The shaft has been called "the engine of the golf club," because of its role in driving the clubhead toward impact. Today's shafts offer something for just about every golfer, but it's important to be fit for the right shaft.
Getting the right flex is the first step. Most shafts are labeled with a letter code, where X equals Extra Stiff; S is Stiff; R is Regular; A is Senior or Amateur; and L is Ladies. No two manufacturers have identical specifications for what makes a shaft regular as opposed to stiff, so to be careful it is good idea to be fitted for a particular shaft.
A second issue is bend profile, which identifies how stiffness varies over the length of the shaft. In general, for golfers who have a smoother and more rhythmic swing, the more flexible the grip end of the shaft can be; for faster or more forceful swings, the stiffer it should be.
In most cases, trajectory is determined more by the golfer's swing and the characteristics of the clubhead than by the shaft. With a driver, which can have weight positioned much further back in the clubhead than an iron, the shaft can have a greater impact on the trajectory of the shot.
Shaft manufacturers bring new products to market to work best with new designs in clubheads or with different needs of tour players.
Nano-technology is the latest buzzword in shafts. Essentially the term refers to the ability to tinker with the materials used in the shafts on a very miniscule level, smaller than 1 micrometer. By working with the molecular structure of the materials, shaft manufacturers can develop stronger or more flexible carbon composites.
Some recent popular shafts for the driver include:
AccuFlex Creation
These composite shafts use what the company calls Nano-Met technology, which focuses on the use of nano-technology to create a tighter molecular structure that increases the surface area of the shaft. That translates to a lighter weight shaft with the same strength as well as more ability to manipulate the bend profile.
The butt of the shaft is longer than traditional shafts and tapers quickly. This tapering is designed to allow the area to flex more at impact for a higher launch angle and less back spin.
"This is the most technologically advanced shaft in the industry," said Jody Baucom, president for AccuFlex Golf. "The tour players can feel the difference immediately. That's why so many of them are putting it into play."
The Creation 65 is a light shaft with a high bend point that provides a higher launch angle and mid to low spin. The Creation 80 delivers a mid to high launch angle and low spin.
Aldila VS Proto 80
The VS Proto shaft, also called the "ByYou" shaft, builds on the work Aldila did with carbon nano-technology on its NV shaft, -- the company calls it next generation Micro Laminate Technology (MLT). Aldila also uses a proprietary A65 Performance Resin System that works with the high-strength graphite fibers to better bind them and improve strength and performance. The MLT is also noted for its shock absorption.
"The VS Proto is the straightest, longest shaft we have ever offered -- with feel other shafts can't touch," said Stewart Bahl, Aldila's marketing manager.
Graphite Design's Tour AD Quattro Tech
This new offering from Graphite Design uses high-strength graphite fibers at four different angles on the shaft's surface for high stability at high swing speeds and with larger driver heads. It's been used on the Japanese Tour throughout 2006, where it was originally introduced. The shaft has a low bend profile to promote a higher ball flight with low spin.
"The Tour AD Quattro Tech is a fine addition to our lineup of ultra-premium graphite shafts and upholds Graphite Design's tradition of technical innovation and superior craftsmanship," said Victor Afable, vice president of sales and marketing for Graphite Design. "Better golfers will appreciate the outstanding control Quattro Tech delivers at fast swing speeds, while players of all calibers can optimize the accuracy and distance of modern clubheads by using this shaft."
Proforce V2 LD
Designed by United Sports Technologies, this graphite shaft is longer than average and is promoted as being used by long drivers of the ball. It's also available not only in Stiff and Extra Stiff flexes, but in XX and XXX as well.
Pat Dempsey, a former senior long drive champion who owns Horsepower Golf, which distributes the UST product, had a hand in designing the shaft and used it in February to place second in the Long Driver Association's Desert Launch Long Drive Competition.
"The engineering that went into the new Proforce V2 LD series is quite innovative," Dempsey said. "Today, golfers are searching for the perfect ball flight and the V2 series delivers the perfect weight and performance and a feeling of total energy release at impact. Its unique release explodes like a bullwhip and it really is a long driver's dream shaft."
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Tour Van Notebook: Distance Isn't Everything for Toms
If you've noticed that David Toms isn't as long off the tee as he used to be, you're right. But the reduction in yards doesn't have Toms worried - yet.
"We've played in some soft conditions so far," he said at this week's Zurich Classic, where he finished 45th in driving distance with a 277.8-yard average.
"Take Kapalua, for example, where even when it's dry there, you can hit the ball on an average well over 300 yards every drive because of the pitch of the fairways and everything. We had a soft week there. So for me as a short hitter you get off behind the 8-ball as far as your distance the first week of the year."
Toms, who switched to TaylorMade equipment for the 2007 season, is tied for 148th in driving distance overall. He's had a 275.9-yard average over 39 rounds. In 2006, he was 133rd with a 285.4-yard average.
"At the end of this year if I'm still off ten yards or so, you know, that's something to be maybe concerned about and take a look at why, but as of right now, I think -- I played at Augusta and had a good tournament, week before last, on a golf course that's awfully long. But we had some roll so I was able to get the ball out there.
"Right now I'm not that concerned about it."
Not that he should be. Toms has four top-10 finishes this season and hasn't missed a cut. He's made nearly $1 million and is 27th in FedEx Cup point standings.
Toms has been turning his attention to the short game more than he's fiddling with the driver. He's used a TaylorMade r7 460 TP 9.5-degree driver this year, and recently picked up a Rossa Imola putter.
This week, he also experimented with a blade style for his short irons, putting rac MB TPs in the bag for his 5-iron through pitching wedge.
"I haven't contended like I'd like to so far this year," Toms said. "But overall very consistent, some decent checks along the way, but certainly at this time or this stage of the year, I'd like to at least have a really good shot at winning a golf tournament sometime soon. I don't think there's any better place than right here."
CALC REIMBURSED FOR PUTTER PURCHASE: It started at the PODS Championship, when Mark Calcavecchia won using a putter he'd purchased off the shelf earlier in the week.
Although Calc can get Ping putters for free any time he wants, he discovered the Ping Redwood model on the shelf at Edwin Watts and put into play during the second round. His good play continued this week in New Orleans, where he contended for another win, finishing in a tie for fifth. He was tied for sixth in the field in putts per round with a 26.8 average.
"That kind of turned things around when I started making some putts that day, when I put that putter in the bag, and obviously the next day was unbelievable," Calcavecchia said.
Did Ping credit him for the $258.18 that he spent to buy the putter retail?
"They claim they did, but I honestly don't know," he said. "Even if they didn't, I'm not too worried about it. It all worked out. It pays for itself, put it that way."
NEW PUTTERS: TaylorMade reps report that a batch of players tried new putters this week. Grant Waite picked up a Daytona model, Charlie Wi tried a Monza Corza and Kelly Gibson used a Monte Carlo.
SMASHING IT: Bubba Watson had a good tournament, finishing in a tie for fifth. Watson, the PGA Tour's longest hitter, used a Ping Rapture driver to average 320.1 yards off the tee in New Orleans. That's a little over his season average of 314.2 yards, boosted by a smokin' hot day Saturday, when he averaged 340.5 yards.
TOPS IN WEDGES: Titleist has held the No. 1 position in the wedges count for every 2007 PGA Tour event. At the Zurich Classic, 43 percent of the field used Titleist wedges. At last week's Verizon Heritage, a whopping 48 percent of players had the company's wedges; the smallest percentage of the year was 28 percent at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship.
