2020 Official Member Review: Hogan GS53 driver

[StrokerAce 11,756]

the iconic swing is timeless...

the company he founded in 1953 is committed to living up to Mr. Hogan's philosophy; they manufacture clubs 'as near perfect as modern-day tools can perform'.

and now we have these 4 lucky golfers who will test and review the new Hogan GS53 driver and share their thoughts with all of you.

Join me in congratulating the following testers

@cciciora13  REVIEW
@pozzit  REVIEW
@03trdblack  REVIEW
@JScott  REVIEW

Gentlemen...we look forward to your thoughts and opinions as you provide a thorough, unbiased, independent and critical examination of this driver. Have fun!

[cciciora13 833]

The Review {6/17/20}

[Ben Hogan GS53 Driver] – Official MGS Forum Review by [Cciciora13]

Intro

First Off, I would just like to say thank you to Ben Hogan Golf, and MyGolfSpy Mods for giving me the opportunity to test the driver. I have been a long time reader of MyGolfSpy but have found a home here in the forum in my short time on it. It truly feels like a wonderful community to talk all things golf and I am glad and honored to give back to it.

My Background:

For those who don’t know me, my name is Chris. I am 26 years old and I currently reside in Chicago, IL. I am a physical therapist by trade, but have always had a love for golf.  I have golfed since the age of 5, when my dad introduced me to the game, and he continues to be my favorite playing partner. I have never received a formal lesson although I did play golf in High School and then played on the club golf team in the NCCGA (lots of drinking between rounds) at Marquette University. My girlfriend/soon to be fiancé currently resides in Milwaukee, WI which I will soon be making my home in the fall, so I play some great courses between the two spots! I used to take golf way more seriously when I played competitively, but now my goals are to just enjoy the game and try to score as best I can.

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My Game:

I’ve never carried an official handicap, but I would judge that I am between a 12-13. I typically shoot in the low 80’s for a round of 18 with a really good day getting me in at 78-79. The courses that I frequent are typically between 6300 and 6500 yards. I’ve always thought of myself as a straight hitter. I usually keep the ball in play but never was one of the longer hitters (although when I play with my dad it looks like I hit bombs LOL).  My driver swing averages between 100-105 MPH with a mid-height ball flight; I typically average around 260-265 yards off the tee. I will take accuracy over distance and that is typically my goal with the driver. This game is so much easier from the short grass. I rarely go for par 5 in two but in most instances opt to place my second shot at a manageable distance to attack the pin with my wedge. Into Par 4’s I typically hit in an 7-8-9 iron into the green, depending on the distance.

I have been told that smooth tempo swing, and when I am hitting it well, it sure feels like it. I typically hit a mid-height baby draw with my miss coming when I don’t bring my hips through and block it right, or snap my wrists and hit a hook to the left.

 

 

 

I’ve never been personally fit for a driver, or any club in the bag. I am currently gaming a 2013 Adams Speedline Super LS Driver with Stiff Mitsubishi Kuro Kage 60 g Shaft. I found a super good deal on it in 2014 from budget golf and it has been in my bag ever since. I am cost conscious when purchasing new equipment, and when I like something or hit it well, it usually stays in my bag for quite some time.       

                                                                                                           

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First Impressions:

I was very excited when the Ben Hogan GS53 driver arrived.  They asked us what specs we wanted in the driver and I requested the following as we were unable to be fit secondary to the coronavirus:

10.5* Loft

Standard Length (Height is 5 ft 10 in)

Mitsubishi Tensei CK Blue 60 Stiff (Secondary to my mid-height ball flight)

Pulling it out of the box it looked very high quality and the color scheme of the black head with the BH logo is very good looking. This club looks amazing your hands. I love how clean it looks without other gimmicks some other drivers in the market have.

             

 

 

                                                          

 

 

                                                 

Ben Hogan claims the GS53 Driver is designed to deliver maximum distance and accuracy allowed by golf’s governing bodies, and is available for about half of what you’d pay from some of the bigger brands. It has an adjustable hosel, forged face, is traditionally shaped, and has a crisp sound following a well struck drive are some of its featues. More info on website-  https://benhogangolf.com/products/gs53-driver

 

I have always been a box store (PGA Superstore), hit and then buy clubs golfer.  I was interested to see how a direct to consumer company such as BH was able to create a product that performs at an acceptional price point without the ability to try hitting it before hand. If it has Ben Hogan’s name on it, they must be quality clubs, but the biggest question I had was will they work for me, the average golfer? It will need to improve accuracy off the tee and be right around the same distance as my current gamer to earn a spot in my bag… we will see.

