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The new look 919THI Driver retains the ultimate range of custom fit adaptability, designed with Wishon’s unique proprietary bendable hosel
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Variable Thickness Face with High MOI delivers the best off centre hit performance in the game
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All 919THI drivers undergo 6 separate face thickness QC checks during production to ensure the highest conforming smash factor
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The 919THI is available in RH in Low Launch (9º), Mid Launch (11º), High Launch (13º), and High Launch+ (15º), and LH in Mid Launch (11°).
Tom
The new 2023 hybrids and fairways looks great. Can’t wait to test them out!
I also read there is a new 919 and 719 driver on the way. I’m playing the current 919 so I was curious how the new drivers differ in design and performance. Always nice to hear this from the brain behind the product!
Hi Tom,
Any updates on when the new 719MV might be available?
Tom, I’m going to start working with Ed Ellis in a few days to custom fit driver for my bag. I have Wishon single length clubs from lob wedge to 4 wood now and find them key to my game. I’ve saved driver for last. I’m wondering if recent experience with my current TaylorMade Burner 10-degree driver and my Wishon 4 wood is helping me understand your premise about driver loft for senior players like me. My swing speed with driver is about 85-90, sometimes a bit more. I can reach 200-205 yards with my driver choked down to 43″.… Read more »
Thanks for the explanation, Tom. I hit a couple practice drives this evening ending my short game practice. I paid attention to the ball flight and its apex. I topped out at about 65 feet. Carry distance was 200 and 208 yards. I’ll be curious what Ed and I figure out about my angle of attack. It’s going to be fun. Thanks again.
Steve
Hey Tom, I’ve been using an early model (~2013) 919THI w/SP700 face for quite a while now. I’ve always been a huge fan of drivers with SP700 faces, I’m apparently one of the few golfers who can notice an appreciable difference compared to materials like 6-4 or even 15-3-3-3. Almost every driver that I’ve ever truly loved over the years, has turned out to have an SP700 face (which I often didn’t know before I fell in love with it). I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a fan of the feel/sound of the 6-4 face that the 919THI switched to back… Read more »
I know the first gen with the blue crown and yellow half-moon shape had an SP700 face, and that one is easily distinguishable because it looks different. But didn’t the 2nd gen also have an SP700 face for a little while? I thought the change to 6-4 happened sometime around 2015, but the 2nd gen redesign happened in around 2011. So wouldn’t any 2nd gen head from 2011-2015 have an SP700 face? But even so, you’re saying there would be no way to tell since the heads are cosmetically identical after the 6-4 face material change?
Hi Tom, I’m looking to put my 919 back into play after a while not using it (sorry!!) due to me accidentally breaking the shaft while taking my clubs out the car. It originally had the S2S Black in 85g but since then I’ve had some back issues so reckon the 85g may be a bit heavy for me now. I’ve been using a 60g Kuro Kage shaft in my spare TM driver (which I really like). . What I’d like to know is, do I just go straight to the 65g S2S Black or is there something closer to… Read more »
Hi Tom, Has there ever been a comparison by anyone of the 919THI to the latest and greatest from the big name brands? Wondering how a custom fit 919THI would stack up on the Trackman or GC quad launch monitors vs the new Calloway Paradym, Taylormade Stealth, Ping G430 or Cobra Aerojet etc.? Any chance anyone could do a club review on the new 719MV? I remember watching a Rick Shiels video a couple years ago do a review of the Sterling Irons. He seemed pretty impressed but didn’t like the lower ball flight of the 4 and 5 iron.… Read more »
Thanks for the great reply Tom. I’ll definitely go to AGCP to see what feedback they can provide. Love your clubs! Just wanted to be able to point guys looking for new clubs in a direction where they can see the data supporting the benefits of the performance the Wishon line provides in comparison to what’s out there.
Thanks again!
Dave
Hi Tom What I expected you to say was something along these lines. I wonder if what I’m about to say is valid? There are a finite number of factors that can affect how far a driver can hit the ball, if you are talking about the head itself. These are spring effect (CoR), how much it twists (moi) and head volume (cc). Possibly also off centre hit forgiveness Since about 2006 there have been limits on these elements and all drivers made since around or soon after this time are as close to these limits as you can realistically… Read more »
Hey Dave, I have a guy that likes to take his 919 into the shops to test against the latest releases, his club has better ball speeds than most, never beaten, matched occasionally. His latest report was “919THI beats TSR3” I get that kind of feedback often.
That’s so cool to hear Tom! Would love to get his data of the clubs he’s compared his 919THI with, especially if he has data compared to the Paradym or Stealth etc…I absolutely love the 919, so much so I had my friend and clubmaker build me another one after my original that I absolutely used and abused for 3+ years finally suffered a crack. Hate to think how many hits I had on that thing considering how much I play and also hit it on the range. I’m looking forward to enjoying many more rounds with my new beloved… Read more »
Tom the folks At Diamond International and I am sure you have just released fantastic pictures and specs of the new 719MW Driver. I have a few questions for the head. Obviously adjustable on the hosel and a weighting system to help the draw, the fade, and center of gravity either rearward or forward. Your adjustable sleeve .. Will you have your own mechanism or will you use an adaptation of let’s say a Taylormade type or something like the Titleist? What will the head weight for the 719MW be before adding the weights? (raw weight 173 grams or so?)… Read more »
Tom first I want to thank you for your detailed answer. I will buy this driver, but I would also point out that the 919THI Driver with a bendable hosel plus the fact that you can hand select for loft still makes this a more than viable option. I am looking forward to the new wedges. Thanks Tom, Merry Christmas and a healthy New Year!
Hi Tom, After much use and abuse, my much loved 9 degree THI has finally given up. I was hitting bombs at the driving range today when the lovely sound changed. After a few more hits and duds, upon inspection, there was a crack running from the middle of the face right to one the lines on the sole of the club ill be happy to share pics if you email me. My replacement is going to be another THI. I’ve tried newer drivers over the years but always come back to using the THI. Thanks for making a great… Read more »
Hi Tom,
Would you have any suggestions on how one could obtain this clubhead? I live in Canada and frequently visit the United States.
