2020 Official Member Review: Hogan GS53 driver

[JohnSmalls]

16 hours ago, pozzit said:

Anyone who like shiny reflective clubs will love this driver also if you like the murdered out look the HZRDUS Black would look sick

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 

I'm not sure what I like better, the One Tour D or the driver!

[pozzit]

One other thing the head, in direct sunlight it changes color slightly and has a little shimmer to it, like there are tiny pieces of glitter under the coating. It's really subtle but is visible. I think there will be some personal preference with that but I think it looks really nice and gives some depth and quality (like carbon fiber does) compared to a painted head.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[03trdblack]

6 hours ago, bens197 said:

I’m curious if any of you will take a hard look at the rest of Hogan’s lineup now that you’re getting your initial swings with the driver.

I'm already drooling over the new Icon irons and now that they offer the combo sets I'm even more intrigued.  If I was in the market for irons I'm pretty sure I'd be picking up a set of the PTx Pro/Icon irons.

[pozzit]

Agreed I definitely would consider getting other Ben Hogan products. The ICON irons are gorgeous (was investigating doing a demo but everything is out of stock ) I am also interested in the 3/4 wood if the driver performs as expected.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[Nunfa0]

19 hours ago, pozzit said:

One other thing the head, in direct sunlight it changes color slightly and has a little shimmer to it, like there are tiny pieces of glitter under the coating. It's really subtle but is visible. I think there will be some personal preference with that but I think it looks really nice and gives some depth and quality (like carbon fiber does) compared to a painted head.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 

Very nice, I like the shape, the BH line up spot and the subtle bling is great too...

[cciciora13]

On 5/7/2020 at 7:26 AM, bens197 said:

I’m curious if any of you will take a hard look at the rest of Hogan’s lineup now that you’re getting your initial swings with the driver.

Absolutely looking at the PTxPro Irons from BH. Those look gorgeous. I'm between them and the Sub70 699/699 pro

[JScott]

Hi all,

a way more detailed review soon but I hit some balls w this yesterday.  The set up behind the ball is fantastic..the contrast of the ball and the dark head is stunning. The head is slightly rounded and I like that classic look. The sound of the ball coming off the face is so nice. It is not muted nor does it should like a gun being fired. The only ‘downside’ I see is the club seems to looked closed to me. I found it slightly hard to get set up. I need to play around with the adjustable settings. More soon, but very encouraged so far!

[JScott]

 

On 5/7/2020 at 2:33 PM, 03trdblack said:

I'm already drooling over the new Icon irons and now that they offer the combo sets I'm even more intrigued.  If I was in the market for irons I'm pretty sure I'd be picking up a set of the PTx Pro/Icon irons.

The whole lineup is clean and classy!

[03trdblack]

Got some range time tonight with the driver. Hit a small bucket and so far so good. On course testing tomorrow! 

 

[pozzit]

Recorded a strike with the Ben Hogan and My Ping.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[Nunfa0]

Nice deeper sound for the Hogan, it's ticking a lot of boxes so far...

[JohnSmalls]

4 hours ago, 03trdblack said:

Got some range time tonight with the driver. Hit a small bucket and so far so good. On course testing tomorrow! 

 

Forgiveness off center?  Not needed. 

[Erik-M]

Congrats guys!! That looks much better then I expected, can't wait to sees how it performs!

[Erik-M]

15 hours ago, 03trdblack said:

Got some range time tonight with the driver. Hit a small bucket and so far so good. On course testing tomorrow! 

 

looks like you know where the middle of the club face is!!

[Erik-M]

14 hours ago, pozzit said:

Recorded a strike with the Ben Hogan and My Ping.

 

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 

 

the sound is nice!

[cciciora13]

Played 18 holes with the Ben Hogan driver today. Guys, No Joke, this was the best club in my bag today. I only missed two fairways averaging about 270-275 for driving average. This club was consistently straight and the ball flight was amazing. The feel was also very good and I could tell when I hit the center of the club face vs off center. I felt confident very time I had the driver in my hand. I can’t wait to hit this club again


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[Nunfa0]

14 hours ago, cciciora13 said:

Played 18 holes with the Ben Hogan driver today. Guys, No Joke, this was the best club in my bag today. I only missed two fairways averaging about 270-275 for driving average. This club was consistently straight and the ball flight was amazing. The feel was also very good and I could tell when I hit the center of the club face vs off center. I felt confident very time I had the driver in my hand. I can’t wait to hit this club again


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Ah the first blush of love

[bens197]

I love reactions from people who are surprised by a product that overwhelms them. There is so much good out there that doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

[cciciora13]

1 hour ago, bens197 said:

I love reactions from people who are surprised by a product that overwhelms them. There is so much good out there that doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

The first time out, I wasn't swinging it all that well; so the performance was iffy. Yesterday I was just blown away. I couldn't believe how well I was hitting it. Look forward to hitting it again tomorrow.

