Two years ago, when Cleveland Golf introduced the Launcher HB driver, they pointed out most recreational players do not need adjustability in their drivers. In fact, many don’t fully understand the benefits of adjustments and often leave the settings alone at one value, never changing. Added to that is adjustable hosels put weight in the wrong area of the clubhead so manufacturers must compensate to get the center of gravity properly located, and though adjustable sole weights may help with ball side spin and trajectory they also require design compensations.
The clincher according to Cleveland is in addition to a significant number of extra grams, all these adjustable features add to the price. For their latest answer addressing this problem look no further than the Launcher HB Turbo driver and fairways.
“Reintroducing Cleveland Golf Woods and Irons two years ago has been very successful,” said Brian Schielke, Marketing Director at Cleveland Golf. “However, the new Launcher HB Turbo woods represent a huge step up from the previous generation. They’re sleeker, faster, and more forgiving – exactly what all of us avid golfers are looking for off the tee.”
The original Launcher with a fixed hosel and no sliding sole weights produced high trajectory longer carry drives for straight distance and the new Turbo improves that with an even lighter hosel, deeper head weight placement and a reconfigured HB (HiBore) crown.
“The Launcher HB Turbo is engineered to help you hit long, straight drives,” said Jeff Brunski, Vice President of Research and Development at Cleveland Golf. “We’ve squeezed discretionary weight out of every corner of the club head in order to produce one of the most forgiving drivers we’ve ever made. We’ve paired it with a high-balance point shaft that’s easier to swing fast. Authentic technologies such as the Turbocharged Cup Face, the Ultralight Hosel, and a more aerodynamic crown help the Launcher HB Turbo earn its name.”
The cup face extends along the crown and sole and uses a variable thickness pattern Cleveland designed to create more ball speed when impact isn’t exactly in the center. The crown construction stands out with the a prominent HiBore stepdown that both reduces aerodynamic drag on the downswing and saves grams that were transferred to the sole pad. As a result, the center of gravity is 4.4 mm deeper and 2.2 mm lower than in the original Launcher HB.
The standard shaft is the new counterbalanced Miyazaki C. Kua. It helps to make the club easy to swing faster due to extra mass being added to the head balanced by the added weight in the shaft’s grip end.
Taking many of the same ideas aimed at giving the player added speed and distance Cleveland also has the Launcher HB Turbo fairway woods, a good choice off the tee or from the fairway.
WYNTK Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo Driver:
-Cup Face with a new variable face design for higher rebound over a larger area
-HiBore step crown moves center-of-gravity by 2.2 mm lower and 4.4 mm deeper
-Deep Weighting 35-gram sole pad increases MOI and forgiveness
-Ultralight Hosel with external and internal weight reduction redistributed for a higher launch and more forgiveness
-Counter Balanced Miyazaki C. Kua Shaft made specifically for Launcher HB Turbo with center of gravity relocated toward grip allowing for additional head mass to raise MOI
The Launcher HB Turbo Driver is available in two different models. The standard with loft choices of 9°, 10.5° and 12° and the Draw with 10.5° loft. Both carry a retail price of $349.99. The Launcher HB Turbo Fairway Woods offer a 15° 3-wood and 18° 5-wood for $229.99 each. The driver and fairway woods may be preordered on the Cleveland website and will be in shops Oct. 4. Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo
