Best new drivers for 2024 – Syndication Server

TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper

The TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper is designed to deliver driver-like distance with fairway wood control.

Gear: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper
Price: $449.99 with UST Mamiya ProForce 65 shaft and Golf Pride TaylorMade Victory Copper grip
Specs: Titanium face and chassis with carbon fiber crown, adjustable sole weights and adjustable hosel. 11.5 and 13.5-degree models

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Who It’s For: Fast-swinging golfers who want an alternative to their driver off the tee but who want more forgiveness and distance than most 3-woods provide.

The Skinny: Smaller than a driver, yet much larger than a typical 3-wood, the BRNR Mini Driver Copper combines exotic materials and driver-like technologies to create a powerful alternative off the tee for elite players.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop TM BRNR Mini Driver” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/6eNzxb”]

The Deep Dive: Aside from the possible exception of a driving iron, no club in golf is more macho than a mini driver. Carrying one says to the world that there are times on the course when your driver goes too far, and, you are skilled enough to get the ball airborne with a fairway wood that has driver-like loft.

TaylorMade has quietly made mini drivers available for a few seasons. The Original One Mini debuted in 2019, and in 2021, the 300 Mini driver was released. Last year, TaylorMade offered the BRNR Mini, and a few pros, including Tommy Fleetwood, have put it in play frequently. Now, on the eve of the 2024 Masters, TaylorMade is dropping the BRNR Mini Driver Copper, a club that is virtually identical to the 2023 BRNR Mini but cosmetically pays homage to the late ’90s Burner woods.

The BRNR Mini Driver Copper’s head size is 304cc, which is 34 percent smaller than most drivers on the market today, like the 460cc TaylorMade Qi10 Max. However, the BRNR Mini Driver Copper dwarfs 3-woods like the Qi10 Max (200cc) and Qi10 Tour (170cc). The BRNR Mini Driver Copper also comes standard at 43.75 inches in length, which is a half-inch longer than those 3-woods but 2 inches shorter than a stock Qi10 LS driver and 1.75 inches shorter than a standard Qi10 Max driver.

With specifications like that, and being available only in 11.5 and 13.5-degree lofts, some golfers will call the BRNR Mini Driver Copper a 2-wood instead of a mini driver. Regardless of what you call it, the club is designed to excel off the tee as alternative to a driver.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop TM BRNR Mini Driver” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/6eNzxb”]

TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper — The BRNR Mini Driver Copper has a titanium face and body along with a carbon fiber crown. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The BRNR Mini Driver Copper has a titanium face and body, along with a carbon fiber crown, to create a significant amount of discretionary weight, which engineers re-purposed in the form of two sole weights. With the 13-gram weight in the front and 1.5-gram weight in the back, the BRNR Mini Driver Copper produces more ball speed, less spin and a lower launch angle. However, with the 13-gram weight in the back port and the lighter weight in the front, golfers should see an increase in both spin and launch angle, along with more stability.

The BRNR Mini Driver Copper also has Twist Face, a shot-straightening technology that debuted in 2018’s M3 and M4 drivers, and it has a Speed Pocket slot in the sole to allow the lower portion of the hitting area to flex more efficiently on low-struck shots.

If players decide to play the BRNR Mini Copper off the deck, its K-shaped sole is designed to allow the bottom of the club to skim across and over the turf more effectively. But be warned: With a deep face and large size, this club was designed to be used primarily off the tee. Fast-swinging, skilled players will be able to create enough lift to get shots up in the air, but slower-swinging players might struggle to generate enough spin to maximize carry distance.

To fine-tune the spin and trajectory, the BRNR Mini Copper comes with an adjustable hosel that allows players and fitters to increase or decrease the loft by up to 2 degrees.

Even with all those modern features and technologies, the copper accents and the font used to spell the word TaylorMade on the sole will immediately be recognizable to golfers who remember using Burner drivers and fairway woods in the 1990s. And, if you recall that turning the head cover of last season’s BRNR Mini driver inside-out revealed a fuzzy rainbow design that some players opted to use, you will be pleased to know that turning the BRNR Mini Copper’s headcover inside out reveals a fuzzy blue-patterned option you can go with.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop TM BRNR Mini Driver” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/6eNzxb”]

Below are several close-up images of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper.

Mizuno ST-Max 230 driver

The Mizuno ST-Max 230 is a high-MOI, ultra-stable driver.

