Masters: TaylorMade’s ‘Season Opener’ collection pays homage to Augusta National and Georgia

Check out TaylorMade’s limited-edition gear for the 2024 Masters.

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For decades, golf equipment brands have made special bags, headcovers and accessories for staff players to use in major championships to serve two purposes. First, at the most prestigious events, the cool gear makes it easier for companies to showcase how many players use their equipment. Second, if they are creative and appealing enough, the limited-edition items can also be sold to fans online.

This week at Augusta National Golf Club, TaylorMade staff players will be using “Season Opener” bags, headcovers and accessories designed especially for the Masters, and fans can pick up the gear on TaylorMade’s website.

The Staff Bag ($599.99) is covered in symbols, some of which are subtle, like the three gold flags with a halo near the handle that pay homage to Amen Corner (the 11th, 12th and 13th holes), while others like the azalea-patterned TaylorMade logo are easy to understand. The lining of the pockets are covered in a peach pattern.

The headcovers for drivers, fairway woods and hybrids ($99.99) and both blade-style and mallet putters ($119.99) also have peach linings.

TaylorMade also designed special-edition TP5 and TP5x Pix balls for the 2024 Masters ($59.99) that are covered in peaches instead of the orange and black diamond pattern found on the standard 2024 version of the Pix balls. According to TaylorMade, Tommy Fleetwood, who uses a TP5x Pix in competition, plans to use the Season Opener edition during this season’s Masters.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop 2024 Season Opener Collection” link=”*”]

Ping selling limited-edition ‘Hovi’ putters to celebrate Viktor Hovland

The 100 PLD “Hovi” putters will be available on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

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Upon turning pro after the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Norway’s Viktor Hovland signed an endorsement deal with Ping. Nothing is ever a sure thing, but Hovland had been a star at Oklahoma State, he won the 2018 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach and was the low amateur at the 2019 Masters, so the pedigree was evident. 

Four years later, Hovland has won multiple PGA Tour events, including the 2023 FedEx Cup, and played on two Ryder Cup teams. In Rome two weeks ago, he was a force at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club and helped the European team reclaim the Ryder Cup.

Ping has made 100 PLD “Hovi” putters to celebrate Hovland’s achievements and will sell them on Tuesday, October 10, at 2 p.m. Eastern for $990 at pingpld.com.

Ping Hovi putter
The limited-edition PLD “Hovi” celebrates Viktor Hovland’s breakout 2023 serason. (Ping)

Each of the limited-edition putters matches the exact shape, size and weight of Hovland’s PLD DS72 and is milled from 1018 carbon steel. The clubs are all 36″ in length, have a 360-gram head weight and feature a top rail and back-flange line, along with the same red Winn 15″ Long Pistol grip that Hovland uses. On the sole, Ping has engraved “Hovi.”

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“It was a lot of fun to watch Viktor’s season just get better and better,” said John K. Solheim, Ping’s CEO and president. “His stellar putting has been well documented, and we’re excited to offer golfers their own custom-built ‘Hovi’ model through the PLD Limited program. And it’s not just meant for collectors. We’re encouraging those lucky enough to get one to take it on the course and put it in play. It will be one of the best investments they ever make.”

Ping Hovi putter
The 1018 carbon steel has a rich patina finish. (Ping)

Through the Ping PLD Custom program, which started in 2022, golfers have access to tour-level putters and high levels of customization, including exotic materials, custom stamping and unique setups. Ping has also used the PLD program to launch special limited-edition putters this year. For example, the brand sold 88 “Ping Slam 88” putters to commemorate the 35th anniversary of players using a Ping putter to win every men’s major in 1988.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop PING PLD DS72 Putter” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/75Lrkd”]

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Scotty Cameron drops limited edition Concept X 7.2 LTD putter

The Scotty Cameron Concept X 7.2 LTD putter stylishly blends stability and touch on the greens.

Gear: Scotty Cameron Concept X 7.2 LTD putter
Price: $750
Spec: Milled 303 stainless steel body with 6061 aluminum sole plate, adjustable steel weights
Available: Sept. 15

Scotty Cameron releases limited-edition putters a few times a year, and the clubs often blend elements of putters that are gaining popularity on the PGA Tour with unique finishes or colors. The just-released Concept X 7.2 LTD is the latest limited-edition offering to drop and it stylishly blends a popular mallet shape with a hosel configuration and weight system into a club that is sure to turn heads.

The Concept X 7.2 LTD’s body is milled from 303 stainless steel for a soft feel, with wing-style extensions in the heel and toe areas. When golfers address the ball and look down, they will see a pair of lines that are designed to be the width of a golf ball on the inner-facing side of each wing, along with three “cherry bombs” on the top line. Combined, these alignment features should make it easier to aim your putts and roll start them on your intended line.

Instead of using steel on the bottom of the club, a 6061 aluminum sole plate has been designed into the Concept X 7.2 LTD. Removing weight from the middle of the sole shifts more of the overall weight to the perimeter, for increased stability. It also helps to create the discretionary weight needed to add a pair of adjustable sole weights. They are not intended to be changed by golfers, but fitters can add different weights in those spots to adjust the putter’s swing weight.

The hitting area of the Concept X 7.2 LTD has been designed with the same dual-milling treatment found on the new Super Select putters. A first, deep milling helps to create a low-pitch sound and soften the feel at impact before a second milling shaves off the points created by the first milling, so more of the steel comes into contact with the ball for a more consistent roll.

Unlike many mallet putters that are face-balanced, the Concept X 7.2 LTD has a moderate amount of toe hang thanks to a plumber’s neck hosel. This neck configuration is popular on many of Cameron’s Newport-style blade putters and it should make the Concept X 7.2 LTD swing and feel like a heel-toe weighted blade, while providing the stability and forgiveness of a mallet.

The Tour Black finish of the head is complimented by a black stepless shaft and black pistol grip. A limited number of Concept X 7.2 LTD putters will be available at Titleist-authorized shops starting September 15.

See Titleist’s limited-edition SM9 Ryder Cup wedges

For a limited time, golfers can get an American flag or European stars laser etched on SM9 wedges to celebrate the Ryder Cup.

To celebrate the 2023 Ryder Cup, which starts on Sept. 29, Titleist is now allowing golfers to have either an American flag or Team Europe stars laser etched into Vokey Design SM9 wedges.

Players on each team, including Titleist staff players like U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and British Open winner Brian Harman, will each receive a laser-etched SM9 wedge with their respective flag design. Through Titleist’s WedgeWorks program, golf fans can get any SM9 wedge with a Brushed Steel finish with the customized design and matching shaft band for $199.

Vokey Design SM9 wedges come in 25 different offerings, with lofts ranging from 46 degrees to 62 degrees in seven different sole grinds, but the Ryder Cup-inspired etching of the American flag and Team Europe stars will only be available until Oct. 13 on vokey.com.

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TaylorMade’s staff bag at Royal Liverpool is filled with hidden meaning

The attention-grabbing bright yellow bag pays homage to the famous yellow scoreboard that the R&A erects.

As several other brands do during major championship weeks, TaylorMade creates unique golf bags for its staff players and then sells them on its website. We have shown you the special bags TaylorMade produced for this season’s Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open, and now, for the 2023 British Open, TaylorMade has released an eye-catcher.

As you probably guessed, the attention-grabbing bright yellow bag pays homage to the famous yellow scoreboard that the R&A erects next to the 18th green at every British Open. However, there are loads of details designed into the bag, as well as the clubhead covers and the commemorative TP5x Pix balls that TaylorMade has created to celebrate this season’s final major championship.

Open Championship 2023: Leaderboard, scores, news, tee times, more

TaylorMade’s 2023 British Open staff bag, wood head covers, putter covers and TP5 Pix golf balls are for sale at taylormadegolf.com.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop TM 2023 British Open gear” link=”https://imp.i366014.net/0ZPZAM”]

Ping’s limited-edition PLD Anser celebrates Seve Ballesteros’ 1988 victory

In 1988, each of the four men’s majors was won by a player using a Ping putter, a first.

The fourth and final putter in the Ping Slam Limited Edition family will be made available on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, and it commemorates Seve Ballesteros’s 1988 British Open victory.

