I couldn’t help myself. I joined the square driver revolution. I recently bought a “like new” FT-i Tour driver from Callaway Golf Pre-owned. I think I can accurately sum it up with: “I love it”.

For the last couple of seasons, square-headed drivers have been starting to gain popularity. The high moment of inertia that they offer leads to excellent forgiveness for off-center hits.

Let’s have a look at a few of the features of the FT-i Tour driver. Click here for a full product description.

According to Callaway:

Fusion Technology - Designed to be the world’s straightest driver, the FT-i Driver is Fusion Technology pushed to the extreme, creating golf’s most Complete Inertial Design. To exploit Fusion Technology—our weight-shifting science that uses multiple materials in clubhead construction—the design demanded a new shape. The FT-i Driver pushes the boundaries of shape, of our imagination, of the rules.

460cc Complete Inertial Design - Positions discretionary weight to the extreme corners of the clubhead, raising the moment of inertia (MOI) for unparalleled resistance to twisting both horizontally and vertically, providing forgiveness on shots hit all over the face.

OptiFit Weighting System - Enables golfers to customize their driver by giving them three different center of gravity (CG) locations to choose from in most lofts: Draw for promoting a draw or reducing a slice/fade; Neutral for maximum workability; or Fade for promoting a fade or reducing a hook/draw.

What those features add up to is high forgiveness. Along with lightweight materials and modified version of Callaway’s Variable Face Thickness (VFT) technology, this driver brings together the top technology that the industry can muster to bring maximum performance and playability.

The FT-i and FT-i Tour models are very similar, but there are a few key differences:

• The shafts offered on the Tour model are mid-launch like the Fujikura Speeder 686, while the standard model offers low/mid launch shafts, like the Fujikura Speeder 586.
• The Tour model offers 8.5° and 9.5° lofts, while the standard model is available in 9°, 10°, 11°, and 13° lofts.

I went with the FT-i Tour model, 9.5° neutral weighting, with the Fujikura Speeder 686 shaft in stiff flex. I’ve had a chance to use the driver for two driving range sessions and one 9-hole round. Here’s what I found out:

The Good

• The claims made about forgiveness are not understated. I’m coming off the tail-end of winter and am early into my adoption of a one-plane swing, so my ball striking isn’t exactly in mid-season form. I was extremely surprised to see that my mis-hits were better than I expected. Almost every shot I hit at the range would’ve played well on my course. Most of my drives at the course found the fairway, with the exception of one I topped.
• Distance is quite good. For whatever reason, I was tending to strike the ball relatively low on the club face. I’ll work that out in the days to come, but for now, I was getting the ball out to 260 yards with thinly-struck shots on relatively cold days. When I start hitting the ball solidly and the temperature warms up, look out.
• I don’t have specific stats on the weight of the club, but to me, it feels slightly heavier than my Nike Ignite driver. Some may consider that a negative, but I like the feeling that I’m swinging something of substance. These modern clubs with lightweight materials leave me feeling mentally like I’m not putting enough mass on the ball.
• The sound of the hit is quite different than what I’m used to. These days, the high-pitched “ping” seems to be the norm with drivers. This club has a much lower tone, giving the sense that I just killed the ball.
• The club has great workability. I was able to easily work the ball right and left. It gave me great confidence that I’ll be able to shape the ball when I need to.

The Bad

• I can’t ignore the one question I know you have right off the bat: yes, the square club head does take some getting used to. However, it’s something I got used to quickly.
• It took me a bit to get the feel of what the club head looks like properly squared at address. My first several shots went right, until I realized that the face wasn’t quite square at address. As I said, the square head just looks different and takes some getting used to. Once I found that out, it was bombs away.
• The price is pretty high at around $500. As I mentioned, I bought the club from Callaway Golf Pre-owned for just over $300. The club was like-new, just as advertised. That’s a good alternative for those of us who can’t bear to spend $500 on a new driver.

Conclusion

As I said at the top, I love this club. The forgiveness is as good as advertised. The high MOI makes sure that off-center hits still have a chance to find the fairway. Distance is right where it needs to be and it’s easy to shape shots.

All these positives outweigh the negatives, with price being a possible exception. I would have never paid $500 for a driver, so buying a used one was my only alternative. I was pleased with the condition of the used driver and to me, it’s as good as new for savings of almost $200.

Price aside, this club performs extremely well in all areas. I can’t wait for the season to start up. Even my short time with the club has given me a new confidence off the tee that will serve me well this year. I highly recommend the Callaway FT-i Tour driver.

————————-

Further Reading:

FT-i Tour Driver at Callaway Golf
Shop for the FT-i Tour at Callaway Golf Pre-owned

Did you like this post? Get free RSS updates!

Leave a comment | Comment Policy | Trackback URL