Cleveland Launcher Driver Review
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|
| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry |
Sports equipment |
| Genre |
Golf |
| Founded |
1979 ( 1979 ) |
| Founder | Roger Cleveland |
| Headquarters |
, |
| Products |
Golf clubs |
|
Number of employees
|
350+ |
|
Parent |
Sumitomo Rubber Industries |
| Website |
clevelandgolf.com |
Cleveland Launcher Hb Turbo
HB Turbo: 10.5@-12@; HB Turbo Draw: 12@. Our Take: Traditionalists love clean lines and no-nonsense aesthetics. They want drives that go straight and far. Said one of our testers, “It looks shut at address, but it feels great and shots fired flew straight as a needle and plenty far enough. That matte finish is great.” It also features a streamlined HiBore crown and counterbalanced shaft. The turbocharged cupface packs the killer punch.
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OUR VIEW: The HB Turbo’s no-nonsense design and sleek lines appeal to traditionalists looking for drives that can fly fast and straight. One of our test subjects said that the HB Turbo looks closed at distance, but feels good. Shots fired went straight and far. That matte finish is great.” It’s the TurboCharged Cupface which packs the most punch. TABLE OF CONTENTS: A cupface appears like it sounds. It is the shape of a cupface that the face extends outwards from the front. This creates a stronger clubface and allows for faster ballspeeds. The re-tweaked HiBore Crown lowers the CG for a higher launch and greater forgiveness, and the Deep Weight scheme raises the MOI to lessen twisting on off-center strikes. For even greater forgiveness, the Miyazaki C. Kua’s shaft’s centre of gravity has been moved closer to the grip. Check out 150+ reviews from our gear experts in the ClubTest 2021 collection View Product The details: A cupface is as it sounds the face extends beyond the front in a cup-like shape, making it stronger, resulting in faster ball speeds across more points on the clubface. A retweaked Crown lowers the CG, resulting in a greater launch and forgiveness. Additionally, the deeper-weight scheme elevates the MOI which helps to minimize unwanted twisting.
Click here. Better yet, you can get fit to drive by True Spec Golf’s experts. View the Cleveland Launcher HB- Turbo from all angles…
Performance
It’s not my intention to dive too deeply into the mathematics, but the simplified moment of immobilia (MOI), measures how resistant a body is to angular acceleration. More resistance means less spin at impact for a clubhead and more stability. With less rotation on off-center hits, higher MOI also equals straighter tee shots. The Launcher XL MOI was 11% higher than the HB Turbo by Cleveland designers [full review HERE], making it the highest MOI in the company’s history.
What I observed on the range and confirmed on the launch monitor was not only straight flight, but also consistent carry. That’s a great combination for confidently finding fairways. Other notable aspects were the steep trajectory, even with spin at the low end. My test driver was at 10.5 degrees. It gave me my highest launch angle and is typical for me.
While the Launcher XL lacks the physical stepdown on past models’ crowns, it maintains the physics behind the rebound frame that creates a second flex point. Think of the design as a spring board that boosts ball speed. Cleveland also added an adjustable 12-position hosel on their new driver. This allows players to adjust the clubs settings to best suit their swing.
You are ready to play your next round
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Cleveland Golf isn’t quite as known for its drivers as the others, but they are still great value for your money. This driver could help you get longer straighter drives and for less.
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Performance and feeling
I feel that there is a lot of room to improve on the Cleveland driver category, despite having reviewed several Cleveland clubs. Although Cleveland’s short-game clubs are most well-known, the Launcher XL driver has convinced me that this is changing.
My amazement at the increase in ball speed with this driver was almost immediate. My average ball speed is 150 mph in my gamer driver. The Launcher XL’s average was 158 mph. There were times when I went over 160 mph without altering my swing. Carry yards were significantly longer than my average, and I was stunned.
The Launcher XL is a loud driver as well. It’s not something I like, but when your driver launches the ball over the pesky fairway bunker, it is a very acceptable quality. My center-strikes felt extremely stable and smooth in my hands. They produced an instant feedback with a great feel that shouted, “Wow, that was really a catch!” The dispersion of my driver’s drive was not too wide, but it was still quite manageable. Cleveland also offers the Launcher XL as an “accuracy-build” version where the shaft is shortened by an additional inch.
.Cleveland Launcher Driver Review