Titleist's Pro V1 golf ball was first used to win a professional tournament in October 2000. In the six-and-a-half years since, the ball has become the most popular on tour - nearly 76 percent of the field used Titleist balls at the John Deere Classic, the vast majority Pro V1 and Pro V1x models.
And Sunday at the Sega Sammy Cup in Japan, Toru Taniguchi made the win count with the brand an even 1000.
Since Billy Andrade started the victory tally at the 2000 Invensys Classic in Las Vegas, the Titleist Pro V1 has won 197 times on the PGA Tour; 164 times on the European Tour; 147 times on the Nationwide Tour; 137 times on the Champions Tour; 100 times on the LPGA Tour; and a combined 260 times on the Asian, Australasian, Canadian, Japanese and South African Tours.
According to Titleist, the Pro V1 has been teed up more than 110,000 times by professionals and has earned those pros more than $1.5 billion.
RAPTURE TAKING OFF: PING's Rapture driver racked up two more victories this week, when Frenchman Gregory Havret bested Phil Mickelson in a playoff at the Barclays Scottish Open and amateur Daniel Summerhays won on the Nationwide Tour.
Those two wins mean that the Rapture has earned six titles since Angel Cabrera won the U.S. Open Championship last month.
Havret is devoted to PING - he plays 14 of the company's clubs. Summerhays, on the other hand, is an amateur with no contracts, free to play whatever equipment he prefers on any given day.
HEAVY PUTTER SWITCH WORKS FOR MATTESON: Troy Matteson finished third and ranked sixth in putts per round at last week's John Deere Classic.
Matteson switched from his normal blade model (A-1) with a center-mounted shaft to a new Heavy Putter prototype, which may come to the market later this year.
The Heavy Putter features a 450- to 550-gram head and a 250-gram weight in the grip end; together the weights produce a balance point 75 percent higher than traditional putters. The additional weight also helps prevent the wrists from breaking down and promotes a smoother, more consistent stroke.
"The biggest thing anyone who tries the Heavy Putter will find is that it improves your speed," Matteson said. "And any time you can improve your speed, you're going to make more putts."
COUCH LEAVES NIKE: Following in the footsteps of Jason Gore, Chris Couch has ended his contract with Nike. Also like Gore, rumor has it the source of the problem was over his desire to use a Titleist golf ball in competition, rather than a Nike ball.
A good bet for where Couch will end up: TaylorMade.
CLEVELAND TO HAVE FIRST SHOT: It's pretty certain that the first shot hit at this year's British Open Championship will be with a Cleveland club.
That's because Cleveland staff player Joe Durant will have the first tee shot at 6:30 a.m. local time Thursday.
Durant uses a Cleveland HiBore XL driver with 9.5 degrees of loft. But, should he choose to hit an iron, that will be okay - Durant uses Cleveland CG Golf irons, too.
SORENSTAM SITE LAUNCHES: Annika has a new presence on the web with her site www.annikasorenstam.com. Built to promote the golfer and her apparel partner, Cutter & Buck, the site will feature Sorenstam's schedule, stats, photos and personal info like her favorite recipes and fitness tips.
The site will also share details of her charitable work through the ANNIKA Foundation and Make-A-Wish Foundation and discuss her golf course design work.
TOP SHAFTS: Fujikura was the No. 1 Driver Shaft Brand on the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship this week.
"We have enjoyed great success on the professional tours for many years by working with our OEM partners, but the real gratification is to see the ‘trickle down’ effect to the amateur players," said Fujikara's president and COO, Peter Sanchez. "Having more players literally choose to play our wood models than any other shaft company at the Public Links Championship is very rewarding and validates our belief that our product line has something special to offer at all levels of play."
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Tour Van: Square Works for Els
Count Ernie Els among the pros who have switched to a square driver with some success.
Els used a new Callaway FT-i driver for the Barclays Scottish Open last week, where he finished third. The results: No. 1 in total driving, No. 2 in driving distance with 294.3 meters and T15 in driving accuracy with 75 percent.
"I got new shafts and all my irons and, you know, new driver. So a lot of things going on, basically," Els said. "So I'm happy the way things are going right now."
