Our Job Is Your Game
The wait is over! Based on our extensive, industry-leading testing, these are the best golf drivers of 2023.
This is the most in-depth driver test and data-driven review in the business. If you are considering investing in a new driver, you must read on.
Most Wanted Scoring
Our scoring is based on three categories: distance, accuracy and forgiveness. Each category includes underlying metrics.
Distance
The distance category is based on a single metric.
Carry Yards – Average carry yards
Total Yards – Average total yards
Accuracy
Most Wanted Driver 2023: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus
Bottom Line
The best golf driver 2023. TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus provided distance and accuracy for our entire testing pool. It ranks second in each category, which propelled it to the top spot overall.
Pros
Across the entire testing pool, Stealth 2 Plus produces one of the highest ball speeds on average. This is one key attribute that leads to its distance performance. When you combine its distance attributes with accuracy, it’s a tremendous combination.
Cons
Average forgiveness is Stealth 2 Plus’s downfall. Carry yardage consistency and dispersion hurt it a bit in comparison to those that finish ahead of it.
Who is it for?
Generally, low-spin models are for better, high swing speed golfers who struggle with higher spin. Stealth 2 Plus achieves this, but from our perspective, even mid swing speed players can benefit using this club. It wasn’t the lowest-spinning club in this year’s test. Additionally, TaylorMade’s stock shaft options help balance out the low-spin nature of this driver.
Tester Feedback
- TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus is among the leaders for sound and feel.
- For looks, Stealth 2 plus rates above average.
Best Drivers Overall
TOP PICKS: TAYLORMADE STEALTH 2 PLUS, COBRA AEROJET LS, TITLEIST TSR3
Chart showing the top 5 overall Drivers from the Most Wanted test. 1) TaylorMade Stealth 2, 2) Cobra AEROJET LS, 3) Titleist TSR3, 4) Callaway Paradigm X, 5) Srixon ZX5 LS Mk II
Observations
- TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus is the best golf driver 2023. Ultimately, it proves to be the best driver for the largest percentage of our testing pool.
- Backed by distance, COBRA AeroJet LS ranks 2nd overall.
- Titleist TSR3 finishes 3rd. It is arguably one of the more consistent clubs throughout testing. Top 7 ranking across all three scoring categories.
- Callaway Paradym X is another contender for your consideration. Not overly draw bias, exceptional forgiveness and accuracy are its benchmarks.
- Rounding out the top 5 is Srixon ZX5 LS Mk II. Srixon came to play this year and it was evident early on in testing. One of the best surprises of Most Wanted Driver 2023.
Best Drivers for Distance
TOP PICKS: COBRA AEROJET LS, TAYLORMADE STEALTH 2 PLUS, SRIXON ZX5 LS Mk II
Chart showing the top 5 drivers in the distance category.
Observations
- COBRA AeroJet LS ranks the best for distance. Multiple testers experienced eye opening results with this driver from a distance perspective.
- TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus isn’t far behind. It offers a bit more reliability when it comes to accuracy as well.
- Srixon ZX5 LS Mk II rounds out the top 3 for distance. It is one of the lowest spinning drivers in all of testing.
- TaylorMade Stealth 2 produces one of the highest ball speeds throughout the test. This helps propel its distance ranking.
- Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond finished 5th for distance.
Best Drivers for Accuracy
TOP PICKS: PING G425 MAX, TAYLORMADE STEALTH 2 PLUS, PING G430 MAX
A bar chart showing the top 5 drivers in the accuracy category and their scores.
Observations
- PING G425 MAX still performs. It claims best for accuracy.
- TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus narrowly misses out on first place. It excels in both are metrics – straight shot percentage and playable shot percentage.
- PING G430 Max wraps up the top 3. It possess reliable shot outcomes.
- Callaway Paradym X continues its impressive performance by ranking 4th for accuracy.
- Tour Edge Exotics E723 closes out the top 5 for accuracy. Couple this with its forgiveness performance and you have a potential fairway finder.
Best Drivers for Forgiveness
TOP PICKS: TOUR EDGE EXOTICS E723, PING G430 SFT, CALLAWAY PARADYM X
A bar chart showing the top 5 drivers in the forgiveness category
Observations
- Tour Edge Exotics E723 ranks as the best driver for forgiveness. From a data perspective, it performs consistently – ball speed delta, carry delta, and shot area.
- PING G430 SFT ranks 2nd for forgiveness. Traditionally, it is the best for slice correction and still is. It is consistent with what it is designed to do.
- Callaway Paradym X is a dark horse. It ranks 3rd for forgiveness, but also scores well for accuracy.
- Titleist TSR3 is 4th for forgiveness, but also ranks inside the top 10 for distance and accuracy.
- TaylorMade Stealth 2 HD closes out the top 5 for forgiveness.
