Callaway 2008 Big Bertha Irons Uniflex Shaft

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Golf Club Review for a five star golf club!

Not one to state things from the ministry of the absolutely obvious but the Callaway Big Bertha Irons 2008 version look a little different to your average set of irons. Callaway as with every other club manufacturer claim that this “Revolutionary Technology!” will see you “Hitting straighter and further than you eve have before. Hmmmm sounds familiar doesn’t it.

Starting off have a look at the sales bumph (pay special attention to the i-Brid part):

Callaway Golf Mens RH Big Bertha Irons Uniflex Flex 3-PW (8 clubs) Technology Redefining the look, feel and forgiveness of super game-improvement irons. The most forgiving all-stainless steel set of golf clubs we’ve ever made. The new Big Bertha Iron set takes forgiveness to new heights by integrating a set of clubs featuring the new i-brids – clubs designed to replace hard-to-hit long irons – and transitioning that set into traditionally shaped irons. I-Brids™ - Clubs that blend the control and accuracy of irons with the forgiveness, distance and versatility of hybrids. The low, deep CG helps get the ball in the air quickly and easily, and the extremely wide sole improves turf interaction. Super Game-Improvement Mid and Short Irons - Designed for the ultimate in forgiveness with increased offset, a large effective hitting area and a constant width sole for better turf interaction. Fully Integrated Set Design - Seamless performance progression throughout the set provides consistent distance separation with optimal trajectories. Callaway Golf Core Technologies - Extreme Notch Weighting redistributes more weight to the perimeter for a higher MOI. VFT® Technology maximizes ball speed and perimeter weighting for more distance and forgiveness; S2H2® increases discretionary weight by removing it from the hosel and repositioning it in the perimeter of the clubhead; 360-Degree Undercut Channel maximizes perimeter weighting by moving the CG lower and farther back.

So instead of the hybrid clubs they use a very special technology to make the club feel and handle like an iron but look like and act like a hybrid, confused yet? I was so I took the clubs to the range to see what this extension of the normal iron was going to do to my game.

They are light weight at the lower end of the range from 7iron through to the wedge but the higher clubs 3, 4 and 5 are heavier. The reason for this is that they are there to give better distance using the same theory as a hybrid club. After hitting a few rather average shots over a period of 5 minutes I decided to put the clubs down and consult with the club pro, because something wasn’t quite right and I have been playing pretty well of late.

My good friend Miguel told me that I was over compensating for the clubs and should treat them as irons and not hybrids. This made all the difference. Swinging through the ball I noticed that I was getting good flight and straight solid shots. I then decided to let my good friend RT out with them, he has a 28 handicap and a horrible hook at the moment as well.

The result was very favorable increasing his accuracy by around 10% and in his own words “I think I could get a pretty good score with a set of these you know!” I would say that was a fairly good endorsement of the clubs.

My problem at the moment is I have tried a number of Callaway and Big Bertha clubs in the past few months and in the case of the Squareway I actually purchased the clubs. Having always been a fan and done very well with King Cobra Golf Clubs in the past I am very quickly seeing that my game could improve with a change of make in my bag.

With this in mind I set out on the course for 18 holes with the Callaway 2008 Big Bertha Irons and although it took me a few holes to actually get going the overall improvement on my game was noticeable to both me and my playing partner who remarked “Your playing on your own again next week, either that or I want 4 more shots a round!”

The Uniflex shaft is very good but if you have a higher speed then you will benefit from the Stiff shaft, there is also a ladies and senior shaft.

Now I haven’t made a solid decision yet as I need to check and see what my budget will allow but is I find I have the spare cash then a set of these clubs could well end up in my bag by the end of June for the next medal outing. This is the one downside to the Callaway 2008 Big Bertha Irons the price although much less than the high end Callaway clubs that require a lotto win in order to pick them up in the shop let alone put them in your bag.

All in all a nice idea and gives a good solid improvement to the average golfers game.

Callaway FT-i Squareway Fairway Wood

Golf Club Review

Anyone that knows me and my game is more than aware that I have an problem with fairway woods. Yes the old 3 wood, 5 wood and 7 wood hardly ever get into my bag let alone used when they do make it in there. So I was a little surprised to find myself in the fairway wood section of the club shop earlier today with a 3 wood in my hand. This however was no normal 3 wood, Callaway have done it again changed a straight forward club and turned it square! The Callaway FT-i Squareway Fairway Wood looks different and offers something a little extra.

