Wednesday 2 April 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS HYBRID >> VIEW NEXT HYBRID The Hybrids Test 2014: Nike VRS Covert 2.0/Tour – BRONZE AWARD Cost: £119.99/£149.99 Tech: Head size decreases as loft increases in the standard model. NexCOR Face boosts ball speeds. FlexLoft allows for independent face angle and loft adjustability in Tour head. What we said… James Ridyard: “Seems to sit a little upright but opening the face counteracted...
Wednesday 2 April 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS HYBRID >> VIEW NEXT HYBRID The Hybrids Test 2014: Titleist 913H/H.d – BRONZE AWARD Cost: £197 Tech: Distance and forgiveness is delivered through the range of lofts with outstanding ground contact and ball flight. Independent loft and lie adjustment. What we said… James Ridyard: “Pear-shaped look is quite toe-heavy, I’m not sure if it works in hybrid. I got a strong, penetrating...
Wednesday 2 April 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS HYBRID >> VIEW NEXT HYBRID The Hybrids Test 2014: Adams Pro/Pro Mini – GOLD AWARD Cost: £170 Tech: Featuring a high MOI upside-down head shape, the Pro Hybrid makes consistent contact easier for golfers of all skill levels. “Velocity Slots” on the crown and “Cut-Thru Slots” on the sole combine with an ultra-thin face to add forgiveness and ball speed. What we...
Wednesday 2 April 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS HYBRID >> VIEW NEXT HYBRID The Hybrids Test 2014: TaylorMade SLDR – SILVER AWARD Cost: £169 Tech: A low and forward centre of gravity placement is combined with weight re-located to the front of the head to promote faster ball speeds, a higher launch angle and a lower spin-rate. The SLDR rescue also uses a “speed pocket” for high ball speeds...
Wednesday 2 April 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS HYBRID >> VIEW NEXT HYBRID The Hybrids Test 2014: Ping G25 – SILVER AWARD Cost: £170 Tech: Progressive centre of gravity locations in each loft optimise launch and spin. The heads are traditionally shaped and feature an external sole weight for higher MOI. What we said… James Ridyard: “It feels a touch short in the shaft compared to others on test and...
Wednesday 2 April 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS HYBRID >> Back to the start The Hybrids Test 2014: Callaway X2 Hot/Pro – GOLD AWARD Cost: £169 Tech: For the first time, Callaway has brought thinner, lighter and more robust faces to its hybrids. The iron- like head shape inspires confidence over the ball and enhances turf interaction for better accuracy from all lies. Also comes in more compact Pro. What...
Monday 17 March 2014
Boffins in white coats love a good golf study – and over the years they’ve discovered all sorts of strange things that could help your game. Read our top tips to save you five shots. 1 Picture a positive outcome over putts… Next time you’re faced with a tricky putt, close your eyes and imagine the ball going into the hole. Why...
Tuesday 11 March 2014
Our annual drivers test is always keenly anticipated – but we can’t remember one quite as exciting as this year’s. Click here to start discovering the winners. Technology has evolved so quickly in the last 12 months that almost every manufacturer has at least one totally new driver in their line-up. If you’ve been following our launch coverage over the past six months,...
Friday 7 March 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS DRIVER >> Back to the start The Drivers Test 2014: TaylorMade SLDR – GOLD AWARD Cost: £349. Tech: The SLDR has the CG positioned extremely low and forward in the head for high launch with low spin and faster ball speeds. A 20g sliding weight on the sole can be fixed in any one of up to 21 positions, changing dispersion by...
Friday 7 March 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS DRIVER >> VIEW NEXT DRIVER The Drivers Test 2014: Callaway Big Bertha – GOLD AWARD Cost: £349. Tech: Adjustable Perimeter Weighting (APW), an 8g sliding weight on a five-inch track on the back of the sole to reduce dispersion by up to 15 yards. A Hyper Speed Face has a larger sweetspot than its predecessor while a forged composite crown means weight...
