Drivers

2015 Most Wanted Driver – (Overall Awards)

BY Tony Covey
Apr 3rd 2015
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The Performance You Deserve.

THE LARGEST, UNBIASED, DATA-BASED DRIVER TEST EVER PERFORMED IN THE GOLF INDUSTRY.

We spent the past 365 days flying around the country, making conference calls, consulting with engineers, industry experts, statisticians, mathematicians. The end result of that collaboration is what we believe to be the largest, fully-independent, 100% #Datacratic driver test ever conducted.

This year’s Most Wanted Driver Test took months to complete. Our testing procedures were significantly expanded. Our test included more golfers, more drivers, and more data than ever before. 28 drivers have been put to the ultimate test. An industry standard 20 golfers just like you spent over 150 hours in testing.

Over 10,000 shots were captured, more than 250,000 data points scrutinized. All testing was conducted with a Foresight GC2 Launch Monitor with HMT. All testers used Bridgestone B330-RX golf balls.

Our goal is to empower the consumer with truthful and reliable information that will help you identify the best driver for your game. We celebrate all of you who love golf equipment.

This guide is for you.

For more details on our testing process, see our How We Test page

How We Consider Overall Performance

To determine our Most Wanted Driver we considered four things.

Average Yards (total distance)
Peak Distance
Accuracy
Forgiveness

While many golfers lump those last two things together, they’re not the same. We look at accuracy strictly as a measurement of how far offline a given shot is when it settles. It’s a reflection of design considerations like bulge and roll and the rate at which the face closes during the swing.

Forgiveness considers things like how well a driver maintains ball speed on off-center hits. Really what we’re looking at is whether or not launch conditions are similar from shot to shot, so in simplest terms, forgiveness is reflection of consistency, and we use those terms interchangeably. The most forgiving drivers are the ones that produce repeatable distance and don’t have huge gaps between the good shots and bad shots.

You can think of accuracy as left/right and forgiveness as front/back.

2015 Most Wanted Driver

The dust has settled, the numbers have been crunched. We’ve found our Most Wanted Driver of 2015. We’ve given you our absolute top pick of 2015. It should be at the top of your demo list. For those who might be more focused on distance, or accuracy, or forgiveness, the rest of our list highlights some of the best performers in those categories as well.

You’re wondering where to start the search for your next diver? Start right here.

The #1 Driver in 2015
Produced the longest average carry distance (242.6)
Top 3 for total yards (258.3)

The Last Word: FLY-Z brings nearly everything to the table. It’s a well-balanced performer that doesn’t ask you to give up much in the way of accuracy or forgiveness to gain a bit extra on the long end.

FLY-Z is the most complete driver on this list. It’s our Most Wanted Driver of 2015.

Buy Cobra FLY-Z

#1 overall for total yards
#1 overall for distance on best shots average.

The Last Word: Not just the longest name in golf, our test results suggest Big Bertha Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond is also the longest driver in golf for 2015. The most intriguing thing about Double black diamond is that all of that distance comes without excessively penalty where forgiveness and accuracy are concerned. For all but the lowest spin players, it doesn’t’ get any longer than BBA815DBD.

Buy Callaway BB Alpha DBD

#2 for total yards (259)
#3 for distance on best shots (266.1)

The Last Word: With its FlipZone weight system, Cobra’s FLY-Z+ is the most versatile driver in the test. Weight forward it’s Double Black Diamond long. With the weight back it’s the most forgiving distance-centric driver on the list. If you’re stuck between Fly-Z and Double Black Diamond, Z+ is the perfect no compromise-compromise.

Buy Cobra FLY-Z+

Extremely consistent across several key metrics

The Last Word: When we looked at our standard deviations across several key metrics…ball speed, launch angle, spin rate, and of course, distance, the Titleist 915 D2 was at or near the top for each. If freakishly repeatable results from one swing to the next are your thing, the D2 may just be your driver.

Buy Titleist 915 D2

#2 overall Carry Yards

The Last Word: The X7 is on this list because it proved to be the best at generating distance through clubhead speed (104.4 MPH on average – the best in the test). There are more accurate and more forgiving choices, but If you’re playing a 46” driver, we suspect the SFD X7 will deliver exactly what you’re looking for.

Buy Royal Collection SFD X7

#1 in forgiveness
Top 5 for Total Yards (57.8)

The Last Word: We’d be remiss not to include the G30. It belongs on this list of our top drivers. Best ball to best ball it may not be as long as some of the others, but it’s longer than most (257.8 – #4 overall), it’s accurate-enough, and it’s the most forgiving driver we tested.

Buy PING G30

Highest Carry Yard Average (274.4)
Highest total yard average (291)

The Last Word: While it should be abundantly clear by now, we’ll say it one last time; The Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 DBD was the longest driver we tested in 2015. Nowhere was this more apparent than with our higher swing speed players.

Buy Callaway BB Alpha DBD

Top 5 for Carry yards across all drivers in the test
2^nd only to DBD in Total Yards

The Last Word: Nearly as long as double black diamond, FLY-Z+ tested as slightly more accurate and slightly more forgiving for our 100+ MPH testers. The group found strong performance similarities and the decision between the two may very well come down to your preference for either Gravity Core or Flip Zone weighting.

Buy Cobra FLY-Z+

Produced highest average ball speed (160.4) of any club on this list
Top 5 for total yards (287.5) among higher swing speed golfers

The Last Word: Inarguably the most distance-focused entry on our list, the X7 is best suited for higher swing speed players who can consistently control the 46” shaft. While it wasn’t universal, several testers showed remarkably tight dispersion, which is doubly-impressive considering the extra length.

Buy Royal Collection SFD X7

The most forgiving driver for high swing speed players

The Last Word: Bubba Watson notwithstanding, PING’s G-series is too often regarded as an option for higher handicap or slower swings. Our test showed that not only can higher swing speed players produce great numbers with the G30, where forgiveness is concerned, there’s simply no better option.

