Big week for TaylorMade: 3 Tour wins

Three players won on tour last week with TaylorMade Rossa putters last week.

Rory Sabbatini, one of the newest members of the TaylorMade Tour Staff, won the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Sabbatini, who has played with Nike and Adams the past two seasons, used TaylorMade's new R9 driver and had a tournament-leading 26 birdies, including eight in his final round 64.

Using a Rossa TP by Kia Ma putter, he ranked No. 1 in putts per green in regulation (1.531) and tied for No. 1 in putts per round (25.8).

Since switching to TaylorMade equipment Sabbatini, now ranked No. 27 in the Official World Golf Rankings, has made six of eight cuts and notched three top-10 finishes including his latest win.

Sabbatini, who played the original R9, was one of 35 players who played an R9, eight of whom used the just-introduced R9 460. The top six finishers, including Sabbatini, D.A. Points, Scott McCarron, Dustin Johnson and John Mallinger, all played the R9 driver.

In Sabbatini's winning bag:Driver: R9™ 9.5°
Fairway wood: Tour Burner® 14.5° 3-wood
Irons: Tour Preferred® 4-PW
Wedge: rac™ TP 56
Putter: Rossa® TP by Kia Ma Daytona

- On the Champions Tour, Michael Allen used a Rossa Itsy Bitsy Monza Spider to win the Senior PGA Championship, overcoming a first-round 74 to finish at 6-under. Allen, who never won in 334 starts on the PGA Tour, became the 14th player to win in his Champion's Tour debut.

Finally, the winner of the LPGA Corning Classic also played an Itsy Bitsy Monza Spider, and used it to sink 19 birdies and four eagle-putts en route to a winning score of 21-under par.

Henry-Griffitts delivers new Sizzle Wedge

Custom club-maker Henry-Griffitts' new custom grind Sizzle Wedges will be fit and customized similar to other elements of the club to which the player is already fit. In addition to the customization, the milled face of the club produces extra spin and contributes to enhanced feel and consistency.

"These are the best wedges we've ever created and the best I've ever played," says Randy Henry, founder of Henry-Griffitts."The wedge looks spectacular and the sizzle grooves will knock your socks off - it's the ultimate in club customization."

The Custom Grind Sizzle Wedge is available in a variety of custom grinds that are developed based on a player's preferred shots, most common shots and best shots. The premium customization is the Hobson Grind, in which a player's club is fit for all elements aside from the grind. A number of shots are then played with the clubs and an individualized grind is created based on the wear on the club and lie board markings.

"The improved sole design, milled face and fact that the Sizzle wedges are customized to the individual golfer's personal requirements makes this wedge the perfect choice for the golfer who is serious about game improvement," states Homero Blancas, one of the finest wedge players ever to play on the PGA Tour.

Other features of the wedges include an improved sole design that creates superb playability from all types of lies. A 'fly-cut' machining process is used on the face area to ensure a perfect surface into which the grooves are machine engraved. The net result is a face/groove combination that is the most consistent in the industry. Unlike other wedges which use a certain amount of scrap metal, all Henry-Griffitts Custom Grind 'Sizzle Wedges' are made of 100% virgin stainless steel.

Custom Grind 'Sizzle' Wedges will be available in May from Henry-Griffitts Certified Teachers nationwide. The suggested retail price for the premium Sizzle wedges from Henry-Griffitts is $330.00 per wedge with the Hobson Grind (graphite shaft) and $315.00 per wedge with the Hobson Grind (steel shaft).

New equipment helps Paul Casey to Euro victory

Nike ambassador Paul Casey picked up his third win of the year at last week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club in the United Kingdom.

It was Casey's 11th career title and moved him up to No. 3 in the World Rankings. Casey's performance has improved since switching to his company's new Victory Red irons, a new prototype Nike putter and the new Nike ONE Tour ball.

Since the switch, Casey has won his first PGA Tour title at the Shell Houston Open and had a second-place finish at the WGC-Accenture Match play.

Since changing putters, Casey jumped from 196^th in putts per round on the PGA Tour in 2008 to 56^th in 2009. His overall putting average dramatically improved from a 193^rd ranking in 2008 to 23^rd in 2009. In the BMW PGA Championship, Casey ranked seventh in putts per round.

