Category: Hot Topics

Five Things I’m Thankful for from 2011

Let’s look forward to 2012 by looking back at the great things from 2011!

Trap Five LogoFellow golfers, it’s that time again. No, Lee Westwood hasn’t choked away another major; it’s the beginning of a new year. Time to hunker down under five feet of snow, wistfully stare at the golf clubs in your basement sitting on top of the treadmill collecting dust, and game plan for next year. You’re going to be a 10 handicap by June, and make it to the single-digit by August. That new driver you just got yourself for Christmas doesn’t look quite as nice, as you read the Golf Digest Equipment issue, but it’s a new year and you’re going to hit the ball longer than ever. A 48-inch driver shaft is all you’ve been missing. Accuracy be damned!

All kidding aside, this is supposed to be a happy time of year full of new beginnings and fresh starts, and I have plenty of things to be thankful for, in golf, in life, and this is as good a time as any to put them into writing. Join me in helping send off 2011, will you?

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PING Introduces New i20 Lineup

PING rings in the new year by launching its latest product line, the i20 series.

Bag DropThough some players may be making resolutions to not buy new clubs this year, that looks to be much easier said than done, especially with the introduction of PING’s newest line, the i20. While we all know that there’s much more to a club than just a pretty exterior, the matte black finish of PING’s latest will surely compel more than a few to at least give them a swing.

I believe that if one were to ask around and get completely honest answers, appearance counts more than most like to let on; however when you combine a sharp, sleek exterior with aerodynamic refinements, strategic weighting, and supreme command and control, you’re more than likely going to have a winner on your hands. Let’s dig a little deeper and see what PING’s i20 line is all about.

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Titleist Announces 712 Series – Part Two: MB And CB Irons

Titleist improves on its established and proven players irons with their recently introduced 712 Series CB and MB irons.

Bag DropLast week we introduced the newest series of game improvements irons from Titleist, the 712 Series AP1 and AP2, but you didn’t think the lower handicappers would be left out, did you? With this new series also comes Titleist’s newest player’s irons, the 712 CB and MB, designed for the golfer that doesn’t need the assistance offered by larger cavity backs and prefers something both small in stature and big in workability.

Of course with the introduction of a new series of irons from Titleist comes their newest players irons, this year (as it was in 2009’s 710 Series) in the form of the MB and CB. By building on those previous models, Titleist was able to incorporate a number of small refinements that push these irons even further in terms of what the accomplished amateur as well as the touring professional desires in a traditional blade. With that in mind, let’s look a little deeper into Titleist’s latest MB and CB irons.

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Titleist Announces 712 Series – Part One: AP1 and AP2 Irons

Titleist brings the third iteration of their AP line of irons to the masses, intent on helping those that aren’t quite ready for the CB/MB level of players irons.

Bag DropIt’s hard to believe that already two years have passed since Titleist announced the release of the 2nd generation of their Advanced Performance (AP) irons. I distinctly remember covering it, especially because so many people were excited to see these come to market.

I was also lucky enough to review the AP1, and though the Bag Drop isn’t used for reviews, I can personally vouch for them being superb. So now the 712 Series AP1 and AP2 irons are being released next month, and are said to be improved over previous models. Though I can’t personally speak on that at this time, what I can tell you is that if Titleist says they’ve undergone improvements, I’d say you at least owe it to yourself to check them out. Let’s take a look at what refinements and improvements have gone into these new 712 Series Advanced Performance irons from Titleist.

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Bag Drop: Nike Roundup Edition

News and notes from a few random pieces of equipment and apparel from Nike Golf.

Bag DropThe innovative minds at The Oven have been hard at work throughout the year and we’re now starting to see details on a few of their latest designs (and improvements on previous equipment/apparel) trickle out. As we’ve come to expect from Nike (as evidenced by numerous releases over the last couple of years), they’ve again taken care of the traditionalists as well as those that like their clubs and apparel to be a little outside of the box.

We’ll first take a look at the new Limited Edition VR Pro drivers and fairway woods, which do maintain a more traditional appearance and impact tone like those in the VR line before them. Then, we’ll jump over to the shoes/apparel side as we take a quick look at some new colorways that have been added to the Lunar Control shoe line. From there, we’ll shift gears to the not quite traditional, albeit old-school-cool Nike Dunk NG shoes, and then wrap it up with the all new, athletically-inclined Lunar Ascend shoe. Let’s hit it!

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Why Parity is Bad for Golf

Top five reasons why parity does’t work on the PGA Tour.

Trap Five LogoParity is the name of the game in sports these days. Many leagues do everything they possibly can to make sure that any team can do well any year. The NFL, in particular, prides itself on this.

Thanks to aggressive revenue sharing, a hard salary cap, the importance of drafting, and the nature of a 16-game schedule, the NFL is set up so that a team like the Kansas City Chiefs can go 4-12 one year (2009), hire a few new coordinators, and finish 10-6 the next year to win their division. By that same token, a team like the Minnesota Vikings can go 12-4 in 2009 and then 6-10 in 2010.

Golf has none of that. It’s an individual sport, so there is no regulation to spread out the finishes. Each player effectively controls his own destiny. If there is to be parity in golf, it has to come about because of the players, not because of the PGA Tour.

That’s the problem golf is facing now. With a wealth of relatively equally-spaced talent, the PGA Tour is becoming increasingly, well, boring. Without a few polarizing superstars, dynasties, if you will, many of the golf tournaments this year have been downright bland. And, at least in near future, it’s only going to get worse.

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Stories From Atlanta

Top five stories from Atlanta Athletic Club and the 93rd PGA Championship.

Trap Five LogoThe 93rd PGA Championship concluded nearly one week ago, and Tour-rookie Keegan Bradley walked away the victor. Bradley is the first player since Ben Curtis in 2003 to win a major in his first appearance, and only the second in over 90 years. Bradley is also the first player ever to win a major with a belly putter, and his late-round five-stroke comeback was one of the best finishes of the year. In fact, despite declining ratings mainly due to the demise of Tiger Woods, this year’s PGA has continued a streak of exciting PGA finishes, and it’s refuting the assertion of the PGA being the least of the four majors.

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PING Unveils New G20 Series and Anser Forged Wedges

PING new lineup includes a little bit for everyone, regardless of skill level. Whether it’s a new, more forgiving driver you’re looking for, or a shiny new forged wedge, they’ve got you covered.

Bag DropPING has had quite a bit of success in past years with their G-series of game improvement clubs as well as the Anser irons, which was their first forged iron in quite a long time.

This year, both lines are extended – the G-series now contains the G20 drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, and irons, while the Anser family welcomes new wedges to the fold. We’ve obviously got a lot to get to this week, so lets check them all out!

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Tigers’ Quest, Legacy Will Soon Shift to Burden, Curse

As the clock ticks, and he limps back into competition, the pressure to pass Nicklaus’s majors mark builds.

Thrash TalkFor the first three decades of his life, Tiger Woods had a mission, a quest, a number by which golf immortality has always been measured.

Jack Nicklaus’s 18 major championships set the bar so high, until Woods came along and declared that his singular focus in life was to reset that number to 19, if not well higher. It’s so outlandish, the thought of a young pro with as good an amateur record as golf’s seen since Bobby Jones talking about taking down Jack so early in his career, it redefines the word bravado.

But when Woods said it, when he described his bedroom shrine to the Golden Bear, when it became clear his father had trained him for this starting in a playpen, it became intriguing, and quickly it turned believable.

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