Els was hitting two different FT-i drivers prior to teeing off at Loch Lomond.
The first, which he chose to put in play, has 7.5 degrees of loft and a neutral bias. It's 45.5 inches long, D5 swing weight, with a Fujikura Speeder 757 shaft, X-Flex, and Tour Velvet 58 Rib grip with extra tape.
His second option, which had a slightly higher ball flight, used a Matrix OZIK XCON F-7M shaft, also in X-Flex.
"I'm hitting more than nice but I'm looking at the ball flight and this one with the black shaft, I think you saw me the other day, it's a bit of a stiffer shaft and the ball stays down," Els said Friday. "That's the one I'm using now and I'll probably use it this week and next week."
Callaway advertises the FT-i, which is made from a carbon composite material, as having increased accuracy; the square shape allows the company's engineers to reposition weight away from the club's center of gravity. That gives the clubhead an increased moment of inertia (M.O.I.), meaning more horizontal and vertical stability.
Els, who switched from a Callaway FT-5 driver, is the most recent high-profile golfer to put a square-shaped driver in use. Phil Mickelson previously used the FT-i driver for the first rounds of The Masters this year, but has not put it in the bag since then. He noted at the time that he struggled to keep the ball as low into the wind as he had with his more traditional Callaway driver. K.J. Choi has won three times with Nike's version of the square driver, the Sumo2.
Els used a new Callaway FT-i driver for the Barclays Scottish Open last week, where he finished third. The results: No. 1 in total driving, No. 2 in driving distance with 294.3 meters and T15 in driving accuracy with 75 percent.
"I got new shafts and all my irons and, you know, new driver. So a lot of things going on, basically," Els said. "So I'm happy the way things are going right now."
Els was hitting two different FT-i drivers prior to teeing off at Loch Lomond.
The first, which he chose to put in play, has 7.5 degrees of loft and a neutral bias. It's 45.5 inches long, D5 swing weight, with a Fujikura Speeder 757 shaft, X-Flex, and Tour Velvet 58 Rib grip with extra tape.
His second option, which had a slightly higher ball flight, used a Matrix OZIK XCON F-7M shaft, also in X-Flex.
"I'm hitting more than nice but I'm looking at the ball flight and this one with the black shaft, I think you saw me the other day, it's a bit of a stiffer shaft and the ball stays down," Els said Friday. "That's the one I'm using now and I'll probably use it this week and next week."
Callaway advertises the FT-i, which is made from a carbon composite material, as having increased accuracy; the square shape allows the company's engineers to reposition weight away from the club's center of gravity. That gives the clubhead an increased moment of inertia (M.O.I.), meaning more horizontal and vertical stability.
Els, who switched from a Callaway FT-5 driver, is the most recent high-profile golfer to put a square-shaped driver in use. Phil Mickelson previously used the FT-i driver for the first rounds of The Masters this year, but has not put it in the bag since then. He noted at the time that he struggled to keep the ball as low into the wind as he had with his more traditional Callaway driver. K.J. Choi has won three times with Nike's version of the square driver, the Sumo2.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
New Product Round-Up: Titleist NXT Brand Brings Back MacCallister
Not all new golf products are released at a trade show. Some make their debut throughout the year. Here is a sampling of a few new items that may have recently hit golf shops near you, or will soon.
NEW NXT GOLF BALLS: Everyone loves those Titleist commercials with John Cleese, right? (Well, at least the first few times you see them.) WIth the introduction of new NXT Tour and NXT Extreme golf balls from Titleist, we're going to be seeing more of Cleese as Ian MacCallister, an old-school course designer who resents NXT balls for making golf too easy.
Beyond the advertising for the new golf balls, the two new NXT balls actually appeal to two very different types of golfers.
"The New NXT Tour advancements in tee-to-green performance have been designed to accelerate its acceptance by better, aspiring players, while the enhancements to the New NXT Extreme establish new benchmarks for distance and soft feel within the two-piece premium golf ball segment," said George Sine, Titleist's VP for Golf Ball Marketing and Strategic Planning.
