Background

The G15 driver is engineered for golfers seeking a maximum forgiveness driver that delivers distance and accuracy. Its 460cc titanium head is longer front to back and features PING’s patented ultra thin crown technology. Weight savings from the thin crown are positioned as an external sole weight to optimize the center of gravity for higher trajectories and reduced spin.

A larger face is designed to increase ball speed and provide consistency across the entire hitting surface. The new PING-designed TFC 149D high balance point shaft allows for a five gram increase in head mass (without increasing swingweight or overall weight) which results in higher ball speeds and an increased moment of inertia.

Look and Feel

The Ping G15 driver is an interesting piece of equipment. At first glance it appears to be a traditionally shaped, large head driver of 460cc. However, upon closer inspection one can make out the triangular geometry of the club head. It is not nearly as pronounced as something like the TaylorMade R7 CGB Max, but it is definitely there. I really liked the shape of it, not quite as clean as something like the Nickent 4DX, but much more pleasing to the eye than so many drivers these days.

The club head is finished in a dark color that is very subtle and does not distract you at address or during your swing. The crown of the club is set with the trademark Ping alignment aid, a reversed crescent moon. Again, nothing distracting about this, the alignment aid is a dark gray that does not stand out significantly, just enough that you can easily align the ball and club face.

Feel off the face is solid when well struck. Heel or toe shots are instantly recognizable, as are hits that are a little thin or fat. Unlike some other drivers today, if you do not hit the ball on the sweet spot, you will not be falsely rewarded with a solid feeling impact. This is a welcome surprise in a driver in this category. Generally I have found that the game improvement drivers always seem to reward you with an awesome feeling…you look up and you have hit a snap hook that nose dives 100 yards off the tee.

For those of you who are bothered by offset and draw bias in a club, you will be happy to know that the G15 sets up pretty neutral and looks quite square at address. There is a draw bias version of the G15 for those of you looking to help ease a slice. That particular model offers up a slightly more pronounced offset. The standard G15, on the other hand, will look quite pleasing to a golfer who naturally hits a draw. No worries about having to hold off the release to avoid those big hooks!

Performance

The day UPS dropped the G15 off at my door, I headed right over to my home course and took the driver out for a spin. I did not even bother to hit up the range, just took it right on the course. Little crazy perhaps, but it worked out pretty well. Lucky for me, the loft and shaft seemed to fit my swing pretty decently. I ended up hitting about 70% fairways, which is well above average for me.

With my swing, the ball launched quite high and seemed to have a pretty good spin rate, as the ball seemed to hang in the air forever and then roll out quite nicely. My driver was fitted with the PING TFC 149D shaft in stiff flex. It seemed to be quite stable and worked well with my particular swing. Nonetheless, you would probably want to be fitted by an authorized PING club fitter to help set you up with the right shaft/head combination to optimize the driver for your game.

I usually play with a Callaway FT-5 driver that has been fit with the proper lie/loft and shaft combination. The FT-5 is a solid performer in the ball speed department, one of the longer drivers out there. Fit to my swing, it should produce about as much distance as I can get on the course. Amazingly enough, I found solid strikes with the stock PING G15 to be not far behind the FT-5. At the same time, it also seemed to be far more forgiving.

As I mentioned earlier, it was very easy to tell where on the face the ball hit on a poor swing. On those hits, distance loss does not seem to be as severe as it is with a driver like the FT-5. While the driver does seem to be quite forgiving, it will not be as forgiving as some of the square faced clubs out there. There will always be trade-offs in the golf equipment market. Do you want more forgiveness? Do you want to maximize distance? Do you want to be able to work the ball? Generally you need to make a compromise somewhere and take whatever you feel will work best with your game. The PING G15 driver seems to settle nicely in the, good amount of forgiveness, lots of distance, and still some workability and decent feel.

Conclusion

I have been playing the G15 for about a month now, and have had some of my better driving days of my golfing ‘career’. When struck on the screws, this club can launch the ball a long way. And I suspect, if I were fitted with the right shaft/loft combination, I could eek out a few more yards from this combo. In addition to the great distance, the level of forgiveness has been great for my game. I really do struggle with my driver at times and find playing with drivers more along the ‘player’ level of driver can be a problem. I still manage to lose a ball now and then with the G15, but have kept a lot more balls in the short stuff (or at least playable) while I have been bagging the G15.

I cannot speak to how the G15 compares to previous generations of the G line, however, I would highly recommend adding the G15 to your list of drivers to hit if you are on the market for a new ‘Big Dog’. Coming in at $299 retail (or around $225 on eBay), the G15 is slightly less expensive than some of the high tech, bells and whistle drivers out there. So be sure to find yourself a local authorized PING fitter and take a couple swings with this stick. Let me know how you make out with it!

