Adams Golf has been quite prolific with their equipment releases in recent years, so it didn’t surprise me to hear I’d be reviewing the brand new Speedline Tech Driver. This driver should be on the shelves very soon and I’ve been working with it for a few weeks now. At first glance, it appeared to be a mixture of some things that are familiar, along with some new bits of technology.
Specifications
Lofts Available
- Right Handed – 8.5°, 9.5°, 10.5°, and 12.5°
- Left Handed – 9.5° and 10.5°
Stock Shaft – Matrix RUL 54
Length – 46 inches
Grip – Lamkin Elite Tour 360
Aesthetics
Once again, Adams is pushing the envelope with the styling and shape of the Speedline Tech driver. At address it actually looks to be a fairly traditional shape. A closer inspection shows some elements that give it a very futuristic appearance, the most obvious of which is the composite ‘wing’ that envelopes the outer portion of the head. There is actually some pretty interesting technology behind the wing that I’ll touch on later. One little detail concerning the wing that I love is the way the finish is somewhat translucent, which showcases the composite material it is made of. This is hard to show in pictures, but get the Speedline Tech out in the sun and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
Thankfully, the silver finish and oddly curved lines we saw on the top of the Fast 12 driver are gone with the arrival of the Speedline Tech. They have been replaced by a very glossy black finish that is much more pleasing to my eyes. When the head meets up with the copper color of the stock Matrix RUL shaft, you have one of the most visually striking drivers I’ve seen this year. Another thing I have to give Adams kudos for is that they’ve made an adjustable driver with a pretty discreet looking hosel. In addition, the face angel designations are housed on the adaptor and hidden from view unless the shaft is removed.
I have to admit that I really loved the head cover, both visually and functionally. It features the same black and white color scheme as the driver itself and is quite easy to remove due to a small recessed area that is perfectly sized for a finger.
The final words I have on aesthetics should be spent talking about the sound the Speedline Tech produces at impact. Actually, I really only need two words: It’s loud. It may not be the loudest driver I’ve reviewed in the last couple years, but it’s definitely one that will be noticed on the driving range and possibly inside the pro shop.
Technology and Performance
Adams has really packed a ton of technology into this driver. The composite wing I discussed earlier was designed to increase the MOI of the driver (ability to resist twister on off-center shots), while keeping the center of gravity closer to the shaft for more draw bias. At the same time, it’s supposed to increase aerodynamic performance. That’s one busy wing! Truthfully, I didn’t see many draws during the review, but well struck shots did give me a straight ball flight that I enjoyed. Obviously, results here may differ, depending on your swing.
The face was built with what Adams is calling 3DS Surface Technology. While I wasn’t supplied any information on how they accomplished this, they’ve essentially turned the most responsive area of the face into an elliptical shape to provide better launch conditions, especially with off-center shots. Much of what I read from Adams about this feature sounds quite similar to the e9 Face Technology that the Cobra AMP employs, though I personally felt like the AMP was more forgiving for my swing.
An exciting addition to the Adams technology stable is something they are calling Fastfit Adjustability. The Speedline Tech is adjustable and offers eight different settings, which change face angle, loft, and lie angle in one degree increments. The adjustments are quick and easy to perform after a few twists of the torque wrench that is supplied. While this is hardly groundbreaking technology in today’s world, it is something that many people appreciate for fitting purposes as well as for easily switching shafts.
Speaking of shafts, the Speedline Tech comes outfitted with the Matrix RUL 54, which undoubtedly contributes to the $399 price point. Rather than give a lengthy run down of the shaft, I’ll just point you to this THP review that was done on it earlier in 2012. I found that it offered me the mid-launch characteristics that Matrix advertises and it seemed that other testers saw the same thing. I was pretty impressed with the stability of the shaft simply based on the fact that some of the people that I asked to test the driver were high swing-speed players and they were able to control the ball well, even with a softer flex than they normally play.