I am a short individual with long arms. Thus I play my clubs very flat (5 iron@ 55.5 Degrees).
This is the first Driver that I’ve seen that is capable of being bent to 54 degrees flat.
Tom,
Ed Ellis just called me to say he could get 919 clubheads now. You and I had conversed recently about my options. I’m going ahead.
Ed and I haven’t discussed static loft for my new club but I’m wondering if a 13.5 degree might benefit. My current TaylorMade Burner is 10.5. My range with this club is between 180-200 yards with an apex of about 75 feet.
I know fairway conditions will impact my rollout but I’m wondering what to expect with a similar clubhead speed but with a higher static loft? Any thoughts?
Thanks much.
Steve
I think I’ve got it now. Thanks Tom. Ed and I will start working in a week or so.
Steve
Tom, my question is related to my upcoming fitting work on driver with Ed Ellis. I’m curious to understand what is happening on the driver clubface and whether the clubface twists at impact when I hit slightly off center. You mention in your books that an off-center driver strike travels less distance and my experience confirms that. I’m a good 15 yards shorter with an off-center hit, even when the balls travels relatively close to my target line. Is this distance change due to the energy from impact being dissipated slightly by the clubhead twisting a bit? Not enough to… Read more »
Thanks for the explanation, Tom. I’ve never doubted your comments about shaft length, but for the last couple of months I’ve seen it in my driver hits. I spray talc sometimes on the driver clubface during practice and have seen the dispersion of my driver impacts narrow as I choke down. Full length dispersion is almost +/- 1.25″ or nearly the width of the clubface. Choking down on the club shaft a couple inches, my dispersion generally is less than +/-.75″ Thanks for the smash factor explanation. I hadn’t understood it before. I’ll keep you explanation in mind when Ed… Read more »
New 919 driver
Just put one together for a customer, his comment was it DOES NOT SOUND like my old one
I currently hit a Krank formula 6 driver with diamana kahli shaft reg flex I’m 70 and need more distance I was going to buy the new Krank x driver with maximum COR but I found out that it’s non conforming.. I’m looking for the highest COR driver that is conforming please advise. Also should I consider using the same shaft on a new head or is there something better. Thank you. Tom
Tom,
I notice that the 13-degree (and 15.5 degree) heads denote a 1-degree closed face angle.
Could you please elaborate as to why a 1-degree closed face angle was incorporated into the design on these two lofts?
Most appreciated!
Tom, I bought a PCF MICRO PRO wedge without test driving it first and am very pleased with its performance. Now, I’m interested in your driver and maybe some irons, but am hesitant to plop down big bucks without taking a demo to the range. The fitter I’m working with doesn’t have a demo. What do you advise? Thanks.
Tom, I’m going to finish fitting my two fairway woods this week with Ed Ellis and then consider working on a driver. I’m continuing trying to understand the science behind my clubs, beginning with my single length irons and single length hybrids. Driver seems a whole new ball game. I am using a Callaway Burner with a senior shaft right now. I hit it about 180; up to 200 if I hit it in the sweet spot. My swing speed at impact is about 85, sometimes a bit more. I’m sure Ed will have me try out various shafts with… Read more »
Yes, your thoughts make sense to me. I misnamed my drivers previously. I have TaylorMade Burners not Callaway. Today I put in about an hour at the range trying to understand why I tended to favor one of the Burners over the other. There was a clear difference not so much in total distance but in shot dispersion. I want to be equipped with this sense when I start working with Ed Ellis fitting my fairway woods followed by driver. The senior flex shaft driver, which I’ve been using and currently prefer, tended to fly straighter with a little less… Read more »
Tom, your thoughts do help. Your thoughts on the difference between flex and stiff driver shaft fits what I’ve been experiencing and yesterday’s focused practice. My hands tell me there is a bit of whip in the flexible shaft as I get around the ball. I’ve no photo evidence of this but my hands say so. And yes, my EQ1-NX single length irons and wedges are the best thing I’ve done with my game to date. Full swing results are clearly more consistent but my short game work using my single length sand wedge has improved significantly. There is much… Read more »
Tom, Ed Ellis and I got together yesterday on the range to begin fitting fairway woods and talk about working with driver. We used an EQ1-NX 4-wood head and tested three shafts with club length about 40″. He has two more Wishon shafts coming this week and we’ll give these a go next weekend. This practice session was my first experience swinging a fairway wood. Previously my long clubs were standard length 41″ hybrids. So, I had a pretty steep learning curve with the 4-wood. I liked it though. Impacts felt good and I was pleasantly surprised to see my… Read more »
Tom, I’m looking forward to working with Ed Ellis to fit my driver very soon. Ed gave me my 9 wood a couple weeks ago, which is working nicely with my other two single length woods. I have single length Wishon clubs from lob wedge to 4 wood now. Not looking back. Am really pleased. I have a question about what to expect from the new driver, possibly with a higher loft. I currently use a TaylorMade Burner 10.5-degree in a flexible senior shaft. My swing speed is 80-85. My range is around 185-200 yds, rarely any more distance. I… Read more »
Tom, Thanks for your thoughts. I haven’t had my angle of attack measured with driver but I’m guessing I have an upward angle by the time I reach the ball. If I understand rightly, then I’d need a lower design loft in the clubface than the standard for my swing speed. Ed Ellis will know. I’m looking forward to starting my driver fitting. Loft will only be one detail. I’m particularly interested in shaft specifics too. I already know that my club length will be less than standard for driver. The impact pattern in the picture is for 5 strikes.… Read more »
Hi Tom
I see that it seems that the 919THI is no longer offered in the LH model. I understand the challenges with global production. What are current models of drivers, woods and hybrids that are still offered in LH?
