By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Images Courtesy of Fister Golf

CHARLESTON, SC – “I’m not really competing with the big boys here, I don’t have the marketing budget,” said three-time world long-drive champion Sean “The Beast” Fister, in describing how he hopes to get a leg-up on the competition in selling his driver designs.

Fister’s humble answer and practical aspirations provide some insight into his likely success, namely the ability to admit that he can’t realistically “compete” with OEM’s that produce golf clubs by the thousands and probably refer to sales in “units” rather than single clubs.

But in Fister’s case, he’s got a much smaller focus, that being to design and manufacture drivers only (at least for now, though I didn’t ask if he plans to expand throughout the bag), and specifically to create drivers that do what he’s always done – hit it long.

Sean Fister

Fister’s most recent design is the Model I, which is a pretty traditional looking driver, at least at address. A nice piece of work, for sure, but how does someone – even a long-drive champ – go about designing and building a driver from scratch?

It turns out that Fister’s more than up to the job. “I learned a great deal about designing drivers during my 12-year sponsorship with Dunlop Golf and was very involved in the designs that helped me win two of my three world long drive titles in the open division.”

Fister continues, “The Model I is actually my second design. The Punisher 450 came out in late 2009, which was a very good driver but I wanted to design something with new technology. Without going into too many proprietary details, I visited foundries in China and found some new processes in face construction in Japan and worked with some top quality designers to develop the Accordion Compression Chamber, which is also proprietary.”

Turn the Model I upside-down and you’ll see the Accordion Compression Chamber Fister mentioned, which according to the website, is a series of three cavities (that look like an accordion) designed to absorb and redistribute the stress forces, typically encountered at impact, away from the face of the clubhead.

The result is a smoother energy transfer that minimizes hook and slice causing sidespin. In addition, the Accordion Compression Chamber reduces backspin, providing a more penetrating ball flight and a shallower angle of descent for more fairway roll.

That sounds all well and good, but what does it do for the Model I’s performance?

Again, Fister provides the answer. “I know the Model I is just as good as any driver out there and the driver speaks for itself when a golfer swings it. We have tested the Model I against most of the leading drivers and it has held its own consistently. The ball stays in the air longer on a line and hits the ground running and I like that and am sure that Joe Golfer likes it too.”

Without a doubt. As “Joe Golfers” ourselves, the most outstanding feature we noticed in the Model I was its straight ball-flight – to our untrained eyes, one of the straightest drivers we’ve ever tried. That’s not to say we were always in the fairway, but the ball didn’t slice nearly as much with this driver, and the dreaded hook never showed up at all.

Fister said the straight flight is due primarily to the Model I’s containing a forged club face. He selected SP 700 Titanium for the face, which is, in his opinion, the best grade of titanium used in a driver face.

“Most companies don't possess the capability to forge SP700 and I found a way to do it -- and the result is an extremely strong face that is at the absolute cutting edge of driver face technology,” Fister added.

You also might expect that Fister would try to make the Model I standout because of juiced-up looks or other non-traditional features, but not so. “I wanted to go with a more traditional looking shape that was easier on the eye. I think golf companies today are going too far with all the bells and whistles that become trendy for a short time. I have listened to a lot of golfers that just prefer a classic looking head that performs, and that is the Model I,” Fister explained.

Another nice feature of Fister’s Model I is the shaft, which comes standard with Fujikura Motore F1 or F3 models as well as the Fujikura Fuel shaft on request. These high quality shafts allow Fister to assess what’s best for your individual preferences.

And with Sean Fister, everyone gets that kind of personal attention. “I assemble every driver myself and welcome input from the customer. I try to have a conversation about what they are looking for in their game off the tee and the challenges they face.”

“I have spent the last 20 years searching for every possible yard I can get and finding the right specs in my equipment played a significant role in achieving that. I take that experience and try to fit my customer with what I feel will help them and it's been working great… and many times, I make a new friend in the process.”

It’s not hard to see how Fister would be racking-up friends like he did yards in long-drive competitions. As alluded to above, the Fister Model I driver is quite a performer. We don’t scientifically test clubs, but we have little to complain about in terms of distance and ball-flight with the Model I.

We can’t say for sure, but for those who desire a lot of workability in their drivers, you may want to consider something else. For those looking for competitive distance (with other top drivers) along with straight and consistent tee shots, the Fister Model I should be something you’d look at.

For us, the ball seemed to stay in the air longer using the Model I, and when conditions permitted (we’ve played a lot of very wet courses lately), even offered some roll after landing. Most drivers these days seem geared towards launching it high, but also appear to spin too much – killing the roll.

In other words, we were very pleased with the Fister Model I, and would recommend that you take a chance on something that isn’t necessarily available in your local store.

We’ll let Fister conclude. “If you want a driver that gets you a club or two closer to the green, stop looking. Go to Fistergolf.com and I'll make sure you get what you need. Our 30 day money back guarantee should tell you all you need to know about my confidence in how the Model I performs.”

Words that only “The Beast” would truly be willing to backup.