Written by Joel Tadman on Monday 13 October 2014
Hot on the heels of the new Vapor driver that has already found its way into Rory McIlroy’s bag, Nike has unveiled its Vapor Speed and Vapor Flex fairway woods. “Athlete insights drove significant chassis refinement in the Vapor fairway woods,” said Nate Radcliffe, Director of Engineering for Nike Golf. “Our athletes wanted tighter but forgiving leading edges, fuller profiles and added...
Written by Joel Tadman on Friday 10 October 2014
Designed to meet the demands of modern courses that require longer approaches into firmer greens, the Mizuno MP-H5 (£115 per iron) is now available from 1-iron to pitching wedge. The flow of hollow and part hollow irons through the set ensures a smooth flow of trajectory, feel and distance control. The MP-H5 achieves its launch forgiveness while keeping a neat top line and...
Written by Joel Tadman on Wednesday 8 October 2014
The Mizuno MP-15 iron (£115 per iron, steel and RH only) appears every inch the classic Mizuno MP iron – compact with clean lines, designed to enhance both feel and workability. Forged directly inside the 1025E steel framework is a re-engineered Titanium Muscle insert, which maintains thickness behind impact for solid feel, while allowing weight to be shifted to...
Written by Joel Tadman on Wednesday 8 October 2014
After six years in development, Mizuno has infused boron into its Grain Flow Forging process to increase the strength of its forged material by 30 per cent over traditional steel billets. The result for you? Designers could create a thinner face, which increases ball speeds away from the sweetspot, while maintaining a soft feel. This thinner face is reinforced by a “Power Frame” cavity, which allows the entire face to flex for increased launch...
Written by Joel Tadman on Wednesday 8 October 2014
The idea behind Mizuno’s JPX850 cast irons (£72 per club in steel, £110 graphite) is added distance without sacrificing accuracy. They are said to be the longest irons in Mizuno’s 2015 line-up, but still feature plenty of feel and forgiveness. Mizuno achieved this by increasing the flexible portion of the clubface. A reinforced frame around the face makes it effectively larger, without increasing its size. This frame ensures ball speeds are consistently high across...
Written by Joel Tadman on Wednesday 1 October 2014
Following the Big Bertha V Series launched in August, Callaway completes its trio of Big Bertha drivers for 2015 with the Big Bertha Alpha 815 and Big Bertha Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond. The original Alpha was geared towards better players, but the updated model comes in two versions to fit a broader range of abilities. Callaway has retained its Gravity...
Written by Joel Tadman on Wednesday 1 October 2014
Five years in development, the Titleist 915 driver features a new technology behind the clubface called the Active Recoil Channel (ARC), which allows the face to flex more evenly at impact, reducing spin and increasing ball speeds across the face. The clubface itself is more forgiving thanks to a new design and material while a lighter, ultra-thin cast crown saves...
Written by Joel Tadman on Wednesday 1 October 2014
Having been custom fitted by Titleist head tour rep Phil Dimmock at the Belfry, TG Equipment Editor Joel Tadman has been testing the Titleist 915 driver for over a month now… and it’s gone straight in the bag! He’s also been testing it on the Swing Caddie SC100 launch monitor at Peterborough Milton Golf Club. Watch the video to discover his...
Written by Joel Tadman on Wednesday 1 October 2014
Titleist’s 915 fairway wood and hybrid are adjustable for the first time, which means golfers can fine tune the spec of the head along with the shaft to achieve the most optimum flight for them. Our man Joel Tadman was fitted for his 915 fairway wood and hybrid by Titleist’s top tour club fitter Phil Dimmock at the Belfry a few...
Written by Joe Downes on Monday 29 September 2014
Skechers are one of the world’s biggest shoe brands – and now they’ve brought their successful running shoe technology to golf. One of the lightest shoes on the market – they weigh less than 11oz each – the GObionic features a wider end section to help spread your toes and stay stable over the ball. Comfort comes from a “ResaMax” cushion insole...
