Tag: Prototype Equipment

Photos: Cobra’s new Aerojet, Aerojet LS and Aerojet Max drivers added to USGA Conforming Driver list

Cobra’s new drivers – the Aerojet, Aerojet LS and Aerojet Max – are eligible for use on tours and for recreational players.

When Cobra Golf’s headliners such as Rickie Fowler, Bryson DeChambeau and Lexi Thompson return to action in 2023, chances are good they will have new drivers in their golf bags. Several new Cobra models have just been added to the USGA and R&A’s Conforming Driver list.

Before any new club can be used in tournament play, the game’s governing bodies test it to be sure it meets standards and complies with the Rules of Golf. Now that the Aerojet, Aerojet LS and Aerojet Max have been added to the list, they can be used on the PGA Tour, at LPGA events and by recreational golfers, too.

Cobra has not released details regarding the Aerojet drivers, but based on the photos below that were included on the Conforming Driver list and the company’s history, here are a few things we can infer:

  • There appears to be three types of Aerojet drivers. All of them clearly have an adjustable hosel and the word “PWRSHELL” on the sole, directly behind the leading edge.
  • All three Aerojet drive types appear to have a checkered or woven pattern in the back half of the sole. In the past this look was created by the use of carbon fiber on the crown and on the bottom of the club.
  • The standard Aerojet appears to have a singe 12-gram weight in the back.
  • The Aerojet LS has two weights positioned in the front of the sole. In the USGA photos there is a 12-gram and a 3-gram weight. In the past those swappable weights allowed players and fitters to create a draw or fade bias, and LS drivers have been low-spin versions of the standard driver.
  • The Aerojet Max also has two weight ports, but one is in the back and the other is in the heel. In the USGA photos, a 12-gram weight is in the back and a 3-gram weight is in the heel. With extra weight in the heel, this club could be a draw-bias or anti-slice driver.

Photos: Callaway’s new Paradym drivers added to USGA Conforming Driver list

Here’s what we spotted from photos of the new Callaway drivers.

With the new year officially started and the first PGA Tour event of 2023 ready to begin on Thursday in Hawaii, equipment makers are set to release new drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons and balls. But before new equipment can be used in official events, the game’s governing bodies, the USGA and the R&A, have to test it and confirm that it conforms to the Rules of Golf.

On Monday, the Paradym, Paradym X, Paradym Triple Diamond, Paradym Triple Diamond S and Paradym Max Fast were added to those lists.

At this point, the Carlsbad, California-based company has not released any official details about the new drivers, but in the photos below we can spot a few things.

  • All of the Paradym drivers have the words ‘Forged Carbon’ and ‘Jailbreak AI’ on the sole, along with adjustable hosel systems. According to the USGA’s description, all the drivers have ‘Forged TI’ on their face.
  • The Paradym appears to have a sliding weight system on the back, where the words Draw and Fade also appear.
  • The Paradym X appears to have a weight screw in the back.
  • The Triple Diamond and Triple Diamond S have a weight screw behind the leading edge, and there appears to be a second weight screw in the back of one version of the Triple Diamond. A second version of the Triple Diamond and the Triple Diamond S do not appear to have a back weight.
  • The Paradym Max Fast appears not to have a sliding weight or weight screws.

Photos: Ping’s yet-to-be-released G430 driver, woods and irons hit USGA Conforming Club lists

New Ping G430 clubs hit the USGA’s Conforming Club lists on Monday, including three new drivers.

Historically, Ping has released a new family of woods and irons every year, and while the Phoenix-based company has often debuted new better-player irons around U.S. Open time, the clubs most recreational golfers will use come out in January. However, nothing new was released before the start of the 2022 season and the G425 drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons stayed in the line-up.

Now, however, things appear to be set to change as several new Ping G430 clubs hit the USGA’s Conforming Club lists on Monday, including three new drivers, as well as new fairway woods, hybrids and irons.

While the company is mum on the details, the clubs have some familiar markings on them that may give away some details. For instance, the three drivers are the G430 Max, G430 LST and G430 SFT. Drivers with a Max designation have been stability-enhanced clubs that are made to be forgiving on mis-hits, while LST has stood for low-spin technology and SFT has stood for straight-flight technology. So, it is probably safe to assume that Ping is sticking with the formula offering a standard, a low-spin and a slice-fighting version of its new driver.

Wilson DYNAPWR and DYNAPWR Carbon drivers hit USGA Conforming Driver Head list

For golfers who are old enough, the name harkens back to the days when Arnold Palmer was swinging Wilson clubs.

Back in March, at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, Wilson staff player Brendan Steele was spotted hitting a prototype driver that appeared to have a carbon fiber crown and red trim. We can now see that club appears to have been a prototype of a club that just hit the USGA’s Conforming Driver Head list, the Wilson Staff DYNAPWR Carbon. Also hitting the list this week is the standard Wilson Staff DYNAPWR.

If you are relatively new to golf, the DYNAPWR name likely doesn’t mean anything to you, but for golfers who are old enough, it harkens back to the days when Arnold Palmer was swinging Wilson clubs, Cadillac’s had massive tail fins and the radio waves were filled with Elvis Presley. DYNAPWR irons were extremely popular in the 1950s and ’60s and the name adorned several generations of woods as well.

Having been added to the Conforming Driver Head list, the new DYNAPWR drivers are now legal for play, but they look nothing like their predecessors.

While Wilson has not released any details about the clubs, the standard DYNAPWR driver appears to have ad adjustable hosel and at least one large carbon fiber piece on the toe side of the sole. There also appears to be an L-shaped weight in the back of the head.

The DYNAPWR Carbon also appears to have a large carbon fiber piece in the toe second of the sole, an adjustable hosel and an L-shaped weight in the sole, but the sole shaping is different. It has a crease in the back section that the standard DYNAPWR lacks.

According to the USGA’s website, there is only one loft currently available, 9 degrees, but if these drivers make their way to retail in 2023, there will certainly be more loft offerings available.

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Tiger Woods to use new Bridgestone ball, may use new TaylorMade driver at PNC Championship

New equipment may be on display later this week in Florida.

As soon as Tiger Woods announced he and his son Charlie are going to compete this week at the PNC Championship, the event became appointment television for the golf world. Everyone wants to see the 15-time major winner play for the first time on TV since his car accident in February. We also want to see how Charlie, who is now 12, has improved since he stole the show last year at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando.

For equipment junkies, this year’s PNC Championship could be even more special because, according to Golfweek sources, there is a good chance that Tiger (and possibly Charlie) will be using some yet-to-be-released prototype equipment.

On Monday, TaylorMade’s Stealth and Stealth Plus+ drivers were added to the USGA and R&A’s Conforming Driver lists. That means the clubs have been tested and deemed legal for play by the game’s governing bodies, a process that has to take place before a driver can be used in an official competition.

Historically, TaylorMade and other manufacturers request that the USGA and R&A add new gear to the lists a few days before the first PGA Tour event of the new year. The idea is to keep the new gear under wraps as long as possible. The addition of the Stealth and Stealth Plus+ drivers was conspicuously early, but it would allow anyone who has a Stealth or Stealth Plus+ to use it at the PNC Championship.

While Woods was swinging the same TaylorMade SIM driver on the range at the Albany Golf Course two weeks ago that he used at the 2020 PNC Championship, it’s safe to assume that, as a TaylorMade staff player, the company has sent him a Stealth and Stealth Plus+ driver to try.

On Wednesday, Woods took to social media to announce that he is planning to use a prototype Bridgestone ball.

Woods has played Bridgestone’s Tour B XS ball ($45.99 at Carl’s Golfland) for the past several seasons, and in the image he posted, you can clearly see XS printed on the boxes.

Bridgestone has not released any details about the ball, but Woods said, “I’ve been working with Bridgestone’s R&D team on an updated version of my ball since the 2019 Zozo Championship. The process of perfecting this ball has been really fun.” he went on to say, “I have tested the new Tour B prototypes at home, and I’m looking forward to putting them into play at the PNC Championship. This event is the perfect spot for me to take the prototype testing to the next level.”

If history is a guide, both the TaylorMade Stealth drivers and the Bridgestone Tour B XS ball should be officially released sometime in January.

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Viktor Hovland playing Zurich Classic with prototype Ping irons and wedges

Viktor Hovland is contending at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans using yet-to-be-released Ping irons and wedges.

Viktor Hovland is teamed this week with fellow Norwegian Kris Ventura at the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic and having great success so far. Heading into the weekend’s play, they are tied for the lead after shooting a 62 Thursday in Fourball and a 69 in Friday’s alternate-shot Foursomes competition.

Hovland, who had primarily been using Ping’s i210 irons since signing an endorsement deal with the company in June 2019, has several new Ping i59 prototype irons in his bag this week in New Orleans.

While Ping has not released any official details about the clubs, we can see the word “Forged” written on the back near the heel area, and there appears to be a screw in the toe. In other Ping irons like Blueprint, i500, G410, G710 and G425, the screw is made from a more dense material that adds weight to the toe area to counteract the weight of the hosel. This pulls the ideal hitting area into the center of the hitting area.

Viktor Hovland's Ping golf equipment
The golf bag of Viktor Hovland at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Hovland appears to be carrying a few Ping iBlade irons this week as well. Like Hovland’s i210 irons, the iBlades have an elastomer piece in the back of the heads that softens the feel at impact. Ping calls it a Custom Tuning Port, but the i59 prototype mid- and short irons Hovland is using lack a visible elastomer piece.

Hovland also has a prototype wedge in his back that is marked Glide Forged Pro. Ping has released other Glide wedges over the past few years, including a Glide Forged, which has a series of milling marks on the back, but this club appears smooth on the back. The word “Pro” could be short for prototype or this might be a wedge from a new family of Ping wedges.

Golfweek will provide more information on the Ping i59 irons and Glide Forged Pro wedges as it becomes available.

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TaylorMade SIM2, SIM2 Max hit R&A Conforming Club list

The TaylorMade SIM2 and SIM2 Max drivers were spotted on the Conforming Club lists Monday. Here’s what we know about them.

Over the past few weeks, several manufacturers have started to release clubs that will go on sale in 2021. But before they can be used in an official event, each of those clubs has to be tested by the game’s governing bodies. The USGA and the R&A need to be sure they conform to the Rules of Golf. If they do, they get added to Conforming Club lists, which are updated every Monday.

Today, two new TaylorMade drivers were added to the lists, the SIM2 and SIM2 Max.

Officially, TaylorMade has not released any details about the new drivers. However, based on the photos on the R&A’s website, there are a few things that we can tell about them.

SIMilar shape

Last season, TaylorMade released three SIM drivers, and each of them had a uniquely-shaped, asymmetrical sole. The idea was to create a low-and-back center of gravity (CG) position but make the clubs as aerodynamic as possible (SIM stands for shape in motion). The SIM2 and SIM2 Max drivers have a sole design that appears almost identical to the 2020 SIM drivers.

Is that carbon fiber?

TaylorMade may have given the SIM2 and SIM2 Max drivers a woven pattern on the sole, but it appears that most of the sole is now carbon fiber. Removing titanium and opting for carbon fiber would save weight.

Dustin Johnson
Dustin Johnson using a TaylorMade SIM driver at the 2020 Tour Championship.(Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports)

No sliding weights

The standard SIM driver used by Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods has a sliding weight that creates a draw or fade bias. Neither the SIM2 nor the SIM2 Max driver appears to have a sliding weight, but they appear to have a small weight near the center of the sole. Written on the weight are the words, “High MOI, Low Spin.”

Speed Pocket slots

TaylorMade has been designing a slot in the sole of drivers for years to protect ball speed on low-struck shots. The company refers to it as a Speed Pocket, and we can not only see the slots running behind the leading edge in the photos, the words Speed Pocket are written on the sole.

