BEST OF THE REST

COBRA AEROJET MAX

VERDICT: In a year when prices are critical, Cobra’s Aerojet stands out as brilliant value for money. Cobra couldn’t get us a standard Aerojet so we hit the MAX – its 12g back weight produced a slower ball speed, but was a more forgiving set-up. At average club golfer speeds, when clubs are tough to separate on pure data, the Aerojet stands out because so much tech is crammed inside. A shot area just greater than our top three, and a second-best ranking for protecting carry distance mean the MAX makes a brilliant fairway finder. YONEX EZONE GS I-TECH

VERDICT: It’s been a few years since we tested Yonex equipment and based on the i-tech’s showing, they’ve missed out on some very positive results. At 276 yards carry, the model was tied as our longest forgiving driver of 2023. It doesn’t quite earn a ‘Best of’ badge as the head shape, deep face and slightly closed face angle put many off. But, if you like a lightweight, lively driver feel and aren’t shy of going ‘off-piste’ in terms of brands,

this is well worth exploring. CLEVELAND LAUNCHER XL

VERDICT: Cleveland’s whole Launcher XL family targets golfers who aren’t interested in optimising equipment through fitting and those who prioritise fun on the golf course over worrying about what gear they use. If that’s how you buy golf equipment, your game is in safe hands with the XL. We love the model’s really wide, friendly and forgiving head shape and the data it produced hovers right around our test averages. Mid to high-handicap players could do much worse than picking this option straight off the rack. SRIXON ZX5

VERDICT: In the hands of our test pro just six yards of carry distance separated the ZX5 and our very longest drivers, plus the model produced our secondsmallest left-to-right dispersion (31.9 yards), which means it will perform on the golf course. The ZX5 looks great, it sounds great, there’s a touch of high-launch draw bias built in, and we’d happily use one ourselves. In tough times, though, it’s hard to heartily recommend at this price, especially knowing how there are other excellent drivers out there for less. WILSON DYNAPOWER TI

VERDICT: The 16g of rear weighting means the Ti is forgiving and a fraction draw biased (as is the modern trend of forgiving drivers), where the brand’s Carbon (crown and sole sections: £420) alternative is lower spinning and has more neutral ball flight tendencies. In a super-competitive market, our data doesn’t show this ripping up any trees. In the hands of average to fast speed golfers, though, it’s attractively shaped, sounds decent and comes with the capacity to keep up with Joneses for reasonable amounts