Tag: Exotics

First Look – Tour Edge Exotics Pro 721 Series
For years, Tour Edge’s “Exotics” brand was well known for producing some of the hottest, best performing metal woods on the planet, but in recent years that all changed. Now, Tour Edge’s Exotics line are simply some of the hottest and best performing CLUBS on the market. The new Exotics E721 and C721 series of spin-reducing and distance-enhancing irons and woods have taken the PGA Tour Champions by storm, and now Tour Edge is releasing a limited edition “tour van” lineup of woods for further spin reduction called the Exotics Pro 721 series. Here are the details:

Summary
- Only 1000 of each will be made available to the end consumer in this special small batch “Straight from the Tour Van” series.
- The more forward Center of Gravity Pro 721 metals were designed for the players with faster clubhead speed to produce low-spinning, penetrating shots.
- The all-new designs feature more compact heads and with deeper faces that sit open at address for the driver/fairway and perfectly square at address for the hybrid.
- The tour-inspired metalwoods showcase the extremely popular and highly effective Ridgeback support system in a new matte finish on the driver and fairway metals, while the hybrid features a matte finish stainless steel crown.
- Diamond Face 2.0 technology is utilized on all three of the metals.
- The Pro 721 metals were designed with the feedback from the 120 PGA Tour professionals who have played Tour Edge over the past few seasons, including over 25 players choosing to play Exotics drivers in tournament play.
- The Pro 721 series will range from $449.99 for the Pro 721 Driver, $299.99 for the Pro 721 Fairway and $249.99 for the Pro 721 Hybrid.
- The metals will be available to purchase by the end consumer at select retail locations and online on August 13^th.
More Info & Technical Details

Exotics Pro 721 Driver

Tour -Inspired Shape – The deeper face, shorter heel to toe and compact front to back ensures low spin and a penetrating ball flight. The more compact 440cc classic pear shape head the ideal shape and size for tour players and those who produce faster club head speeds.

Extreme Heel and Toe Flight Tuning System – The clubhead features a Flight Tuning System (F.T.S.) adjustable heel (3 grams) and toe weights on the sole (12 grams). Adjusting the F.T.S. dual weights in these ports that are placed to the extreme heel and toe of the clubhead can drastically affect ball flight and shaping shots in this compact, low-spin design.

Ridgeback Support System and Dual Carbon Wings – The Ridgeback spine within the Carbon Fiber crown acts as a brace to produce more power on center hit and allows for greater face flex in the heel and toe, meaning off-center hits achieve greater power and ball speed.

Ridgeback replaces extra titanium from the crown and sole with wrap-around Dual Carbon Wings that allowed for a precise and strategically placed Tour-level CG location, moving as much weight as possible to a low-forward position that produces the lowest possible amount of spin for faster swing speeds.

Diamond Face 2.0 Technology – The Pro 721 Driver utilizes Diamond Face 2.0 technology on its high-strength Beta Titanium face. This major breakthrough in face technology features 43 different thick and thin diamond shapes or “mini-trampolines” behind the face, producing full-face forgiveness with faster ball speeds and better performance on off-center hits.

Diamond Face also contributes to the reduction of spin in the driver head, with the 721 Pro Driver spinning less than the Exotics C721 Driver by 400 RPM’s on average.

Sound Diffusion Panels – Five different Sound Diffusion Panels placed strategically inside the club head vastly improves the acoustic properties of the clubhead.

Adjustable Hosel – An adjustable hosel allows adjusting the loft Plus/Minus 2 degrees.

Stock Shaft Options

The stock shaft for the Exotics Pro 721 Driver is the TENSEI AV RAW series from Mitsubishi.

All three RAW versions feature a RAW finish that reveals the Aluminum Vapor (AV) Coated Weave in the butt section, a visible look at the added stability this unique weave provides.
- TENSEI™ AV RAW Blue features the softest mid-section and the most action of the three RAW shafts, leading to a smooth feel without a big hinge and kick.
- The TENSEI™ AV RAW Orange is a Counter-Balanced shaft with more weight placed near the grip and hands for greater stability and control and is a slightly softer offering than the RAW White in the mid/tip section.
- The TENSEI™ AV RAW White features the stiffest tip section and lowest spin of the trio of RAW shaft offerings, while still offering smooth action that doesn’t feel boardy.
Exotics Pro 721 Fairway

The “straight from the tour van” Exotics Pro 721 Fairway is a Limited-Edition small batch production of three 3-Wood lofts that is being offered to the public in only 1000 total pieces.

The Pro 721 was designed to be a low-spinning rocket for faster swingers seeking a more compact head with a deeper face.

The Exotics Pro 721 Fairway features tour-inspired shape with a tour-prototype look and feel that features a new matte finish Ridgeback support system on the crown.

Exotics clubs have been in play by over 120 different PGA TOUR players with over 1,600 Exotics clubs in play on the three PGA Tours over the past few seasons.

The Pro 721 metals were designed with the feedback from those PGA TOUR professionals.

Tour-Inspired Shape – The deeper face, shorter heel to toe and compact front to back is the ideal shape for the best players in the world. Designed for maximum workability, the Pro 721 Fairway features a slightly smaller 155cc tour preferred head size on the three lofts of 3-Wood offered. The compact head ensures a low spin, penetrating ball flight.

Extreme Heel and Toe Flight Tuning System – The clubhead features a Flight Tuning System (F.T.S.) adjustable heel (3 grams) and toe (15 grams) weights on the sole. Adjusting the F.T.S. dual weights in these ports that are placed to the extreme heel and toe of the clubhead can drastically affect ball flight and shaping shots in this compact, low-spin design.

Ridgeback Support System and Dual Carbon Wings – The Ridgeback spine within the Carbon Fiber crown acts as a brace to produce more power on center hit and allows for greater face flex in the heel and toe, meaning off-center hits achieve greater power and ball speed.

Ridgeback replaces extra titanium from the crown and sole with wrap-around Dual Carbon Wings that allowed for a precise and strategically placed Tour-level CG location, moving as much weight as possible to a low-forward position that produces the lowest possible amount of spin for faster swing speeds.

Diamond Face 2.0 Technology – The Pro 721 Fairway utilizes Diamond Face 2.0 technology, a major breakthrough in face technology that features 43 different thick and thin diamond shapes or “mini-trampolines” behind the face. This produces full-face forgiveness with faster ball speeds on off-center hits. Diamond Face also contributes to the reduction of spin in the club head.

Sound Diffusion Panels – Sound Diffusion Panels are placed strategically inside the club head vastly improves the acoustic engineering of the entire new Pro 721 metalwood line up.

Stock Shaft Options

The stock shaft for the Exotics Pro 721 Fairway is the TENSEI AV RAW series from Mitsubishi.

All three RAW versions feature a RAW finish that reveals the Aluminum Vapor (AV) Coated Weave in the butt section, a visible look at the added stability this unique weave provides.
- TENSEI™ AV RAW Blue features the softest mid-section and the most action of the three RAW shafts, leading to a smooth feel without a big hinge and kick.
- The TENSEI™ AV RAW Orange is a Counter-Balanced shaft with more weight placed near the grip and hands for greater stability and control and is a slightly softer offering than the RAW White in the mid/tip section.
- The TENSEI™ AV RAW White features the stiffest tip section and lowest spin of the trio of RAW shaft offerings, while still offering smooth action that doesn’t feel boardy.
Exotics Pro 721 Hybrid

The “straight from the tour van” Exotics Pro 721 Hybrid is a Limited-Edition small batch production that is being offered to the public in only 1000 total pieces.

The Exotics Pro 721 Hybrid ultra-compact shape was designed to be the most iron-like hybrid on the market. It features tour-inspired shape with a tour-prototype look and feel that features a new matte finish on the crown.

Exotics clubs have been in play by over 120 different PGA TOUR players with over 1,600 Exotics clubs in play on the three PGA Tours over the past few seasons.

