NIKE SQ MachSpeed Black Round Driver

Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: Simply the best driver I’ve played.

A measure of just how much I like the Nike MachSpeed Black lies in the fact that it has replaced the trusty TaylorMade R7 in my bag. For me, the MachSpeed Black is yards longer and much straighter.

I haven’t come to this decision lightly. I actually received the Black from Nike in February (they had to know that it’s snowing in Michigan until late March, but there it was), and carried both drivers in my bag for several rounds, hitting two off each tee.

There’s a wealth of technology in the MachSpeed Black, of which the most prominent is the STr8-Fit adjustment system. It consists of a special shaft tip that screws into an adjustable hosel. Alignment of the shaft into different positions allows you to make eight different adjustments to the lie and face angles.

Mechanically, the change is very easy to accomplish: just insert the shaft and screw it down with the special wrench. However, I had some difficulty figuring out from the diagram which way the shaft actually was supposed to align. It’s based on the symbols on the top of the grip, but even with the guide, it was dicey. I’m a bit thick, I guess. But this difficulty is the only reason why I didn’t grade the club an A+.

I’m also a little concerned about what happens when the time comes for a grip change.

A nice touch with the wrench. It has audible and visual indicators to tell you when you’ve tightened it properly. Or at least, I assume that it has a beep. I can’t hear it.

The adjustability is great, but I think that, like my R7, I’m going to find a position that works and just leave it there. Right now I have it one degree closed, and upright. That works pretty well.

A less obvious technology is the aerodynamic design of the clubhead. I have the MachSpeed Round, and it has a very traditional look at setup. But on the sole, you can see a swept-back molding – Nike calls it the Power Bow and Sole Diffuser – that’s supposed to reduce drag, and thus increase clubhead speed. Faster clubhead speed equals more distance. It’s an equation that works for me. I am absolutely getting more distance out of this driver than with any I’ve played or owned.

Ball flight for me is lower than I am used to, but that’s a good thing, because I’m getting quite a bit of roll.

The shaft on my model is a stock Fubuki, which comes in all the usual stiffness flavors. But if that shaft doesn’t thrill you, don’t despair. Nike has dozens of shafts available, and even more available through special order. There’s got to be one you like in the selection.

Visually, the club is quite nice. I like the black finish – I’ve always liked black clubheads; to me they mean business. The round version that I have also has a more traditional look. It’s large, but doesn’t look obnoxiously so. I think traditionalists will like the looks; I do.

As usual, I can’t tell you anything about the sound of the club, but it has a nice solid feel at impact. I can tell with relative certainty the point of impact on the clubface, which interestingly, I can nearly always verify. There’s something about the texture and composition of the clubface that always seems to leave a ball mark.

I predict it’ll be a long time before the Nike MachSpeed Black is supplanted in my bag.

Pinemeadow Golf

Pinemeadow Golf has joined the white driver revolution with its W7 Driver. From Pinemeadow:

The Command W7 is the newest driver in our best-selling Command series. Pairing a white finish with an oversize 460cc head gives players a big sweet spot along with a sharp look.

The driver features aerodynamic speed slots in the sole of the club to increase head speed which will improve distance.

As you may be aware, white has become a popular color in golf. There is a reason why clubs heads are being designed with a white finish: the white finish on the crown improves the visibility of the head and helps you align the driver off the tee, helping you hit more fairways and improve accuracy. Join the pros, get the newest advantage for your bag.

All men’s drivers will include a Golf Pride Tour Wrap 2G White grip (pictured below) with unbelievable feel and performance.

COBRA White S3 Driver

The very cool Cobra S3 White driver is soon to hit the shelves. In limited quantities, and individually numbered, they are sure to be a collector’s item. The clubs feature standard tech from Cobra:  the E9 Face Technology, which creates a 30% larger sweet zone, and Adjustable Flight Technology, which consistenly delivers long distance and accuracy. This special release S3 Driver includes a unique white headcover and a white AFT torque wrench in a white pouch.

Pinemeadow Golf

Golf clone manufacturer has jumped into the white driver market with its new Command W7 driver.

The Command W7 is the newest driver in our best-selling Command series. Pairing a white finish with an oversize 460cc head gives players a big sweet spot along with a sharp look.

The driver features aerodynamic speed slots in the sole of the club to increase head speed which will improve distance.

As you may be aware, white has become a popular color in golf. There is a reason why clubs heads are being designed with a white finish: the white finish on the crown improves the visibility of the head and helps you align the driver off the tee, helping you hit more fairways and improve accuracy. Join the pros, get the newest advantage for your bag.

All men’s drivers will include a Golf Pride Tour Wrap 2G White grip (pictured below) with unbelievable feel and performance.

Actually, clone is probably not the best word to use with PineMeadow. They’re not copying a club and trying to fool the public into thinking they’re getting something they’re not. Instead, PineMeadow is more like one of the many hundreds of PC clone manufacturers. They all produce machines with similar specs and performance. It’s just that some have more recognizable names, like HP, IBM and Dell (which itself was one of the original IBM clone manufacturers). I’ve had good results with PineMeadow products over the years.

Find a TaylorMade R11 Driver using the widget above, or visit here for a more detailed listing of TaylorMade R11 clubs on Ebay.

Acer XF Leggera Driver

Hireko sent one of their Acer XF Leggera drivers for review, but weather in Michigan precludes my taking it to the course, so here are a few notes until I can take it out for a drive:

The first thing I noticed about the Acer XF Leggera is that it’s long ... as in long from clubhead sole to butt of grip. The idea is that a longer club allows players to generate more clubhead speed. But as with everything in life, there’s a tradeoff. A longer club will—ceteris paribus—feel heavier than a shorter one. The solution is to lighten the clubhead as you lengthen the club, thus keeping swingweight constant.

And that’s exactly what Hireko did with the Acer XF Leggera: They made the clubhead lighter by developing a super thin crown. That means that even with the added length, it doesn’t feel too heavy. So you get the distance without the drawbacks.

Swinging the club indoors at GolfBlogger World Headquarters, I concur with Hireko’s conclusion. Longer, but no heavier.

PowerPlay Adrenaline Titanium Driver

Hireko golf recently sent me one of their new PowerPlay Adrenaline Titanium Drivers to test. Unfortunately, there’s still snow on the ground here in Michigan, so I’ll pass on a few highlights and save a full review for a few weeks from now.

The PowerPlay Adrenaline Titanium Driver has a wind-tunnel designed, aerodynamic clubhead that’s supposed to produce less drag, and thus more clubhead speed. The rounded edges and sculpted body allows the air to flow around the clubhead with the least resistance, and then converge and continue on its original path.

The club also stands out because the four pieces of forged titanium that comprise the head are forged together with a Plasma Arc Welding process that requires less solder and prevent uneven seams. The plasma welding also eliminated 7g of weight, which of course were redistributed elsewhere where it is more useful. The face is of the variable cup face construction variety to maintain ball speed even on off-center hits.