There’s a purpose Jason Hiland has an additional spring in his step this vacation season.
Hiland, you see, is the owner-operator of Sub 70 Golf in Sycamore, In poor health., and his firm has simply launched a brand new household of drivers. That, in and of itself, isn’t what’s placing some slide into Hiland’s glide. It’s the actual fact the brand new Sub 70 859, 859 Professional and 859 JD drivers have one thing no Sub 70 driver has ever had earlier than.
A patent.
Effectively, a patent pending. Nevertheless it’s nonetheless a patent.
“I don’t false-promise stuff to individuals,” Hiland tells MyGolfSpy. “However that is the largest leap ahead we’ve ever had from one technology of product to the following.”
There’s quite a bit to know in regards to the new Sub 70 859 drivers so let’s dive proper into the deep finish of the pool and talk about the eight issues that can matter most to you.
#1: The Sub 70 859 drivers are a Renegar-Hiland manufacturing
Hiland introduced in a ringer to assist design the brand new Sub 70 859 drivers: a ringer named Renegar.
Bob Renegar might not be a family identify in golf at present, however he does have some severe avenue cred. Within the ’80s and ’90s, Renegar was director of R&D for the Arnold Palmer and Ben Hogan firms and later based the Solus and Renegar wedge firms. He developed and patented one thing we take with no consideration at present: a high-bounce wedge with a low forefront.
Hiland had already began engaged on the brand new Sub 70 859 drivers however quickly discovered himself caught. He beforehand collaborated with Renegar on the 699 V2 irons and reached out for assist.
“Jason is type of the king of outside-the-box considering,” says Renegar. “He mentioned he wanted one thing to interchange the 849 driver and requested if I had any concepts.”
They began work on the 859 sequence throughout the summer time of 2021. By the third iteration, each males realized they is likely to be on to one thing.
#2: That one thing is the patent-pending ART face
ART stands for Axis of Rotation Know-how and is the idea for Sub 70’s utility patent utility. In response to Renegar, it’s a brand new manner of – and fixing – an outdated drawback.
“Present design concept is the clubhead is a free physique at impression,” explains Renegar. “Drivers are designed across the perception that in case you hit it in the direction of the toe, the clubhead rotates open. If you happen to hit it in the direction of the heel, it rotates closed.
“The very fact is the clubhead is rigidly hooked up to the shaft. It doesn’t rotate as a free physique; it solely activates one axis and that’s the shaft centerline.”
Renegar selected to maximise the second of inertia by distributing weight round this new thought of membership rotation – low heel and excessive toe – after which redesigned face curvature to match. That places a brand new spin, so to talk, on bulge and roll.
“Face curvature is low-heel to high-toe as a result of that’s perpendicular to the way in which the clubhead truly turns. All you need to do is make the gear impact correction in that one route.”
If you happen to look intently, the ART face on the brand new Sub 70 859 drivers does look totally different. It’s CNC milled from solid beta-titanium and options variable face thickness. It isn’t, nevertheless, AI-designed.
“It’s good old style human intelligence,” says Hiland. “It’s Bob Renegar’s mind.”
#3: It’s about accuracy and a bit ball pace
As any golfer is aware of, the USGA and R&A restrict driver ball pace and OEMs are at about that restrict.
“Whenever you hit our new driver within the center with a 105 mph swing pace, we’ll get yet one more mile-per-hour ball pace over the 849,” explains Hiland. “We’re proud of that but it surely’s three yards.”
All OEMs know they’re maxed out within the center so the brand new Holy Grail is minimizing ball pace loss on off-center hits. That’s the entire level behind AI-designed variable-face thickness. Renegar and Hiland imagine they’ve created a special manner of attaining that very same factor.
“It’s totally different sufficient to use for the patent,” says Hiland. “We do know, from good gamers taking part in it, mediocre gamers taking part in it, unhealthy gamers taking part in it and robots testing it, that it really works.”
