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Cleveland CG Black- lighter - faster
By ED TRAVIS
By ED TRAVIS
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Cleveland Golf, a division of Srixon, though best
known for its wedges also has a popular full line of
clubs including the highly ranked Launcher series of
drivers featuring the 270-gram Launcher XL270. The
premise behind the XL270 and Cleveland’s other
light weight clubs is simple, if the club is lighter it
can be swung faster and faster means more
distance – golf’s Holy Grail.
Most titanium headed-graphite shafted drivers weight
in at over 300-grams so the idea of making a club
lighter, especially when matched with a more
aerodynamic head shape, can produce more distance.
Plus even though a club weighs less, and in theory at
least, may therefore be swung faster, there is an
added benefit. Less overall club weight from
combining a light weight head with a light weight grip
and an ultra light shaft (as low as 45-grams!) allows
for a longer shaft without unbalancing the swing
characteristics of the driver. Its elementary physics -
longer shaft more club head speed which in fact is
probably the biggest contributor to the possibility of
lighter weight drivers hitting the ball further.
Contrast this to back when woods were made of wood
and driver steel shafts were around 42 inches. When
graphite shafts came on the scene, lengths increased
but the advent of titanium heads really made it
worthwhile to use longer shafts – up to 46.5 inches
stock length on many drivers.
known for its wedges also has a popular full line of
clubs including the highly ranked Launcher series of
drivers featuring the 270-gram Launcher XL270. The
premise behind the XL270 and Cleveland’s other
light weight clubs is simple, if the club is lighter it
can be swung faster and faster means more
distance – golf’s Holy Grail.
Most titanium headed-graphite shafted drivers weight
in at over 300-grams so the idea of making a club
lighter, especially when matched with a more
aerodynamic head shape, can produce more distance.
Plus even though a club weighs less, and in theory at
least, may therefore be swung faster, there is an
added benefit. Less overall club weight from
combining a light weight head with a light weight grip
and an ultra light shaft (as low as 45-grams!) allows
for a longer shaft without unbalancing the swing
characteristics of the driver. Its elementary physics -
longer shaft more club head speed which in fact is
probably the biggest contributor to the possibility of
lighter weight drivers hitting the ball further.
Contrast this to back when woods were made of wood
and driver steel shafts were around 42 inches. When
graphite shafts came on the scene, lengths increased
but the advent of titanium heads really made it
worthwhile to use longer shafts – up to 46.5 inches
stock length on many drivers.
Knowledgeable golfers know however increasing the
shaft length may produce more club head speed but
also leave more room for error so there are trade offs.
With all that in mind, the new Cleveland CG Black line
from driver to wedge all are lighter weight to promote
more distance or as the company’s press release
says, “Every CG Black™ club has been designed for
players who have lost some yardage and swing
speed and are looking to get their distance back.” This
makes it apparent that senior golfers and short hitters
in general are a target for this new line.
CG Black Driver at 265-grams is probably the lightest
driver you can buy so it therefore has the biggest
potential for increasing your distance compared to
heavier and shorter shafted drivers. (CG Black driver
shaft length is 46 inches.) Cleveland also makes use
of their Speed Crown Design to reduce air flow drag
and their MaxCOR2 Variable Face Thickness
Technology with a weight screw in the rear of the sole
plate. The price is $399.99.
CG Black fairway woods are some of the lightest
fairway woods available and feature a Miyazaki C. Kua
39 Limited Edition graphite shaft and a lightweight
Golf Pride Tour 25 grip. This combination decreases
overall club weight for faster swing speed. MAP price:
$229.99.