Buy PING G30

Top 5 for carry yards among higher swing speed golfers

The Last Word: Our Most Wanted Overall, the FLY-Z proved it’s not just for slower swingers. Once again it produced above average distance while holding its own for accuracy and forgiveness.

Buy Cobra FLY-Z

#1 for Carry Yards (204.6)
#2 for Total Yards (221.4)

The Last Word: As under the radar as category winner can fly, Nike’s Vapor Speed produced some of the best numbers across the board for our sub-100 set. The Vapor Speed produced more carry yards, was the most accurate, and was among the most forgiving for this group. What’s not to like?

Buy Nike Vapor Speed

#1 for Total Yards (221.9)
Most consistent driver in the Top 5 (for sub-100 swing speeds)

The higher launching, higher spinning of the two Cobra offerings in this test, FLY-Z once again showed its class as an extremely well-rounded driver.

Buy Cobra FLY-Z

Top 5 for total yards (220.2)
Top 5 for accuracy (14.9 yards offline)

The more time we spend with the data, the more we grow to appreciate the 915 D2. Like FLY-Z, D2 is an exceptionally well-rounded driver. It offers up outstanding off-the-rack performance and enough true stock shaft offerings to fit nearly anyone. The 915 D2 is exactly what we hoped it would be.

Buy Titleist 915 D2

Top 5 for accuracy

Probably not on too many sub-100 MPH guy’s lists, the Tour Edge E8 Beta made our list based on its accuracy and its peak distance (average of best shots). The fact of the matter is that some guys who don’t swing 100MPH will benefit from lower launch and lower spin. The E8 Beta proves that.

Buy Tour Edge E8 Beta

#1 Carry Yards (204.6)

As you would expect, PING’s flagship G-series drivers has once again found itself among the best for what is inarguably the sweet spot in its target market. While our sub-100 guys did well-enough with the standard model, the SF Tec version is an option for those who fight a slice.

Buy PING G30

The most consistent driver we tested for sub-100 MPH golfers

Much more forgiving than the SLDR, the R15 is arguably the best driver we haven’t talked about yet. While our sub-100 MPH crowd produced the best comparative results, the R15 is a driver that was seldom out of the Top 10 in any category. Our data suggest it’s the most balanced driver TaylorMade has produced in years.

Buy TaylorMade R15

#3 in accuracy for lower swing speed players

In the Top 5 largely off the strength of it’s accuracy score, the Z745 put up solid performance across the board. Players considering a smaller head and traditional aesthetic will want to put Z745 on the demo list.

Buy Srixon Z745

Don’t Miss

2015 Most Wanted Driver – Distance Awards
2015 Most Wanted Driver – Accuracy Awards

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Tony Covey

Tony is the Editor of MyGolfSpy where his job is to bring fresh and innovative content to the site. In addition to his editorial responsibilities, he was instrumental in developing MyGolfSpy's data-driven testing methodologies and continues to sift through our data to find the insights that can help improve your game. Tony believes that golfers deserve to know what's real and what's not, and that means MyGolfSpy's equipment coverage must extend beyond the so-called facts as dictated by the same companies that created them. Most of all Tony believes in performance over hype and #PowerToThePlayer.

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Tony Covey

Driver Titleist TSi3	3-Wood Titleist TSi2 13.5°
5-Wood Titleist TSi2 18°	7-Wood Titleist TSi2 21°
Irons (5-9) PXG 0311 GEN5 T	Wedges Vokey SM9 (46° F, 50° F, 54° D, 60° T)
Putter PXG Blackbird	Ball Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash

Tony Covey

comments

Join The Discussion

Eric Figueroa

7 years ago

I have one of those in my bag.

Guy Crawford

7 years ago

$99? Where? I got a brand new one recently from Rock Bottom Golf for $76 with the discount! I jumped all over that deal to replace my Bio Cell and it is everything MyGolf Spy said it would be!

Proam

8 years ago

Great article… Looking forward to see the 2016’s review !! Thanks mygolfspy

Samuel

8 years ago

Is the BB Alpha STD listed in the data the Alpha 815 or the earlier version?

Based on the data, is it correct to say that the Alpha 815 STD is nearly the same as the Fly Z? Ignoring slight yardage gain. Which would be best for an amateur golfer and most forgiving?

Parnikin

8 years ago

Where is the most wanted driver for 2016?

Michael

8 years ago

I recently bagged the Fly-Z. It performs magnificently. I recently had the Taylormade Jetspeed and Wilson Staff D200 drivers. I carried the Jetspeed an average of 260, and almost the same with the D200, but the D200 felt so much lighter. Too light. I got the FlyZ ($140 shipped from eBay) because I wanted a driver that had the same swing weight as my woods. I’m not changing drivers any time soon. It really is forgiving, and it’s a bomber. I’m carrying 270, with a few 280 carries. The head is HUGE at address, and inspires confidence. Everyone should give Cobra a try.

Steven

8 years ago

Great post! If you need an extra tester, I AM available ;)

Dave Rose

8 years ago

I would love to see a review of senior flex shafted drivers. While you run a very interesting site, your tests are, I believe, irrelevant to me.

Alex Dickson

8 years ago

Have you done this test comparing the same brand’s drivers from year to year? I’d love to see how much, if any, improvement there is between different year’s models of the same driver.

benseattle

8 years ago

True story: last week I was in my local Pro Golf Discount in Bellevue, WA and spoke with a long-time sales guy who is a member at an outstanding private club in the area. When I asked “what’s popular these days?” he said “I’ve turned about 6 or 7 fellow club members onto the driver I’m hitting and they LOVE IT.” Yep…. turned out to be the Cobra Fly-Z. I hadn’t considered once-great Cobra since the Rickie Fowler-inspired orange heads and other colorful schemes were put on display but since my friend’s comments echo these tests exactly, I’m now VERY tempted to put one of these in the bag. WAAAAY less expensive than Callaway’s 500-dollar Big Bertha Double Black.

