Drivers

2016 Most Wanted – The Best Driver for Your Swing Speed

BY MyGolfSpy
Jun 16th 2016
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Earlier this week we published the results of our 2016 Most Wanted Driver Test. Those results are based on the averages across all 20 of this year’s testers.

For those who are looking for a bit more specificity, perhaps a bit more information about what might fit you best, today we’re breaking down the results a bit further and showing you which drivers performed best for our faster swing speed players, and which performed best for lower swing speed players.

How We Consider Performance

To quantify performance and determine Most Wanted Rankings we developed a new scoring system based on Mark Broadie’s Strokes Gained methodology.

This new way to look at the numbers considers not only the distance of the drive, the accuracy of the drive, and also the probable resulting lie condition. As all of us know, it’s harder to score from the rough, and harder still to score from a gnarly lie. Strokes Gained takes all this into account. The end result is a system that looks beyond distance and accuracy, while considering other factors that we believe help us to better represents real-world performance.

For more details, see our How We Test page.

For those interested in breaking out the individual components that make up total performance, we still provide you with distance (total yards and carry), accuracy (yards from center and truAccuracy), and Shot Area, which provides an excellent measurements of consistency or forgiveness.

All of that data and more can be found at the bottom of this post. New features will be added to the table as we roll out all of our results.

Be sure to check out the sortable data at the end of the list.

Here are the results.

Top 5 Drivers – (Swing Speeds over 100MPH)

Test Highlights:

The #1 Driver for 2016 for High Swing Speeds
Led the field in both Yards from Center (accuracy) & truAccuracy
8 of 10 testers posted Strokes Gained scores above their individual averages (tied #1)

The Final Word:

While higher swing speed players may naturally be drawn to the M1, our test results suggest that the M2 is capable of producing even better results among this demographic.

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Test Highlights:

#2 for Yards from Center (accuracy) and truAccuracy
Produced the highest Ball Speeds of any driver in the Top 5
8 of 10 testers posted Strokes Gained scores above their individual averages (tied #1)

The Final Word:

A strong performer for accuracy (and strokes gained), we’re intrigued by the ball speeds, which suggest that for those who really get it dialed in, there’s likely even more pop in this model.

View On Amazon View in Pro Shop

Test Highlights:

#2 for both Carry and Total Distance
Top 5 for Yards from Center and TruAccuracy
7 of 10 testers posted Strokes Gained scores above their individual averages

The Final Word:

While the order may be flipped, once again both of TaylorMade’s 460cc offerings sit near the top of our list. From a driver performance standpoint TaylorMade may be as good as it has ever been…maybe better.

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Test Highlights:

Top 10 for both Carry and Total Distance
Strong showing across the board for Accuracy and Consistency (Shot Area)
7 of 10 testers posted Strokes Gained scores above their individual averages

The Final Word:

No real surprise here as the KING F6+ has shown itself the be a versatile and exceptional performer for golfers of all swing speeds.

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Test Highlights:

#3 for Carry Yards
Top 10 in both accuracy categories, and top 5 for shot area
6 of 10 testers posted Strokes Gained scores above their individual averages

The Final Word:

Surprisingly long for higher swing speed players, the G outperformed LS Tec for higher swing speed players. The overall result suggests faster swing speed guys might actually benefit from Turbulators.

View in Pro Shop

Top 5 Drivers of 2016 (Swing Speeds below 100MPH)

Test Highlights:

The #1 Ranked Driver for Swing Speeds Under 100 mph
#2 for Carry Yards and #1 Total Distance
Top 10 for both Yards from Center (Accuracy) and truAccuracy
7 of 10 testers posted Strokes Gained scores above their individual averages

The Final Word:

Our 2016 Overall Most Wanted Driver is also the top choice among slower swing speed players. While nothing is the best for everyone, for off the rack shoppers it’s as close to a sure thing as you’re likely to find.

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Test Highlights:

#4 for Carry yards and #2 for Total Distance among slower swing speed players
Top 10 for both Yards from Center (Accuracy) and truAccuracy
8 of 10 testers posted Strokes Gained scores above their individual averages (T1)

The Final Word:

Generally regarded as a choice for higher swing speed players, for the second year in a row we see a smaller, lower spinning, head emerge as a top choice for lower swing speed players; particularly those who hit down on the ball.

