Maybe I’m repeating what others have said earlier but how about testing against prior year winners? It would be enlightening to see how much improvements in the latest in golf technology surpass earlier models, if at all.

How about doing a review of drivers for us old guys with swing speeds of less than 80 mph.

I am surprised the HL3 from Tour Edge was used for a high swing speed test. That is considered a game improvement model more than their EX10 model.

It would be very interesting to see the test of the same clues with swing speeds of 90-105 and use the same ball and then a faster swing ball..
What surprises would data show up??? well done MGS

i would love to test the clubs

I wish you didn’t lump the 105-110 with the 120’s .

I’m curious why the Epic driver isn’t included in these comparisons. Isn’t the epic a current year production driver?

Howdy. Id love to see Srixon in the mix. Just picked up a used 765 with oban white shaft. I can roll the ball for the first time in my life! As painful as it was to bench my old sasquatch tour(307yardscarry); I knew the time had come to upgrade. I tried the epic spun out way too much with any and every shaft at 130mph. Had great smash factor. Enjoyed the data as usual. “I’LL KEEP DIGGING HOLES”

Really ready to see the CG location report. That’s what I look forward to every year. Coming soon?

First off–I want to say thanks to MGS for providing all of this data. Secondly I’d like all the knuckleheads who keep posting “just go buy one off the rack if it feels good, because they are all the same…” to Silence Think Focus and Use their skills (STFU for short).
It is because of this site that I finally figured out that that very advice was costing me a boatload of dollars I didn’t have in my search for the right clubs.
Now admitteldy, the Srixon Z355 Irons I have in my bag are the only clubs I pack that got great press from MGS, but it was by watching the Data, such as driver spin etc., and learning what it was a club fitter would talk to me about actually meant. After getting fitted for my clubs, and able to converse with my fitter intelligentyly—-thanks to MGS—I took several strokes off my game. Admittedly, I have to follow Hogan’s advice for more strokes, and find the answer in the dirt, but at least now my clubs are tools that work for me, rather than inanimate oblects of which I have little understanding. You Rock MGS—and that’s why I donate to a winning cause.

I was pleasantly surprised with the Wilson’s data during my last range session.

I don’t think one is faster than the other , I do believe one can drive the ball father than the others. I hit all the new drivers PingG400 , Taylor Made M3 and the Rogue. The Callaway Rogue went about 5 to 7 years further but the M3 stayed on line 90% of the time. The G400 felt great and performed like the old G20. I went with consistency down the middle and purchased the Taylor Made.

Thanks MGS for all that you do. You provide a lot of free information that IMO gives readers an excellent starting point going into the fitting process. For readers unable to get fit you also provide clubs that statistically should fit the greatest number of golfers in a given swing speed range.

It seems like a lot of people give back nothing but criticism and complaints in exchange for this free data and then ask for more free data in the same post, but I want you to know the silent majority really appreciates the work you put into this.

It would be nice to see some more lesser brands on the testing

I could live the rest of my days without seeing driver tests with Callaway Et Al and a token club or two thrown in.

Plus, it would nice to see what their extra pricing v the NON OEMs gave you

I know VERT GROOVE AND TOUR EDGE are in there, but there are 50 driver brands that never see the light of day on these tests

In 1980 when I took up the game, the best way to get better at golf was to practice efficiently, play a lot and take lessons if you have the time/money/inclination to do so. This and the other tests reveal that this is still the case with perhaps the added caveat of getting fitted but IMO getting fitted really only makes a tiny difference in scoring, if at all, assuming you are already playing with clubs that are generally suited to you and your game.

Looks good but seems like we have a big speed gap between the fast and slow tester speeds.

For free content, there sure are a lot of complainers here.

Thanks for the data breakdown MGS!

Why were the RX Bridgestone balls used? They are for lower swing speeds than 105.

It’s nice to know that they are basically all the same. no one, even the pros, are consistent enough to notice differences that negligible. The difference in ball speed between say the Rogue and the M3 is less than 1 mph. Spin nearly identical. which ever one you hit off the center of the face more often is the better one for you. This certainly isn’t like the 90’s where one driver to the next might create like 7-8 mph different in ball speed.

pick the one off the rack u like the looks and feel
hit it and if the crack off the face and sound is OK
Buy it

My swing speed is about like a construction zone speed limit. Will be interesting to see results for those.

If you are testing clubs for their performance over 105 mpg then why are you using a golf ball specifically “engineered for swing speeds under 105”??? Appreciate what you are trying to do but this makes no sense to me.

Hi, hope you are doing fine,
Every time we receive your messages, we also get some promos like win this driver and so on, but every time we write our id it says you are already registered. Who wins all these goodies. I have seen these messages for the last 2-3 years and I hope somebody is winning!!

what if your swing speed is exactly 105mph? through out the round you get tired and swing maybe upper 90’s to lower 100’s mph. I think when im warmed up i can swing 105-110mph, but walking and about mid round im pretty sure most would be tired and start swinging in the lower 100’s and eventually upper 90’s. should i be looking for drivers in this group, or in the mid swing speed group?

So its clear the tester here swings at 105mph

Is 105mph really a fast swing?

Tour Average around 114mph and a lot of amateurs do swing that fast or faster, I would bet these clubs are actually designed to work their best closer to tour average speed or even above than at 105mph.

I swing fast and would like to see how these numbers compare at 120mph for example.

I know a brand that designs their clubs for really fast swingers, so they get the kudos of being the longest (Because the longest use them) but the relative performance does not exist for slower swingers.

Anyhow, please repeat the test at 120mph
thanks!

