My switch to TaylorMade clubs happened a few years ago after I attended a demo day and became completely infatuated with the Burner 2.0 irons. Soon after I also added a few of their longer clubs to my bag, including their Rocketballz woods. So, when it came time to review the new Taylormade SLDR driver, suffice it to say, I was pretty jacked to see what she could do.

Interestingly, the buzz surrounding the SLDR Driver has come with plenty of heckles from the peanut gallery. Frankly, most of the negativity is not directed at the club but rather the supposed audacity of TaylorMade to release what seems like their 8th driver of 2013. Well, let them poke fun because I am more than happy to to see what the latest technology could do for my game.

As a point of reference, my current driver is the TaylorMade RBZ, so the switch to the SLDR should not have been a huge change if the nay-sayers were correct. However, after getting the SLDR dialed in correctly at the range and then taking it to the course, I doubt very much the RBZ will ever see the inside of my bag again.

It is no secret that the key to more distance comes from the combination of  increased ball speed, high launch angle and low spin rate. How to actually build a club that best accomplishes this is at the heart of the “driver wars”. In the case of the SLDR, Taylormade chose to move the Center of Gravity or the “CG” lower on the face to promote higher ball speed. Additionally, they moved the CG forward to reduce the spin. Finally, they discovered that most golfers benefit from increased loft (up to 2 or 3 degrees) so they made the loft more adjustable than most other drivers to allow for a more optimal loft than you might believe.  In real terms this means a perfect recipe for more distance.

There are two adjustable features on the SLDR, the first being the namesake for the club. The 20g SLDR weight, emblazoned in a magnificent blue, runs horizontally along the bottom of the club and is adjustable to 21 different locations which allows the player to make adjustments to set up for a fade shot (set towards the toe) or a draw (set towards the heel). This is unlike anything I had ever seen in a driver before and it’s the foundation for how TaylorMade was able to achieve the lower CG.

The other adjustable feature is the loft of the club. Much like the other versions of TaylorMade drivers this is no different. Loosen the screw move the shaft to the desired loft and lock the screw in place. There are a total of 12 positions with a range of plus-or-minus 1.5°. The SLDR comes in 3 different loft options: 9.5° 10.5° and HL. For our review we received the 9.5° head with the Fujikura Speeder 57 stiff shaft.

When I held the club in my hand for the first time I felt more like a gawker at the Guggenheim than an anxious blogger. The SLDR is so visually appealing it would serve just as well as a modern art piece in your living room. The silver/grey paint tone is simply gorgeous and a perfect contrast to the chrome button-back TaylorMade used to assist with alignment. Unlike many of the previous TM drivers, the SLDR is noticeably toned down with more subtle stripes and paint scheme.

Looks aside the driver is a monster. I’m by no means a big hitter but I certainly felt like one during the sessions on the range and then on the course. The ball absolutely explodes off the face and the higher ball flight you’ll get from selecting an elevated loft takes nothing away from the distance. To this point, guys in my foursome were stunned (and a bit confused) when I showed them I had the loft set at 11°.

While we at Three Guys Golf pride ourselves on doing exactly zero scientific testing of equipment, I can say that I am 100% sure that I believe the SLDR is 10 yards or so longer than my RBZ. In my opinion, the SLDR is the best driver I’ve swung since picking the game back up four years ago and I have no plans on removing it from my bag. Sorry RBZ. It was fun while it lasted.

The SLDR comes in 3 configurations; the standard model like we tested which retails for $399, a TP or Tour version for those guys who actually get paid to play that retails for $499 (different loft configurations and a different shaft are the differences), and a ladies version that also sells for $399.

You can learn more on the Taylormade website

For those of you younger than 40,  you might not know that back in the day, Callaway was the big-time game changer. They were the guys that gave us Big Bertha, the over-sized driver that shook the industry. If you had the pleasure of trying one of these after hitting a standard driver, you were really in for a treat in terms of forgiveness and distance. Their work with irons also created some of the most forgiving irons of the era, and the rest is history.

With a name like Bombtech Grenade, you would expect my review to begin this review with claims of picking up 25 yards and crushing drives like Gary Woodland. While I do believe the Bombtech Driver may give you extra distance off the tee, I want to begin by telling you why this driver is different than any driver you will find in a store and why it might be the best driver you have ever bought.