The Pro 721 hybrid was designed with the feedback from those PGA TOUR professionals

Tour-Inspired Shape – The limited-edition Pro 721 Hybrid features tour-inspired ultra-compact shape with a deeper square-face. Ball strikers with faster swing speeds tend to gravitate towards smaller, more compact hybrid designs that they can swing with an iron-like swing.

Extreme Heel and Toe Flight Tuning System – The clubhead features a Flight Tuning System (F.T.S.) adjustable heel (3 grams) and toe (15 grams) weights on the sole. Adjusting the F.T.S. dual weights in these ports that are placed to the extreme heel and toe of the clubhead can drastically affect ball flight and shaping shots in this compact design.

Diamond Face 2.0 Technology – Different diamond shapes of variable face thickness behind the face act as mini-trampolines to create faster ball speeds and expand the sweet spot to outer areas of the face. There are a total of 41 total Diamond shapes featured on Diamond Face 2.0 on the Pro 721 Hybrid.

Sound Diffusion Panels – Sound Diffusion Panels are placed strategically inside the club head vastly improves the acoustic engineering of the entire new Pro 721 metalwood line up.

TrueLoft System – A TrueLoft System ensures extra quality control in the bending process of unfinished Pro 721 hybrid heads and includes an extensive triple-check on loft and lie in the final stages of the manufacturing process. This commitment to making sure that each club head fits the exact intended loft helps players expertly dial in their preferred distances.

The Tour Edge R&D team expects an average of six to eight yards in between each loft, giving the Pro 721 a 24–36-yard distance gap from 17-degree to 20-degree.

Stock Shaft Options

The stock shaft for the Exotics Pro 721 Hybrid is the TENSEI AV RAW hybrid series from Mitsubishi.

Both of these RAW hybrid shafts feature a RAW finish that reveals the Aluminum Vapor (AV) Coated Weave in the butt section, a visible look at the added stability this unique weave provides.
- TENSEI™ AV RAW Blue hybrid shaft provides Mid-Launch, Mid-Spin properties.
- TENSEI™ AV RAW White hybrid shaft is the heavier option of the two and provides Low-Spin and Low-Launch.
July 19, 2021
First Look: Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 Woods & Hybrids
Tour Edge, a little golf company from Chicago, had a great year in 2019. Their EXS and CBX 219 lines sold like hotcakes, they signed several prominent players on the PGA Tour Champions, and they rode that momentum into 2020.

This year’s EXS 220 clubs are the end result of that momentum. Tour Edge President David Glod’s strength is R&D and he has poured all of his knowledge of golf and advanced materials into the new clubs.
- Diamond Face Tech: Produces a hotter face with more ball speeds, less spin and more forgiveness.
- Sound Diffusion Bar: Using finite element analysis software, they added strategically placed material to alter the acoustic properties of the club. In other words – It sounds better!
- Max MOI: A new elongated shape and adjustable 9g back weight increases MOI (moment of inertia) for greater forgiveness. The 5440g per cubic meter is a 20% increase from the prior generation.
- Titanium Face: Using 8-1-1 ultra-premium titanium in the face allows Tour Edge to better distribute weight, as it is lighter than normal titanium.
- Triple Carbon Tech: Carbon fiber placed on the crown, heel and toe of the sole provides extreme weight savings and allows for repositioning of weight to increase forgiveness
- Adjustable Hosel: Loft can be adjusted +/- 2 degrees, creating a range of loft options between 7.5 and 14 in three heads.
I’ve fitted my EXS 220 driver with one of KBS Shafts’ new TD line of driver shafts. The KBS TD Driver shaft is new for 2020. This mid-launch, low spin shaft is ideal for stronger players. In fact, the Category 5 flex (Tour-X) that I have is even a bit too stiff for my 114-118 swing speeds. Still, this driver is an absolute missile launcher.

With a street price of $349, the Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 driver is the best value of 2020. You simply can’t get a better performing driver for the price. This clubs outperforms many drivers costing $499 or more. It’s true what Tour Edge says: “Pound for pound, nothing else comes close.”

The EXS 220 three-wood and hybrid are in the hands of a club tester and based on his comments, I’m afraid I may not get them back!

Once I get some more data from the awesome little Flightscope Mevo launch monitor, I’ll post the data and compare with a few other drivers, fairways & hybrids I’ve tested for comparison. For now – Enjoy the photos and find a local demo day to try them out! You won’t regret it.
March 25, 2020
Phillis Meti Hits World Record 413 Yard Drive with Exotic EXS Driver

In case you missed it, World Long Drive held their first event of the season the other day. The Ak-Chin Smash in the Sun was held near Phoenix, Arizona and televised on the Golf Channel.

In the women’s final, the three-time and defending WLD World Champion Phillis Meti broke her own world record of 406 yards by hitting a drive 408 yards, then followed it up with a ridiculous 413-yard blast using her Tour Edge Exotics EXS driver. Meti has won two of the last three world titles with an Exotics driver in play.

If you’ve ever used a launch monitor to track your drives, you’ll no doubt be impressed with the 127 MPH club head speed and 182 MPH ball speed she recorded on the record setting drive.

“It hasn’t really even sunk in,” said Meti. “I didn’t even think that was possible. That’s probably the fastest I’ve ever swung it to be honest. Hopefully, I can stay on this path and keep riding the roller coaster for the rest of the season.”

Meti’s Driver – Exotics EXS

“The EXS driver is a $299 driver that has now won numerous awards and that has been put into play on the PGA Tours, but this takes the cake,” said Tour Edge President David Glod. “For Phillis to hit 408 and 413 and produce those kinds of ball speed numbers means that she is an extremely great long driver and that the EXS driver is the perfect fit and the perfect driver for her quest to become the world’s greatest.”

The new Exotics EXS driver represents one of the best values in golf by combining many of the same technologies you’ll find in drivers that cost $500 or more, yet they sell for only $299. Not only that, but all Exotics clubs are hand built in the United States in Batavia, Illinois and every Tour Edge club comes with a Lifetime Warranty and a 30-day play guarantee.

For more information on Phillis Meti and World Long Drive:

https://www.worldlongdrive.com

For more information about Tour Edge and Exotics golf clubs, visit:

https://www.touredge.com/index.asp

I Wanna Do That!

Interested in getting into the sport of long drive? You don’t have to turn pro and compete with the big boys and girls on the WLD – Start at the grassroots level by joining ALD – Amateur Long Drive!

The Amateur Long Drive Championship Series has local tours starting up all around the country and regional events all leading to the ALD World Championships in Myrtle Beach.

What separates ALD from the rest? ALD has 14 divisions to compete in! There are Boys & Girls Youth (13 & under), Junior (13 – 17) and Men’s and Women’s Open (17+), Senior (45-60), Super Senior (60+), Veteran and Adaptive divisions.

Long drive is fun, fast paced and growing quick all around the country! For more information, rules and to sign up for an ALD event near you, visit www.amateurlongdrive.com

April 18, 2019
WITB – June 2017

My very first WITB post was written in September of 2015 before I left for the WAGT National Championship in Pennsylvania. Since then a lot has changed. In fact, nothing from that bag remains in play for me today, including the bag itself! All fourteen clubs have changed, I got a new staff bag from the WAGT and I’ve even switched golf balls.

I love to tinker with equipment, but being a low handicap golfer with a self-taught swing means that in order to play my best I need custom fit clubs. This makes testing new clubs a bit of a challenge. Variations in a shaft’s weight, kickpoint and flex can send shots way offline if not fit properly. I’ve worked hard with my amazing club builder to get every club in my bag set up perfectly for my game, and I can’t tell you how important it is for your game to have your clubs properly tuned and fitted by a competent club fitter.

Now – Let’s dive into my golf bag(s) and talk about my clubs, and how they’re set up as well as my favorite gadgets and gizmos that help me play golf.

