Here’s what we know about the latest drivers from Cobra, Ping, PXG and TaylorMade.
The holiday season is almost upon us, and while that means getting ready for Thanksgiving, starting your holiday shopping, and preparing for the bombardment of Black Friday and Cyber Monday ads to hit your email box, it also means golf equipment companies are quietly making next season’s gear available to pros.
On Monday, the United States Golf Association added new drivers to its List of Conforming Driver Heads. That means the USGA has tested the heads to ensure they meet equipment standards and comply with the Rules of Golf. Once added to the list, a driver head can be used by anyone in a competitive round or official event like this week’s PGA Tour event, the RSM Classic, or the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
We don’t have official information on the drivers that were added to the conforming driver list this week, but from the images and notes published by the USGA, there are a few things we can learn.
With Thanksgiving just over a week away, many of golf’s elite players are looking forward to a break from competition and a chance to try some new gear that will be hitting store shelves next year.
PXG released the GEN6 family of drivers eight months ago, but it appears we got a sneak peek at the drivers PXG staffers like Zach Johnson, Joel Dahmen, and Celine Boutier may put into play in 2024. On Monday, the USGA added three new PXG drivers to its List of Conforming Driver Heads, making all of them legal for play in official rounds and in tournaments like this week’s PGA Tour event, the RSM Classic, along with LPGA and DP World Tour events.
PXG has not announced any details about the yet-to-be-released PXG 0311 Black Ops, PXG 0311 Black Ops Tour-1 and PXG 0311 Black Ops Tour-3 drivers, but based on the company’s history, along with notes and images released by the USGA, there are a few things we can infer about them already.
Lofts: According to the USGA’s notes, the PXG 0311 Black Ops driver will be available in 8-, 9-, 10.5- and 12-degree versions. That means the USGA has tested all four of those heads and found they conform to the Rules of Golf. The PXG 0311 Black Ops Tour-1 will be available in 8-, 9- and 10.5-degree models and the 0311 Black Ops Tour-3 will come in 8- and 9-degree heads.
PXG 0311 Black Ops driver. (USGA)
Shaping: In the past, PXG’s drivers have been smooth on the sole and aerodynamically shaped, but the sole geometry of all three 0311 Black Ops drivers is very different. All three clubs have raised heel and toe areas that flank a center keel section that gradually goes from wide in the center of the sole to narrow at the back of the head. The standard 0311 Black Ops also appears to be larger, from front to back, than the Tour-1 and Tour-3.
Moveable weights: In the USGA photos, the PXG 0311 Black Ops has three adjustable weights, with two in the extreme heel and toe area and a third designed into the sole portion of the keel in the back. The PXG 0311 GEN6 XF that was released in early 2023 also had three moveable weights set up in this configuration to boost its stability and increase the moment of inertia (MOI). The 0311 Black Ops Tour-1 has a weight in the forward-heel and forward-toe areas of the sole that could shift the center of gravity forward to lower spin and create a lower launch angle. Finally, the 0311 Black Ops Tour-3 appears to have the same weighting as the 0311 Black Ops Tour-1, with two forward weights in the sole.
PXG 0311 Black Ops Tour-1 driver. (USGA)
Carbon fiber: The USGA images do not show the top of the 0311 Black Ops drivers, but PXG has used carbon fiber in the crowns of its drivers for several generations. It would be very surprising if the three 0311 Black Ops drivers were not designed with carbon fiber on the top of each head.
PXG 0311 Black Ops Tour-3 driver. (USGA)
Release date: Historically, PXG has released drivers in February or March, after most manufacturers have dropped their drivers. The GEN6 drivers dropped on March 21. So, based on history, that makes this addition to the conforming list feel early for PXG. The Scottsdale, Arizona-based company has never had a booth or been a vendor at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida, so having new equipment to show off at that event in mid-January has never been a consideration. However, this might be the start of an earlier release cycle for PXG. Don’t be surprised if the 0311 Black Ops drivers are released to the public in January.
