It’s a growing trend with club manufacturers: build a driver with plenty of nuts, screws, bolts, washers, etc. and you’ll garner some interest. Make it look like it was conjured up by Tim the Toolman and you’ll have a winner. Naturally, it was the boys and girls at TaylorMade (best drivers over the years?) who started the process. But, not surprisingly, other manufacturers have tightened up their shorts – and their adjustable lug nuts – and are building weapons as equally (or even more) advanced.
Another “new age” driver that is receiving favourable reviews is the MACTEC driver from MacGregor – a granddaddy of a golf company that is now an impressive 108 years old. The technologically-savvy MACTEC features the world’s first dual beta titanium clubhead (both the crown and the face feature beta titanium inserts) which allows more weight to shift to the bottom of the club to produce a lower CG (center of gravity), less spin, and a higher launch. Also, four tungsten plugs (8 and 6 grams) provide additional head stability and further enhance a low CG and high MOI. Finally, the Quadra Action shaft (four energy zones in the shaft) help to store speed and maximize energy and power through the hitting area, thereby producing longer drives.
In a recent test, I found the MACTEC driver produced a high, extremely stable ball flight (I used a 10.5 model with the stiff 65 gram stock shaft – but there are many shaft options available). The shaft performed beautifully and, as the company proclaims in independent testing, off-center hits still go far. In fact, they seemed to go further than any driver I’ve ever tested. Although the club looks like it comes from Mars (flip one over and you’ll see what I mean), it looks clean and smooth on top (at address). I liked that. But to me - nuts, bolts, weights, and screws aside - the proof is always in the pudding. And this, thanks to a stellar effort by MacGregor’s R&D team, is pudding that goes down pretty smooth.
Andrew Penner writes for a number of golf publications in North America. He can be reached at andpenner@shaw.ca.
