TM Driver advice

First time poster, looking to buy a TM driver - no particular reason other than I have 2 x TM rescues & like the feel of them

Could anyone advise on the difference between the burner and TP burner? Also are the newer 09 models that much better?

thanks

 Hi Phil,

Could anyone advise on the difference between the burner and TP burner?

Its the shaft(better quality) heads are identical.

Also are the newer 09 models that much better?

I very much doubt there would be much difference in them even if they claim they are better.They may say longer, straighter and their stats may prove it but it's usually flannel even if its 0.01% better they won't  be lying but certainly not worth the extra bucks.

The burner is not a bad club especially at the price they are now.Iv'e just upgraded a shaft in a burner for a Gs member and he's seeing and extra 15-20 yrds over the stock shaft.

Good luck and welcome to the site

Phil , the club manufacturer want's to maximize profit from each club and will only pay so much for the aftermarket shaft be it Aldila , Fuji or whoever, so they manufacture cheaper shafts but are painted the same. Example Aldila Tour shafts are marked up in 65g,75g and 85g the cheaper one are 50,60 and 70g's they look the same but don't perform the same.There maybe some exeptions from shaft companies but i doubt it.

None of them are proper shafts Jonny,being cynical maybe the ones you  demo are better quality but when you order your driver it will arrive with a much cheaper shaft. Thats why there is an upgrade charge for the TP models as they cost more to produce even though they look identical other than a TP logo.

For example the Tiliest Voodoo shaft is streets away from the Tour Vodoo.

There is actually four Gs members who have found that their drivers have performed better having the stock shafts replaced with better produced shafts.I must have at least 20+ stock Tm shafts in my workshop which have been replaced.

 There are a few elements to consider Phil ,I've cut and pasted this for you to read.

Heavy Shafts or Light Shafts? In the last several years, shaft weights have gotten lighter and lighter. The reason? Lighter shafts are easier to swing and usually give you more distance. In general, steel shafts are heavier than graphite shafts. This is why most drivers and fairway woods have graphite shafts instead of steel. The problem is that if your shafts are TOO light, you will be very erratic and not hit the ball consistently. The smoother your swing and slower your downswing time, the lighter the shaft you can play. Major manufacturer’s usually put only one weight of shaft in their clubs.

Swing Weight versus Static Weight. Those of you that play racquet sports know the difference in feel of a racquet that feels heavier toward the head versus one that feels heavier in the handle. The same goes for golf clubs. The three components of the golf club; grip, shaft and clubhead, make up the total static weight of the club. How those components fit together determines the swing weight or balance of the club. There is a swingweight scale that goes roughly from C-1 (lightest) to E-9 (heaviest) in terms of head-heavy feel. Most golfers cannot tell the difference between 3 swing weights, C-7 versus C-9, for example. However, if you put a light swing weight club (C-7) in the hands of a golfer that is used to swinging a heavy steel shafted club (D-6), they will immediately be able to feel the difference. Also, the heavier the grip (a jumbo Avon Chamois grip), the lighter the swing weight. That is why golfers that change their own grips can completely destroy a great performing set of clubs by putting heavier or lighter grips on them. Heavy grips AND shafts mean high swing weights. This is why when some golfers switch from steel to graphite in their irons it takes them a long time to adjust to the new clubs.

Progressive Weighting. Since golf clubs get progressively shorter from driver (usually 44-45&rdquo, to lob wedge (35-35 ½&rdquo, the swing weight and feel of the club will change unless the shafts are progressively changed throughout the set. This means your lightest shaft should be in your driver and the heaviest shaft should be in your lob wedge in order to obtain the same feel. This goes for ALL golfers, not just tour players. For example, when Phil Mickelson won the 2004 Masters, he played a 75 gram shaft in his driver, 95 gram shafts in his fairway woods, and progressively weighted steel shafts (115 to 127 grams) in his irons. When Tiger Woods won the 2005 Masters, he used a 75 gram graphite shaft in his driver and a 95 gram graphite shaft in his 3 wood. He actually reshafted his old steel shafted(127 gram) 3 wood because he could not adjust to the extreme difference in weight from his driver to his 3 wood. At D’Lance Golf, we have always used progressive weighting in making sets as this gives the best feel and performance.

What Determines the Shaft That is Right For YOU?

After going through a complete dynamic club fitting, our professional fitters will make recommendations as to which shaft composition, steel or graphite, the shaft flex (SFI) and shaft weight that will perform the best for your swing and game improvement objectives. The old adage, “you get what you pay for” is very true in the shaft business as well, although, when we custom build a set of golf clubs, the extreme variances in shaft flexes are taken out of the equation because we frequency match every set or individual club to your exact specifications.

Do Premium Shafts Actually Perform Better?

Yes, the $300-$450 shafts actually are quite a bit better. First of all, their consistency is far superior to that of less expensive shafts. Also, the quality of materials is substantially better. A Fujikura Rombax shaft will have better accuracy, lower spin rates, and more consistency throughout the entire length of the shaft than the Fujikura Fit-On E series, for example. When comparing premium shafts from Fujikura, ACCRA, Graphite Design, MCC Matrix, Mitsubishi Rayon(MRC), Grafalloy and UST, we look into the very specific weight, launch angle, spin rate, and distance ratings that we determine in our testing to make specific recommendations.

Jonny, Yes the old way was better you took a club on to the range if it did what you required you bought it (that one) ,now you demo and get fitted for a driver then they order you one and  the characteristics can be totally different. We don't use a launch monitor or any other measuring devise, we work on what a player wants from his driver and use what we have learnt over the years through trial and error (and a lot of self testing). Working with a lot of gifted golfers has given us great feedback on many combinations of head/shaft combos and as they have pretty much consistant swings their input as been very helpfull. Also my parnters knowledge on shafts is very impressive and rarely disappoints with his recommendations.I would love a monitor for use with consitant swingers its the only way to get accurate results. A local range to me spent thousands on a system and it's practically redundant as the average Joe's swing is all over the place.