[03trdblack]

Took the GS53 9* with the HZRDUS Smoke 6.0 shaft out this weekend for it's first round and so far I'm coming away VERY impressed.  Based on the range sessions I had, I adjusted the head to 8.5* loft with 1* open face angle and a 57.5* lie.  The lie angles on this driver look very flat, even in the upright setting which I like.  It was overall a pretty windy day but I feel like the wind gave me a chance to try some different shots with the driver.  I tracked all my shots with my Shot Scope watch and had the following distances on 14 tee shots:

255.64
257.16
265.49
255.07
228.10
269.52
256.66
252.31
266.46
232.00
245.51
290.37
296.13
230.08

The overall average came to 257.17 yards and the playing average (taking out the shortest drive which was into the wind and longest drive which was down wind) was 256.35.

My biggest takeaway from day one is how easy it is to hit any shot I wanted with this driver.  I wouldn't consider it an all out bomber but more of a precision instrument like a surgeons scalpel.  I haven't had a chance to get spin numbers on the club yet but based on what I saw I'd say it's a mid/low spin design.  The ball didn't really feel like it rocketed off the face but distance was more than adequate and I had quite a few drives that ended up being sneaky long.  I'm not sure if it's the Speed Slot or just the fact that the head is a little smaller but it does feel like I am swinging this club faster.  I ordered my club at 45" instead of the stock 45.5".  I'm going to get some swing radar numbers on it to see how it compares to some other drivers.  I swing the SIM and the G410 LST faster than other drivers I have and it will be interesting to see if the Hogan is as fast as these clubs. 

As I mentioned, my favorite part was how easy the club hit different type of shots.  If I teed it up and swung up on it for a down wind shot, the head launched super high and carried forever.  If I teed it down and swung more level, the ball came out on a mid trajectory and didn't balloon into the wind.  I did notice that if I hit it a little low on the face the ball would spin up some but all drivers do this.  The best club I've ever hit for low on the face shots was the Cobra F9 Speedback (seriously, it's the best driver I've seen for low face shots).  If I wanted to hit a cut it was super easy and never drifted into slice territory.  I don't really like trying to hit a draw and didn't have the need to try on this particular course but the head does seem to have a little heel bias to it so I'm sure it would be easy to do.  My attempts at a draw usually end up being a pull hook.

LOVED the feel/sound of this club as well as the smaller look at address.  As you all have seen from the pictures it's a very classy looking head.  The face seems to have more bulge and roll than other drivers and if I had a choice I'd probably prefer a flatter looking club face but that doesn't bother me enough to matter.

I'm really looking forward to getting some launch monitor numbers once this whole COVID thing settles down.  Excited to continue playing the driver though and getting more on course results.         

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

1 minute ago, 03trdblack said:

Took the GS53 9* with the HZRDUS Smoke 6.0 shaft out this weekend for it's first round and so far I'm coming away VERY impressed.  Based on the range sessions I had, I adjusted the head to 8.5* loft with 1* open face angle and a 57.5* lie.  The lie angles on this driver look very flat, even in the upright setting which I like.  It was overall a pretty windy day but I feel like the wind gave me a chance to try some different shots with the driver.  I tracked all my shots with my Shot Scope watch and had the following distances on 14 tee shots:

255.64
257.16
265.49
255.07
228.10
269.52
256.66
252.31
266.46
232.00
245.51
290.37
296.13
230.08

The overall average came to 257.17 yards and the playing average (taking out the shortest drive which was into the wind and longest drive which was down wind) was 256.35.

My biggest takeaway from day one is how easy it is to hit any shot I wanted with this driver.  I wouldn't consider it an all out bomber but more of a precision instrument like a surgeons scalpel.  I haven't had a chance to get spin numbers on the club yet but based on what I saw I'd say it's a mid/low spin design.  The ball didn't really feel like it rocketed off the face but distance was more than adequate and I had quite a few drives that ended up being sneaky long.  I'm not sure if it's the Speed Slot or just the fact that the head is a little smaller but it does feel like I am swinging this club faster.  I ordered my club at 45" instead of the stock 45.5".  I'm going to get some swing radar numbers on it to see how it compares to some other drivers.  I swing the SIM and the G410 LST faster than other drivers I have and it will be interesting to see if the Hogan is as fast as these clubs. 

As I mentioned, my favorite part was how easy the club hit different type of shots.  If I teed it up and swung up on it for a down wind shot, the head launched super high and carried forever.  If I teed it down and swung more level, the ball came out on a mid trajectory and didn't balloon into the wind.  I did notice that if I hit it a little low on the face the ball would spin up some but all drivers do this.  The best club I've ever hit for low on the face shots was the Cobra F9 Speedback (seriously, it's the best driver I've seen for low face shots).

LOVED the feel/sound of this club as well as the smaller look at address.  As you all have seen from the pictures it's a very classy looking head.  The face seems to have more bulge and roll than other drivers and if I had a choice I'd probably prefer a flatter looking club face but that doesn't bother me enough to matter.

I'm really looking forward to getting some launch monitor numbers once this whole COVID thing settles down.  Excited to continue playing the driver though and getting more on course results.         

