2018
Callaway Rogue £469
➤ www.callawaygolf.com
➤ Review: Callaway Rogue
TECH: Features similar game- changing “jailbreak” tech found in last year’s Epic, but pumped full of more performance for 2018. No weight track saves 15g; the stretched head is 10% bigger; and because MOI performance has increased by 600 points Callaway says dispersion is 10% tighter than Epic. All the tuning is said to add up to 1.5-2mph of extra ball speed over the Epic.
WHY IT’S WON: Rogue is light years ahead of last year’s Epic. It has a more user-friendly, stretched head shape which for a majority of us will boost confidence on the tee. Our test pro produced his fastest average ball speed and longest average carry (274 yards, shared with TaylorMade’s M3) with the Rogue. That speaks volumes about its excellent combined package of distance with forgiveness. One of our top three drivers of 2018.
Yes, £469 is a lot of money for a golf club, but this is a lot of club – and it delivers on its distance promise. For the average club golfer the Rogue’s a leap forward in terms of forgiveness, too; just make it your business to get the right shaft as there’s plenty to choose from.
TaylorMade M4 £369
➤ www.taylormadegolf.com
➤ Review: TaylorMade M4
TECH: The same Twist Face and Hammerhead tech as the M3, but with 41g (up from 22g in the M2) of weight positioned in the rear weight pad to max out forgiveness. Geocoustic engineering means the recessed sole frees up volume to create a bigger, more forgiving footprint.
WHY IT’S WON: Dustin Johnson won his first event of 2018 with an M4, giving the club instant tour validation. It produced very solid distance and forgiveness numbers for our testers without quite topping the pile. The stock shaft’s quite high spin, so select your set-up very carefully to ensure you max out performance. They’re only tweaks, but we like the new silver strip on the crown and how the carbon-fibre crown joins the titanium leading edge is more subtlety shaped.
After plotting where every impact occurred during our drivers test (for all three testers) we were able to prove that Twist Face launches shots from the high-toe and low-heel faster with less side-spin (they also flew five to six yards further) than the competition. It doesn’t mean you’ll hit every fairway, but we’d always like any advantage stacked in our favour.
Ping G400 MAX £389
➤ www.ping.com
➤ Review: Ping G400 Max
TECH: All the same aero, acoustic, fast face and dragonfly crown tech as the standard G400s, but with a 460cc head to improve forgiveness. Tungsten weighting is wrapped from the sole on to the back skirt, raising MOI 700 points higher then the standard G400.
WHY IT’S WON: MAX is a really interesting addition to the G400 family. Whereas the other heads are 445cc, Ping has taken MAX to the 460cc limit. You may lose a little club speed thanks to the extra size, but whatever’s lost is more than made up for in forgiveness. It’s particularly useful for golfers who spray shots around the face. Simply put, you can’t buy a G400 driver in 2018 without looking at MAX, too.
Like the other G400 models it sits beautifully behind the ball, and Ping says its massive MOI makes it the most forgiving driver on the market. It isn’t just for hackers – Tony Finau, one of the tour’s biggest hitters, has one in his bag. If you want help deciding between the pair, think about your normal driving game. If you miss lots of fairways the MAX is a great shout. But if your game would benefit from all the speed you can get, a standard G400 could be the better option. Get fitted.
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THE SHORTLIST
| Driver | RRP | Club |
| Ping G400 | £389 |  |
| Ping G400 LST | £389 |  |
| Cleveland Launcher HB | £279 |  |
| Cobra King F8+ | £329 |  |
| Mizuno ST180 | £449 |  |
| Wilson Staff C300 | £349 |  |
| Srixon Z765 | £325 |  |
| Mizuno GT180 | £449 |  |
| Callaway GBB Epic Sub-Zero | £469 |  |
| TaylorMade M3 | £479 |  |
| Titleist 917 D2 | £450 |  |
| Ping G400 SFT | £389 |  |
| Cobra F-Max | £229 |  |
| Callaway Rogue Draw | £469 |  |
| TaylorMade M4 D-Type | £369 |  |
