The Super Bowl of Golf Equipment

By ED TRAVIS

It’s that time of year again when club professionals, suppliers and golf industry members gather for the PGA Show in Orlando. California Golf + Travel staffers attend each year to help our readers sift through the hundreds of offerings to be seen at the show. Here, broken down by manufacturer, is our report.

BETTINARDI GOLF // This high-end putter maker is showing the new Queen B series of four new models in a caramel coper color with a glare resistant PVD finish. Heads are milled from 303 stainless steel having a redesigned “Mini Honeycomb” face milling pattern with smaller features. The Queen B series is comprised of two modern blade shapes and two mid-size mallets. Each of the four retails for $430

CALLAWAY GOLF // The new club family from Callaway is called Paradym denoting a “paradigm shift” in the thinking about the interplay between distance and forgiveness. The drivers have a forged carbon fiber sole with a triaxial carbon crown plus a new design for the internal Jailbreak stiffener. There are three driver models each selling for $599.99 with the Paradym Triple Diamond having multiple PGA Tour Wins already this year.

Paradym irons are a hollow head construction filled with urethane microspheres and an AI-designed forged 455 face cup in what Callaway calls a Speed Frame. The regular Paradym model is for better players and with its 67g of tungsten plus strong lofts could properly be tagged as a distance iron. The Paradym X for recreational players uses 79g of tungsten inside and outside the head. Both models are priced at $200 per iron.

CLEVELAND GOLF // Cleveland is known for wedges and the new RTX 6 ZipCore wedges are worth consideration by players at every skill level. ZipCore refers to their proprietary low-density construction that gives more distance with higher spin, control and feel. Grooves are deeper and more closely spaced complimented by a laser-milled series of lines for more spin even in wet conditions. Four loft-dependent sole grinds. $169.99 each

COBRA GOLF // The mantra for Cobra’s Aerojet drivers was to lower downswing aerodynamic drag with more efficient head shaping and there’s a new 13g internal stiffener called a PWR-BRIDGE in the three new driver models each priced at Aerojet LS for better players has two changeable sole weights, the MAX model has weights in rear and heel, while the regular game-improvement category Aerojet has a fixed 12-gram rear weight.

The game-improvement Aerojet irons also use the internal PWR-BRIDGE idea but in the irons, it is a massive 70g and serves to stiffen the head plus allow the face to fully flex, just as in the driver. The heads are hollow and filled with injected polymer plastic and the face is a variable thickness construction. Both variable and One Length models are available. Set of seven irons with steel shafts $999

We and others we talked to were impressed by Cobra’s forged King CB and King MB models. The five-step forging is done to ensure the steel grain structure of the head has a crisp confidence-building feel. The CB (cavity back) and MB (muscle back) will appeal to low handicappers and feature the identical loft gapping so a combination set of the more forgiving CBs in lower lofts and higher loft MBs is possible. Set of seven $1199.

FULL SWING // The Full Swing Kit is endorsed by several big-name PGA Tour stars including Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth. Priced at $4,999 this compact launch monitor has a customizable heads-up display providing 16 data points of club and ball performance. The battery is rated for five hours of use and we liked the video alignment feature using buttons on the unit or in the free smartphone app.

GEARBOX SPORTS // Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the U.S. and well represented at the PGA Show since many golf facilities have courts and Gearbox was front and center with sport-specific eyewear and paddles. We liked the CX14 Ultimate Power model paddle ($249.99) which has a proprietary carbon fiber core and a textured surface to produce more spin on every shot. Just 8.5 oz. there is a choice of two shapes.

HYPERICE // Many, if not most golfers, will soon or later have a “bad back” and to alleviate the discomfort the Venom 2 bet is an advanced therapeutic device than can be worn anywhere anytime. It is a waist wrap combining heat with vibration to loosen muscles with a choice of three temperature settings and three massage strengths. A partner of the PGA Tour, the Venom 2 weighs only 2.3 lbs. and retails for $249.

ODYSSEY GOLF // This Callaway division with the reputation for cutting edge thinking has announced the Odyssey White Hot Versa line of putters with the original White Hot face insert that started a trend now followed by many makers. The Versa look has returned and is black and white with the company saying it’s all about helping users line the face up properly. Seven new head shapes making use of their Red Stroke Lab shaft starting at $259.99.