James

9 years ago

Now I am pretty interested in trying a Cobra driver!

Drum

9 years ago

I moved to playing the fly z about a month ago and when I hit it well am getting an extra 20 yards more than my SLDR. When I don’t hit it great- in my case a soft block right it goes about the same as a good hit with the SLDR. Also hitting more fairways so makes sense to see the fly z up there at the top. I play off 9 and not a big hitter at all so the fly z is definetly helping.

Bill

9 years ago

Should a shorter golfer (5’8″ or less) use a shorter shaft than a taller golfer ? Wouldn’t that make sense?

Troy

9 years ago

Please that the Cobra is the most wanted driver as it’s the driver I want next. I currently have the BioCell and the Fly-Z would be a welcome addition. I like the Callaway but the price is way to expensive.

Cheers

mathai

9 years ago

At handicap 8 i believe drivers are a combination of one main factor the shaft weight and flex started golf with a ping g5 regular 55 gram was ok graduated to G15 regular TFC 149 for 2 years then decided last years its time to go hype and got a callaway x hot stiff shaft on advice from a pro my drive took a dive a month later got a titliest 910 d2 stiff 65 grams my drive kept on going down so a month later got a ping i 25 stiff 65 grams and a week later was ready to give up golf for good which i did for a month when following month on the range took my old ping G15 and believe me my drive was back this lifted my driving confidence which had dropped to zero and my game was back now big problem is that i have four new drivers including an RBZ in my store i cant touch

Regis

9 years ago

Maybe here’s the answer everyone is looking for . Well actually that would only be if you have my SS (<90 mph) mechanics , swing tempo and temperament. I've been gaming the SLDR
( last year's winner) for close to two years. Best driver for me since the R9 Super Tri and I love it I've tried everything on the market including last year's Cobra Bio Cell , which I didn't get along with at all. I bought a few aftermarket shafts for the SLDR over the past two years and some were exceptional, some not. My biggest disappointment (and $ outlay) was a Graphite Design Tour AD. Tried it on the SLDR as well as the original BB Alpha. Specs said it should have been perfect. It wasn't. This year's overall driver winner, the FlyZ became available to me at a nutty price so I had to buy.it. Never even hit it at the range. Never even tried the stock shaft. Got a Cobra tip and put that Tour AD failure on the head and from the first tee on a star was born. Flight was exactly what I dreamed of when I bought the shaft. Distance and trajectory a Holy Grail experience. What it really shows is that if you get a great head and pair it with a perfectly matched shaft you'll own Most Wanted driver.

Jeff

8 years ago

Finding a shaft/head combo that fits you is the key. I pulled the Matrix shaft out of my Taylormade RBZ Stage 2 driver and installed it in my Taylormade R1 and wowzer! Talk about a howitzer! That thing came alive! I’m normally a 240 hitter, but have easily gained 20-30 yards on average and hit over 300 on occasion! The other day with a little tailwind I bombed one 330! Just keep trying til you find what fits……………….

luke

9 years ago

hi guys …great job .. i know how tough it can be to test and the time it takes … to gather all the data ..

Wally

9 years ago

Thank You for all of the hard work involved in making this test.
That said, as a previous poster mentioned, the “only” fair way to conduct this test would be with an iron Byron set up to make sure that no deviation in results could be traced to human error. Depending on who the testers were, some might not be fit for the correct shaft, some testers might have an issue with looks or setup. The only fair way is to have an iron Byron set up for “X” low SS, and “X” high SS with everything else either plugged in or be static. I know that if I were to hit all of the clubs in the under 100mph class my results would probably be different that your results. I didn’t subscribe to the driver fitting notion much but my last driver I got fitted and it was not what the standard offering was. This type of reasoning might not work for everyone but it sure worked for me. By the way, the shaft I got in my driver was a very minor upcharge ($20)!

jimgolf

9 years ago

I think it would be great each year to add to this driver of the year review a final test of the current year winner in each category vs. last years winners and see if in fact the numbers overall have changed year to year. With drivers being around $500 or more now with a decent shaft I would love to know when I bought the MyGolfspy pick of the year last year if there is any noticeable improvement over the current pick before I spend another $500. Keep up the great work guys awesome stuff and the only place I actually believe what I read!

Jon

9 years ago

I could not agree more. At this point in the evolution of Drivers I would contend that the improvements now from year to year are definitely much less significant than they were say 5 to 10 years ago. Buying a new Driver every year to yield such a small incremental advantages might not be worth the money. But who knows I could be wrong. Test results comparing this years drivers to previous years drivers with the same testing regimen could be quite revealing. Jim good idea!

Taffy

9 years ago

I think the question you have to ask is what has been the increase in driver distance in the last 10 years and what increases there have been were they down to the driver or the improvement in ball technology, or the increase in power of the professionals. Sorry to be a killjoy. To compare previous offerings to the current could well show such a small difference that we may doubt the marketing messages.

Chuck Ludwig

9 years ago

Golfers Mis-Hit the ball big time with the Driver. Why wasn’t the “High Heat” Driver included in your testing? The High Heat has the Center of Gravity below the center line(Lowest of all drivers) & deepest Center of Gravity.
Also Tour players use drivers that average 44 1/2 ” in finished length
to Increase their “Smash Factor” (Ball Speed) because they can hit their Driver more on the percussion spot. Why not conduct a test using standard length VS. shorter length drivers & see the results. I bet the average golfer would get better accuracy, & better distance with shorter length drivers,

Taffy

8 years ago

I think you are right Chuck. I was fitted for a new driver last July and I have had improved accuracy,, no real change in the distance, but staying more or less on the fairway is much more satisfying. The Titleist fitter shortened the shaft to 44 1/2″ – my goal was improved accuracy not improved distance. I wonder what the results has been with those who chose new drivers from manufacturers who provide a standard 46″ shaft

joro

9 years ago

The best Driver for you is simple and may not be anything that is listed. It is combination of parts that match what you give it. The right shaft, head, and even grip size and it is almost a miracle if you can find that combination. It may be a great Manufacturer or it may be a home built club made from components.

