So I’ve had 45 holes now with the Seven Dreamers Matrix shaft with the Grand Prix One Minute.
To begin, I’m very familiar with my GPOM 10* which I;ve had for quite a while and shafted with the excellent made for Muziik by Fujikura MAVC 80T. That for the longest time was my most predictable, go to driver for new unfamiliar courses or when I’m not playing that well. The only gripe I had with that is the ball blight is a tad (TAD) high but that is what the GPOM is designed to do. It’s not a low low head.
Then a forummer got in touch with me just before X’mas to ask if I was interested in this…. I;ve always been interested in the 7D, the concept, the materials but ….. I’ll come back to that…. So of course I said , sure, why not. Don’t know much about the shaft but am told it’s a balanced model, 60 plus gram and mid kick. The latter 2 attributes suit me so what the heck…
Got it just before the New Year and managed to get 9 holes in on New Year’s day. First hit was… hmmm… pretty darn solid feel this farkin shaft…. Through the 5 holes on a course where it is absolutely necessary to hit it on line and on some holes into a 2/3 club wind by estimation it performed very well… but WTF… this shaft ain;t designed for me
. What was apparent were 3 attributes : it did lower the ball flight compared to the MAVC.. not night and day but lowER.. and it excels into the wind which is great for me as I tend to hit the ball high and struggle with shots into wind. Third, this is a tight vixen.. tight! She probably has the best dispersion of any shaft I’ve tried. Now, the Mavc, and Basi AAA and Alpha are great dispersion wise but I think this particular 7D, whatever the design is, is just that bit tighter. The virgin of virgins!
So the next 18 holes on a very familiar course, the same 3 attributes persisted. Given the soggy nature of the course just a week ago, it was hard to judge run but even then, there was some run. Carry seemed about the same as the others so distance wise, no Mr Boombastic. Soggy course.. no problem.. its all ok.
Today, another 18 on the same familiar course. Course and fairways much drier today. Dispersion was less impressive due to operator error but when I finally started swinging well, that strong ballistic flight into head wind came back. This combo seems to have that but more hang time and it’s not a ballooning thing. The trajectory is strong. There is definitely run with this combo and although it didn’t feel like it, its sneaky long. Is it the longest combo? No! But it was up there for a couple of holes!
What I can add now as less then good for a shaft of this reverence by some (seller and owners) is the feel. Can’t describe it but it just doesn’t feel (sure subjective) that good to me and definitely not as good and smooth as the 80T Basi shafts and the MAVC. Not a biggy but when you pay this much, I guess you do want it to feel good as well and feel adds that extra dimension of excellence to what makes a shaft great.
So the question… will I actually get one fitted to me? I hoe enough to get a few anyways. If I happen to be in Tokyo and stumble upon their premise by chance, maybe but will I go out of my way to get one? Likely not. Why? So I mentioned above I’m really interested in 7D, their pitch, materials but I won’t do it more because of me. Much of their CVP is premised upon personal fitting to me and the head. Therein lie 2 reasons why it won’t work for me.
First, my swing is just not that consistent and can vary during a round. There is no guarantee how I swing (never mind that I’m conscious I’m being measured) at 7D will be liked how I swing in course. I know it should but I’m not that confident about that. So for me, unlike some, my swing lacks consistency and I;m not likely to benefit that much from that aspect. In addition, how much the studio fitting takes into consideration wind, humidity, and all the other stuff that affects the round on a real course…. ?
Second, it’s fit to a particular head… I mean come on! This is me! Keep a head for 2 years? Yeah right! Get real.
So it’s a good shaft.. no, a very good shaft in fact… but due to the lack of feel which is subjective, its just not a great shaft. Maybe if it was fit for me, I;d like it more halo effect notwithstanding. ;DDo I regret getting it? No. I;m keeping the combo together actually. Worth the money.. damn.. don’t ask me that… I think it’s a silly question. Answer that for yourself as it’s your coin and you decide what is worth the money to you. It sure as heck won’t get you another 30 yards though but neither will another shaft.
So 45 holes with this very good combo .. but that has not been the hero of those 2 ½ rounds.. will leave that for another review.
