One thing I love about launch season is that there’s always that one surprise release that catches you completely off guard.
This year, that surprise is new and old-fashioned, unique yet familiar, odd while oddly comforting.
We’re talking about the new 2025 Cleveland HiBore XL driver.
At first glance, two questions come to mind.
First: Why would Cleveland bring back an 18-year-old driver franchise?
That one’s easy to answer. If you’re Cleveland Golf in 2024, why the hell not? The company can afford to take risks and the 2006-2010 vintage HiBore is a driver many golfers fondly remember.
Speaking of risks, that leads us to the second question:
Just what in the name of Vijay Singh am I looking at?
There’s a lot, and I mean a lot, to unpack here. So let’s jump right in.
Cleveland HiBore XL: Wake up the echoes
It’s easy to forget how good Cleveland drivers were back in the 2000s. The original Launcher 460, Launcher 460 XL and Launcher 460 Comp drivers were, well, launchers. In 2006, Cleveland broke the mold, so to speak, with the original HiBore. It was a radically different shape for the day with a scooped-back design and a wide, elongated body.
The goal was to move the CG lower to be in line with the center of the face while also shoving it as far back as possible to boost MOI. That sounds run-of-the-mill in 2024 but Cleveland was coloring outside the lines for 2006.
After a run of marginal if well-intended drivers, Cleveland is again coloring outside the lines with the new HiBore XL.
“That was the mindset that got us into the original HiBore driver,” Cleveland Product Manager Casey Schultz tells MyGolfSpy. “Engineers tend to work within boundaries. We just threw all that out the window. If we simply set out to make the best-performing driver we could, where would we end up?”
Where Cleveland ended up is with a driver that’s as unique-looking today as the original HiBore was 18 years ago.
Triangulation derivation
Yeah, it’s a triangle.
We’ve seen this shape before. Remember the Titleist 907 D1? How about the Callaway FT-iZ and its descendant, the Big Bertha Fusion? The COBRA LTDx and LTDx Max were also triangular.
None of them, however, were as triangular as the new Cleveland HiBore XL.
“We know some people are going to look down at it and be like, ‘What the hell is this?’” admits Schultz. “How crazy is too crazy? In the end, we let performance rule the day.”
The HiBore XL’s triangular shape isn’t just for shock value. Cleveland wanted to start with as massive a face as possible. From there, the triangle just sort of emerged as engineers, with the help of AI, worked to make the head fit into the 460-cc limitation while getting the CG as low and as far back as possible.
“The triangular shape allows us to shave off some of the sides and get the weight back without having to go to a smaller chassis,” Shultz explains. “You get the massive face for forgiveness and you can still put all that weight low and deep for maximum MOI.”
I’ve shown the HiBore XL to at least a dozen people and all had the same eye-bugging initial reaction. It’s a weird-looking stick, like something George Jetson might game.
“It’s a sort of future-forward design and there are certainly some people who are going to be shocked by it,” says Schultz. “But everything there is functional to help you hit better drives.”
Of course it’s AI-designed
You better believe the new Cleveland HiBore XL driver was AI-designed. I’m not entirely sure a human could or would come up with a driver that looks like this.
“The era of geometric drivers came and went but we still believe there are a lot of performance opportunities there,” says Schultz. “AI essentially pointed us in this direction to maximize performance.”
As mentioned, the face is huge – some 19 percent larger than Cleveland’s previous drivers. And like most modern drivers, its variable face thickness is designed by AI to minimize ball speed loss on off-center strikes. There’s also a 12-gram weight in the rear of the standard HiBore XL. It’s not moveable, just swappable to allow a fitter to optimize performance.
You’ll also notice a crown accent just off the hosel called ActivWing.
“ActivWing is based on years of research by XXIO,” says Schultz. “It’s aerodynamics that helps you get the club in the slot a little easier.”
Schultz admits ActivWing is a confusing technology but testing has shown it helps keep the clubhead in the proper position on the way down which leads to more consistent contact.
“We’ve seen a lot more center impacts with ActivWing, especially after players hit it a few times and get used to it,” he says. “It’s worked wonders for years on XXIO and basically helps keep the club on plane.”
It looks different, but does it work?
If a driver is going to look like a Dorito, it better perform. Cleveland sent us a 10.5-degree HiBore XL with the stock Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue shaft. Our early informal testing is encouraging.
