Retro Review video series is where we’ll go back through time and look at some iconic pieces of equipment to see if they still stack up against their modern day equivalents.
First up is the Callaway Fusion FT-i driver, which caused quite a stir back in 2006 when it launched. When you take the headcover off, it soon becomes apparent why… It's square! We test it up against last year's Callaway Paradym driver to see how it compares and if there's still some merit to the concept today.
First up is the Callaway Fusion FT-i driver, which caused quite a stir back in 2006 when it launched. When you take the headcover off, it soon becomes apparent why… It's square! We test it up against last year's Callaway Paradym driver to see how it compares and if there's still some merit to the concept today.
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00:00Okay, welcome back to Golf Monthly and a new series that we're doing called Retro Review.
00:04Well, we're going to be taking some game-changing equipment from its time, some iconic stuff,
00:09and comparing it to its modern counterparts.
00:11We've partnered up with Golf Club for Cash, one of the leading retailers of pre-loved
00:15equipment, and they've supplied us with some absolute gems to test.
00:18So if you want to check those guys out, look in the description below.
00:21Without further ado, let's get straight into it.
00:24Okay, so first up, we've got an absolute classic, and it is the Callaway F-Fusion FTI driver.
00:31Now, this was released in 2006, and it had a retail price back then of £400.
00:36We've picked it up for the bargain price of £63.99.
00:40Now, first off, the elephant in the room, you might have noticed, it's square.
00:44Now, that might put a few people off.
00:46I actually quite like the visual.
00:47I like the straight lines.
00:48They do a lot for me in terms of alignment, and I actually really enjoy that.
00:51Now, this was in the bag of players like Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els at the time,
00:56so he was actually a really popular driver on tour.
00:59Now, the tech story behind this is a super high MOI, so they put a lot of weight back
01:04to create a really stable driver on mishits, so really, really forgiving.
01:09But as a high-speed player, generally higher MOI drivers, I can spin a bit more,
01:13so I can get a little bit excessive spin.
01:15So it'll be interesting to see how that pans out in the testing.
01:18To explain the MOI a little bit, I always like the analogy of,
01:21if I tried to push you over, and you were just stood like this,
01:24it's going to be fairly easy for me.
01:25If all of a sudden you put a foot back, and you've got more weight and stability back,
01:29you're going to be more stable and more difficult to push over.
01:32So that's the principle behind the FTI.
01:34I'm going to head to the range, get a few away, and get some initial impressions.
01:37Okay, so we've come down to the range now at the Oxfordshire Golf Club,
01:40and it's probably a good time to introduce what we're comparing the FTI to.
01:43So we've got the standard Callaway Paradigm.
01:46When you put them down beside one another, the contrast in looks is pretty stark.
01:50Obviously, the FTI is square, so there's a huge difference straightaway,
01:54but when you put them down next to each other,
01:56you've got the standard Callaway Paradigm.
01:58So, the standard Callaway Paradigm,
02:00when you put them down next to each other,
02:02you've got the standard Callaway Paradigm.
02:05So there's a huge difference straightaway,
02:06but also the face is quite on set from the hosel.
02:09The hosel goes in quite a long way behind the face, which is quite an interesting look.
02:13So yeah, two very, very different looking drives.
02:15I'm going to hit a couple away now to start to get an idea of the feel and the sound from the FTI.
02:20So, first of all, acoustically, pretty audible there.
02:25It's a very loud noise that comes off the face.
02:28I hope that was picked up on screen, because that is a very, very loud sound.
02:31And it did feel quite, almost like a hollow quality to it.
02:35Quite, yeah, it's quite unique.
02:37So let's have another go.
02:42So, I've got the standard Callaway Paradigm.
02:44I've got the standard Callaway Paradigm.
02:46I've got the standard Callaway Paradigm.
02:49So, yeah, I really hope you can pick that up on the audio, because it is pretty offensive.
02:57We've got a few people on the range here.
02:58I hope I'm not disturbing their practice with that noise.
03:01So, yeah, let's compare and contrast the Paradigm.
03:04So it should be a very different feel.
03:05So, yeah, that's just a completely different gravy in terms of feel.
03:19Much more muted, a much deeper sensation off the face.
03:23It's really, really very different.
03:25So I think it feels a lot more sophisticated than its older counterpart.
03:28But it'll be interesting to see how the performance goes.
03:30So, probably at this point, it's a good time to pop up some data on the screen
03:35and have a little chat about what we saw when testing the two.
03:38So, as you'll probably see here, FDI had a significant amount more spin,
03:43which is probably to do with the MOI, the increased MOI on the clubhead weight back,
03:47increasing that spin, increasing the stability and reducing curvature,
03:51which also alludes to why it's probably a little bit tighter in dispersion.
