I got this club at a Local Demo days event. After hitting a dozen different drivers by at least 7 or 8 different companies I went to the cleveland tent. Like the rest of the companies they had all woods they made in all the shafts you could want in every loft. After swinging several different shafts the rep asked if he could help. After determining my swing speed ranges from 105 to a max of 125 we determined that a extra stiff low torque shaft would probably be best. I ended up with a 8.5* loft with an Aldila proto x extra stiff. That was April. 2 months later and several tournaments later I can tell you the XL Tour is easily the longest driver I have played. I have had 1 recorded tourny drive measured at 380 yards, Longest drive contest. The sound at impact is good and somewhat unique in tone but nothing you can't get used to. Because of my swing speeds I only hit 8.5*'s, before buying this I had 2 drivers both callaways one was 8.5* and the other a 6* both of which I could hit out of the fairway. Which brings me to my one real complaint. This is a hard club to hit well out of the fairway I have pretty well given up. In all fairness it really was not designed to be hit out of the fairway. However in a pinch it can be done, and the lower center of gravity created by the crown design is probably the only thing that makes this possible. The new Taylormade, Callaway, Ping, Cobra and all the rest just about can't be hit out of the fairway, I have watched people try and in almost every case they would have been better with a 3 wood. The 3* open face makes it very workable It hits straight and is quite forgiving. It is probably not the MOST forgiving driver out there but I don't have any problem with that. The feel at impact is very good maybe not the best but very good. If you are trying to not only improve your game but your swing as well you will probably love this club. It is without a doubt the best balanced driver I have hit as far as distance, feel, workability, and a forgiving nature. I will agree with alot of other reviewers in that shaft selection is crucial, in the tour model the standard red and gold shafts are what most stores stock however in can be ordered with almost anything, for little or no charge at all. If your local store will not give you that option go somewhere else. The proto x is not one of the more common shafts and probably would not be the best choice for most. The UST V2 is probably a better choice for most. The 5 star on value is for the fact that they will put almost any shaft in it for little or no charge. Which I think says alot for Clevelands efforts to put this club in a golfers hands. Hit for 2 months you won't want anything else.

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Pretty much everything out there. Callaway, Mizuno, Taylormade, Wilson, Ping, Cobra, Hogen.

I have been trying out several drivers over the last year and this one is by far the best (for me). I put the “for me” caveat in there because of several things I’ve learned about these new drivers and the new technology that most club manufacturers are using these days.

One thing I've learned is that the same club may not be the best for different people. IMO, the biggest reason for this disparity is the shaft. Shaft technology has exploded over the last few years and the shaft really can impact performance so dramatically that the exact same club with two different shafts can perform completely differently for any given swing.

Most clubs are marketed with the high-handicapper in mind because that’s what most people are. Most high handicappers have trouble getting the ball up in the air, so most standard shafts these days have what is called a “low kick-point”. The kick-point determines the launch angle of the ball at impact. I low kick-point produces a high launch angle, and a high kick-point produces a lower launch angle.

The HiBore XL comes standard with two shaft options: Red or Gold. The gold has a higher launch angle and is what is recommended for higher handicappers or lower swing-speeds. The red shaft is marketed as the option for lower handicaps and faster swing speeds. My swing speed is about 110mph, which is on the faster end, so I opted for the red. None of my other drivers have a "low launch" shaft like this, so I was curious to see the difference. WOW, what a difference!! My first day on course with this club, I BOMBED it well over 300 down the middle. My buddies were blown away. They all took a crack at it and all of them went longer than their other clubs, but the difference for me was much greater.

This clubhead also has a lot of technology to help reduce the ball’s backspin. This also affects ball flight. More backspin results in a steeper descent, which means less roll. I have a very steep attack angle which imparts a lot of spin on the ball, so I tend to lose a lot of roll on my drives. The combination of the low-launch shaft and the clubhead technology has drastically helped my driving distance. My first day out with this club, I consistently ended up much farther down the fairway than I was used to with my other drivers.

This club is easily about 20 yards longer than my Taylormade or my old Cleveland Launcher Comp. (and if you haven’t bought a new driver in several years, this club is probably 40-50 yards longer than my 10 year old Taylormade Firesole). I really love this club, but my advice to anyone is to figure out what kind of shaft you need for your swing-type.

Now that I’ve given my lecture on picking a shaft, I can actually review this club. I do like this club a lot. It is pretty forgiving, easy enough to shape shots, and looks much better at address than the Nike square club or a lot of the newer clubs out there with the odd shapes. The sound of the club is not as nice as the Launcher Comp and actually sounds similar to the Taylormade. As for feel, there is no question that the Launcher Comp wins hands down, but I can live with a club that is 20 yards longer but doesn’t quite feel as soft on impact.

In terms of value, I'd have to say that there is no club available that provides as much value. Most clubs do not allow you to pick the type of shaft for starters, and most of the other new drivers are much more expensive. In fact, the new TM is DOUBLE!

Lastly, I did not buy the Tour model, and there is a distinction worth noting. The regular XL has a 3* closed clubface, and the Tour model is square at the neutral position. The Tour model also has a slightly taller face on it.

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Similar Products Used:

Taylormade R7 425, Cleveland Launcher 460 Comp, Cobra X-Speed.

I noticed that there are no reviews for this driver so I am sharing my experience on this driver. I used to use the TaylorMade R7425TP,prior to that Ping G2, Callaway 415, TM R580- always in search of a driver to keep me in the fairway. I chanced upon the Cleveland Hibore XL Fit on Gold Fujikura Stiff shaft 9.5 deg.by accident at GolfGalaxy- it was used and had a $149 tag.So I just bought it thinking of reselling it (ebay). I average 270yards w/ a draw-(i find it hard to fade the ball with this driver) with my TM R7425TP-10.5*Stiff REAX Fujikura shaft, i have tinkered endlessly with the weights but the dispersion is still big.Anyway, i took the Hibore straight to the fairway, no driving range- and I hit all fairways, even miss hits were long and dispersion was not that big. Also, it is easy to work the ball.It is also longer than the TaylorMade- I am very very happy with the Cleveland Hibore XL,it is long and very forgiving,more importantly, the dispersion is not big,always on the fairway even on miss hits-also the price is a lot lower than taylormade or callaway or ping.Dont be turned off by the cavity, you will not notice it when you start bombing the ball and always on the short grass.

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Similar Products Used:

Taylor made R7425TP, Ping G2, Callaway 415, Ping TISI,Taylormade R580XD.