By S. Dee Davis

We tested many of the drivers that are out there in the market today and came up with our top 10 list. There are a couple holdovers from last year. Testing and consideration were given based on distance and accuracy with the same neutral swing speed (110) in a controlled distance environment (testing facility). Otherwise the golf drivers were rated based on the following factors:

1 Comfort on setup
2 Grip comfort and control
3 Shaft response and control (stiff shafts were used)
4 Distance at 110 swing speed
5 Ball trajectory
6 Accuracy to center line
7 Ball control in flight (indicating a spinning or no spin ball flight)

Golf Driver Buying Guide

Choosing the Right Driver
Steps for Finding the Right Driver to put in your bag

• A) First Narrow your Choices by knowing your handicap or level. Obviously, the best driver on the market for top tour pros may be different than the driver a high handicap golfer needs. If you are a high handicap golfer consider drivers that have:
  1. A larger sweet spot
  2. Drivers designed with high handicap golfers in mind

  If you are a low handicap golfer consider:

  1. The shaft flex and control for your swing speed (have your swing speed tested)
  2. The club head position at set up and whether you need an adjustable face and loft

• B) If possible test clubs at a course, golf shop, or golf testing center to determine what club feels best to you. This is really one of the only ways to find out which club you like best.

• C) Play with various shaft combinations, lengths and grips to determine what is best for you. For example, to avoid hooking the ball, I elongated my shaft with a plug and changed out my grip for a bigger more full feel. Some hit a graphite shaft better and some an aluminum composite shaft.

• D) Consider whether you have a tendency to hook or slice the ball off the tee and purchase your driver to avoid this outcome. Makes common sense, but worth pointing out, do not purchase a driver that promotes the same bad shot shape.

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years and his work has appeared in numerous publications including CBS, the San Fransisco Chronicle… See more about S. Dee Davis

Featured Golf Balls Articles

Buy the Right Golf Ball to Lower Your Golf Handicap

Many golf balls these days contain a rating for various optimum swing speed ranges. Look for it on the packaging or the manufacturer web site to find out. It’s easy to find your average swing speed. Most high end golf stores have speed reading meters on their simulated driving ranges. It … [more]

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Top 10 Golf Putters

Although some of selecting a putter is about “feel” there is more to it than that. We rate the best putters below on the following criteria: Appearance, “feel”, how well the ball rolls off the putter face, alignment characteristics, weighting balance and price/value. See the putter comparison … [more]

Top 10 Golf Wedges

A club class of its own, the wedges have high lofts, the short shafts, and the heavy clubheads. Out of all the irons wedges take all of these to the extreme. The purpose of a wedge is to aid players in making accurate short-distance “lob” shots, to get the ball onto the green and out of hazards….[more]

Top 10 Golf Balls

The following list of the best top ten golf balls was determined from the authors opinion using the following criteria: Consistency in length off the tee, spin control and the ability to hold greens, “feel” of the ball around greens for chipping and putting, durability, and price/value. Combining … [more]

Top 10 Golf Clubs

Following are some of the factors that we felt are most important in evaluating the top 10 golf club iron selections. Clubs were tested at a testing facility and loosely measured for the below quality points: 1. Comfort at Setup (Instilling Confidence), 2. Solid Feel at Impact, 3. Workable Ball Flight … [more]

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The following are our top 10 Golf Bag choices based on the following criteria: Durability, Price, Stability of Stand, Access and Organization, Extra Pockets for Accessories, Comfort of Harness strap… [more]

Top 10 Golf Rangefinders

Following are our choices for the top 10 golf rangefinders for the year after some testing and research. We’ve taken price, quality, and value into account when developing these ratings. Rangefinders were tested based on the following factors… [more]

More Golf Drivers

By S. Dee Davis

I hit the 10.5 version of the Ping G best. This is a very long and very accurate driver and the best on the market in my opinion. The combination is tough to come by, but I consistently hit draws and fades around the same distance. I found that teeing it lower produced a better ball flight as making contact near above the sweet spot took off a good bit of distance. Contact made just to the right or left or underneath the sweet spot produced very good distance and accuracy. When making contact just to the outside of the sweet spot, the ball tended to bend right to left back online, and the opposite was true when contact was made to the inside of the sweet spot. This is just what we’re looking for in the forgiveness category. The G1 is not a far cry from the previous G30, which is also in our top 5 selections for this year. Really the “Dragonfly” design on the top of the head is the main difference. It has a little more aesthetic appeal. The head is a little larger than I prefer, but it has such a nice feel at address, it instills confidence that you will crush it.

