Tag: Club

  • First Look: Wilson Staff Utility Irons

    First Look: Wilson Staff Utility Irons

    Wilson Golf is riding high these days coming off a major championship win at the US Open by Wilson Staff player Gary Woodland. They have been making top-quality golf clubs for almost 100 years. Players using Wilson golf clubs have won 61 majors – Still way more than any other manufacturer.

    The latest equipment craze in golf seems to be utility irons. Even with modern technology available to us, many people still find long irons difficult to hit. I think the firmer, lower spinning golf balls of the day have contributed to this. A number of years ago, club companies started selling hybrid clubs that promised more height, distance, and forgiveness than long irons. The problem is they were not as controllable as a long iron for better players.

    The answer to the lack of workability and trajectory control of hybrids is now called the “utility iron.” These clubs have the profile and blade shape of long irons, with more forgiveness and playability than long irons. Simply put, they are easier to hit than long irons but more workable and controllable than hybrids.

    Most major manufacturers have released utility irons to complement their hybrids and iron sets, giving players more choices than ever before. Wilson has also jumped into the game with their new Wilson Staff utility irons.

    The Staff Model Utility Irons featured a hollow body for more distance, increased forgiveness, and improved launch angle. The utility irons are constructed with a high-strength C300 maraging steel face that delivers faster ball speeds across the clubface.

    “The Staff Model Utility Irons will give golfers confidence on every shot and in every condition,” said Jon Pergande, Manager of Golf Club Innovation. “Originally created for our professional staff members, we are excited to bring the utility irons to golfers and believe the strong mix of distance and forgiveness will enable players to attack the course with more confidence.”

    The Wilson Staff Model Utility Irons offer seven grams of weight positioned low inside the club head, increasing the forgiveness and ensuring a higher ball flight.

    Wilson Staff Utility Irons come stock with KBS Tour Hybrid graphite shaft and are paired with Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet grip. They are offered in 18-degree, 21-degree and 24-degree loft options, and will be available for purchase on Wilson.com and retailers for $229.99 per iron beginning Wednesday, Dec 11, 2019.

  • Club Glove – Last Bag

    Club Glove Last BagClub Glove has long been known for making high-quality products. The fanatical attention to detail and durability they build into their travel cases is almost legendary. If professional tour usage is any indication of quality, Club Glove is king of the hill. 90% of PGA Tour pros use Club Glove to protect their golf clubs.

    For years I’ve used a hard plastic travel case from a rival brand and have been happy with it, but despite the durability of hard cases, the weight and size are drawbacks. I am only able to fit a small carry bag with the driver removed in the plastic case, and it weighs in at about 46 – 48 pounds with only a lightly loaded bag inside. Most airlines limit weight to 50 pounds before charging you extra, so excessive weight is a constant problem when traveling with golf clubs.

    Club Glove Last BagRecently I traveled to Antalya, Turkey to represent Team USA in the World Amateur Golf Championships and as part of the package I received a sweet new custom staff bag. Because of the size of the new bag, I needed a new travel case to fit it in. That’s where Club Glove’s Last Bag comes in!

    The Last Bag from Club Glove is their top of the line golf travel bag. This premium large collapsible bag weighs about 11 lbs unloaded and accommodates nearly any golf bag and up to a 47″ driver, plus still has room for additional gear and accessories. Here are the specs:

    Club Glove Last Bag – Specs

    • 51″ H x 19″ W x 16″ D • 86 linear inches
    • Single piece burst proof construction made with Invista™ Cordura® 1000 D water resistant nylon up to 3x stronger and lasts up to 5x longer than standard polyester
    • 1600 D ballistic nylon base reinforcement
    • Reliable and durable YKK® zippers and ITW Nexus® Buckles
    • Patented high-impact plastic wheelbase with integrated support and super high rebound 70mm 78A inline skate wheels with bearings for smooth and quiet transport (U.S. Patent #7,188,714 and # 7,219,902)
    • Over the top zipper for easy loading
    • Patent-pending integrated carry handle integrates with Train Reaction™
      (Patent Pending Ser#12/348,857)
    • Patented adjustable restraint device to secure golf club set (U.S. Patent #6,901,979)
    • 2 exterior shoe/storage pockets with nylon shoe bags
    • ID card holder
    • Made in the USA

    Real World Testing

    Club Glove Last Bag Club Glove Last Bag Club Glove Last Bag

    Specs are nice and all, but how does the thing perform when being tossed around by disaffected airline baggage handlers? The bottom line is this: If you are anything like me, you’ve spent a lot of time and money putting together a set of golf clubs that look great and help you perform your best. I personally have about $3500 worth of custom made equipment to protect when I travel, so I don’t want to throw my clubs in some cheap $25 travel case you can pick up at Walmart.