PING // The G430 drivers, fairway woods and hybrids attract lots of attention especially the drivers which replaced the popular G425 model. The G430 Max driver will be the selection of most recreational players. It has a variable roll radius face, a variable thickness forged face and redesigned internal ribs. This model and the super game-improvement G430 SFT are $600 each while the better player G430 LST is $630

The companion G430 irons are in the game-improvement category and have cast stainless steel heads and faces. Tungsten weighting has been placed in the heel and toe screw, but the newest feature is the PurFlex cavity badge comprised of seven pieces or zones that flex differently. This design helps preserve ball speed across the entire face that is thinner than the previous G425. $170 per iron steel, $185 graphite.

PHIGOLF 2 // The Phigolf 2 allows practice from any location with 3D swing analysis on a smartphone or tablet plus output can be mirrored onto a television. No need for a net or mat. Simply put the 9-axis sensor to the weighted swing trainer or a club, make a Bluetooth connection to any mobile device and swing. The Phigolf simulator app includes nine courses and supports WGT and E6 apps.

Weighted club and sensor $299

SRIXON // The second version of the ZX metalwoods carry the Mk II tag and the series includes drivers, fairway woods and hybrids. The three drivers, each priced at $499.99, have Srixon’s Rebound Frame, a two-zoned flex design, plus a titanium crown and a variable thickness Ti51AF face. The ZX 5 Mk II is a game-improvement category and has a rear 8g changeable weight and the hosel is adjustable.

ZX Mk II irons also offer three categories. Soles use the Tour V.T. profile and groove widths are progressive. The ZX4 Mk II super game-improvement and the ZX5 Mk II game-improvement category models have the Srixon MainFrame design with a variable thickness face while the ZX7 Mk II for better players has a forged interior ridge located behind the face. Set of seven irons $1200 with steel shafts and graphite.

Z-Star Series balls are the eighth iteration of Srixon’s popular premium category ball offering. The Z-Star, Z-Star Diamond and Z-Star XV all feature a softer gradational density core for more distance with soft feel, the Spin Skin+ coating to produce added scoring shot spin and a lower aerodynamic 338 dimple pattern. Also in the series are the split color models called Divide. All are priced at $47.99 per dozen.

TAYLORMADE GOLF // Though not at the PGA Show

TaylorMade has introduced new Stealth 2 drivers building on the success of last year’s model. The Stealth 2 Plus $629.99) for better players has a 15g sliding sole weight while the game-improvement Stealth 2 ($599.99) uses a 25g skirt weight. At the same price is the Stealth 2 HD targeted for those wanting a super game-improvement driver with a draw bias from changeable skirt and heel weights.

Stealth HD irons are also a super game-improvement model such as preferred by ladies and seniors. It makes use of TaylorMade’s Cap Back construction with a draw bias weighting. For improved ball launch the center of gravity is very low in the head and the overall profile is sensibly smaller. Since the design is so efficient in producing the correct trajectory lofts are 2° weaker. Seven iron set: $999.99 steel, $1099.99 graphite.

TaylorMade’s better player iron line the P700s have a revised P770 and the all new P7MC and P7MB. Though the P770s have a smaller head they retain the hollow foam-filled construction and internal tungsten weighting. The forged P7MCs (muscle cavity back) and P7MB (muscleback) have the same loft progression so combination sets with P7MC long irons and P7MB short irons are possible. Set of seven irons $1,299.99

Spider putters from TaylorMade have been a favorite on the PGA Tour since first introduced and for 2023 they have announced the Spider GTX and Spider GT Max models. The GTX is milled from 6106 aluminum and has the True Path Alignment top graphic. GTX Max has two three-position 40g sliding tungsten sole weights for player- preference fitting. The GTX is priced at $349 and the GTX Max at $449

TOUR EDGE GOLF // The new Exotics 723 metalwood family, just as last year’s 722 models, have two series of drivers, fairway woods and hybrids. The C723 drivers are targeted at better players wanting low spin distance and the E723s for recreational players. Both have the Flight Tuning System which in the 445cc C723 ($499.99) is two-tiers, a front weight with a sliding back weight while the E723 ($449.99) has a sliding weight on the rear edge.

Exotics C723 irons, a player’s distance iron, have a more compact head with TPU injected into a hollow body pocket and the L-cup face is plasma welded to the head. The E723s have a 360° undercut that lowers the center of gravity for higher launch and more ball speed across the entire face. C723s are offered at $129.99 each with steel shafts – $144.99 graphite and the E723’s are $99.99 each steel and $114.99 graphite.