Most of us will never see that club so we go by what some tester says is the best, and that is usually one of the usual big Companies that spend a lot of money on Marketing to convince us that their latest Kazzilion Dollar beast is the best and even the most critical of testers buy the hype.

Many people think the Driver Dean Knuth is making is the best out there, but why is it not in the fray. Seems to me there is more than a good club involved. Being a former player, club maker/designer and now a repairman has taught me a lot about the game and the equipment and one thing I found is what works for you is the best.

I have a friend I have been playing with for 20 yrs that bought a MacGregor Driver over 10 yrs ago for under 100 bucks at a Demo day and still outhits everyone in our group with all the newest and greatest stuff with longer, straighter Drives. So why if all this great hyped product is his old Mac better ? Simple, the club is right for him. This whole testing thing is only info. in the long run and really is only showcasing the Big Companies product. I call it pimping.

Steven Chandler

9 years ago

Dear MYGOLFSPY,

For Next Years Test You Should Include The Winning Driver For Each Category From 2015 To See How This Years Winners Compare With The New Models. This Would Be An Awesome Add To Your Testing.

Louie Pena Jr.

9 years ago

Luis Pena

Cole Adcock

9 years ago

Yuppppp. All about cobra this year

Guy Crawford

9 years ago

FLY Z!

Benjamin Lee

9 years ago

Tests like that are loaded because the numbers will be different for every player. It is just finding the right combo of club head and shaft that fits you to get best combination of distance and accuracy. Generally, more distance means less accuracy and vice versa.

MyGolf Spy

9 years ago

Which is why we had 20 testers to account for this. This is considered the industry standard and to be statistically significant.

Benjamin Lee

9 years ago

Still have to go on a launch monitor to get your individual numbers for each driver.

Brian Jay Murra

9 years ago

Is the Ping G30 LS Tech included in this panel? Because that’s a whole different beast than the G30.

MyGolf Spy

9 years ago

Yes it was included. The LS results are in the data section.

Brian Jay Murra

9 years ago

Thanks!

Jason Hopkins

9 years ago

Scott Swan
Zoe Field

Mark McEvoy

9 years ago

Mark Attebery Jake Vigil Tim Tim Howes

Ed

9 years ago

Very impressed with all the data you gathered. Most important to me might be, “what we’re the type, flex and brand of shafts used for each driver and swing speed category? I.E. Titleist 915D2 under and over 100 m.p.h. Swing speed? This may help in making a purchase decision.

Adam

9 years ago

For low SS: If you throw out the bottom two as outliers, there is only 7 yds difference in carry distance and 8yds difference in total distance across the entire spectrum. Meanwhile, there is a 7yd difference in yds offline.

For High SS: If you throw out the bottom outlier, there is a 10yd difference in carry distance and 14 yd difference in total distance across the spectrum. Meanwhile (throwing out the botttom outlier) there is a 4yd difference in yds offline (or 7yds if you count the worst performer).

It seems to me that for slower SS, the 7yds difference in yds offline would be far more important than an extra 7-8 yds of distance. For higher SS, the extra 10-14 yds of distance could for some golfers be more important than 4 yds of accuracy.

Meanwhile, your interactive data does not show Spin for slower swing speeds (but it does show spin for higher swing speeds and overall). I wonder if that was deliberate or an oversight.

Adam

9 years ago

While I appreciate the hard work and expense, the presentation of results is a little confusing and not particularly helpful. A reader has to dive into the raw numbers to find what he is looking for, which is cumbersome. Also, it would be very little additional effort (but add a lot of value) if you had each golfer rank their top three favorites (i.e. which one do I want to take home with me and why?) and then show the results (both scores and comments) by handicap. (As you know, there is more to a driver purchase than just raw numbers.) Meanwhile, your highest handicap is an 18—which is still better than your average golfer (who shoots a 95). You should expand it a little.

Sharkhark

9 years ago

I just came back to this thread & comments after a hiatus from originally reading it a month ago.
I’m shocked, given the openness of the site owners that all the repeated comments & questions about the tour edge e8 or whatever it’s called was not top 5,how the ping g30 was average yet hit top 5 etc.
Did Tony or someone else finally answer in another thread?
Otherwise it makes this test a complete waste?
Please can someone chime in with help?

Drew

9 years ago

I just got the Cally XR driver. Oh my! I’m hitting the sweetest drives that I can recall in a long time. even hits on the toe are flying 225…I’m loving this driver!

dwc

9 years ago

Awesome test. Late last year I got tested for my first driver. I really wanted the Big Bertha but we could not get the spin rates down despite trying several shafts. Tried the Ping G30 and after swapping out the shaft for the Tour X Shaft, brought my spin rates down from the 3000 range to 2,200. Launch was 15-16. Really that is as close to optimal with my SS as you can get. What I like about the Ping, and this was pointed out in the test, is its Forgiveness. I am not a great player, my average driver will be struck 1/2 inch or so off the sweetspot and could go 1.5 inches. When this happens I still get a decent shot from the G30 maybe 260-270 ish. That will play for me with the typical short par 4s on non PGA courses.

jj

9 years ago

Prior to the test results I had been testing almost every driver on this list. I was ready to pull the trigger on the Big bertha V series but figured I would until I saw the outcome of MGS testing.
As luck would have it Cobra was the one driver I hadn’t because I didn’t care much for many of their past offering. Reluctantly I went and demoed the FlyZ and hit well and posted better numbers especially on mishits with the Cobra. I was still getting some high spin numbers even with my slow 95 mph avg. swing speed, they were however better than the BBV and just as much carry but more roll. I then tried the FlyZ+ and with the weight in the forward position, and 10 degrees of loft The spin came down almost 400 rpm and I picked almost 10 yards. It was also very forgiving. Needless to say it’s in the bag and I would like to thank MGS for their tests.