Particularly, in case you had been to hit a driver towards the heel, you may count on to lose a number of ball pace whereas imparting a ton of spin. If you happen to’re fortunate, it’ll solely fade. If not, it’s a hellacious slice. Hit that driver towards the toe and also you’re trending towards a low-spinning snap hook. The brand new Sub 70 859 drivers reduce the appropriate or left miss whereas additionally minimizing ball pace loss.
“A heel shot received’t spin as a lot,” says Hiland. “It reduces spin and the quantity of curvature and ball pace could be very near a middle hit. It’s nonetheless going to go proper, simply not as a lot. Because it has extra ball pace, it’ll go a bit farther.”
It’s the identical with a toe shot that snaps left (for the righty) with low spin and also you’re yelling at it to get down.
“The spin charge goes up so it stays within the air longer and it doesn’t snap as arduous. It has a bit softer draw.”
#4: Does it work? To date …
My thought course of off the tee is that since I paid for the complete clubface, by golly, I’m going to make use of the complete clubface. (It evens out put on over time.) My expertise with the usual Sub 70 859 driver (there are Professional and Professional-JD fashions which we’ll talk about later) lends some credence to Hiland’s and Renegar’s claims.
Launch monitor numbers present decrease spin and extra playable flight, particularly on hits towards the heel. Often, that’s a recipe for an “uncontrollable fade” for me. With the Sub 70 859 driver, I seen decrease spin general and decrease fade spin. On the course, I seen that on three separate holes the place, primarily based on how the impression felt, I simply knew I’d be within the timber on the appropriate. In every occasion, nevertheless, the ball landed on the appropriate facet of the green or in the appropriate tough. They weren’t bombs, thoughts you, however I did get a ways. Most significantly, I might discover them and hit them once more.
I had related outcomes on toe strikes. I can snap-hook something and I did a number of occasions with the Sub 70 859. Nonetheless, slight toe hits which may have wound up in bother on the left did stay in play. All in all, I didn’t discover huge distance good points however less-than-ideal pictures had been in play and seemingly a bit longer.
MyGolfSpy’s 2025 driver check will be capable of present a extra in-depth and #datacratic analysis. Primarily based on a launch monitor session and two late-season rounds, the outcomes, whereas not conclusive, are promising.
#5: Sub 70 659 drivers ain’t magic however the tech seems helpful
“You possibly can nonetheless mishit this factor with a extremely unhealthy swing, don’t get me incorrect,” says Hiland. “However in case you’re lacking the candy spot by three-quarters of an inch, that’s the place the mishit received’t be practically as punishing. That’s what this tech does for you.”
As talked about, that is Sub 70’s first patent pending and the corporate totally expects the appliance to be permitted in the end. It’s necessary to know, nevertheless, that Sub 70 hasn’t reinvented the driving force. It has merely developed its personal expertise to attain a sure purpose. It’s Sub 70’s manner of claiming, “We wish this to occur and that is our distinctive manner of doing it.”
“This was three-plus years of labor,” says Hiland. “We didn’t rush it as a result of we knew it needed to look proper, sound correct and carry out proper and we didn’t need individuals to set it down, have a look at it and go, ‘Oh, shit.’ We wish individuals to go, ‘Oh, shiiit.’
“You need the correct of ‘Oh, shit.’”
There are additionally carbon fiber sole panels to assist efficiency. The usual 859 has a sole panel on the toe to make it simpler to shut the face. The 859 Professional and 859 JD have panels on the heel to maintain the face open for a fade bias. The usual 859 additionally has what Renegar calls “Aerodynamic Fences” on the crown, a Sub 70 tackle PING Turbulators.
“My diploma is in aerospace,” Reneger says. “It’s nibbling on the edges but when it supplies one or two extra miles per hour swing pace, it’s well worth the bother.”
The 859 Professional and JD fashions wouldn’t have Aerodynamic Fences. Presumably, gamers who match into these drivers don’t want the additional assist.
#6: It places Sub 70 within the driver expertise dialog
If I’ve realized something in my years of writing for MyGolfSpy, it’s that golfers don’t want a $399 driver. What they actually need is a $600 driver to price $399.
