Donald MacKenzie

As a golf metaphor, Tiger shortsided himself and had a buried lie. With today's shot, I'd say that's as good as he could have done from there.

I just so happen to be playing in an outing with three foursomes this weekend. We'll have to give this a try and see what happens. I think, as with most golf games, it will be better with beer.

A quick recap of stuff I saw at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando that stood out as worthwhile, as we wait for golf here in the north... • Bridgestone has three new sets of irons that all look great. Even better, you can mix and match between the sets to create your own combo set, and Bridgestone is encouraging the mashup process. • Adjustable drivers with multiple shaft options are going to be very expensive for a while. Nickent's system includes a driver head and two shafts for a little less than $500, and that's by far the cheapest option. For now, this is totally geared toward the equipment junkies, but should go cheaper if the companies can find a way to reduce costs on their end (and if there's enough demand). I wouldn't buy into these unless there was an industry-wide standard for the shaft connectors. That way, if I had a shaft that really fit my game but wanted a new driver head from a different company, I could buy the new head and keep using the old shaft without having to heat it, pull it and reinstall it, all of which could damage/alter it. • The new "blackened" version of the Rife Aussie putter was hands-down the most handsome putter I saw at the Show. Second place was Nickent's new milled putter series. • The new Tour Edge XCG driver is a solid successor to the original Exotics driver. Nice deep face and solid sound, good shaft options. The geometric Exotics XLD driver is a good option for slower swing speeds who want to try the Exotics brand (and is smartly priced at $299). • Callaway's Hyper X driver might get lost in the shuffle of the adjustable club hubbub, but it is a better-looking, better-playing driver than the X driver it replaces. • Ogio's Mammoth travel bag is just that. I think you could probably get two stand bags in there, or maybe a small fridge and a few cases of beer. Cool design touches on board, like a six-wheel system for different types of rolling through the airport and a hat pocket with a plastic dome to keep from crushing your lids in transit.

I've played a round with the GeoMax and the 3DX Square. They are similar in that they're both 460cc and they both have a relatively shallow face for such a big driver. The GeoMax was solid. I didn't like it as much as the Tour Edge Exotics driver, but consider the $200 price difference. It was forgiving and it doesn't look as funky as the square drivers out there. The 3DX Square was a pleasant surprise. It is less noisy than the Sumo2 and longer than the FT-i. I hit some monster drives with it, and plan to keep it in the bag. Very forgiving, and the design makes it look like you're hitting a ping pong ball. If I had to choose one or the other, I'd probably go with the 3DX Square. I haven't hit the 4DX yet, but I look forward to trying it soon. I'll hopefully have a review of it and the 3DX Square in the near future.

Have fun! The Downs is considered one of the top 10 classic courses in the country. I think I'm going to have the chance to play it later this summer. FYI, there are two great public courses within a 15-minute drive of Crystal Downs if you want to play a couple other places in the area. Pinecroft and Champion Hill are both public courses built in the last 10 years or so, both owned and run by the same family on an old Christmas tree farm. Both have great views of Crystal Lake. Pinecroft is more of a classic parkland-style course, and Champion Hill is more links-like. Both are really a blast to play. Our family vacations in the area every summer and I play each course as much as I can. Enjoy the Downs!

Signed. Every person can make a difference!

Erik: Thanks for the sneak peek. A friend of mine who is very conservative about equipment played a round with the 907 D2 and said he 30 yards past his normal drives on nearly every driving hole. He thought the D1 was good, too, but that the D2 was really outstanding. I've heard similar thoughts from club professionals who were not big fans of the 905R. Good thing you got out to play before winter returned.

FYI, the face angle isn't just about draw bias. With the supersized clubheads, the shaft flexes and the toe of the club lags behind at impact. So by having the driver head a little closed at address, the design intent is to create a "dynamic face angle" (actual face angle at impact) that is square. When you see a driver with a very closed (4-5°) face, that's meant to help stop slicing a bit. But most of the drivers that set up a degree or two closed are designed that way to square the face at impact, not cure a slice. The clubs like the TP models that are square or a degree or two open are meant for players who are used to having the clubface a little open at impact, or who can control their swing to get it back to square at impact on their own. FWIW.

I got a pair of Bite golf sandals when I lived in San Diego. I mocked them. Then I tried them. Then I loved them. They're great on warm days when you know the weather's going to be dry. I still wear them a few times a year if I'm playing on a very hot day at a muni or if I'm on vacation playing someplace that's casual. The only problem I've ever had with them was having stuff (pine needles, sand) get between my feet and the sandals. Sandals won't work at some golf courses or in certain weather, but under the right conditions they're pretty sweet.

Darren: I haven't been on a launch monitor with either set of irons, but I can say that the 755s are nearly a club longer than the Fusion irons for me. There are a lot of different factors at play, but that's my experience (and why the 755s are in my bag and the Fusions aren't). Making the transition from Fusions to 755s wasn't hard at all. The 755 heads are a little smaller and shaped more traditionally, but they set up very cleanly to the ball and are more forgiving than you would expect. Talk with your pro about what shaft would be best for you (that's a big part of the distance equation), but I don't think you could go wrong with the 755s. My previous favorite irons ever were the Callaway X-12/14s, and the 755s equal them in distance and forgiveness, and are a little more versatile, too.

I think the 775.CBs would be good for a 20-capper, especially one looking to improve. The short irons are not too different from other Titleist irons, which is nice, and the longer irons are very forgiving and would help get the ball up in the air. If you're a 20, these are the only Titleist irons you should think about.

How's it look, size-wise, compared with the original HiBore? I understand it's wider, but the dark color might mask that.

I wonder if the release of the "new" Circa 62s with the more durable finish will mean that you can send my Circa 62 No. 3 from last year into Scotty's Custom Shop to have the new finish applied. I love the putter and the black color (instead of something like the Pro Platinum finish), but I wish it was more durable.

Lots of good forged options from the last couple years that could be had used. Titleist 690s, Callaway X-Tours, Hogan Edges, any number of Mizuno models. I'd suggest using the PGA Trade-In network or a site like Callaway Golf PreOwned.com to find someplace near you that has used clubs in stock that you can demo, because irons are so individual. 3balls.com is also a good clearing house for used irons. Good luck.

I have hit the original and the new CG2 3-wood from the Exotics line, and I can tell you that A) the original is a beast, and B) the new version is even beastier. The difference is that the titanium face is lighter/thinner, so the steel body is bigger/deeper. So the face is a bit deeper, and the club's a bit more forgiving. But it is super long, which is why you'd want it. It's 20 yards longer than my Steelhead Plus, that's for sure. I'd say it would be longer than a driver for a lot of people who struggle hitting a driver. It is expensive, no doubt. But it's the longest 3-wood out there, IMHO.

Here are some quick (and not so good) photos of the Black Series 2 now in captivity.

Received my Odyssey Black Series 2 putter from Callaway today. The 2 is (like the Anser 2, Newport 2, etc.) a more square version of the classic Anser head shape. The BS 2 looks very nice, darker than the almost champaign/bronze color of some pictures I've seen. The steel front portion of the head is a matte gray, and the tungsten flange is a bit darker. The milling marks are very pronounced and very cool-looking – much more precise and machined-looking than the more irregular, done-by-hand look of Camerons (not judging, just saying). I've only rolled a few on the office carpet, but the putter feels heavier than I expect an Odyssey to feel. Visually, I like the head shape, the stepless shaft (who makes it?) and the magnetic-closure head cover. I don't like the Odyssey shaft band (doesn't add anything but another Oydssey logo, and mine is slightly off-center; I'll be taking it off). Not sure yet if I like the grip, which seems a little too large (and garish). I'll post some pictures in the AM. Looking forward to trying this guy out on the course.

I had a chance to hit this club in Orlando, and I was pleasantly surprised. The bigger head actually looks pretty good alongside a 460cc driver, and the weighting of the club gets the ball up off tight lies with no problem. I'd say this is a great 3-wood option for someone who likes to use their 3-wood as a backup driver.

For the second straight day, I played in a tournament against a bunch of sandbaggers. They all wore red, and all made many more birdies than their handicaps would seem to indicate. So far, I've lost all four matches I've played. I'd look for these guys wearing red on the PGA Tour sometime soon. Back to the fun at the Newport Cup!

Erik: I've heard the same from the two people I know who've hit it. Looks goofy until you hit a few like Iron Byron. The big advantage of the square shape is a big jump in stability, very high MOI. So you're not going to hit the ball farther with the same swing. But you're going to get better results on off-center hits ... so you could swing harder and get away with it (and squeeze out extra distance). We'll see if it works in practice.

Jeff: Nice scores! I've played the regular Fusions for most of the last year. The feedback is not nearly as crisp as a forged clubhead, but I do like the overall softness. But the best thing is the forgiveness. Like you said, even poor contact gives you a decent result. Do you notice any ball flight/trajectory difference with the Wide Sole version? I would think they have to hit the ball higher, since there's so much weight low in the clubhead. Also, do the Wide Soles have more offset? From photos it looks like they do. Looking forward to the review, and hearing which set you like the best.

The USGA has changed the rules on amateurs accepting free clubs over the past few years. I think college teams can now get clubs either free or at a huge discount from manufacturers. It just depends on what club companies your school usually works with. Like basketball coaches have shoe contracts and have their teams wear the same shoes, some golf coaches have exclusives with the club companies. Or you could always call the customer service dept. of a club company and ask to speak to someone in their collegiate department and see how they can help you. Good luck!

I've gone to all Golf Pride grips, with the exception of my putter. My woods and wedges have the New Decade MC grips, and my irons have the trusty Tour Velvets. I also had the Dual Durometer grip on a driver I tested, and that is a grip that I would consider using on my woods in the future. I have the NDMC on my woods now, but they really seem to be most practical on my wedges, which I'm more apt to grip down on. I just had my wife's clubs regripped at Golfsmith, and the tech who did the work talked my wife out of the Winn grips she initially liked. He said they've had all sorts of quality problems over the last year or so. FWIW. She ended up chosing Lamkin Crosslines (another good grip).

As I understand it, the Black Pearl finish is supposed to be very durable and multiple layers thick. It isn't supposed to wear away over time like the Cleveland gunmetal finish. I'd call Cleveland customer support and see what they say. You might have received a set that wasn't finished properly.

I have a Q-Link that I picked up at the PGA Merchandise Show this year. I wore it for a month or so and couldn't really tell much of a difference. It is supposed to help tune the electromagentic field around your body, especially around computers and cell phones, so I'm not sure how it's supposed to help on the golf course. I could never get anyone from the company to give me much of an explanation about how it works. I know there are several yards of copper wire and a microchip in it, but doing what I couldn't tell you. That said, I do still wear it to play golf about half the time. Even if it's the placebo effect, I figure it can't hurt.