My Time with the Callaway FT-5
Okay, let’s talk about the Callaway FT-5 driver. I remember getting my hands on one quite a while back. Didn’t buy it new, think I picked it up used from a buddy or maybe it was one of those end-of-season sales at the local shop. Seemed like a good deal at the time, and honestly, I just wanted to try something different.
First thing I did, naturally, was haul it out to the driving range. Grabbed a large bucket of balls. The look of it was pretty neat, that carbon top thing they had going on. Felt alright in the hands, maybe a bit lighter than what I was used to, but nothing crazy. I started swinging.
Hitting the Range Balls
My first few swings were… well, they were swings. Some went okay, reasonably straight. Others kinda ballooned up high, lost distance. And yeah, definitely hit a few ugly slices, the kind that make you wince. The sound was different too, more of a muted ‘thwack’ compared to the metallic ‘ping’ I had before. Took me a bucket just to start feeling like I was making consistent contact.
- Trying different tee heights.
- Slowing down my swing a bit.
- Focusing just on hitting the center of the face.
After a while, I started getting a better feel for it. When I caught one right, it actually felt pretty solid and the ball flight was decent. Not spectacularly long for me, but straight-ish, which is always a win.
Taking it to the Course
Range is one thing, course is another. So, next weekend, the FT-5 went in the bag for the regular Saturday game. First tee shot… nerves, you know? I just tried to put a smooth swing on it. Managed to find the fairway, maybe a bit shorter than my old driver, but safe. That was the story for a lot of the round. It felt forgiving, like even my off-center hits weren’t total disasters. They didn’t go miles offline, just lost some yards.
I remember one par 5, dogleg left. Usually, I’d try to cut the corner a bit. With the FT-5, I just aimed down the middle. Hit a solid one, right where I aimed. Didn’t have the distance to go for the green in two, but laid up nicely and made par. Maybe that was the point? It wasn’t a beast, but it kept me in play more often.
Did I Keep It?
Played with the FT-5 for maybe a season or two. It was reliable, predictable. Didn’t give me those ‘wow’ bombs, but it also didn’t produce as many penalty strokes from wild drives. Eventually, newer tech came out, stuff promising more distance (always chasing yards, right?), and I moved on. Sold the FT-5 to another guy at the club who was looking for something forgiving.
Looking back, it was a decent club for its time. Not flashy, but solid. It did what it was supposed to do – helped me find more fairways, even if it wasn’t the longest stick I ever owned. Just part of the journey, trying different gear to see what works. That FT-5 definitely had its place in my bag for a while there.