Forged aluminum?

Carbon fiber and titanium are materials commonly used in making modern drivers. Still, according to the Conforming Club list, the words “Forged Aluminum” are printed on the back of the heads. While we can’t see those words in the photos, there appears to be a metallic material holding a back weight in the pictures.

Last season, the standard SIM driver was the preferred option for most of TaylorMade’s tour staff because it created a lower ball flight and offered more adjustability. The SIM Max driver was more forgiving and offered more stability on off-center hits. It is unclear if the SIM2 and SIM2 Max drivers will follow the same pattern, but Golfweek will report on it as more information becomes available.

Rory McIlroy using TaylorMade P-7MB prototype irons at Memorial

The world’s No. 1 player is making a significant change to his gear on the eve of Jack Nicklaus’ tournament.

It appears Rory Mcilroy has decided to make an iron change on the eve of the 2020 Memorial Tournament.

The world’s No. 1 player used TaylorMade’s P-730 irons since he signed an endorsement deal with the company in May 2017, often blending in a P-750 3-iron and 4-iron. However, images provided to Golfweek show McIlroy’s bag inside TaylorMade’s PGA Tour van with a set of the company’s prototype P-7MB irons. It appears McIlroy has a P-7MB 3-iron through pitching wedge in the bag.

TaylorMade P-7MB prototype irons
Rory McIlroy’s TaylorMade P-7MB prototype irons (TaylorMade)

The P-7MB irons first appeared in the bag of Charley Hull, who put them into play at the Clutch Pro Tour event two weeks ago in England.

While TaylorMade has not released any official word on the new irons or details about when they might be made available to the public, we can tell a few things about them from the photos.

1. They’re forged. This is a no-brainer. The word FORGED is clearly shown on the hosel and nearly all better-player muscleback blades are forged.

2. They have a different sole than Tiger Woods’ irons. It is also hard to tell from the photos whether the clubs are larger or have a longer blade length than McIlroy’s old P-730 irons. The P-730 is currently the most compact iron in the TaylorMade stable. Woods’ P-7TW iron has a longer blade length than the P-730, and the soles of Woods’ irons are milled. There are no milling marks on the bottom of McIlroy’s P-7MB.

3. They look different but probably feel and perform similarly to the P-730. The P-730 irons had a milled line that went across the back of the head, creating an upper and lower section on the back of the club. It was designed to remove weight and lower the center of gravity slightly.

The P-7MB does not have the milled section, but elite ballstrikers such as McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa, all of whom play the P-730 and are among the leaders in strokes gained approach the green on the PGA Tour, would not want to make radical changes to their irons. The fact McIlroy appears willing to make the change indicates that he found switching to be fairly easy.

PXG makes 0811 X Proto and 0811 X+ Proto drivers available

Loaded with technology and suited for different swing types, PXG’s hottest drivers had been for tour pros only, until now.

Each week there’s a PGA Tour event, there typically are a few players using some piece of prototype gear. Maybe it’s a new putter or a soon-to-be-released shaft, but manufacturers often give the green light to pros to use the club in competition before it reaches consumers but after it lands on the USGA and R&A conforming lists.

That’s the stuff regular consumers can’t get – at least, not yet – but PXG is making an exception.

Pat Perez's PXG driver
Pat Perez’s PXG 0811 X Proto driver at the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Ryan Moore, Wyndham Clark and Pat Perez had been using prototype PXG drivers – the PXG 0811 X and 0811 X+ Tour – throughout the fall and winter, and now the Scottsdale, Ariz., brand is making them available to the public.

“We’re excited to offer a limited number of our 0811 X and X+ Tour Prototype drivers,” said Bob Parsons, PXG’s founder in a release. “We believe we’ve created something special and are looking forward to getting feedback from average golfers, like myself, in the coming weeks.”

The 0811 X Proto will only be available in a right-hand version with 9 degrees of loft, but it has an adjustable hosel mechanism that allows golfers and club fitters to change the stated loft by as many as 1.5 degrees. The club’s standard length is 45 inches.