My Golf Bags, Accessories & Favorite Gadgets

While I would prefer to walk, I play golf using a motorized cart most of the time since it is mandatory at many Florida golf courses, and most of my golf buddies are too lazy to walk with me at the courses that allow it. For that reason, I alternate between a custom 10.5″ Burton USA staff bag I got when I qualified to represent Team USA at the World Amateur Golfer’s Championship in 2015 and a new Sun Mountain 4.5 LS carry bag.

I’ve only had the Sun Mountain 4.5 LS carry bag for a few months, but I’m a big fan of the innovative design and efficient use of space. It’s the heaviest of Sun Mountain’s carry options, but also adapts well to life on a golf cart and holds everything I need to bring with me with ease. My Burton “Team USA” staff bag is huge and heavy, but I can pack it with everything I’ll need for tournament golf like some snacks, 32oz sports drinks, extra towels, rain gear and more. Despite the large size, I can shoehorn it nicely into my Club Glove Last Bag travel case and go anywhere in the world with it easily. So far I’ve logged over 20,000 miles of international travel on in without incident.

I like to have as much information as possible when playing, so I frequently combine the use of a GPS distance device with a laser rangefinder to get accurate yardage information and help plotting my way around the course. To that end, my distance measuring devices of choice are the SkyCaddie TOUCH and the Leupold GX-5i³ laser rangefinder. Both devices are one of the best available in each category, and function flawlessly. Adding Frogger Golf’s Latch-It rangefinder strap makes using the rangefinder that much easier, and the Latch-It ecosystem is my favorite new golf gadget in years. While I haven’t posted a round with it in a while, GAME GOLF is still a fun and easy way to track stats and help you improve. Since most of my clubs have changed, I plan to start using GAME GOLF again this summer to see how the newer clubs perform compared to the older ones.

Driver – Ping G LS-TEC 9°

Ping gave us one of the best drivers in the game a few years ago when they introduced the G30 and G30 LS-TEC drivers. I was fortunate to see amazing accuracy gains of 30% with it while still getting more distance over my old driver. Also fortunate for me, Ping later introduced the G LS-TEC driver that I now use. It is fitted with the Ping Tour 80 shaft in X-Flex, which is a custom option. They updated the head and made it sound a little different, but I haven’t gotten enough data to know if it’s really longer and straighter as they claim. Either way, I hit it great and recommend it for anyone that wants the best blend of distance with accuracy and forgiveness.

Fairway Woods – Tour Edge Exotics EX10 Beta

My recent struggle to find the perfect three-wood has been well documented, but when Tour Edge came out with the Exotics CB Pro f2 last year thought I had found my new fairway howitzer. It is a very high performance, versatile three wood that averages almost 260 yards and I couldn’t be happier with it. But – Tour Edge being one of the leading golf club companies when it comes to technology, they took some of the best design features from previous fairway wood designs and combined them using new a manufacturing process and created the Exotics EX10 and EX10 beta fairways. I immediately ordered the EX10 beta in 13 degrees with the new Project X HZRDUS Black shaft. I had my club fitter tweak it to my specs with a spine-alignment and swing weight adjustment, re-gripped it with my preferred Golf Pride MCC Plus4 grips and it is now ready for prime time. It’s very new and I’ve only played 18 holes with it so far, but the results have been impressive and I’ve already hit some tee shots with it to places I’ve never seen before. I can’t wait to try it out on the launch monitor.

Hybrids/Long Irons – Srixon Z H45 & U45

I got my Srixon Z H45 hybrid and Z U45 utility irons back in 2015 and from the first ball I knew I had something special in my hands. Even though it is marked with a number two, the Z H45 hybrid has 16 degrees of loft which makes it more of a one iron. As a result, it hits low, piercing bullets which makes it great for use off the tee, but not very versatile for approach shots. Depending on the course, this club may be swapped for a 50 degree gap wedge. It is fitted with an amazingly consistent Aerotech hls880 hybrid shaft.

I have two Srixon Z U45 long irons in the bag – The 20º and 23º models, which are my three iron and four iron. I absolutely love hitting these clubs. Forget about traditional long irons, these utilities are amazingly easy to hit while being more versatile and just as forgiving as a hybrid. My only regret is not replacing my old long irons with utilities like these much sooner.

Irons – Srixon Z745 (5-PW)

My irons are the 2015 model year Srixon Z745 cavity back forged irons. They replaced my Cleveland CG16 Tour Concept irons from 2010. The Srixon irons have a little less offset than the Cleveland irons which took a wee bit of adjustment for me, but I adapted to the new clubs quickly. I’ve been playing Aerotech Steelfiber shafts in my irons for over 5 years and I saw no reason to change with these clubs. I fitted them with the Steelfiber i110 constant weight shafts. There’s nothing like the feel you get from a forged iron with a graphite shaft, and with Aerotech you get that awesome graphite feel with the consistency and control of steel. I keep saying it over and over, but Aerotech really does make the best shafts in golf.

Wedges – Hopkins CJ1 (54 & 60)

When Greg Hopkins left Cleveland Golf in 2012, took one of Cleveland’s lead designers with him and formed Hopkins Golf, I became an instant fan. What Hopkins was doing essentially was selling a Cleveland look-alike wedge cast from soft 8620 steel direct to the customer that you could customize with various grind options and plenty of paint fill and stamping choices. I got a raw lob wedge with the channel grind and fell in love instantly. Sadly, Hopkins Golf seems to have shut down operations since mid 2016, so I took to the interwebs to find some and discovered a website that had the discontinued wedges I wanted in stock, so I ordered two for $60 each.

The other change I made in my wedges was going to a softer shaft. After consulting with my club fitter, we decided it would be best for me to switch from a Dynamic Gold X100 to the softer S400 that is so popular on tour. After a half-dozen rounds with the new wedges I’m glad I did and a little peeved that I didn’t so it years ago. At least now I have a three-wedge setup that works well for most situations. I still swap the 2 hybrid or 3 iron out for a SCOR 50º gap wedge on occasion if the course demands it, and will be replacing the SCOR 50º with a Hopkins 50º soon for a matching set.

Putter – Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 Notchback Dual Balance

The most important club in my bag is the putter. It is also the club I struggle with the most, and as a result it becomes the club that changes most often. I have a bad habit of changing putters whenever I have a bad day on the greens, and these frequent putter changes only compound the problem by hurting consistency. I suppose that’s one of the drawbacks of being a golf blogger and having a couple dozen putters in the garage, all fighting for my attention.

When I really think about it, I’m being unnecessarily hard on myself because my putting statistics are very good compared to other players of my ability, but that’s the point – I’m trying to improve, not be average. Using a tool like GAME GOLF has shown me that I need to make more putts in the 5-15 foot scoring range. I think just sticking with one putter will help, so that’s my goal.

GAME GOLF Putting Stats

The putter I’ll be sticking with is a good one, even if the name is way too long and complicated – In my bag is the Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 Notchback Dual Balance. It is like the standard Newport 2 Notchback but measures 38 inches long, has a 50 gram back-weight in the handle and features a larger head with an additional 50 grams of weight – hence the name Dual Balance. The idea with all the extra weight is to help slow down your stroke and eliminate the small muscles that tend to sabotage putting strokes. I love the heft and balance of this putter and if it’s a Scotty you know it rolls the ball well. My only gripe with Scotty Cameron is that they tend to have more loft (3.5º) than I like in a putter.

The Golf Ball

Last but certainly not least, since our last WITB post I have a new golf ball. In 2000 Titleist introduced the legendary Pro V1 golf ball and killed my beloved Titleist Tour Prestige and Tour Professional, effectively ending the wound golf ball era. In the coming years I struggled mightily adjusting to the new solid core golf balls. Eventually I found the Srixon Z-UR balls in 2005 and most recently played with the Srixon Z-Star & Z-Star XV until early 2016.

In early 2016 at the PGA Show in Orlando I met with the folks from Bridgestone to talk about their new B330 line and came away impressed. After a few rounds of testing the new B330, I switched. I ordered a case of the B330 balls with my logo, and an additional ten dozen without a logo so I’m set with enough golf balls to last me several years. The B33o is very similar to the Z-Star XV I used to play, but spins a bit more around the greens and flies a bit straighter in the wind. It’s very durable for a “tour” ball and I’ve been very happy with it so far.

