Srixon

What it does: It’s relatively easy to make the face of a driver flexible because its trampoline face is much larger than that of a fairway wood. That’s why Srixon’s work here is crucial to making these faces hotter. By alternating flexible and stiff zones around the perimeter of the face, crown and sole, the body contributes to the way the face can more uniformly give at impact for increased ball speed across a larger area. Extra power comes from a carbon-composite crown on the 3-wood and a more gentle step-down feature on the crown of the other lofts that lowers the height of the crown (and thus drops the centre of gravity, too) to improve launch and reduce spin.

Why we like it: The spring-like effect created by the frame isn’t anything you can see. It involves microscopic changes in the thicknesses and curvatures of the crown and leading-edge joints. Just as invisible and no less important to distance is the internal weighting. Mass within the head pushes weight forward, but it’s shaped with an overhang, allowing the front of the sole to stay thin and help the face flex more. One other small change you won’t see: these heads are fractionally larger than in the past to make them extra forgiving.

Lofts 13.5, 15, 18, 21