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What happens when you take 6 drivers from 6 different companies and put them head to head against each other with nothing but high handicap players? A THP Driver Shoot Out is what happens and we just finished conducting another one. This time with golfers with higher handicaps to determine which driver is best suited for players trying to get better at this game. Here is how it works.
All drivers are going to be hit for 15 balls by each person.
All drivers are 9 or 9.5 degrees with a standard stiff shaft. (the same that participants currently play)
Here is what they are basing judgment on with distance and accuracy each worth 2 points and the rest worth one point.
Look
Sound
Feel
Distance
Accuracy
Each golfer ranked his drivers one through six after totaling his points based on the above criteria. Let's first meet the competitors (drivers) and the participants (golfers).
1. Nike DYMO Str8 Fit
2. TaylorMade 2009 Burner
3. Mizuno MX-700
4. Nickent Evolver
5. Powerbilt Air Force One
6. Cleveland Monster
Both the Nickent Evolver and the Nike Str8-Fit are able to be adjusted but for the sake of this Shoot Out we set both drivers at standard and did not allow altering of either one.
Now let's meet the golfers that participated in the challenge. THP gathered twelve golfers for this event and each player had to have a GHIN official and current handicap. 4 golfers with handicaps over 25, 4 golfers with handicaps from 18-25, and 4 golfers with handicaps from 12-18.
Over 25
James R - Plays at a 26.7 and really struggles with a slice. Currently playing a 2007 TaylorMade Burner.
Stephen R - Plays at a 30.1 and off the tee is his biggest issue. Currently playing a Mizuno MX-560.
Mark B - Plays at a 25.3 and he has come down from a 28 in less than a month since correcting his slice off the tee. Currently plays a Ping G10 and does not like it.
John A - Currently plays at a 25.1 and slicing is his biggest issue. Currently playing a Ping G10 and is also looking for something else.
18-25
John H - Currently plays at a 20.0 and has come down from a 31 in the last 6 months. Currently using a TaylorMade R7 460.
Ross F - Currently plays at a 23.5. His current driver is the Callaway FT-i and he fights a hook with it.
Kevin W - Currently plays at a 18.9. His current driver is the TaylorMade R7 425.
Michael F - Currently plays at a 21.4. He is still fighting a slice and is playing with a Cleveland Hibore XLS.
12-18
Rick B - Currently plays at a 13.8 and has only been playing
for 2 years. His driver of choice right now is the Nike Sumo.
David O - Currently plays at a 16.1 and still fights a slice. His current driver is a TaylorMade R7 460.
Franklin C - Currently plays at a 16.4 and is really struggling off the tee. His current driver is a Callaway FT-5.
Bobby C - Currently plays at a 16.7. His current driver is a Titleist 907D2.
Remember each golfer was required to fill out a card ranking each driver 1-6 based on the criteria listed above with distance and accuracy being slightly more important than looks, sound, and feel. Here are the results for the different handicap index groups.
Over 25
James R
Monster - Loved the looks and was definitely the straightest out of all tested.
MX-700 - Got up fast. Very straight. Did not like graphics.
Burner - Did not like looks. Shaft length was a big problem. When contact was made, the driver went far.
Str8-Fit - Ehh.
Air Force One - Best performance overall. Looks and sound would keep me from playing it.
Evolver - Did not like it at all.
Stephen R
Str8-fit - Just felt better than the rest of the group.
Monster - best performance, but the sound was really bad.
Evolver - Loved looks and sound, but lacked some control.
MX-700 - Hit it too high and lost some to a slice.
Air Force One - No distance problems but looks and sound were the worst.
Burner - Club too long for me. Struggled to hit it solid.
Mark B
Str8-Fit - Loved everything about it.
Evolver - Loved it, but struggled with a slice on 3-4 balls.
MX-700 - Flew very straight, but was short on distance.
Burner - Looks and club length killed it for me.
Monster - Could not get over the sound.
Air Force One - Worst looking and sounding driver ever.
John A
Monster - Best by a long shot over the rest of them.
Air Force One - Lacked a little distance to the Monster, but put a nice draw on the ball.
Str8-Fit - Terrible grip on this club. Lost about 5 balls to small slice.
MX-700 - Straightest by far. Hated the graphics and VERY short.
Burner - Graphics were just horrible. Had trouble finding sweet spot.
Evolver - Could not hit at all with this driver.
18-25
John H
Burner - Long and straight. Loved everything about this club.
Evolver - Close 2nd place. Not quite as long as the Burner.
MX-700 - A little too high for me. But best Mizuno has made in a while.
Str8-Fit - Long but had a tough time with control.
Air Force One - One of the best in performance. Look, Sound, and feel were all terrible.
Monster - Hated the looks and sound. It hurt my ears.
Ross F
MX-700 - Easiest to get up and mishits stayed dead straight.
Str8-Fit - Loved performance but lost 2-3 balls to a slice.
Evolver - Same as Nike, but lost a couple of more.
Burner - Great when struck dead on, but mishits ballooned on me.
Monster - Great performance but hated the looks and the sound way too much.
Air Force One - Worst driver I have ever hit.
