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Toy Box
Why did Srixon make a yellow golf ball?
Why is the golf ball white? James Achenbach explains, and talks about Srixon’s new yellow ball.
AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am winner Dustin Johnson carried a prototype 22-degree TaylorMade hybrid. It has a small head with an adjustable face. The face is deeper in the toe area, and it has less bulge and roll than current models.
Jim Furyk, Charles Howell III and Rory Sabbatini have experimented with the same prototype hybrid.
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The 4 degrees of Goosen: Retief Goosen put a new TaylorMade driver into play. It was the Burner SuperFast, bent 4 degrees flat to try and prevent pulled or hooked tee shots.
Yes, titanium drivers such as the SuperFast can be bent. It is tricky, though, because the walls of the head are extremely thin and fracture easily. Bending a driver head 4 degrees is rare.
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Holmes confident with driver: Cobra has introduced two new drivers (the ZL and S2) since the L4V model, but J.B. Holmes posted his second consecutive top-3 finish with the L4V (8 degree) in his bag.
The long-hitting Holmes seems to have throttled back this year. So far in 2010, his driving average is 291.1 yards, which ranks 12th on the PGA Tour. Last year, Holmes ranked seventh in driving distance at 304.6 yards.
Holmes uses an Aldila VooDoo XVS8 shaft (X-flex) in his driver.
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Harrington switches putters: Three-time major champion Padraig Harrington switched to a new Odyssey Backstryke 2-Ball putter.
“All I know is that the ball goes right where I am aiming, and that is good for you,” Harrington said.
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Murray gets driver relief: There are touring pros, and then there are touring comics. Bill Murray, a decent golfer when not hobbled by a bum knee, switched drivers at Pebble Beach.
Murray brought his old TaylorMade r7 425 driver into the TaylorMade tour van, where technicians built him a new SuperTri driver with the exact same specs.
Murray also used a new Odyssey Backstryke putter – the Marxman Mallet model – at Pebble Beach.
