MyGolfSpy's 2013 ULTIMATE Driver Test

[Tony Covey MGS]

Nothing to report today. Bad news is that one of those question marks will likely turn into a big red x soon.

[The Dansome]

Nothing to report today. Bad news is that one of those question marks will likely turn into a big red x soon.

 

Say it isn't so!

[MattF]

Nothing to report today. Bad news is that one of those question marks will likely turn into a big red x soon.

 

I'm still bummed about Hireko not being in the mix because of their delivery date.

[fozcycle]

Nothing to report today. Bad news is that one of those question marks will likely turn into a big red x soon.

 

 

It is what it is......and then you move on.

[4luvofthegame]

Nothing to report today. Bad news is that one of those question marks will likely turn into a big red x soon.

 

I look at it this way...............if there wasn't another entrant in the contest the whole thing would still be a smashing success. For those that don't participate they are really doing themselves a disservice as they would have garnered a lot of exposure and an opportunity to be king of the hill. What an endorsement. This subject is sooooooo exciting that it is getting noticed on other golf sites like w......what was it again.

[GolfSpy WD]

Nothing to report today. Bad news is that one of those question marks will likely turn into a big red x soon.

 

And yet I still check this thread hourly...

[JBones]

I look at it this way...............if there wasn't another entrant in the contest the whole thing would still be a smashing success.

I disagree. Epic failure, T, epic failure. LOL

[Tony Covey MGS]

What an endorsement. This subject is sooooooo exciting that it is getting noticed on other golf sites like w......what was it again.

 

I sure hope they're saying nice things over there at WRX (it's ok to mention the name of other sites here).

 

To be honest, I'm starting to feel a little bit of pressure now. We knew a big driver test would generate some buzz, but I mean...30K views on this topic already, and we're not even through the first round of testing yet. Scary!

 

Hopefully the end result lives up to the billing...and the expectations we've created.

 

 

[Tony Covey MGS]

To the best of my knowledge, there won't be any new announcements dealing with the last 2 or 3 clubs today. Maybe tomorrow...maybe not.

 

In the absence of good news, here is the bad:

 

Alpha Golf declined to participate in our test. Their current model is near end of life, but the replacement is not yet ready. They have expressed interest in having us test the new product when it becomes available.

TourEdge declined to participate in our test citing an internal policy of not participating in head to head testing until the product has been in the wild for 6 months.

 

 

 

 

 

[Tony Covey MGS]

Today is an off day with respect to both announcements and actually testing (4 hours of testing scheduled for tomorrow).

 

Let's use this time wisely. Tell us what information you'd like included in the results.

 

Right now we're simply collecting launch monitor data and listening to our testers and taking notes while they mumble, rant, and/or praise as they hit each club.

 

Clubs will be scored in 3 categories. Distance, Accuracy and Forgiveness/Consistency. Those numbers will be spliced together to determine the overall Best Driver for 2013. This is the meat of the test. It's the only thing that *counts*.

 

As we always do, we'll ask out testers to provide subjective feedback, but because it is just that (subjective); while we will share some of that information, and perhaps any witty one-liners that come with it, but it won't be considered for actual scoring purposes.

 

So as always...data is the thing, but what other ancillary information would you be interested in?

[JBones]

I would like to know a bit about the testers, such as high launch/high spin, low launch/high spin, etc. That would help me in determining which driver would be a good choice for me.

[GolfSpy WD]

Today is an off day with respect to both announcements and actually testing (4 hours of testing scheduled for tomorrow).

 

Let's use this time wisely. Tell us what information you'd like included in the results.

 

Right now we're simply collecting launch monitor data and listening to our testers and taking notes while they mumble, rant, and/or praise as they hit each club.

 

Clubs will be scored in 3 categories. Distance, Accuracy and Forgiveness/Consistency. Those numbers will be spliced together to determine the overall Best Driver for 2013. This is the meat of the test. It's the only thing that *counts*.

 

As we always do, we'll ask out testers to provide subjective feedback, but because it is just that (subjective); while we will share some of that information, and perhaps any witty one-liners that come with it, but it won't be considered for actual scoring purposes.

 

So as always...data is the thing, but what other ancillary information would you be interested in?

 

You pretty much nailed it for the important factors. For me consistency is the thing I'm going to look for the most. Are you guys going to show a +/- chart of distances like you did for the RBLDZ irons mini review? That'd be sweet.

[Paul S]

Bummer about Tour Edge, I was really hoping to see them out perform a lot of the big name guys after seeing how insane their hybrids are.

[4luvofthegame]

Clubs will be scored in 3 categories. Distance, Accuracy and Forgiveness/Consistency. Those numbers will be spliced together to determine the overall Best Driver for 2013. This is the meat of the test. It's the only thing that *counts*.

 

Are you listening Golf Digest/Golf Mag/(insert media). They just don't get it.........but MGS does!!!!!!!

[TwoSolitudes]

I would like to know a bit about the testers, such as high launch/high spin, low launch/high spin, etc. That would help me in determining which driver would be a good choice for me.

 

This ^^^^^^ definitely essencial information. The testers average SS as well.

