The Shop Blog

Day puts TaylorMade 1-iron in his bag at the Byron Nelson

Kevin Cunningham — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:26:26 -0400

Jason Day is coming off a T9 finish at the Players Championship, but to tailor his equipment perfectly for TPC Four Seasons, host of this week's HP Byron Nelson Championship, Day is adding a new weapon to his bag -- a 1-iron.

Day explained the unusual decision in his pre-tournament interview on Wednesday:

JASON DAY: I made one club change, which I'm going to put a 1 iron in, take my 2 iron out and put a 1 iron in this week.

Q. A 1 iron?

JASON DAY: Yes.

Q. That's amazing.

JASON DAY: Yes.

Q. How many players do you think have a 1 iron in their bag?

JASON DAY: I wouldn't think there would be too many. They don't physically tailor made doesn't make a 1 iron we got a Rocketbladez 2 iron and bent it to a 1 iron. I was out there today and hit a couple of it was downwind and it was 10 to 20 mile an hour wind out there and there was a couple that went 300 easy with the bounce and roll as well so I want to say today with the wind hit about four, maybe five drives total, everything else was a 1 iron and I didn't pull out the 4 wood at all. The ball flight is very strong.

Day went on to admit that the equipment change was made with an eye on the third major of the year in July.

What the experiment was, was we were going to try a 1 iron and try it out here because we know if we have a 1 iron here and it works well in the wind, when we go over seas to the British this year we can have the full confidence that it's going to go the right distance and can come out low and hit different types of shots when I need to.

I know that it's not British Open course but the wind is very strong here.

You can read the full interview here.

(Photos: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Titleist's 712U replaces hard-to-hit long irons

Robert Sauerhaft — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:29:12 -0400

The forged carbon steel 712U is a souped-up utility iron for players who prefer flat-face long irons over hybrids. Already in the bag of a major winner this year (see Masters: Adam Scott), the hollow-headed 712U has a deeper center of gravity and higher MOI than conventional long irons for added stability and control, while a 455 stainless-steel face insert delivers higher ball speeds. The club generates longer, higher shots than long-iron counterparts while being easy to manipulate. Starting May 15, the custom-order-only 712U comes in a two-iron (18°), three-iron (21°) or four-iron (24°). $209, steel; $229, graphite.

Nike unveils Tiger Woods' new shoe, the TW'14

Mark Dee — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:06:26 -0400

The key to winning The Players Championship? It's gotta be the shoes. Just ask Tiger, who took the title the same week he debuted his newest signature kicks, the TW'14s.

Nike officially announced the line on Monday. Coincidence? Few things in Beaverton are. Regardless, fans of sneaker-like, natural motion golf shoes such as last year's Nike "Free"-inspired TW'13, should enjoy a few new features on this year's model. For the uninitiated, the TW'14 is based off of Nike's flagship running shoe. The idea here is that a lighter, more flexible golf shoe is more comfortable to wear and allows the player to transfer energy more efficiently through the swing. The result, says Nike, is more power.

Tiger agrees. He should. After all, the shoe was originally his idea: "I train with Nike Free technology all the time," he told Nike. "I love training in it, running in it, lifting in it. So I asked, why can’t I play golf in it?” Sure, Tiger. Why not.

Weekend warriors may not train, run or lift, but starting June 7th they can play golf in the TW'14s. Improvements over the '13s include improved ventilation in the upper shoe, and increased stability through "Flywire" technology, which Nike claims helps to hold the shoe to your foot. The new shoe will also be more customizable: A TW'14 iD version allows players to select color combos, choose between "waterproof" leather or "breathable" mesh uppers, select either soft-spike or spikeless soles, and add a name or inspirational monogram to the shoe. Fair guess none will say "Rory."

