Golfweek

Stanley fully stocked with Titleist

Showing resolve in recovering from a stunning loss a week earlier at Torrey Pines, Kyle Stanley forged his first PGA Tour victory at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

He accomplished the feat with a full bag of Titleist equipment: 910D3 driver (8.5 degree with Mitsubishi Rayon’s Diamana Kai’li 70X shaft), 910Fd 3-wood (13.5 degree with a Mitsubishi Fubuki 83X shaft), 712 MB irons (4-PW), Vokey Design Spin Milled wedges (52, 56 and 60 degree) and a Scotty Cameron Timeless GSS putter. He played a Pro V1x ball.

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Odyssey’s new putter

Odyssey’s Metal-X putters made its debut in Phoenix and Qatar. At the Qatar Masters, 13 players used a Metal-X putter. . . . Dustin Johnson switched to a TaylorMade Ghost Spider Prototype putter at Phoenix. The putter was 35 inches with 2.5 degrees of loft and a 70.5-degree lie angle. . . . Former PGA champion Y.E. Yang put a new TaylorMade Ghost Manta putter in his bag. Yang likes it heavy, so the swingweight of his Manta is E6.

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Snedeker’s quick switch

It’s not often that a PGA Tour winner switches a club immediately after a victory, but that ...

Kyle Stanley (PGA Tour – Waste Management Phoenix Open)

Driver: Titleist 910D3 (8.5 degree; Mitsubishi Diamana Kaili 70x shaft)

Fairway wood: Titleist 910Fd 3-wood (13.5 degree; Mitsubishi Fubuki Tour 83x shaft)

Irons: Titleist 712 Series MB (3-PW; Project X 6.5 shafts)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design (52.08, 56.14) and Titleist Vokey SM4 (60.10)

Putter: Scotty Cameron Timeless (GSS)

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Footwear: FootJoy FJ Icon

Glove: FootJoy StaSof

• • •

Paul Lawrie (European Tour – CommercialBank Qatar Masters)

Driver: TaylorMade R11

Fairway wood: Callaway FT Tour 3-wood (15 degree)

Irons: Wilson Staff FG Tour (3-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM4 (52 and 60 degree)

Putter: Odyssey White Hot 2-Ball Blade

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Footwear: FootJoy FJ Icon

Glove: FootJoy

HOUSTON, Texas - Belly putters may not be spared the rulesmakers’ axe after all.

Just when it appeared likely that belly putters and chest putters would be with us for an extended period of time, a new ban-the-belly movement within the R&A has convinced the U.S. Golf Association to take what executive director Mike Davis calls a “fresh look” at the putting phenomenon known as anchoring.

Anchoring, as it is commonly called in R&A and USGA circles, refers in general to any putting method in which the putter is secured against the body in a manner considered to be outside the definition of a natural or traditional stroke.

In belly putting, the grip end of the putter is anchored in or around the abdomen. In chest putting, which is often called long putting, the grip end is locked against the chest.

Writing an anti-anchoring rule would be extremely tricky. Drafting the precise language would in all probability become the biggest challenge in the history of equipment rulesmaking. It would constitute a major rules decision.

The putters themselves would not be ruled nonconforming, but rather the putting methods would become illegal. This is exactly what happened more than 40 ...

At the 2012 PGA Merchandise Show, golf shafts were everywhere. For golf equipment fanatics, shafts could have been proclaimed the star of the show.

Of course, it wasn’t always this way. There was a time, not that long ago, when shafts received little fanfare.

It was the U.S. Golf Association that helped turn the attention of golfers in the United States to their golf shafts.

Back in the era before graphite shafts, life was relatively simple for golfers. There were iron heads, wood heads and steel shafts. No big deal.

Then the USGA gave its blessing to graphite shafts, and life on the equipment front got a little more complex.

Frank Thomas, who later would become technical director of the USGA, was experimenting with several shaft materials in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

One of those materials was carbon fiber, or graphite, which increasingly was being used in airplane construction. Gradually a few crude graphite golf shafts appeared on the PGA Tour, thanks mostly to Jim Flood from a fledgling graphite shaft manufacturer called Aldila.