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It has been a great 6+ weeks testing the BH GS53 driver.  Over the testing period, I have played about 12 rounds of golf and had about 5 range sessions.  I tested the GS53 In every hosel setting and settled on the N- as the best for me. I tried to hit draws, fades, slice, hooks, low bullets and everything in between.  I was able to get the GS53 on shot tracer at the range and compare it to my gamer. I hope that my fellow forum members enjoyed following along as we posted regular updates and answered questions throughout the testing process. This process was a lot of fun to assist other golfers in seeing if this may be an option for them!

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Looks 9 out of 10 points) 

I honestly don’t think the pictures do justice on how good this club actually looks. I think this club is very sleek and stunning in your hands. The crown is black with some sparkle to it; that really pops in the sunlight. I don’t find the sparkle to be distracting but adds to the beauty of this club. The design is compact and the color scheme is very simple but “classy”. New drivers nowadays seem to come in some bizarre color schemes (Callaway Epic Flash) but the look of this is simple. I love the BH on the top of the crown for alignment and the simple Ben Hogan logo on the back. The headcover is also very cool as well.  The only issue I have is in the alignment groves on the face (which look  great), but some of the paint began to disappear after 8 rounds or so.

                                                               

                                         

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Sound & Feel (9 out of 10 points)

I found the sound of the ball coming off the face to be smooth and pleasant. It is not muted nor does it sound obnoxious or too loud like a gun going off. To me, when you hit a crisp shot, it sounds slightly deeper, like a golf shot should—a solid “whack”. I didn’t find it to have a metallic sound at all as some drivers do.

 

From a feel standpoint, I was shocked at how solid and explosive this driver seemed to be when hitting a golf shot. I could tell exactly where the face was at each point in the swing and got immediate feedback if I missed the center of the face or not based on the tone of the sound at impact. Off-center hits were not punished as severely, but you did get more of a “thwacky thinny” sound compared to a center strike. Center strikes felt like a knife going through butter. Overall, I found the sound and feel to be wonderful.

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Basic Characteristics 18 out of 20 points)

I’m going to bullet point the next section for ease of reading:

• Trajectory – To me, the trajectory was higher than my gamer, but that may be attributed to this be 10.5* of loft and my gamer being 9.5*. Both have comparable mid-launch shafts. Out of the box, on the N+ setting ) I was hitting high fades. On changing the hosel to the N- setting I was able to get back to my normal ball flight. I like the higher ball flight as it seems to increase my carry distance slightly without sacrificing total distance.
• Workability – I never really try and “work” my driver but I didn’t have any trouble hitting fades or draws with this club when I tried. Most of the time, I just try and hit the ball straight.
• Accuracy – I felt this club had great accuracy and had no problem hitting it exactly where I wanted to.  It was very reliable and with the neutral face, and I was able to consistently hit it straight or with my slight draw. Looking at my stats from two recent rounds, I hit 60% and then 78% of fairways, with a few other drives just yards off the fairway. This game is much easier from the short grass; and as a normally accurate driver this driver has improved upon that.

 

                                                            

 

 

Distance – This driver has me hitting the ball slightly further than my current gamer but with more upside. With my Adams Super Speedline LS a really great drive for me can get to the 280 yards territory. Now with the BH I have hit a few drives 285 + yards and some at 300+. I’ve hit a some bombs with this club but the best part is the distance is extremely reliable and consistent.  I practically hit the same carry numbers no matter where I miss shots on the face and the carry distance has improved. 

                         Shot Tracer

• Forgiveness – A mishit with this club will still get strong, consistent distance which tells me the ballspeed stays high on a lot of the face. Missing the center of the clubface will limit distance slightly 5-10 yards), but it will do its best to stay on line. No club can completely bail you out on bad swing, but this club provides similar forgiveness to most drivers out there.
• Adjustability – It’s super easy to adjust the club face, however there are no adjustable weights to promote a draw/cut ect. I do like the settings to change loft, and lie angle as that should be able to adjust to the majority of golfer’s swings.

                                                                                

• Pressure –This club is very, very reliable.  I’ve been able to configure the club to work perfectly with my swing which makes hitting it nearly automatic.  I know about how far shots are going to carry and can easily rely on it to carry trouble at certain distances.  It is my favorite club in the bag to hit.

Overall, I was very pleased with the clubs overall looks and consistent distance performance. It’s an accurate and reliable performer that I have no problem playing round after round with.  If I was to refine it just a little further, maybe addition of some type of weight system to promote fade/draw.

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On-Course / LM Performance 29 out of 30 points)
 

On the course is where this club really shines. The Ben Hogan GS53 is everything I want in a driver and more. As one of my fellow reviewer’s said it feels like a “surgeons scalpel”. I feel I can hit any shot that I need to when I need to do it. The slight increase in carry and total distance has allowed me to attack par 5’s in two on multiple occasions, something I rarely if ever did before. (Didn’t help my three putt that followed LOL).

