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Drivers
By Mike Stachura / Photos By Jim Herity
CLUBS LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
1
- February 2008
2
- CALLAWAY FT-5
- February 2008
- STREET PRICE: $430
WEBSITE: callawaygolf.com
LOFTS
8.5 (Tour), 9.0, 9.5 (Tour), 10, 10.5 (Tour), 11, 13 HT. Comes in draw and neutral versions. Fade version available in tour only
TECH STORY
The titanium cup-face and carbon-composite body combine for a near-traditional shape. A lightweight frame enabled designers to tweak the center of gravity for the neutral, draw and fade versions. A 25-gram weight in the sole is designed to lower the center of gravity.
PLAYER COMMENTS
"I was impressed with the distance... I'm getting more and more used to that sound. . . . Wow, is that straight! . . . Less pingy. Sounds like you've crushed it. Love the trajectory."
HOT
The OptiFit fitting system is a big bonus, and the shaft-adjustability option coming this spring is especially intriguing. This driver serves all ball flights, features plenty of lofts and wraps it up with an excellent fitting program.
NOT
A fine driver, but does a year-old product need to be more than $400?
* Category Leader
3
- CALLAWAY FT-I
- STREET PRICE: $500
WEBSITE: callawaygolf.com
LOFTS
8.5 (LCG), 9, 9.5 (LCG), 10, 11, 13 HT
TECH STORY
The square shape helps improve heel-toe stability and crown-to-sole performance. A composite body and titanium cup-face provide design freedom for CG location. The LCG tour version is the latest addition (for lower spin), along with an interchangeable shaft-head system called I-Mix.
PLAYER COMMENTS
"This is on the smaller side, but it works as well as the bigger ones. More maneuverable. . . . When they say it will help you hit it straighter, they aren't lying."
HOT
You don't have to like square to appreciate the effort here, especially with the addition of a tour version and the mix-and-match head-and-shaft system.
NOT
If it's square, why not push the U.S. Golf Association moment-of-inertia limit? A $500 tag prices out a lot of people who need this technology.
4
- CLEVELAND HIBORE XLS
- STREET PRICE: $300
LOFTS
8.5*, 9.5*, 10.5*, 11.5*; draw version: 9, 10.5, 12; (*also comes in tour version)
WEBSITE: clevelandgolf.com
TECH STORY
The third generation of the scooped-crown design has a wider and larger face (17 percent bigger than the HiBore XL) and an MOI above 5,000. Helping to increase that number is a thinner wall (0.6 millimeters) and deeper indentations in the heel-and-toe sections of the scooped crown.
PLAYER COMMENTS
"It's the farthest, most stable driver yet. The ball doesn't balloon. . . . This is like that country song, 'I got a brand-new girlfriend!' You just choose your loft and go. . . . I hit one clear on the heel, and it still went decent."
HOT
The best way to make an unconventional-looking driver is to make it play like an old standby--on steroids. That's what we have here. Plus, we like the three versions.
NOT
Adding a 13-degree, nondraw version would help better players with slower swing speeds.
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