Equipment
Forum Thread of the Day: “Bigger impact for a high handicapper: Shorter shaft or new driver?”
Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from Therty who is having major issues with his driver. A 20-handicapper with a two-way miss, Therty asks fellow members should he go to a shorter shaft (46″ currently), or splash out on a premium driver ( SLDR 430 currently).
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- Therealpatgiles: “Getting fitted is key. I was the same person you are last year. I got fitted for irons and dropped about 10 strokes per 18 holes. This year I got fitted for a driver, hit about 6 of 10 fairways with the driver, misses are in the rough instead of on the next hole. A lesson or two to work on swing mechanics would probably benefit greatly.”
- bulls9999: “Shorter shaft for sure… 44.5-45 tops (don’t cut down too much, you’d be amazed at how much of an effect that 0.5-inch has). Also, play around with shafts, the shaft/head adapters allow you to pick up different versions of a shaft to test which one is better suited to you. I have had Project X velocity PxV in Stiff, Reg, and Sr, and increased ~15 yards with each one from Stiff->Reg->Sr, but my dispersion was most with Sr, so I’ve dropped back to Reg. Now I’ve landed on a Speeder 565 Reg which I really like, but it’s a bit soft, so I’m thinking either 565 Stiff 655 Reg or would fill the bill as the alternate pairing in that series. I’ve finally got my driver(s) worked out for 2019.”
- RainShadow: “Try choking down an inch. This will in effect counterbalance the club a little and will likely improve your consistency. This has helped me immensely throughout my bag, actually.”
- NRJyzr: “I say both. A new-to-the-OP driver would be a good idea, for reasons already stated. And, I’m a big believer in going with shorter drivers, but I’d look at going no longer than 44″, with 43.5” being a good target. Slap some lead tape on it to get it suitably weighted and off you go. I like the idea mentioned above of an older Ping, something nice and forgiving, not expensive. A Rocketballz or RBZ Stage 2 could be good, also, or perhaps an R11S, all of which should be pretty reasonably priced. Lot of options in the TM world, and a LOT of shafts to swap in and out. Some very good options from the last few years in the Cobra world, also (personally a big fan of the Cobra stuff, but trying not to shill for them too much, lol)
Entire Thread: “Bigger impact for a high handicapper: Shorter shaft or new driver?”
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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HDTVMAN
Nov 30, 2019 at 1:46 pm
1. Get rid of the SLDR
2. Get a 460cc driver, preferably the Ping G400MAX 10.5°
3. Cut the shaft down to 44.5 or 45″. Always best to order the driver from the factory to a shorter spec…cutting a driver down 1″ drops the swingweight by 6. You may need to add weight with lead tape, or the factory will send it to you with the correct specs.
MB
May 9, 2019 at 6:59 pm
Gotta,
Agree with Geoffrey SDLR was a POS i watched people @ my course get fitted for them and 2-3 weeks later out of the bag SOLD. TM F&^%#*@ up’d with that Model.
David Lehmann
May 10, 2019 at 12:50 pm
I disagree that SLDR is a “POS”. One just has to be able to hit it. I currently and for always will game a 430 SLDR. That being said.. a 430 SLDR is not for the higehre handicapper. Try the SLDR in a 460 if you are a higher capper.
Geoffrey Buchanan
May 9, 2019 at 12:00 pm
First of all, the SLDR 430 was nearly impossible to hit for good player let alone a 20 handicapper! It was a terrible driver, so both is the answer. New driver and in some cases a shorter shaft might help.