Drivers: golfdigest.com

DRIVERS

Drivers are restricted in nearly every way but one: potential. Let these max out yours

By Mike Stachura

Photos by Jim Herity

February 2010

ADAMS SPEEDLINE FAST 10

STREET PRICE: $300
WEBSITE: adamsgolf.com
LOFTS: 8.5, 9.5, 10.5, 12.5;
Draw: 9.5, 10.5

TECH TALK: Making a driver aerodynamically efficient and forgiving would seem like a difficult challenge. But that's the intent of the Fast 10. Adams engineers studied computational fluid dynamics and used wind-tunnel testing to reshape the curves along the undercarriage for improved airflow. They also pushed the center of gravity (CG) low and deep to improve forgiveness and to help average golfers launch the ball higher.

PLAYER COMMENTS:
(H) "Easy to swing, and the ball took off with an aggressive sound."
(M) "The trajectory might be a little higher than some people want, but it's a high-launching bomber."
(L) "Traditional round, deep face. The top is very classic, but the bottom is not. Looks like a 9-wood going out there; it's that high. Feels solid with just enough noise."

HOT: Adams improved aerodynamics before anyone, and the company continues to innovate in this area.
NOT: Adams still trails others in terms of maximizing a driver's moment of inertia (MOI).

CALLAWAY DIABLO EDGE DIABLO EDGE TOUR

STREET PRICE: $300
WEBSITE: callawaygolf.com
LOFTS: 9, 10, 11, 13;
Tour: 8.5, 9.5, 10.5

TECH TALK: Callaway has fused four separate and precisely formed pieces of titanium (crown, skirt/sole, internal weight and cupface) to create the head. An acid chemical-reduction process is used to form the variable thicknesses of the face.

PLAYER COMMENTS:
(M) "Not one you're going to have to fight to get in the air. Very user-friendly." ... "The standard model's got a big, canned-ham head, but it's dependable like an old dog."
(L) "Wow, a Callaway driver with a hosel -- I like that." ... "The ball doesn't balloon, and it hits the ground and rolls."

HOT: The four-piece construction is impressively efficient, and the cupface is Callaway's most carefully calibrated face ever. Throw some Callaway-engineered aerodynamics in the shaping, and you have an all-titanium driver worthy of the Great Big Bertha lineage.
NOT: Even average players want the looks of the Tour model, though they need the playability of the Standard version. Isn't there a way to combine the two?

CALLAWAY FT-IZ

STREET PRICE: $400
WEBSITE: callawaygolf.com
LOFTS: 9, 10, 11, 13;
Tour: 8.5, 9.5, 10.5

TECH TALK: The compression-cured carbon-fiber body behind the cupface weighs just 43.5 grams, allowing weight saved to be placed in the heel, toe and deep behind the center of the face. The purpose is more consistent ball speed, stability and spin on off-center hits. A chemically milled process on the face improves the precision of the variable thickness.

PLAYER COMMENTS:
(H) "The misses are not out of control, just off the fairway and not in the woods."
(M) "Looks like Darth Vader's helmet. But don't judge it by its looks. It can play."
(L) "For a crazy-shaped head, it looks really good. Mis-hits and good hits have the same trajectory, which you don't see very often."

HOT: Callaway's process lets its designers move more weight where many can't. This driver is more extreme in performance and less extreme in shape than ever before.
NOT:The adjustable I-Mix option is interesting, but its pricing structure (for shafts) is gulp-inducing.