Cortex Wins Driver vs Driver 2

Cortex Wins Driver vs Driver 2

I just caught up with the final episode of Driver v Driver 2, Wilson’s Shark-Tank-Like golf reality show. In spite of initial skepticism about the ability to remain interesting for a second season, I enjoyed watching it. It is without a doubt the best reality show Golf Channel has done.

The show came down to Cortex and Rozwell, two drivers that actually had some interesting ideas. Cortex has a titanium cage, into which carbon fiber panels were set and a huge sliding weight. Roswell had a weight pattern that looked like a stylized infinity sign, and a carbon crown based on bone structures. Or something like that, Like many on the show, my head started spinning when designer Tim Slama started talking about it.

Ultimately, the judges decided on Evan Hoffman’s Cortex design. Hoffman won the $250,000 prize, and the driver is now available for purchase at Wilson.

“Season Two of the show yielded two amazing finalists; the Cortex and the Rozwell,” said Tim Clarke, President of Wilson Golf.

“Ultimately, the Cortex came out on top with its clean, classic shape, overall consistent performance results from a wide range of player testers, and steady sound across the entire face of the club. We are excited to get this driver into the hands of players at all levels of the game.”

Rozwell designer Tim Slama didn’t walk away with his hands empty, though. Wilson was so impressed with the Oregon State engineering student’s design that they are paying for his final year of college and offering him a job when he graduates.

Kudos to Wilson Sports for that. I would not be surprised to see a Rozwell-like driver from Wilson in the future.

Evan Hoffman’s winning Cortex design got a lot of rave reviews from testers on the show. It is innovative and seemingly produced great results without straying far from a classic driver look. The Cortex features:

• Fast Cage Technology
  • Comprises a weight-tuned titanium internal structure inside the club head that is covered with 44 percent carbon fiber for precise weight distribution and maximum adjustability.
• Sliding Adjustable Weights
  • Possessing a 2-gram and 8-gram weight, golfers can easily switch the positions of the weights to help promote a neutral, draw or a fade off the tee.
• Longest Slide Track
  • Cortex offers Wilson’s longest slide track to give golfers a wide range of spin options to help deliver a low launching ball flight or a high launch angle for maximum carry distance.
• Fast Fit Hosel System
  • Cortex comes with a Fast Fit hosel system with six adjustable loft options to allow players to fine tune the loft of the driver in half-degree increments.
  • Hosel is backwards compatible, making the Cortex compatible with shafts from other Wilson Staff drivers.

While Driver v Driver was over in just six short episodes, Hoffman worked with Wilson engineers over eighteen months. Given that lead time before the show was aired, I wonder if Wilson is already working on a Driver v Driver 3. For my part, I think it would be interesting for them to try a Putter v Putter. After all, you drive for show and putt for dough.