Hot List: Drivers That Won In 2011

Adams Speedline Fast 10

NUMBER OF WINS: OnePLAYER: Aaron Baddeley (Northern Trust Open)TECH STORY: Adams was one the first companies to aggressively approach driver aerodynamics, and the Speedline Fast 10 was a continuation of that work. Aaron Baddeley used the club, which earned a Gold medal on the 2010 Golf Digest Hot List, during his win at this year's Northern Trust Open at Riviera CC.More information on this club ⇒

Callaway Diablo Octane

NUMBER OF WINS: OnePLAYER: Fredrik Jacobson (Travelers Championship)TECH STORY: Talk about a timely driver change. Fredrick Jacobson put Callaway's Diablo Octane driver in the bag for the first time at the Travelers Championship and then proceeded to hit every fairway over the final two rounds en route to his first win on the PGA Tour. The Octane was a gold medal winner on the 2011 Golf Digest Hot List and earned 4½ stars in Performance, Innovation and Look/Sound/Feel.More information on this club ⇒

Callaway RAZR Hawk Tour

NUMBER OF WINS: OnePLAYER: Phil Mickelson (Shell Houston Open)TECH STORY: A Gold medalist on the 2011 Golf Digest Hot List (while earning five stars in Innovation), Callaway's RAZR Hawk Tour features a forged composite material that is used for the club's crown and sole. Phil Mickelson used the club to average 314.6 yards off the tee (ranked sixth for the week) during his win at the Shell Houston Open.More information on this club ⇒

Cleveland Launcher DST

NUMBER OF WINS: OnePLAYER: David Toms (Crowne Plaza Invitational)TECH STORY: The Launcher DST was Cleveland Golf's first driver to achieve a total club weight of less than 300 grams. David Toms used it (a Gold medal winner on the 2010 Golf Digest Hot List) to rank fourth in accuracy during his win at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.More information on this club ⇒More information on this club ⇒

Nike SQ Sumo2

NUMBER OF WINS: OnePLAYER: Lucas Glover (Wells Fargo Championship)TECH STORY: What do you do when things aren't going your way? If you're Lucas Glover you go back to the driver you won the U.S. Open with in 2009, in this case Nike's SQ Sumo2. Glover returned the square-headed big stick to action at the Wells Fargo Championship and went on to win at Quail Hollow. The club earned a gold medal on the 2007 Golf Digest Hot List and was the category leader in Buzz.More information on this club ⇒

Nike VR Pro

NUMBER OF WINS: OnePLAYER: Jhonattan Vegas (Bob Hope Classic)__TECH STORY:__With 32 settings on its adjustable hosel, the Nike VR Pro (a Gold medalist on the 2011 Golf Digest Hot List) allows players to dial in their driver to compensate for even the subtlest of ball flight changes. There was nothing subtle, however, about Jhonattan Vegas' win at the Bob Hope Classic. Vegas averaged an impressive 308.7 yards (ranked third for the week) off the tee with the club.More information on this club ⇒

Nike VR Tour

NUMBER OF WINS: OnePLAYER: Charl Schwartzel (Masters)TECH STORY: Although the hallmark of Nike's VR drivers is their adjustability, the company also produced a non-adjustable Tour version that maintained the company's Compression Channel technology but in a smaller 420cc head size. There was nothing small, however, about Charl Schwartzel's use of the club in 2011 as the South African donned the green jacket with his win at the Masters.More information on this club ⇒

TaylorMade Burner SuperFast 2.0

NUMBER OF WINS: OnePLAYER: Martin Laird (Arnold Palmer Invitational)TECH STORY: Although TaylorMade's R11 was the star of the driver show in 2011, it did have a white counterpart in the Burner SuperFast 2.0, which won a gold medal on the 2011 Golf Digest Hot List. Martin Laird used the driver, which features low-riding sole and sloping crown to push the center of gravity low to launch the ball with less spin, to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.More information on this club ⇒

TaylorMade R9 SuperTri

NUMBER OF WINS: OnePLAYER: D.A. Points (AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am)__TECH STORY:__A trio of adjustable weights and an eight-way adjustable hosel are a tinkerer's dream and were among the reasons TaylorMade's R9 SuperTri was featured in a 2010 Golf Digest Hot List sidebar on better-player drivers. The club also produced results for D.A. Points, who hit 80 percent of his fairways (ranked T-7 for the week) during his win at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. To further prove the club was no joke, Points also won the Pro-Am portion of the tournament with partner Bill Murray.More information on this club ⇒

Cleveland Launcher UltraLite

NUMBER OF WINS: TwoPLAYER: Keegan Bradley (PGA Championship, HP Byron Nelson Championship)__TECH STORY:__Although the Launcher UltraLite is designed to be lightweight, it brought hefty results for Keegan Bradley in 2011 as the tour rookie won a pair of events with the driver. The club (which comes in three models checking in at 270, 290 and 310 grams, respectively), won a gold medal on the 2011 Golf Digest Hot List on the strength of five stars in Performance, Innovation and Look/Sound/Feel.

