitting Experts

[ericm007]

I've searched but never found a good answer to my questions.

 

I currently play the Ping i15 with an Aldila Rip 70 stiff shaft at 44.75". I like the fade bias of the i15, the slightly open look of it and my ability to work it both ways. I have a SS of approximately 105, carrying the ball on average 250-260 on solid drives. I would like to try the Anser but not sure if I should get the 9.5 or 10.5 head, because I have read that it is a low spin and low launching head.

 

The launch angle I have with the i15 is ideal, though I'm not sure what it is. I do plan to test when I get the chance and compare both to my i15, but for now I was curious what others experiences have been as it relates to how the Anser compared to the loft and launch of their previous drive, and if you went up in loft to compensate for the lower launch and spin.

 

To be honest, I'm not sure if I'm ready t give up my i15, it still works well, but the Anser really intrigues me and I haven't ho'd any clubs this year. I know not in true Gwrx style, but there it is. I believe I would really like the Ahina 70S shaft paired with the Anser, because I think it would fit me well from the various posts I have read.

 

So the questions: Would I be better off with the 9.5 set neutral or the 10.5, set .5 open, which in turn would lower the effective loft and give me the open look I like? Which would provide a better launch based on my swing speed?

 

If you've read this far, thanks, and thanks for any replies.

 

Eric

[ericm007]

I had an unexpected chance to visit a Golfsmith on Saturday and I was able to compare my i15 9.5 against the Anser, unfortunately I only had about 30 minutes,so I kinda rushed thru the session. Based on posts I read I selected the 10.5 and 9.5 head with the Ahina 70S shaft. I stretched a little and proceeded to hit about 8 balls with my i15, then 8 or so with the 9.5 Anser. Their Master Club Fitter was assisting me and after looking at my spin rates and launch suggested I try the 8.5, which I did with good results. He felt that my launch was too high and I was spinning the ball too much with the i15, the Anser 9.5 was better and the Anser 8.5 he said was ideal. Also my SS, averaged about 101, which is 3-4 mph lower than it used to be, getting older bites. I think if I was properly warmed up it may be better.

Below are about an average of my results, I wish I would have asked for a printout, so this is from memory. I plan to go back again before making a final decision.

Launch Spin Distance
I15 9.5 15 3500 265
Anser 9.5 14 2800 270
Anser 8.5 12.5 2200 278


At least during the fitting the i15 balls seem to drop out of the sky with little roll, but I got a nice piercing flight with good roll with the Anser 8.5 on most drives. My fear with the 8.5 is that I’ll continue to lose SS and won’t be able to launch it in a year or so as well, but on this day the fitter thought that was the club for me. I did hit a long of 293 with the 8.5 so maybe he’s right. I said I wouldn’t change for a few yards, but for 10+ yards, I may have to see what it does in the real world. Funny when I played Sunday my i15 didn’t appear to launch too high, it’s just hard to tell, so I guess the only way to know is to pick-up an Anser 8.5 and take it to the course.

I guess the moral is to get fit before you buy, though I felt that way already, this just reinforced my believe.

[markp]

Well have a couple questions for you one is how old are you? this will give an indication of how long you will keep your 101 ss also was the 9.5 degree set neutral or in the minus position and what was ball flight straight hook or fade? If the 9.5 was set neutral you can go to the minus setting open the clubface 1/2 a degree and reduce your spin about 500 rpm witch then the 8.5 and the 9.5 in the open position will have the same spin and about 1 degree higher launch from the 9.5 in turn giving you more carry distance. at your ss if you can launch between 13 to 14 degrees with spin at 2200 and less will give more distance.
Good luck in your search hope this helps

[ericm007]

[quote name='markp' timestamp='1372793103' post='7372890']
Well have a couple questions for you one is how old are you?
[/quote]

Hi Mark,

I’ll turn 51 later this year, so I expect to lose a mph or two in the coming years. I was hitting the 9.5 in the neutral position, and since I like an open look to my club, it looked good to my eye. After I hit a few with the 8.5, the fitter closed it and got me down to the 2200 avg. I had a low spin of 1900 and a high of about 2300 IIRC with the 8.5 closed, and it still looked pretty good to my eye. Most were fades, which is my desired ball flight, but I was able to hit a couple of draws. So I’m thinking the 8.5 set neutral may be the club that will give me the most consistent results, or the 9.5 set open may provide the look, while still providing consistent spin and launch, while allowing me to return it to neutral when I need help from more loft. Since I was doing the above numbers from memory that may be slightly off, so before I make a final decision I plan to test again.

