Golf Review: Intech Ripper Driver Review: 5/10/07

Comments: Tried out the Intech Ripper driver (I guess considered Orlimar’s more generic redheaded stepchild by King Par, the same manufacturer as Orlimar, Affinity, and Knight brands) on the course today and I was impressed with it, even my playing partner who was with me was impressed on it’s distance.

I’m a high handicapper at the moment (20+) and currently using a TaylorMade R7 460 draw with 13 degree head and an upgraded Aldila NV 75S stiff flex shaft (I originally got this since I needed fast help with my slices and to get the ball up in the air easier since I had a slow swing speed in the beginning). Now that I’m better handling my swing with a driver I’ve been looking for a lower lofted driver (10.5-11 degrees) with a regular flex since the 13* driver I have pops up in the air too much nowadays. This Intech Ripper driver actually comes with an Aldila shaft. Never heard of this version, it’s a “Reflex” version shaft name with low torque and high modulus (what is that?). Regular flex with reactive technology. Surprised it didn’t come with Winn grips like the John Daly Dunlop drivers also at Walmart at the same price.

So I busted out the Intech Ripper on the first par 4 288 yarder on the course (I did the same course the day before with my TaylorMade) and hit the ball square on to about 235 yards which was on track the same distance I did the other day with my TaylorMade but actually a bit straighter. Good launch angle and good flex on the generic Aldila shaft. I used the driver on about 3 more holes and actually got maybe 10+ yards more than the prior day. Now this is probably that we were on a slower pace so I was able to line up my drives better and got my swing on a groove. There was one hole that I took a couple extra drives to see how much I could belt the Intech Ripper and I got a couple “thunk” sounds but they still went about 150+ yards and stayed pretty fairly on the course. The big positive I can say about the driver is that even though it’s square it sounds like my TM driver with a nice medium pitch “click” sound when hit properly down the fairway and none of the aluminum bat sound as the Sumo2 and FT-i.

Though the Intech Ripper head cover is pretty weird looking, it actually pops on and off super-fast compared to the sock covers, the only thing I see that might go bad is the locking mechanism that attaches to the shaft might wear down and stop clasping to it or that the shaft area it locks into might start scuffing. Looks like the Fury and I think they should have made some minor cosmetic changes to the Fury or the Ripper/Cube body more to show more of a difference between the $40 vs. $250 version better.

The Intech Ripper was used n the driving range today and I’ll have to say for a $40 driver it hit as well as my Taylor Made R7 Draw. I was hoping since it was a regular flex Adila shaft on the Ripper that it’d go a but longer than my TM with a stiff flex Adila NV 75S shaft, it went just as far though around 225-245 yards so it’s the same distance as my current driver. The plus I’d have to say that surprised me was that I got consistent straight draws with only a few draws hit and actually no slices at all which I am prone to. So for the price I’d have to say the club is good, didn’t know the carbon on the head is only a decal! So after use on the course two days and on the driving range this club is good for a high handicapper like me. Just to have another test I will compare my hits using my friend’s Nike Sasquatch driver vs. the Intech Ripper.

Score: 3 out of 5

Golf Review: Nike Sasquatch Sumo Driver Review- 4/25/07

Comments: A good straight and long driver in good tandem with it’s square sibling th Nike Sumo2. The farthest of all the drivers I tried and fairly straight hits. Good confidence builder able to belt balls long and far, I was really surprised how good this drier was due to the knocks people give the Nike Sasquatch Sumo2 and I didn’t think any club was going to knock out the Hi-Bore XL as my straightest driver tried out.

Monster of the Week’s “MONSTER of the WEAK #1” Award for Best Driver at the demo day goes to: The Nike Sasquatch Sumo.

Rank: #1

Score: 3.85 out of 5

Golf Review: Cleveland Hi-Bore XL Driver Review- 4/25/07

Comments: Good crisp sound after a hit, straight mid-level drives with the Cleveland Hi-Bore XL. This has been my fave of all the drivers with good looks and good distance. I like the matte finish on the head of the club since it is not as explicit in scuffing as the glossy paint finishes as in other woods, important for beginners and those prone to sky marks.

