Why I decided to try a Draw Biased Driver
I’ve only been playing golf for just over 3 Canadian seasons. Which is to say that I’ve only played actual courses for about 25 months. I didn’t carry a Driver in my bag the first season. Total Beginners shouldn’t use a Driver their first season, but that’s another article. I rarely used my Driver my second season because I found it difficult to control. I hit an awful lot of slices, and sometimes topped the ball. It wasn’t until last season after spending a lot of time at the Range that I learned how to control it. I turned my slice into a controlled Fade. I’m using the term Fade a bit loosely here. As a Lefty I would aim at the right side of the Fairway, and the ball would “fade” an average of 20 or so yards back to the left. The shot had become so predictable that I increased my Fairway hit percentage to 65%. The Driver had become one of the most consistent clubs in my bag, but that shot shape seriously limited it’s use. Using it on a dogleg right meant that my second shot was always a long one. If the Tee box was tree lined on the right I couldn’t use it because it would prevent me from aiming far enough to the right. Any tight Fairways that had serious trouble on the left meant that I would have to proceed with extreme caution. If there was a pond, or deep bunker on the left in my landing area, the safe play was to switch to a 3 Hybrid so I would come up short. Again I’m looking at a very long second shot. Of course playing every Tee shot with the Driver as an extreme Fade meant miss hits that went high and straight ended up in no man’s land. I tried every trick in the book to straighten out my shot but nothing worked. Finally I decided it was time. It was time to try a truly Draw Biased Driver.
First swings with the Ping G SFT
Whenever I make the decision to try something new. My first stop is always hours of research on the internet. After doing so I decided to give three specific Drivers a test. The Taylormade M2 D-Type, Cobra F-Max Offset, and the Ping G SFT. My next stop was Golf Town so I could actually see how these clubs feel and perform in the Simulator. Each club performed a little different from one another, but what had me excited was that all three significantly reduced my chance of a slice. In the end I realized that the best of the three for my swing was the Ping G SFT. I wasn’t hitting it the longest (Taylormade M2 ) or the with the most center face consistency (Cobra F-Max ) but of all three it was by far the one I was hitting the straightest. It was like hitting a slice was just impossible! I pictured myself on some of my favourite Tee boxes. The third hole at Cardinal Golf Club East Wing Course, or the 10th hole at Winchester Golf Club. Being able to pick a spot straight ahead, and have a reasonable chance of landing there. This was definitely the Driver for me. Now some of you might be wondering why I didn’t choose something a little more current? First of all Golf isn’t exactly an inexpensive sport, so I try to keep costs down. A Driver that was $500 in 2017 can now be purchased as clearance stock for half that price. Secondly Driver technology doesn’t advance nearly as fast as some of the big golf brands would like you to believe. A great example of this is the Taylormade M2. You can find comparison tests by a number of reliable YouTubers that will show there’s almost no discernible difference between it and and M4 or M6. The Ping G series has the same technology ( Turbulators, Dragonfly Technology, and Vortec Technology ) that the G400 has. In fact the Ping G SFT is actually a 460cc head while the G400 SFT is only a 445cc head. As a Beginner the larger more forgiving Driver head is far more appealing.
Ping G SFT vs Cobra Fly-Z Simulator results
- CARRY: Ping G SFT – 209yrds / Cobra Fly-Z – 201yrds
- BACKSPIN: Ping G SFT – 3150rpm / Cobra Fly-Z – 2700rpm
- SIDESPIN: Ping G SFT – 210rpm / Cobra Fly-Z – 1470rpm
- OFFLINE: Ping G SFT – 9yrds / Cobra Fly-Z – 28yrds
To arrive at these averages I took 20 shots with each club and removed the worst 5. Both Drivers were set up similarly. The Ping G SFT was at 10.6 degrees of loft with the Alta 55 CB Stiff shaft in the standard 45.25 inch length. The Cobra Fly-Z was at 10.5 degrees in the Draw setting with the Graffaloy Rocket 55 Stiff shaft cut down to a 44 inch length. I prefer a slightly shorter length on my Driver, but have decided to test the Ping G SFT at the standard length before I decide how much shorter I should make it. As a result of the increased length and unfamiliarity with the club, my contact with the ball was all over the face. Shots that I expected would have potentially killed somebody on the next hole’s Fairway still traveled relatively straight. The numbers actually speak for themselves. I will be covering my progress with the Ping G SFT in my Ongoing Product Reviews for 2019 so if you are interested in Draw Biased Drivers be sure to follow me. I expect after some more practice, and having the length reduced I will get this Driver really dialed in.
EARLY CONCLUSION
iF YOU ARE LIKE ME AND ONLY TEND TO SLICE YOUR WOODS, THEN A DRAW BIASED DRIVER MIGHT BE THE ANSWER FOR YOU.
I don’t have too much trouble with swing path. I tend to hit my Irons and Wedges quite straight. My issue with the Driver, and Fairway Woods is squaring the face at impact. No matter how hard I try the face gets left open, and I end up slicing the ball. Not only was the Ping G SFT helping me square the face, but for the first time in my life I hit a few Draws. They were about 3 yard Draws, but still Draws. So if slicing is your issue I would suggest trying a Draw Biased Driver.