Circa 2003

scotts33

Played two 9's this weekend. Third and fourth 9's of the year. Took out a GS HI-COR Plus 11.5 deg. 0 deg. face angle 400cc mated to a SK Fiber "R" Pure Energy 44" 2778 kg-cm² toe down. Best head/shaft combo for me. This driver of all the drivers over the years allows me to shape tee balls.....hit fade and draws better than any driver ever. Part of it is design part of it 400cc. Part of it confidence. Jeff Sheets design I believe after Tom left GS in 2001.

Also took out a MacGregor Bobby Grace V-Foil MOI M5K 34" heel shafted putter that I regripped with a new Bobby Grace grip reverse tapered smaller on top broader on bottom black/white. The M5K was one of the first high MOI putters brought out after the 2 ball craze. The alignment line is great for those that have a hard time seeing the line or aligning putter face. Weighting is perfect.

Both of these clubs or driver head came out in 2003 I believe and are superior to just about anything new that I have tried or seen used. Also using 2014 irons, newer invest cast SS fairways. To me this is about the time frame when equipment got really good (especially for the average hacker) and since then it's been a gradual increase but not warranted by the dollar outlay by the consumer. Is older better?

Added images GS head is 11.5 rather than the 9.5 pictured.

pellmell

I still have my 11.5 GS Hi-Cor and the GS Hi-Cor 50 gram shaft made by Aerotech. Longest combo to this day and the best driver from Golfsmith.

Jeff Sheets
"This was the first driver I designed at Golfsmith. Having just come off designing the Wilson Deep Red and Deep Red II I was very much focused on using a sole and skirt geometry that focused on a low rearward center of gravity. You can shift the center of gravity much more efficiently using geometry as opposed to mass. This design proved that again. The HiCOR+ project was timed with the debate on whether the USGA would permit a .860COR (coefficient of restitution) for all non-PGA Tour golfers or restrict the golfing public to an .830COR like the tour was limited to. As I designed the driver I had two different face configurations I had to keep in mind, all depending on which direction the USGA went with their ruling. As we all know the .830COR limit was settled on and subsequently the “deader” of the two face designs was used in this model. The face was constructed of 15-3-3-3 beta titanium which wasn’t very popular at the time. The material was much too brittle for most foundries to work with however the HiCOR+ producer, Sino Manufacturing, had been working with 15-3-3-3 enough to ensure great durability with this project. The HiCOR+ sales rivaled the volume of many mid and small size OEMs. Lofts were offered from as low as 7.5° upward to 15° in the driver. We had also manufactured some 17° lofts we used for training schools and physics experimentations. This was the driver that established precedence on the virtues of high loft for slower swing speeds throughout the rest of the industry."

Rickochet

pellmell I still have my 11.5 GS Hi-Cor and the GS Hi-Cor 50 gram shaft made by Aerotech. Longest combo to this day and the best driver from Golfsmith.

I had that combo in a 15° head with the hoop wound Hi-Cor shaft. The shaft came in a right and left hand version .350 tip. That is the one club I wish I had back more than any. It had a nice fish mouth head cover as well. I'm sad. ☹

scotts33

Thanks for the info. pellmell. I concur great driver head!

bad9

scotts33 I had the exact same combo-11.5/Pure Energy. The PE was a very underrated shaft.

sdandrea1

Neat memories. I really miss the Golfsmith stuff. I'm currently gaming 2004 Callaway BB irons. I cannot tell any significant difference from my 2018 PING G400 irons.

Tinker

I have an 11.5 myself. I’m a firm believer that a 400cc head is much easier to both square and work than current 460’s.

scotts33

Rickochet pellmell I still have my 11.5 GS Hi-Cor and the GS Hi-Cor 50 gram shaft made by Aerotech. Longest combo to this day and the best driver from Golfsmith.

I had that combo in a 15° head with the hoop wound Hi-Cor shaft. The shaft came in a right and left hand version. That is the one club I wish I had back more than any. It had a nice fish mouth head cover as well. I'm sad.

I have that head Rick. I knew it was a good design with the 11.5 that I have. You sold me the 15 deg. and a girl friend is using it. She said....no one gets that driver from me.....ever. 🤓

Rickochet

scotts33 I have that head Rick. I knew it was a good design with the 11.5 that I have. You sold me the 15 deg. and a girl friend is using it. She said....no one gets that driver from me.....ever. 🤓

I couldn't remember which I sent to you. I thought it was the 13.5. Anywho, I miss that sucker.

DC300

I still contend my DB455 was as good as anything I have played, I’ve no doubt the high core could be.

KCee

I built almost the same combo for my dad years ago. Actually regripped it recently. I still have a couple of Bobby Grace putters = best feel ever IMO.

therod

I had one of the Hi-Cor drivers years ago. It's still one of the longest drivers I've ever hit, and have debated buying one on the bay and taking it back out.

mulegolf

I had 2 HiCor drivers. The one like the picture above and then the one with weights a the rear/heel area. I loved them both and still have the one with weights in it. It comes out to play about once a year yet today.

scotts33

Just got an e-mail from Bobby Grace. He's selling (10) prototypes color-red Amazing Grace putter same design as the V-Foil M5K weighted putter ONLY for $399.00. LOL 🤑

cpanther1995

I had an 11.5 Hi Cor Head too, matched up with a Prolaunch Blue. It was a heck of a driver. Not as crazy about the old PLBlue though. Modern shafts would do very well with that head.

ode

What was the dynacraft driver from that era? Launch Series?? I remember it receiving some pretty good praise. Golfworks was the og ct250!

DonM

ode Maybe the Avatar, or maybe that was a year or two later. I played one for a few years. Before that my gamer was an Integra VS 88 II. In 2009 I bought my first OEM driver in years, a Nike, and with my same shaft I gained 10 yards over the Avatar. Ever since then I've not been too keen on component drivers.

My Avatar was one of the best feeling drivers I've owned. Probably the best. I think it was a basic 6-4 Ti face.

pellmell

ode
Dynacraft had the DFS. Golfworks had the Peak Velocity and Logic Tech. The CT250 was introduced in '04.

Dynacraft’s initial entry into the variable face technology marketplace, the DFS line of titanium woods offers the potential for trampoline effect in a variety of sizes and lofts. Forged pure ti heads combined with 15-3-3-3 beta ti faces provide durability and maximum energy transfer. The high tensile and yield strength of these titanium drivers maximizes feel and distance. The CG of each driver is positioned specifically in conjunction with its head size and loft. The 300, 330, 360 and 400cc drivers conform to USGA Rules. The 500cc Ultraflex is Dynacraft’s only non-conforming driver offering.

kelco9

And yet if you had one of the driver heads discussed on this thread new in shrink-wrapping, you couldn't get over $25 shipped for it either on or off this board. In fact, one of the comments in this thread "raves" about a bygone specification as being superior to the current offerings, but on another thread in which someone was trying to sell a head with the exact same spec, the same poster said "I don't know why people think they can sell old technology for so much money." The seller was asking $90 for a brand new head (Geek, I believe) still shrink-wrapped.

HybridWood

kelco9 And yet if you had one of the driver heads discussed on this thread new in shrink-wrapping, you couldn't get over $25 shipped for it either on or off this board.

No way! I'd offer $30 shipped for the 11.5° Hi-Cor if it was still in plastic. 😜

kelco9

HybridWood I stand corrected.