Rifle Graphite 75 Gram Iron Shaft Set 3-PW
Grade: A

The knock against graphite golf shafts always has been that they are not as consistent as steel. But recent advances in manufacturing have reportedly solved that problem, so this summer I decided to give them a try.

I chose the Rifle Graphite 75s because they promised to provide consistent weights across the different lengths in the set. The tips on each of the shafts were pre-cut, so it was simply a matter of making sure the right shaft went into the right head. The weights on these shafts turned to be right on the mark, as the finished clubweights were consistent across the entire set.

One advantage of the graphite was that the lighter weight enabled me to cut the shafts a half inch longer without making the clubs feel too heavy. I've always been more comfortable with a longer shaft, as it allows me to stand more upright and take some pressure off my back.

After playing the second half of the summer with graphite shafts, I have to say that I am a believer.  I haven't had any noticable accuracy or consistency problems. And the feel of the graphite is superior to the steel. Mishits don't hurt anymore because the graphite easily absorbs the shock. And, after playing more golf this summer than ever before, I don't have the case of "golfers elbow" that I usually develop by the fall.

And then there's the Magic Word for amateur golfers: distance. I think I'm hitting my irons further. Never a long hitter, I think I've gained distance. My reference club used to be a well-swung 6 iron at 150. When I'm playing well, 150 now is an easy six, or a hard 7

It's probably a combination of things. The clubs are longer, the swingweight lighter, and there likely is more whip. But the distance is there.

I won't go back to steel. Graphite is more expensive, but it's worth it.

Snake Eyes 600W Forged Wedge Heads
Grade: B-

The 600W is beautiful wedge that comes in 48*, 52*, 56* and 60* lofts. I have the 48*, 56* and 60* versions with Rifle wedge shafts.

The 600W is the successor to last year's Snake Eyes Forged Wedge (I have the 56* version of that one). What distinguishes the 600W is a wider sole and a more gentle bevel. For me, this design change has made the 600W much more playable.

While I liked the feel of the original Forged Wedge, I had trouble with it. Tight lies, in particular, caused me much grief.  My PGA pro friend insisted that the problem was that the sole was too narrow -- that the club was not gliding properly across the ground and was instead digging in. He suggested grinding. I decided to try the new version, instead.

On the new 600W, the wider sole and new bevel make a big difference. The 600W handles thick rough and tight lies with aplomb. With the 56*, I can get the ball up and onto the green from nearly any lie.

The 56* has turned out to be so versatile that I have dropped the 60* from the bag (nothing wrong with it -- its just that there is nothing I can do with the 60* that I can't with the 56*). 

The 48* -- pitching wedge -- also is superb. I like to use it on full swings from around 100 - 110 yards, and on pitch and run shots from 50 yards in. If I really need the height and distance, I can smash it for as far as 130 (risky, but doable).

I think the feel of this wedge is unsurpassed -- it's incredibly soft.  On both the sand and pitching wedges, I quickly developed the proper touch for distance control.

However, don't be fooled. The 600W is definitely a player's wedge. There are plenty of other wedges out there that easier to use. That's why it gets only a B-.

Slippery Frog

Grade: A

I'm not sure where to get this product now. I bought it as a kit a few years ago from Ralph Maltby's Golfworks, but he no longer carries it. Powerbilt also had a branded version, but it's no longer on their website.

As I said, I built it a couple of years ago, but had never really tried it until this summer. I stuck it in my bag on a whim one day, and used it five times in the first round. It's stayed in the bag for more than a month now.

The Slippery Frog is essentially a 3 wood head on a double bend putter shaft. Nice and heavy, it has a huge, polished, rounded bottom and 26 degrees of loft.

You have to park a certain amount of pride to use this club. People will look at you funny and ask "Is that legal?". It is -- or at least it was. Low handicappers will snort until they see you use it to punch a shot off a tree root flush against the trunk, under the overhaning branches to the middle of the fairway 100 yards away.