Last season, Rickie Fowler used a Cobra AeroJet LS driver and nearly won the U.S. Open, then broke through and won the Rocket Mortgage Classic, which helped him earn a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. On Monday, we may have been given our first look at Fowler’s next driver because the Cobra Darkspeed Max, Darkspeed X and Darkspeed LS were added to the USGA’s List of Conforming Driver Heads.
Adding a driver to the conforming list makes it legal for play in official tournaments like this week’s PGA Tour event, the RSM Classic, as well as DP World Tour and LPGA events.
While Cobra has not released any official announcement about the Darkspeed drivers, using history as a guide, along with the USGA photos and descriptions, there are few things we can learn about them.
Lofts: In the past, Cobra has released a standard version of its driver, along with a low-spin model and a high-stability or slice-fighting version. We can see in the USGA notes that the Darkspeed LS comes in an 8-, 9- and 10.5-degree version, while the Darkspeed Max and Darkspeed X will be available as a 9-, 10.5- and 12-degree club. Based on that, we can assume that the LS is a low-spin club for faster-swinging golfers while the Max and the X are likely going to be for recreational golfers.
Cobra Darkspeed X driver (USGA)
Carbon fiber: Cobra has used carbon fiber on the sole of drivers in the past, and in images of the Darkspeed drivers we can see what appears to be carbon fiber on the sole as well. The USGA images do not show the top of the club, but Cobra has used carbon fiber in the crown of its drivers for years, so we can assume the Darkspeed drivers will have that too.
Cobra Darkspeed LS driver. (USGA)
Moveable weights: For several seasons, Cobra drivers have featured moveable weights to allow players and fitters to create a draw or fade bias, and in some cases increase or decrease the spin and launch angle. The Darkspeed Max has a weight port in the heel and the back areas that can hold a 12-gram and a 3-gram weight. The Darkspeed X has weight ports in the back and center of the sole while also holding a 12-gram and a 3-gram weight. The Darkspeed LS, however, has three weight ports, two in the front and one in the back, and appears to come with a pair of 3-gram weights and a 12-gram weight.
PWR Shell: The words “PWR Shell” appear on the sole of all three Darkspeed drivers. PWR Shell is a face technology Cobra has used in the past. Instead of being flat, the PWR Shell face in last season’s AeroJet drivers wrapped under the leading edge, forming an L shape, which Cobra claimed helps to enlarge the sweet spot and improve performance on low-struck shots.
Cobra Darkspeed Max driver. (USGA)
PWR Bridge: In images, we can see “PWR Bridge” on the sole of all three drivers. This is another technology found in last season’s AeroJet drivers. The PWR Bridge is an internal piece of metal that extends from the heel to toe that drives the center of gravity (CG) downward.
Release date: Traditionally, Cobra releases its new product lines in early January, either in the days leading up to the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida, or at the show itself. We don’t have word on when the Darkspeed drivers will come out, but that time period would make sense.
Right now, if you walk into a pro shop or golf specialty store, you will find three different Ping G430 drivers: the G430 Max, G430 LST and G430 SFT. But it appears a fourth member of the G430 family may be arriving soon because the G430 Max 10K was added to the USGA’s List of Conforming Driver Heads on Monday.
Ping has not released any official information about the G430 Max 10K, but looking at the image on the conforming driver list, there are a few things we can learn about it.
Lofts: According to the USGA’s notes, the G430 Max 10K will be available in 9-, 10.5- and 12-degree versions. All three of those lofts are listed, which means the USGA separately tested heads with those stated lofts.
Carbonfly wrap: The USGA notes that the words “Carbonfly Wrap” are printed on the crown. This is a feature that until now was only available on the low-spin G430 LST. Carbonfly wrap is a carbon fiber crown designed to wrap over the edges and extend downward in the heel and toe areas. It saves weight on the top of the club and creates discretionary weight that designers can re-position in other areas.
Forged face: The previously released G430 drivers have faces that are forged from T9s+ titanium to help them flex efficiently at impact to maximize ball speed. The G430 Max 10K has the words “Forged Face” printed on the sole, so while we don’t know what material Ping used to make the hitting area, we can assume it was made in the same way.
