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Golfer | Mens |
Handicap | Mid to High |
Right Hand | Yes |
Left Hand | Yes |
Material | Composite |
Shaft Type | Graphite |
Shaft Flex | Extra Stiff, Stiff, Regular, Senior |
Launch Date UK | 1 April 2007 |
| Demo Days | Manufacturer's Site |
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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.
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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.
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Be the first to write a Quick 9 for this product.
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Nigel Williams
Spain
Handicap: 9
User Rating:
Not rated
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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.
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Drew Tuck
Scotland
Handicap: 0
User Rating:
(57 votes)
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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!
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david thomson
United Kingdom
Handicap: 10
User Rating:
Not rated
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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.
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Alan Erickson
United States
Handicap: 20
User Rating:
Not rated
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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.
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Average rating for this product from 5 reviews
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