Odyssey gave the Stroke Lab Black putters a darker PVD finish and a new, firmer-feeling microhinge insert.
Gear: Odyssey Stroke Lab Black putters Price: $299.99 each Specs: Seven models with Microhinge face inserts and shafts that combine graphite and steel. Available: Jan. 30
Odyssey introduced the Stroke Lab putters in early 2019, and Francesco Molinari and Phil Mickelson promptly won PGA Tour events using them, then Xander Schauffele finished tied for second at the Masters with a Stroke Lab.
For 2020, Odyssey is extending the Stroke Lab putter family with the introduction of Stroke Lab Black putters inspired by feedback from elite golfers and tour players.
Each Stroke Lab Black putter comes standard with a Stroke Lab shaft made with graphite in the upper and middle sections and steel in the tip section. Odyssey said this design helps remove about 40 grams of weight from the middle of the putter, where it does not provide any performance benefits. Engineers split that saved weight between the head and the top portion of the handle, and Odyseey research showed the design resulted in golfers producing a more consistent stroke.
Unlike the original Stroke Lab putters that featured silver tones and darker accents, the Stroke Lab Black putters have a black PVD finish complimented by black paint.
Like the other Stroke Lab Black putters, the One has a new Microhinge Star face insert. (Odyssey Golf)
Another subtle change Odyssey made for the Stroke Lab Black putters was the addition of a new face insert. While many golfers liked the White Hot Microhinge insert, some thought it was too soft and muted. After testing several prototype inserts, Odyssey opted for a firmer hitting surface that has Microhinges but no grooves. It’s called the Microhinge Star insert, and it makes a slightly louder, higher-pitched sound, like a click, that many players found pleasing.
At the same time, the Microhinges still bend back at impact, then spring forward to reduce skidding and encourage the ball to start rolling more quickly.
Odyssey One Black R Line Arrow putter (Odyssey Golf)
The Stroke Lab Black family is comprised of five mallets, including the Bird of Prey, Ten and the Seven, which features fang-like extensions in the heel and toe area. The R Line Arrow is a rounded, high-MOI mallet, while the Rossie is a rounded mid-size mallet. Odyssey also offers a heel-toe-weighted blade, the One, and the Double Wide, which is an enlarged blade-style putter.
The second version of the Titleist Tour provides more distance off the tee and control around the green while maintaining soft feel.
Gear: Titleist Tour Soft golf ball (2020) Price: $34.99 per dozen Specs: Two-piece, Surlyn-covered ball. Available in white and yellow. Available: Jan. 22
Titleist debuted its first Tour Soft golf balls in 2018 to replace the NXT Tour and NXT Tour S in the company’s stable. According to the company, golfers who bought the Tour Soft liked the soft feel at impact and the distance produced with their irons.
Still, company research showed that if there were areas where players wanted to see improvement, it was distance off the tee and control around the greens. For 2020, with the release of the updated Tour Soft balls, Titleist made a point to address those two areas.
The spherically-tiled 342 cuboctahedron dimple pattern has not changed for 2020, but the edges and depth of the dimples were modified slightly and the Surlyn blend used to make the cover is subtly firmer. As a result, the Tour Soft now has a lower, more penetrating trajectory.
The ball also should deliver more greenside spin because the cover is thinner, so the grooves in wedges and short irons can bite into it and generate spin more effectively.
The Tour Soft has a bigger core plus a new side stamp and alignment aid. (Titleist)
To make the ball longer off the tee, the core has been enlarged to 1.61 inches in diameter (by rule, balls cannot be smaller than 1.68 inches in diameter including the cover). It’s the largest core found in any Titleist ball, and the company said it delivers more speed off the tee and with long irons. The softness of the core also helps offset the slightly firmer cover material, so the ball still feels soft at impact.
Finally, Titleist gave the Tour Soft a new side stamp, modeling it after a popular custom offering the company had made available online. The perpendicular lines are designed to boldly stand out against the white and yellow balls and make it easier for golfers to align putts and square their putter at address.
Using artificial intelligence, Callaway improved the Mavrik driver’s face, enhanced aerodynamics and increased forgiveness.
Gear: Callaway Mavrik, Mavrik Sub Zero, Mavrik Max drivers Price: $499 with Project X Even Flow Riptide, Aldila Rogue White or UST Mamiya Helium shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align grip Specs: FS2S forged titanium face with carbon-fiber crown, adjustable hosel and moveable weights Available: Jan. 23
In 2019, Callaway released the Epic Flash and Epic Flash Sub Zero drivers, clubs that featured hitting areas created by supercomputers that tested more than 15,000 face designs using artificial intelligence.
