This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

The headline in this blog presumes everyone wants a new golf driver.

For my part, I don’t, preferring the Callaway Epic I have had for more than five years.  Actually, I have two such drivers because I have one at my regular home in Salem, Oregon, and one at my winter home in La Quinta, California.

If only for that reason – two drivers, not just one – it is difficult for me to become excited about new drivers.  Price, of course.  Double prices.

The most recent on-line edition of Links Magazine showed up with a story on the best new drivers of 2023.  The writer, David DeSmith, focused on various technical abilities in the drivers. 

And, of course, one reason is that driver manufacturers emphasize all of this – and do every year on the apparent theory that technology, plus new names for drivers, matters to buyers.

Speaking of names, consider Callaway.  It started its so-called “jailbreak technology” series a few years with the name, Epic.  That became Epic Flash, then Rogue, than Mavrik, and now Paradygm.  New technology?  For all I know, yes.  Marketing?  Yes.

DeSmith started his Links Magazine story this way:

“Whether you’re a straight-hitting bomber or a higher-handicapper on the hunt for more distance, the club manufacturers have some attractive new options for you.  But unless you have a full day to test-drive some of these new clubs, sorting them out and finding the best choice for you may not be so easy.

“As has been the case for the past decade, the tech jargon is thick in every manufacturer’s descriptions of their new models.  That tech is there is do some simple (but important) things:  Increase clubhead speed and ball speed, yield more forgiveness on off-center hits, allow for more consistency, and build confidence.  But deciphering all that engineering and marketing lingo isn’t so simple.

“In all cases, because high-handicappers have different needs than tour pros, the clubmakers have created different versions for different kinds of players.  Some key things to look out for in these 2023 drivers:  Clubface design advancements, expanded use of lightweight carbon fiber, and new perimeter weighting options.”

I think I could have predicted the list, but here it is:

TaylorMade Stealth 2 Series:  “When TaylorMade launched its Stealth drivers and ushered in the Carbonwood era in 2022, they didn’t just look different with their bright red faces, they were different.  They featured clubfaces constructed with carbon fiber rather than titanium or steel, and the tech behind that ‘Carbon Twist face, which TaylorMade refers to as Inverted Cone Technology, was designed to boost performance across the entire clubface and provide improved distance and forgiveness.

“The 2023 Stealth clubheads feature almost twice as much carbon. The face of the new standard Stealth 2 is even lighter than last year’s and has a larger sweet spot for even more forgiveness on off-center hits.

Callaway Paradym Series:  Callaway is another manufacturer that has gone all-in on the use of carbon.  For 2023, its new Paradym drivers feature a carbon crown and forged carbon sole that make the clubhead’s chassis 44 percent lighter than a traditional titanium chassis. That’s a lot of weight savings, and it allows Callaway to redistribute weight to places where it can be used to improve performance.

Titleist TSR Series:  Titleist drivers have always been known for their classic good looks and consistent performance.  Where other companies may strut their tech on the outside, Titleist prefers to present a more traditional appearance, and their 2023 TSR line is no exception.  This year’s Titleist drivers—the TSR1, TSR2, TSR3, and TSR4—each present an appealing pear-shaped look at address, unblemished by overt signs of engineering wizardry.

“But beneath the surface, there’s a lot going on.  They all feature Titleist’s Variable Face Thickness—faces optimized in different ways to generate maximum ball speed across a broader cross-section of the face. Enhanced aerodynamics help generate more speed, too—without interfering with the club’s classic appearance.” 

PING G430 Series:  Ping drivers have long been revered for their performance and forgiveness.  PING’s new G430MAX, G430LST, and G430SFT drivers continue that tradition.  Unlike other companies, PING tends to release new club designs not every year but every two years.  From all accounts, the G430 series was worth the wait..

Mizuno ST 230 Series:  The driver news at Mizuno revolves around what it calls its Cortech Chamber—a dense, stainless steel weight encased in an elastomeric material. It sits in the sole behind the clubface, adding weight there for spin reduction and allowing for increased sole flexure and face stress reduction (translation: more power).

Cobra Aerojet Series:  Cobra’s new Aerojet drivers have a serious, traditional appearance on the outside—with a classic shape and glossy crown—but their tech has been dialed up to produce even more clubhead speed than prior Cobras. It starts with aerodynamics (hence the Aerojet name). Each model features a raised skirt (the rear part of the clubhead) and streamlined edges designed to reduce drag and increase clubhead speed.

So, there you have it, no doubt more than you wanted to know about new drivers.

For me, for reasons cited above, I intend to keep playing my Callaway Epic drivers.  Two reasons:  They work for me, and they’re paid for.