Thomas, as an experimenter in exotic materials and an inventor of golf shafts, wasn’t about to stop this parade of new ...

Titleist’s NXT Tour family represents one of golf’s most recognizable names. For 2012, the family is growing and should attract even more attention.

At the PGA Merchandise Show, held Jan. 26-28 in Orlando, Fla., Titleist introduced two new NXT Tour models – NXT Tour and NXT Tour S.

Joining the NXT Tour party were two other new Titleist balls, a reconfigured DT SoLo and an interesting distance ball called Velocity.

First, though, the NXT Tour platform: NXT Tour balls appeal to a broad spectrum of golfers, and now there is a choice to be made by consumers. Will it be the NXT Tour or NXT Tour S?

The S version is slightly softer, but guess what? The NXT Tour also feels soft while generating, according to Titleist, even more distance than the previous NXT Tour.

“How do we make these balls even better? That’s the question we always ask ourselves,” said Mary Lou Bohn, vice president golf ball marketing and Titleist communications.

The inside of the new NXT Tour looks like this: three-piece construction, featuring a large dual core with a slightly smaller soft center and higher volume outer core layer.

The outside of the ball is a ...

Brandt Snedeker (PGA Tour – Farmers Insurance Open)

Driver: TaylorMade Burner SuperFast 2.0 (10.5 degree; Fujikura Motore F1 8.0 shaft)

Fairway wood: TaylorMade Burner SuperFast 2.0 3-wood (15 degree; Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 73x shaft)

Hybrid: Adams Idea a12 Proto (20 degree; NVentix Nunchuk GH 2660 shaft)

Irons: Bridgestone J40 Cavity Back (4-PW; Aerotech SteelFiber i95 Constant Weight shafts)

Wedges: Bridgestone J40 Satin Chrome (52 and 56 degree) and Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled (60 degree)

Putter: Odyssey White Hot XG Rossie

Ball: Bridgestone Tour B330

Footwear: adidas adiPure

• • •

Robert Rock (European Tour – Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship)

Driver: TaylorMade R11 (9 degree; Aldila NV ProtoPype 70x shaft)

Fairway wood: Callaway RAZR Hawk 3-wood (13 degree; Aldila DVS 70x shaft)

Irons: Callaway X-Forged (2-PW; True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts)

Wedges: Callaway X-Tour Forged (52 degree) and Cleveland CG14 Black Pearl (58 degree)

Putter: Odyssey Odyssey Black Series i #1

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Footwear: FootJoy FJ Icon

Glove: Titleist Players

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – Beginners no longer require an expensive -- and extensive -- introduction to the game.

Adding another element to the Grow the Game movement, Starting New at Golf (SNAG) is a first-touch system that teaches the sport to everyone from children to active seniors by using developmentally appropriate equipment -- big-faced clubheads, big golf balls, big putter heads -- that can be plied on the field, in gym class or on the range.

Sold primarily to teaching professionals, player-development programs and physical education instructors, the SNAG kit includes clubs, targets, training tools, balls and launch pads, with portable targets such as the Flagsticky, Bullseye and Rollerama.

Beginners stand inside the hoop block, designed to teach arm control for different strokes and swings.

From there, you can putt, using the roller brush to teach a slow, rhythmic stroke.

You can chip, using the SNAG-o-Matic to show beginners the proper form around the greens. This tool is placed on the inside of the left forearm (for right-handers) to simulate proper positioning through impact and, more importantly, prevent deceleration.

You can pitch, using the SNAGazoo to put beginners in the correct “L” or “9 o’clock” position on the backswing.

And you can hit full ...

ORLANDO, Fla. - Among the most eye-catching putters at the PGA Merchandise Show is Nike’s new Method Concept, a putter whose front section is flaming red and back section is midnight black.

It isn’t just the color that makes this putter different. The Concept looks as if somebody attached a bent horseshoe to the back of the putter.

The Concept putter was inspired by the existence of various so-called concept cars. There is a scientific reason behind every design feature of this golf club.

For starters, the front of the putter is made of aluminum. Over the history of the game, aluminum putters have developed a bad reputation because generally they haven’t felt solid at impact.

