Cleveland's new Launcher driver and HiBore XLi irons
Before Cleveland Golf released the ultra-modern, slope-backed HiBore family of drivers, its big-hitter was the Launcher. Several versions of the club were successfully released, but the newest model, which will be on pro shop shelves Oct. 15, is being hailed by the company as the longest and straightest Launcher ever made.
Designed for players who are looking for an extremely low-spin driver, a mid-trajectory ball flight and a high moment of inertia, the new Launcher has a face which is 21% larger than those of the original Launcher and Launcher Comp. This should broaden the sweetspot and make the new Launcher more forgiving on off-center hits. A 17-gram, horseshoe-shaped weight pad rests in the rear of the clubhead to pull the center of gravity down and away from the face. Click on the image above for a better look.
The new Launcher, with a suggested retail price of $299, will come standard with a lightweight Fujikura Fit-On Flightspeed shaft to help players increase their swing speed for added power.
Cleveland also just introduced the new HiBore XLi irons for players looking to maximize distance and forgiveness. Taking advantage of what the company describes as Distance Driven Geometry, the crowns on the XLi irons curve down to move the center of gravity down and away from the face. Because all the clubs in this set are hollow, essentially they should all play like hybrids. The HiBore XLi
irons also offer a fair amount of offset. To make the XLi irons work easily through the turf, Cleveland has
designed them with a wide soul and incorporated toe and heel drag
relief areas to impede digging. Click on the image for a better look.
There is a lot of technology in their irons designed to help slower-swinging players get their shots in the air more easily.
The HiBore XLi irons will also be available starting Oct. 15 with an adjusted retail price of $599 (steel)/$699 (graphite).
Look for more information on these new Cleveland products in an upcoming issue of GOLF Magazine.
Posted by: dave | Sep 17, 2008 2:08:22 PM
it would be nice to see an article on the the new cg tour. i remember there was a picture gallery for six new tour irons, but it came off the site pretty fast.