Let’s roll back the clock to 2010 when company founder, Tyler Sullivan (“Sully”), was experimenting with different clubs trying to find one that fit his game. Frustrated with the quality of drivers and a mind for tinkering, he started building clubs from assorted pieces and parts. With some success under his belt he approached the University of Vermont with the idea of  developing a brand new driver designed from the ground up. So, along with a team of fresh faced senior Engeering geeks, the Bombtech Grenade was launched.

Common sense would say that there is no way anyone can touch a driver market that is dominated by billion dollar powerhouses like Taylormade and Callaway but that is where you would be wrong. The way I see it, there are two basic things that go into making a driver:  1) design and 2) manufacturing.

Sure the big boys have a team of smart people working on their product line, but there is no monopoly on brain power and sometimes design breakthroughs occur in the most unlikely of places. As evidence to my proposition, I would point to the boutique putter and wedge market where some of the finest selection is crafted by tiny companies.

The second part of the equation is actually making the driver. This is where the major brands have both and advantage and dis-advanatage. Clearly they have access to huge manufacturing and command enormous purchasing power. On the other hand, I believe that once a product goes into mass production there is a certain reduction in the basic attention to detail. This is where small companies like Bombtech have an upper hand as they can obsess over every tiny detail until it is perfect and maintain a level of quality control unheard of in mass manufacturing.

Before I ever saw the Bombtech Grenade, I spent and hour speaking with Sully to get some background and learn why he thinks it is the best driver on the market. Admittedly, about 25% of the conversation went over my head but what I clearly understood was how passionate he is about his craft.

For those of you looking to really get under the numbers and the technology behind the Bombtech, you can read a full synopsis of the design process which includes tables, charts and a whole lot of equations that make my head spin.

The first time I actually hit the Bombtech Grenade driver was exactly two minutes before I teed off. That particular day I was playing a new course so I cannot say for sure if I drove the ball farther than normal, but I certainly felt very comfortable. There was also a couple of times I honestly though I had mis-hit the ball but to my surprise each one flew much straighter than I expected. Since that time, I still feel the Bombtech is quite forgiving.

Now on to the all important “but is it longer?” question. For this test I did two things. First I played my regular course about 10 times where I know the yardage and where I land the ball. As a 10 handicapper, I know there are lots of factors going into how far I hit the ball on a given day but I can confidently say the Bombtech is at least as long as other drivers I play with and maybe about 7-10 yards longer.

Secondly, I took it into Golf Galaxy where I know a few of the guys. I hit it in the launch monitor and low and behold it went about 7 yards farther than all the other drivers I have hit in there (which is just about every driver on the market). However, I am not a long hitter so I let one of the Golf Galaxy staff guys hit it. I asked him how far he usually hits his driver to which he said “about 300 yards”. Firstly, I did not believe him but then he hauled off and hit the Bombtech 308 yards. He then hit about 5 more the same distance after which he turned to me and asked “where can I buy this?”

My other antidotal evidence of the distance came on the driving range when I passed the club to a buddy who also is a big hitter. One swing and he exclaimed…and I quote “Holy Fuck this thing is hot”. He then hit three more and asked if we could switch drivers. He has a brand new big name brand driver.

As regular readers know, I am not a gear-head so I am not going to give you all of the phsyics of the driver. However, there are a few basic features that are worth noting. First, it is not an adjustable driver. While some may see this as a disadvantage, I personally think adjustability is over-rated. I like to find a driver that I like and never mess with the settings. Additionally, the current Grenade only comes in 10.5 loft although I expect that to change as the product line grows.

A few other tech notes. First, the driver is made from a 2 piece cast mold and plasma welded face plate. The Bombtech comes with a Matrix shaft in a number of flexes and lengths. Turning the driver over, you will notice the dual cavity design which promotes club speed and bounce. Again, this stuff goes over my head but it looks bad-ass and fits my bill.

Aesthetically, the Bombtech has a nice black matte finish on the club and shiny black paint on the bottom. Beyond the color, the quality of the paint is above average which is another example of Sully’s attention to detail. While you may never think about paint, turn over your driver and take a peak. See how it looks like it is 20 years old? That is because many large manufactures use cheap paint. On the other hand, Bombtech only uses premium paint which will last much longer. Again, small companies sweat the details!

So here is my bottom line: The Bomtech Grenade Driver is chock full of technology and physics. It was not designed to be fancy or have a gimmick but simply to outperform other clubs on the market. The simple fact that it was concieved and built by a small team of incredibly invested people.

The Bombtech Grenade driver retails for $299 and can be purchased on the Bombtech website.

