FORGIVING DRIVERS
COBRA KING LTDX £399
Lofts 9° / 10.5° / 12°
Stock shafts Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw White 65, Project X HZRDUS RDX Blue 60, Project X HZRDUS Smoke im10 60, UST Helium Nanocore
THEY SAY The first driver to team a zero CG (a centre of gravity that falls below an imaginary line drawn perpendicular to the club face through the body) along with a high MOI. The LTDX is aimed at golfers who want maximum ball speed and distance, but also value forgiveness and a straighter ball flight. The 460cc head is slightly oversized in profile. There’s 19g of weight positioned within a ‘PWRCOR’ behind the face to lower spin and promote high launch; an additional 15g fixed back weight is there to aid balance and stability.
TG VERDICT The LTDX may be built on an improved titanium and carbonfibre chassis, in line with the previous two Cobra drivers, but our test pro’s stats reveal it has moved on massively in terms of performance. The LTDX was tied for second (with the Callaway Rogue ST Max) for fastest ball speed, first and second at protecting ball speed and carry (within this category) respectively, and it was also our pro’s second longest forgiving driver; an undeniably impressive performance. To add to the cracking performance, we’re also big fans of the bullet-shaped head, which looks fast and forgiving at address, and were impressed how Cobra’s engineers have removed the ridge that ran around the perimeter of the Cnc-milled face on previous models. It’s a very sleek, attractive option – and a decent chunk cheaper than most of the competition this year.
PING G425 MAX £450
Lofts 9° / 10.5° / 12°
Stock shafts Ping Alta CB or Ping Tour
THEY SAY The G425 is now into its second year, and Ping say you can expect it to remain in the family for the whole of this year. Where others have moved into carbon-fibre for crowns, sole cut-outs and faces, Ping insist the all-titanium G425 can still compete.
TG VERDICT Ping don’t work on a 12-month life cycle for drivers, and the G425 Max is still a current model for 2022. We tested it last year and while its full titanium head wasn’t quite the very fastest or longest, it was our best driver at protecting carry drop off – our pro saw just seven yards between his longest and shortest shots, which makes for consistent performance on the course. That’s exactly what a lot of club golfers should be looking for, and it’s the same this year. Our pro saw a six-yard (better than any other driver we tested this year) loss when shots were hit away from the centre of the driver face. Considering the G425 Max was also the tied-third longest forgiving driver, it continues to offer a brilliant blend of speed, distance and forgiveness that lots of club golfers will want.
CALLAWAY ROGUE ST MAX £479
Lofts 9° / 10.5° / 12°
Stock shafts Mitsubishi Tensei AV White 60 or Blue 50, Project X Cypher
THEY SAY The Max is the Rogue ST family’s most forgiving model. It has a traditional forgiving weight setup, with a wider, more stretched body shape, and it isn’t a lower MOI driver with a forward CG for fast ball speeds as the previous Epic and Mavrik models have been. The Max has a touch of draw bias built in (though nowhere near as much as the ST Max D), and Callaway say it’s easier to hit straight than the Ping G425 Max.
TG VERDICT Based on the Max’s hugely impressive performance, we really shouldn’t give up on titanium faces just yet. Within this category the ST Max is outstanding. It was our pro’s longest forgiving driver by five yards (a significant amount at his swing speed), but it’s not just raw power with no forgiveness; it also tied second-fastest in terms of ball speed and was third best at protecting carry drop off (nine yards or 3.2%), which is really beneficial when it comes to consistency. Its wide, stretched body, with new matt black crown manages to look really desirable at address. But what’s really clever is that Callaway have built in a touch of draw bias to this model. The idea will help improve ball speeds for very slight heel strikers and give a hand to many golfers in attaining the ball flight shape they dream of.
‘PREVIOUS ST DRIVERS HAVE FOCUSED ON BALL SPEED AND SPIN. THE 220 ADDS ULTIMATE FORGIVENESS ON OFF-CENTRE STRIKES – THE FINAL PIECE OF THE JIGSAW’
Lofts 9º / 10.5º / 12º
Stock shaft Fujikura Ventus Red 5
THEY SAY Stealth has a 60-layer carbon-fibre face to remove inefficient mass from the front of the driver. Taylormade say it gives better energy transfer at impact and additional ball speed. The Stealth also has a MOI 15% higher than the Stealth Plus, meaning you can expect 200-300rpm more backspin (so the Stealth is a mid to low-spin driver) than the Plus, along with a mid-high launch and ball flight.
TG VERDICT The best golf equipment brands make three or more different drivers for a very good reason. One model of any driver family will suit a particular golfer better than the rest, and because one stands out, the others (when hit by the same golfer) can on the surface at least appear less attractive. This is exactly the case with the Stealth in our test pro’s hands. Because the Stealth Plus suited him so well, the standard Stealth looks an inferior choice. But be under no illusion, for the majority of club golfers that won’t be the case. For the Standard Stealth’s extra forgiveness, our test pro gave up 1.8mph of ball speed (versus Stealth Plus), yet it still produced the fourth fastest ball speed in this category. Anyone looking to buy a new driver in 2022 should have the Stealth family on their shortlist.
Lofts 9.5° / 10.5°
Stock shaft Choose from 14 premium options
THEY SAY Brand new for 2022, the ST-Z 220 has been optimised for straight and lowspin performance. Where previous Mizuno drivers have focused on maximising ball speed through optimising launch and spin, Mizuno say the Z attacks additional consistency on offcentre strikes. The confidenceinspiring 460cc profile will suit the eye of elite golfers who, thanks to a 20g back weight, want to keep an eye on ball speed protection and forgiveness.
TG VERDICT Mizuno drivers have been fast, long and powerful for a few years now, but it’s worth remembering all that performance comes from their stock shaft length which tends to be a little shorter (which improves confidence) than lots of the competition. While previous ST drivers have focused on optimising ball speed and spin, it’s great to hear Mizuno talk about the new ST 220 family being the final piece of the jigsaw, and going after ultimate forgiveness on off-centre strikes. The ST-Z was our third longest forgiving driver of 2022 (tied with the Ping G425 Max and Titleist TSI2), its ball speed, backspin, shot height and dropoffs were all really solid right across the board, and don’t forget the Z costs a fair chunk less than most of its competitors.