    When I first received my Club Glove Last Bag, I was impressed with the thick cordura nylon and solid construction, but I was a little worried that my huge 9.5″ Burton staff bag would fit. My fears were misplaced however, because the bag fits inside easily. I picked the bright yellow color to make it easy to spot in airport baggage claims, and it also matches this website’s logo color. When packing my clubs I usually weave a couple extra towels back and forth between the irons to prevent them from banging around against each other too much. I then fit the golf bag’s rain hood on it, then slide it into the travel case.

    In my opinion, one critical accessory for this travel case is the Club Glove Stiff Arm. The Stiff Arm is a metal pole with a plastic cap on top that expands and protects your clubs, should the soft-sided travel bag be dropped on its head. Simply place it in your golf bag and expand until you get a tight fit against the rain hood. The Stiff Arm extends past your driver and three wood to absorb any impacts, giving your clubs additional protection. When you buy on Amazon they send you the Stiff Arm free.

    Once packed, the entire thing closes up nicely without much room to spare. The compression straps on the side of the bag allow you to take up that extra space for a nice tight fit. After adjusting the straps, it all felt very tightly packed and solid. The heavy-duty YKK zippers glide nicely and installing a standard TSA lock to secure the zipper ends was no problem. Once packed the bag weighed in at 46 pounds fully loaded, giving me some wiggle room for the airport baggage weight limit.

    My trip from Florida to Turkey and back included layovers in New York and Istanbul both ways, so that meant that my golf clubs would be handled (or mishandled) by airport staff at least 8 times. Getting the clubs through the airport to the check-in counter was a breeze. The large rollerblade wheels roll smoothly, the beefy grab handles are easy to use and the hard plastic skid plate allows the bag to negotiate curbs and escalators with ease.

    When I arrived in Antalya, Turkey I was happy that my bag arrived without any signs of wear and tear other than a bit of dirt and dust. The bag was intact and all my clubs were ready to go. After the return trip the bag showed some signs of tampering, but it was just the TSA that had opened it for inspection. It turns out that they rummaged around quite a bit because my lock was in the bottom of my golf bag instead of attached to the travel case, and some of the clubs were not in their usual position.

    LastBagAfter traveling over 13,000 miles and being tossed about and handled by various baggage handlers, airport security, customs agents, bus drivers and golf course attendants, the Last Bag stood up to the abuse and came out smelling like roses. The fact that there was no damage or appreciable wear to the bag and its contents is testament to the build quality of Club Glove products.

    In the end, the Club Glove Last Bag lives up to its name. If you are in need of a solid, high quality golf travel bag, this is the last bag you’ll ever need. The $299 MSRP may be a bit steep for some, but considering the investment you are protecting I think it’s worth it. This bag is tough as nails, easy to transport and functions perfectly. It even integrates and attaches to Club Glove’s other fantastic travel luggage to form a train for easy transport. If for some reason the Last Bag is not big enough for your bag, you can even get the Last Bag XL for those huge old-school staff bags. For more info, visit www.clubglove.com

     

  • Cleveland 588 RTX Wedges – First Look

    Cleveland 588 WedgesCleveland Golf has been a leader in wedges for a long time. While the basic design of a wedge has remained more or less the same since Gene Sarazen invented the modern sand wedge, many new technologies have hit the market to help players get the most out of their wedges. CNC milling is one of those innovations that allowed manufacturers to make deeper and sharper grooves, and eventually led to the USGA’s adoption of a new groove rule to combat the technology.