June 13, 2017
15 Ways To Make Dad Happy On Father’s Day

This year Father’s Day falls on Sunday, June 18th in the United States and if you are reading this there’s a good chance your father plays golf and you are looking for gift suggestions. Heck, you may even be a father looking for ideas of what to drop hints to your family about. Either way, we’ve compiled an extensive list of no less than 15 gifts in all price ranges that we think will make your father very happy. Happy shopping!

Tattoo Golf – Your dad may not be as cool as he once was, but dress him in some slick duds from Tattoo Golf and he’ll look like a badass again. Tattoo Golf doesn’t care what the dress code at your club is, and they don’t care about your boring khakis either. They like skulls, and they like showing them off. Deal with it. https://www.tattoogolf.com

Nexbelt – One of the originals in the “belts without holes” category, Nexbelt makes high quality belts for all occasions. They have a belt and buckle combo for just about everybody. For Father’s Day, use promo code DAD20 get 20% off your entire order! https://www.nexbelt.com

Royal & Awesome – Another company that takes subtlety and punches it in the face – Royal & Awesome makes golf trousers, shorts, shirts, hats and accessories for the golfer that wants to make a bold statement. Their wild and colorful patterns will certainly turn heads, and if you think playing golf in these is offensive, maybe you should just take up tennis. http://www.royalandawesome.com/mens

Ecco Cage Pro BOA – Regular readers of the site know I’m a huge fan of Ecco. I think they make the most comfortable and best performing golf shoe in the world. The introduction of the Ecco Cage Pro BOA is further proof that Ecco isn’t fooling around. The new SPYDR-GRIP outsole doesn’t pick up grass and dirt as you walk, yet provides ample traction during the most violent of swings. The easy to use BOA closure system works better than traditional shoelaces and provides a more precise fit. https://us.ecco.com/golf/shoes

Honma Golf – Home of the $75,000 golf clubs, Honma also makes much more affordable clubs with their Tour World line that is played by most of Honma’s professional tour staff. As I’ve mentioned before, they are entering the US market with a bang and you’ll want to get on the train before it leaves the station. Their clubs are for real, and if your dad is a serious golfer he’ll appreciate these premium quality sticks. http://honmagolfusa.com

MLA Putters – MLA’s patented alignment technology is unique and innovative. Their putters are also well built, perform well and are gaining a foothold on the professional tours. The new Tour Series Black Edition putters take the line to a whole new level and look positively awesome. MLA stands for Multiple Line Activation in case you were wondering. https://www.mla.golf

Exotics EX10 Woods – Tour Edge has been making some of the hottest and best performing fairways for years, and to stay on top of the mountain in 2017 they’ve given us the new EX10 woods. Make no mistake, this is one serious fairway wood. In early testing so far, I’m seeing gains of 8-10 yards over my old steel headed 3-wood. The bottom line is – If you can’t hit the Exotics EX10 fairways, you can’t hit any. https://www.touredge.com/collections/fairways-1

Forte Golf Balls – Australians know quite a bit about golf. They have some of the best courses in the world and the country has produced generation after generation of world renowned golfers. It’s only natural then, that they would bring us a top notch golf ball. Iv’e been testing the Forte Tour Performance S golf ball and they perform on par with or better than any tour level ball from any of the big names. In my opinion it compares most to the Titleist ProV1 in terms of feel and spin. https://fortegolf.com.au

Volvik Vivid – If you wear pants from Royal & Awesome, you may as well complete your outfit with golf balls that are as bright and colorful as your pants! Enter the Volvik Vivid – The world’s first matte finish golf ball. The matte finish really makes these balls pop, and they are available in 7 colors too.

Lostgolfballs.com – If your dad’s divots sometimes go further than the shot and he sprays the ball all over creation, maybe you should consider buying his some gently used golf balls instead of spending the extra money on new ones. Lostgolfballs.com is the place to go for used balls in great condition for a fair price. https://www.lostgolfballs.com

Reks Optics – I discovered Reks a little while ago and after wearing their sunglasses for almost a year I can say with confidence that there’s no better combination of performance and value than what Reks is offering. Their glasses are comfortable to wear, perform great, look sharp, are virtually indestructible and carry a 24 month warranty. All this and you can buy 3 or 4 pairs for the price of one pair of those other overpriced brands. https://reksoptics.com

Golf Pride Align Grips – Golf grips are pretty boring, and nothing new and exciting has come along in grip technology since Winn grips over 10 years ago. Until this year when market leader Golf Pride introduced the MCC ALIGN grips. With a raised ridge down the spine of the grip serving as a reminder for consistent hand placement, the feedback is instant and positive. I highly recommend these grips, and I’ll be putting them on my clubs as soon as they are in stock again! https://www.golfpride.com/grips/mcc-align/

Frogger Latch-It Accessories – The 2017 Best Product award winner at the PGA Merchandise Show, Frogger’s innovative Latch-It ecosystem is my favorite new golf gadget. When it comes to being in control of all your devices and tools on the golf course, many have tried but all have failed – until now. Latch-It allows you to attach towels, range finders, phones, brushes and more to your bag, cart or belt and makes it easy. https://www.froggergolf.com/collections/latch-it-ecosystem

Bushnell X2 Pro Rangefinder – Bushnell is the most used range finder on the PGA Tour, and their new top of the line model is called the Pro X2. It is fully waterproof, accurate to 1/2 yard and ranges up to 1300 yards. Bushnell’s PinSeeker technology locks on to the flag and the device vibrates to let you know you’ve got the flag locked. The X2 Pro also allows golfers to turn the slope adjustment feature on of off to make it tournament legal. If you want one of the best rangefinders available, the Bushnell Pro X2 would be a good start. https://www.bushnellgolf.com/golf-laser-rangefinders/

SkyCaddie TOUCH GPS – If laser rangefinders aren’t Dad’s cup of tea and he prefers a GPS device, why not get him the best one out there? SkyCaddie has been leading the golf GPS market for years, and their flagship product is the SkyCaddie TOUCH. With a large color touchscreen and bluetooth connectivity for your phone and the SkyGolf 360 free app, the TOUCH has all the features you are looking for to help you navigate your way around the golf course. https://www.skygolf.com/products

June 9, 2017
The Search for the Perfect 3-Wood

My golf buddies are well aware of my struggle. I’ve had a love-hate relationship with my three wood for a long time. For whatever reason – and there have been many – I have had a terrible time trying to find the right combination of loft, club head and shaft to make a three wood that is good enough for me to count on. For me, a three wood has to be versatile. I need to hit it well off the tee and off the fairway. It has to be forgiving but workable, and the ball flight cannot be too high or too low. Because of my very specific needs for this club, (bordering on obsessive compulsive) it has taken me the better part of a decade to find the perfect three wood, but I think the search is finally over.

My first three wood was a Spalding Executive with a ladies flex steel shaft. I actually hit it further than my driver, as many beginners often do. Soon after titanium drivers took the market by storm, my old Taylor Made Original One 12 degree driver became my (strong) three wood. For the last decade I have relied on an Adams Golf RPM LP Tour Prototype three wood with 13 degrees of loft and a Fujikura Rombax shaft. I got the club from a player that was on the Senior PGA Tour back in 2005 (Now called PGA Tour Champions) and it has stayed in the bag for over 10 years. When the rest of my golf game went to crap, I could always count on my three wood to produce good shots for me.