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Test Highlights:

#5 for Carry Yards and Total Distance
#5 for Yard from Center (accuracy) and truAccuracy along with Top 10 for Shot Area
6 of 10 testers posted Strokes Gained scores above their individual averages

The Final Word:

The F6+ joins the M1 as the only driver on all 3 (overall, high swing speed, low swing speed) lists. In addition to the strong all-around showing, the F6+ also provided the highest ball speeds of any driver on this list. F6+ is the clear class of an outstanding driver crop from Cobra Golf.

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Test Highlights:

Top 5 for Yards from Center (accuracy) and truAccuracy
#2 for Shot Area
7 of 10 testers posted Strokes Gained scores above their individual averages

The Final Word:

The best of the back CG clubs on this list, the JGR is a good choice for golfers who need help getting the ball in the air; particularly those with a tendency to hit the ball high on the face.

View On Amazon

Test Highlights:

Top 10 for both Carry Yards and Total Distance
Solid Accuracy and Forgiveness numbers
8 of 10 testers posted Strokes Gained scores above their individual averages (T1)

The Final Word:

Simply put, the XR is a driver that most of our testers hit better than most. For off-the-rack buyers, XR might be the safest bet among this group. While there’s nothing that stands out as particularly exceptional, XR is a driver that performs well across the board, without suffering in any area.

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For those interested in the full results, see our 2016 Most Wanted Driver post.

The Data

The chart below contains data from this year’s test. You can hover over any column title to bring up the sort feature, allowing you to sort by whatever columns you feel are most relevant to you. A dropdown at the bottom give you the ability to show or hide whichever drivers you choose.

Please note, for simplicity’s sake, we have revised our truAccuracy (an alternative to Yards from Center) scores to display as an “out of 100” score. Clubs with the highest values are the ones that hit the ball farther down the fairway with less deviation from the center line.

Shot Area represents the area of a 90% confidence ellipse with the centered on the respective average for distance and yards offline. The value shown represents the average across all of our testers.

More features will be added in the coming days and if there’s something specific you’d like to see, please let us know.

For a limited time, all MyGolfSpy referred customers can get an additional 10% trade-in bonus on the value of their clubs when they use the code SPYTRADE. Valid 06/14/16-06/30/16.

More 2016 Most Wanted

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comments

Join The Discussion

Clay Fleming

7 years ago

I know this is an old post so chances of a response are probably slim, but I have a question and am hoping for some clarity. The post states that the 816 produced the highest ball speeds of any driver in the top 5 but the chart does not reflect this. I am aware that the chart shows averages, but should that be interpreted as on the best shots it generated the most ball speed?

Thanks,

HILLARY CONLIN

8 years ago

I have a question and was hoping to get some advice. I am new to golf, have terrible clubs, and don’t know if I have the right length of clubs and the right shaft.

I am 6’3, driver speed is 120 mph I am using an old Taylormade Burner driver from 2007, regular shaft, and I carry the ball over 300 yards and average between 300-340 distance. I actually hit the ball pretty straight but occasionally try to do too much and screw myself.

My questions are:

What kind of shafts should I be using?

How long should my driver length be?

Ken

I tried an M2 but couldn’t get a good head. I am lefthanded. Yea, seriously, they were out of whack and I”ve heard several complaint about the M2 head from guys. The first one went left of Obama, the second was about 7 degrees loft even though it said 10.5 and the 3rd looked funny, like the face was not right. I dont’ know about quality control but yes, they were off. I finally gave it back and went for an M1 and am hitting it now very well. Maybe there was a bad batch of driver’s from where ever they make the M2’s. I’m a bit ticked at TM because they will customize stuff if you have $700 to spend but their lofts are sometimes way off on the LH stuff.

Bagger

3 years ago

Better to be left of Obama than right of Trump.

