2013 MERCHANDISE HIGHLIGHTS

GolfTEC Staff

It’s that time of year again! Each year in February we take a closer look at some of the new clubs getting ready to hit the racks.

As golf technology continues to improve, manufacturers continue to make incredible advances in their product lines. After the PGA Merchandise Show and seeing new releases from a handful of club manufacturers, we can confidently say that 2013 will be another great year. Your local GolfTEC will have many of these clubs available soon for you to demo.

We asked three experts who have three different perspectives on golf merchandise what clubs are on their list to play and to test this year. And just like last year, there is a huge variety in the clubs they chose knowing one size never fits all.

Click here for more information about GolfTEC’s club fitting services.

Nick Paez
GolfTEC Cleveland, Franchise Owner, Director of Instruction

2012 GolfTEC Teacher of the Year Nick Paez has built quite the resume during his time at GolfTEC. He has been named 2012 Northern Ohio PGA Teacher of the Year, 2012 Golf Digest #4 Ranked Teacher in Ohio, 2011 Golf Digest Top 100 Clubfitter in America, and 2010 Top 50 US Kids Instructor.

1. 2013 Callaway X-Forged Irons- The most notable design changes are a slightly wider sole to improve how the club interacts with the turf, a lower center of gravity position in the long irons to promote a higher launch and increased carry, and a higher center of gravity in the shorter irons for a flatter trajectory and more consistency. The lofts have also been strengthened by one degree. Each iron comes standard with the new, top-of-the-line Project X Pxi shaft. It is lighter, softer, and is a constant weight shaft.
2. Callaway X-Hot and X-Hot Pro Drivers- The X-Hot and X-Hot Pro drivers have center of gravities that move toward the heel as the lofts increase to help square the club at impact. Both drivers are all-titanium and use Callaway’s Forged Cup Face design, which Callaway says leads to high ball speeds across the face. They are also adjustable with Callaway’s Opti-Fit Hosel System. With a matte dark grey finish, these drivers have a very nice, un-distracting look.
3. TaylorMade RocketBladez Irons- The key technology behind RocketBladez is their speed pocket, a 2 mm-wide slot in the sole of the 3-through-7 irons that flexes and rebounds at impact, which the company says promotes faster ball speed, a higher launch and a ball flight that lands on a steeper, quick-stopping angle. These irons will be geared more toward a higher handicapper who is looking for a game improvement club.
4. Ping G25 Driver and Fairway Woods- Ping designers moved the center of gravity lower and further back on their new G25 driver. This helps a golfer in two ways: it increases perimeter weighting, which adds forgiveness to shots hit off-center, and it works to deliver the club at impact with more dynamic loft, creating a higher launch angle. As a result, most testers went down in loft and saw a 1-mph increase in ball speed with the new model.
5. Aerotech SteelFiber Shafts- Relatively unheard of, Aerotech aims to provide the feel and vibration dampening of graphite with the stability of steel. Their SteelFiber iron shafts, available in weights from 74 to 125 grams, are classified as graphite shafts in a broad sense, but are actually a combination of a graphite core surrounded by an outer layer of steel fiber. Aerotech is generating some buzz on the PGA tour since Matt Kuchar and Brandt Snedeker put them in play last year.

Josh Babbitt
Publisher, The Hacker’s Paradise

According to Josh, “2013 may in fact be the year that companies bring “unique” to the table. More designs, more technology and more innovation than ever has been put out across the board.” Check out The Hacker’s Paradise by clicking here.