This one, though, feels extremely solid.

How did Nike engineers do it? The aluminum front piece weighs about 100 grams. Meanwhile, the high-mass stainless steel back piece weighs 250, 265 or 290 grams, depending on the length of the putter.

Total head weight for a 34-inch Concept is 350 grams. For a 32- or 33-inch Concept, it’s 365 grams. For a 41- or 43-inch belly putter, it’s 390 grams.

For a relatively small mallet design, the Concept boasts an impressive ...

Not able to get inside the doors at the annual merchandise showcase? No worries, we've got you covered. Check back multiple times a day for the latest from the showroom floor.

From the latest on equipment launches, to the latest fashion trends, to the little-known companies making noise at the Show to exclusive interviews with celebrities and golf stars alike, Golfweek will bring you wall-to-wall coverage starting on Wednesday at Demo Day at Orange County National and on Thursday through Saturday from the Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

You'll hear from our business editor, Gene Yasuda, our equipment expert, Jim Achenbach, and the rest of our staff of industry experts.

Want to follow along socially? Follow us on Twitter here and on Facebook here.

Here is a look at our preview coverage:

ORLANDO, Fla. - Holy cow, Batman, there’s a fleet of golf cars out here with solar panels on top.

Solar panels, which collect energy from the sun, can be spotted on rooftops in many cities. If the solar industry has its way, they will be stationed on top of golf carts at many golf courses.

Golf and solar are not total strangers. Solar panels have been in use for several years on a limited basis, the chief obstacle being the cost of the panels.

A golf cart needs just one panel on top. Typically the price per panel has hovered around $1,000. When it dropped to the $800 range, it was considered a victory for energy conservation.

Now a company out of Sarasota, Fla., called Golf Cart Solar is exhibiting here at the PGA Merchandise Show and selling its golf car panels for $427 apiece.

Considering that such a purchase qualifies for a 30 percent federal tax credit, this is widely viewed as a giant step in the emerging golf solar business.

Why would a course want solar panels on its carts?

Simple. Combined with the normal rechargeable batteries on the carts, solar panels can easily reduce electric bills ...

Wilson wins with newest Ping clubs

Golf club manufacturers love players who quickly and decisively fill their golf bags with new models. On the PGA Tour, Mark Wilson is among them.

In winning the Humana Challenge, Wilson used a Ping i20 driver (8.5 degree, 45.25 inches, Grafalloy Tour X shaft) and Ping i20 irons (4-PW, True Temper CS Lite shafts). How new are these clubs? They won’t be available at retail until the second week of February.

Other clubs in Wilson’s bag: Cleveland HiBore XLS 3-wood (13 degree, Aldila NV 95 X shaft), Ping i15 hybrids (17 and 20 degree, Graphite Design YS 85 X shafts), Ping Tour wedges (52 and 60 degree, True Temper CS Lite shafts tipped to make them stronger), Ping Karsten Anser putter (69-degree lie, 3-degree loft) and a Titleist Pro V1x ball.

• • •

Garrigus goes long with putter

Humana Challenge runner-up Robert Garrigus has switched from a 28.5-inch Titleist Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport Squareback to a 50-inch Titleist Scotty Cameron Big Sur long putter.

The new Big Sur has not yet been released to the public. Titleist sold a previous version of the Cameron Big Sur long putter in 2003 ...

Mark Wilson (PGA Tour – Humana Challenge)

Driver: Ping i20 (8.5 degree; Grafalloy Tour X shaft)

Fairway wood: Cleveland HiBore XLS 3-wood (13 degree; Aldila NV 95 shaft)

Hybrid: Ping i15 (17 and 20 degree; Graphite Design YS 85X shafts)

Irons: Ping i20 (4-PW; True Temper CS Lite shafts)

Wedges: Ping Tour (52 and 60 degree; True Temper CS Lite shafts)

Putter: Ping Karsten Anser

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Footwear: FootJoy FJ Icon

Glove: FootJoy SciFlex

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Branden Grace (European Tour – Volvo Golf Champions)

Driver: Callaway FT Tour (8.5 degree)

Fairway wood: Callaway Diablo Octane Tour 3-wood (13 degree)

