hated the 905R, selling it after 3 days.

[jamesj]

so some of you may remember my thread a week or so ago about buying a driver i had never hit before:

http://www.shottalk.com/forum/equipment-talk/13031-just-bought-driver-ive-never-hit-before.html

well ive hit it for 3 days now and i don't like it.
first the performance, on good hits it is shorter than my launcher by a noticeable amount. and on decent hits, it seems to have insane amounts of backspin because it goes so high in the air. its a 9.5 degree and still touches the stratosphere... my 9.5 launcher doesn't go nearly as high. i don't know if this is the shaft (V2 stiff 76g) because i thought i loved that shaft from my demo day session hitting a 907D2 but i don't know, i just don't like this driver. maybe im not good enough to wield it but it just doesn't suit me.

the other thing, as i mentioned in my previous thread, the sound is TERRIBLE. it sounds like the driver is dead and sounds so dull and lifeless. even when i hit it right in the sweet spot very hard, it sounds like doodoo. now if the performance was great, i wouldn't mind the awful sound but the subpar performance coupled with such a dissatisfying sound put me over the top and ive put it back on ebay.

back to the performance of the club, is it primarily the shaft that is causing the backspin and possibly the loss of distance? i have a fairly quick swing (around 115mph swing speed) and definitely like the feel of the heavier shaft. i thought i was losing distance/consistency with the aldila nv65-stiff but im definitely longer with it than the v2. i guess i really need to hit both heads in the same shaft but i always thought the shaft makes up the vast majority of driver performance.

theres a adams and cleveland demo day this week at my driver range so ill try and head to that to see if they can recommend a shaft for me.

[Eracer]

Is 115mph considered "fairly quick"? Sounds "damned fast" to me. Maybe that shaft just doesn't fit you, although I will say that the 905R I demoed did have a high ball launch, even with my measly 95mph SS. I demoed it with a YS6+ shaft and was not overly impressed either. I was snap hooking the heck out of it, something I'm definitely NOT doing with my Mizuno MX-500 / 65g V2 - reg. flex.

But I think that if I had a better swing, I might like the 905S / V2 combo a lot.

[warbirdlover]

It's the shaft. I hit the V2 in sssmokin's Sasquatch and hit it high. And the sound? Put a good swing on it and hit the sweetspot and it's the prettiest sound of any driver out. And ONE MORE THING. I've found I've had to tee the ball lower to get in the sweet spot. I've got only 1" of tee above the ground and it's like I turned a "switch". Instant lower launch and distance. Kind of like R35 and the HiBore. WBL over and out...

And I just hit the second longest (longest 295) drive of the summer Friday (280 yards checked with GPS) straight down the middle so no one can tell me it's not a good club if a broken-down, 60-year old duffer can do that.

[Sandpiper3]

hey james, are you a righty? if so id be interested. send me a pm if you are indeed selling.

[BStone]

A 115 mph club head speed would put you firmly in an X Flex. Most tour pros average around 115 mph, and most are using an X Flex that has been tipped a bit. That could be part of your problems with this club.

[jamesj]

well im definitely hitting it in the sweet spot, i can see the majority of the ball dimplies right in the center where there are no grooves. the sound thing is kind of throwing me off. i can't see how anyone could like the sound it makes so the thought of it maybe being a fake head entered my mind. theres a serial number of the hosel but how do i check its authenticity? i seriously hit over 200 balls with this driver over the weekend including 36 holes of golf and tried teeing at all sorts of heights and placements. both times i played, my playing partners commented on how high my ball was going. i can hit my launcher a lot lower so i don't think its my swing is naturally causing the spin.

i must admit that the sound is a large factor is my dissatisfaction. when i hit a solid drive, i want to hear it and this head makes such a depressing sound. for a reference, ive hit the sumo2, new cobra drivers and the ft-i and they all sound 100x better than this 905R.

[Sandpiper3]

I play the 905S (waiting for shaft to arrive for my Sumo), and all Titleist drivers up until this year's 907 series have always had a really muted dull sound (which I know a lot of ppl perfer over the loud drivers of today).

