Conventional wisdom tells us that driver
technology doesn’t change much from year to
year. Perhaps there’s some truth to that.
However, if you haven’t bought a new club in
the last few years, you may be surprised to
discover just how many additional yards you
could be missing out on.
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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| Titleist 915
D series driver |
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:
- Active Recoil Channel improves
distance on shots struck towards the toe or
heal
- High MOI Design maximizes ball
speeds without sacrificing forgiveness
- Traditional Head Design that better
players prefer
- SureFit Tour Hosel with up to sixteen
unique loft and lie combinations available
- Multiple stock shafts and flexes are
readily available
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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| Callaway
Great Big Bertha driver
|
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:
- Next generation R-Moto face
maximizes ball speeds on shots hit on the
perimeter
- Adjustable sliding weight increases
the club’s MOI while offering dispersion
control
- The Optift Hosel offers eight different
configurations to tune loft and face angle
- Multiple stock shafts and flexes are
readily available
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.
 |
| Callaway
Big Bertha Alpha 816 Double Black
Diamond |
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:
- Dual Distance Chambers give you
total control over your launch conditions
- Next generation R-Moto tech provides
a thinner face for higher ball speeds
- Designed with a Deeper Face and
Traditional Shape favored by skilled
players
- Mitsubishi Diamana D+ and Aldila
Rogue I/O shafts come standard
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.
 |
| Ping G30
driver |
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:
- Turbulator technology in the crown
generates faster ball speeds
- The driver’s CG position ensures
optimal launch and high MOI
- Matte black crown and modern design
appeals to better players
- Multiple stock shafts and flexes are
readily available
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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| TaylorMade
M1 driver |
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:
- Two separate weight slugs allow
golfers to control launch height and
direction
- Two-tone crown design saves weight
from the upper and rearward part of the driver
head
- Loft Sleeve allows golfers to set their
preference for face angle, loft and lie
- Fujikura Pro 60, Mitsubishi Kuro Kage
TiNi Silver and Aldila Rogue Silver 70 shafts are
standard
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.
 |
| Cobra King
LTD driver |
Key Features:
- Spaceport weight creates an
extremely low and deep CG with high MOI
- Forged Titanium face has variable
thickness for thinner, hotter sweet spot
- Textreme Carbon Fiber crown
repositions weight for extreme distance and
forgiveness
- Aldila Rogue Black 60 shaft comes
standard
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.
 |
| Srixon Z355
driver |
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:
- Action Mass combines a heavy head
and counterbalanced shaft to deliver
consistency and distance
- Titanium Cup Face creates a larger
sweet spot for increased distance off the
tee
- QTS Adjustable hosel offers 12
unique settings to configure loft, lie and face
angle