After investing in greater computing power, Callaway has tried to solve a thorny problem: How can they make a driver more forgiving and, at the same time, more aerodynamic? Their answer is designed into the new Callaway Mavrik, Mavrik Sub Zero and Mavrik Max drivers.
Each Callaway Mavrik driver’s face is designed to provide more distance along with more forgiveness. (Callaway Golf)
Callaway said the key to unlocking performance in the Mavrik drivers was making a face that delivers more ball speed and enhances forgiveness by protecting ball speed and spin rates on mis-hits more effectively. To achieve that, each Mavrik driver model’s face is slightly different, with thicker and thinner areas created by AI. And there is a different face for each loft of each driver. For example, not only is the Mavrik driver’s face different than the Mavrik Sub Zero face, the 9-degree Mavrik’s face is subtly different than the 10.5-degree Mavrik’s face.
Callaway said that by fine-tuning each face this way, the Mavrik drivers produce more ball speed on well-struck shots and improve performance on mis-hits to provide the stability that golfers typically associate with clubs that feature high moment of inertia.
The Mavrik sole sweeps up more than last season’s Epic Flash for better aerodynamics. (Callaway Golf)
With increased stability coming from the face instead of a low-and-back center of gravity, engineers were free to make the body of the Mavrik drivers more aerodynamic. Compared to last season’s Epic Flash, the sole now rises up more and the carbon-fiber crown is higher, so the club creates less drag on the downswing and allows golfers to swing it faster with the same amount of effort. Callaway said the Mavrik creates 68 percent less drag than the Rogue driver it replaces.
Callaway also wanted to push the limits of characteristic time tolerances to make the drivers as springy as possible, but it wanted to ensure the faces stay within the USGA and R&A’s limits throughout their lifespan. To do that, it opted to make the faces from an exotic material, FS2S titanium, that is lighter, stronger and more resilient.
To enhance the sound of the Mavrik drivers, designers turned again to AI. After studying thousands of combinations of internal rib structures, the computer revealed to Callaway the optimal combination. Inside the head, there is a rib in the toe and others near each weight port that make the sound of impact deeper.
The three Mavrik drivers feature carbon-fiber crowns, Jailbreak bars that stiffen the front of the body at impact and adjustable hosels that allow the stated loft to be increased or decreased by as many as 2 degrees. However, each model is designed for a different group of players.
Callaway Mavrik driver (Callaway Golf)
The standard Mavrik should fit the greatest number of players, and it has a slight draw bias. The 460-cubic-centimeter head has a single 5-gram weight screw in the back of the sole, which also has the most prominent rise, making it the most aerodynamic. It is available in 9-degree, 10.5-degree and 12-degree versions.
Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero driver (Callaway Golf)
The Mavrik Sub Zero has a 450cc head and two weight ports. When the 14-gram weight is in the front and the 2-gram weight is in the back, it creates less spin and a lower launch angle. When the heavier weight is in the back, it creates more spin and a higher launch. It is available in 9-degree and 10.5-degree heads.
Callaway Mavrik Max driver (Callaway Golf)
The Mavrik Max, a 460cc club, has two weight ports, with one in the heel. When the 14-gram weight is placed there, it creates a large draw bias, but when that weight is in the back, it plays like a traditional high-MOI club with a low and deep center of gravity. The Mavrik Max is available in 9-degree, 10.5-degree and 12-degree versions.
Callaway used artificial intelligence to create a new family of fairway woods designed to help golfers get more distance and forgiveness.
Gear: Callaway Mavrik, Mavrik Sub Zero, Mavrik Max fairway woods Price: $299 with Project X Even Flow Riptide, Aldila Rogue White or UST Mamiya Helium shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align grip Specs: Forged C300 maraging steel face cup with carbon-fiber crown and moveable weights. Available: Jan. 23
Callaway’s newest fairway woods, the Mavrik, Mavrik Sub Zero and Mavrik Max, were designed to help golfers get more distance by utilizing face designs created using artificial intelligence.
Put simply, Callaway made a major investment in access to supercomputing and set about tasking the machines to study thousands of fairway wood faces. Parameters were set so the computer would try to identify the face patterns that produced the most ball speed on well-struck shots as well as patterns that protected ball speed on common misses.
The face of each Callaway Mavrik fairway wood is different by club type and by loft. (Callaway Golf)
The most interesting thing about the faces the computer designed is they not only differ between the standard, Sub Zero and Max models, they also differ by loft within each model because the analysis showed, for example, that golfers tend to mis-hit 3-woods differently than 5-woods.