Simply put, the NXT Tour is for average-to-skilled golfers looking for the right blend of feel and distance. It's a multi-layer ball with a soft Fusablend cover. The NXT Extreme is a distance ball with a solid core and a low-spin Surlyn cover.
Both balls take a couple features from the popular Pro V1 line - the Staggered Wave Parting Line and the A.I.M. alignment line.
The parting line, which typically runs along the equator of a ball and is where the two halves of the cover meet, is necessary as part of the manufacturing process. Titleist has changed the design of that line to put more dimples on the surface of the ball, to create a slightly higher trajectory and better aerodynamics.
A.I.M. simply describes markings on the side of each ball showing the ball name and arrows to help in putting alignment. Sounds simple, but it works well.
You'll be able to buy the new NXT balls starting July 15. The NXT Tour has a suggested retail price of $40/dozen ($29.99 MAP) and the NXT Extreme will be $34/dozen ($25.99 MAP). Find out more about the NXT line at www.titleist.com/golfballs/nxttour.asp and www.titleist.com/golfballs/nxtextreme.asp.
And if you really have a desire for more of the Ian MacCallister character, you can visit his blog at www.NXTube.com - complete with videos, photos, a Golf Designers Against Distance newsletter and a chance to say why you like NXT.
CLEVELAND'S VISUAL PERFORMANCE PUTTERS: Good putting is such an on-again, off-again thing. The smallest of changes mean your eyes are no longer positioned over the ball or your hands are just slightly off, and poof! You stop sinking as many putts.
Cleveland Golf's new line of Visual Performance putters aims to reduce both of those misalignment problems. The putters have a feature called Dual Axis Alignment that shows you when your hands are out of position or your eyes are no longer directly over the ball. When hands and eyes are both in the proper place, you make impact more squarely and have better control over distance.
"Unlike most sports, where the eyes are positioned directly behind the target, the putting stroke positions the eyes to the side of the target," said Adam Sheldon, Business Unit Leader at Cleveland. "Unless a player's eyes are positioned directly above the balls center and on the intended target line, visual misperceptions will occur."
Each mallet-style putter in the line has a standard T-shaped alignment marking on top. The line perpendicular to the face runs to the back of the putter along a thin bar that connects the face and back of the mallet. When you're positioned wrong, round markings on the sides of that bar are visible.
Aligning the blade-style putters works a little differently. Again, a sightline runs perpendicular to the face, and when correctly aligned it is perfectly centered between a concave line that runs parallel to the face. If hands or eyes are not right, you'll see the sightline above or below where it should be.
The three models are available in standard, upright or flat lie angles, and the VP5 mallet model is available in a women's version. Blades will sell for $109 and mallets for $129. See www.clevelandgolf.com for more information.
COBRA TRANSITION-S SETS: If you've got moderate ball speed, the King Cobra Transition-S sets are made for you. Integrated sets are really taking off for average golfers, because they combine utility meteals, easy-to-hit hybrids and wide-sole irons so you can always get off the ground.
"With our Transition-S line we've designed a complete, integrated set that offers a seamless progression from utility metals to hybrids to wide-sole irons," said David Abeles, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Cobra. "All clubs in the set are designed with higher MOI to maximize forgiveness and low-back CG to optimize launch. Transition-S was designed as a complete set to optimize distance gaps so players with moderate ball speed have the right club for every shot, making the transition from fairway to green easier."
The Transition-S set has utility metals for 3-5, featuring a low crown for lower center of gravity and ease in getting the ball in the air. Offset hosels encourage a right-to-left, or draw-biased, flight path. Hybrids fill the 6-7 spots and are back weighted for higher launch and more distance. Cavity-back irons 8-SW finish out the set.
They're available in men's, women's and seniors' models with Cobra/Aldila NV-HL shafts and Cobra/Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips. Look for them in golf stores July 15 with a suggested retail of $840. See www.cobragolf.com for more information.
NEW NXT GOLF BALLS: Everyone loves those Titleist commercials with John Cleese, right? (Well, at least the first few times you see them.) WIth the introduction of new NXT Tour and NXT Extreme golf balls from Titleist, we're going to be seeing more of Cleese as Ian MacCallister, an old-school course designer who resents NXT balls for making golf too easy.