Friday 7 March 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS DRIVER >> VIEW NEXT DRIVER The Drivers Test 2014: Nike VRS Covert 2.0 – GOLD AWARD Cost: £249.99. Tech: Cavity-back design has been redesigned with FlyBrace technology, which reinforces the rearward portion of the head for greater ball speeds and up to six more yards than its predecessor. The Tour version is more pear shaped and has a face 15 per cent...
Friday 7 March 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS DRIVER >> VIEW NEXT DRIVER The Drivers Test 2014: Ping i25 – GOLD AWARD Cost: £345. Tech: Aimed at the better player with high swing speeds. A racing stripe on the crown helps align the face and take the club away on the correct path. Two tungsten weights in the rear of the sole raise MOI and move the CG low...
Friday 7 March 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS DRIVER >> VIEW NEXT DRIVER The Drivers Test 2014: Mizuno JPX EZ – Silver Award Cost: £249. Tech: ‘QuickSwitch’ adjustability allows users to open or close the face up to 2° and adjust the loft 1.5° up or down. The driver also boasts a low-profile aerodynamic head design and 0.6mm ‘Rebound Crown’, where the head expands at impact to produce more of...
Friday 7 March 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS DRIVER >> VIEW NEXT DRIVER The Drivers Test 2014: Ping G25 – Silver Award Cost: £299. Tech: Large, forgiving head, ‘Trajectory Tuning Technology’ and a speed-generating shaft. Each loft can be tweaked by half-a-degree up or down. The clubface is larger and the crown is thinner than last year’s G20 and has the highest MOI and lowest centre of gravity of any...
Friday 7 March 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS DRIVER >> VIEW NEXT DRIVER The Drivers Test 2014: TaylorMade JetSpeed – Silver Award Cost: £249. Tech: The first driver from TaylorMade to feature a “Speed Pocket”, which boosts ball speeds on shots struck low on the face. It has a lower, more forward CG than its predecessor to optimise launch, and a 12-position loft sleeve means loft can be adjusted up...
Friday 7 March 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS DRIVER >> VIEW NEXT DRIVER The Drivers Test 2014: Callaway X2 Hot/Pro – Silver Award Cost: £279. Tech: Callaway say the X2 Hot is nine yards longer than its predecessor due to the fastest, thinnest and lightest all-titanium face it has ever produced. The sweetspot is also 10 per cent larger for more consistent distances on varying strike patterns. The loft and...
Friday 7 March 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS DRIVER >> VIEW NEXT DRIVER The Drivers Test 2014: Titleist 913D2/D3 – Bronze Award Cost: £345. Tech: D2 is the larger model with a slight draw bias. The D3 model has a 445cc head for Tour-inspired workability and distance. Independent loft and lie adjustment. What we said… James Ridyard: “The D3 feels very stable and nice to hit. It doesn’t feel like it...
Friday 7 March 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS DRIVER >> VIEW NEXT DRIVER The Drivers Test 2014: Cobra BiO CELL/BiO CELL+ – Bronze Award Cost: £249/£329. Tech: 50 per cent lower CG than last year’s model. Better player BiO CELL+ is 440cc. Loft can be adjusted without affecting face angle via SmartPad. Comes in five colours. What we said… James Ridyard: “Really like this. Nicely- shaped head, very stable shaft and...
Friday 7 March 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS DRIVER >> VIEW NEXT DRIVER The Drivers Test 2014: Adams XTD Cost: £329. Tech: First driver from Adams to feature its “Cut-Through Velocity Slot” to increase ball speeds. Progressive thickness face, loft and lie can be adjusted up to 1.5° via the hosel. What we said… James Ridyard: “Solid club, nice matt grey finish. Had to adjust right down to 7.5° to get...
Friday 7 March 2014
<< VIEW PREVIOUS DRIVER >> VIEW NEXT DRIVER The Drivers Test 2014: Benross RIP/HOT/MAX Speed 2 Cost: £149.99 Tech: Minor head tweaks and grip and shaft upgrades for 2014. RIP Speed 2 is 450cc aimed at the better player with fast swings. What we said… James Ridyard: “I like the head shape, deep face and the matt finish. The shaft feels a touch soft and the...