Conference 7.286::golf

    I use a Yonex ADX 200, and have never hit the Callaway. The Yonex is
    great, but I hear great things about the Callaway.
    
    --Jack

    re: .1
    
    common Jack, tell us all the truth, does the yonex REALLY give 40 yds
    more on tee shots and if so WHY doesn't every pro and top am in the
    world have one?
    
    I tried one and wasn't really that impressed...but I've heard lots
    of "stories" as to how far people are bustin the ball with them..
    
    what is the real scoop???

     It's longer and lighter, so you get more speed in a bigger arc to
    boot. Nothing will give anyone 40 yards more, if the fairways are soft
    as they should be, but this club IS longer and straighter. You gotta go
    after it UGLY to hit it left (Which I did at a Pro-Am at Hampden
    yesterday).
    
     Pro's don't like it because:
    1. They're long enough now.
    2. You can't "work" the ball as well with it.
    3. It's DOG ugly.
    
     I know they could hit the Yonex further, though. I prefer persimmon,
    but I'm gettin' old and fat and I don't want to give up the distance
    (At least, until my Nicklaus 271's come back from re-finishing...).
    
    Next stop - a "Test Drive" with "Big Bertha..."
    
    --Jack

        I also use the Yonex and have hit some incredibly long drives.
    Mostly I hit it a lot straighter than any other driver I have used.
    Usually I get about 250-260 with it but have hit the occaisional 300
    plus screamer. I have heard though that once you wrap your hands
    around  BIG BERTHA you won't want to let'er go !!
    
    Mad Hacker

    I have gone from a very nice draw/straight drives to an ugly slice. 
    Have tried making all kinds of adjustments to my swing and am finding
    that the only way I seem to cure it is to speed up on my downswing.
    
    I am now at the point of looking for answers in equipment but don't
    have a lot of money to spend.  Does anyone know if there are clones
    available of the Yonex or Big Bertha drivers??  If so, in which catalog
    might they be found??
    
    Thanks,
    
    Dalip

    I just built a clone to the Calloway woods. Identical to the real
    thing. I'm playing with a Driver (Not Big Bertha) 3 and 5 also avail.
    Can't remember the number.
    I'll have to give you the name and address. They will only sell to
    people in the business. No hobbiest's. Irons are also avail. 
    
    I've sold 2 sets in two weeks. They also have the Founder woods.
     
    Ken

    re: .5
    
    answers to swing problems cannot be found in equipment...{;^)..

    re:  .7
    
    Yeah, but it might make me feel better and give me some hope for a
    while.
    
    On the swing thing, I went to the driving range and made all these
    adjustments concurrently.....
    
    1.  Aim for the bottom left quadrant(as you are facing the target from
        behind the ball)
    
    2.  Tried to stick my right elbow as close to the body as possible,
        both during the backswing and the downswing.
    
    3.  Aim my feet to the right of the target.
    
    4.  Speed up my downswing.
    
    5.  Bring my right hand over a little stronger on my grip
    
    It seemed to work in that I got rid of my slice(about 80-85%) of it.
    
    My problem is, I don't know which one of my adjustments is doing the
    trick.  
    
    Oh well, back to looking for a Bertha clone.........
    
    Dalip

    Dalip,
    
    You may want to try your local Service Merchandise store.
    They carry a Yonex ADX200 clone called a 'Pinemeadow'. The shaft
    is a Adilda boron/graphite, Gold Pride grips, graphite head.
    Looks like an exact clone. If I recall, the driver sells for $79.95
    
    -Marc

    re: .8,
    
    May sound too simple, but one of the easiest cures for a slice is to
    stand closer to the ball.
    
    Hope this helps,
    
    Nelly

    RE: .6
    >>                  -< Calloway avail. >-
    Ken,
    
    	How come you haven't told us about this in the "other" conference?
    There's on competition in there. :-)
    
    
    						KO

    re:9
    
    Do you standing closer to the ball before or after you hit it?
    
    SCD

    re: -1,
    
    Huh?
    
    
    Nelly

    Re. 12.
    