Best Golf Drivers 2023 Scores
Best Golf Drivers 2023 Scores
| PRODUCT | OVERALL SCORE | DISTANCE SCORE | ACCURACY SCORE | FORGIVENESS SCORE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus Check Price | 97.5 | 94.1 | 96.7 | 84.1 |
 | COBRA AeroJet LS Check Price | 95.4 | 97.4 | 90.5 | 82.4 |
 | Titleist TSR3 Check Price | 95 | 91.2 | 91.1 | 90.4 |
 | Callaway Paradym X Check Price | 93.9 | 87.4 | 92.9 | 91.5 |
 | Srixon ZX5 LS MK II Check Price | 92.7 | 92.9 | 86.7 | 88.5 |
 | Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond Check Price | 90.9 | 92.8 | 87.8 | 82.8 |
 | Tour Edge Exotics E723 Check Price | 90.8 | 79.9 | 91.7 | 97.5 |
 | PING G430 MAX Check Price | 90.7 | 85.4 | 93.1 | 86.8 |
 | PING G425 MAX Check Price | 90.2 | 79.3 | 97.4 | 89.4 |
 | Srixon ZX7 MK II Check Price | 90 | 88.4 | 88.8 | 86.3 |
 | Titleist TSR4 Check Price | 89.8 | 87.9 | 90.5 | 84.3 |
 | TaylorMade Stealth 2 Check Price | 88.1 | 92.8 | 84.8 | 80.2 |
 | PING G430 LST Check Price | 87.1 | 87.9 | 85.3 | 85 |
 | COBRA AeroJet Check Price | 86.7 | 91.3 | 83.8 | 80.7 |
 | PXG 0211 22' Check Price | 86 | 80.4 | 89.3 | 88.9 |
 | TaylorMade Stealth 2 HD Check Price | 85.5 | 80.2 | 87.8 | 90 |
 | PXG 0311 XF Gen5 Check Price | 85.4 | 81.7 | 89.2 | 85.5 |
 | Wilson Dynapower Carbon Check Price | 84.2 | 88.5 | 83.6 | 79.4 |
 | Mizuno ST-Z 230 Check Price | 83.1 | 82.3 | 84.8 | 85.1 |
 | Tour Edge Exotics C723 Check Price | 79.9 | 83.7 | 81.1 | 80.2 |
 | Titleist TSR2 Check Price | 79.8 | 86.8 | 80.4 | 76.3 |
 | Wilson Dynapower Titanium Check Price | 79.4 | 81.2 | 77.1 | 88.9 |
 | Titleist TSR1 Check Price | 79.3 | 77.8 | 82.8 | 86.1 |
 | PXG 0311 GEN5 Check Price | 78.7 | 77 | 84 | 84.1 |
 | Callaway Paradym Check Price | 77.7 | 84.3 | 77 | 79.8 |
 | Srixon ZX5 MK II Check Price | 76.6 | 82.8 | 74.6 | 82.8 |
 | COBRA AeroJet Max Check Price | 76 | 81.6 | 79.8 | 76.2 |
 | Mizuno ST-X 230 Check Price | 74.9 | 81.2 | 73.8 | 82.6 |
 | PING G430 SFT Check Price | 73.2 | 73.1 | 71.7 | 94.4 |
 | NexGen NS210 Check Price | 71.4 | 78.9 | 72.2 | 79.9 |
Buying Considerations for the Best Golf Drivers 2023
Performance should be your primary concern when looking for the best golf driver for your game but there are other components you should consider before buying a new driver.
Cost
In most cases, be prepared to shell out $500-plus for a new golf driver in 2023. These prices aren’t going down any time soon so your buying decision is based on whether the performance is worth the cost.
Having said that, for $300 or less, you can buy PXG’s 0211, 0311 Gen5 and 0311 XF Gen5. PING’s G425 MAX (last year’s Most Wanted driver) is currently $399.99 and that price may drop further as the year progresses.
Shaft Selection
Each golfer delivers the golf club to the ball differently. This is where shaft selection plays a vital role in achieving consistent outcomes.
The golf shaft can assist with better accuracy, tighter dispersion and encourage better contact. In an era where golf driver technology is becoming more consistent, combining the right driver head and golf shaft can help you. Once you get that perfect combination, put it in your golf bag.
Distance Versus Everything Else
All 35 testers hit each driver. The graphic above represents the total yard differential between the longest and shortest drivers in the test: COBRA AEROJET LS and PING G430 SFT. As you can see, you have the potential to lose up to 15.4 yards in total distance.
Rightly or wrongly, distance always piques golfers’ interest more than accuracy or forgiveness. However, finding the right driver for your swing can lead to the best performance in all three categories.
Bottom Line
Over the entire testing pool, COBRA’s AEROJET LS stands out on top as the best for distance. It is the longest driver for the largest percentage of our testing pool.
Pros
Low spin, efficient ball speed, and appealing feel make the AeroJet LS an enticing driver option.
Cons
The AeroJet LS is potentially too low spinning for some players. Throughout testing, it proved to be one of the lowest spinning drivers. If you already spin it low, be careful with it.
Additionally, it offers below average forgiveness. And when we say forgiveness, we are talking about consistency of performance across the face – ball speed retention, carry distance efficiency, and shot area.
Who is it for?
If you struggle with too much spin, this driver is worth your consideration. A forward, lower center of gravity helps to create low spin and potentially more ball speed. The mid to high swing speed golfer is most likely to benefit.
Tester Feedback
- Offers tremendous feel
- Testers are happy to see one consistent color option
Ultimately, you must decide if distance is your main priority. Or is the optimum combination of distance, accuracy and forgiveness a better goal?
Adjustability and Shot Shape Correction
Arguably a first in Most Wanted Testing history, every driver in this year’s test features adjustability. From a fitting perspective, this allows for more precision.
Adjustability is three-fold: loft and lie adjustment and/or movable perimeter weighting (depending on the driver). Through adjustability, ideal launch conditions are more obtainable (in most scenarios) versus using a bonded driver. A fitter can either add or take away loft to find optimal launch or spin for every golfer. The lie angle can be adjusted to help with initial shot-shape direction.
As for perimeter weighting, it can help with launch, spin, ball speed and shot shape correction. PING G430 SFT, Titleist TSR3 and TSR4, TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus and COBRA AEROJET LS are a few examples that showcase dual adjustability: adjustable hosels and movable perimeter weighting.
Best Golf Drivers 2023 Field Notes
During each test, we look for trends that provide insight about market direction as well as what noteworthy changes manufacturers have made to improve year-over-year performance.
We are taking a new approach to tester feedback. As always, it will not play a role in our overall rankings. However, subjective feedback from our testing pool allows us to provide more definitive answers regarding sound, feel, looks and likelihood of purchase. Our testing pool now gives a rating on a scale of 1 to 10 for sound, feel, looks and likelihood of purchase.
Testers' Choice Award - Titleist TSR3
Consumer feedback is important and this year we are revamping tester feedback. Titleist TSR3 comes out on top with a clean sweep.
- Titleist TSR2, TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus, PING G430 LST and PING G430 MAX were among the leaders for sound.
- Titleist TSR2, COBRA AEROJET LS, TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus and Titleist TSR4 offer excellent feel.
- PING G430 MAX, Titleist TSR2, PING G430 LST and Titleist TSR4 all rate highly for looks.
- Titleist, PING, TaylorMade and COBRA are at the top of the list for likelihood of purchase according to our testing pool.
Trends
- Most noticeably, the entire golf driver testing pool consists of adjustable drivers. Having adjustability in a driver is a game changer. We hope this continues the trend where most OEMs only offer drivers with adjustability.
- Callaway’s Paradym lineup is the hot-ticket item over the past several weeks. They’ve rolled out their new 360 Carbon Chassis and a bold new look.