The G SF Tec version places more weight toward the heel of the club to help produce a right to left ball flight.

Quick Specs

• Lofts: 9.00° and 10.50°
• 45.75″ length, 206g, 460cc head size
• 58.00° average lie
• No offset lie
• Dexterity: RH/LH
• $399

Prices

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years… See more about S. Dee Davis

By S. Dee Davis

The G series Ping is very forgiving and has an average of .66 bounce width. This provides stability, forgiveness and distance. The G series has a slightly larger, more forgiving face than the I series. The G is just on the light side for me, but it’s great for medium to higher handicappers that want a nice club. The I is more heavily weighted toward the sole of the club and the face is smaller and it is made of a harder 431 steel to provide that buttery soft feel upon connection with the sweet spot. Distance was average to long with the G series, but there is a ton of good technology built in. The G series irons are heat treated using a specialized process that creates a strong steel Ping calls Hyper 17-4. The idea here is that they can provide a thinner face that gives more bounce and thus more distance and trajectory.

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years and his work has appeared in numerous publications including CBS, the San Fransisco Chronicle… See more about S. Dee Davis

Prices

By S. Dee Davis

Though the head looks like a mallet, this is a blade putter. It has a slight hook face and gets the ball rolling great off the face. It’s a “cadence” model because it is supposed to help with tempo. It’s surprising how many more putts you hole with this putter. It just jumps off the face with top spin and rolls great. The head is black and slightly offset to assist with getting the ball rolling with topspin. Alignment is easy due to a white alignment line – easily visible off the black mallet head. The face of this putter is not grooved or textured at all which surprised me considering how good it felt at impact. The insert is made from thermoplastic elastomer and gives a solid and soft feel at the same time.

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years and his work has appeared in numerous publications including CBS, the San Fransisco Chronicle… See more about S. Dee Davis

Prices

By S. Dee Davis

I can’t say that I like the way most Scotty Cameron putters sit upon address, but the Newport is the exception. It has an extremely solid feel on impact and does not have a hook face at address. It sits square to the target. One caveat on this putter is that it’s heavy. You need a very solid putting stroke to be able to handle a putter this heavy. It requires rhythm in your stroke. The brushed chrome head is beautiful to look at and it’s easy to see that the materials involved in producing this putter are more extensive and expensive than competitor brands. Thus the higher price on this putter. The milled design on the putter face will help you put top spin on the ball if you so desire. I like the traditional blade design on this putter best of all the Cameron putters.

Quick Specs:

• 303 stainless steel face inlay
• Heel, Toe weighted blade

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years and his work has appeared in numerous publications including CBS, the San Fransisco Chronicle… See more about S. Dee Davis

Prices

By S. Dee Davis

When I tested the 35′′ version of this putter I noticed immediately that the offset design (plumbers neck hose) beckons back to the Ping Answer days when that was one of the best putters. It’s a similar design with the offset heal­toe weighted features that have been so popular since Tom Watson. The head on this putter is a little larger. It has a tacky soft rubber contoured grip that feels good in the hands and will not lose its grip when sweaty or wet. The head is very hard and matte silver in color. The face has the Odyssey’s white super hard and very slightly textured polymer face. The blade of this putter sits very nicely square at address. No hook or open face.

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years and his work has appeared in numerous publications including CBS, the San Fransisco Chronicle… See more about S. Dee Davis

Prices

By S. Dee Davis

Feel, distance and control are all present in this new club from Mizuno. The irons are on the heavy side and the weight distribution is low toward the sole which gets the ball up quickly. My average distance with a 7 iron in the air is around 160-165. I launched this Mizuno over 170 several times and 178 once. I was also very impressed with the accuracy. Add address it doesnt look or feel that great, but once you put the club face on the ball you can feel the strengths of the design. The irons are made of forged Boron which is 30% stronger. The wide soul design helps to lower the sweet spot on the club. It really is different. It’s not just a claim. I hit this club longer than the incredibly long Wilson C200.

