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Get Out and Play
The Greatest Golf Show on Earth If the PGA Tour is a traveling circus, then the annual PGA Merchandise Show each January in Orlando is the World’s Fair. Over 40,000 pilgrims roam more than a million square feet of exhibit space looking at, buying and testing the latest and greatest equipment, clothing, gadgets and collectibles of more than 1,000 companies. From the sublime to the ridiculous and back again, it makes your head spin—unless you’re a golf gear fanatic, in which case, it’s heaven. Here are some of the products that made a splash this year.
Nike Vapor Speed Irons One of the many new iron sets for 2015 that market themselves as “hollow” because of a hidden interior cavity (Mizuno’s MP-H5 irons being another), these clubs are hot. They offer a low center of gravity for high launch and increased distance.
Numberless Irons A 6-iron has been a 6-iron for a long time, but with club lofts changing almost annually, Ben Hogan has created irons identified by degrees. Its new Fort Worth 15 set comes in 44 different lofts in one-degree increments. It’s easier to hit these irons than figure out which lofts you need.
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Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 Driver The name that launched the bigger-is-better trend back in the ‘90s is still innovating. The Alpha 815 offers more ball speed thanks to its new R*MOTO face design, multi-material construction, 25 percent lower center of gravity and 15 percent higher moment of inertia. Its adjustable Gravity Core insert lets players shift the center of gravity up or down for higher or lower launch angles.
Cobra Fly-Z+ Driver The thing to know about this club is: it comes in five colors, including Rickie Fowler orange. It also allows players to adjust the center of gravity with its 15-gram FlipZone insert.
Nike TW’15 and Lunar Control 3 Shoes Will the TW’15’s new “Flyweave” upper technology overcome the fact that the player they’re named for shoots in the 80’s now? Maybe. Lower to the ground and lighter than last year’s TW entry, they’re like wearing slippers with cleats. Meanwhile, the Lunar Control 3 is the Rory McIlroy-endorsed entry for 2015. A bit more traditional looking, they still offer good support and ground control in a lightweight shoe.
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Vineyard Vines Goes Dufnering Preppy clothing company Vineyard Vines enters the golf market in a bigger way for 2015 by signing Jason Dufner to an apparel contract. A much cleaned-up Dufner is seen in marketing materials sporting the brand’s newest duds, all adorned with its trademark sperm whale. SWINGCLICK There are always more swing-improvement gadgets at the PGA Show than you could swing a warehouse full of clubs at, but this one focuses on something different: timing. Time your swing right, its inventors say, and you’re swinging the club rather than hitting at the ball. It clicks once at the top of a proper swing (“wait for it…”) and again at the bottom of a proper swing.
Get Out and Play
The Greatest Golf Show on Earth If the PGA Tour is a traveling circus, then the annual PGA Merchandise Show each January in Orlando is the World’s Fair. Over 40,000 pilgrims roam more than a million square feet of exhibit space looking at, buying and testing the latest and greatest equipment, clothing, gadgets and collectibles of more than 1,000 companies. From the sublime to the ridiculous and back again, it makes your head spin—unless you’re a golf gear fanatic, in which case, it’s heaven. Here are some of the products that made a splash this year.
Nike Vapor Speed Irons One of the many new iron sets for 2015 that market themselves as “hollow” because of a hidden interior cavity (Mizuno’s MP-H5 irons being another), these clubs are hot. They offer a low center of gravity for high launch and increased distance.
Numberless Irons A 6-iron has been a 6-iron for a long time, but with club lofts changing almost annually, Ben Hogan has created irons identified by degrees. Its new Fort Worth 15 set comes in 44 different lofts in one-degree increments. It’s easier to hit these irons than figure out which lofts you need.
The Pin Sheet by
Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 Driver The name that launched the bigger-is-better trend back in the ‘90s is still innovating. The Alpha 815 offers more ball speed thanks to its new R*MOTO face design, multi-material construction, 25 percent lower center of gravity and 15 percent higher moment of inertia. Its adjustable Gravity Core insert lets players shift the center of gravity up or down for higher or lower launch angles.
Cobra Fly-Z+ Driver The thing to know about this club is: it comes in five colors, including Rickie Fowler orange. It also allows players to adjust the center of gravity with its 15-gram FlipZone insert.
Nike TW’15 and Lunar Control 3 Shoes Will the TW’15’s new “Flyweave” upper technology overcome the fact that the player they’re named for shoots in the 80’s now? Maybe. Lower to the ground and lighter than last year’s TW entry, they’re like wearing slippers with cleats. Meanwhile, the Lunar Control 3 is the Rory McIlroy-endorsed entry for 2015. A bit more traditional looking, they still offer good support and ground control in a lightweight shoe.
The Pin Sheet by
Vineyard Vines Goes Dufnering Preppy clothing company Vineyard Vines enters the golf market in a bigger way for 2015 by signing Jason Dufner to an apparel contract. A much cleaned-up Dufner is seen in marketing materials sporting the brand’s newest duds, all adorned with its trademark sperm whale. SWINGCLICK There are always more swing-improvement gadgets at the PGA Show than you could swing a warehouse full of clubs at, but this one focuses on something different: timing. Time your swing right, its inventors say, and you’re swinging the club rather than hitting at the ball. It clicks once at the top of a proper swing (“wait for it…”) and again at the bottom of a proper swing.