I didn’t have access to an Accros or other measuring devices, so I utilized the 18birdies app to show some of my drives. The 9^th hole on our local municipal is surrounded by water and bunkers. Typically I hit 3 wood or hybrid and lay up short of the water. I felt ambitious and aimed over the water and was able to carry the water and leave a short pitch into the green! It was awesome!

 

Additionally I have now had multiple drives that I just bombed to short of the green, leading to easy pitches into the green with birdie putts. This club has easily improved my game both by improving accuracy and distance, leading to increased birdie and eagle opportunities. I would say my scores have improved by 2-3 strokes; now if only I made more of those opportunities!

 

                                                               

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Miscellaneous 9 out of 10 points)

              My buddies have consistently asked what driver I am hitting and I gladly say Ben Hogan. They even hit it and after the first hit when both found the fairway, they were hooked and hit it a few more times the rest of the round. The customer service at BH was also great as I thought my driver had a rattle to it, but the customer service rep walked me through the steps and we found out the screw was just slightly out of alignment. I just think some type of weight system would put this driver over the top.

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Play it or Trade it? 20 out of 20 points)

Absolutely this club will stay in my bag and will stay there for some time. I have never felt more confident with the driver in my hand and this club has improved by my distance and accuracy. You’ll have to pry this club out of my dead hands to get it from me!!! 

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 Conclusion

Ben Hogan hit it out of the park with the GS53 driver. It is slightly cheaper than some of the big name brands, and has both increased my accuracy and distance off the tee. With the adjustability in the hosel you can dial in the shot shape to your liking. A driver needs to give you confidence when it is in your hands and that clubs does that for me. Try one out through the demo program at BH and see if it works for you!! I’m excited to see how this club continues to benefit my game going forward.

Final Score: 94 out of 100 points)

[pozzit 790]

Hogan GS53 Driver Review - Official MGS Review by Pozzit

Intro

Before I begin I graciously want to thank MyGolfSpy Moderators and Ben Hogan Golf for the chance to review this Driver. I joined about a year ago when I read the Ball Testing article and found so many great articles and threads here. 

I am 32 and have been actively golfing for 20 years. I tend to start the year off with a lot of golf with plenty of early season and a week-long golf trip, then about once per week league the rest of summer. I have averaged low 80s for the last 5 or 6 years and am slowly chipping it away to an 80 average this year. My strengths have always been my irons and wedge play with a weakness in driving accuracy and putting. 
My swing speed is around 105mph and I have a fast transition. My biggest issue with my driver is have cut across the ball significantly. Obviously my misses are a slice or pull depending on face angle. I also have a negative attack angle so last season I had too much spin on my drives causing ballooning and losing distance. I have been trying to work on both of those over the winter but I know I haven’t been completely successful with these.

Also If anyone has picked up on this previously I am pretty stingy with my money and clubs tend not to rotate in and out of my bag very often, until this year most of my clubs were at least 8 years old. After a fitting at TrueSpec it made me realize my driver was not helping my game at all and the hunt began. I was looking in the 1-2 year old, DTC or used options so Ben Hogan was on my radar in that search. I am very thankful to test out this club. I will be using Ben Hogan in the future and at least try some demo sets.

First Impressions

Once I was selected I checked out Ben Hogans’s site to understand all my options. Ben Hogan offers 3 shafts throughout there line up, a low launch (HZRDUS Black), Mid Launch (Tensei Blue), and High Launch (UST Helium) options. I order the Driver in 9.5* with Tensei Blue X stiff shaft, I chose this since I prefer a stiffer shaft but still wanted a Mid launch shaft. They also have an online fitting tool to help make the right decision.
I was really excited for the club to arrive and once it did it was in great shape. The box also included a very nice boxing glove headcover and a tool for adjusting the head. The club itself looked great and had head weight and CT measurements on it.
Opening up the box it is a very nice looking driver there is nothing overwhelming or flashy but a great appearance. There is an incredible shimmer to the top of the crown that in the right light looks great that doesn’t appear in any of the stock photos. 

Looks (9 out of 10 points)
As mentioned before I think the head looks fantastic at address and the head shape is similar rounded shape to most of today’s best drivers and looks really good. I also really like the subtle aspects about this driver no flashy colors or polarizing looks just a great classic design. I was skeptical on how the starburst logo would look on the crown as an alignment mark but it really looks good in silver and blends nicely with the overall color scheme. The underside of the head is nice simple and classic but could benefit from some movable weights or other adjustments. 

As a whole, the club, especially in the Tensei Blue, looks fantastic with an alternating black and silver aesthetic. I would have had to love the grip have a blue accent but it does look nice. 

