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Review: Cobra Bio Cell Pro Driver

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Pros: The Cobra Bio Cell Pro has the lowest center of gravity of any Cobra driver, producing a low-spinning cannonball off the tee. It’s one of the best options for high-speed golfers who need to get their spin numbers down. The stock length of 45 inches is a welcome departure from current trends.

Cons: Although the loft settings are adjustable, options are limited to 7, 7.5, 8.5, 9.5 and 10 degrees with Fade setting options at 7.5, 8.5 and 9.5 degrees. There’s no love for those who need help drawing the ball.

Bottom Line: This Bio Cell Pro is the complete package for high-spin players and makes Cobra entirely relevant in the conversation of drivers worthy of a spot in the bags of the best players in the world. It’s that good.

Overview

The third and final iteration of Cobra’s Bio Cell line is the Bio Cell Pro, which offers a compact 440-cubic-centimeter head in a full-titanium construction. Cobra engineers used “Bio Cells” to redistribute weight from the crown and other areas lower in the head, creating the lowest center of gravity (CG) of the Bio Cell models.

The lower the CG makes the Bio Cell Pro the company’s lowest spinning driver, which in theory will help golfers launch the ball higher and with less spin than its other models. That can lead to more distance for certain golfers.

“This Pro Driver was designed for golfers with a strong swing that yields high launch and high spin,” said Jose Miraflor, Cobra’s director of product marketing. “To help these golfers play at their best, we created the Bio Cell Pro driver, our lowest CG ever to deliver unmatched distance and performance.”

So why wouldn’t golfers always choose the Bio Cell Pro over the Bio Cell and Bio Cell+ drivers? There’s only so much discretionary weight in a driver head, which is why manufacturers usually have to make a choice between making a really low-spinning driver and a driver that’s really forgiving. Cobra has worked hard to create three drivers that are all relatively forgiving and still provide high-launch, low-spin launch conditions.

Click here to see our list of 2014 Best Driver List, which includes Cobra’s Bio Cell.

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Want Cobra’s most forgiving driver? Go with the 460cc Bio Cell, which has the most weight low and deep in the head to boost performance and accuracy on off-center hits. Remember, however, that the Bio Cell will generally be Cobra’s highest-spinning model on center strikes. Need to lower your spin? The Bio Cell+ (440cc) and Bio Cell Pro are the ticket, but don’t expect to get as much of a pass on your off-center hits.

Keep in mind, too, that golfers with slow swing speeds don’t always need higher-spinning drivers and golfers with fast swing speeds don’t always need lower-spinning drivers, although there is a correlation. That being said, there are plenty of professional golfers who prefer the Bio Cell because they need a little more spin off the tee to create more carry or help them work the ball. There are also plenty of higher-handicap golfers who could benefit from the lower spin launch conditions of the Bio Cell+ and Bio Cell Pro, which can help them hit drivers 5, 10, 15 or maybe even 20 yards farther down the fairway without losing too much performance of off-center hits.

The takeaway? Get fit by a reputable fitter with access to top-quality launch monitors like FlightScope and Trackman.

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As compared to the Bio Cell+, which used a combination of titanium and Venollum in the crown, the Bio Cell Pro is an all-titanium construction. Sound creates feel and the full titanium head provides a more solid feel at impact.

A modified E9 forged face offers an expanded sweet zone, according to Cobra, the result of which is consistently high ball speeds for all drives, especially those hit on the low-heel and high-toe areas of the clubface.

The proprietary MyFly8 system allows the player to select one of eight settings to dial in desired trajectory and shot shape and Cobra’s SmartPad supports the club at address, which permits the head to sit relatively square regardless of selected MyFly8 setting. The hosel adjusts to lofts of 7, 7.5, 8.5 9.5 and 10 degrees, with Fade settings at 7.5, 8.5 and 9.5 degrees that make the driver’s lie angle flatter.

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The Bio Cell Pro is available in orange, blue and black and is listed with an MSRP of $399.

The stock length in the Bio Cell Pro is 45 inches and swingweight is D3 to D5 depending upon shaft selection. Stock (no upcharge) shafts are the Matrix Red Tie 6Q3, Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 72 and the Project X PXV Tour 52.

Performance

Yep. This is the one. Holy Grail Status. If you are a better player looking to reduce spin without forgoing too much forgiveness, the grail has arrived.

Rather than testing the club on the monitor first and then taking it to the course, I reversed my typical process. I’m not going to tell you I was reaching places I’d never been before or that this club is 20 yards longer than anything else out there. I didn’t and it’s not.

