Skip to content

2014 Hot List: Drivers

CALLAWAY BIG BERTHA

STREET PRICE: $400 
LOFTS: 9, 10.5, 13.5HT (all adjustable)

TECH TALK: Eight settings on the adjustable hosel independently change loft and lie angle. A sliding eight-gram weight in the back adds a draw or fade bias. The re-engineered variable-thickness face is designed for a larger sweet spot than last year's RAZR Fit Xtreme, and a lightweight composite crown makes a more traditional D-2 swingweight possible. 

HOT: Callaway has smartly enhanced its adjustable features, including the sliding eight-gram weight. Plus, this driver gets two big things right: ball speed and forgiveness.
NOT: If you've got "man hands," the small dual rings on the adjustable hosel can be a little tricky.

callawaygolf.com

 

COBRA BIO CELL/BIO CELL +

STREET PRICE: $300/$400 
LOFTS: One adjustable head for each (9 to 12 degrees on Bio Cell, shown; 8 to 11 degrees on Bio Cell+)

TECH TALK: The adjustable hosel has eight settings across 3 degrees of loft. Each version saves weight with a lighter variable-thickness face. More weight is saved using a thin, waffled pattern in the rear crown. The more compact Bio Cell+ benefits from a lightweight multimaterial alloy in the crown. 

HOT: The crown and face designs are smart, the adjustability is straightforward, and the color selections are welcome (thanks for bringing back the basic black).
NOT: Why three draw settings for the better-player Bio Cell+?

 cobragolf.com

 

NIKE VRS COVERT 2.0/VRS COVERT 2.0 TOUR

STREET PRICE: $300/$400 
LOFTS: One adjustable head (8.5 to 12.5 degrees). VRS Covert 2.0 (shown)

TECH TALK: Designers strengthened the sole-cavity's internal frame to reduce energy loss. Both models have larger faces than last year and increased stability on off-center strikes. An adjustable hosel allows each of the five lofts to be matched with a neutral, left or right face angle. 

HOT: The tweaks from last year are subtle, but the result is more forgiveness to go with unique adjustability. 
NOT: Even those who need it would prefer solutions that don't require looking at a closed face angle. 

nikegolf.com


 

PING G25

STREET PRICE: $350
LOFTS: 8.5, 9.5, 10.5, 12 (all adjustable)

TECH TALK: The G25 has the highest MOI and lowest CG of any Ping driver, and each loft can be adjusted up or down half a degree. Designed to launch high, the club also benefits from a high-balance-point shaft, which is engineered to deliver a heavier mass without reducing clubhead speed. 

HOT: The range of lofts and the fact that more tour players use the G25 than any other Ping driver prove that the formula of forgiveness and high launch is universal.
NOT: We wish Ping offered the range of swing-specific stock-shaft options for the G25 as it does with its i25 driver.

ping.com

 

TAYLORMADE SLDR/SLDR TP, SLDR 430/SLDR 430 TP

STREET PRICE: $400/$500 
LOFTS: SLDR: 8, 9.5, 10.5, 12, 14; SLDR TP, SLDR 430, SLDR 430 TP: 9, 10.5, 12

TECH TALK: The idea is that placing the CG more forward and low yields better energy transfer into the ball and less spin. The hosel features 12 settings that can alter the loft by plus or minus 1.5 degrees. A 20-gram sliding weight in the sole changes the CG to any of 21 positions between draw and fade. 

HOT: The CG idea might be radical, but it matters less than whether the club resonates with golfers. This one does. 
NOT: Other drivers allow the loft and lie/face-angle settings to be adjusted separately. Why not here?

taylormadegolf.com

 

TITLEIST 913D2/D3

STREET PRICE: $400 
LOFTS: 7.5, 8.5, 9.5, 10.5, 12 for D2 (shown); 7.5, 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 for D3 (all adjustable)

TECH TALK: The variable-thickness face insert is designed to promote ball-speed consistency across a larger area of the face. It's also lighter and thinner than the 910 models for better speed on mis-hits. Both clubs have a dual-ring adjustable hosel so loft and lie angle can be changed independently. The more forgiving D2 features a slight draw bias, and the D3's compact shape (445 cubic centimeters) is made to improve workability.  

HOT: Perhaps Titleist drivers endure because they appear to have been engineered by da Vinci and drawn by Rembrandt. 
NOT: Adjustability that needs a guidebook is so last decade. 

 titleist.com


By Golf Digest

Other Articles