The latest news from the equipment world includes a high-MOI driver from Tour Edge and the Redwood putter series from Ping. On page 2 you'll find info about new Sun Mountain Speed Carts, a PC golf game and luxury golf accessories.
Tour Edge Bazooka GeoMax Driver
One of the tricks that driver designers are using now to increase the moment of inertia (forgiveness) of drivers is to tinker with the geometry of the clubhead.
And that means one of the "next big things" is square-headed drivers, such as the Nike Sasquatch Sumo2, the first such driver to hit the market. Rest assured, many more square-headed drivers are on the way.
Tour Edge has taken a different approach, however. TE has chosen to focus on the "breadth ratio" of the clubhead, maintaining the same basic shape that golfers are familiar with. The breadth ratio is the heel-to-toe length of the face divided by the face-to-back depth of the head.
The Tour Edge Bazooka GeoMax driver has a very high breadth ratio, and a very high MOI. Tour Edge is touting it as a driver that "eliminates twisting without a funny looking shape."
TE is also touting its MOI rating of 5,000 grams centimeters squared (g/cm2). Don't worry about the math, just know that's very high. The original Nike Sasquatch Sumo, by comparison, had an MOI of around 4,950 g/cm2.
The GeoMax doesn't quite reach square-headed driver territory, however. The Sasquatch Sumo2 is at 5,250 g/cm2.
But for golfers who want ultra-forgiveness without the square shape, the Tour Edge Bazooka GeoMax is an option. It's also a high-tech driver option for golfers on a budget, with an MSRP of $199.
It will be available on Jan. 1, 2007. Lofts are 9, 10.5, 12, 14 and 16 in right hand; and 10.5 in left hand. Visit the Tour Edge Web site for more info.
Compare prices for Tour Edge equipment
Ping Redwood Putters
The Redwood Putter series is the first from Ping that features all-milled stainless steel models. The three models in the series are the Anser, Zing and the mallet Piper S.
Aimed at low handicappers, the premium putters carry an MSRP of $280 each. They are already being used by much of Ping's stable of PGA Tour golfers.
In the news release, Ping chairman and CEO John Solheim said, "These putters are designed to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye and engineered to produce lower scores. All of the models have clean lines on them, which will help golfers line up their putts. The 100% machined heads enable us to ensure that the shape and the lines of each putter we produce are exactly as we designed them."
Each model has a slightly heavier head - Anser, 340g; Zing, 340g; Piper S, 355g - to promote a solid feel, and each has the same rich black chrome finish found in the Ping Tour Wedges.
The name of the series comes from Redwood City, California, where Ping founder Karsten Solheim, working in his garage in 1959, built the first Ping putter. Ping Web site