    Well if you are standing closer to the ball after you've hit than at
    adress then you have either gone sprinting after it or have not hit a
    very good drive.
    
    Barry

    Exactly,  in fact my pro pointed out the major flaw in my game
    recently...he said..."your problem is you are standing to close to the
    ball after you hit it"  He suggested I take a few weeks off, then give
    the game up.
    
    SCD

    "He suggested I take a few weeks off, then give the game up"
    
    From what I read recently your pro and Jimmy Demeret had the same
    thought.
    gp

There's an article in Business Week Sept 16 about Calloway and his company
and also about big Bertha and How it compares to 'conventional' drivers.

Mike

I don't know  if it was reading the BusinesWeek article and then spending
two days working at the  Classic, but my impression is that anything from
40 to 60% of the pros there were using Calloway's "Big Bertha".

I wonder how is it on the regular tour.

I asked at Nashawtuc's Pro shop and the graphic shaft Big Bertha sells in
the mid $200's.  Not that I will buy one now, but has anyone seen them at
a better price?

Tavo

	My playing partner just purchased a Big Bertha Warbird, 9 degree loft
	stiff graphite shaft. Price was about 225.00.

	We went to the range together, as I have been contemplating the 
	purchase of a BB, after hitting a guys who had the steel shaft, and 
	my buddy always has to buy it first if I'm thinking about it. Thats 
	okay tho' he has that kinda money, and I get to test drive it for free.

	I've been playing a BB knockoff, and have been striking it well, but 
	have not gotten the distance that I think my good contact has deserved.
	This after trying several differnt Ball's. (my long drives are probably
	about 235-240, and I average about 220-230). 

	So anyways we go to the range, and his old driver is a Taylor-Made 
	Midsize 10 degree, with a stiff shaft. After hitting the BB and the 
	TM, let me say that both are solid drivers, the 9 degree loft of the 
	BB posed no problem for me, and in 10 balls hit, 7 carried 230 and 
	went past the 250 sign, and a couple of poor swings still netted 210 
	yds. The BB is easy to fade/slice it seemed to me. 
	
	The TM I hit more of, probably 30 balls or so, of which between 
	15-20 carried and went as far as the BB. The TM is much easier to draw
	and hook (I horribly hooked serveral drives) but on average played to 
	nice very small draw. The TM club face set up slightly closed to my 
	eye, which I found that I like, and the face doesn't seem to turn as 
	much at impact as the BB on mishits.

	To make a short story long, tho I went expecting the BB to win me over
	(and it is a fine driver) the TM was the one I was most impressed with.
	It was easier to hit IMO, and gave me a more disireable ball flight, 
	went as far as the BB on solid and mishits, and as long as my tempo 
	was controlled it would'nt snap hook and rarely if ever sliced. The 
	slice being my biggest nemisis. I'm sure I could buy my friends TM
	for cheap, its two or three yrs old, but I would really like one with 
	a 9 degree loft, does anyone know if they made a 9 degree midsize?

	I don't believe that Taylor Made make this driver anymore, I've seen 
	it in the Danmark mail-order catalog for $99 (10.5 loft,graphite) and
	my buddy paid $250 two years ago for it! Anyways any input on either 
	driver is welcome and I'll see if I can use the TM for a couple of 
	rounds before I make a decision.

	Turk

	$99 for a TM Midsize graphite it really a good price.  I recently
	tried out a steel shaft 9.5 at my local club.  I really liked it
	after playing a Burner 9.5 graphite for a few years.  The club
	wanted $120 for a steel shaft, $210 for a graphite shaft.  Both
	higher than I thougth.  I went to a local store in Minneapolis 
	( GolfSport ) and they had a rack of them at $79 for the steel
	(can't remember the price on the graphite).  They didn't have a
	RH 9.5, so I asked the clerk.  He said, "Sure, we have a bunch 
	in the back".  Second best invesment I've made so far.  Am now
	able to hit one across the water, cutting off the dogleg on our
	signature hole.  BTW, the best investment was my complete set of
	stiff Taylor Made ICW5 irons and Burner Metals for $400 (brand new).
	It was a special deal from the manufacturer to 3M's company store.
	At the time it was below wholesale.  Should have bought two sets.