"We've played in some soft conditions so far," he said at this week's Zurich Classic, where he finished 45th in driving distance with a 277.8-yard average.
"Take Kapalua, for example, where even when it's dry there, you can hit the ball on an average well over 300 yards every drive because of the pitch of the fairways and everything. We had a soft week there. So for me as a short hitter you get off behind the 8-ball as far as your distance the first week of the year."
Toms, who switched to TaylorMade equipment for the 2007 season, is tied for 148th in driving distance overall. He's had a 275.9-yard average over 39 rounds. In 2006, he was 133rd with a 285.4-yard average.
"At the end of this year if I'm still off ten yards or so, you know, that's something to be maybe concerned about and take a look at why, but as of right now, I think -- I played at Augusta and had a good tournament, week before last, on a golf course that's awfully long. But we had some roll so I was able to get the ball out there.
"Right now I'm not that concerned about it."
Not that he should be. Toms has four top-10 finishes this season and hasn't missed a cut. He's made nearly $1 million and is 27th in FedEx Cup point standings.
Toms has been turning his attention to the short game more than he's fiddling with the driver. He's used a TaylorMade r7 460 TP 9.5-degree driver this year, and recently picked up a Rossa Imola putter.
This week, he also experimented with a blade style for his short irons, putting rac MB TPs in the bag for his 5-iron through pitching wedge.
"I haven't contended like I'd like to so far this year," Toms said. "But overall very consistent, some decent checks along the way, but certainly at this time or this stage of the year, I'd like to at least have a really good shot at winning a golf tournament sometime soon. I don't think there's any better place than right here."
CALC REIMBURSED FOR PUTTER PURCHASE: It started at the PODS Championship, when Mark Calcavecchia won using a putter he'd purchased off the shelf earlier in the week.
Although Calc can get Ping putters for free any time he wants, he discovered the Ping Redwood model on the shelf at Edwin Watts and put into play during the second round. His good play continued this week in New Orleans, where he contended for another win, finishing in a tie for fifth. He was tied for sixth in the field in putts per round with a 26.8 average.
"That kind of turned things around when I started making some putts that day, when I put that putter in the bag, and obviously the next day was unbelievable," Calcavecchia said.
Did Ping credit him for the $258.18 that he spent to buy the putter retail?
"They claim they did, but I honestly don't know," he said. "Even if they didn't, I'm not too worried about it. It all worked out. It pays for itself, put it that way."
NEW PUTTERS: TaylorMade reps report that a batch of players tried new putters this week. Grant Waite picked up a Daytona model, Charlie Wi tried a Monza Corza and Kelly Gibson used a Monte Carlo.
SMASHING IT: Bubba Watson had a good tournament, finishing in a tie for fifth. Watson, the PGA Tour's longest hitter, used a Ping Rapture driver to average 320.1 yards off the tee in New Orleans. That's a little over his season average of 314.2 yards, boosted by a smokin' hot day Saturday, when he averaged 340.5 yards.
TOPS IN WEDGES: Titleist has held the No. 1 position in the wedges count for every 2007 PGA Tour event. At the Zurich Classic, 43 percent of the field used Titleist wedges. At last week's Verizon Heritage, a whopping 48 percent of players had the company's wedges; the smallest percentage of the year was 28 percent at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship.
Tour Van: Players' Hats Support Virginia Tech Victims
At least 32 Titleist players at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans donned maroon-and-orange Titleist golf hats with the Virginia Tech logo on the side to remember the shooting rampage on the campus last Monday.
As well, several other players and caddies wore Virginia Tech hats during the tournament.
Players Johnson Wagner and Brendon De Jonge, former golf team members at Virginia Tech and roommates from 2000 to 2002, asked at the beginning of the week if they could sport Hokies hats in place of their usual Titleist caps.
"We approached Mike Chisum, the Titleist rep, and I just asked if he wouldn't mind getting us some orange hats. He said, you know what, I'll see if I can't do one better than that," explained De Jonge in a video on the PGATour.com site.
"I came out and looked in my locker the next day and I had six of these orange and maroon hats. I think he put one in all the Titleist guys' lockers. It's awesome, I think it's wonderful, it's what the PGA Tour is all about. In some way or form it affects everybody because it could have happened anywhere."
Eventual winner Nick Watney, who went to college across the country at Fresno State, was one of the Titleist players who wore a maroon-and-orange hat.
"If it helps even one person, then it's worth it for us," Watney said. "Hopefully we can do a little bit to help ease the pain that they're feeling up there."
As well, several other players and caddies wore Virginia Tech hats during the tournament.
Players Johnson Wagner and Brendon De Jonge, former golf team members at Virginia Tech and roommates from 2000 to 2002, asked at the beginning of the week if they could sport Hokies hats in place of their usual Titleist caps.
"We approached Mike Chisum, the Titleist rep, and I just asked if he wouldn't mind getting us some orange hats. He said, you know what, I'll see if I can't do one better than that," explained De Jonge in a video on the PGATour.com site.
"I came out and looked in my locker the next day and I had six of these orange and maroon hats. I think he put one in all the Titleist guys' lockers. It's awesome, I think it's wonderful, it's what the PGA Tour is all about. In some way or form it affects everybody because it could have happened anywhere."
Eventual winner Nick Watney, who went to college across the country at Fresno State, was one of the Titleist players who wore a maroon-and-orange hat.
"If it helps even one person, then it's worth it for us," Watney said. "Hopefully we can do a little bit to help ease the pain that they're feeling up there."
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Feeling Fit With Your Clubs
Being fit for your golf clubs is nearly as important as being fit for your suit -- sure, you can get one off the rack, but will it perform as well as something custom tailored to you?
While some equipment manufacturers, such as Ping, have relied on some level of custom fitting for years to help sell clubs, many are refining the process or unveiling new and improved solutions.
Find the right combination
For retail locations and pro shops that employ a custom fitter, the OptiFit cart provides a mind-boggling number of options. Fit into roughly 6 square feet of space, the cart can be on display in the shop, easily stored or wheeled up to the range or custom-fitting area.
Stored inside each cart are 24 driver clubheads and 24 iron clubheads.
Change them out with any of 29 driver or 29 iron shafts from Aldila, Fujikura, Graphite Design, True Temper, UST, Mitsubishi Rayon or Royal Precision. That comes to 1,396 different options.
Although the clubs come as components and are quickly assembled using a torque wrench, the quality is similar to manufactured clubs. In its advertising for OptiFit, the company promises that swing weight and location of the center of gravity are identical to what you'll get in your finished club.
Callaway started the OptiFit system with drivers only in spring 2006.
The first system had about 300 options to choose from. The new version, released April 15, has 1,396 different combinations.
For more, go to www.callawaygolf.com/en.cg.CustomFitting.OptifitSystem.html.
Get the ideal clubs
Ever thought you would like to try a hybrid club but just didn't know which club in your bag it would replace? Mizuno's got a new system to help you decide.
The "Hybrid Fit" club helps you figure out what clubs you need to fill the gap between a 3-wood and 5-iron so you get the perfect set of clubs for your game. The system measures a golfer's clubhead speed with a device that attaches to the club and the angle of attack with proprietary impact tape attached to the sole of each club. Using the feedback from the two measurements, fitters use Mizuno's "Set Optimizer" chart to predict the lift needed for ideal trajectory and recommend three specific clubs that will best suit that player's game.
