In 1998, when I took up golf for real, I bought a used putter from one of my buddies – it was a Scotty Cameron Catalina. Being new to the game, I had no idea who Scotty Cameron was or that I was in possession of a future classic blade. What I did know was that try as I might, I never really became comfortable with it. Stubborn and cheap, I toiled for six years trying to master that putter but in 2004 I finally gave up and sold it to golf galaxy for $120.  Ok, simmer down, I know it was stupid. Had I held on to it, I could have fetched over $250 but I was in a bad way and needed to rid myself of the nasty karma. But think about it, what other club in your bag can actually be called and investment? Certainly not the big stick, whose value drops quicker than a Ford Pinto. On the other hand, a quality putter is worth every penny (even if you can’t putt with it) because at least it holds value.

Until fairy recently I was oblivious to the boutique putter industry, but due in large part to my work on this site, I have realized how many small shops are out there making wonderful putters. One such company is NEAD Custom Putters, which is also sold from the website WantsAndNeads.com.  Clever, yes.

So what does Scotty Cameron have to do with a NEAD putter review? Only the fact that I was going to be charged with reviewing a blade putter (a style that I have struggled with for years). Originally the NEAD putter review was to be done by fellow blogger, Matt Murley, but alas Gene Nead was fresh out of left handed putters (another nail in the lefty coffin) and proof he is not making thousands of putters to be shipped out across the land. Alas, it was therefore incumbent upon me to handle this review. Because of my admiration for the company, I was honestly quite concerned because my history with blade putters is not exactly glorious.

My putting performance aside, the NEAD AS10 is a stunning piece of craftsmanship. Deep milling on the face gives it undeniable status and it is literally impossible to take a bad picture of this putter. She is what I call “Instagram gold” that garners likes and comments of “wow” and “#putterporn”. Even after 15 or so rounds, the shine and luster are the same as the day it showed up on my doorstep. I am also keen on the NEAD stamp on the heal of the putter which is both understated and bold.

The back of the putter features a the company namesake, NEAD and simple alignment aid leaving the only untouched surface the sole which ice smooth.

Beyond the face of the putter, perhaps the most unique visual feature is the copper toned shaft which is extremely rare. So rare, I can honestly say I have never seen one in person or at least cannot recall a time.

The grip is a light tan leather with NEAD stamped upon it, and despite the fact that I am basically all in with SuperStroke grips, I have not had the guts to replace the NEAD grip. To me, it would feel like defacing a piece of art. Plus, I have come to really like the leather stitching which helps to set your hands.

Taken as a whole the NEAD AS10 is a wonderful blend of traditional styling with aggressive touches. This should actually not come as a surprise as Gene Nead had deep roots in the NASCAR industry, so a little vroom vroom is to be expected. Gene’s history is actually quite fascinating and I would recommend you read the interview he gave to My Golf Spy.

Here’s the thing about boutique putters, you really cannot get the full sense of the beauty until you actually take it out on the course. I can recall checking out the NEAD putters at the 2014 PGA show and being impressed, but it was not until it actually went into my bag that I got “new putter tingles”. Much like a piece of art you buy from a gallery, the appreciation is not complete until it hangs on your wall.

When the NEAD AS10 finally did find a home in my bag there still was the small issue of the fact I have never putted well with a blade. Honeymoon period aside, I still love this putter and I can absolutely make putts with it. Not being a techno geek, this is why I think this putter is so effective:

The deep milling helps to get the ball rolling quickly and keeps the ball on line. I have become much more aggressive with this putter as I feel incredibly confident that I can get the ball on line and have it stay there which is super important for putting bermuda greens that break hard at the hole. I also think the weighting is nearly perfect, such that I am able to have great feel for long putts. On shorter putts where I think the blade typically gives me trouble, the NEAD putter is very solid and resists any twisting. Even with a much thinner grip than I am used to, I found the putter to handle slight off-center strikes and be very accurate inside that 6 foot range.

NEAD Custom Putters are located in my home state of North Carolina. Specifically NEAD is located in Charlotte NC which also happens to be NASCAR Country. So when Gene is not busy with his crew chief duties he is meticulously crafting putters one at a time (albeit with some pretty cool equipment that may or may not be on loan). Currently NEAD offers a select number of styles and finishes but can also do custom work as well. Pricing depends on the individual putter but they typically run about $400.

You can learn more about NEAD Putters on the NEAD Custom Putter website.

I’ve always been leary of the term “Game Improvement” iron. For whatever reason, it seemed like code for “your game stinks”.  Plus, even if my game is not where I want it to be, I don’t want to sacrifice all opportunity to hit “real golf shots” and get feedback from the club. Like most mid-handicappers out there I struggle with consistency more often than not, and much like my awakening to the fact I shouldn’t be playing from 6,800 yards, I’ve recently come to terms with the fact that game improvement irons are not the evil cheater clubs I’ve always assumed them to be.

Recently we were sent us a new set of PING G25 irons which fit under the moniker of a Game Improvement iron. Since I currently reside at the low end of the totem pole when it comes to Handicap stats here at Three Guys, I gladly accepted the assignment to review this vastly popular iron set and see if I could show some real improvement with my game.

The review process started with me first finding my way to the PING website where I went through their online fitting process. Quite a few different measurements are taken like your hand size, finger size, how far off the ground your wrist is, and so on. After those figures are calculated you then look at ball flight patterns such as lefts and rights and how you would like the ball to fly with a low, mid or high trajectory.

With my current irons (that I was using prior to this review) my ball flight was pretty low, which makes it difficult to come softly into a green on a makeable approach shot, so I decided to give the higher ball flight a try and PING paired the clubs up with a shaft that would fit that need.

The only club I have ever had fitted was a driver at GolfTEC years ago so I was intrigued to see how the clubs came out. One of the more appealing aspects of the fitting process was how they take into consideration your hand size and match your measurements with one of their grips.

Speaking of the grips, the ones that come on the G25’s are from PING and I’ve found them to be quite comfortable – not overly aggressive and very receptive to my hands. When I compare them to the grips on my other clubs it was easy to see that the off-the-rack irons are made for people without pigmy hands like I have. With the correctly sized grips to go along with the club cut to the right length to match my height and posture, I could tell a difference almost instantly the first time I held the clubs and I really felt in control of my swings.