1. Callaway X-Hot Fairway Wood – New design, new finish and tour professionals hitting it to distances previously unheard of. Early testing showed great looks, perfect sound and solid performance.
2. Cleveland 588 RTX Wedges – Cleveland wedges that combine the performance and feel of the 588 line with some design elements of the CG15 line means the best they have ever created.
3. Cobra AMP Cell Driver – MyFly technology is real and it is incredible. Other companies have followed suit. Completely change your loft to fit your game. Great looking driver available in many colors that performs as good as it looks.
4. TaylorMade RocketBladez Irons – Great distance, good looks, solid feel and some of the most forgiving irons we have tested to date. What else can someone ask for?
5. Cleveland Classic XL Custom Driver – Last year the Classic driver was one of the best performers on the market. This year they added adjustability and a new all black and gold color scheme without any sacrifices.

Sean Weir
Editor, The PutterZone

Sean’s website, PutterZone.com, has literally everything you need to know about putters. He’s also the author of the putter fitting guide, Putter Perfection, available on Amazon.

1. Yes! i4-TECH Stephanie ($179) – This new mallet from Yes! Golf may look sleek, but there’s a lot hidden under the hood. It has a four-piece C-Groove insert (hence the name i4-TECH) with a polymer backing to enhance your roll and provide a softer feel. It also has a tungsten-weighting feature that increases the MOI, distributing mass in a way that amplifies forgiveness. The putter’s distinctive “antique PVD” finish is charming, too.
2. New Rife Putters ($179) – Several years ago, Rife was known for producing some of the coolest sticks on the market. But for whatever reason, Rife Putters hit a rough stretch. Now, however, the Rife brand has retooled and reloaded for 2013 under the ownership of Innovex Golf. New Rife models include the Iconic, Hero, Phenom and El Capitan. I’ve only seen photos so far, but they look intriguing, and it’s exciting to see the Rife brand back in action.
3. Kronos Touch Putter ($350) – Helmed by a pair of young California entrepreneurs, Kronos Golf is a new artisan outfit specializing in precision milled putters that combine a classic vibe with numerous innovative twists. Their Kronos Touch blade putter offers elite looks, feel and performance. The Touch’s cool leather head cover and UST Frequency Filtered shaft are the frosting on the cake.
4. Whitlam Copper Devon Blade ($350) – In late 2012, Whitlam Golf released a trio of gorgeous mallets milled from pure copper. Next up is a blade companion in copper that promises to open more than a few wallets on looks alone. According to David Whitlam, the copper offers a feel that is softer than stainless steel. You can also expect the copper to develop a nice weathered patina over time, providing visual testimony to your time spent on the green.
5. Odyssey Versa Putters (starting at $169) – The Odyssey Versa putters boast an innovative high-contrast alignment system featuring lateral black-and-white lines that span the crown of the putter head from heel to toe. I love the idea of sightlines that are perpendicular to the target, helping you get the putter face square to your line. As they say in the Guinness commercials: Brilliant!

Club Corner

A closer look at another innovative lineup from TaylorMade.
Doug Rikkers, GolfTEC Director of Club Fitting & Merchandise Services, PGA Member

For the last several years, TaylorMade has captured the collective imagination of the golf world with its innovative and state-of-the-art products. So, it is with great anticipation that we await the February 1st, 2013 release of their new line featuring the R1 Driver, RBZ Stage 2 drivers, fairways, and rescues, and the February 15th, 2013 release of the RocketBladez Tour Irons.

According to TaylorMade research, 80% of all golfers are playing the wrong lofted driver. To combat this, the R1 Driver has five degrees of adjustability (from eight to 12-degrees), meaning virtually everyone can find the perfect loft for them within the same club! It also has an adjustable sole plate with seven face angle options and two moveable weights to promote the shot shape you’re looking for. Want to see fewer slices? Flip the weights around and set the face closed and you’re done! We were able to test the R1 with some of our staff and saw a huge difference! Rich, who gained 24 yards over his current driver and reduced his left hook by 12 yards, said, “I picked up 24 yards in carry distance as compared to my Titleist 909D2.  Plus, it was much straighter. As for look and feel, it set up well at address and it had a nice feel and sound at impact”.

