In The Bag

Product Reviews and Equipment News You Can Use

BY TONY DEAR • CG

These 2023 product selections will enhance your game and dazzle the eye

Hurrah, the new season is upon us. The clocks have gone forward, there’s more light in the day, and we’ll soon be enjoying those evening rounds. Oh, the thought of it!

Hopefully, you’ve found some time and a break in the clouds to get out for a few holes over the last few months. Sure, it’s been cold and wet – all Seattle winters/early springs are. But to be fair, it hasn’t been the absolute worst start to the year — the Old Farmer’s Almanac predicted a milder than usual winter with slightly less precipitation, which seems about right. We know, we know — we shouldn’t tempt fate and acknowledge there could be plenty rougher weather to come, but we’re not taking that attitude.

We’re optimistic we’ll be out playing regular golf, albeit in slacks and with two or three layers on top, sooner rather than later.

With the new season comes thoughts of new equipment. Is it possible your 2005 driver isn’t giving you the most return for your effort and practice? Are your irons all dented and scratched up from years of (mis) use? Have the grooves on your wedges all but disappeared? Did your putter behave itself in 2022 or does it need to be shown the door? Are your shoes coming apart at the seams?

Whatever you need, Puetz Golf will stock it. Here are 10 items that could help you score better this year. And talking of scoring better, if you haven’t been fitted for your clubs yet, discover how much better you hit the ball (and how much more fun you can have) with clubs that are customized for your swing. Puetz can do that too.

1 — XXIO • Prime 12 Package Sets

Puetz Golf Price: See PuetzGolf.com for pricing

Watching Kyle Berkshire swing a driver at 145 mph (Google it if you haven’t) and generate over 230 mph of ball-speed is a little shocking and likely will make you feel awfully slow. Half of us can’t crack 95 mph with a driver, in fact, so the X-flex Paderson Kinetixx shaft Berkshire has in his driver probably wouldn’t do us much good. XXIO’s range of ultra-lite equipment, designed specifically for golfers with moderate swing-speeds, might though. XXIO, part of the Dunlop Sports family that also includes Cleveland Golf and Srixon, has built a reputation for being the mid-high-handicapper/ moderate-swinger’s friend (assuming he/she can afford its high-end products, of course) building very lightweight and forgiving clubs that can be swung faster without exerting any extra effort. While standard XXIO clubs are considered ideal for those that swing a driver between 80 and 95 mph, even they might not be suitable for super-seniors and many women golfers who can’t quite manage 80 mph. Those golfers need XXIO Prime. Prime clubs aren’t standard XXIO with a senior shaft but are built differently. The head features the same Rebound Face found in Srixon drivers and, together with the Super-TIX PLUS Titanium face, creates a sweet spot that’s 200 percent larger than that of the previous XXIO Prime driver – 200 percent! The irons, while featuring similarly lightweight components also have a little tungsten in the head to elevate the MOI and increase forgiveness. A 10-piece set comprises: 12.5-degree driver, 3-, 5- and 7-wood, 6-hybrid, 7-iron through sand wedge and head covers.

2 — Bushnell • Pro X3

Puetz Golf Price: 599.99

What was once seen as a possible trend 15 years ago with the advent of the rangefinder – many seeing it as a product that was a luxury item to keep in your bag – it’s now become an invaluable tool and the “15th club” in your arsenal. Laser rangefinders are probably the piece of golf equipment improving the most rapidly, and Bushnell is one of a handful of manufacturers leading the charge. The Pro X3 features an incredible range of features including Elements -- the ability to compensate for both temperature and altitude. Together with Bushnell’s patented Slope technology (not legal during tournament play), Elements assures you get the most accurate distance every time. And you can put in your home elevation to get compensated distances at the elevation where you play most of your golf. Dual Display gives you the ability to easily toggle between red or black display settings based on lighting conditions and your preferences. The Slope-Switch, with interactive locking mechanism, significantly reduces the risk of accidently setting the unit to Slope mode during tournament play. Bushnell says the Pro X3 is the most powerful golf laser rangefinder ever made and will give you consistent yardage readings within a yard to flags from 600-plus yards. The integrated BITE magnetic mount allows you to adhere the unit to the cart, which saves you the trouble of taking it out of your bag every shot. The Pro X3 comes in a rubber-armored, metal housing meaning it won’t get damaged if dropped, and is fully waterproof.