You can use this thing in dozens of different situations. Here are my favorites:

1) Chipping from the "frog hair" (hence its name). Line it up like a putter and give it a short stroke. The ball will pop up and hit the green running. The only problem may be too much backspin.

2) Punching the ball back onto the fairway from a bad lie. There's nothing worse than deciding to make the safe play -- punching the ball back onto the fairway, and then not making it. Tight lies, roots, tall grass -- all can ruin a punch. But not with the Frog. It is the safest play in the book.

3) Lobbing the ball out of a sand trap. With a full swing, I can loft this thing more than a hundred yards out of the sand.

4) Punching it out from under a tree. Deloft the thing by pressing the hands forward, move it back in your stance, and whack it seventy five yards down the fairway.

5) As a desperation move. When nothing else is working, you can't miss with this club. Becuase it's so short, it is deadly accurate, and with a full swing from the fairway, you can hit it 150 yards. I once finished the last three holes in a round using this club exclusively. Nothing else was working that day. I parred a 5, a 4 and bogied a 3. (O.K. My putter was working fine).

The only reason this thing doesn't get an A+ is that I'm not sure where you can buy it. Maybe EBay.

Grade: B

I bought the lob slider when I was having some problems with my short game earlier in the summer. I was chunking my sand wedge on those close-in shots and thought that this would help.

It did. In fact, it's nearly impossible to hit a fat shot with this thing. The ultra-wide bottom glides through grass and over dirt. It take some getting used to, but once you figure it out, it makes lob shots as easy as pie.

I'm not carrying it in my bag anymore, though. I worked out most of my problems with the sand wedge, and use my imagination to create other shots with other clubs. I use my 7 wood to do those short hops that the lob is good for, or chip with a 9 iron. If I really need to lob it, I open my sand wedge up wide open.

The lob slider is a one-trick pony. What it does, it does really well. But I require my clubs to do more than one trick. It gets a B for its lack of versatility.

Snake Eyes Compressor Fairway Wood Head

Grade: A

Fairway woods are an amateur golfer's best friend. I put together a set of 3, 5, and 7 woods with this head, using Graffaloy Attacklite Fairway Wood shafts. I used Lamkin Crossline grips.

The Compressor Fairway woods are built with the same technology as their big brother, the Compressor Driver. Based on a Zevo design, the woods are held under 12,500 psi of pressure using an internal cabling system. This is supposed to keep the head from deforming at impact.

I think the system works. I hit these fairwoods farther and more accurately than any I have tried before.   As a point of comparison, I also own a set of Adams Tight Lies GT, and have played with an number of others, including offerings from Titleist, MacGregor, Cleveland, Cobra and Golfworks.

Like their big brother, I hit the fairway woods twenty yards longer than others I have used. Unlike the driver, however, I have managed to maintain my accuracy with these throughout the season. My ideal shot -- a high fade -- has stayed with me through good times and bad. I've never been able to hit a draw with these, but that's just my swing. I'd guess that there is no draw bias at all on these clubs.

All three fairway woods hit the ball high off of nearly any lie. The 3-wood is my go-to club off the tee. I hit it as far as any driver I own (with the exception of the Compressor, which I can no longer keep in the fairway).

The three wood was the instrument of my best shot of the summer: I had 230 yards to the green on a par 5.  (I had flubbed the second shot out of the rough with a 4 iron).  The hole has bunkers guarding the left and right front, and an elevated green. I hit it solidly and in a perfect fade. It sailed left, curved back over the left bunkers, and dropped almost straight down into the hole. My third career Eagle. The greenkeeper mowing the lawn nearby applauded.

If I have any complaint about the clubs, it's that Golfsmith does not make a 9 wood in the same line. Given current trends in clubset makeup, every manufacturer -- component or OEM -- should include 9 woods as a choice.

One other complaint: the tension device screw on the bottom of the club gets gunked up with turf and dirt. I wonder why they couldn't fill the holes with some sort of plastic plug.

The lack of a matching fairway wood and the screw hole are the only things keeping these from an A+.