For those less inclined to tinker with their driver, the RBZ Stage 2 Driver and Stage 2 Driver Tour offer tremendous performance without the sole plate and movable weights. However, you can still change loft to optimize your launch and spin. If you’re looking for more distance off the fairways, the RBZ Stage 2 fairways offer an improved speed pocket and a more forward center of gravity to add up to 10 yards for better players; and that’s on top of the 17-yard increase in last year’s RocketBallz fairways!

We were also able to do some testing on the RocketBladez Irons. Brent hit the RocketBladez Tour 6-iron and compared it to the Adams CB2 6-iron. Both clubs have the same KBS stiff shaft with the same length, so it was truly just comparing the club heads. According to Brent, “The performance in both irons is good, but the RocketBladez have a softer contact feel and produced a 1,000 rpm higher spin rate. The distance and accuracy of the irons are very similar, but I think the RocketBladez would land softer and stop quicker on the greens. If I was in the market for new irons, I would put the TaylorMade RocketBladez on my short list”. These irons have a very traditional look, but take full advantage of technologies like the Speed Pocket to increase performance, particularly on shots hit low on the face.

All of these clubs will hit the market in February and will be featured in this month’s “GolfTEC Try It Series” the week of February 18th. Mark your calendar and come get custom fit! Check with your Certified Personal Coach for details.

Performance Secret

Beat the Winter Blues with these Indoor Drills.
Pat Bernot, GolfTEC Director of Instruction and PGA Member, GolfTEC Easton

This is a time of year when weather and darkness may make it tough to scratch the golf itch. Many of us want to improve our golf game all year, but when we get to the winter months of the year, we aren’t able to get to the golf course or even driving range to hone our skills for the upcoming year. Cold weather doesn’t mean that you can’t improve your game, though. As a GolfTEC Certified Coach, I have seen first-hand how golfers can take full advantage of the colder months by utilizing time at home or in the office to make changes that lead to improving their game. Improvement in golf is not limited to hitting golf balls or playing golf. Below are three drills that you can do with limited space and resources to improve your game.

The Microwave Drill

-Items needed: A clock/watch and a golf club

The Microwave Drill was developed by GolfTEC Coach Jeff McEldowney. When a person puts something in a microwave, they usually have 60-90 seconds of idle time. Why not put it to use by improving the golf swing? Keep an old club in your kitchen (Sand Wedge works best because it’s short). The concept of the drill is to make a couple of golf swings in 30 seconds (or longer). This can be used to improve any position of the golf swing. Making your swing last 30 seconds or more makes the motions VERY slow and deliberate and allows you to increase the process of acquiring new skills. Improvement or progress is measured in the number of quality repetitions you make, not the quantity of repetitions you make. Regardless of the position you might be working on in the golf swing, you can learn to feel the movement and transfer this to “muscle memory” because it is being done so slowly.

The Pony Tail Drill

-Items needed: A putter, two woman’s hair bands, and golf ball

The Pony Tail drill is very simple. Many people struggle with putting because they don’t hit the center of the putter face consistently. Take a woman’s hair band (the type that are slightly larger than rubber bands) and put them on the face of the putter, just far enough apart that a golf ball can hit the center of the face without hitting either band. You can practice putting from any distance, but start with short putts and short strokes. If you struggle, move the bands further apart and slowly move them closer as you improve. If you want to get more sophisticated, you can purchase clips through Eyeline Golf that go on the face of the putter.

Chipping up the Ladder

-Items needed: SW or LW, foam golf balls (or ping pong balls), and small hand towels

Many people struggle to control their distances when chipping. The wintertime is a great time to improve this control. Take three hand towels and place them 2-3 feet apart from each other. Start by chipping to the first one. The goal is to land five balls in a row on the first towel. Then move on to the second one and then the third. You want the balls to stay on the towel if possible to improve height control as well. You can expand on this drill by moving backwards or making targets smaller as you improve.

Each of these drills allows you to work on a different aspect of your game to improve this winter.