- Moderator
- #1
I was having a discussion with a friend yesterday about some of the sweeping changes being made over the past year by Club Companies and it really got me wondering which is most improved.
The obvious quick answer for me was Callaway, with their incredible drive to be on the laptop and cell phone of every single golfer through social media, not to mention an awesome line of equipment they released between the X Hot line, Fit Xtreme, and now OptiForce. Buuuut then I got thinking..
TaylorMade seems to be on a consistent path of successful equipment, unleashing new drivers in the Stage 2, returning the black head roots with the second R1 release, as well as their latest (and my arguably greatest) SLDR driver.
Ping seems to remain on a very even keel. I don't see crazy competitive commercials, just a little bit of Bubba/Hunter/Westy talking about their new line. I'm eager to see how they rebound from what seemed like a very successful i20 release.
Nike has done a nice job moving forward in the club world, but I felt like the original Covert release wasn't terribly successful around me. The combination of the Kuro Kage was solid in S, but I found it pretty boardy in X, leaving my interest in the line pretty muted. I have seen a bit of their 2014 catalog and definitely see some great potential as they continue to prove themselves as a legitimate club building company.
Mizuno did not wow me this year. Iron releases that seem to offer much of the same as years past.
Titleist also didn't wow me. 913 released and I really didn't feel like much was improved over the 910. Obviously a great set of driver/woods/hybrid, but when spending that kind of money, you really need to make a valid change.
Adams continues to pump out new clubs, with the Super LS being one of the more impressive fairways I gamed this year. It seems like this year has been all about getting diverse with their club offerings, with the new double slotted Idea irons.
Cleveland brought out an entirely customizable set of forgiving irons between the TT/MT/Altitude irons, a new look Classic, and arguably some of the best fairway woods and hybrids on the market. Then of course, you can look at Rotex and their latest smart square putter offering, soon to be released..
But then I thought about Cobra. I think back to late 2012 THP events, seeing the Amp Cell driver being past around and shrugging, thinking to myself "it's just a Cobra." They had a certain element to them that made them less appealing, and they have successfully destroyed that barrier for me. Amp Cell pro irons, Amp Cell driver/woods/hybrids... They have leveled the playing field with a lineup of clubs that I wouldn't have any issues gaming. I dig that.
I didn't really intend to break down nearly every club company through my eyes, but enjoyed it. What do you guys think? Who is the most improved in your eyes this year?
The obvious quick answer for me was Callaway, with their incredible drive to be on the laptop and cell phone of every single golfer through social media, not to mention an awesome line of equipment they released between the X Hot line, Fit Xtreme, and now OptiForce. Buuuut then I got thinking..
TaylorMade seems to be on a consistent path of successful equipment, unleashing new drivers in the Stage 2, returning the black head roots with the second R1 release, as well as their latest (and my arguably greatest) SLDR driver.
Ping seems to remain on a very even keel. I don't see crazy competitive commercials, just a little bit of Bubba/Hunter/Westy talking about their new line. I'm eager to see how they rebound from what seemed like a very successful i20 release.
Nike has done a nice job moving forward in the club world, but I felt like the original Covert release wasn't terribly successful around me. The combination of the Kuro Kage was solid in S, but I found it pretty boardy in X, leaving my interest in the line pretty muted. I have seen a bit of their 2014 catalog and definitely see some great potential as they continue to prove themselves as a legitimate club building company.
Mizuno did not wow me this year. Iron releases that seem to offer much of the same as years past.
Titleist also didn't wow me. 913 released and I really didn't feel like much was improved over the 910. Obviously a great set of driver/woods/hybrid, but when spending that kind of money, you really need to make a valid change.
Adams continues to pump out new clubs, with the Super LS being one of the more impressive fairways I gamed this year. It seems like this year has been all about getting diverse with their club offerings, with the new double slotted Idea irons.
Cleveland brought out an entirely customizable set of forgiving irons between the TT/MT/Altitude irons, a new look Classic, and arguably some of the best fairway woods and hybrids on the market. Then of course, you can look at Rotex and their latest smart square putter offering, soon to be released..
But then I thought about Cobra. I think back to late 2012 THP events, seeing the Amp Cell driver being past around and shrugging, thinking to myself "it's just a Cobra." They had a certain element to them that made them less appealing, and they have successfully destroyed that barrier for me. Amp Cell pro irons, Amp Cell driver/woods/hybrids... They have leveled the playing field with a lineup of clubs that I wouldn't have any issues gaming. I dig that.
I didn't really intend to break down nearly every club company through my eyes, but enjoyed it. What do you guys think? Who is the most improved in your eyes this year?