Victah

9 years ago

Tried several of the top picks here. None beat last years best: Bridgestone j40 445. Callaway double diamond was closest to distance I get with J40 but less forgiving for me. j40 still rules after many challengers.

Dave L

9 years ago

When the slowest swing speed you’re testing is 91.2 MPH, then you are leaving out a huge segment of average golfers. According to http://www.statisticbrain.com/golf-player-demographic-statistics/, over 60% of the golfing population is 50 yrs old or older.
While there is no verifiable correlation between age and swing speed, it’s a valid assumption that as the population ages, swing speed slows.
I honestly think you need more testers swinging between 80 and 85 MPH

Regis

9 years ago

I agree Dave but its not all the fault of MGS. You look at all this years winners and look up their shaft options. Some don’t even come with a stock shaft of less than 65 grams or don’t have an A (R2) flex option. When I look at new clubs, including irons , I go in with the understanding that if I really want the product (say the E8 Beta) I’m going to have to replace the shaft. Sometimes I’ll even buy a model with a totally inappropriate shaft knowing I’ll never hit it. Adams just came out with their Blue line which is interesting but given the market share that golfers over 50 represents, I am puzzled why so many OEMS completely ignore them. I’d love to see more options for those with slower swing speeds at all levels of the marketing/development chain..

ryebread

9 years ago

Quick thoughts:
1) I really appreciate the test and all the effort that went into this. I see some of the comments and shake my head. They seemingly have no clue how hard it is to handle this many variables, particularly when the variables are people and their time commitment. I love robotic testing as much as the next guy, but are the people complaining putting up the $$$ to fund an Iron Byron?

2) I’d definitely like to see the raw data. I can then pick out the things that are important to me.

3) I really appreciate that high vs low swing speed is broken out. I’m a low (actually average) SS player and this site is great at giving you the two views. I’d like to see another view of high and low handicap across those two swing speeds.

4) Like everyone, I’m a bit surprised by the E8, Nike Vapor Speed and G30. I’m sure there’s a reason.

5) I’d have love to have seen how some previous winners fared if tested along side this year’s crop. Year over year is a great data point, though I suspect some OEMS that are giving you gear may not like this. You could feasibly “pick on” one that didn’t, though the relative and transitive property would still apply, so maybe a lot would pull out.

6) More than anything what this shows me is that there’s really not that much variation. Any of these heads probably could work if spec’d and configured properly. Pick one that you like aesthetically in the category you like and try and dial it in.

7) I’d love a second final rating based on price. While the driver prices (when new) are kind of tiered, it’s interesting when a lower tier pricing model out performs other higher price tier models. More expensive isn’t always better.

8) I know the driver testing is what moves the needle from a clicks perspective, but last year’s FW test for me is the one I go back to again and again. I’m very interested in FWs this year. I think there’s a bit more spread there and more variance in the way the OEMs try to solve the problem (i.e. shallow vs deep, large vs small, more expensive materials vs super thin faces, etc.).

Smashmouth

9 years ago

Great stuff as always. If forgiveness is a big factor in determining the most wanted, maybe it should het it’s own category like distance and accuracy. Would be interesting to see and help people understand the final overall winner. Thanks for all your hard work!

Mike Brown

9 years ago

In the under 100 mph category the D200 performed well despite having a lower smash factor than average and a higher launch angle than average. As I understand the smash factor is more to do with the golfer than the club and presumably so is the launch angle. Was there a reason why the D200 so under performed in these categories? If the smash factor rose to 142, about the average , and the launch angle reduced to a better launch of 12/13 surely those changes would have impacted on the end result and provided a more balanced result for the D200.

The end result of the study is that the majority are within a few yards of another. The important question then is the cost and value for money.

Lou

9 years ago

I’ve been a big fan of this site and these tests are truly incredible. They get bigger and better every year. With that said, totally confused on the TourEdge situation. I hope you guys can answer this question as many others have asked the same thing.

Dave S

9 years ago

So…. when are the follow-up, behind the data posts coming??

Keith

9 years ago

The G30 did kinda come out of nowhere…
I agree it would be truly revolutionary to put last year’s most wanted (distance, accuracy and overall) into this year’s mix… I doubt ANY manufacturer would allow it gracefully tho

Frank

9 years ago

I know that Mizuno doesn’t get much love in woods, but your test confirms my extensive pre-purchase testing and recent play wit the MIzuno jpx-850. I am sub-100 (94 ish). For me, only the Cally DBD compared to it in ball speed. Sort the data for ball speed and smash factor and the JPX-850 is near the top at all speeds, and with low spin. IMHO, the only reason it didn’t amaze in carry was the low launch angle numbers, which could have been adjusted up. I play it in a high launch, low spin setup, and and mishits correct beautifully.

JN

9 years ago

quidam, thanks for critical comment. A normal distribution or not, I think standard deviation is still an easy measure of the spread of the data. My point is simply that it would help get an idea of variation in the set in one simple number. In the text they also hint using it as a measure of consistency, so it could be given as well. Of course for higher level of detail, full data should be given.

I completely agree you in your view that what MGS have done is quite remarkable and cool.

Adam

9 years ago

Im curious about the lack of comparison to last years “control” club. This was a good implementation in my opinion. I’m slightly disappointed with it’s absence. Perhaps this is due to the growth in testers and the assumption that the data isn’t truly comparible as this adds another variable??