    Cleveland 588 RTX

    Now there is a new version of the timeless Cleveland 588 wedges, with a few technologies that will help players spin the ball. This new wedge is called the 588 RTX, and features their new Rotex Face. Not only have they increased the groove volume by 16%, but they have made their laser milling marks more durable, and added a directionally milled face pattern that adds roughness and imparts maximum spin on open-face wedge shots where impact tends to be closer to the toe.

    I have hit a number of balls with the new wedges and my initial impressions are good. The Rotex face certainly does produce more spin initially than a wedge who’s grooves are simply stamped into the face. The feel is the same classic Cleveland 588 feel as always; Solid impact and a mid-soft feel. The sole grind has been modified a bit from last year’s model to allow the wedge to perform better with an open face.

    Cleveland 588 RTGLong term testing will probably reinforce my initial feelings, that this is just another solid, playable and reliable wedge from Cleveland Golf. There are no less than 7 models to choose from in the 588 line. There are satin and black pearl finishes available, blade or cavity back styles, forged or cast heads, a special RTG grind and even the option to create your own custom wedge at http://www.clevelandgolf.com/mycustomwedge/ All told, there are well over 100 different head, finish, loft, bounce and grind options available.

    We’ll have a more detailed look at the 588 wedges soon. In the mean time, check them out at your local retailer or online at Cleveland Golf.

  • Boxgroove.com – Access Private Golf Courses Without The Membership Fees!

    Save 10% on Boxgroove.com Premium membershipI love playing golf on private golf courses, like my favorite – The Jupiter Hills Club. The course is always in great shape, the players are sparse, and the facilities are usually top notch. The problem is, I would have to sell my house and live in my car to afford a membership. Most private establishments require you to be invited to join, and then demand a hefty five-figure initiation fee. The yearly dues and restaurant charges add up fast, as do all the other little amounts that go along with being a member at a private club. After all, you can’t show up at a posh country club in ratty old cargo shorts and dirty shoes. So, you’ll have to upgrade your wardrobe, shell out some good tips for the staff, entertain guests in the restaurant and at the member-guest, and if you would like to play elsewhere for a change, you still have to pay guest fees.

    Needless to say, the vast majority of golfers in the country can’t afford to play at private golf clubs. Or can they? Boxgroove.com is about to change the way we look at private golf courses. Their goal is to connect serious golfers seeking diverse golf experiences with private courses using an inventive, reliable online network. Members of the Boxgroove.com network can play private golf courses all around the country without being a member of a club with reciprocal privileges, or having to know a member to get a tee time. Once you join Boxgroove.com, you simply browse their network of private golf clubs, make a tee time, and go play!

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    p style=”text-align: center;”> Yeah, I know what you are thinking - "What's the catch? It probably costs $1000 to join..." Well, Standard memberships at Boxgroove.com are FREE. That's right, it costs you nothing to join. For occasional users or players in emerging markets, the free membership is ideal. Simply sign up and select from the available tee times at the course of your choice! Boxgroove also offers a Premium membership for only $49 per year. That's about the price of one greens fee and lunch at the local cow-pasture municipal course. For your $49 investment, you get to purchase and request preferred tee times at all of the Boxgroove network's private courses. The $19.95 booking surcharge that Standard members pay when booking tee times is waived for Premium members, so simply playing three rounds per year more than pays for your Premium membership. The network of private golf courses at Boxgroove.com is growing fast, and more courses are joining the Boxgroove network every day. What better way to cap off a great business trip or vacation with a round of golf at a private club in the city you are traveling in! All you have to do is log in and book a tee time. Another nice feature of having an online network like this one is that you can meet people and share your experiences. Like many other social networks, you can create a public profile that other members can see, and you can add friends and arrange a game with other members any time. It's all part of being a member. I've joined Boxgroove.com and several of my friends have also. Why not join us? It's free! As an affiliate, I can also offer readers of Intothegrain.com 10% off on a Premium membership. The best part about being a member at a private golf club is the feeling of exclusivity and privilege that comes with it. Well, now you can be a member for a day at countless private golf clubs all over the country without the huge bills! When you join, go to the golfer directory and search for me - John Duval - tell me you came from Intothegrain.com and add me as a friend!

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