| 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!”
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Barry
Lotz, J.D., Ph.D. is the director of the Professional Golf Teachers
Association of America. He is also a member of the Golf Writers
Association of America and the California Golf Writers Association
and a Mediator for the golf industry. He is a contributing writer
to numerous national magazines. He can be reached at drlotz@cbsgolf.net |
