The SuperQuad is the latest incarnation of the clubs with TaylorMade’s now-famous movable weight technology. The four weight screws offer 26 grams of adjustable weights and six different launch conditions. With a 460cc head, the Superquad also features TaylorMade’s inverted cone technology, of which I can personally testify offers amazing forgiveness on off-center hits.

It’s the Year of the Strangely Shaped Driver. Square, Triangular, Scoop Backed, ... clubmakers are looking for new ways to create stability and forgiveness.

From Callaway comes the FT-i Tour, a square driver which Callaway says is designd to be the straightest driver ever. The composite body and square shape, Callaway says, allows allows them to move weight to the extreme corners, producing a high moment of inertia (resistance to twisting). The square shape apparently is mroe than a gimmick. The shape apparently is designed to allow Callaway to stabilize both the horizontal and vertical axes.

Callway says that “the FT-i Driver also incorporates Callaway Golf’s proprietary OptiFit® Weighting System, which produces three center of gravity configurations—Draw, Neutral or Fade—and enables golfers to choose the configuration that best suits their individual game. It also boasts Callaway Golf’s largest, most robust CT/VFT titanium cup face, which is designed to the legal limit to dramatically increase ball speed, distance, forgiveness and stability for longer, straighter drives.”

It’ll be interesting to see how these new designs play when they all finally arrive. I’m looking forward to trying them.

Callaway’s first graphite body driver wasn’t particularly well received. I remember golfers who tried it tellime me that it felt and sounded funny. And in fairly short order, they were in the bargain bins at the local pro shops.

The new FT-5 Draw, on the other hand, was named an Editor’s Choice in the 2007 Golf Digest Hot List.

The key to this clubhead is the carbon composite material which—being much lighter than titanium—allows Callaway to redistribute fifty grams of weight to the perimeter. This is the holy grail of current clubhead design, as the weight helps to increase the Moment of Inertia (resistance to twisting). Twenty five grams located at the rear of the clubhead lowers the center of gravity to improve the trajectory.

The club also features Callaway’s Variable Face Thickness Technology, which helps to maximize the sweet spot. Callaway says that makes it the hottest clubface yet.

Power Max KC2 425 Ti

New Year’s Resolution #5: Resolve To Be More Frugal

Golf doesn’t have to be expensive. You do not, for example, need to play with $40 a dozen balls, when there are any number of wonderful orbs available at half the price. My curent favorite is the Bridgestone E6. For $25 or less a dozen, you get a great feeling, three piece surlyn ball with plenty of spin.

GigaGolf offers great bargains on clubs. For example, the PowerMax KC2 425 Ti offers a supersized moveable weight driver for as little as $88.50. When ordering from GigaGolf, you can customize it to your specifications, and the clubs all come with a 30 day playability guarantee.

Pinemeadow’s Tour 780 Draw builds on the success of its 780 Tour design. To help cure the dreaded slice, Pinemeadow has moved the clubhead’s center of gravity toward the heel. The added weight helps to cure the most common cause of the slice: an open clubface.

Further customization of the club is possible through an optional weight system.

Tour 780 Titanium Driver

With its Tour 780 Titanium Driver, PineMeadow offers a 460cc titanium driver with movable weights at a fraction of the price of the big name manufacturers.

The driver features a movable weight system, and includes two (2) six gram tungsten weights and two (2) two gram aluminum weights preinstalled. To encourage a draw, install the heavier weight in the heel of the club; a fade is encouraged by placing a heavier weights toward the toel. Heavier weights toward teh front produce a lower ball flight; moving the heavier weights to the rear encourage a higher flight.

How do they do it? Pinemeadow explains that they are “smart follower,” a company that doesn’t spend money on original research and development, but is rather content to replicate others’ designs. That means that you don’t get the latest design concepts. but Pinemeadow swears that you do get a quality club.

Before you look askance at the idea, consider this: Dell, Gateway and other major computer manufacturers essentially do the same thing.

As with all Pinemeadow clubs, this one comes with a 30 day playability guarantee.

Turbo Power Z5 Ti

Gigagolf’s Turbopower Z5 Ti offers many of the features of the Ping G5 at a fraction of the cost. With a 460cc titanium head, this club has the largest possible sweet spot to maximize the drives of mid to high handicap drivers. GigaGolf doesn’t skimp on the shaft, either: a USG PHG 100 shaft is standard in the base price of $99.

As with all GigaGolf products, the Z5 Ti comes with a 30 day playability guarantee. GigaGolf is THAT sure you’re going to like it.