COMPARING THE LATEST DRIVERS OF 2022!

COMPARISON OF NEW DRIVERS

We have plenty of new 2022 drivers to test out and I will be comparing them all against one another! From Japanese brands to overseas brands, I will be trying them out in the order of release date and providing a non-bias, honest review! 

 

 

1. Bridestone
 2. Yamaha
 3. XXIO
 4.Taylormade
 5. Callaway
 6. NEXGEN
 7. NEXGEN with Diamana Shaft

 

BRIDGESTONE B SERIES B2 1W

This is Bridgestone’s newest club of 2022 and to start, let’s take a look at the head of the club. It has a screw that helps stabilize the rebound of the club.

 

 

 

As expected, the club face is made of carbon fiber, pretty fancy! Made with all the newest technology, this is a well balanced club and unlike the B1, the design of the head is more simplistic. 

 

 

As this club is a collaboration with Mitsubishi Chemical, it comes with the Diamana shaft! Thanks to the collaboration with Bridgestone, the shaft is not too stiff, and they focused more on the shaft’s movement.

I’ll go easy first and let’s give this a try! 

 

 

Yep! That’s a Bridgestone. Let’s try another! 

 

 

I thought I hit that well but there may not have been enough spin, so I will try again!

 

 

The last hit felt like a solid 250 yards but it didn’t make it to that distance.. The first hit was the best! I can confirm that the club is nicely balanced, and the sound is soft. From my perspective, this club is for the pros, which explains the soft sound. The shaft has a good kick to it and feels as though the driver is pushing the ball rather than whacking the ball. As golfers, we want more yards from one shot, and this Bridgestone driver provides good control and catches the ball well. Bridgestone often talks about the ball staying on the face longer and this driver provides that sensation which also equates to more control. That being said, this club is good for people who want more distance.

Experienced golfers value the extra time on the face, and this driver offers that, which I think is the best part of the B-series!

 

YAMAHA RMX VD59 1W

For the Yamaha driver, I believe the high MOI is one of its selling points. When addressing the ball, the large head makes the ball look tiny, which is why I think it has a high MOI.

Let’s see if I can make the best of this physical characteristic!

 

 

That sounds really nice! It has a solid feel and I really like that sound. I don’t always hit the sweet spot.

The feel of the face was a priority for this model which helps the ball travel further. Normally with a head this big, the ball does not catch well, but thanks to this slight curve or face progression, it helps catch the ball better.

 

 

The center of gravity is high, so although the head is large, the ball will not drift to the right too much. They have really considered the physics and you can feel how the club makes contact with the ball.

 

DUNLOP XXIO 12 1W

Now let’s test the driver that everyone is familiar with, the XXIO! There are two different models and we have the standard type in the color red with us today. Did you know you can choose the color of this club?

This definitely feels like a XXIO with how flexible the shaft is. People tend to focus on the XXIO head, but since the release of the first model, they’ve only used stock shafts, called MP. They are very particular about this and don’t use other shafts!

 

 

Let’s give this a go!

 

 

What a nostalgic feeling and very nice! I’ve used XXIO since their release of the first model and you just can’t go wrong with a XXIO. No other clubs sell consistently this well for so long! People who use XXIO tend to upgrade the model they have, and just like buying a car, if their experience with the previous model was bad, they wouldn’t bother buying the next model! My first impression of this club is that it is well-balanced. If your head speed is about 40 m/s and you’re looking for more yards, this club is for you. I feel as though XXIO is geared towards people whose head speed is 40 m/s rather than those whose head speed is 50 m/s. As someone who is older and hitting around 41 to 42 m/s, I have a new appreciation for how well-balanced the XXIO is. The shaft is really good and XXIO never disappoints.

 

Taylormade Stealth 1W

Next up, the Stealth. This is the opposite of a XXIO and a club that Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, and other tour professionals have used with good results. With such household names using this club, it was a big hit when it started to sell in Japan. I even bought 2 of the three Stealths I own! The Stealth we have today is the standard model with a pured Tensei shaft. As you all may know, the face is made of carbon fiber!

Let’s see how this feels after hitting with a titanium club!

 

 

There it is! Just listen to that soft sound, it sounds much better than older carbon fiber faces. It sounds muffled, and can be expected from the world-renowned Taylormade! They wouldn’t sell this if it wasn’t tested or as good as titanium clubs. If you prefer a sharp sound, I would recommend the SIM or SIM 2 and if you are looking for a softer sound and feel, this driver is for you. Taylormade is confident in giving you more distance and the balance between speed and distance is really good! One thing to note though, is that this club is not light. It is not for people who prefer lighter clubs.

 

Callaway Rogue ST MAX 1W

Next up, is the Rogue ST, a popular club amongst tour professionals! A Taylormade rival, Callaway is also striving to be the number one club in U.S. and Japan tours. Like the Stealth, the Rogue ST works well for tour players and the model we have in hand, the ST MAX, is great for amateurs, thanks to its features. The shaft used is the Ventus in gold and the face is completely different compared to Taylormade. People often ask me whether the Stealth or Rogue ST is better and my answer to that is, choose by the head face! Callaway and Taylormade faces are different but you would want to pick the club that’s easier for you to set up and align. As for performance, this varies per person! I personally mostly use Taylormade and haven’t used Callaway in a while.