This objective data-driven testing is fantastic, but it’s greatest value is in helping to weed out clubs that don’t really stand up to their peers and perhaps highlight a handful of clubs that should be at the top of our lists for testing. Rushing out and buying a new driver just because it sits at the top of this list for average carry distance across a group of testers, or has 200rpm lower spin than the next driver – would probably be a bad idea.

What these tests really show is the importance of trying all of the clubs that you like the look of and give you confidence, and then seeing which one performs the best on a launch monitor as well as on course. If the store you are buying from is a good one, they will be able to provide a demo for on course testing.

Also, remember that numerous tests have shown that strike is king and shorter shaft lengths in drivers almost always results in better ball striking, with more consistent distances (often longer) with the driver. That’s why the PGA tour average driver length is around 44.5″. Crazy that most off the shelf drivers are 45.5″ or longer considering us amateurs are usually a million miles from striking the ball as well as the tour pros.

So, get properly fitted and go with a shorter driver shaft, and you will likely have the best results.

GolfSpy Comments on the Ping I20 Driver on April 19, 2012:

“GIVEN THAT OUR TWO SHORTEST HITTERS DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN THIS REVIEW, IT SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE THAT OVERALL AVERAGES ARE HIGHER THAN ANY PREVIOUS REVIEW. OUR 4 TESTERS AVERAGED 270.80 YARDS OF TOTAL DISTANCE (256.17 YARDS CARRY). NOTEWORTHY IS THAT ALL 4 TESTERS ACHIEVED DISTANCE TOTALS THAT ARE ABOVE THEIR HISTORICAL AVERAGES, WHILE TWO OF OUR TESTERS PUT UP SOME OF THE BIGGEST NUMBERS THEY’VE EVER ACHIEVED. SUFFICED TO SAY, LOOKING AT PURE DISTANCE NUMBERS, THE PING I20 IS AT OR NEAR THE VERY TOP OF OUR ALL-TIME LONGEST LIST.”

In six years, not much has changed.

Concerning spin you stated:

“THOUGH AS A GROUP OUR TESTERS AVERAGED 2460.07 RPM WORTH OF BACKSPIN, ONE OF OUR TESTERS AVERAGE JUST A LITTLE MORE THAN 2000 RPM, ANOTHER MANAGED AN ASTONISHING LOW 1678, WHICH SUGGESTS THAT A SOFTER SHAFT, OR AT LEAST ONE WITH A SOFTER TIP, MAY HAVE SOME BENEFIT FOR HIM.
STILL, EVEN WITH LOWER SPIN NUMBERS (GOOD NEWS IF YOU’RE LOOKING TO REDUCE SPIN), THE OVERALL RESULTS WERE DAMN NEAR AWESOME.”

I think I will keep playing the I20!

I question the measurement of swing speed. 280 yards is not the yardage I would anticipate for someone with a swing speed of 110 or above.

Just question if those swing speeds are accurate

Do you guys seriously have to release this one blog post at a time, rather than release it at once?

Last year the Srixon Driver scored really well in the Most Wanted Driver. This year it is not even on the chart . What happened ?

What weight setting was the F8+ in ?

Great results for PING 400….all three models at the top for ball speed! Impressed!

surprised that all the launch angles are “low”. it would be interesting to see “attack” angles. the ping driver fitting study showed that even higher swing speed golfers benefited from higher launch angles for carry distance. https://mygolfspy.com/mygolfspy-labs-the-driver-fitting-study/

What shaft was used with each driver? Was it the same for all of them? I assume it was, but would love to know specifics. Great test as always!

Pick the one u like looks feel balance
Buy your price point. There all the same

Besides all this statistical data, is nice only two are relevant as 90% are purchased off the rack
a. Total carry
b. Tester comments (missing)

The Tour Edge HL3 is definitely the best buy. It is 1/2 to 1/3rd the price and finished in the middle of the pack, well ahead of many far more expensive drivers.

I’d really like to see the results resorted based on ball striking accuracy. It would be interesting to see what the best club is for people who have trouble finding the center of the face and for those fortunate enough to find it all the time.

It is fairly obvious from this test that the performance claims of manufacturers is less relevant to a golfers own performance than how the aesthetics of any given club suit the golfers eye / preference.

I personally do not like multicoloured clubs, plain, traditional and i like it, if i like it, i swing it better and this pretty much is going to negate any performance advantage claimed.

They should now all just say, pick the club that looks nicest to you, they are basically all the same.

One thing i did find interesting, the Vertical Groove Driver, they were giving me all kinds of outrageous claims with regards to distance and it is clear it is just A.N. OTHER driver

Have you guys ever done a test on the OPTIMAL length of shaft for say 10 handicappers and done a substantial review?

I am convinced that driver choice should be based on

1. DOES IT LOOK NICE TO ME
2. OK, lets make this club shorter
3. Lets split any 50/50 choice with data

but golfers start with the data number 1 and pick the longest.

Long post

Great review as always

Would it be possible to post SD along with the averages for each of the metrics?

Love the data! Can’t wait for the tests on the next level swing speeds. I’m wondering about shaft data and how we determine more than just the shaft flex for our swing.

Damn, that jailbreak technology on the PING’s is really a game changer for high ballspeeds.

Interesting that the G400 max had the highest ball speed but also the highest spin. right head shaft combo and you may have the winner right there.

What is the MOI on the Rogue (where does it fall between 0-5,700 of the G400 Max)?

Interesting to see the differences and similarities, the top 9 for distance are within 3 yards of each other.

The reported ball speeds make me think Jail Break is as useless as Twist Face.

As a golfer with naturally low spin off the driver the LST and Sub Zero models don’t work well for me and I found the G400 Max to be perfect. It really shows the importance of getting fit.

Now this is a real test. I’m sure you guys can do something for the middle of the pack (90 mph to 105 mph) and the slower swings speeds (less than 90 mph). The variation in this test really showed out for sure.