2019 MGS Most Wanted Driver (Results!)

[cnosil]

What we don't know is if the testers are the same. Different testers=different Swing speeds=different distances. 

 

New testers every year and probably change more than people think. I tested last year and overall my swing speeds were faster this year than last year. Was it the driver or was it me? Did I have better contact this year or last year. Last year I was in the 100-105 range; this year was more like 105-110. Make if it what you want, but it not really hard to compare last year to this year.

[Golfspy_CG2]

2 hours ago, cnosil said:

The results didn’t really shock me, but I was one of the testers. I haven’t looked at the results in detail but After each of my sessions I sent my summary to@golfspy_cg2 and he can confirm that the flash and M6 were near the top of my list and that the PXG was forgiving.

Pretty much every driver tested is too notch and you wouldn’t go wrong with any choice even if you picked one up off the rack. Our own biases and fitting will be what makes one seem better than another.

While all the drivers are goid, I am still sticking with the G400 max currently in my bag.

Yep...You most certainly did say those were two that had great results for you.

7 minutes ago, GB13 said:

What we don't know is if the testers are the same. Different testers=different Swing speeds=different distances. 

Actually they expanded the pool of testers this year and added a few more slower swing speed testers.  So if the data shows a 7 yard increase over 2018, that makes it even more impressive. 

[PMookie]

With roughly 13.6 yards difference in all of the drivers it is safe to say if you get properly fit that you will have a good driver in your hands.  Only 11.4 yards of difference in carry.  This just stresses the need to get fit correctly.  I wonder what the 2018 driver test and 2019 driver test look like side by side.
 
If i looked at this correctly:
2018 Longest Carry - 219.00
2019 Longest Carry - 223.74
2018 Longest Total - 233.01
2019 Longest Total - 240.74
 
7 yards over one year is a good jump.  I believe i looked at this data right.  Someone correct me if i am wrong.

And this is just with stock shafts... It’s possible that with aftermarket shafts, and proper fitting, folks can get 10 yards. I saw 10-11 yard increase with the PXG 0811 X with a Graphite Design shaft that wasn’t stock.

I am just like others, shocked, at FSZ, and M6. Greater distance, reduced dispersion, and consistency of distance would be the only way I change. It’s going to be interesting to see the breakdown by swing speed as what’s at the top usually changes. When thinking about TXG and others, I’m waiting to see if Cobra and Mizzy move-up because the folks that saw all of the ball speed gains were guys well over 105 mph.



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[Golfspy_CG2]

Count me among the surprised as well.   I had really heard mixed things on the Epic Flash, I heard some that had great results with it, and some that had less than good results.    So I was expecting PING/TM or Cobra to take the top spot. 

On the other end of the spectrum, I was kind of surprised that the Bridgestone JGR finished as low as it did.   Anyone that followed my review of that club in the Bridgestone JGR testing may recall I said it was probably the best driver--for me--that I hit all last year.   

I'm not discouraged by the PING not winning, even though I have a 410 on the way, I'm sure it will be a very solid driver for me.   I will be attending a Callaway event the second week of March with a chance to try out the line there.  I'll definitely hit both versions of the Epic Flash and see first hand how they do for me. 

[Golfspy_CG2]

1 minute ago, PMookie said:

And this is just with stock shafts... It’s possible that with aftermarket shafts, and proper fitting, folks can get 10 yards. I saw 10-11 yard increase with the PXG 0811 X with a Graphite Design shaft that wasn’t stock.

I am just like others, shocked, at FSZ, and M6. Greater distance, reduced dispersion, and consistency of distance would be the only way I change. It’s going to be interesting to see the breakdown by swing speed as what’s at the top usually changes. When thinking about TXG and others, I’m waiting to see if Cobra and Mizzy move-up because the folks that saw all of the ball speed gains were guys well over 105 mph.



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Yep, as always I eaglerly await the breakdown by swing speed, as I know I'm not any where near the swing speed of @cnsoil  he has one of the best combinations of speed and rhythm that I've seen.  

[null]

Really not surprised that the Epic Flash SZ won. It's a low spin distance monster. 

But it shows the importance of knowing your own swing and what works for you. For me, a driver that spins that low (and even lower on high toe strikes) is simply not gameable for me. 

[StrokerAce]

...sometimes I wish that in order to read articles like this (best ___ club of 2019) required you to click on a statement that it is in your best interest to get a fitting no matter what, in order to read the article. 

I can see some guys shelling out big bucks for the EFSZ and wondering what the heck MGS was thinking when they did their testing...

