Opinion & Analysis
Gear Trials Feedback: A letter from the editor
First of all, thank you so much to all of you who took the time to read 2015 Gear Trials: Best Drivers and comment on the story. In the 24+ hours since it’s been published, we’ve set records in views and comments. I’m grateful that Gear Trials has gained the traction it has across the golf world, because I know it will support many golfers’ desire to buy the best driver for them, and play the best golf they can.
A few questions continue to pop up about Gear Trials, however, and I want to take the opportunity to address them. Those who read this will better understand why we did what we did with Gear Trials, and why we’re going to continue to do it.
The two questions I am addressing are:
- Why don’t we rank clubs in terms of launch, spin and ball speed?
- Why don’t we name a “best” club?
The short answer? It’s a disservice, and a practice that I believe is more harmful than it is helpful.
With our Gear Trials lists, we hope to empower more golfers to make decisions based on what clubs are best for them. Don’t buy a club because it’s good for a group of testers, or voted “best” by an organization. The only reason golfers should make the purchase of a new club is if it brings them the joy of better performance, more confidence, or both.
Golfers should be excited by the process of discovering what clubs performs best for them! Test different heads, preferably with a top-rated professional fitter, and see which one gives you the ball flight you need. Spend some time looking at different models at address to learn what shape inspires confidence in you, and what sound and feel makes your next shot more exciting. That’s how it’s done on the PGA Tour, and that’s how we hope our readers will learn to buy new clubs.
We understand that our readers want to make the most informed decision they possibly can, and we have great respect for the passion they have to play better golf. That’s why we went to the most reputable club fitters we know and asked them to offer our readers the safety of their expertise. With their votes, you can buy any of the seven drivers (or their low-spin equivalents) on our 2015 Gear Trials: Best Drivers List and you cannot make a bad choice!
Differences do exist between the seven models on the list, of course, and we did our best to highlight them fairly in Gear Trials and our individual reviews. But some of you have requested more, so here’s a few anecdotes of what we would face if we were to name “bests.”
- TaylorMade’s R15 (460) is the lowest-spinning driver we’ve tested when it’s used by a golfer who consistently hits tee shots on the center of the face. When properly fit to that kind of player, it creates the highest-launching, lowest-spinning drives that tend to go farther than just about everything else. But if a golfer is more inconsistent, the R15 could actually be the highest-spinning driver on our list with the slowest ball speeds and it could fly the shortest — especially if it’s fit improperly.
- Ping’s G30 is the highest-spinning driver on this list when it’s hit on the screws. Give it to a high-spin golfer, and it could be the shortest driver on this list. But if it’s used by a golfer who misses the center of the face consistently, or a low-spin golfer, it will probably be the longest driver on this list.
How do we know which driver will work best for you? We don’t, and I’m not ashamed to say so. But you can find out.
We’ve given you the best starting point we know how, and how it goes from here is up to you. Are you up to the challenge? Everything I know about GolfWRX readers tells me that you are.
- LIKE87
- LEGIT18
- WOW3
- LOL3
- IDHT2
- FLOP3
- OB3
- SHANK35
The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.
TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.
Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.
However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.
Past Winners at TPC Louisiana
- 2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
- 2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
- 2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
- 2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
- 2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
- 2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)
2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks
Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)
Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.
This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.
McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.
Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)
Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.
Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.
Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)
Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.
NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.
- LIKE6
- LEGIT3
- WOW1
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP3
- OB1
- SHANK1
After having four of the top twelve players on the leaderboard at The Masters, LIV Golf is set for their fifth event of the season: LIV Adelaide.
For both LIV fans and golf fans in Australia, LIV Adelaide is one of the most anticipated events of the year. With 35,000 people expected to attend each day of the tournament, the Grange Golf Club will be crawling with fans who are passionate about the sport of golf. The 12th hole, better known as “the watering hole”, is sure to have the rowdiest of the fans cheering after a long day of drinking some Leishman Lager.
The Grange Golf Club is a par-72 that measures 6,946 yards. The course features minimal resistance, as golfers went extremely low last season. In 2023, Talor Gooch shot consecutive rounds of 62 on Thursday and Friday, giving himself a gigantic cushion heading into championship Sunday. Things got tight for a while, but in the end, the Oklahoma State product was able to hold off The Crushers’ Anirban Lahiri for a three-shot victory.