While none of the Mavrik fairway woods has an adjustable hosel, each has a carbon-fiber crown that saves a significant amount of weight. Each also has Jailbreak bars in the front of the club that connect the sole to the crown. The bars stiffen the front of the head at impact so energy can be transferred into the shot more efficiently instead of being lost in the deformation of the head.
Callaway said the face in each Mavrik fairway wood has a characteristic time (a measure of springiness) that is akin to a driver, so it should be able to transfer energy created at impact into the ball like a driver.
Callaway Mavrik fairway wood (Callaway Golf)
The standard Mavrik fairway wood is the most aerodynamic and likely will fit the broadest number of players. It is offered as a 3+, 3-wood, 4-wood, 5-wood and 7-wood.
Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero fairway wood (Callaway Golf)
The Mavrik Sub Zero fairway woods are slightly smaller than the standard Mavrik and come standard with a pair of moveable weights (14-grams and 2-grams). Positioning the heavier weight in the front reduces spin and encourages a lower launch, while adding it to the back adds spin and should produce a higher shot. The Sub Zero is offered as a 3+, 3-wood, 4-wood and 5-wood.
Callaway Mavrik Max fairway wood (Callaway Max)
Finally, for golfers who battle a slice or who want even more stability, Callaway will offer the Mavrik Max fairway woods. The largest of the three offerings, it has two weight ports like the Sub Zero, but one port is in the heel. Adding the 14-gram weight to that spot should encourage a draw. The face of the Max was designed with a wider radius, so it is especially forgiving on mis-hits in the low-heel and low-toe areas. The Mavrik Max is offered as a 3+, 3-wood, 5-wood, Heavenwood, 7-wood, 9-wood and 11-wood.
Using a supercomputer to design each face, along with tungsten weights and urethane inserts, Callaway is delivering more distance and feel.
Gear: Callaway Mavrik, Mavrik Max, Mavrik Pro irons Price: $799 (Standard, Max)/$899 (Pro) with True Temper Elevate or KBS Max steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet Soft grips; $899 (Standard, Max) with Project X Catalyst graphite shafts. Specs: Cast stainless steel with cup face design, internal tungsten bar and urethane microspheres Available: Feb. 6
A year ago Callaway released the Epic Flash driver family and touted that the faces in those clubs were designed by supercomputers that utilized artificial intelligence. Simulating how more than 15,000 prototypes would perform, the system revealed things to Callaway’s design team that would have taken years to develop.
For 2020, Callaway has used the same method to create a new iron family: the Mavrik, Mavrik Max and the Mavrik Pro.
Callaway instructed the computer to consider ball speed, launch angle and spin as it simulated prototype faces for the new irons. Not only did it come up with different face patterns for each of the three club types, it suggested unique faces for each club in all three sets too. Callaway said the suggested designs for the long irons produce more speed and distance while the short iron designs help golfers control spin and trajectory more effectively.
Each iron also has a unique tungsten weight that helps Callaway tune the center of gravity to benefit players most. Extra tungsten in the long irons helps produce higher shots, while smaller pieces of tungsten in the heads of the short irons help golfers keep approach shots down.
Tungsten is not easily welded to stainless steel, so Callaway encases each of the tungsten pieces in a urethane liquid infused with millions of tiny glass bubbles. After being injected into place, the urethane solidifies. The company refers to the material as Urethane Microspheres, and it not only holds the tungsten weight in place, it dampens vibrations and enhances feel at impact without decreasing ball speed.
All these technologies – the computer-designed cup face, tungsten weight and urethane material – work together to broaden the ideal hitting area and protect ball speed on mis-hits.
The standard Mavrik is the longest-hitting of the three new irons. It’s a game-improvement club that has a moderately thick topline and sole width with some offset. The lofts are stronger than those designed into many game-improvement irons (the 5-iron is 21 degrees and the pitching wedge is 41 degrees) because the tungsten weight helps get the ball up in the air. As a result, shots go farther and hit their apex farther downrange.
Callaway Mavrik Max iron (Callaway Golf)
The Mavrik Max is a super-game-improvement iron for higher-handicap golfers who struggle with consistency. The lofts are not as strong as the standard Mavrik’s (the 5-iron is 23 degrees and the pitching wedge is 43 degrees), but the heads are larger to make them more forgiving.
Callaway Mavrik Pro (Callaway Golf)
The Mavrik Pro irons are the most compact of the three. They have the thinnest toplines and soles, and only moderate offset. The iron lofts are 0.5 degrees weaker than the Mavrik Max, but the pitching wedge and gap wedge lofts are the same as on the Max.
