Scotty Cameron Introduces Red X3, X5 Mallet Putters

An extension of the original and very popular Red X line, the new models lose the insert but gain a new finish, sight line, graphics, and, with the X5, a new neck.

Bag DropI always find it interesting to watch Scotty Cameron tweak his designs. I mean, how many putter makers have produced so many variations on a theme as he has done with his multiple incarnations of Newport-style heads?

It now appears he’s traveling down that same road with his Red X mallet putters. Unlike the first mallet putters he produced shortly after joining Titleist (the Caliente and Bolero models) that weren’t exactly blockbusters, the Red X putters have established a very strong following among those who favor a mallet head.

It’s easy to understand why. It’s a classic shape, beautifully milled, and available in multiple lengths and head weights… as long as you’re right handed. Here’s a look at his latest takes on what a mallet can be…

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Volume One Hundred Thirteen

Sorry Tim Finchem, I watched football all weekend instead of your beloved Fed Ex Cup Playoffs.

Hitting the LinksTiger Woods put on an amazing display of golf over the weekend to win the BMW Championship and the United States squeaked out a one-point victory over Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup. Of course, I saw almost none of it as college football and the NFL held my TV hostage over the weekend.

This week, we have several links from the BMW Championship, some historic golf clubs, and a golf equipment company on the auction block.

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Titleist 906F4 Fairway Wood Review

Titleist is renowned for their fairway metals, and the 906F2 and 906F4 continue the tradition of solid fairway metals for better golfers.

titleist_906f_fairway_woods_hero.jpgThe fairway metal may be the most under-rated and least publicized club in the bag. It doesn’t command the $400 price tag of some drivers, nor does it supply as much drama as “letting the big dog eat.” It’s not the newest rage in golf – that honor belongs to hybrids. It can’t make a ball spin like crazy or hit a glamorous flop shot like the modern wedge. It doesn’t make 50-foot putts (or miss three-footers) and it isn’t used on virtually every hole like irons.

Still, as a player’s handicap drops, he typically relies on his fairway woods more and more. Whether it’s playing safe on shorter, tighter par fours or hitting to long par threes or trying to reach long par fives, many better players will use their fairway metals more times during a round of golf than their driver.

Titleist has long held its own in fairway metals. Tiger Woods held onto his Titleist PT 3-wood for years after signing with Nike for a reason: he couldn’t find anything better. Last year, Titleist replaced the 904F with the 906F2 and, this year, supplements the lineup with the 906F4. I’ve had a chance to play both, and I believe Titleist has another winner on its hands.

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My (Nearly) Indisputable Truisms of Golf

Here are a few things that I find key to the game of golf… no warranty expressed or implied, your mileage may vary.

Trap Five LogoEarlier this week, I took the first lesson I’ve had in years. As always, it was a slightly unsettling experience to have someone watching and critiquing my swing, but one that I hope will eventually result in more consistency and lower scores. Regardless, it’s definitely got me thinking about the golf swing.

I didn’t take lessons as a kid. I just started hitting balls around, had about ten minutes of instruction from a friend on the high school golf team the first time I played a course, and that was pretty much it for the first 20 years I played. I’ve just experimented on my own and found things that worked (or didn’t). I’ve read golf books and picked up tips from playing partners. Again, some worked, and some went horribly awry. Some of them worked for awhile, and then went horribly awry. It’s a fun game, isn’t it?

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Why I (Sort of) Like the FedExCup

The promise of the FedExCup may not exactly be delivered overnight, but that’s no reason to throw in the towel on a good idea.

Thrash TalkI’ll bet you that when it comes to the subject of the FedExCup, there have probably been at least 25 negative commentaries in print, on the Web, and on TV for every one positive one. And that might be understating it.

Whenever I see something like this happening, my contrarian gland starts pumping skeptic hormone through my bloodstream, usually resulting in a string of maniacal rants against popular opinion. So far this season, however, I’ve been pretty measured in my comments to friends, on blogs, etc., on this matter, afraid of being branded an idiot for supporting what has been, until two weeks ago, little more than a cheesy marketing blitz.

And while I have my reservations on the matter, I’m ready to come out of the closet. The FedExCup is a good thing, with the potential to be much more.

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Ian MacCallister to Release New Ad at Deutsche Bank?

Ian MacCallister is up to his old tricks. This time he’s committing identity theft… of a sort.

We last heard from Ian MacCallister when he launched his anti-NXT, anti-technology blog at nxtube.com.

With this week’s Deutsche Bank Championship being played in Boston – an hour’s drive from Titleist’s headquarters – we expected to hear from Ian once again. He did not disappoint, as early this morning the FedEx man delivered not a Cup but a CD to Sand Trap headquarters. There was no return address, but the CD clearly came from the GDAD chairman and contained a single file: the movie you see to the right. Our hunch? Ian plans to release this ad for airplay during Sunday’s coverage of the Deutsche Bank Championship.

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Celebrity Deathmatch: Rory vs. Tiger

It’s the mouth of the South (Africa) versus the world’s most famous Cablinasian.

ProfilesIt’s been almost a year since the last installment of Celebrity Deathmatch, but since things are shaping up in the FedExCup for a possible third mano y mano matchup between Rory Sabbatini and Tiger Wood, it seemed like a perfect matchup for Deathmatch.

I know, Steve Stricker (104,950 points) and K.J. Choi (102,900) are leading the FedExCup standings for the moment, but Woods-Sabbatini have a history extending way back to May and the Wachovia Championship. No offense to Stricker and Choi – both of whom are playing great golf – but who better to revive the Deathmatch with than brash and trash-talking Rory against the world’s number one golfer? First let’s meet the contenders.

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Is the USGA Out of Bounds?

American golf’s ruling body appears poised to begin sailing off the edge of its universe.

Thrash TalkAs we chug into Labor Day weekend, the promise of “back to school” teases our frazzled nerves, the end of the golf season is just becoming visible on the distant horizon, and a crucial date has come and gone. August 1 marked the final day of the USGA’s invitation for commentary on the proposed changes in golf club grooves. This likely rule change, as well as the various USGA studies which allegedly justify the change, have got me thinking: who, exactly, is being served here?

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Golf Talk [Episode 070]

Tiger’s in fourth place. Is the sky falling on Finchie’s grand plan? No, probably not – Tiger should gain plenty of ground this week in Boston.

Golf Talk PodcastTiger wasn’t there, but Steve Stricker was and made the most of it, besting K.J. Choi. Ochoa wins again, Wie misses another cut, Michael Vick is a punk, and more in this week’s episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 070 as an MP4 file. For those who want to subscribe to us in iTunes, click here.

For this week’s Show Notes – links to articles we discuss in the show and additional information – just read on.

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