3 — SCOTTY CAMERON • Super Select Putters

Puetz Golf Price: $449.99

As is the case with most golf equipment, Scotty Cameron usually has a two-year shelf life. But the Special Select Line enjoyed a third year at retail thanks to COVID-related supply-chain issues. Its successor, the Super Select, was introduced in January and though a lot of golfers won’t notice much difference between the two, Cameron aficionados surely will. For starters, there’s a new neck — the ‘I Beam’ that Cameron describes as having a ‘racier, industrial look that allows for the removal and targeted repositioning of weight from the neck to the heel and toe of the putter head.’ Another significant enhancement is a second pass of the drill-bit over the face during the milling process, which levels the peaks of the original deep-milling creating a slightly deeper sound as well as softer feel. Six Super Select models are currently available. The Newport and Newport 2 are shaped blades with heel and toe weights. They are very similar to past versions, but the Newport Plus and Newport 2 Plus, while the same length from heel to toe with the same heel/toe weights, are slightly longer from front to back. They also have an area of 303 Stainless Steel removed from the sole which is replaced by 6061 Aluminum. That pushes weight to the perimeter and raises the club’s MOI meaning the clubhead will twist very little at impact if the strike is imperfect. Four additional models — the Del Mar, GoLo 6, GoLo 6.5 and Fastback 1.5 will be released in May. Scotty Cameron is a line that moves fast, so visit Puetz Golf before it’s too late.

4 — CALLAWAY • Paradym Drivers & Irons

Puetz Golf Price: Driver $599.99 • Irons $127.31 per club

The Paradym’s titanium-free body is new and is as exciting as Callaway’s past Jailbreak Technology or A.I.-design they introduced in recent years — it’s considered another genuine breakthrough. The all-carbon chassis of the driver is made with Triaxial Carbon in the crown and Forged Carbon in the sole making it 45 percent lighter than a typical titanium body. The newly designed Jailbreak frame is 33 percent lighter than that in the Epic Speed, and a new A.I.-optimized titanium face is designed to boost ball speeds and improve consistency. There are three Paradym drivers — Paradym, Paradym X and Paradym Triple Diamond. The Paradym has a 15-gram Adjustable Perimeter Weight to manipulate shot-shape, launches high and is the most forgiving of the three. The Paradym X has no sliding weight but internal weighting that gives the club a draw-bias. The Triple Diamond is for the better player — more compact head, low spin, launches low. There are two Paradym irons — Paradym and Paradym X. Both have 455 Stainless Steel heads, with a forged Cup Face and Speed Frame that connects all points of the head without preventing the face from flexing. The hollow bodies are filled with Callaway’s Urethane Microspheres to soften impact. The Paradym is a players’-distance iron with more compact heads and a relatively thin top line. The Paradym X is a game-improvement club with strong lofts and up to 79 grams of tungsten (the Paradym has 67 grams) placed low in the head to create a high launch and increase the club’s MOI.

5 — Bettinardi • Studio Stock, BB, Queen Bee Putters

Puetz Golf Price: $449.99, $429.99, $429.99

In the early 1990s, entrepreneur Robert Bettinardi owned a manufacturing company that used CNC machines to mill steel for hydraulics companies. At the time, putters were typically built by welding the neck and head together, but Bettinardi believed he could create a club from a single block of steel. He approached Callaway and was soon building all its putters. In 1993, he began a five-year relationship with Scotty Cameron Putters while also working for numerous other OEMs. Five years later, he opened his own shop — Bettinardi Golf — whose putters featured the patented Honeycomb face pattern ensuring a perfectly flat surface. Bettinardi had other alliances with Ben Hogan Golf and Mizuno but, since 2008, has built putters only for the Bettinardi Golf brand in its Tinley Park, Ill., facility. There are currently six ‘families’ of Bettinardi putters headed by the Studio Stock Series. The five different 2023-24 Studio Stock models (six including the Studio Stock 16 Left-Handed Putter) are each milled from a single block of 303 Stainless Steel. They feature the company’s Roll Control face-milling that helps prevent the ball skidding immediately following impact and are given a Diamond Blast finish to prevent glare from the sun. The darker BB Series putters (eight models with the left-handed BB1) have an aggressive FlyMill face pattern which creates a super-soft feel, while the four Queen B models (five with the left-handed Queen B 6) are finished with a distinctive caramel-copper PVD coating and feature a miniature-Honeycomb face-milling pattern that enhances feel.

