GolfWRX 2021 Best Drivers - Discussion Thread

[B_of_H]

 

51 minutes ago, dcm325 said:

This is the polar opposite to what MGS did... and at least they provided more data. 👎🏼

 

They also had the g425 max ranked 17th in forgiveness.  It seems their 'data' is based on a bunch of hackers who can't produce consistent swings shot to shot or club to club.  I support MGS and what they do but their rankings didn't make sense to me this year.  As a high speed, lower handicap golfer I don't get much value in 10-20+ hcp golfers assessment data.  I'm sure players that fit that range might feel differently.  

[QuigleyDU]

On 3/15/2021 at 7:38 AM, knudson81 said:

 

How do you feel the TSi3 and SIM2 compare? Graphite Design XC in both? Feeling like I will see a ton of both of those drivers when the summer hits here! 

My personal opinion is the TSi is better than the SIM2.

[heavy_hitter]

1 hour ago, dcm325 said:

This is the polar opposite to what MGS did... and at least they provided more data. 👎🏼

MGS is as flawed as it gets.

[QuigleyDU]

6 minutes ago, heavy_hitter said:

MGS is as flawed as it gets.

What makes it flawed? I am not saying you are wrong as I have no idea. They have 100s of testers come in and hit everything.. then pick a winner..

[getair23]

If we are making purchasing decisions based solely on these rankings, (I'll throw Golf Digest in there with WRX and MGS) than I am very excited about the upcoming deals that I will be afforded through the influx of clubs hitting the BST.       

[dcm325]

29 minutes ago, heavy_hitter said:

MGS is as flawed as it gets.

Flawed?  I’m one of their testers, and they do an extremely impressive job. They’ve been gathering data for months across all types of players. 
 

these guys poll a few fitters and aggregate their responses. 
 

I’ll take the data right from the horses mouth, thanks. 

[heavy_hitter]

1 minute ago, QuigleyDU said:

What makes it flawed? I am not saying you are wrong as I have no idea. They have 100s of testers come in and hit everything.. then pick a winner..

 

That is why it is flawed.  The Strokes Gained category is pure rubbish and how they calculate it because it isn't a true Strokes Gained.  The only way there testing can be accurate is to throw it on a mechanical arm, otherwise it is flawed.

 

 

[dcm325]

3 minutes ago, heavy_hitter said:

 

That is why it is flawed.  The Strokes Gained category is pure rubbish and how they calculate it because it isn't a true Strokes Gained.  The only way there testing can be accurate is to throw it on a mechanical arm, otherwise it is flawed.

 

 

I’ll buy the mechanical arm argument ... but the counter to that is that we aren’t mechanical arms. 
 

Be that as it may, there’s a bunch of badass drivers out there now. 

[heavy_hitter]

36 minutes ago, dcm325 said:

I’ll buy the mechanical arm argument ... but the counter to that is that we aren’t mechanical arms. 
 

Be that as it may, there’s a bunch of badass drivers out there now. 

 

If you are going to Name 1 Driver as the best then the Data has to be able to be replicated.  If you use another sample of 100 testers the data could be completely different.  Because of this, the data is completely flawed no matter how detailed and impressive of a job they do.

 

Yes, there are some great drivers out there.

 

The biggest joke is the best of Putters.  If you want to talk about a Flaw, that is 100% flawed from the very get go.

Edited March 16, 2021 by heavy_hitter

[snagy2000]

All the magazines, websites and youtubers are just giving their opinions. This is why getting fit and not buying stock off the rack is important to hopefully maximize your results. 

[QuigleyDU]

1 hour ago, heavy_hitter said:

 

That is why it is flawed.  The Strokes Gained category is pure rubbish and how they calculate it because it isn't a true Strokes Gained.  The only way there testing can be accurate is to throw it on a mechanical arm, otherwise it is flawed.

 

 

I see your point. But I disagree. I think human testing is the way to go.

 

I see merit in both. But I think human testing is better.

[dhen9]

I'd be most curious to know what loft as a percentage was recommended for the respective swing speeds. I'm in the 95-105 category and the last two driver fittings, only contestant was TSi2, recommended 12° for a low/low shaft of 10.5 with high/mid shaft. 

[kstrong84]

I'm a fairly strong swinger (111 mph) and had a tough time deciding between the tsi3 and the 425max....the titleist went a little lower (a good thing for me) and further but it was effortless to hit the ping straight. 

Ultimately I went with the titleist as I preferred the looks/shape, and extra adjustability via the surefit hosel and weight track that can support more/different weights. 

 

Would have been happy with either really

[btyh]

All opinion from myself but there isn't a bad 21 driver this year. I can easily say pick what looks, feels, and sounds best for you. Shafts really are playing a bigger role in drivers these days. 

[doctorgriffo]

Just put an epic max ls head on the shaft I was using with an epic flash sz - my experience, in 1 indoor launch monitor session, aligns with this article. Swing speed is 110ish, and I'm not seeing any more speed or distance but my misses with the epic max are just mildly upsetting but probably findable, while the same miss with the sz would be in a different zip code. Hopefully this will translate on the course to fewer shockers fired into the woods.

