PRODUCT Callaway Diablo £229 This got some strange looks from the test team – Chris wasn’t a fan at all – but all four guys loved the performance. Jon gave it full marks in every department apart from looks and also sent one out to 247 yards – one of his longest. If you like a driver to make a definitive thud at impact, this is your baby. Oh, and it comes in a Draw version too – perfect for slicers everywhere! LOOKS: 2.8
FEEL: 3.3
NOISE: 3.3
GRIP: 4.5
DISTANCE: 4.5
DISPERSION: 4.5 RATING: HHHH
Lofts: 8°, 9°, 10°, 11°, 13° Contact: 0800 096 4591, www.callawaygolf.com
ClevelanD launCher £219 This was unlucky to miss out on a Silver award. For this is the largest Launcher face ever – it’s 21% bigger in fact. The CG is lowered by a weight pad at the back of the sole, and our boys were impressed. George loved the traditional look and found some impressive stats in dispersion. Plus, you can probably pick this up for less than 200 notes – great value for a top club. LOOKS: 3.5
FEEL: 3.5
NOISE: 3.6
GRIP: 4.3
DISTANCE: 3.5
DISPERSION: 4.5 RATING: HHHH
Lofts: 9°, 10.5°, 12° Contact: 01420 541709, www.clevelandgolf.com
bobby Jones workshop eDition £299 TG test watchers might think we don’t necessarily rate Bobby Jones gear. Well, the Workshop Edition went down a storm. It’s a very curvy driver, but if you can get past the rounded look, you’re on to a winner. Jon felt the curves actually aided confidence at address, while George felt the club was powerful and solid. The only gripe? £299 for a driver that remains a smaller brand. LOOKS: 3.4
FEEL: 4.0
NOISE: 3.5
GRIP: 3.6
DISTANCE: 3.5
Lofts: 9°, 10.5°, 12° Contact: 0845 456 5120, www.bobbyjoneseurope.com
orka Cup FaCe £129 A classic example of where a more expensive club in a range doesn’t always do better than its more frugal brother. Our team of testers felt it was just a more solid all-round club than the PS40, and felt it was more forgiving. Orka say it’s confidenceinspiring at address, and we back that up. A very respectable showing from a quality brand.
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LOOKS: 3.3
FEEL: 3.8
NOISE: 3.5
GRIP: 3.8
Lofts: 10°, 12°, 14° Contact: 0845 862 0061, www.orkagolf.com
DISTANCE: 4.0
DISPERSION: 4.0 RATING: HHH
Leave your own gear reviews @ www.todaysgolfer.co.uk/gear 36 TodaysGolfer.co.uk Issue 256
DISPERSION: 5.0 RATING: HHHH
DRIVER TEST
Srixon Wr £189
R VERD L I S A AW y’s da To
According to Srixon, the WR benefits from a new 'power face' which enlarges the sweetspot and increases distance. The club also features two tungsten nickel weights which lower the spin and increase launch angle. Roy loved it, giving it a five in every category. Chris liked the compact head but George struggled for distance. But Jon’s approval underlined a strong showing. LOOKS: 4.0
FEEL: 4.5
NOISE: 4.3
GRIP: 4.1
DISTANCE: 3.5
DISPERSION: 3.5 RATING: HHHH
Lofts: 9.5°, 10.5°, 11.5° Contact: 01420 541709, www.srixon.co.uk
mD SuperSTrong Ti £99
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Roy, Jon and Chris all got good distance out of the club, with Roy also fan of the PVD finish. Chris and George weren’t convinced by the looks, George commenting on the “garish yellow shaft”, but both enjoyed the performance. Chris was astonished to learn this was a £100 club and was impressed with his stats, especially a good and tight dispersion zone. LOOKS: 3.4
FEEL: 4.0
NOISE: 4.0
GRIP: 3.6
DISTANCE: 3.5
nike SQ Dymo £250
R VE D SIL AR AW y’s da To
DYMO stands for Dynamic Moment of Inertia. Weight of the rear powerbow increases as the loft increases – this moves the CG back to increase launch angle. The most interesting stat of the day came from Chris – he was powering them out to 312 yards, but his dispersion for the balls he hit was less than a yard. This club is seriously forgiving and pretty long too. FEEL: 4.0
NOISE: 3.8
GRIP: 3.5
DISTANCE: 4.0
CallaWay FTiQ £379
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Styled on a Lamborghini, this club features x-shaped HyperBolic Face Technology designed to help the ball spring from across the face. Our team weren’t put off by the space-age looks, and performance-wise the FTiQ excelled. Chris loved the solid feel while Roy noted impressive distance. £379 might be a hefty wedge, but this has the X-factor in more ways than one. FEEL: 4.0
