Equipment

Show Stoppers: Day 1 of the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show

Published

10 years ago

Jan 21, 2014

The GolfWRX team is live from this year’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla. The “Show Stoppers” segment will highlight our favorite clubs, gear, and training aids at the show.

At the PGA Merchandise Show, golf companies show off their latest equipment on Tuesday at the PGA Demo Day at Orange County National, and at the PGA Show inside the Orange County Convention Center on Wednesday through Friday. Follow along as we bring you inside the ropes of this year’s events.

Click here to follow along as we update live from the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show.

Bridgestone “True Balance” putters

Bridgestone is releasing a line of True Balance putters, which are “counter” counter-balanced putters, if you will. Instead of having additional weight located in the shaft and grip-section of the putters, the True Balance putters have lighter shafts and grips that the company says adds more feel to the putter head during the stroke, allowing it to square up more easily at impact.

The True Balance Putters ($199) have 360-gram heads made from 304 SS with dual-layered polymer inserts. Their graphite shafts weigh only 35 grams, and their EVA rubber grips are even lighter: 20 grams. And yes, the putter heads are so much heavier than the shaft and the grip that the putters can stand on their own.

Steel-shafted versions of the putters ($149) are also available, including the TD-02, a double-bend mallet version. They’ll be available in March.

Click here to see what GolfWRX members are saying about the Bridgestone putters in the forums

Callaway X2 Hot “5Deep”

Callaway’s “Deep” fairway woods made news in 2013, when Phil Mickelson used the company’s “3Deep” fairway wood as his driver in route to a runner-up finish at the U.S. Open and back-to-back wins at the Scottish Open and Open Championship.

Callaway’s new X2 Hot 5Deep is the next logical step in the deep fairway wood progression. The deep-faced 5 woods target golfers who have downward angle of attacks or tend to contact their fairway woods on the upper part of the face. The 5Deep will give those players more consistent ball speeds because of their larger faces, regulating carry distances

The 5Deep, a refreshed 3Deep and a new 2Deep will be available later this spring for $239 with a “real-deal” version of Aldila’s Tour Green shaft.

Click here to see what GolfWRX members are saying about the Callaway 5Deep in the forums

Golf Pride CP2 Wrap and CP2 Pro Golf Grips

Golf Pride’s new CP2 Wrap and CP2 Pro grips are the softest performance grips in Golf Pride history. The CP2 Wrap (pictured above in blue) is for golfers who look for a soft feel with the classic wrap-around design. The CP2 Pro (pictured above in red) offers a more parallel design and flatter grip textures. The inner core stabilizer, which measures 2.5 inches in length, is much firmer than the rest of the grip works to stabilize the grip during the downswing. The CP2 Wrap and CP2 Pro will be available in March for $6.99 per club for standard size, $7.49 for midsize and $7.99 for jumbo.

Click here to see what GolfWRX members are saying about the new Golf Pride grips in the forums

FlightScope Xi

FlightScope’s new Xi is a small, portable, wireless Doppler-radar launch monitor that connects to an iPhone/iPad via WiFi to deliver ball data. No power source, cables, or laptops required. It starts at $2500.

Click here to see what GolfWRX members are saying about the Flightscope in the forums

Ping nFlight

The Ping nFlight Motion fitting process utilizes an attachment that clips onto any golf shaft, which sends information from the swing to an app on the iPhone or iPod touch through Bluetooth. The nFlight software models and digitally analyzes each swing and measures swing speed, path and angle of attack to fit the golfer into a combination of the proper shaft, loft and Ping club head. Only three swings per club are necessary to acquire enough information to fit the golfer properly, and the app provides additional shaft recommendations based on the fitting. Ping also offers an nFlight Mobile that works through an iPad.

Click here to see what GolfWRX members are saying about the Ping photos in the forums

UST Mamiya Elements Chrome Graphite Shafts

The UST Mamiya Elements Chrome shaft relies on a stiffer mid-flex and torque-specific weights that were previously utilized in the ProForce VTS models of recent years. The butt section of the shaft also has a larger diameter with a softer hoop strength that improves energy transfer and stability throughout the swing.

The mid-launch shaft is available for $285 in 12 different flex/weight combinations: 55 grams (A, R, S), 65 grams (R, S, X), 75 grams (S, X), 85 grams (S, X) and 95 grams (S, X).

Click here to see what GolfWRX members are saying about the UST Mamiya Elements Chrome shaft in the forums

Vokey SM5 Wedges

Vokey’s new SM5 wedges feature the third generation of the company’s grooves, which have a 7 percent larger groove volume than previous models.

The grooves are deeper and narrower on the 46-to-54 degree wedges to deliver better distance and trajectory control, reducing the chance of flyers from the rough. On the 56-to-62 degree SM5 wedges, the grooves are the same width as the previous generation, but they have a greater depth that adds roughly 400 rpm more spin on full shots from the rough.

The SM5 wedges are cast from 8620 carbon steel, and are available in lofts from 46 degrees to 62 degrees in two-degree increments. They come in six tour-inspired sole grinds (L, T, S, M, F and K), with each model sorted into low-, mid- and high-bounce categories. That creates a selection of 21 different loft, bounce and grind combinations.

The wedges are available in stores on March 14 in three different finishes — Tour Chrome, Gold Nickel and Raw Black — and will sell for $129. The Tour Chrome and Gold Nickel are plated finishes, while the Raw Black finish will rust over time.

Click here to see what GolfWRX members are saying about the Titleist SM5 wedges in the forums

Footjoy D.N.A. Golf Shoes

FootJoy recently unveiled D.N.A. (Dryjoys Next Advancement), the shoe that had golf apparel/equipment enthusiasts abuzz since Adam Scott wore them at the Presidents’ Cup. The shoes feature a 3D foam collar that molds to the foot and ankle, a Snugfit tongue, Microvent technology, a “Nitrothin” TPC (thermoplastic urethane) outsole, an “Xtra-thick” Fine-Tuned Foam (FTF) Fitbed and a Chromoskin Leather System making it waterproof. D.N.A is highly advanced, technology sound, stable and lightweight, with an added splash of color options.

They will be available in six colors on Feb. 15 for $220, with the BOA closure system available on the D.N.A.’s for $240.

Click here to see what GolfWRX members are saying about the Footjoy D.N.A.’s in the forums

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Whats in the Bag

Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)

Published

3 hours ago

May 10, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.

Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

Check out more in-hand photos of Kevin Tway’s clubs here.

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX

Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)

Check out more in-hand photos of Kevin Tway’s clubs here.

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4

More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.

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Equipment

Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?

Published

3 hours ago

May 10, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.

The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?

Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.

When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.

To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.

Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.

“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.

“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”

Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.

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Equipment

Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird

Published

6 hours ago

May 10, 2024

Andrew Tursky

With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.

On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.

Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?

Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’

So that’s why I went back.

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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?

It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.

Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.

It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.

Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.

Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.

So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?

Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.

Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?

Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.

There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.

It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.

Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.

And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?

Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’

If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’

My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’

I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”

And you’re going with it this week?

Hundred percent.

Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.

Thanks, man.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

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