First, please understand that at 64, I’m firmly in the Harry Callahan–Magnum Force driving distance camp.
A man’s got to know his limitations.
With a low 90s swing speed, the best I can hope for is maybe 225 yards of carry and some decent roll. My first range session with the HiBore XL was eye-opening. With no idea of distance (other than it was in the ballpark of my PING G430 Max 10K), I loved the consistency and ball flight: nice draws that were going where I pointed.
Launch monitor numbers, however, were eye-popping. The HiBore XL must be a hair lighter than my PING, because swing speeds averaged between 95 and 97 mph, with a top speed of 100. That’s a gear I don’t normally have, friends. What’s more, the ball still had a nice draw to it.
The numbers were solid, too. Spin averaged around 2,300 rpm with sidespin averaging just under 400, suggesting a subtle right-to-left draw. Ball speed averaged 137 mph, with carry averaging around 232 and total distance just over 250. Reasonable heel or toe mishits didn’t spin off the planet, either.
For an off-the-shelf driver, I’ll take those numbers every single time.
For those who remember the original HiBore, you no doubt recall it as head-snapping-at-the-driving-range LOUD. We have to give Cleveland engineers a tip of the cap here. The new HiBore XL driver not only sounds way better than its forefathers, it also sounds way better than any current driver from either Cleveland or Srixon.
And, not for nothing, after a dozen or so similar bombs that triangular sunuvabitch started looking sexier and sexier.
Cleveland HiBore XL: Final thoughts
The above results need to be taken for what they are: one person’s experience on a single day of testing. We’ll see how the HiBore XL does next spring during MyGolfSpy testing but I do think Cleveland might have something interesting here. For the right golfer, the new HiBore XL is definitely worth a whack or two in the demo bay.
Even if you can’t get past the fact it looks like a Dorito.
Also of note is the HiBore XL’s 2009-ish price tag of $399.99.
“HiBore is going to be good for us because it cuts through the driver clutter with a different story,” says Schultz. “It’s different from everyone else and it’s $399, making it a very competitive fitting option.”
Cleveland does offer an impressive array of no-upcharge shaft options. That potentially makes HiBore an appealing option compared to previous year models on discount.
Again, if you can get past the whole Dorito thing.
Yet another interesting note: the HiBore XL driver will be available in nine-, 10.5- and 12-degree models with an adjustable hosel. The interesting part is that they’re all the same head, just set up at those lofts.
“It’s one head and we pre-select the loft,” says Schultz. “Essentially it’s a driver that’s adjustable from nine up to 12 degrees.”
Loft is adjustable in half-degree increments and lie is also adjustable from standard to 2.5 degrees flat. At first glance in the standard configuration, the HiBore appears to have a slightly closed face. Once you set it down, however, it sits square. Lofting down to nine degrees opens the face slightly and the lie flattens a degree and a half. That helps a ton if you tend to miss left. Increasing the loft has the opposite effect.
Specs and availability
The Cleveland HiBore XL driver will be available in nine-, 10.5- and 12-degree models. As mentioned, the heads are the same, the adjustable hosels are set for each loft. At launch, the HiBore XL will be available in right-handed only. We don’t know when or if Cleveland plans to introduce a left-handed model.
The Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue 55 is the stock shaft and the Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 is the stock grip.
Cleveland is also introducing a HiBore XL Lite driver. As the name suggests, it’s a lightweight version of the standard HiBore XL, coming in at 291 to 294 grams, depending on shaft flex. That’s roughly 26 to 28 grams lighter than the standard model. It’s also noticeably more draw-biased.
The HiBore XL Lite will be available in nine-, 10.5- and 12-degree models for lefties and righties. Left-handers will have to order theirs through Cleveland’s custom order department.
The Aldila Ascent PL40 shaft is stock in S-, R-, A- and L-flexes. The Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 Lite is the stock grip in the men’s models while the Lamkin ST Soft is stock for the women’s models.
Both the Cleveland HiBore XL and HiBore XL Lite will retail for $399.99. They’ll be in stores Dec. 6.
For more information, visit the Cleveland website.
The post Why is Cleveland Bringing Back an 18-Year-Old Classic? appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
Article Link: https://mygolfspy.com/news-opinion/why-is-cleveland-bringing-back-an-18-year-old-classic/