Joseph

9 years ago

I have personally been on a Titleist Staff member for the past 4 years. I set out on my own little journey to compare the 915 with some new offerings I found that for me the best where the Nike Vapor Pro, 915D3 and Callaway Alpha DD all with a Fuji shaft ( Fujikura Pro Tour Spec 73 X-Flex).
With that being said without using the same shaft and flex profiles all data will be askew. There isn’t a control because lengths, shaft profiles and shaft flexes are all different. Not only that loft setting and what not. The only test that will show true data is “Iron Byron” same swing speed, same shaft, same loft, same ball, same wind – turf condition. The test to me was a great start, but I feel a simple fix could make it truly accurate.

toots

9 years ago

While I love this site and all that it brings I do have some thoughts.

1. This years test felt a little underwhelming. Not sure why necessarily. I think you guys did a better job with the data than in years past but for some reason I wasn’t as excited about it. Thoughts?

2. Enough with the freaking “Do I Want the Truth” stuff. It is annoying and lets be honest…you aren’t going to hit $75k. Lets shut it down now, make the readership happy and call it a day.

Chadwick

9 years ago

1st off, I love this site! I hate to draw assumptions, but I’d like to have a few things answered from a donor.. Again b4 anyone jumps on my case, I truly love this site and its my favorite by a long shot, but these 3 things are eeerking me!!!

1. How is the E8 not top 5? I’m not the only one to asking…

2. I think Ping has a hell of a driver and I love the G30, but how is it on your list? I think it should be, but according to your public data it clearly shouldn’t be.. It doesn’t look good when you all visit and rave about the Ping company.. This is a non bias website right?

3. Cobra got rave reviews from you all in January and you all even said it was the front runner then.. So I visit the Cobra website the day this data comes out and guess what… My Golf Spy logo is all over their page! Seems kinda quick, its a “Trademark” logo I presume? Maybe Cobra had a heads up from Mygolfspy since it took 4 months to complete.. I truly hope so..

Gil B.

9 years ago

Thank you very much for the unbiased and well conducted driver testing. I’m a believer in your testing methodology and we all appreciate the hard work put forth in this test. Please keep up the good work.

quidam

9 years ago

JN, I fully agree with you. Without additional stats (min/max, Std. Dev., kurtosis, skewness, etc), or full disclosure of the data, is not very transparent. However, what kind of comfort would you place on a sample size of 20 participants Spread across almost just as many drivers? You seem to also be assuming that the distribution is normal…

I think this test should be taken for what it is: a high level recommendation for anyone that would simply buy off the rack or Online. Not sure how many people would understand standard Deviation, skewness, kurtosiS or find any of that stuff useful.

I Quite enjoy it for what it is and am glad the mgs guys took the time to do it – regardless of how perfect or imperfect it may be.

JN

9 years ago

It is great that MGS has uptaken a challenging study like this one. Being a scientist myself I can imagine how much work it must have been to organize everything with limited personnel.

However I would like to point out some weird things in this work.
(i) The formula used to evaluate most wantedness from the data should be public. Even if it was complicated, the readers should be able to agree that the chosen function is something they agree as well. On the other hand very comlpex formulas would also raise questions.
(ii) The data should be available to reader. I was able to download the averages in text format for low swing speed case, but not the others. Some people may want to make their own wantedness functions for which they need ascii data. They can then also confirm the wantedness of (i) having been done as claimed.
(iii) In general, the data should come with standard deviations. For example if a difference of two clubs is much less than the stds of the values, one knows its better to focus on other aspects. Second, these stds are direct measure of consistency, which is a relevant quantity.

ian roach

9 years ago

Thank you for all the hard work you guys rock!! how is the e8 beta not in the overall top 5? didn’t it place like top 5 in every category? Not surprised cobra one though that driver is a BOMBER

Joe

9 years ago

What about the callaway xr/xr pro ?

RJB

9 years ago

I’m sure Callaway didn’t send anything in to them…

Drewb

9 years ago

How does one find the full final list?

Phil

9 years ago

Any ideas on why the G30 SF Tec was completely outperformed by G30 and G30 Ls Tec?

Steven

9 years ago

Thanks for all of the hard work. I still have some questions about the weighting of the variables for the overall performance. It would be great if you could give a bit more detail on that.

One question that remains is how much better are the top five than the rest of the list.

Thanks for being the leader in independent testing.

Jeremy

9 years ago

Phenomenally well done. Best test I’ve seen. Already trying to find a Cobra demo day in my area.

Bjb

9 years ago

Went to hit some new drivers at golfsmith a couple months ago, and the guy helping me was actually raving about the fly-z and z+ as hands down the best of all the new drivers out this season…apparently he stayed late a few nights and hit them all. Dude knew his stuff!

Nor

9 years ago

Kinda surprised that TEE E8 Beta and Nike Vapor Flex didn’t make the lists. They both charted well in the previous two categories (distance & accuracy) though?

Nor

9 years ago

*Higher in the list

David

9 years ago

Ok before you named this the winner ,I brought a fly z — This is not a review this is facts ,, READY it’s 20 yards longer than my stage 2, Man want a club.

bubbrubb

9 years ago

I’d bet the shafts on the “top” drivers fit the golfers better than the shafts on the drivers that ranked lower. Unless you fit the testers with proper shafts, and use those same shafts on all the different heads, tests like these are going to be completely subjective.

Dave S.

9 years ago

That seems unlikely considering that there were 20 different testers with a wide range of handicap, swing speed, swing plane, early and late releases, etc. For the top drivers to randomly match all of those different swings would indicate, well, a good job picking shafts by those OEMs!

CJ

9 years ago

Awesome job MGS, thanks so much. Seriously, great work.
One question/suggestion — isn’t there a way to share the data on forgiveness, whether raw or in some aggregated manner? Perhaps even a quick fix, such as adding a column to the pivot tables? Based on your description of your methodology for measuring forgiveness, as well as your description of the forgiveness of various drivers (e.g., Ping came out on top), it’s clear you collected and analyzed data on forgiveness, so I would think there’s got to be a way to present that data in some manner in the pivot tables. It seems to me that forgiveness is the one aspect of this testing isn’t transparent, and unless I’m missing something in the data presented (which I admit is entirely possible), it’s completely opaque.

