Frankly
The Best Driver
Report Details
Introduction:
We believe that there is no better way to rate
a product than by asking the consumers who bought it, and have
used it for some time, to let us know what they think.
We also reviewed the products from a technological point of view
to make sure that they were not moving backward. Technology has
come so far that there is less and less room for improvement.
We are keeping watch to make sure that clubmakers do not start
making changes for change’s sake that actually make the
clubs worse. We did not find any such cases.
The timing of this “Frankly The Best” listing means
that it is impossible to include the clubs that are about to be
introduced. Rating these new products before you’ve had
significant time with them would encourage pure speculation. Our
listing of new drivers is just that, a listing. We’ll all
know more, and we’ll ask for your thoughts, after a season
of play.
If you like what you have, don’t change until you are sure
that you will be able to make friends with the new versions. Nothing
is better than an old friend.
Rating Procedure:
There are two ratings: Brands and Models. Brands are listed and
ranked based on the overall satisfaction of all models rated within
that brand, and listed by Handicap range. Models are rated and
listed based on the ratings provided by the Frankly Friends, with
some slight adjustments for frequency of play and consistency
of the rating. Clubs with fewer than 7 responses were not rated.
Brands with more responses received a slight bonus for the Brand
rating.
Respondent Demographics etc.:
• 5% of the responses were from our female friends and 95%
from the guys.
• The respondents have handicaps better than average, with
62.2% between 0–15, and 20.2% between 16–20.
• 90% play more than 21 days a year, with 77% playing more
than 30 days a year.
• 33.6% have owned their present driver from 6 months to
1 year;
31.7% have owned it from 1 to 2 years; 13.8% more than 2 years;
and 20.9% less than 6 months.
• More than 175 driver models were identified in the survey.
• 70 different brand names were identified.
Lofts of drivers are changing:
• 86% of present drivers have lofts 9.5 degrees or more,
compared to 77% of previous drivers.
• 49% of present drivers have lofts 10.5 degrees or more,
compared to 39% of previous drivers.
It is interesting to see how Frankly Friends have changed brands
from previous to present driver. This may span a period between
6 months and 2 years or more.
Present Driver Brand 2005 |
% Brand Used |
RANK |
Previous driver brand |
% Brand Used |
RANK |
| Taylor Made |
25 |
1 |
Taylor Made |
18 |
1 |
| Ping |
11 |
2 |
Callaway |
18 |
2 |
| Callaway |
10 |
3 |
Titleist |
11 |
3 |
| Cobra |
9 |
4 |
Ping |
7 |
4 |
| Titleist |
8 |
5 |
Cobra |
6 |
5 |
| Cleveland |
7 |
6 |
Cleveland |
4 |
6 |
| Maltby |
2 |
7 |
Adams |
3 |
7 |
| Adams |
2 |
8 |
Wilson |
2 |
8 |
| Nike |
2 |
9 |
Nike |
2 |
9 |
| Wilson |
1 |
10 |
Mizuno |
2 |
10 |
| Mizuno |
1 |
11 |
Maltby MacGregor |
2 |
11 |
| MacGregor |
1 |
12 |
Dunlop |
1 |
12 |
| Nicklaus |
1 |
13 |
Nicklaus |
1 |
13 |
| Hogan |
1 |
14 |
Yonex |
1 |
14 |
| Brigdestone |
<1 |
15 |
Tommy Armour |
1 |
15 |
| Tommy Armour |
<1 |
16 |
Liquidmetal |
1 |
16 |
| Dunlop |
<1 |
17 |
Hogan |
1 |
17 |
| Liquidmetal Srixon |
<1 |
18 |
Bridgestone |
<1 |
18 |
| Yonex |
<1 |
19 |
Srixon |
<1 |
19 |
| Other |
<1 |
20 |
Other |
<1 |
20 |
| |
18% |
|
|
21 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Comments And Conclusions
• Market share is changing.
• Lofts are changing upward.
• Golfers change their drivers every eighteen months or
so.
• Drivers are getting better (generally) but by small increments
because of design and regulatory restrictions as well as natural
laws.
• Manufacturers are designing and golfers are accepting
a move to optimum launch conditions, which require more loft and
less spin.
• Frankly Friends are above average in skill and in the
number of rounds played per year.
Please help us determine what is the best ball by completing
the survey in the next Frankly Friends Newsletter which will be
online on FranklyGolf.com in the next several days.
