Donald MacKenzie

cdriver: I never played the 990s, so I can't offer a direct comparison. But you're right, the 755s have that "Titleist look" so many people love, especially at address. I think the 755s will be good for mid-handicappers, and also low-handicappers looking to hit the ball higher. You can't really tell from my dark pictures, but the cavity is actually quite shallow. The forgiveness comes from having so much weight low in the heel and toe. That seems to help correct shots hit on the heel and toe area, but it should also mean that the 755s will let you work the ball (when you hit the ball on-center, but with the clubhead coming through from inside or outside to hit a draw or cut). We'll see how all this theory plays out on the course. But I'm very impressed with the 755s from my practice session last night.

I've taken some crummy pix to show how the 755s look. Have at 'em. BTW, I went to the range last night and worked through a large bucket with the 755s. With so much weight low in the clubhead, it's no surprise that these irons hit the ball high. But it is a strong trajectory, not a ballooning flight. Also, the clubs are very stable. I hit a few shots well out on the toe and expected a quick hook. The 755s kept the ball flight to a pull, not a big spinning hook. Nice. The feel was very solid, and I can't wait to get these sticks out on the course this weekend.

Mr. FedEx surprised me this morning with a box full of the new Titleist 755 irons for review. The irons are up on Titleist's website now if you want to take a look. At first look, the 755s look great. They are not nearly as big and offset as the 775.CBs I reviewed a while back. They have the same basic look as the 735.CMs at address, with just a touch more offset and a slightly thicker topline. But these babies scream "Titleist" when you set them down behind the ball. The cavities are very slick-looking. The red aluminum "chip" looks sharp, very slick. I know some people liked the black version some tour players had, but the red was the right choice for retail. Good mixing of a futuristic look with the classic Titliest profile. The Tour Velvet grips are a good choice, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the Tri-Spec shafts play. I'll try to take some pictures later, and then get to the range to test the 755s out. Any questions I can answer?

I had the chance to play a quick 18 holes with a top club pro player (just won a state championship) yesterday who is on Titleist's staff. He had the new 906f 3-wood and 585.h hybrid in his bag. Both clubs looked very sharp. Dark black paint job, much darker than the metallic charcoal color Titleist has used on woods since launching the 975 drivers in 1997. The fairway wood (he had a 13° 3-wood) was distinguished by its sole, which has a wedge-shaped cutaway section at the back. Gives the sole a bit of a C-shape. He said the cutaway section was to help the club sit squarely behind the ball at address, and that most fairway woods on the market tend to toe in and look closed at address. He only hit it a few times, but really smoked it when he did (about 260 off the deck, 275 off the tee). The hybrid had a more T-shaped sole, with a weight port in the back. At address, it looked very similar to a TaylorMade Rescue TP model. The pro had a 17° model that he hit twice, both times about 240 yards. He said he wasn't a hybrid guy, but that he saw a lot of tour pros putting this club in their bags and having success with it right away. He also said that he had tried multiple configurations of the previous Titleist hybrid (503.h) and never was able to find one that he liked enough to use in competition. To round out the "in the bag" for this pro, he had a 905S driver (can't get dialed in on the 905R), 681 blades, a couple custom Vokey wedges and a custom Scotty Cameron putter that looked like an Anser 2 with a short hosel. He shot a smooth 68 on a tough course.

Agreed, the offset in the 775.CB long irons is just too much. The Fusion irons I regularly play actually have more offset in the short irons, but it feels natural because it is a more gradual progression from the long irons. But the 775.CB were like two completely different sets (3-5 irons, 6-PW) mashed together. The Circa 62 putter is an absolute gem, though. But I hear it is now shipping with the black "Baby T" grip instead of the hand-stitched leather grip I have. Buyer beware.

Norman's been off the competitive radar because of his back. He had surgery on it last spring, and it hasn't really improved enough for him to do much practicing. Last I heard he was trying to be ready to play in the British Open next month. When Cobra went public in the early 1990s, Norman was given a big chunk of stock as a bonus. Acushnet bought Cobra, and Norman's stock ended up being worth $40 million. He owns the Greg Norman name that is licensed to various ventures (Greg Norman Collection by Reebok, Greg Norman Estates Wine, etc.) and a staff player for MacGregor. He doesn't own MacGregor, but his rather large contract with the company does include an ownership stake. I believe Norman also owns (or did until recently) the Australian distributor of Titleist/Footjoy products.

Thanks for the rundown on the new wedges. I talked with the guys from Sonartec at the PGA Show in January, and they said they had something coming that would turn some heads. They were talking about the wedges, and they were right. If there was a 54° version, I'd be placing my order right now. But I'm glad Sonartec moves at a more measured pace than other OEMs (take longer to come out with new products, but also have longer product cycles and great designs).

