Golf Clubs (2)

Hybrid (hy'-brid) n. 1. that which is created from two or more other types.

In golf, a hybrid is the combination of an "iron" and a "wood" (though rarely actual wood these days). The goal: to produce a club that has the best characteristics of each -- the length ...

I’m starting to really get ticked off at my Cobra Gravity Backs. I bring them to my local driving range and pro shop (where they often allow you to try out new or used sets of clubs in hopes you’ll buy something new).

I’m getting more and more ...

Drive. Threaten the ball in the air. Repeat.

While this accurately describes an acronym of my golf game, thankfully it is not what the DTR stands for in the Titleist DTR irons. So just what exactly does it stand for?

"Distance Through Research."

Nice, Titleist. I dig. ...

If you read my earlier review of the Ping K15 Driver, then you'll have a leg up on what's happening with the K15 irons. These are obviously designed to complement the other K15 clubs from Ping, and certainly they do just that.

Once again combining a titanium face ...

While not nearly as well know as Bob Vokey, Roger Cleveland is no less a virtuoso of wedge design and creation. Mr. Cleveland has now teamed with Callaway to create the Jaws Wedge, bringing his considerable talents to bear on this fine looking golf club. Combining tour proven ...

The term "niblick" has been around for hundreds of years, but was largely discontinued near the turn of the 20th century when iron sets became more uniform in size, shape, loft, and -- most importantly -- application. Used to describe everything from a 4-iron to a pitching wedge, niblick is ...

With one of the oldest names in golf, Wilson irons have used all manner of alpha-numeric combinations to designate their clubs over the years. The Wilson X-31 may sound a little more like rocket or aircraft designation than a golf club, but make no mistake; these clubs were ...

The Kirk Currie or "KC" putters from Wilson's Staff line offer the player the ability to customize their putter based on how the greens are playing that day. With weight portals in the shaft end cap and sole of the putter head -- called BalanceFit, by Wilson ...

This new hybrid set from Adams Golf -- the A3OS -- is an updated version of the old A2OS. With some updated engineering, Adams has tried to make this their "easiest-to-hit" iron set, yet. The set starts out with the hybrids in numbers 3, 4, and 5 ...

Driver technology: an area that could send a NASA engineer into orbit, much less the average golfer just looking for 10 more yards on his tee ball. Cleveland golf makes another entry into this market with the Cleveland Launcher DST Driver.

This driver features what Cleveland calls "MaxCOR Face ...

With a relatively thin top line and slight offset, the Callaway X-18R irons would seem to be suited to nearly any golfer. However, Callaway has put so many other game improvement features into this set, they end up being better suited to an intermediate or even high-handicap golfer.

In ...

If you think there are a lot of options in drivers these days, take a look at the available options for putters. And why not? With the average golfer stroking 36 putts per round (nearly 40% of their total shots) with a putter, it makes sense that the ...

Signature Series putters from Kevin Burns can be found in the bags of Tour pros each and every week. This small line of putters -- each one still hand ground and personally inspected by Mr. Burns himself -- was started in a garage in the town of Mountain ...

Yet another offering in the hybrid club category, the i15 Hybrid from Ping has been designed with the better player in mind. The head is on the smaller, traditional side, which begs the question, "Are hybrids traditional?"

Whatever term you ascribe to it, this club is designed for the ...

Whether they are called an "ironwood" or "hybrid," the benefits to a club of this type are so evident -- for every level of golfer -- any time one comes along that it's worth a closer look. The New Nickent 4DX Hybrid with Fujikara Shaft is no exception.

This model ...

You know how some things just look fast? A Ferrari Testarossa. The Japanese Bullet Train. The old SST jetliner.

The Ping Rapture V2 Hybrid with Graphite Shaft fits nicely into that category. This club just has a cool look to it and inspires confidence that you are ...

"Smooth" is what Wilson named this new driver. Based on their literature, the name mostly has to do with its smooth, mostly understated styling. With a head size of 460cc, this driver compares with most others in the current market, but it doesn't have much of a "wow" ...

The variety of drivers available today is simply staggering. How do you know where to turn when there are great choices from every major manufacturer: TaylorMade, Wilson, Cleveland, Nike, Titleist, and of course, Ping? Despite the myriad of choices, don't fail to give the Ping K15 Driver model a ...

Oh man. These are fast. Like faster than fast. And fast in a good way, not like a Vin Diesel movie. They really pop the ball so it flies high and lands soft. These irons allowed me to really hone in on ...

The original Ping EYE clubs have been around since 1980, and the Ping EYE2 series (with box grooves) was introduced in 1984. Though the EYE2 has changed some over that time, it is available in that same basic design today. That longevity and validity speaks volumes about ...

Karsten Solheim started making putters out of his garage back in the 1950s that went "ping" when you hit them -- and a brand was born that would change the landscape for golf clubs and equipment for years and years to come. Ping has made a ...

How much better are the Ping i15 irons over the i10s? Supposedly, it is much more than simply answering "five times better." Get it? (And my math teacher said I would never amount to anything.) With similar lines and the same thinner top line, they ...

My dad was a really great guy. Dependable. Faithful. Solid. Trustworthy. Not given to frills or crazy expenditures. He was... frugal. Some called him just plain cheap. But he was (and still is) my dad, and I love him.

The Nike IC 20-15A ...

Hm. Really, Ping? A 56 degree wedge that has the name "tour" engraved on it? It's just a wedge in brushed silver. Oooh. There's a tungsten toe weight for added forgiveness. That's like saying a car is special because it has a gas ...

Dot. Dot. Dot. Dash. Dash. Dash. Dot. Dot. Dot.

Frankly, that's what my game has been sounding like recently. It doesn't matter if I have a green dot or a pink dot; it's the cry of "S.O.S." every time I've been on ...

