REVIEW: PowerBilt Golf Air Force One DFX Tour driver
Equipment

REVIEW: PowerBilt Golf Air Force One DFX Tour driver

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For a while in 2014, I was gaming PowerBilt's Air Force One DFX MOI driver. It looked good, was trusty and pretty forgiving, which is pretty much all I'm asking for in a driver.

However, in 2015, PowerBilt dared to mess with success, releasing the Air Force One DFX Tour driver. Given ho

w much I enjoyed playing with the MOI version, I had to give the Tour model a try.

The two drivers may look similar and have pretty much the same set of design features, but the Tour driver performs much differently. The 9-gram port has been repositioned some 20 mm forward on the Tour driver compared to the MOI, moving the center of gravity forward, somewhat akin to what Callaway is offering in its 816 Double Black Diamond driver, though without the option of moving the center of gravity further back with the swap of ports.

Quite simply, that means a lower launch angle and a more boring trajectory off the tee.

For some players, especially those who hit moonballs off the tee, that's great. The ball flight the Tour driver promotes will lead to more roll without totally sacrificing carry.

For me, someone whose driver angle of attack is right about neutral, that can pose a problem, even with the 10.5-degree model. When I hit the driver poorly, I'm closing down the face, so my poor drives become borderline wormburners. In exchange, the dispersion is pretty tight. Bad drives tend to hold a decent line instead of flying all over the yard.

Great drives have the ballflight that I love on firmer courses, running out for extra yards after drivers with the lowest-and-furthest-back CGs tend to die out.

The feature set otherwise remains pretty much the same within the Air Force One family. The pumping in of compressed nitrogen into the clubhead, the company says, improves support at impact, leading to more distance and
forgiveness.

The deep face creates some options off the tee so that you can tee it up higher with confidence in hopes of hitting a higher ball.

At impact, the club doesn't give a ton of feedback. It's fairly quiet, and sometimes it's hard to tell if you pured it. For whatever reason, most clubs have that "You nailed it" sound, and this one sort of lacks that. You just have to take your cues from ballflight.

The cupped titanium face blends into a forged titanium body, while the black matte crown is a good paint job. Some folks prefer glossy, but I like any kind of style so long as it isn't distracting and can't blind you with the sun's rays.

The lack of adjustability can pose a problem, but I would recommend going with the 10.5-degree option unless you hit the driver way too high, then drop down a degree.

The PowerBilt Golf Air Force One DFX Tour driver retails for $300 and is available in three lofts (10.5-, 9.5. and 8.5-degree), and the company will custom fit you with complementary shafts from any of five major manufacturers.

About the author

Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is the founder, owner and operator of Golf News Net.

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