Written by Staff Writer on Friday 26 September 2014
Nike has revealed a new driver – and Rory McIlroy has already put it in the bag at Gleneagles. The world no.1, playing alongside Henrik Stenson, struck his first shots in anger with the Vapor Pro in this morning’s fourballs match. It features improved tech from the current Covert 2.0, in a very different look. The visually bold driver is black on...
Written by Joel Tadman on Wednesday 24 September 2014
Callaway’s new Big Bertha irons are built purely for distance. They boast a hollow construction and feature the first 360 face cup Callaway has put in an iron, with a perimeter ring and variable face thickness to boost distance away from the sweetspot. Callaway has also used a different heat treatment on the clubface itself to boost its strength, allowing them...
Written by Joel Tadman on Wednesday 24 September 2014
Callaway’s new Big Bertha V Series driver is the lightest club it has ever made. It’s built for distance by allowing you to swing it faster. Similar in concept to the Optiforce driver we saw last year, the 460cc driver features a super-lightweight grip and shaft, lightweight head materials and aerodynamic shape, all contributing to its “Speed Optimised Technology”. One unique...
Written by Joel Tadman on Wednesday 24 September 2014
Rory McIlroy will walk the fairways at Gleneagles in two, specially-designed pairs of Nike Lunar Control II shoes for the Ryder Cup. One will be white, the other black and both feature the European blue and yellow trim. Speaking when they launched at the start of the year, Rory said he loves how lightweight his Nike Lunar Control shoes are. “They...
Written by Joel Tadman on Tuesday 23 September 2014
World No.1 Rory McIlroy has been testing a new Nike driver at Gleneagles – and might even put it in the bag when the Ryder Cup begins on Friday. Nike is staying tight-lipped about the club, but four new drivers – the Vapor Pro and three versions of the Vapor Speed – did appear on the USGA’s conforming driver...
Written by Joel Tadman on Tuesday 23 September 2014
adidas Golf, an industry leader in innovation, technology and performance footwear, has announced a limited-edition footwear collection inspired by the 2014 Ryder Cup in Gleneagles, Scotland, continuing adidas’ legacy of providing high-performance footwear for the best athletes in the world on sports’ greatest stages. By combining design elements with visual cues representative of each team’s distinct colours, adidas Golf has created...
Written by Joel Tadman on Tuesday 23 September 2014
ProQuip Golf, the Preferred Supplier of weatherwear to The 2014 European Ryder Cup Team, today revealed the official rain suit for Paul McGinley’s European Team and details of the Irishman’s 18-month hands-on involvement in its design. McGinley chose Scottish company ProQuip Golf – 20 times a preferred supplier to Ryder Cup Teams (European and American) – to design bespoke rain suits...
Written by Joel Tadman on Friday 19 September 2014
Srixon clubs have been used by its staff players like Graeme McDowell and Hideki Matsuyama for a number of months but over in Europe, we’ve been kept in the dark on the details… until now. Srixon has finally unveiled its exciting new Z range of woods and irons this side of the pond and it will be coming to pro...
Written by Joel Tadman on Thursday 18 September 2014
Cleveland Golf promises more spin and control from its new 588 Rotex 2.0 wedges. Like last year’s best-selling 588 RTX, the new clubs – in blade and cavity back versions – feature Tour Zip Grooves. However, these are eight per cent deeper, and the walls of the grooves are slightly steeper, to make the edges sharper. Cleveland claims this creates about 15...
Written by Joel Tadman on Thursday 18 September 2014
Cleveland Golf promises 15 per cent more spin from the rough with its new 588 RTX 2.0 wedges. This is down to the grooves being eight per cent deeper and having slightly steeper walls. TG’s Equipment Editor Joel Tadman took them to Peterborough Milton Golf Club (www.pmgc.org.uk) in Cambridgeshire to find out if they delivered… with astonishing results!...