The Srixon ZUR-S is another entry in the high-end ball market that made the Golf Digest 2006 Hot List.

Boasting the thinnest cover in golf, the Z-URS is a three piece ball with a “PBDS” enhanced core and a high velocity ionomer boundary layer. The urethane-elastomer cover is just 0.020” thick. A 330 dimple pattern is said to provide “high trajectory with strong penetrating ball flight.”

Srixon is marketing these balls to players who want tour performance with a softer feel. In fact, they promise a refund if you don’t agree that the ball is as good as the Pro V-1.

SRIXON Zur-S

Here’s a feel good story: Casey Martin has been named head coach of the Oregon Ducks golf team. Martin has been serving as a volunteer assistant coach this season.

“The thought of building a nationally competitive golf program for the University of Oregon is simply thrilling to me,” Martin said. “Having been raised in Eugene, I possess an intense passion for all athletic programs at the University of Oregon.”

I’ve always believed that as one door is closed, another is opened. That Casey was unable to play on the PGA Tour because of his disability simply meant that he had not yet found what the Good Lord had intended for him to do.

Maybe this is it. Through his example and leadership, he has the opportunity to inspire a generation of young men—most of whom won’t be professional golfers, but who can themselves become leaders in whatever walk they choose.

His legacy as a teacher and coach may turn out to be far greater than it ever would have been as a player.

Good luck Casey.

I ran across a solitary TaylorMade React glove at a local pro shop the other day. I thought the CoolMax fabric across the back of the knuckles was a good idea because it would both keep the hand cooler and offer extra flex. I have always had trouble finding gloves that fit properly because I have oddly shaped hands: broad palms with short fingers. That steers me toward the large cadet, but even so, they usually are a little too tight across the knuckles when I take my grip.

One glove that does fit well is the Footjoy SciFlex, but I have had a hard time finding that particular model this spring.

Unfortunately, the TaylorMade glove I found wasn’t in my size. So I went looking for another pair at some other local stores—Golfsmith, Caddyshack and Miles of Golf. And none of them carried TaylorMade gloves. The selection of gloves in most stores seems to be limited to Footjoy, Nike and to a lesser extent, Titleist. There also were some Callaway, and a couple of bargain basement brands.

Given that I can’t find either the SciFlex or the TaylorMade, it looks like I’ll have to mail order a pair (or two). And given that, I think that I mayjust go ahead and try the TaylorMade. They’ve got them at TGW (see the link below).

TaylorMade React Pro Golf Glove

Sports Columnist Ray Melnick says the PGA needs John Daly.

But Mike Bianchi has had it up to here with his antics and says that the PGA needs to suspend him.

The parent company of The Golf Warehouse, The Sportsman’s Guide Inc., has been sold to Redcats USA, an online marketer of clothing and home products. The deal was for $265 million.

TAYLORMADE r7 XD Irons 3-PW w/Steel Shaft

Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: An apparent oxymoron: a good looking set of game improvement irons. These clubs are just begging to be hit hard.

Thanks to the nice spring weather we’ve had here in Michigan, I’ve now had a chance to play five complete rounds with the new TaylorMade R7 XD Irons.

I’ll have to admit that after the first round, I was not at all sure that these irons were good for me. I got good distance but the balls tended to fly every which way but straight. But I thought that it could just be spring rust, so I played on.

Things didn’t improve on the second round. I loved the R7XD sand and pitching wedges, and the seven iron was a perfect chipping and pitching weapon, but I couldn’t get any of the rest of the clubs to behave on a full swing.

Finally, on the third hole of the third round, I got angry at them. I was around 155 to the hole on a slight uphill lie. Normally a six: but I felt like whacking something hard and pulled out the seven. Making a full turn, I laid into the ball hard. That’s normally a disastrous recipe for me, but I didn’t care. And to my surprise, the ball took off like it was shot out of a howitzer and flew straight at the pin, landing behind the hole

That’s interesting, I thought. I finished the hole for a par. On the next, I hit a good drive that left me in the fairway. Again, I took one club less and belted it. Same good result.

As it turns out, that’s the secret: these clubs are just begging to be hit hard. The perimeter weighting keeps the ball on line, and the wide soles prevent digging—even on Michigan’s soft spring fairways. Even better, the tuned performance cartridge keeps the impact from sending shockwaves through your arms.

Jesse Ortiz is one of the most respected names in the club design business. As chief designer at Orlimar, he helped to turn that company into a major player in the golf business.

Now, he returns with the Bobby Jones line of clubs, which made the Golf Digest 2006 Hot List.

The Players Series hybrid increases stability with its triangular head and improves playability with a wide contoured sole. The crown’s maraging steel construction allowed Ortiz to redistrubute down and back for higher trajectory shots.

Golf Digest called it a “retro cleek” and praised its ability to get out of the rough.

What I like best about the clubs is their elegant, classic look. They’re a set that is worthy of the Bobby Jones name.

Bobby Jones by Jesse Ortiz Utility Wood