David Braham asked:




A Peek at the 2009 Golf Digest Hot List

Whether you’re a golf equipment fanatic or just a casual observer of the latest offerings and trends in golf clubs and accessories, the 2009 Golf Digest Hot List is a golf equipment smorgasbord. From drivers, fairway woods and hybrids, to irons, wedges and putters-oh, and bags and balls, too-the equipment gurus at Golf Digest break it down in their popular annual equipment ranking.

The Process

If you’re wondering how golf equipment experts rate, for example, Callaway drivers or TaylorMade irons, think Excel spreadsheets with thousands of data points, hundreds of pages of technical data from golf equipment manufacturers, scientists, a four-part judging criteria, and a two-week visit to a San Jose, California, resort for field testing.

The process is, in a word, exhaustive. Golf Digest evaluated the “universe” of golf clubs-471 entries, to be exact-and judged them across four weighted criteria: 1) performance (40%), 2) innovation (30%), 3) look/sound/feel (20%), and 4) demand (10%). 

After all the facts and data were collected, the judges engaged in nine days of meetings that included 800 debates to arrive at the 116-club Hot List. Along the way, they ate a lot of take-out food.

 Following is a peek at this year’s list. 

Drivers

Golf Digest breaks down the golf drivers category into two parts: drivers over $350 and drivers under $350. Then it splits the two categories into gold and silver winners.

Three of the gold winners in the over $350 category are the Callaway FT-9, PING Rapture V2 and the TaylorMade r7 Limited.

No one is better than Callaway at using multiple materials, said the judges about the FT-9. Players like the look, balance and carry of the PING Rapture V2, which has a similar look to the PING G10. The TaylorMade r7 Limited has movable weights and features an Ozik shaft. Some said it produces the best feel of any club on the market. 

Gold winners in the under $350 category included Adams Speedline, Callaway Big Bertha Diablo, PING G10 and TaylorMade Burner. 

Irons

Irons were broken into three categories that correspond with playing ability and interests: game improvement, super game improvement and players irons.

Gold winners in the game-improvement category included Callaway X-22, PING G10 and TaylorMade Burner. One player said he could hit the Callaway X-22 irons blindfolded. Sign me up, he said. Callaway X-22 led in the Demand category, which is an assessment of reputation, interest, intrigue and excitement. The PING G10 is a long-time category leader, and the TaylorMade Burner irons really shined, leading in three of the four judging categories: performance, innovation and look/sound/feel.

TaylorMade also had a gold winner in the super game improvement category: the Burner Plus, which features an oversized clubhead and hefty offset to help get the golf ball in the air.

In the players irons category, Titleist AP2 rose to the top, along with TaylorMade Tour Preferred, Callaway X-22 Tour, Callaway X-Forged and PING S57 models, four among the total of six gold winners.

Putters

Arguably, there’s no golf club more important than the putter. Golf Digest took a close look at two main categories: blade putters and mallet putters.

Gold winners in the blade putter category over $200 included the Odyssey Black Series I #6, TaylorMade Daytona TP-KIA MA and Titleist Cameron Studio Select, which led in three of four criteria: performance, look/sound/feel and demand.

In the blade putter category under $200, top picks were the Odyssey White Hot Tour 1, two PING Anser models and the TaylorMade Daytona.

Gold winners in the mallet putter category included the Odyssey Black Series I 2-Ball, PING iWi Craz-E and TaylorMade Itsy Bitsy Spider. And leading mid-mallet putters were Odyssey, Titleist Cameron and MacGregor models.

Bags

Hot List judges took a look at lightweight carry bags and “do it all” cart bags, selecting their 21 favorites. Leading the list of gold and silver winners were models from Callaway, PING, TaylorMade, Titleist, Bag Boy, Nike, Ogio, Sun Mountain, Wilson and Izzo.

What Tour Pros Play

What do the top tour professionals play? Following is just a sampling.