Gear: Mizuno ST-Max 230 driver
Price: $500 with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green RDX, Mitsubishi Lai’ Li Blue or UST Mamiya Helium NanoCore 4F1 shaft and Lamkin ST Hybrid grip
Specs: 460-cc head with a forged titanium face and chassis, carbon fiber crown and sole panels, and adjustable hosel. 9.5, 10.5 and 12-degree head options.

Who It’s For: Golfers who prioritize forgiveness and who want to hit straighter drives.

The Skinny: The new ST-Max 230 takes the weight saved by using a large carbon fiber crown and sole panel and redistributes it to the back of the head to boost the forgiveness and make the club Mizuno’s most stable driver.

The Deep Dive: Just as you can tell a lot about a man by the quality of his shoes and belts, you can tell a lot about a driver by observing where designers and engineers position weight in the head. Mizuno’s ST-G driver has more weight concentrated in the front, which helps it reduce spin and put an emphasis on ball speed. The Japanese company’s newest driver, the ST-Max, utilizes an entirely different design, materials and weighting concept, and the result, according to Mizuno, is its most stable and forgiving driver.

Mizuno ST-Max 230 driver — In the address position, the ST-Max 230 looks large, but clean with a glossy black tone covering the carbon fiber. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

In the address position, the ST-Max looks bigger and wider than the other ST drivers, even though its 460-cc size gives it the same volume as the ST-Z and ST-X drivers. It has a lower profile but is larger from heel to toe and from front to back, and when it comes to stability, bigger is better.

The key to increasing the moment of inertia (MOI) and making a club less likely to twist on off-center hits is to position more weight in the back of the head. To do that in the 460-cc ST-Max, Mizuno designed the club with a massive carbon fiber crown and increased the size of the carbon fiber sole panel. Replacing titanium with carbon fiber reduces weight, and that saved weight was put back in the head by adding a 54-gram weight to the very back of the head. Having that much mass concentrated in the rear of the club keeps it moving forward and wobbling less on mis-hits, which should result in straighter drives.

To increase ball speed, Mizuno opted to use the same Beta Rich Ti LFS titanium in the face that debuted in the ST-G driver. It is lighter and has a higher tensile strength, so the multi-thickness face can flex more efficiently while maintaining durability.

Mizuno also increased the size of the CorTech Chamber, which is behind the leading edge in the sole. Mizuno has used this technology in recent drivers, and it involves creating a slot in the sole and then filling it with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) to keep water and debris from getting inside the head. Inside the TPU, Mizuno adds a stainless steel bar, so while the soft TPU material allows the lower portion of the face to flex more efficiently on low-struck shots, the bar helps the head maintain momentum. The TPU material also soaks up excessive vibrations and enhances sound, so drives feel and sound better.

Below are several close-up photos of the Mizuno ST-Max driver.

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PXG Black Ops, Black Ops Tour-1 drivers

PXG is using a new titanium alloy that allows designers to make the variable-thickness faces hotter.

Gear: PXG Black Ops, Black Ops Tour-1 drivers
Price: $599.99 (Black Ops), $649.99 (Black Ops Tour-1)
Specs: Carbon fiber crown and sole panel with titanium alloy face, moveable weights and adjustable hosel.
Available: NOW

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Who They’re For: Golfers who seek more distance and forgiveness (Black Ops), along with players who want a low-spin driver that allows players to shape shots (Black Ops Tour-1)

The Skinny: PXG is using a new titanium alloy that allows designers to make the variable-thickness faces hotter, while the combination of moveable weights boosts forgiveness and lets players tweak the launch angle and spin rate.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop PXG Black Ops drivers” link=”https://www.jdoqocy.com/click-100287807-15629782?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pxg.com%2Fen-us%2Fgolf-clubs%2Fdrivers%2Fblack-ops-0311-driver%2FDR-PXG23.html”]

The Deep Dive: PXG has consistently named its clubs after military designations and equipment, and its newest driver family, the Black Ops, is no exception.

There are two Black Ops drivers: the standard and the Tour-1. Both are 460 cubic centimeters in volume, but the standard version looks larger from front to back in the address position. The Tour-1 has a taller face, a higher crown and a keel in the back of the sole. While they are made for different types of golfers, the two drivers share several core technologies and features.

