Bobby Jones Hybrid Review

Bobby Jones was one of the greats. The hybrids that bear his name could also be considered great.

Bobby JonesAnybody who watches the Golf Channel has seen the infomercial. I’ve seen it and I’m betting, since you’re reading this review, a good portion of you have seen it as well. It’s for the Bobby Jones hybrid by Jesse Ortiz.

Now I’m not the kind of guy who sits around watching infomercials. I’m also not the kind of guy who will believe the five minutes or so that I catch of one. That being said, if the Bobby Jones Golf Company hadn’t promoted their hybrid as much as they did, I wouldn’t have jumped at the chance to review a couple of them. I’ve been on the hybrid bandwagon since 2005 and haven’t gotten off.

The Bobby Jones hybrid hasn’t had a breakthrough in a tournament like the Sonartec in the 2004 British Open. What it has had is some of the highest rankings in the Golf Digest Hot List in the past couple years though. Are those high rankings deserved? Can we actually believe an infomercial? Is this club worthy of having Bobby Jones’ name on it? Read on to find out.

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TaylorMade Burner XD Irons Review

Burning for distance?

TaylorMade Burner XD IronsIf you’re the kind of golfer who tends to hit the ball all over the face and would still like to hit a club less than everyone else in your group, then this review may interest you.

TaylorMade may just be the hottest brand in golf. Over the past few years, a ton of r7 drivers (followed by r7 fairway woods and, to a lesser extent, r7 irons) have found their ways into a host of pro bags, and subsequently into the bags of amateurs of all abilities with varying results. The new kid in the TaylorMade family is the Burner line. Released (or re-released) only a year ago, the Burner driver and fairway woods have been played on the Tour by players like Kenny Perry, Sergio Garcia, and Sean O’Hair, and has been well received by the masses, as well. Where the r7 line is most associated with movable weights, the Burner line hangs its hat on hot clubfaces and technology that increases clubhead speed. Now, the Burner line has brought that same technology to the irons arena.

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2007 Stories from the Tours

The 2007 tours have ended. One 2008 tour has begun. I guess it’s time to reflect.

Trap Five LogoThe 2007 golf year is all but over, but what a year it was! With the debut of the FedExCup and the emergence of a new number one on the the LPGA, the world’s top men’s and women’s tours had major stories. They weren’t alone.

Let’s review some of the best, if not necessarily the biggest, stories on each of the top tours.

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Pros and Cons of Amateurism

Think the USGA isn’t interested in what you’re doing in your spare time? Think again.

Thrash TalkOther than maybe Byron Nelson or Gene Sarazen after their 90th birthdays, can you think of a professional golfer with a double-digit handicap index? Well, I know one.

Me. Sort of, anyway.

It may well prove to be the high water mark of my life in golf. It was a cool, rainy Sunday in February, 2005. The location was the Dallas Convention Center. Perhaps the good karma was foreshadowed by how easily I obtained the Kitchen Pass from my wonderful wife to leave the house, the unfinished homework projects, and the bulk of my “honey-do” list to attend the Dallas Golf Expo. I figured it would be a way to kill a few hours, maybe check out some new equipment, and otherwise obtain a much-needed winter golf fix. It turned out to be much more than that.

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All the Same CoR to Me

Just how hot is that driver in your bag?

Bag DropAnd now all is right in the world. The R&A reminded golfers on November 11, 2007 that a new rule would go into effect on January 1, 2008 that would align themselves with the USGA to have a limit to the “spring-like” effect of drivers and establish a world-wide coefficient of restitution (COR) limit of 0.83 for all drivers, down from their previous limit of 0.86.

While this ruling doesn’t mean much to most golfers (especially those under the rules of the USGA) it will have an effect on the rest of the world as some previously legal drivers will now need to be replaced in order to fall under the new limit.

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Volume One Hundred Twenty Three

The Race to Dubai!

Hitting the LinksNow that we all have our stomachs full, we look forward to the Christmas holiday and all those fun free money events. Will Tiger come out of hibernation? Will Phil put down the drumstick long enough to to pick up a sand wedge? Read on.

In this edition of Hittin’ the Links we contemplate the European tour’s attempt at equaling their American counterpart, Q-School, tournament hosts, and the Skins Game. On the lighter side we investigate duck damage, sassy South Koreans, and Ian Poulter’s clothing line.

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Volume One Hundred Twenty Two

And the million dollar check goes to…

Hitting the LinksGood Monday to you! Hittin’ the Links is here to help you fill the void before Turkey Day.

In this week’s edition we will ponder the PGA Tour/Justin Timberlake connection, talk about the LPGA handing out its largest payday of the season, The Ryder Cup, and the official 2008 Tour schedule. Also, we look at the logic behind the PGA Tour’s new drug testing policy. See below!

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Nine Thankful Holes with the Skins Game

The Skins Game is just about fun, and that can’t be all bad.

ProfilesIt’s almost Thanksgiving here in the U.S., and that means one thing… OK, it means a bunch of things: turkey dinners, football games featuring the Jets/Cowboys and Packers/Lions (and Colts/Falcons if you happen to have the NFL Network), pumpkin pies, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, turkey sandwiches, Black Friday, cranberry sauce, college football, gravy, and, of course, the 25th iteration of that yearly golf tradition without equal… the Skins Game (or, officially, the LG Skins Game).

The Skins Game, Nov. 24-25, provides a last gasp of golf season, and signals the start of the Silly Season proper (though the whole Fall Series has felt a little more silly this year with its near total lack of big names).

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Golf Rant: Assorted Mythology and Nonsense

Another sampling of stuff that gets my UnderArmour in a wad.

Thrash TalkBefore I can settle into hibernation mode, it’s necessary to blow off a bit more steam. Join me this week as I rant a little.

Equipment Companies
Don’t get me wrong, I love golf equipment. I love fondling it in the stores, ogling over it in catalogs, and wasting my kids’ college money buying it for no reason other than it’s obviously better than the crap already in my bag, even if that crap is last year’s signature model. I am also a technophile, and believe today’s golf equipment is the best in history and contributes significantly to my enjoyment of the game. Rock on, men. There are, however, a few minor things for which I’d like to, oh, maybe gore the equipment manufacturers in the eye. To wit:

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