Over the Green

Just before Christmas PING’s CEO John Solheim made his proposal public calling for the USGA to adopt rules mandating three classes of golf balls – one that would go the same distance as today’s, one 30 yards less and one 30 yards more.

Recreational players presumably would have their choice (does anyone think they will pick the 30 yards less ball?) and tournament organizers could specify which was to be played as a “condition of competition.” In particular the PGA Tour with all those long hitting superstars would use the 30-yards-less-ball in an effort to contain their mighty blows. MORE…

Cleveland Golf, a division of Srixon, though best known for its wedges also has a popular full line of clubs including the highly ranked Launcher series of drivers featuring the 270-gram Launcher XL270. The premise behind the XL270 and Cleveland’s other light weight clubs is simple, if the club is lighter it can be swung faster and faster means more distance – golf’s Holy Grail.

Most titanium headed-graphite shafted drivers weight in at over 300-grams so the idea of making a club lighter, especially when matched with a more aerodynamic head shape, can produce more distance.MORE…

XCG drivers from Tour Edge are the only brazed drivers on the market, having the clubhead construction accomplished with chemical brazing rather than welding as other club makers’ use. In the new XCG5 this allows for the titanium face and body to weld to an ultrathin beta titanium crown.

Brazing costs more than welding but results in full face flexing and maximum forgiveness which with a 6-point perimeter weighting lowers the center of gravity and moves it deeper in further from the face. To achieve the maximum allowable spring-like effect, Tour Edge increased the XCG5’s face size by 12% over previous models.

The XCG5 is made in regular, ultra-light and super-ultra-light versions, you choice for a suggested retail of $329.

Nike Core Drone
The new Nike Method Core Drone has been out on tour since June with quite a bit of success. Features, though not necessarily new or unique, include their Polymetal groove technology in a high- MOI mallet-shaped head.

The Method Core Drone also comes in a belly putter length and is one of six models in the Nike Method Core line. Look for it in shops on Nov. 1 for a suggested retail of $203.99 and $24 additional for a 41” belly.

Cobra ZL Encore Driver
Cobra’s white headed drivers are not the ones creating the buzz but they were the first white drivers back last fall. The company has included a white edition along with the standard black in the new ZL Encore driver.

Features include:
Carbon fiber crown and sole with 5% larger titanium body and face
Swing weight screw for improved MOI
Cobra’s E9 Face Technology-an elliptical face with canted bulge and dual roll Cobra’s Adjustable Face Technology-three face angle settings (Open, Neutral and Closed)
460cc 6-4 Titanium body, milled semi-forged Ti face, carbon fiber crown

No word official word yet as to selling price but a “little bird” told us it would be $400.

Nike VR Pro Limited Edition Forged Driver – Pear-shaped 430cc head is made specifically for tour pros but will be available for the rest of us November 1 and carries a MSRP of $420.

Vokey Design SM4 wedges from Titleist will feature 17 grooves that come very close to the USGA mandated limits with a head shape reminiscent of the original 200 series by Vokey. Also they are introducing new versions of the popular AP1 and AP2 irons, the 712 series. AP1s are multi-material, dual cavity irons with improved forgiveness and AP2s with solid feel and improved looks for the aspiring to skilled golfer.

Both models keep the dual cavity design and multi-material construction with the AP1s having a new top line progressively reduced blade lengths for a more traditional look ($112 per club/steel, and $135 per club/graphite). AP2s have a new squared toe and smaller sole width in the short irons ($154 per club/steel and $175 per club/graphite). Both will be in shops Nov. 18.

Corey Consuegra, Golf Club Marketing Manager, Bridgestone Golf, Inc. is a man on a mission.
He wants to make his company’s golf clubs as well known and well regarded as their line of golf balls which have made immense market share gains in the past three years.

This fall Consuegra is talking about two new irons – the J40 Forged Dual Pocket Cavity and J40 Forged Cavity Back and two new drivers – the J40 445 and J40 430. MORE…

Here are some of the more significant recent product introductions to the world of golf equipment.