Both the TW'14 and the TW'14 iD are scheduled to drop June 7th. Expect to pay $225 for the customized version and $180 for the off-the-rack model, which comes in first-run colors of "Black/Reflective Silver-Varsity Red" and "White/Metallic Dark Grey-Varsity Red." On August 1st, they'll add a "Cool Grey/Black-Vivid Blue-Venom Green" shoe to the line. If those sound more like X-Men villains than actual colors — well, we'll defer to the photos.

(Photo: Courtesy of Nike)

Winner's Bag: Tiger Woods' equipment at The Players Championship

Robert Sauerhaft — Sun, 12 May 2013 19:47:34 -0400

DRIVER: Nike VR Tour (9.5°) with Mitsubishi Diamana White Board 73 X-flex shaft

FAIRWAY WOODS: Nike VR_S Covert 3-wood (15°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 103 X-flex shaft (pictured above); Nike VR_S Covert 5-wood (19°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 103 X-flex shaft

IRONS: Nike VR Pro Blade (3-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts

WEDGES: Nike VR Pro (56° and 60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts

PUTTER: Nike Method 001

BALL: Nike ONE Tour D

(Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Cool New Looks from Puma, Adidas and Ashworth

Jessica Marksbury — Fri, 10 May 2013 11:43:27 -0400

Sunny Ponte Vedra, Fla. is the pefect venue to showcase the latest spring and summer looks from Puma, Adidas and Ashworth. First up: check out Rickie Fowler's Thursday-Sunday looks for the Players Championship:

Photo courtesy of Puma Golf

Adidas Golf ambassadors Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Jason Day will be sporting the brand's new color-block designs in shades of gray, blue and pink. Unlike the Masters, we won't see the same shirt on each player every day. Instead, they'll rotate the designs Thursday-Saturday. On Sunday, all three players will don the pink shirt not only in honor of Mother's Day, but to help raise awareness for breast cancer.

Photo courtesy of Adidas Golf

Of course, every shade of pink needs a shoe to match, and thankfully, Adidas has that covered with a limited edition Adizero Tour "Pink Out" shoe for Sunday's round:

Photo courtesy of Adidas Golf

Ashworth ambassadors Sean O'Hair, Stewart Cink and Justin Rose will also rotate their outfits all week until Sunday, when they too will unite in matching pink splendor:

Photo courtesy of Ashworth Golf

Like what you see? Start shopping! The Rickie Fowler's Puma styles are all available for purchase at cobrapumagolf.com; Adidas at adidasgolf.com; and Ashworth at ashworthgolf.com.

Cobra unveils limited edition driver for U.S. Open

Golf.com — Mon, 06 May 2013 17:01:03 -0400

Another major, another line of special edition gear. And while the U.S. Open isn't exactly around the corner, Cobra's getting us started with a first look at their commemorative red, white and blue driver. Because it's never too early for a little patriotism.

Unlike for the Masters, when Cobra released 1,800 green AMP Cell drivers, they're cutting back the quantity for the Open. This time, they're releasing just 600 AMP Cell Pro drivers. (The change makes sense, since the non-"Pro" AMP Cell already comes in blue.) It'll cost you, too: Cobra suggests a $499 retail, or about $100 more than the non-commemorative club.

Of course, it has all the same tech you'd get in the regular club. That means the "MyFly" adjustable hosel, which switch between six different loft settings (7.5°, 8.5°, 8.5° Fade, 9.5°, 9.5° Fade and 10.5°), and a "SmartPad" sole to help keep club square through all of that tweaking. What is different here -- other than the color scheme and the number stamped on the bottom -- is the shaft: The Open edition comes with an Aldila RIP Phenom shaft instead of the standard MRC Kurokage.

If you're interested, the club goes on sale June 1st. Or, if you're more of an Anglophile at heart, perhaps wait another month. We're guessing they'll roll out the British Open version by then. Fingers crossed for Union Jacks.