"We're extremely excited to introduce this revolutionary 'Hybrid Fit'
club fitting tool to our over 2,000 fitting partners across the country," said Dick Lyons, vice president and general manager of Mizuno USA, Golf Division. "We have no doubt that this will not only aid the fitter in recommending the appropriate set make-up for their customers, but also help players of all abilities enhance their golfing experience by giving them the right set make-up to perform at their very best."
For more, go to www.mizunousa.com.
Club fitting, pro-style
Meanwhile, Cleveland Golf offers players the chance to get fit just like PGA Tour pros. If you travel to their Dallas-based studio, you can take advantage of the same software that Cleveland uses to get the right clubs for their professional staff.
In the studio, a radar-based tracking device works like a traditional launch monitor but provides even more precise measurements. Four cameras feed visual swing information into the software, which analyzes how each head and shaft combination works for the golfer being fitted.
When you've made a decision about the right equipment, you can get the clubs by the next day. Cleveland says they'll start the appointment-only fitting process in late April.
For more, go to www.GPIofDallas.com.
Tried and still shining
Ping may have been in the clubfitting game for longer than most, but their process still shines as one of the best.
In the 1960s, Ping began promoting custom fitting, and the company started using a color code system to match clubs with certain specifications to golfers' swings. It is now on the third incarnation of the Ping Fitting Cart, which lets club fitters take components and tools wherever they need to work with golfers -- indoors or out.
"The Ping Fitting Cart is an icon of our company," said Steve Bostwick at Ping, who helped develop the fitting cart. "Our fitting system is our most effective marketing tool. It is deeply integrated in both our marketing and retail strategy. Our fitting carts allow us to promote our custom-fitting message as well as provide a resource to our accounts that enables them to improve the golf games of their customers."
For more, go to www.pinggolf.com.
While some equipment manufacturers, such as Ping, have relied on some level of custom fitting for years to help sell clubs, many are refining the process or unveiling new and improved solutions.
Find the right combination
For retail locations and pro shops that employ a custom fitter, the OptiFit cart provides a mind-boggling number of options. Fit into roughly 6 square feet of space, the cart can be on display in the shop, easily stored or wheeled up to the range or custom-fitting area.
Stored inside each cart are 24 driver clubheads and 24 iron clubheads.
Change them out with any of 29 driver or 29 iron shafts from Aldila, Fujikura, Graphite Design, True Temper, UST, Mitsubishi Rayon or Royal Precision. That comes to 1,396 different options.
Although the clubs come as components and are quickly assembled using a torque wrench, the quality is similar to manufactured clubs. In its advertising for OptiFit, the company promises that swing weight and location of the center of gravity are identical to what you'll get in your finished club.
Callaway started the OptiFit system with drivers only in spring 2006.
The first system had about 300 options to choose from. The new version, released April 15, has 1,396 different combinations.
For more, go to www.callawaygolf.com/en.cg.CustomFitting.OptifitSystem.html.
Get the ideal clubs
Ever thought you would like to try a hybrid club but just didn't know which club in your bag it would replace? Mizuno's got a new system to help you decide.
The "Hybrid Fit" club helps you figure out what clubs you need to fill the gap between a 3-wood and 5-iron so you get the perfect set of clubs for your game. The system measures a golfer's clubhead speed with a device that attaches to the club and the angle of attack with proprietary impact tape attached to the sole of each club. Using the feedback from the two measurements, fitters use Mizuno's "Set Optimizer" chart to predict the lift needed for ideal trajectory and recommend three specific clubs that will best suit that player's game.
"We're extremely excited to introduce this revolutionary 'Hybrid Fit'
club fitting tool to our over 2,000 fitting partners across the country," said Dick Lyons, vice president and general manager of Mizuno USA, Golf Division. "We have no doubt that this will not only aid the fitter in recommending the appropriate set make-up for their customers, but also help players of all abilities enhance their golfing experience by giving them the right set make-up to perform at their very best."
For more, go to www.mizunousa.com.
Club fitting, pro-style
Meanwhile, Cleveland Golf offers players the chance to get fit just like PGA Tour pros. If you travel to their Dallas-based studio, you can take advantage of the same software that Cleveland uses to get the right clubs for their professional staff.
In the studio, a radar-based tracking device works like a traditional launch monitor but provides even more precise measurements. Four cameras feed visual swing information into the software, which analyzes how each head and shaft combination works for the golfer being fitted.
When you've made a decision about the right equipment, you can get the clubs by the next day. Cleveland says they'll start the appointment-only fitting process in late April.
For more, go to www.GPIofDallas.com.
Tried and still shining
Ping may have been in the clubfitting game for longer than most, but their process still shines as one of the best.
In the 1960s, Ping began promoting custom fitting, and the company started using a color code system to match clubs with certain specifications to golfers' swings. It is now on the third incarnation of the Ping Fitting Cart, which lets club fitters take components and tools wherever they need to work with golfers -- indoors or out.
"The Ping Fitting Cart is an icon of our company," said Steve Bostwick at Ping, who helped develop the fitting cart. "Our fitting system is our most effective marketing tool. It is deeply integrated in both our marketing and retail strategy. Our fitting carts allow us to promote our custom-fitting message as well as provide a resource to our accounts that enables them to improve the golf games of their customers."
For more, go to www.pinggolf.com.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Tour Van Notebook: Wind Requires Patience, Low Shots
Golf is a tough game, but add wind and anything can happen.
Sunday in Reunion, Fla., winds in the 20 to 25 mph range, with gusts up to 40 mph, delayed play at the LPGA Tour's Ginn Open. And at the Verizon Heritage, winds got so bad that play was postponed until Monday.
"You know, you've kind of got to keep it low," explained eventual Verizon winner Boo Weekley after hitting a driver off the first tee Sunday during his only hole of the day. "Once it gets outside the trees the wind just takes over. You ain't got no control over it.... But if you hit the ball low kind of like I do, it kind of plays to our advantage."
While Weekley said Sunday he wouldn't tinker with the clubs in his bag the next day, other players talked about substituting clubs they could hit lower.
"I'm not in the tournament to really have a chance to win, but I'm sure the guys who are up near the lead might be thinking about something different, keep it low, maybe hit in a 2-iron or a hybrid instead of a 5-wood to keep it down," said Mark Hensby, who was in a group playing the 16th hole when officials called play.
It's hardest for the players to club themselves on approach shots. Before play Sunday was stopped, J.B. Holmes chose a 6-iron for a 130-yard shot into the wind - and came up 15 yards short. What's worse is when wind conditions change just as a shot is played.
"On 16 there, I mean, I think we had like 130, something like that, right there, and I want to say it was about 130 or something. I hit a 7-iron, and it came up short," Weekley said. "So I thought on the next hole we had 136 or something close to that same number again. I'm thinking, all right, it's got to be a 6-iron this time, and actually it stayed a little lower than the 7-iron did, which happened on 16. 17 it didn't balloon up like it should have."
The wind even affects putts.
"I guess Justin Leonard's ball hit on the back of the green and sat there for I don't know how long and then blew off the front. We just couldn't get balls to come to rest on 16," said PGA Tour Tournament Director Slugger White.
Meanwhile, at the Ginn Open, Lorena Ochoa missed a bogey putt on the 13th and a par putt on No. 16 to fall back, while Laura Davies three-putted the 17th.
"[The balls] were definitely moving," said Ginn Open winner Brittany Lincicome. "You noticed a couple of times we backed off of them you could tell the ball -- it obviously didn't move its position, but you could tell it was definitely wavering a little bit. We backed off quite a few putts today, which was kind of annoying because you're getting up there, you're ready to go, you've got the line, whatever and then you have to back off."
