The Midseason Report

The 2005 golf season is reaching the midway point. What better time to stop and evaluate some of the clubs that have made it into my bag so far this year? Without further ado, let the mini-reviews begin!

Titleist 905T Driver
I’ve been testing lots of drivers this year. My reviews of the Nickent 3DX and MacGregor MACTEC NVG have already been posted, and I have in-depth reviews of the TaylorMade r5 and Callaway Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 on the way. Another driver I’ve used is the Titleist 905T. The T is the sibling to the 905S, which has a deeper face and offers a bit less spin. The 905T I used has a slightly longer face and is designed to help get the ball airborne a bit more easily. I certainly didn’t have any problem with that, or anything else with the 905T. It isn’t flashy in terms of looks or sound, but I think that’s a good thing. It looks solid and serious, and the performance backs up the looks. It’s available with plenty of custom shaft options, so get fit if you’re interested in the 905T or 905S. The only negative to the 905 drivers is that they’re both in the 400cc size range, which is noticeably smaller than the 450-460cc behemoths currently on the market. But it is still considerably larger than the Titleist 975 drivers of just a couple years ago, so there’s no reason to hold off if you’re a fan of Titleist drivers and you want to upgrade to something new.

MacGregor MACTEC Fairway Woods
I found the MACTEC NVG driver to be a strong performer when I reviewed it earlier this year. The accompanying fairway woods are also worth a look. They feature an advanced design that marries a titanium cup face with a heavier steel body to move weight low and deep, along with a pair of tungsten weights in the sole to increase forgiveness. I tried the 3- and 7-woods. The 3-wood is as long as some drivers I’ve hit and is easy to hit off the deck. Both woods have a low-profile design, which makes me wary to hit them off a tee or out of the rough for fear of popping them up. But if you like shallow-face fairway woods and are looking for a little extra technology and distance, the MACTECs might be for you.

Odyssey White Steel 2-Ball Putter
I’ve tried a lot of alignment-style putters this year. I enjoyed the MacGregor MOI GT-5K by Bobby Grace and have used it quite a bit, and I’m testing the Nickent Pipe right now. Another putter that’s been in the rotation (I like to swap putters often to keep them from getting complacent) is the Odyssey White Steel 2-Ball Putter that was introduced last fall. This putter has a soft urethane insert with a milled steel insert in the center of the face. The idea is to have the solid and consistent impact of milled steel with the soft feel of the insert. I did think the White Steel design was an improvement in terms of distance control over other insert putters, and I liked the slightly tweaked 2-Ball design and its soft red grip.

Callaway I-Trax Putter
Another of the alignment-style putters, I thought the I-Trax was a bit of gimmick. It comes with two removable tops – one with three white lines, one with large arrow-like chevrons – to allow you to customize the alignment element of the putter. Both tops are OK, but I found myself really liking the rest of this large-but-light mallet. The head is milled aluminum (milled by Bob Bettinardi’s crew) and is a slick black color. A sound slot behind the face of the club gives the putter a nice “tink” sound at impact that reminds me of old Ping putters. Distance control is spot-on with the I-Trax, and I’ve found it to be a great lag putter that’s also good on the knee-knocker 5-footers for par.

Titleist “NEW” Pro V1 and Pro V1x
The Pro V1 is the gold standard in premium golf balls, while the Pro V1x is its more aggressive younger sibling. Both models were spruced up this year with a new design that spins a little less for a little more distance. I’ve used the Pro V1 in past years, and the new version is every bit as good as the old ones. But the Pro V1x has really grabbed me. I’ve been impressed with the extra 5-10 yards it gets me off the driver compared with the standard Pro V1, but I also find that it spins plenty for me on approach shots. Last weekend I hit a full 6-iron shot from the primary rough to a green with water in front. The Pro V1x carried the 180 yards with a strong trajectory. It hit the green, hopped forward two feet, then backed up just beyond the ball mark. Very nice. I’ve been playing both models of the Pro V1s and the HX Tours (including the new HX Tour 56) and I love all four balls. They aren’t cheap, but they have performance that commands a premium price.

HX Hot
And then there’s the HX Hot, which has been my surprise ball of the year. This three-piece distance ball is my orb of choice on damp, rainy days. It carries very well, especially off the driver. And if they fairways dry out, it runs like crazy. It also makes a perfect ball for drives in a scramble format. It doesn’t have the spin of a premium ball on approach shots, but it spins more than two-piece distance balls on wedge shots. And it has a pleasantly firm feel that is much nicer than the old rock-like distance ball “clank” that we all grew up with. If you’re looking for extra distance, or a good rainy day/scramble ball, try out the HX Hot. If you do, look around for the special packages that come with HX Hot-themed Ford Mustang Hot Wheels car. Kind of a cool add-in if you have kids (or need a diversion to play with in your cube at work).