Equipment
Show Stoppers from Day 3: 2016 PGA Merchandise Show
The PGA Merchandise Show is a week-long celebration of all things golf, highlighting the people, products and places that are intertwined with the game. Each day we’ve showcased the most noteworthy products we’ve spotted at the Show. If you’ve missed any of our coverage so far, you can catch up below.
Enjoy our final edition of Show Stoppers from the 2016 PGA Merchandise Show.
Directed Force Putters
There’s no bigger buzzword in putter design right now than balance. Terms such as “counter-balanced” and “face-balanced” have become staples of the modern golf equipment vocabulary, but a new putter company is hoping to add a new term to the list.
Directed Force Putters are lie-angle balanced, which founder Bill Presse says helps the putter stay square throughout the stroke and creates a more pendulum-like motion.
The 6061 aluminum putters are offered in lengths of 28-52 inches and lie angles of 61-79.5 degrees. Each of the 21 available lie angles is paired with a specific center of gravity (CG) that’s designed to work in harmony with its lie angle. Two screws — one in the heel, one in the toe — allow for the CG adjustments. The company also offers a side-saddle model with a lie angle of 79.5 degrees with a split grip, and its shaft has a rearward lean of 2 degrees.
The putters come stock with the company’s elliptical Press Grips (available in 1.25- and 1.375-inch models) and have a back-shaft design, both of which encourage a forward press. Watch the video below to learn more about the putters, which are available through directedforce.com for $399.95.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=gN4RUpYH55w
See what GolfWRX Members are saying about Directed Force putters in our forum.
Bushnell Tour V4 rangefinders
Bushnell’s Tour V4 rangefinders could be the company’s best models to date. They’re lighter and more powerful than past models, and a change to the rules of golf also helped Bushnell improve their functionality.
The USGA’s revision of rule 14-3, effective this year, permits golfers to use distance-measuring devices that account for elevation changes as long as that functionality is disabled in tournament play. Bushnell’s Tour V4 Slope ($399) allows golfers to toggle the company’s “Slope” technology on and off through its menu, complying with the new rule. Bushnell also offers a non-slope version of the Tour V4 for $299.
Both devices are accurate to 1 yard, and will provide distances to flagsticks up to 400 yards away. They’re 30 percent smaller than the company’s popular Tour V3 rangefinders, and use Bushnell’s “Jolt” technology that vibrates to alert golfers when they have targeted a flagstick.
Areso Kine-Fit putters
SAM PuttLab is designed to measure the small details of a putting stroke that cause golfers to miss or make a putt. For that reason, many top instructors use the system to identify tendencies and correct flaws. SAM also works as a fitting tool, and can help golfers find the loft, lie, toe hang and grip size that will work best for their stroke.
A German company called Areso decided to take SAM’s fitting power to the next level. Its team worked with SAM to develop software that would identify which Areso putter will work best for golfers based on their SAM results, as well as the best specifications for their stroke (lie, loft, length, grip, head type and balance).
The putters start at $400, and are available for purchase through aresogolf.com. See what GolfWRX members are saying about the putters here.
The Fowlers and Spieths
Arguably the two most popular young players in the game today – Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler — have made heads turn in the golf fashion world with their prototype shoes.
The “Rickie Fowler high tops,” officially named the TitanTour Ignite Hi-Top SE, are expected to hit stores as a limited edition release in June for $200 in the white-and-black colorway (pictured above), which was on display at the PGA Show.
The shoe wasn’t originally designed for public release; Fowler just wanted a shoe that matched his off-course look. Golf fans have been crying out for Puma to release them, however, so the company is giving the people what they want. The shoes are made with a leather upper, suede high heel and pig-skin interior.
We don’t know much about the “Jordan Spieth’s” from Under Armour — other than they’re really cool and Spieth wins a lot while wearing them. They were on display at the PGA Merchandise Show in the Under Armour booth, however, suggesting they may make it to stores before the end of 2016.
Tour Spin Club Washer
Have you ever left the driving range or golf course with grooves full of dirt and grass because cleaning them is just too much of a hassle? The TourSpin from Riveer solves that problem, and devastates bag boys everywhere.
Riveer is a 20-year-old company specializing in wash systems for a variety of industries, namely aviation and military. It began making golf-club washers over the last few years because owner Matt Petter is a certified “golf nut,” according to a fellow Riveer employee. For golfers, the 20 years of power-cleaning expertise will get their irons, hybrids and wedges cleaner than ever in about 45 seconds.
