Nickent 3DX Pro Irons Review

Nickent, long known for their hybrids, has leapt into the iron-making game with one of the biggest names in iron design. Does John Hoeflich’s first effort live up to the “Pro” title?

Nickent 3Dx Pro Irons HeroNickent, long renowned for their hybrids, took a big step forward when it hired John B. Hoeflich as senior vice president of product development. Hoeflich’s design credits include the Tommy Armour 845 irons, the original Titleist DCIs, and recently the TaylorMade RAC irons and wedges. A while ago, Donald MacKenzie wrote “Look for new Hoeflich-designed clubs to debut by year’s end under the Nickent name.”

Those clubs are here, and they’re the Nickent 3DX Pro irons. Though one may wonder why any iron labeled “pro” features such a game improvement look to them, with cavity backs and low weights, one only needs to consider that the TaylorMade LT2, the Titleist 755, and the Callaway Fusions and X-Tours all see a lot of play on the PGA Tour and all are far from muscleback irons.

I currently play the Titleist 735.CM or the TaylorMade RAC MB TP. Do these Nickent 3DX Pros kick them out of my bag? Read on to find out…

How to Remove and Save Grips

One of the easiest ways to give a putter a new feel and maybe a new lease on life is to change the grip. Doing so doesn’t have to be a permanent commitment if you can save the old one.

Bag DropMy father didn’t just teach me to play golf, he taught me to be a golfer. And in the olden days – his and mine – that meant learning some basic skills to take care of your equipment.

Golf grips are certainly one of the easiest things to work on. Regripping, building up grips, making them thinner, and swapping out putter grips are all easy tasks that can be accomplished with simple tools and a little patience.

When it comes to saving grips so they can be reused, there are three primary methods, each with their own camp of proponents. Here’s a look at the choices and a run down on the method I use and recommend…

Volume Sixty-Nine

The Onion does some of the most accurate reporting available in the media today!

Look, why are you even reading this little blurb? You see the Hittin’ the Links logo, you know what’s comin’. A whole bunch of links! I’ve scoured the web just so you can waste some daylight checking out some sites. Say, shouldn’t you be at the range beating some balls?

Oh, you’re at work? Well, in that case, on with the links!

Golf Talk ‘Moving’ Special Edition

We’re putting together a special podcast, and we want you to be involved.

Site NewsStarting this week, the Golf Talk Podcast will be moving to Monday/Tuesday recording sessions with publication on Wednesdays. To make up for the short week (from earlier today until Monday or Tuesday), we’re going to put together another “Special Edition” podcast with your help.

To get in this Special Edition podcast, you simply have to record yourself talking about a golf-related subject and send the file to us by Tuesday, August 1. Record in the highest quality you can (16 bit, 44.1 kHz, AIFF or WAV preferred) and send your podcast to podcast@thesandtrap.com. We’ll cobble together the best of what’s submitted and roll it together into our special edition.

Golf Talk [Episode 031]

We text messaged Annika Sorenstam to say “we’ve produced our 31st podcast.” Tiger text messaged her with something a tad more impressive.

PodcastTiger Woods has captured his 11th major at the Open Championship at Hoylake. We discuss all the ramifications: Phil’s British misery, Sergio Garcia’s collapse and putting woes, and more. Also this week, Natalie Gulbis, Corey Pavin, Erin Hills, Carolyn Bivens, and Geoff Ogivly at the PGA Championship. Tune in to this episode of Golf Talk for more.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 031 as an MP4 file. For those who want to subscribe to us in iTunes, click here.

For this week’s Show Notes – links to articles we discuss in the show and additional information – just read on.

Callaway X-Tour Forged Wedge Review

Callaway’s X-Tour wedges are a mixture of old and new, especially the models with the PM grind and MD grooves.

Callaway X-Tour WedgeCallaway Golf built its position in the golf business on the strength of its Big Bertha woods. The company later became a force in the irons market, its Odyssey brand of putters is a top-seller, and its golf balls are gaining traction at retail.

Wedges, however, probably aren’t what you think of in conjunction with Callaway. But the company’s lead golf club designer is a fellow named Roger Cleveland – the founder of Cleveland Golf and designer of many classic wedges, like the enduring 588 line. The X-Tour wedges are the third line of forged wedges he has designed for Callaway. Is the third time the charm?

Roger Cleveland left his namesake company and joined Callaway Golf in 1996. He combined with Big Bertha inventor Richard C. Helmstetter on several designs, including the X-12 irons. The duo collaborated on the Big Bertha Tour Series wedges in 1997, which were cast from stainless steel and aluminum bronze, and the cult favorite X-14 Pro Series wedges in 2000.

Nine Holes with Steve Williams

Step in to the life of Tiger Woods’ caddy Steve Williams.

ProFilesSteve (or Stevie) Williams is Tiger’s fiercely loyal and dedicated caddy. Precious few can understand what goes on behind the ropes in Tiger’s life and Williams is one of them. Williams must be similar to the guys that were taming the “Wild West” because he comes across as a cowboy. He marches to the beat of his own drum while working hard for the boss.

Join me for a quick nine holes with the camera-snatching, club-pulling, car-racing boy from New Zealand.

British Open Nuggets

There are always some interesting numbers to look at after a major championship. Tiger showed he could win in a different manner and the Ryder Cup outlook changed as well.

The Numbers GameI thought the Open Championship at Hoylake was one of the better Opens in recent memory. Tiger showed what his greatest asset is: his mind. He didn’t have to overpower the course, just take what it gave him… and it gave him a lot of stinger 2-irons.

This week in The Numbers Game I’ll take a look at a few of the numbers from and related to the Open Championship. Also, I’ll see if The 40-30-20-10 Rule holds up for a tournament on a links style course.

Titleist Forged 695MB Irons Review

Titleist’s Forged 695MB is not for the weekend duffer, but for the golfer who takes tremendous pleasure in hitting a forged, muscleback iron on the button.

Titleist 695MB HeroLet’s cut to the chase: you’re either interested in Titleist’s 695MB irons or you’re not. If you’re looking for a forgiving iron with no feel, these aren’t the irons for you. But if you’re a single-digit handicapper with a penchant for the buttery sweet feel of a modern muscleback, read on.

Titleist’s Forged 695MB Irons are the successor to the previous model, the 690.MB (preceded themselves by the dotless 690MB). Sister set to the Forged 695CB, the 695MB offers an evolutionary, not revolutionary, step forward in the line.

If Titleist’s irons were placed on a scale with the more forgiving Forged 775.CB irons and the rare Forged 660 at the other, the 695MB would occupy just beside the 660 and a good bit away from the combo 735.CM.

But again, we already knew that. What’s new in these models and how well they work, why, that’s what the rest of the review will tell you. Read on, but bring your proof-of-handicap…