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Cleveland CG Black Driver Forum Testing Review Thread

SuperStroke
Great write up there Concept! thanks for answering my question about amping up the swing and glad to hear that this club is working out so well for you. I am looking forward to reading more from all the testers.
 
Not going to lie. That write-up just made me want this driver. Oh man.

The sound was real good. Dude, you really got after that thing from the way it looked. Nice to see the shaft held up for you!
 
You guys are doing great, I am checking in on this one several times a day. Very nice video, pic and write up cOncept, good job.
 
Love seeing the pictures of the face after your shots concept. Its something I do at the range all the time. I'm sure people wonder why I'm cleaning my club after every shot.

Now could you do us all a favor and miss hit a few like a normal hacker. That was a pretty tight pattern on the face.
 
Schanker said:
Love seeing the pictures of the face after your shots concept. Its something I do at the range all the time. I'm sure people wonder why I'm cleaning my club after every shot.

Now could you do us all a favor and miss hit a few like a normal hacker. That was a pretty tight pattern on the face.
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I'll be skying some in a few days. No worries about that
 
Concept,
Great write-up. I was wondering if you could tell us which shaft you had in your SuperTri, and give some more details on your impressions of the Black vs. the SuperTri.
 
Good stuff concept! Enjoyed that review

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk
 
EJ333 said:
Concept,
Great write-up. I was wondering if you could tell us which shaft you had in your SuperTri, and give some more details on your impressions of the Black vs. the SuperTri.
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I use the same shaft that came in the CG TL310: the Miyazaki C.Kua Gold 59-S. I am a big fan of this shaft in the CG Black (Miyazaki C.Kua 39-S Limited Edition) and it held up better then I expected it to since it is so easy to load. Granted I have only been to the range once here is a quick comparison of what I think so far:

Feel/Sound- The CG Black is a lot lighter which is something I really like and at 46" actually is easier for me to swing comfortably then my SuperTri which is 44.5". Both drivers feel good at impact and have a similar sound.

Distance- The CG Black is longer and seems like it is giving me less backspin then the SuperTri (which is set on 2* open and heel weighted to reduce the backspin as much as possible). A lot of the distance is because of the 1.5" difference in length but my SS has also increased a few MPH due to the weight of the club.

Control- This is an interesting one to compare. The CG Black surprised me on the range by showing me a better ball flight then the SuperTri but at the same time the SuperTri can be adjusted which pushed me to giving it the advantage here. It is obvious to me that both of the club heads are forgiving but until I work more with the CG Black on the course the SuperTri is the more accurate of the two clubs because I am just so used to it while only swinging the CG Black once.

Like I said though I haven't used the CG Black enough to say anything for certain but so far I think in the future it might be a better club for me then the R9 SuperTri.
 
Good thoughts c0ncept, while adjustability is a good feature I don't really adjust my R11 at all other than occassionaly adjusting the weights on the bottom, but in the end I always end up going back to the standard weight setup. When I shop for drivers I don't look as much for adjustability any more because I want to learn to shape the ball on my own. I think the Cleveland Black is definitely going to be a driver that I try this upcoming season.
 
Concept is bring it in the early goings of this review thread as well as D in LA....great job guys and yes D the
Sat shot you had with 'Cinder' really did happen. The club can be xposive.
 
d_in_la said:
c0ncept, I'm in love with your range. What a gorgeous view. (And great post!)
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Haha thanks. I just noticed I did a little club twirl at the end too.
 
Cleveland Golf CG Black 10.5° Stiff Test
Test Date: 11.13.11
Where: Penmar Golf Course, Santa Monica/Venice CA
Purpose: 9 hole comparison
Comparison club: Taylor Made R7 460 10.5° Stiff, 45" Fujikura REAX 60g
Ball: Bridgestone e6
Weather: ~59° marine layer overcast

Hey all, I was woken up just before dawn and couldn't get back to sleep so I jumped out to my local easy and short 9-holer to see if I could get out first thing, preferably all by myself. Success! They are doing a little work on the tee boxes, so I'm guestimating the distances of the holes.

Hole #1 ~280y today: After a nice sip of hot chocolate and a bunch of warm up swings I use the CG Black and push my first ball into the first cut. With very little roll (small bounce then stop in the rough) I was left with a little less than 20 yards to the green. I hit this one, again, just a bit off center clubface. I never really expect much from my first swing so this was a good result. Felt good, sounded good I then proceed to ricochet off the flag and two putt for bogey. (facepalm)

Hole #2 ~325y: I put my two-ball test into motion here. I first swing my R7 460 and crush a ball just skirting the left side oak tree sticking its ugly branches over the fairway. The CG Black I make a lesser swing, still pretty good though, I found center face on both of these swings. CGB ball is a little further right ... and roll past the R7 by a few yards. I don't think I can get more from my R7 without swinging harder, I feel that I have yards left in the CGB, well, the Miyazaki shaft.) It strikes me that my R7, which I don't consider pingy, and the CG Black both sound pretty good on well struck shots. Somewhere between that high-pitch ping and a lower thwack. Both have a nice timbre. R7 460: Let's call it 270y, CG Black: 273. I thin the R7 ball to the back of the green and fat the CGB to the front of the green. Two put R7, lip-out two put the CGB.