Out on the practice green at Harbour Town, Jerry Kelly tried to look on the bright side.
"It's always good to practice in some wind," Kelly said Sunday, noting he was looking ahead to the British Open and its typically windy conditions. "It's a very difficult situation to putt in."
MISSING IN ACTION: Kraft Nabisco winner Morgan Pressel hit her clubs well for her first major victory, but then her clubs disappeared as she headed home the next Monday.
"My grandfather thinks that they were lost or stolen in Palm Springs. I think they actually made it to Fort Lauderdale and were stolen there," Pressel said at the Ginn Open. "Nobody really knows where they are."
Pressel, who plays Callaway clubs, said she was able to practice using her old set of X-18 irons. She switched to Callaway X-Forged irons earlier this season. And by Thursday, Callaway had sent her the replacements she needed.
"The clubs that were in my bag were not that old anyway, so it's not like, you know, I was used to looking at some dent on my putter that helped me line up," she said. "The putter was two weeks old. It's not something that I'm worried too much about.
"I don't like to become too attached to any club. I always like to change just for the fact that, you know, the possibility that you do lose your clubs. I just always like to be able to adapt and change to what's new."
Pressel missed the cut in Florida, so she'll have a little longer to adapt to her new clubs. She also uses a Callaway FT-3 driver, X Hot and X Tour fairway woods, and X Tour wedges as well as an Odyssey putter and Callaway HX Tour golf balls.
ACE NO. 11: Jerry Kelly recorded a hole-in-one Saturday at Harbour Town's par-3 fourth hole. He used a Cleveland Golf CG1 4-iron 200 yards for what he believed to be his 11th ace ever.
"We were a little into the wind, but it was also a little left to right. So if I play a cut, it's usually about a 195 shot," Kelly said. "I thought with the left-to-right wind, if it was in, it could carry it up there just enough to where it could release and go into the hole. I started on a tree about 30 feet left of the hole, right on the tree I wanted to, trajectory, fade, everything was exactly the way I saw it in my eye. For that to fall right where I wanted it to and crawl in the hole, that -- it really doesn't happen all that often where we hit perfect shots to make hole-in-ones because a lot of times we're not aiming at the pin on a lot of the par-threes that we get."
Kelly said he's had four or five aces in PGA Tour competition.
"It's certainly not old hat, but I do know how to get rid of it [put the emotion out of his mind to continue play]. If it was for a boat or the car, it might have been a different story, but I was more disappointed I didn't get anything for it."
ODDS AND ENDS: Lorena Ochoa reports she's been seeing more distance from her PING Rapture driver: "Those ten extra yards, it really helps make the course easier, especially if you take advantage of the par 5s, it's always good to do that," she said. ... Ernie Els is using a new prototype Odyssey putter, with which he finished ninth in Putts per GIR (1.660) at Harbour Town. "I've got a putter now that Callaway has made, the Odyssey guys have made, and I'm happy with the way it looks, the way it feels," he said. Els finished second for the tournament. ... John Daly switched from a TaylorMade r7 SuperQuad TP to the company's Burner TP 10.5-degree driver this week. He also put a new Burner 15-degree fairway wood in his bag - as did Cameron Beckman, Bart Bryant, Tim Herron and Tim Petrovic. ... Nationwide Tour rookie John Kimbell, who is currently ranked No. 7 among the 2007 Nationwide Tour driving distance leaders (312.7 yards), used the new Bridgestone Golf Tour B330-S golf ball in his win at the South Georgia Classic. ... Golf shoe maker ECCO has been named an official partner to the 2007 European Challenge Tour.
Sunday in Reunion, Fla., winds in the 20 to 25 mph range, with gusts up to 40 mph, delayed play at the LPGA Tour's Ginn Open. And at the Verizon Heritage, winds got so bad that play was postponed until Monday.
"You know, you've kind of got to keep it low," explained eventual Verizon winner Boo Weekley after hitting a driver off the first tee Sunday during his only hole of the day. "Once it gets outside the trees the wind just takes over. You ain't got no control over it.... But if you hit the ball low kind of like I do, it kind of plays to our advantage."
While Weekley said Sunday he wouldn't tinker with the clubs in his bag the next day, other players talked about substituting clubs they could hit lower.
"I'm not in the tournament to really have a chance to win, but I'm sure the guys who are up near the lead might be thinking about something different, keep it low, maybe hit in a 2-iron or a hybrid instead of a 5-wood to keep it down," said Mark Hensby, who was in a group playing the 16th hole when officials called play.
It's hardest for the players to club themselves on approach shots. Before play Sunday was stopped, J.B. Holmes chose a 6-iron for a 130-yard shot into the wind - and came up 15 yards short. What's worse is when wind conditions change just as a shot is played.
"On 16 there, I mean, I think we had like 130, something like that, right there, and I want to say it was about 130 or something. I hit a 7-iron, and it came up short," Weekley said. "So I thought on the next hole we had 136 or something close to that same number again. I'm thinking, all right, it's got to be a 6-iron this time, and actually it stayed a little lower than the 7-iron did, which happened on 16. 17 it didn't balloon up like it should have."
The wind even affects putts.
"I guess Justin Leonard's ball hit on the back of the green and sat there for I don't know how long and then blew off the front. We just couldn't get balls to come to rest on 16," said PGA Tour Tournament Director Slugger White.
Meanwhile, at the Ginn Open, Lorena Ochoa missed a bogey putt on the 13th and a par putt on No. 16 to fall back, while Laura Davies three-putted the 17th.
"[The balls] were definitely moving," said Ginn Open winner Brittany Lincicome. "You noticed a couple of times we backed off of them you could tell the ball -- it obviously didn't move its position, but you could tell it was definitely wavering a little bit. We backed off quite a few putts today, which was kind of annoying because you're getting up there, you're ready to go, you've got the line, whatever and then you have to back off."
Out on the practice green at Harbour Town, Jerry Kelly tried to look on the bright side.
"It's always good to practice in some wind," Kelly said Sunday, noting he was looking ahead to the British Open and its typically windy conditions. "It's a very difficult situation to putt in."
MISSING IN ACTION: Kraft Nabisco winner Morgan Pressel hit her clubs well for her first major victory, but then her clubs disappeared as she headed home the next Monday.
"My grandfather thinks that they were lost or stolen in Palm Springs. I think they actually made it to Fort Lauderdale and were stolen there," Pressel said at the Ginn Open. "Nobody really knows where they are."
Pressel, who plays Callaway clubs, said she was able to practice using her old set of X-18 irons. She switched to Callaway X-Forged irons earlier this season. And by Thursday, Callaway had sent her the replacements she needed.
"The clubs that were in my bag were not that old anyway, so it's not like, you know, I was used to looking at some dent on my putter that helped me line up," she said. "The putter was two weeks old. It's not something that I'm worried too much about.
"I don't like to become too attached to any club. I always like to change just for the fact that, you know, the possibility that you do lose your clubs. I just always like to be able to adapt and change to what's new."
Pressel missed the cut in Florida, so she'll have a little longer to adapt to her new clubs. She also uses a Callaway FT-3 driver, X Hot and X Tour fairway woods, and X Tour wedges as well as an Odyssey putter and Callaway HX Tour golf balls.
ACE NO. 11: Jerry Kelly recorded a hole-in-one Saturday at Harbour Town's par-3 fourth hole. He used a Cleveland Golf CG1 4-iron 200 yards for what he believed to be his 11th ace ever.
