Technology Posts

Mizuno JPX-EZ Forged Irons Review

19 Aug , 2014 No Comments

This year Mizuno decided take a game improvement iron and use their patented grain flow forged technology. This game-improvement iron no longer has a goofy, bulky look to it. Instead it looks like a mix between a game-improvement and players iron. The JPZ-EZ Forged irons are made for a player with a handicap in between 8 -18.

1. How This Club Is Forgiving and Long:

Mizuno decided to make the head of this club with their most advanced technology inside the head. This technology gives you the same distance and ball speed of a game improvement iron while giving you (the player) the feel and sound of a players iron. First, in order for the JPX-EZ Forged iron to give maximum forgiveness, Mizuno made the sole of the club big enough to give undeniable forgiveness, which is where the cavity is. This gives the player the ability to get the required accuracy even on off-center hits.

Second, the face of the club was built to go along with the cavity by giving it a multi-thickness CORTECH face. This incorporates the forgiveness from the cavity and makes the ball pop off the face, thus delivering maximum ball speed across the entire face. Also, Mizuno decided to make the lofts on these irons 2 degrees stronger. This means that you can get back to the distances you once had with a players iron by making your 7-iron fly slightly lower but giving about 5 to 8 more yards.

2. How this Club Feels and Sounds Like a Players Iron:

Most game-improvement irons are made from cast iron, Mizuno changed the game by making the JPX-EZ forged irons using the Grain Flow Forging process with 1035E carbon steel. When a club is made from cast iron, it takes out a majority of the feel a player wants when they hit the ball. Forged irons on the other hand, give a feeling of euphoria when it is hit clean, and that is exactly what these irons feel like. Whether the ball is hit right in the sweet spot or if it is slightly off-center, you still get both a smooth and buttery feel.

Now it is time to talk about how Mizuno made these irons sound like you are hitting the ball as well as a tour pro. This was done by changing the back of the club from the older JPX irons to a acoustic enhancing composite badge. Even though it looks to be just a cosmetic touch, in reality it is a crucial part to giving a crisp sound at impact. This design takes these vibrations and generates a crisp sound to the ears.

Opinion:

When I first decided to hit these I was slightly skeptical because I am a fan of the players style of irons, which have a thinner top line and less cavity. After a few swings my mind was completely changed. The ball felt smooth coming of the face of the club, feeling like I hit every ball exactly how I wanted, and the numbers were incredible. Even though these clubs are 2 degrees stronger than my normal irons, I was still getting the ball up in the air with the spin rate I wanted. This was due to the cavity and multi-face on the club. The ball was flying off these bad boys, giving me on average 7 more yards per club. I would strongly recommend these clubs for anyone who is a mid handicap and wants to start getting more feel out of their clubs, while not wanting to switch to a less forgiving players iron. I also would recommend the JPX-EZ Forged iron to a low handicapper who starting to feel like they are losing distance and accuracy, but still love the feel of their forged players iron.

 

14 Clubs, 1 Bag

13 Aug , 2014 No Comments

In the rules of golf, we are allowed to have 14 golf clubs in our bag during a round.  Picking these 14 clubs properly is very important.  Everyone needs a putter, so let’s put that aside and focus on the other 13.

Being fit for a driver is a good first step.  This is going to get you your most distance off the tee and lead us into choosing the rest of our set.  Keep that flex shaft in mind when putting together the rest of the bag.

Fairway woods follow.  In today’s game, it is much more common (especially for amateurs) to carry only one fairway wood.  I recommend getting a 4 or 5 wood to a lot people.  3 woods are hard to hit!  A more lofted fairway wood is going to still give distance, with a lot more consistency and overall confidence.

