Drivers
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TaylorMade SIM Max – £449
Not only are the three SIM drivers TaylorMade’s best looking ever (that chalk-colour top edge and chromium carbon crown looks stunning), the SIM Max was among our test’s longest three drivers of 2020.
SIM puts huge emphasis on optimising aerodynamics, so it was no surprise to see the Max among our three fastest drivers of the year, too. We’re big fans of how TaylorMade have built on the tech success of the M family, so you now get the proven speed injected TwistFace tech in a model which is even more aerodynamic.
Mizuno ST200 – £349
Mizuno have taken huge strides in the driver market over the last five years, and we feel 2020 is the year they’ve legitimately earned the right to dine at the top table of total driver performance. The ST200 is powerful, great sounding, lovely looking and with enough forgiveness to keep drives on the cut grass.
Our test has the ST200 down as our second longest of 2020, and because carry dropped off by just 11 yards (second best) from our longest to shortest drives, it’s earned a place among our favourites of the year.
Ping G410 Plus – £450
The Ping G410 Plus launched last year, and the family is likely to be updated later in 2020. But we still love how the movable weight system has zero impact on MOI and forgiveness, which isn’t the case with most movable mass drivers. We’re also big fans of the matt crown (titanium rather than carbon-fibre) and how it gives a simple, clean appearance at address.
It wasn’t longest driver of 2020, but it did feature among the smallest three drop-offs for ball speed, side/back spin and carry, which tells you everything you need to know about how forgiving it is; and why club golfers buy it in their droves.
Callaway Mavrik – £469
The Callaway Mavrik’s three-driver family is tailored more than ever to the types of golfer who’ll use them. Callaway’s R&D chief Alan hocknell told us about “spin robustness,” which improves accuracy and drop-offs (essentially forgiveness) – and Mavrik absolutely delivered.
A ball speed within 0.1mph of the fastest driver of the year (which you wouldn’t expect from a more forgiving model) and within two yards of our longest carrying driver is impressive. But doing it while offering up the narrowest back and sidespin drop-offs (by 32%) as well as the tightest carry drop-offs (by 55%) of our whole test is a seriously impressive performance.
NEXT: 2020’s AWARD-WINNING FAIRWAY WOODS
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