Category: Clubs

English Golfer Paul Casey may have attended Arizona State, may be coached by an American, and may be dating an American, but he’s no longer a favorite of Americans. Casey’s recent comments about Americans (specifically “Americans are stupid. I hate them.”) has cost him more than a warm welcome when he plays the PGA Tour next season; it’s cost him a sponsorship with Titleist.

Continue reading “Titleist to Casey: You’re Stupid”

Dick’s Sporting Goods (store locator) is having a sale on sets of Titleist’s popular DCI 990 and DCI 762 series. Originally $699 and $899 respectively, both sets now sell for $399 and are available with R300 flex shafts.

The DCI 762 features a large volume cavity, progressive offset, and dual hosel lengths to provide for exact weight distribution and careful CG management; a thin face design allows for a larger club face area for increased confidence and playability, and a larger cavity for enhanced forgiveness; multi-piece carbon and metalized mylar cavity insert provide improved feel, increased playability, and modern flight characteristics.

The DCI 990 is designed with the better player in mind; a high performance blade design that features a variable muscle back cavity that provides traditional, solid feel, enhanced workability and consistent performance.

MacGregor Golf has landed a doozy: a great white shark! Greg Norman, two-time British Open Champion (and 47-time Masters runner-up), will play a “full complement” of MacGregor clubs including the MacTec NVG driver and V-Foil M675 forged muscleback irons. Both of these product lines will be launched in January, 2005.

MacGregor plans to use Greg as their primary spokesperson for the MacTec driver, and adds Norman to a cast and crew consisting of two-time Masters winner José Maria Olazabal, two-time U.S. Open winner Lee Janzen, and two-time fashion template Aaron Baddeley. Baddeley was featured in this year’s advertising because, well, when was the last time Olazabal or Janzen won a tournament?

Norman played in eight events this year, including Silly Season Event #1: his own Franklin Templeton “Shark’s” Shootout. Greg turns 50 on February 10 and will most likely split a schedule between the PGA and Champions Tours.

Like many golfers, I was introduced to the game of golf as a child: I hit “borrowed” range balls around a soccer field with a sawed-off 7-iron. I probably had it a bit easier than most because I got a late start at the age of fifteen. I escaped the harm that can come of starting a seven year-old child out with a cut-down adult club.

Fortunately, today’s world brings us an unheralded variety of junior-sized clubs, bags, and accessories (shoes, hats, etc.). Some manufacturers, like U.S. Kids Golf make nothing but kid-sized clubs. Others, like Ping or Nike, offer junior lines in addition to their standard, adult-sized offerings. How then do you choose the set that’s appropriate for your budding star? Follow along and we’ll walk you through the steps.

Continue reading “Buying Junior Clubs”

Back on September 1st, Callaway introduced the Big Bertha Heavenwood hybrid series of clubs aimed at golfers who struggle with the longer irons. Combining the accuracy and control of a long iron and the distance of a fairway wood, the Heavenwood hybrids join a growing array of hybrid clubs now available on the market.

“Our new Big Bertha Heavenwood Hybrids represent the best of everything you expect from the Big Bertha name and live up to our brand promise of Demonstrably Superior and Pleasingly Different(R) products,” said Patrice Hutin, President and Chief Operating Officer of Callaway Golf. “They are an entirely new category of club that gives you the distance and control to take on the most difficult long shots, with the confidence and skill to get you there in two.”

The Big Bertha Heavenwood Hybrids are offered in lofts 1H (14°), 2H (17°), 3H (20°), 4H (23°) and 5H (26°), which correspond to traditional 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-irons. They should be available now in a store or pro-shop near you. I, myself, plan to check the availability of a demo the next time I’m at the range.

Taylor Made last year dropped some clubs onto eBay, and it seems they’re doing it again this year. If you’re quick, you can snag some Taylor Made Tour clubs by searching for, of all things, “Taylor Made tour.” Bear in mind that a Tour driver may not suit your game. Retail clubs and Tour clubs are different beasts altogether. Tour clubs generally have square to open faces and heavier heads. Tour clubs aren’t covered by a warrantee, and their lofts may be off due to tweaking.

Still, if you’re looking for a deal, this may be the ticket!

I’d just like to put out on the table my recommendation for Callaway’s website for certified preowned clubs. Callawaypreowned.com has great deals all the time, very low shipping costs, and what I believe to be the most important thing, a solid return policy. If the club(s) are returned within 15 days in the same condition you received them, you get a full refund. After that, their buy-back program kicks in. Return within 30 days, get 90% back; 60 days for 80% back and 90 days for 70% back. It’s practically renting the clubs, but in this day and age where feel is so important, it’s great to get a good deal, but knowing you can reject it if it’s not right without a significant penalty is comforting.