That said, what this club did offer was a trajectory and consistency I haven’t been able to find in other clubs. During on course testing, I played the club at 45 inches shafted with the Matrix 6Q3 (X-flex) with a setting of 8.5 Fade. What I loved about this set up was the mid-launching, low-spinning bombs that repeatedly fired like a Jugs gun. The left side of the course was entirely out of play and I could release the club head as much as I wanted to without the fear of losing it left. The more I gave it, the more it gave back. It simply doesn’t have a speed limit and I’ll be darned if this thing doesn’t have a little Ferrari in its DNA somewhere.

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For players who like to play a cut or fight a hook, the fade settings are like Shangri-la.

This isn’t to suggest you are somehow giving up distance for a club that is more consistent. In fact, you might notice you actually gain a little bit as I did because there was no hesitation in giving swings the full treatment. Playing at nearly 4900 feet above sea level, I had no problem dropping 300-plus yard bombs. I’d be remiss if I didn’t highlight the quality of the stock offerings, because all of this was accomplished with the stock Matrix 6Q3 shaft.

I know there’s an inherent tendency to desire upgraded shafts among GolfWRXers, but I’ll be the first to tell you it’s not at all necessary with the Bio Cell Pro. If you want to drop an extra $200 or so to say you have shaft blahbidyblah, go right ahead, but don’t expect it to get you any better results.

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I also tested this head against the Bio Cell and Bio Cell+ heads using the same shaft. In summary, the standard Bio Cell was the highest spinning and slightly more forgiving, which means that it gave me slightly more ball speed on off-center hits and had a more consistent spin rate across the face. The Bio Cell+ spun quite a bit less than the standard Bio Cell for me, but still more than the Bio Cell Pro.

Although the Bio Cell+ is said to be more forgiving than the Bio Cell Pro, I didn’t really see it in my testing. For low-spin drivers, I found them to both be phenomenally consistent thanks to Cobra’s commitment to lowering the CG of its drivers and still maintaining a relatively high moment of inertia (MOI), a measure of a driver’s forgiveness, which is no easy task.

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The high-swing-speed and/or higher-spin player who is looking to achieve the most optimal launch conditions without sacrificing too much forgiveness and prefers to fade the ball will find a happy home with the Bio Cell Pro. That’s not a fortune cookie. It’s just what it is.

After several test rounds on the course, I jumped on the monitor and after fiddling with numerous lofts/settings, here is where I ultimately arrived:

Launch monitor numbers

  • Swing Speed: 111.4 mph
  • Ball Speed: 162 mph
  • Launch Angle: 13.6 degrees
  • Spin: 2095 rpm
  • Carry Distance (at sea level): 271 yards

The only drawback regarding performance was the wide range of loft settings and limited sleeve settings. If I were king for a day, I’d like to see loft sleeves with a reduced range (1 degree up/down) and both fade/draw settings available at each loft.

Looks and Feel

I love with how this club looks at address. The 440cc head is nicely pear shaped and I appreciate the subtlety of the cosmetics. The alignment aid, buried crown graphics and thin white outline around the crown are simple and classy without drawing too much attention. The black face is rich and after several hundred tee balls it still looks out-of-the-plastic new. This will no doubt appeal to the player who likes a classic profile at address, but doesn’t mind a little caffeine in the aesthetics.

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The feel is dense and electric. If persimmon is a “1” and a hollow tin can is a “10”, the Bio Cell Pro is a 3 or 4. It is exceptionally solid and crushed drives give you that “yep, nailed that one” sensation. Mishits don’t feel awful, but don’t expect anything fantastic.

The Takeaway

It’s rare to find a club that excels at pretty much everything, especially in a really low-spinning driver. I’d be surprised if we don’t look back at the end of the season and comfortably label the Bio Cell Pro as one of the most surprisingly awesome drivers of the year. This baby looks great, feels better and creates ball speeds that are as high as anything out there. All that, and you get a 45-inch stock length. When you look for negatives and you struggle to find any, you’re left with the Bio Cell Pro.

[wrx_buy_now oemlink=”http://www.cobragolf.com/bio-cell-pro-driver-stock” oemtext=”Learn more from Cobra Golf” amazonlink=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GUD6E6U/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00GUD6E6U&linkCode=as2&tag=golfwrxcom-20&linkId=P4FXPK7CJTETFS3G”]

Click here to see what GolfWRX Members are saying about the Bio Cell Pro in our forum.

Click here to see what GolfWRX Members are saying about the Bio Cell Pro in our forum.

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I didn't grow up playing golf. I wasn't that lucky. But somehow the game found me and I've been smitten ever since. Like many of you, I'm a bit enthusiastic for all things golf and have a spouse which finds this "enthusiasm" borderline ridiculous. I've been told golf requires someone who strives for perfection, but realizes the futility of this approach. You have to love the journey more than the result and relish in frustration and imperfection. As a teacher and coach, I spend my days working with amazing middle school and high school student athletes teaching them to think, dream and hope. And just when they start to feel really good about themselves, I hand them a golf club!

