Best Golf Clubs of 2011
Ranked by our critic's grades, best first.
The golf clubs of 2011, ranked by critic grade: a fairway wood, a wedge, two putters, two sets of irons, a hybrid and two drivers. The year's defining idea was the hosel. SureFit Tour set loft and lie independently across sixteen positions on the Titleist 910D3 and the Titleist 910H, the first hybrid that could be fitted like a driver. The Titleist Vokey Design SM4 made the post groove rule world liveable with a conforming groove and five sole grinds.
The Adams Speedline Fast 11 leads, graded A, the best fairway wood of its year from the smallest company on the range at half the money. A slot cut through the sole behind the face lets the lower face flex on thin strikes, for $199. Seven of the nine entries are A, so the lead is a matter of degree: the Mizuno MP-59 is the feel standard of its year and the Scotty Cameron California Del Mar the best feeling putter of the year.
The two B grades trade something for speed. The Callaway RAZR Hawk spends nearly all of its Forged Composite savings on speed and is fast, loud and fixed at $399, the price of the Titleist 910D3 with none of its fitting. The TaylorMade Burner 2.0 delivers one number, provided a seven iron with the loft of a six is acceptable, at $599 against $999 for the Mizuno MP-59.
- Adams Speedline Fast 11Adams Speedline Fast 11The best fairway wood of its year came from the smallest company on the range, at half the money.Read the review
- Titleist Vokey Design SM4Titleist Vokey Design SM4The wedge that made the post groove rule world liveable, and still the grind menu everyone measures against.
- TaylorMade Ghost Spider STaylorMade Ghost Spider SA high inertia mallet in white, and the clearest lesson of its year in what alignment is actually worth.
- Titleist 910D3Titleist 910D3SureFit Tour made loft and lie independent, and the D3 is the low spin head that repaid the fitting.
- Titleist 910HTitleist 910HThe first hybrid you could fit like a driver, and it behaves far more like an iron than a small wood.
- Mizuno MP-59Mizuno MP-59A players' cavity forged in Hiroshima that gives away almost nothing to a blade at impact.
- Scotty Cameron California Del MarScotty Cameron California Del MarCameron took the shine off and left the shape, and the result is the best feeling putter of the year.
- Callaway RAZR HawkCallaway RAZR HawkForged Composite bought Callaway tens of grams of freedom, and it spent nearly all of them on speed.
- TaylorMade Burner 2.0TaylorMade Burner 2.0Built for one number and it delivers it, provided you accept a seven iron with the loft of a six.