6 — Titleist Vokey • SM9 Jet Black Premium Wedges

Puetz Golf Price: $249.99

The SM9 Wedge was launched in January 2022 and featured an updated version of the Progressive Center of Gravity design introduced in its predecessor. A longer hosel (higher lofts), thicker topline and a metal pad added to the back of the toe pushed the club’s Center of Gravity (CG) higher and further forward promoting the flatter trajectory. Better players prefer this to keep the ball below the wind. The new wedge offered increased spin by cutting micro-grooves in between the wider, deeper grooves, while those grooves were given a heat-treatment to make them more durable. Six grinds were made available at the initial launch: F, S, M, K, L and D. The T, popular with Tour players, was added in June. There were nine lofts (46-62 degrees), three finishes —Tour Chrome, Brushed Steel and Jet Black (Raw as a custom option) and visitors to Vokey’s WedgeWorks could choose between six toe-engraving and various stamping options. You can also customize the loft, bounce, grind and BV wings logo paint-fill. Australia’s Cameron Smith won the 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions after finding his new SM9s in his locker at Kapalua three days before the first round. The current Open champion (now a LIV Golf player) is one of 26 Titleist-contracted pros using the SM9. In January, Titleist/Vokey announced the Jet Black Premium model which would be treated with a titanium carbide vapor to prevent them from chipping and stop wear lines appearing on the face and sole. Vokey is certainly standard setting.

7 — MGI • AT (All Terrain) Motorized Cart

Puetz Golf Price: $1,599.99

Motorized Golf International (MGI) was born in 1993 at Caddymatic Australia. While powered trollies had become popular in the UK, they were struggling to get a toehold Down Under where the vast majority of golfers walk. It wasn’t until, MGI’s founder, Ian Edwards, designed his own remote-controlled Tornado trolley in 2000 that the company really began to take off. Numerous successful models followed, before the most successful trolley of all — the Zip Series (X1, X3, X5, Navigator) was launched in 2017. The pandemic saw a significant rise in the number of people playing golf in the USA and the number using powered trollies with the Zip Navigator being a particularly popular model. By 2018, the company’s 25th year of doing business, the ZIP Series had become available in 23 countries around the world. In 2019, responding to customer’s calls for something a little heartier to meet the challenge of longer, more remote and extreme courses, the Zip Navigator AT (All-Terrain) was launched with an impressive list of features — check these out: dual swiveling independent front wheels; full-directional and speed remote control; patented Gyroscope Straight Tracker Technology; downhill speed control; twin 230-watt calibrated motors powered by a Lithium battery; all terrain tread rear wheels; fully-foldable rear fifth wheel; USB charging port; and adjustable ergonomic T-bar handle and bag. Amazing right? And all this is lightweight coming in at only (with battery) 37 pounds. MGI has been touring the golf expo circuit and turning heads across the U.S. in 2023 establishing themselves as the market leader.