Direct-to-consumer firms have historically been capable of compete with the large OEMs in irons and wedges. From a expertise perspective, drivers had been a bridge too far. Sub 70 believes ART and the brand new 859 driver sequence change that equation.
If this driver had a Large 5 OEM identify on it, they’d be charging 600 bucks for it.
“That may merely be the retail price of the driving force,” explains Hiland. “The retailer has to make a pair hundred bucks themselves. If we had been within the conventional recreation, this must retail for $600 for each us and the retailer to make an affordable revenue.”
Therein lies the attraction of direct-to-consumer. There’s no further step concerned earlier than it will get to the top person.
“I’m unsure the place everybody else will likely be subsequent yr however we’ll be at the least $200 inexpensive,” Hiland says. “We make the identical margin however are you getting nearly as good of a shaft? Would you like it 44-¾ inches, swing-weighted to a D3 with a midsize grip and two-and-a-half wraps beneath it? That’s what we do.”
Sub 70, like the opposite DTC firms, has made good little drivers that you may play good golf with and weren’t that costly. What Sub 70 has now could be a driver expertise platform it will probably construct on for a number of generations. It’s dearer than previous Sub 70 drivers however Hiland says it’s what it’s.
“I needed to make an awesome driver, to hell with the associated fee. We’re a direct-to-consumer firm however we’re attempting to make the very best tools on the planet.”
#8: Excited? You higher imagine it
I’ve spoken with Jason Hiland sufficient occasions in my profession to note a distinction in his voice. He’s at all times enthusiastic about his new merchandise however this time it’s totally different. You possibly can hear it.
“Are you able to think about how cool it’s to get a name from Tommy Armour III, John Daly or Tag Ridings and listen to them say, ‘Jesus, Jason, this factor is incredible. I’m not sending it again.’”
Hiland says that what’s much more gratifying is the suggestions he’s been getting from common golfers.
“It’s that decision from a mid-handicapper attempting to manage his fade/slice telling you he’s lower his fade in half; it’s staying within the fairway and it’s longer as a result of it’s not spinning as a lot. One man mentioned, ‘What the hell did you do to this factor?’
“That’s fairly cool, too.”
Greater than something, nevertheless, Sub 70 believes its new 859 drivers put it within the driver dialog with the big OEMs for the primary time. It’s not in a price-locked DTC field anymore.
“There’s a couple of manner to do that,” says Hiland. “Callaway, TaylorMade, Titleist, PING and the others, their drivers have by no means been higher. Golf tools on the whole has by no means been higher.
“We simply really feel at this level we will actually say that we’re within the dialog and will likely be from this level ahead.”
Sub 70 859 drivers: Specs, worth, availability
The brand new Sub 70 859 drivers are all out there on the Sub 70 web site. As talked about, there are three fashions.
The usual Sub 70 859 is 460cc and is obtainable in 9-, 10.5 and 12.5-degree fashions for lefties and righties. The hosel is adjustable up or down two levels. It includes a 12-gram heel weight and a 6-gram toe weight, with further weights out there for buy. An actual deal Mission X Denali Blue 50 shaft is customary, together with the Lamkin Crossline 360 grip.
The Sub 70 859 Professional is 450cc and is extra fade-biased. It’s out there in 9- and 10.5-degree lofts in right-handed solely. The Denali Blue 60 shaft and Lamkin Crossline 360 grip are customary.
There’s additionally a particular version Sub 70 859 JD driver out there, made along side and particularly for John Daly.
“There’s going to be a cult following for this one,” says Hiland. “If you happen to’re in search of a extremely low-spin driver and have some swing pace, the JD setup may very well be good for you.”
The 859 JD is available in one 8-degree loft (adjustable) and in right-handed solely. The Denali Blue 60 and Black 60 are inventory shafts with the Lamkin Crossline the inventory grip.
As at all times, Sub 70 gives a wide range of no-upcharge and upcharge shaft and grip choices. The usual and Professional Sub 70 848 drivers promote for $399. The JD mannequin sells for $449.
For extra data, go to www.golfsub70.com.
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