The Four Aces won the team competition with the Range Goats finishing second.
*All Images Courtesy of LIV Golf*
Past Winners at LIV Adelaide
- 2023: Talor Gooch (-19)
Stat Leaders Through LIV Miami
Green in Regulation
- Richard Bland
- Jon Rahm
- Paul Casey
Fairways Hit
- Abraham Ancer
- Graeme McDowell
- Henrik Stenson
Driving Distance
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Joaquin Niemann
- Dean Burmester
Putting
- Cameron Smith
- Louis Oosthuizen
- Matt Jones
2024 LIV Adelaide Picks
Cameron Smith +1400 (DraftKings)
When I pulled up the odds for LIV Adelaide, I was more than a little surprised to see multiple golfers listed ahead of Cameron Smith on the betting board. A few starts ago, Cam finished runner-up at LIV Hong Kong, which is a golf course that absolutely suits his eye. Augusta National in another course that Smith could roll out of bed and finish in the top-ten at, and he did so two weeks ago at The Masters, finishing T6.
At Augusta, he gained strokes on the field on approach, off the tee (slightly), and of course, around the green and putting. Smith able to get in the mix at a major championship despite coming into the week feeling under the weather tells me that his game is once again rounding into form.
The Grange Golf Club is another course that undoubtedly suits the Australian. Smith is obviously incredibly comfortable playing in front of the Aussie faithful and has won three Australian PGA Championship’s. The course is very short and will allow Smith to play conservative off the tee, mitigating his most glaring weakness. With birdies available all over the golf course, there’s a chance the event turns into a putting contest, and there’s no one on the planet I’d rather have in one of those than Cam Smith.
Louis Oosthuizen +2200 (DraftKings)
Louis Oosthuizen has simply been one of the best players on LIV in the 2024 seas0n. The South African has finished in the top-10 on the LIV leaderboard in three of his five starts, with his best coming in Jeddah, where he finished T2. Perhaps more impressively, Oosthuizen finished T7 at LIV Miami, which took place at Doral’s “Blue Monster”, an absolutely massive golf course. Given that Louis is on the shorter side in terms of distance off the tee, his ability to play well in Miami shows how dialed he is with the irons this season.
In addition to the LIV finishes, Oosthuizen won back-to-back starts on the DP World Tour in December at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritus Open. He also finished runner-up at the end of February in the International Series Oman. The 41-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers of 2024, regardless of tour.
For the season, Louis ranks 4th on LIV in birdies made, T9 in fairways hit and first in putting. He ranks 32nd in driving distance, but that won’t be an issue at this short course. Last season, he finished T11 at the event, but was in decent position going into the final round but fell back after shooting 70 while the rest of the field went low. This season, Oosthuizen comes into the event in peak form, and the course should be a perfect fit for his smooth swing and hot putter this week.
- LIKE12
- LEGIT3
- WOW0
- LOL1
- IDHT0
- FLOP1
- OB1
- SHANK1
Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.
Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.
But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.
To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.
Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.
If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.
In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.
Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.
While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.
So, what about grooves and face texture?
Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.
Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.
But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?
The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.
So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.
And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.
- LIKE32
- LEGIT7
- WOW1
- LOL1
- IDHT2
- FLOP3
- OB1
- SHANK3
Dave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
John Daly stuns fans into silence with brutal opening tee shot on PGA Tour Champions
Things got heated at the Houston Open between Tony Finau and Alejandro Tosti. Here’s why
Tiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
Report: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
Two star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
Report: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
Neal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
Rasmus Højgaard WITB 2024 (April)
Rasmus Højgaard what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic. Driver: Callaway Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees)...
Rory McIlroy WITB 2024 (April)
Rory McIlroy what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic. Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus...
Sam Burns WITB 2024 (April)
Sam Burns’ what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond S (9 degrees...
Will Zalatoris WITB 2024 (April)
Will Zalatoris’ what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. Driver: Titleist TSR2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)...