The next step in filling the bag is to choose some hybrids.  This step comes with some thinking.  How confident are you in your long irons?  If the answer to that is “not confident,” like a lot of amateurs, it’s a good play to get a few more hybrids.  3 irons and 4 irons are much like 3 woods- hard to hit.  However, hybrids set about 4 degrees apart are much more forgiving and more fun to play with.  If you have a 17 degree fairway wood, you should aim for a 20 – 21 degree hybrid and then a 24 – 25 degree hybrid.  These hybrids will replace your need for those hard to hit long irons.  And if you feel confident in your long iron game, try only one hybrid and start your irons at a 4 iron.

Now you’re ready to get your irons in the bag.  With the fairway wood and hybrids mentioned earlier, it’s smart to start with a 5 iron and go through a pitching wedge. Irons, for the most part, are about 4 degrees apart.  In more recent years, club companies have strengthened their lofts on their sets.  This has made changes to what the majority of players do with their shorter clubs.  A pitching wedge used to be 48 degrees, but now is more commonly 45 degrees.  This leaves a big gap between a pitching wedge and a 56 degree sand wedge.  Interestingly enough, they make a club to fill in that space- the gap wedge.  If your pitch is 45 degrees, get at least a 50 degree gap wedge.  From there you can keep that sand wedge at 56 degrees and a lob wedge around 60 degrees.

With all the different club companies, it’s important to not focus on the number on the club, but the loft of the club.  A “3 Hybrid” from one company can be a completely different loft than the “3 Hybrid” of another company.  Find out the loft of your fairways, hybrids, and wedges and base your club purchases on these numbers for appropriate gappings.  Get the right weapons in the bag and make the fight a lot more fun!

Bushnell Tour V3 Range Finder

30 Jul , 2014 8 Comments

New Features:

1. Most Notable Feature:

The New Tour V3 has a new technology called JOLT. This JOLT technology is my favorite innovation with range finders and should be in all laser going forward. Once you hit the target/pin, you feel a little vibration and the yardage pops straight up in front of your eye. Its simple and effective.

2. Most Important Feature:

As for the most important feature, it has to be the newly designed look and feel. This range finder is very easy to hold even for people with shaky hands, like myself. The Bushnell Tour V3 is sleek, and sports a white case with a red bottom, making it nearly impossible to lose for all you forgetful golfers out there.

Pros:

– The JOLT technology makes it much faster than most other range finders.

– Works great for people with shaky hands.

– Can shoot distances to anything, not just pins.

– Extremely, extremely accurate.

Cons:

– GPS watches simplify the process for your average golfer

– It does not show the hole, rather just gives you distance to what you point it at.

Recommendation:

My Recommendation has to be, BUY THE BUSHNELL TOUR V3!! This laser is on point and very quick. I originally was not a fan of laser range finders because I felt they took too long, but not this one. Once you feel the vibration you know you have the pin. It works great, looks great, and will really help lower your scores. Unlike watches, it works great even in cloudy conditions because it does not need any satellites. Speed up your game, and become more accurate.

Adams Pro Mini Hybrid & Callaway X2 Hot Pro Hybrid Review

22 Jul , 2014 13 Comments

Adams Pro Mini Hybrid & Callaway X2 Hot Pro Hybrid Review

Adams Pro Mini Hybrid

New Features:

1. Most Notable Feature:

The slot technology that Adams has right behind the club face really causes the ball to fly off the face. This slot gives the head a weird look but after a few swings you rarely even notice it. Not only does the ball jump off this face, but it is extremely workable. The ball flight might be a little lower than most hybrids, but for average and high ball hitters, that won’t be an issue.

2. Most Important Feature:

The most important feature of this club has got to be its versatility. Most people like to hit hybrids out of the rough or to replace a longer iron, but this club is also great off the tee. With its piercing ball flight and lower spin rate, this club seems to act as a great driving iron as well. A hybrid/driving iron sounds like the perfect club to me!

Opinion:

I am a huge fan of this club! The ball flies off of the face on both solid shots and mishits. The ball does go slightly shorter on the mishits, of course, but there is a ton of room for error. A hot face combined with the piercing ball flight, makes this club a must-have in someones bag who likes to play in the wind or looking for a multi-purpose hybrid.

