FGI/GEA Driver Shootout

Sparky

Over the last year I've been a bit nostalgic, so I've ho'd several of the old favorites. This week, I've been playing on the launch monitors at the PGA Tour Superstore along with a later model Rogue.

HERE ARE THE CONTENDERS:

Black White Lightening, 14*, Grafalloy Prolaunch Platinum. 46"
LowPro Aggressive AG-400, 9*, BB Solution. 45.5"
SMT Indio, 9*, Accuflex Icon v.4, 44.5"
Adams Fast12LS, 10.5*, Accra MT60 Dymatch 2.0, 44.5"
Adams Fast12LS, 10.5*, Matrix TP5HD, 45"
Callaway Rogue SubZero, 10*, Matrix TP6HDe. 44.5"

I'll put the results up in a day or two, but let's hear your guesses......
A1. Best looking
A2. Worst Looking
B1. Best Sound/Feel
B2. Worst Sound/Feel
C. Highest Average Ball Speed
D. Highest Average Carry Distance
E. Lowest Spin
F. Most Consistent (lowest max-avg)
G. Highest SMASH factor
H. Which one goes into my bag?
I. Which one is on scramble duty?

Par4QC

Sparky I'll play.

A1. Best looking--#6 or #1
A2. Worst Looking--#4 & 5
B1. Best Sound/Feel--#1
B2. Worst Sound/Feel--#2
C. Highest Average Ball Speed--#6
D. Highest Average Carry Distance--#3
E. Lowest Spin--#6
F. Most Consistent (lowest max-avg)--?? not sure what this means, but I'll say #6
G. Highest SMASH factor--#3(because I think you will hit center more often)
H. Which one goes into my bag?--#6
I. Which one is on scramble duty?--#3, but with a longer shaft, of course

ode

Sparky
A1. Best looking-ag400
A2. Worst Looking-indio
B1. Best Sound/Feel-indio
B2. Worst Sound/Feel-BWL
C. Highest Average Ball Speed-Rogue
D. Highest Average Carry Distance-fast 12ls and matrix shaft
E. Lowest Spin-roue
F. Most Consistent (lowest max-avg)-BWL
G. Highest SMASH factor-Rogue
H. Which one goes into my bag?one of the fast 12 LS
I. Which one is on scramble duty?rogue

candukid

Sparky
Black White Lightening, 14, Grafalloy Prolaunch Platinum. 46"
LowPro Aggressive AG-400, 9, BB Solution. 45.5"
SMT Indio, 9, Accuflex Icon v.4, 44.5"
Adams Fast12LS, 10.5, Accra MT60 Dymatch 2.0, 44.5"
Adams Fast12LS, 10.5, Matrix TP5HD, 45"
Callaway Rogue SubZero, 10, Matrix TP6HDe. 44.5"

I'll put the results up in a day or two, but let's hear your guesses......
A1. Best looking
A2. Worst Looking
B1. Best Sound/Feel
B2. Worst Sound/Feel
C. Highest Average Ball Speed
D. Highest Average Carry Distance
E. Lowest Spin
F. Most Consistent (lowest max-avg)
G. Highest SMASH factor
H. Which one goes into my bag?
I. Which one is on scramble duty?

A1 rogue
A2 LP and BWL tie
B1 rogue
B2 indio
CD rogue
E indio. 9 deg
F adams accra
GHI rogue

gllama

PM sent.

garyt1957

I always liked the look of the Indio, which I think makes me a loner?

Par4QC

garyt1957 I always liked the look of the Indio, which I think makes me a loner?

I have 4 of them. At least 1 in the bag every round, and used. I may change out shafts a few times every summer, but they still perform with anything in them. Best $24 combo(head/shaft/grip) there ever was. Even at $240, it would be.

Rickochet

garyt1957 I always liked the look of the Indio, which I think makes me a loner?

I liked the looks of the Indio as well. I just could never get it to perform well.

garyt1957

Par4QC I just remember when they came out the consensus seemed to be that they were ugly. I hit the one I had well, also. Probably my favorite SMT head.

Tinker

Wonder why some media testing outfit never took 3 of the top Oem drivers and a component driver and tested them all on an iron Byron at say 92 mph and see which is longest and straightest. Can’t find any test like that on the net.

Par4QC

Tinker

I'm sure 'media testers' have greasy palms. Like magazine editors. Like announcers.

DonM

Tinker It would be hard for me to google it up, but about 3 years ago, Golf Digest (I think) included the Acer XV or whichever was current, in their user testing. The one that uses 15 golfers or so, and gave little bios of each tester. Heck, maybe it was GolfWRX. Anyway, the XV was among the shortest if not the shortest one in the test. But it was found to be very forgiving.

I've also seen Krank, Wishon, and others in those type of things. Don't know about Bang or SMT. I recall the 919 THI having a similar result to the Acer XV. Shorter but forgiving.

Maybe someone has links to these.

sdandrea1

Best looking is the Callaway and that's all that matters. 😁

Spuzz

candukid
bwahahahahahahahaha you make me laugh.

A1-Rogue
A2-BWL
B1-Indio
B2-AG400
C-Adams/Accra
D-BWL
E-Rogue
F-Adams/Matrix
G-Rogue
H-Rogue
I-BWL

Par4QC

garyt1957 Don't know if you remember the TV show, "Wings"? Antonio once had this girlfriend they called the 'big face girl'. I like the 'big face girl' in my bag! Even if you miss her lips, and smack her on the cheek, the ball still flies, straight and true(to your aim).

ode

Interesting some of the responses....haven't played a modern day driver that I thought felt great vs. some of the older component heads made it sp700 or 15-3-3-3. Anyways I suspect whatever fits the best &/or how the swing was going that day will have the most impact on test, as the sticks seem random, different lengths etc.

Rickochet

ode Interesting some of the responses....haven't played a modern day driver that I thought felt great vs. some of the older component heads made it sp700 or 15-3-3-3.

I have gone the other direction having hit most of the component driver heads and little new coming out. Relatively new OEM stuff can be had on ebay cheaper than a lot of component heads I have recently tried the Ping G, M2 and currently have a Cally GBB Epic in the bag. Getting cheap shaft adapters on ebay makes shaft tinkering easy.

ode

Rickochet agree re the economics of it.....component drivers are dead or on the endangered species list. I still think the modern day stretched out driver with adapter feels blah.... can't remember one that sticks out!

mulegolf

Longest carry should be the Black White Lightening. I had a 12 degree White Lightening and it's still my all time favorite. If I could find another one (head) in decent shape I'd likely buy it if the seller didn't want the whole mint for it. Everyone I built one for loved it.

Par4QC

mulegolf My thoughts were that it will fly too high to get any long distance. The shaft, loft, and length just screams 'moonballs' to me. I know it would in my hands. I do remember how nice these heads were, but even the 10 went high for me. Great head to look down on!!

mulegolf

Par4QC My thoughts were that it will fly too high to get any long distance. The shaft, loft, and length just screams 'moonballs' to me. I know it would in my hands. I do remember how nice these heads were, but even the 10 went high for me. Great head to look down on!!

That's possible. I remember talking to the maker of the White Lightening and he said that he purposely made them even higher loft than the stated loft on the head. He said my 12 degree was likely 13 degrees, so your 14 degree could be 15 degrees or more. I have trouble hitting high enough most of the time but it sounds like that may not be your problem.
...and to think that I used to use a 7 degree loft driver and could easily hit it off the fairway. I no longer generate enough speed to hit a standard 3 wood high enough to use it.