PXG 0811 X Proto driver
PXG 0811 X Proto driver (PXG)

PXG said the 0811 X Proto is designed to optimize a swing that approaches the ball on either level or slightly downward attack angle. It has a low center of gravity and is being touted as a low-spin club.

To help achieve that, the 0811 X Proto comes standard with four moveable weights, one heavier than the other three. Shifting the heavy weight’s location shifts the center of gravity and encourages different shot shapes. With the heavier weight in the heel, the club has a draw bias; moving the heavier weight to the toe encourages a fade.

PXG has given the 0811 X Proto a honeycomb-shaped thermoplastic elastomer insert that rests on the sole inside the club. It absorbs vibrations to soften the feel at impact and enhance the acoustics.

The 0811 X+ Proto also has four moveable weights, an adjustable hosel and an internal insert to improve sound and feel, but it was created for golfers who tend to have an upward, positive attack angle into the ball.

The 0811 X+ will be available in a right-handed, 10.5-degree version, and it should produce more spin than the 0811 X Proto.

Both drivers will cost $495 and are available on PXG’s website.

TaylorMade SIM drivers added to USGA and R&A conforming driver lists

While not currently available at retail, TaylorMade’s newest drivers can be played by Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm and Matthew Wolff at Kapalua.

Three yet-to-be-released TaylorMade drivers were added to the USGA and R&A’s conforming driver head lists on Sunday night, the SIM, SIM Max and SIM Max D.

While the drivers are not currently available at retail, being added to the conforming driver head lists is noteworthy because the first PGA Tour event of 2020 starts on Thursday, and only clubs that are on the list are permitted to be used in official competitions. TaylorMade staff pros like Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa can now use one of the three drivers in this week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions at the Kapalua Resort in Hawaii.

TaylorMade has not officially released any information about the new drivers, but based on previously released clubs and the photos taken by the USGA, here are some things we already know:

TaylorMade SIM driver
TaylorMade’s SIM driver. (USGA)

The moveable weight

The SIM driver has what appears to be a single weight in a track system, along with labeled positions marked Draw and Fade. TaylorMade has featured several drivers with moveable weights in the past to allow golfers and fitters to shift the center of gravity position and encourage specific shot shapes.

The SIM Max and SIM Max D do not have the weight track system.

TaylorMade SIM Max driver
TaylorMade’s SIM Max driver. (USGA)

Speed Injected

The words have been placed behind the leading edge of all three drivers, where the sole meets the hitting surface. They could mean several things, but last season’s M5 and M6 drivers could give us a hint. Those drivers were given faces that were made illegally fast, and then a computer-controlled system tested each club and injected tiny amounts of urethane into the heel and toe areas to slow the hitting surface down and make it conforming. TaylorMade called the process Speed Injection and the words Speed Injected were printed in the same spot on those clubs.

Twist Face

You won’t see those words in the photos, but Twist Face is listed as being on the face in the USGA’s identification marking notes. This is a technology that involves pulling the high-toe and low-heel portions of the hitting area back and TaylorMade recently added it to drivers to help golfers hit straighter shots.

TaylorMade SIM Max D driver
TaylorMade’s SIM Max D driver. (USGA)

Adjustable hosel

TaylorMade has been giving its drivers adjustable hosels for years. Typically, they allow players and fitters to increase or decrease the driver’s stated loft by up to 2 degrees.

Max and Max D

Aside from the moveable weight, it’s tough to tell what the differences might be between the SIM, the SIM Max and the SIM Max D, but for the past several seasons, TaylorMade has offered one highly-adjustable driver and one driver that is designed to maximize forgiveness and stability, like the M3 and M4, as well as the M5 and M6. The SIM appears to have more adjustability, so perhaps the SIM Max is designed to be more stable. The SIM Max D, which has a silver-toned piece in the back-heel section, could have a draw bias for golfers who struggle with a slice.

TaylorMade has released new drivers during the first week of January the last two years, so official word on these clubs may be coming soon. Golfweek will report all the details as they become available.