The look of the G25’s is very appealing. In my mind I was sure that I was going to be swinging some grossly oversized, offset clubs that looked more like a kids toy than a golf club, but that wasn’t the case at all.

You can see from the pictures that the G25’s have a unique color and when standing over them addressing a ball there is virtually no glare or any type of distracting aspects. They have a very traditional look and in no way do they feel like an oversized beginners club. Shows you what I know.

I was able to spend a good 4 days with the irons before I had to pack them up for Florida. Yes, I would have like to spend some more time with them at the range but with setup that I currently have at the house it was easy for me to get a feel for the new clubs before I headed out to the East coast.

Without a doubt the best feature of the irons is their ability to handle off-center hits. With my previous irons any off-center impacts sounded like a piece of lead being dropped on a broken cymbal. I’m still working on my over the top move, and because it’s still a dominate component of my swing, I find the toe side of the club more often than not. With the G25’s a swing that would have previously resulted in either a penalizing shot or one I really didn’t like attempting instead puts my rock down the fairway in a very manageable situation.

Even more impressive than the miss-hits was the elusive “catching it flush” right in the sweet spot. I don’t like saying I have a favorite club, I want to think love all my clubs equally so I’m never in a situation where I don’t want to make a swing with a specific stick, but the G25 6iron has rapidly climbed to the top of chart as my go to club. With the CFS shafts  PING included with the irons I was flighting the ball like I had never done so before, hitting some beautifully high shots that came down like a feather falling from the sky. Unlike anything I had ever experienced before on the course.

It wasn’t just the 6 iron though; all of the irons in the set have the same high trajectory shot. The game improvement approach of the G25’s allows the ball to get higher, quicker, with its deep cavity-backed heads and when it was combined with the CFS shafts I was getting that dreamy ball flight I’ve been wanting for so long.

Although it was very appealing to see that high ball flight it did take a little while to get familiarized with the new distances I was hitting. The PINGs were cut down a .25” and that made a big difference when combined with different degrees of loft compared to my previous clubs. With my short game improvements though I was able to get up and down a lot more often because the miss-hits were still in the general area I was aiming for.

It also didn’t help that I was playing at nearly sea level which is very much different than what I’m used to playing here in Vegas. That being said I couldn’t have been happier with the performance of the G25’s. With each additional round I played (6 in all) I started to get a better feel and understanding for the clubs. At the end of my six straight days of golf adventure it was no brainer to me that the G25’s were going to be a taking up a permanent residence in my bag for the 2014 season. It may be too soon to tell but I most definitely foresee see some better scores coming my way.

Custom fit to my specs, amazing forgiveness on miss-hits, superb ball flight and to top it off a gorgeous looking iron set. PING certainly did it right when they created the G25’s and this blogger couldn’t be happier playing with a game improvement iron!

You can visit PING the website and go through the same nFLIGHT Web Fitting that I did where you can then take the specs to a certified retailer and have your very own custom clubs ordered. The G25’s have a retail price of $699 for a 3-PW set with steel shafts.

At what length are you willing to go to improve your putting? For me it’s simple: if I could get a consistent roll from a tattered piece of driftwood that’s duct taped to a PVC pipe I’d throw it in my bag. That certainly wouldn’t be as cool as wielding one of the fancy $400 milled putters, but at the risk of tarnishing my highly touted reputation as a golf purist I’d have to consider it, right?

The people behind the Mantis Golf Company have taken a different approach to help you with your flat-stick issues by creating a very unique and uncharacteristic putter that might surprise you. We as golfers are so often consumed with the material makeup of a putter, or how it was created, or the alignment aspects . . . the list goes on and on. Mantis, however, took it back to the basics and from there made just one big change: Color.

OK, let’s first address the 300lb Jolly Green Giant in the room. Yes, the putter is green. Yes, the putter resembles the head of a praying mantis and yes, your friends will more inclined to think you’re parading around the streets at night in a mask with some magical ring rather than thinking you’re on to something when it comes to improving your putting skills.

I’ll admit it, the first time I came across the Mantis as the Vegas PGA show my thoughts were a bit scattered. There’s been white, black, silver and even Nike Golf has dabbled in the trendy Red with their concept putter, but green? After spending a little time with the people from Mantis though, my inner Kermit the Frog started to show itself and I became much more interested in the science behind the Mantis, which ideally is what it is all about.

My scientific background doesn’t travel beyond the understanding that when water gets cold it turns to ice so bear with me.

Everyone is aware that maintaining eye contact with the ball is key to striking a putt well. With your eyes not completely locked into the ball it is easy to get distracted by things such as a shiny white putter head or some overly dramatic alignment aids. What the Mantis did with its patented putter head color – that’s right, it has a patent – allows your eyes to lock in more on the ball and not be so easily distracted by the putter head moving away and coming back to the ball. It’s a very simple theory.

The design elements of the Mantis putter combine to instill confidence, facilitating a golfer’s ability to watch the ball, not the putter – leading to greater focus, concentration and putting results.

             – Mantis Website

The smart people in white coats (or maybe green coats) at Mantis Golf Company have figures that show an impressive decrease in eye movement when using their putter. It was this science that intrigued me the most, and when I thought about it, it really made sense.

Science is cool but how does it putt?

On the Mantis you’ll find a soft polyurethane face that puts a real nice roll on the ball. The overall sound of the ball coming of the face is a little too “pingy” for my liking but it’s nothing you’ve never heard before in other putters. Mantis ships their putters with an extremely comfortable Winn Grip that is in the company colors and also includes a head cover that’s kept in place via the very popular magnet method.

What I like about the Mantis is you know you’re holding it. What I mean by that is the weighting is top notch. Being a mallet it is of course face-balanced and very easy to swing and it didn’t feel out of the ordinary when I compared to other mallets I’ve played with in the past. My putting stroke has a very strong arc and for that reason I use a blade style putter, so making the switch back to a mallet was a bit nerve-racking at first, but after taking it out for a few sessions on my practice green at home I really started getting a feel for how it putts and how this green head of the Mantis could really be of some assistance.

