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USA Today
13-02-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
New Drivers 2025: More distance, forgiveness and accuracy
New Drivers 2025: More distance, forgiveness and accuracy Manufacturers are using aerodynamic shapes, exotic materials and adjustability to make drivers that can provide golfers with more distance, straighter ball flights and better spin control. As more and more golfers are working with custom fitters to find the club that best fits their swing and game, equipment manufacturers are making a wider selection of drivers so they can offer clubs that appeal to a broad range of players. In most cases, brands offer a standard version of their latest driver and design it to be a club that offers a blend of distance, forgiveness and accuracy, but other versions often put a greater emphasis on one particular aspect or quality. For example, for 2025, Ping is offering the new G440 driver and feels it will be a good option for a wide range of players, but it also offers the G440 LST for golfers who need a low-spin club and the G440 SFT for golfers who need a driver that reduces the effects of a slice. Similarly, TaylorMade has the standard Qi35, which boasts a blend of stability, ball speed enhancement and forgiveness, but it also released the low-spin Qi35 LS, the ultra-forgiving Qi35 Max and an ultra-lightweight version for moderate and slower-swinging players called the Qi35 Max Lite. Cobra has taken this concept to the extreme for 2025 by not only offering four versions of its DS-Adapt driver (the X, the LS, the Max and the Max D), but it has also developed a new 33-position adjustable hosel mechanism that players and fitters can use to fine-tune the drivers and produce a better fit. So that's the good news, the fact there are more drivers and more versions of drivers on the market than ever before. The bad news is all those choices can create a lot of confusion when it comes time to buy one. But as much as drivers have changed over the years, one thing has stayed the same: The best way to find your perfect driver is to work with a custom fitter and hit different clubs while collecting data with a launch monitor. Below is a list of many of the newest drivers from leading manufacturers that you will see in pro shops and golf specialty stores throughout 2025. It is not designed to tell you what to buy, but it can give you a starting point in your purchasing decision and help you learn what clubs could be worth trying. Callaway Elyte Price: $599.99 (Elyte, Elyte X, Elyte Max Fast) with Project X Denali shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips; $649 (Triple Diamond) with Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Black shaft Specs: 460-cubic-centimeter titanium head and face with carbon fiber crown, moveable weights and adjustable hoselAvailable: NOW Who they're for: Golfers looking for a balance of distance and forgiveness. The standard Elyte likely will fit most golfers, while the Triple Diamond is a spin-killer for heavy hitters, the Elyte X offers more stability and the Max Fast is ideal for moderate-speed and slower-swinging players. What you should know: The four Elyte drivers feature updated faces that generate more ball speed and protect it on mishits, enhancing forgiveness across the lineup. Read the full review. Shop Callaway Elyte drivers Cleveland HiBore XL, HiBore XL Lite Price: $399.99 with Aldila Ascent shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 gripSpecs: Titanium face and chassis with adjustable hosel Who it's for: Mid- and higher-handicap golfers who want a blend of distance and forgiveness off the tee. What you should know: Cleveland used artificial intelligence to develop a triangular head shape that optimizes forgiveness, ball speed and sound. Read the full review. Shop Cleveland HiBore XL drivers Cobra DS-Adapt X, DS-Adapt LS, DS-Adapt Max-K, DS-Adapt Max-D Price: $549 with Project X Denali, Fujikura Pro Black, Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue shaft and Lamkin Crossline grip Specs: Titanium frame and face with carbon fiber crown and sole panels, moveable weights (X and LS), and updated 33-position adjustable hosel. Who it's for: Golfers who want a blend of distance and forgiveness (X), low spin (LS), ultra-high stability (Max-K) or help with straightening a slice (Max-D). What you should know: Cobra made the DS-Adapt drivers more aerodynamic and added different internal weight systems based on each head's loft to blend speed with ideal spin and launch conditions for a wide range of golfers. Read the full review. Shop Cobra DS-Adapt drivers Mizuno ST-Max 230 driver Price: $500 with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green RDX, Mitsubishi Lai' Li Blue or UST Mamiya Helium NanoCore 4F1 shaft and Lamkin ST Hybrid gripSpecs: 460-cc head with a forged titanium face and chassis, carbon fiber crown and sole panels and adjustable hosel. 