- Carbon properties continue to be a trend, i.e,. Paradym and Stealth 2 lineups. Time will tell if other manufacturers enter the carbon generation.
Hitting Bay Basics
Here are some quick insights to help you better navigate your next hitting bay experience.
- Shaft Length – The equipment industry still can’t agree on the definition of an inch so one manufacturer’s 45.75 is often another’s 46. Pay attention to the actual shaft length of the clubs at your next hitting bay experience. A 46-inch shaft will almost always get you more yards but it typically leads to a loss of accuracy and increased dispersion. A shorter shaft typically won’t cost you many (if any) yards because you’ll hit the sweet spot more often.
- Adjustable Loft – When you adjust loft, you change the face angle. Adding loft ↑ closes the face while decreasing loft ↓ opens the face. By understanding the relationship between loft and face angle and the influence face angle has on where your ball starts, you can leverage the loft adjustability to improve accuracy.
- Adjustable Weights – Not all adjustable weighting systems are created equal. You can leverage movable weight to its fullest potential by looking for systems that allow you to move significant mass over a wider area of the clubhead while keeping the weight close to the perimeter of the golf club. Lighter weights moved over small distances or moved between central locations will have a minimal impact on ball flight.
- Speed Versus Forgiveness – Despite promises of breakthrough technologies, run-of-the-mill physics, namely center-of-gravity location, remains the greatest predictor of ball speed. Clubs with more forward centers of gravity like the COBRA AEROJET LS, Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond, and other low-spin designs will typically produce the fastest ball speeds but with that comes lower MOI and often diminished forgiveness.
- Good Looks Don’t Equal Good Performance – Don’t overvalue looks. Golfers tell us all the time they can’t hit a club well if they don’t like how it looks but we’ve found very little evidence to suggest this is true. Very often, golfers produce outstanding results with clubs they claim to despise. Keep an open mind about a club that you may not find visually appealing.
Best Golf Drivers 2023 Product Specifications
Best Golf Drivers 2023 Product Specs
| OEM | Stated Loft | Measured Loft | Swing Weight | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Callaway Paradym Check Price | 9 | 8.7 | D 5.8 | 45.75" |
| Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond Check Price | 9 | 9 | D 3.0 | 45.75" |
| Callaway Paradym X Check Price | 9 | 8.8 | D 3.8 | 45.75" |
| COBRA AeroJet Check Price | 9 | 8.4 | D 4.7 | 45.625" |
| COBRA AeroJet LS Check Price | 9 | 8.6 | D 4.7 | 45.75" |
| COBRA AeroJet Max Check Price | 9 | 8.7 | D 3.9 | 45.625" |
| Mizuno ST-X 230 Check Price | 9.5 | 9.4 | D 6.8 | 46" |
| Mizuno ST-Z 230 Check Price | 9.5 | 9.5 | D 6.9 | 46" |
| NexGen NS210 Check Price | 9.5 | 9 | D 3.9 | 46" |
 | PING G425 MAX Check Price | 9 | 9.4 | D 3.1 | 45.625" |
| PING G430 LST Check Price | 9 | 9 | D 5.1 | 45.75" |
| PING G430 MAX Check Price | 9 | 8.9 | D 3.1 | 45.75" |
| PING G430 SFT Check Price | 10.5 | 10.5 | C 8.1 | 45.75" |
| PXG 0311 GEN5 Check Price | 9 | 9 | D 4.2 | 45.5" |
| PXG 0311 XF Gen5 Check Price | 9 | 9 | D 4.5 | 45.5" |
| PXG 0211 22' Check Price | 9 | 9.1 | D 4.7 | 45.5" |
| Srixon ZX5 LS MK II Check Price | 9.5 | 9.3 | D 3.2 | 46" |
| Srixon ZX5 MK II Check Price | 9.5 | 9.4 | D 2.9 | 46" |
| Srixon ZX7 MK II Check Price | 9.5 | 9.4 | D 2.5 | 46" |
| TaylorMade Stealth 2 Check Price | 9 | 8.8 | D 3.8 | 46" |
| TaylorMade Stealth 2 HD Check Price | 9 | 9 | D 5.5 | 46" |
| TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus Check Price | 9 | 8.8 | D 3.8 | 45.75" |
| Titleist TSR1 Check Price | 9 | 9.1 | D 3.8 | 46" |
| Titleist TSR2 Check Price | 9 | 9 | D 4.7 | 45.75" |
| Titleist TSR3 Check Price | 9 | 9 | D 4.6 | 45.75" |
| Titleist TSR4 Check Price | 9 | 9 | D 5.1 | 45.75" |
| Tour Edge Exotics C723 Check Price | 9 | 8.9 | D 6.1 | 45.75" |
| Tour Edge Exotics E723 Check Price | 9 | 8.9 | D 6.4 | 45.875" |
| Wilson Dynapower Carbon Check Price | 9 | 8.8 | D 3.2 | 45.75" |
| Wilson Dynapower Titanium Check Price | 9 | 9.2 | D 3.5 | 45.75" |
Best Golf Drivers 2023 Data
If you’re like us, you love diving into data. You can check out data for each golf driver HERE.
How We Test
In total, with 35 testers and 30 driver models, it required 315 individual sessions to complete testing for the Most Wanted Driver 2023. This exhaustive process is just one reason we reach 17 million readers annually. You trust our research and results.
HOW WE TEST
The Official Golf Ball of Most Wanted - Titleist ProV1
The Official Ball Launch Monitor - Foresight GC Quad
The Official Hitting Screen - Indoor Golf Shop
FAQ
Buying a New Driver
Q: How often should I buy a new driver?
A: Typically, it takes three to five years for manufacturers to make any significant performance gains. Though we all want something new from time to time, our recommendation is to buy a new driver only when it appreciably outperforms what is already in your bag.
Q: With all the talk of new face technology, is there one driver that produces significantly more ball speed?
A: No. As has been the case in every year of testing, there was not one driver that produced more ball speed for everyone. We do find a handful of standouts every year but average ball speeds among our top performers tend to be very close. That doesn’t mean they’re all the same. As you move down the rankings, you will find drivers that can reasonably be described as slow.
Q: Does the shaft matter?
