COBRA AEROJET

RRP: $899

www.cobragolf.com.au

Low single-figure handicap

Drives felt hot off the clubface. Hit some drives off the toe and they still performed. I like the look of the Aerojet at address, especially with all the carbon on the clubhead which has the look of a fancy sportscar. While I didn’t particularly like the head shape, when considering the driver as a whole I like it all around. Not really a wow factor club for me but a solid all-round performer.

Single-figure handicap

I loved the feel off the face of the Aerojet, which was, for mine, similar to the Callaway Paradym. It’s got a classic look, and reminded me of a number of Cobra drivers I had used as a younger player, which certainly helped my confidence in hitting this club. I really liked the slightly lower trajectory and tighter shot shape and, for me, this was right up with the longest drivers in the group.

Mid-handicap

I like this driver. It was well balanced, with a swing weight that seemed to fit well with my preference both at address and for my tempo. The Aerojet felt similar off the clubface to the other models I enjoyed hitting. The Aerojet was forgiving with a slightly higher ball flight than some of the other drivers, which produced consistent distance. It is a fairly classic shape at address, which I liked.

High Handicap

I was a little surprised with this driver. To me, it felt light in the hands and initially I didn’t have high hopes for the Aerojet. However, I liked the sound off the face and the flight was really consistent, as was the distance even when I missed the centre of the clubface. This driver was a real eye-opener for me on the day.

PHOTO: Adrian Logue.

PING G430

RRP: $995 (Max & SFT); $1,050 (LST).

www.americangolf.com.au

Low single-figure handicap

The G430 looks bigger behind the ball than some of the other drivers I tested, with a longer head from heel-to-toe. I really don’t mind this one … it felt very easy to hit, while my shot dispersion was really good and flight and distance was consistent. The LST model kept the ball flight down and looked a little smaller to my eye, which is more my style of driver.

Single-figure handicap

Drives felt good off the clubface, with a bit of a louder sound at impact compared with other drivers I tested. I noticed the feel of my mis-hits a little more with this driver and took a little while to get it dialled in, but my good shots were similar with others and managed to get a couple of drives out there, which were close to my best of the day.

Mid-handicap

This was a very forgiving driver and was very consistent in both accuracy and distance on almost every drive I hit. I struck shots all across the face early in my time with the Ping drivers and still experienced similar results time and again with the Max model.

High-handicap

The feel was typical of a Ping driver, which is something I am very familiar with. As soon as I put this driver down behind the ball, I felt comfortable with the look. Taking easier swings with the G430, I found my best drives of the day in terms of carry, total distance and accuracy.