Thanks for your input, Eric.

[ericm007]

After another trip to Golfsmith this weekend where I hit the i20 9.5, Anser 9.5 and Anser 8.5, it was clear that the Anser 8.5 would be my next driver. Even though I only had a short session, and I was all over the map with my swing, it backed up what I saw on my previous visit, which was that I would gain about 10 yards of carry and another 5-10 yards of roll with the Anser 8.5 set at neutral. For a possible 15 yard gain I will have to give the Anser a shot. Below is a screen cap for Saturday where I slipped in a booth and hit some balls, the spin rates went down and you can see that the distance numbers really went up with the Anser 8.5. You can also see where I hit a duck hook with the first swing with the Anser 9.5. Not so good.

 

 

[CosmosMpower]

I think GS monitors read lower than most other places for SS.

[ericm007]

[quote name='CosmosMpower' timestamp='1373396767' post='7418774']
I think GS monitors read lower than most other places for SS.
[/quote]

Yea I was surprised by the distance numbers by that SS, but haven't hit anywhere else to compare, and to be honest I'm also not sure what numbers I should see based on that SS. Thanks for the insight.

[sammhk]

[quote name='ericm007' timestamp='1373398027' post='7418924']
[quote name='CosmosMpower' timestamp='1373396767' post='7418774']
I think GS monitors read lower than most other places for SS.
[/quote]

Yea I was surprised by the distance numbers by that SS, but haven't hit anywhere else to compare, and to be honest I'm also not sure what numbers I should see based on that SS. Thanks for the insight.
[/quote]
eric, i recently had a driver fitting at a box store, and then shortly after went to a clubfitter...the difference was night and day in terms of knowledge and expertise. if you haven't made the purchase yet, i'd recommend you check out [url="http://www.agcpgolf.com/"]http://www.agcpgolf.com/[/url] and find a clubfitter in your area, with a trackman. the trackman is pretty important...from what i learned at Golf MD (fitter in KC) it is the industry standard. your fitter might also be able to put you in a better head/shaft combination than the anser 8.5*. from my experience, there is a whole lot more out there, and everyone's swing is so unique...that limiting your options to big box retail isn't doing you or your game any favors. in the future, i won't be going to anyone but mike in KC for golf club needs. hope this helps.

cheers,
sam

[osu91gobucks]

I went from a G15 10.5 to an Anser 9.5. Ping fit me to a 9.0 but 9.5 is fine. I get tons more roll with this head. You won't be sorry.

[ericm007]

Hi Sam, Looks like the nearest center is hours away from me,. Thanks for the input.

Hi osu, Yea, when I compared the Anser to my i15 thats what the results showed, at least 10 yards. Thanks.

[chockrl]

The software they used could have a "boost" value put in it, might not be what they call it, but I always go into the menu and make sure it hasn't been changed from 1. It basically multiples the distance by the "boost" factor to inflate the numbers. Think the software shown in the screen shot can be set from 1.0 (no boost) to 1.5 (max). The only number that boost changes is the distances, so swing speed etc. are correct, or that is what I have been told.

[ericm007]

[quote name='chockrl' timestamp='1373485415' post='7426510']
The software they used could have a "boost" value put in it, might not be what they call it, but I always go into the menu and make sure it hasn't been changed from 1. It basically multiples the distance by the "boost" factor to inflate the numbers. Think the software shown in the screen shot can be set from 1.0 (no boost) to 1.5 (max). The only number that boost changes is the distances, so swing speed etc. are correct, or that is what I have been told.
[/quote]


Yea, I heard that at times they may try to "boost" results to sell equipment, can't say I saw that here. That's also why I took my i15 driver during my first session to compare to what I see out on the course to the LM and it was pretty much spot on, which made me felt comfortable with the results I saw. The results I show in the screenshot were done without assistance for any store reps other than getting me setup, so I felt like the results reflected an accurate comparison from club to club. No one touched the LM between club changes and you can see that my distances increased 15+ yards when I went to the 8.5 Anser, with like swing speeds, which has me itching to pickup one up. Thanks for the input.

