Bought a new driver!

Got tired of people telling me that I'm losing 20 yards off the tee using my slightly older relic Titleist 975D

I have a couple big tournaments coming up next week so I decided to bite the bullet and pick up something newer. Not brand new - I'm not down with spending five hundred bucks on a driver these days, but saw that Titleist had a nice driver a couple models earlier called the Titleist 983 driver. I have noticed that *Cat in the Hat* headcover in other golfer's bags with the numbers 9 8 3 on it and that is the driver I decided to get. Titleist actually made two different 983 drivers - the 983K and the 983E.

No idea what the letters mean anymore. Back in the day, the D in 975D stood for Driver. If you bought a 975F that F meant Fairway wood. I am assuming K must stand for Kick-ass and the E probably stands for super eXtreme or something high-tech marketing scientific important.

Here is a picture of the one I bought tonight on ebay for $125:

I looked for one with the same loft as my current 975D (8.5 degrees) and the same type of shaft (Titleist extra stiff) and found one on ebay boom done.

Only later did I look around the net and I think the shaft is going to be a red color like that picture there. They didn't have the exact same shaft as my brand new used ebay three wood I got a few months ago (never got around to posting about it but it is a real slick Titleist 905 or 904 15 degree)

I know the shaft is more important than anything with a driver but since I am not really in a spot to test one out, I just had to buy one and then hope I can re-ebay it for the same price if I don't like it.

It was a tough call to decide which model to get - the K or the E. Seemed like the K was a lot more popular on ebay and I looked into it pretty thorough:

Titleist 983E and 983K Assay Analysis:

365 CC	350 CC
They both look very similar seeing the pictures on the internet. The 983E is a little smaller and I really like that. I just can't seem to get used to the look of those monster size drivers people are using. I thought my 975D was huge when I first got it. Now drivers are twice that size. I am sure this club will be larger than I am thinking but among the current hot stuff out there in the driver market the 983E is one of the smaller ones.
	Taller

These pictures show that the 983K is sort of flat and long and the 983E is tall and short. I'm not sure which is better - I guess that with the E you might not have to be so precise about how high you tee your ball up and with the K you can be a little sloppy and hit more towards the toe or the heal and get away with it. For me, I don't seem to miss the center by very much unless I'm really hungover and since I three putt when I'm hungover anyway scoring on those days is not really a concern

What sold me on the 983E was a couple things:

The 983 K gets the ball up in the air faster. I already hit the ball plenty high so I don't need help there. The 983 E is supposed to start the ball low on a boring trajectory with less spin. That sounds just like what I need. No more balls ballooning up real high and losing all the distance.

The 983K has a draw bias. Titliest says that the position of the weights or the way the club sets up makes it easier to square the clubface through impact. This is golf speak for slice elimination club. I don't need that - I aim for the center of the fairway. A straight ball that might tail a little left or right but keep me in the fairway is what I'm trying for. Offset (by weights or design) causes me problems. The 983E does not favor towards left or right flights.

Distance - Titanium, inserts, center of gravity, inertia, whatever it is, this club is supposed to hit the ball quite a bit further than my 975D does. And from what I hear, without sacrificing accuracy. If I can pick up a dozen yards through technology great! No club is going to correct for one of my pushes or one of my pulls. If I'm not coming through impact on target it is my fault. But if this club can keep a straight ball flight on-line and add some distance count me in! I keep hearing all this talk about technology and how the pgatour is averaging 20 or 30 yards longer in the last few years, I want to be there. So count me in.

This club is a couple generations ago but should be an improvement. I just hope it arrives by Friday so I can use it in my big tournament over this weekend... I even paid an extra $ten for the fastest shipping

UPDATE: [ 10/10/2005 ] They sent me an email saying that they have shipped it already! That was at 2 pm. They are in California so I'll probably get it tomorrow or Wed. Hot dawg!

UPDATE: [ 10/11/2005 ] It arrived! Pretty cool - I ordered it on Sunday night and it got here on Tuesday! - It looks brand new! Off to the driving range for me!! Thank you ebay

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2005-10-09

Bought a new driver!