New clubs from big brands have been added to the Conforming Driver List

Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, and Rickie Fowler aren’t allowed to show up at a tournament with a secret driver and use it. Every driver must be submitted to the United States Golf Association for testing to ensure it complies with the Rules of Golf and conforms to the standards established by the USGA and the R&A. Driver heads are tested for their characteristic time (a measure of the face’s springiness), volume, shape, and several other factors.

With 2025 just days away and several top players eager to experiment with new gear before next season starts, major brands have submitted clubs for USGA testing. These drivers have now been added to the USGA’s Conforming Driver Head List, meaning they are legal for play. In most cases, we can expect to see them on store shelves in the weeks and months ahead.

While the brands remain tight-lipped on the details, images and notes available on the USGA’s website, combined with knowledge of previous drivers, reveal a few insights about the next generation of drivers now on the conforming list.

Callaway Elyte

There appear to be four versions of the yet-to-be-released Elyte driver -- a standard, Triple Diamond, Max, and Max Fast. The standard Elyte (shown above) has a moveable weight that allows players and fitters to create a draw or fade bias, while the Max has a two-setting weight that can be moved into a Neutral or Draw+ setting. The Max Fast does not appear to have a moveable weight.

In the past, Triple Diamond products were low-spin products made for pros and accomplished golfers, while Max Fast clubs are designed with lighter components for slower-swinging players. The Elyte Max, with two draw settings, is undoubtedly a club designed for golfers who battle a slice.

While all four drivers clearly have an adjustable hosel, it is hard to tell many other things from the USGA images, however, the notes state that the words "Ai 10X Face" are printed on the hitting area. In the past, Ai has stood for a hitting area that was designed using artificial intelligence.

Cobra DS-Adapt

There are several new Cobra DS-Adapt drivers that have been added to the list, but it appears that four are likely to be sold at retail.

The standard DS-Adapt appears to be the Max, which is shown above. We can see a 3-gram and a 10-gram weight that look to be swappable. Moving those weights would shift the center of gravity location, alter the spin rate, and change the launch angle. There appears to be a large carbon fiber panel in the sole and according to the USGA notes, "H.O.T. Face" is printed on the sole.

There is a DS-Adapt Max-K, which only has a 10-gram weight in the back and might be a maximum-MOI offering for golfers who need extra stability, and a DS-Adapt Max D. In the past, Cobra drivers given a D in the name were made with a draw bias for golfers who slice.

The DS-Adapt LS, which undoubtedly is a low-spin offering, has two weight ports in the front of the sole and one in the back. The club has two 3-gram weights and one 10-gram weight, and the words "Draw" and "Fade" are next to the front weights, indicating this club will not only produce less spin but also allow players to shape shots more easily.

Ping G440

There appear to be three G440 drivers: the G440 Max, G440 LST, and G440 SFT.

In the past, Max drivers from Ping have been made to maximize distance and forgiveness. In the photo above, we can clearly see a three-position sliding tungsten weight with Draw and Fade settings. CarbonFly Wrap is also printed on the toe; CarbonFly Wrap is a carbon fiber crown design that extends into the heel and toe that Ping has used in some recent drivers. We can also see the words "Forged Face" written on the leading edge.

The G440 LST also has a three-position sliding tungsten weight, but LST has stood for low-spin technology in the past, so this driver is likely a model made for heavy hitters who need a spin-killing driver off the tee.

The G440 SFT appears to have been made for golfers who slice. It has a two-position weight system in the back — Draw and Draw+ — and in the past, SFT has stood for straight-flight technology.

Srixon ZXi

Srixon has several drivers added to the Conforming Driver Head List, but in the past, the Japanese brand has only offered about three at retail and made the rest available to pros and staff players for testing.

The ZXi appears to have moveable 10- and 4-gram weights in the back of the sole to increase the moment of inertia while also letting players and fitters create a draw or fade bias. According to the USGA notes, the words "Star Frame" appear on the crown and "i-Flex" is printed on the hitting area. The notes also say that "Rebound Frame" is written on the sole, but in the USGA's black-and-white image, it is hard to read.

Instead of weights that should create a draw or fade bias, the ZXi LS has forward and back weights that probably adjust the launch angle and spin rate. Drivers with an "LS" designation always have low spin, and offering a head that has up-and-down adjustability to complement the standard ZXi's left-and-right adjustability makes sense.

The ZXi Max has a single large weight in the back of the head, and like other Max clubs, it is likely designed for golfers who want to maximize forgiveness and stability.

TaylorMade Qi35

There are four new TaylorMade drivers on the Conforming Driver Head List, and we've jumped from this season's Qi10 to Qi35. Each of them has the word "Carbon" printed on the face, according to the USGA, so we can assume that TaylorMade is continuing to create drivers with carbon fiber faces.

While it could be cosmetic, there appears to be a large carbon fiber sole on each club. The standard Qi35, shown above, has a Speed Pocket behind the leading edge, a 3-gram weight that we can see, and according to the USGA notes, there is a second weight port in the back of the sole. The Qi35 LS, which undoubtedly is a low-spin version, has two 3-gram weights in the front of the head and a third weight in the back.

The Qi35 Max has a single, large weight on the back of the head and in small type, the words "10 kg-cm²" can be seen in the heel area. Last season, TaylorMade offered its first driver that has a combined moment of inertia over 10,000 g-cm², the Qi10 Max, so we can assume this driver will be another extreme-MOI offering for golfers who struggle to find the center of the face on tee shots.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: 2025 Drivers: New clubs from big brands have been added to the Conforming Driver List