RELATED

Review: Cobra AMP Cell Pro Driver

More Cobra: Cobra Homepage on Golf.com

(Photo: Courtesy of Cobra)

Winner's Bag: Derek Ernst's equipment at the Wells Fargo Championship

Robert Sauerhaft — Sun, 05 May 2013 19:35:48 -0400

DRIVER: Ping i20 (9.5°) with Ping TFC 707 X shaft

FAIRWAY WOOD: Ping i15 (14°) with Grafalloy ProLaunch Red X shaft

HYBRID: Ping Anser (17°) with Oban Kiyoshi X shaft

IRONS: Ping S56 (3-PW) with Project X 6.5 steel shaft

WEDGES: Ping Tour (54° and 58°) with Project X 6.5 steel shaft

PUTTER: Ping Scottsdale TR Grayhawk

BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

(Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Win Wilson's pink wedge for Mother's Day

Mark Dee — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:57:28 -0400

Here's a public service announcement from your friends at the Shop Blog: Mother's Day is right around the corner. And what better way to reward yourself for remembering to show your love for dear ol' Mom than by winning her one of Wilson's limited edition pink wedges, which are up for grabs from May 3 through May 10. It's like sending her carnations, except way better from the sand.

These 60-degree FG Tour TC wedges feature a pink grip and an iridescent pink finish with gold accents to give it what Wilson calls a "premium, female look," which, incidentally, is perfect for Bubba Watson. Or, for that matter, anyone here at the Shop. It just looks cool.

The wedge is cut down to 34.25", and weighs less than the standard FG Tour to fit the specs for women's clubs. What's more, the good people at Wilson will hand stamp your lucky lady's name or initials onto the winning club. Probably so Bubba won't steal it.

But enough about the club. Here's what you need to do to win it, straight from Wilson's corporate mouth:

The giveaway will run from May 3 until May 10 on Twitter, where @WilsonGolf followers can tweet a favorite memory of a special woman in their lives (the intended recipient) and tag it #fgtourtc, and on Instagram, where Wilson_Golf followers can upload a picture of a special woman in their lives and tag it #fgtourtc.

There you have it. Get sappy. It's for Mom.

(Photo: Courtesy of Wilson)

Cobra releases AMP Cell Junior Driver

Mark Dee — Wed, 01 May 2013 17:04:01 -0400

If your kid's a fan of Rickie Fowler (or -- let's face it -- if you want him or her to be), here's one more orange item to add to the birthday list: The Cobra AMP Cell Junior driver.

This kid's club is no toy: It has all the bells, whistles, and adjustability of the big-boy AMP Cell Driver, a version of which Fowler plays on Tour. That means "Cell" head weighting for a larger sweetspot, a "SmartPad" sole to keep the clubface square at address, and the "MyFly" hosel, which can be adjusted to one of six settings: 11.5°, 12.5°, 12.5° Draw, 13.5°, 13.5° Draw and 14.5°.

The club comes with a youth-flex Fujikura Fuel shaft available in three lengths: 39" (recommended for ages 8-9), 41" (10-11) and 43" (12-14) . What's more, register the club online and receive one free shaft upgrade. The idea is that the club grows with the kid: As your golfer gets bigger, lower the loft and install one of the longer, firmer flex shafts instead of replacing the club wholesale.

According to Cobra, the club retails for $299 and is available at Golfsmith stores beginning May 1st.

(Illustration: Courtesy of Cobra)

Winner's Bag: Billy Horschel's bag at the Zurich Classic

Robert Sauerhaft — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 20:15:02 -0400

DRIVER: Ping G25 (9.5°) with Mitsubishi Fubuki 63 graphite shaft

FAIRWAY WOODS: Ping G25 (15° and 18°) with Oban Kiyoshi 75 graphite shaft

IRONS: Ping S56 (3-PW) with Ping ZZ65 steel shaft

WEDGES: Ping Tour (52° and 60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 steel shaft

PUTTER: Ping Redwood Piper

BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

(Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)