The new Ben Hogan Golf has been on a roll lately, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon as they have found their niche in the ever growing direct to consumer market. If you have been reading THP for any amount of time, then you have undoubtedly seen the feedback and reviews on their recent releases like the ICON irons as well as the GS53 driver review. The nice thing is they haven’t sat on their hands idly like they could have, instead they are not just creating new product, but clubs that make the game more enjoyable for golfers.
Recently, we saw the release of a new driver for Ben Hogan Golf, the GS53 Max. I was able to get the 10.5° head paired with a Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 6.0 in for this review and having written the previously mentioned review on the GS53, I can assure you that this is not just a more forgiving rehash. This is something different, and potentially special for Ben Hogan Golf.
Quick Take
Maybe no better bang for your buck modern driver out there. The GS53 was a solid driver, but this is precisely what the new Ben Hogan company has needed from the driver spot. It may be a little boisterous, but it is also shockingly forgiving and truly a low spinner. Look, playability, distance, and value are all here.
Ben Hogan GS53 Max Driver
Yes, when you add the designation “Max” to any driver most of us immediately clue into what the expectations should be. That is also the case here with the GS53 Max driver…kind of.
The company is touting this one as having a classic shape that Mr. Hogan himself would approve of, and they’re not wrong as it has got curves in all the right places giving a profile shape that harkens back to the days of yore. That said, I still think Mr. Hogan might be shocked to look down at a it.
At 460cc the GS53 Max is 15cc larger than the GS53, and while on paper that doesn’t seem like much, in hand it definitely is noticeable. With the Max, the fact that they increased the size and depth of the face (22% according to the company) means that the increase of the address profile still stayed clean and not at all game-improvement feeling.
Internally the company is adamant that this is not just a refresh of the GS53, rather this is a totally new design built from the ground up and simply aesthetically designed to align with the previous wood releases. The look is good as well, there is nothing about this one in hand that people will be able to nitpick in terms of quality, it is as good as anything out there. Sure, its not as busy as a lot of drivers, but it is absolutely classically in line with Ben Hogan, historically. Not to mention, the mirrored BH logo as an alignment aid is gorgeous.
Before we get into performance, we need to discuss what is going on under the hood. The GS53 Max is a 4-piece design consisting of a combination of titanium, tungsten, and carbon throughout. The fact that Hogan is now in the game with a composite crown opens up all sorts of design potential with the weight savings that could be placed elsewhere, namely a tungsten weight low and back to increase launch for all swing speeds as well as along the perimeter to improve stability. They have also implemented the classic Ben Hogan “Speed Slot” to the rear of the club increasing the aerodynamics without taking away from the clean look with abstract humps and bumps (technical terminology) on the crown. Combine these things with the larger face using an improved bulge and roll to mitigate gear effect on heel/toe misses as well as an improved variable thickness and you have a driver built for the masses on paper. But what about on the course?
I expected the increase in stability, and definitely got it. The GS53 was and is a driver that is capable of impressive speeds and significant workability, but with that comes more penalizing results depending on your skill level and miss. The new Max however, turned out to be a club that just wants to stay in play, can it be sliced or hooked off the planet, of course, but on standard misses it rattled my brain with what I got away with. A big part of this was the fact that using the Foresight GC2 I was not seeing massive spin variances on my miss either heel or toe, only a couple hundred RPM in comparison to the GS53 where I remember those misses being much more significant. Because of the stability at impact, the confidence was there when I was on the course and had to hit a specific shot to a specific angle or landing area even knowing I had a winter swing with me. That is a massive compliment to the GS53 Max.
At impact, I will say my one slight criticism of the driver is that to my ears it isn’t as pleasant of a sound/feel at impact as the GS53 was. Coming in, I was actually expecting a much more muted sound given the carbon fiber application on the crown, but it instead has come out a little more boisterous with a metallic undertone. Its not what I would call a loud driver, but it also isn’t as muted as much of what we see on the market today. It’ll turn some heads when you hit it, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
For the potential of this one, I would call it staggeringly impressive. Why? Yes, it was forgiving, but the thing I didn’t expect despite the early feedback from THP’ers in the community was just how low spin it was for me. Though not necessarily the setup I would have expected to be fit into, the 10.5° head paired with the 6.0 HZRDUS Smoke Black generated a 15.7° overall average launch on the Foresight GC2 paired with spin coming in at 2,180 RPM. Add in ball speeds even with my winter swing sitting around 156 MPH (peak MPH at 161) and you have a driver that not only launched higher than the GS53 for me by a long shot, but was also significantly lower spinning on average by about 300 RPM. Before the spin talk scares you, paired with the launch I was seeing meant carry for days and also making the spin amply playable on the course. What I saw here was not at all what I expected, Ben Hogan Golf managed to surprise me, and that doesn’t happen very often.