Sound & Feel (10 out of 10 points)
This should be an 11 this is the best sounding driver I ever remember hearing. There is a solid thwack reminiscent of a wood head but more modern and powerful. It is such a smooth feeling club, this may sound weird but I don’t feel like this club feels “hot” it just feels smooth. All the well-struck drives just felt solid but not like a trampoline.

 I was able to tell clearly where on the face I was hitting, I made sure to test out the entire face just for you readers. I had a tendency to hit slightly toe side but noticed only slight differences between severe toe vs heel strikes being a little denser sounding but still very pleasant. 

Basic Characteristics (18 out of 20 points)
I have hit this on the range, GC2, and the course. I feel very confident with this driver. I think it has a good medium height trajectory I’m not sure if that’s more due to the shaft or head but it is lower then my previous driver but cutting down the spin helped lower that flight. Like I have mentioned before I have an over the top swing, this being the case I was still able to work this driver to a draw or fade.  I messed around with a few of the closed settings (don’t want my slice getting worse) and was able to notice minor tweaks in flight which was nice to see, I landed on the “High Left” setting which is 9.5* loft 1* closed and 57.5* lie. I have felt very accurate with this driver and I would bet my dispersion has decreased significantly. I compared these on a launch monitor and although dispersion were similar distance was a definite increase by 10 yards of carry distance. Which makes me ecstatic. 

 

As for accuracy, I was trying a lot of things when on the launch monitor so didn't get any good dispersion circles to compare. I did notice that the drive had a tendency to reduce the curve i normally see so a slice was more of a push and limited actual curve of the flight I feel like that helped

On-Course Performance (27 out of 30 points)
So I have had this driver for about 2 months and just returned from a 189 hole golf trip last week so should have plenty of use on this already. 
When I first got the driver there as a little acclimated to it and the only thing that caught me off guard is although the driver is average height it looked fairly shallow at address and found myself hitting it higher on the head then my previous driver. This took a little getting used to and actually skyed 2-3 balls in the first handful of rounds. Although this takes a little getting used to I actually enjoy the result since it cuts my spin down and is more consistent to me than a lower strike. 

Like I said in the basic characteristics I feel very confident with this driver it won’t fix a bad swing (nothing will) but I am certain that a good swing through the ball will deliver great distance and on or near fairway shots. I am more cautious off the tee and will often grab a wood or hybrid if I need to keep it safe but as I have gotten used to this club the times I do that has been decreasing. Using Game Golf to measure against my previous driver and seasons this has increased my fairways hit by 5% and increased distance by 11 yrds. I have been trying to work on swing speed and upward angle of attack but it still beat my previous Ping Driver and over the life of my previous driver its been a 22 yard increase.

On top of Game Golf we all know where our “usual” misses are out on each hole of our home course. I noticed that my shots approach shots were definitely altered, less distance to the green and closer to the fairways if not in the fairway. 

Miscellaneous (8 out of 10 points)
Although I really like the boxing glove headcover I think it sits a little odd on the club at least when I’m walking it just has an odd angle but I think that’s just the way they are designed. Ben Hogan Also provides a very good detailed matrix of each of the driver settings and tool to adjust it. One final note I would like to say is having a CT measurement on the driver is an awesome little detail that I never knew I wanted.

Play it or Trade it ( 20 out of 20 points)
Yes… let me rephrase YES. Ben got his position locked in that spot. It has outperformed my current driver in just about every aspect. More distance, more accurate, better sound, less spin, great price.  If you are in the market for a new driver don't let this one get away especially if your on a tighter budget.

Conclusion
This is an overall great driver I would recommend to at least try this driver with Ben Hogans demo sets. It is a great program to get clubs on course and truly test them, also they have partnered with Club Champion for fittings so that is a huge plus (wish I could have gotten to one during this trail). The GS53 Driver has performed for me, with 5% more fairways hit and 11 yards compared to my previous driver. 

Final Score (92 out of 100 points)
 

 

Ping Over last 2 years

 

Ben Hogan GS53 Stats

[03trdblack 963]

THE Ben Hogan GS53 Driver Review – July 4th, 2020 
by 03TRDBlack

Intro

Follow me on my Instagram! @rob.c.slade  Also on Twitter @robslade.

First and foremost, I want to thank MGS yet again for the chance to review another product.  I have been lucky enough to be selected to test multiple items including the Tour Edge EXS Driver, Snell MTB Black golf balls and the SuperSpeed Golf program.

I’ve been a decent golfer since I started playing at age 14 (now 38) and even with a new born baby and COVID I’ve been playing some of the best golf of my life and carry a handicap of 0.1.  I live in NC and do most of my playing in the hot and humid Southeast region.  I’m a HUGE equipment junkie which led me to building golf clubs as soon as I started playing and I’ve been a clubmaker for over 25 years.  My favorite club has always been the driver and it’s one of the strengths of my game.