14 Comments

14 Comments

  1. killerbgolfer

    Sep 22, 2014 at 12:34 pm

    Thanks for the review. I just bought one from the bay and it should be here today. I have a very high ball flight and it’s not uncommon to see my drive backspin from where it landed, especially in the softer conditions i usually play it. I got it with the diamanna 72 so I’m looking forward to seeing what this driver does for my game. I’ll update after some playing time.

  2. Matt Wiseley

    Jul 25, 2014 at 12:38 am

    Played my first round today with a new blue bio pro. This is the lowest spinning driver I have ever had.
    I am a driver junkie and have had everything from the SLDR, G25, nike covert..etc
    Swing speed around 115 (of course when I go to dicks their monitor has me at 125, liars), my drives have been ballooning for years…not today. The club isn’t a ton longer but I loved the flight and the sound of the face is great.

    Thanks for the review. I think Cobra has a winner here. Seems to me that Cobra might get a little under valued when it comes to the quality of their sticks vs. the perception.

  3. Sheffield

    Jul 13, 2014 at 12:16 am

    Nice review. Any experience (anyone) with a low-spin shaft in the regular vs pro. E.g., the “new” blue in the regular compared to the pro.

    • Chris

      Aug 10, 2014 at 9:48 am

      I have the Pro head with a Motore Speeder 7.2 TS and an Oban Kiyoshi White. Both keep it low spin. To me the shaft with the least spin is the Diamana D+ series.

  4. ANDRES

    Jul 11, 2014 at 11:36 am

    Has anyone compared it against Adams Launch Lab 8degree + Matrix Black Tie? Would love to know how does it work with de Black Tie

    • mark

      Jul 13, 2014 at 4:54 am

      My son hits a black tie in a 3 deep and loves it. Had a demo day on the range with trackman…the black tie went great and so much better compared to the other stock options for him. Straight and long!

  5. RAT

    Jul 9, 2014 at 6:07 pm

    I play the ZL Cobra stiff , love it.. My speed is low 90’s 65 yrs old .Would this be something I could play?

    • Lobber

      Jul 9, 2014 at 9:35 pm

      I would demo. I am mid fifties with a 105SS and it did not do the club justice. The Bio Cell + however is a better fit for me as was the regular Bio Cell. Between the three you will find one that fits you perfectly.

  6. Pingback: Review: Cobra Bio Cell Pro Driver | Spacetimeandi.com

  7. Lobber

    Jul 9, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    Tried it and wanted to love it BUT it spun too little for this old man with a tiny 105mph ss. Bio Cell + much better option for old guys like me but man I loved the look and feel of the Pro

  8. Adrian

    Jul 9, 2014 at 3:45 pm

    Not available in lefty so I will just have to be happy with the Bio Cell + even though I gather that they are in he same class of driver.

  9. ParHunter

    Jul 9, 2014 at 12:18 pm

    Btw, you should have mentioned that the driver comes either in black, blue or orange. I’ve got the blue version and it looks awesome!

  10. ParHunter

    Jul 9, 2014 at 12:12 pm

    I got fitted with the BioCell Pro a week ago, with a custom shaft though (the standard shafts might be good but I needed a lighter one). I am not a fast swinger by any means (low 90th) and I am a mid handicapper but I tend to hit my drives high and with lots of backspin.

    I played two rounds last weekend and I was standing in awe after some of the shots! The driver carried longer and then had lots of roll on it which I never had before (basically I could land a ball on the green with my driver). I was suddenly 20 to 30 yards further down the fairway (or rough in some cases 😉 I am absolutely over the moon with this driver. I haven’t noticed it being less forgiving than my old driver.

    So if you struggle with high drives with lots of backspin and you don’t get any roll then this is a driver you should consider, but do use a good custom fitter!

    • Chris

      Jul 11, 2014 at 11:44 am

      Absolutely! As with any club, it’s so important to go through an accurate fitting to determine what’s your best fit – Also, I do think we mentioned the color options at the very end of the “Overview” section – Hope you hit ’em long and straight!

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Driver Reviews

GolfWRX Spotlight: Tour Edge Exotics C721 driver

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Tour Edge’s Exotics line of high-end golf clubs has been known for excellent fairway wood and hybrid performance over the years. The Chicago-based company has been consistently putting out high-quality products, and golfers are really taking notice. The new line of C721 drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids take yet another big leap forward from last year’s EXS line. 

The new C721 driver takes a lot of technology from the 2020 EXS line and further refines and expands on it. I know it is a little cliche when companies say every model is their best ever, but Tour Edge is 100 percent right this time.

When unboxing the C721 the first thing I noticed was the much-improved looks and shape over the previous Tour Edge drivers. The biggest change to my eye is the added bulge, giving a more rounded and softened topline.

