50 Words or Less
The Sub 70 859 driver uses ART to make it straighter and longer on mishits. Great ball speed. Moderate draw bias with enough adjustability to make it work for almost any player.
Introduction
One of the best surprises of 2024 was the Sub 70 859 Pro driver [review HERE]. With a genuinely unique approach to MOI and forgiveness, Sub 70 was able to design a players driver with exceptional forgiveness.
In today’s review, I’m examining at its counterpart, the Sub 70 859 driver. At a full 460cc, could this be one of the most forgiving drivers in golf? And with a price $200 below most of its competitors, should it be the one you put in the bag this year? Let’s find out.
Looks
In the bag, the Sub 70 859 driver is nearly identical to the 859 Pro. Both soles are entirely black, including the black-on-black Sub 70 branding. They also have the same pair of interchangeable weights near the trailing edge. The one key difference – besides the word “Pro” – is that the 859 driver has a patch of carbon fiber on the toe under the Sub 70 logo. On the 859 Pro, that carbon fiber is placed in the heel.
At address, the Sub 70 859 driver has the same crown as the Pro – carbon fiber fading to matte black near the leading edge – however there are two raised “fins” on the standard 859. Per Sub 70, these are primarily an aesthetic/alignment feature. The shape of the 859 is a little heavier in the heel, but the two share almost identical dimensions. One important difference is that they do set up differently: the 859 driver is 0.5 degrees closed in the neutral setting, the 859 Pro is 1 degree open.
Sound & Feel
The 859 Pro set the bar high for sound and feel, but the Sub 70 859 driver shows that you don’t need to give up those qualities to get forgiveness. Like the Pro, the 859 driver has a heavy metallic sound – think “crash” not “tink.” The standard 859 is a little louder than the Pro, but it’s still no more than average in volume. On center, there’s an exhilarating whip-crack explosiveness to the sound; mishits sound good but are not quite as exciting.
Centered shots have the same solid-yet-springy sensation as the 859 Pro. Sub 70 has truly nailed it with the feel – these are two of my favorite drivers in terms of impact sensation. Surprisingly, despite being larger, the Sub 70 859 driver has the same precise feedback as the Pro. Your hands know instantly where the ball met the face.
Performance
For those that missed my review of the 859 Pro, I want to start with the technology that sets the Sub 70 859 driver apart from literally every other driver on the market. It’s called Axis of Rotation Technology, and it’s a unique approach to the weighting and face curvature aimed at producing straighter shots and transferring more energy to the ball on mishits. My testing of the 859 Pro indicated that it works as advertised, so I was excited to see how it was implemented in a “full sized” driver.
You can learn more about ART from one of the people behind it HERE.
When I started my testing, I saw strong ball speed on center. I also saw most of my shots starting left and drawing – the result of the slightly closed face and the draw bias. As I worked to fix this without club adjustments, I was giving the ART a chance to show me just how good it is at preserving ball speed. While I fiddled with my swing and covered the entire face with strikes, the ball speed remained very high.
Eventually I decided to use the Sub 70 859 driver’s adjustability. I started with the two weights. The driver came stock with 12 grams in the heel and 4 grams in the toe which I swapped to 16 grams in the toe and 2 in the heel – the maximum fade setting. A quick pause here to give major kudos to Sub 70 for including all the weights rather than making you buy them separately like most OEMs.
As I found in my review of the 859 Pro driver, making the biggest possible changes to the weights yielded a moderate change to the ball flight. It’s a nice tool to have – especially for dialing in swing weight – but it’s not the same as the 29 gram weight in the PING G440 MAX driver [review HERE]. My shots were drawing just a little, but they were still starting left.
Then I moved to the hosel adjustment. This adapter has twelve positions which allow you to tune the loft up or down two full degrees and change the face angle across eight degrees. With the face set slightly open (setting 2), everything fell into place. I was hitting beautiful push draws with mid launch and spin, both just a notch higher than the 859 Pro.
Overall, the Sub 70 859 driver did everything I hoped for: it continued to demonstrate the power of ART in a bigger, more stable club head. This is also a meaningfully different driver than the 859 Pro because of its draw bias, making this tech accessible to a wider range of players.
Conclusion
The Sub 70 859 driver is proof that “value” and “direct to consumer” are not mutually exclusive with “industry-leading technology.” If you want your driver to consistently find the fairway, the 859’s ART is a massive help. And if you’re anywhere near Chicago, make a trip to The Seventy [check it out HERE] for a fitting. It’s a great place to get hands-on with the brand and meet some of the people behind it.
Visit Sub 70 Golf HERE
Sub 70 859 Driver Price & Specs
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
- Volvik VTU3 & VTU4 Golf Ball Review - November 11, 2025
- Odyssey S2S Tri-Hot Putter Review - November 10, 2025
- Sunday Golf Coaster Travel Bag Review - November 7, 2025
14 Comments
Wow
Those are some really good numbers. Any chance you use it this year.
Thanks Eric Fox
Eric,
It’s in the conversation with a few others, lots of testing to be done.
Best,
Matt
How does the Sub70 compare to the Ping 440 Max in your opinion for forgiveness and distance.
Tracy,
I have a full review of the G440 Max here: https://pluggedingolf.com/ping-g440-max-driver-review/
-Matt
What shaft did you hit ?
Chris,
Graphite Design Tour AD DI.
-Matt
Matt, what shaft did you have in this driver during your testing…black, blue or red? Thank you.
Gary,
Graphite Design AD DI.
-Matt
Thank you! I have been waiting for review of this driver and wondering if the design was truly unique or just minor tweaking of bulge and roll. Sounds like it’s the real deal and at a more reasonable price.
Thank you, Matt, for a great review! Do you have a preference for a mini driver for a person with an 18 to 20 handicap or do you think this may be the answer? Again, thanks!
Ken,
I think the mini driver only makes sense for specific players. For the average 18 handicap, I’d recommend a good, forgiving driver.
Best,
Matt
Been play sub70 for 4 years. Starting with a hybrid that I still play. Moved on to wedge, the iron set and the the driver. Added the blade putter this year. Exceptional products that hold up against any manufacturer. Price is half with full customization. Customer service is top notch too.
Hi Matt. I’ve been reading your reviews forever, nice to have a chance to ask you a question. Using a Cobra Aerojet head, 10.5 standard setting with an Evenflow Rip tide CB 5.0-A 40G shaft. Hit it straight, occasional small draw, 185 yd carry, 205 with roll. Smooth swing with moderate acceleration into strike zone. Recommended an 859 with Denali Blue 60 Regular for 5 – 15 yr gain. What do you think? Thanks.
Doug,
Where was the recommendation from? Was this recommendation based on seeing your swing or just passing on numbers? Do you know your swing speed?
Best,
Matt