Using a mixed set of Nike VR irons, Casey averaged 70 percent in Greens in Regulation. He used the VR Forged Split Cavity irons (4-5) and the VR Forged TW Blades (6-PW), and 54 and 60-degree VR wedges.

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Casey’s BMW PGA Championship Highlights

· This victory vaults Casey to #3 in World Rankings.

· This is Casey’s 11th career victory.

· Ranked seventh in putts per round using a Nike prototype putter.

· Casey shot four rounds in the 60’s en route to his third title of the season.

· Casey birdied three of the last four holes to secure his win.

· Casey won with a full bag of Nike Golf products and wore performance Nike Golf footwear and Nike Golf apparel.

· Casey’s win was the sixth Global Tour win with Nike Golf’s Victory Red irons.

Casey’s Nike Golf Arsenal

· Driver: Nike SQ Tour

· Fairway Woods: Nike SQ II 3 and 5 Wood

· Irons: Nike ProCombo OS (3), Nike Victory Red (VR) Split Cavity (4-5), Victory Red (VR) Forged TW Blades (#6-PW)

· Wedges: Nike Victory Red (VR) 54 and 60-degree

· Putter: Nike Prototype Putter

· Ball: Nike ONE Tour

· Footwear: Nike Air Zoom Elite II

· Apparel: Nike Golf’s Tour Collection

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Nike Golf’s 2009 PGA Tour Victories

· Tiger Woods – Arnold Palmer Invitational

· Paul Casey – Shell Houston Open

Nike Golf’s 2009 International Victories

· Paul Casey – Abu Dhabi Golf Championship (European Tour)

· Paul Casey – BMW PGA Championship (European Tour)

Cleveland Van Testing Day May 28 at Leatherman's

The Cleveland Golf Tech Van will stop at Leatherman Golf on Tyvola Road in Charlotte May 28 from 3-7 p.m. Information? 704-527-1123. Golfers can be fit by Cleveland staff professionals and hit the latest Cleveland products.

Is TaylorMade bad for the golf industry?

I went into a local Golf Galaxy today to take a look at the newest equipment and apparel, and as soon as I got past the putters, I saw four racks of TaylorMade equipment. Some of it was the latest stuff, including the new 460 R9 driver which was released this week, barely three months after the new R9 driver came out.

The original had a smaller head.

I have talked to store managers who are not fond of all the companies, not just TaylorMade, releasing equipment so fast, which often creates a glut of product in stores -- and creates the need to showcase "old" equipment from a manufacturer next to the newer stuff.

I actually think it's good for Joe Consumer that the golf companies are pumping out new stuff so often. They are improving products, however incrementally, and if you don't have to be on the cutting edge, you can get some awfully good deals on the "older" stuff.

TaylorMade's R7 Limited driver, one of the best I tried in 2008, is going for $199 in stores, less than half its retail price. You can get the original PING Rapture for $199 because a Rapture 2 is on store shelves now for more than twice the price. The new one is great, and awful long, but the original isn't bad either.

I know a lot of people are loathe to buy used golf equipment, especially drivers, because they don't know how the original operator treated the equipment. But these days, you can get new stuff at heavily discounted prices and the technology, in some cases, isn't even a year old.

TaylorMade introduces new R9 460 driver

The new TaylorMade 430-cc R9 driver debuted in February and it's the No. 1 driver on the PGA Tour. Now, TaylorMade is delivering a 460cc version of the R9 for $299, $100 less than the original R9.

The new driver, like the smaller model, gives the golfer the power to easily change the club's face angle, loft and lie angle simply by loosening a bolt in the sole, rotating the shaft into the designated position, then tightening the bolt. While not as customizable as the smaller version, the 460 has a arger head, deeper clubface and lower and deeper-back center of gravity. This makes it easier for low-spin players -- read: amateurs like you and me -- to keep the ball in the air longer for increased carry and distance.

The R9 460's clubhead is constructed with the aid of TaylorMade's Ultra-Thin Wall technology, which allows for clubhead walls measuring as thin as 0.6 millimeters, with the saved weight redistributed to help make the low and-deep-back CG possible.

The new club has a 45.75 inch shaft, to help increase distance and it also comes in a TP version (tour preferred) for better players. The TP model has a choice of upgraded shafts. Both models come in multiple lofts: 8.5°, 9.5°, 10.5° and 11.5° in right-handed, 9.5° and 10.5° in left-handed. Both are in stores now.