Matthew Ricks

Where were the adjustable weights set in these? Like the F6+ , M1, etc…

Michael Woods

Definitely not krank

Kristopher Barrie

Right at 100

Liam Garrett

And on a note..I realize that the 110+ crowd is very small BUT would be nice to see those results as well. Not just one or two guys. A nice group of 10 would be awesome. Just a suggestion

I think it starts with the head then shaft. Have to like what your looking at first. Besides when your in my shoes, 120ish range the head is as important for spin as the shaft. You can have the best shaft for you but if it’s in the wrong head……

Nick Sacheli

I think I am under 100

What’s about shafts

MyGolf Spy

We test the way consumers currently buy. Doing anything else would be a disservice to you and other consumers.

I just wanted to be the first to say it lol.

LOL, thanks Michael. You surely will not be the last.

Joel Stewart

Everyone should be fitted and I agree that the shaft is the key.

Ryan Tracy

The head is the key, not the shaft. Just for example, the XR 16 is an extremely draw biased driver. You could put your favorite shaft in one, but your miss is a hook, that combination isn’t going to work.

Greg

Hi, I drive using Titlest D915 and hit it what I consider long and straight, I tried 2 shots of a mates M1 driver after hitting my driver and it went consistently 15 yards further in two drives over two holes. Now I hit both my D915 drives very well and I was surprised how far further the M1 went, also interesting was that my mates M1 had a jumbo good of pride grip, mine is very standard. So the testing supports the outcomes in this test. Well done Spygolf.

Paul Kielwasser

Your results for the above 100 group were exactly what I saw at a big demo day earlier this Spring. The M2 was the longest by a good margin for me. It’s a nice club!!!

Here comes the butt hurt lol

NobleStone

I would interested on your thoughts as to why slower swingers, with a negative AOA seem to benefit from small headed, low spin driver heads.

Are you maxing out the loft in this situation or are they good at producing low, long running drives?

This group in particular need all the help they can get, if you’ve stumbled on a formula that maxes out the return on their SS that would be very interesting.

Many thanks for your efforts.

Tony Covey

First – let me say that the industry has probably over-simplified its explanations of who a given driver is for. Swing speed is easy for any golfer to understand, and so there’s been some mis-defining of what a slow swing speed golfer needs from his driver or what a high handicap golfer needs. In reality, the golf swing is complex, and while there are sometimes commonalities, there aren’t a pristine set of variables that define any of us.

So with that said, what we’ve observed is that there is a segment of golfers who hit down…more specifically they flip down and across with their drivers. On a launch monitor this manifests as negative angle of attack, a high amount of dynamic loft (on a relative basis), and often an out to in swing path. Often the result is a mid to high launching ball flight with an EXCESSIVE amount of spin and curvature. 6000+ RPM while extreme isn’t an unusual for guys in the 90MPH range. Even slower swingers can create above 5000 RPM.

So again, what you get is a pleasing trajectory (more specifically, acceptable peak height), but with distance robbing spin – and sometimes accuracy robbing spin. When these same guys are put in a low/forward CG head (with smaller, so-called “Tour” heads often being the most aggressive of these designs), we sometimes see slight changes to AoA and path, but almost always dynamic loft decreases. As a result launch angle and spin decrease. Carry sometimes decreases a bit (not always since we’re fighting excessive spin), and roll is greatly improved. The ball flight isn’t as eye pleasing (trajectory is certainly lower), but we see more distance, and often straighter ball flight.

The golfer may not likes what he sees…we’re almost conditioned to like a certain flight, and if the most frequently played course requires specific carry distances it *could* be a problem, but by the numbers we see increased total distance, and often better accuracy.

Thanks Tony,

I’ve noticed a few Seniors at my Club are sneaky long especially when conditions are firm with a low launch, low spin ball flight.

They’re ego’s are likely forcing them to buy the 9 degree drivers of their youth and as its happens its working out well for them.

Darius Brock

Aeroburner TP added 15 meters to my tee shots against all-comers.

robin

I just want to thank you for just doing this.

Clay

Next year I am just going to let you guys do the testing. Each of the last 2 years I spent a ton of time testing, I am at the higher end of the swing speed spectrum and found the 815 Alpha DBD was the best for me, your results confirmed it. That driver cracked and I did tons more testing, ordered an M2 after a fitting session last week where it was clearly the best and again your numbers agree. Why waste my time testing myself? Just kidding, a good fitting is important, just found it interesting that your results always seem to match my own.

tr99

I would like to hear from some class A club makers, any around?

John

TR99
I am a long time clubfitter and can share my experience with fitting this year. I have been fitting the Taylormade M2 driver and it is performing very well. With the right shaft, based on the LM data during the fitting, the M2 provides distance and accuracy. The launch conditions are excellent for a wide variety of golfers. Again, it takes some experimentation to get the right shaft. I did a side by side comparison of the M1 and M2 drivers with a PGA teaching pro that was tuning up his game in order to qualify for the US Open about a month ago. His swing speed was about 105 mph. He had been fit for an M1 with a shaft that matched his swing perfectly. He was hitting the center of the clubface and getting as much distance as physics would dictate, with 1.50 smash factor. We tested the M2 against his M1 with the same shaft and surprisingly he picked up about 5 -7 yards with the M2. Slight change in launch angle and spin and he was getting more total distance. We did not change the settings on the M1 because he had already gone through the gamut of setting variations and his current settings were what he considered his maximum distance. I did not perform that fitting. So, I know the M1 will work better for 110 mph swingers but if you are 90-110 mph I think the M2 is a better choice.

Dana

Might you add what some of the high end shafts with low spin would be for the golfer in the 90-100mph level?

Jerry

I have a few questions that I’m wondering others may have especially the mfg’s of the drivers. Obviously most new drivers have a plethora of variables and settings that allow the user to dial in desired outcomes, i.e. lower spin, launch angle, face angle. So if there were adequate options for optimizing shaft flex/kick points etc did the testers play with the other setting to optimize each driver? Put another way, were there “fitters” there who would know how to dial in each brand to “its” optimum efficiency? Finally, were there options for loft settings? Maybe I missed that but most drivers come in 9,10 and higher degrees of face loft and that will affect spin rates dependent upon individual AOA’s. I wonder if the brands that finished at the bottom are wishing they had a company rep there doing their fitting?

Jerry – Great questions.

This year we requested heads with nominal lofts of 9/9.5 and 10/10.5 degrees. As I’m sure you know, some models come in 9, others in 9.5, so put another way, we tested the two most common loft…or I suppose loft ranges. We requested both regular and stiff flex shafts and manufacturers were permitted to provide any shaft from their stock lineup. Now is probably a good time to mention that our test is based on off-the-rack configurations, since that’s how the majority of consumers still buy clubs, so we’re not dealing in exotic shafts. We deal in the stuff you can walk in and buy at most any golf shop in the country.

Within that scope we do make adjustments on an individual basis. We’ve written a few articles about adjustability (largely centered on CG placement), and CG location specifically, so it should be clear that our team has a very solid handle on the expected behavior of each club as well as what the likely result of a given adjustment – be it at the hosel (loft/face angle), or with movement of weights. So yeah, we do make efforts (when possible) to optimize based on things like swing speed, tempo and transition, angle of attack, dynamic loft, and even face impact position. Sometimes that means swapping shafts and moving weights. Sometimes (fixed hosel, single shaft options) all we can do is run with the best results from a loft/flex perspective.

We maintain internal documentation – a growing knowledge-base if you will – of the ins-and outs of individual models, and the probable (nothing ever guaranteed, right?) impact of switching between shafts, weight configs, etc..

When all else fails (expected results aren’t achieved) we go off book (as any good fitter does). Sometimes an unlikely setting works, other times a guy is simply never going to hit a particular club well. The larger point is that we make every reasonable effort to get each tester dialed in as well as he possible can be with each driver.

We’ve discussed the idea of having OEMs bring in fitters. Obviously there’s benefit in that, but it’s not really an off-the-rack experience, and we’d also introducing another variable. Is driver X really better than driver Y, or does brand X simply have a better fitter? And then of course, there’s additional complexities…TaylorMade and Titleist for example didn’t participate voluntarily…what do we do in that situation? Smaller companies may not have a fitting team…how do we handle that?

