Today is Day 3 of our 3-Day Series the “Clash Of The Adjustable Drivers!”. Today you will find out who was the STRAIGHTEST ADJUSTABLE DRIVER FOR 2010! We hope you have enjoyed this review series…we have many more planned so make sure to sign up for our free newsletter to stay up to date.
How Accuracy Scores Were Calculated
MyGolfSpy uses a proprietary chart we developed for our ULTIMATE Review system to assign a point value to accuracy (based on deviation from the center line). The closer the average shot is to center, the more points it receives. Like we did with distance, we convert accuracy numbers to a percentage with the most accurate driver for each golfer receiving of 100 points. We tally the sum of each club individually to arrive at 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.
1st Place – Nike Victory Red STR8-FIT
How It Scored
We were absolutely blown away by the accuracy numbers the Nike VR driver produced. A full 2/3 of our testers found the Victory Red to be the most accurate of the 7 drivers tested. Furthermore, the VR finished in the top 3 for accuracy for all but one of the golfers for whom we collected detailed performance data. Our data supports my own experience with the Victory Red. It’s an absolute fairway hunter, which is exactly why it’s been in my bag for the last month and a half.
Nike Victory Red STR8-Fit Performance Chart
2nd Place – Nike Machspeed STR8-Fit
How It Scored
The Machspeed scored a relatively convincing (margins are tight across the board) runner up finish to the deadly precise Victory Red in our accuracy tests. For the 1/3 of testers for whom the Victory Red wasn’t the most accurate driver, the Machspeed was. It’s worth mentioning that when our golfers missed with the Machspeed, they missed left. For slicers, the high MOI square design offers hope, but the trade-off is that it sometimes accentuates (really accentuates) a hook. Perhaps the biggest surprise of our tests is this: For every golfer we tested, a Nike driver proved to be the most accurate. Believe me, I’m as shocked as anyone.
Nike Machspeed STR8-Fit Performance Chart
3rd Place – TaylorMade R9 SuperTri
How It Scored
TaylorMade’s R9 SuperTri provided to be a consistently solid performer, accentuated by its 3rd place performance in our accuracy category. Our testers were extremely anxious to test the SuperTri, but in the end, most found something they liked better; both on our surveys and in overall performance. I’m a long time fan of TaylorMade drivers (even if I think there are way too many of them), and while it’s not my favorite of the bunch, there’s enough good about the SuperTri that I find myself intrigued by the the newer SuperDeep.
TaylorMade R9 SuperTri Performance Chart
3rd Place – Callaway FT-9
How it Scored
For accuracy, the FT-9’s 5th place finish was within fractions of points of several drivers not made by Nike. As with distance, for our accuracy tests, the gap between 3rd place and 6th place is minute. We suspect that 1° open face of the FT-9 Tour may have hurt the accuracy numbers of some of our less accomplished golfers. Our hunch is that with a standard head (1° closed), our testers might have improved their accuracy – although if other clubs are any indication, not by any significant margin. Overall, the FT-9 is a solid performer (and still one of my personal favorites), but our number suggest that the majority of golfers need to get custom fit for this one.
Callaway FT-9 Performance Chart
Cobra ZL
How It Scored
Our testing reveals that despite finishing 1st for neither (and out of the top 3 for accuracy) Cobra’s ZL strikes a near perfect balance between distance and accuracy. Looking at the chart below you’ll see that a couple of our testers struggled to keep the ZL towards the middle of the fairway. For whatever reason, Anthony and Dan distanced themselves from the pack (at least it terms of fairway futility). Toss those results – which we can’t do, but if we did – the ZL is as straight as anything without a swoosh on the sole. We’re thinking a face angle adjustment could make all the difference, but the fact is plenty of golfers (myself included) don’t like the look of a closed face, and won’t play one regardless of the benefits.
Cobra ZL Performance Chart
Cobra S2
How It Scored
In our performance testing, Cobra’s S2 proved to be a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde. You’ve already seen the distance numbers, but the flipside is that, the Cobra S2 finished 6th in our accuracy testing. We’re hard-pressed to explain it ourselves, but our golfers definitely had trouble finding the meaty part of our virtual fairways. While a simple head adjustment might improve things for some of our testers we also wonder if the noticeably tip soft shaft could be part of the issue. None of our testers were willing to write of the S2, and several mentioned they’d love to test it again with a different shaft.
Cobra S2 Performance Chart
Callaway FT-iZ
How It Scored
With respect to accuracy, you’ve already seen that both Nike clubs finished head and shoulders above the rest. Taking them out of the equation long enough to quantify the rest of the field, the the FT-iZ finished a very close 7th (mere points separated 3rd-6th place for accuracy). We’re still a bit surprised by how many of our testers wanted to take the FT-iZ home with them (one actualy did). Just as with our distance tests, we think the right shaft, and for some a standard head (neutral), we think Callaway has what is probably the best triangular shaped driver ever made (for whatever that’s worth).
Callaway FT-iZ Performance Chart
RELATED ARTICLES:
– “Clash Of The Adjustable Drivers!” – LONGEST DRIVER AWARDS – Day 3
– “Clash Of The Adjustable Drivers!” – USER’S CHOICE AWARDS! – Day 2
theSpoon
14 years ago
I bought a Nike Str8 fit Machspeed AND an R9 460. The Nike worked well for me for about 3 weeks, then turned into a slice-machine, no matter where I set it. I switched to the R9 and haven’t looked back. True, I lost about 10-15 yards in distance, but I’m hitting twice the number of fairways.
I’m using the factory N settings. This is likely the last adjustable driver I will buy.