GEAR
GEAR
THREE BEAUTIFUL WORDS: UP AND DOWN
By Evan Rothman
Master chefs carry knives in briefcases made in Japanese samurai sword traditions. Similarly, golfers need precision craftsmanship to excel around the greens. Below, the latest breed of wedges and putters to help finely tune your performance.
1 Titleist TVD-K
$160 AND UP; 866-925-7402
The versatile TVD-K was born from master wedge-maker Bob Vokey’s work with Jason Dufner, Adam Scott and other PGA Tour stars. Its 56-degree model sports a wider sole for added playability from the bunker, while the full-soled, higher-bounce 58- and 60-degree versions are well-suited to neutral through digger-swing types.
1 Scotty Cameron by Titleist Select GoLo 5
2 Ping Tour
STEEL, $140, GRAPHITE $167; PING.COM
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The Tour’s precision-milled “Gorge” grooves produce maximum spin due to their ultra-tight manufacturing tolerances, per the company. Players can pick from three sole designs to match swing style or course conditions. The custom-tuning port in the clubhead’s rear adds perimeter weighting for a solid, stable feel.
$375; SCOTTYCAMERON.COM Cameron’s original GoLo mallet has proven a big success on the PGA Tour. The 5 model resulted from some pros’ request for a slightly smaller head—about 10% in the final reckoning. The darkly handsome, glarefree Black Mist finish remains the same, as do the subtly effective sight lines and bold red “Cherry Dot” back graphics and sole weights—for an unimpeachably modern look. It is also precision milled from a single block of 303 stainless steel for consistency.
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2 Odyssey Versa
$169; ODYSSEYGOLF.COM
3 Miura New
$235; MIURAGOLF.COM
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Miura Golf ’s home city of Himeji, Japan used to be the epicenter of samurai sword manufacturing; for 30+ years, Katsuhiro Miura and his team have forged clubs using ancient techniques. The classically shaped New wedges feature a chrome finish and tweaked bounce angles to create consistent contact between the club and turf.
High-contrast, black-and-white features like those used in high-tech night vision scopes are used here to aid golfers in aligning properly, as the contrast underscores both the proper face angle and the clubhead’s other aiming cues. Phil Mickelson and Ryo Ishikawa have both had it in their bags early this season. The Versa comes in predominantly black and predominantly white versions— whichever fits your eye.
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3 Ping Scottsdale TR
$165-$235; PING.COM
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4 Mizuno MP-T4
$130; MIZUNOUSA.COM/GOLF
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The MP-T4, with design input from former world #1 Luke Donald, features a teardrop head shape. Mizuno’s Quad Cut Groove technology combines with True Temper’s DG Spinner shaft to produce more shot-stopping spin. The wedge, forged from a mild carbon steel called 1025E “Pure Select,” comes in two finishes.
TR is for “true roll,” created via an aluminum face insert with grooves that vary in depth— shallowest at the edges and deepest in the middle. According to company research, deeper grooves reduce ball velocity, so varying groove depth in this way minimizes the putt’s distance disparity. Hunter Mahan is currently toting the TR, which also comes in a length-adjustable version, available for an additional $35.
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4 TaylorMade Ghost Spider S
$179-$199; TAYLORMADEGOLF.COM
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The Spider S is all about stability, built to produce a supersized moment of inertia to keep the stroke—and the ball—on the intended line. Counterbalancing all that high-tech design is a single, elegant white line bisecting a black inner frame to aid proper alignment. The putter comes in two versions: one with a standard hosel to match straight-back, straightthrough strokes; the other with a “short slant” hosel geared toward arcing strokes.
SPRING 2013, IN PLAY
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IN PLAY, SPRING 2013
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