Callaway FT-i/FT-5 Driver Review
Callaway, pioneer in Golf accessories launched a pair of new drivers in the year of 2007. Although, they share the company’s Fusion multi-material technology, these two 440 cc drivers did not differ much. However, they draw everybody’s attention for its unique design and bigger look when they hit golf shops. The new FT-5 drivers would be advanced edition of the older ones, the FT-3 that belong to mid-2005. However, FT-I, where ‘i’ stands for ‘inertia’, is just outstanding and totally sporty with a different flair having an odd square shape. It would caught everybody’s eye when conjoined with Nike Sumo2 and Nickent’s 3DX Square and was rocking throughout the year 2007. The drivers are designed uniquely for their bonny appearance and each driver would appeal to a certain type of golfer.

The Driver Build
The two drivers have been the favorites among golfer all across the world. Let us compare those two great drivers that have been mesmerizing whoever sees them. Both the drivers are based on the Fusion Technology, which begat the Fusion driver in the year of 2003 and the Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 driver in the year of 2005 i.e. two years later. The name Big Bertha had gone from those two new drives but the design remained same with a titanium cup-face area having Variable Face Thickness (VFT) technology was been augmented with composite body having light weight with epoxy. The technology used in drivers is in order to have great ball flight and to increase forgiveness. This was achieved by increasing the Moment of Inertia (MOI) by distributing the mass to specific areas of the perimeter with a series of internal weights.

Callaway uses great technology known as Bore-Thru that is really longstanding and none of the Fusion-based drivers’ manufacturers have used such technology before. The driver has been designed by keeping an idea in the mind that the face and the body should allow 50 + grams of weight to be placed around the perimeter so that a player gets perfect club-head during the impact and hence, the material used for the face and body was lightweight.

The FT-5 comes with comparatively minor changes or tweaks. It seems that the amount of material that has been used in the titanium cup-face area is reduced since if we compare FT-3, the cup area draws less into the sole and crown areas. One more difference there between those two drivers is in the heel area of the sole of the FT-3 does not have any ‘mouse glue’ hole, whereas, FT-5 has it since a little bit of aluminum is integrated into the rear of the sole in order to allow access to the inside of the club-head during its manufacturing. The FT-5 is designed with sleek look, more symmetric face area and a bit wider as compared to the other one and hence, though it is the same one (400cc) as FT-3, it appears bigger at address. However, the FT-5 appears less bulblike from the front and the backside.

The FT-i driver differs from both of the drivers; FT-3 and 5. FT-i’s shape is nearly square at address but it looks like a square pepper since there is a crease down the top. And the angles of the driver will make an alignment a snap. However, the sole, just like FT-5, is made up of aluminum. The neck of the driver boasts very small hosel-like extrusion. The driver is well balanced horizontally and vertically since it is in the square shape and as a result of that, you get great grip over the ball while playing shot; no matter where you make the contact with the ball. You can have equal impact not only hitting ball left or right of the center but can also go for higher and lower on the face. The face of FT-i is deeper but not wider as compared to the FT-5.

Moving from the Aldila NVS, the stock offering on the FT-3 to a pair of shafts from Fujikura, Callaway offers a shaft switch with its new golf drivers. The driver FT-5 is standard with 45 inches, 60gm Fujikura E-150 shaft with mid torque and kick-point and that are available in right ,regular and in stiff flexes whereas, the FT-i stock shaft is the Fujikura Speeder 586 shaft that is a uniquely tuned version of the popular shaft having Triax stabilizing technique. The Speeder 586 is about 45.75 inch shaft since the designers assumed that the FT-i would be stable enough to bear an extra three-quarter of an inch to the shaft to get some extra distance out of its design.

It is not that drivers only entertain great golfers since ‘Tour Versions’ are specially designed versions of each driver that can be very useful to lower handicappers and they also get you draw, neutral or fade options. The difference there is a higher center of gravity, little bit open face angles and different stock shafts. The FT-5 Tour model accompanies the Fujikura E-360, a low-torque 68gm shaft that is available in regular, stiff and x-stiff categories. To identify them easily among the standard versions, both the tour versions are labeled with V-shaped logo (Callaway chevron) on their face.

