What's John Daly bombing his drives with now?
Daly has been working with the new TaylorMade Burner driver and is featured in the company's advertising for the new club. He didn't decide to use it until this week's Buick Invitational, where he put it in play at the pro-am for the first time.
According to TaylorMade's equipment blog: "He requested one during his play and had us make a few tweaks, such as bending it open a little, and after testing three drivers he found the one he liked and put it straight into bag."
Daly started the tournament with a 69, but followed up with a 75 to miss the cut. He did average 305 yards off the tee for the two days, but struggled with his putting.
DRIVER DEBUT: Daly wasn't the only one to try a new TaylorMade driver this week.
Robert Garrigus, John Mallinger, Sean O'Hair, Greg Owen, Pat Perez and Dicky Pride gave the Burner a try, while Gavin Coles, Nathan Green, Tim Petrovic and Vaughn Taylor sampled the new r7 SuperQuad, which features four movable weight ports so players can customize their ball flight.
Brandt Snedeker, whose fantastic play early at the Buick Invitational included a stretch where he was 9-under on his first nine holes, used the TaylorMade r7 irons after trying them at the company's headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif.
Snedeker finished the tournament in third place.
In fact, there were quite a few players trying out new TaylorMade equipment.
Here's a quick look at what was in some of the bags for the first time at Buick:
SuperQuad -- Gavin Coles, Nathan Green, Tom Johnson, Rod Pampling, Tim Petrovic, Kevin Stadler and Vaughn Taylor.
Putters -- Rossa Monza Corza, Stephen Leaney; Rossa Corza AGSI, Sean O'Hair; and Rossa Daytona, Greg Owen.
Irons -- r7, Gavin Coles, Tom Lehman and Snedeker; rac TP forged, Cliff Kresge; and r7 TP, Dennis Paulson.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Is it Hip to be Square?
Square drivers attracted a lot of attention at last week's PGA Merchandise Show. But are they attracting the same kind of interest on the PGA Tour?
K.J. Choi won last October's Tampa Bay Championship using a Nike SQ Sumo2 driver, but player reaction to the new drivers, such as the SQ Sumo2 and Callaway Golf's FT-i, has not been overwhelming -- yet.
"I've hit the Sumo and I've hit the Sumo2, as well, and I have not put them in the bag, either one of them," said Tiger Woods at last week's Buick Invitational. "I've found that I just could not get enough spin on the golf ball. I was hitting it farther, yeah, but I just could not hit a ball with enough spin on it.
"It was frustrating in the sense that I was hitting it farther but because I was just obviously carrying it and running, and I don't like roll. I want my ball to kind of land a little soft. I hit it far enough, and as the fairways on Tour have gotten narrower and they're pinching fairways in. I don't want that ball running anywhere."
Fine.
Square drivers may benefit the average amateur golfer more than they help the guys on Tour, who want to work the ball and have more specific needs about carry and roll. Or possibly, as Phil Mickelson surmised two weeks ago at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, the pros just need some time to get used to what the club can do.
"I think that the FT-i, the square-headed driver, is not just an evolutionary driver. I think it's more of a revolutionary driver," Mickelson said. "Because it's such a drastic change, because the moment of inertia is so high, because the ball goes so straight it doesn't want to curve, I think it's actually going to take a little bit more time on the PGA Tour."
Callaway Golf CEO George Fellows, in a talk at a media luncheon last Wednesday, explained that his company does expect Phil Mickelson to put the FT-i in play.
Mickelson may be experimenting with the driver, but prefers to use the FT-5 -- a more traditional driver -- in tournament play. That doesn't mean that under certain circumstances, he won't pull the square driver out of his bag.
"I've been working on a longer version for the FT-i, because it's so straight, I'm able to increase the length of the short and to some thinking to hit the ball longer and keep it in play so I'm using most likely that driver for Augusta," he said.
However, Mickelson did say that in the situations where he's most likely to use the FT-i, it will be where he doesn't want to or doesn't need to work the ball.
"If I just wanted to hit it straight, I'll go to the FT-i, which is why I'm leaning toward that driver for Augusta when I tried to hit it a lot longer," he said. "I'm not really trying to maneuver it or curve it; I'm just trying to hit high bombs."
For those players who want more control over their ball flight, however, square drivers don't look to be a good fit.
K.J. Choi won last October's Tampa Bay Championship using a Nike SQ Sumo2 driver, but player reaction to the new drivers, such as the SQ Sumo2 and Callaway Golf's FT-i, has not been overwhelming -- yet.
"I've hit the Sumo and I've hit the Sumo2, as well, and I have not put them in the bag, either one of them," said Tiger Woods at last week's Buick Invitational. "I've found that I just could not get enough spin on the golf ball. I was hitting it farther, yeah, but I just could not hit a ball with enough spin on it.
"It was frustrating in the sense that I was hitting it farther but because I was just obviously carrying it and running, and I don't like roll. I want my ball to kind of land a little soft. I hit it far enough, and as the fairways on Tour have gotten narrower and they're pinching fairways in. I don't want that ball running anywhere."
Fine.
Square drivers may benefit the average amateur golfer more than they help the guys on Tour, who want to work the ball and have more specific needs about carry and roll. Or possibly, as Phil Mickelson surmised two weeks ago at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, the pros just need some time to get used to what the club can do.
"I think that the FT-i, the square-headed driver, is not just an evolutionary driver. I think it's more of a revolutionary driver," Mickelson said. "Because it's such a drastic change, because the moment of inertia is so high, because the ball goes so straight it doesn't want to curve, I think it's actually going to take a little bit more time on the PGA Tour."
Callaway Golf CEO George Fellows, in a talk at a media luncheon last Wednesday, explained that his company does expect Phil Mickelson to put the FT-i in play.
Mickelson may be experimenting with the driver, but prefers to use the FT-5 -- a more traditional driver -- in tournament play. That doesn't mean that under certain circumstances, he won't pull the square driver out of his bag.
"I've been working on a longer version for the FT-i, because it's so straight, I'm able to increase the length of the short and to some thinking to hit the ball longer and keep it in play so I'm using most likely that driver for Augusta," he said.
However, Mickelson did say that in the situations where he's most likely to use the FT-i, it will be where he doesn't want to or doesn't need to work the ball.
"If I just wanted to hit it straight, I'll go to the FT-i, which is why I'm leaning toward that driver for Augusta when I tried to hit it a lot longer," he said. "I'm not really trying to maneuver it or curve it; I'm just trying to hit high bombs."
For those players who want more control over their ball flight, however, square drivers don't look to be a good fit.
Monday, January 29, 2007
PGA Merchandise Show: Accessories that Enhance the Game
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The side-by-side appearance of famed teaching pros Butch Harmon and David Leadbetter to promote one product at the PGA Merchandise Show indicated that maybe there was something to the Trion:Z.
Launched at last year's PGA Merchandise Show and now up to 1,200 accounts, Trion:Z is a line of fabric magnetic/ionic bracelets and necklaces that come in several colors. The fabric, called Stayers, is infused with a mineral that gives off negative ions, counterbalancing the positive ions most people receive from computers, electronic equipment and other sources of electromagnetic energy.