The 2 long balls 290 and 296 what do you chalk that up to? Did you do anything different or were they just pure?

what about the 228? Just curious. Seem to have a really good streak of good distance in there just curious about the outliers 

[03trdblack]

1 minute ago, Lacassem said:

The 2 long balls 290 and 296 what do you chalk that up to? Did you do anything different or were they just pure?

what about the 228? Just curious. Seem to have a really good streak of good distance in there just curious about the outliers 

Good questions!  The 290 shot was straight downwind and I teed the ball up and launched it nice and high.  The 296 shot was a par 5 that I hit into the perfect "slot" and it caught the backside of a hill and shot forward and rolled out forever.  

The 228 shot was dead into the wind and I caught the shot low on the head which caused it to spin up.  The wind just held it up and dropped it straight out of the sky.

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

17 minutes ago, 03trdblack said:

Good questions!  The 290 shot was straight downwind and I teed the ball up and launched it nice and high.  The 296 shot was a par 5 that I hit into the perfect "slot" and it caught the backside of a hill and shot forward and rolled out forever.  

The 228 shot was dead into the wind and I caught the shot low on the head which caused it to spin up.  The wind just held it up and dropped it straight out of the sky.

Are you finding youre getting alot more roll?

[03trdblack]

1 minute ago, Lacassem said:

Are you finding youre getting alot more roll?

Hard to say yet with only 1 round in the books but the course we played was playing very firm and fast so everything was rolling out more than normal for this part of NC.  Once the weather starts to get warmer and the bermuda starts to fully grow in we'll see how the roll is affected.

[pozzit]

56 minutes ago, 03trdblack said:

  The ball didn't really feel like it rocketed off the face but distance was more than adequate and I had quite a few drives that ended up being sneaky long. 

I was thinking this same thing when I played a round over the weekend. I was thinking the best way characterize it is the face doesn't feel HOT but solid strikes just go. It gives you the sensation that YOU hit a good shot rather then the club itself made the shot go far.

Also I love what you mentioned about your shots into and with the wind i love the recent TXG video about tee height. It was a blessing to watch before my last round.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXBsKwTTtf4

Also I need to get my Game Golf back up and track my distances and shots as well. Also I notices ou had less then average fairways. Do you chalk this up to the wind, your swing, or getting back to the course? I felt I was missing a lot of fairways but the shape was less extreme then my normal mishits. 

[cciciora13]

56 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

Are you finding youre getting alot more roll?

To me, it seems like I am getting increased ball flight and carry. The course I played was wet saturday and i still averaged about 260ish off the tee. It is going to be interesting to see how it performs once the courses dry up and I can get some roll.

[03trdblack]

1 hour ago, pozzit said:

Also I noticed you had less then average fairways. Do you chalk this up to the wind, your swing, or getting back to the course? I felt I was missing a lot of fairways but the shape was less extreme then my normal mishits. 

My average fairways hit in Shotscope for the season is around 60% so I only missed one more fairway than "average" in this round.  To be honest I don't pay close enough attention to see if shotscope records me hitting from the fairway or the rough if I'm on the edge of the fairway.  I'll start paying more attention to that so that it'll be more accurate.  The course was running so firm and fast there were a lot of holes that I wouldn't normally have hit driver on.  For example there is a sharp dogleg right where the fairway runs out and normally I would just hit a hybrid to the bend but instead I played a cut around the corner with the driver but still ended up going through the fairway by a few yards.  Since I'm testing the driver for the site, I wanted to hit it as many times as possible.  The bermuda rough hasn't grown in yet either so hitting in the rough right now isn't a penalty.

[cciciora13]

Got another 9 holes in today with the driver. The first two holes I was fighting a draw/pull and missed the fairway left. Not the best start. After that on hole 3 I hit one 285 with a slight helping breeze into the middle of the fairway, and then the other three holes hit it 265, and 262 and 268 yards in the fairway. The thing just finds the middle of the fairway when a good swing is put on the ball. 

[Nunfa0]

7 hours ago, 03trdblack said:

  The course was running so firm and fast there were a lot of holes that I wouldn't normally have hit driver on.  For example there is a sharp dogleg right where the fairway runs out and normally I would just hit a hybrid to the bend but instead I played a cut around the corner with the driver but still ended up going through the fairway by a few yards.  Since I'm testing the driver for the site, I wanted to hit it as many times as possible.  

Great dedication to the test sir

You say the face doesn't feel "hot", have any of you noticed any " dead" feeling areas on the face or hit any shots that truely surprised you?

[03trdblack]

I didn't recognize any hot spots or areas that would instantly give me that high launch / low spin knuckleball like some drivers have had in the past. The face isn't super deep so there isn't a lot of room to hit high or low. As I mentioned, I did hit a shot low on the face that spun up on me but all drivers do this.

Shots are definitely satisfying off the face but nothing felt like it exploded. It may be due to the way they tuned the sound. The PXG Gen 2 driver sounds like a block of wood when you hit it but distance is solid on it as well.