"We were a little into the wind, but it was also a little left to right. So if I play a cut, it's usually about a 195 shot," Kelly said. "I thought with the left-to-right wind, if it was in, it could carry it up there just enough to where it could release and go into the hole. I started on a tree about 30 feet left of the hole, right on the tree I wanted to, trajectory, fade, everything was exactly the way I saw it in my eye. For that to fall right where I wanted it to and crawl in the hole, that -- it really doesn't happen all that often where we hit perfect shots to make hole-in-ones because a lot of times we're not aiming at the pin on a lot of the par-threes that we get."
Kelly said he's had four or five aces in PGA Tour competition.
"It's certainly not old hat, but I do know how to get rid of it [put the emotion out of his mind to continue play]. If it was for a boat or the car, it might have been a different story, but I was more disappointed I didn't get anything for it."
ODDS AND ENDS: Lorena Ochoa reports she's been seeing more distance from her PING Rapture driver: "Those ten extra yards, it really helps make the course easier, especially if you take advantage of the par 5s, it's always good to do that," she said. ... Ernie Els is using a new prototype Odyssey putter, with which he finished ninth in Putts per GIR (1.660) at Harbour Town. "I've got a putter now that Callaway has made, the Odyssey guys have made, and I'm happy with the way it looks, the way it feels," he said. Els finished second for the tournament. ... John Daly switched from a TaylorMade r7 SuperQuad TP to the company's Burner TP 10.5-degree driver this week. He also put a new Burner 15-degree fairway wood in his bag - as did Cameron Beckman, Bart Bryant, Tim Herron and Tim Petrovic. ... Nationwide Tour rookie John Kimbell, who is currently ranked No. 7 among the 2007 Nationwide Tour driving distance leaders (312.7 yards), used the new Bridgestone Golf Tour B330-S golf ball in his win at the South Georgia Classic. ... Golf shoe maker ECCO has been named an official partner to the 2007 European Challenge Tour.
Tour Van: LPGA Venture Pays Off for Adams Golf
This is the first year Adams Golf has signed LPGA players to join their tour staff, and it's paid off well for both Adams and Brittany Lincicome.
Lincicome, who was runner-up in the year's first major, the Kraft Nabisco, and who picked up her second win at the Ginn Open last week. She came from six shots back on the final day to win in challenging conditions.
"I just tried to stay patient," Lincicome said. "I didn't really get off to a good start and was kind of getting frustrated. [I] just made sure that I worked on my swing and that I stayed patient and just made pars, and it worked out for me."
Lincicome carries an Adams Insight BTY driver and fairway wood, which are new to the market in 2007. Both are geared toward tour players and feature a classic shape, a 460cc clubhead with an adjustable weight port in the sole and thin titanium face and crown. Both the driver and fairway wood feature Grafalloy ProLaunch Red shafts that encourage a penetrating ball flight.
"The BTY driver and fairway wood are designed for better players who like traditional and tour-inspired shaping and low spin rates, even at high clubhead speeds," said Adams Golf President and CEO Chip Brewer.
Lincicome also uses an Adams Idea Pro Hybrid and Adams Idea Pro Forged irons, wears the Adams Golf logo and carries a tour staff bag.
Brewer said that signing LPGA players this year made sense for the company, which has a relatively large percentage of sales to women.
"We have definitely done very well in the women's category. The majority of our products are game improvement products - with a low swing speed, they're easier to hit," Brewer said. "We're well over 20 percent women's [sales], compared against our competitors who are as low as 5 percent.... Having LPGA staff makes sense."
Brewer said that while LPGA Tour play may attract more amateur women to the brand, that male viewers of LPGA events also take note of the equipment players are using.
"It depends on the research you do and who you ask. It may not correspond to the women's side of the business," he said. "Most viewers are male and it's really easier to segment consumers by skill level and affinity for the game.
"It's the brand nature of the golf business. Tour play adds cache to any brand. It's not the only element but it's an important one."
Lincicome, who was runner-up in the year's first major, the Kraft Nabisco, and who picked up her second win at the Ginn Open last week. She came from six shots back on the final day to win in challenging conditions.
"I just tried to stay patient," Lincicome said. "I didn't really get off to a good start and was kind of getting frustrated. [I] just made sure that I worked on my swing and that I stayed patient and just made pars, and it worked out for me."
Lincicome carries an Adams Insight BTY driver and fairway wood, which are new to the market in 2007. Both are geared toward tour players and feature a classic shape, a 460cc clubhead with an adjustable weight port in the sole and thin titanium face and crown. Both the driver and fairway wood feature Grafalloy ProLaunch Red shafts that encourage a penetrating ball flight.
"The BTY driver and fairway wood are designed for better players who like traditional and tour-inspired shaping and low spin rates, even at high clubhead speeds," said Adams Golf President and CEO Chip Brewer.
Lincicome also uses an Adams Idea Pro Hybrid and Adams Idea Pro Forged irons, wears the Adams Golf logo and carries a tour staff bag.
Brewer said that signing LPGA players this year made sense for the company, which has a relatively large percentage of sales to women.
"We have definitely done very well in the women's category. The majority of our products are game improvement products - with a low swing speed, they're easier to hit," Brewer said. "We're well over 20 percent women's [sales], compared against our competitors who are as low as 5 percent.... Having LPGA staff makes sense."
Brewer said that while LPGA Tour play may attract more amateur women to the brand, that male viewers of LPGA events also take note of the equipment players are using.
"It depends on the research you do and who you ask. It may not correspond to the women's side of the business," he said. "Most viewers are male and it's really easier to segment consumers by skill level and affinity for the game.
"It's the brand nature of the golf business. Tour play adds cache to any brand. It's not the only element but it's an important one."
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Tour Van Notebook: Tales of Two Drivers
Seems the two-driver philosophy for The Masters didn't work this time for Phil Mickelson. By Saturday, he was sticking to his Callaway FT-5 and leaving the square-shaped FT-i in the bag. It was likely a case of course conditions, though, as cold temperatures and wind limited the usefulness of the square driver.
"It will be a lot higher," Mickelson said about the FT-i's flight early in the week. "A better way to relate to be a driver and a 2-wood because one of them, the longer driver, the square one goes 20 yards longer than my regular one. So when I need distance, I use the square one. And when I try to hit little low shots or work it around the trees on 10 or 13, I'll use the regular-shaped driver."
By the end of the third round, he confirmed that the longer club wasn't working for his game that day.
"With it being windy, I hit the other driver to hit low shots. I used it exclusively today," he said.
PALMER'S TAKE ON THE SQUARE DRIVER: Yes, the King likes Callaway's square FT-i driver. But why didn't Arnold Palmer use one off the first tee, when he hit a shot as Honorary Starter?
"I just brought my clubs and it just didn't happen to be in the bag when I brought them," Palmer said.
Also, Palmer noted, he doesn't benefit from the added distance like Mickelson can.
"I do have a number of square drivers that I have been fooling with, and I like them," he said. "But I'm not hitting it as far as I need to hit it to make any difference."
SINGH TRIES TWO: Indian Jeev Milkha Singh made his first appearance at The Masters with a two-driver philosophy. Unlike Mickelson, his drivers were not square - or even that new.
"One driver is a TaylorMade 1994 bubble shaft, nine degree loft. The other is a Callaway 16 degree. It's an older model and I have three at home in my closet," Singh said.
