Adams Insight XTD a3 Driver Golf Club

I just received this club yesterday, so this review may be premature, but my experience with it at the range yesterday surpassed my expectations.

The feel of the a3 is really nice--it's surprisingly light, but it doesn't "disappear" in your hands. The shaft is a little long, in my opinion, but it doesn't feel unwieldy when you swing it. At address, the head is surprisingly unobtrusive. I thought that I was going to have a bit of difficulty looking down at a large, square head, but I didn't find it a problem at all. In fact, the head doesn't even look that large and I really didn't even notice the squareness (I'm not sure, but I think the edges may be more rounded on this club than on other square heads - you'd have to research that). Anyways, if anything, I liked the squareness of the head because it makes it made me feel like I was "squared to the target."

But it is the performance of the club that has me blown away. The feeling on contact is soft, but solid. You feel like you have actually hit a golf ball, unlike a few of the large titanium heads I have felt. The sound is a little louder than other drivers, but not much. It just sounds like you have hit a ball hard. It is nowhere near the sound of a SUMO. But it is the ball flight that I really liked. It was high, but not ballooning. It has a nice arc that I would still describe as "piercing." And here's the best part: I have always laughed when I have heard companies say that "this driver is the longest and the straightest"--I believed that it is the operator that determines those things--but this claim may actually be justified with this driver. (Even though it this may be an operator thing in this case as well...this driver may just be well-suited to me.)

I have owned about 6 different drivers, and have struggled with all of them. I play the low-80s, but usually get there with about 6 penalty strokes off the tee. I am also not terribly long off the tee, averaging in the 245-250 range (even though I hit my irons quite long: 9-irons about 150, 3-iron 215). But the first ball I hit with the XTD a3 hit about three-quarters of the way up the net at the end of our driving range (and that's with a range ball). And even better, it almost hit the pole with the 235 sign on it, which I was aiming at. With my other drivers, I am lucky to hit the net, and when I do, it is rarely more 1/5 of the way up it. It's also rare that it hits the net that close to my target line. I proceeded to hit about 20 consecutive balls almost as long as the first and every one of them straight (though a faded a couple). Three of my balls actually hit the pole!

I'm excited.

This driver launches ball straight and long. No, it will not give you 50 yards longer drives. I don't know how a driver can give someone that much of an improvement. But this one gives me a lot of confidence and as a result, I can swing it faster. It makes a great sound when hit right. It is not loud at all. Very expensive Aldila DVS as a standard is great. Aldila DVS is a very stable shaft without being too stiff. Another excellent product from Adams just like its Idea Pro hybrid clubs.

My problem has never been distance but rather holding the ball straight down the fairway. The shape of the Adams driver encourages you to keep the swing plane and driving face coming through straight on the ball. Slices and hooks are much more uncommon with this driver. And honestly, I don't feel like I'm losing any distance either. It's the only driver I use and fyi I'm an 8 handicap.

I recently purchaces an Adam Insight XTD a3 driver with the stiff shaft for $92 with free shipping, which had me stoked. The first time I took it to the driving range I could not hit a straight shot and was a bit disappointed but realized I just had to adjust to the 46" shaft, so went back a few times before I actually hit the course and was pleasantly surprised. I have played an couple rounds since then and this club has been awesome, very long and straight. Still wants to fade right if I don't set up my swing properly, but most of the time it hits the fairway. I would definately recommend this club to anyone, especially if you can find one for such a great price.

This is a square driver that sets up beautifully (no closed face); the somewhat rounded edges make it look less radically different from traditional drivers than other square models I have tried. I find it very straight (square drivers have a high MOI so this is to be expected), gets a great trajectory, is somewhat workable, and gets about the same distance as my Callaway FT-3 and a 2007 Burner that I used until recently. I am not a long hitter but find this driver easy to hit straight with no oss of distance, possibly a slight gain, from other models I have tried. It has a very solid feel and the stock shaft (Aldila DVS) is great. I am playing a senior (A) flex but it plays like the regular flex in Callaway (NVS-R), possibly because the nano tubes in the shaft strengthen it.
I rate this the equal of other top drivers and possibly superior for directional control without loss of distance. Original price of $299 has recently been lowered to $169 --a very reasonable price for this excellent product.