Overall, at $355.00 this is a driver that absolutely deserves a look if you are looking for a new driver but not keen on dropping $600.00 anytime soon. Not only did the performance stack up for me, but it also offers the same adjustability as many with the “Flight Control” hosel allowing +/- 1° as well as loft/lie alterations and maintaining the shaft orientation. Plus, Ben Hogan Golf may have coined my new favorite phrase when it comes to stock shafts, assuring that the HZRDUS Smoke Black, Tensei Blue, and Helium options are premium, and not “value engineered”.
There is a lot of bang for your buck here, and hopefully be it through purchase or the Ben Hogan demo program we see it get into the hands of some golfers for more feedback. If you plan on or have already given the GS53 MAX a go, jump into the conversation here or on the THP community and let us hear what you think!
The Details
Availability: Now – www.BenHoganGolf.com
Price: $355.00
Options: 9° and 10.5° – RH Only
Shafts: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 60 (5.5, 6.0, 6.5), Mitsubishi Tensei Blue 60 (R, S, X), UST Mamiya Helium (F3, F4, F5)
Probably the low spin/forgiveness combo!
Very intriguing for sure. I hate those misses when my swing gets lazy that ? way right.
"Sure, its not as busy as a lot of drivers, but it is absolutely classically in line with Ben Hogan, historically".
That’s what I think I like the most about this club – it looks so business-like, no flash. Like something Ben Hogan himself would’ve designed. To my eye, this is what a driver should look like.
I’m also excited about your spin results on off-center hits. The whole combination is something I have to try out.
I liked the way you explained the forgiveness and correction the club gives on those strikes that aren’t quite what you’d like.
ETA: What shaft would you like with it?
Not sure, I was going to tinker before I decided to let some kick ass lucky THP’er have a go with it!
B21. Next, I switched over to the Ben Hogan GS53 Max. It sits behind the ball nicely. The carbon fiber and the BH logo really stands out. This driver sits extremely neutral!
playing 44.5” in the Hogan. The Callaway has the 55g RCH shaft. After the first swing, I can confirm that it is louder than the original GS53. It’s not offensive, but very prevalent. Reminds me of the Ping G400 Max really. Louder than the Tour Edge EXS driver. Kinda surprising given the carbon fiber in the head. The best way to put it is remember that scene from Bull Durham when Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh tells “Crash” Davis, “ I want to announce my presence with authority!” Well, it definitely does that. To be fair (insert Letterkenny gif here), I was hitting indoors, so it should mellow some outdoors.
feeling driver, just not the pillowy magnificence those that played the original driver might have come to love. This driver really gives its user the feeling of power. It feels like a forged sledgehammer!
averaged 3-400 rpms lower than the GS53. I was absolutely stunned to see a lower launch and more penetrating flight than the original!? With the weight moved toward the rear of the head, I would have bet money it would be higher launching of the two models. With more testing, I might loft the driver up from 9.0° to 10.0°. The GS53 Max showed a big performance potential. I’m super excited about given this a fair shot to knock the BB21 out of the bag…putting that 14th Ben Hogan club back in my bag!
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I made the N+ upright adjustment otherwise standard 9 deg loft. The Lin-Q purple combination is fabulous for me. My Epic Flash was a 10.5 playing D plus 1 loft with a PX HZRDUS Smoke Black yet I can launch this driver better.
My drive on 18 today a visually could see the bulge and roll do it’s job to “self correct “ a fade.
that is hard to say, The Smoke black is probably a bit stiffer then yours in a lighter package. maybe the X-flex Tense blue gets you the weight you are used to and some how offsets that. I think you are looking at the Stiff smoke Black or the X Stiff Tense Blue.
Glad to see this. I also figured out my driver swing recently and I can’t wait to try this driver (won the contest last week). My speedzone is performing great, but I have a feeling this one is going to be a monster for me.
it gives you some good feed back when you hit the center. It rewards you with a good ping when you hit the button!
Great stuff sir!
Did you order it from Hogan at 44.5"? If so, did they bring the swing weight up to the D2 – D3 range? I believe the driver with that shaft at stock length (45.5) would be around D2. The swing weight would be crazy light (around C6) after taking an inch off if some kind of head weight were not added back to it.
I did the homepage article on it and am a 108-110 guy historically.
I believe they did. It doesn’t feel light at all! If I get a chance, I will try to measure the swing weight.
When I get around to ordering one, I will go 45". Have tried shorter and longer and keep going back to that as my best fit. When I ordered the original GS53 with the Helium shaft at 45", it came in at D1 so they must have added some weight to it, otherwise it probably would have been C8 or 9. Must be to the head and not a shaft tip weight because the Accra TZ6 55 at 45" that I play in it plays to a D2 swing weight, which makes sense compared to the Helium because it is 3 or 4 grams heavier.
The Hogan is about 1/2 – 3/4 inch longer than the cobra. It also has a standard size grip (I usually use a plus4 midsize).
The ball flight was much lower with the hogan…but that could be down to a difference in the shaft (smoke yellow vs smoke black), and I was hitting closer to the bottom of the face with the gs53max.
Not really a fair test today because I didn’t swing the BH as well as I would like, but Cobra won this round. I’m going to put my normal grip on it and maybe try to get to a simulator this week.
I am a little bummed because I’m now leaning away from the dual driver setup.
GS53 Rating-
Looks- 8
Sound- 10
Feel- 10
Distance- 10
Forgiveness- 3
*X-Factor- Traditional*
Total- 41
GS53 Max Rating-
Looks- 9
Sound- 6
Feel- 8
Distance- 10
Forgiveness- 10
*X-Factor- Confidence*
Total- 43
Overall, I would say if you play Ben Hogan ICONS, you will probably benefit more from the standard GS53 driver. You can consistently hit the middle of the club face and square it up allowing for long bombs. If you play a combo set, PTx Pros, or EDGE irons, the added forgiveness of the GS53 MAX will pay huge dividends by not punishing you so severely when you don’t swing the club consistently!
I need more time to test to see if the MAX can bounce the BB21 out of the bag!
Initial impressions are positive (I’ll go into more detail when I get a full session with it). The sound is a bit louder than the original, but that has been discussed previously. It’s not bad at all, just a bit louder. Ball flight was a good mid – penetrating flight on the few balls I did hit. I was not warmed up at all, so the impact was a bit out near the toe. Even with that, the ball held it’s line quite nicely. I look forward to getting this out to the course and putting it through it’s paces. I will report back with a full review when I do.
Some observations:
1. Distance – thus far it is pretty well on par with what I have been getting from the original GS53. Seem to be gaining momentum the more I use the Max so it may ultimately win out in this category by a little.
2. Dispersion – the Max is definitely easier for me to control from this perspective. I just have not seen any big sweeping rope hooks that I am prone to hitting with driver from time to time. In fact, I was starting to see a slight fade as my normal ball flight with the Max, which is something I have never routinely seen from any other driver. This kind of baffled me a bit so I changed the setting from N- to N+ and my normal draw returned. I have always played the original at N- so I’m wondering if I was getting more shaft droop with the Max / Smoke combination and the 56* lie angle at the normal setting was just not enough to produce my desired ball flight.
3. Foregiveness – this is probably where I differ from others that have commented about this driver, especially in comparison to the orginal. Off-center hits do fly straighter with the Max but I seem to lose a pretty fair amount of distance more with the Max than I do with the original.
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After about 10 balls with each driver things were pretty much “neck & neck”, similar distance, ball flight, etc. The misses with both were a push.(all my swing)
Decided to take a little break where I swapped shafts. The Lin-Q with the original GS53 was like playing with an old friend. Penetrating ball flight, consistent distance, miss was a push.
The Max was now paired with the Tensei Blue set at N+ , 9 degrees , neutral lie. This set up was an eye opener! Dead straight shots, center face contact, ball flight was a bit higher than with the Lin-Q but not ballooning at all. Miss was still a push, so I will relate that to my swing. I would not have expected these results with this set up, but I’m certainly glad I tried it.
I have an outing Sunday, I can’t wait to get this out on the course to see the real results…… stay tuned