Thanks
Tom, I represent Meadowlake Golf Club in Keithville, LA as their IT person and their “golf club testing person”. I have been playing golf for about 45 years. Over the past 15 years I have owned just about every popular brand name of golf clubs in an obsessive search for the perfect set of clubs. When Meadowlake owner / swing coach / club fitter, Peter Winkler, told me he was interested in doing business with Wishon, I volunteered to purchase the 919 THI Black driver, 929 HS #4 fairway wood, and 989 CLA iron set 5 – AW. I also… Read more »
Tom, I’m getting ready to start fitting a driver with Ed Ellis, my local Wishon fitter. I have a question about driver loft. I have a full set of EQ1NX irons and wedges plus a 5 & 6 EQ1NX hybrids. Ed gave me the lob wedge just yesterday. It took a while with the pandemic to get these clubs, but they have transformed my game. I’m very pleased with the clubs and their fit. We used S2S R 55 blue shafts for the irons and S2S Hybrid R 55 black for the hybrids. Club length is 37.” I’m in my… Read more »
Thanks Tom. Your explanation of trajectory and roll makes sense. I hadn’t understood them, nor the differences brought on by fairway moisture levels. Ed Ellis is going to get me started on my fairway fitting process in a couple weeks. He has the EQ1NX clubheads for this. Concurrent with that we’ve decided to start experimenting with driver. Gonna be fun.
Steve
Tom, I was also wondering how cold temperatures affect the durability of golf clubs. Living in Colorado Springs I play a lot of golf in the winter, temps in the 30s on the low side but many days in the 40s-50s even up to the low 60s for short stretches possible. As long as the course is playable snow wise and it’s not too windy I usually don’t slow down my normal routine of playing at least 3 times a week. The discussion below on durability has me wondering if I’m significantly lowering the life expectancy of my 919 THI… Read more »
Hi Tom, I have a 919THI I’ve had for 3 years now and a 519 SHPR I got last year. I have the S-Flex Red shaft in both and I absolutely LOVE the different characteristics of each. I was curious your thoughts on other material components for driver heads. Taylor Made just came out with the “Stealth” carbon faced driver with the “twist-face” design. I know this concept has been tried before in the past and I understand it is a complete marketing gimmick as the testing seems to indicate it doesn’t improve on last year’s model. I’ve seen you’ve… Read more »
Awesome! Love your clubs! Currently hitting the Sterling and I have an EQ1-NX 5i – LW set with Red S-Flex shafts on order with my friend and club fitter/maker Bill Nottingham so very much looking forward to that. Can’t wait to see what comes out next!
Dave
Tom
Been using a 919THI that I was fit to a couple of years ago. During the fitting I was getting higher smash factor and more ball speed with the 919 compared to my gamer. Recently I converted my garage to a simulator room with a TrackMan 4 unit and land angle and spin with the 919THI is less consistent vs other drivers but smash is on avg higher. Spin is higher when I hit it low on the face.
Could it be the GRT roll doesn’t suit my 120mph swing?
Tom, Your comment about life expectancy has me thinking. I had a 919THI 11 degree for almost 10 years but a few weeks ago while playing, I noticed a 2 inch crack on the sole up by the face. I’m sure it had just happened. Is 10 years about typical for life expectancy for drivers?
Hi Tom,
I’m a huge fan and devotee of your club designs including irons (Sterling & 752TC), hybrids (785HF) and woods (929HS). I have a 919THI (16.5*) that doesn’t seem to look like your current design. Were the “old” 919THI’s made with a volume less than 460CC? Thanks!
Thank you for the email.
Its great to hear you are a fan of Tom’s designs, so thank you for that.
The 919 has always been 460cc to the best of my knowledge, the earlier model did have a slightly shorter hosel, so less of the chrome section.
Thanks,
Doug
Tom
I know your a strong proponent of playing the correct length driver. In my case shorter is better. 100 mph with driver. Cut a 45 inch at butt down to 42 and added 24 g to head weight. In theory will this work ? Also cut another to 43 and added 12g to head. Appreciate your thoughts. Pat
Amen. Makes me want to start a company just selling 42-44 inch 460cc drivers. F-Squared or FairwayFinder. Any concerns about shaft stiffness, flex, kick point, etc. I started with 45 inches in Stiff and cut to 42. Would you recommend starting with Regular flex and then cutting ? Alternatively would you use 3 wood shaft ? If you built one from scratch how would you go about it ?
Will play with head weights. Initial range results encouraging. Will test on course tomorrow
Hi Tom
Just purchased the 919 driver 9 degree.
I was going to ask, can one open up the face angle. The clubhead sits a little closed for me.
Points a little left.
With the bendable hosel…?
Thanks Tom
Regards
David
Tom,
Interested to hear your take on Bryson Dechambeau’s driver issues highlighted at the Open this week. Noting his club company’s response, from a a clubhead designer’s perspective, is it even possible to build a driver for a golfer who swings like Bryson?
© COPYRIGHT 2022 WISHON GOLF
Tom
The new 2023 hybrids and fairways looks great. Can’t wait to test them out!
I also read there is a new 919 and 719 driver on the way. I’m playing the current 919 so I was curious how the new drivers differ in design and performance. Always nice to hear this from the brain behind the product!
Johan The new 919THI is primarily a cosmetic upgrade to the model. The previous version had been in the line for quite a few years and we felt it was time for a makeover, so to speak! All of the performance elements and features – the variable thickness cup face construction, the bendable hosel, the shape, the OI, the CG positions, etc., are all the same as before because quite honestly, I have felt for some time that I could never design a better PERFORMING driver than the 919. So I didn’t try when it was time to do this… Read more »
Hi Tom,
Any updates on when the new 719MV might be available?
