William L. Coney Blog: First Look: Tommy Armour Atomic Driver

Friday, March 1, 2019

First Look: Tommy Armour Atomic Driver

We’ve reached the point in driver discussions where $500 has become the norm for flagship models from major OEMs. It turns out, not everyone is thrilled with this new reality, and one byproduct is a growing list of worthy alternatives which don’t require buyers fork out extra cash to subsidize major OEMs marketing and advertising budgets.

At $399, Tommy Armour’s Atomic driver looks to relieve some of the price point pain and give golfers plenty of performance in doing so.

For starters, the Atomic features a DAT-55 titanium cup face, which is 25% stronger than standard titanium and is routinely used in top-tier JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) drivers such as Miura’s Hayate. Marketing materials state the DAT-55 allowed engineers to forge a thinner and lighter face, which when combined with a cup face construction, allows for more face flex (higher CT) and improved ball speeds, particularly on off-center strikes.

The multi-material carbon crown is 40% lighter than the previous edition, which freed up 10 grams of discretionary weight which has been used to move the CG lower/deeper in the head. The net result is improved heel-toe MOI (+150 points) higher launch (0.6 degrees) and lower spin (-200 RPM) as compared to the 2018 TA1.

The adjustable hosel on the Atomic driver has six settings as compared to four on the TA 1, and aerodynamic Airfoils dot the topline, sole, and heel to reduce drag by 20%. Considering the depth of high-performing drivers in our recently released Most Wanted testing, the Atomic driver ranked in the top 1/3 of the field for ball speed and shot area – not too shabby.

The stock shaft is the Project X Even Flow Max Carry, though Project X HZDRUS Smoke and HZDRUS Yellow are available at no upcharge.

Somewhat quietly, the Dick’s Sporting Goods house brand continues to impress and evolve. The 2018 TA driver performed surprisingly well in our Most Wanted Driver Test and its TA Impact Series #3 Alignment tied for 1^st in our 2018 Most Wanted Mallet Test. Additionally, the Over N’ Out Wedge ranked as our Best Value for 2018. What’s becoming clear is that Dick’s is determined to put forth the required resources to reinvigorate the Tommy Armour brand, and because value never goes out of style, this might be precisely what cost-conscious consumers are looking for.