NEW 2023 Driver Model Announcements
The new year is here and the 2023 PGA Tour season is just getting underway. Just like every other year, the new season brings in the crazy gauntlet of equipment changes. In this article, we will be taking a look at the new drivers that were released and what the new marketing tactics say about these drivers.
Ping G430 Drivers
@Ping Website
In 2023 the driver hype is getting kind of crazy with every manufacturer coming out with a driver annual. I am not going to lie it is very refreshing to have manufacturers adopting a 2-year release schedule with their drivers.
I have been hearing mixed reviews about the new look of the Ping G430 driver and its paint scheme. I like the look of this new driver. I think the very subtle yellow is very eye-catching and has a very clean look. It looks like they are keeping the turbulators on the crown of the club while keeping the matte black crown. They are adding a new face design to promote more flex to increase ball speeds.
Ping G430 LST – The Ping G430 LST is going to be their low-spinning driver. The driver features rear weighting in on the club but is less weight than the MAX version.
Ping G430 MAX – The max is going to be their most forgiving driver. The driver is going to be pushing the boundaries of MOI in a driver. The driver features adjustable rear weighting on the back of the sole.
Ping G430 SFT – The G430 is going to be their straight-flight driver. This is going to be more of a draw-biased driver. It features a rear weight to increase a right-to-left shot shape.
Titleist TSR Drivers
@Titleist Website
Titleist is sticking with their TS model of the driver which replaced their 900 series of drivers in 2018. Their new R series replaces last year’s I series. This new R series features enhanced aerodynamics, and a new rear of the driver with weighting to improve MOI.
Titleist TSR2 – Most Game Improvement driver from Titleist. Features a slimmer 460cc head that promotes a high launch and low spin. It also includes a replaceable weight in the rear to promote proper launch and spin rates for higher handicap players.
Titleist TSR3 – Mid-Handicap driver with a 460cc head that promotes mid/high launch and low spin. The difference between the TSR2 and the TSR3 is the 3 includes front and rear weighting that is interchangeable (3 & 11-gram weights).
Titleist TSR4 – Better player driver with a 430cc head, promoting mid/high launch with low spin. The TSR4 has the same weighting package with interchangeable weights (3 & 11-gram weights.
Srixon ZX Mk II Drivers
@Srixon Website
Srixon is sticking with their ZX line that they introduced in 2022 and replaced the Z line that they ran with since 2009! The look of the driver seems to be very similar with some changes in technology and more of a blocked-out finish with some minor red highlights.
ZX5 Mk II: The ZX5 Mk II driver is built for forgiveness with a 460cc head. The ZX5 includes an 8-gram rear height to help launch higher, farther and straighter drives.
ZX5 LS Mk II: The ZX5 LS Mk II targets the player that needs a lower spinning driver and is better for players with more aggressive swing speeds. The driver includes a forward-placed sole weight, which is different than the rear-weighted ZX5 Mk II.
ZX7 Mk II: The ZX7 Mk II is targeting those seeking maximum adjustability in a more compact-looking head. This driver will include two swappable heel and toe weights. They also include an adjustable hosel sleeve to help dial in your driver. Srixon claims that the shape of this driver provides better workability and shot making capability.
Cobra Aerojet Drivers
@Cobra Golf Website
Looks like Cobra is coming out with another amazing-looking driver. The Aerojet looks like it has a Carbon crown and Carbon sole with a titanium brace across the bottom that they are calling the par bridge. This should not shock anyone with Cobra but there colors on these drivers is very clean and spot on.
In more shocking news with this driver, it appears that they have moved away from the milled face, which I liked. The new face is called the H.O.T. Face.
Cobra Aerojet – The Aerojet is Cobra’s standard driver with a rear weight in the sole of the driver to increase MOI and help launch and spin rates. It is a very clean-looking driver that can appeal to better players and higher handicappers.
Cobra Aerojet LS – The Cobra Aerojet LS is a low-spin driver. It is very clear to see that in the head design with the forward weighting in the sole. This is going to be a very low-spinning driver with lower launch characteristics as well. You could say this is a better player's driver and its characteristics are meant for players who work the ball left to right and shot shape.
Cobra Aerojet MAX – The Cobra AeroJet Max is going to be their max game improvement driver. The MAX features weighting to make the driver draw bias for those players who struggle with the right miss. This driver is also Cobra’s max forgives driver which will help those players who struggle with finding the middle of the driver club face.
Mizuno ST-X & ST-Z Drivers
@Mizuno Website
Mizuno looks like they will be continuing their line of STX and STZ 220 series drivers.
Mizuno ST-Z – The ST-Z driver has an expanded lightweight carbon sole that covers more of the sole than last year. It looks like they may have removed the titanium plate in the middle of the sole. The driver also includes a weight in the rear of the driver to promote launch and spin.
Mizuno ST-X – The Mizuno ST-X driver is a draw bias setup that will promote more spin than the ST-Z. The driver still included the same rear weighting in grams but you will notice the weight is closer to the heel than the ST-Z.
Callaway Paradym Drivers
@Callaway Website
Callaway has gone moved on from the Rough ST driver and moved into the year of the Paradym shift. Callaway has released 3 new drivers. It appears that Callaway is bringing back that old-school Diablo pattern from their drivers in 2010. They just changed the color from red to blue.
The new Paradym drivers have an industry first for new modern drivers with a 360-degree carbon chassis. Callaway claims to be 44% lighter than other drivers.
Callaway Paradym – The Paradym driver model comes with the new Paradym refined shape with high MOI and adjustable perimeter weighting. Callaway claims that this is a driver for all skill levels and promotes high launch, low spin, and a neutral ball flight. It will be their most forgiving driver out of the 3.
Callaway Paradym X – The Paradym is built for high launch with high MOI and is best suited for golfers seeking forgiveness and a slight draw bias. There is no adjustable weight slider like the Paradym driver. The X includes one removable weight in the rear.
Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond – The Triple Diamond is a better player driver with a 450cc driver head. This driver is meant for players who want to shape the ball and is the lowest-spinning driver of the bunch. The Paradym triple diamond has two adjustable weights in the front and rear of the driver’s head.
TaylorMade Stealth 2 Drivers
@Taylormade Website
Taylormade released their Stealth 2 driver on January 10th. They are releasing 3 models Stealth 2, Stealth 2 Plus & Stealth 2 HD. The new driver has gotten a facelift (literally) with the new 60X carbon face. In Taylormade’s marketing, they talk about this new face being more forgiving than the previous Stealth 2.
It looks like speed is the name of the game because once again they are targeting a lighter driver with the introduction of more carbon. This should improve speed. Now with all the carbon usually the driver sound changes but Taylormade has really been trying to achieve that solid crunch sound.
Stealth 2 – The Stealth 2 is essentially Taylormade’s standard driver and will be the best driver for that middle ground. Better players can play this driver and still shot shape. While a higher handicap player can still game this because of its forgiveness. They archive this forgiveness with a 25g weight that helps the MOI on the driver.
Stealth 2 Plus – The Taylormade Stealth 2 Plus is going to be Taylormade’s more custom driver. The Stealth 2 Plus features a sliding weight in the front part of the sole. This will change the trajectory and performance of the driver. The Plus also features and changeable 215g weight in the rear of the driver. Taylormade is targeting the better player with this Stealth 2 Plus driver.
Stealth 2 HD – The Stealth 2 HD driver features draw bias weighting and extreme forgiveness. This should help lower to mid-handicap players that struggle with the right miss. Taylormade is making this an extremely forgiving driver with its new 60x face and the weighting that will give you extreme MOI performance.