EMAIL

Nike Method Putter Official Release.  It's been a full year since it first made it's mysterious debut, a full year since Paul Casey had to fight for it and convince officials at the 2008 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational to let him play with the prototype, but the year is up and the waiting is over.  Nike has officially announced the entire Method line of putters and by the looks of things, they are looking to shake things up and prove once again that they are at the head of the class with their putters.

Five Method Putters Make Up The Line

Word on the block is that there will be five different Method Putters that constitute the new line and all of them will hover around the $250 range when they are released, albeit in limited numbers and small releases, later on in 2009.  Worry not, for all of us that aren't connected and tapped into the "limited release" type crowd, they will be coming out to the general public and all of us sad, sad amateurs in February of 2010.

Method 1 + Two Other Blades & Two Other Mallets

The photo above, from golf.com, is the Method 1, which is "an Anser-style, heel-toe weighted blade with a plumber's neck and side dot."  In addition to the one above, there are going to be two other blade putters and two heel-shafted mallets that fill up the line as well.  No matter what option you choose, they are going to be all lofted at 2° and available in three different lengths, ranging from 33 inches to 35 inches.  Many have mentioned, and we're inclined to agree that while the designs and head shapes are not exactly revolutionary, it's the technology being employed inside the putter that is noteworthy and pushing the putter into the spotlight.

Some Specs...

Check it out:

"The grooves in the face of the Method putters are what Nike calls Polymer Groove Technology. A channel is cut in the sole of the club and behind the face. A soft polymer material is then forced into the channel and allowed to seep out of slots cut into the putter's face (right). A portion of the polymer is then cut out, leaving a tiny gap between the soft material and the sharp stainless steel grooves."

What Does It All Mean?

Great, but does this all mean?  It means, according to Tom Stites, Nike's director of product innovation:

"As the putter is coming up and through the ball, these tiny little knife edges of steel will actually dig into the ball, and the polymer will dampen the feel..."

Now We Wait...

So basically it softens the feel, dampens vibrations and puts the ball spinning forward, rather than backspinning and skidding first.  Sounds great to us, and it's apparently also sounding great to the select few pro's that have had advanced access to these new Method putters like Paul Casey and Lucas Glover.  Once again it shows just how genius Nike is, releasing these putters as prototypes to pro's in high profile events to help generate buzz.  Well, consider the buzz generated, because people everywhere are frothing at the mouth about the entire line.  The question is, can we all wait until February to get our hands on them?  I guess we'll have to.

( images via golf.com & SandBox8.com )

 EMAIL

When it comes to a woman's swimsuit, we all know that a two-piece is better than a one-piece.  When it comes to a golf ball, until this new product, we'd never really seen a golf ball with more than 3 or 4 pieces, but if the woman's swimsuit rules holds true for golf balls as well, then this new TaylorMade 5-piece ball should be mind-blowingly awesome.

Sergio & Goosen Both Playing Penta

That's right, TaylorMade has golf's first 5-piece golf ball, called The TaylorMade Penta TP has been officially added to the list of Conforming Balls for the USGA and while we won't be able to get our consumer hands on it until the first of December, it looks like it WILL be making an appearance a lot earlier than that.  In fact, we'll actually be able to see it in action next Thursday at the PGA Championship at Hazeltine as both Retief Goosen and Sergio Garcia have been given the ball a heck of a lot earlier than release date to get their hands on it, and get it some TV time.

Penta Fixes 5 Key Areas of Your Golf Game

Word on the block is, the Penta, which obviously represents 5, and the 5 pieces that make up the ball, also represents TaylorMade's desire to improve your golf game in some key areas...yes, 5 key areas!  They claim it will help with the driver, long-irons, middle irons, short irons and partial wedge shots.  So basically, your entire golf game, except putting.

More on the Penta TP

Whatever the case may be, here's a bit more on this new, revolutionary ball:

"The cover of the Penta TP is made of a soft urethane material to promote a high-spin rate, but lower trajectory on wedge shots and pitches for more control. The outer mantle layer, which can be found directly under the white cover, is the most-easily compressed...The middle mantle layer is semi-firm, and TaylorMade designed it to be compressible on shots with a ball speed between 120 and 140 mph (mid-irons). According to a TaylorMade memo, the inner mantle is designed to create high-launching, low-spinning shots with a ball speed between 140 and 160 mph (long irons)...Encased under all those layers is the core, which is made from an extremely fast, low-compression material that only the fastest swingers will be able to activate."