If Mickelson cited his use of two drivers as being like having a driver and a 2-wood, Singh indicated that shot shape was his reason for carrying both.
"It is perfect for me. Like on No. 1, if I was to use one of my drivers and hit it right, I'm dead. I'm dead in that bunker," Singh said. "I often use the other driver and hit it right off the deck."
A DECADE OF CHANGE: Ten years ago, Tiger Woods won his first major at the '97 Masters. My, how things have changed on the equipment side since Woods came on the scene.
"I was joking about it the other week, when I played Davis in a playoff in '96 to win in Vegas, Davis was using a Persimmon driver," Woods said. "That's amazing how the game has changed in 11 years.
"It just -- every driver was 43 and a half inches, steel was standard, wound balls. Now everything is 45 inches and plus. Heads have obviously grown gynormously. There is no wound ball out here anymore."
ODDS AND ENDS: Cleveland Golf has become the Official Club Manufacturer and Sponsor of the European Senior Tour. The company will have a tour van at the tour's events for this season.
"It will be a lot higher," Mickelson said about the FT-i's flight early in the week. "A better way to relate to be a driver and a 2-wood because one of them, the longer driver, the square one goes 20 yards longer than my regular one. So when I need distance, I use the square one. And when I try to hit little low shots or work it around the trees on 10 or 13, I'll use the regular-shaped driver."
By the end of the third round, he confirmed that the longer club wasn't working for his game that day.
"With it being windy, I hit the other driver to hit low shots. I used it exclusively today," he said.
PALMER'S TAKE ON THE SQUARE DRIVER: Yes, the King likes Callaway's square FT-i driver. But why didn't Arnold Palmer use one off the first tee, when he hit a shot as Honorary Starter?
"I just brought my clubs and it just didn't happen to be in the bag when I brought them," Palmer said.
Also, Palmer noted, he doesn't benefit from the added distance like Mickelson can.
"I do have a number of square drivers that I have been fooling with, and I like them," he said. "But I'm not hitting it as far as I need to hit it to make any difference."
SINGH TRIES TWO: Indian Jeev Milkha Singh made his first appearance at The Masters with a two-driver philosophy. Unlike Mickelson, his drivers were not square - or even that new.
"One driver is a TaylorMade 1994 bubble shaft, nine degree loft. The other is a Callaway 16 degree. It's an older model and I have three at home in my closet," Singh said.
If Mickelson cited his use of two drivers as being like having a driver and a 2-wood, Singh indicated that shot shape was his reason for carrying both.
"It is perfect for me. Like on No. 1, if I was to use one of my drivers and hit it right, I'm dead. I'm dead in that bunker," Singh said. "I often use the other driver and hit it right off the deck."
A DECADE OF CHANGE: Ten years ago, Tiger Woods won his first major at the '97 Masters. My, how things have changed on the equipment side since Woods came on the scene.
"I was joking about it the other week, when I played Davis in a playoff in '96 to win in Vegas, Davis was using a Persimmon driver," Woods said. "That's amazing how the game has changed in 11 years.
"It just -- every driver was 43 and a half inches, steel was standard, wound balls. Now everything is 45 inches and plus. Heads have obviously grown gynormously. There is no wound ball out here anymore."
ODDS AND ENDS: Cleveland Golf has become the Official Club Manufacturer and Sponsor of the European Senior Tour. The company will have a tour van at the tour's events for this season.
Tour Van: SeeMore Putters Central to Another Major Win
What Payne Stewart started seven years ago, Zach Johnson finished - or at least continued - with his win at the Masters Sunday.
Johnson used a SeeMore putter, similar to one used by Payne Stewart in his victory at the 1999 U.S. Open, to average 1.56 putts per hole over his week at Augusta. Paired with Vaughn Taylor, who also used a SeeMore putter, Johnson bested Tiger Woods, Rory Sabbatini and Retief Goosen for his green jacket.
Two weeks before, Johnson had led the field at the WGC-CA Championship at Doral in putting average; he finished in a tie for ninth. He's actually used a SeeMore model since he was on the Nationwide Tour in 2003, when he set a season record for fewest average putts per green in regulation (1.699).
"This was a remarkable victory for Zach while competing against the world's premier players and challenging conditions," said SeeMore Golf Managing Director Jim Grundberg. "All of us at SeeMore are proud to be associated with Zach and his courageous performance in winning his first major championship."
Grundberg and his partner, Jason Pouliot, both hail from Odyssey Golf before it was purchased by Callaway. They think the technology in the putter can help both pros and average players better align their putts, and in doing so, improve their putting.
The club's "Rifescope Technology," or RST, works by making the golfer line up the black bottom part of the putter's shaft between two white lines painted on the heel. If done correctly, the shaft covers up a red dot positioned between the lines. If you can't see the red dot, you're set up right to make a consistent stroke.
Payne Stewart used this alignment system in his memorable win over Phil Mickelson at the 1999 U.S. Open on Father's Day, right before Mickelson himself was to become a dad. When he one-putted the final three holes, and subsequently credited his SeeMore putter, the company gained attention. Within days the small company had more than 50,000 orders for its center-shafted flat stick. Be careful what you wish for: the immediate success hurt the company when it couldn't fulfill demand.
After changing hands for the second time over a seven-year period, the company ended up in the care of Grundberg and Pouliot. Even before they bought SeeMore, they realized that the technology continued to be popular with tour players. When the pair bought the company in fall 2006, two of the 10 U.S. Ryder Cup players used a SeeMore model. Still, they thought that there was plenty of potential to increase the putter's market share.
"Our team is knowledgeable and passionate about putters and we love SeeMore's proprietary RifleScope technology," said Grundberg after buying the company. "SeeMore is a diamond in the rough. We are already well into the process of new product development. We plan to reestablish SeeMore's prominence with the Tour and the world's best players."
To commemorate Johnson's win, the company plans to release a new milled version of his original FGP putter, to be called the mFGP. The msSeries features three additional models - the m1, a classic heel/toe blade with center shaft; the m2, a classic heel/toe blade with heel shaft; and the m3, a classic mallet with center shaft. Each putter, which is made at SeeMore's manufacturing facility in Franklin, Tenn., will retail for $325.
See www.seemore.com for more information.
Johnson used a SeeMore putter, similar to one used by Payne Stewart in his victory at the 1999 U.S. Open, to average 1.56 putts per hole over his week at Augusta. Paired with Vaughn Taylor, who also used a SeeMore putter, Johnson bested Tiger Woods, Rory Sabbatini and Retief Goosen for his green jacket.
Two weeks before, Johnson had led the field at the WGC-CA Championship at Doral in putting average; he finished in a tie for ninth. He's actually used a SeeMore model since he was on the Nationwide Tour in 2003, when he set a season record for fewest average putts per green in regulation (1.699).
"This was a remarkable victory for Zach while competing against the world's premier players and challenging conditions," said SeeMore Golf Managing Director Jim Grundberg. "All of us at SeeMore are proud to be associated with Zach and his courageous performance in winning his first major championship."
Grundberg and his partner, Jason Pouliot, both hail from Odyssey Golf before it was purchased by Callaway. They think the technology in the putter can help both pros and average players better align their putts, and in doing so, improve their putting.
The club's "Rifescope Technology," or RST, works by making the golfer line up the black bottom part of the putter's shaft between two white lines painted on the heel. If done correctly, the shaft covers up a red dot positioned between the lines. If you can't see the red dot, you're set up right to make a consistent stroke.