In 1988, each of four men’s professional major championships was won by a player using a Ping putter, an accomplishment that had not been done before and that has not been achieved since. Before the start of the Masters, Ping made 88 special Ping Slam Pal putters available to commemorate Sandy Lyle winning the 1988 Masters. To honor Jeff Sluman’s win at Oak Tree Golf Club, 88 PLD Limited Pal 2 putters with a natural finish were sold, and last month, before the U.S. Open, 88 PLD Limited Zing 2 putters honoring Curtis Strange’s 1988 U.S. Open victory at The Country Club were sold.

“Even though at the time it was the third major of the season, it’s fitting to complete this part of the ‘Ping Slam’ celebration by recognizing Seve’s win at the Open Championship that year,” said John A. Solheim, Ping’s executive chairman in a release. “Seve was our most loyal and accomplished Anser user, earning 47 wins with it, including all five of his major championships. His victories are represented in more than three rows on a rack in the Ping Gold Putter Vault and have helped make the Anser the winningest putter of all time.”

Ping Limited-edition PLD Anser Ping Slam
Ping Limited-edition PLD Anser Ping Slam. (Ping_

The limited-edition PLD Anser is milled and has been given an antique finish that makes it look like Ballesteros’s tarnished, manganese bronze original Anser. And, like the Spanish Hall of Famer’s putter, this Anser has a floating face, otherwise known as a sound slot, cut into the sole for a crisper feel and sound.

Like the three previous Sing Slam putters, only 88 are being offered, and all of them will be available starting at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday for $990 on pingpld.com. The three previous Ping Slam putters offered in 2023 sold out in minutes.

On Dec. 5, 2023, Ping will make 35 complete, four-putter sets of the limited-edition PLD putters available for $4,990, and each will come with a custom-designed display unit.

Limited-edition Ping Slam PLD Zing 2 dropping before 2023 U.S. Open

To celebrate Curtis Stange’s win at the 1988 U.S. Open, Ping is offering 88 commemorative Zing 2 putters.

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In the days leading up to the 2023 Masters and PGA Championship, Ping released 88 limited-edition PLD putters to honor the winners of 1988’s first two major champions, Sandy Lyle and Jeff Sluman, who both used a Ping putter to earn their major victories. Now, just a few days before the start of the U.S. Open, Ping is set to drop the third commemorative putter in the Ping Slam family, the PLD Limited Zing 2 that honors Curtis Strange’s 1988 U.S. Open victory at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

In a release, Ping executive chairman, John A. Solheim, said, “We’re really enjoying celebrating the ‘Ping Slam’ and reliving some wonderful memories from 1988, Curtis’s thrilling win at the U.S. Open was soon followed by the U.S. Women’s Open champion using a Zing 2, giving us wins at both national championships that summer. The next year, Curtis won the U.S. Open again with his Zing 2. That was a remarkable run for the Zing 2 and secured its place in Ping’s putter history.”

Ping PLD Limited Zing 2 putter
The Zing 2 has a distinctive, curved back flange and thin topline. (Ping)

The 88 commemorative PLD Limited Zing 2 putters are each milled from a block of 303 stainless steel and have a short slant-neck hosel. There is a distinctive curve to the back flange, with extra mass in the heel and toe areas that create more perimeter weighting and stability. The original Zing 2, which was first released in 1984 and was cast instead of milled, is nearly identical to the original Zing putter in appearance, and both putters became classics that still look at home in modern golfers’ bags.

“A lot of what we did back then is still critical to our putter designs today, so we went to great lengths to maintain the subtleties of each model while giving them the precise details and strikingly clean, premium appearance made possible through the milling process,” Solheim said.

The 88 PLD Limited Zing 2 putters will go on sale Tuesday, June 13 at 2 p.m. Eastern and cost $990 at pingpld.com. If you want one, act fast, because the previous Ping Slam putters sold out in a matter of minutes. On December 5, Ping will offer 35 complete sets of the PLD Limited Ping Slam putters for $4,990.

Callaway releases ‘Night Mode’ versions of the Paradym, Paradym Triple Diamond drivers

The Paradym and Paradym Triple Diamond Night Mode drivers will be available in 9 and 10.5-degrees.

Callaway released the Paradym, Paradym X and Paradym Triple Diamond drivers in early January, and since that time, those clubs have been used by stars like Jon Rahm, Sam Burn, Chris Kirk and Si Woo Kim to win on the PGA Tour, and now Rose Zhang used one to win in her LPGA debut.