DAVE I am sorry but I don’t have the latest info on the delivery schedule for the 719MW driver heads. Once I finish everything in my work to design it and sign it off, the scheduling for the production and shipping is in Diamond Golf’s hands. I would recommend you call or email them directly to ask because they’ll know more about that than do I. Toll free calling from the US/Canada is 844-552-3437, from the UK is 0800 083 7388 and email is sales@wishongolf.com – as a help if you email to get to the right source, ask to… Read more »
Tom, I’m going to start working with Ed Ellis in a few days to custom fit driver for my bag. I have Wishon single length clubs from lob wedge to 4 wood now and find them key to my game. I’ve saved driver for last. I’m wondering if recent experience with my current TaylorMade Burner 10-degree driver and my Wishon 4 wood is helping me understand your premise about driver loft for senior players like me. My swing speed with driver is about 85-90, sometimes a bit more. I can reach 200-205 yards with my driver choked down to 43″.… Read more »
STEVE With an 85-90mph driver clubhead speed, DEPENDING ON YOUR ANGLE OF ATTACK INTO THE BALL, it should be possible to optimize your driver carry distance to be around 220-225. But as I said, that all depends on the A of A. So when you work with Ed, assuming you’ll be on a decent launch monitor, watch that A of A to see what it is. 220-225 should be possible as long as your A of A is not downward to any degree. But if you are level 0 with the A of A, a launch angle of around 14*… Read more »
Thanks for the explanation, Tom. I hit a couple practice drives this evening ending my short game practice. I paid attention to the ball flight and its apex. I topped out at about 65 feet. Carry distance was 200 and 208 yards. I’ll be curious what Ed and I figure out about my angle of attack. It’s going to be fun. Thanks again.
Steve
Steve
Yes I will be interested to hear how it goes and what Ed comes up with for you. 65 feet for a driver apex seems a bit low for your clubhead speed, in terms of max carry it is I think. But driver shot height is a trick thing because you have to gear it to the firmness/softness of the fairway. Dry, firm fairway conditions always calls for a lower launch angle and height than what would be optimal for max carry to maximize total distance. Wet, lush fairways are all about maxing carry distance. Have fun!
TOM
I’ll let you know Tom. Thanks.
Hey Tom, I’ve been using an early model (~2013) 919THI w/SP700 face for quite a while now. I’ve always been a huge fan of drivers with SP700 faces, I’m apparently one of the few golfers who can notice an appreciable difference compared to materials like 6-4 or even 15-3-3-3. Almost every driver that I’ve ever truly loved over the years, has turned out to have an SP700 face (which I often didn’t know before I fell in love with it). I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a fan of the feel/sound of the 6-4 face that the 919THI switched to back… Read more »
JAMES The only way one could tell one of the older 919s like that would be by its sole design and color. The early 919s all had a plain sole, no swoops, ledges, raised elements of any sort, and it was painted in a dark blue finish. Outside of that one would need to have a $3000 ultrasonic thickness gauge to do a face thickness measurement to tell the difference since the early SP700 faces were thinner, owing to the fact the material had a higher yield and tensile strength than 6/4 so it had to be a little thinner… Read more »
I know the first gen with the blue crown and yellow half-moon shape had an SP700 face, and that one is easily distinguishable because it looks different. But didn’t the 2nd gen also have an SP700 face for a little while? I thought the change to 6-4 happened sometime around 2015, but the 2nd gen redesign happened in around 2011. So wouldn’t any 2nd gen head from 2011-2015 have an SP700 face? But even so, you’re saying there would be no way to tell since the heads are cosmetically identical after the 6-4 face material change?
JAMES I honestly cannot tell you precisely when the change from SP700 came to 6/4 for the face of the 919. I simply cannot remember that in the face of all the many clubhead design projects and development management I have done over the many years I have been doing this. As I said in the other post, the only way to tell is with an ultrasonic thickness gauge (or by cutting the face off to do an alloy ID for the faces!!) since the SP700 face would be slightly thinner due to its higher strength. But again, the COR… Read more »
Hi Tom, I’m looking to put my 919 back into play after a while not using it (sorry!!) due to me accidentally breaking the shaft while taking my clubs out the car. It originally had the S2S Black in 85g but since then I’ve had some back issues so reckon the 85g may be a bit heavy for me now. I’ve been using a 60g Kuro Kage shaft in my spare TM driver (which I really like). . What I’d like to know is, do I just go straight to the 65g S2S Black or is there something closer to… Read more »
Hi Tom, Has there ever been a comparison by anyone of the 919THI to the latest and greatest from the big name brands? Wondering how a custom fit 919THI would stack up on the Trackman or GC quad launch monitors vs the new Calloway Paradym, Taylormade Stealth, Ping G430 or Cobra Aerojet etc.? Any chance anyone could do a club review on the new 719MV? I remember watching a Rick Shiels video a couple years ago do a review of the Sterling Irons. He seemed pretty impressed but didn’t like the lower ball flight of the 4 and 5 iron.… Read more »
DAVE I have done a little hitting comparison between the 919 and other brand drivers but never published the data because I have always known that comparison test data from a golf company is always viewed suspiciously to be biased. The best way I can tell you to get a far less biased comparison between any of my head designs and any other golf clubs is to talk to or ask any of the long time professional clubmakers what they have seen in their countless actual fittings with golfers in their respective areas. Almost every one of these clubmakers offer… Read more »
Thanks for the great reply Tom. I’ll definitely go to AGCP to see what feedback they can provide. Love your clubs! Just wanted to be able to point guys looking for new clubs in a direction where they can see the data supporting the benefits of the performance the Wishon line provides in comparison to what’s out there.
Thanks again!
