Cleveland Launcher XL Driver
The new Cleveland Launcher XL driver is exactly that – Extra Large. The latest driver in the Cleveland lineup is meant to inspire confidence and make golf fun again with it’s large club head that looks flat out easy to hit.
The Looks
Let’s just get it out of the way up front; the Cleveland Launcher XL driver head is large. It’s meant to be. Cleveland wants you to look at this massive club head and say “well how can you miss with this thing?” But while the club head is large, it looks pretty dang clean. The head shape is more rounded and has a matte black design with some subtle white accents on the crown. The one thing that does pop is the interesting alignment aid at the front of the crown. On the bottom, the Launcher XL features a clean, mirror black finish with blue accents and chrome lettering, and a movable chrome finished weight in the rear. The Launcher XL driver is a sleek, albeit large, driver head that looks really good.
How Does it Feel?
Cleveland’s goal with the Launcher XL Driver was to “make golf fun” and I think the feel does exactly that. Every shot off of the face of the Cleveland Launcher XL driver feels like you absolutely ripped it. The ball seems to explode off of the face with a spring-like effect due to the Rebound Face, and leaves you thinking you absolutely crushed it. But, the Launcher XL is a high MOI driver that’s meant to be super forgiving. While the ball may feel like you’re hitting the sweet spot every time, you might not be. The feel doesn’t change much as the ball deviates from the center of the club face. The lightweight and counter-balanced shaft give the club a nice even balance during the swing.
How Does it Sound?
So, I said the the ball feels like it’s exploding off of the Cleveland Launcher XL driver’s face, and the sound matches exactly that. I would describe the sound of the Launcher XL as a metallic crack sound, with a little bit deeper of a pitch. A deep metallic crack if you will. It’s not overly obnoxious by any means, but it is a touch on the louder side.
On-Course Performance
| Club Speed | Ball Speed | Launch Angle | Spin | Carry (Yds) | Total (Yds) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93.0 | 137.6 | 16.2º | 2845 | 220.5 | 242.8 |
To test the Cleveland Launcher XL, I enlisted the help of a few testers with more moderate swing speeds. An average of their results are above. In general, the overall consensus was first and foremost, the Launcher XL is forgiving. No matter where they hit the ball on the club face, it seemed to go the same distance.
While the the Launcher XL wasn’t the longest driver most of our testers have ever hit, it wasn’t a slouch when it came to the carry yards. All of our testers agreed that they’d sacrifice some distance for the forgiveness they got from the Launcher XL, and I tend to agree. Overall, our testers were much more consistent with the Launcher XL, which is definitely a good thing. The game tends to be much more “fun” from the fairway!
Final Thoughts – Cleveland Launcher XL Driver
Do you want a confidence inspiring driver with solid distance and an unfair amount of forgiveness? That’s the Cleveland Launcher XL driver in a nutshell. Solid looks, great feel, and more forgiveness than you can shake a stick at. If you’re a mid to high handicap seeking to hit more fairways, look no further than the new Launcher XL.
Stock Cleveland Launcher XL Driver Specs
| Loft | Length | Swing Weight | Head Volume |
Stock Flex |
RH/LH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9º | 45.75″ | D3 | 460cc | S, R, A | RH/LH |
| 10.5º | 45.75″ | D3 | 460cc | S, R, A | RH/LH |
| 12º | 45.75″ | D3 | 460cc | S, R, A | RH/LH |
I believe you have some tech info incorrect…the diver swing weight onnsome are D1. Especially the custom builds
James – The stock driver swing weight is D3. The accuracy build swing weight is D0.
https://www.clevelandgolf.com/us/drivers-/launcher-xl-driver/MLXLD.html
As for the custom builds, we would not be able to list the swing weights for every single custom build combination out there, sorry. The custom builds will be built to what swing weight the customer requests or is based on shaft and grip selection.
Not according to Clevelans spec sheet. D1
I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make here James, but according stock specs that Cleveland sent us directly, and the Cleveland Website, it’s D3 for a normal, stock build.
Go directly to the Cleveland golf website. Go to the Cleveland Launcher XL page and click on specs. Stock normal driver build swingweight is listed at D3. Accuracy build is listed at D0.
Custom builds with any options other than the stock head, shaft, grip and length would obviously be a different story and have a different swingweight that would depend on the above factors. So if you got one that is anything other than stock, you build sheet would say otherwise. For obvious reasons we do not list out the build specs for each possible build combo.
Here is the image of the specs directly from Cleveland’s site
I have a new Cleveland xl driver 10.5 it doesn’t have any shaft settings Why?
If you have the Launcher XL Lite or Lite Draw, it does not have the adjustable hosel.
Thanks for stopping in!
Tommy