Equipment

New 2020 Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo driver

Published

4 years ago

Sep 9, 2019

The all-new-for-2020 Cleveland Launcher driver has been designed to hit the ball higher, straighter, and—thanks to a redesigned cup face, and higher balance point shaft—faster, too.

The Cleveland Launcher name is synonymous with distance. Multiple versions of the flagship Launcher driver found their way into players bags dating back to pre-400cc drivers, through composite products (Cleveland Comp, anyone?). It’s not an understatement to say the club transformed Cleveland’s metal wood segment.

2020 Cleveland Launcher crown detail.

After a bit of a hiatus, the Launcher name was relaunched (sorry, had to do it) two years ago to glowing reviews and positive player feedback. The engineers at Cleveland decided 2020 was the time to turbocharge the new Cleveland driver.

“(With the Launcher HB Turbo) We’ve squeezed discretionary weight out of every corner of the head in order to produce one of the most forgiving drivers we’ve ever made.”

-Vice President of Research and Development at Cleveland Golf Jeff Brunski

2020 Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo: Details

When talking about discretionary mass, every single gram matters. In a 200g driver head, every two grams saved is one percent more mass to move around. When talking about a driver head and collisions taking place at over 100 mph, every percentage point matters. One of the most wasteful parts of any clubhead is the hosel—whether it be because of adjustability or just a traditional glue in a non-adjustable head.

More photos of the Cleveland Launcher HB driver in the forums.

The original Cleveland Launcher HB was not adjustable, which meant it was already saving some mass, but the engineers at Cleveland went a step further with the new HB Turbo and implemented more than just one technology beyond the hosel to make this new Cleveland driver even faster.

Ultralight hosel: By redesigning the hosel both inside and outside of the head, more mass was able to be distributed low and further away from the face to increase forgiveness.
Turbocharged CupFace: OEMs cant make the center of the head faster— it’s the rules—but it doesn’t mean they cant speed up more of the face. The new Turbocharged CupFace, has been enhanced with a new variable face thickness to provide higher CT (characteristic time) over a larger area for increased ball speeds and more distance—because nobody hits the middle every time.
HiBore Crown: The newly shaped crown on the Launcher HB Turbo lowers the CG (center of gravity) by a full 2.2mm when compared to the Launcher HB. This improves overall forgiveness and helps to better optimize launch parameters for shots hit all over the face.

When it comes to improvements, Cleveland isn’t stopping with the clubhead either. The new Launcher HB Turbo is being paired with a new proprietary high-balance point Miyazaki C. Kua shaft. By raising the center of gravity closer to the grip end of the club, players have the ability to swing the driver faster, even though more mass has been added to the head to give the Launcher HB Turbo an MOI boost.

This is where club designers are looking beyond just the driver head and analyzing the club as a whole system. The better the whole system works together, the better you are going to hit the ball. It’s also beneficial that Cleveland is under the SRI Sports Umbrella, which also includes Srixon and Miyazaki. Miyazaki shafts are extremely high quality and are all proprietary to SRI products.

New Cleveland driver: Options and availability

The Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo driver is available in two different models

Standard/neutral weighting will be available in lofts of 9, 10.5, and 12 degrees.

There will also be a Launcher HB Turbo Draw model with more discretionary weight placed towards the heel. It will come in a 10.5-degree loft.

The suggested retail price of both models will be $349.99, and the drivers will be available starting October 4.

More photos of the Cleveland Launcher HB driver in the forums.

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Ryan Barath

Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

14 Comments

Carolina Golfer

Sep 10, 2019 at 7:54 am

Another WRX article with negative replies. Do you guys like anything or just like to complain?

Reply Report comment
- JP
  
  Sep 11, 2019 at 3:16 am
  
  I like to complain about poor golf design ideas.
  
  Reply Report comment
SV

Sep 9, 2019 at 4:51 pm

I don’t see the lack of adjustability as a problem. As a whole most people are probably better off without it. Find the right loft and leave it alone (says the guy always adjusting). But come on Cleveland, only one option for lefties? At least give us two (9* & 12* or 10.5* & 12*).

