User test - Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo vs. Ping G430 Max

[vtpachyderm]

Had an interesting H2H between the two, due to my out of necessity, needing a new driver for a competition. 3 days before, I cracked my gamer driver - Cobra Radspeed 9.0 with a Kai'li blue 60s shaft. Been driving the ball really well, so it was a bit of a bummer. I couldn't find a Cobra head in time for the comp, so as a last ditch effort, had to choose between a Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo, and a friends Ping G430 Max. My driver swing speed is about 98 mph, with a fairly neutral path. Miss is primarily left due to turning over the club or getting armsy (if that's a word)

 

Specs for the two are as follows

Cleveland - 9.0 deg head, Counter balanced Miyazaki 5s shaft that came standard with the driver

Ping - 10.5 deg head turned down to 9.5, back weight set to the fade position, Standard PING CB Alta 55 S shaft.

 

Srixon range balls on a Trackman Range, and I've put the results from the hits below. The two green markers are the target point, and where I was positioned on the range. Numbers shown are converted numbers from Trackman as setup in the system. It was raining, with the a head wind coming in from diagonally across the range from right to left.  Hit about 90 balls in total trying to get into a groove and feeling out the new drivers. Warmed up with an older Launcher TL 440cc 9.0 head with a Miyazaki 6s shaft. 

 

For me it was interesting that I got more ballspeed from the Cleveland, but the Ping had a much better dispersion as you can see. There was a noticeable difference in the shafts, with the Miyazaki feeling much more softer at the tip compared to the Ping. The Miyazaki felt significantly softer than my previous Kai'li. Ball flights and ball speeds were pretty much the same. I think the stability/dispersion being better with the Ping is primarily due to the shaft with the Ping feeling slightly stiffer, and similar to the Kai'li. Pretty sure with a stiffer shaft on the Cleveland, the two would be quite comparable. Soundwise, the G430 was much better. Interestingly, with the older Launcher, a center strike matched the numbers, but off center hits were brutally compromised. A good training club to work on hitting the center of the face LOL.

 

I went with the Ping for the competition, and drove the ball well but as it was a windy day, seemed to be more affected by headwinds than my Radspeed (Srixon ZS diamond ball). But I think if I had a shaft to my liking, it would have been a wash between the two. I had to return the Ping, and so will have to put the Cleveland in the bag for the time being while I look for a new driver (oh the struggle).

 

 

Edited June 3 by vtpachyderm
mistake in driver setup - had it in fade, but initially wrote draw.