In a first for EAT GOLF! we wanted to test the new breed of drivers and find out who they are best suited to. We employed four PGA Professionals to demo the clubs, and asked them “Which driver are they going to recommend to which of their pupils?”

The Professionals

Patrick Brady, PGA Professional Shot type: Straight (Left handed)
Patrick’s professional career began in 1991 at Sutton Coldfield golf club in Birmingham, UK. In 1996 he started working alongside David Poulton at Swingers driving range. After 5 years as a teaching pro and also working at Lavender Park golf center in Ascot, he moved to Holland where he worked in Drenthe coaching groups of people for the GVB exam. His dream to move to Spain was realised in 2003.

David Poulton, PGA Professional Shot type: Straight and long!
David’s career began in 1986 at Walsall GC, just outside Birmingham. He grew up in South Africa and was a junior member of Mowbray GC in Capetown. Ambitions to be a tournament player gradually led to other aspects of professional golf, and he gained valuable experience working as the head pro at The Warwickshire Resort before moving to Swingers driving range. After 5 years at Swingers, he took the plunge and moved to Denmark where he coahed top level golfers, responsible for ‘Elite Team’ coaching and representing the team as a player. Since then, he has become a highly qualified Club Maker and is the director of his own club fitting company.

Sam Pleshette, PGA Professional Shot type: Slight draw
Sam started his career as a golf professional in October 1999. A trainee at Abbotsley Golf & Country Club in Cambridgeshire, UK, he began his PGA training in September 2002. After passing his final exams in October 2005 Sam was elected to full membership of the PGA in May 2006. He has been working in Spain since October 2005 and set up his own academy in July 2006. Sam is an excellent golfer, recently shooting a 66 to win the final of the Costa del Golf Alliance by 9 shots at the challenging Marbella Club Resort.

Andrew Butler, PGA Professional Shot type: Fade
Andrew is founder and organiser of the Costa del Golf Alliance following his desires to introduce to the coast a series of high standard golf competitions which appeal to both qualified professionals and keen amateurs. Following the successes of the first season Andrew has joined forces with the exclusive Fischer car dealership, and transformed the competitions into the Fischer Open Golf Series.

Before we start...

In this feature we refer to various club parameters. Two of the most important, but less understood aspects are Lie Angle, and Face Angle.

Lie Angle - In simple terms, an incorrect lie angle can breed faults in a players swing, by not encouraging them to be in the correct positions at impact. If a lie angle is too upright, it will tend to tilt the clubs face plane to the left of target, resulting in a loss of distance due to the resulting reactions of the player.

Face Angle - The face angle is the way the club sits in relation to the target, be it Closed, Neutral (Square) or Open. A closed face is designed to encourage the player to draw the ball, but can again lead to loss of distance, blocks and hooks as they make compensations. A neutral or open face helps to encourage players to swing more freely.