After the age of the white golf clubs, there came… red? Over the past year or so, Nike has has gotten a lot of really good press on their new Covert line with the Tour Hybrids making Golf Digest’s 2013 Hot List Gold. So, when we received the 3 and 4 hybrids for this review, the expectations were pretty high.

Ok, let’s dive into the tech stuff to see what makes these hybrids unique.

First off, the face is more flexible than last years award-winning VR_S model with a 45% larger hotzone. What this means is you get more distance even with mis-hits when the ball comes across the face. The science behind this magic lies in the sole cavity where, like on a cavity back iron, Nike has moved the weight around to the heel and toe for stability and forgiveness. This movement of weight translates to straighter, longer shots. Notably, the Tour model has less offset, lower trajectory and more flexibility in its settings so the face angles can be set independent of the lofts with the removal of one screw.

Over the years, golf companies have really improved the club adjustment process and the Covert is no exception. The Nike Hybrid is amazingly simple to adjust and lightning fast. Simply take out the one screw and turn the adjustment to the desired loft and face angle then replace the screw – that’s it. All in all, the hybrids have 4 degrees of loft and 3 face-angle settings so the 4 hybrids can very easily cover your 5 wood through your 5 iron depending on what you need in your bag.

Visually, the clubs are good-looking with that deep rich red color. In terms of feel, upon picking up the club for the first time, I did notice it seemed heavier than I expected. Prior to hitting the club, I recalled that some reviews mentioned the ball felt a bit dead coming off the face so I was curious to see if I had the same reaction. While  there is a certain “thud” to contact, and a lack of spring, there was no lack of distance. In fact, I found the ball flight to be quite penetrating and very controllable off of a variety of lies, including punch shots and half swings.

After a little work at the range, I was very comfortable swinging the club and quickly began to use it for a variety of shots during any given round. Specifically, it is easy to draw or fade and with the adjustments I could create more or less distance depending on where I wanted it to fit with my set.

Beyond your basic shots, the hybrid is also very useful for some specialty shots. For example, I have used it to punch out of the woods, escape from deep rough or even bump a ball from just off of the green.

While I am not a huge fan of adjustable drivers, the adjustable hybrid makes a ton of sense. First, it allows you to fill in distance holes in your set even when those gaps change. With 4 different lofts it takes the perfection out of trying to decide exactly which hybrid you need. Just change the loft as your needs change.

To learn more about the Nike Covert Hybrid you can visit the Nike Website.

Nike VR-S Driver: So let’s start with the usual disclaimers.

1) I have been and remain a huge Tiger Fan

2) The only Nike gear I own are two pair of shorts and a few shirts

3) I have never believed that Nike was the real deal in terms of golf clubs

Now that we have that out in the open, I will go ahead and spoil the ending and let you know I love the Nike VR-S Driver. In the past 3 years I have primarily carried a Ping G10 but I have hit a ton of other drivers in a simulator (see my post on the Free Driving Range). It’s not about the money either, no, the reason I never bought another driver is because I never saw any significant distance or accuracy improvements over my Ping G-10. Ironically, I never, not once, ever, hit a Nike driver because I “knew” I would not like it.

So here is the deal. I took the Nike driver to my home club’s driving range where the tee boxes have been set on the lower level such that some people can reach or fly net (but not me). My first drive rolled up to the net. Then the next and the next and the next. Even I did not need a launch monitor to know I hit the ball farther, the proof was in the net. The next day I played my regular course and was farther on nearly every single hole I played. In some cases I was flying traps that I have never flown. Yup, the Nike VR S driver is 15-20 yards longer for me than my Ping G-10 and every other driver I have hit the past 3 or so years (and all of the ones before that too).

Now, maybe it is not fair to compare a Ping G-10 to the Nike VR-S since the Ping is about 3-4 years old but as I stated, I have also hit other newer clubs but never realized much distance improvement. Why then am I a picking up so many yards? From a technology standpoint, the Nike VR S driver is built with the NEXCOR face which is supposed to increase ball speed – okay, sounds reasonable. Additionally, the aerodynamic head and lighter shaft are also part of the equation but I will leave that to the rocket scientists. Just as important, the Nike VR S is extremely forgiving which allows me to swing more aggressively as the misses are far less severe.

As for the looks and sound of the club, I am also a fan. While the white club head is the “new black”, I still dig a standard looking club. The Nike head is a grey metallic color but honesty I would not care if it was green as long as I keep picking up the extra yards. The stock shaft is Fubuki decorated in Raider Nation black and silver. Finally, in terms of sound, Nike drivers (like the old Sasquatch) are often associated with a poor sound. While the VR-S has a bit of a softball batish flavor, I had no issues with it (as a reference, I hate the sound of the old Sasquatch).