I’ve tested and played with countless fairway woods in the ten years since I got my Adams RPM, and until this summer I wasn’t able to find a three wood that performed well enough to replace the “gamer” Adams. A few came very close, but ultimately were rejected. The first was the Ping Rapture. With 13 degrees of loft, a larger club head and 43.5 inch shaft, the Rapture is more of a “2-wood” or “fairway driver,” and while I hit it a mile, it wasn’t versatile enough. The next candidate was the new Tour Edge Exotics CB Pro F2. After testing various Exotics clubs in the past like the CB3 & CB4 Tour, XCG7, EX9 and E8, I was excited to try the flagship model CB Pro F2. This club has an amazing blend of technology packed into a compact but classic looking club head, but the stock Mitsubishi Rayon KURO KAGE Silver Tini Series shaft wasn’t quite right for me. Keeping that in mind, a search for the right shaft to pair with the CB Pro F2 was underway.

When I arrived at the 2016 PGA Demo Day in Orlando, I wandered by the Aerotech Golf booth and stopped in to see owner Chris Hilleary and catch up. I have been playing the amazing Aerotech Steelfiber graphite shafts in my irons for over 5 years and discovered that he had now developed a new Steelfiber fairway wood shaft. After hitting his demo club fitted with the new Steelfiber SS85 shaft, I knew I had found the perfect match for the Exotics CB Pro.

I immediately ordered an Aerotech Steelfiber SS85 shaft and when the CB Pro F2 three wood arrived. I dropped everything off with my club maker. When I got the finished club back, I went out to test it. The results were as expected, and very exciting. The face of the CB Pro F2 is very hot and the Steelfiber SS85 shaft produces a mid launch without ballooning. The shaft is amazingly consistent as usual for the Steelfiber line, and it never feels boardy or unplayable. Going from a three wood with 13 degrees of loft to one with 14.5 degrees will obviously affect the ball flight. One would expect that increasing loft would result in a corresponding drop-off in distance, but so far in early testing with Game Golf the CB Pro F2 is actually averaging 4 yards more from all lies (255 yards vs. 251 yards) than my old Adams RPM. This very likely has to do with the advance in technology and materials since 2005 when the Adams was released to market. The Adams is made of steel, while the Exotics has a steel body and a beta titanium cup face with a much higher “spring” effect, or coefficient of restitution.

It is still early as I’ve only had it in the bag for a month or so, but so far the Exotics CB Pro F2 (14.5 loft) fitted with an Aerotech Steelfiber SS85 shaft is a big winner. This three wood can hit all the shots and has just the right amount of forgiveness, power and control. It looks awesome, sounds solid and produces consistent shots from the tee or the fairway. I’ve finally found a fairway wood worthy of replacing my old gamer for good. The CB Pro F2 is so good in fact, that I’ll be looking into getting the 17.5 degree five wood to match it!

While the Exotics CB Pro F2 may not be for everyone, Tour Edge’s Exotics line has something for everyone and I consider them some of the best performing fairways on the market. Even if you prefer another company’s fairway woods, if you are looking for the consistency of steel and the power of graphite in moderately weighted fairway wood shafts, I highly suggest looking at Aerotech’s Steelfiber SS offerings in 65, 75, and 85 gram weights. They are an amazing compliment to their game-changing iron and hybrid shafts.

Thanks to Tour Edge and Aerotech, after almost a decade of searching for and trying hundreds of fairway woods, I think I have finally found the closest thing possible to the perfect three wood.

November 2, 2016
WITB – November 2015

Back in September I posted my first “What’s In The Bag” segment that detailed the clubs I play with. WITB posts are pretty popular on other sites when they post pictures of PGA Tour players and their preferred equipment. It’s always interesting to see what the best players in the world play with, and the market for “tour van” or hard to find equipment – especially putters – is huge. Forget that most people couldn’t possibly hit the clubs that tour players use, they still want them for the exclusivity and cool factor. I’ll admit, I’m one of those people that love being unique and having things that nobody else has.

It’s for good reason that people are curious about the golf bags of PGA Tour players, but not many people care about what a lowly golf blogger plays with. It’s a shame too, because I think my fellow bloggers and golf media people are in a much better position to help others when it comes to getting the right equipment.

While the average touring pro is well paid to endorse a company’s golf clubs, golf writers and bloggers aren’t. That’s not to say we don’t get our share of sweetheart deals or eek out a tiny profit from online affiliate sales, but nobody I know that runs a golf blog is making much more than enough to keep the site going and pay for the occasional round of golf.

Golf writers and bloggers do however have access to and get to play with a ton of different clubs, and the ones that go in our golf bags as “gamers” have cut through the marketing hype and passed the test. Just like my buddy Tony from hookedongolfblog.com, in my golf bag on any given weekend sits a who’s who of golf manufacturers you may or may not have heard of. If we’re playing them, you can be pretty confident that they are a good buy.

Since the end of September all but 3 of the clubs in my bag have changed. No less than 6 different golf equipment companies are represented in my bag.

What’s in the bag?

Driver: Ping G30 LS-TEC (9° w/ Ping Tour 80x)
Fairway: Tour Edge Exotics E8 Tour (14° w/ Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana S+ 70x)
Hybrid: Srixon Z H45 (16° w/ Aerotech hls880 x-flex)
Utility Irons: Srixon Z U45 (20° & 23° w/ Aerotech Steelfiber i110cw x-flex)
Irons: Srixon Z745 5-PW (w/ Aerotech Steelfiber i110cw x-flex)
Wedges: Ben Hogan TK15 50° & 54° (w/ KBS Tour-V 120X)
Lob Wedge: Hopkins Golf CJ-1 60° (Custom channel grind w/ Dynamic Gold X-100)
Putter: Cure RX3F Putter
Ball: Srixon Z-Star XV

What’s New?

The clubs that didn’t change? My Tour Edge Exotics E8 Tour three wood, which gets a fresh new grip, my trusty Hopkins Golf CJ-1 60° wedge and the ugly-duckling-but-impossible-to-mis-hit Cure RX3F putter.

The biggest changes are the replacement of my aging Cleveland CG16 Tour Concept irons with the fantastic new Srixon Z745 irons. These irons are currently in play by most of Cleveland/Srixon’s tour staff including Graeme McDowell, Keegan Bradley, Russell Knox and many others. I also replaced the 3 and 4 irons with the Srixon ZU45 utility clubs which are much easier to hit, and the old Cleveland hybrid is replaced by a new Srixon ZH45 hybrid. All the new clubs get Aerotech Steelfiber shafts. The Srixon irons and utilities are made of forged 1020 steel and look as good as they perform.

I changed drivers this month also. I switched out the Ping G30 driver for the Ping G30 LS-TEC. There’s not much difference between the two as they look identical, but the LS-TEC spins a little less according to Ping.

I also have some new wedges in the bag. Gone (but not forgotten) are the SCOR 50° and 54° wedges I was so fond of. Fortunately they’ve been upgraded to Ben Hogan TK15 wedges. For those who aren’t familiar with SCOR and Ben Hogan, they are run by the same brilliant golf mind – Terry Koehler. SCOR Golf became Ben Hogan when he resurrected the iconic Ben Hogan brand from the ashes of golf equipment history. His amazing v-sole wedges live on in the Ban Hogan brand however. The new TK15 wedges perform the same as the older SCOR wedges and look fantastic in the new Hogan design. They are also a perfect match for the Hogan Fort Worth 15 irons, which players can customize to their liking. The Ben Hogan TK15 wedges are available from 48° to 63° and every loft in between. The HoganFit fitting process is designed to customize a set of wedges that will compliment your current irons and offer consistent distance gaps to help you score better inside 125 yards, where almost 65% of shots are taken.

Finally, new in my golf bag this month is the golf bag itself! My special WAGT “Team USA” golf bag recently arrived from Burton and it looks fantastic. The amazing Last Bag travel bag I got from Club Glove is going to be protecting my clubs while traveling. I’m one of the few fortunate souls to be proudly representing the US in the World Amateur Golfers Championship in December in Antalya, Turkey.

Antalya is one of the ten most frequented tourist destinations in the world, and is in the southwestern part of Turkey in a region called the Turkish Riviera. We’ll be at the all-inclusive Gloria Golf Resort competing over 54 holes in a team format with 40 other countries. I’ll be posting photos and updates on the event when we get there!