Dave
Dave Unlike with every other golf equipment company that simply creates their new club models to only be built to one series of standard specs so they can be more easily sold off the rack in volume, our models are only sold as components to be used by independent custom clubmakers to CUSTOM FIT each golfer. So many golfers have no idea what real fitting done by an independent professional is compared to the BS crap that retailers claim to offer as fitting when people walk into a retail golf store. Real fitting is customizing all 12 of the key… Read more »
Hi Tom What I expected you to say was something along these lines. I wonder if what I’m about to say is valid? There are a finite number of factors that can affect how far a driver can hit the ball, if you are talking about the head itself. These are spring effect (CoR), how much it twists (moi) and head volume (cc). Possibly also off centre hit forgiveness Since about 2006 there have been limits on these elements and all drivers made since around or soon after this time are as close to these limits as you can realistically… Read more »
Frazer I am sorry I should have better qualified that statement I made about loft and distance in my post to the man thinking about bending the lofts of the 771 set to be the same as the lofts of his current set. Sorry about that confusion. Yes, for sure, COR has a big role to play in ball speed and distance. I left that out because I was just assuming an apples to apples comparison between the iron sets for COR, being played by the same golfer. MOI only plays a role in distance for off center hits. I… Read more »
Hey Dave, I have a guy that likes to take his 919 into the shops to test against the latest releases, his club has better ball speeds than most, never beaten, matched occasionally. His latest report was “919THI beats TSR3” I get that kind of feedback often.
That’s so cool to hear Tom! Would love to get his data of the clubs he’s compared his 919THI with, especially if he has data compared to the Paradym or Stealth etc…I absolutely love the 919, so much so I had my friend and clubmaker build me another one after my original that I absolutely used and abused for 3+ years finally suffered a crack. Hate to think how many hits I had on that thing considering how much I play and also hit it on the range. I’m looking forward to enjoying many more rounds with my new beloved… Read more »
Tom the folks At Diamond International and I am sure you have just released fantastic pictures and specs of the new 719MW Driver. I have a few questions for the head. Obviously adjustable on the hosel and a weighting system to help the draw, the fade, and center of gravity either rearward or forward. Your adjustable sleeve .. Will you have your own mechanism or will you use an adaptation of let’s say a Taylormade type or something like the Titleist? What will the head weight for the 719MW be before adding the weights? (raw weight 173 grams or so?)… Read more »
ROG Thanks for your kind comments and enthusiasm about the new 719MW driver. It’s been a LONG LONG time in development. Being able to investment cast the titanium body light enough with proper strength was a huge challenge, so we could incorporate as much as a 30g weight in the head to be able to make a visible difference in shot shape. It is so difficult to cast titanium very thin with proper strength, because molten titanium has the viscosity of molasses. It took some real casting breakthroughs to get the molten Ti to flow and fill every nook and… Read more »
Tom first I want to thank you for your detailed answer. I will buy this driver, but I would also point out that the 919THI Driver with a bendable hosel plus the fact that you can hand select for loft still makes this a more than viable option. I am looking forward to the new wedges. Thanks Tom, Merry Christmas and a healthy New Year!
Hi Tom, After much use and abuse, my much loved 9 degree THI has finally given up. I was hitting bombs at the driving range today when the lovely sound changed. After a few more hits and duds, upon inspection, there was a crack running from the middle of the face right to one the lines on the sole of the club ill be happy to share pics if you email me. My replacement is going to be another THI. I’ve tried newer drivers over the years but always come back to using the THI. Thanks for making a great… Read more »
NIK Just like with us humans, there is a life expectancy for driver heads. Thankfully ours is a lot longer than a driver head (!!) but still, that means you must have had several thousand hits with it before it decided it was time to retire! I really do have to say it has been very satisfying to have created the 919 because face performance wise, I just think it’s almost impossible to make a driver better. Then when I had the chance to tweak it with the bendable hosel, it just went down in my book as a driver… Read more »
Hi Tom,
Would you have any suggestions on how one could obtain this clubhead? I live in Canada and frequently visit the United States.
I am a short individual with long arms. Thus I play my clubs very flat (5 iron@ 55.5 Degrees).
This is the first Driver that I’ve seen that is capable of being bent to 54 degrees flat.
Marc Thanks very much for your interest. I can tell from your question that you are not familar with our company and how we do business so please allow me to explain so everything is clear. We sell our designs as component heads, shafts, grips only to approved, qualified custom clubmakers around the world, who then fit and custom build the components into finished custom made clubs for end user golfers. We do not sell our components to golfers who are not qualified clubmakers because if we did that, we would have no way to police the quality of the… Read more »
Tom,
Ed Ellis just called me to say he could get 919 clubheads now. You and I had conversed recently about my options. I’m going ahead.
Ed and I haven’t discussed static loft for my new club but I’m wondering if a 13.5 degree might benefit. My current TaylorMade Burner is 10.5. My range with this club is between 180-200 yards with an apex of about 75 feet.
I know fairway conditions will impact my rollout but I’m wondering what to expect with a similar clubhead speed but with a higher static loft? Any thoughts?
Thanks much.
Steve
Steve For every golfer, there is a launch angle for the driver shot that delivers the best combination of carry distance plus roll after landing. Assuming an on center impact, there are two things that dictate the launch angle, the loft of the head and the angle of attack of the clubhead into the ball. The slower the golfer’s clubhead speed, the higher the launch angle needs to be to maximize the carry plus roll of the ball. And vice versa, the higher the clubhead speed, the lower the launch angle must be to maximize carry + roll. If the… Read more »
I think I’ve got it now. Thanks Tom. Ed and I will start working in a week or so.