In a word...Awesome.  Keep your eyes peeled when Sergio and Goosen get on the tee-box or greens coming this week, you might just spot a glimpse of the new Penta TP!

(image via Golf.com)

 EMAIL

There will of course be debate when it comes to this topic, people on both sides of the coin believing adamantly that their side is correct, that the other side is wrong and that nothing will convince them otherwise.  It's always been like that when technology enters a sport, the use of that technology redefining what is and is not possible.  Just look at what happened when Major League Baseball decided to abandon tradition and allow instant-replay for home runs?  So now, how do YOU feel about the use of technology like the Wii to help hone your golf swing?  Does it help?  Can it help?  Should it help?

Leadbetter and Wii Combine Forces

That's right, there is a new Wii program coming out that famed golf swing coach and amazing instructor David Leadbetter has actually helped create.  As you know, he's helped with thousands of golf swings and most recently has tackled the Michelle Wie project.  Now, he's going to the Other Wii and hopes that his new game "My Personal Golf Trainer" will help thousands more golfers fine tune and correct their swings.

According to reports:

"My Personal Golf Trainer, a game designed for the popular Wii platform, will incorporate Leadbetter's 7 Steps to a Better Golf Swing, says maker Data Design Interactive of Sarasota, Fla. It will also feature the Wii Balance Board, which can analyze the swing in three dimensions, giving feedback about weight transfer, swing path, and other crucial swing markers you can't see while you're busy swinging. Suggested retail will be about $50 for the game itself; the Wii equipment is sold separately."

October Launch Date

I don't know about you, but I want to try it, and I want to try it now.  Unfortunately, looks like we'll have to wait until about October to really get to try this, but nevertheless, it does bring up an issue as to how this will work, if it will work, and technology's role in golf instruction.

Your Thoughts?

Personally, I believe whatever helps, helps, and there shouldn't be any issues whatsoever.  What about you?

 EMAIL

If you tuned in to even a single round of the wet, soggy and delayed golf that made up the U.S. Open, you most likely saw a few surprising things.  The most surprising of all being that a vast majority of the Pros taking part in the tournament pulled out their long irons from their bag and replaced them with any number of hybrids.  Due to the wet grass, the soft greens, and even the rain falling from the sky, they needed shots that flew high and landed softly.  For all of you purists, looks like those irons are going to be going directly back into the bag next week at Turnberry for the British Open.

Scotland = Wind

That's right, the course, Turnberry's Ailsa Course in Scotland, is notorious for being extremely windy, and given those conditions and the high trajectory that a hybrid inherently brings, looks like Paul Casey, and others are going to be dropping the woods for their long irons, anywhere from 1-3.  According to Paul Casey's Twitter account:

"Thinking the 5 wood will be coming out and the 2 iron will be making a guest appearance for the Open. No other changes."

Casey Going with Nike Pro Combo OS

When asked by members of golf.com what 2 iron that would be, he responded with a simple: "Still the Nike Pro Combo OS. I have 2 or 3 of them that I'm hanging on to."  Interesting.

What Pros Will Go Irons?

It will be interesting to see what other professional golfers on the PGA Tour will opt out of the hybrid realm and directly back into the long irons that dominated the tour before the hybrid craze took over.  Given the windy conditions, I fully expect the majority of the players to be hitting long irons, and even far less fairway woods unless the distance demands it.  Whatever the case will be, we can't wait to see how Turnberry plays this time around!

 EMAIL

So we know what Hunter Mahan did with his Ping quiver of amazing clubs, but if you're at all like me, you're probably wondering exactly what happened with Tiger Woods, exactly what he used to do  it, and what kind of changes he made to his already impressive golf bag in order to finally rise to the top and win his hosted event.  Yep, that's exactly what we've been wondering and since it's Wednesday and we're still waiting for the John Deere Classic to kick off tomorrow, we figured it'd be a perfect day to highlight exactly what clubs he used.

