Wilson Sporting Goods issues an open call for all innovators to submit their best driver designs. Three judges review entries and narrow them down to 11 finalists who all hope to move one step closer to a $500,000 grand prize.
With two teams eliminated, the six remaining teams make their official presentations and wait through a stressful night to see if they go home or continue their journey closer to the $500,000 grand prize.
Driver tees off with a call for innovators to submit their best driver designs. Fourteen finalists are chosen from hundreds of entries and the designers travel to Wilson Headquarters in Chicago to pitch their concepts to the judges who will ultimately determine who will win a quarter million dollar grand prize.
Designers on the verge of elimination are given the chance to team up and merge their concepts as only seven can advance to Wilson Labs, where they'll work alongside the company's engineers. It's a challenge of their confidence and their ability to work on the fly and, in the process, some designers make choices that lead to harsh outcomes.
In an industry first, Wilson uses additive manufacturing to create hittable titanium prototypes for early testing. These are given to the Wilson Staff Tour Pros Kevin Streelman, Ricky Barnes, Troy Merritt and Brendan Steele whose feedback determines which designs advance and which one misses the cut.
The five remaining designs are taken to the PGA Show Demo Day for testing and feedback from golf professionals and consumers. This is combined with data from robot tests and reactions from the judges to determine which concepts make the final four.
With only four driver concepts remaining in the competition, the designers jockey for position in hopes of making it to the finale. They have to work with Wilson engineers to refine their designs as updated prototypes are being manufactured in China. These are put to the test by a group of bloggers and opinion influencers whose input help determine which one doesn't make the cut.
The three remaining designs head to the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, where they are used by a host of celebrities including Steve Young, Tim Brown, Mike Modano, Sean Payton, Herm Edwards and Brian Urlacher. Afterwards, there's a final elimination on the shores of Lake Tahoe as the two finalists are announced.
The two finalists meet up with the judges at Wilson Sports new headquarters in the heart of downtown Chicago. After some last minute tweaks and another round of testing and feedback from the Wilson Staff Tour Pros, a winner is selected, a quarter of a million dollars is awarded, and the game's newest driver is revealed.