"If the body is in electrical balance everything works the way it is supposed to," said company CEO Jim Uno. "If the body is in too much of a positive state, you may have excess fatigue and feel pain more intensely."
Trion:Z products also contain magnets to loosen muscles and stimulate blood flow.
"I've always been into magnets and magnetic therapy," Leadbetter said. "When I found out about these I was immediately interested."
Leadbetter says he removes his bracelet to shower, and can tell if he forgets to put it back on.
"When I came in this morning, I was yawning my head off," he said. "I looked at my wrist and I didn't have my bracelet."
With another bracelet on, Leadbetter said, he felt better.
Harmon, on the other hand, tried the Trion:Z to help him with arthritis in his hands.
"I'm not smart enough to explain how it works," Harmon said. "I just know I feel better when I wear it. It relieves my arthritis. I don't know why you wouldn't try it.
The bracelets and necklaces will not lose their effectiveness over time or by becoming wet, like some other ionized jewelry. However, wearers may wish to replace their bracelets over time so they don't look worn. The bracelets retail for $19.95 and the necklaces are $29.95.
RAIN OR SHINE: You could be blown away -- literally -- by the Gustbuster. Although it's been around a while, the Gustbuster umbrella keeps gaining momentum, and with a giant fan in the company's show booth, you can see how the product holds up.
Designed to blow up to 60 miles per hour, you will likely blow away before the umbrella breaks.
"It's unflippable, unflappable and unbreakable," said Steve Asman, president of Innoventions Enterprises, maker of the Gustbuster.
The flow-through design is the key to how these 62- or 68-inch golf umbrellas withstand up to 55 mph -- and in many cases, higher -- winds. Asman said the company sees less than 1 percent returns and they guarantee the umbrellas for life.
To balance the umbrella, Innoventions has a line of SunBuster Sports Enhancement Eyewear that help protect eyes and help golfers read putts better. PuttReaders lenses in the sunglasses are optically ground to reduce distortion and colored so they filter light for most effective vision of undulations and breaks in the green. They also help depth perception -- leading to better putting for golfers, immediately.
"Golfers shouldn't wear polarized glasses. They bounce light and are well-known to flatten contours," Asman said. "These relax your eyes and your face muscles so you're going to play better. You can see better and putt better, so you'll play better."
NAVIGATING ALONG: If you like to walk the course but don't want to mess with a push cart, the Navigator from Bag Boy is an excellent solution. The Navigator uses a remote control so you can operate it from up to 220 yards away. That comes in handy when, for example, you leave your bag on one side of the green.
"You don't have to walk back to your cart," said George West, Bag Boy operations manager. "You can take the remote control and send the cart back to you or to the next tee. It's like having a caddy."
Plus, it is extremely stable, thanks to a swiveling front wheel and retractable fourth wheel in the back.
"When a cart drives down a hill or slope, typically gravity will pull it to the left or right," West said. "With the Navigator, you can feel the resistance and you can actually see the front wheel pulling back to the original line."
The Navigator has an on-board compass; a cart seat with an inside storage area for scorecards, balls, tees and personal items; and an umbrella holder. Its 34A gel cell battery is made to last for 18 holes.
"If by chance you forget to charge it -- and that's gonna happen, no doubt about it -- you just change the position of the wheels and use it as a traditional push cart," West said.
Bag Boy also introduced The Explorer and The Cruiser at the show. The Explorer is a walk-along cart and the Cruiser is an adaptive cruise control cart that can maintain a set speed at all times on all terrains.
Launched at last year's PGA Merchandise Show and now up to 1,200 accounts, Trion:Z is a line of fabric magnetic/ionic bracelets and necklaces that come in several colors. The fabric, called Stayers, is infused with a mineral that gives off negative ions, counterbalancing the positive ions most people receive from computers, electronic equipment and other sources of electromagnetic energy.
"If the body is in electrical balance everything works the way it is supposed to," said company CEO Jim Uno. "If the body is in too much of a positive state, you may have excess fatigue and feel pain more intensely."
Trion:Z products also contain magnets to loosen muscles and stimulate blood flow.
"I've always been into magnets and magnetic therapy," Leadbetter said. "When I found out about these I was immediately interested."
Leadbetter says he removes his bracelet to shower, and can tell if he forgets to put it back on.
"When I came in this morning, I was yawning my head off," he said. "I looked at my wrist and I didn't have my bracelet."
With another bracelet on, Leadbetter said, he felt better.
Harmon, on the other hand, tried the Trion:Z to help him with arthritis in his hands.
"I'm not smart enough to explain how it works," Harmon said. "I just know I feel better when I wear it. It relieves my arthritis. I don't know why you wouldn't try it.
The bracelets and necklaces will not lose their effectiveness over time or by becoming wet, like some other ionized jewelry. However, wearers may wish to replace their bracelets over time so they don't look worn. The bracelets retail for $19.95 and the necklaces are $29.95.
RAIN OR SHINE: You could be blown away -- literally -- by the Gustbuster. Although it's been around a while, the Gustbuster umbrella keeps gaining momentum, and with a giant fan in the company's show booth, you can see how the product holds up.
Designed to blow up to 60 miles per hour, you will likely blow away before the umbrella breaks.
"It's unflippable, unflappable and unbreakable," said Steve Asman, president of Innoventions Enterprises, maker of the Gustbuster.
The flow-through design is the key to how these 62- or 68-inch golf umbrellas withstand up to 55 mph -- and in many cases, higher -- winds. Asman said the company sees less than 1 percent returns and they guarantee the umbrellas for life.
To balance the umbrella, Innoventions has a line of SunBuster Sports Enhancement Eyewear that help protect eyes and help golfers read putts better. PuttReaders lenses in the sunglasses are optically ground to reduce distortion and colored so they filter light for most effective vision of undulations and breaks in the green. They also help depth perception -- leading to better putting for golfers, immediately.
"Golfers shouldn't wear polarized glasses. They bounce light and are well-known to flatten contours," Asman said. "These relax your eyes and your face muscles so you're going to play better. You can see better and putt better, so you'll play better."
NAVIGATING ALONG: If you like to walk the course but don't want to mess with a push cart, the Navigator from Bag Boy is an excellent solution. The Navigator uses a remote control so you can operate it from up to 220 yards away. That comes in handy when, for example, you leave your bag on one side of the green.
"You don't have to walk back to your cart," said George West, Bag Boy operations manager. "You can take the remote control and send the cart back to you or to the next tee. It's like having a caddy."
Plus, it is extremely stable, thanks to a swiveling front wheel and retractable fourth wheel in the back.
"When a cart drives down a hill or slope, typically gravity will pull it to the left or right," West said. "With the Navigator, you can feel the resistance and you can actually see the front wheel pulling back to the original line."
The Navigator has an on-board compass; a cart seat with an inside storage area for scorecards, balls, tees and personal items; and an umbrella holder. Its 34A gel cell battery is made to last for 18 holes.
"If by chance you forget to charge it -- and that's gonna happen, no doubt about it -- you just change the position of the wheels and use it as a traditional push cart," West said.