A: Absolutely. While changes to spin and launch and spin differences are rarely massive, shaft changes frequently lead to improved accuracy, tighter dispersion and greater overall consistency.
Q: What should I look for when testing drivers?
A: Don’t focus exclusively on distance. While we all want a few more yards, accuracy and forgiveness matter. Most launch monitors display standard deviations in small print under the averages. Smaller standard deviations correlate to greater consistency. That shouldn’t be overlooked.
Most Wanted – Determining the Best Drivers 2023
Q: Where is the rest of the data?
A: We don’t want to overwhelm the average reader with intimidating data tables. For the hardcore among you, more data is available here.
Q: What is your fitting process?
A: We use a fitting process that we call fit from stock. Drivers are fitted to each tester using available stock no up-charge options from each manufacturer. We test with stamped lofts between nine and 10.5 degrees and fully utilize the fitting capability within each manufacturer’s lineup. This includes leveraging, loft, lie, face angle adjustability (hosel), movable weights and available shafts.
Q: How is the “Most Wanted Driver” determined?
A: After eliminating outliers, we calculate scores for our distanced, accuracy and forgiveness metrics. Those values are weighted and then aggregated to determine the Most Wanted Driver.
Q: How is the “Longest Driver” determined?
A: The three metrics that determine the longest driver are total distance, carry distance and peak distance (see Most Wanted Scoring section above for more detail)
Q: How is the “Most Accurate Driver” determined?
A: The metrics that determine the Most Forgiving Driver are straight shot percentage, playable shot percentage and Strokes Gained (see Most Wanted Scoring section above for more detail).
Q: How is the “Most Forgiving Driver” determined?
A: The metrics that determine the Most Forgiving Driver are carry delta, ball speed delta and shot area (see Most Wanted Scoring section above for more detail).
Q: How much does subjective feedback such as looks, sound and feel factor into your rankings?
A: ZERO. Our rankings are based on launch monitor data and quantifiable performance metrics.
Q: Will you publish a breakdown of the results by swing speed as you have in the past?
A: Yes. Those results will be published in the coming weeks.
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Butch Taylor
1 week agoIs the 1 – 30 data available for each category tested and rated? Perhaps I just missed it? Thank you for the good work!
John R
3 weeks agoSurprised only one driver had a stated loft of 10.5 degrees. My understanding is the average golfer generally benefits from more forgiving, higher lofts. 9 degrees strikes me as rather low for mid-high handicappers. While I realize most of the drivers are adjustable, the article says that increasing loft opens the face, which isn’t great for the multitude of people I know that slice.
Would be happy for MGS to educate me on what I a.m missing here. Or are the testers predominantly better players?
Looking forward to the swing speed data.
Equipment evaluation is always going to attract detractors so I appreciate MGS taking this work on.
Deacon
3 weeks agoIncreasing the adjustable loft closes the club facecloth
JL
1 month agoIt appears the dispersion numbers have been updated on the data page. Original values were between 2000-3000 but now that are in the 4000 range. They seem to better align with the Forgiveness and Accuracy rankings now. Was there an error or omission in the original data that was posted?
Also, it would interesting to see what driver best fit each of the testers. One the web call you mentioned a specific tester who had fantastic results with a particular driver. I think it would be valuable to know if certain drivers work really well for certain players even if their averages didn’t rank them high in the overall rankings. On the flip side, the Most Wanted driver might not be the best driver for any particular tester but on average it worked very well for the masses.
Jason McGrath
1 month agoUgh . . . I had a bad fitting experience for irons and was convinced hitting a few grooved shots in a row was the ultimate decider in which clubs they sold me. I still consistently hit my original gamers better. So I decided to order a driver this year based on reviews and got fitted for the best shaft for that driver. I chose the standard Paradym. The driver fitter had me hit the TD and I hit it a little better but I was convinced TD was for better players and I had just got lucky grooved a few. I ordered the standard. From these results it looks like the Standard Callaway Paradym is absolute garbage. I can’t win.
Mike
1 month agoThe fitter put you in a driver that you hit better & yet you purchased different one. So obviously there was uncertainty at that point. You should have said thanks, let me think about it, swallowed whatever fitter fee you had paid walked away (I’ve done that). Most places where I had a fitting & didn’t buy anything have you 30 days to come back & use that fitting spend as a credit against a purchase.
This bogey is on you sport, very unfair to Callaway.
KL
1 month agoCan we get the filters added on the granular data for swing speed, attack angle, and handicap like last year?
Jeff S
1 month agoI seriously question the entire validity of the study and results showing the Titleist TSR2 being less forgiving than both the TSR3 and TSR4. It should be the most forgiving. This is not very logical and strongly goes against what is generally known and advertised about these clubs. I’ve also really tested all three and found it to the most forgiving. This should have been an internal control, and does not make much sense. My conclusion, based on this, is that the overall study has design and execution flaws and all the results are somewhat suspect.
KL
1 month agoI’m not utterly sure what you’d use as a control, but I find the MGS study really useful. I suspect the manufacturers use robots in their designs and testing to determine whether a driver is meeting it’s objective. Say, in this case it’s forgiveness. But how do you define forgiveness? As an example, the draw-biased designs are far more forgiving of a slice but not necessarily in terms of horizontal MOI, etc.
For me, the MGS study shows how all these designs stack up across a range of human swings — swing speeds, attack angles, club path, face angle, etc. For me, it’s a great way to short list drivers I may want to be fit for without trying every single one. Or, it may open me up to trying a driver I might have overlooked.
Which is why a lot of the comments also say you need to get fit because your own results may differ.
Daggummit
1 month agoExactly
TR1PTIK
1 month agoSo you trust marketing more than objective data?
JasonA
1 week agoThe testing format has a large “low spin head” bias. Which does not necessarily make it a “bad” test. Actually mark of a “Good” test is it has to be repeatable., and showing a consistent bias indicates repeatability..
What’s going on with low spin preference? I think that in the flight modelling the lower spin show fly’s offline less for same tilt axis & this in turn maps back to being “more accurate and forgiving”. Which is fine if you have miles of nice flat fast rolling fairways as modeled on Foresight but not the real world.
Also number of higher swing speed players in test may have outsize impact.
But worth asking: could low spin heads actually work better for all players? I doubt it.
Roger
1 month agoLooking at the data, dispersion is one I would like more information about. In particular, what size is a cut off that the outside of shot pattern will be usually unplayable.