Steve
Tom, my question is related to my upcoming fitting work on driver with Ed Ellis. I’m curious to understand what is happening on the driver clubface and whether the clubface twists at impact when I hit slightly off center. You mention in your books that an off-center driver strike travels less distance and my experience confirms that. I’m a good 15 yards shorter with an off-center hit, even when the balls travels relatively close to my target line. Is this distance change due to the energy from impact being dissipated slightly by the clubhead twisting a bit? Not enough to… Read more »
Steve An off center hit loses distance in chiefly two ways that both reduce the ball speed compared to an on center hit. First, as you say, the head vibrates and twists when hit off center which causes a tremendous loss of energy transferred from the head to the ball. Second, the face flexes the most in the geometric center of the face. Impact anywhere off the center brings about less face flexing, which also means more energy loss from the face. This one you can see/ measure when you hit shots that are tracked by a high quality launch… Read more »
Thanks for the explanation, Tom. I’ve never doubted your comments about shaft length, but for the last couple of months I’ve seen it in my driver hits. I spray talc sometimes on the driver clubface during practice and have seen the dispersion of my driver impacts narrow as I choke down. Full length dispersion is almost +/- 1.25″ or nearly the width of the clubface. Choking down on the club shaft a couple inches, my dispersion generally is less than +/-.75″ Thanks for the smash factor explanation. I hadn’t understood it before. I’ll keep you explanation in mind when Ed… Read more »
New 919 driver
Just put one together for a customer, his comment was it DOES NOT SOUND like my old one
TOM
I can assure you that the same factory that has made the 919 driver heads for the past 8 years made this latest shipment that came into Diamond’s warehouse last month. Nothing has changed on the head, its specs or its materials or method of manufacture. It can happen that with older driver heads, over time and many hits, the face can fatigue ever so slightly which could possibly make a little change in sound. But there have been no changes whatsoever on the 919 during the time that the factory was closed down due to covid lockdowns.
TOM
I currently hit a Krank formula 6 driver with diamana kahli shaft reg flex I’m 70 and need more distance I was going to buy the new Krank x driver with maximum COR but I found out that it’s non conforming.. I’m looking for the highest COR driver that is conforming please advise. Also should I consider using the same shaft on a new head or is there something better. Thank you. Tom
TOM I am sorry but to my knowledge there is no data out there to tell you what the COR of any driver is. Most companies do try to make their conforming drivers so that they would not be over 0.830 COR when the face thickness is at the thinner limit of the +/ tolerance. Due to every driver in history being subject to normal +/- tolerances, there is no possible way to know what any driver you actually buy will be in terms of its COR. But the range would not be all that much since a change of… Read more »
Tom,
I notice that the 13-degree (and 15.5 degree) heads denote a 1-degree closed face angle.
Could you please elaborate as to why a 1-degree closed face angle was incorporated into the design on these two lofts?
Most appreciated!
RAY The players who are properly fit into the higher lofts of the 13 and 15.5 driver heads will have lower clubhead speeds than those properly fit into the 9 or 11 loft models. This is because in proper loft fitting the slower the clubhead speed, the more loft is needed to properly elevate the shot to maximize carry distance plus roll for most distance. Players with slower clubhead speeds can have a little more of an issue rotating the face back around to be square at impact and can tend to leave the face a little open. This is… Read more »
Tom, I bought a PCF MICRO PRO wedge without test driving it first and am very pleased with its performance. Now, I’m interested in your driver and maybe some irons, but am hesitant to plop down big bucks without taking a demo to the range. The fitter I’m working with doesn’t have a demo. What do you advise? Thanks.
JJ The clubmakers are all independent business people which means they all can run their businesses differently. Because the essence of what they do is purely custom clubmaking based from fitting golfers, every club they build is different, tailored to each golfer. So the prospect of Demos is not all that great because what if the shaft, length, swingweight, loft, etc, is not what YOU need. You hit that demo and don’t like it and you form an incorrect conclusion about the club because it doesn’t fit YOU. Some of the clubmakers do work with special devices called connectors that… Read more »
Tom, I’m going to finish fitting my two fairway woods this week with Ed Ellis and then consider working on a driver. I’m continuing trying to understand the science behind my clubs, beginning with my single length irons and single length hybrids. Driver seems a whole new ball game. I am using a Callaway Burner with a senior shaft right now. I hit it about 180; up to 200 if I hit it in the sweet spot. My swing speed at impact is about 85, sometimes a bit more. I’m sure Ed will have me try out various shafts with… Read more »
Steve On its own, flex does not contribute one thing to clubhead speed. It’s main contribution is to launch angle/spin and shot height and shape of the shot with respect to landing angle and best combination of carry + roll. And then very much, there is a contribution to shaft feel in terms of how well it matches to the golfer’s preferred sense of bending feel in a shaft – if the golfer does have such a preference. Many do not. That right there is how a shaft can contribute to swing speed. If the golfer over time has developed… Read more »
Yes, your thoughts make sense to me. I misnamed my drivers previously. I have TaylorMade Burners not Callaway. Today I put in about an hour at the range trying to understand why I tended to favor one of the Burners over the other. There was a clear difference not so much in total distance but in shot dispersion. I want to be equipped with this sense when I start working with Ed Ellis fitting my fairway woods followed by driver. The senior flex shaft driver, which I’ve been using and currently prefer, tended to fly straighter with a little less… Read more »
Steve First of all, do place your fitting needs in Ed’s hands to let him do the in person analysis and to come up with the recommendations based on his experience plus what he sees. I can only act as an information source while Ed will have the advantage of continuing to see your swing and shot patterns/results. Typically a stiffer shaft can tend to miss more to the right/push because of two possible reasons. One, being stiffer it can’t achieve as much of a forward bend position prior to impact as can a more flexible shaft. When a shaft… Read more »
Tom, your thoughts do help. Your thoughts on the difference between flex and stiff driver shaft fits what I’ve been experiencing and yesterday’s focused practice. My hands tell me there is a bit of whip in the flexible shaft as I get around the ball. I’ve no photo evidence of this but my hands say so. And yes, my EQ1-NX single length irons and wedges are the best thing I’ve done with my game to date. Full swing results are clearly more consistent but my short game work using my single length sand wedge has improved significantly. There is much… Read more »
