Knuth Golf may be a new player in the golf equipment market, but the company’s namesake is anything but. Dean Knuth spent many years working with the USGA to develop and evolve the current course and slope rating system that is used to establish, maintain and adjust player handicaps different courses.
With degrees in mathematics and computer science and decades of service to golf, Dean was the obvious choice to design the first driver that is specifically made with the amateur golfer in mind, not the pros on tour. So what does it take to design a club for amateur golfers, and how does it differ from other drivers on the market?
The Technology
Amateur golfers don’t swing like the pros, so why play the same driver the pros play? Knuth’s High Heat driver is designed to help slower swing speeds of amateur golfers, and it does that by offering a driver with a center of gravity (CG) that is 25% deeper and 18% lower than any on the market.
What does a low and deep CG do? Simple. It makes the club easy to hit! The deep and low CG of the High Heat driver allows golfers with slower swing speeds to launch the ball higher with less spin than other drivers. Another benefit of the deep, low CG is forgiveness. Since most mid-to-high handicap golfers tend to hit the ball lower on the face, the low CG is a great benefit to help get the ball airborne.
“High MOI” is technical term that golf companies are tossing around these days. MOI, or Moment of Inertia is simply a measure of resistance to twisting. What high MOI means for a golf club is more distance and better accuracy on off-center hits. The High Heat has a higher MOI than just about every driver on the market. Terms like moment of inertia and low CG sound cool for a testing lab, but in the real world what it means is you get a club that is very easy to hit solid, and very forgiving when you miss it a bit.
Visually Stunning
The first thing you’ll notice about the High Heat driver is the sleek cobalt blue paint job and the shiny mirror face. The cobalt blue is striking and sharp, and gives the High Heat an identity that is unmistakable. The blue color scheme was also favored because it mimics the color of a flame when it burns the hottest. The polished mirror face is functional as well as being aesthetic. When hit, the ball leaves dimple marks on the face telling you where you made contact, and simply wipe away with a soft towel. Plus you can use it to deflect sunshine into your opponent’s eyes while he’s hitting! (wink)
Specifications
The High Heat driver comes in right and left handed models in three lofts – 9.5, 10.5 & 12 degrees. Standard length is 45 inches. There are also four premium shaft options to choose from: Fujikura Pro Sakura, Fujikura Pro 53, 63 and 73 and the Aldila Magnum 44. My testers had the Fujikura Pro 73 in X-Flex and the Fujikura Pro 63 in Stiff flex.
Play Testing
I spent quite a bit of time playing and testing the High Heat, and put it in as many players’ hands as I could to get as much feedback as possible. After half a dozen rounds with it I can conclude that the High Heat is one of the most playable and forgiving drivers I’ve ever seen.
Someone like me who swings over 110 MPH and hits the sweet spot with regularity won’t see as much benefit from the High Heat as the average golfer, but even for me it was very accurate and forgiving on mishits. For the other 95% of golfers out there, this driver is a game changer. The low & deep CG really helps players with slower swing speeds launch the ball higher with less spin while still being very forgiving and playable.
Many of the play testers that tried the High Heat said that it had a huge sweet spot and the ball seemed to shoot off the face with a springy feel. The noise was also distinctive. It sounds a bit like hitting the ball with an aluminum baseball bat. Most testers I gave it to gained distance with the High Heat, and not surprisingly the golfers with the slowest swings seemed to get the most out of it.
In my personal testing I got great results from the High Heat, even with my tour-level swing speeds. While it is designed primarily for average golfers, any golfer can benefit from it. In my case I saw better forgiveness and excellent accuracy. The look and sound are unique, but not off-putting by any means. Personally I think the driver is gorgeous.
Machine Testing
Knuth Golf saved me the trouble of inventing a golf swing robot to test their club against the other leading drivers on the market. Instead, they contracted with Golf Labs, the most reputable independent golf testing company in the world. Below is an excerpt of the results of that testing provided by Knuth Golf:
On October 29, 2014 on a clear and relatively calm day in the San Diego area, Golf Labs tested the High Heat driver and Major Brands on its range using their precision robotic tester set at 95 mph.
High Heat’s submission, identified as D-12 on the hosel, was marked 10.5 loft on the sole and was shafted with a Fujikura Pro 853 Stiff flex 53 gram shaft. It was tested against the Major Brands’ 10.5 lofts with their standard Stiff flex shafts. The testing was conducted against TaylorMade SLDR, Ping G30, Titleist 915 D2, Callaway Big Bertha Alpha, and Nike Covert 2.0.
Golf Labs’ test used its standard 5 point test which provides total distance and dispersion from the center line on center and four off-center hits based on hitting six balls at each of those 5 points. The four off-center hit locations are located 1⁄2” above and below the center of each driver’s face; and 3⁄4” to the right and to left of center. Golf Labs also used new Titleist NXT golf balls.
Golf Labs’ test results showed that High Heat’s total distance on center and off-center hits toward the center line was the longest, its total dispersion was the lowest and it had the most forgiveness than any of the Major Brands with one partial exception. The only exception was Callaway’s Big Bertha Alpha total distance toward the center line on center hits was the longest but High Heat’s total distance toward the center line for off-center hits was longer than Callaway’s Big Bertha Alpha and High Heat’s total dispersion on center and off-center hits was lower than Big Bertha Alpha.
Final Thoughts
The High Heat driver from Knuth Golf is a game changer. It has the lowest and deepest CG in the industry and is one of the most forgiving, easy to hit clubs I’ve ever hit. If you believe high performance can only come from a name-brand driver, you’ll be shocked when you hit this one. As soon as you hit it, I’ll bet you will want to put it in the bag. Many of Knuth’s happy customers have been prodding him for the past year or so with the inevitable question – When will you make fairway woods and hybrids? The answer is – Very soon!
Knuth Golf introduced their new fairway woods and hybrids at the 2016 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida, and they will be available in time for the 2016 golf season. The High Heat driver sells for $399 direct, but you don’t have to pay that much. In fact, to save $70 check out the special offer below! For more information on all the clubs available from Knuth Golf, visit their website at www.knuthgolf.com
Special Offer
We have arranged for a special price of $329 for the High Heat driver, which also has a 30 day full money back guarantee. Just go to www.knuthgolf.com, add the driver to your shopping cart, and at checkout simply select Intothegrain.com when asked how you heard about High Heat. Happy shopping!