November 17, 2015
Tour Edge Launches New Exotics EX9 Drivers
Tour Edge Golf is one of those club companies that tends to fly under the radar, but really shouldn’t. Their Exotics brand has been one of the best fairway woods in golf for years, and they have a strong following on tour even if they don’t pay anyone to endorse their stuff. My Exotics E8 Tour 3-wood is the best I’ve hit in years, and found a spot in my bag after just a few swings on the range.

Tour Edge continues to innovate and push the envelope with their Exotics branded clubs, and because they don’t spend millions in marketing and TV advertising, they can devote more resources to R&D. That’s one of the reasons why their clubs frequently outperform their competition. The new Exotics EX9 drivers should be no exception.

There will be two new models available when this driver starts shipping on November 15 – The EX9 and EX9 Tour. The EX9 driver has a 460cc draw-enhancing club head available in 10° and 12° designed to deliver forgiving, high-flying drives. The Tour model is a pear-shaped, 430cc head with a deeper face (in 9° and 10° lofts) to deliver low-spin and faster ball speeds. Both models feature an adjustable hosel to help fitting and alter ball flight with eight different settings including the ability to add or subtract loft.
“On the new EX9 models we moved the center of gravity much deeper in the head for super high MOI numbers,” said David Glod, president and founder of Tour Edge Golf. “This translates into our lowest spinning drivers to date and a greatly increased sweet zone for longer drives from all areas on the face.”

Several technological features like Full-Speed Impact design help create more club head sped by sloping the crown of the club to reduce drag. The narrow slot behind the face called the power grid allows the club face to flex on impact for more ball speed and added forgiveness. Also adding a another degree of customization is the interchangeable sole weight. The weight port is located in the heel on the EX9 for draw enhancement while the EX9 Tour driver has the post in the extreme rear of the club for spin and trajectory changes. 3, 9 and 11 gram weights are available separately.

Suggested retail:

$299 for the EX9

$399 for the EX9 Tour

Shaft offerings:

EX9 − Mitsubishi Bassara E-Series, Fujikura Exotics PRO and PRO Tour, Matrix Exotics White, Red, and Black Tie

EX9 Tour − Aldila Rogue Silver 60 and 70, Mitsubishi Diamana S+, M+, and D+

Every Tour Edge club comes with a lifetime warranty and a 30-day play guarantee. For more information, call (800) 515- 3343 or visit www.touredge.com.
October 7, 2015
WITB – September 2015

As a golf blogger, I get to handle many different golf clubs and try many products over the course of a year. As a result, I always get asked about what’s in my bag. Most amateur golfers like me aren’t sponsored by club companies, so our bags tend to be a mix of clubs from different manufacturers.

While I have had opportunities to officially endorse products in the past, doing so might violate the rules of amateur status as outlined by the USGA in rule 6.2, and that would be a no-no since I sometimes compete in FSGA and USGA events. Therefore, I must disclose that none of the companies shown here paid me to represent their brands.

After years of testing hundreds of drivers, fairways, hybrids, irons, wedges, putters and assorted golf gadgets, these are the ones that have found a place in my bag as “gamers.” I’m always tinkering with and testing new clubs, but my gamers remain pretty consistent. The only part of my bag that changes constantly is the putter, because I’m a mess on the putting green and always looking for the BBD – bigger better deal.

What’s In The Bag?

Driver: Ping G30 (9° w/ Ping Tour 80x)
Fairway: Tour Edge Exotics E8 Tour (14° w/ Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana S+ 70x)
Hybrid: Cleveland Launcher DST (18° w/ Miyazaki C.Kua 83x)
Irons: Cleveland CG16 Tour Concept 3-PW (w/ Aerotech Steelfiber i95cw x-flex)
Wedges: SCOR Golf 50° & 54° (w/ True Temper Dynamic Gold X100)
Lob Wedge: Hopkins Golf CJ-1 60° (Custom channel grind w/ Dynamic Gold X-100)
Putter: Cure RX3F Putter
Ball: Srixon Z-Star XV

My current setup has been in place for over a year, except the 3-wood and putter. I recently started testing the Cure RX3F putter and after some work on the putting green and one round of golf, I decided to bring it to the WAGT National Championship at Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort. The Cure putter will be featured in a review article soon. The Exotics E8 Tour replaced my trusty old Adams RPM LP back in May. After years of searching, I finally found a fairway wood that out performed the Adams. You may notice I listed 15 clubs. That’s because I usually swap the 3-iron for the 50° gap wedge depending on the course setup where I am playing.

Coming Soon…

I’m long overdue for a new set of irons. The CG16 Tour Concept irons that came from Cleveland’s Tour Van have been awesome, but they are almost five years old and ready to be demoted to a backup role. The Aerotech Steelfiber i95cw shafts are amazing. I’ve said it for years – I think they are the best iron shafts you can get, and their popularity on the professional tours all around the world backs up that claim.

I’m currently testing the Srixon Z745 irons, Z U45 3 & 4 Utilities and a Z H45 2 Hybrid. The Z745 irons are a forged cavity back club that looks sharp and performs similar to my CG16s. The clubs I’m really excited about are the Z U45 3-iron and 4-iron. They are called utilities because they have the looks and workability of an iron with the forgiveness of a hybrid. I love hitting long irons, and these things make it even easier to hit them. The Z H45 16° hybrid will fill the distance gap nicely between the 3-iron and 3-wood. I was looking for 5-10 more yards out of my hybrid and this guy will do the trick nicely. I have a strong feeling that this fantastic 2-PW set will soon be my gamers.

Ping’s awesome G30 driver has been in my bag since last fall, but I’ve started experimenting with the G30 LS-TEC driver which is the same as the regular G30 but spins slightly less. According to Ping, 400 rpm less. Combining the LS-TEC with my switch from the softer, higher-spin Srixon Z-Star back to the lower spin and firmer feeling Z-Star XV, I should see a measurable decrease in spin off the tee which means more distance.

The SCOR wedges I got a few years ago have been stalwarts in my bag ever since I first hit them. I started with SCOR’s complete short game system: 42°, 46°, 50°, 54° & 58°. Going from the 42 and up, they replace your traditional 9, PW, GW, SW & LW. SCOR wedges are forged and their unique v-sole design works amazingly well in all conditions. However, they have taken a real beating from heavy use and need to be replaced. Enter Ben Hogan Golf. SCOR’s founder Terry Koehler acquired the rights to Ben Hogan golf equipment and re-launched the brand with his already proven TK15 Wedges and the new Fort Worth 15 irons. The result is a gorgeous set of forged blades and wedges that perform on par with any of the best irons in golf. They are also much more forgiving and easy to hit than you might think for a blade. The TK15 wedges will soon be replacing the aging SCOR wedges in my bag.

I love my Hopkins 60° custom grind wedge. The Channel Grind basically gives me two wedges. With the face square it has very low bounce, making it perfect for fairway shots and tight lies. With the face open it has high bounce for deep rough and sand. This wedge has made me look like a much better bunker player than I am, so it’ll be very hard to replace it. The new Callaway Mac Daddy PM Grind wedge might just do that, however. Designed with heavy input from Phil Mickelson, this wedge has grooves all the way to the edges of the face and a very high toe to help with shots from the deep rough, along with a similar channel-type grind on the sole. My early testing so far has been very promising.

I’ll try to post another WITB early next year so we can see what’s changed and if my predictions for new gamers comes true. Until then, keep it in the short grass!

October 1, 2015
4 Fairway Woods You Need To Try

Whenever a new driver comes out on the market, people want to get it in their hands and try it. The driver is sexy. Despite the fact that you can’t hit more than about 14 drives on a normal golf course, many golfers spend an inordinate amount of time hitting driver on the practice tee. But what about those oft-ignored fairway woods?

Many golfers hit their three wood almost as far as their driver, with greater accuracy. Modern technology means fairway woods hit the ball further than they ever have. While there are many great fairway wood options on the market, here are a few that I have hit and think are worth a look if you are in the market for a new three, four or five wood.