NOISE: 4.0
GRIP: 4.3
Lofts: 9°, 10°, 11°, 13° Contact: 0800 096 4591, www.callawaygolf.com
DISPERSION: 4.5 RATING: HHHH
Lofts: 9.5°, 10.5°, 11.5°, 13° Contact: 0800 056 1640, www.nikegolferuope.com
LOOKS: 4.3
DISPERSION: 5.0 RATING: HHHH
Lofts: 9.5°, 10.5°, 12° Contact: 02894 460333, www.mdgolf.co.uk
LOOKS: 3.8
R VE D SIL AR AW y’s da To
DISTANCE: 3.5
DISPERSION: 3.5 RATING: HHHH
Issue 256 TodaysGolfer.co.uk 37
PRODUCT
DRIVER TEST
Mizuno MX700 £199
y’s da To
LD GO ARD AW
Grain-aligned titanium face boosts forgiveness and power izuno are well known to TG readers for making great irons. But while their grain-flow forged offerings have become industry standard-setters, the woods department has not seen the same kind of broad approval. Happily, this is where the MX700 steps up. Replacing the MX560, the latest offering features a plasmawelded face which helps increase ball speeds off all parts of the face. This is thanks to what they are calling Ti9, based on the face that metal, like wood, has a grain which can be orientated either to boost strength or limit it. The grain in the titanium face of the MX700 runs vertically from sole to crown, a design that expands the driver’s sweetspot. Clubhead weighting is designed to help the golfer achieve penetrating drives. The wide geometry of the head means a low CG and big sweetspot – leading to impressive launches and low spinning tee shots. Looks-wise, our team found themselves split – George thought it was an absolute 'Bobby Dazzler', but Roy wasn’t so keen on the graphics on the top of the club. But where all of our crew were in agreement was in the performance of the MX700 – it was stunning. Long, booming drives were very much the order of the day, with dispersion figures also favourable. This is the best Mizuno driver we’ve seen for a while, in our opinion... and the fact that you can get hold of it for less than 200 beer vouchers only serves to add to what is a fantastic package.
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Bigger and sweeter
The MX700’s sweetspot is expanded by aligning the titanium grain vertically on the clubface.
Graphic design
Head curves weren’t to everyone‘s taste; performance was.
Not just great irons Out to launch
The sleek headshape aids an easy but penetrating shot shape.
Our testers agreed this could be the driver that puts Mizuno on the map for drivers.
New Mizuno MX-700 hybrids reviewed @ www.todaysgolfer.co.uk/gear
LOOKS
4.1
FEEL
4.8
NOISE
4.8
GRIP
4.5
DISTANCE DISPERSION TG RATING
4.0 4.0 HHHH
Lofts: 9.5°, 10.5°, 12° Contact 0118 9362 147, golf.mizunoeurope.com Issue 256 TodaysGolfer.co.uk 41
PRODUCT N T OT S BETES y’s da To
DRIVER TEST
PING RaPtuRe V2 £310
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LD GO ARD AW
Superb feel and performance from this no-frills driver f you aren’t totally sold on the G10, for whatever reason, then those nice people at Ping have come up with a rather splendid alternative for you – the Rapture V2, a terrific driver and a significant improvement on the previous Rapture model. For the techies, the crescent-shape tungsten weight pads at the back of the titanium head move the CG lower and deeper which helps to optimise launch off the face, and the perimeter weighting means this is fantastically forgiving. Launched last September, the club also features a taller face of variable thickness, designed to increase ball speeds from a bigger face area. But then lots of them do something similar: what set this aside as our best on test? Well, for one it looks like a proper driver! This is a club that somehow manages to look futuristic and traditional at the same time. It’s not fancy, it’s not even that flash, but it is awesome at address and equally impressive at impact. George had this just behind the MX700 in his own reckoning, with Jon and Roy rating it as top-notch. Roy loved the subtle lime green alignment aid and also achieved impressive distance. In fact, this was our longest on test across our four testers. The noise at contact is quite something and although not totally conventional in the opinions of our testers, they liked it. Yet another great club from a brilliant club manufacturer!
