ALSO CONSIDER THESE… PXG 0811 X GEN4 £285 PXG 0811 XT GEN 4 £285 SRIXON ZX7 £449 TITLEIST TSI 3 £519

CALLAWAY ROGUE ST MAX LS

£479

Lofts 9° / 10.5°

Stock shafts Mitsubishi Chemical AV White

THEY SAY Callaway reckon the LS is a high MOI driver that’s been built to lower spin to offer above average swing speed players extra distance. Expect a strong, lower, more penetrating trajectory and a more neutral ball flight than the Rogue ST Max. An excellent choice for bombers, who also want a degree of shot shaping capability, Callaway say the LS typically falls into the hands of mid- to low-handicap golfers.

TG VERDICT Our test pro didn’t quite hit the same heights as he did with the standard Rogue ST Max, even though we tested both models with exactly the same shaft. His slightly downward attack angle saw the model giving up 2.9mph of ball speed and 12 yards of carry distance to its more forgiving sibling, but this is a lovely low-spin driver. If you’re a more consistent striker, you don’t spray shots all over the face and you want to chase distance through lowering spin, it should definitely be on your short list.

COBRA KING LTDX LS £399

Lofts 9° / 10.5°

Stock shafts Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw White 65, Project X HZRDUS RDX Blue 60, Project X HZRDUS Smoke im10 60

THEY SAY The LS has more weight (32g) positioned towards the front of its titanium and carbon fibre head to lower spin and increase ball speeds. The 457cc head has an aggressive aerodynamic shape, which Cobra say aids faster speed players in rinsing every last yard from whatever club speed they can muster.

TG VERDICT We can’t take anything away from the LTDX LS: its numbers are very good (tied third longest), it’s also a lovely looking and great sounding driver, too. But our test pro did feel that he had to work harder to get the very best out of this model. And when you compare that feeling of needing to be right on the top of your game to the brilliant standard LTDX, which was much more friendly and forgiving (it cut carry distance drop-off by 50% compared to the LS), we all know which model most club golfers should be choosing this year.

MIZUNO ST-G 220 £449

Loft 9° (Adjustable from 7-11°)

Stock shaft Choose from 14 premium options

THEY SAY Mizuno drivers have come of age in the last few years. Thanks to three sole weight tracks, the ST-G 220 can go from being an ultra low-spin bomber to a more playable mid-spin driver with either a draw or fade bias. The G has a deeper face height and more compact front-to-back dimension, so expect a player’s profile. A very versatile driver with two 8g weights for dialling in shot shape, dialling down spin or upping forgiveness.

TG VERDICT That it’s only available in a 9° loft speaks volumes about who this model is really aimed at – decent golfers looking for very specific launch conditions and/or a particular shot shape. If you can handle it, this is a great looking driver at address, it sounds good and its movable sole weight tracks are clever, as they take up the minimum amount of mass and don’t sprawl right across the sole plate, which is inefficient. The 25 yards of carry distance drop-off was the biggest of any driver our pro hit.

PING G425 LST £450

Lofts 9° / 10.5°

Stock shafts Ping Tour, Ping Alta CB

THEY SAY The LST is Ping’s lowest spinning driver. A smaller, 445cc head is teamed with a 17g CG shifter to give a degree of shot shape control. The LST is usually a good match for higher swing speed players who specifically want to target lower spin for more distance.

TG VERDICT From what is a really good looking head shape and powerful profile at address, the LST was our second best lowspin driver at preserving ball speed from off-centre hits, and third best at minimising carry loss. In terms of ball speed and carry, the LST wasn’t quite fastest or longest, but from our experience Ping drivers rarely are as their engineers tend to err on the side of slightly more forgiveness. Even though the LST is now into its second year, Ping assure us the model will comfortably see out 2022.

Lofts 7.5° / 9° / 10.5° / 12°

Stock shaft Choose from five premium options (regular flex)

THEY SAY The X is designed to be a low spinning driver. A taller face height (it’s the tallest of the three PXG Gen4 models) means the centre of gravity is lower in relation to the centre of the face. An aggressively sloped crown from face to back helps create high launch with low spin for extra distance (usually at above average swing speeds).

TG VERDICT The Gen4 X wasn’t quite our longest PXG driver in this category; the Gen4 XT (Xtreme Tour) had the upper hand on carry, by three yards. But look closer at our ball speed and carry distance dropoff comparisons. The Gen4 X ranked third best at protecting ball speed and first for protecting carry (eight yards, where the XT gave up another 16 on top). That spells out very clearly why the X will likely be a better low-spin option for the majority of good club golfers than it’s more aerodynamic, tourfocused sibling.

Lofts 7.5° / 9° / 10.5°

Stock shaft Choose from five premium options

THEY SAY The XT (Xtreme Tour) has a flatter head with the crown being much more parallel to the sole than most modern drivers, plus a high skirt to reduce drag. A smaller toe-to-heel dimension specifically targets more speed for 105+mph speed players.

TG VERDICT When you employ bighitting tour pros you need a driver that matches their thirst for speed and low spin. Tour player impact locations are usually much more consistent, so they can get away with using a driver like the XT that’s front weighted (for less spin and more ball speed) and specifically shaped for maximum aerodynamic performance. This was our test pro’s second longest low-spin driver, so there’s plenty of power to unlock as long as you have the speed and launch to open up that performance. It’s a lot of driver for £285.

Lofts 9.5° / 10.5°

Stock shaft Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 60

THEY SAY Where the ZX5 has a more triangular head shape, the ZX7 is a much rounder, more traditional pear-shaped driver. Srixon say the flatter crown and higher back skirt shaping give a lower, more penetrating ball flight, which means the model is usually most at home in the hands of above average players.

TG VERDICT For golfers who aren’t brand-led when it comes to drivers, the ZX7 sits beautifully at address, the more pear-shaped head is very appealing and there’s nothing on the crown to draw or distract the eye; even the tiny alignment aid is very subtle – just the look really good players love. Yes, we saw a sizeable drop-off in ball speed and carry, but those are exactly the attributes of a driver that’s designed to be more workable than just a flat-out bomber. And at the end of the day, the model was just three yards back from our second longest low-spin driver.

Lofts 8° / 9° / 10°

Stock shafts Kuro Kage Black, Tensei AV Blue Raw, HZRDUS Smoke Black, Tensei AV White Raw

THEY SAY The TSI3 has a more compact, traditional pear shape (than the TSI2), which Titleist say tends to be a good fit for more consistent ball strikers and golfers looking for control and influence over their driver ball flight.

TG VERDICT The TSI3 was among our six favourite low-spin drivers last year, but thanks to the performance of Taylormade’s Stealth Plus it doesn’t quite replicate that in 2022. It’s still no slouch when it comes to low-spin performance, though. Compared to our very best, the TSI3 was 14 yards back from the tee box, and thanks to 150% more drop-off distance (than our best low-spin driver) between our test pro’s longest and shortest shots, you can see why the model is more workable due to it being less forgiving. It is a cracking player’s driver, but don’t forget the model’s now into its second year, so should be scheduled for an update later this year.