The overall shape of the C721 is slightly stretched from front to back, giving it just a hint of a triangular look. The Ridgeback is a titanium spine flanked by two carbon fiber wings that add stability and forgiveness to the head, but they can also work together and an additional aiming device to ensure you are lined up down the center of the fairway. 

Getting the C721 out on the course is where you really start to appreciate all the technology that went into this driver. Well-struck shots are very long, very boring, and will hang with anything out on the market today. Center contact is rewarded with a long and very low spin shot that is just fun to hit.

The sound and feel are very solid, you can really feel the ball compress on the face as it leaves at high speed. The sound is more of a muted crack and much quieter than I anticipated. If you practice on an enclosed range your ears will thank you for your choice in drivers. Shots hit away from the center of the face retain a lot of ball speed and stay online really well.

My miss is low on the heel and those misses stayed in the air fairly well and went a good ways. Shots hit down on the heel or higher on the toe side still stay online really well due to the Ridgeback spine and rear weight. The C721 is just slightly higher than mid-launch for me, but the low spinning head never allowed my shots to balloon or rise even into the wind. I do wish the face was just a touch deeper as I had to play with my tee height in order to find the optimal setup. The better players will enjoy the neutral weighting and there seems to be very minimal draw built into the driver.

Overall, the Tour Edge Exotics C721 driver is a great club that will probably be overlooked by too many golfers. If you are looking for added distance, a lot of forgiveness and want to keep some money in your pocket, then you should seriously take a look at Tour Edge.

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Driver Reviews

Review: Ping’s G400 and G400 LST Drivers

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I still remember the first time I hit Ping’s G30 driver. It was July 2014, and I was at Ping’s HQ in Phoenix. Super low-spin drivers were all the rage at the time. With their forward center of gravity, they were helping golfers optimize their launch conditions beyond their wildest dreams: crazy high launch, ridiculously low spin. Many in the business, including myself, had one of these drivers and spent many launch monitor sessions trying to figure out how to get more distance from these high knuckleballs. The bad news was that forward-CG drivers, by nature, were really unforgiving. Bad shots were really short and crooked.

Before I knew the G30 was a big deal, Marty Jertson, Ping’s Director of Product Development, explained to me his vision for the perfect driver inside a conference room at Ping Headquarters. In his eyes, the perfect driver didn’t have the low, forward center of gravity (CG) that was being touted at the time. Its CG was located as low and as rearward in the driver head as possible, which he said would offer the best of both worlds: optimized launch conditions on good shots, as well as the best possible forgiveness on bad shots.

Building the perfect driver was a long way off (and still is), but Jertson was excited where Ping had landed with the G30. When it was released, the driver was a powerful testament to his vision. Its rear-CG design created great distance on good and bad shots, and it was also a very straight driver. The G30 sold incredibly well and, as a result, the industry mostly shifted away from forward-CG drivers.

It’s been nearly three years since the release of the G30, and Ping has just made another counterintuitive driver release. The company shrunk the size of its new G400 drivers in a climate where full-size drivers have become the norm. Granted, it’s only 15 cubic centimeters smaller, but it’s noticeable at address. Compared to the Ping G drivers they replace (which replaced the G30), the G400’s look like they cut carbs.

Despite their slimmer frames, however, the G400 drivers are actually more forgiving than the G drivers (which were even more forgiving than the G30). That’s why Ping representatives say smaller is actually better in the G400’s case. The drivers have the lowest, most rearward CG of any Ping drivers ever, and their smaller size is said to improve their aerodynamics so golfers can swing them fractionally faster. The other big change is a new face material made of T9S+ titanium, which is thinner and more flexible to help golfers generate more ball speed.

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For this review, I wanted to put the G400 and G400 LST to the test against the G and the G LST drivers that they replace, so I took them to the Launch Pad at Carl’s Golfland in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. I hit five shots with each driver on Trackman IV, and to ensure as much of an apples-to-apples comparison as possible, I tested each driver head with the same shaft. Each driver head was adjusted to the same loft, or as close as possible.

Note: The G, G LST, and G400 drivers I tested were 10.5-degree heads adjusted to 9.5 degrees. The G400 LST had a loft of 10 degrees, and it was adjusted to 9.4 degrees.

The Test

PingG400_2017

In my personal driver tests, I don’t usually see a huge uptick in distance or accuracy when comparing the latest drivers to the most recent models from the same manufacturer. Improvements generally come in the form of improved head shaping, a better feel, or enhanced adjustability. That’s why I was surprised to see such a big change in my launch conditions and dispersion with the G400 drivers.

G400 Test Results: With the G400, I launched my drives an average of 1.6-degrees higher than I did with the G while dropping spin an average of 416 rpm. That led to a significant improvement in distance. With my swing speed and ball speed staying about the same, I added an average of 7.2 yards more carry distance and 8.7 yards more total distance.

