2012 Drivers

With several new and improved products on the market, Golfshake have taken an unbiased look at what Drivers are available for the 2012 season.  Also check out the features on 2012 wedges, fairway woods and hybrids.

Titleist 910 D2 and D3

Although the Titleist 910 line up is not new for 2012 it is Titleist’s current driver series. As ever Titleist have produced a fantastic looking club with a classy black finish, this is coupled with a good amount of adjustable technology.  Both the D2 and D3 feature the ability to have both loft and lie adjusted using the Titleist Sure-fit hosel technology.

The main difference between the D2 and D3 is the head size. The D2 is a 460cc head with a lower, set back centre of gravity, making it more forgiving and creating an optimal ball flight. The D3 has 445cc head to help lower ball spin for the better player or a player with high club head speed.

Adding to the head options is a range of top quality shafts, including the Aldila RIP and Mitsubishi Rayon.

Ping G20

Latest in the Ping series of drivers is the Ping G20; it follows on from the hugely popular G10, G5 and G2 models.

Ping has taken the driver market by storm in recent years with its no nonsense classic shaped drivers. They may not offer the adjustability of many of the other top named drivers, but are very effective none the less.

The key to Ping’s drivers is the weight distribution and the G20 is no different with Ti 8-1-1 alloy allowing weight to be distributed further back in the head. This promotes a long high ball flight. 

The MOI is optimised meaning the G20 is incredibly stable. With a favourable price tag it is an attractive option for anyone looking for a top end driver with proven success.

Callaway Razr Fit

The new Razr Fit driver takes Callaway’s driver customisation to a new level; you can even chose the colour of your driver head!

The 458cc head features opti-fit technology, meaning that the lie and face angle can be adjusted. There are also changeable weights for customisation of flight trajectory.

The crown of the driver is made from a carbon composite which is lighter and stronger than titanium. Callaway says that this increases the MOI of the club and in turn makes it more stable than other drivers on the market.

Callaway offers an Aldila RIP’d shaft as standard, but a huge range of options are available from the top shaft manufacturers. All this adds up to Callaway’s most customisable driver to date.
 

TaylorMade RBZ Rocketballz and Rocketballz Tour

You may have seen many players on tour wearing hats with the number 17 on their caps. This was to advertise TaylorMade’s innovative Rocketballz fairway woods which TaylorMade claim added 17 yards in distance. The RBZ Rocketballz Driver is the companion to the fairway wood series that has had such an impact in the market.

The Rocketballz has a classy look with jet black sole and white crown. The head boasts FCT – flight control technology which is a series of head technology. The loft, lie and weight of the driver can all be adjusted.

The Rocketballz tour is essentially the same driver as the RBZ but offers a slightly smaller and deeper head which is favoured by tour players. This moves the centre of gravity forward and has a slightly less forgiving appearance at address.

TaylorMade R11s

Another favourite amongst the Tour Pro’s is the TaylorMade R11s. The R11 has been hugely successful for TaylorMade in recent years. The R11s is a classic shape, but features a modern white head and black sole with distinctive red adjustable sole plate technology. It has several different adjustment options including loft, lie, and weight meaning it is the most customisable TaylorMade driver on the market.

Cleveland CG Black

The Cleveland CG black certainly lives up to its name and is a striking looking driver with its all over black finish, including the face. It stands out as the lightest driver currently on the market at just 265 grams. This will add to the club head speed and in turn increasing distance. It is not as adjustable as some, but the flight can be customised by a moveable weight in the sole.

The limited edition Miyazaki shaft is a real feature and helps the CG Black to stand out of the crowd. It is one of the lightest shafts on the market and promotes a higher spin rate and higher ball launch, which is helpful to those looking for a long high flight.

Nike VR-S

New to the Nike family in 2012 is the VR-S Driver. Nike says this is their ‘fastest’ driver yet and features Oven tech: Nex-Cor technology which is multi-layered face thickness. This increases ball speed. This innovative face technology has been applied to the entire VR-S family, including fairway woods, irons and hybrids.

The VR-S also allows adjustment of the face angle for a draw or fade bias through its STR8-Fit technology. The standard shaft is the Fubuki which is now stronger and lighter. This creates more club head speed and a stable ball flight.

Adams Fast 12

Adam’s have dominated the Hybrid market in the USA for the past few years and are now building on that success with the launch of the Adams Fast 12 Driver.

Featuring a distinctive black finish on the sole and a silver crown, Adams claim to have created their longest and most forgiving driver yet.

New Airfoil technology allows the 460cc driver to reduce drag by up to 14% this in turn produces and extra 3mph in Club head speed resulting in greater distance and 10% increase in forgiveness.

The Fast 12 comes with a top rated shaft in the Graffaloy Prolauch Blue.

Adams Fast 12 LS

The Fast 12 LS is Adam’s low spinning adjustable driver that is targeted at the better golfer. Being able to adjust loft, lie, and centre of gravity is a real benefit, along with improved aerodynamics; this makes the Fast 12 LS Adam’s most advanced driver to date.

The Driver features a hosel which can be adjusted +/- 1* of loft as well as +/- 2* of lie. In addition to lie adjustments you can lengthen the shaft by ½” and adjust the centre of gravity by changing the weight in the sole of the club. It may take a little while to find the perfect combination, but once the ideal set up has been found you will have a highly customized driver.

Adams are a company on the up, leading the way in some new technology advances. These are now being applied to its range of drivers making it a real contender in the driver market during 2012.
 

Cobra AMP

The Cobra Amp is a driver with flair! The orange theme to the driver is certainly distinctive, but looks are not everything and it is also packed with some of the latest technology. The E9 face technology increases distance to strikes above and below the face centre line. The head is made of 6-4 titanium and is partly forged. It is 460cc and classic in shape, although the silver paint finish gives it a modern feel.

The Amp also comes with an Aldila RIP shaft in silver with orange detailing and a lamkin bright orange grip. This is a pretty funky looking club, but backs it all up with a high performance head and shaft.