Back to Black

Get distance back with CG Black is the claim from Cleveland as they launch their new 2012 range.

Get distance back with CG Black is the claim from Cleveland as they launch their new 2012 range. We put them to the test.

Driver (Dave Tindall - Handicap 22) There are two things you notice straight away when coming into contact with the new Cleveland CG Black driver for the first time. First you'll be struck by the stylish all-black shaft and clubhead. And then, when you pick it up, there's the surprise of just how light it is. One practice swing will confirm why this is the lightest driver on the market as you whip the club through the air with an increased speed that definitely gets your attention. I could well be the target market for this new club. Various contraptions have come to the conclusion that I haven't got the fastest swingspeed and the Cleveland CG Black is designed to up my mph count and hopefully hit the ball further. So how did I get on when I put the new club into play at Baildon Golf Course in West Yorkshire on a surprisingly sunny winter's day? The plan was to hit the range first but, perhaps too keen to try out my shiny, new club, I arrived there before it was open. Unperturbed I headed straight to the course and decided to go in cold. The first hole at Baildon is flat and straight and so a good place to hit my first shot with the CG Black. I often leak this opening whack into the right rough but today I absolutely split the fairway. Good start. After the par three second, the next chance to hit driver is at the par four third. I usually struggle with this dogleg left; it doesn't suit my eye and my regular left-to-right shot is usually thrown down the hill and further away from the flag by the sharp left-to-right downhill slope. To combat this I usually try and cut as much off the corner as I can and often fail to clear the thick heather. I go for the greedy option again today and despite hitting it out of the heel my ball clears the trouble and lands on the fairway. Another tick in the box. This club has definite forgiveness. Baildon's par four fifth is the other front nine hole which taunts me off the tee. It's a blind shot up and over a hill and I have an awful habit of duffing it into the thick, lose-your-ball rough just past the ladies tee. This new, black, whippy driver is giving me confidence though and today I hit a nice controlled fade to the top of the hill, leaving myself just a seven-iron approach. And so it continues. My distance is good, my results are consistent and, fuelled by plenty of good tee-shots, I'm in the process of putting together my best round of the year. The test club was 9 degrees of loft, which is 1.5 less than I usally hit, so I feel I'd get even better results if I tried a 10.5. Interestingly when the club did the rounds in the Sky Sports office, the two testers who usually use 9 degrees found there was a definite increase in their yardage off the tee. Cleveland have come up with a real gem here. As well as looking great, the club produces a pleasing sound off the face and they've got the weighting just right - light enough to increase your swingspeed but not at the expense of losing balance or feeling that it might snap in your hands. For those who can't get close to matching the swingspeed of the pros, the CG Black driver will at least help bridge the gap. (Mark Kendall - Handicap 18) Positioned as the lightest driver on the market, I was hoping and expecting to notice a real difference when I picked up the new Cleveland CG Black driver... and I wasn't disappointed. It was noticeably lighter than the driver I regularly use (a Nike SQ Dymo) - a fact which instantly seemed to generate confidence when striking with it. I tested the club at a driving range and, as whenever trying out a new piece of kit, was not expecting to instantly hit the CG Black with any great deal of consistency. But I found I was quickly into a rhythm with it, swinging with confidence and with balance throughout, reflected in a series of clean strikes. The club sat perfectly behind the ball and felt superb through impact. The results were excellent, I was pleased with both distance and trajectory which were consistently good. Perhaps even more importantly for a mid-high handicapper, the club also seems to offer real forgiveness with those less-than-perfect strikes also travelling well despite not quite catching the sweet spot. Overall it's hard to find fault in a club that encourages real confidence in the user whilst also offering the results to go with it.... and that's without mentioning its super-sleek appearance. 3 Wood (Dave Tindall) Again, the sleek, black look puts this club on the right side of the style debate. And although looks are meant to be skin deep it certainly helps the fragile minds of most golfers if the club they're wielding has a classy look to it. This club I tested on the range later that day and after a few warm-ups I was soon giving it a real launch. There was a definite distance gain and I did really feel my swing speed was quicker without anything in the minus ledger balancing it out such as a loss of control. What Cleveland say: The new CG Black product line is engineered for players seeking maximum distance and forgiveness. Every CG Black club has been designed for golfers who have lost some yardage and swing speed and are looking to get their distance back. The CG Black driver weighs in at only 265 grams, which makes it the lightest driver on the market to help players generate measurable increases in swing speed and distance with the same swing effort. The advanced aerodynamics found in the driver's Speed Crown Design - an innovative, teardrop-inspired crown profile - maximize distance by reducing drag at all angles of airflow during the swing. MaxCOR2 Variable Face Thickness Technology reduces face weight and increases trampoline effect on off-center hits, meaning higher ball speed and more distance on off-center hits. Plus, a high-density weight screw at the rear of the sole plate positions the center of gravity lower and deeper to promote a high, draw-biased trajectory with optimal launch conditions for effortless distance. The CG Black driver also features a Miyazaki C. Kua 39 Limited Edition graphite shaft - from the worldwide leader in ultralite graphite shaft technology - as well as a lightweight Golf Pride Tour 25 grip, a combination that decreases overall club weight for faster swing speed. RRP price: £329.00. The CG Black fairway wood is one of the lightest fairway woods on the market and features the same technology as the driver. RRP price: £220.00. CG Black irons and CG Black wedges feature a multi-material construction that incorporates a thin, high-strength Ti face, which helps generate maximum C.O.R. for increased ball speed and added distance. Plus, their larger face area means an increased sweet spot for more forgiveness on off-center hits. CG Black irons and wedges feature Deep Undercut technology, which positions the center of gravity lower and deeper in the clubhead to optimize launch angle, spin and playability. CG Black irons and wedges also include the option of Miyazaki C. Kua Limited Edition graphite shafts. Every CG Black iron and wedge features Tour Zip Grooves and Laser Milled technology to help maximize spin in accordance with USGA regulations. The CG Black irons' RRP price is £659.00 (set of 7, graphite). The CG Black wedge carries a RRP price of £119.00 (steel shaft) and £139.00 (graphite shaft).