30 /
Glenmuir Ossian Gilet
RRP: £60
Contact: www.glenmuir.com
As soon as I feel the first nip of autumn in
the air, I dig out my old Berghaus gilet for
that oh-so-comforting sleeveless duvet
look. Sadly, it’s not very practical for golf,
as it’s too thick and bulky. Thankfully,
Glenmuir’s Ossian gilet looks a far more
sensible bet, featuring Teflon coating for
added warmth and waterproofing, while
it’s thin enough not to get in the way of
your swing, and features stretch
panels to further enhance
performance. It is available
in navy, black and lead for
men (S-XXL), and pink/
black, black and satellite/
black for women (S-XL).
November 2011 / Issue 205
Kikkor Golf Shoes
RRP: £50-£100 Contact: www.kikkor.com
Joining the trend for golf shoes that offer style and comfort in
addition to all-important performance attributes, Kikkor Golf
looks set to enjoy a strong following in Europe when its range of
fashionable designs hit the shelves early next year.
Already an established brand in North America, where it was
launched by Canadian golf professional James Lepp three years
ago, Kikkor shoes take their influence from the classic American
‘sneaker’, without ignoring important technical elements such as
grip, stability, waterproofing and durability.
Lepp believes that Kikkor will appeal to the young at heart,
whatever their age. He said: “It doesn’t matter what age you
are – 10, 25 or 45 – nobody truly wants to
wear the same stuff as their dad. The
golf shoe industry consistently designs
shoes that are targeted only for the older
demographic, leaving younger players
with very few options that match
their personal style.” The shoes can be
purchased online or through selected
pro shops from early next year.
Archer Golf
Protest Irons
RRP: From £800
Contact: www.archerproject.com
Custom fitting is a massive growth area, but nobody has offered
the complete fitting experience for irons, until now. Archer Golf’s
groundbreaking Protest irons promise every golfer improvement
in their iron-play via a unique custom-grind and fitting service.
The clubheads have been designed to perform in relation
to varying swing characters by focusing on an area usually
overlooked in club fitting: the way the golfer attacks the
ball at impact and the way the clubhead subsequently interacts
through the turf. When a custom sole grind is matched to an
individual’s swing type, it results in better divot patterns, and
higher-quality trikes that provide more
consistent ball flight, longer distance,
and tighter dispersion patterns.
Archer irons feature a large clubface
area and, combined with the forging
process, provide a soft feel with great
feedback through impact. The design
also incorporates a large weight bar at the base
of the back cavity that creates a lower, deeper
centre of gravity, making the head more
stable through impact.
The range comes in three different
basic shapes – Round, Square and
Neutral – each catering for one of the
three most common types of swing.
Each shape has a different combination
of grinds to the heel, topline, toe,
leading edge and sole, to ensure both
club and swing are working in harmony.
Golfers with larger divot patterns benefit
from cleaner contact produced by the Round
grind, while the Square grind will help players
who tend to catch shots ‘thin’ to pick the
ball cleanly from the turf. The Neutral sits in
between the two extremes, providing a wellbalanced performance option.
Players can modify individual elements
of the iron to combine different grinds and
shapes to optimise, and personalise, their irons
even more, with up to 600 grind options to choose
from. It takes 30 days to make the clubs following
a fitting session, with entire sets of irons starting from
£800, and going up dependent on the shaft option chosen.
Nike Method Drone putter
RRP: £109-£119 Contact: www.nikegolfeurope.com
The latest extension of the Method range is an extreme MOI design, with weights
placed in the wing tips and the centre of the putter face to optimise the centre of
gravity to prevent twisting and promote a smooth, accurate stroke. The Drone also
features Polymetal Groove Technology that generates a faster forward roll at impact
and helps eliminate backspin, which is an important ingredient to accuracy and
distance control. It is available in standard and belly putter lengths.
Titleist Scotty Cameron California Putter
RRP: £278 Contact: www.titleist.co.uk
Designed to appeal to golfers who prefer a more fluid, rounded look to their putters,
the Tour-proven California range has had five new models added to the range. The
Del Mar, Fastback, Monterey, Monterey 1.5, and Sonoma are characterised by blade
and mid-mallet style heads with five different neck styles. Built on the form-meetsfunction of the original California putters, the new range accentuates the design
principles of visual flow, with soft contours and gentle edges being the order of the
day. All models feature circular weights in the toe and heel to help square the face
up at address, while a high toe set up reduces the tendency to raise the toe and pull
putts to the left. Each model can have its lie adjusted by two degrees, and all come
with a new Pistolero grip for enhanced feel.
