Equipment

The hottest drivers of 2019

Published

5 years ago

Mar 6, 2019

More than likely, it’s the most expensive club in your bag, and the one you spend the most time researching before purchasing. OEMs direct rivers of cash into developing new driver technologies, and no shortage of resources into telling the stories of the latest and greatest in the world of the big dogs.

With respect to the new technologies and the associated stories, we present, in no particular order (OK, it’s alphabetical order), these are the most buzzworthy, hottest drivers of 2019 (so far).

Callaway Epic Flash

Callaway-Epic-Flash-Sole

The lowdown: The Carlsbad-based company follows up the Epic-complementing Rogue with a driver whose story isn’t immediately visible upon a first glance at the club. Flash Face technology is the centerpiece of Callaway’s 2019 driver offering, and with it, beyond the usual distance-boosting claims, the company has done something truly interesting: leveraged artificial intelligence to create a golf club.

More about the Callaway Epic Flash

Cobra King F9 Speedback

cobra-king-f9-speedback-

The lowdown: Every driver company boasts a couple of technological advances with its new driver launches; maybe a new crown to save weight, an aerodynamic crown for more club head speed, a different sole design, a way to shift CG to dial in trajectory, higher MOI, or a different face technology. Cobra has thrown the kitchen sink at its new King F9 Speedback drivers, checking off all of those boxes.

More about the Cobra King F9 Speedback

Mizuno ST190G

The lowdown: Mizuno Golf is about more than just irons; that’s the message the company is keen to drive home with its launch of the Mizuno ST190 and ST190G drivers. In announcing its lowest spinning, most technology-packed driver in company history, with the 2019 Mizuno driver, the company seeks to position itself as one that has quietly innovated in the driver space for years. With respect to the specifics of the Japanese company’s most recent weaponry, the ST190 and 190G feature a forged Sp700Ti face (10 percent stronger than 6-4 titanium) with the company’s ultra-light Cortech structure, as well as a carbon composite crown.

More about the Mizuno ST190G

Ping G410 Plus

ping-g410-plus-driver

The lowdown: To put into perspective what Ping is bringing to the table with its new driver, we have to think about how a driver is modified through custom fitting. The challenge presented to the design team was: how can the company bring moveable CG fitting to every golfer while also improving MOI and add ball speed? This is where all of the previous technology advances, along with the 16g of moveable mass positioned to the furtherest reaches of the perimeter to allow for a tour level fitting experience.

More about the Ping G410 Plus

TaylorMade M5

taylormade-m5-driver

The lowdown: TaylorMade’s M5 driver features a Speed Injected Twist Face, building on the Twist Face technology the company debuted with the M3 and M4 drivers last year. The M5 clubface is designed to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit. In simple terms, TaylorMade takes all of the heads they produce, pushes them past the USGA limit in regards to COR, and works backwards to ensure they fall within the parameters — the algorithm-driven process of resin injection into the clubs via the two ports on the face brings the figure just inside the acceptable range.

More about the TaylorMade M5

Titleist TS2

titleist-ts2-driver

The lowdown: TS2 and TS3 drivers have a 20 percent thinner titanium crown than the 917 drivers, allowing weight to be placed lower and deeper for lower CG (center of gravity) and higher MOI (moment of inertia, a measure of forgiveness). The faces also use variable thickness for faster ball speeds across the face, and this year, the faces have been made 6 grams lighter. With the combination of weight savings from the face and crown, these drivers have the lowest CG ever for a Titleist driver, and MOI is 12 percent higher than the 917 drivers.

More about the Titleist Ts2

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38 Comments

Coy Mordaunt

Jan 29, 2021 at 2:28 am

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Steve

Apr 3, 2019 at 1:28 pm

Being a over 70 golfer and still getting 250 yards with a Rouge Callaway I am going to support the distance claims of all the major OEM’s. Yea, close to $500 or more is high but they are longest clubs ever….I have several older drivers in the barrel at home that will never see the tee box again to prove that.

