One of the most talked about golf clubs coming into 2005 has been the new Hogan driver. Hogan has long been revered for their classic forged irons but it has been over a decade since they had a solid driver presence on the market.
Well, this driver has been rumored for a long time and it is finally here.
The Hogan C-S3 borrows on some familiar technologies with a look all its own. The main feature of the new driver is the movable weight cartridges. Please note beforehand that these are “factory fixed weight cartridges” meaning unlike the Taylor Made R7 they cannot be changed without sending the driver back to Hogan. The idea is the similar though; the red screw weighs 18 grams while the two black screws weigh 2.5 grams each. This means that Hogan can move the weighting around to produce either a draw,a fade, or a neutral bias with this driver – hence the name “Custom Shot Shaping System”. The C-S3 driver is a clean looking 420cc head that sets up very square at address. To complete the package Hogan has used an Aldila NV shaft that is matched specifically to work with this head.
Reviews for this club have been widely varied since its introduction. It is impossible to deny that the club looks great; it is simple and clean looking at address. One comment I have gotten is that the feel off the face is dead. I think Hogan tried to go for a Titleist-like solid feel with this driver but didn’t quite pull it off. Despite the dead feel, the face is fairly hot. The Hogan is not the most forgiving driver on the market but like most Hogan clubs they have gone after the more advanced player with this driver. One thing that seems to frustrate a lot of customers is the fact that the weight cartridges aren’t movable. With the C-S3 Hogan hasn’t broken any barriers but it is a decent return to the driver market for one of golf’s oldest club manufacturers.