Payne Stewart used this alignment system in his memorable win over Phil Mickelson at the 1999 U.S. Open on Father's Day, right before Mickelson himself was to become a dad. When he one-putted the final three holes, and subsequently credited his SeeMore putter, the company gained attention. Within days the small company had more than 50,000 orders for its center-shafted flat stick. Be careful what you wish for: the immediate success hurt the company when it couldn't fulfill demand.
After changing hands for the second time over a seven-year period, the company ended up in the care of Grundberg and Pouliot. Even before they bought SeeMore, they realized that the technology continued to be popular with tour players. When the pair bought the company in fall 2006, two of the 10 U.S. Ryder Cup players used a SeeMore model. Still, they thought that there was plenty of potential to increase the putter's market share.
"Our team is knowledgeable and passionate about putters and we love SeeMore's proprietary RifleScope technology," said Grundberg after buying the company. "SeeMore is a diamond in the rough. We are already well into the process of new product development. We plan to reestablish SeeMore's prominence with the Tour and the world's best players."
To commemorate Johnson's win, the company plans to release a new milled version of his original FGP putter, to be called the mFGP. The msSeries features three additional models - the m1, a classic heel/toe blade with center shaft; the m2, a classic heel/toe blade with heel shaft; and the m3, a classic mallet with center shaft. Each putter, which is made at SeeMore's manufacturing facility in Franklin, Tenn., will retail for $325.
See www.seemore.com for more information.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Tour Van: Titleist Makes Scott's Driver Available
Adam Scott's victory at the Shell Houston Open was great timing for the folks at Titleist. The new 907D1 and 907D2 drivers - Scott won with the latter - make their debuts in golf shops this week.
Scott went to No. 3 in the world rankings using a full bag of Titleist equipment, but the new 907D2 was a standout. With it, Scott averaged 306.5 yards in driving distance, fourth best in the field.
"The 907D2 driver set up really well for me. Just slightly brought my spin down but kept my launch angle up there where I was with the old driver," Scott said in a video on Titleist's web site. "So that should give me more distance. Hopefully with the new technology, with the moment of inertia, moving around and changing, I'll hit it straighter as well. It seems like a good deal to me."
The 907D2 driver puts weight in the back of the club, but not so much that it's impossible for better players to work the ball. There's little weight in the crown to keep the center of gravity lower and promote a higher trajectory. The club has a tapered face insert made of titanium that is stiffer lower on the face, allowing more launch and lower spin.
PGA Tour players have embraced the 907D2. In addition to Scott, a number of pros including Brad Faxon, Ben Crane, Arron Oberholser and Bill Haas have them in the bag. Rookie Johnson Wagner, who shared the Saturday lead at the Shell Houston Open, also uses one.
The 907D1 follows a trend of experimenting with different head shapes to reposition weight in the clubhead. In the 907D1, the team at Titleist came up with a triangular-shaped head that pulls some of the weight back for a lower center of gravity and less clubhead twisting. The design takes advantage of the maximum front-to-back dimensions allowed by the USGA on a 460cc clubhead.
Reduced twisting, often called "having a higher moment of inertia (MOI)" means that when the club makes impact with the ball on the heel or toe, or too low or high, the clubhead stays more true to the desired path and transfers more energy to the ball. The golfer gets more distance despite a less-than-perfect swing. The 907D1, with its more pointed back, provides this for the golfer who needs it.
"Players will benefit from the advanced design, engineering and construction technology we used to create the higher MOI, while delivering on the combination of looks, feel and ball flight that better players demand," said Scott Burnett, Vice President of Titleist Golf Club Research and Development. "In fact, the 5,000+ inertia value of the 907D1 is as high as any titanium driver currently in the marketplace."
The drivers became available for sale April 1 and have a suggested retail price of $500 - they'll likely sell for about $100 less. Visit www.titleist.com for more details.
Scott went to No. 3 in the world rankings using a full bag of Titleist equipment, but the new 907D2 was a standout. With it, Scott averaged 306.5 yards in driving distance, fourth best in the field.
"The 907D2 driver set up really well for me. Just slightly brought my spin down but kept my launch angle up there where I was with the old driver," Scott said in a video on Titleist's web site. "So that should give me more distance. Hopefully with the new technology, with the moment of inertia, moving around and changing, I'll hit it straighter as well. It seems like a good deal to me."
The 907D2 driver puts weight in the back of the club, but not so much that it's impossible for better players to work the ball. There's little weight in the crown to keep the center of gravity lower and promote a higher trajectory. The club has a tapered face insert made of titanium that is stiffer lower on the face, allowing more launch and lower spin.
PGA Tour players have embraced the 907D2. In addition to Scott, a number of pros including Brad Faxon, Ben Crane, Arron Oberholser and Bill Haas have them in the bag. Rookie Johnson Wagner, who shared the Saturday lead at the Shell Houston Open, also uses one.
The 907D1 follows a trend of experimenting with different head shapes to reposition weight in the clubhead. In the 907D1, the team at Titleist came up with a triangular-shaped head that pulls some of the weight back for a lower center of gravity and less clubhead twisting. The design takes advantage of the maximum front-to-back dimensions allowed by the USGA on a 460cc clubhead.
Reduced twisting, often called "having a higher moment of inertia (MOI)" means that when the club makes impact with the ball on the heel or toe, or too low or high, the clubhead stays more true to the desired path and transfers more energy to the ball. The golfer gets more distance despite a less-than-perfect swing. The 907D1, with its more pointed back, provides this for the golfer who needs it.
"Players will benefit from the advanced design, engineering and construction technology we used to create the higher MOI, while delivering on the combination of looks, feel and ball flight that better players demand," said Scott Burnett, Vice President of Titleist Golf Club Research and Development. "In fact, the 5,000+ inertia value of the 907D1 is as high as any titanium driver currently in the marketplace."
The drivers became available for sale April 1 and have a suggested retail price of $500 - they'll likely sell for about $100 less. Visit www.titleist.com for more details.
Tour Van Notebook: Daly's Looking for Fire with New Ball
John Daly's got a new golf ball. Well, sort of new. He's been playing it since the Nissan Open in mid-February. The ball is called Tour Fire and it's a new offering from Maxfli.
"It's a lot softer than any other ball I've played with in a long time but it goes the same distance so it's a lot better around the greens," Daly said.
The Tour Fire is a three-piece ball with 75 compression. It's part of TaylorMade-adidas' efforts to reposition the Maxfli brand, which began last November with Daly as pitchman. The company is positioning Maxfli balls as distance balls with great feel, good for the everyday golfer who likes to hit it long. It's also at a low price point - the original Fire ball sells for $19.95 a dozen.
The Tour Fire is a ball that Daly worked on with the company.
"I tested - there's nine different styles and we narrowed it down to three that I liked. We went nine to five to three, and we got down to three and I fell in love with this one," Daly said.
While he didn't make the cut in Texas, he's also recovering from back problems. He sustained the injury when he stopped his backswing partway through at the Honda Classic, as a fan snapped a photo mid-swing.
PICKING A PUTTER: Texas boy Bob Estes held a share of the lead after two rounds at the Shell Houston Open. According to ShotLink statistics, he was 17 of 17 in putts from 10 feet or closer for Friday, a feat Estes credited to his putter.
"It's kind of a new old one. It's a Bullseye that I used a little bit in the past," he said.
How did he decide to put the putter in his bag?
"I came to Houston with 15 putters," he said. "Brought my Tour bag and brought my carry bag loaded with putters. So I spent a lot of time putting... and decided on about three different putters, and then I had to whittle it down to one. Bullseye is what I grew up putting with. It's so easy to look at. It pretty much does what I want it to do, so it's probably what I should just keep putting with."