[GolfSpy Dave]

5 hours ago, GB13 said:

I. Am. Shocked.

Meh, I called it back in January

https://twitter.com/golfspy_dave/status/1100027361800536065

[null]

No better day than Most Wanted Driver results day to make a donation to MGS! Support future testing! 

[Jmikecpa]

I am a bit surprised that the Epic Flash SZ won and heck I have one in my bag.  That being said it is a solid driver but not really a game changer for me from the original Epic SZ in terms of distance.  I will say that the dispersion is a lot better and I can now turn it over a bit easier when I want to hit the high draw bomb ball.  I will also agree with the comment on the sound, this thing is just crazy loud and to the point that I was making people at the bar jump when I was hitting it at Top Golf yesterday.

[THEZIPR23]

20 minutes ago, Jmikecpa said:

I am a bit surprised that the Epic Flash SZ won and heck I have one in my bag.  That being said it is a solid driver but not really a game changer for me from the original Epic SZ in terms of distance.  I will say that the dispersion is a lot better and I can now turn it over a bit easier when I want to hit the high draw bomb ball.  I will also agree with the comment on the sound, this thing is just crazy loud and to the point that I was making people at the bar jump when I was hitting it at Top Golf yesterday.

I have never cared about the sound or even the feel of a club, just the results. However when I hit the Flash it is almost startling...even for the one hitting it. 

[PING Apologist #9]

20 minutes ago, THEZIPR23 said:

I have never cared about the sound or even the feel of a club, just the results. However when I hit the Flash it is almost startling...even for the one hitting it. 

I didn't think so myself until one day at the range with my old G driver, I was getting some weird looks...Maybe there was something wrong with it, but damn...the report off that thing would just shatter fillings and make dogs bark miles away....After demo-ing the G400, I realized that sound does matter-at least to my ears (and teeth!).

PS: No dogs or other small mammals were harmed by my usage of the PING G driver.

PPS: 4 out of 5 Dentists recommend the PING G Driver

[romeopapazulu]

2 hours ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

Count me among the surprised as well.   I had really heard mixed things on the Epic Flash, I heard some that had great results with it, and some that had less than good results.    So I was expecting PING/TM or Cobra to take the top spot. 

On the other end of the spectrum, I was kind of surprised that the Bridgestone JGR finished as low as it did.   Anyone that followed my review of that club in the Bridgestone JGR testing may recall I said it was probably the best driver--for me--that I hit all last year.   

I'm not discouraged by the PING not winning, even though I have a 410 on the way, I'm sure it will be a very solid driver for me.   I will be attending a Callaway event the second week of March with a chance to try out the line there.  I'll definitely hit both versions of the Epic Flash and see first hand how they do for me. 

I haven't hit any of these, but I thought I had heard more "meh" about the Epic Flash than the others.

At least the GB Packers will have one win this year...

[cnosil]

2 hours ago, THEZIPR23 said:

I have never cared about the sound or even the feel of a club, just the results. However when I hit the Flash it is almost startling...even for the one hitting it. 

I think I got over the sound of a driver after owning and playing a Cleveland Hi-Bore.  

[PMookie]

Sound. Everyone hated the G30; I LOVED it!!!


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[FrogginBullfish]

I was shocked that PXG took the most forgiveness category. It could be ignorance, but I just don't associate forgiveness with that brand...

That would be ignorance. PXG's Gen 1 0811XF driver matched the G400 Max at 5700 Iyy and their Gen 2 eclipsed it at the legal limit of 5900 and combined over 10000, first to ever cross that threshold. I fully expect Ping to match with the G410 Max whenever that comes out, but PXG will always be the first to get there without having to resort to square heads.

Their low-spin offerings won't be as forgiving but they're not designed to be. Those two things don't go hand in hand but even then their MOI on the 0811X Gen 2 is right there with the Epic Flash range around 4400 to 4800 Iyy.

Then there's the hollow TPE/COR2 filled cavity in the irons that are designed to help with off-centre strikes while improving feel and the signature tungsten screws placed in key locations to stretch the weight to the perimeter which improves MOI. They had 3 offerings in Gen 1 and 4 with Gen 2, including the gigantic 0311 SGIs, all aimed at different player categories with various levels of forgiveness, but even their T irons can be played comfortably by mid or higher handicappers despite the blade like size and offset.

Don't forget PXG's lead engineers are formally Ping. The goal with PXG is to take the mishit out of the game, and based on this year's Most Wanted testing results with 0811XF, they're mostly succeeding with that.