A key technology in the Paradym drivers is a 360-degree carbon fiber wrap that encircles the middle of the head and is made using forged pieces of carbon fiber. Callaway gave it a deep navy color, but now for golfers who love all-black clubs, Callaway is releasing Night Mode versions of the Paradym and Paradym Triple Diamond.

Like the standard versions, the Paradym and Paradym Triple Diamond Night Mode drivers feature faces that are designed using artificial intelligence (AI) to help maximize ball speed across a larger portion of the hitting area. Using triaxial carbon fiber in the crown and forged carbon fiber in the sole reduces weight by 44 percent. That allowed Callaway designers to redistribute weight in the Paradym Night mode to a 15-gram sliding weight in the back of the head that helps players create a draw or fade bias.

Callaway Paradym Night Mode
Callaway Paradym Night Mode driver. (Callaway)

In the Paradym Triple Diamond Night Mode, Callaway added a weight screw behind the leading edge to pull the center of gravity position forward, which lowers spin, decreases the launch angle and increases ball speed.

The Paradym and Paradym Triple Diamond Night Mode drivers will each cost $699 and be available in 9 and 10.5-degree versions and come standard with a Project X HZRDUS Black GEN4 Night Mode shaft and Golf Pride New Decade MCC Black grip.

[afflinkbutton text=”Pre-Order Paradym Night Mode” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/daLO5y”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Pre-Order Paradym Triple Diamond Night Mode” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/QyJj2z”]

2023 PGA Championship: TaylorMade’s commemorative gear for Oak Hill

TaylorMade is selling commemorative PGA Championship gear that players will be using at Oak Hill.

Coming on the heels of creating limited-edition “Season Opener” gear for its staff players, TaylorMade has just released commemorative accessories for the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.

While significant changes have been made to the Donald Ross course that last hosted a major championship in 2013, the property is still home to scores of majestic Oak trees that symbolize the layout. Using those trees, leaves and acorns as a theme, TaylorMade designed special TP5 golf balls, head covers and a unique staff bag for golfers like Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler.

This is the second release in TaylorMade’s Major Series, and like April’s collection, a limited number of each accessory and bag are being made available to the public on taylormadegolf.com. Here’s a closer look at the whole collection.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop TM PGA Championship Collection” link=”https://imp.i366014.net/KjB6qa”]

Special-edition Ping PLD Limited Pal 2 honors Jeff Sluman’s 1988 PGA Championship victory

Golf enthusiasts and collectors can own a part of Ping’s storied putter history with the PLD Limited Pal 2 putter.

Golf enthusiasts and collectors can own a part of Ping’s storied putter history with the release of the PLD Limited Pal 2 putter. The precision-milled putter is the second of four Ping putters being released this year to celebrate the brand’s achievement of winning all four major championships in 1988. The company is referring to the achievement as the “Ping Slam.”

The fully machined and custom-built putters are created by Ping WRX master craftsmen at the company’s headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. Ping’s engineers and historians scoured the company archives to retain the integrity of the four classic designs during the milling process. They even visited the Ping Gold Putter Vault to study and analyze each model’s intricacies to ensure Karsten’s original designs remain intact.

During Masters week, Ping released the Ping Slam Pal to commemorate Sandy Lyle winning the 1988 Masters using an original Pal. To honor Jeff Sluman’s win at Oak Tree Golf Club in Edmond, Oklahoma, this PLD Limited Pal 2 putter has been milled using 303 stainless steel with a natural finish, along with a white sightline along the trailing edge and a Zing-style hosel.

PLD Limited Pal 2 putter
The PLD Limited Pal 2 is milled and has a natural finish. (Ping)

Only 88 PLD Limited Pal 2 putters are being made. Each has been serialized for authenticity, and each will come with a special headcover. The putters can be purchased for $900 starting at 2 p.m. Eastern time on May 14 at pingpld.com.

If you hope to get one, act fast. The PLD Limited Anser Patent 55 putter was introduced last year to honor the 55th anniversary of the granting of the Anser patent to Ping’s founder, Karsten Solheim, and it sold out in less than three minutes. Four other limited-edition PLD putters have also been released and sold out in minutes.

If you miss out, you can try to nab each of the Ping Slam putters on Dec. 5 when 35 complete sets of the putters, including a custom-designed display unit, will go on sale for $4990.