While there has been a lot of talk the last few years about all the drivers pushing the boundaries of forgiveness (see all those “Max” and “10K” drivers, for example), the long-standing criticism of highly forgiving drivers always has been that their oversize frame leads to higher spin. Since lower spin is often a key Read more…
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The new Tour Edge Exotics lineup of drivers, fairway woods and hybrids starts with a commitment to a variety of player types by offering elite, faster-swingers a low-spin option, average golfers a maximum forgiveness choice and moderate speed swingers a lightweight alternative. PRICE: Drivers: LS (9, 10.5 degrees), Max (9, Read more…
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Bridgestone’s e12 lineup of low-compression ionomer-covered balls designed to improve average golfers full-swing shots (both off the tee and into the greens) expands to include the new e12 Splash aimed at improving another trouble area: wet conditions. The e12 Splash employs a TK coating that’s hydrophobic so it repels water, Read more…
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Tour Edge launches its first golf ball, the Exotics, with a focus on improved consistency in the wind. The three-piece entry features a cast urethane cover, which is designed to work with a high-resiliency core to yield lower long-game spin and maintain high short-game spin. PRICE: $40 per dozen. Available Read more…
Hybrids came to be a genuine equipment category some three decades ago for one simple reason: They were more effective at launching the ball higher than the low-lofted irons they replaced. Throw in added forgiveness on mis-hits, plus additional trampoline off the face and there’s little doubt that for many average golfers a hybrid is Read more…
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Arccos, the company founded on GPS-driven stat-tracking sensors, released its first laser rangefinder, the Arccos Smart Laser Rangefinder. The device leverages the company’s database and expertise in course features as well as its live weather information to provide “plays like” distances to go with the laser GPS readout. Although it Read more…
The Super Game Improvement iron (SGI) category sometimes get an unfair wrap. Just because these irons tend to target golfers who might need a little more help launching shots higher or generating a little more distance than they don’t normally possess shouldn’t mean you shouldn’t consider them. No one in this game is too good Read more…
Typically, when it gets a little late in the annual equipment buying season like it is now, you start to see prices being discounted. Not this September. In fact, there’s been slight increases across the board from several manufacturers. The culprit appears to be the effect of tariffs, but the good news is it’s nowhere Read more…
It took just over a year, but what began as a definition of terms and followed with further input from the PGA of America, readers like you and lots of shoe-leather reporting from our editors, we’ve now picked four communities that we think represent the ideal of what golf should be. We dispatched Golf Digest Read more…
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Toulon Golf’s new Formula Series mallet putters offer a new take on the “zero-torque” movement with a graduated approach to line up with your natural stroke type and preferences. Zero-torque putters, like those from L.A.B. Golf, Odyssey, Evnroll, Bettinardi and TaylorMade, feature weighting and shaft positions designed for the club Read more…
The Cleveland CBZ marks the fifth generation of the company’s cavity back wedges, and this newest model charts a fresh path forward in feel by employing the same Z-alloy found in the company’s tour-played RTZ line.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: L.A.B. Golf expands its Oz.1 line of putters to include the company’s first heel-shafted mallet design, the Oz.1i HS. This head features a lightweight hosel that allows for the angle of the shaft axis to be more in line with the center of the head, fundamental to L.A.B. Golf’s philosophy Read more…
The new Baffler iron set from Cobra combines five different clubhead designs in an effort to elevate trajectory and increase forgiveness in specific ways throughout the bag for beginning golfers and those looking at the super game-improvement category.
Putters often spur emotional responses that sometimes echo the impression that wine connoisseurs reserve for their favorite varietals. That’s not to say that these “feels” are an inconsequential element to finding the putters that will elicit the most approval from golfers. When it comes to the best putters, their assets might not always be so Read more…
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, a majority stake in L.A.B. Golf has been acquired by L Catterton, the private-equity firm backed by LVMH.
Unlike tour players and low-handicap, fast-swinging amateurs, most golfers are looking for irons that easily launch the ball higher. That’s particularly true when we get to the game-improvement (GI) and super-game-improvement (SGI) iron categories. If you can’t get your irons launching high enough, you’re going to have a hard time getting approach shots to stay Read more…
Crudely paraphrasing Heraclitus, as I am wont to do, there is uncertainty in all things. That’s especially so in a run-up to a British Open. As it is, we don’t even know what to call it for certain, but forget that tedious debate. Trying to be sure of who will most successfully navigate his way Read more…
The bigger issue is with those who don’t choose to play balls legal under the new rules. That includes LIV Golf, which likely would do anything to increase its entertainment proposition, but it also could involve the recreational golfer.
Unlike most clubs, putters seem to require more of an emotional component to their evaluations from our Hot List player panel. Yes, there are elements like forgiveness and roll, and, of course, the look that a player can talk about, but the overwhelming metric in terms of performance lies in assessing how a putter feels. Read more…
Callaway updates its “game-improvement wedge” lineup with the new CB12, a wide-soled cavity-back design that redistributes 12 grams to the perimeter for increased forgiveness not just on full swings but on short-shot mis-hits, too.
The best wedges seem to have the capacity to make us feel better. Assuming we take advantage of their performance characteristics, good wedges can take us from crushing disappointment to steadying relief with one swing. That’s particularly true when it comes to the imminent disasters a wedge can resolve on pitches and chips from tough Read more…
Australian Golf Digest
