WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The new Wilson Dynapower drivers (Dynapower Carbon, Dynapower LS, Dynapower Max) make use not only of distinct shapes but face designs and even sounds targeted to specific player types. Moreover, much of those unique intricate thicknesses and internal structures were developed through advanced algorithms and artificial intelligence simulating thousands of impact scenarios. The three alternatives in the three models include the Dynapower Carbon with its lowered carbon composite crown and balanced forgiveness and workability, the front-weighted, compact and taller-faced Dynapower LS, and the oversized footprint, forgiveness-focused all-titanium Dynapower Max.
PRICE: Dynapower Carbon, $550 (9, 10.5 degrees; six-way adjustable hosel). Dynapower LS, $550 (8, 9, 10.5 degrees; six-way adjustable hosel). Dynapower Max, $500 (9, 10.5, 12 degrees; six-way adjustable hosel). At retail Feb. 12.
Dynapower Max
3 COOL THINGS
1. Ghost in the machine. Wilson’s efforts to explore more intricate (and, of course, faster-flexing) face designs through the computational horsepower of artificial intelligence began in earnest with the Dynapower drivers of 2023. Their upgrade this year not only results in a more effective and springier face for the Carbon, LS and Max models, it also produces a more precisely controlled sound profile for each of the three models in the family.
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The face design features a range of thicknesses emanating out from a thicker center portion, and those thicknesses were determined via thousands of simulations at each point across the face. Moreover, each model featured its own arrangement of thicknesses based on simulations that mirrored the impact pattern of the prototypical set of golfers most likely to use that specific model. With multiple control points on the face, AI simulations showed how specific changes in thicknesses collectively could enhance the way the face deflected in specific areas for more consistent ball speed across the face.
“LS focuses on maximizing ball speed on more center face hits, Carbon focuses on center but starts spreading it across the face, while Max features many different variants against all impact locations across the face,” said Jon Pergande, Wilson’s global director of research and development for golf. “When we go through our simulations, we’re really trying to equalize across the entirety of the face, maximizing center velocity and minimizing the variance.”
Those AI-driven simulations go beyond the face, though. The way internal rib structures are shaped controls sound, and their location and mass affects the head’s center of gravity and moment of inertia (stability on off-center hits). Those locations and sizes are determined again through complex algorithms and computations, Pergande said. Optimizing the effectiveness of these internal structures meant controlling the sound while minimizing the mass. That made for the more muted sound on the low-spin, better player LS model, while a larger sound in the more forgiving, average-player focused Max model. That included stabilizing fins in the rear portion of the Max, where there’s a 19-gram weight pad, while on the LS the majority of the damping structures surrounded the front weight port, also helping to push more mass low and forward to reduce spin.
Dynapower Carbon
2. Hidden flex. Usually when we talk about searching for new ways to save weight, the big moves are obvious. One example is the carbon composite crowns on the Dynapower Carbon and Dynapower LS models, which extend farther toward the front edge (by 10 millimeters) and cover a wider overall area to save mass that helps to lower the center of gravity and create more perimeter weighting. On the LS model, for example, carbonfiber covers 58 percent of surface area compared to 42 percent on its predecessor.
Sometimes, though, it’s a subtle, unseen change in weight savings that creates no less vital changes. Specifically, on all three Dynapower models this year, the interior structure of the adjustable hosel has been dramatically reduced. That saves weight (five grams) from a bad location (high heel) and relocates it to a lower area to reduce spin while maintaining overall stability. Just as helpful, it frees up space behind the heel side of the face. That’s traditionally the least springy area of the driver, and the with more room to deflect on heel-side impacts, all three models create more uniform ball speeds compared to previous models.
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3. Same, but different. These three models create a greater range of playability than their predecessors. The middle option is the Dynapower Carbon, which uses that weight-saving carbonfiber crown to create both forgiveness and lower spin. It targets average to above average swing speed players with relatively repeatable launch conditions, but still interested in forgiveness. It uses front and rear sole weights (nine and three grams) to tweak ball flight to emphasize forgiveness (heavier weight in rear) or lower spin (heavy weight in front). Conversely, the other carbon composite crown offering, the Dynapower LS, features the compact shaping better players seek (445cc) with a strong emphasis on low spin. Its focus is maximizing center hit performance, but because this model is built for those with the fastest swings, there’s also a heavy dose of aerodynamic shaping, including the raised aft section. Front and back sole weights (12 and six grams) allow the player to tweak ball flight for more forgiveness (heavy weight in rear) or lower spin (heavy weight in front).
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The big addition to the lineup, literally, is the Dynapower Max. It has the highest heel-toe moment of inertia measurement and the highest overall MOI of the three models by a significant amount (17 percent higher total MOI than Dynapower LS), and its center of gravity is more than three-tenths of an inch farther back than the Dynapower LS. Its larger face area (12 percent greater than the 2023 Dynapower driver) and size also will produce the best results of the three models for players with an inconsistent strike pattern. The Dynapower Max also will spin a little more than the other models, which will help some players with average to below average speed keep the ball in the air longer. Its 19-gram rear weight features a heavier side and a lighter side so with the heavier side toward the heel it will help to add more draw bias.
Dynapower Max
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
