Classic driver

Components

1) Head options - there are two options available. One has a club weight of 270 grams with a C. Kua 39 shaft for maximum head speed and the other weighs 290 grams with C. Kua 43 shaft for improved accuracy.

2) Shaft options - the stock offering here is a choice of Miyazaki C. Kua Limited Edition shafts. They are lightweight, but Cleveland's RightWeight fitting system helps to ensure you get the right head and shaft combination for your game.

Technology

3) Head design - the traditional pear-shaped profile is combined with the deepest clubface ever produced by Cleveland. This is designed to help promote a powerful and penetrating flight.

4) Face design - the thickness of the face varies from 4.3mm in the centre of the face to 2.8mm around the edges. This is designed to help increase the forgiveness and power on offer on strikes that don't find the centre of the club.

Aesthetics

5) Shelf Appeal - Graeme McDowell put the retro-looking Classic in play before it was even released, which caught the eye of many. The persimmon finish creates a unique look and will catch the eye on the shelf.

6) Address - the Trapezoidal alignment aid and the contrast between crown and face really help to aim on the intended line. The deep face and the traditional shape make the head look smaller than 460cc in size.

Performance

7) Flight - the Classic produces a powerful flight on a lower trajectory than other lightweight designs with the same loft. Lightweight offerings sometimes have a tendency to balloon, but the RightWeight system helps to prevent this.

8) Distance - the deep face allows the ball to be teed up high, which helps give the confidence to make an aggressive swing. It produces similar distances to the Cleveland Launcher lightweight offerings, but with the bonus of added control.

9) Forgiveness - the head shape suggested this wouldn't be the most forgiving, but the deep face counteracted this and the forgiveness was impressive. You can get away with catching the ball a lot higher on the face than you would expect.

10) Impact sound - this is also almost persimmon-like with a thud rather than a ping. Certainly different to most drivers on the market, but after a few hits it was reassuringly solid and by no means distracting.