Jason... I tried your tip about keeping the blue weight on my 430tp in the center but it didn't play well for me. I can feel where the weight is in every position on the bottom of the club, which made me hook it like crazy. If I place the weight all the way in the draw bias, underneath the hosel, I can no longer feel where it is. It just feels like part of the shaft, in a sense. This allows me to manipulate the club face to hit both fades and draws consistently. Also, it sounds tremendously different and better. Great advice with the shaft length. I cut my Diamana Kaili 70 x5ct to play at 44", the shortest driver I have ever played. I didn't lose any distance but have much more control. Also, I think "loft down to loft up" helps as well. What I mean is loft up from your usual driver, but buy a SLDR head with a loft that allows you to go lower to reach the loft you need. Allows for an open,"fade' set up at address. I know you didn't ask but, just what I found works for me from tinkering and testing. I went from a Burner Superfast 2.0 TP 9.5* 44.5" with a Kaili 70 to a SLDR 430TP 10.5* 44" with a Kaili 70 turned down to play 9.5*. Hope it helps if you ever have a fitting sessions with no answers or if they keep hitting hooks. P.S. Didn't gain any distance from Burner to SLDR but miss hits low on the face are WAY better with SLDR. 99 percent of my misses are low on the face.
More details on why the 430 is more "spinny" than the 460? I was fortunate enough to have won a TM driver back when these first came out and I selected the 430 simply because I was used to a smaller headed driver and did not want to see the huge (to my eye) 460. I ordered mine with the TM "tour" 6.3/67 gram shaft and it's been pretty awesome over the years. Now that I am over 55, I am starting to see my swing speeds dropping down to 98 or 99MPH when they used to be 103-105MPH & about 2,200 backspin. I recently went to a local Golf Galaxy and hit off their matts with launch details and compared it to the newer M5 & M6 with very little difference but it does look like my backspin has gone back up to the 3,800 to 4K marks which I thought was odd. I am now considering making the shaft anywhere from 1/2 to an inch longer and fiddling with the sliding weights to keep the same D3 swing weight. I've played longer drivers in the past (46.5" Cleveland Launcher 400 prior to this club some 6 years ago) and have NO PROBLEM what-so-ever hitting them consistently as my natural drive is an inside out swing that I can work to either a fade or a draw easily (yes, even with long drivers).
Hi Jason, I have an SLDR driver set to 11.5 degrees. I have it fit with a regular Diamana Whiteboard and find my dispersion awful. Should I be looking at a different shaft as I hit a friends R9 Matrix Ozik 10.5stiff straighter and higher. If so any suggestions of what shaft to look at??
the blue notch is a stock standard position or "neutral" position. if you slide it more towards the heel it will promote a more draw bias. if you slide it towards the toe it will promote a more fade bias. such as if you move it towards to toe it will add more weight to the toe making the toe come through slower leaving the club face more open which creates the fade. if you move it towards the heel it will take weight away from the toe making it come through quicker which will close the club face creating a draw.
Hi Jason. Just subscribed to your channel - great videos and technical info. Quick Question on shafts on the SLDR and SLDR adapters. I'm putting an aftermarket RIP Beta 60 shaft stiff into an SLDR adapter for an SLDR 430 12deg HL (love the head shape over the 460) - the SLDR 430 head is on it's way. I like the Rip Beta and Rip Phenom 60 shafts (aftermarket), but the Phenom was more mid-flight/mid spin for me, while Rip Beta was more mid-high and a little more spin - the Beta might be the right choice in the SLDR for me, and the Rip Beta 60 stiff worked well in my Titleist 910 D3 9.5 deg. I've read on forums all over the internet, but no one seems to know for sure (a lot of opinions) - how much should you tip the shaft to play "true to flex" in the TMAG adapters? In the Titleist 910/913 surefit adapters, Titleist always tipped them 1/2". What are your thoughts or experience with the SLDR and other TMAG adapters? After your comments (and comments from other sources) on the SLDR launch/spin, I thought I might try the shaft untipped and test... then tip if the dispersion isn't good or launch numbers look too high... although, sounds like too high launch with the SLDR is hard to come by :) Also what are your thoughts on these aftermarket SLDR weights (replacing the slider 20gram weight for a 6 or 8 gram). This will no doubt effect the low CG etc and the effect that has, but I do prefer a lighter swing weight (around D2)... and as you and others have said, the SLDR does swing heavy. I believe these weights are being used on the tour to help custom fit the tour pros with the SLDR? All testing I know... and impossible to give advise without seeing my swing and proper testing (4 handicap, about 100mph swing speed and a smooth to moderate rhythm - not a basher), but your thoughts are greatly appreciated. Many Thanks Jeff (from Australia)
Jason...
I tried your tip about keeping the blue weight on my 430tp in the center but it didn't play well for me. I can feel where the weight is in every position on the bottom of the club, which made me hook it like crazy. If I place the weight all the way in the draw bias, underneath the hosel, I can no longer feel where it is. It just feels like part of the shaft, in a sense. This allows me to manipulate the club face to hit both fades and draws consistently. Also, it sounds tremendously different and better.
