Golfweek’s David Dusek reviews the new Callaway Mavrik drivers.
Callaway Mavrik drivers
Golfweek’s David Dusek reviews the new Callaway Mavrik drivers.
Tag: Golf Equipment
Callaway Mavrik, Mavrik Sub Zero, Mavrik Max drivers
Using artificial intelligence, Callaway improved the Mavrik driver’s face, enhanced aerodynamics and increased forgiveness.
Gear: Callaway Mavrik, Mavrik Sub Zero, Mavrik Max drivers
Price: $499 with Project X Even Flow Riptide, Aldila Rogue White or UST Mamiya Helium shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align grip
Specs: FS2S forged titanium face with carbon-fiber crown, adjustable hosel and moveable weights
Available: Jan. 23
In 2019, Callaway released the Epic Flash and Epic Flash Sub Zero drivers, clubs that featured hitting areas created by supercomputers that tested more than 15,000 face designs using artificial intelligence.
After investing in greater computing power, Callaway has tried to solve a thorny problem: How can they make a driver more forgiving and, at the same time, more aerodynamic? Their answer is designed into the new Callaway Mavrik, Mavrik Sub Zero and Mavrik Max drivers.
Callaway said the key to unlocking performance in the Mavrik drivers was making a face that delivers more ball speed and enhances forgiveness by protecting ball speed and spin rates on mis-hits more effectively. To achieve that, each Mavrik driver model’s face is slightly different, with thicker and thinner areas created by AI. And there is a different face for each loft of each driver. For example, not only is the Mavrik driver’s face different than the Mavrik Sub Zero face, the 9-degree Mavrik’s face is subtly different than the 10.5-degree Mavrik’s face.
Callaway said that by fine-tuning each face this way, the Mavrik drivers produce more ball speed on well-struck shots and improve performance on mis-hits to provide the stability that golfers typically associate with clubs that feature high moment of inertia.
With increased stability coming from the face instead of a low-and-back center of gravity, engineers were free to make the body of the Mavrik drivers more aerodynamic. Compared to last season’s Epic Flash, the sole now rises up more and the carbon-fiber crown is higher, so the club creates less drag on the downswing and allows golfers to swing it faster with the same amount of effort. Callaway said the Mavrik creates 68 percent less drag than the Rogue driver it replaces.
Callaway also wanted to push the limits of characteristic time tolerances to make the drivers as springy as possible, but it wanted to ensure the faces stay within the USGA and R&A’s limits throughout their lifespan. To do that, it opted to make the faces from an exotic material, FS2S titanium, that is lighter, stronger and more resilient.
To enhance the sound of the Mavrik drivers, designers turned again to AI. After studying thousands of combinations of internal rib structures, the computer revealed to Callaway the optimal combination. Inside the head, there is a rib in the toe and others near each weight port that make the sound of impact deeper.
The three Mavrik drivers feature carbon-fiber crowns, Jailbreak bars that stiffen the front of the body at impact and adjustable hosels that allow the stated loft to be increased or decreased by as many as 2 degrees. However, each model is designed for a different group of players.
The standard Mavrik should fit the greatest number of players, and it has a slight draw bias. The 460-cubic-centimeter head has a single 5-gram weight screw in the back of the sole, which also has the most prominent rise, making it the most aerodynamic. It is available in 9-degree, 10.5-degree and 12-degree versions.
The Mavrik Sub Zero has a 450cc head and two weight ports. When the 14-gram weight is in the front and the 2-gram weight is in the back, it creates less spin and a lower launch angle. When the heavier weight is in the back, it creates more spin and a higher launch. It is available in 9-degree and 10.5-degree heads.
The Mavrik Max, a 460cc club, has two weight ports, with one in the heel. When the 14-gram weight is placed there, it creates a large draw bias, but when that weight is in the back, it plays like a traditional high-MOI club with a low and deep center of gravity. The Mavrik Max is available in 9-degree, 10.5-degree and 12-degree versions.