As with most of our reviews here, Ping has provided the G15 driver used in this review free of charge. As we receive equipment from all of the major golf equipment manufacturers, we try to remain unbiased and provide an honest look at every piece of equipment we review at The Deep Rough, this is nothing new. We would have a much harder time putting together all of these reviews if the manufacturers if we had to go out and purchase all of this equipment at retail prices. And for full disclosure, just about every piece of equipment we receive for a review we end up giving away to charity or as prizes in contests.

Patriot Golf Day Driver

TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company, the world’s leading maker of metalwoods, today announced it will produce a limited number of special-edition Patriot Golf Day drivers in hopes of helping the Folds of Honor Foundation raise more than $1 million during its Patriot Golf Day fundraising event. The foundation, which provides educational scholarships to families of those who have become disabled or lost their lives in the line of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, is the sole beneficiary of Patriot Golf Day.

Patriot Golf Day is supported by The PGA of America and is the vision of Captain Dan Rooney, who is both a PGA Teaching Professional and an F-16 fighter pilot in the 125th Fighter Squadron of the Oklahoma Air National Guard. It was held for the first time on September 1, 2007; more than 3,200 golf courses participated and helped raise more than $1.1 million by donating one dollar for every player who played that day. This year, Patriot Golf Day will span all four days of Labor Day weekend (Friday, August 29 through Monday, September 1).

TaylorMade-adidas Golf has vowed to help the Foundation double the first year’s fundraising efforts by creating specially-designed, limited edition drivers inspired by the F-16 “Viper” fighter jet that Captain Rooney piloted during two tours in Iraq. The driver features the Patriot Golf Day Logo on the toe, a laser-etched F-16 jet on the sole, a deep “intimidation” black crown and a specially-designed Patriot Golf Day head cover in red, white and blue.

Beginning in August, participating golf facilities will receive a single driver in a commemorative box to put on display for silent auction prior to Patriot Golf Day. Net proceeds from the silent auction will go to the Folds of Honor Foundation to support college and vocational scholarships for the spouses and children of fallen and wounded soldiers.

“More than 37,000 service members have been killed or wounded, and Patriot Golf Day is a way for patriotic Americans to assist families of those military personnel who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom,” said Rooney, who will return to Iraq for a third tour of duty this summer. “TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s support of Patriot Golf Day has helped us add a critical fundraising component that will allow us to reach more families with scholarships and other forms of support.”

“When we learned of Dan Rooney’s fundraising mission with Patriot Golf Day, it wasn’t a question of whether or not we would, but how much could we do to help,” said Mark King, president and CEO of TaylorMade-adidas Golf. “We hope the money raised from the auction of the TaylorMade limited edition drivers will positively impact families of servicemen and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom.”

Last year this event was a great success. It’s nice to see the tradition continue and grow.

Background

Engineered To Be A Bully

The new Taylor Made Tour Burner Driver features a dynamic combination of advanced physics and power. The Tour Burners top crown boasts a bigger more powerful base which has been deemed Dual Crown Technology. Take advantage of a deeper and lower center of gravity for unmatched forgiveness, control and Tour Power.

Engineered To Bomb Away

The new Taylor Made Tour Burner Driver gives the golfer the highest confidence thanks to an advanced physics design. Dual Crown Technology, Inverted Cone Technology and SuperFast Technology combine to give you the longest straightest shots you can hit with a driver. The Taylor Made Tour Burner is the very essence of power.

Features

• Dual crown and weighted power-base promote increased carry and distance
• Modern head shape promotes lower, deeper and precision-placed CG for higher launch angle and lower spin
• SuperFast Technology promotes increased swing speed, faster ball speed and added distance
• Inverted Cone Technology dramatically expands the portion of the clubface that delivers high COR for consistently longer drives on off-center hits
• SuperFast 60-gram shaft is exceptionally lightweight and stable to promote greater distance and accuracy

Tour Burner at Address

Look and Feel

The Tour Burner features a triangular head shape, similar to that of the R7 CGB Max driver. Those of you who are married to the idea of playing a traditional shaped driver head, this triangular shape may be more appealing to you than the square heads on say the FT-i or Sumo 5900. The corners of the triangle are quite rounded, and at address it sets up very nice. I had no trouble with alignment and felt quite comfortable with the look. At address the dual crown is not very visible, as you can see in the address picture. So kudos to TaylorMade for adding even more technology to a driver, without creating a strange look at address. The dark color of the club itself is quite subdued and the sole of the club looks very classy. I really like the new big ‘B’ burner logo. Very understated.

