Hot List 2010: Demand Category Leaders: Golf Digest

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Hot List: golfdigest.com

Hot List Category Leaders: Demand

Demand factor (5%): 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 Data-tech, other published resources and a panel of leading retailers.

Other Hot List Slideshows: Performance | Innovation | Look/Sound/Feel | Demand
$: BEST VALUE | W: ALSO IN WOMEN'S | (H) HIGH-HANDICAPPER | (M) MIDDLE-HANDICAPPER | (L) LOW-HANDICAPPER

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DRIVER: TAYLORMADE R9 460

STREET PRICE: $300
WEBSITE: taylormadegolf.com
LOFTS: 8.5, 9.5, 10.5, 11.5 (also in TP)

TECH TALK: The adjustable shaft gives golfers eight ball-flight options. You simply change the face angle from 2 degrees closed to 2 degrees open and the lie angle from 1 degree upright (more left) to 1 degree flat (more right). The large face features inverted-cone geometry to stretch the fastest section.

PLAYER COMMENTS:
(H) "I like the more subtle angles on the triangle shape. Loud without clanging. Feels like there's a real hit." (M) "Consistently high, far and forgiving." ... "I like the ease of changing the head around." (L) "A big head, but it doesn't look bad. Penetrating ball flight with lower spin than you'd think. The ball went ahead and rolled more. It's very stable." ... "I'm not swinging well right now, but the ball still went down the target line."

HOT: TaylorMade engineers have done all the little things right without sacrificing the big things. Like making an adjustable driver you don't have to take apart completely. That's smart.
NOT: The extra $100 for the TP versions seems excessive.