G400 LST Test Results: First, a note about the G400 LST. It has a CG that’s slightly lower and more forward than the standard G400 driver to help golfers reduce spin. Like the G30 LST and G LST, it’s still very much a rear-CG driver, but its design helps high-speed golfers who can consistently find the center of the club face maximize distance without highjacking forgiveness. When I test Ping drivers, the LST is generally the model that creates the best performance, and the G400 LST was no exception. I saw an average of a 1.2-degree higher launch angle with all other things staying about the same when I compared it to the G LST. The result was an average of 6.6 yards more carry distance and 3.1 yards more total distance. It was the longest and straightest driver I hit in the test.

Note: Ping also sells a G400 SFT (Straight Flight Technology) driver, which has added draw bias. To learn more about it, click through to tech story on the G400, G400 LST and G400 SFT drivers. 

Dispersion

G400_Dispertion

One way to explain the improved launch conditions is that I hit the G400 drivers more consistently. As you can see in the Trackman dispersion chart, I hit the G400 and G400 LST drivers straighter on average than the G and G LST. Is that its slightly enhanced forgiveness shining through? Maybe, maybe not.

To me, the changes Ping made to the look and feel of the driver were just as important as the performance difference I saw on Trackman. I’ve always preferred smaller driver heads, or at least 460-cubic-centimeter drivers that appear smaller than their size. For that reason, I felt more confident with the G400 drivers in my hands. I didn’t mind that I didn’t see any added swing speed or ball speed from the smaller driver head. I was sold on the looks alone.

I also preferred the sound of the G400 drivers to the G drivers. There was definitely much more of a “thwack” than a “ping” at impact, which made the G400’s feel more powerful. Looks and feel are subjective, of course, but to me the improvement was night and day. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that my fondness for the looks and feel of the G400 was at least a contributing factor to my improved performance in the test, if not the most important factor. When I like the way a club look at address, I tend to hit it better, and I know I’m not alone.

I do want readers to keep in mind that this was a one-person test and I hit a limited amount of balls. Yes, it’s a great indication that the G400 driver can be measurably better than a G driver, but it’s not a guarantee.

I also want to address the weaknesses of the G400 drivers. While they’re few, they could push golfers into another driver model in a fitting. Unlike Callaway’s GBB EpicTaylorMade’s M1 or Titleist’s 917 drivers, the G400’s don’t have CG adjustability. That means there’s no way to fine tune ball flight outside of a shaft or loft adjustment. A bigger deal for some golfers might be the G400 crowns. Despite their smaller size, there’s still a lot to look at address, as was the case with the G drivers.

Ping_G400_LST_4

Aerodynamic features on the front of the crowns, “Turbulators,” have been thickened for the G400 release. There’s also Ping’s “DragonFly Technology,” a geometry on the back of the driver crowns that helps push CG lower and more rearward in the driver heads. I personally think the G400 crowns give the drivers an old-school, muscle car-like look, but there’s no question they won’t fly with all golfers.

Whatever your thoughts about what’s on top of the G400 drivers, there’s no question that what’s under the hood can offer something the G and G30 drivers did not. Maybe you’ll like the smaller head. Maybe you’ll prefer the quieter sound. Maybe the improved forgiveness will show up on a launch monitor or on the course. Or maybe you’ll just flat out rip a G400 farther and straighter down the middle like I did.

If that last bit happens, try not to second-guess it.

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Driver Reviews

Members Choice: The Best Driver of 2017

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What determines the best driver on the market; is it the opinion of professional club fitters, professional golfers or testing results from a group of amateurs?

At GolfWRX, we believe all three sources can lead golfers to an answer. Being a website founded by passionate golfers with a mission to serve passionate golfers, though, we place a special emphasis on the opinions of our GolfWRX Members — the most knowledgeable group of golfers on the planet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively as GolfWRX Members. So who better to poll to get an initial indication of the best performing drivers so far in 2017?

So we asked them, “What’s the best driver of 2017?” They voted for the three drivers they felt most worthy of the title and provided feedback about their selections in our special forum thread. You can see the results below (as of the first three weeks of voting), as well as quotes we pulled from GolfWRX Members about the drivers from our forum.

Remember that our polls will remain open for voting throughout the year, and we’re going to keep an eye on the percentages as more and more golfers have an opportunity to test these drivers. We’re also working on another Best Driver list, which will evaluate clubs in another important way. Stay tuned!

Keep in mind that there’s no single driver on the market that is the absolute best option for every golfer: that’s why nearly every manufacturer makes at least two different models. As this list indicates, however, some drivers are working better than others this year. Happy Testing!

Note: Forum posts were minimally edited for grammar, style, spelling and clarity.

