90 ISSUE 367 TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK
THE TEST
Adjusting your
fter a couple of years on the
side lines of the driver market
Cleveland re-entered the race
with a bang recently.
Their engineers have done their
research and come up with the idea that
adjustability in a driver creates more
issues than it solves for the average club
golfer. They believe that by installing an
adjustable hosel and weight track (or
ports) in the sole mass is inefficiently
positioned. Mass, that is, which could be
put to better use increasing forgiveness
elsewhere in the head.
It’s an interesting and valid concept
and means for the first time in a while
golfers only need decide on shaft flex
when choosing a new driver, massively
simplifying the buying process.
It seemed only fair then to put the
new Launcher HB up against the
newest driver launch of the summer, a
custom fitted Ping G400, to see how
the pair compared.Can a none-adjustable driver compete against the newest, tweakable clubs?
MEET THE TESTER
CHRIS RYAN
Handicap: Pro
Director of the HIT
Golf Academy at
Forest of ArdenCleveland Launcher HB £279
http://www.clevelandgolf.co.uk
OLofts: 9°/10.5°/12°
OStock shafts: Miyazaki C
OAdjustable hosel: NoTech: Cleveland says that by freeing up
mass which is usually taken up by
adjustable hosels and weight tracks, they
have created a longer, more forgiving and
easier-to-understand driver. Flex fins on
the sole focus more energy to the ball, a
cup face preserves ball speed on off-centre
hits and a HiBore crown (remember that
from the mid-2000s) promotes high
launching, low spinning drives.Verdict:We’d be the first to hold our
hands up and admit golf has gone tech
crazy over the last few years, all of which
makes what should be a simple game
pretty complicated. Cleveland’s simple
“higher and straighter more often”
message will resonate with many weekend
golfers who just want to get out on the
course and have fun, without worrying
about their gear. Its admirable the
Launcher held its own against the G400
with absolutely no fitting, except for shaft
flex. Cleveland’s R&D team have obviously
done an excellent job in tuning theLauncher’s flex fins and HiBore crown to
perform across a wide variety of swing
speeds. Just because it can’t boast an
adjustable hosel, sliding weights or stacks
of after-market shafts doesn’t mean you’ll
miss out on distance or forgiveness. In
fact, thanks to a much more reasonable
price than many of the leading drivers, you
might well feel you’re actually quids in.Bottom line: There’s something to be said
about keeping the game as simple as
possible. The Launcher HB does exactly
that, yet still delivers on performance.A
Cleveland believes
there is a disconnect
between the cost and
the performance of the
latest adjustable
drivers.