Speed System Golf Driver Product Review

By GBB Staff

Introduction

I have to admit that I was skeptical at first. I had read about a new driver that was giving amateur golfers as much as 20 extra yards. But I’d heard claims like that about drivers before so, initially, I wrote it off as just some more marketing hype. But the buzz about this driver seemed to be growing, with lots of testimonials from golfers who’ve actually used the club. I was beginning to think that the claims might actually be legit, so I decided I needed to try it out to see if they were true.

The name of the driver is the Speed System. I learned that the impetus behind its initial creation was a recognition that most amateur golfers are currently using the wrong driver, and that it’s costing them a lot of distance. 

Why are the drivers being used by amateurs not the right ones for them? Because the dirty little secret in driver design is that most of them are initially engineered for pro golfers or very low handicap players. And then, when the manufacturer needs to market that same driver to high handicappers, they simply make some superficial modifications. But the driver itself still has its original DNA as a club that was made for very strong players -- a heavy head, a heavy shaft, lower lofts, lower spin rates, etc.

That may be what Tour players need, but that doesn’t help those of us who’ve lost a little pop in our swings with age, or those who just aren’t strong enough to swing their driver over 100 MPH.

The makers of the Speed System concluded that there had to be a better way and asked, “What if we design a driver that, from the ground up, is made for everyone else who needs more distance?”

And with that the Speed System was born. 

Main Design Goal: Speed!

So I went on a quest to learn all I could about the Speed System. 

I discovered that, when they set out to design this new driver, they had one goal in mind. They wanted to make a driver that would be easier to swing faster. I’m sure everyone already knows this, but it bears repeating: when you can swing a club faster, it generates more distance. And when you can swing it a lot faster, it generates a lot more distance.

When I first picked the club up, the overall lightness was noticeable immediately. Before I even took a swing, I knew that I was going to be able to swing this club a lot faster than my current driver. And then, after hitting some shots with it, I came to another realization. When you swing a club that is so much lighter overall, and balanced so perfectly, you can get the extra speed you need without the extra effort. I found I was able to take what felt was a less forceful, more rhythmic swing and still get a higher swing speed. At that point, I was definitely starting to get excited about this driver.

It’s Not Just Weight That Matters

Yes, the Speed System has an overall lighter weight. That’s obviously one key to the design. But if it were only about weight, any number of manufacturers could put out a driver that doesn’t weigh a lot.

But there’s more to the Speed System than just light weight. That’s why they named it the Speed System. This driver is a breakthrough because they were able to bring all of the components into a total harmony that allows slower-swinging players to get some additional MPH of swing speed.

To do that, they lab-tested and refined all of the club’s elements and made sure they were in perfect synch with one another. That includes the flex of the shaft, the loft of the club face, the weight of the head itself, the face angle, the shaft dynamics (things like the kick point, torque, etc.), and even the grip. These things were all fine-tuned to make sure that the average player would be able to swing the club much faster and produce more distance.

Other Game Improvement Features

There are a couple of other really important technical game improvement features that were added to the club, too.

They call the first one “Mis-Hit Correction” technology, or MHC. The MHC feature, as the name suggests, lessens the negative effect of shots when you miss the sweet spot. Shots that are hit toward the toe of the club and consequently start out to the right, tend to work back leftward toward the fairway. And conversely, shots hit on the heel which initially start out to the left, tend to move back rightward toward the fairway. This is a feature that high handicappers will love, as not only will you be gaining extra distance, but MHC will see to it that you gain some accuracy as well.

The other game improvement feature they added is called “Launch Angle Optimization.” One of the keys to getting maximum distance is having the optimal trajectory on your ball flight. By strategic placement of the center-of-gravity in the club head, they ensured that the launch angle that you’ll get on your drives will be optimized specifically for your swing and your speed.

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

There’s definitely a wide disparity in the swing profiles across the range of amateur golfers. Swing speeds vary significantly among these players, with some measuring below 70 MPH and others measuring above 90 MPH, and everywhere in between. Obviously, the driver that’s best for one is not going to be best for the other.

So the makers of the Speed System designed and released four different models that are fine-tuned for golfers according to their swing speed or the average carry distance of their drives. So, based on your own personal stats, you can select either the Speed Black, the Speed Blue, the Speed Gold, or the Speed Silver. This way, you know that you’re getting the model that was designed and laboratory-tested to be optimized specifically for your swing, and not based on a one-size-fits-all philosophy. 

Here’s how to choose the model that’s best for you:  

Matching the Right Driver With the Right Golf Ball

There’s one final, extremely smart addition to the Speed System that the manufacturers include in every shipment. Based on whichever model of the Speed System a buyer orders, they include in the package a dozen specially-matched golf balls that are an ideal complement to that specific model (Black, Blue, Gold or Silver). Why is this such a smart idea?

To propel a ball forward on a drive, it’s necessary to “compress” the ball at impact. Compression happens when the ball “squishes” against the club face when you make contact with the ball. Strong players with a lot of swing speed can compress the ball quite a bit. A player with a relatively slow swing, on the other hand, will obviously be less able to compress it. Consequently, it’s advised those with slower swings use a golf ball that has a lower compression rating (i.e., a ball that is slightly softer) so that they will be able to produce the kind of ball compression that is needed to maximize their distance potential.

The balls that are included with each of the Speed System models were chosen because they have the ideal compression rating for that golfer’s swing speed.  This is a perfect example that explains why this product is referred to as a “System.” It’s not just the driver head that’s optimized for speed, but it’s also the integration of the various club components, as well as having the perfect club-ball pairing.

Conclusion

So, what was the result of my testing? Well, I didn’t have the benefit of a launch monitor to confirm my distance results, but I can say without reservation that I was getting a lot more distance. The golf course where I usually play is one that I’ve used for many years, so I’m very familiar with where my customary drives tend to end up. And I was routinely well past those landing areas. All those claims of 20 extra yards were definitely not an exaggeration.

As I mentioned before, I also loved that I found I could swing at a much more controlled pace. I didn’t feel like I needed to “swing out of my shoes” to get those distances. That improved rhythm automatically had me swinging with more control and I was getting a tighter dispersion on my shots as a result. That was a welcome benefit. I started out hoping to just get more distance, but what I ended up getting was more distance plus more accuracy.

You can count me as a big fan of the Speed System.

Visit the Speed System Product Page for more info.