2021 Best Driver Edition
Disclosure:
With 2021 almost over it's time to go over some of the best drivers of the year. Today, I will be going over 6 of my favorites of the year.
Cobra Radspeed
TaylorMade Sim 2 Max
Callaway Epic Max Ls
Mizuno St-X
Ping 425 LST
Titliest TSi3
My goal is to give a honest review that you can understand, relate to and isn't filled with jargon or specs that the majority of golfer's won't understand. With that said I'll be ranking them by 4 categories and giving out 3 separate awards, with the end goal of helping you find your next favorite driver.
*All drivers were stiff shaft, standard models and 9.0 or 9.5 loft*
There is 4 categories Ill be basing my criteria on.
Look: Goes back to the good ol' adage "Look good, play good". Having a driver that looks good when you pull it out and people will notice it will give you confidence every time you strike the ball.
Distance: Self-explanatory, do any of these drivers actually add any distance advantage over the others?
Price: Price is a key factor in golfers decision, is it worth spending that extra $100 or are you better going elsewhere?
There will also be 3 coveted awards I'll be giving out at the end.
Best Overall
Best Distance
Best Value
COBRA RADSPEED
"The KING RADSPEED family of metals utilizes RADIAL WEIGHTING Technology to deliver the perfect balance of ultra low spin, radical ball speed and extreme forgiveness. Your choice of two RAD colors provides the ultimate personalized looks and performance."
- https://www.cobragolf.ca/radspeed
Look: Cobra is always a brand that tends to standout out in the look department. With there new designs and bright colors. This Radspeed is no different, the bottom of the club has a futuristic design, two separate radial weight options and bright colors. The top is matte black with a classic "C" down the middle with the top and the bottom have two sleek strips. The only thing, I'm not high on with this is the highlighter green/yellow color, other than that this passes on all marks in my books.
Look = 4.25
Feel: With the Radial weighting system, you can adjust it to optimize YOUR swing, this is very beneficial to making your swing feel as smooth as possible. Now for the golfers with a little higher of handicap 12+, I'd recommend spending some quality time at the driving range to really dial into where you need the weight to be in order to fit your swing. Now one thing I noticed with the RADSPEED is that it has a sharp sound coming of the club when you hit it. That feature is definitely up to the golfer whether they like a sharp sound or a muted one when striking the ball.
Feel =4.6
Distance: I found with the cobra I was underwhelmed with the distance mostly because their marketing bases a lot of effort on distance. The one thing to mention is all drivers distances came within 5 yards of each other. Launch, ball speed, ball rotations were really where the distance for yourself may be affected.
Launch: 13.4 Ball Speed: 161mph Rotations: 2102 Carry: 283
I felt very in control of this club which was really nice, however with a lower spin limit it can cause control to be a problem. Overall, I was very comfortable swinging this and would recommend it.
Distance =4.1
Value:
TaylorMade Sim 2 MAX
"We’ve journeyed beyond tradition to bring you power, speed and forgiveness in a single driver. The reconstructed SIM2 Max delivers high MOI with a heavy 24g tungsten weight positioned on the Inertia Generator. The TPS Front Weight is strategically located on the sole of the club to encourage optimal launch and spin properties, delivering complete performance and max forgiveness".
Look: TaylorMade has completely redesigned the look of a driver with the Sim 2 MAX. They gave the head a new tungsten weight and changed the desing of a normal driver. They got rid of the adjustable weights as they felt most golfers didn't find it a necessary accessory. Unless you are really in tuned with your driver it's highly unlikely that you will be able to find the right weight system for yourself. The topped off the club with a sharp blue that some golfers may not like, however I think it's sharp. The top of the driver is matte black with carbon design, with some subtle stripes down side which I really like when looking down at my driver.
Look: 4.7
Feel: The feel was exceptional when hitting the TaylorMade Sim 2 Max. I seemed to hit the sweet spot fairly often and felt like all my misses ended up being near misses rather than ones that punished me. You get a muted sound when hitting this driver, that feature again is up to the beholder of course. I felt like the feel of the Sim 2 Max was fairly unmatched by the other drivers.
Feel: 4.6
Distance: Liked not loved the distance, I found that out of the 6 drivers it gave middle of the road performance. I found that it was slightly straighter of a drive more often which is most golfer dream, just left me a little short of the other drivers in this class.
Launch: 14.7 Ball Speed: 161.6 mph Rotations: 2275 Carry: 285
Distance 4.4
$699 CAD https://www.taylormadegolf.ca/SIM2-Max-Driver/DW-JJI65.html?lang=en_CA&cgid=taylormade-drivers#lang=en_CA&start=3&
$529.99 https://www.taylormadegolf.com/SIM2-Max-Driver/DW-JJI65.html?lang=en_US&cgid=taylormade-drivers#lang=en_US&start=3M
Callaway Epic Max Ls
"The advanced aerodynamic head construction promotes lower drag for higher head speed. The taller ribbon and flatter crown are built for a precise, more aerodynamic shape that can help golfers generate more speed".
The new Epic Max Ls is designed to mid-low handicappers, players that want more speed but also lower spin, and found that there's more of a fade biase.
Look: The Epic Max LS has black head with green highlights throughout. It features and adjustable weight at the back for better playability and has some unique markings the create better speed. On the face of the club, it has it's sweet spot clearly marked. On the top of the club, it has a shinier carbon look with some slight Callaway original features and streaks down the side. Overall, it's design for me wasn't the most innovative or eye popping.
Look= 3.7
Feel: The reason I chose the Epic Max LS out of all Callaway models is that i found that the sliding weight makes this driver the most fade capable driver thanks to it's 13g weight providing 14 yards of shot shape correction. It also seemed to be the longest and most playable of the other models. Overall, when I came through my driver when I hit I noticed a lot of speed and even more forgiveness than most.