Ping G15

NUMBER OF WINS: TwoPLAYER: Bubba Watson (Farmers Insurance Open, Zurich Classic of New Orleans)TECH STORY: Not many drivers earn the honor of a Golf Digest Hot List gold medal in back-to-back years but Ping's G15 did just that in 2010-11 (along with taking the top spot in the Performance category in 2010). The club also earned a pair of wins for Bubba Watson this year at the Farmers Insurance Open and Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In both events Watson led the field in driving distance (316.6 yards at Farmers and an eye-popping 331.4 yards in New Orleans). No wonder the club was a Golf Digest Hot List Editor's Choice in 2010.More information on this club ⇒

Ping i15

NUMBER OF WINS: TwoPLAYER: Mark Wilson (Sony Open in Hawaii, Waste Management Phoenix Open)TECH STORY: The less-known sister driver to Ping's G15, the i15 also had a pair of wins on the PGA Tour in 2011, both by Mark Wilson (Sony Open in Hawaii, Waste Management Phoenix Open). Designed as a better-players driver, the all-titanium i15 was included in a sidebar on drivers designed for more-skilled golfers in the 2010 Golf Digest Hot List. Wilson showed his skill with the club by ranking second in fairways hit the week of the Sony.More information on this club ⇒

TaylorMade Burner SuperFast TP

NUMBER OF WINS: TwoPLAYERS: Jonathan Byrd (Hyundai Tournament of Champions); Brant Snedeker (The Heritage)TECH STORY: Jonathan Byrd (Hyundai Tournament of Champions) and Brandt Snedeker (Heritage) posted the two wins by TaylorMade's Burner SuperFast TP in 2011. This driver, which features an aerodynamically designed large-head profile, also appeared in the better-player driver sidebar in the 2010 Golf Digest Hot List.More information on this club ⇒

Titleist 909D2/D3

NUMBER OF WINS: SevenPLAYERS: Webb Simpson (Wyndham Championship, Deutsche Bank Championship); Steve Stricker (Memorial Tournament; John Deere Classic); Bryce Molder (Frys.com Open); Brendan Steele (Valero Texas Open); Johnson Wagner (Mayakoba Golf Classic)__TECH STORY:__Titleist’s all-titanium 909 driver series debuted on the 2009 Golf Digest Hot List with a gold medal and was the category leader in Look/Sound/Feel. The clubs also felt right in the hands of seven tour winners in 2011, including Brendan Steele (Valero Texas Open) with the 460cc D2 and two-time winners Steve Stricker (Memorial, John Deere Classic) and Webb Simpson (Wyndham Championship, Deutsche Bank Championship) with the 440cc D3.More information on this club ⇒

TaylorMade R11

NUMBER OF WINS: NinePLAYERS: Luke Donald (WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, BMW PGA Championship); Michael Bradley (Puerto Rico Open); K.J. Choi (Players Championship); Darren Clarke (Open Championship); Dustin Johnson (The Barclays); Justin Rose (BMW Championship); Rory Sabbatini (Honda Classic)TECH STORY: Without question the most talked-about driver of 2011 was the white-colored TaylorMade R11 and one of the reasons was its success on tour. The triple-adjustable club garnered nine wins on tour in 2011. A gold medal winner on the 2011 Golf Digest Hot List, the R11 also was category leader in Innovation and Demand.More information on this club ⇒

Titleist 910D2/910D3

NUMBER OF WINS: 12PLAYERS: Nick Watney (WGC-Cadillac Championship; AT&T National); Ben Crane (McGladrey Classic); Harrison Frazar (FedEx St. Jude Classic); Rory McIlroy (U.S. Open Championship); Bill Haas (Tour Championship); Chris Kirk (Viking Classic); Kevin Na (Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open); Scott Piercy (Reno-Tahoe Open); Adam Scott (WGC-Bridgestone Invitational); Scott Stallings (Greenbrier Classic); Gary Woodland (Bob Hope Classic)__TECH STORY:__A gold medalist and the leader in Performance (as well as Look/Sound/Feel) for drivers on the 2011 Golf Digest Hot List, Titleist's adjustable 910 driver series performed for those on the PGA Tour in 2011, racking up a dozen wins.More information on this club ⇒

Drivers That Won In 2011

By E. Michael Johnson

At the close of the season, we review the drivers that entered the winner's circle on the PGA Tour