I was not as impressed with the JPX-EZ, the back flange is visible upon address. It kind of sticks out too much. The thing I like best is the price at $499 what a deal for a great club. The JPX-EZ is more forgiving, but I also had a harder time keeping it straight than the forged variety. Still $499 for a Mizuno set is a buy.

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years and his work has appeared in numerous publications including CBS, the San Fransisco Chronicle… See more about S. Dee Davis

Prices

By S. Dee Davis

Following are some of the factors that we felt are most important in evaluating the top 10 golf club iron selections. Clubs were tested at a testing facility and loosely measured for the below quality points:

1. Comfort at Setup (Instilling Confidence)
2. Solid Feel at Impact
3. Workable Ball Flight
4. Consistency of Distance
5. Pure Distance
6. Shaft Quality and Consistency, Standard included shaft
7. Ability to Spin the Ball
8. Spin Control
9. Grip Feel and Quality

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years and his work has appeared in numerous publications including CBS, the San Fransisco Chronicle… See more about S. Dee Davis

Beginners Golf Club

Tommy Armour Silver Spot – Beginners Golf Club

This is a great set for the beginner made by a venerable and well-respected club manufacturer so you can feel comfortable about your clubs no matter who you are playing with. They will never know the clubs cost so little with the Tommy Armour name on them. The set comes with 4 metal … [more]

How to Choose the Right Golf Club

Guide to finding the right golf club

Confidence, feel, contact, consistency, spin control – our iron game can pretty much be summed up by those words. If we make good contact, distance takes care of itself as high quality steel on cast urethane produces the crushing blow that launches the ball. The heavy blade makes a punishing … [more]

More Top 10 Lists

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Although some of selecting a putter is about “feel” there is more to it than that. We rate the best putters below on the following criteria: Appearance, “feel”, how well the ball rolls off the putter face, alignment characteristics, weighting balance and price/value. See the putter comparison … [more]

Top 10 Golf Drivers

We tested many of the drivers that are out there in the market today and came up with our top 10 list. There are a couple holdovers from last year. Testing and consideration were given based on distance and accuracy with the same neutral swing speed (110) in a controlled distance … [more]

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The following list of the best top ten golf balls was determined from the authors opinion using the following criteria: Consistency in length off the tee, spin control and the ability to hold greens, “feel” of the ball around greens for chipping and putting, durability, and price/value. Combining … [more]

Top 10 Golf Wedges

A club class of its own, the wedges have high lofts, the short shafts, and the heavy clubheads. Out of all the irons wedges take all of these to the extreme. The purpose of a wedge is to aid players in making accurate short-distance “lob” shots, to get the ball onto the green and out of hazards….[more]

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More Top Irons

By S. Dee Davis

The NIKE Vapor Pro irons may be the most playable irons we tested this year. Nike has come a long way in iron design and development in the last two years, and the Vapor Pro irons may be their greatest achievement thus far in irons for better players. We loved the iron’s ability to be shaped and these thinner blades have the ability to manage all turf conditions brilliantly. The forgiveness was average, but the accuracy was excellent. It took a minute, but we were able to dial these irons into pins, even on long shots. The feel was amazing on dead-center strikes, and knockdown shots were tight and controlled, even in high winds.

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years and his work has appeared in numerous publications including CBS, the San Fransisco Chronicle… See more about S. Dee Davis

Prices

By S. Dee Davis

The Mizuno JPX-850 sits like an old-school driver, but boasts an incredible amount of adjustability, allowing you to set the club up any way you want it with the new Fast Track system. You may have to tinker some on the range, but Mizuno’s multiple weighting options gives you freedom to experiment to optimize your distance. The adjustable hosel delivers eight settings across five lofts, and we found the forgiveness factor to be a little less than the other drivers tested, although decent. Mizuno is known for making quality clubs, and they have achieved a solid performer in the JPX-850 Driver. The look is stylish, adjustability is well above-average, and the forgiveness is average. You will achieve a significant increase in distance off the tee, but only if you’re smart enough to know how to optimally adjust this driver.

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years and his work has appeared in numerous publications including CBS, the San Fransisco Chronicle… See more about S. Dee Davis

Prices

By S. Dee Davis

Wilson has developed a very light and very adjustable driver, while many companies have struggled to do either well. The D-200’s loft can be adjusted six ways, including three draw settings. The face which varies in thickness depending on where the ball is hit, can provide an enormous amount of forgiveness on off-center hits, while still giving you the distance you want. At $300, it is in the very affordable range for a new driver, and currently is the fastest adjustable driver on the market. Wilson achieves this by using a chemically etched crown, which reduces weight and increases the thickness toward the face of the club for structural support and durability. In our testing, we felt the shots went much farther than they felt as they would come off the face, indicating a softer better feeling face. This driver is not the best of the best, but is a great value for a long-hitting and fully adjustable driver, but the shaft options are limited.

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years and his work has appeared in numerous publications including CBS, the San Fransisco Chronicle… See more about S. Dee Davis

Prices

By S. Dee Davis

By using the new “Flipzone” weighting technology, the Cobra Fly Z+ Driver allows you to adjust the Center of Gravity (CG) setting with a 15-gram moveable weight for either a higher or lower launch condition, whichever you prefer. Adjustability is key with this driver, and it may take you some time to get completely dialed-in, but when you do, you will experience maximum forgiveness and a more penetrating ball flight. Also, you can adjust it according to the playing conditions you may face from day to day. Stylistically speaking, this club has the ‘it’ factor and looks great. It comes in black, blue, green, orange, red, or white colors with the Aldilla Matrix VLCT graphite shaft. Head material is a 6-4 Titanium body for strength, with a Carbon Fiber crown and sole for speed.

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years and his work has appeared in numerous publications including CBS, the San Fransisco Chronicle… See more about S. Dee Davis

Prices

By S. Dee Davis

Mizuno has made some subtle, but sexy changes to their players iron but switching from carbon steel to boron-infused steel, a material that is lighter and about 30% stronger than carbon steel to create a powerful iron that has many features to enhance your iron play. The cavity design and perimeter weighting provide nice forgiveness, and the customization options are enticing. Our tests noted a more penetrating ball flight, increased spin on shorter shots, and great support on thin shots with the increased steel strength. We gained 10+ yards per club.

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years and his work has appeared in numerous publications including CBS, the San Fransisco Chronicle… See more about S. Dee Davis

Prices

By S. Dee Davis

The Callaway XR Pro is for better players who want maximum distance with incredible control. The two-piece clubhead design accomplishes this feat, giving this iron the ability to be shaped, along with an incredible amount of distance. During our tests, even on mishits, the carry distance was excellent and hitting long, sultry shots were almost effortless. We loved these irons and they match well with Callaway’s new driver out this year.

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years and his work has appeared in numerous publications including CBS, the San Fransisco Chronicle… See more about S. Dee Davis

Prices

By S. Dee Davis

The XR iron is designed for mid to higher handicap players, but only because better players don’t like to look at much offset at address. That being said, these irons are light in the head, are solid sounding at impact, and the feel of the face at contact with the golf ball & turf were among the best we tested. When you pick this club up, you feel like you can go full throttle through the ball and not worry about the consequences. The responsiveness of the shafts were great, and the distance produced with these irons was borderline ridiculous.

Quick Specs

• 4-PW
• Two-piece construction delivers lower CG, more MOI & promotes feel.
• Stock Callaway shafts in Regular or Stiff flex.
• Game improvement irons.

Prices

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years… See more about S. Dee Davis

By S. Dee Davis

Stronger, progressive lofts of the new G30 irons and the bounce profiles of these clubs prevent digging into the turf, which make them a welcomed addition to the 2015 line-up. The G30’s performance was very good, with a higher ball flight and plenty of distance. The feel was average, but could be best described as firm at impact. If you previously have played Ping irons, you’ll love these, but may not provide enough reason to upgrade unless you’re playing irons that are over five years old. In our opinion the added technology isn’t earth-shattering, except for the stock GFS Distance shafts, which are superb.

Quick Specs

• 4-PW set, (PW is 45 degrees)
• Game Improvement irons
• 17-4 stainless steel heads
• Elastomer cavity badge and Custom Tuning Port (CTP) insert
• CFS Distance shafts.

Prices

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years… See more about S. Dee Davis