I
Packing a punch
Named after a rocket; and thanks to the head design, our testers saw the ball fly like one.
Sound and vision It makes a loud, inoffensive noise and has a subtle alignment aid on the crown.
Toe view Stylish yardeater Our testers found the Rapture V2 one of the consistently longest on test.
Discover the Ping Rapture V2 Hybrid @ www.todaysgolfer.co.uk/gear
All-round excellence saw our testers nominate the Rapture V2 as the best on test.
LOOKS
4.0
FEEL
5.0
NOISE
4.8
GRIP
4.3
DISTANCE
5.0
DISPERSION TG RATING
4.0 HHHH
Lofts: 9°, 10°, 12°, 13.5° Contact 01427 619224, www.pingeurope.com Issue 256 TodaysGolfer.co.uk 43
TRUTH BEHIND TECHNO-BABBLE Today’s drivers are bursting with space-age, shot-saving features – but the techno-speak used to describe them leaves most of us baffled. TG strips away the marketing blurb to demystify six key areas
Alter th location e C oG to of the ball f lighaf fect t.
Triangular give a highe ads MOI thher tradition an al ones.
by DUNCAN LENNARD ILLUSTRATION by GRAHAM GACHES
Hosel adj drivers c ustable angle, lof hange t a nd l ie .
FAULT FIXER
In association with
There are two types of putter on Tour aggressive and non-aggressive. Aggressive putters are players who, regardless of the length of the putt, will roll the putt with such pace that if it misses it will finish two to four foot past the cup. A non-aggressive putter will roll the putt
anywhere from a foot short to a foot-anda-half past the pin. There’s an upside and a downside to both types of putting. Statistically, aggressive putters make more putts because every putt travels with enough pace to reach the hole and have a chance of going in. The downside is they
three-putt more as they don’t make every three or four-footer coming back. Nonaggressive putters very rarely three-putt, but they do often hit good putts that come up just short of the hole on line. Either method works, you just have to ensure the putterhead keeps accelerating...
FI X!
Positive putters have the advantage of going for every putt. But whether you attack or lag, you must always make your throughswing at least as long as your backswing and remember to keep the putter accelerating.
For more FREE video putting tips visit www.todaysgolfer.co.uk/putting Issue 256 TodaysGolfer.co.uk 71
AG TG get it here Half Page 2:Layout 1 26/03/2009 12:48 Page 1
Get It Here
First
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R9 Driver
New Rescue TP
able shaft - Interchang
r8 Fit Driver SQ Dymo St
New Irons Burner 09
New Clothing Instore Now
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Try instore today! FREE custom fitting on all
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store locations...
Bolton, Bournemouth, Barr, Birmingham Merryhill, Biggleswade, Birmingham Great y, Crewe, Aberdeen, Addlestone, Belfast, ham, Chester, Chigwell, Coventr rley, Cambridge, Cardiff, Chelten Ipswich, Irvine, Braintree, Brighton, Bristol, Cambe Bearsden, Hull, Inverness, Glasgow Giffnock, Glasgow ne, gh Corstorphi Park, Finchley, London Northwick London Dublin, Edinburgh Braid Hills, Edinbur l, Liverpoo r, Lincoln, , Leeds Menston, Leiceste Milton Keynes, Newbury, Kettering, Kingston, Leeds Moortown , Middlesbrough, Middleton, Maidstone, Manchester Trafford Meadowhall, Maidenhead Bird Hills Golf Club, Purley, Romford, Sale, Sheffield Preston, h, Plymout am, , Nottingh a, Telford, Thurrock, Newcastle, Northampton, Norwich Sunbury, Sunderland, Swanse Stirling, Stockport, Stoke-on-trent, Slough, Solihull, Southampton, York. Warrington Drivetime, Watford, Tonbridge Hilden Park, Wakefield,
71 stores nationwide
visit www.ame ricangolf.co.u k for details
5 0845 05 05 11 o.uk www.americangolf.c
Stock may vary by store and is subject to availability. Please call to check. Custom fitting appointments must be prebooked. Published March 2009. E&OE.