Tiger Sticks with 10° Driver

By the looks of things, Nike still dominates Tiger's bag, obviously, and it looks like he's still playing with the increased lofted Nike SQ Dymo Driver, opting for the 10° instead of the lower loft he played when he was a bit younger.  Nevertheless, It will be interesting to see if Tiger ever jumps on board the "hybrid" bandwagon and replace a club in his bag with a hybrid.  He's never even hinted at it up until to this point about making a switch, and considering how he plays, we're not sure he even needs to.  Nevertheless, here, according to Golf.com, are the clubs Tiger won it all with:

Driver:  Nike SQ Dymo (10°) with a Mitsubishi Diamana White Board 83x shaft
Fairway woods:  Nike SasQuatch Sumo (15°, 19°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 103g shafts
Irons:   Nike Forged Blades (3-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts
Wedges:  Nike Victory Red (56°), SV (60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts
Putter:  Titleist by Scotty Cameron Newport 2
Ball:  Nike One Tour

Will This Be British Quiver?

Will this be the setup that he'll take into Turnberry and The British Open?  Perhaps.  Considering how he played at Congressional, we'd advise it.

 EMAIL

The newly approved Groove Change rule by the PGA Tour has been getting a lot of press, a lot of ink, and a lot of controversy as of late.  Many people are thinking it is a terrible idea, while many others believe it's a great plan and will put a very high price on actually hitting the fairway.  No matter what you actually think of the rule, the plain fact is that it passed, and it's going to be a reality starting January 1, 2010.

But What About Us?

Knowing this, all of us that aren't lucky enough to play golf for a living, get paid to play the most unique, challenging and fun courses in the world, or sponsored by one of the biggest manufacturers of golf equipment in the country might be left wondering exactly how this will affect the rest of us.  The good news is, we have some answers.  As you know, the groove change rule was put into effect in an attempt to limit just how sharp and deep the grooves on clubs with over 25-degrees of loft can be.  Sending them back to the previously accepted "V-Shaped" groove dimensions will put a serious damper on just how much spin you can generate, and how much you'll be able to bring the ball back and stop it on a green.  For the pro's, that's maybe not THAT big of a deal, but for us?

Finally...Simple Answers For Us

The great news is, we don't have a whole lot to worry about.  We started to put an end to the confusion with our last post, but it wasn't aimed directly at all of us amateur and casual golfers out there.  That said, golf.com put out a way to answer our questions.  So, without further ado:

"If you're an amateur who wants more backspin, you realize the grooves you play determine the third factor in your backspin equation and the stopping distances you achieve on greens. In this regard the USGA has been lenient. The rule gives amateurs (who don't play in Major/USGA events) a choice of which grooves to play until at least 2024. If you want to maximize your short-game backspin, you can legally play with box or U-groove wedges (manufactured prior to 1/1/10) until 2024, or maybe forever. On the other hand, if you play with any wedge manufactured after 1/1/10 (like the pros will be doing), it must have grooves with spin performance at or below V-groove levels. This will limit you to mediocre spin performance. The USGA leaves this groove choice up to you."

Make Sense?

Got it?  Good!  Now go play!

 EMAIL

If you tuned into the U.S. Open on Monday, you witnessed probably the calmest, coolest and all around most laid-back U.S. Open winners in the history of the sport walk off with one of golf's biggest trophies.  Lucas Glover took home the championship in smooth form, and his humble, chilled-out personality was a strangely welcome addition to an event that's usually dominated by drama, emotion and fist-pumping action.

Lucas Glover's Winning Clubs

So what did Lucas Glover accomplish this amazing feat, and only his second PGA tour win in his career with?  What clubs did he trust to remain that calm down the back stretch?  Lucky for all of us, we found out exactly what was in his quiver as he cooly tackled the rain-soaked and often rain-delayed Bethpage Black course.  Looks like Nike dominates his bag and represents every single club and even his golf ball.  Not suprising.  Nevertheless, here are the clubs he chose to win it all:

DRIVER: Nike SQ Sumo2 Tour (9.5°) with Matrix Apache Ozik shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: Nike SQ II (13°, 19°)
IRONS: Nike CCI Forged (3-PW)
WEDGES: Nike SV Tour (52°, 60°)
PUTTER: Nike prototype
BALL: Nike ONE Tour D

Prototype Putter Wins it for Glover

The interesting thing about his putter, however, is that it's a prototype putter that reports are saying is very similar to the putters that Paul Casey, Trevor Immelman, Michelle Wie, Justin Leonard and Stewart Cink are all playing.  It apparently has these red ribs along the face that supposedly reduce the amount of skidding on the green when you hit the ball, allowing the ball to roll faster and straighter.  Looks like it worked pretty well, considering the fact he only had one three-putt the entire tournament.  On a course like Bethpage, that's an achievement in and of itself.

