Category: Equipment
Nothing seems to inspire golfers as much as the quest for newer, better equipment. There's always a new set of irons, a new driver, or putter, fairway wood or hybrid to try and buy. We all seem to believe that if we just get the right club, our games will improve.
Cleveland Niblick Utility Iron
The fastest way to improve your game is to improve your play around the greens. When you miss getting to the green in regulation, you still can get up and down for par if you can get the ball in one-putt distance.
Cleveland aims to make this easier by introducing the Niblick utility iron. It combines the sole of a wedge with 8° bounce (to prevent fat shots), with the leading edge of an iron for a more natural address position. It’s longer from heel to toe, like a hybrid and has increased perimeter weighting and lower center of gravity than a typical wedge. Finally, the shaft length is that of a typical putter. The whole package has been designed to
I have a club similar to this from the mad scientist of golf design, Ralph Maltby. It works well, and I expect this one will, too.
TaylorMade Burner Plus Irons
TAYLORMADE Burner Plus Combo Set 3H, 4H, 5-PW with Steel Shafts
TayorMade has released a whole slew of new clubs for this fall, including these Burner Plus Irons. A variant of the original released earlier this year, the Burner Plus feature one of the company’s highest Moments of Inertia.
“Our new Burner Plus irons possess one of the highest MOI measurements of any TaylorMade iron, making them super-forgiving and easy to hit,” said Brian Bazzel, TaylorMade manager of iron creation. “These are so easy to launch that it’s a blast to make a big swing and let them fly. We had a lot of fun designing them and are looking forward to the reception they receive among golfers who like to go long.”
The clubheads are designed to be big, with significant perimeter weighting, and a low, deep center of gravity. They of course feature TaylorMade’s Inverted Cone Technology, which I think works well in offering more distance on off-center hits.
Part of the redesign includes a wide beveled sole to prevent digging; the club head’s weight and bulk work at the same time to help get thin shots off the ground. An increased degree of offset has been introduced to encourage a draw.
A note about offset: That means that the clubface is set behind the line of the shaft. That’s done to give players a fraction of a second more to square up the face, helping to fix the tendency of most to slice.
The “combo set” substitutes a Burner 3 and 4 hybrid for the same irons; always a good idea for higher handicappers. It would be even better if a 5 also was included.
Sand Blaster Wedge
If you have a lot of trouble getting out of the sand, you should perhaps consider a “trick” club like this Sand Blaster from Hireko Golf. Hireko says that the Dual Sole on this unique design acts like skis in the water, gliding across the sand or rough. The hollow 2 piece construction allows the sole width to be increased dramatically to make it ultra forgiving in either soft or firm sand, and even chipping and pitching around the green. It also features a negative offset or face-forward feature which will help those who may have a tendency to pick or sweep the ball and makes this club virtually shank-proof.
I have a lob wedge of virtually the same design, and can tell you that it works like a charm.
Callaway Xtt Xtra Lie Camo Stand Bag
CALLAWAY Xtt Xtra Lite Camo Stand Bag
You should be walking, not buzzing around in those little electric carts. You know you should. The walk is great exercise, and I can almost guarantee you’ll play better. Walking keeps your mind in the game, and gives you a better sense of distances and angles.
That big staff bag won’t cut it, though. You’ll either need a push cart, or a light stand bag with dual shoulder straps like this Callaway ultralite. It weights just four pounds, so you’ll hardly notice its’ there (my own stand bag weights six pounds).
Even better: this camouflage bag helps to support Phil Mickelson s Birdies for the Brave charitable initiative.
IAG Big Duke Putter
The IAG Big Duke putter offers adjustable weights in a machine tooled aluminum putter head. Milled to 5/10,000ths of an inch accuracy from high grade 6063 aircraft aluminum, the Big Duke is said to offer soft feel and unmatched ball control. The head shape and size keeps the majority of the club weight on the perimeter, increasing moment of inertia and decreasing the effects of off-center hits. The shaft position is designed to help keep the face dquare at impact, rolling—rather than skidding—the ball along the target line.
Each putter comes with two extra weights and a TORX wrench.