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Central Oregon Golf

Apr 1, 2019 at 5:31 am

Is this headline considered clickbait -or- just a poor attempt to grab headlines from the same buzzwords used on other websites in the golf world? Asking for a friend…

Reply Report comment
Wtf

Mar 22, 2019 at 9:49 pm

This website is going downhill fast. Really unfortunate. Articles are useless drivel.

Elimination of witb from tournament sites each week.

And an utter meltdown off the mobile app. How do you release something to the public that is full of bugs??? It’s 2019!!!

Hopefully someone buys this site out and fixes the mess that has been made since Tursky left.

What a shame.

Reply Report comment
Scott

Mar 18, 2019 at 6:39 pm

I was surprised to see the PXG Gen 2 driver not on the list. I really like it. I bought mine in January this year. The price point is not much more than the Taylormade M5 and I think it is a better driver. Better feeling and better performing in my opinion.

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john

Mar 18, 2019 at 4:58 pm

What people forget is the claims made about distance are based on tests done by machines where every single swing is identical to the last. In the real world, none us make the exact same swing two shots running so any potential gains are unrealised. With drivers pushing the £500 mark on a regular basis, it’s delusional to expect the club to do what the swing isn’t capable of. In my opinion, what we should be looking for from any new equipment is greater forgiveness. Better to be hitting 240 from the fairway than 250 from the rough.

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Michel Van Dam

Mar 13, 2019 at 12:41 pm

i just bay M4 driver, about 2055 i wil bay a new driver, if i still live hi hi!

Reply Report comment
Morten Buckhoj

Mar 9, 2019 at 5:50 am

This is just the top6 brands….where is Tour Edge Exotics, Wilson, XXIO, Srixon…..??? My best guess is that they are equally good with as much tech….

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Birdiemachine650

Mar 8, 2019 at 11:03 pm

Where’s th PXG love???

Reply Report comment
- Joe
  
  Mar 12, 2019 at 9:04 pm
  
  Most folks ain’t gonna drop $800-1,000 on a driver… just sayin’
  
  Reply Report comment
  - DLB
    
    Mar 13, 2019 at 8:51 pm
    
    Price point for PXG Gen2 drivers is less than what you stated.
    
    Reply Report comment
  - JB
    
    Mar 15, 2019 at 8:24 am
    
    PXG Gen 2 driver retails at $575. The Taylormade M5 retails at $549. Just sayin’
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Kyle
      
      Apr 5, 2019 at 4:29 pm
      
      PXG offers handcrafted Project X shafts as stock offerings. Those would be an up charge with other OEMs.
      
      Reply Report comment
Anthony

Mar 8, 2019 at 5:57 pm

Does anyone have any first hand experience with the Mizuno?

Reply Report comment
- Funkaholic
  
  Mar 18, 2019 at 2:23 pm
  
  I haven’t hit this one yet but, I have bagged the JPX900 for a while now and I would put it up against any of the bigger names any day of the week.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Warren R
  
  Mar 24, 2019 at 6:27 am
  
  Hit ST190 during a demo day on a whim. First off, it’s a beautiful club, it instills a lot of confidence. Contact was excellent. Three things stood out 1. You know exactly where the ball struck the face 2. Flight is lower than expected (hosel is adjustable) but very consistent 3. The distance numbers far exceeded the M5 I was trying and my gamer/backup (carry distance 310 w/ gamer/backup, 305 with M5, 335 with ST190, farthest was 355). Needless to say, had to get one (currently in the mail).
  
  I would highly encourage you give it a try, if you can!
  
  Reply Report comment
Jacopo Ferrero

Mar 8, 2019 at 12:36 pm

I own a Cortex Wilson and a Cobra F9 , same performances , same shaft , how can you leave the Wilson out of this article ?

Reply Report comment
- N D Boondocks
  
  Mar 8, 2019 at 2:22 pm
  
  As long as there’s even a smell of subjectivity to ‘hottest’, I think you can be sure that there will always be excellent products that are dissed.
  