9.5, 10.5 and 12-degree head options. Who It's For: Golfers who prioritize forgiveness and who want to hit straighter drives. What you should know: The new ST-Max 230 takes the weight saved by using a large carbon fiber crown and sole panel and redistributes it to the back of the head to boost the forgiveness and make the club Mizuno's most stable driver. Read the full review. Shop Mizuno ST drivers Ping G440 Max, G440 LST, G440 SFT drivers Price: $650 with Alta CG Blue, Ping Tour 2.0, Project X Denali Red or Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Black shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips. Specs: Titanium face and chassis with carbon fiber crown, tungsten weights and adjustable hosel. Who They're For: Golfers seeking more stability and better performance on mishit drives without sacrificing ball speed or distance. What You Should Know: Ping designed all three G440 drivers with carbon fiber crowns and new weight-saving adjustable hosels, then used the saved weight to enhance stability and increase ball speed. Read the full review. Shop Ping G440 drivers PXG Black Ops, Black Ops Tour-1 drivers Price: $599.99 (Black Ops), $649.99 (Black Ops Tour-1)Specs: Carbon fiber crown and sole panel with titanium alloy face, moveable weights and adjustable hosel. Who They're For: Golfers who seek more distance and forgiveness (Black Ops), along with players who want a low-spin driver that allows players to shape shots (Black Ops Tour-1) What you should know: PXG is using a new titanium alloy that allows designers to make the variable-thickness faces hotter, while the combination of moveable weights boosts forgiveness and lets players tweak the launch angle and spin rate. Read the full review. Shop PXG Black Ops drivers TaylorMade Qi35, Qi35 LS, Qi35 Max, Qi35 Max Lite drivers Price: $629 with Mitsubishi Kai'Li, Mitsubishi Diamana T+, Fujikura Ventus Blue or Fujikura AirSpeeder shaft and Golf Pride Z GripSpecs: Carbon fiber face, crown and sole panels with adjustable weights and adjustable hosel Who they're for: Golfers seeking high stability with more ball speed (Qi35, Qi35 Max, Qi35 Max Lite), and players looking for enhanced ball speed, low spin and shot-shaping adjustability (Qi35 LS). What you should know: TaylorMade has modified the center of gravity in its drivers to produce more ball speed while maintaining high levels of stability and forgiveness. Read the full review. Shop TM Qi35 drivers Titleist GT2, GT3, GT4 drivers Price: $649 with Project X Denali Red, HZRDUS Black 5th Generation, or Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue shaft and Titleist Universal 360 Forged titanium face and chassis with thermoform polymer crown, adjustable hosel and moveable weight (GT3). Who it's for: The GT2 is made specifically for players who want to maximize stability and forgiveness. The GT3 was made for players who want left-right adjustability, and the GT4 is for golfers who need a low-spin driver. What you should know: To improve the aerodynamics of the GT drivers, Titleist engineers elevated the back portion of the sole to reduce drag and improve the way air flows over the club. However, using the new shape in an all-titanium club elevated the center of gravity (CG) location, resulting in more spin, a lower launch angle and less distance. To use the aerodynamic head shape but lower the CG location, engineers decided to use a thermoform polymer to design a crown piece that wraps over the heel and toe and into the sole. Read the full review. Shop Titleist GT drivers Wilson Dynapwr Max, Carbon, LS drivers Price: $499.99 (Max) with UST Mamiya LIN-Q shaft and Lamkin Crossline 360 grips, $549.99 (Carbon, LS) with Project X Denali Black or Fujikura Ventus TR Blue shaftsSpecs: Titanium chassis and face with adjustable hosel (Max), carbon fiber crown (LS) and carbon fiber crown and sole panel (Carbon). Who it's for: Golfers who want more distance and forgiveness off the tee (Max), a blend of workability and distance (Carbon) and fast-swinging players who generate excessive spin (LS). What you should know: Wilson's first three-driver family is made up of clubs designed to meet the needs of three different types of players, thanks to the use of different materials, the location of movable weights and slightly different design features. Read the full review. Shop Wilson Dynapwr golf clubs
