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My Buddy Keeps Breaking Drivers

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  • My Buddy Keeps Breaking Drivers

    I could easily give Jeff or others a call but I find great value in the opinions of my fellows TGNers so here goes........

    A friend of mine in his early thirties has broken his third driver this season. He caved the face of his Taylormade, he snapped the shaft off at the hosel on a Callaway after that, and recently he broke a Cleveland off at the hosel just like the Callaway. GT has treated him very well either getting stuff repaired or giving something else to try but he's getting annoyed and asked me to help find a driver he can't break.

    I've golfed with this guy and he usually shoots high 70's - low 80's. He has absolutely perfect form and is not doing anything stupid. GT clocks him at 105-110 SS and on the course he usually drives 310-315 yards. I find this guy interesting because he knows next to nothing technical (i.e. loft or shaft flex) but is fantastic at describing in intricate detail about changes in his ball postion or swing and how they produce draws or fades or even changes in the launch angle. You can hand him anyone's club, he can hit it and then describe what the shaft is doing for him and why the ballflight is doing what it's doing. Very much a talented feel golfer.

    Back on topic. He say he thinks the last shaft he broke was an XS Aldila RIP. It's obvious that this guy is at the top end of the power scale so something unusual may be required.

    Thoughts anyone?

    Regards,
    Dan
    What's in the bag......

    Big Bertha V w Attas Rockstar
    TEE Fairway Wood
    Razr 4 and 5 Hybrid
    TLT'd Srixon Z745's 6-PW MODUS3 TOUR 105
    Scor 4161 Wedges

    Odyssey Works Versa

  • #2
    Re: My Buddy Keeps Breaking Drivers

    Originally posted by Tour50 View Post
    It's obvious that this guy is at the top end of the power scale so something unusual may be required.

    Thoughts anyone?

    Regards,
    Dan

    firstly, with a 105-110 swing speed this guy is no where near the top end of the power scale. If he were in the 130 - 150 mph ss then yes he would be in the top end of the power scale.

    a swing speed of 105-110 is not at all uncommon. I will be 50 yrs old in 2 months and my swing speed is the exact same. I have many friends with similar swing speeds and know quite a few guys who can reach much higher , and some upwards of 125mph and more. ( a few have been involved in LD)

    as for breaking a driver, this is not uncommon. Over the years I have seen quite a few and have broken 2 myself. (One a Taylor Made and one a cheap clone) My one brute of a buddy who is a Gorilla, kept breaking heads until I put him into SMT heads due to their unconditional Lifetime warranty( used by many LD competitors) He, has 2 of these heads and they have lasted where no others have.

    Most driver heads that break , will break along weld lines followed second by breakage on the face. These should both be replaced by any manufacturer IMO.

    Shaft breakage at the hosel top is far more common than head breakage. This in my experience is due to poor manufacturing process, most often caused by one of two things.

    1. using too much epoxy when installing the head and so epoxy goes up the center of the shaft above the top of the hosel. When it cures it creates a stress and shear point eventually breaking.

    2. not coning the inside edge of the hosel and thus leaving a sharp edge which again creates the increased chance of breaking as it is a high stress area.

    I guess a 3rd would be guys who hit off mats and hit the ground, but this just serves to increase the stresses on the above situations.

    Finally, some people say that iron heads in the bag banging on the shaft can create chips and stress the shaft so it can break. Personally I have not seen this as a cause in over 10 years of clubwerk.

    bottom line all 3 instances should be replaced by the manufacturer as IMO they are defects in constructions or assembly. They are not IMO, due to him being too strong for the shaft though, just bad luck !

    My buddy, previously spoken of still has the record for broken heads that I have seen, at 5.
    "Don't cry because it's over, Smile because it happened "

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: My Buddy Keeps Breaking Drivers

      Sounds like he needs to stop taking divots.
      Rip it and Sip it

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: My Buddy Keeps Breaking Drivers

        105-110 SS is just a guesstimate. He's never been on a proper LM. He's happy with the performance of the OEM stuff until a head goes about 150 yards down the fairway in the middle of a round.

        Regards,
        Dan
        What's in the bag......

        Big Bertha V w Attas Rockstar
        TEE Fairway Wood
        Razr 4 and 5 Hybrid
        TLT'd Srixon Z745's 6-PW MODUS3 TOUR 105
        Scor 4161 Wedges

        Odyssey Works Versa

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: My Buddy Keeps Breaking Drivers

          Originally posted by Tour50 View Post
          105-110 SS is just a guesstimate. He's never been on a proper LM. He's happy with the performance of the OEM stuff until a head goes about 150 yards down the fairway in the middle of a round.

          Regards,
          Dan
          looking at your op, with distances of 315 yards off the tee, he has to be more than 105-110.....probably 115-120, even still not what I would consider a ss that should be a problem.

