Hireko Golf Acer XDS React Driver

In the mail this week was an Acer XDS Driver from Hireko Golf. The titanium clubhead is designed to set up like a player’s driver—square—but with internal weighting that helps to close the clubface. Hireko does this by shifting weight from the crown to a location on the sole closer to the heel.

I like the classic look of this driver. The crown is plain, but attractive. It sets up nicely, too.

Can’t wait for a chance to take it on a test drive.

Power Play Caiman Titanium Driver - Custom Assembled

In the mail this week was a Hireko Caiman driver.

The club gets its name from the curved and pointed sole, which resembles the snout of the South American Caiman.

The shape is designed to allow an optimal center of gravity and high moment of inertia.

The club also has a wonderfully glossy coat, which Hireko says is a “Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD)” coating, that involves the deposition of titanium carbon nitride under low vacuum conditions.

The best part is that it’s under $100 retail.

Review forthcoming.

Callaway golf has taken golf club customization one step further with its new udesign platform. Using this, golfers can design their own custom colored RAZR Fit driver.

Interestingly, pink is not one of the options.

The customization only seems to affect the accents on the club bottoms, not the tops. There are, however, options for custom grip and shaft selections.

Press release Follows:

Now that Ping’s servers have recovered—they were down much of yesterday—here’s some information on the Bubba Long Pink Driver:

April 10, 2012

PING announced today it will sell 5,000 limited-edition all-pink PING® G20™ drivers, inspired by the one used by Masters Champion Bubba Watson, and donate 5% of the proceeds to its fundraising campaign, “Bubba Long in Pink. Driven by PING.”

The bright-pink G20 drivers will be available in golf shops nationwide approximately June 1.

As part of PING’s campaign, the company made a $10,000 upfront donation and gives $300 for every drive Watson hits 300 yards or farther (up to 300 drives). To date, $61,600 has been generated. All funds raised will go to Phoenix-area charities, chosen by PING with Bubba’s support. Its effort is part of the “Bubba & Friends Drive to a Million” initiative launched by Watson in January to raise $1 million for charities this year.

“Bubba is already approaching the target of 300 drives of 300 yards or longer, and we wanted a way to provide ongoing support for his generous cause,” said John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO. “Even prior to his win at the Masters, golfers were requesting pink G20s.Through word of mouth, social media, and phone calls, the interest was extremely high. We want to satisfy that demand while bringing even more visibility to Bubba’s goal of raising $1 million.

“Golfers who own a pink G20 will be excited to have this prized possession. They’ll not only enjoy the improved performance of the G20, they’ll be participating in a wonderful cause.”

The drivers will have a bright pink shaft and clubhead featuring the same technology that has earned the G20 high marks for its performance from golfers of all abilities. The G20s are offered in 9.5º, 10.5º, and 12º lofts for right-handed players; 10.5º for left-handed. There is also a version geared for women with 12º loft and a Ladies flex shaft. All come with a matching pink headcover and a power-promoting high-balance-point TFC 169D shaft labeled, “Bubba Long in Pink. Driven by PING. Limited Edition 2012.” It is available in R, S, and L flexes.

Why wait until June to play Bubba golf? Get a used Ping G20 off Ebay and hit it with some pink spray paint

I just surfed on over to the Ping Golf site to find out more about the limited edition Pink G20 Driver they will introduce in June. I got this message:

SERVER IS TOO BUSY

Think everyone in the world is taking a look at that right now? You betcha.

Hireko Thriver Driver

Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: Designed to hit more fairways

Hit more fairways, and your scores will rapidly improve.  That’s the notion behind Hireko Golf’s Thriver Driver.

The word Thriver is a combination of Three wood and Driver. As that implies, the clubs design also is a melding of the two. With the higher loft of a three wood (14 degrees), players should be able to get more carry and less side spin. The somewhat shorter shaft also imparts more control. At the same time, however, the club has a 460cc head for a larger sweet spot, more coefficient of restitution (rebound) and greater confidence.

Designing a shorter driver, however, is not as easy as cutting down a standard length one wood. In this case, the shaft is 44 inches, some three quarters to a full inch shorter than most standard drivers (it’s still half an inch longer than many three woods, though). Simply shortening a club changes the swingweight and makes it awkward to swing. To do it properly, Hireko has added 10g of weight to make the club easier to handle.

Interestingly, numerous studies have shown that—thanks to the increased carry—higher handicappers get just as much distance off the tee with a three wood as with a driver. Thus, this club seems tailor made for the weekender who struggles to find the short grass. They’re not likely to lose any distance, but stand to gain better position.

My experience with the Thriver is that it generally works as advertised. It is hard for me to assess this, however, because I’m already a straight (but relatively) short hitter off the tee. I can, however, definitely feel a sense of increased control with the weight and shorter shaft. The feel I get is that I’m punching the shot out into the fairway, rather than smashing it with my driver (I don’t know how much sense that makes, but it’s the closest I can relate).

I think this club is worth a look from players who struggle to hit the fairway. I don’t see a high handicapper giving up much distance (and may actually gain it with the greater carry), and playing out of the short grass is worth that risk.

As with most clubs from Hireko, you can get the Thriver with a variety of options, including shaft type, flex, length, grip type and grip size. Even with your best choices, you can still get a club that’s a third of the price of a name brand stick.

Finally, I like that fact that I can buy with confidence from Hireko, thanks to their 60-day playability guarantee. If I don’t like it, I can return it. That’s confidence on their part.

More photos and a video follow: