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Driver Faceoff

IrishGolfer

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I was at the range tonight and got talking to the Pro. Told him I wanted to try the. M4 v my own M2. He had a demo in the same spec as mine. He then brought me out a Rogue and a Ping G400. All were stuff shafts and 10.5 degrees.

After warming up I hit 7 balls with each. Wish I had a monitor to check the exact numbers so this was all based on how solid it felt, how straight and the ball flight.

The winner in order was as follows:

Ping! A clear winner! What a lovely club to hit. High, straight and long. It’s damn ugly to look at with all that crap on the head and it sounds very tinny. But I’m happy to overlook that.

In second place was my M2. Third was the M4 - not sure about the shaft. And last was the Rogue, just went low and left. Last two were probably not set up right for me, but to be honest I’ve lost interest in both.

So I think I might be in the market for a new Ping. The pro told me that they have a new model coming out which is even better. Yeah, right!

No science behind this and the results surprised me. Go try one!
 

warbirdlover

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Why are you not consulting WBL?
You forgot to try the Tour Edge stuff IG! Although the Ping has had nothing but good things said about it. I've hit some friends M2's and M4's and to be honest didn't get along with them at all. What shaft did that Ping have in it?
 
OP
IrishGolfer

IrishGolfer

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You forgot to try the Tour Edge stuff IG! Although the Ping has had nothing but good things said about it. I've hit some friends M2's and M4's and to be honest didn't get along with them at all. What shaft did that Ping have in it?

TBH I only wanted to try the M4. My brother got one and he can't speak highly enough. The pro came out to give some guy a lesson and on his way past he dropped the other clubs off. I hit what he gave me and I was very happy and surprised with the Ping. Tour Edge has practically no presence here in Ireland. Anything I have got in the past has all been procured in the US, on travels.

I think the shaft was a PING Alta CB 58 - stiff. Stock shaft methinks.

alta-cb55_shaft_1000x100.jpg
 

limpalong

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The G400 series has been a huge hit for Ping... and the industry. I've had a love/hate relationship with mine. That love/hate can switch, not from round to round, but from hole to hole. It's not the driver, it's the inconsistency of my oddball swing. When I hit it well, it is long and straight. When I miss it... I really wish I'd have gone with the G400 Max. Most of those on Tour playing the G400 series are hitting the Max. If a pro needs the added forgiveness of the 460cc head... I probably need a 600cc. The smaller head on the G400 sets up nice, but can be demanding.
 
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IrishGolfer

IrishGolfer

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Case closed. Buy it. Put it in your bag. Be happy. :D
Not yet. I managed to get on our pro's simulator on Saturday and tried the M4 v. M2. Here's some interesting numbers based on 6 balls each:

M4 = Fujipro Stiff
Ball speed = 138.8mph
Club head speed = 95.5mph
Carry = 233 yards
Distance = 263 yards
Spin = 2,327rpm

M2 = Mitsubishi Rayon Kuro Kage Silver TiNi Stiff
Ball speed = 139mph
Club head speed = 95.2mph
Carry = 234 yards
Distance = 257 yards
Spin = 2,452rpm

So lower spin on the M4 leading to a bit more distance. I need to try the Ping 400 Max on this machine to get some comparisons. I will continue this experiment.

It feels like I need to spend some money, but not really seeing any major improvement!!! Ho ho ho!
 

PaPaD

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Not yet. I managed to get on our pro's simulator on Saturday and tried the M4 v. M2. Here's some interesting numbers based on 6 balls each:

M4 = Fujipro Stiff
Ball speed = 138.8mph
Club head speed = 95.5mph
Carry = 233 yards
Distance = 263 yards
Spin = 2,327rpm

M2 = Mitsubishi Rayon Kuro Kage Silver TiNi Stiff
Ball speed = 139mph
Club head speed = 95.2mph
Carry = 234 yards
Distance = 257 yards
Spin = 2,452rpm

So lower spin on the M4 leading to a bit more distance. I need to try the Ping 400 Max on this machine to get some comparisons. I will continue this experiment.

It feels like I need to spend some money, but not really seeing any major improvement!!! Ho ho ho!

To me, those numbers are virtually identical. The few yards you might pick up on perfect strikes will probably have zero effect on your score. The updside is that ho-ing feels good - retail therapy! :D

I demo'd an M4 for 18 holes this past week. 12* loft, 45g geezer flex shaft all stock from TM. It was just "meh". The sound and feel is so neutral it feels almost liked I didn't hit anything. It was very straight and carried a bit too high. My 10.5* R flex Cobra Max offset matched it or beat it out by a few yards on most holes, but not by much. Drivers these days are (IMO) all in the same ballpark - the one that fits you the best is the right one.
 
Last edited:

Fairwaysplitter3320

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Not yet. I managed to get on our pro's simulator on Saturday and tried the M4 v. M2. Here's some interesting numbers based on 6 balls each:

M4 = Fujipro Stiff
Ball speed = 138.8mph
Club head speed = 95.5mph
Carry = 233 yards
Distance = 263 yards
Spin = 2,327rpm

M2 = Mitsubishi Rayon Kuro Kage Silver TiNi Stiff
Ball speed = 139mph
Club head speed = 95.2mph
Carry = 234 yards
Distance = 257 yards
Spin = 2,452rpm

So lower spin on the M4 leading to a bit more distance. I need to try the Ping 400 Max on this machine to get some comparisons. I will continue this experiment.

It feels like I need to spend some money, but not really seeing any major improvement!!! Ho ho ho!

PING G400 MAX... Case closed. Buy it. Put it in your bag. Be happy. :D
 

jhmeg2

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Well, the co-efficient of restitution can only go so high for the club to conform. With that said the ball will come off the face of each driver the same speed. its all about the shaft, and your swing. the head wheight is also a factor and sound. So find a head you like, and try a bunch of different shafts.
 

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