The retail, non TP model, does sit a couple degrees closed, so if you are afraid of the left side of the course, this may be an issue for you. However, just about every retail driver these days sits closed to try and combat the dreaded slice that plagues so many weekend golfers. If your regular ball is a bit of a slice, the closed face may help you square the club up at impact a bit. If you freely release the club head, expect the occasional hook or look at the TP version of this club, which sits more square to open.

One other item of note, look wise, is the head cover for this club. I think it’s one of the coolest looking head covers I have seen for a driver in a while. These guys really know how to market a golf club. Of course, a head cover will do absolutely nothing for your golf game, but hey it looks pretty sweet in your golf bag!

Feel off the club face is very explosive. The last TaylorMade driver I played was the R7 425, which, while being smaller volume wise, had a similar explosive feel to it off the center of the face. The Tour Burner carries that feel further out from the center, so even hits slightly toward the toe or heel still feel like you have just launched a 300 yard bomb. TaylorMade always seems to get it right in this department. So it is not surprising that they continue to be the leader in number of drivers in play on the PGA Tour.

Performance

I never played last year’s TaylorMade Burner driver, so I cannot compare the two drivers personally. However, when I first took this club out to the driving range, the guy at the stall next to me was hitting last year’s model quite well, bouncing balls off the net. So, I had him take a few swings with the Tour Burner. He was pleasantly surprised with the result. The ball seemed to launch at a good angle, and ball spin seemed to be quite low, as the ball had that nice mid height, penetrating trajectory. The ball seemed to hang in the air forever. The 07 Burner hits launched a little lower, but seemed to have more of a rise/fall to them. Even with the slightly lower flight, the ball bounced higher off the net. I would have to assume he gained at least 10 yards over last year’s model. Was it the new technology or just a better fit for him? I could not tell you. He did say he liked the feel, that the face felt a little more ‘explosive’ than the 2007 Burner. Unfortunately for him, he had just bought the 07 Burner a few weeks prior.

Given the low spin and mid-high launch of this club, you may want to look at a higher loft than you generally play. That is to say, if you’re playing a 9.5 degree driver now, take a few swings with the 10.5 version of this club on a launch monitor. The added loft will make the club a little more forgiving and still put the ball out there a mile. Just make sure you hit it somewhere first. The biggest mistake people make with a driver is walking into a store and plunking down $500 on a club they have hit once or twice into a net. Find a store where you can demo the club on the course or on a legit launch monitor…or better yet find a qualified club fitter to help match up the right loft, head and shaft combo for your swing.

Now, back to the actual performance. So far this season I have played the Nike Sumo 5900, Cleveland HiBore XL and XLS and the Nickent 4DX. Now this certainly would not be an apples to apples comparison, however where I found the 5900 to be the most forgiving of these, it also is the shortest hitter. The HiBore XLS seems to perform similar to the XL (though perhaps a little more spin, expect a review in the coming weeks). The Nickent 4DX is the longest of the bunch when I hit it on the screws, though also the least forgiving, ball speed wise. The Tour Burner is definitely up there with the 4DX in terms of distance. Hit it on the screws and it gets way out there. What I like about it is the distance on off center hits, it still gets way out there, definitely a lot less lost distance over the 4DX. The Tour Burner’s draw bias helps keeps the ball on the left side of the fairway, and when I took it to the range, I would say at least 75% of my hits were nice high draws that carried forever. Forgiveness, as I have mentioned is very good. Not as forgiving as the Sumo 5900, but you’re also not sacrificing as much distance. For the average person, what would probably help improve forgiveness more than a radical club shape would be to have your driver shaft fit in the 43-44″ range, rather than the stock 46″ range most clubs are sold at today. Those two inches will help make sure you smack the ball on the center of the face more often.

My review club was fit with the stock SuperFast 60 gram shaft in a stiff flex. As with most stock shafts, it felt a little on the weaker side of stiff. This is probably fine for the majority of players, as most people seem to want to ‘man up’ and go with the stiffest flex they can find. The shaft felt nice and smooth and obviously contributes well to the high launch/low spin characteristics of this club.

Conclusion

The Tour Burner is a club I could definitely see myself playing on a full time basis if I wanted to eliminate the right side of the course and bomb it all day long. It is not quite as long or as workable as the 4DX T-Spec driver I have been playing lately, but it is also far more forgiving. My average hit with the Tour Burner is definitely further than the average on the 4DX. If you are a mid handicapper, with a relatively fast swing speed (you hit your drives 250+), but are not satisfied with the consistency or trajectory of your current driver, you should add this club to your short list. The low handicappers out there may want to have a look at the TP version of this club, as there would be less of a draw bias built into the club head. It’s a sharp looking club, with a more traditional shape, wonderful off center ball speed performance and very good distance. At just under $400, it certainly is not a bargain, however you are paying for the latest technology, and resale/trade-in value of TaylorMade products is generally acceptable….in case you decide you must have 2009′s latest and greatest!

• TaylorMade Tour Burner TP – $599.99
• TaylorMade Tour Burner – $399.95
• Tour Burner on eBay – $275-$350

Background

With the SQ SUMO2 5900, Nike engineers have pushed MOI, volume and impact efficiency to the USGA limits, all in one club. The result is the straightest, most accurate driver Nike has ever made.

• High MOI: Greater forgiveness on off-center hits with a tighter shot dispersion.
• SQ SUMO2 Geometry: Updated body shaping for increased ball speed and accuracy
• Nike Powerbow Weighting: Manages weight in club head to further optimize precision and performance
• Titanium Cup Face:Multi-thickness cup face design improves ball speed over a large area
• All standard SUMO2 5900 drivers are 45.75″ long

The Nike Sumo Squared 5900 driver comes with a stock Diamana graphite shaft custom designed for this driver. However, this year they also offer a couple stock options at no additional cost: UST Proforce V2 and Aldila VS65 Proto. Both of these shafts are highly regarded and see a lot of play on the PGA Tour. With three stock options, most people will probably be able to find a shaft that fits their swing without having to custom order an expensive after market shaft.

The Sumo Squared 5900 at Address

Look and Feel

The first thing I noticed with the new Sumo 5900 is the sleek look at address. Last year’s model had a ridge down the middle, which was a little distracting. The 2008 model, as you can see to the right, looks very smooth, bearing a traditional tear drop shape if you ignore the light gray square framing area (the Power Bow). This may be a pleasant surprise to the fan of the traditional driver shape. Using last year’s model or some other square drivers (especially the FT-i) there is no getting away from the square head shape…it is right there, smack dad in your face, no hiding. The 5900, sure it is square, but the subtle shading and shape really hide it well.

The alignment aid on the Sumo 5900 is also quite subdued. It is comprised of a couple light gray lines, that sort of resemble a golf tee. I did not find it distracting in the least bit.

As for the feel, as with most modern drivers, the club will feel very light in your hands. This is a combination of the light driver head itself, and the 55 gram stock Diamana shaft. The VS65 Proto shaft will add a little weight, but obviously not much. Even with the light shaft and head weight, I still had no problem feeling the club head in my swing. The Diamana shaft is surprisingly smooth and the stiff flex actually felt right for my swing. Generally, I have found that the OEM stiff flex shafts are often on the weak side, if not regular flex.

One thing I noticed is how shallow the driver head seems to be. Looking back at previous year Sasquatch and Sumo drivers, this seems to be a common trend in the Nike driver line. While the Sumo 5900 may not be as shallow as the original Sasquatch driver, it is still on the shallow end of the spectrum. This may not bother most people, but coming from playing a very deep faced drivers (HiBORE XL and Nickent 4DX) it was a little bit of a visual adjustment.

Feel was nice and solid off the face. Hits a little off the heel or toe still felt quite hot and solid at impact. Previous versions of the club felt a little more dead in off center hits. The variable thickness face of this particular driver seems to have solved that problem.

Now, I know what question a lot of you most want answered…how does it sound? Sound was a HUGE sticking point with the 2007 Sumo driver. Most people I spoke with likened it to hitting the ball with a garbage can. The 2008 Sumo Squared 5900 has made enormous strides in this department. The sound is a nice solid thud, without all of the ear ringing of the previous year’s model. I really hope a lot of 2007 sumo owners trade in their loud driver for this particular model so my ears can relax a little at the driving range!

Performance

Well, we all know look and feel can influence a decision but everyone is looking for performance from a driver. While last year’s model may have been very forgiving, it lacked in distance and produced far too much spin. The Nike engineers must have went right after these two specific areas, because both are vastly improved.

My first few ‘rusty winter’ swings with this club were pretty awful…however, I was shocked to see the ball still launch high and hang up in the air with a nice penetrating flight, slight fades. If I put that sort of swing on the 4DX driver, who knows where the ball would have ended up. After warming up a little, gaining a little confidence with this club, I started hitting the ball on the screws and was pleasantly surprised with the distance. It is still a little chilly up here in the North East, and range balls are a little cold and flat, but I was still pounding the ball. Distance was at least similar to my HiBORE XL, where as last year’s model seemed to be at least 10-20 yards shorter.

What I really enjoyed was watching the ball flight. My previous attempts with square head drivers often resulted in spin rates in the 4000+ range. Sure, this is great for hitting a straight ball, but ballooning in the wind becomes a major problem and you are obviously losing a lot of distance. The Sumo 5900 still seemed to want to go straight, but flattened out a lot quicker and had considerably more roll….no more spinning my drives back 2 yards.