Callaway: Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Annika Sorenstam

TaylorMade: Kenny Perry, Sergio Garcia, Paula Creamer

PING: Angel Cabrera, Lorena Ochoa, Hunter Mahan

Titleist: Steve Stricker, Zach Johnson, Adam Scott

tyde47 asked:


i am a 2 handicap i scuff a ball of every club exsept woods and putter i have blades i do play the callaway ix tour but ah not great 10 points

todd h asked:


It is the only golf training aid for putting that emits a Laser-Dot from the actual golf ball being putted. The device includes colored-targets at which to putt the golf ball (laser-dot). The laser-dot represents the EXACT location/trajectory of every putt. It is ideal for those whom want to know their TRUE linear putting accuracy. There is NO BALL CHASING – simply reset and putt again. The colored targets lend the device to double as an ADDICTIVE competitive GOLF GAME. Example: “OUT and AROUND THE WORLD (adapted from basketball) are great group games. Anectdote: Lots of putter grabbing and friendly arguments; sure signs of a winning product. Visit: www.marketlaunchers.com/hambly.html for picture and brief description. Site is a work in progress. Thank You.

Aidan Sugrue asked:




Choosing the right putter can be the most important decision you make when it comes to your equipment. In fact, the putter is the club you use the most. Choosing the right one is like choosing a best friend. A few basic considerations to keep in mind when you are making such an important decision have to do with the bottom section or the “head” of the putter. This is where the brains of the putter are. There are other factors to consider such as the length and the grip but the brains of your best friend will be the most important part of choosing the right putter. Before looking at all of these considerations, let us first consider the most important part of this club known as the “head” of the putter.

The head is the most important part of the putter because it is the place where your ball will make contact on the green. The material in the head affects the way the ball moves and its direction across the green. Cheap or “dumb” putters are usually made of lighter plastic, zinc or aluminum. The lighter material requires you to hit the ball even harder on the green and allows for more mistakes. “Smart”, quality putters will usually incorporate stainless steel, titanium or brass. They can also have some wood mixed in or can be made of a combination of these other materials to create a more solid head. The difference will be felt when you hit the ball. On a slow green, the ball will move a lot easier. On a fast green, it will seem that you hardly have to hit it at all.

Perimeter weighting and Lie-angle - Two other important considerations in the head of the putter are perimeter weighting and lie-angle. Perimeter weighting has to do with the size and shape of the head. If you look, you will see a recess in the center of the head. This recess makes it possible for the weight of the head to be distributed in the toe and the heel which is preferable. The other important factor is the lie-angle in the putter head. This tells you whether the putter is sitting flat against the ground when you hold it. Put yourself in your most comfortable stance and ask the salesman to check this for you. If the putter head is not sitting flat against the ground, you may need to have it adjusted.

Length and Grip - Two final things to consider in a putter are the length and the grip. The standard length of a putter is thirty-five inches. If you tend to stand upright, you may want it longer. If you bend over a lot, a shorter putter may be necessary. There are also various grips to consider so that a golfer with smaller hands may need a smaller diameter grip and vice versa. Most importantly, choose a putter that looks and feels comfortable to you because this is going to be your best friend! With these considerations in mind, you will know that you have definitely chosen the right putter for you.

Sean asked:


I recently turned 14 years old and my height is about 5′3″ I am pretty short for my age. I’ve gone through a lot of junior golf sets, and they are not long enough for me now. I’m looking into buying a new set of clubs. I’m wondering what the best clubs for me would be, ladies or mens? Any specific clubs/brands you recommend? I can afford a nice set of clubs. I need a full set of clubs; wedges, irons, woods, a putter, and a driver. I’m an average golfer for my age and usually par or bogey holes. I’m starting to golf a lot more and I’ve really come to like the game. I want a nice driver, I’m not into used/cheapo clubs, but I do not want to get the fanciest set there is, and break the bank.
I’m not a beginner, I’ve been playing since I was young, now I need a better quality set.