Titleist 975 VJS vs LFE

I'm looking into buying one or the other - I know that the JVS is Draw enhancing and the LFE is Fade enhancing, but do they really work? I'd rather have a draw than a fade, but I want the size of the head of the LFE.

Also, does anyone have any experience in using either club with a ProLite shaft, the burgundy type, 4535 tip? It's supposed to give a lower flight. I'm normally a regular shaft player in the driver dept. and I'm wondering how the stiffer tip of the ProLite will affect my game.

Last question? Both clubs are 45" in length, if I wanted to cut it down by up to 2", would it REALLY upset the club weight that much, that an amateur of hcp 18 would notice a big difference and affect the swing?

Thanks all

Hi

i tend to hit ball with a slight fade and wanted something that would help my drives go straighter and longer. I tried a friends JVS with prolite and it did that. Some still went with a slight fade, which ok, but i like to see right to left on drives for more run... even with a high tee this went lower flight with more draw. Not sure on LFE I have not tried this, but i do not want more fade with a driver.

They heads are designed to help fade or draw the ball, but in order for this to work you must first have a technically correct swing and hit the ball straight, otherwise your will be extremely disappointed.


If you move from a regular shaft to a stiff shaft you are going to find the club face does not close as fast for you as it will with a regular shaft. If you are fading the ball currently, a stiff shaft will more than likely produce a large slice.


Cutting the shaft in length is basically stiffening the shaft flex. If you have a regular flex driver and cut 2" off you are getting to almost a x-stiff shaft - watch for the slice again. This is because the shaft is only a regular flex at 45". As you cut material off the shaft there is a shorter distance to the tip, therefore making it more difficult to flex.

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall

Thanks for the tips - I've ordered both clubs to try out, both ProLite Regular. Thanksfully, the retailer will accept 7 day returns, so I'll have plenty of time to decide. There is still the question wether the Prolite (reg) will produce the same sort of shot as the stock ultralight, albeit lower, or will it behave in a totally different way?

Thanks again

It's hard to tell on an individual basis. Each shaft has a desired effect but can produce different results from person to person. The only way for you to find out is to try them out.

Well I have tried both of them and own one of them, they are both great clubs
The L-FE gives the ball more carry and a slight fade, I would say its ideal for tight courses with small landing areas and quite lush fairways. Its good for placing drives where you want as they tend to land very soft and only run a few yards. They are not really a good idea for windy links courses however. I often found myself in some funny places when the breeze got up at some of the courses along the coast here.

The J-VS is the opposite. I found it hit the ball on a very piercing flight and gave the ball a nice sweeping draw. It's a good club on dry courses that have lots of space to let the ball run when it lands.

Distance wise in calm conditions on a fairly dry course both drivers move the ball about the same yardage just in different ways.

Make sure you think about what best suits your course, the high controlled fade or the lower, harder draw.

Good Luck,

D.