April 21 2013

7:42 AM

Roundup: RBC Heritage

Brandt Snedeker has used an older TaylorMade Superfast driver for years. (Lecka/Getty Images)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider 

Brandt Snedeker's older model TaylorMade Burner SuperFast driver remained in play at the RBC Heritage, but one of the oldest clubs in the five-time PGA TOUR winner's bag could be on its way out.

Snedeker started working extensively with a new TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 driver (9 degrees with a 46-inch Aldila Tour Blue 65TX shaft) at an event on Tuesday and during Wednesday's pro-am.

Palmer goes to TaylorMade Daddy Long Legs: Ryan Palmer has tried various putters over the years, but his Odyssey Dual Force Rossie II has always found its way back into the bag. The putter has been with Palmer for almost his entire professional career and helped him win two of his three PGA TOUR titles.

Palmer may go back to the putter at some point, but for at least one week he decided to shelve his trusty sidekick for a 35-inch TaylorMade Daddy Long Legs putter. Intrigued by the counterbalanced putter -- Daddy Long Legs was released at retail this week -- Palmer decided to give it a test drive early in the week before putting it in play on Thursday.

While the putter is 35 inches, Palmer said he plans to choke down a couple inches on the grip. He also noted the high MOI and stability of Daddy Long Legs' shape and counterbalance grip (which is 130 grams) helped him keep the ball on his intended line -- especially on putts from inside 20 feet.

Callaway X-Hot 3Deep a perfect fit at Harbour Town: One of the tighter courses on the PGA TOUR schedule, Harbour Town requires pinpoint accuracy and distance control off the tee. Long hitters rarely have to pull driver out of the bag, preferring instead to use a 3-wood to keep it in play.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Callaway saw a bump in X-Hot 3Deep requests early in the week. Looking for a club with the workability of a 3-wood in a mini-driver package, a number of players, including Ryo Ishikawa and Luke List, decided to give Callaway's newest creation a try.

Ishikawa went with a 14.5-degree (actual loft 13.9 degrees) that was built for him at the Shell Houston Open. The course-dependent club has a 43-inch Graphie Design Tour AD GT-8 TX shaft with a custom Graphite Design cord grip.

Luke List had Callaway reps build him a 14.5-degree with a 43.5-inch Oban Kiyoshi Black 90x shaft. List initially went with his Mitsubishi gamer shaft but felt his spin numbers were too high. The Oban rectified the problem and allowed him to maintain the same trajectory and distance off the tee.

Daly adds Adams DHy driving hybrids: Adams' DHy driving hybrid has replaced a number of long irons on the PGA TOUR over the past several weeks. John Daly is one of the latest to added two to the bag. One is an 18-degree opened 16 degrees, specifically for tee shots at Harbour Town. The other is a 21-degree, bent to 22.5 degrees, that currently serves as a 3/4 iron replacement.

Kaymer goes with TaylorMade R1 driver: The week following the Masters is usually one where you'll see players start working with new equipment. Martin Kaymer was one of the noteworthy names after he dropped his TaylorMade RBZ Tour driver for an 8-degree TaylorMade R1 with a Graphie Design Tour AD shaft.

Kaymer noticed R1 was beating RBZ Tour in comparison testing during the week and finally pulled the trigger.

Pettersson makes 3-wood change: Carl Pettersson spent an extended amount of time on Monday testing 3-woods on the the driving range. Pettersson went with a 13-degree Nike VR_S Covert Tour with a neutral face-angle setting because he liked the club's ball flight and felt it gave him the best chance to work the ball around Harbour Town's tight layout.

Divots: Rory Sabbatini prefers to grind his own wedge, but when he switched from a 60-degree TaylorMade TP xFT (Exchangeable Face Technology) to a new 60-degree TaylorMade ATV prototype at Hilton Head, he didn't touch the sole. Sabbatini noted the performance and versatility of ATV allowed him to keep the wedge as-is ... Stuart Appleby became the latest player to change to Callaway's HEX Chrome+ ball. Appleby preferred the softer feel and quieter sound around the green ... In an attempt to close the distance gaps at the top end of his bag, Patrick Reed went from four wedges to three and added a 19-degree Nike VR_S Covert 5-wood. The 5-wood plays more like a 4-wood due to the ball flight, and Reed was able to tweak his wedge gap and go with a 54-and 59-degree Nike VR Pro setup ... A traditional muscleback iron player, James Driscoll switched to TaylorMade RocketBladez Tour following several weeks of meticulous work in comparison testing ... Robert Garrigus kept a 25-degree Adams Super LS hybrid in the bag at Hilton Head after using it at the Masters. Garrigus generally only uses a 22-degree Adams Super S but likes the versatility of the 25-degree.


April 16 2013

2:44 PM

Adidas rolls out new adicross tour shoe

 

Credit/Adidas Golf

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

Looking to build on the success and buzz of adizero, adidas announced the addition of a new shoe to the golf footwear line called adicross tour.

Created with revolutionary materials and state-of-the-art construction methods, adicross tour's design was aimed at freeing up the foot and body from the ground up to the shoulders.

The new PUREMOTION construction TPU outsole and PLUSFLEX technology — designed for greater flexibility and ground contact to promote more force and power — allows for greater flexibility and freedom of movement without sacrificing support or comfort. 

“With adicross tour, we created a lightweight golf shoe specifically-designed to allow the foot and body to work the way it was naturally intended to move, “ said Bill Price, adidas' VP of Golf Footwear. “With this revolutionary new shoe, a golfer can freely flex and rotate from the ground up to the shoulders, resulting in a more efficient, natural swing.”

Similar to adizero, adicross tour also features a seven-spike configuration with THINTECH low-profile technology that provides additional traction and stability on the course.

The shoe is made of premium, full-grain aniline leather that's complemented by a new ripstop nylon saddle for increased flexibility. An ultra-light CLOUDFOAM sockliner was also added for comfort.

“The new adicross Tour has all the performance and support I need in a tour shoe plus a look that fits my style, “ Dustin Johnson said. “ The bold colors are great and I knew it was for me the moment I saw it.”

Johnson has been wearing adicross tour since the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship and sported a one-off version with a green sole for all four days at the Masters.

Along with the spiked version, adidas will also release adicross tour in a spikeless version that has a waterproof upper, versatile, spikeless outsole and "x-shaped" performance torison bar in the midfoot that extends into the heel for lateral support and stability.

The spikeless version will also have a similar anatomical last that provides enhanced volume in the forefoot for increased comfort and stability.

Adicross tour will be available May 1 in four colorways (Blueberry / Running White / Metallic Silver; Running White, Alumnium / Black; Black Running White / University Red; and Wheat / Running White / Leather) with a price tag of $200.

The spikeless version will be available June 1 in two colorways (Tan Brown / Running White / Leather and Running White/Aluminum Black) with a price tag of $150.

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April 10 2013

2:29 PM

Nicklaus using Boccieri Secret Grip

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

Fifty years have passed since Jack Nicklaus won his first Masters title in 1963 at the ripe age of 23 using a set of back-weighted MacGregor Tourney irons with wrap grips. 

Equipment has certainly changed in the last half century, but one thing that's remained the same with regards to Nicklaus' clubs is the back-weighted, wrap grip that goes on everyone one of his clubs. 
 
When Nicklaus teed it up later at the Masters Par-3 Contest, he did so with a special wrap version of Boccieri Golf's Secret Grip that founder Stephen Boccieri designed specifically for the six-time Masters winner. 
 
Nicklaus started endorsing Boccieri's Secret Grip — a back weight grip with that weighs 92 grams and includes a 17 gram tungsten weight in the butt of the grip — earlier this this year. 
 
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Nicklaus' first Masters win, Boccieri built an exclusive wrap model to match the version Nicklaus played during his career. 
 
While Nicklaus will be the the first to try out the wrap model, there's a chance it could go into production in the coming months and be offered as a consumer option down the line.
 
Nicklaus will also be using a prototype putter version of the Secret Grip during the Par-3 Contest. The grip is the same model Ernie Els used two weeks ago to back weight his conventional-length Odyssey Black Series i #1 putter at the at the Chiangmai Golf Classic in Thailand.

April 9 2013

7:45 PM

Phil's Phrankenwood? It's a reality

 
Phil Mickelson's new club has 8.5 degrees of loft -- but is shaped like a fairway wood.
 
By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider
 
Phil Mickelson's Callaway X Hot Phrankenwood is no longer a big mystery. On Tuesday during his Masters press conference, Mickelson shed some light on the most talked-about club at Augusta National and confirmed that his latest addition to the bag isn't a 2-wood — as initial reports suggested — but rather a driver with the workability of Callaway's X Hot 3-wood. 

According to Mickelson, when he started working with Callaway's X Hot 3Deep, he noticed he was hitting the fairway wood as far — with the same spin he was getting with his driver — as his RAZR Fit Xtreme driver.

