I had a chance to try one of these during a group golf lesson that I was taking at a local course. The pro brought out a bag of clubs when we were warming up and offered them for us to try.

The Burner TP has got sort of a different look about it—almost as if they took one of their more traditional pear shaped drivers and squashed it. But I hit it well. The thing I liked best about it is that the ball flight was relatively low. Since I hit the ball high—often too high—that was a real boon.

The TP version of TaylorMade’s Burner driver is sold as the same club that TaylorMade’s pros use. To this end, it’s got the same swing weight and launch conditions and Fujikura shaft. Normally, I would say that pro ine clubs are too much for a mid handicapper like me to handle, but my TaylorMAde TP 3 wood is my favorite club, and the Burner TP Driver I tried

The driver uses what TaylorMade calls its SuperFast club technology. That’s supposed to offer a lighter weight and longer clublength for higher clubhead speed. And, of course, it has TaylorMade’s Inverted Cone Technology, which is supposed to expand the sweet spot and increase the effective moment of intertia. I’m a big fan of the Inverted Cone Technology; it simply works. I play a TaylorMade Driver, three wood and irons, and on all of them, even off center hits tend to fly in the direction of the target.

The Oxygen Type X Offset titanium driver is designed to help the mid to high handicapper get the most off the tee. With a 460cc head—the highest allowed by the USGA—the Type X offers a gigantic sweet spot. This means that you will get better results even with off-center hits.

The club also features an offset hosel, which pushes the center of gravity further behind the shaft to allow the head to square more easily.  Internal weighting inside this model moves weight even further rearward to lower and improve spin rates for greater distance.

The Oxygen Type X comes with Hireko Golf’s 60 day playability guarantee, so you can try it without risk.

Adams Insight BUl driver is designed to offer the benefits of the new square drivers while maintaining a more traditional shape.

Adams says that its engineers developed the Insight BUL driver to achieve a MOI of 5,000 resulting in more forgiveness, and through this forgiveness, more accuracy and distance through this unique geometric design. By moving the mass as far away from the Center of Gravity as possible, Adams increased the moment of inertia (resistance to twisting) to 5,000.

“With the Insight BUL Driver, we were able to maximize the two important MOI measurements of the clubhead; MOIy, the vertical axis, and MOIx, the horizontal axis,” said Tim Reed, Vice President of Research and Development. “By strategically shaping and weighting the clubhead we were able to increase the stability for increased forgiveness while producing a CG location for optimal launch conditions.”

Hireko Golf’s Synchron Medic 460cc Titanium driver has a wide body profile that redistributes more weight toward the back of the clubhead, resulting in greater moment of inertia for improved accuracy. But Hireko says that the main feature of this head can be found in the construction of the head by moving the weld further behind the face. Known as Cup Face Technology, the ball velocity off of the face is increased across then entire face resulting into a larger sweet spot for maximum distance even on less than perfect shots.

This club is a bargain when you compare it to ones with similar technology from name brand manufacturers. You can get one from Hireko for as little as $80. And it comes with a 60 day satisfaction guarantee.

GX920 Lady Diamond Ti

I’ve thought for some time that the next great frontier in golf marketing is going to be among women. As the boomers retire, there are going to be a lot of women who—like my mother-in-law—will take up golf and spend more time with their husbands on the course. And they’re going to want clubs designed for them.

The GX920 Diamond Ti driver is equipped with the same high COR technology found in the men’s version. However, it is configured specifically for women looking for a higher ball flight and more power. Standard length with a graphite shaft is 44 inches, one inch shorter than the men’s standard.

Like all GigaGolf clubs, this one comes with a playability guarantee.

Sporting one of the most recognizable names in golf, the Big Bertha 460 is new this year from Callaway golf. Like so many of the clubs this year, this one is all about geometry. The shape is designed to create a 460cc clubhead with a shallower face, flatter crown. This, Callaway says, results in the highest moment of intertia ever for ones of its clubs. The stretched head design also lets Callaaway position the center of gravity deeper in the clubhead for optimum ball flight and forgiveness.

The club also incorporates Callaway’s “core technologies”, including VFT to maximize ball speed, and the classic Tru-Bore for improved feel and clubhead control.

I’ve gotten more than a couple of comments and emails calling Cobra’s new offering a “dead” driver because of a lack of distance.

just purchased the new M Speed LD Cobra Driver.  It goes straight but doesn’t go far

Another:

Lot louder bang, but no go

And more:

Has anyone wrote (sic) to you about the Cobra not getting any distance?

There also were a couple more emails that I’m now sorry that I deleted. I’d be interested in hearing from anyone else on their experiences with this driver. It’s the first one I’ve seen that is prompting people to complain.