Both Black Ops drivers feature variable-thickness faces made with a proprietary titanium alloy that PXG calls AMF. That stands for advanced material face, but the Scottsdale, Arizona-based company is not divulging precisely what is in the material. It does say, however, that AMF is extremely strong but flexes, so it bends without breaking. That allowed engineers to make the Black Ops faces thinner and lighter while maintaining durability.

PXG Black Ops — PXG is using a proprietary alloy it calls AMF to create the faces of the Black Ops drivers. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

In testing, PXG built a previous-model GEN6 driver with an AMF face, and the club produced an increase of 0.5 degrees in launch angle with 200 rpm less spin without changing any other parts of the club.

Both Black Ops drivers also feature faces that have been polished by robots instead of people, and that allows PXG to manufacture faces that have non-uniform bulge (curvature from heel to toe) and roll (curvature from top to bottom) very precisely. PXG said that adjusting the curvature reduces spin on low-struck shots that would typically spin more, and the Black Ops drivers can add spin on high-hit shots that ordinarily lack spin, resulting in more spin consistency from shot to shot.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop PXG Black Ops driver” link=”https://www.jdoqocy.com/click-100287807-15629782?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pxg.com%2Fen-us%2Fgolf-clubs%2Fdrivers%2Fblack-ops-0311-driver%2FDR-PXG23.html”]

As with previous PXG drivers, the Black Ops and Black Ops Tour-1 also have large carbon fiber crowns and sole plates that remove weight from areas that don’t benefit performance and allow designers to shift it to places that enhance stability, forgiveness and ball speed.

Much of the saved weight has gone into three adjustable screws that are in the sole of each driver.

The standard Black Ops comes with a 12.5-gram weight in the back-center port and 2.5-gram weights in the heel and toe ports. In that configuration, the club’s stability and moment of inertia are maximized and it should produce more spin and create a higher launch as well. Positioning the heavier weight in the heel will create a draw bias, while adding it to the toe will encourage a fade.

The Black Ops Tour-1 also has three ports and the same three weights, but the heel and toe ports are located in the forward-center area of the sole instead of the perimeter. The Tour-1 will produce a lower flight and less spin in every configuration, and golfers can still create a draw or a fade bias.

The standard Black Ops will be available in 8, 9, 10.5 and 12 degrees of loft, and it looks larger in the address position. It produces a higher ball flight with more spin than the Black Ops Tour-1, and with its three weights in the extreme perimeter of the head, golfers can shift the center of gravity more in the standard head, too.

The Black Ops Tour-1 – available in 8, 9 and 10.5 degrees – has a classic teardrop shape and deep face intended to make it more appealing to fast-swinging, accomplished golfers who want a low-spin driver. The Tour-1 has a center of gravity closer to the face than the standard Black Ops, which helps it produce less spin and a lower launch angle.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop PXG Black Ops Tour 1 driver” link=”https://www.kqzyfj.com/click-100287807-15629782?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pxg.com%2Fen-us%2Fgolf-clubs%2Fdrivers%2Fblack-ops-0311-tour-1-driver%2FDR-PXG24.html”]

Here are several images of the PXG Black Ops drivers:

XXio releases 13 family of woods and irons

Xxio 13 drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons are designed to maximize carry distance and forgiveness.

Being a part of Dunlop Sports gives the design team that works on Xxio woods and irons a major advantage, because it can cherry-pick technologies and ideas that prove to be successful at Srixon and Cleveland, Xxio’s sister brands.

And Xxio has that advantage while maintaining a focus on a particular segment of the golf market. Instead of making clubs for the masses or major-winners such as Brooks Koepka, Shane Lowry and Hideki Matsuyama, Xxio concentrates on lightweight gear that can help moderate-speed players gain distance and hit shots higher.

So you will not see the new Xxio 13 driver, fairway woods, hybrids or irons at PGA Tour events in 2024, because they were made specifically for recreational golfers who struggle to generate speed and fail to make center-face contact consistently.

Here’s what you need to know about the new Xxio 13 woods and irons, which should be in stores starting Jan. 26.

Ping G430 Max 10K driver

The Ping G430 Max 10K driver has a high MOI to help golfers hit straighter, longer drives.