For the women, apart from a huge collection of models from Aldila, Graphite Design, UST, Grafalloy and Mitsubishi, there is FT driver with 44 inch (44.5 inch in FT-i) Fujikura Sakura driver for each version and they are available in draw and neutral configurations. One of the most positive factors with FT-5 drivers is it allows club-fitters putting different heads and shafts together in order to get quick and comprehensive fitting since FT-5 driver is a part of Callaway’s unique OptiFit custom fitting system.

Aesthetics
The FT-5 and FT-i share many similar touches as far as their appearance is concerned. The composite body on both of each is painted with glossy black color and hence they match top of the cup face area. The entire setup looks like a traditional driver and not a much of a multi-material complex. This is quite as same as the FT-3, although an original Fusion driver had exposed weave to its complex structure, which really looks great.

Both the clubs are having the same rubber grips with subtle alignment aids and Callaway’s logo. However, the standard version has the chevron alignment aid on its crown but Tour version does not have it. Both the clubs have draw, neutral and fade weighting designation on the heel of the club so it becomes easier to read it while the club is inside the bag or just placed in a standing rack. The head covers differ from each other since FT-5’s head-cover is designed traditionally with a long black sock area and black/orange protective tops. On the other hand, FT-i got a shorter with no-sock cover but with magnetic closure system, which also boasts unique color scheme of black/orange.

The Color Scheme
The black/orange scheme rocks, especially woods and irons in the Fusion lineup, whereas head-covers and grips of the new FT drivers account nothing much newer. However, club-headers, for some reasons, do not have this. They boast a new deep red color on the soles that really attracts anyone though it is little bit out of the leftfield. The Fusion irons sport gold as a highlighted color where they comply at the lead of the original Fusion driver; whereas the Fusion Wide Sole irons had mesmerizing grey color.

Overall, you have great combination of red, grey, orange and yellow on various products of Callaway. Callaway always follows the color scheme what they have in their other brands; such as X Series a blue, Big Bertha a bright red and white and hence, there is no wonder that in coming models you may see a bit different but basic colors with some traditional shades. The FT-5 brings off a great appearance having sleek and large impression as compared to the FT-3. The area of the face is quite wider and hence, it makes its appearance more sophisticated though substantial. The Fujikura shaft is given black color and understated rubber grip contribute to its bonny appearance.

If we look at FT-i, it is either accept it or just decline it! The driver differs from any other golf club since its square head and the channel runs down the crown in a unique fashion and hence, this might not be traditionalists’’ cup of a tea. If you study FT-i carefully, with tiny hosel-like neck, you find a small sliver ring around the bottom of the thermoplastic shaft sleeve of the driver.

The Performance
The FT-5 and FT-i both were tested in neutral set-up and with the stiff version of the stock shafts. It is quite understood that the FT-3 is an older and FT-5 is an advanced product. There is very little hint of the plastic sound (since it is hassled with Fusion driver) but the sound at impact is great and is a loud metallic smack. When you hit it with center, you really feel delighted but the hits from other corners may make you little bit down. There are various opinions from the golfers. The feeling is not harsh but you feel lack of that impact and might miss what you wanted. A shot with FT-5 gets you better ball-flight as compared to its predecessor that gets you high at start but stays lower at its apex. This will lead to a bit more roll and overall distance for your shot.

Both the drivers were tested hitting head-to-head and there, FT-5 was better by gaining 5 yards longer as compared to the FT-3 on the center hits and misses. The ball flight and shots’ shapes were quite controllable and hence, it goes without saying that this driver must be used on a weekly basis by Callaway Golf Tour pros. When we talk about FT-i, it has always drawn an attention of golfers. It has been highlighted as to go with a straight ball hit and this specialty makes you enable to get what you want, especially when you are close to the center of the face. In addition, amazingly, extreme heel and toe hits are still managed towards center line and when it comes to get a big outside-in swing, FT-i does not let you down and gives you most comprehensive shot. The driver has been made in a way that the center of gravity is tweaked. This could be thought because to put some backspin to the shots those are hit off the center. Hitting in such way will then get ball a flight and hence will cut-down the slicing. This entire idea is to cope up with all the miss shots that hit off the center.