Harry
1 month agoSo if the Exotics E723 rated considerably well especially winning in forgiveness, yet went unmentioned outside that category in the article or top choices, what were the issues that caused it to be overlooked as a suggestion?
Team TaylorMade
1 month agoToday I bathe in the tears of Callaway fangirls. I know a large group of people who are sad for sure!
Mike
1 month agoI guess you missed the article in MGS about Callaway’s banner year last year. Somehow I don’t think that they’re worried about not doing well in the MGS test.
Would love to hear a reason why you’re happy about callaways mediocre showings. Actually, whenever I read about someone putting down a particular OEM, hopefully there’s a reason & not just some unjustified emotional trigger. For example, I have a problem with Mizuno. A few years ago they completely screwed up my iron order & tried to blame the store.. Their customer service was abysmal (I was able to listen in on the phone call) & thus I was extremely dissatisfied w/ them.
Corey
1 month agoThe biggest flaw with this test is relying on Foresight’s golf ball flight algorithm, which is well documented and known to grossly exaggerate carry on high launch/low spin. For instance, if you plug in the data for G430 Max vs Paradym TD in to Flightscope Trajectory Optimizer (which is far more accurate to real world numbers), then you get a carry of 228.7 yards for Paradym TD and 226.9 yards for G430 Max. Less than 2 yards difference. A much smaller difference (and much more accurate carry number) than what Foresight’s software shows. Without knowing horizontal launch angle and spin axis, there’s no way to look at accuracy, but the carry number alone is way off. Paradym TD is getting an unrealistic carry difference advantage due to the lower spin.
Big Dick
1 month agoFlightscope… lmao
Corey
4 weeks agoLet me guess…. You’re the guy who waits for the green to clear from 300 yards only to top it 100 yards down the fairway? All why blasting Jason Aldean at obnoxious levels from your speaker..
I’ve owned a GC2 for 6 years now, so needless to say I’m a little familiar with the flight algorithm and how it relates to real world carry. It’s been proven ad nauseam by many well respected people. But you’re just the internet cool guy that names himself Big Dick, so I’d be better off having this debate with a brick wall.
John G
1 month agoGood information but until you do this with the same shaft in each head you won’t get a true quantifiable result. The shaft is the engine of the club
Mike
1 month agoAgree. And buy a robot. Even the pros do not swing the same way twice so it’s really hard to compare things.
But even with a robot and the same shaft, articles like this are just interesting reading from me and not any type of buying guide.. GO GET FITTED! Honestly, if you want to do things really correctly, take those results and go to another fitter and compare the results. Yes, it’s a lot of work but these days, a new driver and possibly an upgraded shaft is a HUGE investment.
Matt
1 month agoQuestion on the ratings.. As an example, what does 97 actually mean if that is the score for distance? Is a distance score comparable to previous Most Wanted Driver reviews?
Before, you would post actual data, and it was helpful to see which drivers had more spin and by how much. Now, these scores have no reference to reality.
Like, if a driver is at a score of 97 for distance, what does that mean if it is 4 points higher than the next driver? Is that like 1 yard extra distance?
Rob V.
1 month agoI know Robots are expensive, but has MGS sought the possibility of getting one in the lab?
Also, Taking the average of the data collected from all your testers sounds like a great starting point. But we’re locked in on the shafts and mismatched to certain tester’s swing profiles. So if you wanted to benefit the ‘Off The Rack’ consumers. 35 testers sounds like it should capture a wide array for the 17 million readers. I think there’s added benefit in being able to drill down to specific HDCP ranges / club head swing speed of the testers, who align to portions of “Off The Rack” readers. Is there a goal to deliver that fidelity in the future or is the manpower on that lift just too big in scope for a project?
Clay
1 month agoI tested the Paradym 3D and Stealth 2+. The Stealth 2 was about 1-2mph faster ball speed out of the middle but didn’t retain ball speed as well on mis-hits. Unfortunately the Stealth was wild., I hit some bombs with it but my furthest offline drives were also with Stealth. In the end the consistency of the Callaway won out.
Point is different drivers perform better for different people. If you took 30 different testers and ran this test again you probably get completely different results. Get fit guys!
Nathan
1 month agoI guess the idea of testing so many golf shots is to get the best overall outcome. With how many were hit, you will likely get similar results each time. It’s not like 15,000 shots on each club were done over 1-2 days but a period of weeks. So the data is consistent.
Big Dick
1 month agoExact opposite experience in testing. Stealth2+ heads and tails better than the Paradym.. From Feel, Sound, Speed, and mishits just an all around better head.
JR
1 month agoIt doesn’t look good for Ping when the G425 is ahead of the new G430 on a couple of graphs.
Jim
1 month agoAnd not really understanding how the G430 isn’t ranked higher when everything I read indicates that it’s the most used driver on the PGA currently. Doesn’t seem like the pros would change so rapidly if it wasn’t gaining them distance or forgiveness? Tests and facts are on point but something seems to be missing perhaps.
Big Dick
1 month agoRight now the driver count on tour is:
Titleist 33
Callaway 29
PING 26
TaylorMade 25
Srixon 5
Cobra 3
PXG 2
Mizuno 2
Bridgestone 1
Mike
1 month agoI don’t get hung up on following what the “pros” use simply because I’m not a “pro”7. My game is completely different from any person on any pro or even semi-pro tour. That’s why it’s important to get fitted, and get fitted CORRECTLY.
mark
1 month agoI know a lot of club testing is done with people who swing the driver over 100 mph. How are the older players, or people with slower swing speeds, judge your findings? I’m 63, swing smoothly with my driver 85-90 mph, slows down a little each year.
G-man
1 month agoIt says you should hit the gym lol
Mike
1 month agoHey moron, ever heard of the expression “father time always wins”? He always does. I was a big time gym rat in my younger days & still keep in great shape for my age. But, as I said earlier, father time wins. You can spend 2 hours a day in the gym, but age will affect you. Not so much from a strength perspective (until you get much older) but in terms of joint health & overall body movements.
So feel free to make a more intelligent response.
Greg
1 month agoCan’t wait to see the 2023 sub 90 swing speed driver test for the slower swing speed golfers! Last year’s 2022 test was very enlightening. I am 65 and swing in the low 80 range on my more flexible days.