Kevin W
Air Force One - Longest and straightest in the group.
Monster - A close 2nd to above.
MX-700 - Very straight but lacked length of the first two.
Burner - Good distance but control issues were too much.
Str8-Fit - I wanted to like it, but could not control it.
Evolver - Hated everything about it except for looks.
Michael F
Air Force One - Clubs just works. Long and very straight.
Monster - No feel at all, but great results.
Burner - Lost a few to a slice but longest out of the bunch by a lot.
Str8-Fit - Too high and sliced about 5 balls with it.
Evolver - Very straight, but very short.
MX-700 - WAY too high and sliced more than half the balls.
12-18
Rick B
Evolver - Best driver I have ever hit.
Burner - Longest I have hit today and great looking.
MX-700 - A little too high launch, but seriously straight.
Str8-Fit - Struggled with a slice on a few balls.
Monster - Sound hurt my ears. Lacked some distance.
Air Force One - Horrible in every way. Hook machine.
David O
Air Force One - Nice little draw everytime. Long.
Monster - Straightest I have ever hit a driver. Mishits still went far.
Str8-Fit - Longest out there but lost 2 to a slice.
Evolver - Good all around driver, but missing something.
Burner - Had control issues the whole time.
MX-700 - Hated this club completely.
Franklin C
Evolver - Longest and straightest out of all of them today.
Burner - Very long, hated the graphics.
MX-700 - Straight, but too high. Hated the graphics.
Str8-Fit - Had trouble with slice on a few.
Monster - Great performance, but sound makes me not like it.
Air Force One - Bad driver in every possible way.
Bobby C
Monster - As straight as I have ever hit the ball. Love the looks.
Str8-Fit - Very close 2nd to the Monster
MX-700 - Not as long but very straight. Great on mishits.
Burner - Really long but I fought some control.
Air Force One - Good performer, but lacked any fell. And man it was ugly.
Evolver - Hated this one. Lacked feel and sounded like wood.
As you can see some groups seemed to like certain drivers better than others, but results were really all over the map. However when votes were tallied, we had a tie for first place. Here were the standings at the final bell.
Overall
Cleveland Monster - 47 points
Nike Str8-Fit - 47 points
Mizuno MX-700 - 44 points
TaylorMade Burner - 40 points
Nickent Evolver - 39 points
Powerbilt Air Force One - 35 points
You can read how the score was broken down by handicap index at our main site plus see some of the pictures here.
http://thehackersparadise.com/home/?p=2920
You can see a bunch of pictures from this shoot out here.
http://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3500&highlight=forgiving+driver+pictures
As with all of our shoot outs these are not based on our rankings. They are based on golfers selected by THP based on handicap. They are completely unbiased and reflect only the opinions of those that participated.
All drivers are going to be hit for 15 balls by each person.
All drivers are 9 or 9.5 degrees with a standard stiff shaft. (the same that participants currently play)
Here is what they are basing judgment on with distance and accuracy each worth 2 points and the rest worth one point.
Look
Sound
Feel
Distance
Accuracy
Each golfer ranked his drivers one through six after totaling his points based on the above criteria. Let's first meet the competitors (drivers) and the participants (golfers).
1. Nike DYMO Str8 Fit
2. TaylorMade 2009 Burner
3. Mizuno MX-700
4. Nickent Evolver
5. Powerbilt Air Force One
6. Cleveland Monster
Both the Nickent Evolver and the Nike Str8-Fit are able to be adjusted but for the sake of this Shoot Out we set both drivers at standard and did not allow altering of either one.
Now let's meet the golfers that participated in the challenge. THP gathered twelve golfers for this event and each player had to have a GHIN official and current handicap. 4 golfers with handicaps over 25, 4 golfers with handicaps from 18-25, and 4 golfers with handicaps from 12-18.
Over 25
James R - Plays at a 26.7 and really struggles with a slice. Currently playing a 2007 TaylorMade Burner.
Stephen R - Plays at a 30.1 and off the tee is his biggest issue. Currently playing a Mizuno MX-560.
Mark B - Plays at a 25.3 and he has come down from a 28 in less than a month since correcting his slice off the tee. Currently plays a Ping G10 and does not like it.
John A - Currently plays at a 25.1 and slicing is his biggest issue. Currently playing a Ping G10 and is also looking for something else.
18-25
John H - Currently plays at a 20.0 and has come down from a 31 in the last 6 months. Currently using a TaylorMade R7 460.
Ross F - Currently plays at a 23.5. His current driver is the Callaway FT-i and he fights a hook with it.
Kevin W - Currently plays at a 18.9. His current driver is the TaylorMade R7 425.
Michael F - Currently plays at a 21.4. He is still fighting a slice and is playing with a Cleveland Hibore XLS.
12-18
Rick B - Currently plays at a 13.8 and has only been playing
for 2 years. His driver of choice right now is the Nike Sumo.
David O - Currently plays at a 16.1 and still fights a slice. His current driver is a TaylorMade R7 460.
Franklin C - Currently plays at a 16.4 and is really struggling off the tee. His current driver is a Callaway FT-5.
Bobby C - Currently plays at a 16.7. His current driver is a Titleist 907D2.
