Scotty Cameron Select GoLo Putter

Straight shafted putters are my favorite design, and I think this Scotty Cameron Select looks terrific. At $350, it’s pricey, though.

TaylorMade Men’s RocketBallz Hybrid

TaylorMade’s Tour Staff has been going all-out for the company’s latest RocketBallz products. At the 2012 WGC Cadillac Championship, they were to a man wearing hats with the number 17. That apparently signifies that with RocketBallz, you can gain 17 more yards.

If that’s so, then I’m all in. I absolutely could use 17 more yards. Given the claim, I’d really like to try the RocketBallz line—Driver, Woods, Irons—so I’m keeping my eyes out for the local demo days.

Here’s the skinny on these clubs:

The RocketBallz hybrid showcases a Speed Pocket in the sole that boosts ball speed dramatically, while Thick-Thin Crown design creates lower Center of Gravity (CG) to promote a higher launch and more distance. The clubhead is exceptionally large for a hybrid, with a deep face and high-MOI (Moment of Inertia) head for easy launch. The lightweight shaft and grip promote faster swing speed and the white crown and black face makes alignment easy and eliminates glare on top of the clubhead.

They’ve also got a very cool green accent that TaylorMade has designated “slime green.”

Heh. They should call the white “zombie white.” Imagine the promo material: “Our clubs are Zombie White with Slime Green Accents and Vampire Black shafts.”

Snake Eyes Tour Golf Balls

At the end of the 2010, I happened across a display of heavily discounted Snake Eyes Tour Performance II Golf Balls at my local Golfsmith. I bought a couple of boxes, figuring that a three piece ball priced at $10 a dozen couldn’t possibly be a bad deal. After playing them, I was so impressed that I went back and bought more. Its been my favorite ball for a year now. You can read my initial review here.

GolfSmith didn’t produce a similar ball last year, seeming to focus instead on its newly acquired MacGregor line. But I just noticed on the website that they’ve released a three piece “Tour Ball.” I’m hoping that it’s a rerun of the Tour Performance II model.

They’re priced at $24 a dozen, but right now on the website, there’s a deal for 2 boxes for $22 or 3 boxes for $30. I may bite on this one.

Callaway Men’s RAZR X Black Irons - (Steel) 4-AW

I have a weakness for the looks of black irons. These are sharp!

Looks aside, they’re not bad on the specs side, either. Billed as an “advanced game improvement” club, the set is supposed to have improved distance progression, ensuring consistency from club to club.

Here’s what Callaway says is in these things:

RAZR Technology
Shifts the CG (Center of Gravity) lower than any other Callaway stainless steel iron
More shot-making from more places by providing the payability of a wide sole iron while retaining the workability of a thin sole iron

VFT® Power System
Fully integrated clubface/undercut cavity system that enables engineers to precisely position the CG and engineer the face of each individual iron to maximize ball speed
Longer hosel provides a more conventional look that inspires confidence at address
Black PVD Finish
Physical Vapor Deposition Finish comes from a high-tech process that produces a distinctive stealth look for reduced glare and strong appeal in the bag

Multi-Material Medallion
Constructed of aluminum and thermoplastic polyurethane, it fine-tunes sound and enhances feel off the clubface

Wilson DUO Golf Balls

I saw an ad for these the other day, and was intrigued. The Wilson Duo is a two piece ball with a compression of 40!

Wilson claims they’re the longest ball they’ve ever made and the softest on the market. I can believe the second just from the numbers. The first will have to wait.

I’m going to try some of these as soon as the weather warms up.

Wilson Men’s Ci11 Irons - (Steel) 4-AW

Longtime readers know how much I like the look of blackclubs. To me they say “I’m all about business.” Visually, my favorite set ever was one I built from components about ten years ago. Couldn’t hit them, though.

That’s less likely to be an issue with these Wilson Ci11 irons. Although blessed with classic looks, they’re aimed at what Wilson calls “aspirational golfers.” I pretty sure that’s guys like me: decent players with aspirations of being good players. 

The Ci stands for the Control that comes from exoskeleton weighting around the rear cavity. This optimizes the moment of inertia and pulls weight down and low. A thinner, harder face generates stronger ball flight and greater distance. Finally, Wilson has put an insert in the 431 stainless steel helps dampen vibration and create a crisp feel.

I first noticed them on those “wingman” ads that are everywhere on the Golf Channel right now:

TaylorMade R11S Driver

If you watched the Northern Trust Open this past weekend, you could not have missed the TaylorMade tour staff sporting hats emblazoned with large hearts, signifying their love for the new TaylorMade R11 S driver. The company also bought up enormous amounts of television ad time promoting the big dog.

Kudos to the staff for sucking it up and donning the toppers.

All that aside, I think Taylormade has a right to be proud of all the technology its stuffed into the R11 S. Billing it as “the most adjustable driver in golf,” TaylorMade has devised means of allowing players to create 80! different lauch settings.

This adjustable thing has come a long way in a short time. I remember the excitement just a few years ago when a club allowed you to swap out a couple of weights to increase draw or face bias.

With this driver, a five way adjustable sole plate allows a face angle that’s independent of the loft sleeve setting. You can generate neutral, slightly open, open, slightly closed and closed. The Flight Control Technology allows players to adjust the loft up and down, with eight choices ranging from 3° of lie and 3° loft/6° face angle. This can create up to 60 yards of differing sideways movement, and up to 1500 rpm of launch condition change.

And finally, the movable weight technology is still around.

This may frankly be the last driver you ever need to buy. As your game changes, so too will this stick.

TaylorMade’s press release follows.