Bag Boy also introduced The Explorer and The Cruiser at the show. The Explorer is a walk-along cart and the Cruiser is an adaptive cruise control cart that can maintain a set speed at all times on all terrains.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
No Dimples Give Caesar Smooth Roll
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Crouched over a pool table one day, Vin Lee noticed how smoothly the billiard balls rolled and wished he could produce similar results with his golf game. That was the spark it took to launch Caesar Golf Co., which produces a line of smooth, undimpled golf balls.
Lee, the company's CEO and president, wanted to make a golf ball that performed better on greens and was more accurate to hit. Without dimples, the Caesar golf ball rolls more smoothly and flies more precisely through the air.
"The real game of golf is about placing each shot where you want it, not just trying to rocket over the highway," Lee said. "Who cares how far you hit the ball, if you can't find it?"
The company is marketing the balls as ideal for use on short holes, where accuracy matters more than distance.
"The golf industry has focused on creating clubs and balls for distance. This focuses on accuracy, control, precision," Caesar spokesperson Sue Bohle said. "People are getting interested in the short game, in hitting an accurate, straight shot with an iron."
At Wednesday's PGA Merchandise Show Demo Day, golfers approached the unusual balls with skepticism, but quickly became converts after trying them on the putting green.
"We had one younger guy, a college kid, make 15 putts in a row with it," said Lisa France, account executive for Caesar Golf. "People are very excited. The number one word I've heard so far is 'fascinating.'
"One man said, 'This ball is like cheating.'"
Fortunately, the ball complies with the requirements of the U.S. Golf Association and the Royal & Ancient. It's been submitted for formal approval the next time the USGA tests golf balls, which typically happens twice a year.
Each two-piece golf ball is made from proprietary materials. The manufacturing process starts with building an oversized core, then grinding it down until the core has no sweet spot and is perfectly balanced. Because the ball has no dimples, the same thing is done with the cover to ensure this balance is retained.
This manufacturing process comes at a price. Caesar golf balls cost nearly 10 times as much as standard golf balls to make. The price, $60 for a half dozen, reflects that.
"You don't lose it - you can't slice this ball," France said. "Vin (used one for a round), smacked the crud out of it. He played it for 18 holes and there's not a mark on it. It gets dirty like any other golf ball, but you just wash it off. They're very durable."
Caesar golf balls are one of the more creative products to launch at this year's PGA Show, but they actually return to golf's roots, when balls were called "featheries" and were made of handsewn cowhide with a smooth surface. Some gutta percha balls were also smooth, but golfers learned that creating patterns on the surface could increase distance -- as well, it was hard to get a truly round ball.
With modern technology and the custom manufacturing process Caesar uses, getting a truly round ball is possible. It's not, by any means, a distance ball -- as the golfers in the 1800s found out, dimples or markings on the ball's surface do add yards. According to France, though, the reduction in distance isn't as much as you might think.
"You'll notice it rises differently and the ball drops sooner," she said. "In terms of distance you don't lose as much as you might think because it bounces longer and rolls longer."
The ball on display at the PGA Show is actually a prototype of the first ball to debut in a planned line of undimpled golf balls, that company officials hope will be available for retail in February or March.
Lee, the company's CEO and president, wanted to make a golf ball that performed better on greens and was more accurate to hit. Without dimples, the Caesar golf ball rolls more smoothly and flies more precisely through the air.
"The real game of golf is about placing each shot where you want it, not just trying to rocket over the highway," Lee said. "Who cares how far you hit the ball, if you can't find it?"
The company is marketing the balls as ideal for use on short holes, where accuracy matters more than distance.
"The golf industry has focused on creating clubs and balls for distance. This focuses on accuracy, control, precision," Caesar spokesperson Sue Bohle said. "People are getting interested in the short game, in hitting an accurate, straight shot with an iron."
At Wednesday's PGA Merchandise Show Demo Day, golfers approached the unusual balls with skepticism, but quickly became converts after trying them on the putting green.
"We had one younger guy, a college kid, make 15 putts in a row with it," said Lisa France, account executive for Caesar Golf. "People are very excited. The number one word I've heard so far is 'fascinating.'
"One man said, 'This ball is like cheating.'"
Fortunately, the ball complies with the requirements of the U.S. Golf Association and the Royal & Ancient. It's been submitted for formal approval the next time the USGA tests golf balls, which typically happens twice a year.
Each two-piece golf ball is made from proprietary materials. The manufacturing process starts with building an oversized core, then grinding it down until the core has no sweet spot and is perfectly balanced. Because the ball has no dimples, the same thing is done with the cover to ensure this balance is retained.
This manufacturing process comes at a price. Caesar golf balls cost nearly 10 times as much as standard golf balls to make. The price, $60 for a half dozen, reflects that.
"You don't lose it - you can't slice this ball," France said. "Vin (used one for a round), smacked the crud out of it. He played it for 18 holes and there's not a mark on it. It gets dirty like any other golf ball, but you just wash it off. They're very durable."
Caesar golf balls are one of the more creative products to launch at this year's PGA Show, but they actually return to golf's roots, when balls were called "featheries" and were made of handsewn cowhide with a smooth surface. Some gutta percha balls were also smooth, but golfers learned that creating patterns on the surface could increase distance -- as well, it was hard to get a truly round ball.
With modern technology and the custom manufacturing process Caesar uses, getting a truly round ball is possible. It's not, by any means, a distance ball -- as the golfers in the 1800s found out, dimples or markings on the ball's surface do add yards. According to France, though, the reduction in distance isn't as much as you might think.
"You'll notice it rises differently and the ball drops sooner," she said. "In terms of distance you don't lose as much as you might think because it bounces longer and rolls longer."
The ball on display at the PGA Show is actually a prototype of the first ball to debut in a planned line of undimpled golf balls, that company officials hope will be available for retail in February or March.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Tour Van Notebook: SuperQuad to Perry's, Stadler's Liking
In the first week TaylorMade's r7 SuperQuad driver was available to PGA Tour pros, it was in the bags of Kenny Perry and Kevin Stadler at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
"That thing is the most solid driver I've hit," Perry said. "It was easy to hit, I launched it high and didn't have any problems with it."
Perry, who was 69th on the PGA Tour last year in driving distance with a 293.1-yard average, improved on that stat to finish third for the tournament in driving distance with a 298.5-yard average.
Stadler -- a man not known for changing his equipment on a whim -- also praised the new driver.
"It's been really good so far," he said. "I'm very reluctant to change and I just like the way this one looked and it felt pretty good so far."
Previously, Stadler played an r500 series driver from four or five years ago. He said that the new r7 drivers tended to have more spin than he liked, but that the SuperQuad gave him additional accuracy.
"I know it goes a lot straighter," he said. "I whale away on it and it doesn't go too far off line and that's a nice trade off."
Stadler tied for 29th in driving accuracy with a 65.2 percent average for the week, an improvement over his 62.6 percent average in 2006. He also was 20th in driving distance with a 291.4-yard average.
Joe Ogilvie, Shaun Micheel, Justin Rose, John Mallinger, Richard Johnson, Lee Janzen, Scott Verplank, Greg Owen and Will MacKenzie all tested the r7 SuperQuad and may choose to put it in play soon.