Ping G30

If you are a fan of this site you already know what I think of the Ping G30 driver. Not only do I like it, but many more people do too. In fact, since the G30 arrived last July it’s the best selling driver in golf. In June 2015, 62% more G30 driver units were sold than the next closest driver model. It’s that good. Naturally you could assume that the G30 fairways are just as good, and they are. Available in 14.5, 18 and 21 degree lofts, the Ping G30 fairways are a perfect compliment to the best driver in golf. Street price: $249

Exotics E8, E8 beta & E8 Tour

Tour Edge’s legendary Exotics brand has built the hottest fairway woods on the market for several years, and while the premium price may scare away some people, their quality and performance is unquestioned. The latest Exotics E8 line is more affordable than ever without giving up anything in the way of performance and quality. The E8 model has the most forgiveness, the E8 beta model has a slightly smaller head and lower ball flight, and the E8 Tour has the smallest head and offers the most workability and control, along with an adjustable hosel. If you think your fairway woods are long, you need to hit the Exotics. After hitting just a few balls on the range, I put the Exotics E8 Tour in my bag for a tournament without any further testing, and won. It has stayed in the bag since and is now my “gamer” three wood. The small head, clean lines and exceptional performance inspired instant confidence for me, and they’ll do the same for you. Street price: $249 – $399 depending on model.

Nike Vapor Speed & Vapor Flex

I remember when Nike Golf started, riding the wave of Tiger Woods’ success. It has been many years and Nike Golf has gotten better and better in that time. While some of their radical designs are polarizing to some, I like that they are willing to take chances with innovative ideas. Their latest fairway wood offerings are the Vapor Speed and Vapor Flex models. Both models offer high launch and low spin with just the right amount of forgiveness. The Vapor Speed is not adjustable, while the Vapor Flex is. I tested the Vapor Speed model and came away impressed. The ball flight was high and straight with enough forgiveness for most golfers. If you are a Nike loyalist, you can’t go wrong with these sharp looking fairway woods. Add tons of custom shaft options and you are sure to find what you need. Street price: $249

Srixon Z355

Srixon Golf has enjoyed a resurgence in the United States this season. The brand is well established as a market leader in Asia , UK and Europe but has only just started to gain traction in the US following the success of their popular Z-Star and Q-Star golf balls. The latest fairway woods from the Japanese brand is the Z355. Available in four lofts (15, 17, 19, 22) and featuring Action Mass Technology, these fairways use more weight in the head combined with an ultra-high balance point shaft to help increase ball speeds and more consistency and stability. Street price: $229 (Available 9/18/2015)

Fairway woods aren’t as sexy as the driver, but everyone has them and many hit them as far a their driver, so why not upgrade to the latest tech? It also helps that fairway woods aren’t as expensive as the driver they go with. Give one of these fairways a try and you won’t be disappointed.

August 19, 2015
2015 PGA Show – Best New Clubs
Knuth Golf – High Heat Driver

We were in attendance at the madness that was the 2015 PGA Merchandise Show last week, and other than registering about 18,000 steps (8.5 miles) on the pedometer each day, we met many old friends and saw lots and lots of golf products in the more than 1 million square feet of exhibit space at the Orange County Convention Center. As always, some products stood out among the rest. Here’s a few of the golf clubs that caught our eye this year.

Best New Clubs
- Bridgestone J15 irons, J715 & J815 Drivers – Bridgestone hasn’t released any new clubs for a couple of years, but fans of the brand have plenty of options in 2015. Bridgestone golf has released two new drivers and five new iron models. The J15 muscle back, cavity back, driving forged, dual pocket forged and cast irons have something for every level of golfer from low handicap to beginner golfers. The J715 driver has a cleaner, more traditional look, while the J815 driver gives more forgiveness and higher launch angles.
Bridgestone J715 Driver
- Nike Vapor – 2015 brings some new offerings from Nike Golf as well. The new Vapor Speed, Vapor Pro and Vapor Flex drivers give every level of golfer a club fit for their game. The Vapor Flex is Tiger Woods’ model of choice, while the Vapor Pro is in Rory McIlroy’s bag, and the Vapor Speed is for the rest of us who need more help. Matching the drivers and fairway woods are three new Vapor iron models, similarly called Vapor Speed (more forgiveness), Vapor Pro Combo (Cavity back w/ feel & forgiveness), and the Vapor Pro (Small cavity back/blade for feel and workability) The Vapor Pro blades were one of the best new irons I tested, and are sure to be popular with better players that fancy the Nike brand.
Nike Vapor Irons
- Ben Hogan Golf – The biggest club story of the 2015 PGA Show was the re-birth of Ben Hogan Golf. Club designer Terry Koehler has not only given us a beautiful forged blade worthy of the Ben Hogan name, but his unique club fitting system is a much needed innovation for the modern game. Eschewing the traditional numbered iron set, the new Ben Hogan irons and wedges have the club’s loft stamped on the bottom instead. The new Ft. Worth 15 irons and TK 15 wedges combine to offer 44 clubs available with every loft from 20 degrees to 63. This allows golfers to tailor a set to their particular preferences for loft, distance gapping or personal tastes. For example, slower swingers may choose 4 or 5 degree gaps in their long irons as they tend to hit traditional long irons the same distance, or longer hitters may prefer smaller 3 degree gaps in their wedges to cover more yardages in the short game. With soft & surprisingly playable forged 1025 carbon steel heads in 44 different lofts and the most playable sole grind on any wedge available – V-Sole (Increased leading edge bounce, decreased trailing edge bounce creates a V- shaped sole) The new Ben Hogan irons and wedges are going to be a big hit. Even mid to high handicappers have praised the clubs for being easier to hit than anticipated for a forged blade.
Ben Hogan Ft. Worth Irons
- Callaway PM Grind Wedge – Phil Mickelson is one of the most influential players in golf. His long relationship with Callaway Golf has led to some interesting club designs and ideas over the years. One of the most recent ideas comes in the form of the new Mac Daddy PM Grind wedges. Wedge designer Roger Cleveland came up with this design at Phil’s request to help him hit high, soft shots around the greens. The wedge features a very high toe area and grooves that extend all the way across the face to the edges. It also has a scalloped sole grind and drill holes to remove weight. The wedge is so new that Callaway haven’t even put it on their website yet. Check out the scoop on PGATour.com here. It’ll be available in May with lofts of 56,58,60 and 64 degrees. Time to work on your flop shot!
Callaway Mac Daddy PM Grind Wedge
- Exotics E8 Woods – What is there to say about the legendary Exotics fairway woods? The best just keep getting better. The new E8, E8 Beta and E8 Tour fairways are as hot and easy to hit as ever. As usual, the Exotics E8 was the most versatile, best looking and best feeling fairway wood I hit at the PGA Demo day. Those wanting a higher launch and a bit more spin to get the ball airborne will favor the E8 (185 cc) , while those that prefer a smaller head and lower spin will gravitate to the E8 Beta (175 cc). The E8 Tour fairways complete the lineup with a compact head size (150cc) and a fancy new manufacturing process called 360 degree robotic laser beam bonding to ensure very precise tolerances. Adjustable hosels (E8 Tour) and weight kits allow for a custom fit, and a multitude of shaft options are available. Prices range from $249 to $399.
Tour Edge Exotics E8 Fairway
- Srixon Z745 – In 2015, the parent company for Srixon & Cleveland Golf (SRI Sports) has repositioned the Srixon brand at the head of the table behind the popularity of their Q-Star and Z-Star golf balls. This year Srixon has released an entirely new line of irons and woods. I’ve had a chance to spend some time testing the Z745 Driver, ZF45 Fairways and Z745 irons, and I’ve come out impressed. Srixon haven’t jumped on the gimmick bandwagon with these clubs. Even though they are modern clubs with hot faces and have adjustable hosels and interchangeable weights, the look and feel of the driver and fairway woods is clean and simple. No fancy paint scheme or alignment marks, no flashy colors or crazy shapes here, just a classic look and shape. The forged cavity back irons have a familiar look that better players and purists will appreciate, and the polished chrome finish on the back edge of the irons reflects the turf, making the club appear thinner at address. The forged feel is solid and delivers great feedback, as expected from a forged club, while providing enough forgiveness for mid handicap players. Higher handicap players may want to try the Z545 driver and irons, which are built with more forgiveness than the Z745 line.
Srixon Z745 Driver