Dean
1 month agoDisappointing to see PXG clubs perform relatively poorly. I believe their product to be world class. In fact, I spent an hour at my local golf shop on their simulator and hit the Gen 5 0311 vs. Paradygm, Rogue ST, G300, and Stealth. I would have chosen last year’s Rogue ST as my overall favorite, but the PXG was not far behind. Hated last year’s Stealth, maybe Stealth 2 is much better? Didn’t get on with G300 either.
Tim
1 month agoSame experience for me with the PXG Gen 5 0311 Driver. Replaced the TS3 in my bag. More distance and tighter dispersion.
Wilson Player
1 month agoI would bet the PXG fitter had something to do with the performance. I have been fit a few times for different clubs by PXG and they know how to find the perfect combination of distance and accuracy.
The truth is that there are so many really great drivers on the market today. Just looking at the heart of the data you can see the distance gap is tiny. Likely even smaller when they break this into swing speed groups.
I have hit the AeroJet LS and it is a rocket, but also can be wild. I don’t have the luxury of throwing bad shots out wile playing like this test does. I need controlled distance. A 5yard distance gain isn’t worth the 20yards of extra dispersion.
DKEY
1 month agoSomething like the first four Tour wins were by Paradym – sounds like the most wanted driver to me. A lot buried in statistics, some of which there is hesitancy to explain fully, including in Q&A above. Nothing broken down by swing speed, so this exercise usually seems pretty irrelavant to me. Differences are generally marginal, including in the graphs, which have the fallacy of x/y axis bias.
Chris Nickel
1 month agoEvery year we take the driver test data and break it down by swing speed. I don’t anticipate that this year will be any different.
In addition, tour counts/use stats doesn’t provide useful information to consumers who are looking to find equipment that will perform best for them. Case in point, should a different driver go on to “win” more tour events than Paradym, it wouldn’t be reasonable to retroactively name a new “most wanted” driver –
ignorance123
1 month agoWell done folks. You all deserve a rest after going through all of those tests.
Not surprised at all that the Srixon ZX5 LS MK2 was the best Srixon – finally solves their two much spin distance issue, and kind of not surprised about the Ping G430 Max — seen too many reviews of backspin creeping up. Biggest surprise I think is TSR3 of how all round that thing holds up and even Paradym X — those numbers suggest everybody of all abilities have got to at least give those things a try. Biggest shock I thought was the TSR2 — don’t see any good numbers with that thing at all.
You can see in the hands of a great player why so many game that Stealth 2+.
Jon Silverberg
1 month agoThis morning’s email announcing the completion of the test contains 5 links to the test write-up. One link is called “Best Value.” I do not see any discussion of this in the write-up itself.
Tom S
1 month agoJon who?
Tom Bomb
1 month agoWhy would Titleist even make the TSr2 if the TSr3 is more forgiving? This contradicts every review that was made over the last 4 or 5 months.
Chris Nickel
1 month agoYou have to keep in mind that individual reviews aren’t the same as large-scale tests. In addition, the way we assess forgiveness may not be the same as others and it’s more involved than just comparing static MOI measurements.
FORGIVENESS
Typically, forgiveness is tied to MOI (moment of inertia) or how much MOI a golf club has. Our forgiveness category takes a deeper dive into how forgiveness translates to the golf course.
Carry Delta – The difference in yards between the longest and shortest shot hit by each tester with each golf club.
Ball Speed Delta – The speed difference between the fastest and slowest shots hit by each tester with each golf club.
Shot Area – In its simplest form, dispersion. Picture the ellipse associated with most launch monitor software that surrounds a grouping of shots. The tighter the circles, the better. However, at the same time, a club can have a tight grouping and not be the straightest.
JL
1 month agoHi Chris,
Can you explain the importance of Ball Speed Delta in the Forgiveness calculation? Given the amount of shots that you hit with each driver in the test, isn’t the output (distance, amount offline) all the matters? If a driver has inconsistent ball speed but the balls all finish in the same spot, is that a more forgiving or less forgiving driver?
JL
1 month agoHi Tom, Look at the dispersion metric for the TSR2 in the data page. It has the 4th lowest dispersion of all the drivers. Most of us would assume a smaller dispersion circle would mean more forgiving and consistent.
The G430 Max and TSR2 were similar for distance but the TSR2 had a significantly smaller dispersion. If I am in the fitting bay and I see the same distance but one has a smaller dispersion, that’s the one I buy unless the dispersion circle is in the middle of the bush 40 yards off the fairway.
Greg
1 month agoCan you please explain why the raw data differs so much between last year and this year for the ping g425 max ? Same club, lot of shots, lot of testers, yet big gap for all metrics (ball speed, launch angle, backspin and so on…)
Cody
1 month agoYeah I’d like to see their thoughts on this as well. I almost think at this point they need to introduce a “control” robot tester in addition to the human testers. There have been wild variations in the data (or at least how it’s being interpreted) for years now.
Also isn’t instilling a whole lot of confidence in the methodology when the TSR3 is beating the TSR2 in the MGS forgiveness metrics. I just can’t see a scenario where a company like Titleist that spends hundreds of millions on R&D and testing has an outcome like this.
Stephen
1 month agoThe performance gap within a driver family is fascinating to me. It just proves no mater how good a testing regime is (I appreciate all the hard work MGS), there’s no substitute for getting fit.
Looking at strokes gained, Cobra is 2nd with .45 on the LS, is 9th with .12 for the base Aerojet, and 20th (loosing 0.27 shots) with the Max.
Similarly Titleist ranges from 3rd with the TSR3 and 5th with the TSR4 down to 20th with e TSR2 and 28th with the TSR1! Can’t say the TSR1 is a “bad” driver, since it was good enough for Nelly Korda last year.
Hell, Ping ranges from 7th and 8th with the 425 Max and 430 Max to LAST with the G430 SFT.
Phillip Bishop
1 month agoGetting fit appropriately is a game changer. Each golfer is different and the best driver might be one they don’t anticipate.
Harry P
1 month agoFitted a few weeks ago and hit 9 different models with Ping G430 easily the best for me. played yesterday for the 1st time in 4 months and even what felt like a miss hit was in the fairway with good distance.
Jeremy
1 month agoCan you please explain the dispersion category numbers in the data link?
