Cascade Golfer Online » In The Bag

Titleist Vokey ‘09 Spin-Milled Wedges

Heather Flyte — Sat, 23 May 2009 19:51:51 +0000

Vokey’s 2009 wedges are putting a new spin on the short game.

If you were watching last year’s Children’s Miracle Network Classic, then you probably already know all about Titleist’s Vokey ’09 Spin-Milled Wedges. Pros frequently lavish praise on their sponsors in post-tournament interviews, but rarely do they go to the lengths winner Davis Love III did to praise his new Vokey wedges. Of course, if you had just gone up-and-down on 17 and 18 to win $828,000, you’d probably be pretty happy, too. Now, Vokey hardly needs Love’s endorsement — with 16 majors to their credit, they’re already among the most popular among pros and amateurs alike. What sets them apart from your “standard” wedge — besides their 17 different loft/bounce options and three different finishes (chrome, oil can and black nickel) are special spin-milled grooves that employ the precise blade of a small circular saw to cut high-volume grooves that grip the ball on the downswing to help maintain spin on shots from the rough, when it’s tougher to drive those grooves straight down into the ball. Indeed, the Vokey’s grooves provide so much of an advantage, Love III is going to have to give his up in 2010 when new USGA legislation kicks in. Fortunately, the same won’t be true for amateurs, who can keep on spinning their approach shots right up next to the pin for years to come.

Cleveland CG14 CAMO Wedges

Heather Flyte — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:50:16 +0000

The first thing your buddies will notice about Cleveland’s new CAMO wedges is the finish — with its camouflage patterning, it’s a far cry from the chrome- and nickel-backed wedges they’ll be pulling out of their bags, and sends an immediate message that you’re not one to be messed around with. The second thing they’ll notice, however, is the way your ball explodes out of the lie, arcs gracefully through the air and lands softly on the green. That’s because Cleveland’s CAMOs, an offshoot of its popular CG12 brand of wedges, boast Cleveland’s patented “dynamic sole design” (DSG). At its most simplified, it basically just means that Cleveland designers have varied the thickness across different parts of the sole, allowing the club to provide both a high bounce angle and high backspin — the essential elements of a good wedge. It’s a particularly strong pick out of the sand, with a narrow leading edge of the sole that reduces the contact between sole and ball when the face is open, allowing the grooves to work their lift and backspin magic. Come to think of it, pulling out your CAMO in a sandtrap is a bit like riding an M-1A Abrams tank into the desert … you know you’re the best-equipped dog in the fight, and your adversary — be it an enemy militia or that nerve-wrackingly small landing area next to the pin — doesn’t stand a chance.

Cleveland Niblick Short Iron Hybrid

Heather Flyte — Mon, 18 May 2009 19:47:55 +0000

There’s few things on the golf course more frustrating than wasting two or three shots trying to blast out of a bunker or deep rough, or watching your 25-yard pitch fall five yards shy of the green. Cleveland’s Niblick is designed to be the club that will finally bring an end to that self-defeating feeling, by combining the face angle and loft of a short iron (the Niblick comes in both 37- and 42-degree lofts) with a modified hybrid clubhead. The short-iron face provides the loft you need to clear any obstacle and land gently on the green, while the second level of the sole allows for the weight to distribute more easily across the clubface, and increases the power of your swing at impact — meaning you won’t have to watch the ball roll back down into the bunker ever again. The Niblick’s square grooves — an increasingly common feature of irons and wedges — increase the grip at impact and thus significantly add to the backspin, allowing the ball to settle perfectly onto the green each time. Best of all, depending on the loft you use, the Niblick could replace as many as two clubs in your bag — either a nine-iron, pitching wedge, sand wedge or chipper — leaving you room to finally add that 7-wood or a hybrid that you’ve had your eye on.