Great advice with the shaft length. I cut my Diamana Kaili 70 x5ct to play at 44", the shortest driver I have ever played. I didn't lose any distance but have much more control.
Also, I think "loft down to loft up" helps as well. What I mean is loft up from your usual driver, but buy a SLDR head with a loft that allows you to go lower to reach the loft you need. Allows for an open,"fade' set up at address.
I know you didn't ask but, just what I found works for me from tinkering and testing. I went from a Burner Superfast 2.0 TP 9.5* 44.5" with a Kaili 70 to a SLDR 430TP 10.5* 44" with a Kaili 70 turned down to play 9.5*. Hope it helps if you ever have a fitting sessions with no answers or if they keep hitting hooks.
P.S. Didn't gain any distance from Burner to SLDR but miss hits low on the face are WAY better with SLDR. 99 percent of my misses are low on the face.
Great video! Love my SLDR. You speak a lot of sense - just subscribed
More details on why the 430 is more "spinny" than the 460? I was fortunate enough to have won a TM driver back when these first came out and I selected the 430 simply because I was used to a smaller headed driver and did not want to see the huge (to my eye) 460. I ordered mine with the TM "tour" 6.3/67 gram shaft and it's been pretty awesome over the years. Now that I am over 55, I am starting to see my swing speeds dropping down to 98 or 99MPH when they used to be 103-105MPH & about 2,200 backspin. I recently went to a local Golf Galaxy and hit off their matts with launch details and compared it to the newer M5 & M6 with very little difference but it does look like my backspin has gone back up to the 3,800 to 4K marks which I thought was odd. I am now considering making the shaft anywhere from 1/2 to an inch longer and fiddling with the sliding weights to keep the same D3 swing weight. I've played longer drivers in the past (46.5" Cleveland Launcher 400 prior to this club some 6 years ago) and have NO PROBLEM what-so-ever hitting them consistently as my natural drive is an inside out swing that I can work to either a fade or a draw easily (yes, even with long drivers).
See mark Crossfield on the Taylormade SLDR,complete contrast to this guys views on the importance of the shaft.
I knew it !!! In "Neutral position" sliding weight is draw bias
Hi Jason, have you tested the big Bertha alpha yet? Any thoughts compared to the SLDR?
Hi Jason, I have an SLDR driver set to 11.5 degrees. I have it fit with a regular Diamana Whiteboard and find my dispersion awful. Should I be looking at a different shaft as I hit a friends R9 Matrix Ozik 10.5stiff straighter and higher. If so any suggestions of what shaft to look at??
where do you put the sliding weight exactly? I have noticed the "center" is between the 1st and 2nd notch away from the blue notch...towards the toe.
the blue notch is a stock standard position or "neutral" position. if you slide it more towards the heel it will promote a more draw bias. if you slide it towards the toe it will promote a more fade bias. such as if you move it towards to toe it will add more weight to the toe making the toe come through slower leaving the club face more open which creates the fade. if you move it towards the heel it will take weight away from the toe making it come through quicker which will close the club face creating a draw.
Shaft flex makes no difference at all to launch or distance it's more of a feel thing.
Hi Jason. Just subscribed to your channel - great videos and technical info.
Quick Question on shafts on the SLDR and SLDR adapters.
I'm putting an aftermarket RIP Beta 60 shaft stiff into an SLDR adapter for an SLDR 430 12deg HL (love the head shape over the 460) - the SLDR 430 head is on it's way. I like the Rip Beta and Rip Phenom 60 shafts (aftermarket), but the Phenom was more mid-flight/mid spin for me, while Rip Beta was more mid-high and a little more spin - the Beta might be the right choice in the SLDR for me, and the Rip Beta 60 stiff worked well in my Titleist 910 D3 9.5 deg.
I've read on forums all over the internet, but no one seems to know for sure (a lot of opinions) - how much should you tip the shaft to play "true to flex" in the TMAG adapters? In the Titleist 910/913 surefit adapters, Titleist always tipped them 1/2". What are your thoughts or experience with the SLDR and other TMAG adapters?
After your comments (and comments from other sources) on the SLDR launch/spin, I thought I might try the shaft untipped and test... then tip if the dispersion isn't good or launch numbers look too high... although, sounds like too high launch with the SLDR is hard to come by :)
Also what are your thoughts on these aftermarket SLDR weights (replacing the slider 20gram weight for a 6 or 8 gram). This will no doubt effect the low CG etc and the effect that has, but I do prefer a lighter swing weight (around D2)... and as you and others have said, the SLDR does swing heavy. I believe these weights are being used on the tour to help custom fit the tour pros with the SLDR?
All testing I know... and impossible to give advise without seeing my swing and proper testing (4 handicap, about 100mph swing speed and a smooth to moderate rhythm - not a basher), but your thoughts are greatly appreciated.
Many Thanks
Jeff (from Australia)
Hi Jeff have a look at the Mark Crossfild video on the SLDR and the importance of the shaft