As per normal with anything Callaway I was given the appropriate information that as normal means absolutely nothing to around 80% of golfers and I have included it below in the sales bumph:

Callaway FT-i Squareway Fairway Wood - RH Graphite The revolutionary design of the FT-i Driver progresses into the fairway woods. The FT-i Squareway Woods from Callaway are bound to help you get it out of the rough and onto the green. Like the FT-i Driver did for drivers, did for drivers, the FT-i Squareway Woods set a new standard in fairway woods. With a moment of inertia (MOI) approaching that of our best-selling drivers, they are the most forgiving fairway woods Callaway has ever created. The Squareway Inertial Design positions discretionary weight to the extreme corners of the clubhead, raising the MOI for unparalleled resistance to twisting. The result is straighter and more forgiving shots hit over a wide area of the face. Multi-material construction combines a stainless steel face, sole and body with a lightweight, carbon composite crown so Callaway Golf engineers can move discretionary weight where it is needed most. An oversized head shape allows for a higher MOI to increase forgiveness and stability at impact for better accuracy. VFT Technology maximizes ball speed and perimeter weighting for more distance and forgiveness S2H2 increases discretionary weight by removing it from the hosel and repositioning it in the perimeter of the clubhead.

The Callaway FT-i Squareway Fairway Woods are available in 3,5 and 7 woods which are the following lofts:

So is it any good? Well I took my left handed 28 handicap buddy with me to the driving range so we could put the club (both left and right handed) to the test to see if it lived up to its own advertising. After around 10 balls I started to get into the swing of things and the ability to hit the ball with a fairway wood started to come back into life. I am going to say that I had a regular flex Fujikura shaft which was completely perfect for my club head speed of around 87mph. I was hitting straighter and longer than I could with the rescue club I have been using instead of the woods.

My good friend RT was also impressed, although not completely successful with every swing when striking the ball off the surface when he did it was around 75% of the time and it was clean and with a good distance on it, this was also with the Fujikura regular flex shaft and there was talk of him replacing his Mizuno woods with a nice new set of Callaway FT-i Squareway fairway woods.

I on the other hand was very impressed and once I have played 18 holes with the Callaway FT-i Squareway fairway 3 wood as long as I have no major issues, and by major I mean should the club burst into flames or something like that, I will be purchasing the club to add to my bag. Its a great club, easy to hold and comfortable to swing on top of that it strikes the ball beautifully. For once I have nothing bad to say about a club, think I might have to go get myself checked at the docs!

Finally got my hands on the TaylorMade Tour Burner TP

I posted a few days back that I was trying very hard to get my hands on a TaylorMade Tour Burner in order to give it a bit of a test run and after a number of issues (protected nesting birds at the end of the driving range so no drivers, rain and the sheer fact that it was impossible to find somewhere with one in stock) I now have managed to spend a few hours at the range with it and am more than happy to be reporting back to you on if it is any good!

The first thing I noticed before I had even picked it up was the fact that it has this kind of go faster wing around the top of the head, it hard to describe it is supposed to be a groove and create less drag on the swing it does make the TaylorMade Tour Burner TP a little more distinctive. Next thing was the weight, it is according to the bumph 17% lighter than other drivers and it does actually feel much lighter in the initial pick up of the club. Then you swing it and the club is noticeably lighter through the whole motion of the swing.

Sales bumph below:

TaylorMade Tour Burner More legendary burner speed and power for the serious golfer. * Dual crown and weighted power-base promote increased carry and distance * Modern head shape promotes lower, deeper and precision-placed CG for higher launch angle and lower spin * SuperFast Technology promotes increased swing speed, faster ball speed and added distance * Inverted Cone Technology dramatically expands the portion of the clubface that delivers high COR for consistently longer drives on off-center hits * SuperFast 60-gram shaft is exceptionally lightweight and stable to promote greater distance and accuracy

Now where I would normally stick with clubs that are suitable for the average club player in my opinon this is for the more advanced golfer, basically anyone with a 15 or higher handicap is going to struggle to get to grips with this club quickly. It took me a while to get used to the lighter weight and the faster head speed that came with the lighter weigh. Also the Superfast 60 gram shaft is designed to give max distance and if you have a slower swing speed this will effect your ball control as it will twist less in the swing effecting your impact zone.

The club is priced by Austad’s at $399.95 and if you are an improving player looking for a club to increase distance I would advise going for a different club, either the Callaway FT-5 or the Nike Sumo2 5900 range which has a better accuracy for the higher handicapper and although the sound is wrong (oh so wrong) the clubs themselves offer a good range of improvement for the higher handicapper.

All in all the TaylorMade Tour Burner TP is a very good club that takes technology of the game to yet another level with reduction in weight and the increase in head speed. The unfortunate thing is that it will mean that courses need to increase their lengths in order to keep par 4 challenging.

TaylorMade Tour Burner Driver

Having spent that past 6 weeks looking in depth at a number of massive in roads to the golfing world including a brand new insight of a week with a caddy (which I can promise you is not all you think it is) I was somewhat surprised to discover that TaylorMade have released yet another driver to their burner range. The Taylormade Tour Burner Driver is released on the 14th of April and I have been trying for the past week to get my hands on one but unfortunately not been able to get anyone who has held one.