Cadywell CIII

Heather Flyte — Sat, 16 May 2009 19:45:51 +0000

As with the other push carts we talk about in this issue, the Cadywell CIII is capable of carrying a heavy burden, while lightening your own. Made of aircraft-grade aluminum tubing, which keeps its weight at an almost lighter-than-air 14.7 pounds, it can be easily lifted in and out of your trunk, and won’t strain your muscles to push around the course. The patented rear-wheel folding system, too, helps it fit easily into either your trunk or your garage closet, while the ball, tee- and drink-holders in the console — not to mention the magnetically-sealing cell-phone compartment and built-in umbrella holder — put everything you might need right at your fingertips, while keeping your actual fingertips free. Our favorite feature, however, isn’t any of the above — it’s the fact that the entire handle can be adjusted up or down to whatever height feels most comfortable. About the only place the Cadywell won’t help you is in the sand — but then, given the relieved stress on your back and arms, you won’t be hitting it in the sand anyway, right?

Sun Mountain Micro Cart

Heather Flyte — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:43:53 +0000

Few companies do the golf bag better than Sun Mountain … whether the Four 5, the Swift X or the Superlight 3.5, the Missoula, Mont.-based manufacturer has taken over the golf bag market with its many ultra-light, versatile and eye-catching models. Of course, we know that despite our frequent praise, not all of you have been able to put one in your trunk — yet. For those of you still carting around heavier, traditional bags, or for Sun Mountain owners who simply want or need to give it a rest some days, the company has turned its trademark inventiveness to push carts. At January’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando (which we previewed in the December issue of CG), Sun Mountain rolled out its new Micro Cart, an update of its previous Speed Cart, which promises to be the lightest and most economical push cart on the market. Of course, at 13 pounds, you’d be hard-pressed to find one lighter — indeed, some of you using older bags, or giant PGA Tour-style cart bags, may already be hauling that much weight in and out of your trunk every time you hit the links. Just two latches need to be pushed to collapse the cart to a size that will easily fit to one side of your trunk, while the wheels are still large enough to navigate even the soggiest of springtime tracks without bogging down.

Clicgear 2.0

Heather Flyte — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:42:13 +0000

Push Carts 2.0: These second-generation push carts are lighter, faster and more efficient.

Clicgear’s original push cart (which I suppose we would now call the 1.0) was one of the most popular push carts ever made, with a then-revolutionary three-wheel folding system that earned it the Best New Product award at the 2007 PGA Merchandise Show. Looking to capitalize on their hot name in the market, Clicgear quickly put their designers to work on the next-generation push cart, the 2.0. The most notable improvement made on the updated model is to the folding mechanism, which has been greatly simplified, and a lighter composite frame. Both improvements make replacing and removing the cart from your trunk a snap, while the bungee straps are easy to adjust and remain snug to your bag throughout the round. The wide, mountain-bike style wheels perform well on most turf conditions, and are friendly to the fairways, eliminating the ruts that can be left in the turf by narrow-wheeled carts. And for those of you who frequent the hillier Northwest tracks, the parking brake locks the cart in place, even on the steepest of inclines. Best of all, it’s available in eight different colors — including the eye-catching Kiwi — meaning you won’t just be turning corners with ease … you’ll be turning heads, too.

Boccieri Heavy Putter Mid-Weight Putter

Heather Flyte — Sat, 09 May 2009 19:40:12 +0000

(Top to bottom) L3 Black, J2 Stainless, K4 Black

In the world of golf products, drivers are the celebrities. Every year, the most anticipated new releases are the hot new drivers, followed by irons and hybrids, then wedges and — finally — putters. Of course, we all know that shouldn’t be the case — on average, you’ll take more strokes per round with your putter than any other single club, so logic would dictate that while it may not be the sexiest club in your bag, it’s almost certainly the most important. Fortunately, designers at Boccieri Golf, makers of the Heavy Putter line of putters, approach the “money stick” with the proper amount of gravitas. Their latest release is the Heavy Putter Mid-Weight putter, which uses a heavier-mass head and a counterweight at the grip end of the shaft to relax the influence of the hands and induce a smoother, pendulum-like stroke. Heavy Putters have already accounted for wins on nearly every major Tour, including Troy Mattseon’s victory at the 2006 Frys.com Open. Available in five different models — including the classic blade design of the CX2, as well as mallet, toe-droop and flanged designs — there’s a Heavy Putter to match just about any golfer’s personal preferences regarding look and feel. Just make sure you try one out first to find the perfect match for you — after all, you’re going to be pulling it out of your bag more than any other club on your next round. Of course, with as true as the ball rolls of its face, you’ll be putting it right back in not long after.