Beyond the advertising for the new golf balls, the two new NXT balls actually appeal to two very different types of golfers.
"The New NXT Tour advancements in tee-to-green performance have been designed to accelerate its acceptance by better, aspiring players, while the enhancements to the New NXT Extreme establish new benchmarks for distance and soft feel within the two-piece premium golf ball segment," said George Sine, Titleist's VP for Golf Ball Marketing and Strategic Planning.
Simply put, the NXT Tour is for average-to-skilled golfers looking for the right blend of feel and distance. It's a multi-layer ball with a soft Fusablend cover. The NXT Extreme is a distance ball with a solid core and a low-spin Surlyn cover.
Both balls take a couple features from the popular Pro V1 line - the Staggered Wave Parting Line and the A.I.M. alignment line.
The parting line, which typically runs along the equator of a ball and is where the two halves of the cover meet, is necessary as part of the manufacturing process. Titleist has changed the design of that line to put more dimples on the surface of the ball, to create a slightly higher trajectory and better aerodynamics.
A.I.M. simply describes markings on the side of each ball showing the ball name and arrows to help in putting alignment. Sounds simple, but it works well.
You'll be able to buy the new NXT balls starting July 15. The NXT Tour has a suggested retail price of $40/dozen ($29.99 MAP) and the NXT Extreme will be $34/dozen ($25.99 MAP). Find out more about the NXT line at www.titleist.com/golfballs/nxttour.asp and www.titleist.com/golfballs/nxtextreme.asp.
And if you really have a desire for more of the Ian MacCallister character, you can visit his blog at www.NXTube.com - complete with videos, photos, a Golf Designers Against Distance newsletter and a chance to say why you like NXT.
CLEVELAND'S VISUAL PERFORMANCE PUTTERS: Good putting is such an on-again, off-again thing. The smallest of changes mean your eyes are no longer positioned over the ball or your hands are just slightly off, and poof! You stop sinking as many putts.
Cleveland Golf's new line of Visual Performance putters aims to reduce both of those misalignment problems. The putters have a feature called Dual Axis Alignment that shows you when your hands are out of position or your eyes are no longer directly over the ball. When hands and eyes are both in the proper place, you make impact more squarely and have better control over distance.
"Unlike most sports, where the eyes are positioned directly behind the target, the putting stroke positions the eyes to the side of the target," said Adam Sheldon, Business Unit Leader at Cleveland. "Unless a player's eyes are positioned directly above the balls center and on the intended target line, visual misperceptions will occur."
Each mallet-style putter in the line has a standard T-shaped alignment marking on top. The line perpendicular to the face runs to the back of the putter along a thin bar that connects the face and back of the mallet. When you're positioned wrong, round markings on the sides of that bar are visible.
Aligning the blade-style putters works a little differently. Again, a sightline runs perpendicular to the face, and when correctly aligned it is perfectly centered between a concave line that runs parallel to the face. If hands or eyes are not right, you'll see the sightline above or below where it should be.
The three models are available in standard, upright or flat lie angles, and the VP5 mallet model is available in a women's version. Blades will sell for $109 and mallets for $129. See www.clevelandgolf.com for more information.
COBRA TRANSITION-S SETS: If you've got moderate ball speed, the King Cobra Transition-S sets are made for you. Integrated sets are really taking off for average golfers, because they combine utility meteals, easy-to-hit hybrids and wide-sole irons so you can always get off the ground.
"With our Transition-S line we've designed a complete, integrated set that offers a seamless progression from utility metals to hybrids to wide-sole irons," said David Abeles, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Cobra. "All clubs in the set are designed with higher MOI to maximize forgiveness and low-back CG to optimize launch. Transition-S was designed as a complete set to optimize distance gaps so players with moderate ball speed have the right club for every shot, making the transition from fairway to green easier."
