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.
GigaGolf P2 Hybrid
New for 2008 is GigaGolf’s P2 Hybrid. These easy to hit clubs come in 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 iron configurations. The clubs are constructed of 17-4 stainless steel, and can be built to your specifications for shaft type, length and grip.
Plus, they come with GigaGolf’s playability guarantee. At just $33, these are a great way to try a hybrid.
Odyssey Sabertooth Putter
I think that Odyssey’s new Sabertooth Putter takes the award for coolest looking putter of the year.
Those weighted fangs contain 37% of the putter’s weight, increasing the Moment of Intertia, and thus the putter’s stability. The body of the putter, it seems, is constructed somewhat like a golf ball, with an elastomer core, and a urethane outer striking surface.
GigaGolf P2 TI Driver
The P2 Titanium Driver is new for 2008 from GigaGolf. Coming in at the maximum 460cc limit set by the USGA, the P2 is designed to be both playable and forgiving. It’s also affordable—a nice option in the days of the $400 driver. You can get this titanum driver with the graphite shaft and grips of your choice for between $90 and $150 dollars. And with GigaGolf’s guarantee, there’s no risk to you.
Mizuno M600 Driver
The Mizuno M600 Driver offers a variation on the adjustable weight theme with a driver that has two weights on a sliding track—what Mizuno calls “Fast Track.” That, Mizuno says, allows players to more easily adjust the center of gravity and achieve ideal ball flight. The Fast Track system allows 15 different settings.
The 460cc club also has a CNC-milled, plasma-welded Cortech face insert designed to deliver the maximum USGA ball speed across the entire face of the club.
To be honest, I thought that the adjustable weight fad had passed, and had since moved on to the new adjustable shafts.
Wilson Zip Golf Ball Review
Wilson Zip Golf Balls
Grade: B
Comments: Plays ok, but it scruffs too easily.
I found these Wilson Zip balls at a golf show in the late winter and bought them, thinking that a “zero compression ball” would be just the ticket in the early spring weather in Michigan.
I was right. I’m getting nearly midsummer distance in cooler weather.
According to Wilson, the Zip’s inner core is so soft that it registers a zero on Atti compression testing equipment. The core is surrounded by a mangle made from HPF polymer and the entire thing is wrapped in a soft ionomer cover designed to offer touch and spin.
The ball also has an interesting dimple design that is noticeably flatter and more shallow than others in my bag.
Ball flight on the Wilson Zip has been moderately high. It’s not as penetrating for me as the HX Hot, but is lower than some others I play, like the Noodle. I’m also hitting it with a little less fade than I’m used to. The ball tends to head left (my usual game), but not come back as far as I’d like. In that, it’s more like the HX Hot than the Noodle or Top Flite D2.
I really like the ball around the greens, where it has more spin than the hot. Playing these, my short game has been really remarkable in the early going. It’s got a nice feel in putting, too.
But if there’s one reason I can’t give this ball a whole-hearted endorsement, it’s that it scruffs too easily. With a new ball, after a couple of holes, I start noticing scruff marks. It’s not as bad as a Nike ball, but annoying nonetheless.
The price on these balls also is right. I got them for $15 at the show, and have seen them under $20 at most online retailers.
I’ll continue to play the box of Wilson Zips for as long as they last, and may even get another box and store it away for this fall.
