Equipment Reviews

Our in-house technology expert Simon Cooper will regularly review new and upcoming products to the market place, making this essential reading for anyone wanting to know the pros & cons of new arrivals and why it may or may not suit there game. With new kit arriving on a fairly regular basis, we will do our best to provide you with factual information and images to keep you abreast of all the latest gear that will be available in the studio.

MIZUNO Mizuno MP53 irons - A development off the MP52 irons with a little more forgiveness built in to the longer irons due to a slightly deeper cut-away design in the back of the club. Mizuno MP63 irons - A development off the MP62 irons, again with a little more playability in the longer irons due to more efficient weight positioning.  Mizuno MP T-11 wedges - A new version of the T-10 wedges with confirming grooves and a slightly altered finish to reduce glare.   PING Ping G20 Driver -   One of the most forgiving drivers ever on the market, pulling the weight further from the face keeps more stable and gives more of an up and out trajectory. Separating the weight this far does make it imperative to hit up on the ball, as hitting on a downward angle of approach will miss the clubs mass. Whilst it is forgiving, feedback from clients is that it is slightly hollow feeling and sounding. Sits slightly shut, so suits a fade ball flight.

Ping K15 Driver - A slightly deeper weighted version of the G15 and offers a higher launch and slightly more forgiving profile due to a thinner crown allowing redistribution of weight low and to the back of the head to improve forgiveness and to square the club face easily at impact.

Ping K15 Fairway woods - A larger head size than the previous Ping models and similar weight positioning to the driver means higher launch and more forgiveness than any previous Ping model.

Ping K15 iron/hybrid set - A thinner, larger titanium face creates greater dispersion of weight away from the centre of the face making it more forgiving and a wider sole also promotes higher launch. The hybrids are very similar to the G15 hybrid heads and have a large internal weight pad at the base of the head to also help promote forgiveness and high flight. The set gives the hybrid head in the 3 iron and 4 iron heads and the option of iron or hybrid in the 5 iron and 6 iron so the set can be tailored to the player easily.

Ping Anser irons - Ping's first forged irons giving a softer feel that cast heads cannot achieve but incorporating a weight pad into the sole of the irons to lower the weight profile creating more forgiveness and a higher launch profile. There is also a hollow cavity in the base of the heads, further enhancing forgiveness and launch angle (Anser iron due for release mid-November).

Ping Tour-S wedges - Ping's Conforming groove model wedge, a machine-milled face promotes consistency off the club face with the "Rustique" model rusting over time to create a slightly softer feel.

 

TAYLOR MADE

Taylor Made Burner 2.0 irons - A thinner face to the irons increases ball speed off the club and the centre of mass has been located differently in each iron through the set to promote more forgiveness in the long irons and more control in the short irons with the aim of creating optimal performance in each part of the set.

 

CALLAWAY 

Callaway RAZR Hawk Driver - Using a new "Forged composite" material which is 30% lighter and stronger than traditional composite materials it enables more weight to be distributed within the head to make it more forgiving and slightly higher launch than other heads of the same size. It comes in Tour, Neutral and Draw models with the Neutral and Draw heads being a direct replacement for the FT-9. The Tour model is certainly the better players club but a step forward from the FT Tour head as it offers a more stable performance and slightly higher launch.

Callaway RAZR Hawk Fairway wood - Replaces the FT fairway wood but is designed to be a high launch, low spin head and as easy to hit as possible, again utilising the Forged Composite material but keeping the Tour style shaping to the head.

Callaway RAZR X hybrids - The standard head performs very similarly to the Diablo Edge hybrids. The Tour model replaces the FT hybrid with a more compact shape and promotes a much stronger flight with a more penetrating launch profile. Both heads use a "Zero Roll Design" which means that rather than having less loft at the base of the face (as the majority of other heads do) the loft is consistent across the head helping get a higher launch from a strike low on the face. The Diablo Edge hybrid stays in the range but is set to compliment the Diablo Edge iron set with the RAZR X series sitting more in line with the RAZR iron series.

Callaway RAZR X Forged iron - Slightly deeper weighted than the X Forged '09 iron but a very solid feel off the face. Marginally more user-friendly than the X forged heads but a very workable, clean looking club head and with higher ball speeds from strikes lower on the face.

Callaway RAZR X Tour iron - Replaces the X-22 Tour iron and again places slightly more weight lower in the head to promote forgiveness but a slightly stronger loft to create more distance. A clean, tidy top line for a "tour" look but a very playable head relative to the head shape.

Callaway RAZR X iron - Deep weighting and slightly altered weight positioning over the X-22 iron focuses the weight on promoting a high launch and the strong loft creates the longest hitting iron Callaway have produced.

Callaway Diablo Octane Driver - Replaces the Diablo Edge series and again utilises Forged Composite materials in the crown to redistribute mass within the head more efficiently and keep ball speeds as high as possible. As with the Diablo Edge series there is a standard and Tour model available. They both also use a PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) finish to produce a distinctive, non-glare finish.

Callaway Diablo Octane Fairway Woods - Very similar to the Diablo Edge series they are taking over from the standard and Tour heads produce very similar flight characteristics with the Tour model a low launch and spin head and the standard model deep weighting for easy launch and greater forgiveness and low spin.

(Callaway Diablo Octane series are due for release at the end of the year, RAZR Hawk and RAZR X products are due for release in February).