Author: Alan Olson

Srixon Golf Releases Z Star Golf Balls

Srixon adds an offering to the master list of golf balls with a “X” in the name.

Bag DropSrixon Golf has quietly gone out and added some pretty hefty firepower to their tour lineup and now they are gunning for premium ball supremacy with their new Z Star lineup.

Featuring two distinct balls, the Z Star and the Z Star X, Srixon is boasting about “switching to a better ball” with its marketing and by looking at the technology behind the Z Star line, they very well could have a contender for best in class for the premium ball category.

Read on as we check out what makes the Z Star tick.

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Roenick Golf Rolls Out Crossbow Putter

I have a Crossbow in my golf bag and I know how to use it.

Bag DropI have to admit that I’m pretty cynical about some of the newer golf equipment that promises this or that and costs a small fortune to add to your bag.

The fine folks at Roenick Golf certainly have put a smile on my face as they’ve come up with something that is pretty ingenious and won’t force you to take a second mortgage (good luck getting one of those these days).

If you’ve read this column in the past, you might know that I’m a blade guy when it comes to putters (and it better have a plumbing neck to boot!) but I think I may have to scout out the Crossbow sometime soon. Might I have to rethink my ways? Who knows but read on to find out about this rather intriguing putter.

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Adams Launches Speedline Drivers, Hybrid-Fairway Woods

What does your current driver do to reduce airflow turbulence?

Bag DropAfter playing around with the squarish geometry craze of high-MOI drivers, the folks at Adams Golf have gone back to a more conventional looking club with the release of the Speedline Drivers and Hybrid-Fairway Woods.

The Speedline drivers, while conventional looking, offer up some pretty fancy technology as they were engineered from using wind tunnel technology to come up with a driver that has better aerodynamics to give you more swing speed which in turn, gives you more distance. And you thought wind tunnels were only for cars and planes.

Already tested on Tour, the Speedline drivers have racked up several wins on the Champions Tour and the LPGA Tour. Toss in a Gold Medal in the 2009 Golf Digest Hot list and this looks to be a “must try” for 2009.

So tag along as we look at the new drivers and fairway/hybrids from the gang in Plano, Texas.

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Titleist Rolls Out New ProV1 and ProV1x Golf Balls

How are you going to mark the new Pro V1 and Pro V1x?

Bag DropIt’s an odd-numbered year and you know what that means: a new Pro V1 lineup courtesy of the folks at Titleist. If you missed all the ads and Jim Nantz voice-overs, you know the flagship ball of Titleist has been number one on every tour and at every tournament since golf was invented (or at least it seems that way).

This year, Titleist has chosen to emphasize speed. Ball speed, that is. Everybody wants more distance and the new Pro V1 and Pro V1x are seemingly up to the task with reformulated cores and other engineering marvels. In addition, durability is given more attention. As we know, when playing with a urethane-covered ball, durability is very important as the modern wedges eat them for a breakfast.

With the ball market, as Titleist goes, so goes the rest. The Pro V1 line has been the best-selling ball since its inception. Is is good marketing? Sure, however it comes down to performance and at any level, golfers demand a ball that meets their needs and to date, the Pro V1 line has delivered. So let’s take a look at the latest incarnation of the Pro V1 line.

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TaylorMade Launches R9, Burner Irons, and Rescue 2009 Hybrids

TaylorMade tosses out enough options to make gear heads drool.

Bag DropTaylorMade Golf has released their 2009 golf lineup and it’s a doozy. Boasting some pretty snazzy technology and giving you enough options to make your head spin, TaylorMade has something to offer to every level of golfer from the high-handicap duffer to the gearhead who tweaks his clubs after every round.

Yes, we quite frequently poke fun at the folks at TaylorMade for releasing a new driver every other week, but once in awhile they release some equipment that causes you to stop what your doing and pay attention. And they have some of that with this new lineup. How good is it? Ask Pat Perez who won the Bob Hope over the weekend with the R9 driver in his bag. So join me as we see the latest and greatest from the folks at TaylorMade.

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Nike Golf Releases SQ DYMO Drivers

Nike Golf comes out with what they like to call “a Tour Van on a stick.”

Bag DropThe folks at Nike Golf aren’t wasting any time getting a new driver out to the masses in 2009 with their release of their SQ DYMO drivers. While billing itself as the winningest driver brand on the PGA Tour the past three years (it helps to have a guy named Tiger Woods on your team), there is no doubt the impact the SQ line as a whole has made on the golf industry.

The SQ DYMO line is the latest incarnation of drivers to come from the folks in Beaverton, OR and they utilize some fancy geometry in order to provide a better fit for today’s golfer. Tag along as we take a look under the hood at the latest from Nike Golf.

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What’s Ahead for 2009

The theme for 2009 will be the equipment-hopping game.

Bag DropWell, we’re back in the saddle for 2009 at the Bag Drop and I hope you got all the golfing equipment you asked for over the holidays. If not, there’s still plenty of time with some good deals floating around!

There’s been quite a bit of news as of late and while we have some new equipment to fill you in about, we’ll ease into 2009 with a few equipment/business stories you might have missed in the past few weeks. You might soon having to start filling out a spreadsheet to follow the equipment company switches.

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“The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan” Book Review

John Coyne writes a story about golf, life, and the choices we make and dispenses some wisdom from none other than Ben Hogan.

Caddie Who Knew Ben HoganThe Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan was written by author John Coyne who has penned over 20 books of fiction and non-fiction. Several months ago, we reviewed his latest book, The Caddie Who Played With Hickory and if you enjoyed that story, you most certainly will want to check out his earlier work as well.

The story weaves between forbidden love, the bond between a golfer and his caddie and wisdom about life as told by none other than Ben Hogan. What happens is a story about golf, life and the choices we make and how “it’s always the next shot that is important.”

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TaylorMade Rolls Out Rossa TP by Kia Ma Putters

TaylorMade rolls out their premium putter line.

Bag DropJust in time for the holiday season, the folks at TaylorMade Golf are rolling out some fine putters that fall into the premium category (more $$$), the Rossa TP by Kia Ma putters. Prior to this, you had to be on the TaylorMade Tour Staff like Justin Rose, Andres Romero, and Mike Weir who all use Kia Ma putters. No more as now the rest of us can get one of these beauties.

Join me as we take a look at some pretty sweet looking putters.

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