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AmateurGolf.com analyzes the latest driver offerings from Titleist, Callaway, Ping, TaylorMade, Cobra and more.
If you don’t always make contact on the center of the face (and let’s face it, that applies to everyone), today’s drivers are better able to retain higher ball speeds on shots struck on the perimeter. They are also easier to play and spin lower than ever before - which translates to distance gains for nearly every kind of player.
At AmateurGolf.com we’ve compiled a list of the most sought after drivers of 2015 including just released models that are going to see plenty of action next Spring.
Titleist 915 D2 / D3 Drivers
The 915 model drivers from Titleist are definitely not the new kids on the block, but these sticks are tour-proven for sure. Jordan Spieth and Zach Johnson used them to lock up three of the last four Majors, and that tally doesn’t even consider over a dozen other wins worldwide.
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The 915 drivers are notable for being lower spinning than their predecessors while being a little more forgiving. The 915 D2 driver has a 460cc head. It launches higher than the more compact 440cc D3 that is deemed more workable. Titleist was able to save weight up front allowing them to move the CG low and deep to increase MOI. Both driver models feature the Active Recoil Channel that undercuts the sole of the club, allowing a wider region of the face to flex at impact while imparting less rotational energy when the ball leaves the face.
Key Features:
Callaway Great Big Bertha Driver
The Great Big Bertha was one of Callaway’s most successful drivers back when it launched nearly two decades ago. It was considered highly innovative for its time, and the new version is certainly no pushover when it comes to modern design.
The new Great Big Bertha is Callaway’s most forgiving driver. It also spins less than the company’s V-Series driver as well as other previous models. Expect it to deliver superior distance and forgiveness for 80 to 90 percent of all golfers.
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One of the reasons why it’s so easy to hit: a 10-gram sliding weight runs across a track on the perimeter of the clubhead. Callaway put it there to add stability and to let golfers fine- tune the dispersion of their drives, leaving them with virtually unlimited draw and fade bias options.
Key Features:
Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 816 Double Black Diamond Driver
While most players will benefit from playing the Great Big Bertha, Callaway also offers a unique driver better suited for those golfers with turbo-charged swings. The Big Bertha Alpha 816 Double Black Diamond offers those players extreme distance from a lower- spinning head.
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The new Big Bertha Alpha 816 is Callaway’s lowest-spinning driver as a matter fact. It’s also as forgiving as last year’s Big Bertha Alpha 815 driver, offering a 45 percent larger sweet spot and a 30 percent tighter dispersion.
With the new driver, Callaway continues to expand the capabilities of its Gravity Core module. You can place the weight into one of two separate Dual Distance chambers to fine tune both your spin and direction. Finding the best combination of both produces greater distances and the shot-shaping control better players desire.
Key Features:
Ping G30 Driver
The success of the Ping G30 driver can be summed up this way: it’s golf’s version of a Polaroid camera - just point and shoot. The G30 is one of the most forgiving drivers around due to a center of gravity location that is the lowest and furthest back on any Ping model available. That makes it one of the easiest drivers to put in play out of the box.
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And while the Ping G30 is extremely forgiving, it also happens to be very long for its high MOI design. The G30 is outfitted with what the company calls turbulators across the the crown. Turbulators help reduce drag and increase the club’s ball speed across the face. The combination of excellent ball speeds and the easy-to-launch design made the Ping G30 one of the best reviewed drivers over the past year.
Key Features:
TaylorMade M1 Driver
As well-received as TaylorMade’s R15 driver had been, the new M1 is being heralded as a marked improvement, both in terms of length and adjustability. Both the M1 460 and 430cc models are incredibly high-launching and low-spinning. But the real difference between the new driver and past models is that the unlike TaylorMade’s SLDR or even the R15, the M1 is more forgiving, making it the one TaylorMade driver almost anyone can play.
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Both models of the M1 driver have a T- track weighting system that lets golfers change both the launch height and direction of their tee shots. Also, both drivers have a light-weight carbon composite crown that lowers the center of gravity to increase forgiveness and distance potential.
Key Features:
Cobra King LTD / LTD Pro Drivers
With its King LTD and LTD Pro drivers, Cobra literally lets you see the technology inside. A circular cut out in the club’s sole gives you a glimpse of the aerospace-inspired technologies that allow these clubs to be longer and straighter than ever.
Available in two models, the new Cobra drivers use the same head design. The King LTD comes in a higher loft configuration and has a more upright draw bias design, while the King LTD Pro is the lower-lofted version with the flatter look. Both clubs feature the unique, removable “Spaceport” sole weight that repositions weight lower and deeper to help increase launch and lower spin. The new drivers also use a carbon fiber material called Textreme which is 20 percent lighter than standard. Textreme allowed Cobra to make the crown thinner and lighter which improves distance and dispersion on off-center hits.
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Key Features:
Srixon Z355 Driver
In the past, Srixon has primarily focused on releasing drivers geared for highly skilled golfers. But their new Z355 driver which uses a heavy club head and counterbalanced shaft is set to help golfers who generate lower club head speeds.
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Srixon calls their new driver feature “Action Mass Technology”. The Z355 uses a lightweight, high balance point Jinsoku shaft from Miyazaki to offset the extremely heavy club head, creating the opportunity to generate more ball speed which leads to greater distance.
Key Features:

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