Practice green stats aside, what really mattered was how it performed on the course, so I took the Mantis for a couple of spins around one of my local tracks to see how well it stood up under real game condtions. At home on my indoor green I was really pleased with the outcome, but a straight 6′ putt indoors on simulated carpet is more for technique work. But I found on the course the Mantis to be much like it was on my indoor green.

The ball really “pops” off the face and I remember saying a few times “WOW, this thing is hot!” I had zero problems with my lag putts, with that pop I spoke of the ball almost runs to cup off the face and there were no issues getting the ball close on those long nerve-racking putts. Not being able to go beyond six feet at home, my stroke during those sessions wasn’t exactly powerful, so the first time I had a lengthy putt I was really surprised at how fast the ball came off the face and started trucking towards the hole. 

I must admit that the Mantis, being a mallet, really had me stressing when the closer putts were not dropping like I’m used to. My strong arc path wasn’t a very good fit for the Mantis and its Mallet head, but lucky for me one of my friends that joined me the day I played was willing to give the Mantis a go for our second round. Dan, being a fan of the mallet style putter, instantly feel in love with the Green Machine. So much in fact he was willing to throw me some cash right there on the 18th green for it!  Yeah, he was a beast with the Mantis, probably the best I’ve ever seen him putt.

Even though my love affair with Mantis was limited to lag putts and my home indoor green, I still found the science behind the Mantis putter to the most interesting aspect. The putter did blend in very well with the greens we played on and my practice green at home. I can easily see how it could calm the nerves of players that might be more yippy than confident. It sure helped Dan with his yips.

The Mantis comes in either left or right configurations and is available in 33″, 34″, 35″ lengths or you can order it uncut.  The Mantis retails for $159.99 and you can purchase it directly from the Mantis Golf Companies website.

UPDATE: I just spoke with Sally Sportman who is the director of Media & Public Relations for Mantis and she informed me that Mantis has a new “Blade” style putter in the works and will be debuting it at the PGA Show later this month.

 For the Techie:

• Putter Weight: 350g
• MOI: 5000 cubic g/cm
• Material: 431 Stainless Steel
• Construction: Perimeter weighted
• Face Insert: Polyurethane
• Grip: Custom Winn Grip

Over the past 10 years or so, I have progressively been moving from game improvement to scoring irons. With that said, I tend to believe that most average golfers are better off erring on the conservative side. Too often I see guys playing with tour blades who frankly do not have the game to back it up. Speaking of “not enough game”, some folks might argue that I am right on the edge of having enough game for the Nike VR Forged Pro Combo Irons. I play to a 9.3 handicap during the heat of the season and more like a 12 during the off-season (which was when I reviewed these clubs).

While I have never owned a set of blades (much less Nike irons), I have hit a number of brands and have had basically zero success. I have found that I either hit really bad shots or shots that I think were good only to watch the ball fly way short of my expectations. Can you see the set up here? Are the Nike VR Forged Pro Combo Irons appropriate for a 10 handicap?

Let me step back and say that I totally understand the desire to play a blade. Blade irons give you immediate feedback and allow for better workability. Plus they look super cool, permeate the “yea, I am a player” vibe and are basically a chick magnet (or at least that is what I am hoping).

Perhaps this is exactly what Nike had in mind when they designed the VR Forged Pro Combo irons. With roughly half of the set (3-6 irons) having a cavity pocket and the scoring irons (7-PW) having split cavities, the Nike combo irons provide the advanced or aspiring advanced player with the best of both worlds.

Complementing the Nike VR Forged Pro Combo Iron are the Dynamic Gold shaft which is meant to promote high trajectory in the long irons. Admittedly, I am not a shaft geek so I judge this performance on whether I am comfortable hitting the 3 or 4 iron rather than a hybrid. In the case of the Nike VR Irons, I am not shy about hitting the long irons. Adding to the forgiveness and overall seamless feel between the long and short irons is the polymer filling added to the pocket cavity. The science of this surely eludes me, but basically, it makes it such that it does not feel like two separate sets of clubs, i.e. 3-6 and 7-PW. Conversely, it feels like a progressive set of clubs.

For my review of the Nike VR Forged Pro Combo Irons, I spent about 45 minutes on the range with the irons prior to taking to the first tee. Before I hit them, I was very aware of the fact they are noticeably smaller (or at least thinner) than my cavity backs. Admittedly, my swing is a touch goofy these days but I am still playing to around a 12 handicap. Hitting the 4-6 iron felt familiar to my other clubs in that it was fairly easy to  make solid contact. Still, I did notice that I got more feedback, both good and bad, with each swing.

With the scoring clubs, 7-PW, I was expecting to be really punished for off-center hits. Fortunately, this was not the case with the Nike VR irons. Yes, they are less forgiving than your “game improvement” irons, but they are way more playable than a pure blade. Plus, if you are like me and use a bump and run short game, they are really effective around the green.

Returning to the “can a 10 handicap play these clubs” question: Don’t get me wrong, I understand the carrot and stick mentality for playing blades. The argument goes that if you can learn to play blades you will become a better player as you will get instant feedback by which you can hone your game. On the other hand, you have to be committed to improving your game rather than hanging on to what you still have.

After playing 6 full rounds with the Nike VR Forged Pro Combo Irons, I would love to say they will stay in my bag, but the reality is that I am at an age and point in my game where I probably need a touch more forgiveness with each passing year, rather than less. With that said,  I am very comfortable and confident with them in my bag.

On the other hand, for players whose game is still on the upswing and whose strength is not in decline I think you will find these clubs as a welcome middle ground between pure blades and bulky game improvement irons.

My bottom line is that Nike has gotten their act together and are now offering quality equipment for players at all levels, and the Nike VR Forged Pro Combo Irons fit nicely into that mix. In the end, if you are looking to split the difference between the forgiveness of a cavity back and precision of a blade, the Nike Pro Forged are a great option.

A final note on the Nike equipment brand. I, along with the whole Three Guys Golf crew, am a huge Tiger Woods fan. We have written many a post about why we love his game (and wish he was a whole lot cooler). Oddly, it was not until this year that I actually ever played with a Nike club. This year we reviewed the Nike VRS driver and Covert hybrids. In both cases we were pleasantly surprised by how much we like the clubs. It was therefore, perfect that I finally was able to review the VR Forged irons to complete the trifecta

Visit Nike Golf website to learn more.

