EQUIPMENT REVIEW

'Movable weights' on
new Adams driver
won't cure your slice,
but it's still a fine club

By Tim McDonald,
National Golf Editor

(April 29, 2005) - We should probably settle one thing right off the bat, or the driver, as the case is here. The relatively new "movable-weight" technology coming out in drivers these days probably won't cure your slice or hook.

A minority of golfers who have used these drivers say it will, but most - including me - have not found that to be the case.

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I tested the new Adams Redline RPM 430Q, one of the Adams line of drivers. I wanted to test it because of three reasons: I love my Adams Redline 3-wood, Adams drivers get consistently good reviews and the Adams people say the 430Q is the first driver to combine three of the hottest new technologies in golf club design for drivers: movable weights, composite crowns and oversized heads.

The movable-weight technology is the one that interested me the most. I tested the club on the driving range over the course of weeks and on at least five different courses. The result: This is one fine driver, but I still sliced it, no matter what configuration I used with the weights.

The problem, as I see it, with movable weights is that the theory assumes the drive will be struck straight and true. If you do, then turning the correct screws will help you work the ball right to left or left to right, depending on what you want to do.

But golfers aren't robots and if your swing is flawed, you're out of luck. Golf manufacturers are falling all over themselves to build the perfect driver that even the worst golfer can hit straight, but alas, there is no cure for a flawed swing.

In other words, if you hit a slice, tuning the weights to hit a draw - or vice-versa - probably won't straighten you out. At least it didn't for me.

So now we have drivers that come with owner's manuals. The TaylorMade r7 Quad was the first to make the movable weights technology popular and other manufacturers have followed suit. The Redline RPM 430Q has six different weight configurations designed to give different launch conditions and "center of gravity" locations.

"This allows for customized launch conditions and provides maximum distance and accuracy," Adams says.

Your owner's manuals gives you six choices: neutral high and neutral low - which is supposed to let you hit it straight and either higher or lower - "soft" draw and "super" draw, and "soft" fade and "super fade." The club also comes with a special tool that is used to turn the screws; it's basically a screwdriver.

I tried them all many different times and, to my surprise, the only configuration I found that helped me was tuning it to the neutral low. This is because, unlike most amateur golfers, I tend to hit my drives too high.

The other technologies I found to be helpful. The composite crown works. It's made of carbon and titanium, instead of simply titanium, a melding that is also becoming popular with manufacturers. Carbon, or graphite, is lighter than titanium and allows makers to move weight to a lower and deeper position in the club, thus enabling you to get the ball up higher and quicker with supposedly less spin. Still, my slices bounded off to the right like a scared jackrabbit.

As far as the sound, I also differ here from other golfers who have complained. I like the sound, sort of like a college slugger slamming a fastball with an aluminum bat. The reason is that the carbon changes the frequency of the vibration waves as they shoot through the club.

Actually, I don't really care that much about sound, as long as I hit get good distance with reasonable accuracy. I hit the 430Q longer than any other driver I've used.

As far as forgiveness, I didn't find the 430Q to be any more or less forgiving than similar drivers with over-sized heads. But, when you combine all three - the movable weights (for me, the neutral low), the composite crown and the oversized head - I would definitely recommend this club.

The driver became available in February in golf shops and sells for a suggested retail price of $450, which makes it cheaper than the r7 Quad, but in line with most other top, brand-name drivers.

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.