[grochol17]

Hey Eric. Just thought I'd throw in my two cents. I had a i15 8* (PX blue 6.5) which gave me good numbers, but I never got comfortable with it on the course and never hit it that consistently. I switched to the i20 8.5* (707D stiff), which I like a lot better. I never got on an LM, but side-by-side testing on the course and range showed pretty much the same launch angle between the two, but the i20 seemed to have a little less spin since it didn't climb as high and was landing farther out than the i15. However, with both I was still fighting a bit too much spin. I recent bought an 8.5 Anser with the ahina stiff. First off, I don't like the ahina... I think it is too low torque for my taste so I feel like I have to work really hard at swinging it. I switched shafts (I have both an NV 75 S and a RIP'd NV S) and like the driver a lot better. When I'm swinging well (that is, when my back doesn't hurt) the Anser is longer than the i20; similar, but maybe slightly lower launch with less spin, so I finally get some roll! However, that lower spin comes with a price... if I'm off at all I don't get enough spin and the ball won't stay in the air long enough with the Anser, so it ends up coming up short. Fortunately, I can set the loft at 9* and take care of the problem. I could also switch to a higher launch/spin shaft if I wanted to.

All that being said, my advice to you is to get *outside* and hit the Anser next to your i15 and see how they perform. Being inside at a golfsmith you're probably using different golf balls than you normally do. In addition, the LMs they use only get a quick snapshot of the ball as it takes off (assuming all golfsmiths have the same LMs) rather than following the ball the whole way. So, they're probably close, but might not give you the right info if you're straddling the line of too little spin as I am. But, the great thing with the Anser (or any adjustable driver) is that you can easily add a bit of loft or put in a higher/launch spin shaft if you need some help.

[ericm007]

[quote name='grochol17' timestamp='1373599370' post='7437320']
Hey Eric. Just thought I'd throw in my two cents. I had a i15 8* (PX blue 6.5) which gave me good numbers, but I never got comfortable with it on the course and never hit it that consistently. I switched to the i20 8.5* (707D stiff), which I like a lot better. I never got on an LM, but side-by-side testing on the course and range showed pretty much the same launch angle between the two, but the i20 seemed to have a little less spin since it didn't climb as high and was landing farther out than the i15. However, with both I was still fighting a bit too much spin. I recent bought an 8.5 Anser with the ahina stiff. First off, I don't like the ahina... I think it is too low torque for my taste so I feel like I have to work really hard at swinging it. I switched shafts (I have both an NV 75 S and a RIP'd NV S) and like the driver a lot better. When I'm swinging well (that is, when my back doesn't hurt) the Anser is longer than the i20; similar, but maybe slightly lower launch with less spin, so I finally get some roll! However, that lower spin comes with a price... if I'm off at all I don't get enough spin and the ball won't stay in the air long enough with the Anser, so it ends up coming up short. Fortunately, I can set the loft at 9* and take care of the problem. I could also switch to a higher launch/spin shaft if I wanted to.

All that being said, my advice to you is to get *outside* and hit the Anser next to your i15 and see how they perform. Being inside at a golfsmith you're probably using different golf balls than you normally do. In addition, the LMs they use only get a quick snapshot of the ball as it takes off (assuming all golfsmiths have the same LMs) rather than following the ball the whole way. So, they're probably close, but might not give you the right info if you're straddling the line of too little spin as I am. But, the great thing with the Anser (or any adjustable driver) is that you can easily add a bit of loft or put in a higher/launch spin shaft if you need some help.
[/quote]

Hi Gro,

I am concerned about the real world results when I finally purchase an Anser, and the Ahina shaft itself. My plan is to try it side by side, as you suggested, and if it doesn't perform/ feel great, I'll go with an Aldila RIP Alpha 70, which I really love, and currently have in my i15 driver and i20 three wood. I did take a sleeve of the current ball I play with me so I could see the launch and spin that they produced, which I would recommend anyone to do.

Thanks for the real world info.