The trade-off with the ability of the FT-i’s to turn any kind of contact into good shot is distance it gives to the ball. FT-i is as long as the FT-5 when it is caught one flush with the driver because of its ¾ inch extra length shaft. However, when it is hit off the center, it loses a fair bit of distance though it gets acceptable direction. For instance, on one driving hole, one can hit two drives with the FT-i wherein the first hit, in the center, can get up to 274 down the middle and when second hit is on the heel, the ball leaks a bit towards right side. It is though acceptable but then driving distance was just about 235 yards (that means only 40 yards of the distance). Good enough! One can get good direction and direction but remember that it cannot get you marvelous distance if you hit it badly.

It does not matter where on the face you contact the ball, you really feel meatier on all the shot in that fashion. The sound produced by FT-i is loud enough but not bothering. However, for some golfers who want more feedback at impact, it could be little bit annoying. On the other hand, high handicappers might get favored and they feel comfortable and well though their swing is bad.

The Conclusion
Both the drivers; FT-5 and FT-i are completely different and are good in their own respect. They differ in every stage and design or style. However, FT-5, as proclaimed, is advanced, third generation product with betterment and enhanced performance. Overcoming all the previous drivers’ loopholes, FT-5 can make you satisfied and it is unique driver that can mesmerize any of the golfers with any level with its astounding features and lavishly built designs.

On the other hand, FT-i is with newer concept and style that can unveil the latest trends and fashions in golf drives. It would be an ideal for higher handicappers who find it difficult and struggle off the tee, particularly with having their drivers airborne. FT-i would be very useful for the women and seniors that have dimmer energy levels and have slower swing speeds. FT-i can get you stupendous results if you could make great combination of proper shaft-loft and direction. You can achieve great distance with FT-i if you can cope it up with right setup and eliminate some of the distance loss on the hits that are off the center. In this way, you can also get a great ball flight.

The FT-i would be expected a lot with its features, styles and other properties. However, it would be little bit difficult to digest that it is worth a $70 premium over the FT-5. The street price for FT-5 begins with $429, though with upgraded Tour model (that comes with different shaft and requires $20 more); while FT-i begins with $499 and therefore, according to gold retailers, FT-i, though draws everybody’s attention, is less purchased since FT-5 is still a favorite because of its price and performance.

Ask yourself these questions: how often do I play, how much do I get to practice, what are some strong points about my game as well as weak points, what is my overall goal that I would like to reach when I am done with my lessons, what are overall tendencies with ball flight. Those are just a few things that help you create a starting point.

When asking the question about overall tendencies of ball flight the response seems to be almost always the same. I pull my irons and slice my woods. That is a scary thought because it tells most people that they have two different golf swings.

What you must understand is at least 85% of all people that play golf slice the ball. If you fall into this category it’s a real good chance that you are swinging out-to-in through impact. If you’re a right handed golfer that means the ball is starting left of the target. (Instead of inside, square, back to inside which would start the ball at the target).

If the club face, (iron), hits the ball below the equator at impact there will be a tremendous amount of back spin put on the ball. Even if the club face is open to a degree, the ball will still start left and stay left. Fact: Back spin on a golf ball offsets side spin.

If the club face, (wood), hits the ball in the center of the equator at impact there will be a tremendous amount of side spin put on the ball. The more the club face is open at impact the more the ball will slice.

DON’T RUSH
Every pro we interviewed arrives at the golf course at least one hour before his or her tee time. “Everything has to be slow going to the first tee,” explains Grant Waite. “If you’re rushed or unorganized, your anxiety level will rise.”

EAT LIGHT
There is no one perfect pre-golf breakfast or lunch, but the pros are careful not to eat too much to avoid feeling sluggish. They also dine at least 90 minutes before their tee time. Fresh fruit, muffins, and cereal are the preferred breakfast choices. Afternoon tee times call for a simple sandwich and some fruit. Most of the players avoid coffee or soda because of the caffeine. Water is the drink of choice.

STRETCH BEFORE SWINGING
Only two of the players interviewed didn’t have a specific stretching routine as part of their warm-up. And both of them said they loosen up with a series of long, slow swings with a weighted club before hitting any shots. The rest of the pros either stretch out before leaving their hotel or in the locker room. This is the primary key to injury prevention.