Here is something new . . . TaylorMade has another driver on the market, the JetSpeed. Yea, we know, they have released about 14 new drivers this year but the fact is they are not so much trying to get you to upgrade every 3 months; instead they just want to make sure they always have at least one driver on the “just released” shelf. I mean, if you are gonna buy a new driver then you might as well get the newest new driver right?

It’s an old joke by now, but it really is tough to tell what even TaylorMade thinks of each driver they put out. Is the JetSpeed bigger and better than the Rocketballz? Better than the SLDR? I think the best way to answer that question is by price point: the JetSpeed retails a cool $100.00 below the new SLDR driver, so it’s safe to say that the JetSpeed is aiming for the medium price range. What I expect from a club in this category is top-tier performance and maybe a few less bells and whistles.

Turns out I’m a genius, because the JetSpeed actually is a fairly dramatic change from most of the drivers that have hit the market in the past 18 months in that it is only “partially adjustable”. While most drivers allow you to adjust loft and angle, the JetSpeed only allows for loft adjustment. For this guy, that is a welcome reprieve. Maybe I am alone in this camp, but I have never adjusted the angle. It comes neutral and I leave it neutral. I am just more comfortable getting a club that fits my swing rather than a DIY version. God knows I don’t need to add another lever to the tweaking arsenal.

Under the proverbial hood the TaylorMade JetSpeed incorporates the new Speed Pocket, which is supposed to promote less spin and greater ball speed for shots hit low on the club (where most mis-hits occur). Additionally, they also filled the Speed Pocket in with a polymer so you don’t have to clean out the slot after you chunk your driver (or in the case of the fairway woods, after every shot). You can get the JetSpeed in three different lofts and adjust each one with plus or minus 1.5 degrees of loft. This actually makes sense to me as tweaking the loft seems a lot less intrusive to your swing.

So yea, you are probably gonna add another 17 yards to your game (heavy sarcasm). Actually, I, along with TaylorMade will make no such claims, but I am intrigued by the idea that a club is designed to perform better when the user screws up. It seems like most clubs are designed to perform for when you swing perfectly without much concern for how most people swing the club.

Speaking of which, isn’t it time for someone to design a new Robbie Robot that has a nasty over the top swing? Or one that can, for no discernible reason, yank it dead right (they could call it the Murley Machine). Anyhow, you get the idea, we all have less than perfect swings so it is at least comforting to know TaylorMade was thinking about us when they designed the JetSpeed.

Picking up the JetSpeed for the first time, it is noticeably lighter, which of course is a result of TaylorMade wanting to promote a higher swing speed. This is not to say if feels too light or whippy, it just doesn’t feel like you are swinging a mallet. The sound is not a big thwack nor a whimpy ting. Just right in the middle where it neither annoys you or makes you take notice.

From an aesthetics standpoint, the TaylorMade JetSpeed is also fairly plain Jane in comparison to some of the blinged out versions we have seen recently. The JetSpeed has a simple matte black crown with subtle alignment markings. Frankly, I am thankful to move away from white crowns as they have always seemed too bright for me. Bright clothes, yes, bright driver heads, no. In my mind the JetSpeed seems to just harken back a few years. Whether it be limited adjustability, matte black crown, or the stripe on the head cover, the vibe is way different than recent TaylorMade drivers.

Now for the Three Guys Golf test lab. What, you didn’t know we had a fancy test lab? It is called “my home course” that I have played 500 times and know exactly how far I can, and usually do, drive the ball on every fairway. The results: I hit the ball as far as I usually do. Sometimes I hit it really well and it goes far (I actually had my career long drive on #17) and sometimes I don’t hit it very well and it does not go far. Guess what, I am a 10 handicap and that is how it goes for us.

Overall, I really do like this club. For me, there was no break-in period. You know how with some drivers it just does not feel right and you need to gain a symbiotic relationship with it? The JetSpeed was easy to hit right out of the gate and it never felt squirrelly. Making it more appealing is that it is relatively cheap. Because it has no angle adjustment, you can basically save $100.

This makes total sense to me. Why pay for something if you don’t want it. If you don’t like sunroofs then don’t get the $1000 upgrade – duh.

So if you are in the market for the latest and greatest but want to maybe save a few bucks, check out the TaylorMade Jetspeed.  You can learn more on the TaylorMade website.

Cobra has recently released their Tour Trusty wedges, designed to be a performance wedge that follows in the footsteps of prototypes played by Cobra’s Tour Pros (Fowler, Poulter, Blixt, yadda yadda). In a nutshell, this is Cobra throwing its hat into the tour-level  wedge ring, vying to lock horns with the Titleist Vokeys and Clevelands of the marketplace. The club is designed with non-offset shaping, and selling points include: larger milled grooves (more spin), a special notch K-grind (better turf interaction), and “variable feed rate milling” (more spin).

“7 minute abs, just like 8 minute abs but a minute shorter”. Yeah this brilliant idea proposed in Something About Mary was my first thought when I saw the new Smart Square putter from Cleveland. Seriously, it does harken back to the two ball putters we have all owned at one time or another. Props to Cleveland for not shying away from the comparison. They are sticking with the 7 minute ab story- it’s like the two ball but better. Ok, let’s roll up our sleeves and see what she can do.

I had a chance to drive a brand-new, red Ferrari Boxer 328 one time. You know, Magnum PI’s car. I was around 19, and my brother was helping this other guy coach a football team of grade-school kids. The other guy had forgotten the playbook, and needed someone to go grab it at his house a few blocks away. He turned to me and simply said, “Can you drive a stick? It’s the red one over there… try not to break 100 on the way.”  Well, I only got it up to 90 between stop signs, and I’m glad I didn’t kill anyone in the neighborhood. Although it wasn’t anywhere near the smoothest ride of my life, it was unforgettable.

Yes, I’ll tell that story to a wall if prompted, but really I bring it up because I got that same Frearri feeling when it was time to test out the Miura MB001 irons. When you put this new Miura MB001 club in your hand, you know that you are dealing with something special. The folks at Miura don’t mess around; they create immaculate tools with the look and function of beauty in action. The form is classic, and the feel and balance are just right; and these clubs can hit all the shots… no lie. When I mean all the shots, I also mean that one that feels like you hit the ball with a wet newspaper when you hit it off the sweet spot. That’s no knock on this club; it’s a gem. But, it doesn’t come cheap, and in our opinion, it’s not for folks that don’t hit the ball right on the button.