TG COVER 256 LM.indd 1
2/4/09 10:33:57
WHAT TO WEAR
SHOWCASE
HAT TIME Look the part on and off the course with these accessories... from chic watches to funky visors
Canteen TW8 By TW STEEL £369.00
Diver TW72 By TW Steel £460
L R A E U ID YO T... R R IS U O F WR YO ! D AD N A HE
Diver TW72 By TW Steel £365
01428 656822 www.twsteeluk.com
01428 656822 www.twsteeluk.com
01428 656822 www.twsteeluk.com
Canteen TW6 By TW STEEL £310.00
Sport By Hilfiger £99
Sport By Hilfiger £99
01428 656822 www.twsteeluk.com
www.tommyhilfiger.co.uk
HB-197 Chronograph £295.00
HB-136 Chronograph £375
01428 664700 www.bosswatches.co.uk
01428 664700 www.bosswatches.co.uk
www.tommyhilfiger.co.uk
HB-180 Chronograph £299.00
01428 664700 www.bosswatches.co.uk
More great-looking apparel @ www.todaysgolfer.co.uk/accessories 120 TodaySGolfer.Co.UK Issue 256
TaylorMade Split ‘09 Adjustable £13.99
Available in: white/navy (shown), white/tan, black and red www.taylormadegolf.eu
Nike Dri Fit Structured Blank Cap £9 Nike Dri Fit Swoosh Visor £9 www.nikegolfeurope.com
Fashion Ball Marker Adjustable £13
Yellow/Black, Red/Navy, Ivory/Navy, Purple/White, Slate/ Black, Pink/Black www.titleist.co.uk
Tour VisorBlack, White, Yellow £9 www.cobragolf.co.uk
COURSES HUNSTANTON
A SEASIDE TREAT! A classic East Anglian links which has seen it all, including arguably the most astonishing golfing feat... EVER! by kevIn brown photography bob atkIns
ost golfers take an age to respond to the ‘what’s your favourite golf hole’ query. But Bob Taylor is an exception. The Leicester-based golf veteran will answer in a heartbeat: the par-3 16th at Hunstanton. And with very good reason. Back in 1974, Bob represented Scraptoft GC in the Eastern Counties Men’s Foursomes at ‘Sunny Hunny’ and pulled off an incredible feat – he holed out at the 189-yarder... three days running! The fun and games (35 years ago) started when Bob’s sweetly-struck 1-iron (remember the days when we used to carry one of those in our bags... and use them?!) found the cup during a very windy practice round. Thankfully the gusts had dropped for the start of the competition the following day and this time Bob pulled a 6-iron out of his bag. Different club, same devastating result. Ace number two. As Bob confidently strolled onto the elevated 16th tee in the 2nd round 24 hours later a friend, understandably equally confident, bet him one million golf balls that he couldn’t complete the hat-trick of hat-tricks. The fool. Bob, again with his trusty 6-iron in his hands, only went and made it three in a row and the small gallery - his betting friend in particular - could scarcely believe their eyes! His tee shot plopped onto the green before ever-so-slowly making its way towards the cup and dropping below the ground and beyond sight. Bob was about to become a rich man well, in terms of golf balls anyway. But, he soon put his friend out of his misery by waiving the weighty balls debt, agreeing ➤
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128 TodaysGolfer.c0.uk Issue 256
NORTH SOUTH EAST WEST
Opening salvo The menacing bunker on the 1st can ruin a round very early.
Issue 256 TodaysGolfer.co.uk 129