It’s not too far fetched to compare the golf industry with the auto industry where each year new models are rolled out that the makers claim are an improvement over the previous stock in both look and feel. This year is no different but as the competition among club makers has grown increasingly intense over the years; it’s as if the designers have become increasingly radical in their search for market share.

At the recent 2005 PGA Show in Orlando at the end of January, the positioning and introduction of new products was in full swing.

Technology continues to thrive in the golf domain. Whether it is drivers, putters, irons, balls or shoes, advances in designs and materials continue and new products are being introduced almost monthly.

The most dominant domain of golf’s latest technologies is the composite crowns, oversized driver heads and movable weights being employed in drivers. The results are a bigger, a hotter and more forgiving adjustable weight driver.

Also making a major impact are the Iron Hybrids, the Wood Hybrids and to ad to the mix, the Ultra Hybrid. Over 35 models are available in this all-purpose club category. Their acceptance and use by PGA Tour players and women especially, is making hybrids a major category of clubs.

For the golfer, the ability to fine-tune options in equipment is taking away excuses to blame the equipment. The manufacturers want you to test their products against your current equipment. As the expression goes; “Try it, you may like it!”

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Here are ten of the best new products seen at the Show.

The Product: Alias Footwear

The Manufacturer’s Message- Review:

Simply the most comfortable golf shoe available today. Tour players and everyday golfers are praising this shoe. Features include an extra cushion that promotes shock absorption, lateral stability and breathability. Three different models are available with the best seller being the Sedan model. This design features a reinforced Toe, is constructed mainly of a PU Nubuck. Both lateral sides of the upper at the breast of the foot are capped with textured PVC for added durability and finished off with a sandwich poly-mesh tongue and fully encompassed ankle to the exterior. The interior is plush with padding and wall-to-wall combed combo mesh. They are extremely easy to clean-up with a fresh damp cloth. Available in 5 colors from sizes 4-13.

MSRP: $68.00

www.aliasfootwear.com

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The Product: Sun Mountain Self Propelled Push Cart

The Manufacturer’s Message- Review:

Sun Mountain, the inventors of the first easily collapsible push cart, Speed Cart ®, have introduced a self-propelled, electric version of this top-selling cart to be called the Speed E Cart™. Speed E Cart allows golfers the enjoyment and health benefits of walking the course while the cart carries the clubs and propels itself around the course. Speed E Cart is designed to securely hold a golf bag without added straps or cords and folds down easily into a compact package that fits into a car trunk or cart locker. Speed E Cart is available in black, silver and orange with a full-suggested retail price of $799.95. www.sunmountain.com.

Speed E Cart is an electric cart driven by a 24V motor, hidden inside the front wheel that is silent and extremely efficient. The motor is powered by a small battery which performs well for up to 36 holes. The Speed E Cart motor is controlled by a set of buttons discreetly yet conveniently placed on the cart’s handle. The buttons include power on/off, start/stop, buttons to increase and decrease speed to set a comfortable walking pace, which the motor is programmed to maintain across varied terrain, plus three buttons that allow the cart to be sent forward 15, 30 and 60 yards. When powered off, the Speed E Cart can be pushed as easily as a manual Speed Cart for peace of mind when maneuvering in the parking lot or around the clubhouse and to eliminate the chance of being stranded on the course with an out-of-charge battery.

MSRP: $799.95

www.sunmountain.com

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The Product: Callaway’s I-Trax Putter

The Manufacturer’s Message- Review:

One of Callaway’s many new introductions this year is the new I-Trax putter. Following their enormous success with their 2-Ball putters, introducing a new model is normally a hard act to follow. However, Callaway has succeeded in producing a putter that performs exceptionally well. The I-Trax putter is an inertial mallet putter whose main criteria focus on balance and alignment. The I-Trax has a precision machined aluminum head that combines with triangulated, plated brass weight screws to provide a balanced feel and a smooth, skid- free roll. The I-Trax also features two interchangeable vision strips (chevrons or 3 parallel lines) allow you to choose the alignment configuration that best suits your eyes, helping you easily square your putter to the target time and again. It has a milled steel face and is precision weighted.

MSRP: $290.00

www.callawaygolf.com

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The Product: Cleveland Golf’s Halo Utility Club

The Manufacturer’s Message- Review:

At the busiest booth at the Show, the most sought after wood was the Halo. This breakthrough utility club was designed with a larger sweet spot making it much easier to hit than traditional long-irons. This club’s higher MOI and lower CG allow for maximum forgiveness on off-center shots while also creating higher launch angles and added spin for those long approach shots that require a soft landing.

The Halo is made with a 17-4 stainless steel body and a 455 Custom Carpenter Steel face, looks great at setup and has both a great feel and launching ability.

