I've been playing the Titleist 975D 7.5 degree with the EI-70 shaft for a year. I have hit it OK, but the 7.5 loft made it a little hard to get up in the air, and I felt it made mishits worse. I wanted to try something a little more forgiving and with a bit more loft.

I demoed the Hipti, the Orlimar Trimetal plus, the 975J 9.5, the Taylor 300 9.0, and the Adams ST 9.0. The 975J just seemed like a bigger version of what I was playing, the Taylor seemed too closed faced for me and light, I hit several duck hooks with it on the range. The Adams wasn't bad, I like the bimatrix shaft, I didn't like the feel as much. I love the trimetal plus 3 wood I have, but I didn't like the look in the driver.

The orlimar with the stock shaft wasn't for me, too light, and too high. But the proforce 65 shaft seemed just right. It is very easy to hit, especially with a straight to draw. I have some problems working it with a fade, but the 9.5 model is weighted to encourace a straight to draw shot pattern, and it seems to work. I can hit a big slice when I need it, but a swing that feels like a slight cut seems to produce a straight shot.

And when struck properly, this club is LONG. I have hit several in my few rounds 300+ on wet fairways. Mishits still were going 270+. The 9.5 degrees loft seems to give me a better trajectory also. The 975 was giving me very low ball flights, and until we had a dry spell this summer and the fairways really dried out, I know it was costing me 20 to 30 yards.

I have only played a few rounds with this club and spent a few days on the range, but overall, this seems like an excellent club, good looking, easy to hit, and long. I would expect low and high handicappers would like this club. I really can seem myself groving a straight to draw swing with the hipti that will have good height and still be out with the longest of my 975D's drives.

Similar Products Used:

975D, 975J, Adams tighlies ST, TaylorMade 300 Orlimar Trimetal plus

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What a great club. Was reshafted with Rifle Graphite x75 Royal Precision shaft. This club (& the Ping ISI)is probably the most forgiving Drivers I have ever hit. However, this Orlimar just seemed to hit the ball straighter than the other Drivers I tested. Ball flight was a little high but worth the trade off of no duck hooks or major slices. I am not a smooth, grooved swinger, I am a weekend hacker who still believes the harder you swing the further the ball goes. With the ERC, ERC II, & Taylor made 320 (BiMatrix) I constantly duck hooked the ball with my usual hard swing. With this Orlimar, no matter how hard I swing, no duck hooks. I hope this helps me on the course. This could be the shaft but I know that no matter where I hit the ball on this face, the ball flies straight. I am hoping this is the "EXCALIBUR" of Drivers I''ve been searching for. Worth the bucks.

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Similar Products Used:

ERC, ERC2, Taylor Made 320 w/Bimatrix, Ping ISI