Callaway designed its newest hybrids using artificial intelligence to create clubs that produce more distance and forgiveness.
Gear: Callaway Mavrik, Mavrik Max, Mavrik Pro hybrids Price: $249 each with Project X Catalyst or KBS Tour Hybrid shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet Specs: Carpenter steel cup face with internal stiffening bars. Available in 18, 20, 23 and 26 degrees (Standard); 19, 21, 24, 27, 30 and 33 degrees (Max); 18, 20, 23 and 26 degrees (Pro) Available: Feb. 6
Many golfers opt for hybrid clubs instead of long irons because hybrids are more forgiving, produce more distance and typically hit the ball higher. For golfers who want more of each of those traits, Callaway is offering the first hybrid club designed with a hitting area created with the help of supercomputers and artificial intelligence: the Mavrik, Mavrik Max and Mavrik Pro.
Callaway Mavrik Max hybrid (Callaway Golf)
Every Mavrik hybrid has a Carpenter steel cup face that helps broaden the sweet spot, but the hitting area is also thicker in some places and thinner in others to more efficiently turn clubhead speed into ball speed.
Historically, the thicker areas are in the center and the thinnest portions are around the edges, but in the Mavrik hybrids that is not always the case. The computer created and theoretically tested thousands of faces, then revealed to Callaway’s engineers which performed best. As a result, the faces are unique not only to each type of Mavrik hybrid but also to each loft. For example, the hitting area in the 3H Mavrik is different than the 5H Mavrik.
All three Mavrik hybrids have Jailbreak bars that connect the sole of the club to the crown. They stiffen the front of the head at impact so more energy is transferred into the shot instead of being wasted in the deformation of the head.
The standard Mavrik hybrid has a square-toe design. (Callaway Golf)
The standard Mavrik hybrid is a mid-sized club with a square-toe shape and an iron-style design that appeals to a large number of players.
The Mavrik Max hybrids are slightly larger with a center of gravity that is lower and farther back, so golfers can expect them to create a higher launch and be more forgiving.
The face of the Callaway Mavrik Pro hybrid is more rounded. (Callaway Golf)
The Mavrik Pro is not necessarily designed with more accomplished golfers in mind. Callaway said it will appeal to a lot of golfers, but its shape is inspired by some hybrids and fairway wood that members of the company’s tour staff liked over the years. It has a smaller head size, lower profile and a more-rounded look, along with a flatter lie angle to encourage an anti-left ball flight that better players tend to favor.
The Wilson Staff DUO+ golf balls combine a new core with low compression to provide golfers with more distance and softer feel.
Gear: Wilson Staff DUO+ golf balls Price: $19.99 per dozen Specs: 36-compression, two-piece ball with Surlyn cover Available: Jan. 27
Wilson has made some of the lowest-compression, softest-feeling golf balls for several seasons, and for 2020 the Chicago-based company has released another: the Staff DUO+ Soft.
The Staff DUO+ Soft is a two-piece ball designed to provide golfers with more distance thanks to its new VelocitiCor, a new core formulation. The company said it helps the Staff DUO+ Soft produce 1 to 1.5 mph more ball speed, which translates to about 4 to 6 more yards of distance.
The Staff DUO+ Soft has a new core formulation to provide more distance. (Wilson)
Wilson also said the Staff DUO+ Soft is the lowest-spinning two-piece ball on the market. That could make it ideally suited for golfers who battle a slice or a hook because lower overall spin should translate to decreased sidespin and straighter shots.
While the Staff DUO+ Soft does not produce as much greenside spin as other Wilson offerings, it does produce a higher launch angle off irons and wedges, so approach shots should come down with a more vertical angle of descent, which will add stopping power.
TaylorMade’s newest game-improvement irons feature a Speed Bridge, a new vibration-dampening system and a slot cut into the sole.
Gear: TaylorMade SIM Max, SIM Max OS irons Price: $999.99 SIM Max (4-AW), with KBS Max 85 shafts and Lamkin Crossline 360 grips; $1,099.99 with Fujikura Ventus Blue graphite shafts; $899.99 SIM Max OS (4-AW) on steel, $999.99 on graphite Specs: Cast 450 stainless steel and 431 stainless steel heads with polymer vibration dampener Available: Feb. 7
The goal for every game-improvement and maximum game-improvement iron is to deliver more distance and forgiveness to players who tend to struggle with consistency. Golfers who rarely break 90 don’t think about controlling little draws and fades too much, but they do think about hitting the ball farther and getting it higher into the air.