Off center hits still lose some distance, but far less than they may have lost last year and certainly far less than I lose with the HiBORE XL. The effect of the cup face also seemed to want to pull off center hits back toward the fairway as well. This is something I have grown accustomed to with modern drivers, but seemed to have been lacking in previous years versions of the Sasquatch/Sumo.

As with other square drivers, you really do feel like you can get away with a murderous swing…and often times you can. Sure, it is still possible to slice the ball 30 yards if you really try, but, anything close to a square club face at impact, and I am sure you can keep it relatively close to the fairway.

If you are looking to work the ball, it is possible with this driver, but it really does want to go straight. You may want to check out the Sumo 5000 version of the club which is geared more toward the player that wants to move the ball. Personally, I think I’ll just stick to trying to hit the ball straight and in the fairway from now on. With the high launch and distance, I’ll just be looking to go over the dog legs.

Conclusion

A combination of ultimate forgiveness while still providing top tier distance. What else could you want in a driver? Sure the shallower face may have put me off a little at first, but after a few swings this club felt like money in my hands. If you are looking for a very easy to hit driver that still pokes the ball out there a ways, go get your hands on one of these clubs. It’s really amazing how far this technology has come along. With all the talk of the USGA changing rules about wedge grooves and the golf ball, they may have to start looking at driver technology as well, it almost seems like cheating! At $399 the Sumo 5900 is no bargain, however it is still $100 less than the FT-i.

• Nike Sumo Squared 5900 from GolfSmith – $399
• Find the Sumo 5900 on eBay – $285-$350

For the time being, here are my initial reactions. Even at nearly 46″, the club feels very light. The version I have is fitted with the stock Diamana shaft, which apparently weighs in around 55 grams. That is pretty common these days, with TaylorMade really pushing this in the Burner series.

With the SQ SUMO2 5900, Nike engineers have pushed MOI, volume and impact efficiency to the USGA limits, all in one club. The result is the straightest, most accurate driver Nike has ever made.

• High MOI: Greater forgiveness on off-center hits with a tighter shot dispersion.
• SQ SUMO2 Geometry: Updated body shaping for increased ball speed and accuracy
• Nike Powerbow Weighting: Manages weight in club head to further optimize precision and performance
• Titanium Cup Face:Multi-thickness cup face design improves ball speed over a large area
• All standard SUMO2 5900 drivers are 45.75″ long

Due to some clever shading, the club itself does not look too enormous at address. As you can see in the address picture above, they do a nice job of trying to make the club appear to have a traditional shape at address. Also for those of you who do not like big, fancy alignment aids, the Sumo2 5900 will make you happy. The alignment aid is quite subtle and barely noticeable.

Last thing I’ll note is how shallow this driver head seems to be. Perhaps I am just accustomed to deep faced drivers like the HiBORE XL or Nickent driver, but the Sumo2 seems to fit into the shallow end of the spectrum.

Given that it was 20 degrees yesterday and snowing at the moment, I have a feeling it will be at least a few days before I actually get to take this little baby for a test drive. But be on the lookout for a complete review of this club soon.

Background

Here is some information regarding the technical details of the G.R.I.P. Driver:

The Craftsmanship — Aerospace-Grade 460cc Beta Titanium
Our G.R.I.P. Driver offers an enormous 460cc beta titanium clubhead, the largest allowable by the USGA. It is constructed using aerospace-grade, beta titanium, with the maximum allowable COR (Coefficient of Restitution), enabling the clubface to give slightly at impact and spring back.

Additionally, the clubface’s generous sweet spot produces exceptionally long and straight drives, and fewer mis-hits. Its deep clubface also promotes a high launch angle and low spin rate to maximize distance.

Elevated MOI
The G.R.I.P. 460cc Driver’s innovative design boosts its MOI (Moment of Inertia) by moving the club’s weight from its center, decreasing side spin and increasing ball speed. The elevated MOI also significantly reduces twisting of the clubhead, allowing for straighter shots even on off-center hits.

Rear-Sole Weighting
The GRIP 460cc Beta Titanium Driver features swing-correcting, fixed weight ports in the club’s rear sole, providing for a lower, deeper center of gravity that helps you close the clubface at impact and eliminate or reduce slicing. The G.R.I.P. fixed weighting system also reacts effortlessly to off-center hits by squaring the face during contact, making it the benchmark in fixed-weight driver technology.

A Variety of Lofts and Shafts
Our G.R.I.P. Driver captures the power of its beta titanium clubhead, while maintaining a classic driver shape. It is available in three different lofts 9′, 10.5′ and 12′. In addition, we offer a variety of shaft types for our G.R.I.P. 460cc Beta Titanium Driver, including a choice of graphite — Regular, Stiff Flex, Senior Flex, Lady Flex — or True Temper Steel. A head cover is also included.