OPEN FACE: Padraig Harrington put a new set of Wilson irons he is testing into his bag for the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship last week.
He reported that the biggest difference with the irons was a higher ball flight due to improved weighting.
"I can see a big difference in the longer irons," Harrington said. "The key with my game and probably for majors and things like that, I want to hit my irons a little bit softer into the greens. These definitely fly higher and sort of hold the trajectory well; whereas before, the one thing I get a little bit too often is an aggressive flight, which is great when you're playing in windy weather and links golf courses, but it's not great when you're playing stadium-style golf courses where you're trying to fly a ball into a green and stop it quickly."
Harrington also said that getting the irons right took some time. He likes to put the grips on 20 degrees open so the clubface is open when he grips the club square.
"It takes a bit of time to get them correct," he said. "That's the great thing of being with Wilson, they will always come to me and ask me what I think and explain what they are trying to do to make their golf clubs better. I have quite a bit of input into it ... having looked at the very initial designs and talking through what I wanted to see in the designs, all the way up from the irons through the wedges through the driver."
BITS AND PIECES: Bob Hope Chrysler Classic winner Charley Hoffman was the third player in as many weeks to win with a Titleist Pro V1 prototype golf ball. Overall, 96 players in the 128-man field used Titleist balls. ... TaylorMade won the weekly driver count with 51 drivers in play; Titleist was second with 28. ... Titleist had 45 putters in play for the week, followed by Odyssey with 27. ... Scott Verplank put a TaylorMade r7 425 9.5-degree driver into his bag for the first time, and finished in a tie for eighth place.
"That thing is the most solid driver I've hit," Perry said. "It was easy to hit, I launched it high and didn't have any problems with it."
Perry, who was 69th on the PGA Tour last year in driving distance with a 293.1-yard average, improved on that stat to finish third for the tournament in driving distance with a 298.5-yard average.
Stadler -- a man not known for changing his equipment on a whim -- also praised the new driver.
"It's been really good so far," he said. "I'm very reluctant to change and I just like the way this one looked and it felt pretty good so far."
Previously, Stadler played an r500 series driver from four or five years ago. He said that the new r7 drivers tended to have more spin than he liked, but that the SuperQuad gave him additional accuracy.
"I know it goes a lot straighter," he said. "I whale away on it and it doesn't go too far off line and that's a nice trade off."
Stadler tied for 29th in driving accuracy with a 65.2 percent average for the week, an improvement over his 62.6 percent average in 2006. He also was 20th in driving distance with a 291.4-yard average.
Joe Ogilvie, Shaun Micheel, Justin Rose, John Mallinger, Richard Johnson, Lee Janzen, Scott Verplank, Greg Owen and Will MacKenzie all tested the r7 SuperQuad and may choose to put it in play soon.
OPEN FACE: Padraig Harrington put a new set of Wilson irons he is testing into his bag for the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship last week.
He reported that the biggest difference with the irons was a higher ball flight due to improved weighting.
"I can see a big difference in the longer irons," Harrington said. "The key with my game and probably for majors and things like that, I want to hit my irons a little bit softer into the greens. These definitely fly higher and sort of hold the trajectory well; whereas before, the one thing I get a little bit too often is an aggressive flight, which is great when you're playing in windy weather and links golf courses, but it's not great when you're playing stadium-style golf courses where you're trying to fly a ball into a green and stop it quickly."
Harrington also said that getting the irons right took some time. He likes to put the grips on 20 degrees open so the clubface is open when he grips the club square.
"It takes a bit of time to get them correct," he said. "That's the great thing of being with Wilson, they will always come to me and ask me what I think and explain what they are trying to do to make their golf clubs better. I have quite a bit of input into it ... having looked at the very initial designs and talking through what I wanted to see in the designs, all the way up from the irons through the wedges through the driver."
BITS AND PIECES: Bob Hope Chrysler Classic winner Charley Hoffman was the third player in as many weeks to win with a Titleist Pro V1 prototype golf ball. Overall, 96 players in the 128-man field used Titleist balls. ... TaylorMade won the weekly driver count with 51 drivers in play; Titleist was second with 28. ... Titleist had 45 putters in play for the week, followed by Odyssey with 27. ... Scott Verplank put a TaylorMade r7 425 9.5-degree driver into his bag for the first time, and finished in a tie for eighth place.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Sun Mountain Has 'Aha' Moment with Waterproof Bag
The day may have started without a hint of rain, or you and the other members of your foursome decided to brave the elements. Maybe it wasn't raining much when you started, but now you're getting significantly wet. Sure, you've got the umbrella and the extra towel, but at a certain point the rain begins to soak into your bag.
Most golf bags are made from water resistant fabric, and a light sprinkle won't do a thing. But for those of us who have pulled a soggy scorecard from a rain-soaked pocket, we know that there must be something better.
Sun Mountain designers thought so, too.
Sparked by years of developing lightweight outerwear to keep golfers dry, the company has designed a waterproof golf bag, the Sun Mountain H2O Tech bag.
"It was an 'Aha!' moment," said Steve Snyders, a spokesman for Sun Mountain.
"People complain about their cigars getting ruined, their scorecards getting wet, their cell phones being damaged. We used similar technology to what we use in our outerwear (to keep them dry)."
What makes a golf bag waterproof?
"In most bags, the fabric is waterproof but the seams are not," Snyders said. "Every place the fabric is punctured is a place for water to get in."
Zippers are another place where water can find its way inside the golf bag, as most bags don't include waterproof zippers.
The H2O bag sports pockets and a rain hood that are made with waterproof fabric, taped seams and waterproof zippers. The design keeps items like cell phones and other electronics dry, as well as preserving a scorecard and even a cigar. Use of the rain hood keeps clubs dry.
Designers built the H2O Tech bag on the frame of the popular Superlight 3.5, a lightweight carry bag.
"Superlight 3.5 was designed on the premise of 'Sacrifice nothing but weight,'" said Sun Mountain founder Rick Reimers. "We accomplished it, and now with H2O Tech we have further perfected it."
The bag features a one-piece top with a built-in collar handle that is easy to grab when you're taking the bag off your shoulder. There is also a stand mechanism and X-Strap Dual Strap for comfort in carrying.
The strap attaches to a six-way top that's positioned higher on the bag to move the center of gravity up and provide better balance. It's also got full-length dividers and five pockets, including one that's full length.
H20 Tech will debut at next week's PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla., and will be shipped to retailers and consumers beginning in February.
"The bags will be ready to ship right after the show," Snyders said. "It won't be a case of put in your order and wait for six months."
The bags will be available in black and goldenrod and have a suggested retail price of $229.99.
Most golf bags are made from water resistant fabric, and a light sprinkle won't do a thing. But for those of us who have pulled a soggy scorecard from a rain-soaked pocket, we know that there must be something better.
Sun Mountain designers thought so, too.
Sparked by years of developing lightweight outerwear to keep golfers dry, the company has designed a waterproof golf bag, the Sun Mountain H2O Tech bag.
"It was an 'Aha!' moment," said Steve Snyders, a spokesman for Sun Mountain.
"People complain about their cigars getting ruined, their scorecards getting wet, their cell phones being damaged. We used similar technology to what we use in our outerwear (to keep them dry)."