Tom, Ed Ellis and I got together yesterday on the range to begin fitting fairway woods and talk about working with driver. We used an EQ1-NX 4-wood head and tested three shafts with club length about 40″. He has two more Wishon shafts coming this week and we’ll give these a go next weekend. This practice session was my first experience swinging a fairway wood. Previously my long clubs were standard length 41″ hybrids. So, I had a pretty steep learning curve with the 4-wood. I liked it though. Impacts felt good and I was pleasantly surprised to see my… Read more »
Tom, I’m looking forward to working with Ed Ellis to fit my driver very soon. Ed gave me my 9 wood a couple weeks ago, which is working nicely with my other two single length woods. I have single length Wishon clubs from lob wedge to 4 wood now. Not looking back. Am really pleased. I have a question about what to expect from the new driver, possibly with a higher loft. I currently use a TaylorMade Burner 10.5-degree in a flexible senior shaft. My swing speed is 80-85. My range is around 185-200 yds, rarely any more distance. I… Read more »
Steve The best driver loft for any golfer will be determined by analyzing the clubhead speed plus the angle of attack the golfer generates with the club coming into the ball. Normally the higher the clubhead speed, the lower the loft – and vice versa. But angle of attack has to be included in the final decision because one golfer can have a steep/downward A of A while another can have an upward A of A. Steep/downward always compels the loft to be higher than what the clubhead speed would otherwise indicate on its own, while upward always means the… Read more »
Tom, Thanks for your thoughts. I haven’t had my angle of attack measured with driver but I’m guessing I have an upward angle by the time I reach the ball. If I understand rightly, then I’d need a lower design loft in the clubface than the standard for my swing speed. Ed Ellis will know. I’m looking forward to starting my driver fitting. Loft will only be one detail. I’m particularly interested in shaft specifics too. I already know that my club length will be less than standard for driver. The impact pattern in the picture is for 5 strikes.… Read more »
STEVE
Most of the time but not always, a player that slices the ball will be downward while one that hooks the ball will be lss downward to level to upward. But as I said, not always so that’s why it is better to be analyzed properly. Good luck on the driver fitting!!
TOM
Hi Tom
I see that it seems that the 919THI is no longer offered in the LH model. I understand the challenges with global production. What are current models of drivers, woods and hybrids that are still offered in LH?
Thanks
Lincoln We’re in a bit of a transition phase with regard to many of our models going forward. Much of that transition into retiring some and introducing new models has been “monkey wrenched” (delayed) a bit due to the effects of the pandemic on the factories and supply chain issues so the timing of this is a bit affected. For now the LH models are the 929 and EQ1 woods, the EQ1 hybrids, 979 irons, 771 irons, PCF Micro Pro wedges. The 919 LH driver got whacked when we were working on different new things with the 919 that also… Read more »
Tom, I represent Meadowlake Golf Club in Keithville, LA as their IT person and their “golf club testing person”. I have been playing golf for about 45 years. Over the past 15 years I have owned just about every popular brand name of golf clubs in an obsessive search for the perfect set of clubs. When Meadowlake owner / swing coach / club fitter, Peter Winkler, told me he was interested in doing business with Wishon, I volunteered to purchase the 919 THI Black driver, 929 HS #4 fairway wood, and 989 CLA iron set 5 – AW. I also… Read more »
Andrew Wow, thanks so much for taking the time to not just take a good look at our product line in a thorough manner, but also for stopping by the comments section to share your experience with the models and shafts that you had the chance to hit. I’m humbled and honored by your comments. And to everyone else who may see this, no, I did not in anyway solicit this!! HA! However, I do have to be totally honest and say that it does not surprise me that you were able to find the models could out perform any… Read more »
Tom, I’m getting ready to start fitting a driver with Ed Ellis, my local Wishon fitter. I have a question about driver loft. I have a full set of EQ1NX irons and wedges plus a 5 & 6 EQ1NX hybrids. Ed gave me the lob wedge just yesterday. It took a while with the pandemic to get these clubs, but they have transformed my game. I’m very pleased with the clubs and their fit. We used S2S R 55 blue shafts for the irons and S2S Hybrid R 55 black for the hybrids. Club length is 37.” I’m in my… Read more »
Steve There is no question that DEPENDING ON YOUR ANGLE OF ATTACK (downward vs upward vs level), as clubhead speed drops, driver loft should increase to enable the ball to stay in the air longer to achieve better carry distance. The key is to get the ball to fly high enough so it does that, but not so high that the ball cannot achieve decent roll to enhance the total distance. CLubhead speed is just one part of this loft decision making process. Your angle of attack is the other and I would think with Ed’s experience he will be… Read more »
Thanks Tom. Your explanation of trajectory and roll makes sense. I hadn’t understood them, nor the differences brought on by fairway moisture levels. Ed Ellis is going to get me started on my fairway fitting process in a couple weeks. He has the EQ1NX clubheads for this. Concurrent with that we’ve decided to start experimenting with driver. Gonna be fun.
Steve
Tom, I was also wondering how cold temperatures affect the durability of golf clubs. Living in Colorado Springs I play a lot of golf in the winter, temps in the 30s on the low side but many days in the 40s-50s even up to the low 60s for short stretches possible. As long as the course is playable snow wise and it’s not too windy I usually don’t slow down my normal routine of playing at least 3 times a week. The discussion below on durability has me wondering if I’m significantly lowering the life expectancy of my 919 THI… Read more »
Dave Cold won’t adversely affect anything on the golf clubs themselves. You won’t do any damage to the clubs by playing when it is cold. Depending on the type of grip you have on the clubs, very cold weather will make the grips feel firmer/harder but it won’t cause any damage to them. I would recommend that you never store your golf balls where it is cold because they will be affected and you would notice a difference in performance and mainly in the impact feel of the ball. Keep the balls warm and when you play, try to keep… Read more »
Hi Tom, I have a 919THI I’ve had for 3 years now and a 519 SHPR I got last year. I have the S-Flex Red shaft in both and I absolutely LOVE the different characteristics of each. I was curious your thoughts on other material components for driver heads. Taylor Made just came out with the “Stealth” carbon faced driver with the “twist-face” design. I know this concept has been tried before in the past and I understand it is a complete marketing gimmick as the testing seems to indicate it doesn’t improve on last year’s model. I’ve seen you’ve… Read more »
DAVE Very pleased to hear that you like both the 919 and 519 and that you do notice differences in the two. That’s precisely what we had in mind when I did the 519 to follow on the 919. Now we hope down the road when it comes out, the number in between those two will get positive reviews as well!! Shhhhh. HA! Not enough is known by people outside of Taylor Made about this new Stealth driver. There are foundry people who insist there is a thin titanium face behind the composite material, such that it may not be… Read more »
Awesome! Love your clubs! Currently hitting the Sterling and I have an EQ1-NX 5i – LW set with Red S-Flex shafts on order with my friend and club fitter/maker Bill Nottingham so very much looking forward to that. Can’t wait to see what comes out next!
