Taylormade R7 CGB Max Driver

[Sean]

I had a bunch of shop credit I needed to use and since I didn't need a golf bag, clothes, balls, etc., I decided to get fit for a new driver. My Epic Flash was over four years old and I figured, why not? Did I really need a new driver? Probably not, but the last time I was fit for a driver was over eight years ago, so I thought I'd give it a go.

In any case, while I am awaiting the new driver, I've been using my 16 year old Taylormade R7 CGB Max driver. I wasn't expecting much, but to my surprise I hit it every bit as good as the Epic Flash, and as well as some other drivers I tried.

In any case, it got me wondering: can new equipment be overrated? For example, I don't know how many times I see golfers get the latest and greatest equipment, but it has no real positive impact on their game. I used to buy and sell with the best of them, but finally realized it wasn't equipment I needed to focus on, but my golf swing.

I know on a golf forum this kind of thinking is blasphemy, lol, but all this just got me wondering.

 

[blugold]

No. New equipment is not overrated. Bigger sweet spots, better launch and spin control, adjustability, and more years of getting stuff wrong.

The other side of that coin, many amateur golfers still have a janky crap swing with old or new clubs. Doesn't matter how good the technology in the new club is it can only do so much with a slow swing that's over the top, steep, casted, with early hip extension.

 

[73monte]

This has been discussed many time, with many differing opinions. Personally, I don't think that anything new and the right fit is "overrated", but tech advancements in golf equipment have slowed to a crawl.

I sold my almost 10 year old Bridgestone J715 last year, and often still regret it. That driver was ever bit as good or better than anything more current that I have now.

 

[Hawk]

With a driver especially, I don't think you can go by the "I hit it just as good" metric. You need to look at things a little closer than the view from 240 yards or however far you hit the thing. How is it performing on off-center strikes in terms of retaining ball speed, maintaining consistency in spin rates, keeping the face stable, etc.