Rank: #2

Score: 3.75 out of 5

Golf Review: Taylor Made Burner (2007) Driver Review- 4/25/07

Comments: A way better driver than it’s cousin the Taylor Made SuperQuad in my opinion and $100 less. Made for bombers with fast swing speeds this one actually took my drives pretty fairly down the middle. The Taylor Made Burner is a bit longer in the shaft length than other clubs, a good buy. Too bad it kinda looks kind of ugly.

Rank: #3

Score: 3.5 out of 5

Golf Review: Maruman Majestic Prestigio FV-R Driver Review- 4/25/07

Comments: The Maruman Majestic Prestigio FV-R driver wowed me since I did not know anything about this company except that it was a prestigious high-end company like Honma for big spenders. This thing looks expensive, the face was super shiny, almost like a mirror. Good sound and straight drives, too bad it costs $1,700.00!

Rank: #4

Score: 2.95 out of 5

Golf Review: Cobra M Speed Driver Review- 4/25/07

Comments: Another Cobra M Speed driver I really wanted to like since it was suppose to be for golfers like me with slow swing speeds and limited range, I thought this was going to blast my drivers at least an extra 10 yards. Nope. Same range as my current driver and it also had a loud aluminum tin sound to it like the square Nike Sumo2 and Callaway FT-i. No thanks to the Cobra M Speed.

Rank: #5

Score: 2 out of 5

Golf Review: TaylorMade SuperQuad Driver Review- 4/25/07

Comments: I previously hit this Taylor Made SuperQuad driver at a pro shop and with all the hype thought this was going to be good since at the pro shop I hit it to a net and it had a good snapping sound to it. After hitting it on the range though, it wasn’t as straight or long as I hoped and for the price I thought was a bit too much, wanted to like it since it looked good like a stealth fighter, but no go.

Rank: #6

Score: 2.5 out of 5

Golf Review: Mega OEM Golf Driver Reviews- 4/25/07



Monster of the Week had the chance over the weekend to attend a demo day out on the range and so I have a better practical review of some of the newest drivers in the 2007 market.

The Talega golf course in Rancho Santa Margarita had Nike, Cleveland, Cobra, Bridgestone, Maruman, Mizuno, and TaylorMade golf companies on April 14, 2007 at their driving range allowing players to try out the newest irons, hybrids and drivers on a real course instead of a golf net at your local pro shop. MOTW.com had a little spare time after golf class so only tried out the drivers (though secretly wanted to try out the R7 Taylor Made irons and Corba hybrids but ran out of time).

Upcoming posts will have a ranking of our favorite drivers tested at this event. Remember that MOTW averages about 200-220 yards per drive via his TaylorMade R7 Draw driver with Adila NV stiff flex and 13 degree head. So based on the slow swing speed MOTW, we wanted to try out some regular flex shafts and also revert to a lower 10.5 degree head.

N/A: Didn’t get to try the Mizuno driver at the tent since for some reason they only had one to two stalls and MOTW didn’t want to wait in line.

Check back soon!

Movie Review: Robotech- The Shadow Chronicles- 4/12/07

Comments: As a Robotech fan I give SC a 7.5 out of 10. As a regular movie watcher I give SC a 4 out of 10. As a RT fan I liked seeing a continuation of the RT storyline even if the story was only so-so (but after watching other anime I didn;t think the storyline was that bad, it seemed like every average anime to me), seeing the mecha again and apart from everyone else’s opinion I did like the 2D artwork used.

As a regular movie watcher I did not like how the movie ended with the hanging plot points (seeing how long it to SC to come out on DVD I expect the sequel to come out in 2018). The 3D battles ARE jarring to see, wish they kept them animated like in Mac Zero or Yukikaze. I was hoping to see some ground battles on earth vs. the Invid. The backgrounds on the characters were pretty sparse. And finally…boobs, yes they are big and distracting sometimess…but especially on Ariel and Janice’s bodies sine for some reason they wear the super low V-neck suits.

P.S. What happened to the special features section? It was just a trailer and fan documentary? Not even the United Nations trailer. I did not like how when the producers and HG employees discussed RT or showed clips it was only Mospeada no mention of Macross or Southern Cross or why it took so long for SC to get back on-screen. I was on the look-out for Mokman the DVD…but I don’t know what ya look like!

Score: 2.5 out of 5