November 2011 / Issue 205
/ 31
Yonex EZONE
SD Hybrid
Bushnell Hybrid Rangefinder
RRP: £435 Contact: www.bushnellgolf.com
RRP: £129
Contact: www.yonex.co.uk
The new EZONE SD hybrid features a stainless steel
sole and face, with a lightweight carbon graphite
crown. The lightweight crown allows discretionary
mass to be re-positioned low and deep in the head to
improve the centre of gravity positioning, delivering
consistently higher, longer shots, whatever the lie. A
new sole design reduces the clubhead’s contact with
the ground by 30%, reducing drag and maintaining head
speed, while a new Nanospeed 200 shaft, incorporating Elastic
Ti at the kick-point, provides faster head speeds and reduces
shaft deformation, for power and control through the strike. It is
available in 19°, 22°, 25° and 28° lofts.
Cobra Golf
Long Tom Driver
Combining all that’s best about GPS technology, with
the advantages of laser distance measuring devices,
Bushnell’s new Hybrid Rangefinder is the ultimate
tool for those who like to get their yardages spot on.
The laser rangefinding element provides distances
within one yard to virtually any point on any course in
the world, while the GPS function offers 20,000+ preloaded courses, making it ready to use right out of the
box, without ever having to pay annual membership
fees. The GPS provides distances to the front, centre
and back of the green, as well as four custom points
on a hole that can be useful references point on blind
tee shots and approaches, while the laser can hone in
on the flag to provide added confidence from close
range. The shot distance mode also allows users to
track how far they’ve hit a particular shot.
Rating:
RRP: £289 Contact: www.cobragolf.com
Under Armour Stability Baselayer
RRP: £55
Contact: www.underarmour.co.uk
Compression shirts are not just for barrel-chested
rugby players, they benefit all kinds of sportsmen and
women, especially golfers, who exert huge strains on
their lower backs and shoulders during the course of a
round. While all makes of baselayers provide warmth
without adding weight, Under Armour’s groundbreaking stability top was designed specifically for
golfers, with panels built into the material in strategic
places to provide added support, boost core strength,
and enhance the natural movement of the swing.
The structure of the shirt also helps wearers to
maintain good posture and feel more connected with
their body’s movements, while keeping the muscles
warm and improving stamina.
The baselayer, which is available in short and long
sleeve designs, also features mesh ventilation zones
that regulate body temperature on hot or cold days,
making it wearable in all weather conditions.
Featuring the longest shaft currently available in a mass-produced
driver, Cobra’s new Long Tom driver is designed with the aim of
delivering out-and-out distance.
The 48-inch ultra-light Grafalloy Blackbird shaft, combined with
a lightweight titanium face, produces high ball speeds for extreme
distance. Named after a high projectile gun used during World War II,
the Long Tom boasts an all-black head that features many of Cobra’s
tried and tested technologies, including E9 face
technology, advance weight placement,
and elliptical bulge and roll.
The Grafalloy Blackbird shaft
combines with a short Winn
Lite grip, which not only
makes the club long, but
also very light indeed, at
only 269 grams. It is this
lightness combined with
the slightly smaller 445cc
head that makes this
club appear shorter than
it actually is.
With other longer-thanstandard drivers you feel
like you are swinging a fishing
rod, but somehow with this even
longer one I did not feel that. True,
you do have to slow you tempo down a
little, but the results are great and the Cobra
Long Tom gave long straight drives without
the wider dispersion you would expect from a long
shafted driver. The Blackbird shaft with its matt finish felt
very stable, despite its length, and the feel and sound from the
titanium head was excellent too.
A shorter-than-standard Winn grip encourages golfers to use the
full length of the shaft, rather than choking down. It goes on sale this
month, and is available in lofts of 8°, 9° and 10° in RH and 9° in LH.
Cobra Trusty Rusty wedge
RRP: £99
Contact: www.cobragolf.com
Cobra is bringing back the Phil Rogersdesigned Trusty Rusty wedge. The head
features a non-plated finish that is 7% softer
than chrome and will rust more over time,
promoting maximum allowable spin and
enhanced feel. It also has a tri-bounce sole,
with higher bounce in the centre, while relief
in the heel and toe optimises performance for
long, medium and short shots. Available in RH,
in 51°, 55° and 59° lofts and custom order lofts
of 49°, 53° and 57°. The wedges, which go on sale
in early December, come with a black True Temper
Dynamic Gold S200 shaft as standard. There is also
an oversized version, the Big Trusty Rusty, which will
appeal to players who like to look down on a slightly
larger clubface at address. It is available in black, rusty
and chrome finishes.