MyGolfSpy’s 2015 Golf’s Most Wanted Driver Test – All The Details

A couple of weeks ago we let you know that invitations for the 2015 Most Wanted Driver Test had been sent.

We told you how we reached out to 16 different companies. We told you about how we worked with R&D teams at 3 different OEMs to refine our testing process. We told you that our 2015 test would be bigger and better than ever.

Now it’s time to dig into the specifics. Apart from the behind the scenes stuff (lots of spreadsheets and math), we wanted to share with you exactly how things are changing for the better, and of course, give you the list of companies who have boldly chosen to participate, and the shorter list of those who would prefer not to go head to head with their competitors.

Let’s get to it.

Significant Improvements

We’ve Partnered with Foresight Sports. Moving forward all of our Most Wanted Club Tests, and club reviews will be powered by Foresight GC2 launch monitors. We’ll have more details on this partnership in the coming weeks, but needless to say we’re incredibly excited to be using the same technology that the big golf companies rely on for their indoor testing.

We’ve Partnered with Bridgestone Golf. You guys ask us about the golf ball quite often. While we’ve always been consistent in what we use, we’ve never had the opportunity to use a true tour-quality ball before. Beginning with the 2015 Driver test, all Most Wanted tests, as well as labs and reviews that rely on a golf ball constant will leverage Bridgestone’s B330 golf balls.

We’re Separating Pro and Tour Heads. In the past we’ve combined Pro/Tour heads with their standard counterparts. Some testers hit the Tour head while others hit the standard. While this was certainly efficient, we feel there’s enough difference that each model should stand on its own. So for this year’s tests, and all future tests, each variation will be tested independently and hit by all of our testers.

We’ve Increased the Number of Testers. When we spoke with the golf companies about our testing protocols, we focused on two areas; the number of shots and the number of testers. While it might surprise you to learn that nearly everyone told us we were hitting plenty more shots than we needed in order to get valid data, it will surprise you less to know that every company told us we needed more testers.

What’s the right number? Is it 10? 15? We asked that question to the 3 companies we worked with extensively on our testing procedures, as well as two others we had cursory conversations with. Each and every time we asked, the answer was the same: 20.

Could we really scale from 6 testers to 20? Hell yes we can.

This year’s test will feature 20 golfers of differing abilities, swing speed, etc.. As we’ve done in the past, we’ll collect, sort, and present our data to you when we announce our 2015 winners.

Who Was Invited

We sent out invitations to the following 16 golf companies. Each was given a brief rundown of the test, and invited to send any and all models from its current lineup, and as always given the opportunity to ask any questions about the test itself.

• Adams
• Bombtech
• Bridgestone
• Callaway
• Cleveland
• Cobra
• Geek
• Mizuno
• Nike
• PING
• PowerBilt
• Srixon
• TaylorMade
• Titleist
• TourEdge
• Wilson

We’ve had a late addition. Royal Collection will also be participating in the 2015 Test.

Declined to Participate

The good news is that 11 of the 16 (make that 12 of 17) companies almost immediately agreed to participate. As is the case every season, there are a few companies who declined to participate. And so here they are…the companies who would prefer its products not be tested by MyGolfSpy.

• Adams
• Bombtech
• Callaway
• Cleveland
• Titleist

In fairness, two of the companies listed had specific and legitimate reasons for declining to participate:

• Adams is in the midst of a brand transformation of sorts, and unfortunately the company’s 2015 offerings are not yet available.
• Cleveland declined to send the new CG Black for the larger test, however; the company was more than willing to send samples for future testing among golfers within the product’s target demographic.

Bombtech has made its position clear in the past, and we want you to know that we did everything we possibly could to sway Callaway and Titleist, but in the end, each declined to provide product samples for unbiased, data-driven testing. Make of their decision to avoid our test what you will.

We’re Not Taking No For An Answer

When we considered all factors – Callaway’s resurgence largely as a result of the rebirth of Bertha, arguably Titleist’s most innovative and certainly most exciting release in years with the 915 Series, and another season of bold claims from Bombtech, we felt we’d be doing golfers, and more specifically our readers, a tremendous disservice by excluding any of these brands from our 2015 test.

While Bombtech, Callaway and Titleist have told us they don’t want to be a part of our test, our response is – as polite as it possibly can be – we understand and respect your decision, however; this year, you don’t have a choice.

MyGolfSpy has never been about what manufacturers want. It’s about what our readers want, and we’re hearing you loud and clear. You guys want to see how the Titleist 915, Callaway Big Bertha (Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond, and V-series), and the Bombtech Grenade stack up against the competition, and so we’re going to do what we have to do to get those answers for you.

To that end, we are taking steps to procure Callaway, Titleist, and Bombtech drivers through other channels.

Bombtech, Callaway, and Titleist drivers will be part of MyGolfSpy’s 2015 Most Wanted Driver Test, whether those companies want them to be or not.

Testing Starts Soon

We’re still waiting for some product to arrive, and of course, we need to survive the holidays. Our expectation is that testing will begin the week of January 5th, and will likely take 4-6 weeks to complete and process.

We’ll almost certainly have more information to share once testing gets rolling, so be sure to follow MyGolfSpy on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for the latest information on our 2015 Most Wanted Driver Test.

Support MyGolfSpy’s Most Wanted Testing

As you may already know, MyGolfSpy doesn’t accept advertising dollars from the biggest names in golf. We believe it’s the only way to remain above the influence while performing real tests and publishing real results based on real data. In Most Wanted Testing, there are clear winners, and not everybody gets a medal.

If you’d like to help cover the cost of the most complete and comprehensive club testing in golf (this includes the cost of testing facilities and clubs from Bombtech, Callaway, and Titleist), please consider making a donation to MyGolfSpy’s Most Wanted Testing Fund.

100% of donation money received will be used to offset expenses directly related to our 2015 Most Wanted Driver Test.

We accept credit cards through PayPal. A PayPal account is not required in order to donate.

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