What makes a golf bag waterproof?
"In most bags, the fabric is waterproof but the seams are not," Snyders said. "Every place the fabric is punctured is a place for water to get in."
Zippers are another place where water can find its way inside the golf bag, as most bags don't include waterproof zippers.
The H2O bag sports pockets and a rain hood that are made with waterproof fabric, taped seams and waterproof zippers. The design keeps items like cell phones and other electronics dry, as well as preserving a scorecard and even a cigar. Use of the rain hood keeps clubs dry.
Designers built the H2O Tech bag on the frame of the popular Superlight 3.5, a lightweight carry bag.
"Superlight 3.5 was designed on the premise of 'Sacrifice nothing but weight,'" said Sun Mountain founder Rick Reimers. "We accomplished it, and now with H2O Tech we have further perfected it."
The bag features a one-piece top with a built-in collar handle that is easy to grab when you're taking the bag off your shoulder. There is also a stand mechanism and X-Strap Dual Strap for comfort in carrying.
The strap attaches to a six-way top that's positioned higher on the bag to move the center of gravity up and provide better balance. It's also got full-length dividers and five pockets, including one that's full length.
H20 Tech will debut at next week's PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla., and will be shipped to retailers and consumers beginning in February.
"The bags will be ready to ship right after the show," Snyders said. "It won't be a case of put in your order and wait for six months."
The bags will be available in black and goldenrod and have a suggested retail price of $229.99.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Tour Van Notebook: Lehman Puts Bend Back Into Putts
Tom Lehman is bending over his putts a bit more these days.
The veteran PGA Tour player had experimented with a belly putter last season, but at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Lehman had a regular-length flat stick.
"That long putter statistically -- I mean it was no better than the short putter before -- and I just feel like I see the line better with the short putter," Lehman said.
Some players, including Vijay Singh in his win at last week's Mercedes-Benz Championship, have picked up the belly putter because it removes some of the moving parts of the putting stroke.
With the end of the grip against the stomach, the player can putt using a pendulum swing, reducing wrist action and a potential area for mistakes. Critics of the longer putters argue that using one reduces feel and actually is a disadvantage for putts of more than 20 feet.
Lehman made the cut in Honolulu, but went 76-75 for the weekend, finishing last in the tournament. He averaged 31.0 putts per round, a tie for 71st in the field.
"So it's going to take a little used to, I think, getting back to swinging it a bit shorter," Lehman said. "You know, it's -- the long putter was not the answer."
SECOND TIME'S THE CHARM: In a tournament where driver doesn't come out of the bag on too many holes, Jerry Kelly couldn't stop talking about his new Cleveland HiBore XL driver.
Similar to the one Singh used to win the Mercedes-Benz Championship last week, the driver helped Kelly led the Sony field in driving accuracy and a tie for 13th overall.
"You have got to be able to control your ball," he said. "The only way to do that is from the fairway. The new Cleveland driver is fantastic compared to the old one."
Kelly said he used the first-generation HiBore driver and would hit the ball high with lots of spin or low with little spin. Control was more difficult.
"The way they built (the original driver) was to lower the sweet spot and make it bigger," he said. "Well, something happened on the inside. That didn't work out."
But, he said, that got fixed with the new club.
"They built a club on the computer the first time and they built the club with me and Vijay telling them what it did in competition the next time. I think it's best for a company to, if you're going to launch new technology, to probably get some player input and see how it works in the real world. It's a fantastic idea, I think it's revolutionary and it's showing up now.
"All I care is that they got it right," he said. "They definitely got it right. It's a good stuff."
SAME LOOK, NEW NAME: David Toms made a switch this year to TaylorMade equipment, including a new putter. Since he's not a man who likes to change his putter style, his Corza putter closely resembles what he's used in the past.
"It seems like every company, whatever putter I've used, always made me something similar to the style that I used ever since I was in college," Toms said. "So you know, it's nothing out of the ordinary I guess. It's just a nice, solid putter."
The difference? Corza's insert. Toms said that he went through TaylorMade's putting studio and quickly became convinced that the insert would work for him.
"They made me a believer after about 30 minutes that I think it's something that's going to help me be more consistent with pace on the greens," he said. "I'm going to give it a shot for a while."
WARM AND FUZZY: Fuzzy Zoeller has signed a contract with PowerBilt to play the company's clubs, carry its bright orange bag and design clubs. He last played PowerBilt clubs 15 years ago.
"I had great success with PowerBilt," Zoeller said. "Heck, 10 of the 12 professional tournaments I won, including the Masters and U.S. Open, were with PowerBilt. We're going to work hard to resurrect that success."
Plans call for Zoeller to help design new PowerBilt Citation forged irons that he will then play. PowerBilt's research and development head, Mark Wilson, will work with Zoeller on that and projects for new utility woods, fairway woods and drivers for tour play.
The veteran PGA Tour player had experimented with a belly putter last season, but at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Lehman had a regular-length flat stick.
"That long putter statistically -- I mean it was no better than the short putter before -- and I just feel like I see the line better with the short putter," Lehman said.
Some players, including Vijay Singh in his win at last week's Mercedes-Benz Championship, have picked up the belly putter because it removes some of the moving parts of the putting stroke.
With the end of the grip against the stomach, the player can putt using a pendulum swing, reducing wrist action and a potential area for mistakes. Critics of the longer putters argue that using one reduces feel and actually is a disadvantage for putts of more than 20 feet.
Lehman made the cut in Honolulu, but went 76-75 for the weekend, finishing last in the tournament. He averaged 31.0 putts per round, a tie for 71st in the field.
"So it's going to take a little used to, I think, getting back to swinging it a bit shorter," Lehman said. "You know, it's -- the long putter was not the answer."
SECOND TIME'S THE CHARM: In a tournament where driver doesn't come out of the bag on too many holes, Jerry Kelly couldn't stop talking about his new Cleveland HiBore XL driver.
Similar to the one Singh used to win the Mercedes-Benz Championship last week, the driver helped Kelly led the Sony field in driving accuracy and a tie for 13th overall.
"You have got to be able to control your ball," he said. "The only way to do that is from the fairway. The new Cleveland driver is fantastic compared to the old one."
Kelly said he used the first-generation HiBore driver and would hit the ball high with lots of spin or low with little spin. Control was more difficult.
"The way they built (the original driver) was to lower the sweet spot and make it bigger," he said. "Well, something happened on the inside. That didn't work out."
But, he said, that got fixed with the new club.
"They built a club on the computer the first time and they built the club with me and Vijay telling them what it did in competition the next time. I think it's best for a company to, if you're going to launch new technology, to probably get some player input and see how it works in the real world. It's a fantastic idea, I think it's revolutionary and it's showing up now.
"All I care is that they got it right," he said. "They definitely got it right. It's a good stuff."
SAME LOOK, NEW NAME: David Toms made a switch this year to TaylorMade equipment, including a new putter. Since he's not a man who likes to change his putter style, his Corza putter closely resembles what he's used in the past.
"It seems like every company, whatever putter I've used, always made me something similar to the style that I used ever since I was in college," Toms said. "So you know, it's nothing out of the ordinary I guess. It's just a nice, solid putter."