Srixon Z745 Driver

Srixon Z745 Irons

Srixon Z745 Irons

Srixon Z745 Irons

Biggest Surprise
- Knuth Golf High Heat Driver – Perhaps the biggest surprise of the PGA Demo Day, Dean Knuth (Known by many as the “Pope of Slope” for his role in creating the USGA’s slope rating system for golf courses) has introduced a new improved version of the High Heat driver he originally created in 2007. The High Heat driver has the lowest CG (Center of Gravity) of any driver on the market, and the company claims that the low, deep CG also makes the driver more accurate on off center hits than any other driver. If you are among the majority of golfers that tend to make contact slightly off center and lower on the face, this is very good news. Even if you make consistent contact, you need to try this driver! Having hit the High Heat myself, I believe their their claims. The High Heat driver hits the ball very high, very far and very straight. Available with Fujikura and Aldila shafts. $399 direct – www.knuthgolf.com
Biggest Disappointment
- Honma Golf – The Japanese luxury club maker has a strong following in Asia for building top of the line, high performance clubs. If price was not a factor, Honma’s Tour World TW727 Driver, Fairways and TW727M forged blades might very well be in my bag. Being one of the few OEMs that manufacture their own shafts allows them tighter control over quality and the ability to make shafts specifically for their clubs. This advantage translates to better performance and more fitting options. However, given the price of their products they aren’t likely to become very popular in the USA or Europe anytime soon. Street price for the TW727 driver will be around $800 USD, and the irons typically sell for $275 per club ($2200 per set). There are other companies that sell premium priced clubs that compete with Honma, but sadly the elitist mentality and condescending looks I’ve gotten from the Honma reps at the PGA Show for the last several years has turned me off to the brand. Perhaps if I had a check in hand for $3000 I may have been treated better.
January 31, 2015
Premium 3 Wood Shootout
For a while I’ve been searching for a replacement for my current 3-wood, which is an Adams RPM LP Tour Prototype with 13 degrees of loft, fitted with the awesome Fujikura Rombax 7W06 shaft. It is over five years old, but I have yet to find a club that can beat it. I put it in play at a US Open Qualifier 3 years ago and haven’t even thought about changing it until this year. Considering I picked it up for only $40 on eBay, I would say I got my money’s worth. I set out to test three new fairway wood models designed for better players in an effort to find the successor to the 3-wood throne in my golf bag. After several rounds and hundreds of range balls, I think I finally have a winner.

Over the summer, I traded in a hybrid I won at a tournament for a Taylor Made R11 TP 3-wood, intending to sell it. When the buyer backed out I decided to give it a shot. It has 14 degrees loft and a Fujikura Motore F3 80x shaft. For the testing, it was set up neutral on the FCT adjustable hosel. I recently received the Tour Edge Exotics CB4 Tour 3-wood (15 degrees, Aldila RIP Sigma X-Flex) for review, and Nike Golf sent me their new VR Pro Limited Edition 3-wood (also 15 degrees, Diamana ‘Ahina, X-Flex) at the same time, so I decided to test the Exotics and Nike head-to-head with the Taylor Made. As a control, I used my trusty old Adams.

All 3 clubs are fitted with high quality shafts, and all 3 are very solid feeling clubs. I didn't notice any measurable distance advantage with any club, but I would need to use a launch monitor to be sure. My Adams went the furthest, but that's because it has less loft than the others and I'm more familiar with it, having it in my bag for over 3 years. The Nike VR Pro Limited edition ($229 street price) and Exotics CB4 Tour ($299 street price) produced a mid-level ball flight that balloons just a tiny bit, but it’s predictable. The Taylor Made R11 TP ($299 street price) flew a bit lower with no ballooning (likely due to a stronger shaft and slightly lower loft). All 3 clubs are workable both ways, and they work well from a variety of lies. The Taylor Made tends to dig a bit and take a small divot, where the others glide over the turf. That is undesirable, and sometimes leads to fat shots and pop-ups. Both the Exotics and Nike look great, with no extraneous marks or graphics, but the Taylor Made is a bit distracting with the white paint, logo and pin stripes on the crown of the club. I’m not a big fan of the White clubs, but if they perform I can overlook it. For the most part, adjustable clubs seem like a marketing gimmick to me, but I really like the ability to adjust the club open or closed with the sole plate of the Taylor Made without having to remove the shaft. The adjustable FCT hosel has settings for lower or higher loft, but this is misleading. (See my note below for an explination) The Nike looks very clean and sharp, and the graphics and sole design are attractive. The all black head and shaft of the Exotics is very cool. I think if Darth Vader played golf, he would probably have this club in the bag. All three clubs sound great at impact but the Nike’s metallic click sounds the most like my gamer, so it wins the acoustic battle in my mind. However, some may prefer the CB4 Tour’s titanium click sound, which is a little higher pitched than the metal heads of the others. NOTE: Adjustable TaylorMade Woods & Dynamic Loft The TaylorMade R11 TP 3-wood features an adjustable design, allowing a player to adjust the club for lower, standard or higher loft. You can also adjust the sole plate to alter the face angle of the club. In theory this means the R11 can play at 13, 14 or 15 degrees of loft, but the way they achieve this is a bit confusing. Allow me to explain - When setting the R11's FCT hosel to the "lower" setting you think you are reducing the loft of the club from 14 to 13 degrees, but really what you are doing is simply opening the face angle of the club 2 degrees. Using an oft misunderstood concept called dynamic loft, when you open the face of a driver or fairway wood by two degrees and the club returns to the ball square, the resulting loft at impact will be about one degree lower, thus theoretically producing a lower ball flight. Conversely, if I set the club to the "higher" setting all I'm really doing is setting the clubface two degrees closed. When I make a swing and return the clubface back to the ball with a square face angle, the result is a higher dynamic loft of one degree and a higher ball flight. This is one reason why those closed faced, offset, slice-fighting drivers always seem to hit the ball so high. Since the sole plate of the R11 TP can also adjust the face angle of the club at address, you can create a paradox. For example - If you set the hosel on "lower" (open face) and set the sole plate to closed, the club will sit perfectly square, exactly the same as the neutral position. I can also set the sole plate to open, and the FCT hosel to "higher" (closed) and it is the same as the previous two settings. Perfectly square. The two adjustable features can cancel each other out, not affecting ball flight at all. Are you confused yet?
Conclusions
On the range and over the course of several rounds, I found every one of these clubs worthy of going in the bag, but in the end the Exotics beats the Nike by a slim margin. If price is a big factor for you, you may want to consider the Nike. The Taylor Made is a good club and performs well, but it was third in this test. A representative from Taylor Made told me their Superfast fairways would have fared better, so we'll revisit when I can test the Superfast. Don't feel too sorry for TaylorMade just yet, because the R11 (and R11 TP) Driver is one of the best on the market, and worth a hit for anybody. Here are my final notes:
- The Exotics CB4 Tour has an edge in forgiveness over the Nike and Taylor Made, making it appealing to a broader range of players.
- The Nike is the cheapest by $70, but the loft options are limited to 15 or 19 in the Limited Edition. You’ll have to buy the regular VR Pro to get the 13 or 17 degree lofts.
- The Taylor Made is ugly. I like a clean, simple look. The the color, graphics and FCT hosel of the R11 TP makes this the ugly duckling of fairways.
- With the option of all three clubs in my bag on the range, more people reached for the Exotics CB4 Tour first. Nuff said.
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December 11, 2011