50 Words or Less
The 2023 Adams IDEA driver is a solid option for the new or higher handicap player. Strong draw bias. Good forgiveness. Adjustable hosel is a nice addition to help this club grow with the player.
Introduction
The driver is the most important club in your bag [more on that HERE], so every brand needs a great driver if it’s going to be considered a first tier OEM. You can have all the “Tour validation” in the world, but if your driver doesn’t have any pop, you’ll always be a second choice. With that in mind, I was eager to see what the new incarnation of Adams Golf brings to the table.
Find more great value in the Adams IDEA irons HERE
Looks
At address, the 2023 Adams IDEA driver has a large, rounded footprint that tilts slightly toward the heel. There’s a subtle carbon fiber texture in the black portion of the crown, but, as you can see above, it’s not very prominent. The leading edge is light grey with an “AG” alignment aid in white. Despite being a draw-biased driver, the IDEA sits square in the neutral setting.
Flipping the driver over, you’ll find a sole with a mix of different elements. There’s a carbon fiber patch toward the toe opposite the “Precision Draw” weight in the heel. The Adams and IDEA branding streak prominently across the middle of the sole.
One area where the 2023 Adams IDEA driver goes well beyond its price tag is the head cover. It’s soft and flexible with a leather look to it. The Adams logo calls to mind the NASA font and ideas of cutting edge technology.
My favorite part of the head cover – and something I don’t see very often at any price – is the printed lining. It’s a small touch that makes this feel like more than budget golf club.
Sound & Feel
The 2023 Adams IDEA driver will give players a jolt of confidence with its loud “thwack” at impact. The sound is metallic but low in pitch. When you crush a shot, that big sound will be music to your ears. However, it doesn’t change much on mishits, so it’s going to announce your mishits loudly, too.
Pure strikes feel thin and very fast in the hands. All the feedback on strike location and quality comes through feel, so you need to pay attention if you want to know how you’re hitting it.
Performance
The 2023 Adams IDEA driver leans on a handful of well-known, time-tested technologies to drive its performance. The one that jumps out most in looking at the club is the Velocity Slot on the sole. It looks huge – seemingly bigger than any other I can recall – which makes me think it has immense potential for adding to the ball speed, particularly on those low strikes. Additionally, this driver features variable face thickness, something used by every major OEM to increase the effective size of the sweet spot.
In my testing, I found that both of these features work well to give the 2023 Adams IDEA driver solid forgiveness. Ball speed on center is good, if short of elite, and it stays fairly strong across the face.
Turning to launch and spin, both were lower than I would have expected. In the larger context, I would say this is a mid-low launch driver with mid-low spin. Both numbers were robust throughout my testing. I didn’t see wild fluctuations, which made the ball flight and distance very predictable.
My findings about launch and spin need to be connected to another element: the draw bias. Adams calls this out right on the sole with the “Precision Draw” weight near the heel. I found the draw bias to be fairly strong, which is part of why my launch and spin were lower than normal. I could manufacture a straight shot with some effort, but this driver really wants to go left. This strong draw bias makes sense given that this driver is targeted toward newer players, most of whom fight a slice.
Finally, Adams gave the IDEA driver an adjustable hosel. This gives players the ability to change the loft across four degrees – two up or down from the stated loft. Changing the loft will also modify the face angle, which will help the driver to grow with the players. When you start, you may need to close the face to add even more slice busting. As you improve, you can open the face slightly to counteract the internal draw bias.
Conclusion
With a price of $299, the 2023 Adams IDEA driver is half the cost of drivers from some OEMs. The price will get players to take a look, but the solid performance will keep the club in their bag. This driver has good forgiveness and a strong draw bias that will make the game more fun off the tee.
Visit Adams Golf HERE
2023 Adams IDEA Driver Price & Specs
Matt Saternus
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Nice review. Great to see a “new” club option for those players who don’t want to invest in a new OEM driver or search eBay to find a prior year bargain. I know several relatively new golfers who like the game (but don’t necessarily love it at this point) who have outgrown their uncle’s “spare driver that had been in the basement for 15 years but don’t want to drop $600 on a new OEM club.
I’ve always been a huge Adams Golf fan, so I welcome them back with open arms! I look forward to seeing more from them in the future. Tim Reed was their design guru so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back I’m the saddle again!
Good to see more valur for money drivers hitting the market.
Not everyone either has the money or the skills to buy a brand new $600 driver
This is one GOOD LOOKING Driver!!
I’m still getting used to it, but had my best drive ever today with it. Bought it direct from Adams golf.com to replace a starter Top Flight Gamer.
Most important club in the bag? Uh-uh. Don’t think so. Any short game club is vastly more important, especially for geezers like me. I’ll buy one of these, though.
Fred,
At any age, driver is the most important club. Read Every Shot Counts. The math isn’t that complicated.
-Matt
Can you get fitted for the driver
Dale,
The only options are loft and flex, and it’s sold direct to consumer, so the short answer is no. That said, they come with a 60 day money back guarantee, so you can buy, try, and return it if you want different specs or just don’t like the driver.
Best,
Matt
I signed my email up and received my discount code but when I tried to apply it and buy my driver it kept saying that my code couldn’t be accepted. Waiting to hear back why.