Gordon

9 years ago

I wanted to thank mygolfspy and the testers for all of this data driven test information.
While I did not pick the correct winners I am extremely pleased with the results.
having been a fan of Cobra products for the last several years, I have known the improvements they have made. Glad to see it independently verified. Callaway, TM, titleist, ping, and all the manufactures make quality products. None should feel slighted.
Great job everyone. Thank you.

Dave Lucas

9 years ago

Just got an e-mail from Cobra touting their “Most Wanted Driver”

Dave S

9 years ago

So let me start off by saying that I love MGS’ Most Wanted testing and look forward to it every year (not just for Drivers, but all clubs). That said, is it just me or does it seem like the method used to determine the best clubs (i.e. the weighting of the specific data points, the usage and application of truDistance/Accuracy, etc.) seems a bit opaque compared to previous years’ tests? I’m sure this is the best and most comprehensive test MGS has ever performed and I have not doubt the results were carefully determined, but there’s a nagging gap in my mind when I can’t fully understand the WHY behind the result. I love that you provided the raw data, but would love more information about how it was utilized to determine the result. Maybe you plan to discuss this in the blog posts to follow (“behind the numbers”, etc.).

Drewb

9 years ago

I have been asking for a hybrid test for years now. Oh well….let the same ole continue.

M.Duchesne

9 years ago

My 3 chosen one are…..
Distance / the Srixon z545
Auuracy / the Nike Vapor Pro
Overall / the Callaway BB V Sries
Thank you!

Mike Brown

9 years ago

Whatever happened to the Callaway XR Driver. Surely any review is incomplete without.

As the basis of Mygolfspy is that it is not sponsored and is looking after the public
Golfing community then it would be more than helpful to compare the new version club against the one it is superseding.

Dave

9 years ago

Great work guys! Keep it up.

I agree with one of the comments above about a blooper reel; it would be funny to see the data associated with the worst recorded shots.

Max

9 years ago

Now I can’t decide between the white and blue fly Z + Help?

Art

9 years ago

Great comparison!

Any chance you will share the raw data with? Some of us might like to draw our own conclusions.

wwnphdo

9 years ago

Had instore credit that expired in February, wanted new driver, could not wait for mgs results. Bought flyz based on internet reviews and its competive price, off the rack, no fitting or demo (yep i’m one of those guys) really on a whim. After two rounds and a couple of hours at the range, moved from white to blue and was hitting it past my typical results from the whites. 59 with slow ss but pretty consistent 260+ yrds (at 4500 ft alt). Good club, competive price, satisfied consumer. Bad news is now my son wants to change his custom fit sldr (which he hits consistently 300+) for flyz+. Doing our part to help the golf industry stay profitable. Thanx for the reviews!!

Ben Thomas

9 years ago

Sooooo why is the E8 Beta not in the top 5. For a club that finished 1st in one category and well in the others I am lost. Makes no sense. Great work though guys!!! It’s nice to see someone looking out for us consumers!!!

The Old Billy Baroo

9 years ago

Cobra didn’t waste any time posting their overall winning results on their website.
Kudos to them.
Hmmmmm, Cobra. Who’d thunk it.

http://www.cobragolf.com/

J

9 years ago

This is what we have been waiting for. Can you go into more detail about the truaccuracy and trudistance calculations?

Also is there a ranking and data for both “tru” measures on the data page? I am in my phone and cannot see all of the tables. Thanks

Jay Jennings

9 years ago

Finished top 5 in 5 of 6 categories. 1st in accuracy under 100 and 4th in distance under 100 and over all it finishes in 4th place in the overall. LOL how is the E8 Beta not in the top 5 overall either! Really guys? What’s going on here?

John Barry

9 years ago

As always, and of course, thanks for all the hard work and effort and bringing us a great line up to see.
Cobra!!! Love the company, glad they took it home. Makes me very itchy for a new driver!!

Regis

9 years ago

IMHO your best ever.Thanks. But next year you could improve by holding tests indoors and out with and without robot testing, using different compression balls, different shaft options, different length shafts,all the while incorporating the top 3 winners in each category from the last 3 years and then break your results down by further defined subcategories for both handicap and swing speed ? Oh and have it done by mid January. Otherwise if I’m in the market I’m going to my local guy and get fitted.

Adam

9 years ago

Could we get a look at a bloopers reel?

pudd

9 years ago

these OVERALL rankings just confuse me. How can the G30 not be on any of the rankings for accuracy or distance yet be top 4 and 3 overall?

Adam

9 years ago

Having Cobra in and out of the bag several times over the years I’m not surprised. So many good options this year. The difference over a such a large group are as close as I expected.

Great work guys. This keeps getting better but my favorite portions are still to come.

Big Dan

9 years ago

At a swing speed of 100 mph, I ran my own comparisons:
1. R15 430 cc size — 293 yards total
2. Ping G30, LS TEC version — 291 yards total
3. Aeroburner, 9.5 degree loft, 287 yards total
4. R15, 460 cc, 278 yards total

Most important: find shaft best suited to your swing. Also, find out if low spin drivers help your distance. If you have not updated driver in last 5 years, any driver in your study will increase driving distance. Many other excellent offerings this year; Titleist, Callaway, Cobra, etc.
Get fit, buy one of the new drivers. You will have a lot of fun in 2015.

Drewb

9 years ago

The most comprehensive driver review as expected. Congrats on a job well done!

