It may be the wind down to the competitive golf calendar year, but the season of new clubs is just heating up.
As manufacturers begin their respective pushes to the 2024 launch season in a few months, occasionally there will be glimpses of what they’ve been working on. While those of us who are neck deep in the 2024 Hot List process already have seen what’s coming, three equipment companies showed their respective hands recently with photos on the R&A and USGA conforming lists of drivers.
Golf’s governing bodies both added new Ping, PXG and TaylorMade drivers to their rosters of drivers that are now available for use on the world’s professional tours and other events that require competitors to use drivers on the conforming lists. While none of the companies released specific details about the drivers, and while there is no guarantee that these models will eventually be available to the public, it seems easy enough to do the maths given what we know about product cycles and introduction timelines.
First up appears to be an extension of Ping’s G430 line of drivers, the G430 Max 10K. Unlike the other drivers in the G430 line-up, while the details on the conforming listing mention a tungsten weight, there does not appear to be draw and fade settings. Also, like the previously introduced G430 LST, there appears the phrase “Carbonfly Wrap”. That could be a reference to the same kind of carbon composite crown, which wraps around the edge of the crown into the skirt section, used on the G430 LST. On that driver, it was used to save weight and lower the centre of gravity to help tee shots launch with less spin.
Here's what you missed on today's releases ;)
— MYGOLFSPY (@MyGolfSpy) November 13, 2023
Also recently put on the conforming list is the PXG 0311 Black Ops driver, which includes two additional Tour-1 and Tour-3 models. That design features the familiar PXG extreme heel, toe and centre weights on the sole for additional adjustability for ball flight and centre of gravity position.
Finally, there’s a completely new TaylorMade driver making the rounds. The Qi10 LS features some of the similar looks of the company’s recent drivers, including the angled rear weight port, the face flex-enhancing slot in the sole (known as the “speed pocket”), and some kind of sliding weight at the front part of the sole. Given the sliding weight’s forward position, it doesn’t seem much of a stretch to suggest that the “LS” might refer to “low spin”. Like the Stealth and Stealth 2 before it, this driver includes the word “carbonwood”, a likely reference to the company’s flagship technology of a carbon composite face insert, first seen in the Stealth in 2022 and updated with this year’s Stealth 2 drivers.
No word on when any specific players might be putting these drivers in play, but it seems a likely bet that putting a model on the conforming list on the week of a tournament might mean someone wants to give one of these new sticks a swing before the season fully winds down. That includes the DP World Tour Championship, CME Group Tour Championship on the LPGA Tour and the RSM Classic, the last event on the PGA Tour schedule where players will solidify their status for the 2024 season. For the players, it might be the end, but for these clubs, it’s only the beginning.
