Ernie Els May Go With a Shorter, Heavier Driver at Bethpage
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Earlier this season, Phil Mickelson put a unique Callaway FT-9 driver into his bag. Unlike the FT-9 drivers that had previously been released, Mickelson's had a hosel, so the club had to be examined by the USGA and deemed legal for competition.
Maybe Phil was onto something, because Ernie Els and a few other Callaway players have switched to the FT-9 Tour Authentic driver. Because the Tour Authentic version of the FT-9 has a smaller head and different weighting, it allows skilled players to work the ball more effectively off the tee. The standard FT-9 has a higher moment of inertia (MOI) that helps mid- and higher-handicap players hit straighter drives.
On Tuesday morning at Bethpage, I had a chance to speak with Barry Lyda, a PGA Tour rep with Callaway Golf, about Els's driver. He told me that the two-time U.S. Open winner is experimenting with heavier shafts so he can feel where the club is in his swing more easily.
"Ernie is using a 100-gram True Temper Project X graphite shaft in his Callaway X 3-wood," Lyda said. "He said he'd like a driver made with the same shaft, but I told him that I can't make him one with that shaft because I don't have a head light enough to offset the weight."
Els has been playing a UST Mamiya ATTAS 76 in his driver.
To compensate for the extra weight, Lyda cut a full inch off Els's driver, making it 44". Lyda said that should reduce clubhead speed and create a lower ball flight for Els. To offset that lower ball flight, Lyda added loft, making an 8.5° and a 9.5° head for Els to try.
The Callaway FT-9 Tour Authentic driver is currently only available to the public on the company's Tour Authentic Web site. In the video below, Lyda explains the differences between the standard FT-9 and the Tour Authentic model.
(Photo by Fred Vuich/SI)
Posted by: Jeff | Jun 19, 2009 6:24:06 PM
Also a lefty, I concur! At least Callaway released the x-forged irons in lefty. No such luck with TaylorMade, no matter how many times Weirsy wins. We will never see his forged irons up for retail
Posted by: lefty1.4 | Jun 17, 2009 6:46:09 PM
You know it'd be nice if they realeased these "Tour" products for lefty's as well since that is who they are made for in the first place. Is there an unwritten rule regarding how good lefty's are allowed to be?
Posted by: Jeff | Jun 17, 2009 4:32:11 PM
Call me crazy, but good luck finding the FT-9 TA on the Callaway website. FT-5 TH Yes, FT-9 TA NO. In fact, I've heard that Callaway wasn't going to release this to the public. With enough interest, though, who knows......
Posted by: Rico | Jun 17, 2009 3:06:23 PM
If Phil can't hit it straight, why not use the standard FT-9, in fact, why doesn't he use the FT-IQ?