Weight: The G430 Max has a sliding weight in the back that allows players and fitters to create a draw or fade bias while maintaining a high level of stability. The G430 Max 10K has a tungsten weight in the back (the weight says “Tungsten”), but there does not appear to be a track, so the tungsten may be locked into a back-center location. Adding mass in this spot would boost the moment of inertia (MOI) and increase stability.
Release date: The G430 Max, G430 LST and G430 SFT were released in fall of 2022 in several markets, then in the United States in January of 2023. With the G430 Max 10K now on the conforming list, players are free to use it in official tournaments and events, like this week’s RSM Classic. Ping could release it to the public at any time, but the Phoenix-based company has traditionally brought out new products in January, just ahead or during the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida. This year’s show is scheduled to start on January 23, so don’t be surprised if there is an announcement about the G430 10K around that time.
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Two years ago TaylorMade released its first carbon fiber-faced driver, the original Stealth. Last season came the arrival of Stealth 2. This morning the club that appears to be the third carbonwood, the Qi10 LS, was added to the USGA’s List of Conforming Driver Heads, making it legal for use in tournaments such as this week’s PGA Tour event, the RSM Classic.
TaylorMade has not released any details about the club, but there are several things we can learn about it from the image on the USGA’s website.
Lofts: According to the USGA, the Qi10 LS comes in 8-, 9- and 10.5-degree versions. That means it has been tested in all three of those lofts, and each conforms to the Rules of Golf.
Carbon face: The USGA’s notes say the face is made from carbon fiber, which is not a surprise. TaylorMade told Golfweek two years ago it had no future plans to use titanium in driver faces. It is not clear whether the crown is made from carbon fiber, but TaylorMade has featured drivers with carbon fiber for several years, so it would be surprising if the Qi10 LS did not feature a carbon fiber crown.
TaylorMade Qi10 LS driver (USGA)
Sliding weight: In the photo, a sliding weight can clearly be seen in the front of the sole behind a Speed Pocket slot. The word “Fade” can be seen on the toe side of the weight, and “Draw” is on the heel side. Unscrewing the bolt in the center of weight would appear to allow players and fitters to slide the weight and shift the center of gravity to create a draw or fade bias.
Back weight: The USGA notes mention a weight port in the back of the sole. As more and more brands use carbon fiber in the crown and in the center of the sole, several drivers have featured weights in the front and back of the head.
More Qi10 drivers coming: The USGA notes mention that “Qi10 LS” is printed on the sole, and we can see it in the image, but “Qi10” is printed on the heel. In recent years LS has come to mean low spin, so it would not be surprising if a standard Qi10 and a Qi10 HD model were also made available at retail.
Release date: We don’t have an official retail release date for the Qi10 LS, but now pros can use it in PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LPGA events. Historically, TaylorMade has released its new drivers to the public in early January.
Cobra’s new drivers – the Aerojet, Aerojet LS and Aerojet Max – are eligible for use on tours and for recreational players.
When Cobra Golf’s headliners such as Rickie Fowler, Bryson DeChambeau and Lexi Thompson return to action in 2023, chances are good they will have new drivers in their golf bags. Several new Cobra models have just been added to the USGA and R&A’s Conforming Driver list.
Before any new club can be used in tournament play, the game’s governing bodies test it to be sure it meets standards and complies with the Rules of Golf. Now that the Aerojet, Aerojet LS and Aerojet Max have been added to the list, they can be used on the PGA Tour, at LPGA events and by recreational golfers, too.
Cobra has not released details regarding the Aerojet drivers, but based on the photos below that were included on the Conforming Driver list and the company’s history, here are a few things we can infer:
There appears to be three types of Aerojet drivers. All of them clearly have an adjustable hosel and the word “PWRSHELL” on the sole, directly behind the leading edge.
All three Aerojet drive types appear to have a checkered or woven pattern in the back half of the sole. In the past this look was created by the use of carbon fiber on the crown and on the bottom of the club.
The standard Aerojet appears to have a singe 12-gram weight in the back.
The Aerojet LS has two weights positioned in the front of the sole. In the USGA photos there is a 12-gram and a 3-gram weight. In the past those swappable weights allowed players and fitters to create a draw or fade bias, and LS drivers have been low-spin versions of the standard driver.