Last season, TaylorMade’s M5 and M6 irons featured Speed Bridge technology, a bar designed into the back of the club to provide more distance and better feel. For 2020, TaylorMade is using that technology again as the foundation of the new SIM Max and SIM Max OS irons.
The Speed Bridge bar connects the bottom of the SIM Max iron to the topline. (TaylorMade)
The Speed Bridge bar connects the lower portion of the head to the topline, stiffening both of those areas, and that allowed TaylorMade’s engineers to make the face thinner (1.5 millimeters) and faster. It also allowed them to add a slot in the sole, which TaylorMade calls a Speed Pocket, and it goes all the way into the club in long and mid-irons (4-8). The company said the combination of a thinner face and the Speed Pocket allows the hitting area to flex more efficiently at impact, especially on low-struck shots, to give players more distance.
From a looks perspective, the SIM Max has the same blade length and offset as the M6, which it replaces, but a slightly thinner topline. However, to enhance the feel at impact, TaylorMade replaced the polymer block that was inside the M6 iron with a piece that runs the length of the blade. The company calls it an Echo Damping System, and it rests directly behind the face, visible from the outside.
The Echo Damping System absorbs vibrations to enhance sound and feel. (TaylorMade)
The Echo Damping System’s ribbed design makes contact in more places to soak up more vibrations, but it does not inhibit the face from flexing at impact, so it will not cause a reduction in distance.
An added benefit of connecting the sole to the topline and then positioning a polymer piece in the cavity is it pulls more mass down and away from the face. This lowers the center of gravity and encourages higher shots.
TaylorMade SIM Max OS irons (TaylorMade)
For golfers looking for even more stability and ball speed, TaylorMade is offering the SIM Max OS. It has the Speed Bridge and Echo Damping System found in the SIM Max, but the blade length is slightly longer and the heads are larger. The oversized clubs also have a wider sole to make them more forgiving on fat shots.
Thanks to a new dual-core polymer design inside the head, PXG’s newest irons deliver more distance with enhanced feel.
Gear: PXG GEN3 T, PXG GEN3 P and PXG GEN3 XP irons Price: $425 per iron Specs: Forged 8620 carbon steel body with a HT1770 maraging steel face, dual-core polymer insert, and tungsten and titanium weights Available: Jan. 15
The first irons released by PXG, the original 0311 that were made available in September 2015, were touted as clubs that looked like muscleback blades but performed like game-improvement clubs. Just over two years later, with the release of the 0311 GEN2 irons, the company said that by changing the material inside the hollow heads, it was able to create more ball speed and give players more distance.
Now, with the release of the 0311 GEN3 irons, PXG thinks it has cracked the code and can deliver significantly more distance and better performance for players who can afford the hefty sticker price.
Each 0311 GEN3 iron is forged from a piece of 8620 carbon steel, then the back of each club is milled by a computer using high-speed cutters to create the precise shape engineers envisioned. Like the previously released irons, a series of tungsten and titanium weights ring the back of the head, lowering the center of gravity and pulling it away from the hitting area to encourage higher-flying shots that stop faster on the green.
The face, forged from a harder stainless steel, is just 1.5 millimeters thick. An internal channel has been milled around its perimeter to broaden the sweet spot, and it is laser-welded to the body. However, instead of keeping the club hollow, PXG has filled the internal chamber in a new way.
The size of the dual-core Impact Reactor is different in each of the three 0311 GEN3 irons. (PXG)
A soft polymer insert is added to the space, then it is surrounded by a second, firmer polymer. PXG refers to this dual-polymer system as an Impact Reactor, and the company said the soft material allows a greater portion of the hitting area to flex at impact to create more ball speed, while the firmer polymer boosts the stability of the club.
The 0311 GEN3 irons are available in three styles:
PXG 0311 GEN3 T iron (PXG)
The 0311 GEN3 T is for accomplished players who want a compact head, short blade length, a thin topline and a narrow sole. It produces the most spin and offers the most workability.
PXG 0311 GEN3 P iron (PXG)
The 0311 GEN3 P is a game-improvement club designed to provide some playability, but it has a slightly larger head and a bigger inner chamber, so it creates more ball speed than the T clubs. It also has a thicker topline and more offset.
PXG 0311 GEN3 XP iron (PXG)
The 0311 GEN3 XP is the largest and most powerful of the three new irons. It has the longest blade length, most offset, thickest topline and is the most forgiving. PXG said the XP generates 5 mph more ball speed than the P, with 900 rpm less spin, yet it produces the same height. As a result, it typically produces about 12 yards more distance than the P and 18 yards more than the T.