Reply Report comment
George Steer

Sep 9, 2019 at 2:52 pm

All of the writing on the clubhead comes off as cheap. If they feel the need to explain the features, utilize peel of stickers.

Reply Report comment
- Donn
  
  Sep 14, 2019 at 7:27 pm
  
  peel off stickers seem cheapo to me. I prefer them writing on the clubhead. a few years down the line and you are shopping used, the info written on the clubhead helps you to know what’s the important design stuff.
  
  Reply Report comment
JP

Sep 9, 2019 at 2:10 pm

Turbo? Why? Why? Why?

Do they actually know what a turbo is?

Reply Report comment
DukeOfChinoHills

Sep 9, 2019 at 12:32 pm

I had a Launcher back around 2004-05ish and really liked it. This new one looks cool, but I’m not in the market now.

Reply Report comment
Getemgoose

Sep 9, 2019 at 12:24 pm

So the Cleveland Turbo threw on some Ping turbulators. Cool story.

Reply Report comment
Jarnio Bubly

Sep 9, 2019 at 11:49 am

It’s always faster than last year! The faster we say it is the more consumers will get over how hideous it looks. Get out your pocket book! ????

Reply Report comment
15th Club

Sep 9, 2019 at 11:21 am

Wait just a minute. Is this a non-adjustable hosel? If so; uh, yeah it will be lighter. A lot lighter. At the cost of any adjustability. If I am wrong about this, somebody please correct me ASAP.

Also; this is just me talking but how many players who are GolfWRX readers want and need a higher-launching driver? For my part, a driver head that launches LOWER is usually better, all other things being equal. I would love to own a driver with 10.5 degrees of loft. But I would hit it way too high. More static loft = more control and more straight. Like a 7-iron. But that kind of loft produces balloon drives. I want the highest loft possible, in the lowest-hitting driver possible.

Reply Report comment
PI

Sep 9, 2019 at 10:05 am

I’ve been testing this driver out for the last year or so and I have to say it is right up there with the best drivers. I have the TS3 in play now and this club in testing was just as good if not better than the TS3.

Reply Report comment
JP

Sep 9, 2019 at 9:47 am

Seriously?!? Writing on the crown?!? And why do they all have to copy each other with raised fins on top? It’s busy and ugly.

Reply Report comment
- Angus
  
  Sep 9, 2019 at 3:11 pm
  
  What on earth has the writing got to do with anything, you can’t even see it when using the club, how it performs is what is important
  
  Reply Report comment
  - JP
    
    Sep 12, 2019 at 3:55 am
    
    You’re blind if you can’t read all about the hibore tech on the crown at address…
    
    Reply Report comment

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Equipment

Everything you need to know about PXG’s new 2023 Gen6 golf clubs

Published

6 hours ago

Mar 23, 2023

Andrew Tursky

Parsons Xtreme Golf (PXG) has officially announced the release of its new Gen6 family of products, which replace the company’s previous Gen5 lineup.

The new Gen6 stable includes two driver options (o311 and 0311 XF), two fairway woods (0311 and 0311 XF), two hybrids (0311 and 0311 XF), and two iron models (0311 P and 0311 XP).

PXG offers two different versions of each club type to satisfy the varying needs of different golfers. The standard 0311 metalwoods and 0311 P irons offer players a combination of forgiveness and performance, whereas the 0311 XF metalwoods and 0311 XP irons are made for players who need a little “X”-tra forgiveness on mishits.

The Gen 6 clubs are available for purchase on PXG’s website, or in PXG in-store locations, as of Thursday, March 23. The Gen 6 driver is selling for $499, fairway woods $299, hybrids $289, and irons $219 apiece.

Below, we break down the new technological enhancements in the Gen 6 family.