Oiler3535

9 years ago

Great information; bar none the best testing out there! I’m not at all surprised with the results. Whenever time to kill I go hit the newest drivers on the gc2 at my local GolfTown (~147 ball speed avg). I find most results very similar unless there’s something that just doesn’t do it for me (for some reason I never get good results with Pings, their shafts must just not fit me well). I tried the Fly-Z, and was blown away. It was just as long as my Covert Tour 2.0, but was amazingly straight. If buying current year drivers was something I could do, it would have left the store in my hand that day. Sounded like a ball bouncing on concrete, but just head scratchingly straight!

PS, if looking for suggestions, I’d love to see the previous year’s winners for over 100, under 100, and overall (if different) used the next year for comparison.

revkev

9 years ago

For starters I’m blown away by the improvements in this test. It gets better in that there is more data available every year! Thanks guys!

I’m piling on this PS because it is my request every year. MGS prides itself on the data. It seems to me that its time for us (yes I’m a proud supporter and community member) to put to test whether or not there is any sort or real improvement season to season. My guess remains that over a broad swoop of time (3 years? 5 years?) there is but also that there are some offerings that are regressive along the way. I’d like to avoid those offerings. Another words brand x may be the top dog this year but it was a down year and it would have finished further down the list compared to the great crop of drivers released two years ago.

Justin

9 years ago

Great work guys! I was certainly surprised by the results for this years “Most Wanted”.
Can’t wait for Demo Days so I can try all the new clubs.

McaseyM

9 years ago

i’ve been playing a cobra amp driver for the last three years and it’s done very well for me. I remember a few months back when you predicted that cobra would be the best drivers for2015 and I’m happy to see that the research backed it up.
I really appreciate the Investments you have made, and continue to make into golf equipment performance research to cut through all of the marketing BS.

Matt W

9 years ago

Great work guys-
Appreciate all the time and hard work that goes into this. This is my most anticipated list produced each year.
Golf digest hot list- gives a list and says what the manufacturers want to be said.
Golf WRX- list is short and no data provided.

Mygolfspy- data! Love it

To all those that will complain below- we all already know custom fittings will help but there isn’t a better way to compare different brands without using off the rack equipment.

Thank you!

Will Howard

9 years ago

I am officially disappointed and confused. Not really sure if your tests have any validity in my mind after this. I am not even a fan of Tour Edge and they are a local company by me and to me this test is a bunch of malarky. Nice to see royal up there though!!! Great stuff underrated.

The E8 Beta:
#4 overall distance
#4 over 100 distance
#4 under 100 distance
#5 in accuracy overall
#1 in accuracy under

ONLY DRIVER With that many top 5’s nothing came close and its not in the top 5 overall? SMH
SO ALL OF THIS WARRANTS A NON-TOP 5 Finish. I am so beyond confused. Old format was better. Period. BUT SERIOUSLY how is it not #1 or #2 in swing speeds under 100 overall? lol

JJ

9 years ago

I don’t know anything about the Tour Edge E8, but I totally agree with you. It makes no sense at all that this is not high up somewhere on the overall list. Don’t understand it.

Dave S

9 years ago

I agree with you. I’ve made this same comment already, but it bears repeating: I think the biggest issue is that MGS hasn’t done a good enough job explaining the results or how they were calculated. They have just provided raw data along with their rankings, which doesn’t help a whole lot. I have no doubt that a ton of work went into this test, and MGS may very well have a reason for leaving the E8 Beta out of the top 5, but b/c we don’t know WHY, it makes the results feel a bit hollow.

Tony Covey

9 years ago

Dave…and everyone else,

We are watching the comments and the questions. If you have more, fire away. I’m certainly not promising we’ll answer every last thing, but I’m planning something for later this week, or early next.

Andreas

9 years ago

Great job collecting the data! Not so great in presenting it and writing something interesting about it. Have you considered using strokes gained driving to measure overall performance?

Andy

9 years ago

Awesome job. Congrats to all involved in bringing this data together and to life. I am still unsure if this data really changes my thoughts, but it does open my eyes to more possibilities. Every player is a bit different.

I tend to “discount” the accuracy findings the most whereas it almost seems like you equate the distance and accuracy numbers. At the end of the day, it really looks like the standard deviation between the clubs performance is getting smaller and certainly not as large as it may have been in the past. Thanks to the USGA COR limits.

Ed

9 years ago

Honestly I’m surprised tour edge didn’t do better. It ranks in the top 5 for distance and accuracy so I’m not sure how it wasn’t in the top 5 overall…

Ryan

9 years ago

I agree. But if you look at what is listed they have multiple drivers tied for 3rd place. So the E8 Beta may have came in 4th or 5th so it’s still a top 5 overall driver. Can only find out if MGS can confirm this obviously. I am surprised though that the G30 is 3rd overall while not even coming close to the top in the other 2 tests shown this week.

I just know that I’ve played exotics fairways for a while now waiting for them to produce a driver almost to the same caliber as the fairways. I believe they’ve finally done that to the max that the USGA can allow for driver performance. Already ordered mine and can’t for monday to receive it!

Brendon

9 years ago

After being so high on both the forgiveness and distance list how is the E8 beta not The top, or at least near the top of this list?

mnfats95

9 years ago

I love it because I’m always surprised.

Kudos to all the companies who were in the test regardless of where you finished.

Putting your money where your mouth is often is a lost art.

Performing poorly on these tests shouldn’t be taken as an insult or a put down.

It should be fuel for your company to double down and work harder to improve it’s product!

Performing well should be a major attaboy as well as a call to perform even better next time!

Congrats MGS and all involved for in my opinion the best equipment trial around!

Chad F.

9 years ago

The interactive data is great. Awesome job this year. Keep it up!

mygolfspy

9 years ago

Thanks Chad. We will definitely keep it up for you. We are just getting started.

Chal

9 years ago

I would just like to commend this website for the hard work in putting this together. Just a fantastic guide to get started. I will compare the top to my current gamer and see if there is enough improvement to justify a switch. Great test.

mygolfspy

9 years ago

Thanks Chal.

#PowerToThePlayer

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