03:55As you can see from the Paradigm, ball speed up, spin down.
03:58So it's getting a lot more carry distance and total distance out of it.
04:02But, yeah, some interesting numbers to compare there.
04:03Let's see how it goes on the course.
04:05Okay, so I'm going to start with the FTI,
04:07and the 10th hole is a little dogleg right, longish par 4.
04:11So I'm just going to hit a couple away, take some data and see where we are.
04:20Little fade, started left side, cutting back.
04:24Just going to make the fairway quite floaty.
04:28Now, these balls are marked with an F, so I can check where they end up down the fairway.
04:32Well, hopefully the fairway.
04:42Very similar to the first one, could be on top of it, in fact.
04:46Again, seeing a fair bit of spin.
04:49Let's go again.
04:51Just a touch further left than the other two, so we're going to stay on the left semi.
04:55But really similar flight window.
04:58Okay, so let's hit a couple away now with the Paradigm and see how that compares.
05:01It's worth noting that there is a slightly stiffer shaft in this.
05:04This is extra stiff as opposed to the stiff in the FTI.
05:07And we're very similar in loft, this is 9 and that's 9.5.
05:10But worth noting that the Paradigm is a little bit more stiff.
05:13So we're going to stay on the left semi, but really similar flight window.
05:16Okay, so let's hit a couple away now with the Paradigm and see how that compares.
05:19But worth noting those differences.
05:21So let's see how it goes.
05:30A little out the heel, just started straight,
05:32cutting onto the right edge of the fairway, that one.
05:35A little bit more fade than the FTI.
05:40Let's go again.
05:50Okay, that's pretty comparable line-wise to the ones I hit with FTI.
05:54Again, just down the left half of the fairway there.
05:57Certainly lower in spin, it was a bit more of a penetrating ball flight.
06:03Let's try a last one.
06:10Yeah, similar to the first one there.
06:13A little bit of an overfade, started straight,
06:15just going to the right edge of the fairway.
06:17It'll be interesting to see where those are distance-wise.
06:20Okay, so we've come down the hole to actually see where those shots have ended up now.
06:23I've already taken a look at the data and there were some interesting points.
06:26Probably most notably, we had ball speed, spin and carry distance.
06:31And I'll get onto that in just a moment.
06:32But firstly, if you can see here, I've got quite a nice tight grouping with the FTI.
06:36I've got two on the bank and one just probably five or six yards further right up the fairway.
06:40A really nice tight grouping.
06:42But what I did notice is with the additional spin that the FTI was creating,
06:47curvature was minimal.
06:48So that's great if you are trying to hit a straight shot.
06:50I was setting up for a cut here.
06:52So if you are thinking of going to a higher MOI driver or a square driver like FTI,
06:56you might want to start sort of reconsidering some start lines and where to set the ball out.
07:01Because they started great exactly where I was aiming,
07:03but didn't deviate as much as I would hope.
07:05When you go over to the Paradigm, moving up the hole here,
07:08I've got two in the fairway over there on the far corner.
07:11So they actually cut with the shape of the hole like I wanted to.
07:13It had a little bit less backspin, which helps you facilitate a little bit more curvature.
07:18It stops, it sort of allows the spin axis to be altered more.
07:21And when you've got a lot of spin with FTI,
07:23that spin axis is more difficult to manipulate and more difficult to shape the ball.
07:28So that's worth thinking about.
07:29I've got a further Paradigm that's just a bit over that hill.
07:32So there was more ball speed on Paradigm.
07:34We're talking up to, like I said, five miles an hour with some of the shots,
07:38which has translated to about a 10-yard difference in overall distance.
07:42So something worth noting there.
07:44But yeah, if you are looking for a straight-hitting machine,
07:47FTI seems to be doing a really good job for me.
07:49Okay, so the Callaway Fusion FTI, what did we find?
07:52Well, if you're looking for distance,
07:54there is more available from a more modern equivalent
07:56in the Paradigm that we tested, for example.
07:59But if you're playing a shorter, tighter golf course and you're on a budget,
08:02we've got a real fairway-finding machine here.
08:04Loads of spin, loads of MOI and plenty of safety to keep it in play.
08:08So in that sense, it really does stack up against its modern-day counterpart.
08:11For $63.99, it's a real bargain in the right circumstances.
08:16So check out the description below.
08:17Go and have a look at Golf Clubs for Cash for some other best pre-loved equipment.
08:21And that's it from me from the Oxfordshire Golf Club.
08:23See you next time.
08:34you