I’ve played with a single-digit handicap for a number of years now, and I was still a touch nervous to play a round with this club. When we unwrapped it and got it out of its own little Miura carry bag, and its own headcover, the looks did not disappoint. A couple of swings through the grass at home showed me just how balanced and agile this club is. Some time on the range, and then on the course, impressed me even more.

The face is a touch smaller than the Callaway x- forged irons that I normally play, and the sole is also a bit narrower. The press release from Miura says that they narrowed the sole to move more easily through the turf, and changed the top line to be more easily viewed from above. In practice, I would certainly agree with both of those ideas. The club has a nearly unnoticeable offset, and the muscleback that the club is named for is reminiscent of the same design of my favorite wedges made by the good folks at SCOR. There is also a bit of bounce ground into the leading edge, making it even easier to hit off of tight lies. That impressed me, and it is different from other irons I’ve tried outside of wedges.

As I mentioned, this club definitely can hit all the shots. I was easily able to work it both ways, as well as hit high and low balls, and bunch shots without any trouble. I also chipped with it around the green, and was able to lay it down and hit a bit of a flop shot with it, and that’s just not possible with many of today’s more forgiving irons. When I hit the sweet spot, I hardly felt the impact, and off-center hits didn’t sting my hands, partly because of the softness of the PURE grip that comes standard. I hit it right around the same distance as my Callaway forged irons, but off-center hits were more penalized. Obviously, that’s the normal blade tradeoff in terms of agility and workability versus forgiveness.

I tried the stiff Nippon modus 3 120 shaft, and found it to be a very good combination for me given the project x 6.5 shafts I normally use. There is a whole fitting process that Miura uses, and if you are going to spend the money on these clubs, I would highly recommend going through their process. At the end of the day, the new refinements that have been made from their Tournament Blade and their Small Blade come together to make quite a thoroughbred, in my opinion.

I have really enjoyed getting to play with this club. I learned some more about my swing—this iron reveals both the good and the bad; and I also felt very rewarded when I put a good swing on it. It reminded me of the incredible versatility that a well-made blade can give, if you want to work on it. They are pricey, going for $200 to $300 per club, depending on your variation. Not everyone wants or can afford a race horse or sports car, but if you’re one of the players looking for one, you need to give these new Miura musclebacks a hard look.

You can learn more on the Miura website.

My switch to TaylorMade clubs happened a few years ago after I attended a demo day and became completely infatuated with the Burner 2.0 irons. Soon after I also added a few of their longer clubs to my bag, including their Rocketballz woods. So, when it came time to review the new Taylormade SLDR driver, suffice it to say, I was pretty jacked to see what she could do.

Interestingly, the buzz surrounding the SLDR Driver has come with plenty of heckles from the peanut gallery. Frankly, most of the negativity is not directed at the club but rather the supposed audacity of TaylorMade to release what seems like their 8th driver of 2013. Well, let them poke fun because I am more than happy to to see what the latest technology could do for my game.

As a point of reference, my current driver is the TaylorMade RBZ, so the switch to the SLDR should not have been a huge change if the nay-sayers were correct. However, after getting the SLDR dialed in correctly at the range and then taking it to the course, I doubt very much the RBZ will ever see the inside of my bag again.

It is no secret that the key to more distance comes from the combination of  increased ball speed, high launch angle and low spin rate. How to actually build a club that best accomplishes this is at the heart of the “driver wars”. In the case of the SLDR, Taylormade chose to move the Center of Gravity or the “CG” lower on the face to promote higher ball speed. Additionally, they moved the CG forward to reduce the spin. Finally, they discovered that most golfers benefit from increased loft (up to 2 or 3 degrees) so they made the loft more adjustable than most other drivers to allow for a more optimal loft than you might believe.  In real terms this means a perfect recipe for more distance.

There are two adjustable features on the SLDR, the first being the namesake for the club. The 20g SLDR weight, emblazoned in a magnificent blue, runs horizontally along the bottom of the club and is adjustable to 21 different locations which allows the player to make adjustments to set up for a fade shot (set towards the toe) or a draw (set towards the heel). This is unlike anything I had ever seen in a driver before and it’s the foundation for how TaylorMade was able to achieve the lower CG.

The other adjustable feature is the loft of the club. Much like the other versions of TaylorMade drivers this is no different. Loosen the screw move the shaft to the desired loft and lock the screw in place. There are a total of 12 positions with a range of plus-or-minus 1.5°. The SLDR comes in 3 different loft options: 9.5° 10.5° and HL. For our review we received the 9.5° head with the Fujikura Speeder 57 stiff shaft.

When I held the club in my hand for the first time I felt more like a gawker at the Guggenheim than an anxious blogger. The SLDR is so visually appealing it would serve just as well as a modern art piece in your living room. The silver/grey paint tone is simply gorgeous and a perfect contrast to the chrome button-back TaylorMade used to assist with alignment. Unlike many of the previous TM drivers, the SLDR is noticeably toned down with more subtle stripes and paint scheme.

Looks aside the driver is a monster. I’m by no means a big hitter but I certainly felt like one during the sessions on the range and then on the course. The ball absolutely explodes off the face and the higher ball flight you’ll get from selecting an elevated loft takes nothing away from the distance. To this point, guys in my foursome were stunned (and a bit confused) when I showed them I had the loft set at 11°.

While we at Three Guys Golf pride ourselves on doing exactly zero scientific testing of equipment, I can say that I am 100% sure that I believe the SLDR is 10 yards or so longer than my RBZ. In my opinion, the SLDR is the best driver I’ve swung since picking the game back up four years ago and I have no plans on removing it from my bag. Sorry RBZ. It was fun while it lasted.

The SLDR comes in 3 configurations; the standard model like we tested which retails for $399, a TP or Tour version for those guys who actually get paid to play that retails for $499 (different loft configurations and a different shaft are the differences), and a ladies version that also sells for $399.