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Callaway Mavrik, Mavrik Sub Zero, Mavrik Max fairway woods
Callaway used artificial intelligence to create a new family of fairway woods designed to help golfers get more distance and forgiveness.
Gear: Callaway Mavrik, Mavrik Sub Zero, Mavrik Max fairway woods
Price: $299 with Project X Even Flow Riptide, Aldila Rogue White or UST Mamiya Helium shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align grip
Specs: Forged C300 maraging steel face cup with carbon-fiber crown and moveable weights.
Available: Jan. 23
Callaway’s newest fairway woods, the Mavrik, Mavrik Sub Zero and Mavrik Max, were designed to help golfers get more distance by utilizing face designs created using artificial intelligence.
Put simply, Callaway made a major investment in access to supercomputing and set about tasking the machines to study thousands of fairway wood faces. Parameters were set so the computer would try to identify the face patterns that produced the most ball speed on well-struck shots as well as patterns that protected ball speed on common misses.
The most interesting thing about the faces the computer designed is they not only differ between the standard, Sub Zero and Max models, they also differ by loft within each model because the analysis showed, for example, that golfers tend to mis-hit 3-woods differently than 5-woods.
While none of the Mavrik fairway woods has an adjustable hosel, each has a carbon-fiber crown that saves a significant amount of weight. Each also has Jailbreak bars in the front of the club that connect the sole to the crown. The bars stiffen the front of the head at impact so energy can be transferred into the shot more efficiently instead of being lost in the deformation of the head.
Callaway said the face in each Mavrik fairway wood has a characteristic time (a measure of springiness) that is akin to a driver, so it should be able to transfer energy created at impact into the ball like a driver.
The standard Mavrik fairway wood is the most aerodynamic and likely will fit the broadest number of players. It is offered as a 3+, 3-wood, 4-wood, 5-wood and 7-wood.
The Mavrik Sub Zero fairway woods are slightly smaller than the standard Mavrik and come standard with a pair of moveable weights (14-grams and 2-grams). Positioning the heavier weight in the front reduces spin and encourages a lower launch, while adding it to the back adds spin and should produce a higher shot. The Sub Zero is offered as a 3+, 3-wood, 4-wood and 5-wood.
Finally, for golfers who battle a slice or who want even more stability, Callaway will offer the Mavrik Max fairway woods. The largest of the three offerings, it has two weight ports like the Sub Zero, but one port is in the heel. Adding the 14-gram weight to that spot should encourage a draw. The face of the Max was designed with a wider radius, so it is especially forgiving on mis-hits in the low-heel and low-toe areas. The Mavrik Max is offered as a 3+, 3-wood, 5-wood, Heavenwood, 7-wood, 9-wood and 11-wood.
Callaway Mavrik, Mavrik Max, Mavrik Pro hybrids
Callaway designed its newest hybrids using artificial intelligence to create clubs that produce more distance and forgiveness.
Gear: Callaway Mavrik, Mavrik Max, Mavrik Pro hybrids
Price: $249 each with Project X Catalyst or KBS Tour Hybrid shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Specs: Carpenter steel cup face with internal stiffening bars. Available in 18, 20, 23 and 26 degrees (Standard); 19, 21, 24, 27, 30 and 33 degrees (Max); 18, 20, 23 and 26 degrees (Pro)
Available: Feb. 6
Many golfers opt for hybrid clubs instead of long irons because hybrids are more forgiving, produce more distance and typically hit the ball higher. For golfers who want more of each of those traits, Callaway is offering the first hybrid club designed with a hitting area created with the help of supercomputers and artificial intelligence: the Mavrik, Mavrik Max and Mavrik Pro.
Every Mavrik hybrid has a Carpenter steel cup face that helps broaden the sweet spot, but the hitting area is also thicker in some places and thinner in others to more efficiently turn clubhead speed into ball speed.
