| Let's face it! Golf is
war. Specifically, the drivers are the opening salvo off the first
tee - the machismo and bravado are on display. "Show me what
you got" and "I can hit it further than you can"
are the insinuated subliminal emotions that can be felt by whomever
are within 20 feet of the tee box.
Each year we feature those drivers that are in
the greatest demand, perform exceptionally well and are the "buzz'
of the American male golfer.
This year, we will focus on those drivers that
are not from the "major" manufacturers but rather from
those smaller companies with less marketing dollars but still
put out a stunning and powerful driver.
To this end, this article will cover those drivers
that have made the biggest explosion in terms of actual performance
and hype. These are "powerful" tools compared to just
2-3 years ago. The most ubiquitous marketing themes seems to be
that each manufacturer is into comparison testing of their driver
versus those of the major manufacturers and stressing that their
particular driver's C.O.R. (.83) is at the maximum legal limit
for a driver head.
As always, before purchasing any of these drivers,
take them out for a test flight.
Until now, perfect launch conditions have been
reserved for higher swing speed players and PGA Tour pros. Research
shows that these players produce the optimum launch angle (the
initial angle at which the shot leaves the clubface) of approximately
12-14 degrees, combined with a ball spin rate of 2800-3000 rpm
for maximum driving distance.
However, today's drivers make it a lot easier for slower swinging
golfers to achieve those numbers.
We have identified the following six drivers
as being the most popular in 2003:
Tour Edge's JMax
The Bazooka JMAX changes all that. Now, all golfers
can achieve the same optimal launch angle and spin rate sought
after by today's top professionals.
The JMAX's club head technology not only maximizes
distance, it also offers the ultimate in forgiveness. The perfect
410cc titanium body and cold rolled Beta Titanium face utilizes
the best, most expensive Japanese titanium in golf. Pushing the
outer limits of forgiveness and distance, the 47.5 cm2 face area
provides an enormous sweet spot and turns out the maximum .83-rebound
rate allowed by the USGA.
 To
achieve perfect launch conditions, the JMAX adjusts three key
elements of its design for each loft: Face progression, sole weighting,
and shaft technology. By slightly varying these key elements,
each individual can achieve an optimum launch angle and spin rate
based on their swing speed.
Slower swing speed players cannot generate the
spin and launch angle necessary for maximum distance, so Tour
Edge combined the ideal head design and shaft technology in the
JMAX driver for slower-swing-speed players. For instance, the
11.5° driver features the most face progression for a deeper
center of gravity (CG) and the most sole weight for a lower CG.
These features put more weight behind and below the ball for perfect
spin and trajectory. To further optimize launch conditions, Tour
Edge engineers called on the experts at Fujikura, the leader in
shaft technology. By incorporating a tip weighted, low kick point
ultra-light shaft into the JMAX driver design, even the slowest
swing can maximize launch angle and spin rate.
The opposite configuration of the JMAX driver
fits fast-swing-speed players. In the 8.5-degree head, less face
progression and less sole weight create a higher CG. Coupled with
a raised kick point in the shaft, the 8.5-degree JMAX produces
the ideal launch conditions for faster swing speeds.
Its sharp, sophisticated looks and color scheme
appealed to all of our testers.
Lofts are available in 8.5°, 9.5°,
10.5° and 11.5°
MSRP: $299.00 www.touredgegolf.com
Adams Golf Redline Driver
Adams has made enormous inroads on the Champions
Tour and having the 2003 British Senior Open winner, Tom Watson,
as their spokesperson, has definitely catapulted Adams back into
the forefront as one of the leading golf manufacturers.
 The
titanium Redline driver is a 460 cc driver, the largest currently
available from a premium club maker. The club is designed to have
almost a 33% larger sweet spot for both maximum distance and "ease
of use". The titanium allows for the strategic placement
of 90 grams of weight, a hotter face and explosive distance. Tungsten
Perimeter Weighting provides straighter shots and up to 59% more
forgiveness.
This driver has a deep, squarish face, a wide,
wide sole and a big, round topside. At address, the club looks
very large, but still reassuringly manageable. In spite of all
this mass, the Redline is a good-looking driver. Its sharp, sophisticated
looks appealed to all of our testers.
Adams provides a Fujikura G60 shaft as their
standard offering - an excellent choice that offers the user a
crisp snap and energetic zip through impact. The extremely popular
Fujikura shaft definitely complements this head beautifully.
Lofts are available in 8.5°, 9.5°,
10.5°
Most models offer flexes in Senior, Regular,
Stiff, and X-Stiff shaft flexes.
MSRP: $299.00 www.adamsgolf.com
Purespin
The most distinguishable feature of the Purespin
4-70 driver is its sound. This is one unbelievably loud driver,
which makes a really big, metallic noise at impact. Rather unnerves
one's opponents.
 To
say that the sound that the Purespin makes a loud crackling
T-WAINK sound would be the understatement of the year.
So loud is the noise that one can actually hear it three holes
away! To be accurate, the word "t-waink" would have
to be more than just emboldened and capitalized; it would have
to be three times as large and made to shimmer back and forth.
Every Purespin driver is heat treated with diamonds
in a vacuum oven to create a face harder than any other on the
market. By maximizing the coefficient of restitution (COR), the
benefit is longer drives. All 4 - 70 Series drivers feature a
titanium face made of SP700, for the maximum COR. Utilizing the
unique Impact Surface Control System, allows the titanium face
to be forged on to an advanced composite polymer body. The drivers
range in size from 270 to 470cc. At 470cc, the club offers the
largest "sweet spot" and most forgiving surface for
mis-hits. Titanium heads have a size limit, but combining a titanium
face with a composite graphite body, decrease weight while achieving
a larger hitting surface. Because of the lighter head weight,
the average player can swing the club a little faster, the most
significant ingredient to adding distance. Minimizing the bulge-and-roll
also adds distance off the tee. The 470 model is consistently
20 to 30 yards longer than many of the major manufacturer drivers,
but equal to many other drivers with large heads all while staying
just as accurate. The size of the head takes a little getting
used to, as does the funny sound contact with the ball produces.
At first, our testers all found the sound to
be somewhat grating on the nerves, but as the sessions progressed,
and the Purespin continued to produce good results, all hitters
eventually adjusted to the excess aural input. In fact, it became
a good feedback device. Prime, sweet spot hits make the loudest
and highest pitched sounds of all wherein the
t-waink becomes a t-wack.
Lofts are available in 8.5°, 9.5°,
10.5°
Most models offer flexes in Senior, Regular,
Stiff, and X-Stiff.
MSRP: $299.00 www.purespin.com
LJC
Golf (formerly La Jolla Club Golf Company)
Following the success of their previous titanium
drivers, LJC Golf's new 450 Titanium driver has a 10° loft
and will also be available in a 14° Hi-Launch loft in the
Fall of 2003. This 14° driver is designed to provide a higher
trajectory with optimum distance. Most golfers today, would in
fact, benefit dramatically if they switched to a higher loft.
Each of our testers was totally flabbergasted with the feel, responsiveness
and especially the ball flight and distance achieved from this
driver. "Hitting it on the screws is magical" was their
most common response.
 The
color scheme has been upgraded to a sophisticated dark blue that
is very easy on the eye. Golfers can choose from a wide variety
of shafts to optimize the performance of the club based on their
own swing speed and tempo.
The LJC Titanium Driver Series includes the 300
(8° loft), 350 (9° loft), and 400 (9° & 10°
loft) models.
Based on shaft selection, the suggested retail
price for the 450 Titanium Driver ranges from $299 to $599. www.ljcgolf.com
800-468-7700
GolfGear's Tsunami Driver
GolfGear's new Tsunami driver is the flagship
of GolfGear's line of technologically advanced products, and is
based on GolfGear's proprietary, multi-patented forged-face insert
technology. The new 2003 360 cc. and 400 cc. Tsunami drivers have
a very unique top dome design. The "Wave Design" structurally
strengthens the entire club head. This maximizes energy transfer
to the hitting area, thus preventing energy loss in the head.
A new SPEED SLOT TOE wraps around the entire head, reducing drag
and head flutter and removing unwanted mass thereby increasing
club head speed without sacrificing accuracy. A new weight port
enables the weight of each club to be within one gram resulting
in greater distance and enhanced control for the player.