Any obstacle can be overcome, but there’s consistency in doing the work ourselves, and we certainly believe we have the competency to do it well.

That said, while it’s not an absolute…as you might expect, companies that offer both a breadth of adjustability options, and a selection of stock shafts will almost always have an advantage over those who don’t.

Thanks Tony! Kinda makes you wonder “what” the new aha moment will be for club makers? That is, like balls with new aero designs reducing drag what new idea will emerge in clubs that improves the game. Have we reached the theoretical end of diminishing returns or is someone working on something revolutionary? Will a new material be found or a new concept never thought of before be the new salvation? What does MGS hear from your “golf spies”?

Jerry – Everybody is working on something. The last couple of years there’s been a lot of focus around aerodynamics, and I think that’s going to continue with subtle shaping changes. The path forward, however, I think is new materials…metal alloys, composite blends, whatever can give you better strength to weight ratios and allow for more precise placement of weight.

I’d bet on some kind of composite blend face in the not too distant future. It’s risky. It will likely sound and feel weird, and there will be concerns with structural integrity (bonding different materials together in an impact zone), but it’s, in my opinion, the likely next path.

Far too many believe the USGA has handcuffed the R&D guys and there’s nowhere to go from here. Nobody on the other side believes it. To use an analogy that may not be appreciated by everyone on the R&D side, it’s a bit of a cops and robbers game, and the criminals, hackers, and loophole-finders are usually at least one step ahead, and the good guys (the USGA in this analogy) are always going to be a step behind. Even if we take optimizing CG through materials to create more favorable launch conditions (imagine a high launch, low spin driver with playable MOI for example) out of the innovation equation for now; with any driver it’s an extremely small portion of the face that generates maximum performance. NOBODY…especially average golfers, works the sweet spot with any great regularity, so there’s tremendous opportunity to boost performance across more of the face.

Food for thought…later today we’re going to be publishing results for what we call Peak Distance. Basically, we look at the average of the best 3 shots with each driver on a per tester basis. The idea is to give you some sense of which drivers perform best when they’re hit in the proverbial screws.

What I find really interesting in that data is that across all of the drivers, the average total distance of all shots is ballpark 9-15 yards shorter than the average Peak Distance. If we assume that our Peak Distance measurement equates more to near-perfect than absolutely perfect, it’s not a huge leap to assume that, with no other technology changes, a face that does a significantly better job of maintaining ball speed on off-center hits, could generate another 10-20 yards of distance and still fall well within the confines of the current rules.

I’m not saying it will happen tomorrow, but its exceeding clear to me that we have not yet butted up against any real performance limitations.

R.Shanks

The USGA, RA and RCGA all care about the game of golf not the equipment, as it should be. The most difficult game is between your ears, always has been and always will be. The obsession with equipment has done more harm to the game than anything else. The swing is not complicated by nature, we make it complicated. Every swing has basics yes but after that its unique to every individual, you can’t teach your swing you find your swing, the teachers that do this are the best. The best players win with a great short game not long game, always has been always will be.

Tony

Your comments are very valid. But as a club fitter, there is one way to increase total average distance. The OEM’s don’t want to do this but I have no problem doing it with my customers. What is it? Make the club SHORTER. That sounds counter-intuitive, but the penalty for not hitting the center of the clubface is much more severe than the advantage gained by adding 1-2″ to the club length. Until they find a way to make the entire face perform the same as the very center excessive length is going to be a big detriment to longer average total distance. The PGA pros play 44.5-45″ drivers. Why are there 46 to 46.5″ drivers in stores today. Because everyone remembers that one time they stroked it perfectly and the ball went “off the planet” long. But what about all the other times. If you are interested in lowering you scores, get properly fit and I bet your driver will be at least an inch shorter than what you can buy off the rack.

TinkerGolfMan

Good to see TaylorMade killing it! Has it been sold yet?

I want to see Nike be up there.

Barney Boom

I hope I didn’t miss it but which 5 Drivers produced the most Draw Spin, ie: which drivers were the most draw biased?