8 — Srixon • ZX MKII Irons

Puetz Golf Price: $171.42 per club

The Japanese company’s first generation of ZX irons, launched in 2021, had a large and committed following. So, when Srixon’s Senior Product Manager, Brian Schielke, says the second generation has been “improved in so many ways,” you can’t help but be curious. Designed for the best ball-strikers in the world, the ZX7 Mk II Iron is a true players’ iron (Shane Lowry, Keegan Bradley, Sepp Straka) with incredible feel. PureFrame, an all-new design characteristic exclusive to ZX7 Mk II Irons, enhances feel by reducing unwanted vibrations. PureFrame is forged into the body of the iron — just behind the sweet spot – as an 80 percent thicker portion of 1020 carbon steel. The result is a soft yet solid feel at impact. Meanwhile, the rest of the ZX Mk II Iron line features the second generation of Srixon’s MainFrame technology. MainFrame is a variable thickness pattern of grooves, channels, and cavities carefully milled into the back of the ZX4 and ZX5 faces that maximize flex at impact. It not only boosts ball speed, but also, says Srixon, repositions mass away from the face and more toward the toe which makes the club more forgiving and consistent. A mainstay of Srixon Iron design, the Tour V.T. Sole which helps maintain the speed of the clubhead through impact, and popular sole notches which reduce drag, are a feature of the ZX Mk II Irons. Finally, the forged Z-Forged II is a muscle back blade that certainly isn’t for everyone regardless of how attractive it is. By the way, Srixon was the official club at the Seattle Golf Show in March and wildly popular all weekend.

9 — Cleveland • RTX 6 ZipCore Sand Wedge

Puetz Golf Price: $169.99

Pat Ripp, Research and Business Solutions Engineer at Cleveland Golf/Srixon USA, says the RTX 6 ZipCore Wedge may have the classic look on the outside but is “packed on the inside with three technological breakthroughs.” HydraZip is a dynamic blast and laser-milled line system that creates roughness that increases friction at impact. That increases spin in all conditions from anywhere around the green. ZipCore is Cleveland’s low-density core technology added to the heel/hosel that is designed to position the club’s Center of Gravity (CG) at the exact point the club contacts the ball. That, according to Cleveland, not only expands the sweet spot and helps optimize spin but also helps increases feel and control to help you hit more consistent short-game shots. Meanwhile, by adding an abundance of high/low and heel/toe MOI into every loft in the line, you should experience increased spin, consistency, feel, and control. And UltiZip is a system of grooves that are sharper, deeper, and more tightly spaced than is typical. That allows the club to slice through debris and bite harder for enhanced spin and control. “All the work put into this wedge, we really focused on finding the perfect balance of versatility and consistency,” Ripp says. “UltiZip is a notable example. Without grooves you don’t have a wedge, so we equipped the RTX 6 ZipCore with our sharpest groove radii ever.” The RTX 6 ZipCore Wedge has four different sole grinds (LOW, LOW+, MID, FULL) with a variety of lofts available ranging 46-60 degrees.

10 – True Linkswear • Lux Hybrid, Original 1.2, All-Day Knit 3

Puetz Golf Price: $154.99, $169.99, $160, Knit 3 on PuetzGolf.com

There’s nothing better than getting the opportunity to feature one of our own on these pages – that’s to say a company from our neck of the woods that makes golf equipment — and not just any old golf equipment but truly innovative, ground-breaking stuff with a global reputation. True Linkswear is, of course, the shoe brand conceived by the Moore boys — Ryan and Jason back in the days when Jason caddied for Ryan on the PGA Tour. A third brother, Jeremy, is also a big part of the company (and President of Makers Sports Management, too) who oversaw its rise to sixth in global market share amongst several billion-dollar companies. The Tacoma-based manufacturer’s first shoe, the TRUE Tour (T1), was spikeless, significantly wider than conventional golf shoes and featured a flat, zero-drop sole. It looked and performed very differently to its competitors and, like every pair TRUE has ever made, could be worn out to dinner just as easily as on the golf course. Dozens more shoes have come and gone since the T1, while the current list of offerings (which also features apparel now) includes these three typically comfortable, stylish models. The Lux Hybrid is a leather saddle combined with the company’s popular Knit upper. The Original 1.2 ‘Bulletproof’, with alternative (eco-friendly) leather upper and two-year waterproof guarantee. And the new All-Day True Knit 3, which features an updated Wanderlux foam in the midsole that makes you feel like you’re walking on clouds, coupled with stylish cosmetic changes, makes this an exciting shoe.