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Callaway RAZR X Black Driver Review

May. 2, 2012     By     Comments (9)

Callaway RAZR X Black DriverI must admit, when I was first asked to review this driver, I was very excited. I had heard about the new Callaway RAZR X Black from advertisements and in golf magazines. I am an avid Callaway driver user; I have the 2011 Callaway RAZR Hawk and the Callaway Diablo Edge Tour driver as well. The RAZR X Black is this season's new hot club following in the footsteps of this years RAZR FIT driver. At my local golf store this club is on the shelf, but there are not very many on display because it is selling quite well.

Callaway has gone through a bit of a lull but I think with the latest line of drivers they are coming on strong. Let's see how the RAZR X Black driver stacks up, shall we?

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Tour Edge Exotics XCG5 Fairway Wood Review

Mar. 21, 2012     By     Comments (3)

Tour Edge Exotics Fairway PromoThis seems to be the year where fairway wood technology is the topic of conversation. Top companies are making distance claims, going longer, lighter, adding slots on the crown, slots on the sole to achieve a boost in distance. Tour Edge may not have the big marketing budget of some of these companies but they have a steady history of great fairway woods and the New Exotics XCG5 is one of the hottest, most innovative 3-woods on the market.

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PING Anser Irons Review

Nov. 15, 2011     By     Comments (6)

PING Anser HeroThe Anser carries the same name as one of the early iron models Karsten Solheim produced before he transitioned to the popular investment-casting process. The newest version pushes the forging process to create performance benefits not previously associated with a forged club.

I know PING irons. PING irons aren't suppose to be forged. When I think of PING irons the following design features come to mind: investment cast, moderate offset, industrial grey Guyson finish, healthy topline, wider soles. The obvious exception is the "S" line but those heads are still cast. With the introduction of the Anser line, PING is moving into new territory.

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Titleist 910D3 Driver Review

Feb. 26, 2011     By     Comments (16)

910D3 HeroIn the past several years, my "gamer" drivers have ranged from the TaylorMade r7 425 TP to the Callaway FT-3, various Titleist drivers, and last year, the Mizuno MP-630 Fast Track. Though I was always happy with the 909D3 I owned, the MP-630 gave me just a little more pop and fit a swing I'd worked to improve a little.

But I've always appreciated Titleist's clubs, and found their drivers largely under-appreciated, so I was excited to give the 910D3 a try. The club shipped in November, making for a great Christmas present for many, and after extensive testing I'm happy to share my thoughts on Titleist's first customer-adjustable driver.

Read on to see what I thought of this all-black driver.

Nike Victory Red (VR) Pro Combo Irons Review

Feb. 25, 2011     By     Comments (10)

The story of Nike Golf's ascension has been well documented. When they originally signed Tiger Woods way back when, they offered next to nothing as far as golf was concerned. Nike slowly introduced footwear, apparel, accessories, and finally they weaned Tiger off of Titleist clubs. After decent success with the Ignite line, Nike had a huge hit with the Sasquatch. They built upon the SQ line with the SUMO, and then the DYMO, and finally the Machspeed series. In the driver and fairway woods categories Nike has been successful and innovative, though sometimes criticized. They were among the first adoptees of square drivers as well as 460cc clubheads and adjustable shaft offerings, but they have been ripped for the sound of some of their drivers, which can best be described as "tinny."

In the iron category, Nike has been solid, but their huge successes have been few and far between. The original Pro Combo irons (and it's several variations) did pretty well, and several pros even kept the long irons in their bags until just recently. They were also successful with the Slingshot irons, which, despite being as far from traditional as possible, packed loads of technology into a high-performing package. The last few years Nike has been heavily marketing their Victory Red line of irons, which were co-designed by none other than Tiger Woods. The Forged TW Blades were good looking, yes, but even Tiger took them out of his bag after half a season (though they have since been granted reentry). Many liked the Forged Split Cavity, which were supposed to offer forgiveness and great feel. Unfortunately, in my opinion, they lacked both of those, and the waffle pattern in the cavity wasn't particularly easy on the eyes either.

This year, Nike has gone back to basics. They have taken one of their most successful lines of irons, the Forged Pro Combo, and they have simplified them, similar to the original Nike Forged Blades that Tiger and other pros played for years. This has all come together to create a set of irons that not only looks great, but aims to offer great feel, forgiveness, and workability for golfers of a wide range of handicaps.

I've spent some time with the new Victory Red Pro Combo irons, so let's see how they stack up.

Miura CB-501 and Blade 2007 Irons Review

Jan. 28, 2011     By     Comments (6)

Miura CB-501 and Blade 2007 AddressIf you're into golf equipment, forged irons, Tiger Woods, or even perhaps Japanese samurai swords, you've probably heard about Katsuhiro Miura (or his golf clubs).

Though the common belief that Miura once forged samurai swords before moving on to golf clubs is a myth, it's true that Miura grew up in the area region of Japan famous for its steelwork and sword-making.

It's also true that though players like Tiger Woods have played clubs that have said "Mizuno" or "Titleist" or "Nike" on them, many of his clubs have been forged and shaped by the legend himself.

Katsuhiro Miura and the clubs he produces are surrounded by an almost mythic aura. The reverence people will show to a company like Mizuno or Scratch Golf ratchets up significantly when Miura is mentioned.

It all seems like a lot to live up to. Do the clubs live up to the hype? Let's find out. I've spent a few months with both the CB-501 and the Blade 2007 models.

Mizuno JPX-800 Pro Review

Jan. 5, 2011     By     Comments (20)

Mizuno JPX-800 ProThough Mizuno said goodbye to the MX series this year, they had the new JPX series waiting in the wings to fill the game improvement gap. Of course I jumped at the opportunity to review the new JPX-800 Pro, since this new series would replace that which contained the MX-300s I loved so much.

Though a large number of players may not have been very excited about this change, Mizuno was there to reassure everyone, saying that this was their biggest commitment to the game improvement category yet, and that the JPX series may in fact be a game changer. When a global company such as Mizuno pools all of their talented engineers from around the world, you know they really do mean business. So how did that pay off in real world results?

Mizuno MP-63 Irons Review

Nov. 26, 2010     By     Comments (17)

Mizuno MP-63 IronsA few years ago, I sold a set of Mizuno MP-60s and have been ruing the decision pretty much ever since. At the time, I thought I'd found a better fitting set for my game (plus, newer clubs are always better. Right?). Unfortunately, I haven't found an iron with that same sweet feel that those MP-60s had. The MP-57s were very close, but the MP-52s and 62s seemed to lack the buttery feel that solid impact delivered with the 60s. Plus, that "Cut Muscle" design employed by Mizuno on the MP-32, -57, -60 and -67 made for some very good looking golf clubs.

Mizuno MP-630 Fast Track Driver Review

Oct. 12, 2010     By     Comments (13)

Mizuno MP-630 Fast Track Driver HeroWhen you say the name "Mizuno" to the typical golfer, they first think of one thing - forged irons, often a muscleback or blade type material.

If this typical golfer kept thinking, they might never arrive at "drivers," let alone drivers with adjustable weights. As popular as Mizuno is for their irons, they're at least as unpopular for their hybrids, fairway woods, and drivers.

Unfortunately, their stellar irons overshadow an impressive woods/metals lineup, the best of which may very well be the MP-630 Fast Track driver. Read on as we shed a little light on Mizuno's under-appreciated driver.

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