The Aerojet Max also has two weight ports, but one is in the back and the other is in the heel. In the USGA photos, a 12-gram weight is in the back and a 3-gram weight is in the heel. With extra weight in the heel, this club could be a draw-bias or anti-slice driver.
Several yet-to-be-released TaylorMade Stealth 2 drivers were added to the list on Tuesday.
The first Monday after New Year’s Day is always busy in the golf equipment world because the United States Golf Association and the R&A typically add several new clubs to their Conforming Driver lists. With the PGA Tour set to hold its first event in Hawaii starting on Thursday, manufacturers want staff players to start using the clubs that will go on sale in the days and weeks ahead.
Several yet-to-be-released TaylorMade Stealth 2 drivers were added to the list on Tuesday, so while Rory McIlroy may not be in the field at the Sentry Tournament of Champions this week, look for other TaylorMade staffers like Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa to be using new Stealth 2 drivers.
TaylorMade has not officially released information on the Stealth 2 drivers yet, but using the photos below, we can deduce a few things about them.
All the Stealth 2 drivers have adjustable hosels, a Speed Pocket slot behind the leading edge and the word ‘Carbonwood’ on the sole. Last season’s Stealth drivers were called carbonwoods by the brand because they had carbon fiber faces. The USGA describes these clubs as having, ’60X Carbon, Twist Face’ written on their faces.
Each of the Stealth 2 drivers appears to have a weight in the back of the head.
The Stealth Plus+ versions have a sliding 15-gram weight behind the Speed Pocket with the words ‘Draw’ and ‘Fade’ on the heel and toe sides, respectively, but one version of the Stealth Plus+ appears to have a smaller head than the other.
The Stealth 2 and Stealth 2 HD driver each have a weight screw in the heel area of the sole, near the hosel, but the HD version’s weight is further toward the perimeter, which could create a larger draw bias.
Here’s what we spotted from photos of the new Callaway drivers.
With the new year officially started and the first PGA Tour event of 2023 ready to begin on Thursday in Hawaii, equipment makers are set to release new drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons and balls. But before new equipment can be used in official events, the game’s governing bodies, the USGA and the R&A, have to test it and confirm that it conforms to the Rules of Golf.
On Monday, the Paradym, Paradym X, Paradym Triple Diamond, Paradym Triple Diamond S and Paradym Max Fast were added to those lists.
At this point, the Carlsbad, California-based company has not released any official details about the new drivers, but in the photos below we can spot a few things.
All of the Paradym drivers have the words ‘Forged Carbon’ and ‘Jailbreak AI’ on the sole, along with adjustable hosel systems. According to the USGA’s description, all the drivers have ‘Forged TI’ on their face.
The Paradym appears to have a sliding weight system on the back, where the words Draw and Fade also appear.
The Paradym X appears to have a weight screw in the back.
The Triple Diamond and Triple Diamond S have a weight screw behind the leading edge, and there appears to be a second weight screw in the back of one version of the Triple Diamond. A second version of the Triple Diamond and the Triple Diamond S do not appear to have a back weight.
The Paradym Max Fast appears not to have a sliding weight or weight screws.
Three weeks before the PGA Tour resumes in Hawaii, two new TaylorMade drivers have been deemed legal for play. Discover what we know.
Three weeks before the first PGA Tour event of 2022, the USGA and R&A have added the TaylorMade Stealth and Stealth Plus+ drivers to their Conforming Driver lists, making them legal for play in official events.
TaylorMade has not officially released information on either club, but if history is a guide, we can expect them to be launched in early January as the game’s best players return to action in Hawaii after a holiday break.
The USGA Conforming Driver list provides only a few visual details about the clubs, but they are interesting.
First, the word “Carbonwood” has been printed on the sole of both the Stealth and Stealth Plus. For years TaylorMade, like many manufacturers, has referred to drivers, fairway woods and hybrids as metalwoods. TaylorMade has used carbon fiber in the crown and pieces of the sole in drivers for years, so adding carbonwood infers that this driver is something different in TaylorMade’s eyes.