[jamesj]

for those wanting to purchase
Titleist 905R Driver 9.5 Proforce V2 Stiff - (item 290142134870 end time Jul-27-07 16:58:32 PDT)

as far as swing speed, well i haven't been on a launch monitor in awhile so im not sure how that has changed, but the v2 doesn't feel very whippy so the thought of the shaft being too flexible didn't really occur to me.

my first driver the the 975D and from what i remember, even it sounded better than the 905r

[VtDivot]

I love the sound. It's as if I can feel the ball compressing on the face.

[jkilla217]

Originally Posted by jamesj

well im definitely hitting it in the sweet spot, i can see the majority of the ball dimplies right in the center where there are no grooves. the sound thing is kind of throwing me off. i can't see how anyone could like the sound it makes so the thought of it maybe being a fake head entered my mind. theres a serial number of the hosel but how do i check its authenticity? i seriously hit over 200 balls with this driver over the weekend including 36 holes of golf and tried teeing at all sorts of heights and placements. both times i played, my playing partners commented on how high my ball was going. i can hit my launcher a lot lower so i don't think its my swing is naturally causing the spin.

i must admit that the sound is a large factor is my dissatisfaction. when i hit a solid drive, i want to hear it and this head makes such a depressing sound. for a reference, ive hit the sumo2, new cobra drivers and the ft-i and they all sound 100x better than this 905R.

well its definitely a different sound, personally i like the muted solid sound of titleist driver over the loud ping sound of the ft-i cobras and the sumo but i know its definitely not for everyone

[dave.]

I don't like it either,but its definately a shaft problem you have

[Andy299]

It is definitely a shaft problem even if you have a problem with the head too. Your 115mph swing speed needs at least an X shaft if not a tip tipped x shaft. Playing with softer shaft than you need will not only make your drives inaccurate, but short in length too. As I said you may have a problem with this particular head too, but even if the head is perfect the soft shaft will create the problems you have described.

Last week I demo-ed a Srixon with Pro V2 S shaft (I wanted to test the shaft) and it was too soft for me (my swing speed is generally 95-105). For me nearly every drive ballooned up in the air and hit it all over the range. I had to swing at a specific tempo to hit it relatively straight. I have hit Srixons with different shafts last month and did not experience the same problems with them. So, in my view it is the shaft!

[Burg]

Originally Posted by Andy299

It is definitely a shaft problem even if you have a problem with the head too. Your 115mph swing speed needs at least an X shaft if not a tip tipped x shaft. Playing with softer shaft than you need will not only make your drives inaccurate, but short in length too. As I said you may have a problem with this particular head too, but even if the head is perfect the soft shaft will create the problems you have described.

Last week I demo-ed a Srixon with Pro V2 S shaft (I wanted to test the shaft) and it was too soft for me (my swing speed is generally 95-105). For me nearly every drive ballooned up in the air and hit it all over the range. I had to swing at a specific tempo to hit it relatively straight. I have hit Srixons with different shafts last month and did not experience the same problems with them. So, in my view it is the shaft!

I'm going to echo this sentiment. I demo'd the 905R with a 75 V2 Shaft S-Flex and X-Flex. Totally different club. I have an average swing speed of 110 with the driver and I needed the X-Flex. The S-Flex had too much dispersion and ballooning. The sound is a Titleist thing. I prefer it over the metallic ping sound of most drivers but I can see where others wouldn't. I would suggest trying the X-Flex V2 shaft in future drivers.

[Augster]

Definitely X-flex at 115mph. Should probably have 8* or 8.5* too with a flat to upward angle of attack.

All Titleist drivers (D, J, K, R) have that muted, solid, sound. It is a more traditional sound harkening back to persimmon that did not "ping" or sound like a dented tin can (sumo2).

[jamesj]

hmm i hit an aldila vs proto 80S yesterday and i didn't like it much either. they didn't have any X-stiff shafts so i couldn't try any but the vs also seemed to somewhat balloon up. i definitely want to try a lower loft now. the R was a 9.5, the FT-5 i hit with the vs 80S was a 9.5 and my launcher is a 9.5. lower loft should definitely help with backspin right?