I’m a consistent ball striker and chipper but my putting can be streaky.  My swing has a very smooth tempo and even when I feel like I’m swinging all out, it still looks very smooth and lazy like an Ernie Els or Fred Couples.  I used to hover around 100 mph with a driver but now I’ve been recording 106 mph and have even steadily hit 106-112 mph in my practice sessions.  I attribute this primarily to the SuperSpeed training program.

Personal Golf Stats TLDR:

• HCDP: 0.1
• Smooth swing tempo w/ driver swing speed currently between 104-110 mph.
• Ball flight is mid trajectory with my miss being a pull fade or pull.
• Driver CARRY distance, averages 250-255 yards.
• Accurate driver of the golf ball.
• Most par 4’s I play average 400+ yards and I usually have around 150 yards or less into the greens (8 or 9 iron, playing Cobra Forged Tec irons).

First Impressions

I was super excited when the Tour Edge Exotics EXS driver arrived for testing but was even more excited to test the Hogan GS53.  There is just something so classy about this club and I was almost about to purchase it myself before being selected to test it.  The pictures on the company website (https://benhogangolf.com/products/gs53-driver) are great but it’s even more beautiful in person as you’ll see below.

Requested Specs:

-9* Loft
-45" length (-1/2" from standard)
-Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 6.0 (Stiff)

My favorite part about the Hogan website is they don’t over hype anything about this club.  In fact they specifically say, “No big hype”.  It’s a simple titanium driver with a forged face with no sliding or moveable weights, no graphite composite, no bright colors or any special internal technology.

The driver reflects Mr. Hogan perfectly in that it’s simple, understated, humble but still an incredible performer on the course.  The only real “tech” is the adjustable hosel but I would have almost preferred a glued hosel to maintain that level of simplicity and classic design. It’s worth noting that the face angle appears very closed in most pictures but that is not the case in person. The CT testing sticker was attached to the head when it arrived indicating the actual CT value, just like a club from the tour van and my head came in at a respectable 242 CT.  There’s always a fine line of getting the hottest heads possible but staying below the USGA limit.

I gave the Hogan a very thorough review on course, with specific yardages tracked by Shot Scope as well as Trackman fitting numbers from Club Champion. 

**Spoiler alert** The ball speed and performance of the Hogan was right up there with the hottest drivers on the market!

Grading

Looks (9 out of 10 points) 

Pro’s:

-Smaller footprint
-Gorgeous color
-Clean, sleek & classy

Con’s:

-Prefer a deeper face
-Sunburst logo is silver instead of gold/red
-Face bulge (curvature) takes some getting used to
-Cosmetic blemish on the ferrule upon delivery

Traditional shaping and a classic “D” shape at address define the GS53 driver. The 445cc volume gives it a much smaller footprint than most drivers on the market today and the face is fairly shallow with lots of curve from heel to toe (more bulge).  I prefer a deeper face but I love smaller footprint drivers so I was instantly comfortable with the size. The silver Hogan sunburst logo as the alignment aid is just awesome but is a little too large for my taste and I do wish they had used the classic gold/red colored sunburst logo instead of silver.  The logo is applied to the head before the clear coat is sprayed which gives it a deep 3D look and the scorelines on the face pay homage to the look of the older persimmon drivers.

The sole contains a simple Ben Hogan signature, loft designation, the Sunburst logo added one more time in silver, and the famous Hogan SpeedSlot channel towards the toe.  The idea of a Speedslot is just cheesy enough to be cool and brings that 50’s and 60’s “tech” into our modern day.  I swung the Hogan slightly faster than some of my other drivers but I don’t know if the slot contributed.  Again, I’m not sure why they decided to forgo the gold/red accents on this club and it’s a miss in my eyes.  Nothing looks better than the Hogan navy blue with the gold/red accents IMO.

Sound & Feel (10 out of 10 points) 

Pro’s:

-Fantastic overall sound
-Crisp and powerful

Con’s:

-None

The sound is one of my favorite features of this club and Ben Hogan Golf nailed it.  The all titanium construction gives this driver a powerful, crisp sound that isn’t tinny or overly loud.  Everyone that I’ve played with has commented on how good it sounds.  Since lots of clubs have carbon fiber now, it’s refreshing to hear that all titanium sound again.

Since sound is feel, the club feels fantastic.  The ball doesn’t necessarily look or feel like it’s jumping off the face as fast or as hot as other drivers I’ve hit but my trackman numbers indicate it’s up there with the best and it was definitely “sneaky long”.

Basic Characteristics (15 out of 20 points) 

I wouldn't consider the Hogan GS53 an all out bomber but more of a precision instrument like a surgeon’s scalpel. 