Cobra L5V

Heather Flyte — Wed, 06 May 2009 19:38:12 +0000

If you’ve ever tuned in to watch the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championships, you may have noticed that those muscle-bound competitors reach into their bag for the stick they plan to win a cool $1 million with, it’s almost always a Cobra. From the original King Cobra to the all-new L5V, Cobra has committed its product designers almost exclusively to blasting your golf ball as far from the tee as possible. This year’s brand-new offering, the L5V, is making inroads with the PGA Tour set as well — indeed, it was seen sticking out of Geoff Ogilvy’s bag during his winning week at the Australian PGA, and was used by Camilo Villegas in wins at the BMW and Tour Championship. Unlike its predecessors, the Cobra L5V’s “adjustable flight technology” melds all of the latest MOI and interchangeable- and adjustable-shaft features. The L5V includes two adjustable settings in the head and two more in the hosel, one for “standard” flight and one for “draw-biased” flight. We recommend the Diamana red shaft — nothing says intimidation on the tee like a violent flash of red as you let it fly.

Nike DYMO2 STR8-FIT

Heather Flyte — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:35:00 +0000

Lots of new clubs can claim wins on Tour, but how many can claim a green jacket? Nike’s new STR8-FIT can. It turns out that while the STR8-FIT drivers won’t be available in stores until Apr. 1, Nike’s been field-testing the clubs with its Tour pros for the last year, resulting in four wins — two by Anthony Kim, one by K.J. Choi and one by Trevor Immelman at a little Southern tourney called the Masters. With the STR8-FIT, which comes in both standard (DYMO) and square (DYMO2) designs, Nike has created one of the most customizable clubs on the market, including eight different settings resulting in as much as 45 yards of side-to-side bias (Immelman chose the 1-degree closed-face setting, hitting 48 of Augusta’s 56 fairways). Unlike on the TaylorMade r9, where the clubhead is removed from the shaft to change face angles, the STR8-FIT instead rotates the clubhead while still on the shaft, with a sound and light to indicate that the head is in proper position. If it sounds pretty cool … it is. The best news is, it’s not going to take a green jacket to convince you that you’ve received your money’s worth — that first long, straight drive down the middle will do the trick.

TaylorMade r9

Heather Flyte — Sat, 02 May 2009 19:31:59 +0000

By reinserting the shaft at any of eight different positions, golfers can adjust the face-, loft- and lie-angles of the r9.

Pat Perez has certainly always been a good golfer — two second-place finishes on Tour and a top-100 World Golf Ranking will certainly pad the pocketbook. But when Perez fired rounds of 61, 63, 67, 67 and 69 to win January’s Bob Hope Classic — including a PGA Tour-record 36-hole score of 20-under-par — more than one person said, “Where did that come from?” Turns out that Perez had a trick up his sleeve — or rather, in his bag. Perez was one of the first pros — including Sergio Garcia, who placed seventh the same week at the Dubai Masters — to play the TaylorMade r9 driver, a club so new it won’t even be in stores until April. So what’s so great about the r9 that it’s quickly becoming the most popular driver on Tour? Using a small wrench included with the club, the shaft of the r9 can be removed and reinserted in any of eight different positions, allowing golfers to change the face angle, loft and lie angle of the clubs — what TaylorMade markets as “face control technology.” The same wrench can also be used to adjust weights in the head and to change shafts as desired. While it probably won’t mean to you what the Bob Hope’s $918,000 winner’s share meant to Perez, being able to customize a driver to your precise swing is a benefit you simply can’t put a price on.