Titanium Headed Driver

I have had an overzise (450cc) titanium headed driver which I purchased in October last year. Tonight whilst out on the practice ground the face has cracked whilst htting shots. The Club is a Dunlop 65i, with graphite shaft. Is it normal for titanium heads to crack? Or is it because I hit the ball with such power it has cracked ?

Just need to know if this is a one off or it is a common fault with titanium clubs before I buy a new driver.

Thanks

I've heard of people breaking he shaft but a cracked head must be a manufacturers defect. I'd return it. Could also be a counterfeit.

Titanium is one of the strongest materials there is. That's why it's used for club heads.

It's probably a Ti alloy. You may have caved it in.

I've caved in aluminum faces with my measly 105 mph swing speed.

Try sending it back - caved in faces are manufacturers defects (except for Wishon 730's - they have a sticker on them stating they're only for 80mph or lower swing speeds).

Thanks

I'll dig the receipt out and take it back and I won't get an exchange. The club only cost £20 brand new. The main reason I bought it was because I had never used an large headed driver before, to see if I could get use to one. I will probably byy a better spec club this time. Any suggestions?

The Titanium headed driver I have is forged. Could be this be why the face caved in?

I'd have to say 'probably not'.

The ball doesn't create enough resistance to appreciably bend a forged head (not like, say, the ground on forged irons), so I don't think that's the reason. This is why I like to buy SMT. If it cracks - even 15 years down the line - they replace it for the cost of shipping.

I Heard that Tiger can not use a driver with the lowest core allowed (.830) because he caves in the face. (though he still uses a titanium driver just a little thicker and more reinforced one)

My guess would be that if it cracked it is probably due to bad manufacturing, if it caved in the face it might also be due to your having a very high swing speed and catching it just right and too thin a face, rather then the material.

Bob

Bob said

I may be like Tiger Woods!

Here's a story.

If you've ever seen "AJ's The truth about golf" one of his props in the video is a golf ball with a huge nail though it. Well, my friend made one for himself, for some reason. After a round last year we were talking in front of my place, and he wanted to demonstrate something. So he brought this ball with the nail through it and plopped it down on the grass. He said "AJ says pretend the golf club is a hammer and you're hitting a nail". So I set up to the ball/nail and took a short backswing with my cherished Mizuno driver and swung through -- not meaning to though -- and actually hit the nail with my titanium club.

There was a huge BANG!! and a bright flash just like a gunshot or a car backfiring. The ball/nail went right across the street. And my club was fine. So if I can hit a huge nail, I think it's unlikely your club could be damaged by a golfball -- unless there was something faulty with it in the first place.

I have never caved in the face of a Ti driver. I have had 4 or 5 of them, beginning with the Titleist 975D. I am currently using a Taylor Made 300 series driver (8.5 degree). My swing speed is around 110 mph (112 when I swing really well). Being that the driver size is only 300cc, this might be why. I have yet to have a driver larger than this in my bag, unless the Titleist J-VC was larger. Wasn't this driver 310cc?

Cheep drivers use very thin faces to get to the max COR. Cost less than engineering one with a thicker face. Over time the repeated hitting of the thing face will create metal fatigue and it will crack.