    It's sort of off topic (TM vs Big Bertha), but I'll chime in, too.
    I bought the Taylor Made mid-size driver last year, 10.5deg, stiff
    FTG+ shaft.  This year I bought the 3 wood.  Although I've also taken
    a couple of lessons, these clubs have made a DRAMATIC change in my
    play off the tees.  I've always been pretty long, but quite wild.
    Now I think I'm hitting it considerably longer, and MUCH straighter.
    I haven't measured distances, but a solid driver on the 4th hole,
    south course, at Stow last time out was at the base of the hill,
    leaving a wedge, and on the 9th, I was hitting an easy 8 iron from
    well past the last tree on the right.

    Like the earlier author, I feel like I know I'm set up right when I
    stand over the club -- when I tried the Bertha I didn't have the same
    confidence.  I wonder if there's something to the fact that the
    Bertha is the most popular driver on the Senior PGA tour, and the
    Taylor Made is more popular on the "regular" tour.
    
                                Andy Ostrom

	Well I did some looking around for a TM Midsize 9 degree loft. Yes 
	they make them, 8 degree lofts also. The "midsize" driver is dis-
	continued, basically replaced by the Burner Bubble drives and woods. 
	
	Some golf stores are having specials on the TM Midsize. I found the 
	steel shafted drivers @ $99, and the Graphite @ $149. As I said in an
	earlier note, I can get the 10.5 degree loft graphite shaft from the 
	danmark catalog for $99, so thats still the best deal. I'm hoping 
	someone has seen a graphite shafted TM (in various lofts) for about 
	that price ($99). I'm gonna give Nevada Bobs a call and see what they
	charge, anyone reccomend or supply 800 numbers for any other mail
	orders houses I can check, 

		Thanks   Turk

    Re:       <<< Note 1217.22 by TEAM01::TURCOTTE "Oh King eh? very nice..." >>>

    Turk,
    
    Keep in mind that TM came with an "updated" Midsize, the one with the
    Twistflex Plus shaft,  same head.  When this one came out the old one
    was on sale.   I  bought my midsize 3 wood and Raylor 21 degrees with
    the old shaft (no plus) at about $160 in 1993.
    
    Tavo 
         

	Tavo, 
		Is that the FTS-? shaft, thats what all the graphites I've 
		looked at seem to have, I called Danmark and of course they 
		have sold out of the TM graphites at $99. Nevada Bobs no longer
		does mail order, and there are no stores close to me. Edwin 
		Watts has the club for $119 in various lofts, and the 1-800 
		operator doesn't have a listing for Las Vegas Golf, anyone have
		any other mail order suggestions.??

		Thanks 

		Turk

    Re:       <<< Note 1217.24 by TEAM01::TURCOTTE "Oh King eh? very nice..." >>>

    Yes, the  original  shaft  is  the  FTS,  the newer one is FTS+.  The
    original ones is  two toned (black/silver).  I believe the new one is
    one tone only.
    
    Tavo

                     <<< Note 1217.25 by TRLIAN::GORDON >>>
                     -< re: .22 - other mailorders houses >-


	Thanks for the listing in .25, it was very helpful, I called probably 
	a dozen randomly selected numbers, many were "knockoff" suppliers, who
	were eager to send me a catalog, which I accepted. Those that carried 
	the TM Midsize had prices ranging from $119 (Edwin Watts) to $199 
	(The Golf Place) for the same driver!!

	Anyway I'm gonna call a few more (I used my buddies TM again last 
	night in our league, and hit it well, so I'm pretty much sold on the 
	thing) and see what the best price I can get is, try to get my local 
	store to match it, and if not order it.

	Tavo, thanks for the shaft info, my buddies is the two-tone FTS (no +)
	and a 10.5 degree loft, I'd perfer an 8.5 or 9 degree loft if I can 
	get a good price, and the FTS+ shaft would be bonus. Thanks again

	Turk