Dear Phil, Thanks for the Memories

Phil Mickelson has give us golf fans so many fantastic memories, but are his better years behind him?

Thrash TalkI know when I write this there are going to be many of you who disagree with me. Especially the Phil fans of whom I am one of. I believe the end of the Phil Mickelson era is upon us. He may win a few more regular tournament events, but he will no longer win majors and will shortly be a complete non-factor.

For starters, it pains me to say this, because during his prime and even today I am one of his biggest supporters. I would and still do root for Phil at every event in which he plays. His go-for-broke style allows for some of the highest highs and lowest lows. We may never see another golfer with his style and flair play the game again. He is certainly deserving of the hall of fame and without Tiger would have been one of the game’s true greats. Add to this, Phil is very generous with his time with the fans, signing autographs and giving out balls to the kids, he is easy to like.

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PING G25 Irons Review

With a brand new finish and some key performance changes PING recently released their upgrade to the G series irons with the G25 irons. I took them for a spin to see how they performed.

Ping G25When I think of PING my first thought is to the revolution that they brought to the market with cast cavity-back irons, the PING Eye2. Since that time PING has continued to make irons every type of player – from the average to the touring pro. It is my opinion that PING has one of the most loyal fan bases of any of the club makers, and anytime a new iron set is released there is bound to be excitement. With the announcement of the new G25 irons PING has once again created quite a stir.

The newest offering from PING, the G25s are a slight change from the G series of irons that PING has traditionally been offering. It seems they have taken feedback from golfers that the top line and sole width had been getting too large and decided to have the designers change it up a bit with the G25s. Even with all the cosmetic and performance changes PING wanted to make sure it was a high performing and forgiving iron that would appeal to golfers of all skill levels.

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Mizuno JPX 825 Pro Irons Review

These irons are as forgiving as any true “game-improvement” irons I’ve ever tested, yet provide feel and workability close or equal to most “player’s” irons.

As many golfers know, Mizuno Golf is best know for designing some of the best forged irons in the world. First building their reputation by manufacturing muscle back blades, Mizuno grew to expand their line into forged cavity backs and forged game improvement clubs. The new JPX line is geared for the average player, the player that needs more help with forgiveness and getting the ball in the air. The JPX 825 Pro is the best of both words, combining Mizuno’s pure forged sound with updated forgiveness. Let’s take a closer look.

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Volume Three Hundred Forty Two

Steve Stricker – Golf’s newest putting guru!

Hittin' the LinksHello golf fans, welcome to yet another informative edition of Hittin’ the Links. So I hope everyone got to say goodbye to Doral as we know it. Donald Trump plans to “blow it up” starting immediately after this weekend’s event. What we will get when he’s done with the Blue Monster is anyone’s guess.

In this week’s volume of HtL we start out with a look at the Great White Shark in China, then investigate the Donald’s plans for Doral, and check out a battle over a Green Jacket. Also on tap we check out how college golf is going, find out about Steve Stricker’s new career, and do a wrap-up of the week’s events. Read on!

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Titleist Releases the 913 Fairway Woods and Hybrids

Titleist’s 913 product family has new members with the introduction of the company’s newest fairway woods and hybrids.

Bag DropBack in November, Titleist updated its product family with the addition of the 913D2 and 913D3 drivers. These clubs replaced the 910 drivers in Titleist’s lineup, however, at that point, that was it; no new woods or hybrids. Starting at the beginning of this month, that is no longer the case with the introduction of the 913F and 913F.d fairway woods and 913H and 913H.d hybrids.

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Five Players with New Equipment

Golf’s version of the offseason hot stove heats up.

Trap Five LogoThough the golf season is in the midst of the Florida Swing, there hasn’t been much going on with golf early on. The biggest story, in fact, was one about equipment. Rory McIlroy, the top-ranked player in the world and former Titleist staffer, signed with Nike for a sum of money that has been reported to be anywhere from $150 to $250 million over the next ten years.

There are a number of other players who will be sporting new logos, including Nicolas Colsaerts, Stewart Cink, Kyle Stanley, and Nick Watney. We also take a look into Steve Stricker’s move of sorts into a semi-retirement as well as Bubba Watson and Jordan Spieth, both of whom will be sporting new duds in 2013.

Let’s jump in.

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Volume Three Hundred Forty One

Michael Thompson gets a win, Serena gets in trouble, and Rory gets a toothache.

Hittin' the LinksHello golf fans and welcome to yet another edition of Hittin’ the Links. So what do you think about this Rory situation? It’s really too bad that the kid can’t have a bad day without every sports writer in the world thinking they know the reason. Golf is hard, sometimes things just don’t go your way. I have no doubt Rory will be back at full strength in the near future, even if he does have to use Nike golf clubs.

In this edition of HtL we begin with a peek at Rory’s early departure, then look in on an ailing Natalie Gulbis, and check out a goofy new golf course in China. Also, there is more on the anchoring ban, we find out what got Serena Williams in hot water, and do a wrap-up of the week’s events. Read on!

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Mizuno JPX-825 Irons Review

The JPX-825 irons are Mizuno newest game improvement irons, I was lucky enough to try them out and give my thoughts.

mizuno_jpx825_irons_7iron_hero2.jpgWhen you ask most golfers about Mizuno irons the general feedback is that they make fantastic irons for professionals and low handicap golfers. Mizuno has a long history stretching from the 1980’s of making forged blades that had an almost cult like following. Mizuno has not had much of a reputation for making game improvement clubs for mid and high handicappers, although they have made irons targeting this group they have not been overwhelming popular as the better player clubs have been.

Of course Mizuno has a great reputation not only with good players but also with the PGA Tour as well. Much of the MP line of irons are designed with the tour players input. However with some new offerings specifically the JPX line, Mizuno seems to be trying to take their great reputation into the game improvement arena. For mid-handicappers Mizuno is now offering the JPX-825 Pro irons which are targeted at six to eighteen handicappers. These irons give the forgiveness of game improvement irons but the feel and playability that the lower handicap golfers prefer. In addition to these irons Mizuno now offers the JPX-825 irons targeted for golfers with a handicap from ten to twenty eight.

For this review I was given a set (4-PW) of JPX-825 irons with True Temper Dynalite Gold XP S300.

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2013 TaylorMade Ghost Spider S Putter Review

TaylorMade has made some small but important improvements to the 2013 version of the Ghost Spider S putter, take a look at my thoughts on this new putter.

taylormade_ghost_spiderS_putter_address.jpgWhen Sergio Garcia first started playing the TaylorMade Monza Spider putters I can remember reading golf forums where most where making some disparaging remarks about the look of the putter. However once the putters hit stores and people got a chance to putt with them, the comments all but disappeared. The simple fact was the putter helped golfers to make putts. Through the years TaylorMade has brought many of the changes to the Spider line of putters, mainly the “ghosting” of the putters, as well as some other technology improvements that I will discuss in the review.

The Spider putters have never been built to look beautiful, they have been designed to make putts. Most golfers that I now who own a Spider putters really like them and have used them for a long period of time. That generally says something good because a putter is one of the easiest clubs to switch in a players bag.

The adjustments to the 2013 TaylorMade Ghost Spider S are minimal but they continuously improve the line to help golfers make more putts. In this review we will take a look at the new and improved 2013 TaylorMade Ghost Spider S.

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