P2 Deep Cavity Irons

New for 2008 are GigaGolf’s P2 Deep Cavity Iron. With a deep cavity that allows precision weight redistribution, these irons are designed to offer the higher handicapper distance, control and forgiveness.

Interestingly, the set offers an optional 2 iron—something you just don’t find today. GigaGolf says that’s a measure of how confident they are in the playability of their clubs. Or, you can add matching P2 Hybrids.

You can customize these clubs to your heart’s content, changing grips, shafts, flex, length and lie. As with all GigaGolf products, these come with a playability guarantee.

TaylorMade Tour Burner Men’s Iron Set

I have iron envy. These new TaylorMade Tour irons look like they were designed just for me. The race car styling just screams “Buy Me! I’m FAST.”

TaylorMade says that these are designed for a wide variety of player abilities—from the tour level to mid-handicappers. The club starts with a thin 2.2 milimeter face that’s designed to deliver a high coefficient of restitution (rebound effect). Thinner = more rebound. And that means more ball speed and distance. It’s also got the TaylorMade Inverted Cone Technology, which is designed to enlarge the sweet spot on the clubs.

I have that on my TaylorMade clubs, and can testify that it works. As inconsistent as I am in striking the ball, my distances stay consistent.

Other technologies include “distinct heel and toe weighting” for increased moment of inertia (resistance to twisting), and a large “multifunctional sole” that’s beveled to make it perform better from a variety of lies. The design also is supposed to promote a low and deep center of gravity for higher launch.

The best part for me though, is that it has the look of a better player’s club. I long to play with a sleek clubhead, but know that—realistically—I need to play with a game improvement iron. The look of the Tour Burners is designed for just such a player.

Envy is a terrible thing. It’s one of those seven deadly sins, you know.

GX Squared Fairway

The GigaGolf GX Squared Fairway takes the principles of squared drives and applies them to a fairway metal. The square design moves the weight to the outside, resulting in a high moment of inertia. The crown and sole are constructed from 17-4 stainless steel, while the face is forged in Carpenter 455.

Best of all is the price. You can have this club—along with Gigagolf’s playability guarantee—for as little as $49.

Bridgestone Forged Cavity Back Irons

I’ve been happily playing Bridgestone balls for a couple of seasons now; it turns out that they also manufacture a line of clubs that have gotten some nice reviews. The J33 irons are forged from 1020 carbon steel and are designed with a a progressive muscle cavity. A progressive horizontal center of gravity and progressive offset makes the long irons easier to square, while the short irons remain very stable and square. The leading edges are rolled to offer consistency in all kinds of turf.

It looks like these are just the clubs for a player who wants the feel of carbon forged irons, but still needs help with their game.

Titleist DT Roll Golf Balls

I played the Titleist DT SoLo balls for several years before moving on to the Callaway HX Hot and Bridgestone E6. But that was some time ago. Now Titleist has updated the line with the DT Carry and the DT Roll.

The DT Roll is a two piece, 392 dimple ball that’s designed to offer a lower, more penetrating flight—and thus more roll. It seems like it would be a good ball match for me. I tend to hit the ball high off the tee, getting lots of carry but no roll.

I’d welcome any reviews of the ball. I plan to test it as soon as the weather warms up a bit—but in Michigan that could be a while.