Hybrid: Callaway Diablo Edge Tour (18 degree)

Irons: Callaway X-Forged (3-PW)

Wedges: Callaway X-Series Jaws (52 and 60 degree)

Putter: Odyssey Black Series TD #1 Wide

Ball: Callaway Tour i(s)

Footwear: FootJoy FJ Icon

• • •

Dan Forsman (Champions Tour – Mitsubishi Electric Championship)

Driver: Titleist 909D3 (9.5 degree)

Fairway wood: Titleist 909F3 3-wood (15 degree)

Hybrid: Titleist 910H (19 degree)

Irons: Titleist 712 MB (3-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM4 (54 and 58 degree)

Putter: NA

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

The letter S is for speed, and 2012 is a speed year.

Nike’s new family of clubs is the VR_S. This is the updated and, we are told, speedier version of the original VR line. So Nike added an S for Speed.

Meanwhile, TaylorMade has followed the R11 with the R11S. TaylorMade, citing increased clubhead speed because of improved aerodynamics, just added an S, too.

Both Nike and TaylorMade are reminding consumers that more clubhead speed means more ball speed, which means more distance.

What Nike club designer Tom Stites has created for the VR_S is called NexCOR Club Face Technology. NexCOR can be found in drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons.

What NexCOR has done, according to Nike literature, is help the company make “what is the fastest and hottest family of golf clubs that Nike Golf has ever produced.”

NexCOR focuses on the face of each club in the VR_S lineup. The faces have multiple thicknesses and are optimized for maximum flex and better ball compression.

In general, the VR_S line is designed for golfers with swing speeds that do not match those of touring pros. This is complemented by the VR Pro LE, aimed at players ...

Sony winner Wagner relies on mixed set

Here’s something we don’t often see on the PGA Tour: A winner with a truly mixed bag of clubs.

Johnson Wagner, winner of the Sony Open in Hawaii Jan. 15, used metalwoods from one company, a hybrid from another, irons and wedges from a third.

Wagner recently signed with TaylorMade. For 2012, he also has a ball-shoe-glove contract with Titleist/FootJoy. .

Wagner’s bag included a TaylorMade R11S driver (8 degree with Aldila RIP NV 65 shaft) and Burner SuperFast 2.0 3-wood (13.5 degree with Aldila NV 75 shaft), Titleist 712 CB irons (3-9 with Nippon N.S. PRO Modus3 Tour 120 steel shafts) and Vokey Design Spin Milled wedges (48, 54 and 60 degree with True Temper Dynamic Gold steel shafts).

In Hawaii, he also carried an Adams Idea Pro a12 Proto hybrid (18 degree with Graphite Design Tour AD UT 85 shaft) and a Scotty Cameron Mid Slant prototype putter.

Wagner’s victory was the first for TaylorMade’s new R11S driver. Both 2011’s R11 and 2012’s R11S have adjustable white heads, although the R11S is 460cc, up 20cc from last year’s model.

Wagner ...

Johnson Wagner (PGA Tour – Sony Open in Hawaii)

Driver: TaylorMade R11S (8 degree; Aldila RIP NV 65 shaft)

Fairway wood: TaylorMade Burner SuperFast 2.0 3-wood (15.0 degree; Aldila NV 75 shaft)

Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro a12 (18 degree; Graphite Design Tour AD UT 85 shaft)

Irons: Titleist 712 CB (3-9; Nippon NS Pro shafts)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled (48, 54 and 60 degree; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts)

Putter: Scotty Cameron prototype

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Footwear: FootJoy FJ Icon

Glove: FootJoy SciFlex

• • •

Branden Grace (European Tour – Joburg Open)

Driver: Callaway FT Tour (8.5 degree)

Fairway wood: Callaway Diablo Octane Tour 3-wood (13 degree)

Hybrid: Callaway Diablo Edge Tour (18 degree)

Irons: Callaway X Forged (3-PW)

Wedges: Callaway X-Series Jaws (52 and 60 degree)

Putter: Odyssey Black Series Tour Designs #1 Wide

Ball: Callaway Tour i(s)

Footwear: FootJoy FJ Icon