2015 Live Driver Test - THPers Give Feedback - Tampa Bay Area

I found the Wilson D200 to be light but still very sturdy. Very easy to get through the hit zone with a nice high launch. Can't recall the address position but I know it did not deter me from hitting the club. Let's just say that nothing stood out.

Freddie, did anything from this outing stand out over the yet-to-be released driver you hit last week at the Adams event?
 
Here is part 2 of my recap.


Cobra
FLY-Z+- I must admit that I have loved this club since first hitting it back in December and seeing the LM numbers only made it better. 146 B/S, 242 carry, 2400 spin, and on the course I hit this well with a nice baby draw a few times. The best one was right at 257 and my third longest of the day. The forgiveness level seems to be more than the Bio Cell+ gave me last year but not quite 815 Alpha levels for comparison. The shape of the clubhead and look at address is very confidence inspiring to me without being large and bulky. I only wish Cobra would offer more shaft options like some of the other companies do. The stock shaft weight wise is fine, but doesn’t provide enough feedback for me.

Nike

Vapor Speed- Lots of forgiveness with this head but the spin what really high. B/S 140, 4100spin, 231carry. The stock shaft offering is ok, but the grip was terrible feeling to me. The look down by the ball was very friendly and I could see this club being a great fairway finder for someone who is a very low spin player or is willing to give up a few yards for accuracy. I didn’t get any on course time with this one. Honestly with the high spin levels I saw from the 4 balls I hit, I doubt there would have been any on course impressions that would change my view on this one. It’s just doesn’t suit me well.

Vapor Pro-
After hitting the Speed version just before this one, I didn’t have high hopes for this one. I was glad I gave it a chance though because my best numbers were B/S 139, 3200spin, 238 carry. On the course I hit this twice right on the screws and had the first go 244yds, then 265yds. The 265 was my longest of the day so I was very impressed with this club. The pear shape look at address is beautiful and the neon green Nike symbol isn’t a distraction at all to me. I really like the black face on this one as well and more than the silver finish on the Speed version. The shaft pair’s well with this club, but like the Speed the grip needs to go. Love the sound and fell this club presented on center strikes, but it’s not very forgiving.

Vapor Flex-
You can’t mistake this club out of the lineup because of the AA battery looking weight in the back of it. At address it doesn’t really extend out and become a distraction. The black face is carried over from the Pro head and looks just as good framing the ball. I didn’t get to hit this on the LM, but on course performance wasn’t good for me. I’m as much to blame as the club for sure, but my main mishit is a toe strike and this club wasn’t very helpful like other were in that regard. Unfortunately, the same grip choice was carried over to this line, but the shaft was good and felt like the same in the Pro head.

Srixon

Z545- I have mixed emotions about this club. From a looks stand point I like the clean appearance. It reminds me a lot of the J715 when looking in the address position. On the course I hit a low running drive that made it to the water 260ish from the tee box, but the club really lacks any wow factor for me. There isn’t really any new innovative tech in this club that makes me really want it in my bag. The forgiveness was ok, but I feel they are aiming this club at the better player bracket and not me. I don’t remember what shaft was in this one but it was the heaviest feeling out of all of the clubs I hit out there today. I guess overall for me this club really feels and looks like a club from the mid 2000s. Maybe I am just lacking vision or not antiquated with Srixon’s big picture but this club seems to be 10 year old tech that’s late to the party.

TaylorMade

R15- First, I will admit that I am over white clubheads. I know they offer this one in black and I think that will look a lot better. Down by the ball it looks good, frames the ball nicely, and doesn’t look huge. On range performance was solid with 141 B/S, 240 Carry, 2700Spin. On the course I could do anything better than a few hooks with this club but that was all me. It good to see TMAG is continuing to put good shafts in their clubs. I enjoyed the feel and feedback from the stock offering. The forgiveness level was a lot better than the SLDR from last year and hope they continue going in that direction with their future offerings. Overall I think it’s a great club that has a nice blend of performance and can be dialed in to fit anyone’s game.