Cobra King LTD Black (3.00 percent of votes)

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  • The General: All-black LTD is really clean looking. I’m about to cover up the orange on my LTD with lead tape. Orange is played out
  • mh7vwLove my LTD, but wish the black finish (or even this gray) didn’t have that subtle checkering you see in some like. Prefer plain black.
  • dbleagI am a fan of the black/orange combo. The performance and sound of the LTD is very appealing to me. I also like that the standard length is 45 inches. For me, that helps it be super-accurate. With the low-spin design, I hit it longest of the current offerings and can’t remember the last time I missed a fairway. Straight, solid, low spin and nice.
Further Reading

Mizuno JPX-900 (3.20 percent)

Mizuno_JPX_900_Driver

  • johnnythundersJPX goes straight. Best real-deal shaft and is long and very adjustable.
  • KT35That blue head looks awesome sitting on the ground. I hit balls off the toe and heel and didn’t see the big drop off in distance like the previous models.
  • nmortonThe JPX-900 is definitely more forgiving compared to the JPX-850, and sounds much better. Though they did sacrifice a bit by going with a little larger profile, but it’s easy to get used to. The graphics are so so, but this driver performs. I’m really digging the Evo II (shaft).
  • jay65I can see that Mizuno is really making a decent effort with its drivers/fairways in terms of tech and aesthetics, and they compliment the new JPX-900 line of irons really well, but if they’re going to make any inroads they really have to address this issue of their custom shafts options. It’s rubbish.
  • bok006The JPX-900, after being properly adjusted by the fitter, gave me an extra 20 yards just like that. My swing speed suggested I was borderline S to X (flex), but the fitter said unless I was fighting a hook I should stick with the S.
  • bubbagump: …the JPX-900, when properly fit, is just as long on a consistent basis than all the new models I tried in real life situations. It looks great, sounds solid and just knows the way to keep the ball in play.  
  • ChazbI’m 69 years old, have a swing speed of 91 mph and played nine with the JPX-900 this morning. It was in the 40s with a brisk wind hit it around 220 to 230 yards. It was a fairway finder, has great feel and is one of the easiest to control drivers I have ever hit. I can’t wait ’til it is warmer and can dial it in more. So far I have the two weights all the way forward for a lower flight and the other set with a draw bias with 10.5 degrees of loft. This driver is the real deal; it may not be the longest or the shortest, but it is a fairway finder which IMO makes it a winner.
Further Reading

Ping G (3.80 percent)

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  • Wesquire: Ping G is the most forgiving so it wins.
  • bopper53: Ping G hands down. Great distance and the most forgiving.
  • Dannydubbbs: The Ping G series is just too forgiving. The distance is comparable between most models, but Ping always seems to win out with forgiveness.
  • Bruin BearThe Ping G is going to be overlooked because it’s looked at as “game improvement,” but this driver is a beast. I liked the LS, but it requires a faster swing to get results and in the cold outdoors I just don’t have that all the time. I think the G is the perfect blend of performance and forgiveness.
  • cmrl1986Only reason I switched from the Ping G25 was that the G felt less harsh off the face. Same distance just about.
Further Reading

Cobra King F7+ (3.90 percent)

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  • EntourageLife: Ball really flies off face. Driver head controls spin well. Not one drive “ballooned” and trajectory was high and best of all… very easy to work ball right to left for a confident draw.
  • GollieThe F7+ is another great offering from Cobra… I didn’t get the “MAN, this is gonna take my LTD out of the bag” feeling, but it has very good sound, feel and performance.
  • J13F7+ is a great offering from Cobra and IMO is in the top-3 drivers this year. Epic is the standout for me numbers wise, then M series and F7+ are right behind it. Love the Agera (shaft) in there!!! Such a great shaft; I can’t seem to get mine out of the bag.
  • Golfer from MOHit both Cobras lefty and as a lefty the LTD is the shizzle. Last year it was the LTD and Big Bertha down to the absolute wire… the F7+ is more workable than the LTD, but not longer and a little worse on mishits.
  • BoognishI took a few swings with the F7+ at Golf Galaxy yesterday. 9.5 degrees with heaviest weight forward. The stock shaft is actually the same model I play in my GBB (albeit in smoked black instead of yellow). Ball flight and distance were similar to my GBB with good consistent sub-3000 backspin. Sound was OK, feel was harder than the GBB.
  • thechief16Just from the range (no LM), I didn’t see a noticeable performance improvement with the F7+ over the original King LTD. And I like the look and sound/feel of the LTD better.
Further Reading

Ping G LS Tec (4.90 percent)