The Transition-S set has utility metals for 3-5, featuring a low crown for lower center of gravity and ease in getting the ball in the air. Offset hosels encourage a right-to-left, or draw-biased, flight path. Hybrids fill the 6-7 spots and are back weighted for higher launch and more distance. Cavity-back irons 8-SW finish out the set.
They're available in men's, women's and seniors' models with Cobra/Aldila NV-HL shafts and Cobra/Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips. Look for them in golf stores July 15 with a suggested retail of $840. See www.cobragolf.com for more information.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Tour Van Notebook: Make a Note of Lovemark
If you haven't heard the name Jamie Lovemark before, make a note. You'll probably hear it again.
Lovemark is an amateur golfer who plays college golf at the University of Southern California. So far this year, he's played on a sponsor's exemption in the Western Open and last week's AT&T National, Monday qualified for the Buick Invitational, and finished runner-up after losing a playoff on the Nationwide Tour.
"It's been getting a lot easier," Lovemark said after shooting a first-round 67 at Congressional. "It's my fourth pro tournament, third PGA, one Nationwide and each time I play, I feel a lot more comfortable."
Lovemark, who's just finished his freshman year, tied for 45th at the AT&T event.
So although Tour Van usually looks at what the winners play, this week we're also interested in seeing just what Lovemark has in the bag.
Driver: Nike SQ Tour (9.5 degrees with Fujikura 757 X-flex shaft)
Fairway Woods: Titleist 906F2 3 wood (15 degrees) and 5 wood (18 degrees, both with Accra SC85 X-flex shafts)
Irons (3-PW): Titleist 695 CB
Wedges: Titleist Vokey 54 and SM 60
Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 prototype
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Because he's an amateur, Lovemark can't be signed to a contract to play. But, as a Division I player, he can legally receive free equipment.
BACK TO THE BELLY: Although he's considered using two putters (if just for a moment), Colin Montgomerie has decided to return to using a belly putter. He's got an Odyssey White Hot model that he used to win the Smurfit Kappa European Open last week.
"I still prefer the short putter on the longer putts but unfortunately I can't use two -- well, I could use two, but I'm not going to. I'd be embarrassed using two," Montgomerie said. "So I get on with what I've got, and it seems to be holing out better, yes."
Montgomerie used a mid-length putter when he putted well at the 2002 Ryder Cup, but has struggled on the greens in recent months.
"I've tried going back to the short one, this gives me more confidence," he said. "I listened to Mark Roe on the golf program on SKY Sports, and he said if I'd used a belly putter in the French Open last week, I'd be French Open champion. So, I listened to that and took it on board and came out this week with the belly putter, and it's proving its worth."
WEDGES MAKE THE DIFFERENCE: Usually, when a player breaks through for a big win, there's something that was really working well for him. That is often the putter, but in Brad Bryant's case at the U.S. Senior Open, his wedges were hot at Whistling Straits.
"Normally I am not very good with my wedges and today I was amazing. It was like somebody else was hitting them, because I hit the ball close with my -- especially my 60-degree wedge I think four times today and made birdies, which was, for me, it was really spectacular," Bryant said.
After going 1-under on the par-5s the first three days, Bryant was 3-under on Sunday. He also had 29 putts on Sunday.
POPULAR GRIPS: Players in the U.S. Women's Open two weeks ago and the U.S. Senior Open last week overwhelmingly opted for Golf Pride grips. According to the company, 78 percent of the women and 81 percent of the seniors used the brand.
Lovemark is an amateur golfer who plays college golf at the University of Southern California. So far this year, he's played on a sponsor's exemption in the Western Open and last week's AT&T National, Monday qualified for the Buick Invitational, and finished runner-up after losing a playoff on the Nationwide Tour.
"It's been getting a lot easier," Lovemark said after shooting a first-round 67 at Congressional. "It's my fourth pro tournament, third PGA, one Nationwide and each time I play, I feel a lot more comfortable."
Lovemark, who's just finished his freshman year, tied for 45th at the AT&T event.
So although Tour Van usually looks at what the winners play, this week we're also interested in seeing just what Lovemark has in the bag.