You can learn more on the Taylormade website

Great golfers are often compared to artists, implying that the game requires more than just technical skill. The same is true for the craftsmen who have dedicated their careers to creating the perfect putter. Commonly referred to as boutique putter shops, companies like Kenny Giannini are quietly making some of the finest flatsticks available. For years my only exposure to high end putters was the plastic cases in Golf Galaxy that guarded the Scotty Camerons. Well folks, I am here to tell you that if you dig a little deeper, there is far cooler stuff to be found.

While the Kenny Giannini company is fairly new, Kenny has been around golf his whole life and has been in the putter business for over 35 years. Mr. Giannini got his first start at the Ben Hogan Company and then continued to perfect his craft at Cleveland and Mizuno. Notably, at Cleveland Golf, Kenny developed one of the first completely milled putters.

Now, Kenny is producing his own line of putters and by producing I do not mean just slapping his name on it. Kenny oversees and is intimately involved in all aspects of the process. There is not a single putter that goes out of the door that Mr. Giannini has not personally touched. Go ask a big “signature putter” designer that same question and you will likely get a whole lot of “uh, um, mmm”.

Starting with the looks, the Kenny Giannini G-50 putter has a fairly standard mallet vibe. You won’t find any over the top bling, but you will find a number of subtle touches that set it apart from the mass produced flatsticks. For example, notice the etching on the face – it not only looks bad-ass but also helps the ball come off of the face straight and true.

Flipping it over, you will see the groove that runs parallel to the face. This is called Slotted Soft Face Technology (SSFT). In laymen’s terms, this helps to balance the putter face and give you forgiveness on off-center putts.

On top of the putter you will find a single alignment aid, which is plenty for me as I am not a huge fan of bells and whistles blaring “hit it here!”. Speaking of toned down bling, in my opinion, high end putters have a certain obligation to add at least a few touches that let you know this putter is not one of a million. While the Kenny Giannini putter is fairly modest, I think the face and logo meet the required “boutique bling” quota.

Now for some nuts and bolts. The G-50 putter is 100% milled out of a single piece of carbon steel, not slapped together by some machine. Nope, this guy is just one of a small number that is produced with a level of craftsmanship not possible in huge golf companies. The G-50 is 370 grams which puts it slightly on the heavy side but something I prefer. Additionally, the G-50 differs from the G-5 as it is offset by 1/4 inch, causing the toe to be a little heavier than the heel, which benefits a modest arched putting stroke.

On the course there was zero break-in period as the putter feels very natural and is easy on the eye. Still, whenever I get a new putter, I like to take out my Putting Alley just to make sure I am finding the sweet spot and getting the ball rolling on a straight line.

A couple of things I noticed (or did not notice). There is minimal impact sound. I prefer not to hear a loud click or ting or, god forbid, twank when I putt. The Giannini putter surely makes a sound but it is so easy on the ear that it goes virtually unnoticed. The other thing (and most important) is that it rolls super easy and true. For me, a mallet is just a better putter. I have more confidence and I can control the head better than a blade. Whether I am lag putting from 40 feet of grinding out 5 foot par putts, I feel like I can make anything and everything. Part of that confidence comes from the fact that the head resists any torque if I mis-hit the ball a touch (which is nice).

Finally, there is the all important headcover. Look, you just dropped good coin, it better come with an equally crafted cover. Truth is, I feel zero obligation to keep stock headcovers on my clubs. Not one of my woods has the company headcover on it. However, the putter is a whole different story. I absolutly prefer to have the stock putter cover, provided that it is 100% awesome. Checking that box is not a problem with Kenny G (I wonder how many people call him that and how much he wants to smack them?). This leather putter cover not only keeps her safe and sound but also tells the world you have a big time putter.

You can check out the whole line of Kenny Giannini Putters on their website.

For those of you younger than 40,  you might not know that back in the day, Callaway was the big-time game changer. They were the guys that gave us Big Bertha, the over-sized driver that shook the industry. If you had the pleasure of trying one of these after hitting a standard driver, you were really in for a treat in terms of forgiveness and distance. Their work with irons also created some of the most forgiving irons of the era, and the rest is history.

With a name like Bombtech Grenade, you would expect my review to begin this review with claims of picking up 25 yards and crushing drives like Gary Woodland. While I do believe the Bombtech Driver may give you extra distance off the tee, I want to begin by telling you why this driver is different than any driver you will find in a store and why it might be the best driver you have ever bought.

Let’s roll back the clock to 2010 when company founder, Tyler Sullivan (“Sully”), was experimenting with different clubs trying to find one that fit his game. Frustrated with the quality of drivers and a mind for tinkering, he started building clubs from assorted pieces and parts. With some success under his belt he approached the University of Vermont with the idea of  developing a brand new driver designed from the ground up. So, along with a team of fresh faced senior Engeering geeks, the Bombtech Grenade was launched.

Common sense would say that there is no way anyone can touch a driver market that is dominated by billion dollar powerhouses like Taylormade and Callaway but that is where you would be wrong. The way I see it, there are two basic things that go into making a driver:  1) design and 2) manufacturing.

Sure the big boys have a team of smart people working on their product line, but there is no monopoly on brain power and sometimes design breakthroughs occur in the most unlikely of places. As evidence to my proposition, I would point to the boutique putter and wedge market where some of the finest selection is crafted by tiny companies.

The second part of the equation is actually making the driver. This is where the major brands have both and advantage and dis-advanatage. Clearly they have access to huge manufacturing and command enormous purchasing power. On the other hand, I believe that once a product goes into mass production there is a certain reduction in the basic attention to detail. This is where small companies like Bombtech have an upper hand as they can obsess over every tiny detail until it is perfect and maintain a level of quality control unheard of in mass manufacturing.

Before I ever saw the Bombtech Grenade, I spent and hour speaking with Sully to get some background and learn why he thinks it is the best driver on the market. Admittedly, about 25% of the conversation went over my head but what I clearly understood was how passionate he is about his craft.

For those of you looking to really get under the numbers and the technology behind the Bombtech, you can read a full synopsis of the design process which includes tables, charts and a whole lot of equations that make my head spin.

The first time I actually hit the Bombtech Grenade driver was exactly two minutes before I teed off. That particular day I was playing a new course so I cannot say for sure if I drove the ball farther than normal, but I certainly felt very comfortable. There was also a couple of times I honestly though I had mis-hit the ball but to my surprise each one flew much straighter than I expected. Since that time, I still feel the Bombtech is quite forgiving.