Aeroburner-
Even though I am not a white head fan the bulge at the top of this club is really cool looking at address. The little wing isn’t distraction and at first glance you probably won’t notice it unless you are looking for it. This club plays really long for me and was hard for me to get comfortable with it and make consistent contact. Also the lightweight feel didn’t help any. My best was 144 B/S, 244 carry, forgot the spin numbers. Unfortunately, we didn’t have this one in our group to test on course. Overall I think this driver will suit slower swingers the best in its stock setup. There isn’t a top of adjustability but should provide some extra distance for those who can control their tempo well and hit the sweet spot often.

Wilson

D200- I like the look of this driver offering from Wilson a lot, but I really feel this club is to light for its length. At address it frames the ball well with nice contrast. I only hit this once on the course and when I hit the ball, I really wouldn’t have known it if not for the sound. It’s so light weight you really have to slow your tempo down a lot if you have a fast transition. Even during slow practice swings I found myself struggling to know where the face was pointing. I know Wilson’s motto currently is “lighter is faster” but for me this one has crossed into the point of diminished returns. Overall if I was a smooth swing player looking for more distance I would give this a shot, but I feel the Aeroburner would be my first choice.

Knuth ?

High Heat- I really like how the blue top looks and the chrome faced finish glares at you. The club looks like its begging you to hit it hard. The lightweight shaft takes some getting used to and wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t record any LM numbers for this one and didn’t get any course time with it, but from the range shots I high this looks to be a solid performer. The sound is deafening and makes it a real treat to hit. This would be the perfect drive to use at a crowded municipal course on the first tee with 30+ onlookers and record their reactions. I wish I had written down some data from this one, but after hearing the sound everything went out the window.
 

Knuth ?

High Heat- I really like how the blue top looks and the chrome faced finish glares at you. The club looks like its begging you to hit it hard. The lightweight shaft takes some getting used to and wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t record any LM numbers for this one and didn’t get any course time with it, but from the range shots I high this looks to be a solid performer. The sound is deafening and makes it a real treat to hit. This would be the perfect drive to use at a crowded municipal course on the first tee with 30+ onlookers and record their reactions. I wish I had written down some data from this one, but after hearing the sound everything went out the window.

what shaft/weight/flex did you have in the high heat?
 
Did the G30 make it out there? Would like to hear if it was put up against the AeroBurner

Ping G30 LS Tec should have been out there somewhere based on the first post.

Loving the reviews, so far. I'm also looking for some tidbits on the LS Tec. Testers have thoughts on this driver?
 
Loving the reviews, so far. I'm also looking for some tidbits on the LS Tec. Testers have thoughts on this driver?
I don't think it made it out on the range. I never saw it and I was looking for it.
 
The Ping driver arrived late and was not included
 
I just caught up on this thread (wasn't able to follow along live), and wow this sounds like it was an awesome day. Well done to all, some outstanding info in here. And congrats War Eagle on the shiny new Cleveland!
 
what shaft/weight/flex did you have in the high heat?

I don't remember the shaft brand, but I think it was stiff flex and felt like around 50ish gram weight wise. I'd say D2 swing weight overall.
 
The high heat has the Fujikura Pro 63S if I recall.
 
Had a chance to finally sit down and revisit my thoughts on some of the stuff I hit on Friday. First off, thank you to JB for letting us have this opportunity, and a huge thank you to Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club for making this a seamless process for our group. They gave us a great course and awesome conditions for what we wanted to accomplish.

TaylorMade Aeroburner: as War Eagle mentioned, this reminded us a lot of a nice mix of the old school Burner and R11. Forgiveness as well as a very nice launch. Freddie and I felt it was a driver you could really work either direction with ease as we both took turns moving it both ways. It's a driver you would want to hit a few shafts and heads though to get the launch as well as spin under control. It may be a little spinny, thus why easy to work.

CG Black Custom: a great adjustable addition to the Cleveland line. Taking a bigger step from the glued version, this driver also wants to launch high and far, and with adjustability it's easy to switch to a setting that gives you high and left, straight, or right depending on what your preferred ball flight may be.

