Shaft Month: Graphite gains momentum in irons
Manufacturers of graphite iron shafts, citing exceptional feel and improved performance, are conspicuously bullish as they head into a new season.
Shaft Month: Accra's co-owner, a preacher of proper fitting
The Accra Premium Golf Shafts business is based on intelligent, informed fitting, and Accra shafts are available only through a network of some 350 club fitters around the world.
True Temper unveils 'sub-40' driver shaft
At the PGA Merchandise Show, which concluded Jan. 26, True Temper made a proclamation: “We have the lightest golf shaft that’s ever been introduced. It weighs 39.5 grams at 46 inches raw length.”
Toy Box: Lefty’s arsenal delivers wire-to-wire win
From Phil Mickelson's nearly complete Callaway bag to Titleist's new Pro V1 and Pro V1x gaining momentum, a look at equipment used last week in the world of golf.
Shaft Month: Q&A with Fujikura's David Schnider
For Shaft Month, Fujikura's Dave Schnider sat down with Golfweek's James Achenbach and shared his thoughts on graphite performance and the latest trends affecting product development.
USGA's Nager on slow play: 'Golf needs to act'
During his presidential address at the USGA Annual Meeting, Glen Nager said he intends to declare war on slow play and any move toward bifurcation.
Toy Box: Tiger uses Nike gear for record win
Tiger Woods picked up his eighth victory at Torrey Pines, with a four-shot triumph at the Farmers Insurance Open. He did it with an all-Nike bag.
Club guru Ed Mitchell: 50 Shows and counting
Ed Mitchell, maker of Steelclub loft and lie machines, became a club professional in 1962 and has attended somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 PGA Merchandise Shows.
Titleist debuts next-generation Pro V1, V1x
Titleist’s newest Pro V1 golf balls are ready to hit retailers’ shelves this week, promising more distance, softer feel and more durability in a tour-proven ball that already has won seven professional golf tournaments around the world.
Backweighting undergoes a revival
Backweighting will be seen in abundance at the PGA Merchandise Show. Sometimes called counterbalancing, backweighting is nothing new. It has been a part of the game for decades – clubmakers place lead or some heavy material in the butt end of the shaft to alter the feel and balance point of a club.
NexBelt offers no-holes belt with proper fit
It might seem difficult to get excited about a golf belt, but how about a belt with no holes and that promises a better fit? NexBelt has created one.
Q&A: John Spitzer, USGA managing director of equipment standards
On Feb. 2, John Spitzer officially will become managing director of equipment standards for the U.S. Golf Association, moving up from assistant technical director. Spitzer, who has been with the USGA since 1997, replaces senior technical director Dick Rugge, who is retiring.
Bright ideas: Colorful, low-spin drivers highlight '13
Drivers – colorful and with lower spin – offer plenty of options for 2013
Q&A: Marty Jertson, senior design engineer, Ping
Marty Jertson is a senior design engineer for Ping. As a professional, he qualified for the 2011 and ’12 PGA Championships and was a star of the 25th PGA Cup in 2011.
An abundance of driver adjustability
For 2013, adjustable drivers dominate the landscape. For the first time, every major golf equipment manufacturer will showcase at least one adjustable driver at the PGA Merchandise Show, Jan. 24-26 in Orlando, Fla.
New Callaway driver goes Xtreme
Callaway is introducing a driver - the Razr Fit Xtreme - and preaching a club-fitting philosophy that is different than driver developments from several other companies.
TaylorMade unveils RocketBladez irons
The TaylorMade golf club family is expanding, as RocketBallz has a sibling for 2013 called RocketBladez.
Titleist introduces 913 hybrid, fairway wood
Titleist's new 913 driver has made an early appearance on Tour with the likes of Rory McIlroy, and now you will see more of the 913 fairway and hybrid line as well.
Nike launches cavity-back VR_S Covert driver
The new adjustable VR_S Covert driver is the most distinctive club ever released by Nike Golf. The head is a deep red. The loft can be changed from 8.5 degree to 12.5 degree.
Achenbach: Family, innovation drive Ping's evolution
From modest beginnings, Ping has evolved under Solheim offspring, but family, innovation still drive clubmaker.
Humana, Clinton lead Bob Hope comeback
The Humana Challenge, formerly the Bob Hope Classic, has staged a remarkable comeback in the past two years.
Toy Box: Henley wins in PGA Tour debut
Russell Henley, a Web.com Tour graduate, won in his first start as a PGA Tour member, a three-shot victory in the Sony Open at 24-under 256.
A new trend: No loft stamped on driver heads
For 2013, another trend is emerging in drivers: no loft stamped on the clubhead. TaylorMade (R1), Nike (VR_S Covert), Cobra (Amp Cell) and Adams (Super S) all have it. Or better said, they don’t have it.
G25 is next up in Ping's G series evolution
Next in the evolution of Ping's G series: the new G25. At the PGA Merchandise Show on January 24-26 in Orlando, Fla., Ping will showcase this new line. Bubba Watson has switched to the G25, as has fellow Ping staffer Hunter Mahan.
Brannan, Ping rep and former U.S. Junior champ, dies at 57
Mike Brannan, a former U.S. Junior Amateur champion and two-time California State Amateur champion, died Jan. 8. He was 57.
Callaway adds Ishikawa to its tour staff
Japanese phenom Ryo Ishikawa has signed a multi-year contract with Callaway Golf.
