December 18, 2011 by
Daniel M ·
1 CommentFiled under:
Callaway,
Cleveland,
Entertaining News,
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TaylorMade
As a guy who grew up playing woods made of a strange substance called wood, I find many of today’s drivers unappealing to the eye. There’s only one form a driver should take, and that’s pear-shaped.
Drooling yet?
So my heart skipped a beat when I saw Cleveland Golf’s new Classic Driver, due out early next year. Mahogany finish. Brass-colored face “insert” and sole plate. The word “Classic” scrolled on the crown as an alignment aid. Even a black leather head cover in a shape the company calls “RetroBarrel.”
Cue Homer Simpson drooling sound.
In a word, this is one gorgeous golf club. But that’s the end of the Cleveland Classic’s similarities with its ancestors. (You know, the ones made from trees.) The Classic maxes out the USGA volume allowance at 460cc, about three times the size of a persimmon driver head. Its face is massive – the deepest on the market, according to Cleveland. And off-the-rack models are powered by an ultralight Miyazaki graphite shaft.
While it’s not yet for sale to the public, the Classic has already been tested on Tour. In fact, 2011 Rookie of the Year Keegan Bradley used it en route to winning (with Brendan Steele) the Franklin Templeton Shootout last weekend.
Bradley, who strikes me as the traditional type, instantly fell for the club’s old-school aesthetics. “When I looked at the new driver, honestly, I loved it,” he gushed. “I love the gold face on it… You look down at the face and the thing that you focus on is the sweet spot. I think it’s brilliant. I think it’s gonna change the way drivers are made.”
Of course, Callaway, Ping, TaylorMade et al will have something to say about that. In fact, TaylorMade just introduced its new wood lineup, which carries a decidedly non-traditional name: RocketBallz.
May the best club win.
Odyssey putters have long been on the market to offer excellence in the game of golf. When Callaway Golf acquired Odyssey Sports and their premium line of putters, we have never seen a game of professional golf without the use of an Odyssey. Enter the Odyssey TI-Hot 1 Limited Edition Putter.
The revelation of this elite putter from Odyssey is not only bringing in rave reviews but its limited edition status in the U.S. has golfers chomping at the bit to get their hands on the all-titanium constructed, tungsten weighted ports; with hopes of knocking off a few more strokes to their game. Only 1,250 Odyssey TI-Hot 1 Putters will be made available for sale in the U.S. market.
The TI-Hot 1 Putter has a precision milled titanium head which has a noticeably deeper and sharper milling pattern that provides a better feel, truer roll and more consistency in every putt. The tungsten weighted ports are strategically placed in the sole of the TI-Hot 1 to optimize performance. This unique feature offers an ideal balance of feel, control and accuracy. The weights also lower the center of gravity, which causes a stable feel and a good sound on impact.
Odyssey’s use of an all-titanium construction allows the player to feel the softness that steel construction putters don’t have. The TI-Hot 1 Putter is designed for comfort and style with its crank-neck hosel, full shaft offset, and muted charcoal finish with the signature Odyssey logo – your fellow golfers will be asking you, “what is that?” and “can I try your new putter?” However, your final game score will speak for itself as you adjust to the ease of a true premium club, you’ll find that your confidence in letting the putter do the work is assured at the end of every hole.
The retail price of the Odyssey TI-Hot 1 Putter is $349.99; however with the limited edition marketing there may be those golf fans that are willing to pay more than the premium to get their hands on this model. Many retailers were limited to just a few putters to their inventory, which means your best bet would be to order directly from Callaway online. However, if you’re hoping to get your hands on one to try it out first, that may be just as difficult to do as purchasing one, which might just be the thought behind this exclusive model.
Additional features:
- Grip color: Black
- Muted Charcoal Finish
- Putter type: Blade
- Rounded heel-toe
- Comes in two lengths, 34” and 35” for Men/Right hand only
- Retails for $349.99 plus tax and shipping
Callaway Golf announced that it is teaming with Automobili Lamborghini to collaborate on research and development initiatives. The two companies made the joint announcement last week at the Paris Motor Show and said it now formalizes a relationship that dates back several years.
