Sun Mountain Zero-G Carry Bag

I like the fact that this Sun Mountain Zero-G Carry bag has taken its cues from backpack design and added a hip belt to “shoulder” the weight.

I remember when the Izzo system was new and all the rage. I even retrofitted one of my bags to use it. Now, every bag has the X-Style. I’m guessing the hip belt idea will similarly spread.

Here are the manufacturer’s additional specs:

Patent-pending 9.5” top with three integrated handles for picking up the bag
The belt fits 28” - 48” hips, is easily adjusted, and is held securely in place by a new buckle closure
Seven pockets including: waterproof valuables pocket with high-quality YKK waterproof zipper, water bottle pouch, full-length clothing pocket, and multiple accessory pockets
X-Strap Dual Strap System provides superior balance and an easier carry
The heavily cushioned hip pad and belt provide lumbar support and in conjunction with the X-Strap Dual Strap System promote better posture and increased carry comfort
Matching rainhood

Callaway RAZR X HL 3H, 4H, 5-PW Combo Iron Set with Steel Shafts

This new hybrid-iron set from Callaway is designed with a low center of gravity to help golfers get the ball in the air quickly with a soft landing, even with a typical amateur miss low on the face. A redesigned “Solid Impact Sole” is supposed to generate better turf interaction for distance, accuracy and consistency—again, for better flight from lower impact locations where most amateurs hit the ball. There’s also Callaway’s ubiquitous VFT (Variable Face Thickness) technology, which again allows Callaway to reposition the sweet spot to benefit more players. Finally, a Multi-Material Medallion of aluminum & thermoplastic polyurethane, fine-tunes sound & enhances feel of the clubface

Callaway HEX Chrome Ball

One of two new high end golf balls from Callaway this year is the HEX Chrome. It’s a 3 piece ball that Callaway claims is the best it’s made. I’ve had good luck with Callaway’s three piece Hex designs before—the original HX Hot likely is my favorite ball ever—so I’ll be interested to try a box of these when the arrive at the stores in March.

Here’s the press:

This is the best 3-piece urethane ball we’ve ever made. It’s noticeably softer, more durable, has the best HEX Aerodynamics that Callaway has ever developed, better accuracy, more spin around the greens and penetrating Tour distance.

• “s-Tech Core ™
• With its low compression, it provides extremely soft feel off the clubface and generates low driver spin to maximize distance” “DuraSpin™ Cover
• A proprietary formulation that produces the soft feel and the exceptional short-game spin necessary in a high performance golf ball
• Significantly improves durability” “Mantle Layer • Ionomer tri-blend provides a protective layer around the core and optimizes the driver spin to keep it low for more distance
• Allows the ball to have better resiliency to maintain its energy for hot ball speeds” “New HEX Aerodynamics™
• Refined pattern provides the best aerodynamic performance ever in a Callaway golf ball, reducing drag and promoting a stable, penetrating ball flight that holds its line in the wind”

Dynacraft Prophet Tour CNC Forged Irons

Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: My testers loved these clubs

I think that it must be the aspiration of every serious golfer to play a set of forged irons. There is absolutely nothing as sweet as striking the sweet spot of a forged blade.Two things, however, typically stand in the way of this dream: forged irons typically are hard to hit and they’re expensive.

The Dynacraft Prophet Tour irons tackle both these objections. Dynacraft has managed to include some game improvement functions such as a cavity back and undercut stablity slot, while keeping the price to half that of similar clubs.

Realizing that I don’t have the game to fully appreciate these beauties, I passed the set on to two single-digit handicapper friends of mine. Their regular sets include Mizuno blades, so I was confident they could offer informed opinions. One tried them this past summer, the other, a retired gentleman, took them to his fall and winter golf escapes.

I’ve just gotten the set back from the second player, and the combined verdict is in: the Dynacraft Prophet Tours are at least as good as their regular Mizuno forgings. They’re just as long and just as accurate as anything they’ve played. The feel also is substantially the same.

That’s high praise for a set that comes in at around $450. Similar irons from Mizuno, Nike, Titleist and Callaway run at least $900.

In addition to offering a better price, Hireko/Dynacraft offer better technology. Unlike most standard forgings, the Dynacraft Prophets feature a shallow cavity and an undercut stability slot to add forgiveness. These are added to the club after forging through a CNC milling process. Dynacraft also has shortened the hosel to shift weight forward for a more centered sweet spot. This, they claim, solves the heel-bias of most forgings.

From a mid handicapper’s point of view, I found the clubs not nearly as difficult handle as I expected. I still get much better results from my game improvement sticks, but the Prophet Tour Forged clubs were not a handicap killer. With more practice, they might have found their way into my bag. But I frankly don’t have time for that practice.

Better players looking for a set of forgings owe it to their pocketbooks to try these Prophet Tour Forgings. Hireko has a 60 day playability guarantee, so you’ll have ample time to see if they fit your game.

More photos follow:

Acer CB6 Putter - Custom Assembled

Advertised as a cross between a blade and a mallet, Acer has designed this club to pull the weight to the out on two wings for additional moment of intertia (resistance to twisting).

It caught my eye because at first glance it looks like one of those Starship Enterprise Star Trek putters GolfSmith was selling a few years ago. The principle’s certainly the same.

Nike VR S Iron Set 4-PW, GW with Graphite Shafts

Here’s Nike’s latest:

Cleveland Classic 290 Driver

Lots of drivers in recent years have claimed to have a “classic look,” but none have gone to the lengths of the Cleveland Classic Driver, which not only has the pear shape, but also molding and color to imitate a persimmon head.

Of course, it’s not a persimmon club, but a modern 460cc titanium beast, with all the weighting, coefficient of restitution and moment of inertia that modern engineering can provide.

I wonder about the target audience of these clubs, though. Persimmon heads have been out of style—if not out of production—for a couple of decades now. And many of those who do remember playing with wood don’t remember it terribly fondly. Compared to today’s metal monsters, they were hard to hit. I honestly haven’t met anyone who was nostalgic in a positive way about persimmon heads.

But then maybe its that I play with the wrong crowd.