The difference? Corza's insert. Toms said that he went through TaylorMade's putting studio and quickly became convinced that the insert would work for him.
"They made me a believer after about 30 minutes that I think it's something that's going to help me be more consistent with pace on the greens," he said. "I'm going to give it a shot for a while."
WARM AND FUZZY: Fuzzy Zoeller has signed a contract with PowerBilt to play the company's clubs, carry its bright orange bag and design clubs. He last played PowerBilt clubs 15 years ago.
"I had great success with PowerBilt," Zoeller said. "Heck, 10 of the 12 professional tournaments I won, including the Masters and U.S. Open, were with PowerBilt. We're going to work hard to resurrect that success."
Plans call for Zoeller to help design new PowerBilt Citation forged irons that he will then play. PowerBilt's research and development head, Mark Wilson, will work with Zoeller on that and projects for new utility woods, fairway woods and drivers for tour play.
Tour Van: Goydos Sticks With What Works
With a modest carry bag, a hat featuring the American flag and a collection of clubs that might be nearly as old as his last victory, Paul Goydos went from struggling to keep his PGA Tour card at the end of last season to winning the Sony Open in Hawaii Sunday.
In his first win since the 1996 Bay Hill Invitational, Goydos' clubs included a pair of Callaway Big Bertha Steelhead fairway woods and TaylorMade RAC irons.
"Those 14 clubs to me are what we do, and to me if somebody offered me -- they offer you a couple hundred grand to switch equipment, I'm playing for 280 million; that doesn't make any sense," Goydos said. "I want to play with the 14 clubs I think I'm going to have the best chance of competing with and if that ends up costing me money in endorsements, so be it. I feel I have a better chance of making a living playing the game than selling the product."
Actually, Goydos' choice of RAC irons was new -- he had not played the set he won with in competition.
"I played reasonably well with them and I like the way they look," Goydos said. "It wasn't that they offered me money. They are the clubs I like to play."
Goydos did have a contract with Achushnet to use a Titleist ball and driver as well as FootJoy shoes and gloves. He became the second player in as many weeks to win with a new prototype Titleist golf ball, the ProV1. Vijay Singh won last week with a ProV1x prototype.
Goydos' driver, Titleist's 905S model, has been released for almost two years. Although the 905 line's R model has been popular on the PGA Tour in the last year, the company expects to pick up more players with new 907 D1 and D2 drivers, set to release later this spring. Luke Donald, who finished in a tie for second at Sony, had a 907 D2 in his bag.
Does Goydos' win with older clubs mean anything for the manufacturers whose equipment he carried?
In the case of the Titleist 905S driver, which is still available to consumers, it might help generate interest in the new models Titleist will introduce.
"It's tough to say," said Joe Gomes, director of communications for Acushnet Golf. "There's a lot of anticipation for the new models so I'm not sure (if this win) will rejuvenate the 905. A lot of people want the latest and greatest, even though the 905s are great drivers."
For those companies whose older equipment is only available to consumers in dusty corners of pro shops, used club sales and eBay, the attention to the brand name is nice but there's unlikely to be much of a direct benefit.
Goydos does plan to pick up a sponsor for his hat and bag soon -- but it won't be a golf equipment manufacturer. The company he's working with for a potential sponsorship is PEP Boys, an automotive parts retailer.
In his first win since the 1996 Bay Hill Invitational, Goydos' clubs included a pair of Callaway Big Bertha Steelhead fairway woods and TaylorMade RAC irons.
"Those 14 clubs to me are what we do, and to me if somebody offered me -- they offer you a couple hundred grand to switch equipment, I'm playing for 280 million; that doesn't make any sense," Goydos said. "I want to play with the 14 clubs I think I'm going to have the best chance of competing with and if that ends up costing me money in endorsements, so be it. I feel I have a better chance of making a living playing the game than selling the product."
Actually, Goydos' choice of RAC irons was new -- he had not played the set he won with in competition.
"I played reasonably well with them and I like the way they look," Goydos said. "It wasn't that they offered me money. They are the clubs I like to play."
Goydos did have a contract with Achushnet to use a Titleist ball and driver as well as FootJoy shoes and gloves. He became the second player in as many weeks to win with a new prototype Titleist golf ball, the ProV1. Vijay Singh won last week with a ProV1x prototype.
Goydos' driver, Titleist's 905S model, has been released for almost two years. Although the 905 line's R model has been popular on the PGA Tour in the last year, the company expects to pick up more players with new 907 D1 and D2 drivers, set to release later this spring. Luke Donald, who finished in a tie for second at Sony, had a 907 D2 in his bag.
Does Goydos' win with older clubs mean anything for the manufacturers whose equipment he carried?
In the case of the Titleist 905S driver, which is still available to consumers, it might help generate interest in the new models Titleist will introduce.
"It's tough to say," said Joe Gomes, director of communications for Acushnet Golf. "There's a lot of anticipation for the new models so I'm not sure (if this win) will rejuvenate the 905. A lot of people want the latest and greatest, even though the 905s are great drivers."
For those companies whose older equipment is only available to consumers in dusty corners of pro shops, used club sales and eBay, the attention to the brand name is nice but there's unlikely to be much of a direct benefit.
Goydos does plan to pick up a sponsor for his hat and bag soon -- but it won't be a golf equipment manufacturer. The company he's working with for a potential sponsorship is PEP Boys, an automotive parts retailer.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Players Belly Up to Long Putters
If you normally use a conventional putter, the first swing or two you take with a belly putter will feel awkward. But as you continue to test it, you'll start to understand how the belly putter could pay off. Wedging the end of the club against your stomach helps you make a more consistent arc with the putter head and eliminates wrist action, reducing a variable in the stroke.
For some golfers, this can pay off. Take the case of Vijay Singh, a player who admittedly likes to fiddle with putters but who has, after all, successfully tackled the rolling greens of Augusta National Golf Club and putted well enough to briefly take over the No. 1 player in the world spot.
Singh put a Never Compromise Milled belly putter in his bag for the Mercedes-Benz Championship last week in Kapalua, Hawaii, and putted well enough to claim the trophy. His 1.764 putting average was second best in the field.
So what's to stop every golfer from using a belly putter and gaining an advantage over those with traditional putters? Most golfers find that they lack feel with the belly or long putters. From 10 to 20 feet from the pin, you may see improvement, but it's hard to gauge distance on longer putts.
"There's a core group out there (who use the longer putter), but it's no more than 3 to 5 percent of the entire putter category," said Steve Boccieri, president and CEO of Heavy Putter. "If Vijay Singh is using a belly putter, that raises awareness. But on the PGA Tour, outside Vijay … Fred Couples had to go to it. (That small number) stands pretty true to the industry."
But in a marketplace where 1.5 million putters are sold each year, that's as many as 75,000 putters.
Boccieri says that the company decided to make belly-length versions of the Heavy Putter based on demand from professional players on the Champions Tour.
"The funny thing is that our technology is so different from putters on the market that I don't feel it's necessary to use the belly or long putter, but out on the Senior Tour, the guys are yippy, wristy. In order to have putters in play, we started to focus on them," he said.
