Meet the new Acer XDS Driver
If you have been following on our Blog, you probably have wondered what is the status of the “Hireko Wants You to Help Design Our Next Driver from the Ground Up!” campaign. This just happens to be one of 17 club head projects I am working on. Some of which have gone as planned and are on schedule, one might be two years out from every making it to the market and one hit huge snags that it was scrapped and we had to start from ground zero again. I wasn’t a happy camper that day.
Well this project has an official name – Acer XDS. It will follow a set of matching super game-improvement irons slated to be available this fall. But at this moment we have our shape compiled from your requests. The shape is much different from the original drawing, but the concept has remained intact; 
to provide the average golfer more distance and accuracy using some very sound design and fitting principles.
That shape was rendered into a CAD program so we could be very particular to ensure the weight, centers of gravity and MOI were all what we envisioned.
Once the CAD file was tweaked as much as we could tweak it, we had our rapid prototyping machine mill out an exact replica so we could have head in hand and examine it more closely. So there is where this project stands today.
Over the next 48 hours our staff can make any decisions to change anything, if at all. Right now the driver is only a bunch of little zeros and ones on a computer and changes are far less time consuming and cheaper than when we start the next phase creating the tooling and actually manufacturing hittable samples.
But we still need your input on a few more items on our laundry list. One of which is the loft for the Thriver version – a heavier, more lofted 44” control driver. Which of the following lofts would you like to see?
- 13º
- 13.5º
- 14º
- 15º
- 16º
It is your time to speak out now…PLEASE GIVE US YOUR COMMENTS!
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August 25th, 2009 at 6:12 am
15* for a heavier controled driver (fairway finder) . Loft is your friend.
August 25th, 2009 at 6:18 am
I like the shape on the new driver. Reminds me of the Diablo Draw.
I’d like to see 14° for the Thriver if given a single loft choice.
August 25th, 2009 at 6:47 am
I like the 13.5 or 14 degree. Though it might be easier to sell without stating the loft number on the sole. Alot of higher lofted drivers try the HT stamps on the sole. I’m not sure how well that is even recieved by golfers, but it’s got to be better on the ego. We all know guys and ladies that play 3w or strong 3w on the tees that should try a large head at those lofts.
August 25th, 2009 at 7:12 am
I would like to be able to purchase 12, 14, and 16 degree lofts in a driver.
August 25th, 2009 at 7:46 am
I would go with the 13.5. This seems like a good loft to keep distance and to keep the ball low enough for a good flight /distance pattern.
August 25th, 2009 at 7:47 am
Jeff -
I like the shape … looks like the 2009 Big Bertha or the FT-9. If I have one choice on the loft, I’d go with 13*.
August 25th, 2009 at 8:37 am
I’d like to see a 13…like a strong 3-wood.
August 25th, 2009 at 8:55 am
13* to 14* – Would be a good loft for ladies and seniors, and maybe some of the rest of us too.
August 25th, 2009 at 10:05 am
Jeff,
14 or 15 ° like a 3 wood , but no number on the sole, very important to hide the loft.
thanks
Antoine
August 25th, 2009 at 11:38 am
I would like to see all the lofts
August 25th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Great comments guys, keep ‘em coming…
August 25th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
13 or 13.5 would help those who use a 3-wood off the tee but want a larger head. Perhaps offer a 14 or 14.5 ladies/junior loft, too.
August 25th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Definately 13 or 13.5.I agree about hiding the loft as Antoine pointed out.
August 25th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
I’d like a squarefaced or (.5 degree open) driver with 13.5 or 14 degree loft. I’ve been using a 13 degree 400cc @ 44″ driver for four years and love it. 460cc would be nice.
August 25th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Go with a 14 degree for men and 15 degrees loft for women. Call them the HT HighTower models with 44 inch shaft for men and 43 inch for the ladies.
August 25th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
I would like to see either 15 or 16 degrees on the thriver….
August 25th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Assuming the next lowest loft is…say 11 degrees, I think you should seriously consider 2 higher lofts. 13 and 15 would be my suggestion. People are coming around to higher lofts and shorter lengths, so 2 more options would be a huge selling point IMO. If you only do one, I would pick 14.
August 26th, 2009 at 2:38 am
I currently use a 14 degree 450cc driver at three wood length to use on the tee. Distance is almost as long as my driver with a lot more control. A weight between a driver and three wood would be my preference. The lighter weight helps with the swing speed
August 26th, 2009 at 7:09 am
Get the lie more upright on the Thriver, too.
61 or 62°
August 26th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
what we really need is a driver — like this that is 10 – 10.5 deg that can be built to a 44in lenght with a d0 – d3 swing weight(using a 60ish gram shaft). this would help dramatically with control for most golfers.
my 2 cents.
