Best Golf Clubs Of 2010 Part 1 - Drivers

This December is really quite nice. Not too much rain but the mornings and evenings have been windy and chilly at times. Walking in the city in the mornings remind me of winter or the impending spring in other cities like Tokyo, Hong Kong or in Europe.

There was a report that our human body can get affected by drop in temperatures to 15-20 degrees and affecting especially those who have underlying heart or hypertension conditions. Walking around in cooler climate gives me a sense of elation and allow me to soak in things going around somewhat differently. If it drizzles, I feel like a soldier in the rain -


I just can't let the year slip away without my usual two cents worth on golf can I? So, here I come - Competition is relentless. Everybody is producing clubs which they claim are the most forgiving and could hit the longest. Some are exorbitantly expensive. New products are being constantly churn out. Some good brands can suffer fools in the heat of competition. Nickent Genex has no more distributorship here. Yes! who make great putters are on the brink of bankruptcy and could sell out.



Those of you dreaming of taking your game to the next level have have been waiting for the year end bonus for a shopping spree. It is a good gift to get for yourself and it does not need wrapping, just tie a ribbon around it if you must. Let me share with you some of the best equipment money can buy but more than that, equipment that works. The roll of honour for 2010:


Drivers


Customised weighting, trajectory shift, hot faces, shaft options, large heads, lower CG, higher MOI, etc. Club head size has maxed out to reach 460cc and can't go bigger due to USGA regulation so they have to turn to internal weights and external designs to produce something that gives you more distance and accuracy. This is a club for that very first shot and if you want to score you have to drive well onto a nice spot on the fairway for your second approach shot. Let me share some great drivers in alphabetical order:


Adams Speedline Fast 10 - This club was engineered for distance in mind. They used wind-tunnel technology to shape the sole to be more efficient and forgiving. Long and extremely easy to swing with large sweet spot. For Asians, do test for shaft stiffness as I find Adams shafts in American specs can be stiffer than others. This club is interesting.




Callaway Diablo Octane - 46 inches in length and a lighter club head with a new material built jointly with Lamborghini. How good is it? I do not know but watching the shot beat a Lamborghini Gallardo takes the cake.





Cleveland Launcher DST - Cleveland besides being famous for their wedges are very good indeed with their woods - drivers, fairway woods and hybrids. This time they reduced the total club weight to less than 300g, 10% less than some drivers. It comes with a light shaft of 47g and is helpful to produce a faster swing speed especially helpful for slower swingers. It is created to be long, straighter and more accurate to increase your fairway hits. Cleveland American specs shaft can be stiffer so see if you could get the Japanese version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI3-jv1HysA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRyHK8WAIuw

Cobra ZL - ZL means Zero Limit. Weight is positioned towards the heel and the crown and sole is made from graphite. This is high launch and maximum distance club. The black and silver colour scheme looks sharp. Very forgiving.
Cobra S2 - This is all titanium with a long 46-inch shaft. It comes with an adjustable angle at the hosel for 3 desired ball flight. It also has a face insert to promote faster ball speed. Great feel and sound and typical Cobra distance and accuracy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC5GlefjDlw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrtXocTP31Y

Mizuno MP-630 Fast Track - Built with new material and can customised ball flight. While others have to remove the head and adjust the screws, this one comes with sliding weights (how cool) and can adjust ball flight in 45 ways. Face is made from titanium alloy. Needless to say, very easy to adjust to your preference. To what I know Mizuno drivers are not for everyone as some may find it too demanding. Better players can try it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7AZaEQ_R04
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO4_6OjKwL0

Nike VR STR8-Fit Tour - It has a shaft adapter in the hosel to give players 32 different positions to change face angle, loft and lie angle. Cool! The strength of this club is great feel and distance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7su-dcba6EE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGAevKO_-5U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCF8ECsqAUw

Ping G 15 - External sole weight helps increase off centre hits and provides stability. A slightly lighter shaft shifts the balance point to the grip to create a heavier head while the swing weight remains unchanged. As a result, more mass is delivered to the ball even at the same speed. Clever! This driver has exceeded the expectations of many golfers. You shall get consistency. It is long and straight and could be one of the best drivers of 2010!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF45AjD_svk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41hXzppj6Y8&playnext=1&list=PL9312DF387CF7293E&index=33
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41hXzppj6Y8

TaylorMade Burner Superfast - I love TaylorMade and the Burner but I can't handle it. The 08 American Regular that is once used was light but too whippy. I got the 09 at 9.5 degrees American specs stiff but this time may have been a wee bit too stiff. I love the Burner for its feel and sound and distance. Now it has shed 14 g less and I wonder if I should find a place to test it for suitability. This clubs will shoot straight and is very long. I just need to know if it fits me. If it does it could find itself in my bag. Beware the 46.25 to 46.50 inches length.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zakEdIn-fnk&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWkrS2XKolU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF-Zw4aqEv8
TaylorMade R9 SuperTri - This one is an upgraded version of the R9 460 and comes in a black face and sole. It has both Flight Control (FCT) and Movable Weights (MVT). It has a deep face which measures 62cm. As usual it is long and forgiving. The dark colour scheme gives sinister intent.
TaylorMade R9 460 - This is the second version after the original R9 which was smaller. It has FCT which gives 8 different flight options. This is a great club that offers forgiveness, very long drives and consistency when you find a suitable setting to your liking. Among the best drivers out there in 2010 plus now with even greater value for money since it is considered a slightly older model in the market though it is still quite new. Go for it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mPLuuJ2xF0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMP_Quzlleo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_dcuk8x2FY
Titleist D2 - It has a shallow face but deeper CG and comes with a milled face insert. Titleist drivers usually has solid feel and strong trajectory. It is strong in performance, makes a great sound and has great feel. So with these cool and solid drivers, they are asking you: "What do you want from me?"
My estimation are as follows:
Best Dressed Best Looker of The Year: Ping G15, Cobra S2 - Too much going on can be a distraction be it graphics or shape. Traditional and balance shapes are the best.
Most Forgiving - These are the Super Game Improvement Category. It doesn't mean you are stupid or completely incapable or less macho. It should go to the Cleveland Launcher DST, Cobra ZL, TaylorMade Burner Super Fast, TaylorMade R9 SuperTri. R9 460 is also forgiving but the fact that the SuperTri has a taller face makes it more forgiving. If you still can't hit with this sticks, consider picking up table tennis.
Best Feel - Not necessarily in this order but they great solid feel. Cobra S2, Nike VR STR9-Fit Tour, Ping G15, TaylorMade Burner Superfast (honestly I haven't tried this one but the last two had solid feel), TaylorMade R9 460 and SuperTri, Titleist D2. I like the R9 feel but frankly feel does not generate result. Its a feel good factor and for better players they want to know how they hit by the feel.
Best Consistency - Cobra ZL, Mizuno, Ping G15, Taylormade SuperTri. One has to be able to handle the club with a repeatable swing producing repeatbel results. Not all clubs that lets you hit long gives you repeatable swing and consistent results.
Best Distance - Adams Speedline, Cleveland Launcher DST and TaylorMade Burner Superfast are built for speed therefore distance but the Cobra Zl and S2, the Mizuno, Nike, the Ping G15 and the TaylorMade R9 460 and SuperTri are no slouch and will give a run for the money.
Most important question of all is which one is the most suitable for you if money is no object? What are you lacking or searching for in your game. If you completely lack distance, you need it. Or is your distance good or may be average but lacks consistency?
What is the most important factor for me? Firstly, suitability. A club can be built for distance by being longer and lighter, two components for being longer but if I can't hit it well it is meaningless. Next, I will pick forgiveness and consistency simply because forgiving and consistent clubs are like good friends - they are reliable therefore, offers stability. You don't have to fight them.
Then distance becomes important since the fact that you could hit long means the course is shorten for you but distance must comes with accuracy to be on the fairways. If not choose accuracy over distance if it means trouble. If you can't have a high-flying life choose a life out of troubles. When you can hvae a balance of all these, the looks, sound and feel is important. If you don't like the look of something, you won't play well with it. Ditto the sound. Feel is subjective but better players may need it to know how to play better and feel good on impact.
Being able to adjust your driver is really cool because no matter how good we are, we wake up to a different swing each day. So this features come in handy.
Take your pick. Golf as in life, play as it lies.

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