Anyone watching the Golf Channel over the last few weeks has likely seen the Notah Begay commercial for the (T)less driver. So, what exactly is the “teeless” driver and does it work?
Just the other day I wrote an article about angle of impact and the spin it puts on the ball. There are a ton of amateur golfers that can hit a 3 wood or 5 wood but slice their driver. It seems to be the case that the (T)less driver is trying to help this type of golfer. If you need the teeless driver, you could benefit from golf instruction. We strongly suggest contacting Patrick Kelley today.
My guess is this is a hybrid type club between a 3 wood and a driver. It is likely a 13 or 14 degree club with the size of a driver head. For those that hit slices or spinning fades off the tee they could drop the ball on the ground and their angle of attack will be much better than trying to hit a normal driver off the tee.
If you are one of those players that has a steep swing and struggles with your weak fade with a driver, this club might be helpful for you.
For those wondering, you can find the shaft specs for the (T)less driver here:
Fujikura XLR8 Pro – 51 Shaft Specs
Model | Flex | Length (in) | Weight(g) | Tip flex | Butt flex | Torque | Par. tip | Butt dia | Bend pt | Spin | Launch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
51 | Senior | 43.5 | 57 | 132 | 101 | 4 | 2.5 | 0.6 | M | M/L | M |
51 | Regular | 43.5 | 58 | 122 | 93 | 4 | 2.5 | 0.6 | M | M/L | M/L |
51 | Stiff | 43.5 | 58 | 112 | 86 | 4 | 2.5 | 0.6 | M | M/L | M/L |
Fujikura Vista Pro – 45 Shaft Specs
Model | Flex | Length (in) | Weight(g) | Tip flex | Butt flex | Torque | Par. tip | Butt dia | Bend pt | Spin | Launch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
VP45 | Ladies | 43 | 48 | 160 | 124 | 5.6 | 3 | 0.59 | L | M/H | H |
Proprietary Fujikura Teeless Shaft
Model | Flex | Length (in) | Weight(g) | Tip flex | Butt flex | Torque | Par. tip | Butt dia | Bend pt | Spin | Launch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
50R | Regular | 43.5 | 57 | 134 | 97 | 4.8 | 3 | 0.6 | L/M | M | M/H |
50R2 | Senior | 43.5 | 56 | 142 | 104 | 5.1 | 3 | 0.6 | L | M/H | H |
60S | Stiff | 43.5 | 67 | 115 | 86 | 4.2 | 3 | 0.6 | L/M | M | M |
40R3 | Ladies | 43 | 48 | 80 | 58 | 5.6 | 3 | 0.59 | L | M/H | H |
Why Most Drivers Won’t Fix Your Slice
Let’s be clear, there is a huge difference in a slice and a fade. A slice is when you hit a very weak shot the spins to the right for right handed golfers or left for left handed golfers. Oftentimes, the ball is spinning at a very high rate when it leaves your driver and will end up 160-200 yards off the tee box. A fade, or a power fade, is when you have a slight left to right movement on the ball as a right hander. You can hit the ball solid but it does move slightly.
You need a proper backswing if you hope to draw the ball and get rid of that slice. This is what a proper backswing looks like:
If you are a slicer, you do not have the proper swing path. There are hundreds of things that may be causing this. The number one reason most amateurs hit a slice is because they do not use their entire body to hit the golf ball; they use their arms and shoulders. If you use your legs, hips chest, shoulders and arms to turn in your swing, you will be able to hit a draw or a power fade. The power of the golf swing comes from the core. Note that it can take up to two full years of training the body to learn to create a backswing with the body. Because of this, most amateurs golfers want the quick fix which is to buy a different club.
As someone that sliced the ball a lot in my early years of golf, I can tell you there is no driver on the earth that could have fixed it. I used all arms and shoulders and no legs or hips. As one of my very good friends likes to say, you were basically hitting the golf ball like a spinning top but inverted. I was trying to swing harder and harder with my arms and shoulders but I was not turning my hips, stomach or chest at all.
Every single time I go to the range, I see dozens of golfers swinging with their arms and shoulders only. The only way you are going to hit the ball hard is to use your core. The most important angle in the golf swing is the angle created by your left obliques. When starting the backswing, a dynamic swing creates a very steep angle with the shoulders while the arms remain flat. If you can maintain this angle while starting your swing with your torso, you will hit the ball much, much better.
There are hundreds of remedies to fix a slice, but my suggestion would be to pay a premium price for one of the best swing coaches or instructors in your area. If you have the money, try to go to a swing coach at one of the prestigious country or golf clubs in your area. If you get a coach at the local driving range or a public golf course, you are going to get what you pay for. Suck it up, pay the $200 an hour and get the best instruction you can. It will be money well spent in the long run.
You won’t have to worry about buying the latest technology to fix a slice every two years. Once you learn to hit the ball hard by starting your swing with your torso and legs, you will be shocked at how much more enjoyable the game of golf really is. Take it from someone that used to hit 230 yard drives every single time. That 280 blast down the middle of the fairway feels really, really good.
Once again, a swing rehabilitation is not just learning how to create the proper swing path. It is creating a body that allows you to do it. You will need flexibility in your hamstrings, glutes, obliques, lats, shoulders, triceps and forearms. Basically everywhere. This is why it takes so long to build a solid swing. There are no “aha” moments where you suddenly start hitting the ball with power. It is very small, incremental steps over time. When you develop the muscle structure to complete a full backswing with your core and upper thoracic, you will be a tremendous golfer.