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Today from the Forums: “True game-changing drivers from each company in the last decade?”

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Today from the Forums, we delve into the topic of drivers from the last 10-years from major manufacturers which have had a game-changing effect. WRX member, PepsiDuck, asks fellow members: “Which drivers (over the last decade) really pushed the bar forward in driver performance? And do you think the latest batch of drivers will make the list?” Our members have been having their say.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

  • plim123: “2018-19 was probably the biggest collective leap forward in drivers. Ping G400, Titleist TS, Callaway Epic Flash, Cobra F9, Mizuno ST190 (although TM’s M1 was before). Before that, they were a lot of evolutions, not revolutions (Titleist 910-917, ping g10-g30, Callaway Raxr x to x hot to xr16, etc., and Cobra/Mizuno had barely any driver market share).”
  • Titleist84: “Overall biggest advances were adjustable heads for both weight and shafts, as well as maintaining distance on off-center hits.”
  • AmazinBlue: “For Taylormade, it’s to be the SLDR. It brought two major factors to the forefront ok not of custom fitting that is at the center of driver design today. 1. The low/forward CG ti allow for lower spin and higher launch to create greater carry. 2. The sliding moveable weight that has been the staple of TM drivers for years since and Callaway was so threatened they patented every “sliding” term used in describing a driver ever since. Overall the greatest invention was the adjustable hosel adapter, allowing fitters and consumers the opportunity to swap shafts in seconds and find the right shaft for a player, not just the shaft that comes standard.”
  • cardoustie: “TM510tp and 2016 m2. Ping has had multiple, Tisi Tec, original Rapture, g400. Titleist is 975d. Callaway, way back, the first big bertha. EVERYONE has one, ditto for Great Big Bertha and then Biggest Big Bertha. I ignored the ten years.”

Entire Thread: “True game-changing drivers from each company in the last decade?”

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Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected].

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Craig

    Feb 7, 2020 at 7:25 pm

    There have been some pretty clear generations
    1. Wood drivers
    2. Metal drivers – TaylorMade Burner or Pittsburg Persimmon
    3. Oversize drivers (190cc +) – Big Bertha
    4a. Adjustable drivers – TaylorMade R7
    4b. Mega oversize drivers (300cc +) – Heaps of brands

    4a & 4b were around the same time, although you could argue the Biggest Big Bertha was the original mega oversize at 290cc.

    The introduction of Tour/Subzero drivers get honorable mention.

  2. Tom54

    Feb 7, 2020 at 5:08 pm

    I have to agree with the others about the R510TP that 757 speeder shaft was awesome and gorgeous with the red/chrome graphics. From what I remember was extremely pricey even by today’s standards.

  3. jgpl001

    Feb 7, 2020 at 6:28 am

    Ditto, same combo for me too

    R510TP with the 757 always brings a smile to my face, probably the biggest game changer I ever had back in the day

    Saying that the Original Great Big Bertha was a stunning leap forward at the time of its release and served me well for many years

  4. Moses

    Feb 6, 2020 at 6:28 pm

    The R510 TP was a game changer driver for me. I never hit a driver so long and accurate and it was the first time an OEM gave us a club with a true premium shaft in the legendary Fuji 757. Not so sure I agree with some of the other clubs mentioned above.

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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made.

From the seller: (@DLong72): “Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made. ?: $1150. ?? 100% milled collectors item from the limited releases commemorating when Ping putters won every major in 1988 (88 putters made). This was the model Seve Ballesteros used to win the 1988 Open Championship. Condition is brand new, never gamed, everything is in the original packaging as it came. Putter features the iconic sound slot.

Specs/ Additional Details

-100% Milled, Aluminum/Bronze Alloy (310g)

-Original Anser Design

-PING PP58 Grip

-Putter is built to standard specs.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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Inside Collin Morikawa’s recent golf ball, driver, 3-wood, and “Proto” iron changes

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As you probably know by now, Collin Morikawa switched putters after the first round of The Masters, and he ultimately went on to finish T3.

The putter was far from the only change he made last week, however, and his bag is continuing to change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage.

On the range of The Masters, Morikawa worked closely with Adrian Reitveld, TaylorMade’s Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, to find the perfect driver and 3-wood setups.

Morikawa started off 2024 by switching into TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max driver, but since went back to his faithful TaylorMade SIM – yes, the original SIM from 2020. Somehow, some way, it seems Morikawa always ends up back in that driver, which he used to win the 2020 PGA Championship, and the 2021 Open Championship.

At The Masters, however, Rietveld said the duo found the driver head that allowed “zero compromise” on Morikawa’s preferred fade flight and spin. To match his preferences, they landed on a TaylorMade Qi10 LS 9-degree head, and the lie angle is a touch flatter than his former SIM.

“It’s faster than his gamer, and I think what we found is it fits his desired shot shape, with zero compromise” Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the RBC Heritage.

Then, to replace his former SIM rocket 3-wood, Morikawa decided to switch into the TaylorMade Qi10 core model 13.5-degree rocket head, with an adjustable hosel.

“He likes the spin characteristics of that head,” Rietveld said. “Now he’s interesting because with Collin, you can turn up at a tournament, and you look at his 3-wood, and he’s changed the setting. One day there’s more loft on it, one day there’s less loft on it. He’s that type of guy. He’s not scared to use the adjustability of the club.

“And I think he felt our titanium head didn’t spin as low as his original SIM. So we did some work with the other head, just because he liked the feel of it. It was a little high launching, so we fit him into something with less loft. It’s a naughty little piece of equipment.” 

In addition to the driver and fairway wood changes, Morikawa also debuted his new “MySymbol” jersey No. 5 TP5x golf ball at The Masters. Morikawa’s choice of symbols is likely tied to his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

Not enough changes for you? There’s one more.

On Wednesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Morikawa was spotted with a new TaylorMade “Proto” 4-iron in the bag. If you recall, it’s the same model that Rory McIlroy debuted at the 2024 Valero Texas Open.

According to Morikawa, the new Proto 4-iron will replace his old P-770 hollow-bodied 4-iron.

“I used to hit my P-770 on a string, but sometimes the distance would be a little unpredictable,” Morikawa told GolfWRX.com. “This one launches a touch higher, and I feel I can predict the distance better. I know Rory replaced his P-760 with it. I’m liking it so far.” 

See Morikawa’s full WITB from the 2024 RBC Heritage here. 

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Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage

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Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.

It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.

When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”

“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”

 

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According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.

Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:

“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.

“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.

“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.

“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.

“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”

So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.

His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.

See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here

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