Through testing with the senior players and reconfiguring the weight used in the putter, Boccieri was able to produce enough substantial data to create a belly-length putter that pleased him. By collecting so much data on the pros, he could make a putter that worked for well for most amateur golfers.
On the other hand, consumer demand drove Rife Putters to offer some of its putter models in longer lengths.
"It was really a consumer issue," said Matt Molloy, president of Rife Putters. "Belly and long putters are just part of the industry now and I don't think they are going anywhere. They may not be as popular as back when they were first introduced, but there will always be demand for them."
Regardless of whether manufacturers begin offering belly putters for pros or the public, they find challenges with manufacturing and retailing the clubs.
"They are more difficult to fit to the consumer," Molloy said. "Belly putters have to fit just right or they can be very cumbersome. As a small company we cannot afford to carry a number of different lengths, so we only carry 43 inches. Chances are the consumer will have to make adjustments to the putter on their own to get it just right."
Because golfers may need belly putters that range in length from 39-1/2 inches to 46 inches, retailers would need to stock several different lengths of each putter model to effectively fit all their customers.
"Retailers know they're really only going to get 3 percent of putter sales (from the belly putter)," Boccieri said. "They don't want to stock that many different SKUs."
To get around the issue, Boccieri said that Heavy Putter essentially custom builds each longer putter that is ordered.
"It's a tremendous nuisance," he said. "The shafts are different. The grips are two-piece or 21-inch single-piece long grips. It takes an artist to install the grip - it's so long and cumbersome. It's a real labor of love to build. I'm telling you, you do it for no money."
Perhaps fortunately for the manufacturers who experience these challenges with the alternative-length putters, consumers are unlikely to begin demanding significantly greater numbers of the putters.
"I don't expect a big jump even if someone like Vijay continues to win with it," Molloy said. "People have most likely tried them by now and have a pretty good idea if it is right for them. Those who have found them to be of great benefit will continue to stay loyal to them because they know that they will continue to help maintain their angles throughout the stroke."
If you do decide to give a belly putter a try, get properly fitted for one. A longer putter that does not fit correctly could do more harm to your stroke than help. Even using them solely for practice purposes can help you maintain a smoother arc and reduce wrist action when using a standard-length putter.
For some golfers, this can pay off. Take the case of Vijay Singh, a player who admittedly likes to fiddle with putters but who has, after all, successfully tackled the rolling greens of Augusta National Golf Club and putted well enough to briefly take over the No. 1 player in the world spot.
Singh put a Never Compromise Milled belly putter in his bag for the Mercedes-Benz Championship last week in Kapalua, Hawaii, and putted well enough to claim the trophy. His 1.764 putting average was second best in the field.
So what's to stop every golfer from using a belly putter and gaining an advantage over those with traditional putters? Most golfers find that they lack feel with the belly or long putters. From 10 to 20 feet from the pin, you may see improvement, but it's hard to gauge distance on longer putts.
"There's a core group out there (who use the longer putter), but it's no more than 3 to 5 percent of the entire putter category," said Steve Boccieri, president and CEO of Heavy Putter. "If Vijay Singh is using a belly putter, that raises awareness. But on the PGA Tour, outside Vijay … Fred Couples had to go to it. (That small number) stands pretty true to the industry."
But in a marketplace where 1.5 million putters are sold each year, that's as many as 75,000 putters.
Boccieri says that the company decided to make belly-length versions of the Heavy Putter based on demand from professional players on the Champions Tour.
"The funny thing is that our technology is so different from putters on the market that I don't feel it's necessary to use the belly or long putter, but out on the Senior Tour, the guys are yippy, wristy. In order to have putters in play, we started to focus on them," he said.
Through testing with the senior players and reconfiguring the weight used in the putter, Boccieri was able to produce enough substantial data to create a belly-length putter that pleased him. By collecting so much data on the pros, he could make a putter that worked for well for most amateur golfers.
On the other hand, consumer demand drove Rife Putters to offer some of its putter models in longer lengths.
"It was really a consumer issue," said Matt Molloy, president of Rife Putters. "Belly and long putters are just part of the industry now and I don't think they are going anywhere. They may not be as popular as back when they were first introduced, but there will always be demand for them."
Regardless of whether manufacturers begin offering belly putters for pros or the public, they find challenges with manufacturing and retailing the clubs.
"They are more difficult to fit to the consumer," Molloy said. "Belly putters have to fit just right or they can be very cumbersome. As a small company we cannot afford to carry a number of different lengths, so we only carry 43 inches. Chances are the consumer will have to make adjustments to the putter on their own to get it just right."
Because golfers may need belly putters that range in length from 39-1/2 inches to 46 inches, retailers would need to stock several different lengths of each putter model to effectively fit all their customers.
"Retailers know they're really only going to get 3 percent of putter sales (from the belly putter)," Boccieri said. "They don't want to stock that many different SKUs."
To get around the issue, Boccieri said that Heavy Putter essentially custom builds each longer putter that is ordered.
"It's a tremendous nuisance," he said. "The shafts are different. The grips are two-piece or 21-inch single-piece long grips. It takes an artist to install the grip - it's so long and cumbersome. It's a real labor of love to build. I'm telling you, you do it for no money."
Perhaps fortunately for the manufacturers who experience these challenges with the alternative-length putters, consumers are unlikely to begin demanding significantly greater numbers of the putters.
"I don't expect a big jump even if someone like Vijay continues to win with it," Molloy said. "People have most likely tried them by now and have a pretty good idea if it is right for them. Those who have found them to be of great benefit will continue to stay loyal to them because they know that they will continue to help maintain their angles throughout the stroke."
If you do decide to give a belly putter a try, get properly fitted for one. A longer putter that does not fit correctly could do more harm to your stroke than help. Even using them solely for practice purposes can help you maintain a smoother arc and reduce wrist action when using a standard-length putter.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Tour Van Notebook: Titleist Prototype Performing Well
If you're a top tour player, you may be able to get your hands on it. But it will probably be March before most golfers can get a sleeve of the new Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x balls.
"We haven't introduced it yet, so it's hard to get into the features and benefits," said Joe Gomes, director of communications for Acushnet Golf, who expects a release date on or around March 1.
The prototypes, which are based on the current three-piece Pro V1 and four-piece Pro V1x, were in the bags of 15 players at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship. Eleven, including winner Vijay Singh, had the Pro V1x model.
Titleist introduced the prototype ball to PGA Tour players in October, when Davis Love III used it to win the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro. Since then, more golfers in Titleist's stable have been making the switch. Singh first played the ball at the Funai Classic at Disney World, while Mercedes runner-up Adam Scott put it in his bag for the first time at Kapalua.
The ball is not the only new thing from Titleist as Ben Curtis, Luke Donald and Arron Oberholser all played a prototype 907D2 driver at the Mercedes.
IRON UPGRADE: Joe Durant, winner of last year's Funai Classic at Disney World, unveiled new Cleveland equipment at Kapalua. He admits he is not one for change -- the TA7s he was playing are circa 1998 -- but felt comfortable going to the CG4 Tour irons.