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  • drvrwdgeI played the G LS with the Ping Tour 65X (shaft) tipped an inch for about a year. Just put the HZRDUS Yellow 75 6.5 tipped an inch and never thought it was possible, but it’s longer and straighter. Best driver shaft combo I’ve ever hit. You can feel that HZRDUS throughout the entire swing. Really gives you a solid connected feel.
  • Mtngolfer1: I am not sure that I would consider this a 2017 Driver, but my vote went to the Ping G LS Tec. The fact that my G is still holding its own against the latest 2017 releases has me very excited to see what Ping will release later this year.
  • 3woodvt: Fairway finder and plenty long.
  • pitchinwedgeI’ve found the LS to be nearly as fade biased as the M family. I get pretty good results with the LS by making a conscious effort to make more of an in-to-out swing. Any lapse in concentration and everything goes right. The M’s require even more effort, which is the reason I stayed with the LS instead.
  • 3 Jack ParAfter an up and down year with the G LS, I’ve actually recently gone back to my G30 LS head. I only have a couple of rounds as a sample so far, so I can’t really draw a conclusion about whether one or the other is better, but with the same shaft it seems like my G30 head might be a little longer. Honestly, the performance differences are pretty minimal if you really compare the two generations.
Further Reading

Titleist 917D3 (5.30 percent)

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  • GavaThe 917D3 is in my bag now, and I’ve found it incredibly long with a recently purchased Graphite Design Tour AD MJ 7TX shaft. Feel and accuracy has been a real improvement as well.
  • Togatown22I find my 917D3 to be just as forgiving as my 915D2 was, and man do I prefer looking down at the head shape and color versus the 915. Very confidence inspiring.
  • NIxhex524I would definitely give the D3 a whirl. I feel like Titleist has made great strides at making the smaller head way more hittable for us ams.
  • KPH808So in conclusion, I was hitting the ball about 9 yards further on average and 3-4 mph faster ball speeds with the 917D3 vs. the 915 D4. The biggest thing for me was the forgiveness between the two; the 917D3 was more forgiving on mishits.
  • brushieThe 917D3 head feels soft like the 910 and sounds great. I never had an issue with the 915 sound; it wasn’t great, but it didn’t bother me too much. This is much better, though. The 917D3 head shape is perfect to my eye as well. The area where the 917 shines is forgiveness. 

Further Reading

TaylorMade M1 440 (5.35 percent)

TaylorMade_M1_440_Feat

  • Tigermatt31: The M1 440 is best driver I’ve had ever.
  • TollBros: The M1 440 is definitely lower spin than the M1 460 or M2 from last year. Launch angle isn’t really any lower, but spin is lower for sure.
  • specimania: This year’s 440 is more forgiving.
  • MCozYes, this 440 is more forgiving, and yet it also appears to be more workable than both of the previous M1 and M2s.
  • nitramTo save you a bunch of reading and crunching numbers, I quickly concluded there was a little more forgiveness and exactly +0.4 mph ball speed with the 440. By forgiveness I simply mean this: A 1.48 smash 440 will give you the same ball speed and distance as a 1.49/1.50 430. But if you get a 1.50 from both there is no measurable gain. Side-to-side dispersion was better by 4.7 feet with the 440. Workability was a wash between them, although the 430 seems a bit more fade biased whereas I’ll describe the 440 as a scosche more neutral.
  • tj24: I hit the M1 440 with my Aldila RIP at an 80-gram X-flex. For me, the spin numbers were around 1700 rpm which is probably to low for my swing. I did, however, like the shape of the head and I felt like I could easily work the ball both ways.
  • halfsumoI really think they nailed it with the shape of this 440 head. Nice pear shape, no weird bulges or ridges that you have to get used to.
Further Reading

Titleist 917D2 (6.65 percent)

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  • tsletten: Love the sound of the 917D2.
  • bladehunter: No doubt the 917D2 is an accurate, forgiving driver that doesn’t look as big as it is and sounds fantastic.
  • JStangMaybe it’s just me, but I find the face to be more shallow (top to bottom) with the 917D2 than other drivers that I’ve tried lately.
  • LuckyLowbrowI was actually spinning it too low with the D4. Going up to the D2 normalized my spin rate, but led to such an improvement in consistency across the face.

Further Reading

TaylorMade M1 460 2017 (11.81 percent)

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  • Ereim: I ended up going with the M1 460. It gave me a slightly tighter dispersion, and I liked looking down at it slightly more.
  • jdenham15: The 2017 TaylorMade M1 is a great driver, but I tend to miss wide right and struggled to turn it over.
  • ZBigStick: The M1 460 gave me the best results. Was able to increase launch without much added spin with the (T-Track) weight. Feel is good and felt forgiving; dispersion results backing that up.
  • BillMurrayGolfingThe face is hot, receptive, thin and makes a nice sound. I like that.
  • JStangSound and feel were both fantastic. I couldn’t ask for much more in the sound and feel department than what this club offers. Plenty of feedback was provided based on impact as I would expect. I could easily tell where I missed based on feel.
  • tnordJust as another tester found, moving the weight back and forward absolutely does impact how the club sounds. I’m much more a fan of the weight back.
  • chickenpotpieMoving the slider to the draw position made the feel of the driver a little harsher. Feel was much much smoother with that weight in the middle. I didn’t see any such changes with the front/rear slider.
Further Reading