First off, the Mickelson post was priceless. Second, I played a quick 9 Sat. AM with my lovely wife. Her first time on a golf course this milennium. I shot a 42, but I only really focused on my game for a few holes. Mostly worked on keeping her from throwing a club or punching me in the face (or both). Went par-birdie-par-par on Nos. 3-6, but was sloppy the rest of the way. The most important number of the day: 11. As in, it was our 11th anniversary. Pretty cool that she'd want to play golf (her idea).

Everardo: What do you think of the Sonartec proto T35 wedge?

Wow, sounds like a cool gig! I've done a little bit of dabbling with recording/mixing in GarageBand on my Mac, but I'm about 36-handicapper when it comes to that. A cool job in music that gives you enough time to play golf ... sounds almost as good as being a golf writer.

Andy: I've hit both drivers, not exactly with the same specs. I've played several rounds with both an Exotics 10.5° with an Aldila NV 65-S shaft, and an r7 425 9.5° with the stiff Fujikura RE*AX shaft. For me, the r7 is more consistent. The Exotics is a little longer, but on aggressive swings I spray the ball a bit. The RE*AX shaft seems to handle a hard swing a little better (less torque, I'd guess). They are both great drivers. I loved the feel of the Exotics. Felt very lively, like the ball was compressing and springing off the face. Very cool. The r7 has a great "crack" sound at impact, not tinny like some drivers. I put the r7 in the bag as my gamer because it went where I wanted it to go more consistently. With a different shaft, the Exotics might be my gamer. If you take a good cut at the ball, the Exotics in a 9° with an Aldila NV 65-X shaft might be a good combo for you. Sorry I couldn't give you a more definitive answer. I hope you have a chance to hit both. But if you took a chance on either one, I think you'd be happy. What tour are you going out on?

If you search the forum, you'll find a post I wrote about the new X-Tour 58° wedge I just got. The short version: At address, it looks almost identical to a Vokey wedge. Same shape around the top of the club, same size and square leading edge. The biggest difference will be the sole on the 60° wedge. The X-Tours come with a PM grind sole that is actually a little concave, the idea being that it will help you get the club down to the ball more cleanly on full shots while still having bounce toward the back of the sole for explosion shots. I love this grind, and so far find it very versatile. The 60° can also have the more aggressive MD grooves, which would be similiar to the Vokey Spin Milled models. Also, the Callaways are forged and the Titleists are cast, if that makes a difference to you. I think the X-Tour does feel very soft. I prefer the Oil Can finish of the Vokeys, since it looks so cool. But it will wear off over time just like the X-Tour vintage finish. So eventually, you'll have a rusty putter no matter which one you choose. I have both Vokey and Callaway wedges, and like them both. The Callaways are in my bag. I guess that's the best gauge of my opinion. You leftys have all kinds of troubles finding demos, that's for sure. Good luck on your search.

I gotta go with the Callaway Steelhead Plus Strong 4-wood (same loft as a 3-wood). I have the new X 3-wood in my bag now, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the SH+ come off the bench (it's outlasted other various Callaway models, as well a Titleist 904F and a MACTEC). If you can find one used in good shape, it's a keeper. Nice deep face with a low CG for that great pro-type ball flight.

Not quite a monopoly, but TT now pretty much controls the market for steel iron shafts and steel hybrid/FW shafts. Aside from Nippon, which is just starting to get a foothold, there isn't anyone else doing much volume in that space. True Temper's done a good job of picking up other brands when the opportunity was there, like Grafalloy. The steel shaft business isn't as profitable as graphite shafts for woods, but there's lots of steady volume. I wonder if this will embolden TT to make a stronger move at the Fujikura/UST/Aldila graphite shaft makers.

Interesting question. Do you give something a brand new name, or keep the old one? Not many golf companies go for the latter. Callaway's Big Bertha irons are one example (2002, 2004, 2006 versions are different, but same basic name), Cleveland's Launcher 460 is another (2004, 2006 versions). As someone else pointed out, Titleist is already on the second generation of the Pro V1 and the only outward visual difference is a different sidestamp and the some copy on the packaging saying they're new and improved. Callaway's doing the same thing this year with the "Improved" HX Tour and HX Tour 56. I say stay with Pro V1 and V1x. It's a bit more like automotive nomenclature. A Toyota Camry is a Camry no matter what changes come, you just differentiate them by model year. I don't think anyone is going to not buy the next-generation version of the best-selling ball in golf because of the name. I'd play a 2007 Titleist Pro V1x regardless. Besides, there are too many bad product names out there already. Let's not create any new ones.

Xian: Quick version of the HX Pearl review: It's the HX Hot with slightly softer feel off the irons and wedges, and what appears to be glitter in the cover (you can see it in bright sunlight). I got plenty of distance with the ball, and it's very straight. A very good distance ball (HX Hot and HX Pearl both). After three rounds with the X-Tour wedge, BTW, I like it. It really does spin the ball, and it's been good out of the bunkers and from the fairway. The Vintage finish is starting to wear off the sole and the face, and some rust has started to form in those areas and on the back of the club.

Shot a 90 (including a generous 6 on the infamous 16th) with Erik and Jeff at Oakland Hills. Was encouraged by my 42 on the front, but my awful driver swings worked their way down through the bag on the back. I actually putted great, or the damage would have been worse (made a 40-footer for a 7 on No. 11; whipped cream on s---). Fun round of golf!

Short Grass: Look for it around Friday of this week. Hope it's worth the wait.

It was yesterday, but I still have to post because I tied my career low with a 76 at Farmington Hills Golf Club. Not bad for my first non-business trip round of the year. I shot 38-38, nicely balanced. Scrambled like crazy over the first five holes (including two penalty strokes), then got the driver working. On the par-5 7th hole, hit a 300-yard drive, then smoked a 215-yard hybrid shot onto the green. Just missed the 25-foot eagle putt. It was my only birdie of the day, but I had so many stress-free pars it was still great. I also hit some MONSTER drives. Almost drove the 354-yard 11th hole. Golf can be a pretty fun game. The only down part was losing a birdie to a fluke. On the 10th hole I had a 7-foot birdie putt that broke to the left. I stroked it right into the center, but the ball hit the little metal lip of the cup about an inch below ground just so ... and popped back out. This wasn't hitting it too hard and having it the back of the hole and bounce off, it was watching the ball tumble into the cup, then hearing a metallic noise and having the ball pop up and settle two inches away. Everyone in my group agreed they'd never seen anything like it. Could have had a 75 ...

My long-delayed X-Tour 58° wedge (ordered in March) arrived last week. I can't believe how much it looks like a Vokey 200 series wedge. At address, the profile is almost exactly the same. Gone is the curved leading edge of the other Callaway/Roger Cleveland wedges and the overly rounded head shape (and the smaller size of the original CG Forged Wedges). Except for the grooves being spaced slightly farther apart, you'd think these wedges were from the same manufacturer. The PM grind on the sole is distinctive, though. Lots of relief in the toe and heel, and the inverted sole is pretty cool. There's plenty of bounce (listed at 11°) at the back edge of the sole. But the way the center is hollowed out, it will be really easy to get the leading edge of the wedge down to the ball. I played my first round with it yesterday and hit it a handful of times. I was using a HX Pearl ball (watch for the review coming up soon) and was able to stop the ball just fine, even out of the rough. The Mack Daddy grooves are pretty sweet. I wonder how they'll work with the urethane-covered balls I usually use. The wedge feels great, and I hit a couple nice 80-yard approaches with it. Anyone else using one of these yet?

You're dropping the hybrid and adding a chipper? Or maybe a ball retriever?

Did you get to say, "Nice putt, Alice"?

OK, I got the ruler out. The X 3-wood and my Steelhead Plus strong 4-wood are the same face depth: 1.25". But the X is 3.25" from heel to toe, compared with just 3" for the SH+. So the X seeming to have a shallower face is just a function of actually having a longer face. FWIW.

I've played 7-8 rounds with my X 3-wood, which I special-ordered with the Fujikura Tour Platform 26.3 shaft (which comes standard on the Tour version of the woods, like Everardo has). I've been very happy with it. Easy to hit off the deck, medium-high trajectory without ballooning. I've been able to hit both high cuts and low, running draws. I especially like it off the tee as a driving club on tight/short holes, or downwind. I nearly drove a 315-yard par-4 with it the first round I used the X 3-wood. The hole was playing downwind, and it was too tight for a driver. The X 3-wood got up in the wind and stayed up there forever, carrying about 285 and rolling another 10 yards. I like the sound/feel, very similar to the Steelhead Plus I previously had in my bag. A solid "TING!" sound at impact, higher-pitched than Titleist/TaylorMade fairway woods but not brittle or loud like the MacGregor NVG woods. The only thing I didn't like about the X 3-wood when I got it was that the face is a bit shallow, especially compared with my old Steelhead Plus. But it turns out that the face is nearly as deep, it's just longer from heel to toe, which creates the illusion that the head is shallow. As for the sole design that's supposed to keep the face square at address, I guess I never had that problem to begin with, so I can't say much about that. So my overall impression: These are some very good fairway woods. I didn't much like the Steelhead III fairway woods, and the Big Bertha woods that came out in 2004 were too shallow for me. The X series stands up to the fairway wood reputation Callaway earned 10 years ago.

I have a 58° vintage model with the PM grind and MD grooves that's on backorder until mid-June. There's a shortage of heads, apparently, and while a few units have shipped out to retail, there aren't enough to fill orders. D'oh! I hit a 56° chrome X-Tour wedge at the PGA Show in January and it was very similar to past Callaway forged wedges. The shape was a little less round and bit more like Roger Cleveland's older designs, which I liked. I believe Callaway made a production change with the chrome models: past forged wedges in the line have had a thin layer of copper between the carbon steel and the chrome, but I was told that's not the case with the X-Tours. Might make them play a little firmer, but most of us probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The vintage finish versions never had this copper underlayer, and still doesn't.