2nd Swing fitters rank prior-generation golf clubs

By Drew Mahowald -- 2nd Swing Staff Writer

The award-winning club fitting staff at 2nd Swing is among the most knowledgeable and experienced in the golf industry. Throughout the thousands of club fittings our staff completes every year, trends emerge. Our fitters have noticed that a few products, and their corresponding brands, tend to perform better than others in certain categories. 

For our June 27 installment of At The Turn, we reached out to our staff to rank current-generation golf clubs in terms of their performance in fittings. At 2nd Swing, we’re proud to also offer free fittings with the purchase of used golf clubs. With that said, we have also asked a group of our award-winning club fitters to rank the best prior-generation clubs. 

Our rankings are split into four categories: drivers, fairway woods, game-improvement irons, and players irons. A first-place vote is worth three points, while a second-place vote is worth two points and a third-place vote is worth one.

The detailed feedback we received generates an informative analysis of which products and brands have performed best in 2nd Swing fittings.

PING G400 family leads the way off the tee

Driver technology has been revamped over the last few years, which has resulted in a plethora of advanced drivers that are still extremely competitive with brand new models.

PING’s versatile G400 family earned the most praise from our fitters, receiving 14 points. Meanwhile, the 2015 Callaway Great Big Bertha and Titleist 917 drivers finished in a tie for second with seven points each. 

The PING G400 driver family includes the standard G400, G400 SFT, G400 LST, and G400 Max. The G400 SFT offers a draw bias, while the G400 LST is designed to reduce spin and lower ball flights. The G400 Max offers extreme perimeter weighting for high MOI and forgiveness.

James Tracy, a master fitter at the Minnetonka location, praised the G400 LST version for its high-swing-speed performance.

“It’s fantastic on ball speed and lowering spin,” Tracy said. “It’s especially good with higher clubhead speed players seeking a more penetrating flight.”

Kevin Kraft, a master fitter at 2nd Swing’s Columbia store, also awarded the G400 family with a first-place vote, noting its versatility and forgiveness.

“In a prior-generation golf club, you aren’t going to find anything more forgiving or with more options,” Kraft said. “The SFT model is great for faders, while the standard head works for low spinners, and the LST works for the higher spinners. It was a top seller when it was in-line and it has remained a top seller out of line.”

The 2015 Callaway Great Big Bertha has been lauded for its forgiveness, but the ability to decrease spin for players who hit down on the ball is why our fitters have ranked it No. 2 among prior-generation drivers.

“Any player with a steep angle of attack will see that this is a spin killer,” said Scott Johnson, a master fitter at 2nd Swing’s Minneapolis location, of the 2015 Great Big Bertha. “The low spin reduces left and right ball flights.”

The Titleist 917 D2 and D3 driver models also received seven points to earn a share of second place. They are each headlined by the Active Recoil Channel on the sole, which increases face flexing for high ball speeds, and SureFit CG adjustability. 

“The undoubted king here is the Titleist 917,” said Gary Cricks, a master fitter at the Columbia location. “It’s got great shaft options in our inventory and the ability of the adapter customization makes this the go-to option.”

Driver Rankings: Top 5

1. PING G400: 14 points

2. Callaway 2015 Great Big Bertha: 7 points

2. Titleist 917 D2/D3: 7 points

4. Callaway Rogue: 3.5 points

5. TaylorMade M3: 3 points

Callaway Rogue runs away with fairway wood category

Jailbreak Technology has been a resounding success for Callaway metalwoods since being introduced in the 2017 GBB Epic models, and it headlines the technology in the Callaway Rogue fairway woods. 

The Callaway Rogue fairway woods ran away with the top spot in the fairway wood category, earning 13.5 points. Jailbreak Technology, which consists of two titanium bars that connect the sole and crown just behind the clubface for added stability, certainly has played a large role in the club’s performance.

“Even though we don’t have adjustability, something I wax poetic about all day and every day, you just can’t deny the ball speeds,” Kraft said of the Callaway Rogue fairway woods. “Jailbreak is awesome. And with the 3+-wood, 3-wood, 4-wood, 5-wood, and Heavenwood options, you do have a lot of land you can cover.”

The Callaway Rogue fairway wood is also available in a Sub Zero model that is designed to reduce spin.