Estes said he had about 40 putters that he was looking at last week, and he narrowed those down to the 15 that made the trip. Once in his hotel room, he practiced with each putter until he made a choice.
"I was just going to be embarrassed to bring 15 putters to the putting green or the course. I think I would leave them in the hotel room so nobody would be laughing at me or talking about me walking out with a carry bag full of putters," Estes said. "I tried to take care of that at the hotel room yesterday. I felt a lot better showing up with three putters as opposed to 15."
Estes finished the tournament in a tie for ninth, his first top-10 since he was runner-up at the Reno-Tahoe Open last August.
MAJOR CHANGES: Morgan Pressel has gone through some changes this season. Not just in her game - the new winner of the Kraft Nabisco Championship has put new equipment in play as a Callaway staff member.
Pressel has been playing with her Callaway irons, X-Forged models, for around two months. For the season, she's tied for 14th in greens in regulation (0.700) and tied for 21st in birdies (39). A couple of weeks ago, she added an Odyssey Marxman putter and is tied for sixth in putts per green (1.72).
The one thing Pressel hasn't changed is her driver. She plays a Callaway FT-3.
"I have tested both the FT-i and the FT-5 Drivers, I just haven't found the right combination of head, shaft, and loft yet. It just proves that club fitting and testing is very important," she said in her blog on the Callaway web site.
AUGUSTA COMMENTS: Former Masters champion Mark O'Meara weighed in on changes to Augusta National from the Ginn Championship on the Champions Tour.
"When I get up on the fourth hole the par-3, which is a wonderful par-3 and I'm playing a Tuesday practice round with Tiger Woods and he pulls out a 3-wood and hits a high cut, smokes it. Well, what in the hell am I going to be hitting? If Tiger Woods has to hit a 3-wood to a par-3 I better take my driver out and get some kind of superball out to be able to get there. It's 256. Are you kidding me? I mean what was -- I hit a 7 there on Sunday when I played in the final group when they paid played the up tee. Now I'm back there smoking a driver. Whatever."
O'Meara said that length shouldn't be the only factor in setting up a championship golf course. In fact, he said, lengthening holes takes some of the thinking out of play and makes it even easier for the longer hitters to dominate.
"To me that is kind of where if the equipment is so much better and the ball goes so much further and the athletes are so much bigger, what do we do? How do we do this to make a player more accountable and think? That's kind of where I think that they have missed the boat a little bit. Make them have to shape the ball, force them to fit a ball in there a little bit more."
WHERE DO ALL THE GOLF BALLS GO?: Think about all the players who use Titleist Pro V1 golf balls. At the Shell Houston Open, about 256 dozen (3,072) golf balls were used on the driving range alone. What happens to all those premium, barely-used golf balls when play is finished?
"When the tournament ends, the balls are donated to junior golf," explained Steve Mata, Vice President of Titleist Tour Promotion, on the Titleist blog.
Good answer. It's nice to know they aren't going to waste.
"It's a lot softer than any other ball I've played with in a long time but it goes the same distance so it's a lot better around the greens," Daly said.
The Tour Fire is a three-piece ball with 75 compression. It's part of TaylorMade-adidas' efforts to reposition the Maxfli brand, which began last November with Daly as pitchman. The company is positioning Maxfli balls as distance balls with great feel, good for the everyday golfer who likes to hit it long. It's also at a low price point - the original Fire ball sells for $19.95 a dozen.
The Tour Fire is a ball that Daly worked on with the company.
"I tested - there's nine different styles and we narrowed it down to three that I liked. We went nine to five to three, and we got down to three and I fell in love with this one," Daly said.
While he didn't make the cut in Texas, he's also recovering from back problems. He sustained the injury when he stopped his backswing partway through at the Honda Classic, as a fan snapped a photo mid-swing.
PICKING A PUTTER: Texas boy Bob Estes held a share of the lead after two rounds at the Shell Houston Open. According to ShotLink statistics, he was 17 of 17 in putts from 10 feet or closer for Friday, a feat Estes credited to his putter.
"It's kind of a new old one. It's a Bullseye that I used a little bit in the past," he said.
How did he decide to put the putter in his bag?
"I came to Houston with 15 putters," he said. "Brought my Tour bag and brought my carry bag loaded with putters. So I spent a lot of time putting... and decided on about three different putters, and then I had to whittle it down to one. Bullseye is what I grew up putting with. It's so easy to look at. It pretty much does what I want it to do, so it's probably what I should just keep putting with."
Estes said he had about 40 putters that he was looking at last week, and he narrowed those down to the 15 that made the trip. Once in his hotel room, he practiced with each putter until he made a choice.
"I was just going to be embarrassed to bring 15 putters to the putting green or the course. I think I would leave them in the hotel room so nobody would be laughing at me or talking about me walking out with a carry bag full of putters," Estes said. "I tried to take care of that at the hotel room yesterday. I felt a lot better showing up with three putters as opposed to 15."
Estes finished the tournament in a tie for ninth, his first top-10 since he was runner-up at the Reno-Tahoe Open last August.
MAJOR CHANGES: Morgan Pressel has gone through some changes this season. Not just in her game - the new winner of the Kraft Nabisco Championship has put new equipment in play as a Callaway staff member.
Pressel has been playing with her Callaway irons, X-Forged models, for around two months. For the season, she's tied for 14th in greens in regulation (0.700) and tied for 21st in birdies (39). A couple of weeks ago, she added an Odyssey Marxman putter and is tied for sixth in putts per green (1.72).
The one thing Pressel hasn't changed is her driver. She plays a Callaway FT-3.
"I have tested both the FT-i and the FT-5 Drivers, I just haven't found the right combination of head, shaft, and loft yet. It just proves that club fitting and testing is very important," she said in her blog on the Callaway web site.
AUGUSTA COMMENTS: Former Masters champion Mark O'Meara weighed in on changes to Augusta National from the Ginn Championship on the Champions Tour.
"When I get up on the fourth hole the par-3, which is a wonderful par-3 and I'm playing a Tuesday practice round with Tiger Woods and he pulls out a 3-wood and hits a high cut, smokes it. Well, what in the hell am I going to be hitting? If Tiger Woods has to hit a 3-wood to a par-3 I better take my driver out and get some kind of superball out to be able to get there. It's 256. Are you kidding me? I mean what was -- I hit a 7 there on Sunday when I played in the final group when they paid played the up tee. Now I'm back there smoking a driver. Whatever."
O'Meara said that length shouldn't be the only factor in setting up a championship golf course. In fact, he said, lengthening holes takes some of the thinking out of play and makes it even easier for the longer hitters to dominate.
"To me that is kind of where if the equipment is so much better and the ball goes so much further and the athletes are so much bigger, what do we do? How do we do this to make a player more accountable and think? That's kind of where I think that they have missed the boat a little bit. Make them have to shape the ball, force them to fit a ball in there a little bit more."
WHERE DO ALL THE GOLF BALLS GO?: Think about all the players who use Titleist Pro V1 golf balls. At the Shell Houston Open, about 256 dozen (3,072) golf balls were used on the driving range alone. What happens to all those premium, barely-used golf balls when play is finished?
"When the tournament ends, the balls are donated to junior golf," explained Steve Mata, Vice President of Titleist Tour Promotion, on the Titleist blog.
Good answer. It's nice to know they aren't going to waste.
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