Adams Golf – Adams says light weight drivers with heavy swing weights typically make it more difficult for average players to get a full release producing weak shots to the right. The new Speedline 9088 UL is light weight (just 290 grams) but has a D0 swing weight and the balance to hit straight drives with less dispersion.

“Our extensive testing showed that many lighter weight drivers on the market ended up with very high swing weights, which most players tended to hit to the right,” said Scott Burnett, Director of Advance Product Development. “We solved that problem by balancing the weight throughout the entire club, creating lighter inertia around the grip, allowing players to hit the ball straighter. The result is they don’t have to put as much effort into actually releasing the club.”

The Speedline 9088 UL standard driver will be available August 1 and a draw model September 15. SRP for both is $399.99.

Fourteen Golf – Fourteen built its reputation with their line of forged wedges has added a new titanium driver to its list of products, the DT-111, specifically engineered for very high club head speeds. COO Marcy Kamoda, “This driver is unique as it has been entirely designed for a specific player so they incorporated features that result in unsurpassed distance. We’re excited about adding this category to our equipment line-up.”

The four piece 450 cc head has a variable face thickness, a hybrid 2-layer crown and the rear of the head raised to act as a visual setup aid. Price not available.

TaylorMade Golf – Three years ago the large amount of attention paid to the unusual shape of the Monza Spider putter was a precursor to results touring pros achieved. Last year TMaG followed up with the white headed Corza Ghost and now have combined the two ideas in the Ghost Spider putter – the size and high MOI of the Monza Spider with the white head of the Corza Ghost.

Monza Spiders are available in single-bend or center-shafted configurations and stock lengths of 33″, 34″ and 35″ in either left- or right-handed models. Street price is $179.

Titleist – The AT&T National tournament this week provided the first look at the new Titleist 712 series – MB, CB, AP1 and AP2 irons – which will replace the present 710 series early next year. Minor design improvements have been made to each line. Pricing is expected to be about the same as the current series.

Ping Golf – Ping goes “Back to the Future” with another resuscitation of the Anser name. The six new putters all are traditional Anser-style blades with color bands on the shaft to distinguish the head weighting. Changes in weighting are meant to aid the three principle putting strokes from a slight arc to strong arc to a straight stroke. These designations match those in the stroke analyzing iPhone app Ping announced last month. Retail prices for the new Anser are not yet available.

Sun Mountain – The four wheel walking cart Micro-Cart folds to just 52 cubic inches and weighs only 13 lbs. making it great for lifting in and out of a car trunk. The four wheels make it very stable on the course and it comes fully assembled with hassle-free handle height adjustment. Micro-Cart is available now at a suggested retail price of $219.

Over the years Powerbilt has been one of the legendary names in the golf club business, having been in the bags of the many tournament winners including Fuzzy Zoeller. The irrepressible Zoeller won 12 times on the PGA Tour and 10 were with Powerbilt including a Master’s and an U.S. Open. The point being, this division of Hillerich and Bradsy Co. (Bionic gloves and Louisville Slugger bats), has been making clubs since 1916 and has strong credentials from their past success. Today they continue to be innovative and forward looking.

The Air Force One driver (a great name for a driver!) was introduced two years ago with the usual features and benefits of the now de’rigueur-a titanium head and graphite shafts driver. However Powerbilt figured out how to add really different…nitrogen gas. MORE…

Random items some of which might even be interesting

Golf Digest Best New Courses in Abeyance
The announcement Golf Digest decided to put off at least until next year the previously annual beauty contest naming the Best New Courses came as no surprise but it certainly is a commentary on the state of the golf. The stats are not pretty with just 42 new courses opening in the U. S. from June 2009 to June 2010 and with the majority of new course construction having been tied to the residential real estate boom, when that went bust new golf courses did also.