Congrats to Lucas Glover

Congratulations Lucas Glover, well played, well executed and well-handled.  Great to watch.

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

 EMAIL

Hear Ye Hear Ye all you TaylorMade fans, this one is aimed directly at you, and just about anyone else who has a serious affinity for golf equipment, golf tech talk and the launching of all new and exciting products.  Count us in as part of that group, as this news got us a little bit excited, and a little bit anxious to actually get on the range and try these babies out.  That's right, TaylorMade has announced not only the new Rossa Monza Spider Balero putter, but also, the R9 360.

TaylorMade Launches New Putter & Driver

TaylorMade is often the butt of many jokes as to just how often they send out all new equipment, leaving the amateur golfers and the golfers who don't have a tone of disposable income a bit confused on just how to keep up, but as long as they keep launching equipment that is this impressive and this innovative, they can laugh themselves all the way to the bank.  Today we find out that they added another beautiful putter to their mallet series, the new Rossa Monza Spider Balero.  I know it's a mouthful, but by the looks of things, it needs to be.  According to TaylorMade, they want you to aim with this one, and they want aiming to be easier than ever so they added the positive imaging device known as the "ball-in-cup" to the putter.  Here's what they had to say:

"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."

R9 460:  Bigger Head, No Moveable Weights

Cool.  As for the new R9 460 Driver, this one is built for any and all of you who were disappointed with the smaller size of the first R9 that came out earlier this year.  As you know, the first R9 had a 420cc head and for those of you that like a bigger driver, or feel comfortable approaching the ball with a lot more head on the club, the 460 is for you.  One thing to keep in mind, while the original R9 featured the moveable weight technology, this R9 460 does not, and just uses their Flight Control Technology.  Basically this means you can't alter the 'side-to-side trajectory change' at all.  For most of us, that will be not a big deal at all considering you can still change the club's face angle, loft and lie.

TaylorMade Won't Stop

Bottom line, TaylorMade has once again released an impressive new array of clubs.  When will they stop?  Great question, as it looks like stopping is not even a word in their vocabulary.

(image via thesandtrap.com)

 EMAIL

As you've most certainly noticed, the bright pants and extremely crazy patterns are hard to miss, John Daly is officially back on the PGA Tour, and man did we miss him.  He's playing decently so far at the St. Jude Classic, despite a few roller coaster holes, but what it all boils down to is this:  John Daly is a special golfer, and the PGA Tour needs him, and more people like him.  That said, he's also a bit different when it comes to the clubs he carries, and instead of using traditional fairway woods, he's opted for the hybrids.

Daly Plays Adams

As you can tell when you look, Daly is very obviously playing almost everything Adams.  With the exception of his putter and his wedges, he's an Adams man through and through, going with their Speedline Driver at 9.5°, and their Idea Pro Black line of irons from 3 to 9.  So what else is in the big man's bag?  Glad you asked...check out the full bag John Daly carries:

DRIVER: Adams Speedline (9.5°) with UST AXIVCore Tour Red 79 XX shaft
HYBRIDS: Adams Prototype (15°, 18°)
IRONS: Adams Idea Pro Black (3-9)
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design (48°), Spin Milled (52°, 60°)
PUTTER:  Heavy Putter Mid-Weight K4
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

Titleist Continues to Dominate

Always interesting to take a peek inside, and once again we're struck by just how many people play Titleist golf balls.  There's a reason they are the number one ball on tour and have been for years.  How will these clubs help Daly today and tomorrow, as he's officially made the cut and gets to play the weekend?  We'll see, but I know we'll be cheering for him.

Welcome Back John

If we've said it once, we've said it a million times, the tour NEEDS more golfers like John Daly.  I, for one, am glad to see him back in action.  Good luck John!

 EMAIL

Looks like TaylorMade might be readying a brand new type of putter, and it looks like a prototype of that very putter has been actually spotted out in the wild.  Nothing is better than catching a company before they are ready to be caught, and getting your hands or eyeballs on something that isn't yet ready for development, and might not ever be made available to the public.