August 28th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Could this be used with a 10 to 12 degree with a senior shaft 25″ long?
August 28th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Looks great, problem is most amateur’s driver sole with the toe up. The higher the driver loft angle, the more left the shot will tend to travel. Like to see an adjustment made with a “shaft-hosel insert” that provides lie-angle flexability from 3 degrees upright to 3 degrees flat. Increasing toe weight should make up for the added weight of the insert. This will also increase perimeter weighting characteristics. Loft angles available from 15 degrees and less in 1 degree increments should be fine.
August 30th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
The option of all the shown lofts would be nice…I play golf one handed due to polio….use my right arm…currently use a 14 degree driver head AND i HAD IT MADE USING A UST TRAINER SHAFT…IT IS 39 INCHES LONG and hopefully I can buy the head and build me a new one or maybe ya’ll can build it….thanks
August 31st, 2009 at 5:10 am
Eugene:
25″ would be extremely short unless this was for a junior golfer or under special circumstances where you might be hitting the ball from a seated position.
September 1st, 2009 at 8:17 am
13 degrees. To replace Titleist 909 F3 13 degree fairway wood which has a higher face height and is default driving club on danger filled landing areas.
My young junior son plays very well with the Nike “Lucky 13″ driver(Sasquatch squared model unknown) in an A flex. Straight every time. So even for slower swing speeds, would still reccomend the 13 but with a lighter weight/softer shaft option for seniors, juniors, etc.
Thanks for asking.
October 8th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Truth is, most golfers are macho sado-masochists and believe that playing anything over a 10.5 deg driver is for seniors and ladies…and they still can’t break 90, or 100 even. Lookit, most golfers need loft on their driver, period. I like this idea, it is honest and will improve most golfer’s games. I agree, don’t put the loft on the head so no one feels like the weenie in a bunch of “macho men”. Let it be our secret that we can hit the ball 220 to 250 in the fairway 90% of the time, while the 9 degree driver guys hit it 220 to 250 in the rough if they are lucky to get that far…
I am 40, 25 handicap, and with my 12 shafted stiff I hit it 250 to 270 fairly consistently…and it is a 43″ shaft as well. I say go with the 13 degree and offer a stiff shaft for those who can hit over 100mph speeds. Not only that, but offer to balance it so you can have a 43″ shaft instead of a 44″… Tiger’s shaft is 43″ for control, and he is the best golfer in the world. What does that mean for the rest of us hacks? High loft, short shaft, more consistant shots…distance is fairly irrelevant if you are over a 10 handicap anyway!
October 13th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Hello,guys.
Tiger is using a 10° driver, his SS is 125mph, so most off the golfers out there should use a driver loftet like a 7 wood because of the lower SS.
Of corse this is impossible to sell, because even with intelligent people receptif to scientific arguments to much is to much.
Please hide the loft and make it as much as possible.
I am a 7 hcp and I use a 12° xmoi in summer and a 13° acer in winter.SS 106mph.
Thanks
October 15th, 2009 at 3:55 am
Have you noticed what the big guys haven’t? Regular players need more loft in the driver. A 460 head with 13.5 to 15 degrees of loft is just what the doctor ordered. Also how about offering an offset head along with the conventional. I play a Polekat driver now with 15 degrees of loft and always in the fairway.
October 19th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Hi,
I am dreaming for a second, I would like to see drivers and very important, also graphite shafts with a swind speed indication.
For the driver head no loft indication, only swing speed, for ex: 65-75 for ladys,75-85, seniors, 85-95 average player etc….. same for the various shafts with cpm indication.
Today every manufacturer has his one “stiff”, so this indication has to be checked with every new shaft, a stiff can be very stiff or senior flex depending on the manufacturer.
Ok,guys thanks for your time;
Keep them in short gras.
Antoine.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Hi guys, this is great! Wish all companies would do this! Thinking outside of the box, can a driver head be made in the shape of some of these newer U shaped or !_! shaped putters? In windy Oklahoma these 30mph winds catch the driver head and ruins your drives. Why the box shape? Is it required by the USGA? Can”t you make a face with balancing extensions like on the putter? I think the less head you have, the less likelihood of the wind interference,,,,and it could increase your swing speed! Okay, okay, I will crawl back in the box and shut up. PS…maybe there is a way to dial up the desired loft….right?
October 29th, 2009 at 5:12 am
Charles:
The USGA has a “plain in shape” rule in Appendix II of the Rules of Golf that would prohibit driver shapes like putters. If you have a copy of the Rules of Golf in your golf bag or know someone who does, thumb through the 10 plus pages of rules designers must abide by.