Seeing we are in 2012, the Nike VR S driver is adjustable and comes with a 15 page manual in like 14 languages. I read exactly zero pages (heck I don’t read the manual for a gas grill, no way I am reading a driver manual). I also did not tweak the driver even though I know it has 8 adjustable face settings. Since I hit it straight out of the gate so well I figure there is no need to mess with it with it – plus, I am on board with Matt’s assement of the world of adjustable drivers.

My only issue I have is the headcover. Sure it is big and solid, but it just does not fit very well. I actually asked my wife to check it out to make sure I was not doing something wrong. In part, it is the 3/4 sleeve that is the culprit. While it may allow for easier club removal, it also tends to let the driver float around more than I want it to. No biggie for me since the first thing I do with a new club is chunk the headcovers so I can put on my wool or leather headcovers.

Overall, I love the Nike VR S driver. For a guy who is constantly being chided for needing to play the senior tees and has become to accustomed to being the first guy to hit his approach shot, the VR S is a dream come true. The distance I picked up has changed the way I can play a number of holes on my home course and I have been able to use more scoring irons since I am 15 to 20 yards closer to the pin.

So if you have any preconceived notions of Nike golf, put them aside for a moment and give the VR S a try.

You can learn more about the VR S driver on the Nike website.

Taylormade RocketBallz Fairway Wood Review: Some clubs we have no loyalty to (driver), some we nearly marry (putter), some we just  hang on to for no particular reason (irons) and some we barely think about (fairway woods). For me, I have aways been pretty happy with my 3 wood whether it was an old Taylormade or Ping G10. I just wanted to be able to hit it 200ish and know it would go pretty straight. Mostly it was to knock the ball down the fairway on a par 5 or make an easy swing on a short par 4. However, there are those times in which you need to carry water thats 215 so you want to feel good about your 3 wood (or your 7 iron if you are Tiger Woods). Given the fact I have never been accused of being a long hitter, I was therefore more than willing to give the Taylormade RocketBallz fairway wood and its promised 17 yard gain a test drive.

From a distance perspective, we at Three Guys Golf try to give you the scoop but without launch monitors and all that, all I can tell you is that I hit it farther on my home track than I usually do. I know my distances well enough to clearly say that much. The one area I did struggle with the Taylormade RockeBallz fairway wood was hitting it off of a tight lie. I think because the club is taller than most, I was catching it thin and hitting it low. The good news, is that it runs like the devil. With that said, I did get it figured out and can now hit it from any lie. While I may only hit it 3 or 4 times a round, I do love when it is “RocketBallz Time”

The club itself is really good looking (unless you are not a fan of the white club). On the back you will notice the “speed pocket” behind the face. This is supposed to create the extra distance. One draw back of the speed pocket is that it is akin to a dustbunny magnet. Depending on the conditions of your course, you may find yourself regularly having to use a tee to dig out the dirt or grass that has been forced inside of it. Not a huge deal but something I never had to worry about with my other fairway woods.

So lets just talk Taylormade for a moment. I sure get the sense that these guys are ahead of the curve in terms of driver and wood technology. Again, if you have come to Three Guys Golf looking for specs or actual evidence you have come to the wrong place, but if you want a review based on opinion and pure conjecture – bingo, I’ve got that for you. From what I have read, Taylormade went back to the drawing board with the Taylormade RocketBallz and designed the whole thing from the ground up. Hence the deeper face, speed pocket and large head. I know every company is trying to make a great wood, but it sure feels like Taylormade is laser focused on making the best darn woods in the business.

Finally, I just wanted to touch on the sound. While it has no real effect on the ball flight, I dig the springy whack the club makes. It just seems to tie the whole club together. When I picked up golf seriously in 1999, Taylormade was the first 3 wood I owned, now 12 years later it is again back in my bag, and likely to stay there for quite a while.

A while back I wrote a bit of a rant about the Cleveland Classic Driver and its relevance in today’s market. My original take on the Cleveland Classic was that I simply did not buy into the “classic looks” concept – the fact that it was designed to evoke memories of the old persimmon woods was not something that sparked my interest. And maybe I took a few jabs at the folks who actually would buy into such a “gimmick”, but that was only because I am so charitable in nature. Well it appears that Cleveland was paying attention, because they called my shot and immediately shipped out a Cleveland Classic driver of my choice. The package may as well have had the words “eat crow” spray painted across it, because surely that was their intention.