Driver: Nike SQ Tour (9.5 degrees with Fujikura 757 X-flex shaft)
Fairway Woods: Titleist 906F2 3 wood (15 degrees) and 5 wood (18 degrees, both with Accra SC85 X-flex shafts)
Irons (3-PW): Titleist 695 CB
Wedges: Titleist Vokey 54 and SM 60
Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 prototype
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Because he's an amateur, Lovemark can't be signed to a contract to play. But, as a Division I player, he can legally receive free equipment.
BACK TO THE BELLY: Although he's considered using two putters (if just for a moment), Colin Montgomerie has decided to return to using a belly putter. He's got an Odyssey White Hot model that he used to win the Smurfit Kappa European Open last week.
"I still prefer the short putter on the longer putts but unfortunately I can't use two -- well, I could use two, but I'm not going to. I'd be embarrassed using two," Montgomerie said. "So I get on with what I've got, and it seems to be holing out better, yes."
Montgomerie used a mid-length putter when he putted well at the 2002 Ryder Cup, but has struggled on the greens in recent months.
"I've tried going back to the short one, this gives me more confidence," he said. "I listened to Mark Roe on the golf program on SKY Sports, and he said if I'd used a belly putter in the French Open last week, I'd be French Open champion. So, I listened to that and took it on board and came out this week with the belly putter, and it's proving its worth."
WEDGES MAKE THE DIFFERENCE: Usually, when a player breaks through for a big win, there's something that was really working well for him. That is often the putter, but in Brad Bryant's case at the U.S. Senior Open, his wedges were hot at Whistling Straits.
"Normally I am not very good with my wedges and today I was amazing. It was like somebody else was hitting them, because I hit the ball close with my -- especially my 60-degree wedge I think four times today and made birdies, which was, for me, it was really spectacular," Bryant said.
After going 1-under on the par-5s the first three days, Bryant was 3-under on Sunday. He also had 29 putts on Sunday.
POPULAR GRIPS: Players in the U.S. Women's Open two weeks ago and the U.S. Senior Open last week overwhelmingly opted for Golf Pride grips. According to the company, 78 percent of the women and 81 percent of the seniors used the brand.
Tour Van: Super Stroke Helps Choi to Second PGA Tour Win
K.J. Choi is willing to experiment with his equipment. And he's not afraid to use what works for him, even if it's something not in common use on the PGA Tour.
That's evident in his choice of driver, a square Nike Sumo2 that makes an unconvential sound when hit, but which gave him average drives of more than 308 yards (T15) and accuracy off the tee of 73.2 percent (T5) in his win at the AT&T National Sunday.
Choi's putter grip is also a little bit different.
The South Korean uses what's called the Super Stroke Grip, an oversized grip that promotes even pressure in both hands and reduces wrist action.
"It reduces the movement of your wrist, and you just use your shoulders and it just makes the ball roll better and it gives me confidence," Choi said. "So that's why, you know, I used it this week."
The Super Stroke grip, which is 1.67 inches in diameter, can be installed on any putter once the original grip is removed. It can also be adjusted on the shaft for height, using spacers to lengthen the putter 1/4-inch at a time, up to 5 inches.
The larger grip requires about one-third less grip tension and provides a "shelf" at the base of the grip for resting the fingertips on opposite sides of the shaft, a method that can improve feel and help keep the putter head square at impact.
"I first saw that grip on TV watching an infomercial last year," Choi said. "You know, when you watch infomercials, half the time you don't believe it, half the time you believe it and you don't know what's right. But I just kept on watching it, and I felt like -- I was convinced that it might work for me. So I ordered one."
Choi said he's been practicing with the grip, which is legal for tournament play. But he didn't know if he wanted to use it during a PGA Tour event because it was so unconventional.
"I wasn't sure if I could just bring it out on Tour," he said. "I was very hesitant because it was so big and ugly."
But his results at Congressional County Club were anything but ugly. Choi averaged 28.8 putts per round (T5) and 1.685 putts per GIR, second best in the field.
"I kind of gathered the courage to bring it out here and for me, it's all about business here. If you perform well, there's a lot of money involved," Choi said. "I felt like that I had to go with my feel and use what I feel confident in."