The PING G400 fairway woods grabbed the second-place spot with nine points. Much like the G400 drivers, the G400 fairway woods are headlined by a maraging steel face and an ultra-thin crown that produces weight savings, allowing the center of gravity to be pulled lower to increase launch.

Taking the third-place spot are the Titleist 917 F2 and F3 fairway models, which are headlined by the Active Recoil Channel that is positioned just behind the leading edge on the sole. The result is added face flexing, which increases ball speed and forgiveness on mis-hits.

Fairway Wood Rankings: Top 5

1. Callaway Rogue: 13.5 points

2. PING G400: 9 points

3. Titleist 917: 6 points

4. TaylorMade RocketBallz: 5 points

4. TaylorMade M4: 5 points

PING G400 excellence shows in game-improvement irons

Those of you who read our fitter rankings of current-generation clubs know that the new G410 irons dominated our list of 2019 game-improvement irons.

That said, it’s not terribly surprising to see the PING G400 irons earn the top spot in the prior-generation game-improvement category ... and by a significant margin. The G400s earned 17 points, nine more than any other model. They’re headlined by COR-Eye technology and a Toprail undercut cavity that both produce excellent forgiveness.

“G400s are easy to hit for all players,” said Jim Donatelli, a master fitter at the Columbia location. “They produce great launch conditions for everyone, no matter the handicap.”

Thomas Campbell, a master fitter at 2nd Swing’s Minnetonka location, added that the G400 irons produce a great dispersion for players of all skill levels.

The Callaway Rogue irons, another familiar name in our rankings, grabbed second place in the game-improvement irons category with eight points. The Rogue irons generate incredible distance thanks to a flexible Face Cup positioned around the perimeter of the clubhead and Variable Face Thickness technology.

Mizuno’s JPX 900 Hot Metal irons, made with high-strength Chromoly 4140M steel for an excellent rebound effect on mis-hits, earned third place with five points.

Game-Improvement Iron Rankings: Top 5

1. PING G400: 17 points

2. Callaway Rogue: 8 points

3. Mizuno JPX 900 Hot Metal: 5 points

4. TaylorMade M2: 3 points

4. Srixon Z 545: 3 points

4. Titleist 716 AP1: 3 points

Mizuno JPX 900 series prevails in players iron category

Mizuno’s reputation as a premium iron manufacturer has grown rapidly over the past few years, and with good reason. The current-generation JPX 919 series and MP-18 models are performing exceptionally for both amateurs and professionals.

The JPX 900 family of irons, however, should not be forgotten. The JPX 900 Forged and JPX 900 Tour models each earned high praise from our staff of fitters and claimed the top spot in our players iron rankings with 14 points.

The JPX 900 Tour irons are made from 1025 carbon steel using Mizuno’s patented Grain Flow forging process and feature a Power Frame Design, which is compact but pushes weight to the outside for added stability and workability. Meanwhile, the JPX 900 Forged irons are also made with the patented Grain Flow forging process, but they offer additional perimeter weighting that produces slightly more forgiveness than the JPX 900 Tour.

“The looks and feel are unmatched,” said Alexander Wardle, a master fitter at 2nd Swing’s Wilmington, Delaware location, of the JPX 900 series. “Combine that with great workability and you can’t go wrong.”

“They’re very clean-looking clubs,” Campbell added of the JPX 900 Tour irons. “Plus, they deliver the forgiveness, workability, and incredible feel.”

The Callaway Apex CF 16 and Callaway Apex Pro 16 irons also received acclaim from our staff of fitters, receiving 11 points to take second place in the players iron category. While the Apex 16 CF irons may fall closer to the players-distance category, the compact shape provides the workability of a players iron with superb distance. The Apex Pro 16 irons, meanwhile, are a true players design forged from 1025 carbon steel.

“They deliver fantastic feel with added forgiveness, which allows the mis-hits to carry farther and launch higher,” Johnson said. “It’s exactly what a lower-handicapper would want.”

Players Iron Rankings: Top 5

1. Mizuno JPX 900: 14 points

2. Callaway Apex CF/Pro 16: 11 points

3. PING i200: 6 points

4. Titleist 718 AP2: 4 points

4. Srixon Z 765: 4 points