⛳️ Cleveland Launcher XL Mini Review

Author

Matthew Bush
January 05, 2024

Hey fellow golfer, welcome to the Friday edition of the Red Birdie Golf newsletter, here’s what we got for you today:

FRIDAY GOLF TIP

5 Steps To Lower Scores In The New Year

  1. Setting Up Correctly. Work on your setup and alignment and see your scores start to drop. Check your stance to see if it is too open or too closed and how well you are able to stay centered.

  2. Vary Your Setup Position. Open or close your stance for different trajectories without even changing your swing at all.

  3. Focus on Staying Center. No matter the shot, a strong center of gravity is important for power, accuracy, and consistency.

  4. Putt, Putt, and Putt Some More During Practice. Reducing the number of putts you take reduces your score. Work on lagging and then not missing anything inside of 7 feet.

  5. Measure Your Results, Not Just Your Score. Figure out your spin rates, your carry distance, your launch angle, and more of the statistics that can say a lot more about how your game is progressing than simply your final score.

COURSE OF THE WEEK

Nanea Golf Club: Hawaii

With the Sentry being played in Hawaii at Kapalua this weekend, we decided to take a look at one of Hawaii’s best golf courses found at Nanea Golf Club.

With its interesting topography, beautiful coastal scenery, and location on a high plateau, it is hard to beat Nanea Golf Club.

Course architect David McLay Kidd created a golf course that is perfect for Hawaii and one of the most beautiful golf clubs on the island.

NEW GEAR MINI REVIEW

There are some really good new offerings coming out in 2024, and we will begin writing about those soon, but we are still waiting to make an informed opinion on those clubs.

Spoiler Alert: Cobra and Ping have a couple of the most exciting drivers and Costco is starting to make a name for itself in the club manufacturing game as well. 

For today, we decided to review an old classic from last year’s market with the Cleveland Launcher XL.

The Cleveland Launcher XL driver features a lightweight construction and a large, forgiving clubhead.

It is engineered to help golfers achieve higher launch angles and increased ball speed for longer drives.

The clubhead has a high Moment of Inertia (MOI) design, which enhances forgiveness on off-center hits.

Additionally, the driver offers adjustable loft settings to allow golfers to fine-tune their ball flight.

Cleveland is an underrated club manufacturer as many people only turn to the company when they need a new wedge, but the Launcher line of clubs is performing really well.

The head size is huge and the blue and black color combination looks great in the bag and in your hands.

When you lie the club on the ground, the length of the head and shape of the club shows you the entire loft of the driver at address.

This club is easy to hit and launches the ball high and straight with pretty high backspin rates for more carry and low sidespin. There are adjustable loft settings for good flexibility and a low center of gravity for a high and effortless launch.

Pros

  • If you are trying to hit the ball long and straight, the Launcher XL does that as well as any other driver out there.

  • A great price for the features offered.

  • Good backspin rates for extra carry while the sidespin stays pretty low even on mishits.

  • Produces a high launch even at lower swing speeds making it one of the easier drivers to hit well.

Cons

  • The sound and feel of the driver are lacking.

  • You lose some added distance compared to many of the other drivers on this list.

Until Monday!

Brian and Matt @ Red Birdie Golf