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Lightening Strikes
by Kevin
Kossman
Pushing the envelope of the USGA size limits, Low Pro Golf has
bolted into the driver business with the release of the 469cc
White Lightening Driver.
In September of 2003 the USGA passed a ruling for a maximum
club head size of 470CC (460cc +10cc tolerance). Shortly
after that announcement, Low Pro Golf released their new fully
forged White Lightening 469 driver. For the uninitiated, Low
Pro Golf, Inc. is one of North Carolinas most respected retailers
and they sell components or fully assembled clubs to your
specifications.
Per my request, the test unit they sent me has 10.5° of loft
and was fitted with an Integra iDrive shaft in stiff flex (as
exotic of a shaft as you can get for $8.00). 
Feel
The White Lightening feels “springy” at impact. You can
definitely tell when you hit the actual sweet spot but even off
center hits feel like many other drivers do when you hit them dead
center. When you catch it on the sweet spot you not
only feel it, but you can hear it too. It has a pleasingly loud
“ting” to it when you catch it right in the center.
 Looks
It is like nothing you have seen before. It’s really big
& really white. The white head definitely grabs
attention on the course or driving range, which can be good or
bad, depending on how you are hitting it.
Initially I was a little put off by how bright the head was,
but after one range session I actually began to like the look of
it. It almost provided a soothing effect. When
mated with the right shaft, the look really works. No less
than a dozen strangers have approached me on the range wanting to
know what I was hitting.
The only real appearance complaint comes if you get clumsy, one
quick encounter in the bag with your 5 iron and you could end up
with a very visible paint chip. I hear that a black version
is being released in March 04, which would remedy this issue (or
you could just not be so damn clumsy).
Playability
Four Words: It’s In The Bag.
The White Lightening may very well be the most forgiving driver
I have ever put into play (and there have been a lot of them).
The face is up to 1.5° closed, which is increasingly common with
drivers of this size. The specific head I was testing was
.75° closed and I was easily able to get the large clubhead
closed most of the time.
 Along
with the forgiveness came something that I wasn’t really
expecting,. It is loooong, and on occasion, really long. In
the 20 rounds I played with it I hit 40-50 drives over 280 yards
and 20+ over 300 yards (the longest being 342 yards). In my
20 rounds previous to that, I may have hit 10 balls over 280.
The White Lightening is just silly long in my hands and the
forgiveness sure doesn’t hurt.
The ball flight is very true to loft, the 10.5° played nice
& high and provided excellent carry & roll for me.
Even though the ball flight was high I can’t recall a single
ball that ballooned on me (yet I remember every one that I topped ![Wink [;)]](../../forum/icon_smile_wink.gif) ).
I can hit fades with it and mix in a draw every now and then,
but in general it likes to hit the ball straight (so be
careful where you aim). When I put a really bad swing
on it, my ball flight was always dead straight and usually flew
about 450 yards. (just
seeing if anybody actually reads this far down.)
Don’t get me wrong… if the clubface is 15° shut at
impact… that ball is going hard left. It’s a good stick,
it’s not a magic stick. I have hit my share of ugly shots
with it but more times than not the results are very good.
 Who’s it for?
I know of low, mid, and high handicappers playing this stick and I
have heard excellent things from each of them. I can’t tell you
exactly who it is for, but I do know that it’s in my bag …at
least for now. If you are more of a “traditional” player
looking for a 275cc pear shaped head in a neutral color, move
along… nothing to see here. For everyone else, it’s straight,
it’s long and you don’t have to sell any blood to afford one.
At the price it should definitely be on your short list if you are
looking for a new big stick… or if you are just tired of hitting
last.
Value
They are available at http://www.lowprogolf.com
for $138.00 (with the configuration used for the review) and I
have tested plenty of drivers that cost 2-3 times that much that
don’t compare performance wise to the White Lightening. It is an
excellent value and you can have it mated with your favorite shaft
without it costing an arm & a leg.
In Summary:
To date, the White Lightening has given me the best mix of length
& directional control of any combination I have put into play.
Find a shaft that works for you and you really can’t go wrong
with this head. Due to the unique appearance it won’t
appeal to everyone, but the performance and quality definitely
make it a winner, even after Labor Day.
More information about the
White Lightening driver can be
found at:
http://www.lowprogolf.com
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