How Many Drivers Has Each Golf Company Actually Released?
We hear the noise every time a new driver is released.
Great…another new driver from _____________. Wait 6 weeks and they’ll be another (and this one will be $100 cheaper).
It’s true. Some companies release a lot of drivers. Other companies release a lot less.
Who actually releases how many? Now that’s an interesting question.
One of our readers who works in golf retail took it upon himself to count up all of the releases from the major manufacturers since 2010. We’ve added to the list as we’ve found omissions, but we’ve arrived at numbers that we believe are solid.
Of course, what should or should not count as a distinct driver offering is open for debate. We certainly didn’t count absolutely everything, so our numbers may not line-up with yours.
In the interest of full transparency, here’s how we arrived at our count.
- Drivers available in multiple colors were considered to be the same model, unless a new color option was added after the original release. In real world terms; under our accounting Cobra’s Amp Cell lineup is one club, TaylorMade’s R1 and R1 Black are two.
- If only the shaft is different, we don’t count it separately. TaylorMade’s SLDR and SLDR TP are counted as 1 club.
- True Limited Edition releases (numbered) weren’t counted either. Cobra gets the biggest break here as we didn’t count things like the Limited Edition Orange AMP, or the Master’s Edition BiO Cell. It also means we left Long Tom and the Ferrari driver off the list.
- Non-US Releases (Callaway Legacy, for example) weren’t counted.
- Direct to consumer custom programs (Callaway U-Design, Cobra Design Lab) weren’t counted.
- Bonded hosel releases (RBZ, RBZ 2) of otherwise adjustable clubs were counted.
- I-Mix versions of Callaway’s FT-IZ and RAZR Hawk weren’t counted as they were not widely available.
- Pro/Tour versions where the head itself differs between the two were counted separately.
If we had counted ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING, totals for Cobra, TaylorMade, and Callaway would be significantly higher, PING would be +1, and Nike and Titleist would be exactly what they are.
(Click Infographic to Enlarge)
Share this Image On Your Site
Please include attribution to mygolfspy.com with this graphic.
Misunderstood
9 years ago
Was the MP600 in there too or added earlier. I bought one with a V2 67gram shaft this summer and it looks like it’s going to be my new driver for the next couple of years. It was in very good condition and it cost me $85 dollars on Ebay. In the last 10 years I’ve bought probably 80-100 drivers with different shafts on Ebay. I usually sell them back so I’m not actually spending that much money. It turns out the V2 67 gram shaft is the difference maker for me. Have you hit any of the 800 serious?