  Reply Report comment
Mike McDonald

Mar 8, 2019 at 12:31 pm

I lead a sheltered life. Just curious if High Heat or GX clubs have ever had reviews. I have 2 daughters and looking to put them into a driver-woods that are easy to hit with good results They do not NEED 400-600 dollar golf clubs

Reply Report comment
Russell Ziskey

Mar 7, 2019 at 11:14 pm

I miss the official GolfWRX Gear Trials methodology of 2016 –

http://www.golfwrx.com/352108/2016-gear-trials-best-drivers-club-test/

I understand that the testing and evaluations done in 2016 probably were funded from revenue streams which may not exist now for GolfWRX but I echo other comments that this article just a catalogue of all the major OEMs driver offering for 2019 – having an objective and comparative ranking of the drivers is much more helpful.

Reply Report comment
- Doug
  
  Mar 8, 2019 at 1:07 pm
  
  Exactly!!
  
  Reply Report comment
Ace

Mar 7, 2019 at 8:17 pm

Im a Callaway guy (Rogue Draw currently) but boy does that Cobra F9 look sweet…On the other end of the spectrum how the mighty have fallen over at Titleist. IMO its the weakest entry on the list by far and even their long standing hold on balls is under assault by Big dogs like Callaway, small vendors
like Snell (My fav) & Sams club of all places.

Reply Report comment
- HDTVMAN
  
  Mar 8, 2019 at 12:22 pm
  
  I fit clubs and commented on how Titleist has been no where in sight in drivers for many years. However, I was just recently invited to Titleist in Oceanside to learn about the TS Drivers. All I can say is that these drivers are FOR REAL! We were asked to bring our current driver, and virtually every fitter in our group out-drove our driver with the TS. This included speed, distance, and dispersion. The TS is not your dad’s Titleist, anymore.
  
  Reply Report comment
JCGolf

Mar 7, 2019 at 10:41 am

How is this an article. “The hottest drivers of 2019” i.e. every single driver from the major companies.

Reply Report comment
Dormie

Mar 7, 2019 at 7:14 am

So it’s just happens to be that the hottest drivers of 2019 are just the newest drivers from the leading manufacturers. They’re all the hottest drivers.

Just title the article “newest drivers for 2019” if your concerned about pissing off advertisers.

Reply Report comment
Danny Bentley

Mar 6, 2019 at 8:23 pm

How could you leave off the PXG Gen2 drivers ?

Reply Report comment
Tom

Mar 6, 2019 at 6:03 pm

All sizzle, no steak. USGA equipment standards INSURE these clubs cannot perform better than previous models! Sellers be sellin! Save your money!!!

Reply Report comment
- Alex
  
  Mar 6, 2019 at 7:08 pm
  
  Ball speeds and distance would indicate otherwise…is it worth 500 bucks every year? That’s for a consumer to decide. However making bold claims like that isn’t even close.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Brandon
  
  Mar 6, 2019 at 11:41 pm
  
  Enjoy your R7…
  
  Reply Report comment
  - KK
    
    Mar 7, 2019 at 2:23 pm
    
    Love this comment! I was thinking 975D with the red Graffaloy shaft
    
    Reply Report comment
- Doug
  
  Mar 7, 2019 at 3:02 am
  
  Someone is not an engineer I hear.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Addison King
  
  Mar 7, 2019 at 11:55 pm
  
  Dumb, drivers are getting more aerodynamic and more forgiving every year. The COR limit is measured from a perfect hit out of the middle of the face
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Dan
    
    Mar 26, 2019 at 1:00 am
    
    They don’t use COR anymore. They use CT, and it’s tested on 9 parts of the head. Heal, center, toe by top middle, bottom. Gotta pass all 9 to conform. Wilson Triton of driver v driver 1 fame was nonconforming on the high toe.
    
    Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

13 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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