 

Here I go!

 

 

It sounds very calm and quiet.. It’s so quiet! It has more of a thud sound than a thwack.

 

Let’s try another. 

 

 

Not that great of a hit. But it still caught the ball and the ball speed was really good! The face is titanium but the crown and sole both use carbon fiber preventing a thwack sound.

 

 

It’s not as quiet as the Stealth, but it’s definitely quiet for a titanium face. Tour professionals generally don’t like a loud sound and prefer a muffled sound. If you look here, you can see a very hard and rigid Jailbreak inside the face which prevents loss of energy. This is a signature of Callaway and you can adjust this feature.

 

 

If you are looking to make detailed adjustments, like the face angle, Callaway is your best bet. It’s popular amongst Tour professionals and the data is consistent!

 

NEXGEN NS210 1W

The sixth club we will be reviewing today is from NEXGEN in a white, black, and silver color. I personally like this chic design because I like to wear black and monotone colors. The weight of this club comes from the refined milling on the face. Just like the previous models before it, it uses the E.I.F. shaft, which does not have a flex rating, Our thoughts for the shaft are that it is flexible and easy to hit with, even with a lot of head speed. I feel as though it’s a bit lengthy but it adheres to the new rule of shaft limitation of 46 inches. I like that the head is black and shiny, and if you look closely, you can see the carbon fiber here. I am a fan of how it’s not so obvious. At first feel, it is very easy to hold!

Here is the first swing!

 

 

Very Nice! Great head speed. The length does increase the speed and I opened the face on purpose for the launch angle but it didn’t go quite as far. Let’s square up and try again!

 

 

Wow! That went far! It scored a low smash factor, so only 260 yards. This shaft is easy to swing! Wouldn’t it be nice to hit 268 yards?? Let’s get serious and try again!

 

 

I got a head speed of 44! That went far! I’m turning 64 this year and the TrackMan is showing 268 yards! You know that the TrackMan speaks nothing but the truth! I rarely hit 44. Sometimes a long club can lower speed… To be honest, I put in a lot of effort into the swing and swung with all my might but despite the stiffness, which is a little soft, the head follows through! This club is no joke! GOLF Partner sells other national brands and they wouldn’t make their own brand if they thought they couldn’t compete alongside them. I am very impressed with this club! The length of the shaft is of personal preference but if you believe 46 inches is too long, I would recommend not using them. Regardless of the length, you want it to be easy to swing to gain as many yards as you can. For people who are looking for more distance from their drivers, I would recommend this NEXGEN NS210. Increasing head speed even by 1 m/s is difficult but this club makes it easier! My cameraman is encouraging me to hit again to reach 260 yards as I was only off by 1.7 yards!

How far can you push a 60 year old man? I’m starting a driver challenge!

 

 

I was off by one yard.. Anymore and I’ll end up hurting myself so I’ll stop! Wow, I was so close to 260! This is going to sell well.. GOLF Partner might end up only being able to sell this club! It’s amazing!

 

NEXGEN NS210 1W DIAMANA SHAFT

I personally like the original shaft, but here’s another NEXGEN NS210 co-produced with Diamana! Some people do prefer the Diamana shaft, so they created some variations to target those people. It’s a bit shorter than the original. 

 

 

Let’s try this out!

 

 

This is pretty good too! I like the feel, as a Diamana shaft, it feels very stable. Let’s hit again!

 

 

That felt good also, this Diamana shaft is made for hitting. It works with my head speed but it’s not that soft and feels a little rigid. This version of the club hits harder than the stock shaft as there’s less shaft movement and it works with my head speed! It’s not very soft and feels a little rigid, but at the end, this is all preference. The shaft does not add distance but it does help with timing and timing will slightly affect the distance! I have tried both versions of the club and I would personally pick the stock shaft.

Although we have our preferences on what brands we like, try to be unbiased and try different clubs out! I’ve tried the clubs out and have shown the data, now you should go out and try/compare other brands for yourself! All of the clubs I tried today are up for the challenge.

Today, we had a great selection of models, including the recently released NEXGEN NS210. Overseas brands or Japanese brands, these are the newest models and you can tell by how they feel! If I were asked which one hit the worst, I would say none of them. The shaft and player will affect the spin rate, feel of impact, and how it catches the ball. This does not affect distance, but what is desired is a specific and certain feel. The Stealth was especially unique and you will either love it, or hate it. Remember, these are purely my results so what you will achieve will be much different. Everyone has different swings, but my biggest surprise was the 46 inch long shaft. I’m 64 and I was able to hit 260 yards which was my goal this year! Getting a score of 260 yards on the TrackMan is difficult but I was able to hit 258, 259 yards, easily. I was truly amazed by this. The unique flexibility makes timing easier and I was able to comfortably swing despite it being 46 inches in length.

What do you look for in a driver? Is it distance? Is it stability? No clubs hit less than 10 yards so try out some clubs and choose one that feels stable! Remember, just because it hits far, doesn’t mean your score will improve! Thanks for reading!