          I still suspect that 2 shafts breaking at the hosel are explained by one of the scenarios I put forth, the face caving, just bad luck.
          "Don't cry because it's over, Smile because it happened "

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: My Buddy Keeps Breaking Drivers

            Originally posted by Tour50 View Post
            105-110 SS is just a guesstimate. He's never been on a proper LM. He's happy with the performance of the OEM stuff until a head goes about 150 yards down the fairway in the middle of a round.

            Regards,
            Dan
            Earlier you said he was "clocked" at 105-110.... based on that, Weirfan covered everything perfectly and it sounds like GT has looked after him. This is all very unusual! If he is truly hitting the ball 300+, then maybe his club head speed is more more, in which case there is a possibility that he could cave in a face or two, especially if he is hitting towards the toe or really high on the club face. TM welds the face on and that piece is about 2/3 the size of the face of the finished club. So the area around that is very thin and can cave in.
            As for shafts, most proprietary shafts have fairly soft tips and are not as stable as many aftermarket shafts. having said that, all the companies mentioned do fairly extensive testing for performance and durability... but if he is consistently hitting it 300, he should probably consider going to see Weirfan or other club fitter and checking out a more stable shaft.
            Other than that, Weirfan pointed out all the reasons that shafts break.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: My Buddy Keeps Breaking Drivers

              Not to insult anyone but I take being clocked in a simulator with a grain of salt. The fact that I've seen this guy easily and consistently go 300+ is probably a better indicator of his SS. He's willing to go to a custom fitter but I'm not aware of which ones have a good LM like flightscope etc.

              Regards,
              Dan
              What's in the bag......

              Big Bertha V w Attas Rockstar
              TEE Fairway Wood
              Razr 4 and 5 Hybrid
              TLT'd Srixon Z745's 6-PW MODUS3 TOUR 105
              Scor 4161 Wedges

              Odyssey Works Versa

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: My Buddy Keeps Breaking Drivers

                Originally posted by Tour50 View Post
                Not to insult anyone but I take being clocked in a simulator with a grain of salt. The fact that I've seen this guy easily and consistently go 300+ is probably a better indicator of his SS. He's willing to go to a custom fitter but I'm not aware of which ones have a good LM like flightscope etc.

                Regards,
                Dan
                golf lab has trackman, the best!
                Larrycheunggolf.com

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: My Buddy Keeps Breaking Drivers

                  I've broken a driver head and my swing speed is barely 90!

                  As some have said it probable due to a string of bad luck.
                  Cobra L5V- Nunchuk shaft
                  Ping Rapture V2 4W
                  Adams Idea Pro 2H
                  Accuform PTM
                  SC Red X

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: My Buddy Keeps Breaking Drivers

                    if he is hitting balls at a range on the mats this will help break the driver for sure.
                    " the only shots you can be dead sure of are those you've had already."

                    WHATS IN THE BAG

                    Ping I20 9.5 stiff
                    Sonartec 2.5 3/5 woods
                    Mcgregor hybrids 3,4,5
                    Ping i20
                    MacGregor response
                    Snickers tour bag
                    Pro V1

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: My Buddy Keeps Breaking Drivers

                      Originally posted by bob_33 View Post
                      golf lab has trackman, the best!
                      I agree that many sims are inacurate , but you dont need a trackman. Portable doplar radar units are extremely accurate and about 100$
                      "Don't cry because it's over, Smile because it happened "

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: My Buddy Keeps Breaking Drivers

                        Ultimately it will be up to him. But, I think I'll tell him that if he spends an hour on any one of the more advanced LM's. He will be able to take that information to any reputable clubfitter and get properly fit.

                        From what I've read so far GolfLab has a Trackman and Fore The Golfer has Flightscope.

                        Regards,
                        Dan
                        What's in the bag......

                        Big Bertha V w Attas Rockstar
                        TEE Fairway Wood
                        Razr 4 and 5 Hybrid
                        TLT'd Srixon Z745's 6-PW MODUS3 TOUR 105
                        Scor 4161 Wedges

                        Odyssey Works Versa

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: My Buddy Keeps Breaking Drivers

                          Originally posted by Weirfan View Post
                          I agree that many sims are inacurate , but you dont need a trackman. Portable doplar radar units are extremely accurate and about 100$
                          You're right. I wouldn't mind finding a good used Flightscope X2. That would be fun at the club.

                          Serves as part of my review of the Flightscope X2 as located at http://johngrahamgolf.com/blog/flightscope-x2-review


                          Regards,
                          Dan
                          What's in the bag......

                          Big Bertha V w Attas Rockstar
                          TEE Fairway Wood
                          Razr 4 and 5 Hybrid
                          TLT'd Srixon Z745's 6-PW MODUS3 TOUR 105
                          Scor 4161 Wedges

                          Odyssey Works Versa

                          Comment

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