SWING TO HONE BALANCE AND TEMPO
Preround swings are all about finding a comfortable tempo and balance.

“It’s tempo you’re looking for,” says Russ Cochran. “That’s why pros hit lots of wedges and short irons before a round and only a few woods.”

“If I’m struggling to find a good tempo, I’ll hit a few sand shots,” says Brian Henninger. “The tempo needed for good bunker shots transfers well to the full swing.”

KEEP SWING THOUGHTS DOWN TO ONE OR NONE
The pros try to avoid overloading on swing mechanics before the round. “I may change my swing key from one week to the next,” says Tom Kite, “but I try to stay focused on one thing all day.”

CHECK ALIGNMENT
“Everything on the course is target-oriented,” explains Larry Mize. “So it’s very important to focus on alignment during your warm-up.”

START WITH THE SHORTEST CLUB
Shorter clubs put less strain on the body at impact. Save the driver until your muscles are completely loose and your swing is on track. As you work through the bag, hit a few fades, draws, and knockdowns to gauge the sensitivity in your hands.

DON’T OVERDO IT
Most pros hit only 35 to 45 shots divided evenly among seven or eight clubs. A typical progression is sand wedge, pitching wedge, 9-iron, 7-iron, 5-iron, 3-iron, 3-wood, and driver. Most Tour players hit their odd-numbered irons one day and their even-numbered irons the next.

SHARPEN YOUR SHORT GAME
The pros hit a mixture of chips, lobs, and sand shots before playing. “I always start with some bunker shots,” says Mike Hulbert, “because the tempo and swing you need in the sand pretty much covers all the shots around the green.”

DEVELOP SPEED CONTROL FIRST
Most pros begin by rolling long putts to calibrate the green speed. Often they will roll balls to the far fringe to focus on speed. They finish on the practice green by rolling in a half-dozen or so three-footers.

“I always finish with a few two- or three-footers,” says Woody Austin, “and I watch every one of them go into the hole to get my confidence pumped up.”

FOCUS THE MIND
You want to arrive at the first tee feeling fresh and calm, and you want to have a game plan. Many pros, including Annika Sorenstam, form their game plan by mentally reviewing each hole the night before. “It minimizes indecision,” says Sorenstam, “and it gives me added confidence.”

Mize focuses by using his last warm-up swings to hit the shots he expects to need on the opening holes.

“The first few holes are crucial because they set the tone for the entire round,” says Ted Tryba, who mentally prepares by hitting rehearsal drives in the shape he wants for his opening tee shot.

ARRIVE EARLY ON THE TEE
Nearly all the pros are on the tee before the group ahead of them has hit. During these few minutes, they count their clubs and take care of last-minute housekeeping. Many pros also take this time to visualize exactly how they want to play the first hole. Henninger notes that he analyzes the weather and calculates how the conditions will affect his shots over the first few holes.

By now the pros are loose, alert, and focused on shooting the lowest score possible. Add these keys into your preround prep to give yourself the same opportunity.

Golf is a great social sport. But as I’ve studied the habits of many great players, I’ve been struck by how many of them have found it a solitary endeavor, especially as they practiced.

The archetype, of course, is Ben Hogan. Whether it was due to the harsh circumstances of his childhood or just a sense of what would help him learn to play golf, Hogan liked being alone. He even had a fictitious alter ego, “Henny Bogan,” to keep him company.

When Hogan practiced, he went to the far right end of the driving range so he could turn his back on the rest of the players. I spent some time with Hogan in Fort Worth several years ago, and I asked him why he did that. He explained he simply didn’t want to watch what anyone else was doing. He was working as hard as he could to monitor and refine what he was doing.

In the prime of his career, people often gathered to watch him practice. Hogan, conscious of the fact he was paid to let people watch him play golf, tolerated this. But he insisted no one speak to him as he worked. A business executive, he pointed out, would not be expected to tolerate people barging into his office to ask him questions. Why should a golfer?

I’ve heard other stories of the way great golfers worked. Solitude is often a part of them. Byron Nelson got his first professional’s job in the depths of the Depression. On weekdays, almost no one had the leisure to come out to the club for play or lessons. So Nelson practiced, hitting irons to one end of the practice area, walking after the shots and hitting them back. Paul Runyan, winner of the PGA Championship in 1934 and ‘38, had a similarly lonely job at a club in Arkansas. He took advantage of it to hone his short game.