TaylorMade M2 2017 (11.86 percent)

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  • ZBigStickI liked the feel of the new M2 but seemed to get better results and numbers with the new M1. Could be the extra 5 grams of head weight?
    It was dynamite with the GD TP-6 (shaft)!
  • erock9174On Trackman it didn’t put up the most ball speed, but counting all shots the M2 had the longest average distance.
  • gripandripThe M2 seems to have a little bit of a fade bias for me. And the head is HUGE. Maybe it’s a mental thing to be able to turnover a head that large.
  • Bomber_11M2 has very big shoes to fill, as the 2016 M2 was arguably one of the best drivers of the last 3-4 years.
  • LONG&STR8It’s hard to ignore the sound of the new M2. That may be TaylorMade’s biggest fail with that driver, as the sound and feel was one of the best things about the first version that I’ll have in the bag until something better comes along.
  • Z1ggy16The new M2 was terrible for me, not sure why. Unsure if it was the shaft I used but it spun up like a monster and ball speeds weren’t any better than previous M2.
  • Peanut191I don’t really think that the new M2 was much of a step backward, probably more that it doesn’t seem like a big step forward compared to last year’s model. I was hitting my 2016 M2 against a 2017 M2 indoors (which usually amplifies the louder, more obnoxious sound) and I didn’t notice that much of a difference in sound. It could have been that I might have just happened to get a hold of a head that was more muted than normal with the new one, but I just didn’t notice much difference. Performance wise, I could tell that the 2017 was slightly more forgiving than the 2016 model, but I was basically getting the same ball speed and spin numbers, so I didn’t see the need to upgrade.
  • gioguy21: Played 54 holes this weekend. The M2 was as reliable as it could get. I hit 11/12 fairways Friday, 10/12 Saturday and 5/9 or so yesterday (windy). Controllable, just wants to go straight. The sound no longer bothers me. I think it’s when hitting indoors or in range bays that it gets unbearably loud. Makes a different sound when hit on the screws I’ve found, similar to last years M2/M1 with less high-pitched ring. The forgiveness is very obvious, as I hit a couple that were close to center of the face but either high or little out toward the toe that flew similar trajectory and distance to how a well struck shot would react. I think where this driver really shines is the ability to either tee it high and hit it with higher trajectory or the ability to hit it lower with a low tee (3/4 of the ball under the crown) and hit laser beams that don’t move left or right.
  • G-BoneFrom what I’ve seen on Trackman, 2017 M1 was a big jump from 2016; however, 2016 M2 was so good, 2017 is a minor jump.
Further Reading

Callaway GBB Epic (14.91 percent)

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  • HDTVMAN: I hit both the Callaway Big Bertha Fusion and Epic with a 44.5-inch UST Recoil F3 shaft and the results were very close. From customer testing, it appears the Epic is longer for those with higher (95+) swing speeds. I have also seen that 44.25-44.5-inch lengths promote tighter dispersion with customers, no loss of distance and better over-all drives.
  • mbbrewer: Tried them all and for me Epic was the one. Fastest ball speed, lowest spin and tightest dispersion.
  • Ereim: Epic felt great, looked great and the numbers were basically 99.9 percent optimized for my swing.
  • johnnylongballz72There is Epic and there is the M series… then there is everyone else. The votes here show it, the PGA Tour use shows it and launch monitors everywhere show it.
  • misplacedtexan83: GBB Epic/Sub Zero pushed the envelop in design and materials to produce increased ball speed and gains. For once a driver did what a company said it would do.
Further Reading

Callaway GBB Epic Sub Zero (16.91 percent)

GBB_Epic_Sub_Zero_Hero

  • jdenham15: I tested the Epic Sub Zero and Epic against my 2016 TaylorMade M1 and the ball speed was 5 mph higher on average, which gave me about 10 yards more carry disstance. That was great, but the part that sold me was the forgiveness. I love my Epic Sub Zero. I feel like it’s easier to turn over and I can work it both ways.
  • Z1ggy16Sub Zero was hands down the best, including my gaming M1 (yeah, not even top-3) due to the combination of lower spin, good forgiveness and feel and looks.
  • jimhaire: I had a 2016 M2 and went with the Epic Sub Zero. The look at address suited my eye and the feel off the face was better for me. And the club went straight.
  • Sef: I have tested a lot of these drivers and for me the Epic Sub Zero was so much better than everything else. I wish I could just apply all three votes to it.
Further Reading

Members Choice 2017

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