The only con listed was a drop in ball speed, which is almost a given with how far back they stretched the CG and the MOI numbers. Even then though it was only 1.65mph behind the leader in the TS3, and demonstrated incredibly consistent ball speed, outstanding carry consistency and extremely tight dispersion while winning in looks and feel.

This is a MASSIVE win for PXG.

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[GB13]

1 hour ago, PMookie said:

Sound. Everyone hated the G30; I LOVED it!!!


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You're not alone. I loved the sound of the PING G30 too. I like my drivers to be loud! Which is odd because I talk really quietly. Doesn't fit my personality super well. 

[null]

42 minutes ago, FrogginBullfish said:

That would be ignorance. PXG's Gen 1 0811XF driver matched the G400 Max at 5700 Iyy and their Gen 2 eclipsed it at the legal limit of 5900 and combined over 10000, first to ever cross that threshold. I fully expect Ping to match with the G410 Max whenever that comes out, but PXG will always be the first to get there without having to resort to square heads.

Their low-spin offerings won't be as forgiving but they're not designed to be. Those two things don't go hand in hand but even then their MOI on the 0811X Gen 2 is right there with the Epic Flash range around 4400 to 4800 Iyy.

Then there's the hollow TPE/COR2 filled cavity in the irons that are designed to help with off-centre strikes while improving feel and the signature tungsten screws placed in key locations to stretch the weight to the perimeter which improves MOI. They had 3 offerings in Gen 1 and 4 with Gen 2, including the gigantic 0311 SGIs, all aimed at different player categories with various levels of forgiveness, but even their T irons can be played comfortably by mid or higher handicappers despite the blade like size and offset.

Don't forget PXG's lead engineers are formally Ping. The goal with PXG is to take the mishit out of the game, and based on this year's Most Wanted testing results with 0811XF, they're mostly succeeding with that.

The only con listed was a drop in ball speed, which is almost a given with how far back they stretched the CG and the MOI numbers. Even then though it was only 1.65mph behind the leader in the TS3, and demonstrated incredibly consistent ball speed, outstanding carry consistency and extremely tight dispersion while winning in looks and feel.

This is a MASSIVE win for PXG.

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Someone is sure passionate about the PXG brand. 

[FrogginBullfish]

Someone is sure passionate about the PXG brand. 

I'm a firm believer in what they're doing.

I worked on an iron design of my own as a learning exercise for my capstone design project during my last year of engineering at university and PXG was one of the companies that I was inspired by with their tech.

I know a lot of people don't like PXG for their brash ads and high prices but I'm a believer, regardless of the price point

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[revkev]

The results didn’t really shock me, but I was one of the testers. I haven’t looked at the results in detail but After each of my sessions I sent my summary to[mention=65448]golfspy_cg2[/mention] and he can confirm that the flash and M6 were near the top of my list and that the PXG was forgiving.

Pretty much every driver tested is too notch and you wouldn’t go wrong with any choice even if you picked one up off the rack. Our own biases and fitting will be what makes one seem better than another.

While all the drivers are goid, I am still sticking with the G400 max currently in my bag.

And this is always would I’d love to see. Get our results and then take the same testers and do top 3 from the last three years head to head. Let’s see if there’s actually a gain. It took me until this past year to find any head/shaft that topped my G30.


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[newballcoach]

19 hours ago, jacustomgolf said:

With roughly 13.6 yards difference in all of the drivers it is safe to say if you get properly fit that you will have a good driver in your hands.  Only 11.4 yards of difference in carry.  This just stresses the need to get fit correctly.  I wonder what the 2018 driver test and 2019 driver test look like side by side.

  

 If i looked at this correctly:

2018 Longest Carry - 219.00

2019 Longest Carry - 223.74

2018 Longest Total - 233.01

2019 Longest Total - 240.74

  

7 yards over one year is a good jump.  I believe i looked at this data right.  Someone correct me if i am wrong.

The dangers of comparing these is that the testing group may not be the same. The differences could be related to a few tester changes, or even the improvement of stock shafts in the 2019 models. Hard to compare head vs. head. But I like where yours is at!

 

Edit: FWIW, a quick look at the numbers has one less driver tested this year, but approximately 15 or so less shots counted per driver. Since each tester needs to hit 10-12 good shots with each driver, that may be a measure that this years clubs were easier to hit? And number of testers appears to be equal from 2018 to 2019 (35) but it is almost certainly not the same 35. 

[newballcoach]

I have to say I loved the graphics, spec checks and little text boxes that went along with these results. Provides an interesting read as well as a chart of numbers that nerds like. If this is what our testing is going to be like in 2019, colour me excited. 