Practice doesn’t have to be a solitary pursuit; in fact, it can be done profitably with a like-minded friend. But these great players’ penchant for practicing alone can help you understand the difference between practice and quality practice. If you’re working hard at your golf game, but not getting better, learning this distinction can help you resume improving.

I see too many players who make one or both of two common mistakes in their approach to practice.

The first is that they socialize too much on the practice tee. They’re chatting about business or the movies or the putt that got away the last time they played. Their minds are not on the shots they’re practicing.

The second common mistake is they’re beating balls. Beating balls is a mindless exercise. There’s nothing wrong with mindless exercise if the sport is, say, jogging. But if it’s golf, your mind has to be on the task at hand. Otherwise, you’re liable to ingrain bad habits.

One way to determine whether you’re beating balls is to compare your mental processes on the course with those on the range.

On the course, I assume, you have a mental routine. It includes assessing the variables like lie and wind. It includes picking out a small target. It includes envisioning the ball going to the target or, if you’re not the type of person who envisions things, waiting until your mind is focused on the target and you’re confident the ball is going to go there. If you don’t go through each of those mental steps each time you hit a practice shot, you’re probably beating balls.

It would be helpful if players went through their full routines-both mental and physical-each time they hit a practice shot. Not many players have the discipline to do this. After all, on the range the club they want to hit with is usually in their hands already and the lie isn’t likely to change much from one shot to the next.

Remember, you’re not practicing to be able to hit good shots on the driving range. You’re practicing to be able to hit good shots on the last hole of the biggest match of your life. Your dominant habit will show up there. It had better be a good one.

You’ll notice that practicing with this kind of mental discipline takes time. Hogan was legendary for the number of practice balls he hit, but he didn’t hit them all at once. He’d hit a small bag, then stop, maybe drink a little water and think about what he was trying to accomplish. Then he would hit another small bag.

If you take your time as you prac-tice, and your time is limited, you will hit fewer balls. That’s all right. I would rather see a player hit 50 practice shots with his or her mind focused on every one than hit 200 shots with a mind that is wandering.

Another practice habit good players employ is switching clubs and distances frequently. You may be able to hit pretty good practice drives after you have had the club in your hands a few minutes, you’ve warmed up and gotten used to it. But on the golf course, you never hit a drive twice in a row. You put the club in your hands after you have hit an iron, perhaps a chip or pitch and a putt or two. That’s a different challenge, and it makes sense to practice for it.

A lot of players I’ve worked with play a course in their imaginations as they practice. Seve Ballesteros, in the years when he was playing well, would always have his clubs strewn about him on the ground when he practiced. That was because he was always imagining holes and situations, and the shots he would need to play them. He believes it’s no coincidence in recent years, as his play has gotten spotty, he has often found himself on the range with one club in his hands and the rest neatly stowed in his bag. He’s been trying to hit perfect shots with one club instead of practicing to play golf.

Imagining a golf course may help you with one of the practice challenges of a player on an improvement program-spending the right amount of time in the trusting mode. As you go through a series of lessons, you’re going to be learning some new mechanics. They may involve a significant swing change. They may be subtler alterations, like an adjustment in your putting stance. But by virtue of the fact you’re taking lessons, your mind will be engaged to some degree with mechanics.

Consciously thinking about the new moves you’ve been taught-what I call the training mode-is fine. But as the time between lessons goes on, you must gradually increase the number of practice shots you take in the trusting mode. That is, you’re not thinking about mechanics. You’re thinking about your target and the ball getting to that target. On the course, your mind ought to be always in the trusting mode.

On the practice tee, this isn’t easy to do if you’re trying to learn a new technique and you mis-hit a couple of shots. Suppose you’re trying to cure a slice by drawing the ball. Suddenly you hit a couple of big left-to-right fades. The temptation is to stop trusting your swing and start trying to fix it. It’s a temptation that most of the time you must resist.

Practice is, after all, intended to rehearse what you want to do on the golf course. If you set out to practice in the trusting mode and revert to trying to fix your swing when you mis-hit a ball, that’s very likely to be what you’ll do on the course. Continuing to trust your stroke as you practice is part of the discipline you have to learn.