Look and Feel

The first thing that will LEAP out at you is the bright…did I say BRIGHT blue color of the driver’s head. The pictures I took really do not do the color scheme justice (see picture below). Aside from the color, the look at address is quite traditional. For me, this is a good thing. Sometimes I find it difficult to get over the outlandish shapes of some of the newer driver heads. The shape of the G.R.I.P. Driver reminds me a lot of the R7 460 or Nickent 4DX driver. That’s a good thing!

While the overall paint job looks quite nice, one thing I did notice was that the edges of the paint were a little sloppy. In the case of the crown (see below), you can see some imperfections which almost look like chips. When I took these pictures, I had not yet hit the club, so it certainly wasn’t from play. That being said, it’s nothing really major. It didn’t bother me when I addressed the ball. Just something I had noticed, and for $129 vs at least $299 for a driver from anyone else…I’d be willing to let that pass.

Feel wise, the head was a little soft for me. I will get more into the performance next, but feel off the face didn’t have that same explosive feel as some of the other drivers I have been playing lately. Feel, however, is quite subjective, and I would leave it up to you to decide how it felt.

The club was delivered with a stiff flex graphite shaft. I do generally play stiff flex shafts in my driver, but this one felt more on the soft side of stiff, if not the heavier side of regular. The band on the shaft claimed to be low torque and high launch.

Performance

Where I may not have liked a few things in the look and feel department, it was tough to argue with the performance. The shaft did indeed launch the ball high and did not seem to spin much more than any other stock driver shaft. Carry distance seemed to be on par with my current driver. Hits off the center of the face certainly looked pretty in the air.

Toe and heel hits still seemed to get a lot of ball speed, as they were not drastically shorter than hits in the center of the face. So I would definitely call the driver very forgiving. The weak shaft may have contributed to some inconsistencies for me, in that I occasionally had a big hook or slice. Nonetheless, this certainly has nothing to do with the driver head itself.

There did not seem to be any major bias left or right in the weighting/face of the club. I was able to hit draws and fades with the head with a little effort. The club did, however, seem to want to go pretty straight for the most part. If you just want to blast drives long and straight down the fairway…that’s probably a good thing.

Conclusion

For $129, there isn’t much to complain about here. If you’re looking for a 460cc driver, with most of the modern driver technology…and want to save some cash for lessons…be sure to check out the G.R.I.P. golf driver. Sure, there are some imperfections with the paint, the face felt a little soft, but for the average golfer, I think this club is a great deal. Just keep in mind, all the technology in the world won’t fix that over the top move that creates your slice. At $129…vs $500 for some big named drivers…you could put a lot of extra cash toward lessons, more rounds on the course, or plenty of other worthy causes.

You can order the G.R.I.P. 460cc driver directly from their website for $129.95.

The D-Spec’s loft, lie, CG, MOI and weight have all been configured to make the ball have the perfect draw. The T-Spec is set up for a faster swing speed. The T-Spec is engineered for players who prefer a flatter trajectory and a more workable ball flight.

The Sweet Spot, MOI, and CG are all affected by these advanced XW Inserts that are being used in a driver design for the first time. Weight is spread to the extreme heel and toe by the XW Insert by increasing the MOI and making the head more forgiving and stable at impact. The thin Titanium face is as hot as legally allowed by the USGA, with one of the widest sweet spots of any driver available! The secret is a super thin 0.4 MM Titanium Crown.

The 0.4 mm super thin Titanium crown allowed Nickent to save enough weight to manufacture a 460 CC directional control driver that combines a classic tour shape and cutting-edge weight technology.

It also allowed for 460 CC raw driver weight 180 grams. This is one of the lightest of any raw 460 CC driver heads on the market. This helps increase the swing speed of the driver significantly and allows for maximum distance. It also gives Nickent engineers room to utilize the XW technology and to raise the MOI significantly. The construction of the driver is a 6/4 titanium body fused with a 15-3-3 .4mm Titanium crown. 15-3-3 Titanium is the alloy for Titanium and is stronger and thinner than cast 6-4 Titanium. It reduces the thickness of the crown by 50%, reduces the weight of the crown by 20 grams and makes for a better sound and feel. Laser welding the crown adds more strength and saves even more weight to put back in the clubhead. A patented A-frame face application is used for a high COR/CT on the face map.

Offered in 7 different loft/weighting combinations and two stock shafts in a variety of flexes, there is a 4DX out there for the most discriminating of golfers. With so many options, you are certain to find a club that will match your desired distance/trajectory needs.