Hole #4 ~285y: CG Black Driver first, I pull the ball left onto the dirt path and with a good bounce soft right with a nice roll end up 5 yards left and 10 yards to go. This swing I felt like the smaller grip may have worked against me as everything else felt pretty good - I tapped into that Miyazaki sixth gear as the ball few off the face with a higher ball flight and the moment of awe I felt on the range. I might call the on-the-fly 255-ish. With my R7, I make a similar swing to hole 2 ... and hit a tree branch dead solid with a loud echoing crack and dropping my ball straight down on the right side of the fairway. Grr. I just miss my eagle pitch with the CGB ball and my R7 ball, I'm uh, drawing a black, it must have been bad. ;)

Hole #6 423y: I over swing my R7 for a push fade into the bailout area's heavy stuff. CGB I find that sixth gear again and fly one down the center of the fairway, get a nice roll out. This is the most pure I've hit this club so far. The hot girl running with her dog was impressed, well, she should have been. Anyhoo, I muscle my R7 ball 15 yards into slightly less thick stuff and fly a third shot to the far left of the flag. I walk to the CGB which lies 1/4 of the way towards the 100 marker from the 150 marker. Call it 145y left, meaning that was nearly a 280y drive!!! I 8-iron to 10 feet...and two putt. However I drop my 40 footer from my R7. The Golf Gods are having a grand ole time with me.

Hole #7 ~360y: Make an ok (fast tempo and a little over the top) swing with the CGB, not particularly long but nice and straight. I can tell you that the head-shaft combo on the CG Black saved that because it wasn't a great swing on my part and I also hit it towards the heel of the club - this club is certainly forgiving of my faults! I then baby-hook the R7 pass the CGB but into the left rough. CGB lies just past the 250 marker after rollout and the R7 another 10 yards. I put both balls on the green or first cut, make the R7, just miss the CGB.

Hole #9 ~340y: I make a good swing with my R7, right side of the fairway about 255y. Again the CGB shows kindness towards my swing and my pull stays relatively straight on the left side of fairway, rolling into the intermediate rough a bit more than 10-15 yards pass the 100y marker. I did not hit the center, but I didn't miss by much, didn't find the sixth gear. The result was still pretty darn good ... again. I can't wait to see when I dial this in, until then, thanks Cleveland for a great forgiving club. My approach shots both left a bit to be desired but I made both pars, so I'm cool.

So far I'm quite happy with the Cleveland CG Black Driver. Yes, I'm just a wee bit off by the longer shaft - and I truly mean that, I'm just barely missing. The sound is great. The feedback (sound and feel) while a bit muted is there - I'm learning it. I'm a big dude so heavy clubs don't bother me much but overly light does. The CG Black driver is nicely balanced in comparison. I look forward to improving with this club and tapping some of that extra potential.

...and I'm absolutely drooling to try those CG Black irons with the Miyazaki shaft.
 
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Nice write up today guy's, I'm really looking forward to taking some swings with this club!!
 
Nice writeup D! The CG Black just sounds all around great: forgiving on bad swings, solid and long on good ones. I like the sound of this club!
 
Nice write up D, good info. Glad to see you adjusting to the Black driver, looking forward to see how you do with it once you are fully adjusted to it.

Also, those Black irons are downright amazing. If I could, I would game the entire black line, staff bag included.
 
d_i_l that is a great write up, I am wondering when you say you are a wee bit off on the longer shaft, how far are you talking. I also wonder how tall are you. Do you think cutting down the shaft a half inch to an inch would put you in the middled of the club face? Just a thought.
 
c0ncept said:
So I just got back from the range with this thing and I am actually very surprised. When the XL270 first came out I bought it thinking that a light club would be perfect for me since I wanted more distance but there was one problem...I couldn't hit the thing without watching my ball sail off to the right every time. I was skeptical about this club because of a few things: 1- It is lighter then the XL270 was, 2- It is 46 inches long when I play a 44.5 inch driver, 3- I play a natural fade already.

Looks - A+ - I am obviously going to be biased on this one but this club just looks amazing. From the head cover to the black face everything just works and there is nothing to scare someone off (like the HiBore crown). I'll start with the head cover: Its amazing how such a small and seemingly useless thing can make such a big deal when buying a club. The CG Black head cover is designed to be pulled off with ease which is nice since I have had problems in the past with 460cc drivers and tight head covers. The aesthetic design is simple and would win the heart of any Oakland Raider fan with its flat black and silver design. The bottom of the club head is very sleek and follows the same idea of being simple but leaving you to wonder about its curves. The face of the club is black to and that is huge for me because I am both used to playing a black faced driver as well as I like being able to tell where I hit the ball and it shows up great.