• Trajectory – If I teed it up, I could hit it high.  If I wanted to hit a low bullet then it was no problem.  The GS53 delivered any shot I tried to hit as long as my swing did was it was supposed to.
• Workability – Cuts and draws were easy to hit on command.
• Accuracy – Probably the best attribute of this driver.  Shots never got me in trouble, even with less than perfect swings.  
• Distance – Not the longest driver I’ve hit but no complaints.  No distance disadvantage on any of my normal courses and would occasionally sneak in a surprise bomb.
• Forgiveness – The only place I ran into trouble was low on the face as the ball would spin up and balloon slightly.
• Adjustability – Easy as most drivers but not the most intuitive hosel markings.  I like the shaft doesn’t rotate (like Callaway).  Same adapter as the Maltby KE TC4 component driver.

Not the longest but the GS53’s accuracy was so good that I had no fear of any tee shot.  For only a 445cc size head, the forgiveness of shots was absolutely fantastic.

LM Performance (25 out of 30 points)

My on course performance and Shot Scope data is reported throughout this review thread but below are some numbers from a trackman session at Club Champion.  The spin rates are just a bit higher than would suit me but contributed to the increased accuracy.  Club Champion doesn’t have the shaft adapter to fit a Hogan driver and only fits Hogan irons.  I added a Harrison Shotmaker to the shaft in efforts to lower my spin but haven’t been able to get any additional trackman information yet.

Miscellaneous (8 out of 10 points)

Our review was announced right before the COVID outbreak really ramped up but even so, we received the clubs in less than 10 days.  I had to note the slight quality defect in the ferrule other than that everything has been top notch.

Play it or Trade it? (18 out of 20 points)

Playing it for sure!  Once I get the spin down approx. 300-500 RPM’s, this driver will be absolutely perfect.  I’m hitting it so straight however it’s an easy compromise.

Conclusion/Final Score (85 out of 100 points)

The Hogan GS53 Driver is a true classic gentleman of a driver that is beautiful and accurate.  It sounds fantastic and is as reliable as a well maintained clock.  Distance wasn’t the longest ever but would quite often end up “sneaky long”.  The person who buys and uses this driver appreciates good looks, exceptional performance and value.

Courtesy of Historic Golf Photos

[JScott 159]

The Review-May into June

 

Hogan GS53 – Official MGS Forum Review by JScott

Intro

Hello fellow Spies. My name is Josh. Please see below to get a feel for my game.

 

• What kind of golfer are you? I play as often as possible and no less than 2x a week. I practice about once or twice a week. I play in a Saturday league as well as a 9 hole Wednesday night league. My game is consistent but not spectacular. I make a lot of pars, sprinkle in some bogeys but don’t make a lot of birdies.
• Handicap? (Or average score)-Current handicap is 2.8
• Swing tempo? Driver swing speed? I like to think my swing tempo is SMOOTH. My average club head speed is around 107 with the driver
• Typical ball flight? Typical miss? I tend to hit a lower trajectory ball and my typical miss is a quick snap hook
• Strengths/Weaknesses of your game? My strength (by far) is hitting fairways and off the tee. My weakness (by far) it putting. Some days, i would gladly take 36 putts and break 80 without a worry.
• Current gamer and how did you choose it?  Were you fit? My current driver is the TITLEIST TS3 and yes, I was fit for it. I chose this drive due to BRAND loyalty. I have played some sort of TITLEIST product for over 25 years. I also attended a TITLEIST demo day at my club and fell in love with the driver.
• What is your #1 priority with driver in hand? My #1 priority with my driver to get in play and give myself a chance at hitting the green.
• Do you like taking chances with aggressive lines? This is a loaded question. The answer is yes, depending on the hole set up.
• How often can you reach par 5’s in 2? On my home courses (36 holes) there are 6 par 5s. I can reach 3 of them regularly, 1 of the them on occasion and 2 of them never.
• What’s your typical club into par 4s? I usually have 7 iron or less into most par 4s.

 

First Impressions

 

I went to the HOGAN site to learn as much as I could before the drive arrived. There is a cool little video talking about the “no nonsense BEN HOGAN” (LINK: https://benhogangolf.com/products/gs53-driver). There is talk of no club adding 30, 40, 50 yards. There is talk about a forged face that look and feels as good as it looks. All this sound familiar? Yeah, me too. And once you fall for the talk hook, line, and sinker, you hit the ball the exact same way you did before and are about $500 lighter in the wallet. So, with that as the background, the drive shows up at my door.

