Golfer
Mens
Handicap
Mid to High
Right Hand
Yes
Left Hand
Material
Composite
Shaft Type
Graphite
Shaft Flex
Extra Stiff, Stiff, Regular, Senior
UK Launch
1 April 2007
Cobra Long Tom DriverBest long shafted driver
Ping G20 DriverBest value 460cc titanium driver
TaylorMade Burner SuperFast 2.0 DriverVery forgiving, TP version excellent
Cleveland Launcher TL310 DriverBest better-player titanium driver
Callaway Diablo Octane Black Tour DriverBest composite driver, ideal for low handicaps
Titleist 910 D2 DriverBest adjustable driver
Ping K15 DriverBest mid-handicap driver
Golf Drivers
Fairway Woods
Golf Balls
Golf Bags
Golf Glove
Golf GPS Rangefinder
Golf Shoes
Irons
Outerwear
Putters
Shafts
Trolleys
Utility
Wedges
The Callaway FT-i driver has a square head with full carbon body technology meaning extra weight savings over a titanium head. By using a lightweight carbon body that weighs only 42g, the Callaway FT-i has been able to push as much weight as possible into the far corners of the head, dramatically increasing the club’s ability to resist twisting on off-centre hits and thus increase the Moment of Inertia (MOI) for straighter drives. The Callaway FT-i’s square shape allows weight to be located outside the weighting zone of a traditional driver. With help from designers at BMW, Callaway were able to make this radical complex clubhead look appealing by merging the crown into the back of the club head like a car bonnet. The Callaway FT-i driver face actually twists on two axes when shots are hit, so by controlling the amount the club rotates around its centre of gravity, Callaway produced an extremely robust head. Extra weight is also located in the heel, to help square the face at impact. This means that shots that are hit away from the centre of the clubface still go straight.
The Callaway FT-i driver has had a lot of hype and rightly so as it was the first introduction of a new type of driver focussing on a high moment of inertia (MOI) to reduce twisting of the club head at impact, particularly on off-centre hits. In our tests it certainly does keep off-centre hits straighter and they also get a good level of distance. The shape is intriguing and it seems a compact head compared to other high MOI drivers. However the greater moment of inertia does have its drawbacks. For instance, better players who swing in to out will need to get a draw bias FT-i because the MOI weights mean that with a neutral bias FT-i the clubhead continues on the 'out' path through impact instead of 'turning over' at impact with standard driver. The opposite would apply for an out to in swing. Once you understand this and have the right set up then the FT-i performs very well, albeit a bit on the noisy side. However this all seems a bit convoluted to us and better golfers should probably opt for a driver with a lower MOI of under 5000, such as the Callaway FT-5, to get the performance they need. Our feeling is that the Callaway FT-i driver is best suited to mid to high handicappers who have trouble getting their drives going straight and therefore need all this forgiveness. If this is you then this is probably the best square driver out there at present.
Golf World
"Solid contact and impressive ball flight...produced less sidespin." Jan 07
Golf Monthly
"Very straight...really go after it...higher than most." Mar 07
Today's Golfer
"Sits nicely...refined sound...as solid as any driver." May 07
Golf Punk
"Looks so different...feels great...ball explodes off the face." May 07
"Very square...solid enough through the ball...'car bonnet' looks." Aug 07
Golf Digest
"On the smaller side...more maneuverable...hit it straighter." Feb 08
"Liked the look...really forgiving...tends to hook...pricey."
"Hit it well...stood up...didn't receive overwhelming praise."
Nigel Williams
SpainHandicap: 9 User Rating: Not rated
Really didn't like the Callaway FT-i driver at all. Found it looked ugly at set up and I didn't get any sweet strikes with it. Would definitely not invest in one. Seems just like a marketing gimmick to me.
Drew Tuck
ScotlandHandicap: 0 User Rating: (57 votes)
I had it in my mind that I would hate the Callaway FT-i driver, but how wrong I was. It may not be the best looker out there, but once you get over the new square shape this club can bomb the ball out there. Make sure you get the right set up for your swing, but once you have this the club performs. Long, penetrating and very solid through impact. A major surprise!
david thomson
United KingdomHandicap: 10 User Rating: Not rated
What a fantastic driver the Callaway Ft-i is. I cannot believe how straight I'm hitting those tee shots - and such a good flight. Will be a massive boost to the weakest part of my game. Can't praise the Callaway FT-i high enough.
Alan Erickson
United StatesHandicap: 20 User Rating: Not rated
I tried to like the Callaway FT-i driver and first hit it in the spring of 2007 at a demo day and did not like it at all. I then hit it another demo day this summer, still didn't like it. I then tried it a retail golf store with driving range here in the Phoenix area and I was impressed! I must have been "on" that day because now I regret buying it and I am trying to sell it on EBay. You have to work too hard to make this club work. It seems that you have to groove your swing perfectly to get decent results. As far as high MOI, I didn't get any real benefit from forgiveness with the FT-i. I try all the drivers and unfortunately, buy too many and regret it. I just changed to the TaylorMade Burner Draw and am very satisfied. The distance is definitely further than the Callaway.
You must be logged in to write or rate reviews. Please Login or Register.
Be the first to write a Quick 9 for this product.
Average rating for this product from 5 reviews
Privacy | Legal Information | Contact
© Copyright Golfalot Limited