Historically, the thicker areas are in the center and the thinnest portions are around the edges, but in the Mavrik hybrids that is not always the case. The computer created and theoretically tested thousands of faces, then revealed to Callaway’s engineers which performed best. As a result, the faces are unique not only to each type of Mavrik hybrid but also to each loft. For example, the hitting area in the 3H Mavrik is different than the 5H Mavrik.
All three Mavrik hybrids have Jailbreak bars that connect the sole of the club to the crown. They stiffen the front of the head at impact so more energy is transferred into the shot instead of being wasted in the deformation of the head.
The standard Mavrik hybrid is a mid-sized club with a square-toe shape and an iron-style design that appeals to a large number of players.
The Mavrik Max hybrids are slightly larger with a center of gravity that is lower and farther back, so golfers can expect them to create a higher launch and be more forgiving.
The Mavrik Pro is not necessarily designed with more accomplished golfers in mind. Callaway said it will appeal to a lot of golfers, but its shape is inspired by some hybrids and fairway wood that members of the company’s tour staff liked over the years. It has a smaller head size, lower profile and a more-rounded look, along with a flatter lie angle to encourage an anti-left ball flight that better players tend to favor.
Wilson Staff DUO+ golf balls
The Wilson Staff DUO+ golf balls combine a new core with low compression to provide golfers with more distance and softer feel.
Gear: Wilson Staff DUO+ golf balls
Price: $19.99 per dozen
Specs: 36-compression, two-piece ball with Surlyn cover
Available: Jan. 27
Wilson has made some of the lowest-compression, softest-feeling golf balls for several seasons, and for 2020 the Chicago-based company has released another: the Staff DUO+ Soft.
The Staff DUO+ Soft is a two-piece ball designed to provide golfers with more distance thanks to its new VelocitiCor, a new core formulation. The company said it helps the Staff DUO+ Soft produce 1 to 1.5 mph more ball speed, which translates to about 4 to 6 more yards of distance.
Wilson also said the Staff DUO+ Soft is the lowest-spinning two-piece ball on the market. That could make it ideally suited for golfers who battle a slice or a hook because lower overall spin should translate to decreased sidespin and straighter shots.
While the Staff DUO+ Soft does not produce as much greenside spin as other Wilson offerings, it does produce a higher launch angle off irons and wedges, so approach shots should come down with a more vertical angle of descent, which will add stopping power.
Winner’s Bag: Cameron Smith, Sony Open in Hawaii
Cameron Smith came from behind to defeat Brendan Steele in a playoff in Hawaii. See all his Titleist golf equipment.
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The clubs Cameron Smith used to win the PGA Tour’s 2020 Sony Open in Hawaii:
DRIVER: Titleist TS2 (9.5 degrees), with UST Mamiya Elements Platinum 6 shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: Titleist TS2 (15 degrees), with UST Mamiya Elements Platinum 8 shaft
IRONS: Titleist U500 (3), with True Temper Dynamic Gold AMT X100 shaft; Titleist T100 (4-9), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Onyx X100 shafts
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (46 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Onyx X100 shaft; (52, 56, 60 degrees), with KBS Tour X shafts
PUTTER: Scotty Cameron TFB Teryllium prototype
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x
GRIPS: Golf Pride Tour Velvet SuperTack
TaylorMade SIM Max, SIM Max OS irons
TaylorMade’s newest game-improvement irons feature a Speed Bridge, a new vibration-dampening system and a slot cut into the sole.
Gear: TaylorMade SIM Max, SIM Max OS irons
Price: $999.99 SIM Max (4-AW), with KBS Max 85 shafts and Lamkin Crossline 360 grips; $1,099.99 with Fujikura Ventus Blue graphite shafts; $899.99 SIM Max OS (4-AW) on steel, $999.99 on graphite
Specs: Cast 450 stainless steel and 431 stainless steel heads with polymer vibration dampener
Available: Feb. 7
The goal for every game-improvement and maximum game-improvement iron is to deliver more distance and forgiveness to players who tend to struggle with consistency. Golfers who rarely break 90 don’t think about controlling little draws and fades too much, but they do think about hitting the ball farther and getting it higher into the air.