Now on to the all important “but is it longer?” question. For this test I did two things. First I played my regular course about 10 times where I know the yardage and where I land the ball. As a 10 handicapper, I know there are lots of factors going into how far I hit the ball on a given day but I can confidently say the Bombtech is at least as long as other drivers I play with and maybe about 7-10 yards longer.

Secondly, I took it into Golf Galaxy where I know a few of the guys. I hit it in the launch monitor and low and behold it went about 7 yards farther than all the other drivers I have hit in there (which is just about every driver on the market). However, I am not a long hitter so I let one of the Golf Galaxy staff guys hit it. I asked him how far he usually hits his driver to which he said “about 300 yards”. Firstly, I did not believe him but then he hauled off and hit the Bombtech 308 yards. He then hit about 5 more the same distance after which he turned to me and asked “where can I buy this?”

My other antidotal evidence of the distance came on the driving range when I passed the club to a buddy who also is a big hitter. One swing and he exclaimed…and I quote “Holy Fuck this thing is hot”. He then hit three more and asked if we could switch drivers. He has a brand new big name brand driver.

As regular readers know, I am not a gear-head so I am not going to give you all of the phsyics of the driver. However, there are a few basic features that are worth noting. First, it is not an adjustable driver. While some may see this as a disadvantage, I personally think adjustability is over-rated. I like to find a driver that I like and never mess with the settings. Additionally, the current Grenade only comes in 10.5 loft although I expect that to change as the product line grows.

A few other tech notes. First, the driver is made from a 2 piece cast mold and plasma welded face plate. The Bombtech comes with a Matrix shaft in a number of flexes and lengths. Turning the driver over, you will notice the dual cavity design which promotes club speed and bounce. Again, this stuff goes over my head but it looks bad-ass and fits my bill.

Aesthetically, the Bombtech has a nice black matte finish on the club and shiny black paint on the bottom. Beyond the color, the quality of the paint is above average which is another example of Sully’s attention to detail. While you may never think about paint, turn over your driver and take a peak. See how it looks like it is 20 years old? That is because many large manufactures use cheap paint. On the other hand, Bombtech only uses premium paint which will last much longer. Again, small companies sweat the details!

So here is my bottom line: The Bomtech Grenade Driver is chock full of technology and physics. It was not designed to be fancy or have a gimmick but simply to outperform other clubs on the market. The simple fact that it was concieved and built by a small team of incredibly invested people.

The Bombtech Grenade driver retails for $299 and can be purchased on the Bombtech website.

Over the past few years, the fledgling wedge company, Scor Golf, has been racking up awards from major publications like Golf Digest and Golf Magazine so my expectations were pretty high. For me, the short game is a really important part of my game. I have been really pleased with a number of boutique wedges I have reviewed thus far, so I was very interested to see how the Scor system stacked up. Note, when I say “system” it is because Scor is more than wedges, it is a fitting process and short game methodology.

Prior to receiving the wedges I went through Scor’s online survey where I answered a short questionnaire that included my current irons and wedges, shafts, distances, greens in regulation, number of chips/pitches per round and common misses. From that information, SCOR, sent me their solution to replace my 9-iron through my L wedge. Because they offer 20 different lofts (41 degrees thru 61 degree), the solution Scor suggested was tailored to my specific game in terms of loft, shaft and length. Specifically, they sent this recommendation:

Your Scoring Club Prescription
Hand: Right Hand/RH
Lofts: 43° 47° 51° 55° 59°
Shaft: GENIUS® 12
Flex: Firm + Flex

They also recommend a four club scoring prescription, but I opted for the full five club solution.

Their manufacturing process is quick and streamlined and my set arrived in NC within a few days after placing the order. When I opened up this box, besides the gleaming wedges, I was also greeted with a bag-tag to use as a reminder for my yardages, a divot tool, and a written introduction on how to work with their system to improve my short game. This included conversation about how to develop a more consistent short game swing, using less hands and more body and ways to open the face to create different yardages with the same length of swing (to cover more possible on-course scenarios). I had seen a very similar system described by Dave Pelz and Tom Kite so this philosophy was very familiar to me. Now, two months later, I can say that I am really impressed with the Scor wedges and the increased comfort they provide to my game.

They are easier to hit than other top wedges we’ve tried:

• The look of a blade may be intimidating to some, but the secret is in the grind of the sole of the club. The V-grind makes it much less likely that you will chunk the club around the green or in the sand. The key is in the way the clubs are designed where mishits have been proven to be more accurate than other leading wedges, particularly the common mis-hit on the wedge where the ball is hit higher on the face.
• The wedges have a tiny bit of a rounded leading edge that slides under the ball and makes it really easy to get the ball off the thinnest lies. A little work with these and you will see what a huge confidence boost this is.
• Shots out of the sand or out of the rough were simply easier. As a matter of fact, the V-sole allows you to take a square stance out of the sand, and most rough. You don’t even have to learn to open the face and swing across the shot like most people teach, if you’re not comfortable with that. I was able to stand square and simply pull a more lofted club for a shorter sand shot, or a less-lofted club for a longer shot, and put it right up by the pin.

The consistency of the design of 5 scoring clubs makes scoring easier than ever:

• I constantly found my practice going like this…I would look at the shot I needed to hit, and pick one of the 5 wedges that seemed like it would go that distance with a chip swing, or half swing. I would hit the shot, and if I had misjudged, I would pull the next club from the set, and 9 times out of 10, it was right on target. The more I’ve worked with the clubs, the better I have judged which clubs to pull with the swing I am most comfortable with.
• Full swings on approach shots were no different. Some work at the range with the yardage I was hitting my clubs on a given day meant that I could pull a yardage within a couple of yards all the way from 50 to 130 with very little, if any change in my swing.
• The consistent weights and consistent shaft flex with their Genius shafts (matched to each wedge) make the feel remarkably similar between clubs. As I mentioned, I’ve been able to try some other top wedges and have had a good bit of success around the greens with them, but these are more confidence-inducing than any I’ve tried with their design features and consistency of feel throughout the set. These shafts are weighted and have a tip flex that benefits the full swing as well as the chip or pitch swing. Most wedges are not designed with shafts that work this way through the scoring clubs, as the 9 and wedge are often a different weight and stiffness from most other wedges in the average golfers set.