[KB13]

On 2/25/2019 at 12:16 PM, MattF said:

Colour me shocked as well. But, having said that, I think I'm going to have a red hot look at the PXG. Fortunately the place where I'll be testing and buying my new driver is a dealer for them as well as pretty much every other brand.

@MattF Being from the area where do you go for fittings?! I've gone to a couple really good places in the area. 

[KB13]

When I was at a Club Champion changing out the shaft of my PXG 0811 the fitter told me that many of their customers hated the Epic - said the sound was off-putting for most.. 
He also said that the new PXG head was a bit slower than the rest of the field for 2019 - To test that, we hit the PXG, then switched to the M5 and Epic and with the latter I had about 2-3 more MPH of club head speed. 

With that said, I think what will be the most helpful is when MGS comes out with the ratings based on a players swing speed.

[Thin2win]

20 hours ago, cnosil said:

I think I got over the sound of a driver after owning and playing a Cleveland Hi-Bore.  

I still have the Hi-Bore Monster Xls in my 2nd set bag for company to use. Their first reaction to the sound on hitting it is worth keeping it for all time. 

[Thin2win]

I'm at a odd spot with this year's MW list. It isn't that I don't trust it; the F9 had been killing it on reviews, everyone knows the M2(6) line hits a long ball and Callaway constantly makes great drivers. The return of viable Titleist drivers to the top tier is welcome too. Mizuno, srixon etc, drivers are all pretty damn good these days. 

 

I love the MGS message, I'm a happy donor to the site, but this single list makes me wish that the "trust the numbers not the hype, message" was better conveyed. I'm waiting for the next step in this process where MGS has the time /resources to do the test I think many of us really want, which is the currently year product line VS prior year product line. 

 

Based on reviews, I think I could say that if you have a prior year Cobra or Titleist, and your are brand loyal, this is a good year to upgrade. Other than that... M2's can be had for $150...

 

I recall reading that Jack Nicklaus played the same driver this whole career, I'm starting to think that with manufactors hitting the spec limits, my G400 Max might get a new shaft every few years, but the club itself might be with me until the rules of golf change. 

[Golfspy_CG2]

I think one thing for everyone to remember is MGS took the results of all these drivers tested over a several week period, put them in the oven so to speak an out popped the results based on the criteria.

Many online reviewers are reviewing one club that day and in some cases comparing it to a club they may have hit 10 times several weeks or even months ago.  In my mind, it's tougher to declare something better based on that.  I mean look how close all the top drivers scored in the Most Wanted.  There really isn't a huge difference among them. So  for a reviewer to declare the F9 or M6 or whatever is the hottest or best driver he has hit this year, it's a bit disingenuous..IMO. 

[null]

I understand why people want to see comparisons vs previous years, but I think many do not realize 

How much time that would take

The resources

The storage space 

The costs 

And for what? The average golfer doesn't replace his driver year after year (it's more like every 3 to 5 years). 

The entire concept of the the testing isn't to prove that drivers go further than previous years (MGS does other tests for that). It's to provide a sort of starting point or buying guide for someone who is already looking to buy a new driver. 

[GB13]

21 minutes ago, jlukes said:

I understand why people want to see comparisons vs previous years, but I think many do not realize 

How much time that would take

The resources

The storage space 

The costs 

And for what? The average golfer doesn't replace his driver year after year (it's more like every 3 to 5 years). 

The entire concept of the the testing isn't to prove that drivers go further than previous years (MGS does other tests for that). It's to provide a sort of starting point or buying guide for someone who is already looking to buy a new driver. 

Why would that take a lot of time or resources? All we want done is, when the Most Wanted testing is happening, just have all the testers hit last years most wanted driver. Just treat it like any other driver in the test. When the data is published, just post it as last years most wanted in the data. Unless there is something I'm missing, I don't see that is it to much extra. 

[THEZIPR23]

30 minutes ago, GB13 said:

Why would that take a lot of time or resources? All we want done is, when the Most Wanted testing is happening, just have all the testers hit last years most wanted driver. Just treat it like any other driver in the test. When the data is published, just post it as last years most wanted in the data. Unless there is something I'm missing, I don't see that is it to much extra. 

35 testers X 24 drivers x 10-12 shots each =10,080 more shots each year. That's just the actual hitting of the shots. It doesn't take into account anything else. 

What MGS does is better than anything I have seen in the industry. We live in an information age and the more we get the more we want, which is fine. BUT in reality the game of golf doesn't fall into this line. EVERY swing is different and while the Most Wanted testing is wonderful it is nothing more than information. And if my swing isn't the same as your swing then the information is just background for actually testing and fitting.