MSRP is $191 for graphite and $150 for the steel-shafted model.

www.clevelandgolf.com

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The Product: Bobby Jones Fairway Woods

The Manufacturer’s Message- Review:

Jesse Ortiz, formerly of Orlimar fame, is now with the Bobby Jones Company as their new designer. With Jesse’s skills, Bobby Jones has introduced a new line for both men and women, that are both good looking and easy to play. Most impressive was their new fairway woods. The fairway woods feature multi-material, 17-4 stainless steel bodies with a maraging steel crown, forged to a thickness of only .35mm versus a comparable 1.25mm cast crown. Weighing only 10 grams, instead of the normal 35 grams of a stainless cast crown, Jesse was able to reposition over 25 grams of weight to the soleplate area. This extremely low weight distribution is similar to a graphite composite head, however, the all steel construction provides superior sound, feel and feedback.

The shallow face design instills confidence from any lie. The face is Carpenter 465 super alloy steel, milled to a performance enhancing 1.6 mm thin. The lengths of the woods are 42.75" and 42"on the 15° 3-wood and 18° 5-wood respectively. A 21° Hybrid 7 at 40" will be available soon. All the woods feature Fujikura’s 57 gram Speeder shafts.

MSRP:

www.bobbyjonesshop.com

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The Product: Precept ECU Utility Woods

The Manufacturer’s Message- Review:

Precept has hit the jackpot with these new Hybrid/utility woods. They are designed for the mid to high handicap player seeking performance from a variety of lies. The wood features an elastomer compound insert for vibration reduction and tungsten screw for optimal CG. More importantly, the highly visible orange Mitsubishi shaft is phenomenal. This hybrid was the most popular club at the Demo Day and many of the media carry these woods in their bags. They are extremely accurate and easy to hit. Lofts are available in 18, 21, 25 and 30 degrees.

MSRP: $119.00

www.preceptgolf.com

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The Product: Pure Pendulum Putter

The Manufacturer’s Message- Review:

The Pure Pendulum System was one of the hidden gems at the Show. The Pure 1 head was designed by Clay Long, who designed the Response putter with which Jack Nicklaus won the 1986 Masters.

This putter not only feels absolutely wonderful but its hole-seeking capabilities are nothing short of amazing! Its revolutionary concept, its grip, will make you a more consistent putter and a better putter. Its ease of use together with its alignment features topped by its amazing feel brings the joy back to putting! It is a true system, integrating your hands, the putter grip and the stroke in a way most putters do not offer and its USGA approved.

MSRP: $199.00

www.purependulum.com

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The Product: Yonex Cyberstar VX Irons

The Manufacturer’s Message- Review:

These new irons are fabulous both in their set-up look and especially so with their exceptionally soft feel. These Mid-Size / "Dual Core" designed irons feature a combination of stainless steel and graphite. Within the ultra thin (1.2 millimeters) faced stainless steel clubhead lays a layer of graphite along with a hollow area. Yonex engineers claim that this thin face produces a trampoline effect that results in extra distance. The shafts are proprietary Yonex UL-Titanium Graphite only. Available from 2 - SW.

MSRP: $1280.00

www.yonex.golf

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The Product: Sonartec SS-3.5 & SS-2.5 Woods

The Manufacturer’s Message- Review:

These new woods, an extension to their highly successful flagship line, are designed with the discerning player in mind. Both the 3.5 and 2.5 (for higher handicappers) have enhanced perimeter weighting which translates into tighter dispersion rates for errant shots. Both the 3.5 and 2.5 feature a deep face and comes standard with a Fujikura Tour Platform 26.3 shaft (A, R, S and X flexes) and has a new ST Hot Face alloy that increases ball velocity at impact. Lofts of 13-, 14-, 15-, 16-, 19- and 22- degree lofts. The SS-2.5 has lofts of 13-, 14-, 15-, 17-, 19- and 21 degrees.

 

MSRP: $289.00

www.sonartec.com

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The Product: Teego Automatic Golf Ball Teeing & Dispensing Machines

The Manufacturer’s Message- Review:

A thoroughly usable product! Teego is a portable automatic golf ball teeing and dispensing machine, it eliminates the hassle of manually teeing up the golf ball when practicing your tee shot or dragging balls into position when hitting your irons. The most beneficial aspect of Teego is its ability to enable focused practice and quick repetitions, which develops ones’ "golfing muscles" in less time. With the proper fundamentals you can quickly improve your golf game by hitting balls repeatedly without breaking your stance and saving wear and tear on your back.

Teego is available in two editions, Teego Personal and Teego Professional. The Teego Personal is 100% mechanical; neither electricity nor batteries are required. The Teego Professional includes features specifically geared toward golf teaching professionals. Teego also sells three sizes of bristle tees.

MSRP: $129.00

www.teego.com