TaylorMade introduces new Rossa Monza Spider putter

TaylorMade Golf's latest putter, the Rossa Monza Spider Balero, a large mallet that the company claims combines the forgiveness and feel of the Monza Spider with a uniquely shaped head that makes it dramatically easier to aim the clubface correctly.

"We spend a lot of time studying putting and the reasons why most average golfers don't putt as well as tour pros do," said Bill Price, senior director of Rossa. "One in-depth analysis we conducted focused on putts of 14 feet and less. That's a range where pros convert a relatively high percentage of the time, but amateurs don't. Why? One of the reasons is because, according to our data, the amateur aims the putterface poorly 64.4% of the time. Meaning that on two out of every three putts, the player mis-aims."

Monza Spider Balero's head was designed to be extremely easy to aim. Its prominent "ball-in-cup" feature in the back of the head provides a visual cue that makes it incredibly simple to line up the clubface with the intended line.

At address, the image of the ball resting in front of the clubface works in conjunction with the white line on Balero's crown and the round hole through the back to help simplify the act of starting the ball rolling on the exact line you've chosen, especially if you line up the ball's label or side stamp (or if you prefer to draw a line on the ball) with the line across the top of Balero's crown.

Balero's ball-in-cup feature serves another positive function. Looking at it reinforces the image of a ball against the center of the back lip of the cup. That positively reinforces the practice of rolling the ball firmly into the back of the cup on short putts, which promotes a firm, accelerating stroke while discouraging deceleration.

Balero's large head and shape serve another critical purpose, and that's to deliver super-high MOI for the kind of stability and forgiveness on mis-hits that mallet fans covet. And the uni-body (made from a single piece) stainless steel construction, combined with a soft polymer AGSI® insert, contributes to Balero's remarkably soft feel.

An additional advantage to the Balero's shape and design is that it boasts an exceptionally low center of gravity. That low CG works in conjunction with AGSI technology to promote an even smoother, tighter roll of the face. Compared to the Monza Spider, the Balero's CG is a full 15% lower.

Rossa Monza Spider Balero becomes available starting on May 21 at $159.

True Temper's Triple Play

Shaft maker True Temper Sports got what the brand is calling a "triple play" last weekend. Players using the brand won at the Valero Texas Open on the PGA Tour, the Irish Open in Europe and the BMW Charity Classic on the Nationwide Tour.

Zach Johnson used True Temper’s Dynamic Gold shafts at the Valero Texas Open, Project X steel shafts captured the titles at the Irish Open and BMW Charity Classic.

The wins mark True Temper’s 20th PGA Tour victory of the 2009 season and demonstrate the continued popularity for True Temper products among the best players on pro tours around the world.

“Shot consistency and accuracy are the true benchmarks for successful steel shaft designs and True Temper shafts repeatedly set the industry standards for tour performance,” says Scott Hennessy, president and CEO of True Temper Sports. ”The victories this weekend show how innovative design combined with precision engineering deliver the highest level of performance and maximize a player’s ability shot after shot.”

Johnson won with a bag full of Titleist on the PGA Tour.

WHAT’S IN ZACH JOHNSON’S TITLEIST BAG?:
Pro V1x golf ball, 909D2 driver (8.5), 909F2 3-wood (13.5), 909F2 5-wood (18.5), 909H hybrid (21), AP2 irons (4-9), Vokey Design pitching (48) and sand (54) wedges and Spin Milled lob (60) wedge.

PLAYERS champ Stenson wins with True Temper

PLAYERS champ Henrik Stenson used True Temper shafts in his golf clubs en route to a rousing victory Sunday in Florida.

At one time trailing by five shots on an unforgiving TPC Sawgrass course, the young champion outscored the competition using Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts in his irons and Grafalloy Blue shafts in his driver, 3- and 5-wood.

“As the number one shaft manufacturer, True Temper is thrilled to continue its 2009 PGA winning streak. The PLAYERS Championship marks our 16th straight and our 19th cumulative win this season,” says Scott Hennessy, president and CEO of True Temper Sports. “The win with Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts is very timely as we recently began offering the design to the golfing public for the first time in company history.”

The Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts have generated a great deal of industry buzz this season beginning with a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am earlier this year. The Tour Issue design features a tighter matched set sequence and specifications as well as a Tour Only weight tolerances of ± 0.5 grams for custom precision fitting. The shafts are sold in sets of eight (3-PW) and each set is serialized. Individual 1- and 2-iron shafts and wedge shafts are also available. The Tour Issue shafts are available in S400 and X100 flexes and with 0.355-inch tip diameter.

Dynamic Gold shafts are preferred by better players who want a low, penetrating ball trajectory. Dynamic Gold shafts are engineered with tapered and parallel irons and parallel woods. Most Dynamic Gold models are available at retailers and dealers around the world, however, the new Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts are currently available through True Temper’s Tour Concept network, a first-of-its-kind program designed to offer premium tour-quality products to the discriminating golfer.

Tiger Woods' live chat with fans is tonight

A little reminder from last week's post:

Tiger Woods will be the focal point of a national consumer experience whereby golf fans will be able to tune in live to www.nikegolf.com as Woods provides his insights on how he approaches the game, golf equipment and other topics of interest. Wonder if anyone will ask about his swing, his equipment or his coach, Hank Haney, in light of his recent sub-par (for him) outings.

Fans will be able to talk live with Tiger from eight different cities from 7-8 p.m. tonight. Other fans can watch the discussion live on nikegolf.com

“I enjoy an opportunity to speak directly to golf fans. It’s cool to be able to do it through the cutting-edge technology of the web,” said Woods, participating in this week's Players Championship in Jacksonville, Fla. “We are going to have a fun time and I look forward to sharing my views about different facets of the game,” said Woods.

“Tiger Web Talkback” is one part of a Nike Golf full-day consumer experience that will take place at eight stores in the U.S. In each of the eight locations, Nike Golf will be conducting equipment demos, long drive contests, footwear try-ons and in-store special offers. In addition to “Tiger Web Talkback,” consumers will also be able to hit Nike’s new adjustable driver, the SQ DYMO STR8-FIT.

“This is going to be a unique experience for consumers to interlace with our brand, to be inspired by Tiger, and to ignite their passion for golf,” said Mike Francis, U.S. General Manager of Nike Golf. “We are able to do this on a broad-reaching scale around the globe by taking advantage of the real-time, cutting-edge technology available today on the web.”

The eight stores are:

Ø Dicks Sporting Goods – Washington, D.C.
Ø Edwin Watts Golf – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Ø Evanston Country Club – Skokie, Illinois
Ø Golfsmith – Houston, Texas
Ø Golf Galaxy – Woodbury, Minnesota
Ø Haggin Oaks – Sacramento, California
Ø Harbor Links – Port Washington, New York
Ø Presidio Golf Course – San Francisco, California

Big club demo day coming to Rocky River Saturday

The latest offerings from Callaway, Cobra, Mizuno and Titleist will be on display for an outdoor demo day, sponsored by Edwin Watts Golf, at Rocky River Golf Club, 6900 Bruton Smith Blvd, in Concord Saturday. Time is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Fitting professionals will be on site to fit golfers to the latest gear.

Information? 704-979-0330.

Stinson wins PLAYERS with new Cleveland/Srixon ball

The golf ball wars are heating up again after Henrik Stenson won last week's PLAYERS championship using Srixon's new Z-STAR ball. It was the first official PGA Tour victory for the brand, which was used by five of the top 10 finishers: Stenson, Brian Davis, Jim Furyk, Tim Clark and Vijay Singh.

Stenson began Sunday’s round 5 shots out of the lead, but his final, bogey-free round of 6-under 66 earned him a four-shot victory at the event. The win was the biggest of Stenson’s career, which now consists of ten titles world-wide, including two victories on the PGA TOUR. The victory earned Stenson $1,710,000 and moved Srixon’s leading staff player up to the number 5 position in the world rankings.

Previous tour victories for the Z-STAR ball line include Stenson’s victories at the 2008 Nedbank Golf Challenge and the 2008 Omega Mission Hills World Cup, as well as Tim Clark’s win at the 2008 Australian Open and Garth Mulroy’s victory at the South Georgia Classic.