Johnson wins with new TaylorMade, Fujikura products
Dustin Johnson debuts new TaylorMade and Fujikura products, while Webb Simpson shows off new Titleist clubs and Bubba Watson adds a Ping G25.
TaylorMade: New 3-wood will go 10 yards farther
RocketBallz fairway woods and Rescues gained so much popularity in 2012 - their first year of existence - that TaylorMade decided to make Rocketballz Stage 2 its one and only line of fairway woods and Rescues for 2013.
TaylorMade introduces new R1, RocketBallz Stage 2
TaylorMade's encore to a highly successful 2012? New adjustability, new graphics, new shafts options and new names. Say hello to R1 and RocketBallz Stage 2.
Palms GC offers fastest play in U.S.
The fastest-play golf course on a day-to-day basis in the United States? I say it’s The Palms Golf Club in La Quinta, Calif., where the ride/walk ratio is about 75/25 and where all these golfers play as if propelled by rocket boosters.
Adams goes white with Super S, Super LS lines
More white golf clubs were coming. Everybody knew it. Now here they are for 2013 -- white-headed metalwoods from Adams, joining the parade of white drivers, fairway woods and hybrids introduced by TaylorMade in 2011.
Golf Swing Shirt helps swing connectivity
The Golf Swing Shirt is a practice device that is intended to squeeze the arms together and teach connectivity -- the art of a golfer’s body parts remaining synchronized and connected during the swing.
Wilson unveils D-100 family
Wilson’s new family of Staff D-100 golf clubs includes irons, drivers, fairway woods and hybrids for both men and women. It has been years since Wilson staged an introduction this comprehensive.
Proposed Solheim patent matches equipment to handicap
John Solheim has applied for a United States patent outlining the use of an equipment rating formula to determine a golfer’s handicap.
My Year in Golf: James Achenbach
Golf is irreplaceable. It is the world’s greatest game. It is hypnotic for both spectators and participants. We can watch it all our lives. We can play it all our lives. But we should be concerned with the state of recreational golf, despite modest gains in 2012.
Titleist runs away with Golfweek Industry Cup title
Titleist captured the annual Golfweek Industry Cup - a tournament that features employees of major golf companies - at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in California.
Spitzer named head of USGA's Research and Test Center
John Spitzer, longtime assistant technical director for the U.S. Golf Association, will become the head of the association's research and test center in February.
Toy Box: Stricker wields new flatstick
Steve Stricker turned heads at the World Challenge when he showed up with a new putter. Known as one of the best putters in the world, Stricker played with a face-balanced Odyssey Sabertooth conventional-length putter.
Achenbach: Q-School is all about tough-guy golf
From leader Steven Bowditch to Kevin Kisner to Paul Stankowski, the 108-hole test that is PGA Tour Q-School is more about the ability to maintain your mental stability than it is about your skills on the course.
Slocum on the right path to regain PGA Tour card
The infamous “We talkin’ ‘bout practice” quote from basketball player Allen Iverson has developed a life of its own, 10 years after Iverson scoffed at taking practice seriously. But for 38-year-old Heath Slocum, it's a necessity.
Pernice, 53, trying to hold his own at Q-School
Tom Pernice Jr., 53, and Si Woo Kim, 17, are competing for spots on the 2013 PGA Tour. Kim would set a record for youngest player in the history of the Tour. Pernice, meanwhile, is trying to stay on golf's biggest stage.
Achenbach: You can argue, but ban is done deal
James Achenbach says opposition to the proposed anchoring ban likely won't go away, but don't expect golf's ruling bodies to reverse their position.
Karlsson begins comeback at Q-School
Sergio Garcia, Kevin Na, Robert Karlsson. Three different personalities, three different golf swings, one common malady. All three suffered from the full-swing yips. They reached a point in their professional careers where they couldn’t start the swing.
USGA, R&A propose anchoring ban starting in 2016
What long had been anticipated finally happened: The game's ruling bodies proposed banning the anchoring of a golf club – not only putters, but any club – beginning Jan. 1, 2016.
Possible sign of opposition in the Pacific Northwest
Chris Maletis is a four-time Trans-Miss Senior Amateur champion who has plenty to say about the U.S. Golf Association, the R&A and their decision to outlaw the anchored stroke. And it's not very supportive.
Toy Box notes: Pro V1s in seventh version
How many versions of the Titleist Pro V1 have been sold to the public, counting all changes and updates? Answer: Six, with a seventh version to be officially introduced in January.
Flick's students say final goodbye at 'The Kingdom'
About three months ago, I took a playing lesson from Jim Flick. I figured his genius was knowing how to play the game -- how to get around the golf course -- as much as it was how to swing the club.
Pearl Putter: Emphasis on adjustability
Adjustability is one of golf’s favorite buzzwords these days, and nobody does it quite like the Pearl Putter. It features an adjustable lie angle that can be set anywhere between 60 and 80 degrees.
Achenbach: Anchoring ban is the wrong move for golf
If we, the members of the golf community, are serious about growing the game – and if they, the governing golfers who make the rules, are serious about growing the game – then why are we even considering a rule that could eliminate belly putters and long putters that people actually enjoy using?
Achenbach: Golf could exist with two sets of rules
Let’s be honest: Golf could exist just fine with two sets of rules, one for touring pros and high-caliber amateurs, and another for the rest of us. Anchoring could be banned on the PGA Tour and other professional tours while remaining in play for normal amateurs.