-
19th Hole2 weeks agoDave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
-
19th Hole2 weeks agoTiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
-
19th Hole1 day ago‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
-
19th Hole3 weeks agoReport: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
-
19th Hole1 week agoTwo star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
-
19th Hole1 week agoReport: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
-
19th Hole1 week agoNeal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
-
19th Hole1 day agoJustin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
Eugene Marchetti
Mar 29, 2015 at 6:38 pm
I just finished attending a Demo day at my club with all the major brands available. I used the test results to start my search. Knowing that I wanted forgiveness over distance, I had already eliminated some models. I got down to my favorite three based on feel, looks, set up, and ball flight. I then went on the computer and made my choice. The numbers said Nike Speed. It gave me the best smash rate(1.47),spin 2580, and launch 12. I realize the launch was a little low but I was getting great flight and carry. Swing speed was 94 and my overall distance was 232. I went to the Demo Day wanting to buy a mizuno 850 because of its beautiful blue color but my smash factor was inconsistent. Ping G30 was the closest to Nike but the head shape was to elongated and a little light. I appreciate your article and hope you keep up the good work. Bottom line:GET FIT!!!!!’
Lindsay Morrison
Mar 27, 2015 at 10:19 am
“We’ve given you the best starting point we know how, and how it goes from here is up to you. Are you up to the challenge? Everything I know about GolfWRX readers tells me that you are.”
I guess I’ll just go to the store next time without this. If I’m in the market for a new driver this article wouldn’t help. It’s a waste of time puff piece.
That’s a shame, but that’s what it is. There was not much trial in this 2015 gear trial.
Alex
Mar 29, 2015 at 5:09 pm
Ideally it would help you start from a position of knowledge. You’d still need to test, but if you know your trends in terms of hit pattern and spin, then you’d know which driver to start with, and which other ones to look at.
It’s pretty obvious. Of course, if you were just going to test everything anyway to figure out which one is best, then by all means, go for it. But it’s getting old when people expect to find the best driver out. They’re all different. Best is relative. Reviews are relative too. In fact, a review is pointless. But people want to see them anyway.
Lindsay Morrison
Mar 27, 2015 at 9:50 am
“We’ve given you the best starting point we know how, and how it goes from here is up to you. Are you up to the challenge? Everything I know about GolfWRX readers tells me that you are.”
I guess I’ll just go to the store next time without this. If I’m in the market for a new driver this article wouldn’t help. It’s a waste of time puff piece.
That’s a shame, but that’s what it is.
Stickburn
Mar 27, 2015 at 6:29 am
These comments reviews reads like what I have seen as a millennial mindset. 1. I want what I want and I want it now. 2. If the product/info I seek is not what I want then somebody has done something wrong. 3. You have waisted my time by not giving me what I want. 4. My way is the right way and let me tell YOU how to do it right. Bonus characteristics: I am special and will not support you because you have sold out. I will now take my business/time elsewhere.
Cyd
Mar 27, 2015 at 9:33 pm
Well said!
Dave N
Mar 26, 2015 at 9:40 pm
Thank you for what you do. The Gear Trial piece and this response letter were very well done, and I actually like the approach. The message is obvious, and made me want to try out some new drivers. Too many people tend to look to someone else for the answers for 10 more yards and 3-4 more fairways hit. What they get from analyzing a bunch of trackman from someone else is beyond me. Worse yet is a purely data-based analysis of “averages” of many golfers who aren’t me. It may be interesting for about 30 seconds, but mostly useless. The answer is on the course. Pick any or all of the drivers on the list, try it out, ask a fitter for help if you want, and then hit the range.
Gorden
Mar 26, 2015 at 8:08 pm
If your over a 15 handicap and have played golf for more then 10 years your have a greater chance of being a 16 long before you are a 12.. So play what ever clubs you want, a simple fitting is going to work for you and playing what you want to play is really one of the best thrills in golf. If you love Ping , play Ping, if you like how Adams look and feel play Adams….playing what you like as a middle to high handicap can make the game just as fun as if you spent thousands on lessons and fittings and lowerd your handicap 2 points….Sometimes loading your bag on a cart with those shinny new Callaway irons looking at you is the best part of anyones golf day.
Rich
Mar 27, 2015 at 9:05 am
This is so right. I’ve just done that with my irons and while they might not be as forgiving as my last set, they look sick and when I’m swinging well, they are awesome performers as well. Good comment!