The automated system uses water pressure applied by rotational force to remove dirt and grass stains from golf clubs. They sell for $18K, while the tricked-out version with a cleat-cleaner and golf ball washer sell for around $29K.
The company expects some facilities will implement a “vending machine” tactic, having users pay coins or tokens to use the club-cleaning machine.
Ikkos
Ikkos goggles, which started as a way to train Olympic swimmers in 2008, use neuroscience principles to teach the brain how to perform body movements through visual and audio stimulation. Sound frequencies put the brain into a meditative-like learning state, while visuals seen while wearing the goggles teach the brain a movement pattern.
When you’re born as a baby, you learn movement by mimicking others, according to the company. Ikkos technology is designed to reverse engineer the learning process, and bring you back to the way you learned as a youngster – through imitation.
Here’s how it works: Download video content (YouTube works) into an App called CopyMe, and play it through the headset ($40), which repeats the content repetitively – around 30 times or more. Then put on the smaller goggles ($28), which are completely blacked out, and perform the intended movement.
The technology is currently being used for athletes, as well as for the rehabilitation purposes, namely cerebral palsy patients and stroke victims.
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Whats in the Bag
Richy Werenski WITB 2024 (May)
- Richy Werenski what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Houston Open.
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana PD 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist TSR2 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 8 X
Hybrid: Titleist TSR3 (19 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White Hybrid 90 TX
Irons: Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 105 S
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (46-10F, 50-12F), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (54-M, 58-L @60)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 Onyx (46-50), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Onyx (54-60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron prototype
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash
Grips: Golf Pride ZGrip Cord
Check out more in-hand photos of Richy Werenski’s clubs in the forums.
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Equipment
Adam Scott testing green “Masters Use Only” putter + 6 interesting equipment photos from the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Welcome to the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson event at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, which, for your geographical reference, is about 25 minutes from Dallas.
In early-week equipment news, we saw some interesting putter testing from Adam Scott, a Maxfli golf ball signing on the PGA Tour, a 16-year-old’s WITB, a PGA Tour player using another PGA Tour player’s backup putter, and Jordan Spieth weighed in on why he recently switched out just his 7-iron (and then made a hole-in-one with it).
With so much to report and so little time to waste on the intro, let’s get right into this week’s equipment rundown from the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
See all of our photo galleries from the week here
Adam Scott’s new L.A.B. putters
Before we get into a couple of the new prototypes Scott has been testing, above is a photo of the L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max prototype putter that he’s been using, and will likely continue to use this week in Texas.
That being said, following the Masters, Scott was looking to try a couple putters with a slightly lighter weight to help with his feel on fast greens.
One of the new prototypes we spotted on Tuesday was a L.A.B. Golf DF3 “Proto 2.1”, custom-built with Scott’s preferred blue colorway, and an Australia-inspired Kangaroo laser engraving…
We also spotted him with a green-colored “For Masters Use Only” Mezz.1 Max prototype…
While it’s unlikely Scott will make a switch this week, it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward, especially on courses with faster greens.
We also got a peek into Scott’s full WITB this week, which consists of a super-mixed set of Srixon irons, including a ZX Utility 3-iron, a ZX-5 MkII 4-iron, ZX-7 MkII mid-irons (5-7) and Z Forged II short irons (8-9).
See Scott’s full WITB from the CJ Cup here
An update on Daniel Berger’s Odyssey Jailbird
Last week in New Orleans, we highlighted Daniel Berger’s Ai-One Jailbird Mini putter because of its unique sightlines.
Well, we have an update.
According to Callaway Tour Manager Joe Toulon, who spoke with GolfWRX.com this week, Berger’s Jailbird Mini is actually from fellow Tour player Tom Kim’s stash. Kim is a prolific putter tester, and the exact putter Berger is currently using was actually originally made for and tested by Kim. The putter didn’t make it into Kim’s starting lineup, however, so he gave the putter back to Odyssey, and it eventually made it’s way onto Berger’s gamer roster.
Jordan Spieth’s new 7-iron
As the story goes, Jordan Spieth changed out his Titleist T100 7-iron on Wednesday before the 2024 Valero Texas Open, and then on Thursday, he used the 7-iron to make a hole-in-one from 199 yards on the 16th hole.
Good timing on that switch, Jordan.
On Tuesday at the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson, GoflWRX.com caught up with Spieth to get the full story on why he switched just the 7-iron.