JL
1 month agoI am hoping for an answer as well. There are drivers with a low dispersion area at the bottom of accuracy and forgiveness and others with a high dispersion near the top of those categories.
Mark
1 month agoYour testing supports what I found in fitting. The Paradym had tighter dispersion. The Stealth2+ was much longer but a little looser. Cobra and Stealth were about the same distance on max driver swings. Where the Stealth really shined for me was in my “get in play” 80% driver swing. Average 12+ yards over any other head. I used a Project X gen 4 black 6.5 for all three heads.
Thanks for the study as it reinforces my thoughts about a new driver.
Phillip Bishop
1 month agoHappy to hear, Mark! Awesome to see you were able to keep the driver shaft the same in all three heads and see which truly benefits you.
Mark
1 month agoFor sure, especially with no upcharge for the new Hzrdus black. Ventus Blue velacore had better dispersion and is close on distance. Still debating on whether I will order a Ventus.
Max R
1 month agoWow! It some ways I’m shocked by the results. At the PGA Review, I believe Adam said or mentioned that he wouldn’t be surprised that the newest Mizuno driver would score really well this year. From what I’m seeing, it’s not great. Sad! Also, any information on the Yonex driver(s)?
Phillip Bishop
1 month agoWith 35 testers hitting 30 different drivers, each performance compounds and effects each driver. Mizuno is getting better with each passing year and it’ll work well for someone.
Yonex was not tested.
Emery
1 month agoWorked with my son this weekend testing Stealth 2 and Paradym Triple Diamond on the course. He is a high swing speed and ave @300yds (when not winter) and compared to his Epic MaxLS, neither performed better with the Stealth2 spinning out too high (needs to try the low spin version) and the Paradym ^^^ maybe being more forgiving…just a tiny bit, was not as long and he did swap the weights back and forth
. Used New ProV1’s. I’m sure he’ll retest when the weather warms up.
Phillip Bishop
1 month agoI would certainly give the Stealth 2 Plus a try since you’re dealing with high swing speed and higher spin. I’d give the Cobra AeroJet LS a look too.
Emery
1 month agoWe had a bad experience with Cobra drivers with numerous cracking heads of different generations. The Epic Max LS has been flawless so far and he thought the Stealth and the Paradym felt dead but maybe it was the more low note crack sound that made him think that.
Big Dick
1 month ago300 yd average isn’t very far anymore. I average 178 ball speed and the Stealth 2+ is heads and tails better than any callaway driver ever made. The Cobra, in fact, is a better driver as well. Sound like your kid doesn’t know what he is talking about.
Art Springsteen
1 month agoInteresting that in th WM, McIlroy dumped his TM Stealth II after two rounds- I couldn’t tell what he went back to-and Rahm wasn’t exactly loving his Callaway paradym , where he sorta had the “two-way” misses. Let’s see what they are hitting at the next big tourney (Masters)
Kevin
1 month agoSince I don’t swing like McIllroy or Rahm (or any other pro) I never give a thought to what they’re using. I swing, I feel, I hear, I look at MY numbers and I decide what’s best for my game. Neither pros nor social media move my needle.
Johnny
4 weeks agoRahmbo likes his Paradym just fine.
Scott
1 month agoWhen I hit the PING G430 against the Paradym, the PING was 10- 15yds longer for me. I was longer than any other driver I have hit.
I am surprised that it was so short in these test.
I can’t wait to hit the AreoJet now.
Phillip Bishop
1 month agoEvery golfer is different and it sounds like you found one that best suits you!
Scott
1 month agoCouldn’t agree more
Still can’t wait to hit he AreoJet
Trusty Rusty
1 month agoExcellent review, the haters will never be swayed or admit it but TaylorMade has consistently Innovated and expounded on design and sound. There has been no other brand that has been consistently at the top over the past 15 years. What some have scoffed at as gimmicky seems to show up as standard on other brands a few years later. I’m not a fanboy, but love innovation be it heads, material or the intangibility of sound when it comes to a driver. This driver is not for everyone, their other heads will fill those voids like the HD. Great job as always
Phillip Bishop
1 month agoThank you, Trusty Rusty! Innovation is exciting for sure. And, we have a team that works hard to bring you and everyone else information you can count on!
Jon Silverberg
1 month agoSo, based on the comments so far, I went to the “Forums” subheading and logged in, and then back to this article. There is still no link to the data. If not there, where are you supposed to log in? I see no other log in blanks.
Phillip Bishop
1 month agoHi Jon, we were having some issues. It should be visible now. Our apologies.
Pat Driscoll
1 month agoSo the Ping G425 grades out better than the Ping G430? If true, how did Ping let that happen lol
Phillip Bishop
1 month agoPING G430 Max finishes a spot above G425 Max in the overall rankings.
AC
1 month agoAwesome job as always. One thing to note, the link you provided for the raw data is requiring a username and password.
JB
1 month agoTough take to show Ping SFT as “worst” for distance when its only available in 10.5 loft. Not a fair fight against all of the other 9’s in the test
Phillip Bishop
1 month agoA fair point, but it is also a niche product…that does exactly what it is suppose to do. It is a much better driver versus the PING G425 SFT.
James Shepard
1 month agoI would like to know how many outliers each driver had. It would show how hard it is to get used to a driver and how hard to control.
Jay
1 month agoThere’s a few huge hammer blows against Pings G430 range in this test. That’s gonna hurt sales! I was thinking of giving them a test but I’m not gonna bother now
Ht
1 month agoYou should test everything
Cody
1 month agoThe G430 Max finished ahead of the G425 Max, which was last year’s overall winner- what are you even talking about? Lol
Steph
1 month agoCody if you bothered to read the whole article you’d see the max models are only 0.5 points apart on one chat. In terms of accuracy the G425 is miles better according to this test. And finally the G430 sft has been highlighted for being the worse out of all drivers for distance. This is a big blow for Ping
Cody
1 month ago@Steph
“One chart”
Oh you mean the “overall score chart”? Lol The 430 was ahead of the 425 in overall score due to a substantive increase in distance over the 425, and overcame proportionally smaller drops in forgiveness and accuracy. Did YOU not read the whole article?
George
1 month agoHonma 757 S
Phillip Bishop
1 month agoHonma declined to submit products. We certainly hope to include them in the future.
