Virginia Golfer May / Jun 2018 | Page 41

TAYLORMADE M4 TaylorMade's M4 driver showcases what the company refers to as Twist Face technology. It’s subtle clubface shaping that helps counteract golfers’ most common misses—impact made on the high toe and low heel. To counter a hook, the face is open and has more loft on the high toe to help correct ball flight. To fight a slice, the face is closed in the low heel, which de-lofts it. A slot behind the clubface creates a large sweet spot that ups ball speed for distance and forgiveness across the entire face. $430. taylormadegolf.com CALLAWAY Rogue How do you follow up one of golf’s most-popular drivers from 2017? Callaway’s Rogue succeeds the Epic, building off last year’s technology to make a driver with subtle improvements. Like the Epic, the Rogue has Jailbreak technology in the form of two hourglass-shaped titanium bars behind the thin clubface that stiffen the crown and sole to quicken ball speed and lengthen distance. Officials at Boeing helped redefine the club’s leading edge geometry, to improve airflow for more clubhead speed. $500. cmp.callawaygolf.com vsga.org TOUR EDGE Hot Launch 3 If price is an object, consider Tour Edge’s Hot Launch HL3. It’s not adjustable, but that may not matter to you after you hit one of its two stock lofts. You may well love the higher ball flight. The driver has a forged titanium head and cup face technology, which boosts how much the face flexes at impact for extra ball speed. Also helping matters here is the channel right behind the clubface, along the sole. It aims to amplify ball speed while generating less spin—giving you forgiveness on shots struck lower on the clubface. $190. touredge.com M AY / J U N E 2 0 18 | V I R G I N I A G O L F E R 39