New technology and the latest manufacturing techniques have greatly enhanced what the equipment manufacturers have been able to do with a golf club. The year 2017’s drivers combined multiple materials using the most advanced manufacturing techniques to produce unique designs that send the golf ball further, straighter and with less spin than ever before. These circumstances came together last year to produce the best, most consistent drivers the game of golf has ever seen.
Can the class of 2018 do better? What avenues of technology are left for manufacturers to explore? Can the new drivers really hit the ball further than ever even with the United States Golf Association’s (USGA) regulations limiting their performance?
To the equipment manufacturers, the ruling bodies’ rules limiting the performance of drivers were a challenge for them to produce the most technologically advanced golf clubs ever made to try and circumvent those regulations. But with the limits imposed by the games governing bodies, it stands to reason that there might be just a little bit of distance, yet left undiscovered, and the best they can do is to make their drivers easier to hit.
So what’s new for the class of 2018? Let’s find out.
Cobra F8
The Cobra F8 is the most compelling of the new 2018 drivers. Following up on its previous King F7 golf clubs, Cobra is back with its full line of King F8 drivers, hybrids and irons, and there are a slew of differences from its predecessors. Cobra has thrown the proverbial kitchen sink at the new F8 golf clubs based on about two-and-a-half years of research and development and many of the new technologies are quite visible. It’s also the first line of “smart” golf clubs, which you’ll learn more about below.
Unlike just about every other driver face on the market, Cobra’s new F8 and F8+ drivers have multidirectional CNC-milled faces. The process, which takes roughly 25 minutes per head according to Cobra, allows the faces to be produced thinner to increase ball speeds, and it saves weight to be used elsewhere in the heads (mostly low and rearward to increase forgiveness).
The surface roughness that the milling produces increases friction and actually lowers spin on drivers. Additionally, milling the faces tightens the tolerances, leading to more consistency and overall ball speed—since there’s a tighter tolerance, Cobra can get consistently closer to the USGA’s CT limit (a measure of spring-like effect).
While we’ve seen “speed trips” on the crowns of other drivers on the market to increase their aerodynamic quality, Cobra was able to add trips without adding much weight to the crown’s structure. That’s because Cobra is using polymer decal tape to trip up airflow around the crown during the swing. The polymer trips, along with a redesigned, streamlined shape—Cobra calls this “360 Aero”—the company has reduced overall drag by 17 percent compared to the F7 drivers. According to Cobra, this leads to 1.1 mph more ball speed, and 4 yards in total distance.
Rather than three weight ports in the soles of the drivers, as we saw in the F7 and F7+ drivers, Cobra has switched to two weight ports in the F8 (draw and neutral) and F8+ (forward and rearward) drivers. According to the company, fewer weight ports in the head allowed engineers to drop overall center of gravity (CG) in the head, thus making them more forgiving, while not giving up the ability for golfers to adjust CG to their swing needs
All of the F8 clubs are “Smart”. Cobra launched its Connect system, in connection with Arccos Golf, in the F7 drivers. That means Arccos tracking system was embedded in the grips of the drivers, which uses vibrations to return club analytics.
Now, Cobra Connect will be available in every club throughout the F8 line. When you purchase a set of King F8 or King F8 ONE iron sets, you will also receive a full set of Arccos 360 sensors for free; Cobra says this is a $249 value. With the new Cobra Connect system in every head throughout the set, golfers will receive stroked-gained stats and other helpful data in the app. You will need to play golf with your smartphone in your pocket for the system to work.
The “nardo” gray color, which is an option in the metalwoods aside from black, is undeniably popular right now throughout the sporting world and beyond. You may have noticed American college football teams using the color recently for their alternate jerseys, and several automobile manufacturers utilizing nardo in their color schemes. It’s the hottest color in sports right now, so why not bring it into the world of golf?
TaylorMade M3/M4
For 2018, TaylorMade has abandoned the M1/M2 nomenclature. Say hello then to the M3 and M4.
The new M3 appears to leverage a chassis construction similar to what TaylorMade has used in the last several iterations of drivers, however, the track weighting system has been updated with a unique Y-shaped design. The updated design would presumably allow for a slight amount of either fade or draw bias, while placing both weights in the rear should boost moment of inertia (MOI) by an appreciable amount.
The apparent emphasis on greater forgiveness suggests TaylorMade may be done with low/forward CG in its 460cc models and, instead, may be following PING, Cobra and PXG into the higher MOI space. For players with a legitimate need for lower spin, the upcoming M3 440 remains an option.
The M3 and M4 will feature ball-speed preserving Hammerhead technology, while the M4 will continue using TM’s Geocoustic construction.
The new M-series also features a new (for TaylorMade) Twist Face technology. Functionally you can think of it as offset or tilted bulge and roll. Unlike conventional designs, where the face roll is perpendicular to the horizontal face center, TaylorMade has twisted it a bit in an attempt to make it nearer to perpendicular (relative to the ground plane) at impact. Basically, TaylorMade is attempting to get better performance by designing its bulge and roll radii for how the face is positioned at impact (toe down relative to address) rather than how its oriented before you swing (conventionally square).
Callaway Rouge drivers
The word on Callaway’s new drivers is that Rogue will not be a replacement for the current Epic. This part of the story certainly aligns with the current Callaway strategy. For all the talk of too many releases, the reality is that Callaway has shifted most of its lineup to minimum 18-month lifecycles.
The timing is right for a new XR, but we’re hearing Rogue isn’t that. While Callaway marketing will offer the definitive word, the scuttlebutt is that Rogue is (supposedly/allegedly) better in every way than Epic.
Rogue features a number of enhancements that didn’t make it into the original Epic. As the story always goes, another year of R&D gets you a better driver.
The challenge for Callaway will come in trying to retain (and grow) its market share in the 2nd year of the Epic franchise amid the increased competition. That said, we’ve heard some very good things about the Rogue from people that have tested the new product so, again, this is a driver to watch in the coming year.
PXG
Following up its original 0811 driver launch, PXG came out with 0811X drivers earlier in 2017. Now, as of December 18, there are three new PXG drivers that have popped up on the USGA Conforming Driver Heads list. The new heads include all 9-degree models; PXG ZZ, PXG XXF and PXG XX. Based on the placement of its signature screw-like weights, it appears there is a fade-biased head, a draw-biased head and a neutral head.
Following up its original 0811 driver launch, PXG came out with 0811X drivers earlier in 2017. Now, as of December 18, there are three new PXG drivers that have popped up on the USGA Conforming Driver Heads list. The new heads include all 9-degree models; PXG ZZ, PXG XXF and PXG XX. Based on the placement of its signature screw-like weights, it appears there is a fade-biased head, a draw-biased head and a neutral head.
The PXG ZZ head appears to have a slightly more compact shape than the XXF and XX models, and it also has only six weights in the sole that are placed in the rear of the head on the toe and heel. The placement of these weights suggest both high MOI (a measure of forgiveness) and a neutral trajectory bias.
The PXG XXF head has nine weights in the sole, with three weights placed out on the toe; this weight placement suggests a fade bias. And, with three weights closer to the face, this suggests a CG that’s more forward than the ZZ model, possibly to lower spin.
Like the XXF head, the PXG XX head has nine weights in the sole, with three weights forward in the head. The difference is that the XX model has three weights in the heel, suggesting a draw bias.
Mizuno ST-180
Mizuno has recently released a new ST-180 driver that we spotted on Tour at the 2017 RSM Classic. The company’s “wave sole” technology makes an appearance for the first time in a Mizuno driver; the design is used to push weight low and forward to reduce spin rates, and the construction contracts and expands during impact to increase energy into the golf ball. The result is a lower-spinning driver, especially for those who hit down on the golf ball, and increased ball speeds across the face.
The ST-180 drivers have a new Forged SP700 Titanium face insert that allows the faces to be made thinner—saving weight from the face while increasing ball speeds—and they feature what the company calls a “Internal Waffle Crown” that saves weight to help shift CG low and forward in the head.