What To Know Before You Buy New Clubs

It’s that time of year, when those of us equipment junkies start to get a little restless. So many new choices, so little time. Before you make that big purchase, maybe there are a few things you should think about.

Bag DropNew products are being announced left and right, and they’re starting to make their way into stores. Surely, you’re tempted by something, whether it’s a new driver or a new set of irons. We’ve seen new clubs from Mizuno, Ping, Titleist, TaylorMade, Tour Edge, and others. Nike and Callaway have their new stuff waiting in the wings. Of course the latest and greatest is going to cost you a pretty penny. If you’re going to drop even a single dollar on a new club, it’s important to do your research and testing to find what’s going to be best for you.

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Volume Two Hundred Fourteen

Michelle finally gets a W, see the world’s most dangerous golf course, and Tiger walks away with a lot of Australian cash

Hittin' the LinksHello again golf fans and welcome to Hittin’ the Links. I am back in action this week, I would like to thank Alan Olsen for picking up the slack for me last week – a fine job he did.

In this volume of HTL we start off with a look at one dangerous golf hole, investigate why Hollywood isn’t excited about golf movies, and check out the golf bra. Also, we find out who is atop the European Tour Order of Merit, see who is suing the PGA Tour, and do a wrap-up of the week’s events. Read on!

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Tiger, You’ve Crossed the Line

Once is a mistake. Any more than that and it’s a pattern, buddy.

Thrash TalkAustralia wisely invested $3M to lure Tiger Woods to the JBWere Masters, and they were treated to nothing less than Tiger’s best effort in a two-shot victory.

Fortunately for Tiger and those same Australians, nobody was treated for an injury caused by a flying Nike driver, which only moments earlier had let the world’s best golfer down with a poor tee shot on the thirteenth hole Saturday.

I’ve excused Tiger’s verbal outbursts in the past. Ben wrote an article about them and largely supported Tiger as well. I continue not to care about Tiger’s verbal outbursts, and will point out that he seems to have improved both in volume and content in recent years.

But tossing a club into a crowd of people? Well, now, that’s well across the line.

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Tour Edge Launches New Exotics XCG-3 Hybrids, Fairways, and Drivers

Like Enzyte for your long game, Tour Edge guarantees you’ll be longer, or your money back. Hopefully the creepy smile isn’t a side effect.

Bag DropIt seems like all too often, all we hear about is Callaway, TaylorMade Titleist, Nike, or Ping – the big boys in the industry. I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing, but some of the smaller guys deserve a look sometimes as well. They are possibly even more deserving of attention than the giants are because we all hear about it as soon as one of them brings us the latest in moveable weights, adjustable heads, etc. The marketing guys cleverly place ads with everything from Tiger to Trevor to a smooth talking baby in a high chair, sporting a certain visor and calling his buddy a shankapotamus.

What we don’t always see are the products from companies such as those from Tour Edge. Though they make some pretty strong claims (“20 yards longer or your money back”), they also stand by another guarantee – one that says you can play their club for 30 days and if you’re not completely satisfied, you’re entitled to a full refund. That alone may make the latest in the Exotics line worth trying out. Continue on to see many other reasons to give the new XCG-3’s a chance.

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Volume Two Hundred Thirteen

Phil wins his showdown but it wasn’t with Tiger, 2010 Tour schedules get released, and our nominee for dumbest criminal of the year.

Hitting the LinksIt’s Monday and I know you’ve spend the weekend anticipating what journey through the golf world we will send you on as you settle back into your workweek. So kick back, grab a danish, and enjoy your mocha.

This week we have schedule releases for both the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour, a nomination for dumbest criminal of the year, and some guys named Phil and Tiger duke it out behind the Great Wall.

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TaylorMade Releases R9 and R9 TP Irons, Raylor Returns

TaylorMade gives us a blast from the past (sort of) with the Raylor hybrid, while also building on the R9 name with their newest irons. If the Burner line is for the bomber, and the R9 line is for the technician, does that mean that the Raylor is for… Rick Astley???

Bag DropTaylorMade has for years been synonymous with innovation and progressive thinking, and though they may catch a hard time due to the frequency of their releases, no one can say that they do not push the limits of playability. That’s why it may come as a surprise that they resurrected a club that was first released back when Michael Jackson first purchased Neverland Ranch and the song that would years later become the subject of the infamous (and played out) internet prank known as the “Rickroll” was a number one worldwide hit.

Of course, I would be referring to the TaylorMade Raylor, which for those of you that may be too young to remember, was a very popular fairway wood back then. The Raylor name has been brought back for their newest hybrid club, and as you can imagine, there is a bit of difference between the old and the new. Along with the Raylor, Taylormade has also brought us their latest irons, which share the name with their very popular line of woods from 2009.

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Volume Two Hundred Twelve

The Viking Classic is rained out, Roberts wins the Charles Schwab Cup, and the LPGA has a new commissioner

Hittin' the LinksHello golf fans, welcome again to Hittin’ the Links. Well, there has actually been quite a bit going on in the world of golf this week. With out wasting any more time let’s take a look.

In this volume of HTL we first send out a get well soon to Joey Sindelar, then turn our attention to the rain soaked and canceled Viking Classic, and investigate the Eisenhower-golf connection. Also, we look at the LPGA’s new commissioner, see who’s playing golf in Afghanistan, and do a wrap-up of the week’s events. Read on!

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Sneak Peek at Sun Mountain’s Upcoming Micro E Cart

Some YouTube footage of Sun Mountain’s Micro E Cart.

We liked Sun Mountain’s Speed E Cart. We liked their Micro Cart too. So – and I’m going out on a limb here, I know – it stands to reason we might very well like this upcoming Micro E Cart when it comes to market.

Have a look:

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PING G15 Driver Review

Ping prides itself as the most forgiving club in golf. Has the Ping G15 continued that tradition?

G15 Driver HeroAmong the giants of the golf industry, PING has always remained one of the quietest in the business. You never see commercials on TV. They only have a select number of pros which they endorse. They rarely even release new clubs. It seems like the word “hype” just isn’t a part of PING’s vocabulary.

But something felt different when PING announced it would release two entirely new lines of clubs. PING actually seemed excited. In fact, PING was going out of their way to tell anyone and everyone that would listen that its new clubs had monumental improvements. Even if you didn’t like PINGs in the past, you start to wonder, what did they come up with?

After putting the driver through a full battery of tests it has certainly made an impression on me.

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