Author: Jack Waddell

Nickent 3DX Hybrid Irons Review

With hybrids now mainstream equipment, Nickent leverages its success in this niche to introduce an integrated set of irons and hybrids that totally rethink loft progression. So is their lofty promise justified?

Nickent 3Dx Hybrid Iron HeroAs our editor, Erik J. Barzeski, reported in his review of the Nickent 3DX Pro irons, Nickent has taken on noted club designer John B. Hoeflich and, with his expertise, launched itself into the iron market in a big way.

Their latest offering is an evolutionary – maybe even revolutionary – take on set makeup. The Nickent 3DX Hybrid irons are designed from the hybrids on down. What this means is that there is no longer a gap in loft between the shortest hybrid and the longest iron. Loft progression through the set results in extremely strong mid-irons and weaker short irons.

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Fit Factors: Club Fitting, Part One

No two golfers or golf swings are identical. Thus buying clubs off the rack with standard specifications is something of a crapshoot. If you’ve never had clubs fitted, here’s what you should be looking at.

Bag DropBack in the days before steel shafts and matched sets, Bobby Jones put together a set of clubs one by one over the course of his career based solely on feel. Toward the end of his time as a competitor – once swing weighting was invented – someone measured them and found them all identical, save one iron. Jones’ response? He’d never trusted that club.

Today it’s a whole other ball game. Club manufacturers, teaching professionals, and independent clubmakers and fitters all recognize the importance of fitting clubs to players to help them make the most of their abilities.

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Titleist Launches 906F2, 585.H, 755, and Detour

The Titleist brand has long been aimed at the better player. Their new lineup of scoring clubs definitely builds on that strategy with clubs specifically designed for the low handicapper.

Bag DropI’ve never understood the rationale for launching new equipment in the fall. Is it to boost sales in the fourth quarter? Is it to give off-course shops a holiday season shot in the arm? Or is it to force pros in northern climes to add inventory just as they’re trying to clear the shop for winter?

It just seems that ever since the big boys (Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade) decided to opt out of the January PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, new product launches come in barrages in the spring and fall. So be it in this new age of club marketing.

Anyway, on to the latest… after teasing us for some months now as their staff pros put the goods to use on the various tours, Titleist is releasing new fairway clubs, hybrids, irons, and a new Scotty Cameron putter. Read on for a quick rundown on what to expect when they officially hit the market on August 15.

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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…

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Sun Protection for Golfers

The sun’s effect on your body is no joking manner. Your skin and even your eyes are at risk. Here are some products that should be part of your routine and in your bag.

Bag DropAs sports go, golf seems to be one of the more benign. After all, nobody’s throwing a ball 100 miles per hour at you; no 350-pound lineman is trying to dismember you; nobody in the cart next to yours is rubbing paint at 200 miles an hour.

When it comes to the lethal dangers in our game most people think of lightning or cart accidents. But that’s not true. The dangers of prolonged UV exposure from the sun are greater than ever. More than 60,000 people a year are diagnosed with malignant melanoma – the deadly kind of skin cancer. Here are some things you can do to protect yourself.

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Ping Readying Rapture Irons and Woods

Ping appears to be readying a new line of irons and woods with their recent introduction on the PGA and Champions Tours.

Ping G5 Driver Crown GraphicIt looks like Ping has a new line of irons and woods coming out soon. Dubbed “Rapture,” the clubs were captured in pictures in the bags of Champions Tour players at the Ford Senior Players Championship and popped up last week on Sand Trap partner Golfwrx.com here and here.

The irons were also recently spotted on the PGA Tour, where they first turned up at the Cialis Western Open.

Word is the driver features a first for Ping – a composite head. There will also be a matching line of fairway woods, although it’s not known yet if they too have a composite head. Unfortunately for Ping, they ran into a snag introducing the driver at the Western. Here’s the story…

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Hybrid Clubs Continue to Proliferate

Don’t look now, but 1 and 2 irons have gone the way of persimmon heads. And 3 and 4 irons don’t look too safe either. Here’s a quick run down on four of the newest hybrids vying for a spot in your bag.

Bag DropClub manufacturers aren’t shy about jumping on a bandwagon. Witness the recent explosion of 460cc drivers, moveable weights, and high MOI (moment of inertia) putters. But no other recent development in equipment has had such an impact on the makeup of clubs in a bag as have hybrids.

Over the last few years, hybrid woods and irons have gone from crutches for senior hackers like me to standard issue in the bags of many PGA Tour pros. Todd Hamilton wielding his Sonartec hybrid to win the British Open at Royal Troon in 2004 underscored their versatility and acceptance.

What’s interesting is that club manufacturers large and small have had considerable success in pursuing this niche. And more models keep coming. Here’s a look at some of the latest offerings that have caught my eye…

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Golf Clubs that Changed the Game

Given ever emerging new rules governing golf club design, it’s become rarer to see a true innovation that creates a sea change in the way golf is played. Here’s a look back at some clubs that did leave a lasting impression.

Bag DropGiant club heads, exotic shafts, and weird-looking putters have become staples in the bags of players today. In fact, it seems every year brings a new twist on technology that prods players to keep pace.

Yet it remains to be seen whether recent novelties like the moveable weights in the TaylorMade R7, the curious shapes of the Cleveland Hi-Bore and Nike SasQuatch drivers, and ever-stranger putters like the Hammy leave a lasting mark on the game.

Looking back, however, there have been clubs through the years that have had a seminal impact. Here’s a look at some of them whose influence is still seen today.

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Ogio Shling Golf Bags Finally Launched

After a premature introduction at the 2004 PGA Merchandise Show and two more years in development, Ogio says they finally got it right. You be the judge.

Bag DropI carried my own bag for years – lightweight canvas bags, then nylon bags that I dropped to the ground and stooped to pick up. Then came stand bags and then double straps, and my definition of a great carry bag was changed forever.

Now Ogio, the innovative bag maker based in Salt Lake City, has finally launched their much-anticipated Shling-equipped stand bags. It remains to be seen whether this is as big a revolution as legs and double straps. Here’s the story along with some of my initial impressions.

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