Vapor Pro: Very intriguing sound in this entire line. For me, ball speed was up on a monitor but spinny, approaching 3700-3800. On course, just didn't seem to go anywhere in relation to the others. Kinda bummed out, but man that sound was really cool to hear. Just a thud like pitch.

815 DBD: Crazy how high this launches and with little spin, yet still seems forgiving on mishits. A nice addition for those who want that mix of forgiveness, yet still want that CG forward like distance.

J815: A really nice offering from Bridgestone. A high launching driver that didn't seem to spin too much or spin too little. Graphics on top, maybe it's just me but I don't ever care about it since I'm looking at the ball not the crown. May have been my second favorite driver I hit, which never would have been my guess going into the day.

Fly Z XL: A nice choice for those who want most of the Fly Z tech in the head without the sliding weight or price that goes with it. It goes high, it goes pretty far, and didn't notice any hooking issues with the offset. Guess that Internet myth can be busted...

Knuth High Heat: You blue eyed beauty you.. You may have the worst sound ever in a driver, but it's so easy to get over it when all it wants to do is go high, straight, and really far. It wasn't a question it was outperforming the other drivers for me. Even bad swings were still going, and the high MOI it has seems to make it a little easier to hit it where you're aiming.
 
Thanks for all the comments and reviews guys. WE the live updates were top notch and the photos just made it better.
 
Thanks for all the comments and reviews guys. WE the live updates were top notch and the photos just made it better.

Thank you, sir.

Just doing my part.
 
You deserve it.

Also I think that CG Black was made especially for you, it was perfect.

I will agree with this, I swear the CG Black was designed with me in mind.
 
Great feedback, love reading the recaps of the drivers and the head to head comparisons are great, I was already pumped for MN, even more so now thanks to all of you!
 
Can anyone rate the highest launchers of the bunch?
 
I thought the 815 launched higher than the XR
 
Quick recap from me:

Thx THP and ALL the OEMs. I got lucky today because my swing was pretty consistent off the tee, so it was a good day to test some clubs. My gamer is Cobra Biocell. Swing speed is in the low 90s. Any distances I mention were measured with my bushnell neo x.


1. The High Heat is a bombmaker... I hit my longest drive of the day with it, by 15 yds. @ 267 yds.

2. Bridgestone 815... whether you are a fan of the graphics on the crown of this club or not. Go hit it. The graphics will look better when you're standing in the fairway.

3. Yonex Ezone...First Yonex club I think I have ever hit, it was pleasing to the ear and very solid feeling club. The settings didn't really fit my swing but with some adjustments this one could be interesting.

4. Aeroburner..It's bright white. I didn't think I hit it well because it appeared to fly a little higher(for me), but the numbers don't lie, didn't hit it farther but didn't hit it shorter either.

5. Cleveland Black..To my eye, the best looking driver in the group. I hit this club well, It is forgiving as anything out there and since it so light even the 'old guy' can get it down the fairway pretty well.

6. Cleveland Black Custom.. See #5.

7. Cobra Fly Z XL.. Since I game a Cobra currently, this was an easy club for me to look down at and trust. I hit it very solid, but the offset is not something I need/want.

8. Nike Vapor..Hit about my only fade with this one, still got it out to about 245 yds. Wow that is a special paint color on the bottom of the one..neon greenish yellow?

9. Callaway BBA815 DBD..I have hit this one on multiple occasions, I really like this driver! It's more forgiving than most think and I hit it well.

Which club was giving you the most carry?
 
I hit the Bridgestone 815 and the Fly Z XL the highest.
 
Last edited:
I thought the 815 launched higher than the XR
I hit the XR back to back with the 815 with the same shaft and lost two degrees of launch with the 815.

Golf equipment is weird.
 
I hit the XR back to back with the 815 with the same shaft and lost two degrees of launch with the 815.

Golf swings are weird.

ftfy :)
 

To be fair, heads dont launch the same and the two he is speaking of, will launch noticably different for most golfers.
 
Back
Top