Uhit

I would bet (depending on the chosen weight setting):

1. TM M1 430
2. TM M1 460
3. Mizuno JPX
4. Mizuno 850
5. Ping G SF Tec

cheers

Justin

Great data guys. For my own personal bias, I’d like to see a group of 20 golfers with 115+ mph swing speed test out drivers at THEIR optimal settings for each driver. Granted, this would take a considerable amount of time and effort. You’d almost have to have a “fitting day” for all 20 golfers and then collect data the next day, because after hitting hundreds of balls to get perfectly fitted for multiple drivers, the numbers would likely be skewed because most would be very tired physically and mentally.

I would suspect the results would come out fairly similar, but the margins would be a little wider in each category. For me for example, when fit to optimal setting for a Ping G and M2, my dispersion is better with the Ping by about 5 yards, but my carry distance is 15+ yards longer with the M2. Not only that, when comparing different x-stiff shafts on the same driver, the results vary wildly (as you might imagine). Speeder 661 vs Speeder 757 for example… 757 launches “mid” with much less spin while the 661 launches higher with a little more spin. All told it works out to be about a 10 yard difference in carry distance and 20 yard overall distance difference, with the dispersion also being better with the 757.

Most high swing speed players should be focusing on just two things… Spin and launch angle. If you swing at least 115 mph and don’t fly the ball 290+ in the air, you are losing a lot of distance likely due to high spin or low launch conditions.

So I think the best thing to take from this report for higher swing speed players is choose 3 drivers in the top 5 and focus on those for fitting. See which two feel the best and get fit for both. Then you can make a decision based on the real results. Even better is the fact that if you end up having similar results with the M1 and M2, you can choose the M2 because it’ll hit you a little less in the pocket book. :)

W.B. Neal

Results were good. I liked the breakdown of above 100 MPH and below 100 MPH. I was surprised that the Bridgestone JGR wasn’t #1 or #2. I have that driver and it is about the most accurate driver I have owned. I have tried the Great Big Bertha 2016 and the distance was a good 10 yards past other drivers once dialed in. My swing speed is below 100 MPH. Thanks for the article.

Jamie

I have a question on the Cobra F6+ results. Where was the weight set? In the front or back for the testing?

Placement varied based on needs of the individual tester.

Tony,

Thanks for answering my question. Generally speaking, did those who used the front setting on the F6+ see much variation in accuracy, shot area, etc. than those in the rear setting? To me, it’s very surprising to see the F6+ having quite a bit lower shot area number than the Cobra LTD. Factoring in the accuracy aspect, it’s hard for me to see a better choice than the F6+ (no I don’t have one before I get accused of being a homer).

Jamie – to be honest, I really can’t comment on the shot area as it doesn’t present itself obviously during the fitting/tweaking phase. We’re looking for *reasonable* accuracy, while trying to get launch parameters where they need to be. As far as the impact of adjustments…as you might imagine it varies on a per tester basis. For example, for some guys you make a face angle adjustment and see no significant change, while another will instantly go from hooking everything to hitting it straight down the middle. Front to back…again, some guys see minimal changes, sometimes it’s 15+ yards.

This is actually a great example of where robot testing falls short. The robot is going to hit the ball…period, he’s not going to react (change his swing, alter delivery, etc.) based on CG location. Some guys are nearly robotic (the swing how they swing, and moving things around doesn’t matter much), but some…the majority I’d say, have some sort of verifiable response to the movement of weight around the head.

Steve S

This testing continues to prove what I’ve been saying for years. For those of us with less than 100 mph swing speeds there is virtually no difference between the “top” drivers. The top 5 have 6 yards distance differential and the top 3 is three yards. The differential on carry distance for ALL the drivers is 10 yards from worst to best; about 5% of the total distance. So picking a new driver will be more about “feel” than actual performance for most guys.

Sharkhark

Hi maybe I missed it but if I did its not in the opening paragraph….

What swing speed ranges did you guys use to determine what’s slow vs fast swing speeds?

Sure I can look at individual results but I have no idea what you guys think is slow vs fast.
Under 100 slow? Or 110?etc .please !

Haha replying to myself…

I see know that what you guys consider low vs high can be seen if you scroll past the first part of the article… The high speed guys (doesn’t specify their speed) down to the slower (where you can see in title is section it’s below 100).
Sorry .