TaylorMade Stealth driver (USGA)
The USGA’s description states that the words “60X Carbon Twist Face” have been added to the face of the clubs. It is not clear to what the 60X carbon refers, but Twist Face is a technology that debuted in TaylorMade’s 2018 M3 and M4 drivers. It bends back the high-toe and low-heel portions of the hitting area to encourage the most common mis-hits to fly straighter.
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The overall shape of the Stealth and Stealth Plus+ drivers is similar to the SIM and SIM2 shape we have seen the past two years, with what appears to be a fixed weight positioned in the back of an asymmetrical sole piece. The sole’s shape is designed to be more aerodynamic, while the added weight in the SIM and SIM2 drivers helped boost the moment of inertia for increased stability.
TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ driver (USGA)
Both drivers have an adjustable hosel mechanism and Speed Pocket slot positioned behind the leading edge. TaylorMade has used Speed Pockets in the past to reduce spin and protect ball speed on low-struck shots. The Stealth Plus+ also has a 10-gram moveable weight in a channel behind the Speed Pocket. We have seen moveable weight designs like this from TaylorMade in the past, but last season’s SIM2 drivers lacked a moveable weight. Bringing it back should allow golfers and fitters to increase the draw or fade bias of the club.
According to the USGA description, the Stealth is available in 8, 9, 10.5 and 12-degree versions, while the Stealth Plus+ was tested in 8, 9 and 10.5-degree versions.
Several Callaway Epic Speed drivers are now legal for play on the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour and in other official rounds.
New Callaway drivers were added to the USGA and R&A’s Conforming Club lists on Monday, making them legal for play this week at the PGA Tour’s Sentry Tournament of Champions and in other official rounds of golf.
Callaway has not officially released the Epic Speed or the Epic Speed LS drivers, or announced when they would be made available to the public. However, based on the USGA photos published on its website, we can infer a few things about them.
The Epic Speed driver has an adjustable hosel mechanism, and behind four silver-toned dots positioned behind the leading edge, we can see the words, “Jailbreak AI Speed Frame.”
Callaway Epic Speed driver. (USGA)
Jailbreak is a technology that Callaway has used in drivers for the past several seasons. It is a pair of bars that connect the club’s sole to the crown, directly behind the face, that helps to stiffen the chassis at the moment of impact and redirect energy that could be lost in the head’s deformation back into the ball for increased speed. Golfers could never see the bars, but they could see two dots on the sole that indicated where the bars were positioned.
Callaway has used artificial intelligence (AI) to design driver faces for three years. Harnessing the power of supercomputers to run thousands of simulations has helped engineers determine what shapes can help golfers achieve more distance. Perhaps artificial intelligence is now being used to help Jailbreak?
According to the notes that accompany the USGA’s photo, the words “FLASH FACE SS21” are found on the hitting area. Last season in the Mavrik drivers, Callaway used a Flash Face SS20 hitting area, so this is likely an upgraded version of that face.
A portion of the sole in the toe area appears to have a woven pattern, and while that could be cosmetic, that section could also be made from carbon fiber.
Callaway Epic Speed Version 2 driver. (USGA)
There is a single weight in the Epic Speed driver’s back, but the Epic Speed Version 2 and Epic Speed DS, which also now appear on the list, have a weight in the back and a weight in the front of the sole too. These weights could be moveable to shift the center of gravity (CG) location forward or backward.
It’s also worth noting that the Epic Speed Version 2 and Epic Speed DS have three small diamond shapes near the hosel that do not appear on the standard Epic Speed. They only have two Jailbreak dots on the sole, but both have the text, “Jailbreak AI Speed Frame.”
Callaway Epic Speed LS driver. (USGA)
The Epic Speed LS driver also has a front and back weight, two dots near the words “Jailbreak AI Speed Frame” and three diamonds on the hosel. Under the diamonds, the letters LS have been added.
Many manufacturers have added LS to the names of drivers to indicate the club is a low-spin version, but Callaway has historically opted for the designation “Sub Zero” for low-spin clubs made for accomplished players.
As more details about the Callaway Epic Speed drivers become available, Golfweek will report on them.