Dave
Tom
Been using a 919THI that I was fit to a couple of years ago. During the fitting I was getting higher smash factor and more ball speed with the 919 compared to my gamer. Recently I converted my garage to a simulator room with a TrackMan 4 unit and land angle and spin with the 919THI is less consistent vs other drivers but smash is on avg higher. Spin is higher when I hit it low on the face.
Could it be the GRT roll doesn’t suit my 120mph swing?
David The GRT reduced vertical roll is fine for speeds up to 120-125, or at least in the >10 yrs that we have been making the 919, we’ve never once heard of or seen any situation in which a player of your velocity had any issues with it. What you may want to check since you have had this for a few years is whether you may have started to cave in the face a little bit. Titanium driver faces do have a life expectancy and especially if you with your 120mph speed have been playing with this for 2+… Read more »
Tom, Your comment about life expectancy has me thinking. I had a 919THI 11 degree for almost 10 years but a few weeks ago while playing, I noticed a 2 inch crack on the sole up by the face. I’m sure it had just happened. Is 10 years about typical for life expectancy for drivers?
Steve No, 2-3 years is much more typical for life expectancy of a Ti driver, for a player who plays and hits balls a fair bit. Most Ti driver manufacturing factories will run a typical air cannon hit durability test to check how many hits at a specific higher clubhead speed it takes to begin to fatigue the face. Typical for that test is 5,000 hits. If a driver goes through 5,000 hits at 120mph and the face radii of roll and bulge only change/flatten by 1″ of radius measurement, the head is considered to be plenty durable enough. Now… Read more »
Hi Tom,
I’m a huge fan and devotee of your club designs including irons (Sterling & 752TC), hybrids (785HF) and woods (929HS). I have a 919THI (16.5*) that doesn’t seem to look like your current design. Were the “old” 919THI’s made with a volume less than 460CC? Thanks!
Thank you for the email.
Its great to hear you are a fan of Tom’s designs, so thank you for that.
The 919 has always been 460cc to the best of my knowledge, the earlier model did have a slightly shorter hosel, so less of the chrome section.
Thanks,
Doug
Tom
I know your a strong proponent of playing the correct length driver. In my case shorter is better. 100 mph with driver. Cut a 45 inch at butt down to 42 and added 24 g to head weight. In theory will this work ? Also cut another to 43 and added 12g to head. Appreciate your thoughts. Pat
Pat The absolute most rediculous thing that all of the other golf equipment companies do is to continue to sell their drivers with a standard off the rack length between 45 and 46 inches. I’ve worked on fitting research aimed at this for over 20 yrs now and fortunately the majority of clubmakers that work with my designs do understand this and rarely to never fit anyone with a 45″ length. Most never go over 44″ and end up around 43-43.5″ for most of the custom fit drivers they fit and make for golfers. The results are obvious – way… Read more »
Amen. Makes me want to start a company just selling 42-44 inch 460cc drivers. F-Squared or FairwayFinder. Any concerns about shaft stiffness, flex, kick point, etc. I started with 45 inches in Stiff and cut to 42. Would you recommend starting with Regular flex and then cutting ? Alternatively would you use 3 wood shaft ? If you built one from scratch how would you go about it ?
Will play with head weights. Initial range results encouraging. Will test on course tomorrow
PAT: The vast majority of the time the shaft never changes from the club being shortened because there are offsetting actions happening. When you cut from the butt end, it being the larger end is more stiff than the tip half of the shaft which is much smaller in diameter. A principle of shaft stiffness design and performance is that the two primary things that control stiffness are diameter and wall thickness, with diameter being three times more influential on stiffness than wall thickness. So to start with, when you cut say, 3″ from the butt, you are getting rid… Read more »
Hi Tom
Just purchased the 919 driver 9 degree.
I was going to ask, can one open up the face angle. The clubhead sits a little closed for me.
Points a little left.
With the bendable hosel…?
Thanks Tom
Regards
David
David Yes, absolutely, that is one of the primary functions of the bendable hosel. You will need a way to clamp/secure the head to enable bending. Few of the usual loft and lie bending machines have this capability since most are developed to bend irons only. But a few out there can accommodate drivers/woods/hybrids for bending. Once clamped, for a more open FA, you bend the hosel in the direction away from the face, as if you are bending the hosel backward, away from the target. The CP4 hosel is soft, it bends with about the same effort as any… Read more »
Tom,
Interested to hear your take on Bryson Dechambeau’s driver issues highlighted at the Open this week. Noting his club company’s response, from a a clubhead designer’s perspective, is it even possible to build a driver for a golfer who swings like Bryson?
DAVE I think Bryson is finding out that his 190-200+mph ball speeds is pushing the threshold of performance and known face performance dynamics for drivers that are made the way they are. I believe this could have been seen with the long drive guys except for the fact no one thinks anything odd when they see a long drive guy hit one that just goes off the planet. Everyone thinks that it is a really bad swing brought about by trying to swing that hard. And most of those off the planet long drive shots probably are. But with a… Read more »