Gear: Ping G430 Max 10K driver
Price: $650 with Ping Alta CB shaft, Project X HZRDUS Red Smoke RDX shaft or Mitsubishi Kai’ Li White shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grip
Specs: Forged titanium face and body with carbon fiber crown and adjustable hosel. Available in 9, 10.5 and 12 degrees of loft.
Available: Jan. 9

Who It’s For: Golfers who want to maximize forgiveness and stability and moderate-swinging players who want a higher launch and lower spin off the tee to maximize distance.

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The Skinny: Along with having the largest carbon fiber crown in company history, the Ping G430 Max 10K has an exceptionally high moment of inertia to help the club resist twisting on off-center hits to promote longer, straighter drives.

The Deep Dive: Driver prices have crept up over the years, but don’t let the 10K in this driver’s name scare you into thinking it will cost $10,000. That figure, 10K, refers to something else, but this addition to the Ping G430 driver family could be priceless to golfers who struggle with consistency off the tee.

Starting in the mid-2010s, Ping drivers became synonymous with stability and forgiveness, with clubs like the G30, G and G400 Max helping golfers who struggle to find the center of face hit straighter tee shots. With the release of the G430 Max 10K, the Phoenix, Arizona-based company boasts that it has made its most stable driver ever.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Ping G430 Max 10K driver” link=”https://globalgolfcreator.pxf.io/xk65nA”]

Like other Ping drivers, the G430 Max 10K has a 460-cubic-centimeter volume, which is the maximum allowable size, but dimensionally, from heel to toe and front to back, it is larger than the other G430 drivers.

The crown is designed using carbon fiber, and the material wraps over the edges and into the sides of the head. Ping refers to this design as Carbonfly Wrap, and it helps save 5 grams of weight from the top of the club and lower the center of gravity. Previously, Carbonfly Wrap had only been available in the G430 LST driver.

The driver was designed with a variable-thickness, forged titanium face that has a unique curvature. Although you may not always see it, driver faces curve vertically and horizontally. In the G430 Max 10K, Ping reduced the roll curvature in the lower portion and increased it above the center of the hitting area. This helps normalize spin over a larger area, so low-hit drives don’t have excessive spin and high-struck tee shots retain spin.

The face is also thinner than the standard G430 to allow the hitting area to flex more efficiently over a larger area to protect ball speed on mis-hits.

The weight saved using a Carbonfly Wrap crown and a thinner face has been redistributed into a 28-gram weight in the back of the sole. It is 3 grams heavier than the G430 Max’s weight, and since it is located farther back away from the face, it helps increase the moment of inertia even more.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Ping G430 Max 10K driver” link=”https://globalgolfcreator.pxf.io/xk65nA”]

Working together, Ping’s technologies in the G430 Max 10K produce a heel-toe moment of inertia of 5,860 g-cm2, which pushes up against the USGA limit of 5,900 g-cm2. Add in the up-and-down MOI, and the total reaches 10,100 g-cm2, which is why the 10K was added to the club’s name. With that number being the highest in Ping’s history, no driver the company has previously made resists twisting on off-center hits better, so golfers can expect to see straighter shots and less distance loss on mis-hits.

All of that forgiveness should make the G430 Max 10K appealing to golfers who want to hit straighter shots, but during player testing, Ping discovered the G430 Max 10K produced a launch angle up to 1 degree higher with slightly less spin. For slower-swinging golfers, that can mean more carry distance and more overall distance. It also means that fitters can use the adjustable hosel and try the club at a lower loft, which can produce more ball speed and tighter dispersion while still achieving the launch angle that a golfer needs.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Ping G430 Max 10K driver” link=”https://globalgolfcreator.pxf.io/xk65nA”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Ping G430 Max 10K High Loft driver” link=”https://globalgolfcreator.pxf.io/LXdmDj”]

Below are several close-up images of the Ping G430 Max 10K driver:

TaylorMade Qi10, Qi10 Max, Qi10 LS drivers

TaylorMade Qi10, Qi10 Max, Qi10 LS drivers deliver more forgiveness, distance and accuracy.

Gear: TaylorMade Qi10, Qi10 Max, Qi10 LS drivers
Price: $599 each for Qi10 and Qi 10 Max with Fujikura Speeder NX TCS shaft, Fujikura Ventus Blue TR shaft or Mitsubishi Tensei AV Limited Blue shaft and Golf Pride Z-Grip grip. $629 for the Qi10 LS with the same shaft options.
Specs: 60-layer carbon fiber face, carbon fiber crown and sole with Speed Pocket slot, adjustable hosel and moveable weight (Qi10 LS).
Available: Feb. 2, but available for pre-sale NOW

Who They’re For: Golfers who want to maximize forgiveness without sacrificing distance (Qi10, Qi10 Max), or players who need a low-spin driver that also delivers shot-shaping and adjustability (Qi10 LS).

