Cleveland · Driver · 2021 · Previous model
Cleveland Launcher XL driver
Maximum forgiveness, 4.0 of 5
Cleveland's 2021 driver, which it called extremely forgiving: a 460cc head with an MOI of 5,200 g-cm², the most Cleveland had put in a driver, its weight low and deep for a high launch, in 9°, 10.5° or 12°. Cleveland no longer sells the Launcher XL new; the Launcher XL 2 replaced it in 2024, and Cleveland has since left drivers to Srixon, its sister brand under Dunlop, whose most forgiving driver today is the ZXi RKT MAX.
4.0 of 5 forgiveness score
$175.99 used at 2nd Swing Golf
In average condition or better: from $189.99
New instead: Srixon ZXi RKT MAX, $649.99 at Srixon, checked 2 Nov
Choose it if
- Your misses come off all over the face.
- You need a left-handed club or a senior flex: both were stock builds.
Choose something else if
- If you fight a slice, choose a draw model: Cleveland made the Launcher XL Lite Draw beside this head and the Launcher XL 2 Draw after it, and names no draw bias for this one.
- Class
- Maximum forgiveness
- Stock lofts
- 9° · 10.5° · 12°
- Stock flexes
- Senior to stiff
- Hands
- Left or right
- Used
- From $175.99 at 2nd Swing Golf, checked 31 Oct
What changed in Srixon's ZXi RKT MAX
The Launcher XL 2 that replaced it in 2024 kept the 460cc size, the 9° to 12° hosel and the 8-gram grip weight, added an AI-designed face and, by Cleveland's tests, 2% more heel-to-toe MOI and 12% more top-to-bottom MOI, and came a quarter of an inch shorter, at 45.5 inches. The ZXi RKT MAX, Srixon's most forgiving driver today, has a carbon crown, one 14-gram weight low at the back and a new titanium-alloy face whose shape, Srixon says, checks hooks on strikes high on the toe; it is 45.75 inches long, as the Launcher XL was.
No shop we checked sells the Launcher XL new in a stock build, and used it costs a fraction of a new ZXi RKT MAX. Choose it for a forgiving, adjustable head for little money; choose the ZXi RKT MAX for a new club with Srixon's newer face.
| Detail | Launcher XL (previous) | ZXi RKT MAX (current) |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Maximum forgiveness | Maximum forgiveness |
| Forgiveness score | 4.0 of 5 | 4.0 of 5 |
| Stock lofts | 9° · 10.5° · 12° | 9° · 10.5° · 12° |
| Slice help | None stated | Slight draw bias built into the head |
| Stock flexes | Senior to stiff | Senior to stiff |
| Hands | Left or right | Left or right; left-handed in 10.5° only |
| Price new | No longer sold new | $649.99 at Srixon, checked 2 Nov |
| Price used | From $175.99 at 2nd Swing Golf (stiff flex, below average condition), checked 31 Oct | – |
Build a whole bag around it, or check the lofts in the bag you carry.
The Cleveland Launcher XL came in a senior (A) flex as well as regular (R): what the senior flex changes, and who it suits.
Launcher XL: the questions buyers ask
- Is the Cleveland Launcher XL forgiving?
- Yes. It is Cleveland's maximum forgiveness driver, with lofts up to 12°. It scores 4.0 of 5 on our reading of what Cleveland publishes about it, the top score among the drivers we cover.
- Who is the Launcher XL for?
- It suits a miss that goes anywhere on the face.
- Does the Launcher XL come in senior or ladies flex?
- Senior, yes; ladies, no. Cleveland listed senior (A), regular (R) and stiff (S).
- Is the Launcher XL sold left-handed?
- Yes: Cleveland made it left- and right-handed.
- How much does the Launcher XL cost?
- Cleveland no longer sells it new. Used from $175.99 at 2nd Swing Golf, checked 31 Oct. In average condition or better, from $189.99. Prices change; the seller's page has today's.