Last season, TaylorMade’s M5 and M6 irons featured Speed Bridge technology, a bar designed into the back of the club to provide more distance and better feel. For 2020, TaylorMade is using that technology again as the foundation of the new SIM Max and SIM Max OS irons.
The Speed Bridge bar connects the lower portion of the head to the topline, stiffening both of those areas, and that allowed TaylorMade’s engineers to make the face thinner (1.5 millimeters) and faster. It also allowed them to add a slot in the sole, which TaylorMade calls a Speed Pocket, and it goes all the way into the club in long and mid-irons (4-8). The company said the combination of a thinner face and the Speed Pocket allows the hitting area to flex more efficiently at impact, especially on low-struck shots, to give players more distance.
From a looks perspective, the SIM Max has the same blade length and offset as the M6, which it replaces, but a slightly thinner topline. However, to enhance the feel at impact, TaylorMade replaced the polymer block that was inside the M6 iron with a piece that runs the length of the blade. The company calls it an Echo Damping System, and it rests directly behind the face, visible from the outside.
The Echo Damping System’s ribbed design makes contact in more places to soak up more vibrations, but it does not inhibit the face from flexing at impact, so it will not cause a reduction in distance.
An added benefit of connecting the sole to the topline and then positioning a polymer piece in the cavity is it pulls more mass down and away from the face. This lowers the center of gravity and encourages higher shots.
For golfers looking for even more stability and ball speed, TaylorMade is offering the SIM Max OS. It has the Speed Bridge and Echo Damping System found in the SIM Max, but the blade length is slightly longer and the heads are larger. The oversized clubs also have a wider sole to make them more forgiving on fat shots.
PXG GEN3 T, GEN3 P and GEN3 XP irons
Thanks to a new dual-core polymer design inside the head, PXG’s newest irons deliver more distance with enhanced feel.
Gear: PXG GEN3 T, PXG GEN3 P and PXG GEN3 XP irons
Price: $425 per iron
Specs: Forged 8620 carbon steel body with a HT1770 maraging steel face, dual-core polymer insert, and tungsten and titanium weights
Available: Jan. 15
The first irons released by PXG, the original 0311 that were made available in September 2015, were touted as clubs that looked like muscleback blades but performed like game-improvement clubs. Just over two years later, with the release of the 0311 GEN2 irons, the company said that by changing the material inside the hollow heads, it was able to create more ball speed and give players more distance.
Now, with the release of the 0311 GEN3 irons, PXG thinks it has cracked the code and can deliver significantly more distance and better performance for players who can afford the hefty sticker price.
Each 0311 GEN3 iron is forged from a piece of 8620 carbon steel, then the back of each club is milled by a computer using high-speed cutters to create the precise shape engineers envisioned. Like the previously released irons, a series of tungsten and titanium weights ring the back of the head, lowering the center of gravity and pulling it away from the hitting area to encourage higher-flying shots that stop faster on the green.
The face, forged from a harder stainless steel, is just 1.5 millimeters thick. An internal channel has been milled around its perimeter to broaden the sweet spot, and it is laser-welded to the body. However, instead of keeping the club hollow, PXG has filled the internal chamber in a new way.
A soft polymer insert is added to the space, then it is surrounded by a second, firmer polymer. PXG refers to this dual-polymer system as an Impact Reactor, and the company said the soft material allows a greater portion of the hitting area to flex at impact to create more ball speed, while the firmer polymer boosts the stability of the club.
The 0311 GEN3 irons are available in three styles:
The 0311 GEN3 T is for accomplished players who want a compact head, short blade length, a thin topline and a narrow sole. It produces the most spin and offers the most workability.
The 0311 GEN3 P is a game-improvement club designed to provide some playability, but it has a slightly larger head and a bigger inner chamber, so it creates more ball speed than the T clubs. It also has a thicker topline and more offset.