ChristianR
1 month agoYou said this in other tests like the putters one where Scotty hasn’t sent in their goods…why you cannot simply buy one? In the end you’re testing off the shelf product there is no fitting involved.
JL
1 month agoInteresting results. Thanks again for running these tests. Any comments on the TSR2? It seemed to be getting a lot of praise in other reviews with no concerns about forgiveness or accuracy. I can’t see how it could have finished behind the TSR3 AND the TSR4 in those categories.
JL
1 month agoI just reviewed the Driver Data. The TSR2 had the 4th lowest dispersion and the G430 Max had the 4th highest. Despite that the G430 Max was in the Top 10 for both Accuracy and Forgiveness and the TSR2 was in the bottom 10 for Accuracy and Forgiveness. I don’t understand how you could have among the best dispersion and rank near the bottom in Accuracy and Forgiveness. Please help me understand!
Jim
1 month agoAgree, TSR2 being LESS forgiving than TSR3 makes the data pretty suspect
BeTheBall
3 weeks agoLove your channel BUT the fact your top 2 rated drivers have “poor forgiveness” ratings really has me wondering who your audience is? Us weekend 6 index (most much worse) who actually spend $$ for equipment or tour players who get their drivers for free? Seems top drivers would be top 5 in BOTH distance and forgiveness? Just asking…
TheBrad
1 month agoSo the REAL winner is the TSR3, but the Taylormade won….ok.
The testers all preferred the Titleist is the metrics that really matter these days due to the limits placed on clubs. Looks, sound and feel. Plus, much more forgiving.
Jon Silverberg
1 month ago“the metrics that really matter these days?” Not to me. I’m much more concerned with distance, accuracy and forgiveness. The feedback items take a backseat to the big three. Those three form the heart of MGS’s test, and I’d bet that most of the readers of this site would agree that they’re more important (if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be here).
Bulldog
1 month agoI’m amazed at the lengths of this crop of drivers, with all 45.5” or longer. How are you supposed to find the center of the club face? I shortened my driver to 44”, taking steps to maintain swing weight, feel, etc. My distance is as good as ever, with more consistency, and much better dispersion. Finding the sweet spot in driver length was an amazing improvement for me, and my scores show it.
I’ve been through multiple fittings, but never once was length considered by the fitters. In my opinion, club manufacturers are going in the wrong direction with driver length for most amateur golfers.
Great work, and thanks to the MGS crew.
Max
1 month agoWhat I’m confused about is that Mizuno is advertising that their drivers are 45″ standard, yet this test lists them all as 46″. When you order from Mizuno, it says the standard length is 45″
Did MGS get +1 drivers for testing? Were the rulers broken? Is Mizuno lying?
Cody
1 month agoI don’t think a 3% increase in overall club length from 44″ to 45.5″ is going to be a make or break for people finding the center of the clubface…
Mike
1 month agoDisagree. Forget the “%” nonsense, an inch & a half is a huge difference. You do realize that most pros’ drivers are shorter than what amateurs play. That makes no sense..
Cody
1 month ago@Mike
“Forget the objective data metric because it doesn’t fit the argument I’m trying to make.”
And yeah, I absolutely base all of my club fitting decisions on the pros- same reason I only play blades and just put a 2 iron back into my bag. Oh, wait…
MarkM
1 month agoAs always, great job guys and thanks for doing what you do!!
Will be looking forward to more info details and drill downs.
Bennett Green
1 month agoThanks Mark! A huge effort from the entire team. We’re happy to serve you 👍🏽
Jimmy
1 month agoCan’t believe the Paradym performed so poorly in your testing. Everyone is raving about it and with multiple wins on tour already, it’s baffling it barely even got mentioned.. Hmmmm… 🤔
MarkM
1 month agoHmmm may be the difference between pros playing it and the rest of us? I’m pretty sure Rahm could play ANY driver and he’d still win.
Bennett Green
1 month agoHey Jimmy – The Paradym (different models) finished in the Top 5 for each category. Happy to guide you through any of the results – but maybe I’m missing what you mean?
Dave
1 month agoI wouldn’t consider top 4 in all three categories as performing poorly. Also worth keeping in mind, the testers aren’t tour pros 🙂
Will
1 month agoWho is raving about it that doesn’t have a vested interest? Jon Rahm can with with Callaway and he can win with Taylormade because he is ridiculously talented at golf. Instead of insinuating MGS bias why don’t you just say it? The amount of aspersions that are cast towards this website upon test results is gross. Who else is doing this? Where else can you get an opinion free, data driven study for free? Callaway Jimmy has his feelings hurt? If you read the article it isn’t remotely baffling it was barely mentioned. It didn’t test well relative to the others. Do you know what else barely got mentioned? The other drivers that didn’t test well relative to the winners. It’s called most wanted. Not most hyped. Perhaps you’d be better reading other publications that give gold medals for every new piece of equipment that comes out.
Trusty Rusty
1 month agoI highly doubt the heads being used by the tour pros are anything coming off the rack, same goes for their golf ball. I toured the callway golf ball factory and this is very obvious along with “hot” heads. The foundation of MGS using of the rack product is the cornerstone of their testing, if word got out otherwise…..Big trouble amongst readers, I doubt Adam would ever allow that to happen.
Johnny
4 weeks agoTour heads on our truck have a thicker, heavier face than retail and actually test slower to begin with to protect the faces from caving in. So the myth that TOUR has hot heads is fake news as any OEM guards against a bad test and having to pull a driver out of play. And the golf ball? Rahm is in the same CSX that you can buy in the store, only difference is the #10. Yes there are TOUR balls but they spin more than any retail ball, there is no unicorn ball that exists that’s longer off the tee and spins like a balata around the greens. The guys are actually just that good. Trust me, I’m next to it every week. That goes for all of them, not just Callaway guys.
Rob
1 month agoThe link to the data for each driver requires a log in to WordPress??
Cody
1 month agoInteresting results..
Mike
1 month agoLooking for the data link?
hckymeyer
1 month agoJust a heads up the data link is behind a WordPress login
Greg
1 month agoIf there is supposed to be a link under “more data is available here” it isn’t currently working.
Thank you for all the work that goes into putting this together.
Phillip Bishop
1 month agoGreg, the link should be working now. Technical difficulties earlier.