Feel - A - Being someone who is not a fan of the gym it is nice to pick up a club and not think that a club is heavy. The face is very soft but at the same time very responsive. I tried to hit a few shots off the heel and off the toe as well as low/high on the face and I could tell every time that I didn't hit the ball well but not only did I still have a decent shot but it didnt make me want to "let go" of the club at impact like I have found in my R9 SuperTri. When you hit the ball in the sweet spot it feels almost as if you just took a practice swing without hitting a ball yet at the same time know you just crushed the ball.

Sound - B+ - Unlike past Cleveland clubs this thing lacks that ear piercing ping. It seems similar to my R9 but honestly this isn't something I notice too well so hopefully you all can gauge it from the video.

Distance - A+ - You guys don't care about this one do you? Hitting into a decent headwind with range balls I was sending balls over the end of the 200 island (which is really 220 from where I was) with more roll then I find in my R9. I normally land on the island swinging my R9 full so I was surprised to find when I took light swings I was hitting over it. When I started building up my swing I was hitting the ball about 240-250 yards (carry distance not total). My first few swings had a fade on them but it was less then I see in my R9 and I was quickly able to turn that into an almost dead straight ball flight where I could actually be hitting my target line 200 yards out on every swing. I need to take this to the course so I can actually see the difference when I use a real ball but so far if these numbers translate to the course I could be looking at 20 yards+ gain.

Control - A - This is a surprise and it is just a starting point. I didn't expect to be hitting this club so well my first time out so this rating might go up/down. I noticed that I was actually hitting my target line, my fade was less pronounced, and I hit a draw once!!!. The club is 46 inches long but with the weight of the club and the shaft it never feels like I lost the club head during the swing. Even when I messed around with my back swing I was able to make solid contact. I was asked what happened when you really amped up the swing so I tried it expecting to hit the biggest slice ever. Instead of hitting a slice I hit a minor fade (10-20 yards) and that ball went flying farther then anything I hit before. While tempo is important for such a light club I found that I could work my way to getting a bit faster (when I say a bit I mean just a small amount and nothing that would take me off balance) and still maintain control.


Here is a picture of the face after I hit a about 10 balls:
img0679gf.jpg


And here is a video of me swinging it once at the range (auto ball feed is BA):
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Wanted to quote this for awesomeness. Very nice write up and that auto ball feeder is killer. Never even seen that before.
 
Great write ups D and C0ncept!
 
JUst got caught up on this thread, D and C0ncept you two are doing a super job reporting on this club!!! Keep up the great work!!
 
DawgDaddy said:
d_i_l that is a great write up, I am wondering when you say you are a wee bit off on the longer shaft, how far are you talking. I also wonder how tall are you. Do you think cutting down the shaft a half inch to an inch would put you in the middled of the club face? Just a thought.
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DD, I'm 6'4" built like a down lineman ... well, a retired down lineman. (working on that) This is the first longer shaft that I have really taken a liking to. My good swing-barely miss tends to be less than a half inch towards the heel. Honestly, what started as a half inch on Friday turned into a quarter inch today. I think putting down the R7 (an inch shorter shaft) and committing to the CG Black Driver will be fine. Remember, I've only had two sessions hitting the Black - range Friday and on-course today - certainly not a statistically relavant sample. Missing the center, I think, can be attributed to needing a small stance adjustment I haven't made part of my routine. I would not want to mess with the shaft dynamics on the Miyazaki shaft. In my limited experience with longer and lighter drivers, this Miyazaki is something special.
 
I just want to throw my 2 cents in about people wondering about the 46" length. I am 5'9", 120 lbs, and play a 44.5" driver (by no means big). I swung a lot of drivers this year trying to find the right one. A few of them were: The Taylormade Burner SF2.0 (46.5"), The Callaway Diablo Octane (46"), The Adams Speedline F11 (45.875"), The Cleveland XL270 (46.25").

Now all of these drivers are "long" but the main difference I find between these and the Cleveland Black so far is that it never feels "long". All of the drivers above were rented and taken out to the course and every single one, while longer then my SuperTri, was uncontrolled and I couldn't get comfortable with them no matter what I tried to do with my swing. When I switched to my SuperTri it took me a while to get used to the fact that it was shorter then my previous driver so until I learned to alter how far away from the ball I was I sucked with it but after about a week I was hitting fairways again.

I assume that most of the people looking at this driver share the same reason that I was looking at this club: Distance!

The reason all of those clubs I listed above were longer then my SuperTri was because of the longer shafts. With the Cleveland Black I found that even though it was 46" it sure doesn't feel like it. The weighting is amazing and I was actually able to close the face on the club at impact instead of leaving it open like I do with almost every other driver. Obviously it is going to take time to get used to a switch in length but if you want the distance gain its something that has to be done and it is worth it.
 
Im surprised by all the talk about longer shaft length. 46" seems to be more the norm than the exception at this point in time. Even the hugely popular R11 is just a quarter inch shorter than this with the also popular SuperFast being a quarter inch longer than this one. Sure some drivers come in shorter, but quite a few are just as long or very close.
 
The Long Tom is 48". 46" is pretty much the norm anymore. If you don't like it, cut it down.
 
How much farther on average are you hitting the Black driver than the SuperTri ? Also, can you feel a difference in the special edition Black shaft over the standard C Kua ?
 
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