Review of the Powerbilt Air Force One DFX Tour Black Driver

Welcome to my first product review.  Going forward, I plan to test out several different products including clubs, equipment, training aids and apparel.  After testing them out, I'll be providing my readers with honest reviews of each in order to help you come to a decision when making a purchase.  I hope that you find the information useful and insightful and please feel free to post comments about your experiences with the product or any questions you may have.

Today I'm going to be reviewing the Powerbilt Air Force One DFX Tour black driver.  A few weeks ago, I spoke with a rep at Powerbilt and he had me fitted for a driver with 10.5 degrees of loft and a Fujikura Pro 63 stiff flex shaft.

Overview

When most people think of a driver, they immediately look to the well-known brands such as Ping, Taylormade, Callaway, Cobra and Titleist (just to name a few).  It's a competitive market and consumers are ultimately looking for a driver that provides them with the best combination of maximum distance and maximum forgiveness.  Powerbilt is not necessarily a household name in the driver market, but the company is hoping to make a name for itself with the AFO DFX Tour black driver.

This driver is available in lofts of 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and 12.5 degrees.  The 8.5 and 9.5 degree drivers are only available in right hand models.  Standard length for this driver is 45.5 inches.  You're offered a choice of several stock shafts:  Aldila NVS, Aldila RIP Beta, Fujikura Fuel, Fujikura Pro 63 and Graphite Design G Series.  Custom shafts are also available for an additional charge (Diamana, Fubuki, Fujikura and Oban).

What makes this driver different from the rest is Powerbilt's patented Nitrogen Charging technology.  This method is designed to reinforce the face of the club without adding any weight.  Compressed nitrogen provides tremendous support to the club face so every golfer can benefit from maximum C.O.R., maximum C.T., maximum trampoline effect and maximum smash factor, thus resulting in maximum distance.  After I read about having compressed nitrogen behind the face of the club, I was very eager to test this out for myself to see if it really made a difference.

Aesthetics

This driver is very simple and clean looking with a matte black head and a deep black face.  It has an aerodynamic look to the club head and has a very pleasing look at address.  There's nothing about this club that looks cheap and Powerbilt has done a great job giving it the look of a premium driver.  I don't like to see a lot going on with a club when I'm at address and getting ready to swing.  My focus is on making a good swing and not a flashy club head.

One thing I've noticed with many of the new drivers these days is the unappealing sound that they make when striking the ball.  Since this club is injected with Nitrogen, it definitely has a different sound to it and I like it much better.  It has a 'smack' to it, but one that sounds more solid than many of its competitors.

How the Club Performed

 Well, I must say, I was very impressed with the overall performance of this driver.  Powerbilt definitely has a winner here and I'm not sure if it's due to the Nitrogen Charging technology, but I was hitting the ball longer and more consistently.  On average, I was gaining an extra 16 yards in carry distance, 6 mph in club head speed and 11 mph in ball speed.  My normal ball flight with a driver is a baby fade and that was also the case with this one.  In addition, my misses were less exaggerated and I felt like I had more control over the ball when hitting my fade.  One thing I did find difficult was turning the ball over and hitting a draw.  My current driver is set for a draw and I can usually turn it over when needed, but it wasn't so automatic with the Air Force One driver.

One thing to note about this driver is that it's not adjustable and I'm totally fine with that,  Once I was fitted for my current adjustable driver, I never touched it.  So, as long as you're fitted for the correct AFO driver (loft, shaft, flex), there shouldn't be a need to have it adjusted at all.

Conclusion

Overall, I'd say that this is a great driver and can easily compete with the name brands.  MSRP for the driver I tested is $299 US.  That's much lower than its rivals and I can honestly say that it performs as stated by Powerbilt.  Their patented technology is something for you to consider when making your next purchase for a driver.  For more information on the Air Force One and entire line of Powerbilt products please visit the Powerbilt website.

Welcome To My Blog

Hello and welcome to my blog about golf.  I'm 38 years old, happily married for 5+ years with one child (whom my world revolves around) and I live in beautiful Vancouver, BC, Canada (also known as the best city in the world).  I own and operate a retail jewellery company called K.I.G. Fine Jewellery & Custom Design as well as a precious metals buying company called Pacific Gold Buyers. 

I've played sports all my life...baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, tennis, golf...and the list goes on and on.  When I was 8 years old, my dad introduced me to the sport of golf.  I was immediately hooked.  I started out playing at the local pitch and putt courses and took a few beginner lessons at the McCleery Golf Course in Vancouver, BC as my dad wanted me to learn how to swing the club properly so I wasn't hacking around and tearing up the courses.  After a few years of playing par 3 courses and learning more about the challenges and ettiquette of the game, I was ready to take things up a notch and play on the "real" courses.  Thus, I became a junior member at the McCleery Golf Course where I attended weekly lessons with the assistant pro in order to develop skills and eventually take what we learned out onto the golf course.  Being a junior member was the best thing I could ever have done as it gave me the opportunity to learn from a great teacher (Alec Macdonald) as well as compete in several tournaments at the club itself in addition to tournaments around the Lower Mainland.  At the age of 16, I became the Junior Club Champion and had gained lots of experience playing in competitive events under pressure.  Of course, not all of the experiences were 'great', but each one was an opportunity to learn and grow as a person while developing my game.  One of the great things about golf is that it teaches you many other important life lessons and traits such as humility, patience, perseverance, success and failure.  I was lucky to have benefited from these experiences at a young age and I'm one who believes that golf is not just a sport, it's a path to learn about life and how to deal with challenges that come up along the way.

I stopped playing competitive golf after completing high school as my focus was on completing my business degree at the University of British Columbia and I just didn't have the time to put into golf.  Getting an education was priority as I'm a true believer that in life, you may lose everything, but no one can ever take away your education and your knowledge.  I always wanted to pursue a career in golf and see if I was good enough to get to the next level, but "life" took over and business opportunities came about so I stuck to playing golf recreationally with friends and have continually improved my game over the years.  I did, however, have the opportunity to take lessons from one of the top instructors in the United States a few years ago.  Joe Thiel is an amazing man and an even more amazing golf instructor.  He has taught many of the great players in Asia and travels around the world teaching both amateurs and pros and I was lucky enough to be one of his students.  I'll share my experiences with Joe in a later blog.

This brings me to where I am today and why I've decided to put together a blog.  As I mentioned above, I've always wanted to pursue a career in golf and I'm finally taking the steps to get there.  Golf is my passion and one of the things I love to do is help people improve their game.  Whenever I play golf with friends or in corporate tournaments, people always seem to look to me for advice on the course or on the practice range.  I have a sound understanding of the golf swing and the science behind it and I'm always more than happy to share my knowledge and help people to enjoy the game more.  At the moment, I'm in the process of completing my golf teaching certification through the Professional Golf Teachers Association of America.  My goal is to become a Master Golf Teaching Professional and be able to make a career out of teaching and becoming the best instructor I can possibly be.  I've learned so much through the game of golf and it's time for me to give back and help others learn the game, improve their skills and, ultimately, grow the sport in order for people to benefit from not only the game, but from the life lessons that are learned and experienced through golf. 

Stay tuned as I'll be posting tips and tidbits about golf in order to help readers improve their game and enjoy the sport more.  I'll also keep readers posted about my progress through the certification program which I'm planning to complete by the spring of 2013.  Feel free to email me with any questions you may have about the sport or any tips and I'll be sure to get back to you as soon as possible...also, don't forget to subscribe to the blog by clicking on the link below.