Justin Rose Tests Putter

That's exactly the case when it comes to the new TaylorMade prototype putter that golf.com spotted in the wild recently.  As you probably know, golf companies often release a few of their designs to pros to have them test them out and report back with feedback that can help refine or even redesign the entire piece of equipment to make it better.  When it comes to this new TaylorMade, rumor is Justin Rose got his hands on it and even asked the rep to send him one.  Could this be good news for the putter and for all of us that want to try it too?  We'll see.

Like the Balero, but Different

The putter resembles the Spider Balero putter they released not too long ago, with a few modifications...according to reports:

"Like the Balero, it has a large white alignment line running from the face to a ball-sized hole in the rear. The putter also features TaylorMade's grooved AGSI face, which is designed to help get the ball rolling more quickly on the green...However, the prototype, shown at right, lacks the white ring that simulates the hole and the small wings that protrude from the back section, which are found on the Balero."

Will It Launch?

Check out the pictures, it looks like a beauty.  All I know is, if TaylorMade does decide to launch it, I'll most likely be checking into it.

(image via golf.com)

 EMAIL

You've heard the old saying "if it's not broken, don't fix it."  Well what if things ARE broken, or at least not working as well as they used to be?  Yep, you change them and that's exactly what Tiger Woods is doing when it comes to his equipement he'll trust to try to win the Memorial for the 4th time in his amazing career.  The only problem is, so far the changes don't look like they've done a whole lot of good, considering he made them and shot a first round 69, but followed it up with a second round, disappointing 74 in Round 2.

Two Subtle Changes

So what were those two "subtle" equipment changes that he made?  Looks like reports are saying that first and foremost, he went with a more lofted driver, switching from his usual 9.5° Nike Dymo 380 driver to a 10°.  When asked why he made that change, the answer, for him was simple:

"I went with a little more loft, a 10°...As my release has changed over time with Hank [Haney], I needed a little more loft to get the ball in the air, little more spin."

Half Degree = 13 of 14 Fairways

So what difference does a simple half degree make?  For you and I, probably nothing, but for a player of Tiger's caliber, a lot.  Considering the fact that he hit 13 of 14 fairways off the tee on Thursday, I'd say it was a fairly effective switch.  The other change he made, was a bit bigger as reports are saying he did not use the Nike Victory Red Forged Blade irons that he's used in every other event this year, but instead appeared to switch back to irons that looked exactly like the ones he was playing throughout the 2008 season.

Change For U.S. Open?

When asked, Nike's Tour Field Manager was quick to say it is not the exact set from last year, but much more similar than his usual 2009 set.  With the U.S. Open looming on the horizon, could this be an indication that Tiger wants something much different than he's currently getting?  We'll see, but first he needs to start performing better with what he IS using.  This is worth watching...tune in.

(image via golf.com)

 EMAIL

We've all heard the old phrase:  If It Ain't Broke...Don't Fix It.  Knowing that, it's gotta make you wonder why a guy like Stewart Cink, who has always been one of the most consistent and impressive putters on the PGA Tour, would switch away from his belly putter that has been making him the consistent putter that he is.  Word on the equipment block is that he's made the official switch away from his trusted Belly putter, and right into a new Nike traditional length putter that appears to be the same one Paul Casey has been playing as of late.

From Belly To Traditional

That's right, in an attempt to shake things up a bit for the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, Stewart Cink has reportedly made the switch to a new Nike traditional length putter.  According to repots on golf.com:

"The shape of Cink's putter is a heel-toe weighted Anser-style blade, and the milled face of Nike's prototype putter features a series of red ribs. A Nike employee said those ribs will help to reduce skidding on the greens and get the ball rolling faster."

Cink Says He's Well Practiced With Traditional Length

While Cink says he's well accustomed to practicing with traditional length putters, this will be the first time in over 4 full years that he has played anything other than his trusted belly putter on the Tour.  When asked how he's feeling about using this putter instead of what he's trusted, he seemed optomistic:

"It feels really solid and it rolls the ball really nice...I've been practicing hard so it feels pretty comfortable now."

Watch & See

I guess we'll see how it affects his gameplay at the Colonial; so far he's sitting at Even par, hovering right above the cut line.  Stay tuned.

(image via Fred Vuich/SI)