Look and Feel

If you like the look of a traditional driver head, you will feel quite comfortable standing over the Nickent 4DX Driver. The Tour Spec driver sets up square, and the dark, tear-drop club head does not look overbearing or large at address. The 4DX line of clubs has a very distinct look on the sole. With the green indentations toward the back, and the tungsten plugs, it has a sharp looking sole. A little flashy, but not in your face, spaceship design ala TaylorMade’s most recent offerings. Compared to the R7 425, the 460 cc 4DX driver does not feel or look much larger. They have done a nice job of hiding the large volume head. The Nickent Logo alignment aid is subtle, but effective if you need it. Not overly distracting either.

Feel wise, I am not completely sold on this club head. It definitely has a distinct feel. Flushed hits did not result in that immediate..wow…feeling, but provided a nice solid thud sound. Sometimes though, I found myself thinking, hmm, that sounded odd, I thought I got it, but maybe I didn’t…then I would look up and see this bomb of a drive soaring down the fairway. Of course, I”m coming off playing with a HiBORE XL where every shot is extremely loud and sounds/feels like you absolutely crushed it…which was quite misleading.

The factory D2 weight felt comfortable, and at 45.5″, the shaft isn’t as crazy long as say the 46″ offerings from plenty of other OEMs at the moment. Still, as long as I was hitting this club, I would probably feel more comfortable with it being at 45 or 44.5 and being a little more consistent.

Performance
So yeah, onto the performance. Wow. I have hit some absolute bombs with this club. The stock V2 shaft provides a nice relatively low spin shot that seemed to just hang in the air forever at times. Off center hits were a little weak for me, and I had a hard time hitting a little draw, but I’m guessing if I had tried out the Draw version of this club, and cut down the shaft a little, this club would be super simple to keep in the fairway and work right to left.

But yeah, the first few times I played with this club, I was finding all sorts of new places on the fairway. It rolls out a lot further than the HiBORE XL did for me. That being said, the retail HiBORE XL in a 10.5 loft was easier to keep straight. Though, 9* Tour Spec 4DX vs 10.5 HiBORE XL…there is probably a lot more forgiveness built into that HiBORE.

I had absolutely no problem hitting a little cut with the driver, and I’m guessing that if I spent some more time with it on the range, I could perfect that shot with this club, and really have a nice safe, yet long option off the tee.

Conclusion
All around, a very nice driver offering from Nickent Golf. They have really been putting out some interesting clubs lately, and have been generating a lot of interest on the professional tours. I can certainly see why a lot of guys on the Nationwide tour have been switching over to this particular driver. Awesome looking shape, an absolute bomber, and I’m sure in the hands of a pro, very forgiving and easy to work. For those of us who don’t necessarily hit the ball dead flush every time, there is the Draw version of this driver as well as the 3DX Square Driver offering.

I have seen these clubs stocked at Golfsmith, among other stores. If you have a chance head on down and give it a few swings. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Especially if you are put off by the enormous size and strange looks of clubs like the Burner, 907D1, FT-i, etc.

• Nickent 4DX Driver on Ebay
• Nickent 3DX Driver on Ebay

Be sure to check out our reviews of the Nickent 4DX IW Hybrids and the Nickent 4DX Fairway Woods as well.

Last year Cleveland Golf introduced Distance Driven Geometry with the original HiBORE driver. In 2007 Cleveland Golf has improved upon the original HiBORE design with the release of the HiBORE XL driver. While last season it seemed as if Cleveland staff players were shying away from the HiBORE, the HiBORE XL is being embraced by PGA Staff players. From what I heard, 10 players at the US Open put a HiBORE XL in the bag, while one still played the original HiBORE.

Distance Driven Geometry
Moves weight lower and deeper in the clubhead. This optimized CG location aligns the Center of Gravity Projection (CGP) with the C.O.R. Hot Spot in the center of the face, resulting in optimal launch conditions for greater overall distance.

My friend Tim was in need of a new driver, and was convinced that the HiBORE XL was the way to go for his game. I, of course, had to check the club out and share the results with you!

Full Face Performance
Alignment of Sweet Spot and C.O.R. Hot Spot produce optimal launch conditions over a larger area of the face, allowing for efficient energy transfer that maximizes ball-speed across the entire face

High Moment of Inertia
High MOI and deeper CG provide increased stability on off-center hits, leading to greater distance and a tighter shot dispersion over the entire face.

Look and Feel
The HiBORE XL is definitely a nice looking club. The swoop back makes the club appear smaller than it is, which, in my opinion is reassuring. I currently play an R7 425 and feel comfortable swinging that sized club. While the HiBORE XL is physically larger (425cc vs 460cc), it did not feel much larger in my hands or while swinging.

Feel off the club face is awesome. Pound one in the middle, and wow…you know you have absolutely crushed the ball. The sound that accompanies such a hit is also stunning. The only problem is…hit it a little off the toe, heel, fat, thin….worm burner…still sounds and feels pretty decent. Unfortunately, then you look up and say hey…wait…why isn’t the ball splitting the fairway 300 yards away?