Jason
Mar 26, 2015 at 7:35 pm
I can appreciate this response from Golfwrx. While it’s true no head/shaft combo is going to play the same for everyone, it would be beneficial to hit them all with an iron byron – put the exact same shaft with each head and hit the ball off 9 areas on the face – heel/center/toe and high/mid/low on the face. Then just post the trackman numbers. At least then readers would have some data to go by to figure out what they need. All we get from this is a regurgitation of the most popular drivers that everyone already knew about anyway.
CatFoodFace
Mar 26, 2015 at 9:04 pm
Actually, a great idea! I can make my own decision based on numbers.
Rich
Mar 26, 2015 at 6:21 pm
I can appreciate that Golfwrx doesn’t want to say “this is the best driver” period, but I think what people are saying, ithe gear trial doesn’t give you much more info than what you find on the manufacturers websites really. At least last year there was the little sliding table to give an indication of the numbers you might see from certain clubs compared to the others on the list. There’s nothing wrong with that and if anyone got upset with those indications and ended up with the wrong club I dare say, they would be in the minority. It’s just a guess, but I bet one of the manufacturers got a little upset at Golfwrx for publishing that one of their clubs wasn’t as low spinning or forgiving as the next and they had to change their method. But they are hardly going to admit that are they.
Tom
Mar 26, 2015 at 6:18 pm
No good deed goes unpunished.
JillC
Mar 27, 2015 at 11:21 am
It’s easy! Don’t call it a “Trial” unless you actually test the products against each other. For me? I want the best possible driver for my swing. That’s impossible because nobody swings like me. Have the Iron Byron test, hit it in the 9 areas of the club face, vary the shafts (high and low launch), and perhaps do the AOA differently i.e. good golfer have positive AOA while bad once tend to have negative AOA. Then this would be a trial. Agree the intent was great, but if the effort is too compare and test, then do it the right way and it will be better than anyone else! I can foresee: “Go to Golfwrx for the best tests and comparisons!”
M Crossfizzle
Mar 26, 2015 at 4:25 pm
I hope everyone feels ashamed of their self…
You want the truth about the best driver
come to yt and get stuck in
The dude
Mar 26, 2015 at 4:01 pm
Great article Zak……remember, some people will never get it….
Zak Kozuchowski
Mar 26, 2015 at 4:08 pm
Thank you, The dude.
TR1PTIK
Mar 26, 2015 at 5:11 pm
+1
Cyd
Mar 27, 2015 at 9:34 pm
+2
johnnyb
Mar 26, 2015 at 3:21 pm
Wow, you mean to tell me that the PING, Taylormade, Callaway, Titleist, ETC. all make good drivers if properly fit! Wow, this is groundbreaking news that we must push out to the public immediately! Let’s call our study “Gear trials” and it will sound awesome, and everyone will know how cool it is, and then they will know that the big golf companies all make awesome drivers that are all tied for awesomeness if fitted properly! Because all the drivers are so awesome and equally tied for awesomeness it would be a “disservice” to pick one, because all of them are tied for most awesome if fitted for equal players at equal levels of awesomeness!
Adam B.
Mar 26, 2015 at 3:04 pm
I don’t get this at all. I am a scratch golfer, high swing speed, and high spin. I got fitted yesterday and the G30 was 400 rpm less spin for me than the R15 430. How can you say G30 would only be best for inconsistent or low spin players. You just added to the ambiguity of your entire study by giving such odd anecdotes. If you include the data, then you don’t have to try to justify it with confusing statements like this.
TR1PTIK
Mar 26, 2015 at 5:10 pm
Perhaps the reason you got better numbers with the G30 is because it was easier for you to find the center of the face or the fact that it is a far more forgiving club…
other paul
Mar 27, 2015 at 2:01 am
More then likely you hit a tiny bit high on the g30 and a tiny bit low on the r15. Studies have shown a half inch vertically can be 1000rpm different in spin.
