Manufacturing processes, moveable weights, and MOI.

Those are the key elements appearing in the latest releases of drivers by the likes of PING, TaylorMade, Callaway, Mizuno, Cobra and others. Drivers were a big part of the story at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, though the fact TaylorMade wasn’t at the show didn’t diminish them from conversation around this year’s biggest driver releases.

Drivers driven by manufacturing

Callaway spent much of the show trumpeting its new Epic Flash driver, with a face that was designed using artificial intelligence and super computers. The driver is fueled by “Flash Face,” the key ingredient in Epic Flash, the follow-up to last year’s Rogue driver. The new face is faster on off-center hits, Callaway says, and its massive booth at the merchandise show in Florida is a testament to its recent consumer success.

For the last two years, manufacturing has played a central role in Cobra’s drivers as well, and the F9 Speedback is the latest to utilize it as a key selling characteristic. Cobra, which once again had a prominent place at the PGA Merchandise Show, bills F9 as “the king of speed,” with its machine-milled face offering increased forgiveness, and its Speedback feature offering speed through improved aerodynamics.

TaylorMade, which recently launched its M5 and M6 drivers, didn’t attend the show this year, instead choosing to use its marketing dollars in other ways. Both of the company’s new drivers were designed to be manufactured as close as possible to USGA speed limits.

Forgiving

PING’s G410 continues an impressive trend for the company of creating drivers that offer a potent mix of high-MOI and high-speed. Dr. Paul Woods, PING’s vice-president of engineering, notes the company wasn’t going to enter the movable weight market until engineers could find a way to guarantee the weights wouldn’t impact a driver’s forgiveness, which is a key to PING’s success.

“When you add adjustable features, you’re adding weight and the trade-off is MOI goes down. But we put the weight as far on the perimeter as we can, which is where we want it anyway,” says Woods.

Breaking through

Mizuno’s new driver, the ST190, is poised to help the clubmaker break out in a category it has struggled in for years. Fueled by two movable weights, the new driver apparently is able to do something Mizuno hasn’t been able to do in years—get tour players to put it in the bag. The company says a number of tour pros—including staffer Luke Donald—are expected to put the driver in play in coming weeks, which will be a breakthrough for the Japanese company. With two movable weights, a carbon composite crown, and a “wave” structure on the sole, this is Mizuno’s best-looking, top-performing driver in years, and its black appearance may capture the attention of players previously unable to wrap their head around Mizuno’s blue drivers.