 

 

 

Grading

 

Looks (8 out of 10 points) 

Describe the following:

• I love the general shape of the drive at address. The only concern I had was it took some time to play with the settings so that it did not look shut at address.
• The graphics on this driver are simple but elegant. Love the HOGAN logo on the crown
• The overall look of this driver ties together nicely. The dark head makes it easy to frame a ball against. I also like the uniformity of the crown to the sole of the club.
• The driver has the same color as my current gamer but seems to have more of the classic look to it and appears slightly smaller at address. This is not a bad thing at all as I was added confidence at address for me.
• One thing that really stood out to me was how tweaking the hosel settings changed the overall look of the drive at address. BE SURE TO UNDERSTAND the settings.

Sound & Feel (10 out of 10 points)

Describe how the driver sounds and feels

• From the first drive, I loved the sound of this driver. The sound is not as metallic as my current gamer, nor is it super muted (like you are hitting a driver with a pillow on the face)
• The feel of the ball coming off the face is buttery. It does not feel harsh at all, nor is it too soft.
• The driver does not feel the same off the toe and heel and nor should it, in my opinion. The sound and fell DID stay the same when the strike was toward the TOP of the face. I did lose feel and sound on the lower strikes. The also GREATLY affected the trajectory. More on that soon….
• On personal level, the closest feel and sound I can give is that this driver sounds more muted that my TITLEIST and “louder” than the Taylor Made M3 I gamed a few years ago. I would say this drive feels and sounds better than either of those drivers.
• The sound and feel helped with IMMEDIATE response. I knew immediately if the shot was going to be high, long, and straight or if it was a miss.

 

Basic Characteristics (17 out of 20 points)

Before hitting the course, get some range time in so you’ve got a feel for what’s to come.  This section should be used to identify the basic characteristics that most players will notice.   If you are able to get time on a launch monitor, this would be the section to include numbers from it.

 

Describe the following compared to your current gamer:

• Trajectory – One thing I love about this driver is the trajectory. I am a low ball hitter (current gamer launch on SC300 is 12 degrees) The Hogan driver added about 3 degrees of launch. I also noticed by swing speed picked up a few MPH but that has more do with the shaft I believe.
• Workability – Here is the deal with the Hogan. I have to REALLY try to hit a cut with this driver. I can make it go left but cutting the ball is extremely difficult for me with this club. I felt from day 1 the driver sits closed. A week of tweaking the settings got it square (to me).
• Accuracy – This driver is one of the most accurate CLUBS I have ever hit, let alone drivers. I have been hitting 2-3 more fairways per round. This leads to 2-3 less bogey holes.
• Distance – Raw distance is right there with the other drivers I have played as well as my current gamer. This driver does not see huge distance drops for slightly off center hits.
• Forgiveness – The driver is very forgiving. I have notice that strikes slight ABOVE the center of the face seem to go further, fly higher, and go just as straight. Interestingly, toe strikes HOOKED a lot of me while strikes toward the heel still seems to find the fairway.
• Adjustability – To me, this is where the driver lost some points. The symbols are not self explanatory (at least to me). Don’t get me wrong, TITLEIST SUREFIT also requires a chart and a degree in math to get the desired setting but the HOGAN driver took me awhile to get set correctly and it was more by sight than by technology. Taylor Made is pretty simple, Higher/Lower
• Pressure – This is a confidence inspiring driver. Once you get it set up/fit to you, the club sits behind the ball beautifully. After a few range sessions, I knew where the ball was going and knew slightly off center hits were not going to punish me too badly.

• What factors were you pleased with? I am please with the overall look of the driver, the feel and sound, and the results! I am also pleased that great performance can come at a great price
• What factors did you find lacking? Really the only down sides were it took forever to get the club to look square (no fitting available anywhere) and the confusion of the settings.

 

 

On-Course / LM Performance (28 out of 30 points)

As you play with the driver on-course, make an effort to keep stats on your driving performance.  Track fairways and distance.  If you aren’t fortunate enough to have Arccos, ShotScope, or something similar, there are free/cheap apps available that can help you track these.  Also, make an effort to use the driver as often as possible.  Challenge yourself to hit aggressive shots off the tee so you can get the full feel of what this club is capable of.  If you can get involved with 4-man scrambles, they can be a great place to test out a driver since the risk of a poor shot is mitigated.  Finally, take note of the clubs your driver is leaving you with for your second shot into the green.  If you’re usually left with a 6-iron on certain holes, are you now able to use a 7 or lower to attack the pin or are you forced to club up in a defensive play?  Can you attack more par 5s? 
 

Final Performance Comments:

• Overall, how did it perform? This driver performs as well if not better than any driver I have ever played. Specifically, my trajectory increased and my ball speed stayed the same. This help with overall carry distance. I also am hitting about 2 more fairways per round.
• How, if at all, did this product change your overall impression of Hogan? To be fair, I didn’t even realize Hogan still made clubs. You don’t see them in PRO SHOPS, Golf Stores, etc. I had no idea a driver that was ordered online (with no formal fitting) could perform so well.
• What feature would you change or eliminate from the next generation of this model? I would simplify the adjustability of the driver. It is probably me, but I found it hard to get the setting I needed to gain optimal performance.
• What feature do you really like, and would most like to see continued or evolved in future models? I like the simplicity of the graphics and the overall look of the club. Nice contrast between club and ball. Easy to ensure the club is aligned to the ball correctly and that builds confidence at address.
• Did it help improve your scores? By how much? Since I have been tracking the use of this driver, I have noticed several things. 1. more fairways. 2. better putting statistics. (is that due to proximity to the pin due to not hitting out of the rough 2 more times than usual?). And yes, my handicap has gone from 3.6 down to 2.8. I also have 2 sub par 9s since using this driver.

 

Miscellaneous (9 out of 10 points)

I didn’t give a 10 out of 10 here due to a few minor things. I have seen other “TESTERS”get a nice hand written note, a hat, etc. that ties in nicely with the experience. Hogan did not offer any of that. Also, and this is 100% personal, I cannot stand the boxing glove head cover. They offer no shaft protection and I find them annoying sliding up the head. (I carry my bag a lot and find I have to always check the head cover is staying on).

 

 

Play it or Trade it? (19 out of 20 points)

100% PLAY IT. I’ll be honest. I had a HOGAN hybrid long ago and can remember the HOGAN golf ball from about 20 years ago. I remember HOGAN irons. I remember the HOGAN brand being on the walls of golf shops. Nowadays, there is no HOGAN brand in shops and I had serious reservations on the quality of this club. This is a large part of the reason I put my name in the hat to test this club. I will state this as simply as i can, this drive holds it own with any driver I have ever played. The only reason I did not give 20 out of 20 is that I still have to get the stigma of this not being a “MAJOR BRAND”club out of my head. It seems silly but I still do think “I wonder what my playing buddies are going to say”as I pull the club (awful head cover and all) out of my bag. That stigma is quickly going away as I hit my drives longer and straighter than they do with clubs that are several hundred dollars more.

 

Conclusion

From the weekend warrior to the everyday player, to the 20+ handicap to the scratch golfer, we are all searching for that “magical”club that will make us better. Let me be 100% clear, this club is NOT magical. This club however does check the box on all things I find important in my never ending quest to play better golf. LOOKS-check FEEL-check SOUND-check PERFORMANCE-check ACCURACY-check. What I found was the more I got comfortable with the club (i.e. got the settings correct), the more I liked the look, sound, feel, etc. This club did not produce 320 yard drives. This club did not make me a scratch golfer (it did lower my index from 3.6 to 2.8 though). This club DID help me find CONFIDENCE standing on the tee. For some reason, I knew I was aligned correctly and if I put a halfway decent swing on the ball I would find the fairway. At the end of the day, golf is a MENTAL game and this club helps with that part due to the confidence it gave me. To me, this is a major win for HOGAN. If they could get the word out about this driver, I believe more players would give it a shot. Not only am I impressed with this driver, but I am going to try the 3 wood next. Bottom line: In my opinion, you cannot do better than a confidence inspiring, fairway finding driver for roughly $300 than this driver. Tee it high and let it fly!

 

Final Score: (91 out of 100 points)

I haven’t been in school for some 20 years but I believe that is an A.

Edited June 11, 2020 by JScott
Review

[PMookie 15,997]

Congratulations!!!! Looking forward to the results!


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[bens197 9,958]

Congrats fellas! I’m looking forward to reading about your Hogan experience.

[xOldBenKenobiX 5,180]

Congratulations, hit it straight. 

[tony@CIC 21,051]

Congrats guys, can't wait to see your findings.


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[jayjay0808 1,145]

Congrats boys! Really interesting test to see how the DTC model competes against the large OEM in the clubs category


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[Sluggo42 6,919]

Congrats testers- I watched some YouTube reviews on this club and it did really well. Looking forward to your impressions. Gitter done!

[Lacassem 14,524]

Good luck testers! This should be a good one and great opportunity!

[JScott 159]

So excited to share results w you all!  

[cciciora13 833]

This is awesome! Can't wait to test this out and let the other golfers know all about it! Thanks for the opportunity!

[sirchunksalot 13,838]

Congrats testers! It'll be interesting to see how this Hogan driver performs you all.  

[fixyurdivot 14,227]

Great group of testers.  Have fun guys - looking forward to seeing how this performs.

[Shankster 29,940]

Congrats gents!

[kardboard.kid 2,239]

Congratulations, let's put them through their paces.

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[pozzit 790]

Thanks all this will be a fun experience. I'm really looking forward to hitting this. 

[MDGolfHacker 7,563]

Congratulations guys!  Looking forward to your review of this driver!

 

MDGolfHacker