Practicing in the trusting mode will also help you know when you have mastered a new skill. If the shot doesn’t work in the trusting mode, then you haven’t mastered it. You haven’t reached the level of unconscious competence.

How much should you practice? It depends, of course, on the time and enthusiasm you have. Bill Davis, head professional at the Jupiter Hills Club in Jupiter, Fla., and one of the best teachers in the nation, has a couple of pupils, Jay and Arline Hoffman, who’ve decided they want to see how good they can get at golf and are prepared to devote a lot of time doing it.

Jay started out in golf associating the sport with hard work-as a caddie. At Washington Golf and Country Club in northern Virginia in the mid-1950s, caddies got $2.50 per bag and maybe a 50-cent tip for walking a hilly course in the fetid humidity that is Washington, D.C., in the summer. But Jay’s family needed the money. If he carried two bags for two rounds, he could earn $11 for a day’s work.

After a couple of years of caddieing, he switched to carrying bricks at construction sites to make money. After serving in the Army, he went into the construction business. He played golf a bit with his caddie’s swing, but not often enough to get good at it.

Over the years Jay reached the stage when he owned enough real estate and radio stations to begin to set his own schedule. He and Arline started spending a lot of their time in Florida. They joined Jupiter Hills.

Arline had never played until her last child went off to college. But when she took it up, she found she liked the challenge of controlling the golf ball. Two years later they began taking a joint weekly lesson from Davis.

When Davis gets pupils that are eager to learn and willing to put time into the effort, he will prescribe their practice sessions, writing down the shots he wants them to try. The practice schedule he gave to the Hoffmans was extensive. In a week’s time, Jay and Arline would each hit 300 long shots, 540 putts and 800 chips and pitches. And, Davis anticipates they’ll play five rounds of golf per week and take two days off to keep fresh.

Not surprisingly, the Hoffmans have improved by following this regimen. Jay, who was a 22-handicapper when he started working with Davis a few years ago, recently played 12 consecutive rounds in the 70s. Arline’s handicap has dropped from 26 when she started to about 9.

“We like to practice,” Jay says. “And we have faith in Bill. We know what he’s teaching us will help us.”

Theirs is a strong practice schedule. I realize that not everyone can take this sort of time, but it’s exemplary in several respects. First, it places proper emphasis on the short game. Second, it’s a plan Bill, Jay and Arline have mutually agreed on, even though Bill takes the role of prescribing the drills and shots he wants them to practice. They all believe it will help them. Finally, the Hoffmans enjoy it.

It’s important to try to make practice enjoyable. For some people this is not a problem. They love getting out to practice; they’ll do it in the rain if necessary. For others, it’s a partial problem. They like certain kinds of practice-perhaps hitting drivers-but they don’t care for others, like putting.

This is where a buddy system of the sort that Jay and Arline have may be helpful. I know I’ve pointed out the solitary habits of many great golfers. But remember they sought solitude not for its own sake but because it helped them focus and concentrate as they practiced.

Two people can do this as effectively, perhaps more effectively, than one-if they’re both committed to the same program. They can reinforce one another. They can prod one another. When they practice together they are not socializing. There’s a sense of companionship, of camaraderie, that comes from being engaged in a joint enterprise, but they’re both concentrating on the task at hand.

I like to see a relationship where two friends compete with one another, yet take pride and pleasure in each other’s achievements. When they play a round of golf together, they urge each other to stick to the techniques their instructor has shown them, even if those techniques are as yet unpolished and are not helping their scores on this particular day. That’s how Jay and Arline play together.

If two people are supposed to practice, it may increase the likelihood they’ll do it. If one is not in the mood, the other may prod him or her to practice anyway. You’ll have to decide, based on your own personality and circumstances, whether the buddy system is right for you.

There’s one other way that effective practice can involve more than one person. I like to see players compete with one another on the practice green or at the practice tee. If one of your friends happens to be working on his putting at the same time you are, it’s fine to make a little bet on who can hole more putts from a given spot. If you’re on the range, compete to see who can hit an iron closest to the various target pins out there.

You’ll be focusing your mind in the same way you want to focus it on the golf course. That is quality practice.

- Dr. Bob Rotella