[Walkerjames]

Clubs will be scored in 3 categories. Distance, Accuracy and Forgiveness/Consistency. Those numbers will be spliced together to determine the overall Best Driver for 2013. This is the meat of the test. It's the only thing that *counts*.

 

Are you listening Golf Digest/Golf Mag/(insert media). They just don't get it.........but MGS does!!!!!!!

+10

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

I always like your "likelihood of purchase" in your club reviews. This says an awful lot about a club...

[ms1195]

I also like reading the Likelihood of Purchase sections of the reviews. It seems that can sometimes sum up the intangible factors of the clubs. This may also fall under the subjective category, but would it be possible to rate workability? I assume it would be pretty difficult, but it is something I am interested in when looking at new drivers.

[The Dansome]

I want to hear all the little comments the testers make - "why'd they go with such a crappy grip?" etc. I know these are little things you can change, but it's always good to hear how much care a manufacturer puts into the little details.

[Tony Covey MGS]

I also like reading the Likelihood of Purchase sections of the reviews. It seems that can sometimes sum up the intangible factors of the clubs. This may also fall under the subjective category, but would it be possible to rate workability? I assume it would be pretty difficult, but it is something I am interested in when looking at new drivers.

 

Workability isn't something we're going to cover. There are two issues...

 

1. It would be extremely difficult to quantify

2. Workability itself is one of those myth's that has been perpetuated endlessly.

 

Assuming center contact (and isn't that what we're always trying to do with our clubs), ball flight is dictated by two things 1) Face angle which is responsible for roughly 90% of where the ball starts when it leaves the face (for all intents and purposes, face angle (at impact) determines the direction in which the ball starts. 2) Swing path, which is responsible for the curvature of the golf ball. If the face is closed relative to the path, the ball will move right to left (for right-handed golfers). If the face is open to the path it will move left to right. Contrary to what many of us have been told, to hit a draw, the club face must be open to the target line at impact.

 

Again...assuming center contact these are the ONLY variables that come into play where the notion of workability is concerned. It's physics, and it's absolute.

 

Once you start talking about lack of center contact...that's where things like bulge and roll and the gear affect come into play. Smaller heads (Tour/Pro) generally have less bulge and roll (design factors put in place with the goal of making the ball flight of off center shots replicate that of center struck shots as closely as possible), and the more the gear effect will come into play.

[ms1195]

Workability isn't something we're going to cover. There are two issues...

 

1. It would be extremely difficult to quantify

2. Workability itself is one of those myth's that has been perpetuated endlessly.

 

Assuming center contact (and isn't that what we're always trying to do with our clubs), ball flight is dictated by two things 1) Face angle which is responsible for roughly 90% of where the ball starts when it leaves the face (for all intents and purposes, face angle (at impact) determines the direction in which the ball starts. 2) Swing path, which is responsible for the curvature of the golf ball. If the face is closed relative to the path, the ball will move right to left (for right-handed golfers). If the face is open to the path it will move left to right. Contrary to what many of us have been told, to hit a draw, the club face must be open to the target line at impact.

 

Again...assuming center contact these are the ONLY variables that come into play where the notion of workability is concerned. It's physics, and it's absolute.

 

Once you start talking about lack of center contact...that's where things like bulge and roll and the gear affect come into play. Smaller heads (Tour/Pro) generally have less bulge and roll (design factors put in place with the goal of making the ball flight of off center shots replicate that of center struck shots as closely as possible), and the more the gear effect will come into play.

 

This probably goes back to the center contact you mention (or lack of), but how do you explain drivers that seem to want to go straight, and are seemingly harder to move one way or the other? Not trying to argue or derail this thread, just curious. The points you make are clear.

[Tony Covey MGS]

This probably goes back to the center contact you mention (or lack of), but how do you explain drivers that seem to want to go straight, and are seemingly harder to move one way or the other? Not trying to argue or derail this thread, just curious. The points you make are clear.

 

You're basically talking about what the industry calls forgiveness (how the clubhead responds to less than centered contact).

 

When you look at the clubs that, as you say, want to go straight. Largely they're GI type designs. They have higher MOI as a result of perimeter weighting, bulge and roll etc.

 

They're designed to minimize the impact of mishits...basically, they're designed as much as possible to make the toe and heal produces shots similar to the sweet spot. Obviously we're not at the point where they can produce 100% equivalent results, but that's the aim. Essentially they stabilize the toe and heal when the ball is struck towards either one. That stabilization reduce the impact of the gear affect which allows the ball to fly straighter. The key thing to note is that this really only comes into play when contact is not centered. These design elements don't decrease workability, they help mitigate less than ideal contact

 

Once you're working in the center of the face...the so-called sweet spot, then regardless of all that other stuff, ball flight becomes an absolute matter of physics. Face angle + path with some angle of attack thrown in for good measure dictates both initial trajectory and curvature. Here's the curious thing...so called workability (ability to move the ball left to right, right to left) is a result of spin rates and axis tilt. Generally speaking drivers targeted at the better player are designed to spin less, which when all other variables are equal, results in shots that move less than those with higher spin rates. There are reasons why there are drivers designed with better players in mind, but it's all about catering to different launch conditions (often the result of higher ball speeds), not the notion of workability (although yes...manufactures love to use the term when it helps them sell clubs)

 

For guys who hit repeatedly hit the center of the face workability results from altering the face angle at impact and the path of the club. Guys who don't hit the sweet spot...we rely on the the design of the club to keep us mostly in play.

