Hi everyone and thanks for dropping by. SirPutts has been hard at work answering email so I thought we'd take a look at what he's been up to. Let's get at it!
Do you all have any sales figures/projections for the Square Drivers? I have been curious how strong the sales have been to projections.
Thanks for the email. I don't have any actual numbers on how the square drivers have done versus projections. I can tell you that sales in our shop have been fairly solid. The drivers certainly haven't turned the industry on end or set any records with sales but they have met expectations I think.
Part of the problem is that it is very difficult to sell a $500 driver now when there are so many good ones available for $300 – $400. Once the price comes down on these a bit and people get used to the idea of a square driver I think sales will increase more, but for now they have been good.
SirShanksAlot Adds.. SirPutts is right on the money here. All of the big named square drivers came in with big price tags. This is a great year for "value" items and they've done a pretty good job of undercutting a lot of the more expensive products. Square drivers make too much technological sense to just go away so expect them to remain strong through next year.
In a world of custom fitting, I feel like this is one of those areas where people really have no idea what ball to play. Which is why I'm emailing you. I have a driver club head speed of 94 MPH (play a Hi-Bore 9.5 degree with stiff flex). My iron swing speed is at the 85 mph level. My driver has a pretty straight flight and my irons have a slight draw. With this, what is the best ball for me? I've been using the Titleist NXT tour of late.. seems to work nice. I use to play the NXT where I felt like I got more distance off the tee, but the ball wouldn't check on the greens.
I like a soft feel ball. When I was at Golfsmith today the guy told me to try the Srixon Trispeed ball.
Couldn't agree more with you, there are many, many golfers playing a ball that does not suit their game at all. The problem is that too many golfers want to play a ball like the ProV1 that does not benefit them at all, but since they are expensive no pro shop or retailer is going to discourage someone from buying them.
I think the NXT Tour is a very good ball for a fairly good player. Good feel, decent spin, good distance. Srixon is a nice one as well and the Callaway HX Hot is another good one to look at. The HX Hot feels a bit harder but still spins quite nicely and is a very well priced ball. And finally, if you can still find them, the TopFlite TL Tour is surprisingly a really good ball. I actually played this one for most of 2005. Spins a lot, soft feel, long, and cheap. Only problem is TopFlite discontinued it last year.
SirShanksAlot Adds.. The "distance ball for a good price" category in golf balls just keeps getting bigger and the rumors of a possible TaylorMade addition only add to the madness. Most golfers are stupid if they don't at least look at a golf ball in this category. SirPutts mentioned some good ones but also be sure to have a look at the Nike Ignite and the Bridgestone e5 & e6.
That's all for tonight. Be sure to swing by again tomorrow!