We decided to take a look at the best drivers of 2016 by looking at which models were getting the job done out on tour.
They say drive for show and putt for dough but I’m not too sure this statement is entirely true.
Over the past few years when you think about the dominant golfers – Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson (the current top three in the world) – they all crush it off the tee.
Yes of course they needed to hole putts but I’d argue the success of each has stemmed from their driving.
Jordan Spieth’s success came from his superb putting but even that couldn’t save him when his driver started misbehaving.
In theory, I could putt as well as Spieth. But could I ever drive it like Johnson or McIlroy? I think you all know the answer.
When driving the ball well, (I’m told) you look forward to every tee shot, puff your chest out, intimidate your playing partners and give yourself a chance of birdie on every hole. You feel invincible and have an extra bit of spring in your step.
In my humble opinion, the driver is the most important club in the bag.
So with that in mind, I took a look at the driver of choice of every winner on the PGA and European Tours, the Majors and the Olympics in 2016.
Best drivers of 2016 by tour wins
Starting with the PGA Tour, Majors and Olympics, TaylorMade was the dominant brand with 18 wins largely split between the M1, as used by Johnson and Day, and the M2 favoured by Justin Rose.
Titleist recorded nine victories with the 915 and then later the 917 as used by Jimmy Walker in his PGA triumph.
Callaway drivers were responsible for seven wins, Nike five and Ping three.
It was a totally different story on the European Tour where Callaway drivers were the most popular among 2016 winners.
Alex Noren recorded four of the 15 Callaway wins with his XR16 Sub Zero.
Danny Willett, Henrik Stenson and Branden Grace also favour the XR16 model.
There were eight wins with TaylorMade drivers, Ping and Nike had five apiece and three came with a Titleist big stick.
So overall we had TaylorMade 26, Callaway 22, Titleist 12, Nike 10, Ping eight.
Now this is by no means saying that more tour wins equals a better product.
Some brands put a huge emphasis on the tour while others focus more on the consumer.
What is clear is that there has been some really strong product in 2016 and we know there are new and improved models on the way in 2017…
To view our video of the best drivers of 2016 CLICK HERE