Our full story is over on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, but here’s a snippet of what Spieth had to say:
“I hit my 7-iron a lot, especially on my own. The spin rates, relative to my 6-iron and my 8-iron, were lower, so it was going too far. I was trying to figure out why, if it was something in the makeup of the iron. I got the lies and the lofts checked, and everything was fine. So finally I was like, ‘Can I just get a new one and see if it fixes it?’
“Maybe there was one other time throughout my career where I changed just one iron, so it’s very unusual. I think it’s just because the grooves were worn down from hitting it too much.”
Ben Griffin signs with Maxfli to play the golf ball
At the beginning of the year, LPGA Tour star Lexi Thompson signed a deal with Maxfli to play the company’s golf ball, and now, Griffin has officially joined team Maxfli, as well, thus expanding the company’s Tour presence.
GolfWRX.com caught up with Griffin on Wednesday in Texas for a video interview about his new golf ball of choice, and how he marks it…
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A 16-year-old is playing on the PGA Tour this week, using a 2-iron!
Amateur golfer Kris Kim, at just 16 years of age, is making his PGA Tour debut this week after receiving a sponsors exemption into the event. In 2023, Kim won both the R&A Boys’ Amateur Championship and the European Boys’ International Championship.
On Tuesday in Texas, we got a look into Kim’s bag, which revealed that he’s currently playing a TaylorMade P-770 2-iron, and a bag full of TaylorMade clubs.
Check out Kim’s full WITB here
A smart golf ball stamping
I’m not going to sit here and pretend to be a big math guy, because I’m not. However, I do recognize David Nyfjall’s purple ball marking as a square root symbol.
While I don’t know the particular significance of the square root symbol for Nyfjall, I do know you have to be fairly intelligent to even consider using a marking like that. Pretty cool stuff from the Northwestern alum, and 2023 Byron Nelson Award winner.
And, with that, we say goodbye to Texas and TPC Craig Ranch. We’ll see you next week at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte for more insider equipment news and storylines.
For now, don’t forget to check out all of our photos from the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
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Whats in the Bag
Wesley Bryan WITB 2024 (May)
- Wesley Bryan what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max (9 degrees @10)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana GT 50 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana GT 60 X
Hybrid: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus Rescue (19.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Takomo 101U (4), Takomo 101T (5), Takomo 301 CB (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (46-10F, 52-08F, 56-14F), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (58-A)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: L.A.B. Golf DF3
Grips: SuperStroke, Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
More photos of Wesley Bryan’s WITB in the forums.
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Mark
Feb 3, 2016 at 1:23 pm
After watching the video for the Direct Force Putters, the tech makes perfect sense. I would really like to try one. I would think the possibility of this improving my game (saving me strokes) is much higher than spending $300-400 on a new driver to improve my game.
Scott
Feb 1, 2016 at 11:30 pm
If the putter had “Scotty Cameron” on it, you would be drooling over it. I’ve had a Directed Force putter for about 4 months. It is quite simply the best putter I have ever used. Sure, it looks weird, but I usually have the last laugh as Im collecting bets. By all means though, continue to poo poo something because it isn’t a brand name. It’s your loss.
Thudstaff23
Feb 1, 2016 at 1:01 pm
I made up a new word for those Ricky high-tops: Interrible. Also, am I the only one who thinks that Directed Force looks like the shape of an immaturely drawn ball sack?
joepz
Feb 1, 2016 at 6:49 pm
They should rename that putter the “Man-Up.”
Park District Hacker
Feb 1, 2016 at 7:44 am
No-name companies charging $400 for putters. Who is buying these?
steve
Feb 1, 2016 at 9:06 am
no one, bad business model
Stuart Smith
Feb 2, 2016 at 10:06 pm
You are buying named putters just for the name that have no math or physics behind them. Just a pretty club. Put a circle t on it and you will even pay more. This putter is the first of its kind with not only patents on the design but also the physics. You may be surprised where it may pop up next.
Mat
Feb 1, 2016 at 3:39 am
If this is the “showstoppers”, stop the show.
snowman
Jan 31, 2016 at 9:24 pm
Directed Force Putter seems like a great technology, however needs to be in a more conventional head shape if they hope to get any market IMO. The head on that thing is just too extreme for me.
ACas
Feb 1, 2016 at 10:38 am
agreed, 100%. You can say performance trumps looks as loud and as often as you want, but it just won’t replace the appeal of a good looking club and lack of support a bad looking will receive. I would jump all over one of those putters if he can get it to look like a blade of traditional mallet.