In January of this year, fellow THP writer James Miles published an article on Cleveland Golf’s 2024 driver, the Launcher XL 2. At the time of publication, he’d already spent considerable time working with the product, and while on the surface he may not appear to be the target customer for a driver like the XL 2, he found an impressive amount of success with it. In many ways, we’ve come to associate Cleveland Golf’s metalwoods with slower swing speeds and golfers that need more forgiveness, and while that is very much the case in some regards, the company didn’t exactly frame the XL 2 that narrowly. For example, they recommend it for moderate to high swing speeds, and James’ testing seemed to back that up. If you read the article linked above, you’ll see he was producing ball speed around 160 mph, manageable spin, and reasonable accuracy with the stock driver, even with a swing speed hovering around 110 mph.
We won’t rehash the XL 2’s entire technological package here since it’s all explained so well in the January article, but Miles felt it was Cleveland’s strongest entry into the driver market in some time. Ample speed was created by the Rebound Frame and its “trampoline in a trampoline effect”. Forgiveness was increased by repositioning mass in the XL Head Design, with a massive 12% increase in vertical MOI. The Mainframe XL Face was built using machine learning to provide optimal face thickness in all the right places. Altogether, the design matches, on paper at least, Cleveland’s claim that the XL 2 was designed for “anyone who wants help going longer and finding more fairways”.
I’m not afraid to admit that James is a more skilled golfer than I am, and he produces a great deal more speed than I do. I can’t help but covet his golfing abilities, but after reading his article I also found myself coveting the Cleveland Launcher XL 2 driver. Fortunately, not only are we good friends, but we also had a chance to play golf together at Briggs Ranch Golf Club over a long weekend in April. Ahead of our trip I asked if he’d pack the Launcher XL 2 so I could try it out, and he gladly accommodated my request. To keep things simple, he brought me the head and I was able to pop my shaft of choice into it. Since that time, I’ve had it on the course and my in-home simulator in the hopes that I could provide feedback from the perspective of a player with a “moderate” (which is a really nice way of saying slow) swing speed.
While it’s not a universal truth, in addition to loving the performance of a driver, most players also have to be comfortable with what they are seeing and hearing. I’ll admit to having a little concern about how the XL 2 would look in person. It’s called the XL 2 for a reason, meaning it’s intended to be large and inspire confidence. The easiest way for companies to produce high launching, forgiving drivers is to stretch them out from front to back, and Cleveland has done that with the XL 2 to an extent. While this can result in some strange shapes and overly shallow faces, somehow the XL 2 manages to stay well within the range of looking “good” at address. It’s not a tiny, pear-shaped head, but it’s a shape that most should find easy comfort with, due much in part to the designers’ clever use of finishing and contouring. The “neutral” setting does give a hint of appearing closed, but it’s not an overwhelmingly draw-biased look.
You may remember I mentioned sound being important to some consumers. Preferences vary, but the industry’s carbon explosion has definitely changed how the average golfer thinks a driver should sound. You’ll notice the XL 2 on the driving range. There’s really no other way to spin it and we won’t bother. It’s a louder, metallic sounding driver that stands out. It’s nowhere near the loudest driver we’ve used – not even the loudest we’ve reviewed in the last 12 months. Still, if you are looking for the muted crack produced by carbon fiber crowns you won’t find it here. We suggest you embrace it and dare to be different.
All the extras aside, I’ll admit that the idea of what the XL 2 could offer me in terms of performance was what most attracted me to it. The idea that I could find a driver that offered competitive speed to go with high ball flight and forgiveness was certainly intriguing. Luckily for the sake of testing forgiveness, my rounds at Briggs Ranch with the XL 2 in hand were my first rounds since November 2023, and I had no problem missing the center of the face. As I groaned and put on a sour face after my first tee shots, it soon became apparent that my results weren’t matching my input. In fact, playing partners were commenting positively about my drives and all I could manage to say was, “thanks, but I haven’t even hit the center of the face yet”.
You’ll notice some definite toe-side bias in the picture above, which (along with missing high) is common for me. It seemed, visually at least, that the XL 2 did a great job at keeping the ball in the air and in the general vicinity of the fairway on these misses, which resulted in much more distance than I deserved. When I finally settled in a little bit and began hitting the middle of the face, I was happy to see higher than normal ball flight (a very good thing for me), a slight draw shape, and exceptional distance, no doubt aided in part by firm Texas fairways. Testing on the SkyTrak+ backed up my impressions that I was getting just about everything I could from my swing.
| Swing Speed | Ball Speed | Launch Angle | Backspin | Carry Distance | Total Distance | Height |
| 92 mph | 136 mph | 16 degrees | 2,232 rpm | 219 yards | 228 yards | 90 feet |
While these launch monitor numbers don’t compete with what James was producing, they are solid, useable numbers that anybody swinging the club in the low 90’s are worth taking note of. On the course, where conditions like elevation, fairway firmness, and wind can play a part in distance, I found myself reaching out much further at times and was easily able to keep up with my group. At $449, the Cleveland Launcher XL 2 offers exceptional performance at a very attractive price.
Have you tried the Cleveland Launcher XL 2 Driver? We’d love to hear your thoughts on the THP Forum, where thousands of golfers come together to discuss all things golf.