SKLZ Hinged Putter
SKLZ which makes a lot of training aids for not just golf but other sports as well has developed an improved Refiner Hinged Training Putter with an Anser style head and a two way adjustable hinge. The idea is that putting stoke flaws will cause the hinge to breakdown giving instant feedback when a poor stroke is made.

Cobra ZL Driver – white as a ghost
Ian Poulter created a bit of a stir last week at the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai using a Cobra driver with an all white head and now Cobra (just in time for Christmas) is producing one for the rest of us. Only 500 of the Limited Edition ZL Driver are to be made for sales around the world so the chances of your local muni having a selection in stock, even at the MSRP of $625, are somewhere between slim and none.

Ping forged iron?
Most people don’t realize it but Ping Golf founder Karsten Solheim experimented with forged irons before settling on the cast iron design making him, his company and family a lot of money and a top shelf reputation. So 40 years later after a beta introduction in Japan (club makers know the Japanese love to be early adopters) the forged Anser iron is now available. An offset head, tungsten sole and machined face and grooves are featured in the design. Ping Anser 3-PW irons with stock steel Project X shafts carry a MSRP of $190 per club and are in stores now.

Most popular course name
The National Golf Foundation database of U.S. golf courses produced the statistic; the most popular course name (including ties and excluding The, Golf Course, Country Club, etc.) is Rolling Hills with 33 having that name. You now have ammunition for that after-round showdown but just to ensure you can come out on top the next three on the list are: Riverside (30), Hillcrest (29) and three at 24, Lakeside, Meadowbrook and Lakeview.

The old adage, “You can’t tell the players without a scorecard,” certainly applies to the golf club business so here a few more of the latest and greatest offerings for 2011 from club manufacturers with many of them on sale this fall.

Mizuno Golf
Mizuno announced the new MP-53 irons last week and now comes out with the Grain Flow Forged MP-63 designed for better players. Using what their Diamond Muscle technology the MP-63s are billed as a “player’s” cavity iron. The cavity-back is progressive, being deeper in the long irons and shallower in shorter irons. MSRP and the current street price is $899.99 for 3-PW with steel shafts.

Callaway Golf
Adding to the Diablo product line Callaway introduced for delivery in November the Diablo Octane and Diablo Octane Tour drivers with matching fairway woods. Touting a new crown material, Forged Composite manufactured with their proprietary isothermal forging process, the company says there is better power transfer and trajectory compared to titanium heads. Interestingly Forged Composite was co-developed with Automobili Lamborghini the Italian luxury sports car company. The smaller clubhead of the Diablo Octane models is lighter than previous titanium Callaway drivers and they say it is eight yards longer. MSRP for both the Diablo Octane and Diablo Octane Tour drivers is $299 but one suspects there will be a lower street price when they finally hit the shops.

Nike Golf
Nike’s latest entry in the driver wars is the SQ Machspeed Black Driver carrying a suggested retail of $359.99 scheduled for sales to begin at the end of November. The SQ Machspeed comes in two different 460cc round and square heads with “a sleek black profile to ensure that the air moves quickly and cleanly over the club head with each swing,” according to the press release. Lower ball flight and more distance are also plus features, or says Nike.

Titleist
Titliest steps up to do battle with the 910 driver series the company says are design for “serious golfers.” Two models were introduced, the 910D2 (460cc full pear-shaped head) and 910D3 (445cc and classic pear-shape) both with the new SureFit Tour dual angle hosel. “The new 910 drivers provide improvements in flight, fit, looks, feel and sound, and provide a new level of precision fitting to deliver total performance and driving confidence,” said Steve Pelisek, General Manager, Titleist Golf Clubs. Together, these advances put the Titleist 910 drivers in a class of their own, both on Tour and in the marketplace.”

SureFit dual angle hosel uses a sleeve and a ring to adjust the loft and lie in 16 combinations. Both models ship to shops beginning November 15 and a suggested retail of $499 but the street price should be $399.