The companies have co-developed a material called Forged Composite, a material they contend is the lightest, strongest and most precise used by either. Encompassing more than 500,000 intertwined turbostratic fibers per square inch, the material features a high threshold for withstanding extreme forces. Forged Composite is one-third the density of titanium, yet features a greater load carrying capacity per unit mass in bending.
"Forged Composite provides us with the ability to engineer performance enhancements like never before, and we've only just begun to tap the potential of this material," said Dr. Alan Hocknell, Callaway’s senior vice president of research and development. "We're looking forward to collaborating on future applications that push our designs beyond any preconceptions."
Said Stephan Winkelmann, president and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini: "We see power-to-weight ratio and weight reduction as the keys for future super sports cars and carbon fiber as the material to achieve these goals. Callaway's expertise in specific technologies is strategic for our research projects and therefore we welcome this partnership as a further, important milestone in our over 30 years long history of carbon fiber applications."
Lamborghini unveiled its first design featuring Forged Composite at the Paris Motor Show. Callaway will introduce a line of premium golf equipment featuring the material in several weeks and throughout 2011.
[Via thegolfchannel.com]
The Tour Authentic looks like a FT3 from address; the face resembles the Hyper X, while the sole incorporates the new Ft-9 design. Looks like a nice blend of Callaway's best.
Rumors are that the Tour Authentic FT-9 is coming to retail in November, but we cant be sure yet.
[Via GolfWRX.com]
Golf.com's David Dusek confirmed while speaking with Callaways lead designer Roger Cleveland that Phil Mickelson is using a new PM Prototype Hybrid this week at the U.S open. Although its still in prototype phase Phil himself provided a lot of input in its build.
Previously Phil was using Callaway Golf's FT Hybrid off and on depending on the tournaments course venue.
Roger Cleveland did not divulge any specifics on the club, its design, or the technologies used but Mickleson did speak to reporters saying:
"This is a special club I actually made, taking the back part of the hybrid out so that I can open it way up and get through that thick rough."
Of course its far to early to confirm if this club will make it into retail release but it was still a great find by David Dusek and we felt is was worthy to report on.
It looks pretty good to me, very simple from what we can see from the small image, I can barely make out the word's Callaway & Prototype on it. By what Phil Mickleson is saying it appears the logic is somewhat similar to a wedge with trailing edge relief to help him open it up. That makes good sense if you plan on being in the rough a lot.
[Via golftoimpress.com]
The new 2009 X Forged irons will be part of a large update coming from Callaway in the next few months. They will also be releasing new X-22 and X-22 Tour irons, along with the new FT-iQ, FT-9, and Big Bertha Diablo drivers.
The irons will contain a forged 1020 carbon steel construction, flighted CG design, progressive dual notch weighting, and project x flighted shafts.
We will provide more detailed pictures and news as they become available. For now everyone is expecting great things from an update of an already reasonably easy to hit, blade style iron.
The Callaway Forged X Prototype Blade was apart of the Tour Authentic release and cannot be overlooked. They come from a company that has based their goals on forgiveness and not necessarily the workability achieved from a blade, which is why they are only offered in limited amounts.
If you can find a set, they will feature a X-Muscle flighted design which places the center of gravity in the shorter irons at the highest muscle point and progressively moves it to the lowest point in the longer irons. This allows for trajectory control which moves to the lowest in the long irons for high, soft landing shots.
They are also made from soft 1020 carbon steel and are forged by the famed Endo manufacturing facility. All in all these irons offer a good balance of forgiveness and feel when it comes to the blade style category.
Callaway's updates to its "Tour Authentic" Line seem to be similar to the TP line that TaylorMade offers. A bit pricey, but completely inspired and used by tour players.
Callaway's new drivers will be taking advantage of the new USGA rules on adjustability for 2008. The FT-5 and FT-i driver heads will be sold without a shaft and will come with a tool that will easily allow the player to change between a mixture of 50 different types of compatible shafts. This will allow the buyer to easily match their club setup with the exacts specs meant for their swing.
The FT-i will be available in either draw or neutral weighting with 9º, 10º, and 11º lofts.
The FT-i Tour will be availble in the new Low Center of Gravity model in both draw and neutral with lofts of 9.5º and 10.5º degrees.