 

Callaway X2 Hot Pro Hybrid

New Features:

1. Most Notable Feature:

The new hyper speed face cup, behind the face of the club, helps generate much faster ball speeds. The higher ball speeds helps you get much more distance than many other hybrids on the market. This face cup combined with the forged hot face, means you will be bombing the ball off the fairway or out of the rough.

2. Most Important Feature:

The most important feature of this hybrid has to be the forgiving face while maintaining the pro style head. Compared to the Adams, this club is even more forgiving with a much higher ball flight. It is slightly less workable, but the distance is notable on both center and mishits. It might not have the same workability but the distance gained cannot be ignored.

Opinion:

If you are looking for distance and a higher ball flight, this club is the club for you. You think you are going to replace your 4-iron, but in reality you are replacing your 3-iron. So, if you are thinking about getting this club I recommend going and getting fitted because you really need to know which club you are replacing. This is a club that bombs, flies high, and lands soft, which is exactly what Callaway says it is.

 

Recommendation:

My recommendation has to be the Adams Pro Mini! Its’ multi-functionality is what I am looking for, but if you are looking for a more forgiving club you may want to choose the Callaway. The head has a driving iron look with a hybrid feel, what is better than that? Another reason I seem to be drawn to this club is the great workability. Being able to work the ball around the course is key for me. From the low draw to the high fade, any shot is possible with this club and that is exactly what I want.

 

Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 & Scotty Cameron GoLo 3 Review

16 Jul , 2014 10 Comments

Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2

New Features:

1. Most Notable Feature:

The new, updated Select Newport has a classic silver finish and a long neck. Also, Scotty thinned out the top line of the putter, this gives the you a better feel for the putt you’re about to hit. To give you even more feel and trust in the putter, Scotty wanted to make the sight line a little wider, deeper and darker. How can you miss with a putter that gives you that much alignment help?

2. Most Important Feature:

The new deep milled face on the Select Newport 2 is designed to give the player more feel. The way in which this putter is milled causes less material to make less contact with ball. This changes the sound and gives you more feel, while also making the ball roll smooth and true on your intended line. Also, the bottom of the putter has also been made little wider, with a solid base that gives you confidence to put the ball in the hole.

Opinion:

This putter is a very smooth, and feels great. On longer putts I seemed to always get the ball on the intended line and was hitting it very solid. This had to do with the sleek looking design and the new, improved alignment line.

Scotty Cameron GoLo 3

New Features:

1. Most Notable Feature:

The GoLo 3 is a combination of the popular DelMar putter, as well as the bigger GoLo 5 and 7. It is a smaller sized mallet making it similar to the size and shape of the DelMar. This head gets bigger at the toes/middle which gives you great feel if you are a player who is an open to a closed style putting motion. It also comes in the same color as the Select Newport 2.

2. Most Important Feature:

As for the most important feature of this putter, it has to be the weight. The heavy feel gives you great confidence when it comes to making any putt inside of 10 feet. The weight of this putter helps to generate a smoother tempo then the blade because you can feel the toe closing back to square at impact. Also, the GoLo series putters have a deeper grooved face, which will enhance the sound and feel once you make contact with the ball.

Opinion:

I am a big fan of the GoLo 3! The head fits perfectly with the type of putting stroke that I have and it felt like I simply couldn’t miss with this putter. On longer putts, it was very easy to get the right speed, but I did find it a little bit more difficult to get going on the right line. Putts within 10 feet on the other hand seemed unmissable with this putter. The weight helped me get the putter back to square at impact, thus causing putts to drop like flies!

Recommendation

I am mallet putter type of guy so, the GoLo 3 was the putter for me. I loved how it was a little bit heavier than the blade making speed not a problem to control. Even though the longer putts were a little harder to get on line, I was fine with that because you rarely make those longer putts, a tap in par works for me. The Select Newport 2 was just a little too light and thin, making distance control a problem, but the line always seemed to be right on point. Go try a few out for yourself, but I am telling you now the GoLo 3 does not disappoint!