Weighted putter helps John Daly's famous stroke

Golf major champion John Daly used a new Heavy Putter mid-weight K4 model en route to a runner-up finish at the PGA European Tour's BMW Italian Open last weekend at Royal Park I Roveri in Torino, Italy.

Using the Heavy Putter in competition for the first time, Daly shot four rounds in the 60s, buoyed by a top-25 ranking in both the "Putts per Round" and "Putts per GIR" categories. This marked Daly's best result on the PGA European Tour since winning the 2001 BMW International Open.

Daly's tie for second in Italy comes just one week after the Heavy Putter was used by the runner-up at the PGA European Tour's Open de Espana, and two weeks after a player on the Champions Tour switched to the brand and captured the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. Success for the Heavy Putter includes wins on the PGA, European, Champions, Asian, Nationwide and Canadian Tours.

With a total weight of 750 grams, the MID-WEIGHT Series is lighter than previous Heavy Putter models yet heavier than traditional offerings. It is available in five classic designs offered in a rich black "PVD" or silver satin finish, and features Boccieri Golf's unprecedented counter-balance theory of added weight in the head and grip. This causes the body to engage its larger muscles for a consistent swing path, uniform pace, precise distance and directional control, tightening end-over-end golf ball roll.

Look for our review of this putter coming soon.

Talk to Tiger Woods live over the internet

Tiger Woods will be the focal point of a national consumer experience whereby golf fans will be able to tune in live to www.nikegolf.com as Woods provides his insights on how he approaches the game, golf equipment and other topics of interest.

Fans will be able to talk live with Tiger from eight different cities from 7-8 p.m. Tuesday, May 12. Other fans can watch the discussion live on nikegolf.com

“I enjoy an opportunity to speak directly to golf fans. It’s cool to be able to do it through the cutting-edge technology of the web,” said Woods, participating in this week's Players Championship in Jacksonville, Fla. “We are going to have a fun time and I look forward to sharing my views about different facets of the game,” said Woods.

“Tiger Web Talkback” is one part of a Nike Golf full-day consumer experience that will take place at eight stores in the U.S. In each of the eight locations, Nike Golf will be conducting equipment demos, long drive contests, footwear try-ons and in-store special offers. In addition to “Tiger Web Talkback,” consumers will also be able to hit Nike’s new adjustable driver, the SQ DYMO STR8-FIT.

“This is going to be a unique experience for consumers to interlace with our brand, to be inspired by Tiger, and to ignite their passion for golf,” said Mike Francis, U.S. General Manager of Nike Golf. “We are able to do this on a broad-reaching scale around the globe by taking advantage of the real-time, cutting-edge technology available today on the web.”

The eight stores are:

Ø Dicks Sporting Goods – Washington, D.C.
Ø Edwin Watts Golf – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Ø Evanston Country Club – Skokie, Illinois
Ø Golfsmith – Houston, Texas
Ø Golf Galaxy – Woodbury, Minnesota
Ø Haggin Oaks – Sacramento, California
Ø Harbor Links – Port Washington, New York
Ø Presidio Golf Course – San Francisco, California

Adjustable drivers working well at Quail Hollow

I spent all of last week walking around the beautiful Quail Hollow Club and writing about what I saw. A few observations I didn't get to:

Much was made all week about Tiger Woods' errant tee shots and his swing. It's amazing to me the guy is still in contention every week with essentially his C or D game. He could've won the Masters if he putted better and would've probably won in Charlotte if he birdied 14 and 15 on Sunday, holes you'd expect him to score on most any day.

But Tiger does need to fix his driver swing. An anonymous pro told Sports Illustrated that Tiger misses left and right these days, killer for a tour professional. I saw that last week. The pro suggests Woods needs to change his technique.

I can see that, too, though I sense he'll get it worked out and start winning by large margins again. Remember, he has some rust from his long layoff after knee surgery and still contends (and he has won this year). In fact, I think the best of Tiger might be ahead of us.

On the driving range, I saw many pros hitting new drivers from Nike and TaylorMade that are completely adjustable. You could make them hit higher or lower, or left or right, by adjusting the driver head. It's amazing technology that I think most weekend players should at least investigate.

The volunteers who work at the tournament should be commended. They have a tough job to deal with fans, some of whom are a little tipsy, and they do it well, without being overbearing. The grounds crew should get kudos as well. The course was perfect. And the porta-johns were clean.