The 2009 Hot List Criteria: Golf Digest

The Categories

To get on our final list, candidates for the Hot List were judged in four weighted criteria by our five judges.

1. Performance (40%)

Based on interviews with our player panelists, robot testing and other sources, the judges assessed the utility of each product. In other words, this is a grade of what happens to the ball when it's struck by the club.

2. Innovation (30%)

In consultation with our technical panel and based on company interviews and our review of company technical documents, this grade reflects how a particular technology advances the category in all aspects, to what degree the commitment to fitting the vast majority of golfers is executed, and how that technology is explained to the public and to our editors.

3. Look/Sound/Feel (20%)

Exactly what it says. Our judges evaluated the relative excellence of the visual, auditory and tactile experience of using a particular club. The more the club resonates with our understanding of what a golf club should be, the higher the grade it receives.

4. Demand (10%)

An assessment of the reputation, interest, intrigue and excitement about a particular product, considering market presence, tour use, relative value and consumer satisfaction through consulting research by Golf Datatech, other published resources and a panel of leading retailers

The Ratings

The star ratings are meant to reflect the various levels of judges' scoring from Poor to Outstanding. Each star represents a scoring range, with a ½-star generally equal to the upper end of a particular range. For example, scores in the 93 to 96 range represent a score of ★★★★½. Products that led the scoring in a particular criterion are designated with a circled blue star. If a product is also available in a women's-specific model, it's tagged with a "W" in a pink circle.

The Awards

GOLD products earned a score of 93 to 100 on our weighted scale.
SILVER products earned a score of 88 to 92.99. For example, a product scoring 94 in Performance, 91 in Innovation, 96 in Look/Sound/Feel and 86 in Demand would earn a weighted score of 92.7, or Silver status. There was no minimum number of stars required to earn Gold or Silver status.

The Numbers

Golf Digest measured all sample clubs using digital calipers and a digital planimeter. Measurements of moment of inertia in drivers were collected in partnership with the Department of Physics at Gordon College in Wenham, Mass. (HIGH MOI = 4,000-4,699; VERY HIGH = 4,700-5,299; EXTREME = 5,300+)

Independent robot testing for DRIVERS was conducted by Golf Laboratories Inc. of San Diego. The launch angles and spin rates are designated on these scales, relative to the field of drivers tested. The lofts were chosen based on a 95-miles-per-hour clubhead speed, per the manufacturers' recommendation.

Of the 31 drivers tested, launch angles ranged from 9.2 to 13.8 degrees, and spin rates ranged from 2,300 to 3,600 revolutions per minute.

Illustration by Nik Schulz