Equipment
Great New Gear to Ring in the Year
THIS IS PERPETUALLY THE BEST TIME OF YEAR to check out new golf equipment. And all of the gear hitting the market this month comes with the promise of helping you improve your game and making golf more enjoyable. What’ s not to like?
by SCOTT KRAMER
BRIDGESTONE e6 Speed ball
Bridgestone developed its new soft-feeling and lively e6 Speed ball based on data it amassed from some two million ball-fitting sessions. Company officials invite golfers to compare it side-by-side against the leading balls on the market, claiming this model is nine yards longer and 31 percent straighter.“ We’ ve learned through years of conducting fittings that the vast majority of golfers are using a ball that’ s detrimental to their performance,” says Adam Rehberg, who is in charge of Bridgestone’ s ball marketing.“ Few generate the speed necessary to make the( popular) Tour balls perform optimally, and the results could be dramatic losses in distance and accuracy. This new e6 is precisely designed to provide longer and straighter shots.”($ 29 / dozen, bridgestonegolf. com)
MIZUNO JPX900 driver
Mizuno’ s blue-headed JPX900 is as adjustable a driver as exists on the market. It has a track up the middle of the sole, along which two eightgram adjustable weights can be locked anywhere to help golfers zero in on the precise trajectory height they want. Its clubface can be easily and quickly set to be open, neutral or closed. And to boot, fade and draw weight ports help directional control. A newfangled clubface is five grams lighter than the one on its predecessor JPX850 driver, which frees up discretionary weight and expands the COR area. That, in turn, boosts forgiveness and ball speed on off-center hits.($ 500, mizunousa. com / Golf)
38 V IRGINIA G OLFER | JANUARY / F EBRUARY 2017 vsga. org