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The Skinny: By making the carbon fiber crown in the Qi10 drivers larger and shifting weight to optimal positions, TaylorMade added company-best forgiveness to its newest driver family while helping golfers gain ball speed and accuracy.

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The Deep Dive: For decades, golf equipment makers have tried to balance a paradox about drivers. The traits that often produce more ball speed and distance can diminish stability, but increasing a club’s moment of inertia and making it more resistant to twisting on off-center hits can come at the price of ball speed. In other words, getting more of one typically means giving up some of the other.

In the Qi10 driver family, specifically the Qi10 Max driver, TaylorMade set out to change that, bringing more forgiveness and a higher moment of inertia to drivers while also delivering more ball speed.

Designers did three things: Used more lightweight materials, reshaped the head and put weight in places where it does the most benefit.

They started by increasing the amount of carbon fiber on the top of the club. It had covered 79 of the top in the company’s recent Stealth 2 model, but in the Qi10 Max the carbon fiber is up to 97 percent thanks to a design called Infinity Crown that nearly eliminates the ledge the carbon fiber rests on.

TaylorMade Qi10 driver — The carbon fiber Infinity Crown weighs less than previous TaylorMade crowns. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The crown now weighs only 15 grams and attaches to a 16-gram carbon composite ring in the back of the head. That part also holds a nine-layer, 21-gram carbon fiber sole plate along with a 71-gram titanium front piece that encircles the face and attaches to the hosel.

Those ultra-light materials allowed TaylorMade to make the Qi10 Max driver bigger than the Stealth 2 Max from front to back. It’s noticeable when you sole the driver behind the ball. The longer head creates more areas where mass can be positioned – specifically, a 32-gram weight in the back of the sole and internal mass pads behind the face.

In terms of stability, the result is the Qi10 Max is the first TaylorMade driver to have a combined moment of inertia of 10,000 g-cm². That’s what the Qi10 name stands for: Quest for Inertia 10,000.

There are three different Qi10 drivers, and each shares several technologies.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop TaylorMade Qi10 drivers” link=”https://globalgolfcreator.pxf.io/nL6E4o”]

TaylorMade Qi10 Max driver — The TaylorMade Qi10 Max’s face is designed using 60 layers of carbon fiber. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The face of the three Qi10 drivers is designed using 60 layers of carbon fiber, which is then covered by polyurethane. While the hitting area does not have “Twist Face” printed on it, the company’s technology has been designed into the hitting area, so the high-toe and low-heel areas peel back more to help golfers hit straighter shots. The faces also were designed with an off-center Inverted Cone on the inner-facing side, so they are slightly thicker in the high-middle area and thinner around the perimeter to maximize speed. All three Qi10 drivers also have a Speed Pocket designed into the sole.

In the Qi10 drivers, however, the face is now attached to a redesigned ledge and perimeter area, which TaylorMade said allows the off-center portions of the face to flex more, broadening the sweet spot and protecting ball speed on mis-hits. The redesigned face area is also more durable than the hitting area in the company’s previous Stealth and Stealth 2 drivers.

There is a TaylorMade chevron behind the topline. However, most golfers will benefit from using the white line added to the top of the hitting area as they address the ball. It’s a feature that initially debuted in the Stealth 2 fairway woods and that TaylorMade staffers loved.

All three Qi10 drivers have a 460-cubic-centimeter volume and have an adjustable hosel that lets players and fitters increase or decrease the loft and adjust the lie angle.

The Qi10 Max is available in 9-, 10.5- and 12-degree versions and is the most stable and the largest looking in the address position. It is also the easiest to square up on the downswing, so if you are a player who rarely hits the center of the face and struggles with an inconsistent, two-way miss, this likely will be the most-appealing option.

The standard Qi10 (9-, 10.5- and 12-degree options) looks slightly smaller at address than the Max version, and it produces less spin and a lower ball flight than the Qi10 Max. However, it has a higher moment of inertia than the Stealth 2 it replaces and should produce slightly less spin.