Nah. Sorry, TaylorMade. This Corzo ghost putter didn't do it for me. Now before you start to judge -- no, it's not because it is a long putter and I have some kind of fear that using a belly putter makes me look older. I ...

"NaNaNaNaNaNaNaNa Batman..."

Flat out, folks. That’s what this thing looks like. Appearances aside, I’ll give my honest feedback on this thing. Weird. It feels weird to swing, it’s weird to line up, and it produces a weird sort of “thunk” when the elastomer insert connects with the ball.

But ...

Wow. I don't use long putters, but this one is extremely nice. I am honestly going to put a 34" version of this guy on my Father's Day wish list. Very, very nice putter. I'm not sure why, but I dig the milled face on ...

We need soft landings. When I fly, I want my pilot to bring me a soft landing. If I fall, I try to twist myself and brace myself for a soft landing. If I happen to place a shot on the green (I know, I ...

Pelz, huh? Call me a mainstream brand nerd, but I have not heard of the David Pelz namesake brand. I have heard of Bobby Jones, so I was excited to check out this wedge. Now you won't hear me say this too often, but folks -- this ...

I have to admit.  Until now, I have had zero experience with Mizuno.  My only experience prior to writing this was picking that brand of clubs for my “Tiger Woods PGA Golf 2009” Wii game.  And the only reason I picked those is that the virtual Mizuno company “sponsored” my ...

Ok, I cheated a little bit on this one. Sorry, but it's true. I'm not a southpaw. So the idea of me trying to swing a Nike Slingshot Hybrid is a dumb one. However, I have tried the *ahem* normal Slingshot Hybrids -- and while I ...

This club feels great. I hate the fact that I even like a club called a "rescue club," because it is obviously very telling of my game and how much I need to be... uh... rescued. Not only does this pick the ball up quickly and get ...

TaylorMade is a name I frequently associate with high-caliber golf performance. Aimed at the biggest-bang-for-the-buck buyer (like me), this 8-piece set (4 iron-PW, SW) provides maximum distance in an easy-to-hit iron due to its super-sized design and thin, fast face. Equipped with the RE-AX Super Fast graphite ...

Callaway, do you know who you are? You're the kid that had the coolest T-shirts in school. You're the kid that pierced their ear first. You're the kid that never came to school with lunch because you would always find some other kid and not beat them up, but talk ...

Before we start, I know. It's Nike. One of my brands that I tend to favor. However, after the disaster with the Nike Lady SlingShot HL, I was quite skeptical. Added to this is the strange look of this new "Uniflex Powerbow" style. It just looks funky, folks.

The ...

I have a confession to make. I feel like a Benedict Arnold writing this review. I'll tell you why. I have a few brands that I'm a total nerd for: Apple, Verizon, and... Nike. Whenever there is a Nike product, I'm a little biased -- ...

I have to admit. I didn't buy the whole "inverted cone" technology when it first came out. I thought it was just another new-fangled, run-of-the-mill goofball gimmick that would get us duffers to buy more stuff. TaylorMade is making more and more of a believer out of ...

I love Ping products. I just can't hit them. Maybe they are intimidating to me or something, I'm not quite sure -- but it seems I can't do them justice. This club feels great to swing. The shafts I tried were a stiff Black Nickel ...

Senior golfers take heed: the Adams RPM iron set may be the choice for you with game-improvement features like an oversized head design, a deep cavity-back -- which provides a low and deep center of gravity (CG) -- and progressive offset to ensure a high launch angle and ...

This driver offering from Callaway employs a myriad of their technical features including Fusion Technology (FT), a combination of a carbon-composite body with a titanium face cup, and Hyperbolic Face Technology. There is a lot going on with this driver, and I'm sure Callaway has spent millions of dollars ...

I am tired of playing my old man’s irons that he bought when Ford was still in office. When I hit a golf ball it feels like I am driving a railroad tie into the ground. Since I’ve been working on my swing, I feel like I ...

Clearly targeting the "super game-improvement" crowd, the Pinseeker RS 350 blended iron set seems to have the features to meet that need. The first thing you notice is the bright chrome finish and deep cavity back of the standard irons (6-SW). However, what makes this set really on point for ...

My first set of "good" irons were Wilson Staff tour blades in 2-SW. Though rare (for me), a purely struck shot with one of those irons was not only a thing of beauty to see, but also a nearly sensual experience to the hands and ears. ...

My wife does not need another edge. Enough already, TaylorMade. You realize that these ladies make their way into our foursomes, tee up yards ahead of us, have no crazy-angry-over-the-top ego that makes them swing too hard, and put it down the middle every time? You know this, ...

I gotta tell ya, the new look of the R11 is growing on me. It's a white crown with a black face. I didn't like it at first, but after watching Jason Day at the Masters, now I'm thinking of buying the driver and the ...

If your handicap index number only has one digit in it, then the Ping S56 Iron Set 3-PW with Steel Shafts might appeal to you. These clubs have been designed for players who put a premium on shot control. The basis of the iron body content ...

This is the putter that won Charl Schwartzel the 2011 Masters. Well, not this exact putter -- Charl still has that one -- but this same model. If you missed it, let me get you caught up. All Charl did was manage to birdie ...

This is very similar to the putter Rory Sabatini used to win at the 2011 Honda Classic in Palm Gardens, Florida. Rory played amazing golf in howling winds that made a lot of the touring pros look like amateurs. And of course, he putted absolutely remarkable under ...

Titleist built these AP1s for you "aspiring golfers." That's a euphemism for: "You stink!" (I'm not in marketing, so I don't have to use words like "aspiring.") Consider me like your doctor -- I'm giving it to you straight so you can hit the ball straight. ...