We took the club to the driving range and pounded some range rocks. I hit perhaps 40 balls with the HiBORE XL. When I swung smoothly, I was launching very high bombs down right down the middle, sometimes with a slight draw. A little quicker in my tempo, and I was less accurate. This may be something to do with the shaft, may just be my swing. All in all, the first range session was a thrill. If nothing else, I would suggest heading over to your nearest pro-shop/driving range and hitting a few balls with the HiBORE XL.

One little, simple design element…I absolutely love the head cover. The E-Z Grab system makes pulling the head cover off a breeze. If you have ever tried to get the head cover off a 460cc driver, you know what a pain in the behind that can be. E-Z Grab is…well….easy! Even the head cover on my smaller r7 425 is a challenge to get on and off. Everyone should take a design cue from Cleveland and incorporate a similar element in their head covers.

Performance

The Fit-On Gold shaft matched with the 10.5 loft launches the ball a little too high for my liking. However, I generally am a high spin, pretty high ball flight kind of guy. For me, the Fit-On Red shaft may have been a better option. I would have to get fit for the club to find out. Even in stiff flex, I caught the ball ballooning on me at times. This combination provided a lot of carry, but little roll. The RE*AX stiff flex shaft in my r7 425 isn’t a whole lot better, it flies pretty high as well.

Distance wise, compared to the R7 425, hits on the screws were similar. However, off center hits were certainly much better with the HiBORE XL. Given that, I found the R7 425 to be more workable than the standard HiBORE XL. However, if you are looking for a workable driver, you are probably in the market for the HiBORE XL Tour anyway. Looking to hit the ball straight, in the fairway, stick with the HiBORE XL.

Conclusion

All in all, I really liked the confidence the HiBORE XL inspired, and confidence, as we all know, is such a huge part of golf. While I was not totally convinced that the end results of good swings were much different than the r7 425, off center hits definitely seemed to hold the line better. Properly fit with the correct shaft, I am sure I could eek out some more distance with the HiBORE XL. I’ll have to go try out one of the Fit-On Red shafts!

• Retail HiBORE XL Men’s Driver – $299
• HiBORE XL on Ebay – $100-$150
• Original Cleveland HiBORE – $149

Update: I went over to GolfSmith last night to hit a few drivers on the simulator. I hit the HiBORE XL with a 9* head and the Fit-On Gold (stiff flex) pretty well. Off the simulator (who knows how accurate those are) I was seeing a launch angle of 13*, backspin of ~2700 and just a very slight fade, which carried about 285. Pretty nice!

Well, here I am again. I purchased the Nike SQ SUMO Stiff Diamana: not the squared version. I couldn’t afford the SUMO 2 considering my monthly expenses. In Canada the SUMO 2 will set you back about $621 CAD.

The Nike SUMO is a very well designed club. The shaft is suited for my swing that has a quick tempo and a vicious down swing(115+MPH). It handles off center hits like a champ and sweet spot ticklers sound like screaming angels from the heavens. My father and I were having fun with this driver at our local Golf Dome during the long boring winter days. We both immediately noticed that the majority of off center hits went considerably straight, as in one that went right slowly pulled left and back on track. It absorbed most of the impact but it still retained the feel of last years Nike SQ. It doesn’t have the forgiveness of the SUMO 2 but it has much more playability which could be a bad thing for duffers.

After a detailed video swing analysis with the SUMO and a PGA Tour Pro: Dave Scinocca. I’ve found that the cause of my fade is due to not holding my ground with the lower half of my body. My knees wobbled side to side not posting my left leg on my follow through body turn. Unfortunately for me my family has been known for having bad knees. I’m working on curing this wobble for now. So far the drives with the Nike SQ SUMO are intense, the launch angle is rather aggressive consistently rising to the peak height and smoothly coming down. It’s just the rest of my game that I need to improve on now. I never blame my equipment for faulty shots on the course.

When you lightly swing this driver back and forth like a pendulum; it feels fast like the head just wants to move. Of course the shaft must be suited for your swing or any driver for that matter would feel awkward.

The only negative thing I have to say about the Nike SQ SUMO is the grip blows. It’s a Nike branded POS. The texture is very smooth and hard. So it slips in my hand at the moment of impact so I’m forced to grip it much harder which leads to a bit of an over swing. I think it’s an all weather grip. I will be replacing it with a Golf Pride DD2 grip that I purchased off off eBay at $82 for 13 grips CAD, that’s $6.30 per grip. I won’t be golfing in the rain anytime soon.

Other than that, depending on your swing this driver is a must buy tool that will add yards to your drive. I know it has added over 15 Yards to my average drive distance in just one swing. It’s definitely a much much much better club than something you can buy at a local sports store for $90.