PXG’s 0311 and 0311 XF drivers

The PXG 0311 driver model (pictured above and below) offers a traditional tear drop shape and a compact profile, and the PXG 0311 XF model has a larger footprint and shallower face to help players who hit mishit the ball more often.

New this year for PXG is a robotic polishing process that helps with tighter CT tolerances to boost ball speeds for product users. PXG has also improved sound and feel compared to previous iterations by using what the company calls High Modal Frequency Designs.

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Additionally, each head is designed with a 3-port adjustable weighting system in the sole, and they’re built with high-strength Ti412 face structures to increase speed.

The 0311 driver is available in 7.5, 9 and 10.5 degrees, and the PXG 0311 XF is offered in 9, 10.5 and 12 degrees.

PXG’s 0311 and 0311 XF fairway woods

The PXG 0311 fairways (13, 15, 18 and 21 degrees) and the 0311 XF fairways (16, 17, 19 and 22 degrees) each have adjustable sole weights – three weight ports in the 0311, and two weight ports in the 0311 XF – and each are designed with flatter soles to lower the overall mass of the heads to increase forgiveness. The 0311 XF model, in particular, is designed with a Railed Sole Geometry to help create lower friction to help with turf interaction.

The Gen 6 fairway woods are built with AM355 steel bodies and HT1770 steel faces.

PXG’s 0311 and 0311 XF hybrids

The PXG 0311 hybrids have a more compact shape at address, while the 0311 XF features a larger shape that offers more forgiveness. As with the Gen 6 fairway woods, the soles of the hybrids are flatter to keep weight low, and the XF in particular has protruding split rails to enhance turf interaction.

The 0311 hybrids are available in 17, 19, 22 and 25 degrees, and the 0311 XF hybrids are available in 19, 22, 25, 28 and 31 degrees.

PXG’s 0311 P and 0311 XF irons

PXG’s new 0311 P and 0311 XP irons now have a 15 percent thinner face, and PXG is calling them “the fastest irons we’ve ever made,” and the “softest irons we’ve ever made.”

The faces are made from high strength HT1770 maraging steel, and they have milled channels behind the faces to increase face deflection, increase launch, and raise ball speeds. In between the faces and the back cavity, PXG uses its propriety XCOR2 material to enhance feel, energy transfer and durability. The bodies themselves are five-times forged from 8620 steel, and they have milled back surfaces to reduce wall thickness and increase precision.

PXG’s new 0311 P and 0311 XP irons also use Tungsten weighting in the low-and-back portions of the heads to increase launch and forgiveness.

According to PXG, the 0311 P irons are designed for low-to-mid handicappers and have moderate offset, whereas the 0311 XP irons have more offset, and they’re built for mid-to-high handicaps who want more distance and forgiveness.

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The Gen 6 irons are also offered in a PXG Black Label Elite option, which comes with an Xtreme Dark finish.

See more photos of the Gen 6 products here

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Whats in the Bag

Scottie Scheffler WITB 2023 (March)

Published

9 hours ago

Mar 23, 2023

GolfWRX Staff

Scottie Scheffler what’s in the bag accurate as of the WGC-Dell Match Play. More photos from the event here.

Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X

Irons: Srixon ZU85 (3: 20 degrees, 4: 23 degrees), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 GOST Hybrid Prototype 10 X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (50-12F, 56-14F), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (60-T), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (60.5-T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless TourType GSS prototype

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

More photos of Scottie Scheffler’s WITB in the forums.

More Scottie Scheffler WITBs

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Whats in the Bag

Billy Horschel WITB 2023 (February)

Published

11 hours ago

Mar 23, 2023

GolfWRX Staff

Billy Horschel what’s in the bag accurate as of the Honda Classic. More photos from the event here.

Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 6 X

3-wood: Titleist TSi2 (15 degrees @14.25)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 70 6.5 TX

5-wood: Titleist TSi2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 80 6.5 TX

Irons: Titleist 620 CB, Titleist 620 MB
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (52-12F, 56-08M), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (60-T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Onyx S400