With Choi's win, some of the stigma of using a new and unconvential product may be reduced, and you'll start to see some of the grips show up in the bags of players around the world.
Super Stroke's Tour Rep, Jeff Dill, maintains a blog at superstrokegrip.wordpress.com and notes the players - mostly from the Nationwide Tour - he's working with who are trying the new grip. They include Charlie Wi, David Moreland, Steve Wheatcroft, D.J. Brigman, Aaron Watkins, Ian Leggett - even Colin Montgomerie.
"We are making progress," Dill wrote from the Stanford St. Jude's Championship in June. "Like D.J. Brigman said, you just need to keep showing the players we are here and then it will only be a matter of time before one player starts using the Super Stroke. Once that happens so many more will follow!"
Dill said he flew from the Nationwide Tour's Legends Financial Classic to see Choi win with the Super Stroke Grip - although he can't mention Choi by name since the company doesn't pay him to play the grip.
"As for the winner of the inaugural AT&T National, a big congratulations and a thank you go to him for believing in us and our Super Stroke Grip," Dill wrote.
For more information on the Super Stroke Grip, see www.superstrokegrip.com.
That's evident in his choice of driver, a square Nike Sumo2 that makes an unconvential sound when hit, but which gave him average drives of more than 308 yards (T15) and accuracy off the tee of 73.2 percent (T5) in his win at the AT&T National Sunday.
Choi's putter grip is also a little bit different.
The South Korean uses what's called the Super Stroke Grip, an oversized grip that promotes even pressure in both hands and reduces wrist action.
"It reduces the movement of your wrist, and you just use your shoulders and it just makes the ball roll better and it gives me confidence," Choi said. "So that's why, you know, I used it this week."
The Super Stroke grip, which is 1.67 inches in diameter, can be installed on any putter once the original grip is removed. It can also be adjusted on the shaft for height, using spacers to lengthen the putter 1/4-inch at a time, up to 5 inches.
The larger grip requires about one-third less grip tension and provides a "shelf" at the base of the grip for resting the fingertips on opposite sides of the shaft, a method that can improve feel and help keep the putter head square at impact.
"I first saw that grip on TV watching an infomercial last year," Choi said. "You know, when you watch infomercials, half the time you don't believe it, half the time you believe it and you don't know what's right. But I just kept on watching it, and I felt like -- I was convinced that it might work for me. So I ordered one."
Choi said he's been practicing with the grip, which is legal for tournament play. But he didn't know if he wanted to use it during a PGA Tour event because it was so unconventional.
"I wasn't sure if I could just bring it out on Tour," he said. "I was very hesitant because it was so big and ugly."
But his results at Congressional County Club were anything but ugly. Choi averaged 28.8 putts per round (T5) and 1.685 putts per GIR, second best in the field.
"I kind of gathered the courage to bring it out here and for me, it's all about business here. If you perform well, there's a lot of money involved," Choi said. "I felt like that I had to go with my feel and use what I feel confident in."
With Choi's win, some of the stigma of using a new and unconvential product may be reduced, and you'll start to see some of the grips show up in the bags of players around the world.
Super Stroke's Tour Rep, Jeff Dill, maintains a blog at superstrokegrip.wordpress.com and notes the players - mostly from the Nationwide Tour - he's working with who are trying the new grip. They include Charlie Wi, David Moreland, Steve Wheatcroft, D.J. Brigman, Aaron Watkins, Ian Leggett - even Colin Montgomerie.
"We are making progress," Dill wrote from the Stanford St. Jude's Championship in June. "Like D.J. Brigman said, you just need to keep showing the players we are here and then it will only be a matter of time before one player starts using the Super Stroke. Once that happens so many more will follow!"
Dill said he flew from the Nationwide Tour's Legends Financial Classic to see Choi win with the Super Stroke Grip - although he can't mention Choi by name since the company doesn't pay him to play the grip.
"As for the winner of the inaugural AT&T National, a big congratulations and a thank you go to him for believing in us and our Super Stroke Grip," Dill wrote.
For more information on the Super Stroke Grip, see www.superstrokegrip.com.
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