Closing Thoughts
I definitely see this as an improvement over the Fast 12 driver in many ways. It’s much more pleasing to the eyes, features and adjustable head, and comes with a high-end shaft. I’m not sold that it was the driver for me in every regard, but I’d definitely recommend taking a look at it and seeing how it works for you. I did witness some playing partners hit it very well. The only true negative I heard from anybody, including myself, was the sound. This is a driver that’s going to attract some attention from people nearby, both in looks and in sound. The Speedline Tech should be available for purchase very soon. More information on the technical aspects of the driver should also be available soon at www.adamsgolf.com. Thanks for reading and I wish you luck on the course this year.
Ryan H.
Nice review Ryan, I will definitely give it a try when I see one.
Great review Ryan, definitely seems like a solid option. I like that it looks a little more traditional at address.
Very nice Ryan. I won’t lie, Adams has me extremely intrigues with alot of their line this year and this is not an exception in that regard. I really would like to try it out sometime down the road out of curiosity. I won’t lie though, I miss the silver finish as I quite like it. The hosel adapter may be the best looking and sleekest I have seen though, nice!
Well done Ryan, I really enjoyed that read!
Great review, Hawk. I had the opportunity to hit this one and was pretty impressed with the results I was seeing, especially since the loft I was hitting wasnt what I usually go with. I felt that stock shaft offering worked quite well with me, and the results had me impressed.
Great job Hawk. This driver seems to be the real deal and I am really impressed with the hosel adapter! Can’t wait to hit one of these.
Another great review Hawk. I’ve always liked Adams drivers and this one looks like it could find its way into my bag.
Awesome review, and a great looking club to boot.
Solid review Ryan. Im very intrigued by this offering as its got a ton of tech packed into and a very good shaft. Im hitting the Fast 12 LS quite well now so this one is intriguing.
Still not sure we have a club that will take the 9064 or 9088 out of my hands. Though I obviously like black on black drivers, this one does intrigue me, I’ll have to check with the boss to see when that profit sharing check is supposed to be in the mail 😉
Another fantastic review Ryan! I am not going to lie, I really like the looks of this driver and that shaft just makes it that much better. One thing I can not stand in a driver though is a very loud sound so I would have to get that fixed if I were to game one of these. Will be hitting one in stores for sure though.
Great review Hawk. I can’t wait to take a few swings with this driver when I get the chance. I used to love my Fast10 and this looks like a huge improvement.
Just got mine in the mail today. Pretty club. Despite ordering the R flex shaft, I find it to be delightfully on the stiff side of regular (I hated the whippy R flex fit-on shaft that came with Callaway RAZR FIT). The adjustability is simple and easy. The adjustments are: square, 1 degree open, 1 degree closed, and square with 2 degrees upright lie angle. Oh, as the tip is 8 sided you can make 1/2 degree adjustments, and although it doesn’t say I’ll assume you can get a 1 degree up lie angle by turing one space left or right of the 2 degree up mark (may even result in a 1/2 degree change in face angle…I’ll have to look into that and report back). I think psychologically one of the most important aspects of a face angle adjustable driver is that the adjustments are discernible to the naked eye…..and with this driver it was. The Callaway RAZR FIT looked open at address and barely square in the closed setting…..not reassuring to a guy who historically hit a slice. I’m taking this baby to the range tomorrow and let you know what transpires.
After a couple range sessions and 2 rounds….I am bagging this baby!!! I can swing without fear and the results are almost always impressive. I would rate it at 3-5 yards longer than any driver I’ve ever tried (many) ….and you must take into account the fact that this club hits it very high…..to the point that I strongly believe that if I go to the 8.5 degree that the 3-5 yards will become 5-10 yards….maybe more. The real gem of this club is the Ozik Matrix RUL 54 shaft. It is firmer that your typical “made for” shaft and makes for a more one piece swing feel. This one is staying in the bag.