Feel: 4.6
Distance: I really enjoyed hitting this driver off the tee, I found that with the large head it gave me confidence when coming through the ball. With lower drag creating higher head speed and lower spin it was a nice driver to swing.
Launch: 12.3 Ball speed: 163.1 mph Rotations: 2248 Carry: 284
Distance: 4.6
Mizuno ST-X
A Draw-biased carbon composite construction aided by a heel side sole weight. Potent ball speeds and consistent performance over time. Slower swing speeds will benefit, incorporating an incredibly lightweight 39 Fusion graphite shaft.
https://mizunogolf.com/ca/golf-clubs/st-series/st-x-driver/
Look: The ST-X is the smaller of the Mizuno two drivers. This driver like its brother driver the ST-Z is sharp and sleek looking. Black with silver lines, simple design that just looks good. The design team really nailed this one. The ST-X has the weight at the back of the driver. The top is a mixture of Shiny black and the carbon look that seems to be the right of passage for a lot drivers this year. Overall, love the look of this driver simple yet sheik.
Look= 4.6
Feel: Even thought it's the smaller of the two clubs, the ST-X is a club that feels great. Extremely light weight almost feels like air when you swing it. I chose another draw biased driver because it just compliments my swing nicely. When coming through the club it feels like i can swing it a ton. A little more compact than most, slightly deeper back and an upright visual lie angle.
Feel: 4.4
Distance: Low Ball, low speed and low Rotations equal Max distance.
Launch: 12.4 Ball Speed: 162.2 mph Rotations: 1969 Carry: 286
Distance= 4.7
Ping 425 LST
"The LST model is designed with a pear-shaped, 445cc head to greatly reduce spin, a benefit for faster-swing-speed players. A proprietary T9S+ forged face accelerates face flexing for more distance. The head employs a 17-gram CG shifter with Draw, Neutral, Fade settings to fit your swing and desired ball flight".
https://ca.ping.com/en-ca/clubs/drivers/g425-lst
Look: Ping not straying for off past generation with there design decided to stay classic with the sleek black and silver. Lots of sharp shapes and different elevations on the bottom of the club gives it a very strong look. This driver is more of a pear-shaped head. I'm not the biggest fan however of the face of the club, it just doesn't give me a strike zone that i'm looking for in my driver. That is obviously just a preference and really doesn't have much effect on the performance. The top of the club is all black with four ridges that's there to create the ability to cut through the air when you are on your down swing.
Look: 4.2/5.0
Feel: Reduce spin, lower trajectory, and more control. Medium sound when coming off the club. The pear shape head helps reduce error in your drive and improve workability. This club is perfect for golfers that know there shot shape and want to perfect it.
Distance: Distance was good, spin and rotation were low but not the lowest. Overall felt good and was in control the whole time.
Launch: 13.4 Ball Speed: 161.2 mph Rotations 2177 Carry 285
Distance= 4.7
Titleist TSi3
"For players who create more consistent contact and require more precise control over CG placement. With a new Adjustable CG Track Design for advanced speed-tuned performance".
- https://www.titleist.ca/golf-clubs/golf-drivers/tsi3
Look: TSi3 is more of a traditional looking club, blacked out with little graphics, rounded at the toe and heel. The top is shiny black with no design keeping the club looking sharp. The place I like the most on the club is the face, using patent pending technology having a ATI 425 titanium face. It's a stronger and lighter material letting them save weight and reposition it to better improve ball speeds. They also added the SureFit CG track Design, which doubles as a adjustable swing weight to match the consistent contact with the face.
Look: 4.3/5.0
Feel: I suggest if you are a moderate swing player to grab the KURO KAGE Black Dual Core 50 or Tensei AV Raw Blue 55 shaft as the new TSi3 players will benefit from the Straight Flight Weighting (SFW) technology, that Titleist incorporated with this club. When hitting the ball, you'll notice a more dampened sound. Probably my favorite part about this club is the SureFit CG track design that will easily let you adjust your club and they made it very simple to understand. The one thing to mention, is Titleist focuses their drivers on players that make consistent contact with the ball, so I'd only suggest this driver if you are frequently hitting fairways. If you find yourself slicing a lot, I don't believe this club will save you. However, if you are looking for speed and hit the majority of fairways this is the club for you.
Feel: 4.2/5.0
Distance: When making solid contact with the ball you noticed a lot of speed off the club which resulted in a fair bit of distance. Really enjoyed this club for the results it rendered.
Launch: 12.2 Ball Speed: 164.7 mph Rotations: 2410 Carry: 286
Distance: 4.7/5.0
BEST OVERALL TaylorMade Sim 2 MAX
Rory Mclroy, Dustin Johnson, Colin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka along with 22% top 100 players on the PGA tour that use a Driver from the Sim family. TaylorMade is a popular brand for a reason when it comes to the big stick. Which makes sense as I believe it's the best overall driver on the tour that golfers can buy when you take into account of Feel, Look, Distance and Value.
BEST VALUE Mizuno ST-X
Mizuno ST-X was a very close second, although not many tour players use Mizuno Drivers, I found that it gave me some of my best results. At the price point especially, I believe this driver should be in every weekend warriors bag. It's beautiful, lightweight, draw based slightly helps out my slice tendency, hits the ball a ton and it's one of the cheapest drivers out there.
BEST DISTANCE Titleist TSi3
Titleist owns the majority share of drivers on the PGA tour for a reason. The distance this club gives is insane and with names like Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Speith and Justin Thomas leading your team you are in good hands. It does come with a hefty price tag however that is balanced out by the distance and brand name recognition. Titleist is the most prestigious brand in golf and with that you will not only be out driving your friends but you will also look good while doing it.
Disclosure: