2020 Hot List: Drivers

Drivers in 2020 get specific, meet your needs, address your flaws and enhance your skills. We considered 27 models. nine made the list.

GOLD

Listed Alphabetically

Callaway

mavrik • sub zero • max

VERDICT

Callaway’s new three-driver family builds on the artificial-intelligence platform of last year’s Epic Flash. Those previously unimaginable variable-thickness face contours have been improved to bolster distance for three head styles and player types. The standard Mavrik – Callaway’s most ambitious aerodynamic design – has a raised rear skirt to enhance swing speed, and the face and deep centre of gravity work together to produce consistency in distance. The beefier, low-spin Sub Zero and the draw-biased Max come with two movable weights.

“It has a powerful thud at impact and doesn’t take much effort to get the ball out there. The best part was the ball dispersion. My shots were consistently on line.”

Cleveland

launcher hb turbo • draw

VERDICT

Cleveland’s focus on the needs of average players over pros in recent years is evident in this model. It doesn’t have adjustability features because, well, a lot of you don’t use them, and building adjustability into a driver wastes weight that can be used to make it more forgiving or to give it a draw bias. In other words, the kind of features you might need. By forgoing adjustability, Cleveland saved 35 grams that were placed in the rear of the clubhead to increase stability on off-centre strikes. Cleveland also saved weight by engineering a lighter, more flexible wraparound cupface.

“Draw bias? More like straight bias. Even when I cut across the ball, my shots travelled high, long and stayed in the fairway. I love the robust sound, too.”

Cobra

King speedzone • extreme    

VERDICT

The King Speedzone is the standard version and features moveable weights. The Xtreme has extra forgiveness. Both drivers focus on small details for big performance. For example, by computer milling the face and extending it to the perimeter, each curve and thickness is more tightly controlled for optimal flexing, higher launch and straighter off-centre hits. The carbon-fibre crown wraps around the top of the driver into two lobes, so now half of the clubhead area is weight-saving composite when it used to be barely a third.

“I love the cushioned, quiet feel. It almost gave the impression the ball wasn’t hit super hard, but the launch-monitor numbers say otherwise. My shots have a controlled trajectory that didn’t balloon.”

Mizuno

st200 • g • x    

VERDICT

The ST200 line is a follow-up to last year’s hot-face ST190 family, which included the first Mizuno driver to win a PGA Tour event in two decades. This line uses a beta-titanium alloy from racing-bike gears that’s stronger than last year’s face material. The result is a thinner and more flexible variable-thickness face that provides extra ball speed and distance. The family includes the standard ST200 (wide body and forgiving), the ST200G (two sliding weights in the sole) and the ST200X (ultralight, anti-slice weighting). All benefit from a lightweight carbon-composite crown.

“Feels techy but not overly so. I could swing aggressively without losing control. My shots had a boring, flat-ish trajectory with a little more rollout.”

PXG

0811 x gen2 • xf gen2    

VERDICT

The titanium face gets a lot of the attention, but it’s the non-metal pieces inside and outside these drivers that merit highlighting. First, the carbon-composite crown saves weight to increase adjustability options on the 0811 X and forgiveness on the 0811 XF. But the crown is also thicker and raised slightly to provide a stiffer area around the face to concentrate more rebound into the ball. Second, there’s a layer of soft elastomer in a honeycomb pattern lining the sole to control vibration and improve sound. The sole weights switch around so you can adjust spin, trajectory and direction.

“The muted finish and carbon-weave pattern make squaring the club at address easy. Weight is well-balanced. Even hits high on the face went far. It masks my misses.”

TaylorMade

sim • max •  max d    

VERDICT

The problem with aerodynamic features is that although they make a driver move through the air faster, they generally make impact less effective. The main reason is how an aerodynamic design typically pushes up the centre of gravity (CG), raising spin and reducing forgiveness. These wind-tunnel-developed drivers – including one with a sliding weight (SIM) and one that’s designed to combat a slice (Max D) – solve the CG problem with a back-weighted keel in the sole. It’s angled to improve air flow as the club rotates on the downswing, just when it’s moving the fastest.

“The sole weight provides some substance behind the shot with one soaring launch after another. You can really go after it, and the spin rate stays down.”

Titleist

ts1 • ts2 • ts3 • ts4    

VERDICT

Last year Titleist reinvigorated its driver line with the fast, thin-face designs behind the forgiving TS2 and adjustable-weight TS3. This year Titleist added two new models to reach a wider audience: the TS1, Titleist’s lightest driver ever, and the ultra-low-spin TS4. Boasting 40-gram shaft options and a slight draw bias, the TS1 serves the moderate swing-speed crowd who haven’t always considered Titleist an option. All four drivers in the family feature the company’s lightest and thinnest crown, plus ultra-thin faces that are 100-percent inspected for maximum flex.

“Confidence-inspiring at address, and the purity of the sound and feel are unmatched. I love how they blend all the elements on the sole, but on top it’s all classic.”

SILVER

Honma

tr20

VERDICT

You might think of Honma for its craftsmanship or use of gold in its pursuit of moderate swing-speed-player aesthetics. But the TR20 is the most complex of modern drivers that’s built to appeal to better-player muscle. The face has been thinned on the inside by the use of vertical grooves, and the body is made mostly from carbon fibre. There are three sole weights that allow you to specify less spin, extra forgiveness or a stronger draw bias. The compact 440-cubic-centimetre version was built to Justin Rose’s performance and visual requirements.

“I like the classic, glossy black, and the tight, penetrating draws I hit. Impact was clean and muted, and the feel was the right kind of heavy where I could feel the clubhead.”

Srixon

z 785 • z 585    

VERDICT

These two drivers meet the needs of the two primary player types in golf. The Z 785 is a low-spin model with a hosel that allows the loft to be adjusted
1 degree in either direction so you can set your preferred ball flight. The highly forgiving Z 585 doesn’t adjust, but it’s designed to produce a high ball flight. Both drivers feature a weight-saving, carbon-fibre crown and
a cupface made of an exclusive titanium alloy that wraps around the perimeter for improved rebound at impact across the entire face.

“Looks nice and stealthy with a pleasing sensation at impact. The 785 is stable on mis-hits, but I could work the ball, too. The 585 has a great combination of low spin and carry, and my shots had little to no curve.”