There is no greater feeling than catching a drive right out of the centre of the clubface and watching it sail off into the distance towards the short grass.
SRIXON ZX MKII
RRP: $749
www.srixon.com.au
Low single-figure handicap
This was a surprisingly strong performer for me having not had much experience with Srixon clubs, particularly drivers. I am a fan of Japanese equipment and this driver range is certainly true to the history of performance without too much over the top in terms of looks from some of my favourite brands. The ZX7 was certainly the one for me in terms of shape and performance.
Single-figure handicap
Another very solid driver offering that, although it didn’t stand out from the crowd with any numbers that dropped my jaw, it held its own. It had a really solid feel off the clubface that I liked and had a nice high, low-spin flight that stayed straight.
Mid-handicap
The ZX5 is my sort of shape and the simplicity of the look appealed to me. The ball flight was good, as was the feel that was nicely in the middle of all the drivers tested. The ZX5 and ZX7 models are, in my opinion, certainly an improvement on some older Srixon drivers I have tried.
High-handicap
This driver performed well and lived up to expectations. It felt like I got some good pop off the face at impact and the ball flight was straight to even an occasional draw, which is my desired shot shape that I often struggle to produce. Distance and forgiveness were on par with a lot of the others and while I have tended towards other brands in the past, I would definitely consider it if I was in the market for a new driver.

TAYLORMADE STEALTH2
RRP: $1,019 (Stealth2 & Stealth2 HD); $1,119 (Stealth2 Plus).
www.taylormadegolf.com.au
Low single-figure handicap
This driver felt nice off the face, with quite a soft sensation at impact.
I found with the standard model in its standard set-up, the ball went a bit more left than I would normally hit my current driver and other newer models I have tried. Certainly easy to look at behind the ball, with a compact head design although I find the red off the face busy to my eye. Despite the occasional left shot, the dispersion in terms of distance and direction overall was very impressive.
Single-figure handicap
The feel of the Stealth2 was pretty similar to my current (but older) TaylorMade drivers, although the sound is a more muted because of the carbon face. Early on, I struggled to consistently find the middle of the clubface and was a little surprised by how much feedback there was from the strike location given the face is so different to any other driver I have hit before. The forgiveness of the Stealth2 was really the standout feature. Mis-hits were still strong and getting out to 250 metres, which is where I would hit a good drive with my current driver.
Mid-handicap
The forgiveness of the Stealth2 was the biggest feature for me here. Bad swings and strikes still came back on line and I had a good deal of confidence it was always going to take off on a good flight. Didn’t love the red colouring look but the feel was solid if not a stand out performer across all the drivers.
High-handicap
I was expecting it to feel very different to other drivers because of the carbon face, but it felt good at impact. It was, however, on the loud side compared to the driver I currently use, yet it wasn’t a bad sound and every shot I hit with this driver found the fairway. Even slight mis-hits didn’t veer far off line.
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