Geoff
Mar 26, 2015 at 2:55 pm
Golfwrx has influence on the industry. Its many articles on the benefits of club fitting are one of its stronger attributes. To me, Gear Trials was promoted as an extension of the benefits of club fitting. Yet, I haven’t read anything that convinces me it is any different than a hot list or other generic review piece. As a matter of fact, it reads very similar. Just because club fitters made the decisions means nothing if the insight and opinions of those club fitters, along with their hard data, is generalized or omitted in print. It simply makes it look like Golfwrx does not want to take a chance at rattling the cage of a major manufacturer. It certainly doesn’t help that you encourage golfers not to be influenced by what a group of testers say, to go out and try different clubs, and to seek out a professional fitter, while including direct links to ‘buy now’ from manufacturer’s store fronts and Amazon.com.
Toms1090
Mar 26, 2015 at 2:24 pm
i get what you were trying to accomplish. But I think the gear trials would be better if you included those anecdotes. Knowing a driver is a spin monster when not hit pure is useful. Also, if your prasing getting fit don’t include a link to amizon to buy it.
Robert
Mar 26, 2015 at 2:04 pm
That’s the most ridiculous argument I’ve ever heard of in my life to not report specifics. You can’t be worried about what people do when they mis hit the club. You report on what happens when you hit the club in the center of the face. That’s what the clubs are designed to do. You really wasted a lot of time and money on this because this list does nothing for any one trying to look for a new club. I want the best ball speeds and from your article I have no idea what to look for. So I’m in the same boat I was before I read your article. I just feel bad that you asked for the time of so many fitters when so little came about this. It’s not about you telling us what you think is the best driver for us. It’s about providing all of the information and letting us digest it and letting us decide for ourselves what to do with that information. You can’t just not provide it because some people will not interpret the results correctly. That’s leaving so many people in the dark that could really use this information. The ones that don’t have good fitters in our area’s and have to either go to sites like this to get information or go spends hundreds or thousands of dollars trying out different equipment until we find the right one. You could easily provide the info and make no claims about what you think is the best. What a waste…sad.
KnifeCut
Mar 26, 2015 at 2:11 pm
This reads a little terse, but I agree with the what was was said.
Incredulistic
Mar 26, 2015 at 2:14 pm
Robert you could always start your own golf equipment site and do reviews like you seem to think they should be done.
KnifeCut
Mar 26, 2015 at 2:49 pm
Kind of passive aggressive. Let’s be real… the members of WRX are why this place it is what is now.
Why start your own site? This place is great because most (and often the best) of the content is user-generated.
The majority of the reviews here (both formal and informal) are user reviews. In this instance, they’re infinitely more valuable than the gear trial. We were fed the line that the Gear Trials were going to be the bee’s knees and it’s not exactly the case.
Robert
Mar 26, 2015 at 2:49 pm
Fair enough, but why even spend the time doing all of this if you are just going say, “These 7 drivers were the best!”. Without any type of numbers or data about them? It just seems like a waste of time. When this site does reviews of clubs or balls, they actually have launch number data with them, but when doing a gear trial for all of the drivers in which they tout it as better than any other test because they get club fitters to do the testing…they provide no stats. No numbers. It just seems incredibly odd. And I find the excuse to be pretty ridiculous.
Chris Nickel
Mar 26, 2015 at 2:26 pm
You honestly can’t read through the list and understand that of all the drivers on the market, there are 7 which are generally much better? You can’t read the literature to see that if your #1 criteria is ball speed, then all you have to do is pick a couple heads to hit yourself and see what gives you the best results? I understand people being critical. That’s fine. However, I don’t see why WRX should be responsible for people who are too lazy to do anything constructive with the information they’ve provided. I’ll save you hundreds of dollars. Everything is at .830 COR…I’m sure you already know this. Ball speed will come as a function of which club allows you to make the most consistent center-face contact. That’s impossible for anyone to figure out for you. Why would you want to buy a driver based solely on what works best for someone else?
Robert
Mar 26, 2015 at 2:55 pm
But there is no quantifiable measurement in why those 7 drivers are the best and how they are ranked the best. And they don’t have them broken up into the 3 factors in which they tested. They could have at least done that. That couldn’t have been that hard to do. The drivers are all close to each other, that’s why having testing done like this is important. It’s good to see what a large variety of testing shows between a large group of people. Where I live I can’t go anywhere and just get fitted for a driver and grab a couple of heads. I have to go buy a couple of heads and shafts to try it out. So this list does nothing for me in the current state. I knew these 7 drivers were considered the best before this article. That’s nothing new.