The 0311 GEN3 XP is the largest and most powerful of the three new irons. It has the longest blade length, most offset, thickest topline and is the most forgiving. PXG said the XP generates 5 mph more ball speed than the P, with 900 rpm less spin, yet it produces the same height. As a result, it typically produces about 12 yards more distance than the P and 18 yards more than the T.
Srixon Q-Star golf balls (2020)
The third generation of the Q-Star balls have been given a new core designed to provide more distance off the tee with soft feel.
Gear: Srixon Q-Star golf balls
Price: $32.99 per dozen
Specs: Three-piece, urethane-covered ball available in white and yellow
Available: Jan. 17
This is the third generation of the Q-Star ball, and thanks to the addition of a new core design, Srixon said it is the best performing yet.
Last year the company debuted the FastLayer core in its Z-Star and Z-Star XV balls, premium offerings used on the PGA Tour by golfers such as Hideki Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley and 2019 British Open champion Shane Lowry. Now that core design has been added to the Q-Star.
The FastLayer core in the Q-Star is soft in the center and gradually grows firmer toward the outer areas. While many balls have a single or a dual-core design, Srixon said the FastLayer core is like having thousands of layers, giving golfers a softer feel at impact with better energy transfer for more distance.
The Q-Star’s urethane cover features an aerodynamic 338-dimple pattern that the company said helps make the ball more stable in windy conditions. At the same time, the urethane should help golfers generate more spin and enhance feel around the green. It is complemented by a SpinSkin coating that helps short iron and wedge grooves grab the ball more effectively for increased spin.
Wilson Staff D7 Forged irons
Wilson’s newest irons for better players are designed to create more distance without sacrificing looks or feel.
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Gear: Wilson Staff D7 Forged irons
Price: $999 (4-PW) with KBS $-Taper Lite steel or True Temper Catalyst Black 80 graphite shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips
Specs: Forged 8620 carbon steel, urethane-filled inner chamber and slots in the sole
Available: Jan. 21
For elite golfers with powerful, repeatable swings, such as 2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland, Wilson offers the Staff Model blade irons. For players with slow swings who struggle to hit the ball consistently, the company has the Staff Launch Pad irons.
There is plenty of middle ground between those clubs, and for golfers who like the look of a better-player iron but want enhanced distance, Wilson will offer the Staff D7 Staff Forged.
Wilson debuted the standard Staff D7 irons last season, and they are distance-enhancing, game-improvement clubs with good looks. Instead of placing the primary emphasis on distance in the Staff D7 Forged irons, however, Wilson engineers’ first goal was to make a club that would visually appeal to better players, then get more distance from it.
With that in mind, when golfers look down at this cavity-back design in the address position, they will see only a touch of offset, a modest topline and a very clean look.
The distance-boosting technology is in the sole, where two rows of Power Holes were designed behind the leading edge. They are small slots, each covered by a polymer to stop grass and debris from getting inside the heads, that allow the face to flex more efficiently at impact to create more ball speed.
To enhance feel, Wilson created an area inside the lower portion of the back of the head and filled it with vibration-dampening urethane. It’s called a Power Chamber and should help produce a more solid feel when golfers strike the ball.
Designers also added extra mass to the topline, making it firmer to reduce twist and support the face more effectively. The extra mass pulls up the center of gravity slightly, but Wilson is fine with that because the Staff D7 Forged is made for more-accomplished players who have some speed and may be looking to shape shots. Moving the center of gravity fractionally higher and increasing spin will not be a problem for those players.
Being distance-enhancing clubs for better players, Wilson made the lofts of the Staff D7 Forged irons stronger than the Staff Model blades’ lofts but weaker than the standard Staff D7. The 7-iron is 30.5 degrees and the pitching wedge is 43 degrees. With that in mind, golfers may want to work with a custom fitter to ensure the gapping between their irons and their first wedge is appropriate to avoid excessive distance gaps.