Other things to note:

• The soft Lamkin grips give great feel, and are similar to the Lamkin crosslines I used for years. They are marked with dots that allow you to choke down to a specific point to again, use the same swing for different yardages. Keep track of these yardages with the included bag-tag.
• The face of each wedge has this unique fingerprint-like pattern that shows up with a little bit of dirt on the face, and in my opinion, helps to grip the ball better for more stopping power on chips.
• Most golfers aren’t aware of how much short game improvement will drop their scores faster than anything else. These clubs are a no-brainer to get your handicap down within a very short period of time, if you’ll just put in a little practice time.

Bottom line:
I’m more impressed than I was before, and I was plenty impressed before I used a whole set of 5 wedges. I am taking more dead aim at the flag than I ever have, and I’m being pleasantly rewarded swing after swing with these clubs.

You can learn more about Scor Golf and their fitting system on their website.

When making a list of Golf Mecca’s a few places come to mind. Let’s see, Pinehurst, Myrtle Beach, Las Vegas and a little town they call Scottsdale. For those of you who have not visited Scottsdale, think of it as the Beverly Hills of the Phoenix area with the crown jewel (at least in terms of golf) being TPC Scottsdale. It seems reasonable, then, that when Ping went looking for a name for their newest Anser putter, slapping the moniker ‘Scottsdale’ on it seemed to make sense.

Ping Scottsdale Anser 2 TR

Right Hand, 350g Head Weight

Ping took a different approach to their new line of putters – the Scottsdale TR series. TR stands for “True Roll” and that’s the outcome you’ll expect thanks to their new innovation called “Variable-Depth-Grove Technology”. Yes, I agree, TR is a much better term than VDGT. By varying the depth of the groove from the deepest in the center to shallow as you move out from the center area of the putter face, Ping has proven that the TR system provides a much more consistent distance control when hit flush in the center or just off center towards the heel or the toe, and since none of us strike every putt perfectly (not even the Pros), this is a new technology that I was eager to try.

To start, I used the Anser 2 on my putting green at home to get a feel for it and it didn’t take long before I was draining those 7 foot putts with relative ease. I was truly surprised at how well the putter felt in my hands. I’m not sure what it is about the Ping grip, maybe Tiger could clarify, but it felt like an extension of my hands as I was hitting my putts. Never before has a putter felt that good in my hands as I was using it.

The insert that Ping uses is made from Aluminum so you’ll get the typical “ping” sound the clubmaker is known for but not the high-pitch version from years past. The TR technology I think is here to stay, and just like Ping proclaims, the off-center putts don’t come up short at all. Deliberately making off-center putts is nothing that I wanted to practice but I had to bite the bullet for the review and I was literally stunned at the results. I nailed my distances all day long on all three courses. My lag putting was outstanding and watching the alignment line on my ball stay straight as can be and not wobble back and forth was neat to watch.

I put the Anser TR though a three round test and came away feeling like my putting was clearly the better part of my game. I was rolling the ball better than I ever had and my distance control was not only a big surprise to me but my playing partners as well. The solid feel of the putter in my hands and the remarkable roll and touch that I was able to put on the ball let me know that Ping certainly has a winner with the TR series and their variable-depth-grove technology.

You can see the whole line of Ping products on their website. 

If I were to ask you to list the top putters on the market today, I would bet dollars to donuts you would mention the name Odyssey. For years Odyssey has been producing solid putters, but in 2013, the Odyssey Versa has become one of the hottest flat sticks around.

The Odyssey Versa line comes in many different configurations. Six that come in either black/white or white/black plus the “2 Ball” version that is available in white. That gives players seven unique styles to choose from (thirteen if you count the two color choices)! For our review we received the Versa #1 in black/white.

Odyssey Versa #1 – Black

Odyssey took a huge leap forward in the development of the Versa, choosing to make the entire head of the putter an alignment aid versus sight lines or hidden dots. Two bold contrasting colors of black and white (or white and black depending on the version) make aligning your putt virtually stupid-proof.

The first time I grabbed the Versa I was a bit overwhelmed. The contrasting black and white head can give you the feeling of cluelessness if you’re not ready for it, but as I took the handle in my putting grip, took my stance, and looked down at the ball for the first time, the uneasiness of using this unique putter went away. I did have my doubts though as I began to stroke a few putts to get the feel of the Versa. Can seeing yourself misaligned by a mere degree be that noticeable? Once I had the feel for the putter I started focusing more on what this putter is all about and that’s alignment.

It didn’t take long for me to realize just how great the Versa is. Having only my previous putter to compare to the Odyssey at this point it was a no brainer. Using my putting green at home and putting from 7’ I was deadly accurate. Every putt I attempted was directly at the hole. A few times I misaligned myself on purpose to see if there was a difference and it was boy oh boy it was dramatic. The black and white contrast of the face acts just like a flashing neon STOP sign forcing you to reassess your position. That wasn’t the only great thing about the Versa though. The face of the putter has an incredibly soft feel to it when it makes contact with the ball, almost like a soft insert, but the roll is fantastic and true. That was a combination that I really liked.

Of course the at-home putting green was never going to be a true test so I took the Versa out to the course for three rounds to see how well it performed where it matters. Even though my putting numbers were not off-the-charts amazing over the 54 holes I played, I did manage to show some progress in some key areas like lag putting and putts in the 10-15’ range. The confidence of knowing I was aligned properly really made a difference to me.

The more I played with the Versa the more I liked it. The Versa feels great in your hands and with that soft feel coming off the face you have a great touch on your putts. There is no second guessing your alignment which improves confidence. There is no second thought in my head about where the ball is going; only speed.

At a price point of $169.99 I think the Versa is a fantastic putter for any player looking to decrease the number of putts per round. Odyssey also has done something I think is very smart. They now have an option where you can order your putter with a SuperStroke grip for an additional $20.00 Not bad at all!

If you’re one of those players that battles with proper alignment I can highly recommend giving the Versa a try.

You can view the entire Versa line on the Odyssey website.