CLEVELAND HIBORE XLS
STREET PRICE: $300
LOFTS
8.5*, 9.5*, 10.5*, 11.5*; draw version: 9, 10.5, 12; (*also comes in tour version)
TECH STORY
The third generation of the scooped-crown design has a wider and larger face (17 percent bigger than the HiBore XL) and an MOI above 5,000. Helping to increase that number is a thinner wall (0.6 millimeters) and deeper indentations in the heel-and-toe sections of the scooped crown.
PLAYER COMMENTS
“It’s the farthest, most stable driver yet. The ball doesn’t balloon. . . . This is like that country song, ‘I got a brand-new girlfriend!’ You just choose your loft and go. . . . I hit one clear on the heel, and it still went decent.”
HOT
The best way to make an unconventional-looking driver is to make it play like an old standby–on steroids. That’s what we have here. Plus, we like the three versions.
NOT
Adding a 13-degree, nondraw version would help better players with slower swing speeds.
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COBRA SPEED LD
STREET PRICE: $300
LOFTS
F/Speed: 9.5, 10.5; M/Speed: 10.5, 12; M/Speed OS: 9.5, 10.5 ; Speed Pro: 8.5, 9.5, 10.5
TECH STORY
Updated from last spring’s version, the new Speed LD maintains its deep-dimpled, sloped-crown design. It comes close to the USGA’s limit on size, but don’t overlook the heat-producing-but-hidden rhombus bump behind the face, which is designed to improve off-center-hit performance.
PLAYER COMMENTS
“A very serious club. Looks like it’ll really launch the ball. . . . Cobra makes the nontraditional look almost traditional.”
HOT
A tiny adjustment makes this success story sound much better. Cobra’s Speed Fit might not be high tech, but it’s user-friendly and works fast. Is a fitting system supposed to do more? No.
NOT
Custom shaft options, aside from the nifty Cobra tech van, are limited. We’d like to see more than two lofts in the F Speed version.
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NIKE SQ SUMO² 5900
STREET PRICE: $400
LOFTS
8.5, 9.5, 10.5, 11.5, 13, HL
TECH STORY
The extreme square shape is an attempt to reach the USGA’s limit on MOI (5,900 gram-centimeters squared). How was this achieved? Engineers took weight saved from an updated (and lighter) multithickness face and moved it to the corners, giving the square-shape clubhead extreme stability on heel-and-toe hits.
PLAYER COMMENTS
“It’s ugly, but I can’t believe how well you can bomb it. I was hurting the golf ball. . . . This looks, sounds and hits like a freight train. It’s forgiving, and I can hit the ball long and down the middle. . . . Nice job of muting the sound of last year’s model. It’s clever how the design gives you the sense of a traditional driver.”
HOT
This year’s version is an improvement. A new adjustable-shaft fitting component is a bonus.
NOT
The clubhead’s shape might not fit those whose moves are more grace than growl.
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TAYLORMADE BURNER
STREET PRICE: $300
LOFTS
8.5 (TP version only), 9.5, 10.5, 13 (standard and draw only)
TECH STORY
The shaft is lightweight (only 50 grams) and long (46 inches) and is designed to increase your swing speed, resulting in higher ball speed. The stretched-bullet head shape helps push the CG back for a higher MOI.
PLAYER COMMENTS
“Love the setup. The design on the crown gets you looking right down the fairway. . . . Launches the ball high. If someone has trouble getting it high, this is their club. . . . My mis-hits, and I mean all of them, were in play.”
HOT
A marketplace behemoth, and rightly so. TaylorMade’s engineers have made the ultra-thin walls sound and feel as meaty as a side of Angus beef cooked over an open flame. And don’t overlook the inverted-cone face design. SelectFit features, ahem, 186 driver combinations.
NOT
The jazzy crown might not suit your eye.
Learn More TaylorMade Men’s Burner Driver’s
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CALLAWAY HYPER X
STREET PRICE: $300
LOFTS
8.5 *, 9, 9.5*, 10, 10.5*, 11 (*tour versions only)
TECH STORY
The Hyper X features the largest hitting area of any Callaway all-titanium driver. The head incorporates a face-thickness section in the shape of an X, designed to improve springlike effect across a larger area. The tour versions have a square-face angle, and the standard lofts are a degree closed.
PLAYER COMMENTS
“The ball moves from right to left every time. Has a nice, classic look. Almost the same ball flight off the toe as in the center. . . . I could even hit it off the deck. . . . Straight top edge gives you confidence and the feeling that you have a lot of face to work with.”
HOT
The color matches its hard-nosed, blue-collar performance. Plenty of pop, and if Callaway says it has spent eight years perfecting off-center-hit ball speed, it’s worth investigating.
NOT
Where are the high lofts for slower swings? Why no 9-degree loft for left-handers?
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