Hot List
These players were looking for distance. They found it with these Hot List drivers
Distance is like dessert: Everybody wants more. Doesn’t matter whether you’re a scratch player or slogging along trying to break 100, old or young, male or female. One less club into the green is going to make you walk a little taller, smile a lot bigger and probably love the game more. That’s especially true if you can find those extra yards not through diet and exercise or some new training aid Bryson’s just invented, but from a simple driver switch. These eight Hot List player-testers range from pros to average golfers, and each admitted they could use a little more pop off the tee. After getting dialed in by our Golf Galaxy fitters at the Hot List Summit, here are the drivers that made the biggest difference in their games.
Tom Allen, a 6-handicap, loses too many strokes off tee
Tom is a 60-year-old attorney in Middletown, Ohio, looking to get his driver to make more of an opening statement than an admission of guilt. The range of models he preferred include a few clubs with some built-in draw bias and plenty of adjustability. The following drivers from Hot List testing, with his comments on his top choice, were his star witnesses.
Tom's other favorite Hot List drivers:
Molly Braid, a top teacher, wants to boost her 235-yard drives
Molly is one of Golf Digest’s Best Young Teachers in America and the first woman ever named teacher of the year by the Wisconsin PGA. She hits plenty of fairways, but she’d be happier if she could add little more oomph to her average drive of about 235 yards. Here are the Hot List drivers that caught her eye—and sent her drives farther downrange.
Molly's other favorite Hot List drivers:
Jason Guss, a longtime Hot List tester, wants to get some distance back
Jason is a perennial Golf Digest Best in State and Best Young Teacher. He spends nearly every day at the golf course but only gets out to play a couple of times a month. The lack of playing time has had a negative effect on his distance, even turning his driver into a weakness. He found a few favorites at this year’s Hot List testing that just might flip the switch.
Jason's other favorite Hot List drivers:
David Ilsley, a 7-handicap, hits it straight but not far enough
David is a 65-year-old financial advisor who spends almost as much of his spare time cycling and skiing as he does on the golf course. He likes the reliability of his driver, just not its brute force. But he thinks he has found a few new options that might just put the skis and bike shorts in storage.
David's other favorite Hot List drivers:
Ryan Kroll, an 80s-shooter, would love another 20 yards off the tee
Ryan is a 47-year-old 11-handicapper with stay-at-home dad responsibilities who finds time to work on his game and practice plenty. Unflappable, he’s even honest enough with his self-assessment, noting that he’s good at “taking the long view with a consistently positive approach.” As for a weakness, he is the Everyman when he says, “Who doesn’t want more distance?” He found plenty in these models.
Ryan's other favorite Hot List drivers:
Megan Padua Buzza, a busy mom and swing coach, wants a quick distance fix
Megan is one of Golf Digest’s Best Young Teachers, and like so many of us with regular jobs, she has seen her golf commitment get more challenging with her growing family. She gets to play only about once a month but is looking to find more distance without any time-consuming range work. Here are the drivers that she thinks could make her search easier.
Megan's other favorite Hot List drivers:
Matt Singer, an 11-handicap, struggles with a high-right miss
Matt might play more golf than anyone on our Hot List tester panel with nearly 120 rounds last year but still finds a little frustration with the start of every hole. He tends to hit his drives too high and to the right, typical of so many players who have a desk job like he does with his law practice. He found some inspiration to get a few more rounds in after trying these drivers during Hot List testing.
Matt's other favorite Hot List drivers:
Wei Mao, a consistent ball-striker, needs more distance on long holes
Wei is 54 years old and has been a Hot List tester for nine years. His syrupy swing stays just as smooth at day’s end as it was at daybreak, but he concedes he’s plagued by “modest distance.” Or at least he was until he got some of the latest drivers in his hands. Here are his favorites.
Wei's other favorite Hot List drivers