Speed Golf Titanium Driver Product Review
By GBB Staff
Introduction
Why are the drivers being used by amateurs not the right ones for them? Because the dirty little secret in driver design is that most of them are initially engineered for pro golfers or very low handicap players. And then, when the manufacturer needs to market that same driver to high handicappers, they simply make some superficial modifications. But the driver itself still has its original DNA as a club that was made for very strong players -- a heavy head, a heavy shaft, lower lofts, lower spin rates, etc.
That may be what Tour players need, but that doesn’t help those of us who’ve lost a little pop in our swings with age, or those who just aren’t strong enough to swing their driver over 100 MPH.
The makers of the Speed Golf Driver concluded that there had to be a better way and asked, “What if we design a driver that, from the ground up, is made for everyone else who needs more distance?”
Main Design Goal: Speed!
So I went on a quest to learn all I could about the Speed Driver.
I discovered that, when they set out to design this new driver, they had one goal in mind. They wanted to make a driver that would be easier to swing faster. I’m sure everyone already knows this, but it bears repeating: when you can swing a club faster, it generates more distance. And when you can swing it a lot faster, it generates a lot more distance.
When I first picked the club up, the overall lightness was noticeable immediately. Before I even took a swing, I knew that I was going to be able to swing this club a lot faster than my current driver. And then, after hitting some shots with it, I came to another realization. When you swing a club that is so much lighter overall, and balanced so perfectly, you can get the extra speed you need without the extra effort. I found I was able to take what felt was a less forceful, more rhythmic swing and still get a higher swing speed. At that point, I was definitely starting to get excited about this driver.
It’s Not Just Weight That Matters
Yes, the Speed Driver has an overall lighter weight. That’s obviously one key to the design. But if it were only about weight, any number of manufacturers could put out a driver that doesn’t weigh a lot.
But there’s more to the Speed Driver than just light weight. That’s why they named it the Speed Driver. This driver is a breakthrough because they were able to bring all of the components into a total harmony that allows slower-swinging players to get some additional MPH of swing speed.
To do that, they lab-tested and refined all of the club’s elements and made sure they were in perfect synch with one another. That includes the flex of the shaft, the loft of the club face, the weight of the head itself, the face angle, the shaft dynamics (things like the kick point, torque, etc.), and even the grip. These things were all fine-tuned to make sure that the average player would be able to swing the club much faster and produce more distance.
Other Game Improvement Features
There are a couple of other really important technical game improvement features that were added to the club, too.
They call the first one “Mis-Hit Correction” technology, or MHC. The MHC feature, as the name suggests, lessens the negative effect of shots when you miss the sweet spot. Shots that are hit toward the toe of the club and consequently start out to the right, tend to work back leftward toward the fairway. And conversely, shots hit on the heel which initially start out to the left, tend to move back rightward toward the fairway. This is a feature that high handicappers will love, as not only will you be gaining extra distance, but MHC will see to it that you gain some accuracy as well.
The other game improvement feature they added is called “Launch Angle Optimization.” One of the keys to getting maximum distance is having the optimal trajectory on your ball flight. By strategic placement of the center-of-gravity in the club head, they ensured that the launch angle that you’ll get on your drives will be optimized specifically for your swing and your speed.
Conclusion
So, what was the result of my testing? Well, I didn’t have the benefit of a launch monitor to confirm my distance results, but I can say without reservation that I was getting a lot more distance. The golf course where I usually play is one that I’ve used for many years, so I’m very familiar with where my customary drives tend to end up. And I was routinely well past those landing areas.
As I mentioned before, I also loved that I found I could swing at a much more controlled pace. I didn’t feel like I needed to “swing out of my shoes” to get those distances. That improved rhythm automatically had me swinging with more control and I was getting a tighter dispersion on my shots as a result. That was a welcome benefit. I started out hoping to just get more distance, but what I ended up getting was more distance plus more accuracy.
Visit the Speed Driver Product Page for more info.