USA Today
04-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
This former No. 1 amateur makes her LPGA rookie debut at Founders Cup
This former No. 1 amateur makes her LPGA rookie debut at Founders Cup Show Caption Hide Caption Ping G440 Max, G440 LST, G440 SFT drivers Ping designed all three G440 drivers with carbon fiber crowns and new weight-saving adjustable hosels, then used the saved weight to enhance stability Ingrid Lindblad, one of the winningest players in college golf history, makes her debut as an LPGA member at this week's LPGA Founders Cup, and the expectations are high. 'I don't think winning is that kind of a crazy goal,' said Lindblad of her 2025 rookie season. When Lindblad first visited LSU, coaches asked "How good do you want to be?" No. 1 in the world, she replied. Lindblad won 15 times at LSU and spent more than 50 weeks atop the World Amateur Golf Ranking. She won the 2024 Ping WGCA Player of the Year title, the 2024 Annika Award and the 2024 Juli Inkster Award. "One of her superpowers, if you will, is her ability to do the little things to get to the big goals," said longtime LSU assistant coach Alexis Rather. "I think she's an incredibly process-oriented person. She knows her game, knows what she needs to do to get where she wants to go." There are 21 rookies on the LPGA this season, hailing from 12 different countries. While Lindblad will no doubt want to make a run at Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honors, she'll have her work cut out as five members of this year's rookie class are already ranked in the top 50 of the Rolex Rankings. Many in this year's rookie class will debut at the LPGA Founders Cup, played Feb. 6-9 at Bradenton Country Club in Florida. At 24 years old, LSU's Lindblad comes to the LPGA with a boatload of experience, having played five years of college golf along with six years of major championship experience. She knows what it's like to hold the spotlight at Augusta National and the U.S. Women's Open, having held a share of the early lead at the latter three years ago. Lindblad's opening 65 at the 2022 Women's Open at Pine Needles, playing alongside Annika Sorenstam, set an amateur record for the championship. Sorenstam called her fearless. Lindblad ultimately tied for 11th, earning low amateur honors. The decision to come back to school for a fifth season surprised many, but there were goals Lindblad still wanted to pursue. It was another year of maturity, and another year of team golf, two things that carried great value to the Swede. The LPGA was an inevitability, and veteran players like Anna Nordqvist told her not to stress, the tour would be there when she was ready. Lindblad joined the Epson Tour last summer midseason and managed to earn her card in only nine starts. She finished sixth on the Epson Tour's Race for the Card on the strength of a victory at the Tuscaloosa Toyota Classic and two runner-up showings. The start, however, wasn't exactly smooth. She missed the cut in her first event on the developmental circuit as a pro and spent two hours on the range that Sunday with her swing coach, who happened to be caddying, searching for answers. 'I would either shut the face and it went straight left, or it was kind of high right with no power – especially with the driver,' said Lindblad of those mid-year struggles. With the help of a water bottle as her guide, Lindblad made some adjustments and found immediate improvement. That emergency lesson ended up being one of the best of the year, and a rain-shortened event at her third stop gave her a rare opportunity to sleep in. The extra rest helped propel her to a share of second and she never looked back. Lindblad will have a large contingent of supporters in her first year on the LPGA, with her childhood swing coach, Thomas Lindstrom, and putting coach, Peter Franzen, hailing from her home club in Sweden. She can also call on the national team coaches who have been by her side for years as well as her college coaches, Garrett Runion and Rather. Scott Leonard will continue to be her caddie. During off weeks in the U.S., she'll head back to Baton Rouge to reset in a place that's familiar. "She's gained a lot of perspective on how difficult the game can be – the ups and downs that you kind of go through – and has gotten better at looking at the big picture," said Rather. "She has the potential to have a really long career out there ... I think she's ready, and her game is ready, for the biggest stage in women's in golf."
