Armed with Knuth’s patent-pending Optimal CG Game Changer and Fire Zone Face Technologies — which expands the sweet spot to basically the entire face by reducing the average thickness of the toe and heel areas by 30 to 40 percent — the High Heat driver produces ball speeds of 1.41 times the average swing speed (known as the “smash factor”) compared to the major brands’ average of 1.3. That translated into more than 20 yards extra distance, and the data is similar for the 3-metal too.
In fact, the 1.41 smash factor produced in High Heat’s tests on toe and heel strikes surpassed MyGolfSpy’s 50,000 center-strike tests of other drivers.
How did Knuth achieve this eye-opening (and smile-inducing) increase in power? By taking the USGA’s recent changes to the “CT” rule — the amount of time a ball can stay on the face of a club, from 257 to 275 microseconds, sometimes called the trampoline effect — and pushed those numbers toward the High Heat’s perimeter, to an average of 267 on the toe and 266 on the heel. That’s why Knuth has dubbed High Heat’s full-hot-face effect “257+ Technology.”
TaylorMade has shifted the paradigm of golf club engineering once again with the introduction of the TaylorMade M3 and M4 drivers and metal woods, highlighted by the company’s breakthrough innovation – Twist Face technology.
Twist Face technology is truly the first of its kind. It’s TaylorMade’s solution to counteract golfers’ most common misses, more specifically, those resulting from the high toe and low heel impacts. To counteract the high-toe miss (a hook), the driver face has been twisted open (loft increased and face opened) on the high-toe to help straighten ball flight. Similarly, to counteract the low-heel miss (a slice) the driver face has been twisted closed to de-loft and close the face in the low heel area. Ultimately, TaylorMade’s Twist Face technology delivers a corrective face angle when hit off-center for longer, straighter shots.
After some very minor USGA-required tweaks to its final design, the surprise winner of the Golf Channel’s “Driver vs. Driver” series is ready for prime time and getting good reviews as “the world’s most adjustable multi-piece driver,” featuring two interchangeable sole plates for optimal launch, spin and extraordinary distance. Wrote one online reviewer, “[I] hit this driver at a demo day and crushed every shot I hit. Hit several other brands and this out performed anything else so I bought one.” The Triton DVD combines five elements of technology aimed at providing golfers with a new and exciting driver experience. The initial concept was introduced by industrial designer Eric Sillies and perfected by the Wilson LABS team over a period of 16 months. The name Triton was selected as it communicates characteristics of power, strength and speed. It also speaks to specific product attributes including the three sole weight ports and the tri-winged shape of the sole plates, which were inspired by the aerodynamic manta ray. The Triton comes equipped with two interchangeable sole plates — one titanium and one carbon fiber — for significant launch and spin changes. The 22g titanium sole plate is optimized for the majority of players who need mid to high launch and low spin while the nine-gram carbon fiber sole plate is geared for players who prefer a more penetrating ball flight and lower spin. Swing Active Tech-nology, the 1:1 revolutionary crown alignment feature is designed to make hitting the sweet spot intuitive and consistent, improving ball striking for improved accuracy. Four moveable weights — two two-gram, and two six-gram — can be placed in six unique combinations to fine tune and perfect ball flight. By varying the weight placement in the three sole ports, shot trajectory can be adjusted higher or lower or to help with draws and fades for true customization to complement each player’s swing. Fast Fit technology makes getting the perfect set-up fast and easy. Just a few turns of the wrench allows easy access to all six hosel settings, including three loft and three draw options. Ten different tour proven shafts are available at no upcharge.
On sale toward the end of 2016, Tour Edge’s newest Exotics XJ1 driver boasts a combination of a 9-1-1 titanium chassis, Kevlar-Carbon crown and three Tungsten sole weights. This superior lightweight concept, combined with the most advanced ultra-light Air Speeder shafts, allows players with moderate swing speeds to generate maximum distance off the tee. The 9‐1‐1 titanium body is 10 percent lighter than 6A4v titanium, while its strength enables it to be thinner and more reactive, even at lower swing speeds. The crown is ultra-lightweight as well, a mere 12g — lowering the center of gravity for ideal launch. Another benefit of the Kevlar‐Carbon is its increased firmness, which results in amplified ball speed higher up on the face. And SP 700 beta titanium in the face plate is much larger than on a normal driver, dramat-ically increasing C.O.R. all over the face. Finally, the 460 cc head’s near-perfect weight distribution is achieved with three tungsten weights including two heel and toe stability bars at 10g each, and stability bars widen the sweet spot and increase the M.O.I. substantially for stunning forgiveness. A weighted tungsten screw in the heel is positioned strategically for draw enhancement and faster release of the clubhead through impact. As with the driver, the XJ1 fairway wood’s lightweight body allows most of the weight to be in the 124g Tungsten sole. The added weight generates high launch angels and produces a low center of gravity for extremely easy-to-hit shots from any lie with optimal results. Combo brazing adheres the titanium body to the tungsten sole. A 12g tungsten screw in the heel is positioned strategically for draw enhancement and faster release of the club head through impact.
Titleist’s latest 917D drivers are once again setting the standard for complete performance off the tee, providing maximum distance and forgiveness with precise adjustability to benefit dedicated golfers at every level of the game. Both 917D2 and 917D3 models are engineered with proprietary Active Recoil Channel 2.0 and SureFit CG technology, the result of an uncompromising “complete performance” design strategy develop the industry’s most comprehensive and efficient driver designs, which have earned immediate acceptance and validation by many of the world’s best players, including Adam Scott, Bill Haas and Jimmy Walker, who trusted a 917D2 8.5-degree model to his first major title at the PGA Championship. Key technologies include Active Recoil Channel (ARC) 2.0, a long, wide, deep sole channel, actively flexes and recoils at impact to launch the ball off the face with higher speed and lower spin for more distance. Refined thickness areas throughout the channel, including thinner heel and toe regions, produce greater face flexibility for a more consistent deflection that reduces spin and increases speed across the face. Radial Speed Face 2.0, a high-speed forged face insert, is tuned with ARC 2.0 to promote greater off-center ball speed for more overall distance. A precise High-MOI Design, with a low and deep center of gravity location, delivers stability and forgiveness by preserving off-center ball speed for more distance, more often. Finally, Titleist’s industry-leading SureFit Hosel and new SureFit CG weight system deliver the ultimate in precision fitting for every player. The 917’s adjustable technologies offer the type of customization previously available only on the Titleist Tour Van. A Titleist authorized fitter will utilize the SureFit Hosel and SureFit CG, coupled with interchangeable shafts, to determine a player’s optimal setup so they are playing a 917 driver that is fit precisely to