The heel area of the TaylorMade Qi10 LS driver’s sliding weight track is covered for better aerodynamics. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The Qi10 LS (8-, 9- and 10.5-degree options) is the lowest-spinning club in the family and the only one with an 18-gram sliding weight that can give the club a draw or a fade bias. The heel portion of the weight track is covered by the sole for better aerodynamics. The Qi10 LS spins less than the Stealth Plus+ or Stealth 2 Plus+.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop TM Qi10 driver” link=”https://globalgolfcreator.pxf.io/daJVyq”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop TM Qi10 Max driver” link=”https://globalgolfcreator.pxf.io/Y9mnVm”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop TM Qi10 LS driver” link=”https://globalgolfcreator.pxf.io/4PnmaM”]

Below are several close-up images of the Qi10, Qi10 Max and Qi10 LS drivers.

Cleveland Launcher XL 2, Launcher XL 2 Draw drivers

Cleveland Launcher XL 2 drivers are for recreational golfers who want to maximize forgiveness and forgiveness.

Gear: Cleveland Launcher XL 2, Launcher XL 2 Draw drivers
Price: $449.99 with Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue or Aldila Ascent PL shaft and Lamkin Crossline 360 grip
Specs: Titanium face and body with adjustable hosel. Lofts: 9, 105. and 12 degrees
Available: Jan. 19, but available NOW via pre-sale

Who It’s For: Recreational golfers who want to maximize forgiveness and forgiveness.

The Skinny: The Cleveland Launcher XL 2 drivers were made with faces and a weight system designed to counteract many recreational golfers’ most common problems and to help them hit more fairways.

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The Deep Dive: Cleveland’s newest generation of Launcher drivers will not be spotted on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour or the LPGA. Srixon, Cleveland’s sister brand under the Dunlop Sports umbrella, offers plenty of driver options for elite players, so Cleveland designers are free to focus on woods that will specifically help recreational golfers and weekend players. As a result, different aspects of performance are emphasized when they sit at the virtual drawing boards, and in the Launcher XL 2 family, that means extra forgiveness.

Cleveland has invested in computing power and it helped designers engineer the hitting area of the Launcher XL 2 drivers. The system developed new variable thickness titanium faces that deliver better ball speed protection on mis-hit drives, which should be especially helpful in a driver designed for weekend players and recreational golfers, not tour pros.

Cleveland Launcher XL 2 driver — The MainFrame XL faces are designed with the help of supercomputers. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The MainFrame XL faces are complemented by the addition of second-generation Rebound Frame, a technology that debuted in 2020 in Srixon’s ZX driver family. Cleveland designers made a more-flexible area behind the stiff area behind the leading edge, where the face meets the chassis. Behind the flexible area, the body of the club gets stiff again. This system acts like a spring at impact, allowing the entire face to flex back before rebounding forward. The resulting trampoline effect helps the Launcher XL 2 drivers generate more ball speed over an even larger area.

In addition to using computer simulations to design the hitting areas, Cleveland harnessed computing power to test thousands of different internal weight pads. After identifying the most common mis-hit locations for recreational golfers, Cleveland instructed the system to study how changes in weight distribution could improve performance. This exercise allowed designers to fine-tune the spin and launch characteristics and suit how weekend players, not tour pros, tend to hit their drives.

Cleveland added a network of internal ribs to improve the acoustics of the head and make the sound of impact more pleasing.

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The Launcher XL 2 drivers come standard with an 8-gram weight inside the top portion of the shaft. It acts as a counterbalance and should make the clubs feel easier to swing, especially on the takeaway.

The Launcher XL 2 drivers look big and reassuring in the address position. Hideki Matsuyama and Brooks Koepka will not play these drivers, so Cleveland engineers could make the clubs larger from front to back and appear easier to hit.

There are two versions of the Launcher XL 2, a standard model and a Draw version. While the standard XL 2 has a slight draw bias, the Draw model has a face that appears more-closed in the address position, which should help to provide more slice-fitting assistance. The Draw version also produces more spin and a higher ball flight, with a more considerable draw bias.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Launcher XL 2 – Standard” link=”https://globalgolfcreator.pxf.io/4PnJ3n”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Launcher XL 2 – Draw” link=”https://globalgolfcreator.pxf.io/LXdnJM”]

Below are several close-up images of the Launcher XL 2 and Launcher XL 2 Draw drivers.