Kenny B

I am not surprised to see the Bridgestone JGR near the top for slow swing speed players. I bought mine in April after trying several drivers (sorry, couldn’t wait for the Most Wanted), and it has performed great for me. It’s interesting that you say that it performs better for people that tend to hit the ball high on the face. My typical shot was low on the face and it worked OK, but I made a slight change in my swing and now tend to hit it higher on the face, and I must say that I gained even more yardage. This driver immediately replaced my SLDR, not only because of the yardage gained, but this is the most accurate driver I have ever played.

Darren Tan

I also bought my JGR (Japan Spec) in Apr and it replaced my Bio Cell immediately. I’ve never hit better drives than with JGR. Driving used to be one of my key weakness but my coach has remarked that I looked much better swinging the JGR. Distance wise it’s also much longer and accuracy is tremendous. Hardly hit sliced shots with it and now my driving is one of my strengths.
I ended up buying both the 3W and 4H to go with it.

I went to hit this driver because of the reviews given by guys on the forum, but while I was there I was given several other drivers including M1/M2, Callaway, and Ping. The JGR just felt great and the results were better than anything else. It is by far the most accurate driver I have ever played. I tried the hybrid and it was OK, but not better enough to kick out my RBZ.

Jason

I know this is split into 2 groups, but I would love to see it split down further.

Something like:

>119
110-119
100-109
90-99
<90

Also were uniform settings used? Like was the weight back middle forward in the F6+? What shafts? I assume stock.

Maybe have a Most Wanted Shafts article because if the stock shaft was being used for people swinging 105+ that probably isn't ideal—for the most part.

I am just a hungry hungry data hippo.

First…we used a selection of stock shafts as provided by the manufacturers in stiff and regular flex., and we made weight adjustments on an individual tester basis.

I could probably launch into a 20 page narrative about the data and how to use it, and where and how it can become incredibly useful on an individual basis, etc., etc., etc., but to answer your question directly…

To be blunt, one of guiding philosophies at MyGolfSpy is don’t be full of shit, don’t misrepresent the data, take it as it is, present it, and publish it in such a way that our readers can draw the conclusions relevant for their own game. So that first bit of what I just said…to break the data down further (at least based on individual averages) by swing speed blocks when you only have 5 or fewer testers in each block very likely amounts to an insufficient data set – and again, we don’t want to misrepresent the data.

The industry as a whole likes 20 testers, and most have told us we’re ok splitting into groups of 10, but beyond that it’s a reach we’re not comfortable making.

There are some things we’re working towards and we’ll be publishing a REV. 1 of sorts next week (likely next week anyway), that allow for a more granular and personalized look at our data, but I think it’s likely you’ll see the test pool expand in the next year or two. We want the most comprehensive test…not the fastest, and that means we’ll continue to build.

LAbillyboy

How about taking the top 2 Driver heads you just tested and taking the top 20 shafts in R, S and X with 20 testers for each category?

It would be much more useful to me to see the difference the shaft makes than the club head… it would also produce data with the club heads using exactly the same shafts instead of what is provided stock.

I bought the Callaway Alpha after hitting a lot of balls with the top 5 you have here. With a Diamana Ahina in it, nothing came close for me, the the M2 was solid also. I was surprise at the Ping which was my favorite going in, I was not consistent with it.

Anyway, my 2 cents… I believe the shaft makes more difference than the club head though there are obviously differences.

Alex

Everything checks out here, m1, 93mph swing. Winner.

The top 10 drivers with around 131 ball speeds are all PRETTY CLOSE http://puu.sh/puRA4/df61f222b1.png

Looks like this is a pretty good year for drivers.

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Driver Ping G30	Hybrids PXG 0317
3/4 IRON PXG 0311XF	5-GW Srixon Z 565
SW PXG 0317	LW PXG 0311
Putter EVNROLL

Drivers

2016 Most Wanted – The Best Driver for Your Swing Speed

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Top 5 Drivers – (Swing Speeds over 100MPH)

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Top 5 Drivers of 2016 (Swing Speeds below 100MPH)

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