Sub 70 849D Driver Tested & Reviewed Golflink.com

Sub 70 Golf has captured quite a loyal audience over the past few years. The direct-to-consumer model allows Sub 70 to offer clubs at a great price without skimping on materials and technology that rivals the biggest names in the golf equipment industry. The 849D driver is Sub 70’s big dog that’s built for all handicaps. We put it to the test at The Seventy, Sub 70’s fitting studio, to see how it performs and determine if all the hype is true.

Spoiler Alert: Sub 70 849D Driver Verdict

We were impressed. We were surprised. Most notably, we were sold. The Sub 70 849D driver is the real deal, and quite frankly, after testing it, I decided to make the 849D my full time gamer.

After a quick warm-up, my ball speed with the 849D was consistently in the top end of what I would expect from my gamer. The more I swung it, the more those ball speed numbers increased, surpassing my gamer. By the time I finished testing it, I gained 5-7 mph of ball speed with the 849D over my gamer.

On top of better ball speed, my dispersion was tighter with the 849D, and ball flight was right where I wanted it. Simply put, it just felt great. It's hard to ignore the data when the club feels great at impact. It's mind-blowing that this driver only costs $350.

Pros	Value, Appearance, Draw Bias, Feel, Stock Shafts
Cons	High swing speeds could create too much spin

Sub 70 owner, Jason Hiland, partners with brand ambassadors who share his values and can appreciate the work that he and his team at Sub 70 put into creating the best golf equipment that they can. Brand ambassadors include Tommy Armour III and Zack Fischer.

RELATED: The Best Value Drivers of 2022

Sub 70 849D Driver Review

We gave it away earlier, but the Sub 70 849D was incredibly impressive. We went into our testing with no expectations and purposely tuned out what other reviews had to say to help us reach our unbiassed opinion. Here is how the 849D performed in every area.

Performance

The Sub 70 849D has a natural draw bias, so players who fight a slice instantly gravitate to this driver. What we wanted to see, however, was if it could still produce a baby fade and a straight ball.

For a driver that’s made for the masses, it performed really well with all three shapes. As an 11-handicap, I was able to hit a nice little cut at will, which is a wonderful compliment to knowing a standard grip and rip would produce a slight draw.

Feel, Sound, and Appearance

The acoustics of a driver are important, and the 849D has a satisfying muted “pop” sound that doesn’t sound “tinny.” However, on misses outside of center, you instantly know you didn’t catch it clean.

The overall feel exceeded our expectations by a mile. The 849D feels great in your hands because you can feel the weight of the driver head. That concept sounds simplistic, but the way many of today's drivers are weighted, it's hard to feel great control of the head of the club.

The 849D is equipped with a Lamkin Crossline grip, which is one of the easiest grips to get a true barometer of a club with. At impact, the driver pops and gives the best instant feedback when you absolutely bomb one.

Appearance-wise, this driver speaks for itself. The black, no nonsense appearance is a welcome sight over some of the craziness that costs $600. The carbon fiber detailing on the crown is a sleek, but subtle look.

Distance

We tested a ton of drivers in 2022, and the Sub 70 849D was most similar to the TaylorMade Stealth Plus and the Titleist TSi2 in total distance. With the 849D, I gained 5 to 7 mph of ball speed over my current gamer, which was also comparable to the TaylorMade and Titleist drivers. I hit a handful of drives that ran out to the 280s, with a long of 284 yards. I can safely say, that’s the longest I can poke it out there.

RELATED: The Best Drivers for Distance

Accuracy

The dispersion on the Sub 70 849D was tight. We purposely took a few swipes to the heel and toe sides of the face and, surprisingly, it didn’t spin way off target. At its highest, our dispersion numbers were around 20 yards left or right of the target, but were consistently much lower than that, which is ideal. Perhaps if we swing it significantly faster, we would have had worse lateral dispersion.

Value

The value of the Sub 70 849D can’t be understated. Don’t mistake value for cheap. Sub 70 golf clubs, from this driver to irons, putters and wedges, are all made with the same quality materials you find in the most popular brands. For $350, the 849D is truly a “can’t beat it” level of value. There’s a reason we put this driver on our best value list for 2022, because it outperforms drivers that cost $600.

Sub 70 849D Driver Specs & Tech

Lofts Available	9, 10.5, 12
Adjustable Loft	+/- 2 degrees
Stock Shafts	Project X EvenFlow Riptide, Sub 70- Project X High Launch, Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black/Black RDX. Others available for up charge.
Bias	Draw
Head Size	460cc
Adjustable Weight	20g

Lofts/Adjustable: You can fine tune the 849D to your specific loft by going with a 9, 10.5, or 12 degree model to start with. Then, each driver is adjustable at the hosel to go up or down two degrees of loft.
Stock Shafts: Sub 70 doesn’t go with an off brand shaft. As you’ll see from the list, all of the stock shafts are offered in any driver you’ll see in retail. If you want an upgraded shaft, just ask and Sub 70 will get it for you for a reasonable upcharge.
Bias: The draw bias we discussed is one of our favorite features of the 849D.
Head Size: The 460cc head size is the largest driver head allowed under the rules of golf.
Adjustable Weight: The sole of the driver has three weights which can be adjusted to fit your ideal trajectory and ball flight.

The Final Verdict

The Sub 70 849D is a great value, one of the best we’ve seen in recent years. What adds to how much we love this driver is the company that builds it. Sub 70 is a modest, midwestern golf manufacturer that isn’t trying to be Callaway. Instead, they’re just trying to make clubs people love. Mission accomplished.

With that all said, this driver is a perfect fit for the vast majority of amateur players, especially when you get it synched with the right shaft for your game. That's why it was one of our picks of the best drivers for mid-handicap golfers. If you’re a single digit handicap who hits bombs and needs a lower spin driver, we highly recommend checking out Sub 70’s 849 Pro, which might be more your speed. For everyone else, we think you’ll be as impressed as we were with the 849D.