There is sales bumph as you can imagine:

TaylorMade Tour Burner Driver - New for 2008 ! Pre Book for Mid April Delivery ! Features Dual crown with small, thin top with large, weighted power-base has a low, precision-placed center of gravity for low, tour-caliber spin and longer distance at higher swing speeds Inverted Cone Technology promotes a fast ball speed from a larger portion of the face for longer distance on off-center hits 60-g SuperFast shafts are engineered for faster swing speeds and increased distance RE*AX SuperFast 60 shaft by Fujikura Shaft Torque: 3.1 except for Flex R (3.2) Tip Size: .350 in Butt Diameter: .600 in Grip: TV Lite 60 Grip Weight: 44 g

Now having seen that there is an offer to pre-order I am guessing that there is a big price tag attached to this new beast of a driver that offers low spin and higher trajectory but the TaylorMade Tour Burner Driver looks the part before I have even come close to getting to grips with it I have a feeling it is going to be a nice club, but I thought that about the Nike Sumo2 5900 as well so watch this space I will get hold of one this week and tell all.

But if you want to catch a glimpse of it (and lets face it that is all it will be to start with) see if you can see Mike Weir at the Masters today he is apparently carrying one in his bag at the moment.

QUICK UPDATE
I have managed to get hold of the TaylorMade Tour Burner Driver today so will drop an update to the site tomorrow.

Golf Club Review Cleveland Hibore XLS Gold 2008 Driver

Golf Club Review

Its been a busy week for me, as I mentioned on twitter to Golf Girl Patricia Hannigan earlier this week the weather has changed back to blue skies and fantastic sunshine and it has been a complete return to the course and getting in as much golf as possible. So it was time for me to take the Cleveland Hibore XLS out on the course for a proper outing.

Having already taken the Cleveland Hibore XL 2007 out to the range in the pooring rain I have to say I am a little impressed at the smooth look and feel of the club. It sits right in your hands and has a natural look to it even with its sunken back.

Sales bumph below:

Cleveland Hibore XLS Gold 2008 Driver - RH Graphite Higher inertia = more consistency across the face = more shots go longer and straighter = tighter shot dispersion down the range.Introducing the new XLS series from Cleveland Golf. With Distance Driven Geometry, Full Face Performance, and and Energy Transfer Core, this entire line of clubs is bound to have you playing and looking your best. Distance Driven Geometry: Moves weight lower and deeper in the club head. This optimized Center of Gravity location aligns the Center of Gravity Projection with the C.O.R. Hot Spot in the center of the face, resulting in optimal launch conditions and greater overall distance. Full Face Performance: Alignment of Sweet Spot and C.O.R. Hot Spot produces optimal launch conditions over a large area of the face, maximizing ball-speed for increased driving distance. Energy Transfer Core: An engineered system of thin, lightweight titanium spines directs impact energy to the ball to create more efficient energy transfer and high ball speeds from impact locations. HiBORE XLS Draw Driver: This club is designed for players who tend to fade or slice. A forward hosel design, internal heel weighting, and a draw biased face combine to eliminate slices and maximize distance. A 3o closed face promotes a draw flight. At 17% larger than the HiBORE XL, the face is Cleveland’s largest ever and among the biggest on the market. Full Face Performance (FFP) extends the “Hot Zone” of maximum .830 COR across a larger portion of the face creating more distance from both solid shots and mishits alike. Features maximum USGA club head dimensions to push the MOI limit. 5300 MOI represents a 13% increase from the HiBORE XL for control off the tee leading to straighter drives. Heel and toe “stability foils” signify where weight has been added to the perimeter of the clubhead to maximize stability. Gold Standard Trajectory Shaft: Low-Mid kickpoint and active tip section for increased launch angle. Higher ball speed and optimal trajectory results in maximum distance with smooth feel at impact.

Now the first thing I noticed about this club is the club head it is massive compared to the 2007 version. The Cleveland Hibore XLS 2008 has a club face that is around (according to the bumph) 17% larger than the previous version. This means it has a larger sweet spot and is a lot more forgiving for those golfers looking to take their club head speed up a level and still get the control.

The technology the club uses means that the weight from the back of the club is channeled directly into the sweet spot giving a greater control of the club face at point of impact.

At the moment there are so many new drivers hitting the market it is impossible to say that any of them don’t meet up to being a good club to have in your bag because of the fact that technology is making clubs better and easier to use. The Cleveland Hibore XLS Gold is no exception its not as long as the Nike Sumo2 SQ 5900 Driver but because of the size of the club face the control is in my opinion as good. One special thing that Cleveland have added is a little hologram that turns yellow to show that the club is genuine see if the fakers can crack that one. Cost of the club is around $299 and I personally feel it is a good driver.