Written by Jonathan Greathead, TG Senior Equipment Editor on Thursday 11 February 2010
Tour Edge is a big deal out in the United States – and they are looking to do more distribution this year in the UK and Europe. We met Tour Edge equipment guru Jay Hubbard at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando in January and he talked us through some of their new key products for 2010. In this particular clip, Jay...
Written by Jonathan Greathead, TG Senior Equipment Editor on Thursday 11 February 2010
At the back end of last year we brought you the first look at the PING G15 driver – the first UK magazine to do so. A month later we followed it up by taking a look at PING’s new i15 driver. But what are the differences? The G15 is essentially a little more forgiving and a little easier to hit, while...
Written by Jonathan Greathead, TG Senior Equipment Editor on Thursday 11 February 2010
After consulting closely with the likes of Phil Mickelson, putter giants Odyssey have unveiled their new Black Series Tour Design range of milled flatsticks. The range, milled from 1025 carbon steel for super-soft feel, features updated head-shapes which have been designed to offer better players optimised performance. The new putters feature Advanced Roll Technology which helps to deliver a precise response and...
Written by Jonathan Greathead, TG Senior Equipment Editor on Tuesday 9 February 2010
Following on from the massive success of the Spider and the Itsy-Bitsy, TaylorMade have unveiled the new Rossa Monza Spider Vicino. You may well recognize the look of the new Vicino, but it is considerably sleeker than the past two offerings. However, none of the MOI that has become synonomous with the two models that have gone before has been sacrified. The Vicino’s...
Written by Jonathan Greathead, TG Senior Equipment Editor on Monday 8 February 2010
At TG we’ve been talking up PING gear since Adam was a lad, and further compelling evidence about how good the gear is came from Dubai this weekend. PING staffers Miguel Angel Jimenez and Lee Westwood battled it out over the final day at the Dubai Desert Classic, with the Spaniard closing out the win at the third extra play-off hole. The 46-year-old survived...
Written by Jonathan Greathead, TG Senior Equipment Editor on Monday 8 February 2010
Srixon have announced that Ryo Ishikawa and Shane Lowry will be playing their Z-Star ball. Ishikawa turned pro in 2008 and won in his first year on Tour, before becoming the youngest player ever to appear in the Masters. Lowry, a 22-year-old from County Offaly in Ireland, provided a genuine shock on the European Tour in May last year when he became only...
Written by Jonathan Greathead, TG Senior Equipment Editor on Monday 8 February 2010
Clubmaking giants TaylorMade have unveiled their latest irons in the form of the new Burner SuperLaunch. Designed with the super game-improver in mind, as well as the golfer who has a low ball-flight, the SuperLaunch irons are incredibly forgiving and will generate great distances even for those with slower swing speeds. We have a first look at them in depth in next...
Written by David Connor, TG Equipment Editor on Saturday 6 February 2010
Callaway’s tasty new FTiZ driver is made from four key ingredients – titanium, carbon fibre, aluminium and steel! The company have fused these pieces together in a unique four-piece design which is said to move weight to parts of the club where it is needed most. The result is what Callaway call Polar Weighting technology with a heavy face and heavy in-line...
Written by David Connor, TG Equipment Editor on Saturday 6 February 2010
Callaway’s new FTiZ fairway wood is the latest in the line of the company’s FT (fusion technology) clubs to incorporate a mix of materials in the head for improved performance. While multi-material technology is more prevalent in drivers, Callaway has used it to take fairway wood development to the next level and incorporate a Polar Weighting system to the new clubs. This...
Written by David Connor, TG Equipment Editor on Saturday 6 February 2010
Completing Callaway’s impressive-looking new FTiZ line-up is the hybrid, designed with more offset and better weight distribution to be easier to hit. The head is slightly larger than previous models and benefits from Polar Weighting technology like the rest of the FTiZ range. This means the heavy face and rear weighting promotes a high MOI for improved stability and more consistency. The...
Written by David Connor, TG Equipment Editor on Friday 5 February 2010
If there’s anyone who knows how to produce a set of blades properly it’s Mizuno – and the MP-68s are the latest examples of that. Based on some of the company’s most successful designs, the MP-68s bring everything together in a head constructed with the latest state-of-the-art technology. So, while having the look and feel of traditional blades, the MP-68s are also...
Written by David Connor, TG Equipment Editor on Friday 5 February 2010
Last year we told you about Mizuno’s first big break from tradition with the new MP-58 irons incorporating an insert for the very first time. The MP-58’s saw the first ever better-player Mizuno club in a two-piece design with a titanium insert in the back of the head. Now we’ve had a chance to get these clubs out on the range to...
Written by Jonathan Greathead, TG Senior Equipment Editor on Thursday 4 February 2010
TaylorMade’s new R9 SuperTri driver got off to a flying start at the Farmers Insurance Open in America. In total 25 professionals were using the new product – which made it the most used driver at the event. And it’s also having an effect in Europe, with 20 players choosing to put it into play at the Qatar Masters last week. TaylorMade Tour...
Written by David Connor, TG Equipment Editor on Thursday 4 February 2010
Callaway staff player Oliver Wilson has put a revolutionary new Odyssey BACKSTRYKE putter in the bag for the Dubai Desert Classic. Last week TG senior equipment editor Jon Greathead brought you news of these unusual putters from the PGA show in Orlando and now Ryder Cup player Wilson has become the first pro to put one in the bag by using...
Written by Jonathan Greathead, TG Senior Equipment Editor on Monday 1 February 2010
Bridgestone may be renowned for making great balls, but they’ve also recently launched the new J38 Black Oxide wedge. The impressive new scoring club features Variable Bounce Technology – VBT. This means the sole is created with less bounce on the heel and toe of the wedge, which allows the golfer more versatility in terms of opening or closing the face. The...
Written by Jonathan Greathead, TG Senior Equipment Editor on Sunday 31 January 2010
Bridgestone have unveiled two new premium balls for 2010 in the form of the Tour B330-RX and the Tour B33O-RXS. The new Tour B330-RX benefits froms a core that is 7% softer than previous models which helps to reduce unwanted excess spin, leading to more accurate shots. The softer core is also easily compressed which helps the golfer to get those...
Written by Jonathan Greathead, TG Senior Equipment Editor on Saturday 30 January 2010
We mentioned that we saw these at the PGA Merchandise Show Demo Day, and now we’ve got a little bit more topline info for you on Odyssey’s new BACKSTRYKE putters. Although not officially shipping until April of this year, TG was given the lowdown on a truly innovative product. Essentially, the shaft of the putter is positioned towards the back of the...
Written by Jonathan Greathead, TG Senior Equipment Editor on Saturday 30 January 2010
If you’re looking for a new high MOI putter for 2010, Cleveland might have the one for you in the form of the T-Frame mallet. Mallet putters are generally designed to relocate weight to the perimeter of the club – this helps to increase MOI and means that if you don’t get the ball out of the centre of the clubface...
Written by Jonathan Greathead, TG Senior Equipment Editor on Friday 29 January 2010
The SkyCaddie SG5 was a pretty impressive product and it did fantastically in our recent GPS test in the magazine – but the next generation of system has well and truly landed with the arrival of the SGX. Unveiled for the first time at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, the SkyCaddie SGX is one of the most innovative bits of kit...
Written by Jonathan Greathead, TG Senior Equipment Editor on Friday 29 January 2010
There are some truly stunning bladed irons on the market, and another beauty has emerged at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. Cleveland’s new CG1 Tour irons are fantastic to look at and really caught the imagination of both serious golfers and those of us who wish we were good enough to use them at the annual show in the United States. The...