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.
Overall Rating - 5 stars: