The Mizuno MP-68 Irons: Grain Flow Forged Goodness

by James on March 19, 2011 in Golf Equipment, Irons, Manufacturers, Mizuno with No comments

Mizuno irons have long been the cream of the crop. In fact, when Tiger was rising to prominence, I believe he had a set of Mizuno blades, which, Titleist ‘copied’ for him when he played Titleist clubs (someone please correct me if I’m wrong). That said, the Mizuno MP-68 irons are some of the most beautiful blades you’ll find on the market… if not THE most beautiful. If you get a rush from classic styling, look and feel, the MP68’s are the ultimate.

The MP-68 irons incorporate Mizuno’s 3D muscle technology. The muscle design is the result of intensive research, and is designed to deliver a center-of-gravity (COG) much lower on the face to provide a penetrating (and workable) ball flight. If you like driving the ball low, with the ability to shape your shot… the MP-68’s should be on your short list.

The Mizuno MP-68’s also feature a Tour Confirmed sole shape. The shape of the sole allows for just the right amount of turf contact for perfect contact every time.

To top it all off, Mizuno puts the irons through their ‘Grain Flow Forging Process’. This process enhances the flow and tightness of the grains of metal in the head. In the end, this maximizes the strength of the club without sacrificing any bit of feel. When the process is finished, you end up with a buttery-soft shot-shaping delight.

Learn more about Mizuno Grain Flow Forging >

Key features according to Mizuno go a little something like this:

  • 3D Muscle design delivers a penetrating ball flight and unsurpassed ball control.
  • Impact, sound, and feel are optimized through extensive use of Modal Analysis, which separates Mizuno irons from the competition.
  • Patented Grain Flow Forged® 1025E “Pure Select” mild carbon steel provides the ultimate soft, solid, and consistent feel.
  • Durable double nickel chrome plated finish.
  • Modified U-grooves, which conform to Condition of Competition 2010, produce the ideal spin rate for maximum playability in all conditions.
  • Rolled leading edge, flattened mid-sole, and rolled trailing edge deliver consistent striking ability from all types of lies.

For more information, hit up Mizuno, or take a look at the specs and photo gallery below.

Mizuno MP-68 Specs

Club # LH Loft Lie Off Set Bounce Length
(degree) (degree) (inch) (degree) (inch)
3 Yes 21° 59.5° 0.110” 2° 38.75”
4 Yes 24° 60.0° 0.110” 2° 38.25”
5 Yes 27° 60.5° 0.110” 2° 37.75”
6 Yes 31° 61.0° 0.110” 3° 37.25”
7 Yes 35° 61.5° 0.110” 3° 36.75”
8 Yes 39° 62.0° 0.102” 4° 36.25”
9 Yes 43° 62.5° 0.102” 5° 35.75”
PW Yes 47° 63.0° 0.094” 6° 35.50”

Mizuno MP-68 Photo Gallery

The Cobra S3 Driver: A Closer Look

by James on March 17, 2011 in Golf Equipment, Cobra, Drivers, Manufacturers with No comments

As part of their 2011 lineup, Cobra recently released the brand-spanking new S3 Driver. Building upon the foundation laid by the S9, and then the S2, the S3 features a new ‘E9’ face technology… a technology that creates a 30% larger sweet spot. Plus, the Adjustable Flight Technology built into the club head and shaft allows you to make adjustments to fine tune your shot shape or compensate for shot tendencies.

So what is the Cobra E9 Face Technology all about? It’s pretty darn simple, really. The face of the S3 features a taller elliptical face with a beveled perimeter. The end result is a 30% larger sweet spot, allowing you to grip it and rip it down the middle more often. Distance, accuracy and forgiveness are all built-in.

Digging deeper into the E9 Face Technology, Cobra has tested and proven that 99% of shots hit by golfers miss the center of the face in a tilted, elliptical pattern from low heel to high toe. With that in mind, they created a taller and more elliptical face to mirror that miss-hit pattern.

The S3 offers a ‘hotter’ club face in comparison to the S2 driver… take a look at the comparison of the S2 and S3 clubface below.

S2 and S3 Face Comparison

The Adjustable Flight Technology (AFT) built into the shaft and head is exactly the same as previous models (the S2 and ZL). The club comes with three settings, open, neutral and closed. While these three settings aren’t as many as some of the other technologies available today, some might argue that anything more than 3 settings is overkill. I do enjoy the simplicity of the Cobra AFT… Open, neutral or closed… pick your poison and work with it. Easy as that.

The Cobra S3 is available in 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and 11.5 lofts. All models are available in 45.5″ lengths with D5 swing weight (the 11.5 is available in a D4 as well) and multiple shaft flexes. The Fukijura Blur is the stock shaft of choice, available in the TX006 and TX005 models. The tX006 is available in regular, stiff and extra-stiff, all having a mid kick and 5.5 degrees of torque. The TX005 comes in lite flex only, with a low kick point and 5.6 degrees of torque.

Fujikura Blur Shaft on the Cobra S3

Cobra S3 Photo Gallery

For more information, head on over to Cobra Golf.

Cleveland Golf Launcher TL310 Driver

by James on March 15, 2011 in Golf Equipment, Cleveland, Drivers, Manufacturers with No comments

Listed on the GolfDigest HOT LIST for 2011, Cleveland Golf’s Launcher TL310 Driver is the real deal. The ‘TL’ stands for Tour Lite, with the driver weighing in at 310 grams. Despite the lightness of the club, it is still said to offer stability and feel demanded by the scratch golfer… with room for error for higher handicaps as well. Yes, the club is a good fit for almost any golfer, no matter if they’re looking for shot-shaping or forgiveness off the tee.

For what it’s worth, the TL310 is just part of the ‘Right Weight’ fitting system. The Launcher Ultralite series consists of 3 weights (310g, 290g and 270g). Each of these models is tuned to help players of different swing types and speeds.

The Cleveland Golf Launcher TL310 Driver features a 202 gram head, a 59-series shaft from Miyazaki C. Kua, and a 46 gram Lamkin grip. These of course are stock options, so if you’re looking to tune something specifically for your game, your best bet is to hit up an authorized Cleveland Golf retailer to get started.

Image Gallery:

Specs:

The TL310 is available in lofts of 8.5, 9.5 and 10.5. The 9.5 and 10.5 lofts are available in left-handed models as well. All models pack a 440cc club head, feature a shaft length of 45.25, feature a D4 swingweight and tip the scales at 310 grams.

For more, head on over to Cleveland Golf.

Have You Tried the PING iPhone App Yet?

by James on March 15, 2011 in News, Manufacturers, PING with No comments

If you play PING, chances are you keep an eye on the latest technology from the company. The legendary manufacturer, founded by the one-and-only Karsten Solheim revolutionized the golf club by introducing perimeter weighting… allowing average and skilled players alike to benefit from a much larger sweet spot.

I could babble on for awhile about PING, but that’s not the point of this post. The point is to tell you about the PING app for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad!

This official application if free to download, and packs quite a few features. Inside you’ll find the ability to locate the nearest PING authorized retail centre or fitting centre with AFS or nFlight capabilities. You’ll also be able to view an up-to-date product lineup… it’s always fun to browse through clubs, right? Right! In addition you’ll also find an in-depth library of educational and historical videos… and finally, you can get club and set recommendations via the nFlight web tool.

All in all, the PING app for iPhone is a must-have for any PING fan. It’s free to download, keeps you up-to-date on the company… and heck, it’s just a lot of fun to play around with.

Check out for yourself in iTunes: PING App for iPhone


TaylorMade R11 Driver Pictures

by James on March 14, 2011 in Golf Equipment, Drivers, Manufacturers, TaylorMade with No comments

With the TaylorMade R11 Driver dubbed as the ‘it’ club for the first half of 2011, golf fanatics are scrambling like mad to get their hands on one. From head-to-toe, this driver is a unique piece of work. From the white paint job to the almost endless customizations of lie and loft… the R11 has found its way into many a tour pro’s bag, with much success.

To help feed the addiction to all things TaylorMade, and more specifically the R11, we’ve put together a small photo gallery for your viewing pleasure. You can go ahead and check ’em out below.

Cobra Golf Launches Limited Edition ‘All-White’ ZL Driver

by James on November 5, 2010 in Golf Equipment, Cobra, Drivers, Manufacturers with 1 Comment
Ian Poulter and the Cobra All-White ZL Driver

Cobra Golf All-White ZL Driver

When it comes to stylish and powerful golf clubs, one of the names that comes to mind (for me, anyways) is Cobra Golf. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that they’ve graciously sent me their Cobra S2 Driver and Cobra ZL Driver for review… Yeah, you know what, that’s what it is! 🙂 But seriously, the folks at Cobra-Puma Golf are on more of the ‘cutting edge’ when it comes to combining solid golf clubs and stylish apparel.

This story is perhaps a mesh of the two. A wonderful, wonderful mesh of the two.

Cobra Golf has announced a limited edition ‘all-white’ ZL driver. How awesome is that!? You thought the TaylorMade Rossa Corza Ghost putter looked slick, wait until you feast your eyes on this bad boy. To start, below are a few images of the all-white Cobra ZL driver in-use by Ian Poulter:

Ian Poulter and his new Cobra All-White ZL Driver

Ian Poulter and the Cobra All-White ZL Driver

Only 500 of these drivers have been made, and each is marked with a production serial number. Also of note, Cobra staffer Ian Poulter is using the all-white ZL Driver at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai, China. Gotta love that Ian Poulter. So stylish.

I’ve included the official press release after the jump for your reference. All of the club specs and features are there, so you may want to give it a read if you’re interested in this one. It’s certainly a one-of-a-kind, er… well, perhaps a 500-of-a-kind item… and speaking from experience, the Cobra ZL is a very solid, workable and explosive driver off the tee.

Let it be known… I want one of these.

Continue reading →

PING’s ‘Web-Fit’ Online Fitting Program is Fast and Easy

by James on September 29, 2010 in News, Manufacturers, PING with No comments
PING Web-Fit Custom Club Fitting

PING Web-Fit Custom Club Fitting

It had been awhile since I tried out the PING ‘Web-Fit’ custom club fitting system. I remembered it being quite easy to use, and after stepping through the ‘Web-Fit’ process again this morning, that was confirmed. I went through the driver fitting process, and below are the steps you’ll need to take to get fit for a shiny new PING driver:

Step 1: Head on over to PING Web-Fit >

Step 2: Start out by clicking the ‘Your Info’ button and enter your information. This includes your gender, type of units you prefer (imperial or metric), your handicap, height, wrist-to-floor measurement, dexterity (left or right-hand), hand size and longest finger. All measurements are explained via clearly marked diagrams, and a nifty little slider makes it easy to adjust each item. It’s easy. But make sure you have a tape measure handy for the wrist-to-floor, hand size and longest finger measurements!

After you’re done with this, hit the ‘start’ button to begin the club fitting process.

Step 3: Now that we’re on to the club fitting, stuff starts to get fun. First, you’ll need to input your driver carry distance, followed by total distance. Remember, these are just average or typical distances, so ballpark it. Next choose if you strike the ball consistently in the same spot, or if you spray the ball a bit around the clubface. Next, choose your typical ball flight. Your options range from hook and draw, to straight… and of course to the other side with fade and slice paths. If you have a ball flight preference, you can enter that in the next step.

Once you’re done that, click ‘get results’ and you’ll have your fitting results front-and-center. Take them to a local fitter or pro shop and have your club whipped up for you!

My driver results came back as follows:

Model: G15 (9 degree loft), or i15 (8 degree or 9.5 degree loft)
Shaft Flex: Stiff or X-Stiff
Shaft Length: Standard
Grip Color Code: White

My PING Web-Fit Driver Results

Of course, Web-Fit works for PING fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges and putters too. After you go through the fitting process, you can easily run through specs for each category, and find out what PING recommends is best for your game. You can even print the results for reference, or find a fitter nearest you to help get you setup with your new sticks.

To try it out for yourself, visit PING Web-Fit >

K.I.S.S. and Furyk’s Putter…

by Annie Latham on September 29, 2010 in Golf Equipment, Manufacturers, Putters, Yes! with No comments

It’s not often that the K.I.S.S. philosophy is applied to golf equipment.  But that was the case of the putter Jim Furyk used to win the Tour Championship ($11.35 million) and FedEx Cup.

Furyk played with  a heel-shafted, Yes! Golf Sophia putter which he purchased used at Joe & Leigh’s Discount Golf Shop just outside Boston.

According to the “The Tour Van” story posted by Jennifer Gardner, Furyk found the flat stick after putting poorly at the Deutsche Bank Championship, held at the TPC Boston. He was looking for a heel-shafted putter with no alignment aids – “I just wanted it as simple as it could be, heel shafted,” he said – and found the Yes! Sophia putter.

He shelled out a whopping $39 for it.

The little putter that could is now on its way to Wales for the Ryder Cup.

###

Tiger Woods Strokes the Nike Method 003 Mallet Putter in Ryder Cup 2010 Practice

by James on September 28, 2010 in News, Golf Equipment, Manufacturers, More..., Nike Golf, Putters with 1 Comment
The Nike Method 003 Mallet Putter

Tiger Woods and the Nike Method 003 Putter

Perhaps I’m seeing things here… But take a peek at the picture above. Is that Tiger Woods with another Nike Method Putter in his hands? Well yessir, it certainly is.

Snapped during practice for the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, one can clearly see the Nike Method 003 under his arm. Oh no Tiger, say it ain’t so.

We all know what happened the last time Tiger made a putter change… at the 2010 British Open he gave a Method putter a go in the bag. But that experiment was short lived, and after some mediocre putting on the greens, his trusty Scotty Cameron went back to its rightful place.

What should be interesting to see is if Tiger sticks with the Method during continued practice, and into the matches on Friday. Conventional thinking would have one believe if his Scotty Cameron was good enough to win 14 professional majors, it should be good enough for another 14. When it comes to putting, I’ve found it’s more of a deal with the space between one’s ears than the putter in one’s hand. Obviously Tiger feels otherwise.

What’s your take? Should Tiger be fiddling around with his equipment? Or should he be more focused on getting his mental game back to the state that brought him so much success?

Should be an interesting weekend… can’t wait!

The Nike Method 003 Mallet Putter

[Via: GolfWRX]

TaylorMade Burner SuperFast TP Driver

by James on September 28, 2010 in Golf Equipment, Drivers, Manufacturers, TaylorMade with No comments
The TaylorMade Burner SuperFast TP Driver

The TaylorMade Burner SuperFast TP Driver

Besides being one of the ‘sexiest’ looking drivers to come out of TaylorMade‘s workshop in recent memory, the Burner SuperFast TP Driver also features a lot of brawn to go along with its beauty.

First off is the aerodynamic head shape. TaylorMade promises that the shape will help you get the club through the air faster during your backswing and downswing, therefore increasing your clubhead speed… which translates to more distance. If you’ve seen the TV commercials, TaylorMade is all about pushing how ‘Fast’ the driver is. Guess that’s why they named it the ‘SuperFast’. Makes sense.

The clubhead itself is maxed out at 460cc’s, and features a dual crown to promote a higher flight. If you prefer to keep the ball low, or like to see a more boring trajectory, the R9 is probably a wiser choice. Not only will the R9 come off lower off the clubface, but if you don’t like the launch angle or trajectory, you can always tweak up the loft and face angle.

Finally, the Burner SuperFast TP Driver comes stock with a Matrix HD6 65 gram shaft for optimal trajectory and of course, ball speed off the clubface.

8.5, 9.5 and 10.5 degree options are available on all right-hand models… But sadly, only the 9.5 degree model of the SuperFast TP is available for lefties. That is, off the shelf anyway… 🙂

For more information on the Burner SuperFast TP Driver, or any other club in TaylorMade‘s lineup, you can check out their website at TaylorMadeGolf.com.

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