 

From the OEM standpoint...if I'm a marketing guy, and I have 2 drivers in my lineup, I can sell more forgiving, most forgiving, but I can't sell less forgiving. Spin the wheel, and less forgiving becomes more workable, but that's really what it usually means.

[ms1195]

Thanks for the insights. Always cool to learn more about the physics of the club and ballflight.

[Super Tuna]

Perhaps something on other driver if the OEM will allow you to alter the head weight through custom ordering? Then it would nicely go with the article about driver length and how most people aren't using the correct length for themselves. The drivers that are easier to do that with, should get a nod in the review it's self IMO for those who care about custom fitting/orderings.

[fsav]

Perhaps something on other driver if the OEM will allow you to alter the head weight through custom ordering? Then it would nicely go with the article about driver length and how most people aren't using the correct length for themselves. The drivers that are easier to do that with, should get a nod in the review it's self IMO for those who care about custom fitting/orderings.

Tuna,

 

I second you opinion here with weight and shaft length. I was fit a while back for a 43 inch drive rand was killing it. lef the game for a while and came back buying off the rack. fit last year, not so much for length, but put into a 45 driver as the fitter said they dont like to go lowe rthan 44.5 and said they would start higher for now and cut if needed. I went ahead this year and added 2 swing weight points and to offset tipped the driver 1/4 inch while shaving the other side 1/4 as well bringit to 44.5. the palying length is so much more managable for me. I don't think I am ready to go a full inch and a half back to the 43 plus I would have to find a heavier shaft to offset the weight changes. I am still new at the club making so maybe I can find a heavier shaft in my range that would be able to be cut to 43 playing length and mess with it from there. the overall center contact and distance on offline shots has been amazing.

[Tony Covey MGS]

I'm heading over to the test facility in 10 minutes or so. I've got another 4 hours of testing on the scheduling, including 2 testers who will be hitting just shy of half the drivers for a 2nd time.

 

I haven't scrutinized the data yet. It appears, so far anyway, that nothing is positively killing it across the board for distance. There are HUGE discrepancies in accuracy this time, however, which I believe is in part due to a change in scoring (we're keying off distance, rather than distance minus accuracy). So far I like what I'm seeing in terms of separation. That's not to say there aren't significant distance gaps as well. One test for example, has about an 18 yard gap between first and last.

 

Testers have already developed a sense of what they like and what they don't like. It's interesting to see the progression from what they're really looking forward to trying (the first time through the rotation), and what they can't wait to hit again.

 

It's also interesting to see how spin and launch angle barely move from club to club for some, while there are significant (upwards of 4° and over 1500MPH) difference for others.

 

Finally...I'll be back to the office at around 4:30 Eastern Time today. I'll have another driver announcement shortly thereafter.

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Very cool process. Thanks for doing this and can't wait to see your results.

 

And I hope we don't get into any "robot" discussions this time...

[JBones]

Can't wait for all the results, T.

[sailer]

I suggest that the length, loft, and face angle be measured for all drivers so the tester's know what they are hitting and therefore why one driver may be out performing another due to the tester's swing characteristics. For example, if a tester has a descending angle of attack and is therefore a low ball hitter, and he is comparing several drivers all stamped 10.5 degrees, then it really isn't a fair comparison if he is hitting one farther when that particular driver is actually a 13* driver and therefore a better fit for his swing. I suggest all measured loft drivers be grouped together for testing and not just what loft is stamped on the sole as this can be 2 or 3 or 4 degrees between 10 drivers all stamped 10.5 for example. But I'm sure you thought of this.

[Tony Covey MGS]

I suggest that the length, loft, and face angle be measured for all drivers so the tester's know what they are hitting and therefore why one driver may be out performing another due to the tester's swing characteristics. For example, if a tester has a descending angle of attack and is therefore a low ball hitter, and he is comparing several drivers all stamped 10.5 degrees, then it really isn't a fair comparison if he is hitting one farther when that particular driver is actually a 13* driver and therefore a better fit for his swing. I suggest all measured loft drivers be grouped together for testing and not just what loft is stamped on the sole as this can be 2 or 3 or 4 degrees between 10 drivers all stamped 10.5 for example. But I'm sure you thought of this.

 

Those are custom fitting questions...and unfortunately questions that the majority of golfers never consider. This test is being conducted essentially 100% off the rack, stock. We're looking at it from the perspective of what and how the overwhelming majority of consumers will be purchasing this season.

 

I would also suggest that for the vast majority of golfers...basically anyone who doesn't play on Sunday. The studies that have been done have found consistent evidence that most everyone, including low single digit handicappers, do not produce the same swing day in and day out. The point is that while an extra 1/2 degree of loft may hurt a golfer one day, it might actually help that same guy the next.