Looking for a club that had the same characteristic as 3Deep in a driver form, Mickelson talked to Callaway engineers about the possibility of taking the technology from the fairway wood and putting it in a driver.

"I asked the engineers to take the technology from that club and put it on steroids," Mickelson said. "I wanted to make it more like a driver. It looks like a 3-wood, but it's bigger than our 3-wood. It's almost like a small driver but it's the 3-wood technology of our X Hot in a driver."

What Callaway's chief designer Alan Hocknell and his team came up with was Phrankenwood, an 8.5 degree driver that acts more like a fairway wood and allows Mickelson to get more rollout on his drivers — something he mentioned gave him an extra club or two less into some of the holes at Augusta National

"What it's done is taken a lot of spin off of it," Mickelson said, "and if you watch, the shots I hit off the tee with it have a lot more scoot on them. “My tee shots on nine are getting down to the bottom of the hill, and I haven’t been able to do that in years. My tee shots on 10 are going another 15 to 20 yards, giving me a club or two less than I’ve had in years. My tee shots on 15 are getting down to where I have one or two clubs less."

The Callaway X Hot Phrankenwood Mickelson is using this week is 45 inches with a Mitsubishi Rayon Fubuki K 70X driver shaft, which is the exact same shaft Mickelson plays in his Callaway RAZR Fit Xtreme driver. Mickelson is expected to put the club in play on Thursday.

1:26 PM

Watch: Bubba's Masters attire

Bubba Watson unveils his fashion picks for Masters week -- and Oakley reps explain why he will wear lighter colors for the weekend at Augusta National.


12:30 PM

Scott to use Titleist 913D3 for Masters

Adam Scott is the latest to switch from the Titleist 910 to the 913. (Greenwood/Getty Images)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

Adam Scott arrived at the Masters having not played a competitive event since mid-March when he finished tied for 30th at the Tampa Bay Championship. Aside from fine-tuning his game over the last three weeks in preparation for Augusta National, Scott also started working his way into a 9.5-degree Titleist 913D3 driver.

After testing the driver at home, Scott confirmed during his Tuesday press conference that he was so impressed with its performance, he decided to put it in the bag this week. 

"I've been able to work in the Titleist 913 driver for this week," Scott said. "It was a process for me because I've just driven it so well over the last couple of years with the previous model, but they've done some nice work and over the last month I've been able to work it into the bag, which I'm very happy about."

Scott had been using a Titleist 910D3 driver since 2010 but said the the 913D3's ball flight was so good during testing, it made him believe the club could work at Augusta National.

While Scott is changing models, he decided to keep the Graphite Design DI-8x shaft from his 910D3 and put it in his new driver.


April 8 2013

12:57 PM

Is this Phil's secret club?

Credit: USGA

Phil Mickelson hinted following the second round of the Shell Houston Open that he was going to test a "special club" the week before the Masters.

"We have a special club we're making that I'll be hitting on Monday," Mickelson said. "So, we'll see."

Mickelson and Callaway wouldn't divulge the details surrounding the club, but according to Golfweek's David Dusek, the USGA's Conforming Driver List gave an indication of what the three-time Masters winner could have up his sleeve.

Listed in the USGA's database was an X-Hot wood called "Phrankenwood." The club doesn't have a listed loft and the pictures don't give you an idea if the club is another driving 3-wood -- like the recently released 3Deep model Mickelson started using at the Northern Trust Open -- or a driver with a twist.

Regardless, it looks Phrankenwood could be Mickelson's "special club." No word yet if Mickelson will put it in play this week at the Masters, but there's a good chance he'll be testing it early in the week to see if it's worth putting in the bag for the first round.


10:00 AM

Roundup: Masters-inspired gear

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

 Fujikura Limited Edition Majors Series FUEL shaft: Like a Sunday badge for the final round of the Masters, Fujikura's Majors Series FUEL shaft didn't last long. With only 125 made, the shaft sold out at select retailers in less than 20 minutes.

Each shaft is engraved with the production number (i.e. 1/125) and has a yellow and green paint scheme to celebrate the first major of the year. Dustin Johnson won the Hyundai Tournament of Champions with a Fujikura FUEL shaft in his TaylorMade R1 driver.

59belts 2013 Masters Limited Edition belt/buckle (Price: $159.59): 59bets owner Trevor Derrheim designs Major-inspired belts each season for the Masters and U.S. Open. Only 59 Masters buckles with "ANGC" were made this year. Rickie Fowler, Brian Gay, John Peterson and Stuart Appleby are among the notables that have worn a 59belts buckle on the PGA TOUR.

Augusta-inspired FootJoy MyJoys (Price: Varies): Available starting April 8 through FootJoy's MyJoys program, golfers will be able to order FooyJoy shoes in "Augusta-inspired," limited edition green tortoise printed leather. The hand-crafted leather is being offered on all men’s and women’s golf shoes available on the MyJoys website.

Adidas adizero Tour Limited Edition Masters shoe (Price: $179.99): Jason Day, Sergio Garcia and Michael Thompson will wear this shoe during the Masters. Adidas released the adizero Tour in a green colorway that features a green sole and laces.

Wilson Staff Limited Edition Major-inspired D-100 irons: Wilson only built 8 sets D-100 irons with green and yellow “Major-inspired” highlights instead of the traditional red. Five sets were given away via social media and account specific programs. The clubs specs are the exact same as the D-100 irons, but the limited edition set comes with yellow and green Matrix Studio 6.1 shafts and green Lamkin 3 GEN grips.

Callaway Golf Limited Edition Augusta hat (Price: $27): Callaway staffers will be wearing white and green limited edition hats at the Masters. The company also released a Limited Edition Masters Staff bag and Challenge coin, and as you can probably guess, both sold out in a hurry.

KENTWOOL Limited Edition Augusta sock (Price $19.95): KENTWOOL's yellow and green Augusta sock was worn by Bubba Watson during last year's Masters win. To commemorate the victory, KENTWOOL released the sock again this year after it sold out following Watson's victory. The 2012 Masters winner is expected to wear the Augusta sock again this week.

ECCO BIOM Hybrid (Price: $190): Golf’s first and only performance hybrid model, the green and white BIOM Hybrid will be worn by Fred Couples this week. The shoe has ECCO's patented Natural Motion and Golf Street outsole technologies.


April 3 2013

1:52 PM

Tiger, Rory's apparel for The Masters

 
By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider
 
Nobody knows how Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will fare at the Masters. What is certain, however, is that the top two players in the world will be wearing four completely different Nike outfits at the first major of the season. 

Nike released the apparel scripting for Woods and McIlroy on Tuesday, along with the rest of the Nike athletes in the field at the Masters. According to Merritt Richardson, Nike Golf's Vice President of Global Apparel and Footwear, major championship scripting sometimes starts almost a year prior to the tournament. 

“We work with our athletes up to a year in advance to determine what styles and colors they prefer to compete in at a Major Championship,” Richardson said. “We share our newest innovations for the season with them and listen to their needs in terms of performance, comfort and style to ensure they are dressed to compete at their highest level.”

Tiger Woods has four different looks planned for the tournament — including the traditional Sunday red shirt and black pants that have been a major championship staple over the years — and will use both the white and black version of the TW '13 shoe. Nike recently released a limited edition Masters version of the TW '13, but based on Woods' apparel scripting for the week, it looks like he won't wear the shoe during competition. 

Rory McIlroy will go with bright colored shirts (Violet Force and Pink Force) on Thursday and Saturday, and a pair of bright blue pants that are sure to make the two-time major winner stick out from the rest of the field. McIlroy will also wear Nike's Lunar Control golf shoe in three different colors.

April 2 2013

5:10 PM

KBS rolls out custom wedge shafts

Credit: KBS

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

These days every every club in your bag can be customized to suit your game and style. From adjustable drivers and fairway woods to personalized wedges with hand-stamped initials and putters with unique paint fills, recreational golfers can feel like a pro without having to spend the hours grinding away on the range for a PGA TOUR card.

KBS, one of the top shaft manufacturers on the PGA TOUR, has now taken shaft customization to another level with the introduction of the KBS Custom Lab — a new service that allows golfers the opportunity to customize their own wedge shafts.

The KBS Custom Lab allows users to design their KBS wedge shaft with different paint finishes (White Pearl, Black Pearl and Silver Pearl), custom heat transfer decals (Signature Red, Arctic White, Orange Blaze, Pacific Blue and Green) and laser etching. KBS noted that even with the wide variety of custom shaft option, the add-ons increase the total weight of the shaft by less than 1g.

Shafts from the KBS Custom Lab can be purchased via KBSGolfShafts.com and cost $40.95 per shaft, plus an additional $9 for laser etching. KBS has already built over 4,000 custom shafts since the software launched less than a month ago.

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