Chris Nickel
Mar 26, 2015 at 3:38 pm
There is quantifiable measurement. It’s just doesn’t appear for public consumption. I would think you could easily narrow the list down to a couple heads to try and go from there. If you live that far away from a place to get fit, I get that’s more difficult – but what happens if WRX release a bunch of the data and anecdotes and based on this you select driver xxx. You buy this driver, but b/c you never corroborated their data with your experience, you don’t actually know if that driver is the absolute best for you. You might as well select lower spin or higher spin and then pick the head you like the best…that would be just as reasonable as basing your purchase entirely off someone else’s experiences…Or start a thread in the forum and get more feedback that way…
TR1PTIK
Mar 26, 2015 at 5:05 pm
Do you hit the ball in the center of the club face? If so, which club face? If not, which club face do you most often approach center? Spitting out a bunch of numbers that come from perfect strikes that you will never achieve with significant repetition is pointless. You should be looking for the a club that provides the best numbers for you. The 2015 Gear Trials gives you a good starting point to assess which driver(s) you should be testing to determine which is best for YOU. Why do you want numbers provided by robots that you’ll never be able to achieve?
ca1879
Mar 26, 2015 at 1:54 pm
The article was very well done and did not attempt to prove anything from the data that couldn’t be supported. You showed excellent restraint in your recommendations and the results were presented clearly and with appropriate suggestions for using them. It’s hard to understand what significant fault could be found, but cynicism is a popular substitute for insight these days. The internet is full of those who think that pointing out the obvious about the economics of web publishing makes an argument to support whatever view they take of the content.
Zak Kozuchowski
Mar 26, 2015 at 1:56 pm
Thank you for your very kind words, and we’re glad to have your support.
TR1PTIK
Mar 26, 2015 at 4:58 pm
+1
KnifeCut
Mar 26, 2015 at 1:44 pm
The approach didn’t work because it literally says it’s a starting point… it’s not even finished. Reminds me of a virtual demo day.
I’m sure most would agree it’s far better for people to critique your data and method of collection than be criticized for not including it at all.
There are plenty of people who agree it’s lots of puff with little substance.
Sorry.
Geoff
Mar 26, 2015 at 1:21 pm
This was promoted as having a few tricks up its sleeve but, after all the hype, there isn’t anything in the results that hasn’t already been provided by a manufacturer’s marketing team or a publication’s puff piece. It provides about as much useful information as a list on BuzzFeed. This plays out like an obvious attempt by Golfwrx to do what other golf magazines have done in the past with their so called reviews: get manufacturer’s to link their web sites to that of the reviewer, generating more web traffic and ad revenue for said reviewer. And…it appears they are on their way to achieving exactly that. The second sentence of this letter states: “In the 24+ hours since it’s been published, we’ve set records in views and comments.”
Mission accomplished.
Zak Kozuchowski
Mar 26, 2015 at 1:26 pm
Have you been fit for a driver recently, Geoff?
Geoff
Mar 26, 2015 at 1:42 pm
Yes.
Zak Kozuchowski
Mar 26, 2015 at 1:44 pm
What worked best for you?
Geoff
Mar 26, 2015 at 1:48 pm
How is my decision relevant to my opinion?
Zak Kozuchowski
Mar 26, 2015 at 1:57 pm
I don’t know that it is, but I’m curious to know what driver worked best for you.
Geoff
Mar 26, 2015 at 2:02 pm
It was one of the one’s in your list.
Chris Nickel
Mar 26, 2015 at 1:08 pm
Marginally better? Just b/c some of the results look similar, doesn’t mean the process was at all the same – What I don’t understand is why critics can’t accept that maybe this year had what a lot of us have experienced to be true: There are a lot of great drivers from OEM’s in 2015. The approach did work. Trackman data confirmed what some of the best fitters in the country have seen. Unless I don’t understand how the Hotlist etc. is created, I believe this process was much different. If WRX said the R15 was the driver of the year, not only would it be a disservice (as one driver can’t be the best for everyone) but critics would jump at the opportunity to dissect and pick apart how WRX came to this conclusion and people would be arguing whether or not it was really 1.2 yards longer than driver XXX.