 From
what we can ascertain, The Tsunami driver has one of the strongest
heads in golf. Its Multi-Patented forged face insert maximizes
energy transfer to the ball and that's where it counts. The Tsunami
driver features a 10-2-3 beta titanium forged-face insert, which
has been double-struck to maximize density evenly throughout the
entire hitting area, and is fused into an investment cast beta
titanium body. 10-2-3 beta titanium was developed by the aerospace
industry for use in aircraft applications that require light weight,
high tensile strength and durability, and is both stronger and
denser than conventional titanium alloys.
GolfGear was founded by Don Anderson in 1989,
and features a full line of proprietary golf equipment. GolfGear's
patent portfolio with respect to insert technology is the largest
and most comprehensive in the golf industry, with nine domestic
and foreign patents issued related to forged-face insert technology.
These patents incorporate a wide variety of forged-face insert
materials, including titanium, beryllium copper, stainless steel,
carbon steel, aluminum, and related alloys thereof, and include
technology able to vary the face thickness of the insert.
Gerry James, a GolfGear staff member and currently the number
one money winner on the Long Drive Tour is also the holder of
the pending world's longest drive record with a 473-yard drive
using the company's new Tsunami driver.
The body of the Tsunami driver utilizes GolfGear's
contour dome design, which stabilizes club head geometry at impact
to ensure consistent performance. The Tsunami driver is plated
with a tungsten cobalt coating to harden the hitting surface and
protect the club head.
GolfGear also offers several custom shaft options.
Their standard shaft is the Tsunami shaft designed and manufactured
by Graphite Design, and is in the mid-50 gram range. This is a
very light, low torque shaft with a mid-kick point. Other shafts
are available upon request and prices may vary. Also offered are
the Graphite Design YS Series shafts, and the Fujikura Vista Pro
Series.
Our testers were very surprised how good the
driver felt and the distances achieved on a consistent basis.
RANKMARK Testing rated the Tsunami Driver - #1 in distance in
2003.
The Tsunami driver comes in 300cc (9°)
and 340cc (10°), and the new 360 cc (11°). Also available
will be new deep-faced models in 300cc (8°) and 400cc (8°
- 11°).
Depending on shaft selection, the Tsunami
has a basic suggested retail price of $499.95.
GolfGear International www.golfgearint.com
800.955.6440
M.A.C. Powersphere Driver by Burrows Golf
Burrows Golf is the latest entrant into the golf
domain. The company caused quite a stir at this year's PGA Show
in Orlando with elaborate booths and more importantly, packed
to the brim at the demo day. Since then the company has made major
inroads into the Champions Tour and into the pro shops countrywide.
Its product is the M.A.C. (Magnitude Amplification Cavity) Powersphere
driver and woods, all rather unique clubs that look as if someone
gouged a bowl out of the bottom or decided it should store a golf
ball on the bottom. This domed cavity is designed to redirect
shockwaves created at impact, which normally travel to the rear
of the club head and up the shaft, back to the clubface resulting
in a "hotter", more responsive clubface and greater
energy transfer.
 In
any event it is backed by some sound science and it's USP (Unique
Selling Proposition), is it's remarkable club-fitting system supposedly
designed by Ferrari. The company has devised special club-fitting
demo models, all contained to fit in a single golf bag, with which
you can simply unscrew the shaft from the club head, screw in
a different shaft and lock it in place with a small tool. Using
this threading technology takes about 30 seconds and then you
can go out and play with that club. Don't like the shaft? A M.A.C.
fitting bag typically includes 17 different driver heads and 30
different shafts. At least 14 of these shafts are exotic shafts
such as the Fujikura Speeder, Graphite Design YS-6 and Grafalloy
Blue. Simply screw in a different shaft and go back out to test
the driver until you find the "perfect" driver - loft
and shaft, that's right for you.
The system is ingenious, has 540 combinations
and absolves the dealer from carrying a large inventory of demo
clubs.
Titanium drivers are available in two sizes,
421cc with a two-degree closed face and 350cc with draw and square
face. Stainless steel fairway woods come in 3, 5, 7 and 9 models.
Our testers found the Powersphere to be long
off the tee and have a great feel.
MSRP: $399.00 www.burrowsgolf.com
1.866.622.4653 |
A New Squadron of Bombers Blast the Market Place - 2003