[getair23]

A good friend of mine just let me know he was on his way to buy a new Sim 2.  Knowing his game pretty well I sent him this and booked a proper fitting for him.  He didn't know a Sim2 Max existed.  This list will definitely yield positive results for him.   

 

[CTSpinDoctor]

Any plus handicap guys playing the G425 max?

[Pens #1 fan]

On 3/15/2021 at 9:04 AM, GolfWRX said:

OK, WRXers....What is the best driver for 2021? We can't answer that for you specifically, but we can help you narrow down your list. We did ask top club fitters to answer that question for three different speed profiles and then asked for the best overall.

 

Why ask the fitters? They are the experts! All day, all year they are grinding in fittings. The list comprises of the best fitters in the industry. All they do all day is work with launch monitors and golfers to determine what driver is the best for that golfer. Here is a link to the article on the front page. With so many great options from all of the manufacturers, it was impossible not to find a driver that got you excited about its performance. We here at GolfWRX wanted to create our list of the Best Drivers for 2021 and share it with you.

 

Check out the Best Driver of 2021 article here!

 

I see all the fitters are not considered Big Box stores. Why is there no fitters from PGA Superstore or Dick’s/Golf Galaxy

[Double Dodger]

What we need is someone who would visit every one of these fitters and see how many come up with the same setup. Now that would be interesting.  And expensive. 

[SwingMan]

Golfers react differently to different drivers. They are all good. What's good for you?

 

I usually stick with Ping or Callaway just because one can go crazy with too many choices. It's like a woman on match. They can't commit because they're looking for perfect.

 

Don't need that much forgiveness? You don't need an ear piercing Ping 425 whose feel/sound is not pleasing. But if you want forgiveness and distance...

 

A little less forgiving but with adjustability, distance and good sound - Callaway Max.

 

Something with slight draw bias and more speed with a great, powerful sound - Epic Speed.

 

Get the right loft or adjusted, shaft, length and SW.

 

Just too many choices. Good stuff.

[FmaxTurboSi]

I hit the callaway epic max LS against my current gamer today, king speedzone, and the extra forgiveness is def there.  On average, the Max LS was around 5 yards shorter, due to less overall spin and more roll out, but the dispersion was tighter and mishits were less punishing.  Last year I went with speedzone over the mavrik sub zero because the speedzone was more forgiving.  Def considering picking up the Max LS.  

[pollock21]

I think there's yet to be anyone that does a true head to head test properly. MGS used to be on track, but they way they process this data recently is going the wrong direction.

 

Polling fitters isn't ideal either. People have brand bias, including fitters. The big 5 will have more fitting options out there which will skew the samples that direction.

 

If you want to test performance, you have to remove variables. All driver heads in same loft with same shaft. You have to do part robot testing and part human. Combine the results. For the robot, I'd test 5 out of the center, 5 low, 5 toe, 5 heel, etc. Record performance, combine with human testing results. Break the data out by swingspeed, miss performance, etc.

 

MGS comes closest to this methodology, but they don't go far enough. My .02

[hoos]

Well done and exceptionally helpful.

I've been a Carl's Golfland customer for 35 years and have a driver fitting soon.

[Drumdog]

I read this and tried out a few of the drivers. Not all of them, but most and I ended up going with one off the list. Tour Edge C721.

 

[Yoshimonster]

🔥

[Juice1121]

I haven't swung a single one of these clubs. Frankly, I haven't swung a single new driver since I put the 2017 M2 in the bag a couple of years ago.

 

Yet I somehow knew exactly which 5 drivers would top the charts in each category before even clicking the link. Really disappointed to see no variety, no shaft info, no comparison data between current and older models, and no real numbers to speak of.

 

Not sure what value this article adds except for "a bunch of fitters, who make money off fittings/selling clubs, tell you to to get fit and buy the new and most popular shiny thing." This is more of a " the most popular drivers and some general information about them" article.

Edited June 16, 2021 by Juice1121

[Vroomer99]

Been playing a G400 LST 8* for 3 years now, still feels so good!

[Double Dodger]

On 6/16/2021 at 3:57 PM, Juice1121 said:

I haven't swung a single one of these clubs. Frankly, I haven't swung a single new driver since I put the 2017 M2 in the bag a couple of years ago.

 

Yet I somehow knew exactly which 5 drivers would top the charts in each category before even clicking the link. Really disappointed to see no variety, no shaft info, no comparison data between current and older models, and no real numbers to speak of.

 

Not sure what value this article adds except for "a bunch of fitters, who make money off fittings/selling clubs, tell you to to get fit and buy the new and most popular shiny thing." This is more of a " the most popular drivers and some general information about them" article.

 

You are right you know. Throw in what’s on TV and you got a winner. 
Golfers just want to be like DJ or Rory or whoever else is on the tube….