Fernando H. Green Blog: 2016 Most Wanted

Friday, June 17, 2016

2016 Most Wanted – The Longest Drivers

Over the last couple of days we've broken down the results of our 2016 Most Wanted Driver Test a couple of different ways. These results are derived from data generated by 20 testers who, combined, hit more than 7,000 shots and spent more than 120 hours testing drivers.

Today we're presenting a slightly different look at our results. While we admittedly lean towards a comprehensive view of performance, we know there are a substantial number of you who want one thing, and one thing only out of your driver: DISTANCE.

About These Rankings

We all love the long ball, so today we're ranking the drivers in our test on what we've taken to calling Peak Distance. To arrive at our averages we take the combined average of the longest 3 shots hit with each driver by each tester. Forget about forgiveness for a moment, the intent of our Peak Distance metric is to provide you with a sense of which drivers will produce the longest drives when contact is perfect...or at least near-perfect.

What Else to Consider

Note that the yardage gaps between the clubs on the top on this list and the clubs on the bottom are more pronounced than they are when we look at the overall averages.

Above and beyond the difference between drivers, what we find interesting is the gap between our Peak Distance average and the Overall (Total Yards) average. That gap, which can rise above 15 yards, suggests there's plenty of opportunity for manufacturers to improve consistency across more of the face. Of course, opportunity does not necessarily equate to ability, so it will certainly be interesting to see if these gaps can be narrowed.

Here are the rankings.

Top 5 Drivers of 2016 - Peak Distance

Performance Highlights:

Just over 1 yard longer than #2
Peak Distance average more than 13 yards longer than this club's overall average
Peak Distance average is 19.8 yards longer than the lowest ranked club on this list

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Performance Highlights:

Peak average only 1 yard less than M1 430
Peak Distance average more than 12 yards longer than this club's overall average

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Performance Highlights:

Peak Distance more than 13 yards longer than this club's overall average
Completes TaylorMade sweep of top 3 positions on this list

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Performance Highlights:

Strongest showing for Cobra's Flagship Driver
Nearly 13 yards longer than overall average for this club

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Performance Highlights:

Nearly 12 yards longer than overall average for this club
#5 position on this list is still 14 yards longer than lowest ranked club

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The Data

We've updated our tables to include the Peak Distance column. To make it easier to compare Peak Distance with the Average Total Distance, we've placed those columns side by side. Everything else is the same as it is in the previous tables. We've once again included a filter that will allow you to show only specified clubs.

Finally, we've also included the filter that will allow you to rank clubs for swing speeds above 100MPH and speeds below 100MPH.

For a limited time, all MyGolfSpy referred customers can get an additional 10% trade-in bonus on the value of their clubs when they use the code SPYTRADE. Valid 06/14/16-06/30/16.

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