Remember each golfer was required to fill out a card ranking each driver 1-6 based on the criteria listed above with distance and accuracy being slightly more important than looks, sound, and feel. Here are the results for the different handicap index groups.
Over 25
James R
Monster - Loved the looks and was definitely the straightest out of all tested.
MX-700 - Got up fast. Very straight. Did not like graphics.
Burner - Did not like looks. Shaft length was a big problem. When contact was made, the driver went far.
Str8-Fit - Ehh.
Air Force One - Best performance overall. Looks and sound would keep me from playing it.
Evolver - Did not like it at all.
Stephen R
Str8-fit - Just felt better than the rest of the group.
Monster - best performance, but the sound was really bad.
Evolver - Loved looks and sound, but lacked some control.
MX-700 - Hit it too high and lost some to a slice.
Air Force One - No distance problems but looks and sound were the worst.
Burner - Club too long for me. Struggled to hit it solid.
Mark B
Str8-Fit - Loved everything about it.
Evolver - Loved it, but struggled with a slice on 3-4 balls.
MX-700 - Flew very straight, but was short on distance.
Burner - Looks and club length killed it for me.
Monster - Could not get over the sound.
Air Force One - Worst looking and sounding driver ever.
John A
Monster - Best by a long shot over the rest of them.
Air Force One - Lacked a little distance to the Monster, but put a nice draw on the ball.
Str8-Fit - Terrible grip on this club. Lost about 5 balls to small slice.
MX-700 - Straightest by far. Hated the graphics and VERY short.
Burner - Graphics were just horrible. Had trouble finding sweet spot.
Evolver - Could not hit at all with this driver.
18-25
John H
Burner - Long and straight. Loved everything about this club.
Evolver - Close 2nd place. Not quite as long as the Burner.
MX-700 - A little too high for me. But best Mizuno has made in a while.
Str8-Fit - Long but had a tough time with control.
Air Force One - One of the best in performance. Look, Sound, and feel were all terrible.
Monster - Hated the looks and sound. It hurt my ears.
Ross F
MX-700 - Easiest to get up and mishits stayed dead straight.
Str8-Fit - Loved performance but lost 2-3 balls to a slice.
Evolver - Same as Nike, but lost a couple of more.
Burner - Great when struck dead on, but mishits ballooned on me.
Monster - Great performance but hated the looks and the sound way too much.
Air Force One - Worst driver I have ever hit.
Kevin W
Air Force One - Longest and straightest in the group.
Monster - A close 2nd to above.
MX-700 - Very straight but lacked length of the first two.
Burner - Good distance but control issues were too much.
Str8-Fit - I wanted to like it, but could not control it.
Evolver - Hated everything about it except for looks.
Michael F
Air Force One - Clubs just works. Long and very straight.
Monster - No feel at all, but great results.
Burner - Lost a few to a slice but longest out of the bunch by a lot.
Str8-Fit - Too high and sliced about 5 balls with it.
Evolver - Very straight, but very short.
MX-700 - WAY too high and sliced more than half the balls.
12-18
Rick B
Evolver - Best driver I have ever hit.
Burner - Longest I have hit today and great looking.
MX-700 - A little too high launch, but seriously straight.
Str8-Fit - Struggled with a slice on a few balls.
Monster - Sound hurt my ears. Lacked some distance.
Air Force One - Horrible in every way. Hook machine.
David O
Air Force One - Nice little draw everytime. Long.
Monster - Straightest I have ever hit a driver. Mishits still went far.
Str8-Fit - Longest out there but lost 2 to a slice.
Evolver - Good all around driver, but missing something.
Burner - Had control issues the whole time.
MX-700 - Hated this club completely.
Franklin C
Evolver - Longest and straightest out of all of them today.
Burner - Very long, hated the graphics.
MX-700 - Straight, but too high. Hated the graphics.
Str8-Fit - Had trouble with slice on a few.
Monster - Great performance, but sound makes me not like it.
Air Force One - Bad driver in every possible way.
Bobby C
Monster - As straight as I have ever hit the ball. Love the looks.
Str8-Fit - Very close 2nd to the Monster
MX-700 - Not as long but very straight. Great on mishits.
Burner - Really long but I fought some control.
Air Force One - Good performer, but lacked any fell. And man it was ugly.
Evolver - Hated this one. Lacked feel and sounded like wood.
As you can see some groups seemed to like certain drivers better than others, but results were really all over the map. However when votes were tallied, we had a tie for first place. Here were the standings at the final bell.
Overall
Cleveland Monster - 47 points
Nike Str8-Fit - 47 points
Mizuno MX-700 - 44 points
TaylorMade Burner - 40 points
Nickent Evolver - 39 points
Powerbilt Air Force One - 35 points
You can read how the score was broken down by handicap index at our main site plus see some of the pictures here.
http://thehackersparadise.com/home/?p=2920
You can see a bunch of pictures from this shoot out here.
http://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3500&highlight=forgiving+driver+pictures
As with all of our shoot outs these are not based on our rankings. They are based on golfers selected by THP based on handicap. They are completely unbiased and reflect only the opinions of those that participated.