"It was time to make a switch," Durant said. "With where the purses are now and just the chances we have week after week, you don't want to go out with equipment you're not comfortable with, so it took me that length of time to find something I could play with."
Durant said he worked with Cleveland last year to find new irons that would really work for him, and that the transition took nearly the whole year.
"They are probably a touch smaller than my old TA7 irons. But they feel great," he said. "They have a nice, soft feel to them. Very easy to line up and they are easy to work. Not that I work the ball a lot, but I feel like I can hit a lot of different shots with them."
Durant also added a new HiBore driver from Cleveland, and moved from playing a Titleist ball to the Callaway 56 HQ Tour ball.
MAKING THE SWITCH: As is the case in most years, several players used the off-season to make a few changes to their equipment. Notably, David Toms put down his Cleveland sticks in favor of TaylorMade, including a new putter. TaylorMade is also in the process of signing deals with John Senden, Vaughn Taylor and Shaun Micheel.
Nike signed Lucas Glover and recent Q-School grad Anthony Kim, while D.J. Trahan went from Nike to Wilson.
"We haven't introduced it yet, so it's hard to get into the features and benefits," said Joe Gomes, director of communications for Acushnet Golf, who expects a release date on or around March 1.
The prototypes, which are based on the current three-piece Pro V1 and four-piece Pro V1x, were in the bags of 15 players at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship. Eleven, including winner Vijay Singh, had the Pro V1x model.
Titleist introduced the prototype ball to PGA Tour players in October, when Davis Love III used it to win the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro. Since then, more golfers in Titleist's stable have been making the switch. Singh first played the ball at the Funai Classic at Disney World, while Mercedes runner-up Adam Scott put it in his bag for the first time at Kapalua.
The ball is not the only new thing from Titleist as Ben Curtis, Luke Donald and Arron Oberholser all played a prototype 907D2 driver at the Mercedes.
IRON UPGRADE: Joe Durant, winner of last year's Funai Classic at Disney World, unveiled new Cleveland equipment at Kapalua. He admits he is not one for change -- the TA7s he was playing are circa 1998 -- but felt comfortable going to the CG4 Tour irons.
"It was time to make a switch," Durant said. "With where the purses are now and just the chances we have week after week, you don't want to go out with equipment you're not comfortable with, so it took me that length of time to find something I could play with."
Durant said he worked with Cleveland last year to find new irons that would really work for him, and that the transition took nearly the whole year.
"They are probably a touch smaller than my old TA7 irons. But they feel great," he said. "They have a nice, soft feel to them. Very easy to line up and they are easy to work. Not that I work the ball a lot, but I feel like I can hit a lot of different shots with them."
Durant also added a new HiBore driver from Cleveland, and moved from playing a Titleist ball to the Callaway 56 HQ Tour ball.
MAKING THE SWITCH: As is the case in most years, several players used the off-season to make a few changes to their equipment. Notably, David Toms put down his Cleveland sticks in favor of TaylorMade, including a new putter. TaylorMade is also in the process of signing deals with John Senden, Vaughn Taylor and Shaun Micheel.
Nike signed Lucas Glover and recent Q-School grad Anthony Kim, while D.J. Trahan went from Nike to Wilson.
Tour Van: Cleveland, By Popular Demand
Vijay Singh's win at the Mercedes-Benz Championship with a new Cleveland Golf HiBore XL driver raised so much interest that Cleveland began shipping the drivers on Monday. The official worldwide launch is scheduled for Feb. 2.
Cleveland's newest offering actually comes in two models -- the HiBore XL and the XL Tour. Singh and Jerry Kelly both used the XL model in Kapalua, while Joe Durant had the new XL Tour model in his bag.
"Vijay was definitely looking for added distance and help off the tee," said Keith Patterson of Cleveland's media relations department. "Last year he had a good season, but his standard is a great season."
Patterson said that Singh has worked with the driver since the end of last season and has seen increases in accuracy and distance. Official stats from one tournament -- especially with Kapalua's trademark winds -- are tough to take much from, but Singh's driving accuracy improved from a dismal 59.4 percent overall in 2006 to 71.67 percent last week.
"Got a new driver that I feel very comfortable with, and that was a big problem last year," Singh told reporters after his first round at Kapalua. "It's a new generation HiBore and driving the hell out of the ball, so that's a good thing. I'm knocking it straight, and whenever I drive the ball straight, my whole demeanor changes on the golf course."
Singh is using a standard model of the XL driver, but with a more open face.
Both the HiBore XL and XL Tour drivers use HiBore technology, which pushes the weight to the far edge of the club head for an increased moment of inertia and more forgiveness on off-center hits. Both clubs have a face area that's 11 percent larger than the previous HiBore driver. The tour model has a standard lie angle that's one degree flatter and a face angle that's three degrees open.
Like their predecessors, the new HiBore clubs include what Cleveland calls Distance Driven Geometry. This expands the area of the clubface where the golfer can get a high launch and less spin. Traditional drivers have a point on the clubface where the least rotation occurs at impact, called the center of gravity projections (CGP), which is relatively high on the clubface. By bringing that down to the center of the face, the lower spin results in greater accuracy and more distance.
"I asked for a new driver and they got me this new HiBore, and it's an incredible club," Singh said. "I wouldn't be surprised if a lot more guys don't change to it. It's probably one of the better drivers out here for a while."
Cleveland's newest offering actually comes in two models -- the HiBore XL and the XL Tour. Singh and Jerry Kelly both used the XL model in Kapalua, while Joe Durant had the new XL Tour model in his bag.
"Vijay was definitely looking for added distance and help off the tee," said Keith Patterson of Cleveland's media relations department. "Last year he had a good season, but his standard is a great season."
Patterson said that Singh has worked with the driver since the end of last season and has seen increases in accuracy and distance. Official stats from one tournament -- especially with Kapalua's trademark winds -- are tough to take much from, but Singh's driving accuracy improved from a dismal 59.4 percent overall in 2006 to 71.67 percent last week.
"Got a new driver that I feel very comfortable with, and that was a big problem last year," Singh told reporters after his first round at Kapalua. "It's a new generation HiBore and driving the hell out of the ball, so that's a good thing. I'm knocking it straight, and whenever I drive the ball straight, my whole demeanor changes on the golf course."
Singh is using a standard model of the XL driver, but with a more open face.
Both the HiBore XL and XL Tour drivers use HiBore technology, which pushes the weight to the far edge of the club head for an increased moment of inertia and more forgiveness on off-center hits. Both clubs have a face area that's 11 percent larger than the previous HiBore driver. The tour model has a standard lie angle that's one degree flatter and a face angle that's three degrees open.
Like their predecessors, the new HiBore clubs include what Cleveland calls Distance Driven Geometry. This expands the area of the clubface where the golfer can get a high launch and less spin. Traditional drivers have a point on the clubface where the least rotation occurs at impact, called the center of gravity projections (CGP), which is relatively high on the clubface. By bringing that down to the center of the face, the lower spin results in greater accuracy and more distance.
"I asked for a new driver and they got me this new HiBore, and it's an incredible club," Singh said. "I wouldn't be surprised if a lot more guys don't change to it. It's probably one of the better drivers out here for a while."
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