How the 4.0 adds up
The forgiveness score is our reading of what Cleveland publishes about the head, from 1 to 5. It is not a test result. How every score works.
| Part | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Head | 4 | A maximum-forgiveness driver head, the most forgiving kind Cleveland made. |
| Forgiveness score | 4.0 | of 5 |
Draw help, lofts, flex and hand don't change the score. They decide which version fits you, and the picks for a slice or a slow swing use them.
Specification sheet
| Maker | Cleveland |
|---|---|
| Model | Launcher XL |
| Model year | 2021 |
| Type | Driver |
| Class | Maximum forgiveness |
| Handicap range the maker states | – |
| Offset | – |
| Sole | – |
| Moment of inertia (MOI) | 5,200 g·cm² |
| Face technology | Rebound Frame with two flex zones |
| Construction | A 460cc head with its weight low and deep and a frame that flexes in two zones behind the face, an 8-gram weight inside the grip end and a hosel that sets the loft from 9° to 12°. Cleveland also built it an inch shorter, at 44.75 inches and without the grip weight, as its Accuracy Build, so measure a used one: the standard length is 45.75 inches. |
| Stock steel shafts | – |
| Stock graphite shafts | Project X Cypher 50 |
| Stock flexes | A (senior), R (regular), S (stiff) |
| Stock lofts | 9° · 10.5° · 12° |
| Hands | RH, LH |
| Men's or women's | Men's |
| List price when new | $399.99 (2021 model); not a price today |
| Price at Cleveland | – |
Compare with other maximum forgiveness drivers
No matching clubs. Clear the search or loosen the filters.
| Lofts | Slice help | Hand | Where to buy | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | Maximum forgiveness | 10.5° · 12° · 15° | Draw-biased head, built to reduce a slice | A · R · S | RH · LH | $299.99 at Tour Edge checked 2 Nov | ||
Cobra OPTM MAX-D (2026) | 4.0 | Maximum forgiveness | 10.5° · 12.0° | Draw-biased head, built to reduce a slice | A · R · S · X | RH · LH | $399 at Cobra checked 2 Nov | |
Cobra OPTM MAX-K (2026) | 4.0 | Maximum forgiveness | 9.0° · 10.5° · 12.0° | – | A · R · S · X | RH · LH | $399 at Cobra checked 2 Nov | |
| 4.0 | Maximum forgiveness | 9.0° · 10.5° · 12.0° | Slight draw bias built into the head | A · R · S | RH · LH | $399.99 at Srixon checked 2 Nov | ||
| 4.0 | Maximum forgiveness | 9° · 10.5° · 12° | Draw setting on the adjustable weight | A · R · S · X | RH · LH | $447 at Golf Discount checked 2 Nov | ||
| 4.0 | Maximum forgiveness | 9° · 10.5° | Draw-biased head, built to reduce a slice | A · R · S · X | RH · LH | $447 at Golf Discount checked 2 Nov | ||
Wilson DYNAPWR Max+ (2026) | 4.0 | Maximum forgiveness | 9° · 10.5° · 12° | – | A · R · S | RH · LH | $499.99 at Wilson checked 2 Nov | |
| 4.0 | Maximum forgiveness | 9° · 10.5° · 12° | Draw setting on the adjustable weight | A · R · S · X | RH · LH | $647 at Golf Discount checked 2 Nov |
Order: Most forgiving in this class first, then price. Use the arrows to sort. A dash means the maker does not publish it.
See all drivers on the most forgiving driver page, or compare this club side by side. Waiting for a sale? The Black Friday golf club deals page has the price to beat on every club we price.
Sources
The specification comes from these pages; open the maker's page before buying, because prices and shaft options change. Check the exact shaft and hand at the shop before ordering.
- Cleveland's specifications, archived copy of 26 Oct 2021
- untilthenexttee.com's launch report
- Cleveland's announcement
- mygolfspy.com's page on availability (checked 22 Oct)
- GOLF.com's page on availability (checked 22 Oct)
- Golf Discount's listing (checked 22 Oct)
- 2nd Swing Golf's used listings (checked 31 Oct)
- Pre-owned: seen at 2nd Swing Golf from $175.99 (checked 31 Oct)