The key to this golf ball is the new material used in the CORE. This ball uses a resin material in the core and is the first ball in 10 years to be made of something other than solid rubber. This will change the way golf balls are made in the future and is a huge jump in technology. With a lighter core, more weight can be moved to the perimeter which actually produces a more forgiving golf ball. The lightweight new material also produces much faster ball speeds.  My spin on the ball is this...

This is the first ball I feel has ever changed the way a shot felt when coming off the face.  It wasn't the club. It was the ball. I noticed a hotter feel off the driver and an incredible soft feel around green. The light core really gives this ball a new and interesting feel. Nothing on the market even compares. Even when the golf ball is in your hand, you can feel that the cover is much softer and the ball feels overall lighter.

The three key points of this new ball are:

Faster ball speeds - Average of 3 mph

Highest MOI ever for a golf Ball - More Forgiving and tighter shot dispersion

Steeper Spin Slope (relationship of Driver spin to wedge spin) - 150 rpm less driver spin and 300 rpm more wedge spin than the Nike One Tour (an already high spinnig ball).

This Balls REAL name will be revealed in November and the Ball will hit the streets in February!

Change is here, are you ready for it?

On www.vokey.com under the 'WedgeWorks' tab, players can build their own custom wedge from scratch.  The first choice is the desired loft of the wedge - available in lofts of 52, 54, 56, 58, and 60 degrees.  After you choose the loft, the real fun begins.  You can then choose to have your wedge stamped with the letters of your choice - maybe your name or nickname (The best I've seen was "Shanks") or maybe just your initials.  You can then choose to have the stamps filled with whatever colors your heart desires.  You also have the option to have the letters stamped in a straight line, "Freestyle" stamping (Like a dancing letter pattern) or my personal favorite - the blizzard!  You can also choose to have a toe stamp like the Spin Milled saw blade in any color.

Then you will choose what shaft to play in the wedge (5 options available - TG Dynamic Gold, TG Dynamic Gold Tour Issue, Project X, KBS, or KBS Black Nickel).  Your choice of grips and finally the standard customization of lie anlgle and length.

Overall, the design page is very user friendly and gives each player a great variety of customization options.  Be warned however, if you walk up to the tee box and have a set of wedges customized for you with stamping like "Baller" or "Money", your playing partners are going to expect you have some game, so work on that short game!

Here are some pictures of the custom wedges already in play by some of our golf staff.

This week, we bring you a sneek peek at the Dynamic Gold Spinner shaft.  The DG Spinner has been specifically designed with a revolutionary section just underneath the grip that creates the optimal bending profile to offset the impact of the groove change by decreasing launch angles by as much as 2-3 degrees while increasing spin rates by as much as 500+ rpm. The result is a more penetrating trajectory that descends sharply for greater stopping power.  The DG Spinner will be available in two weight classes.  The Spinner at 124 grams and the Spinner Plus at 131 grams.  On Tour the guys are using the Spinner Plus in their Pitch and Gap Wedges, and the Spinner Plus in their Sand and Lob Wedges. 

According to True Temper Sports, the designer of the DG Spinner, " The Dynamic Gold Spinner generates a lower launch and higher spin rate than the standard Dynamic Gold wedge shaft.  This is due to an increased attack angle which is a result of the butt to tip stiffnes ratio and localized reduction in bending stiffness under the grip.  The results are player dependent due to load profiles, for example Justin Rose spun the shaft consistently 1000rpm higher and launched it 1.5 degrees lower than is S400's."

A few members of our golf staff here at TopGolf had a chance to play around with the DG Spinner shafts.  The the general consensus was that these shafts cleary generate more spin with a lower ball flight without sacrificing the feel.  Our players noticed no difference in feel from these shafts to other Dynmaic Gold wedge shafts - a positive, since most players agree that Dynamic Gold wedge shafts are hands-down the best in terms of feel.

Due out in September, these Spinner shafts will retail at roughly $25.00

Check out this beauty due out in October, this putter sets itself apart from the rest.  The Classic Del Mar design, Button Back Insert, and the new Black Finish makes this putter a true Show Stopper!

This past week, Camilo Villegas won the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida in convincing fashion.  Firing a final round 68, Villegas won the event by 5 shots (-13 for the event).  This was big win for Villegas as although he's been scratching on victory's door this season, he has yet to earn a victory since his win at the Tour Championship in 2008.  This win could open up the floodgates for a big 2010 season. 

So what did Camilo put into play?  Here's a full breakdown -

Driver - Cobra S9-1 Pro S, 10.5 Degree, Matrix Ozik TP7 XX Stiff

Fairway - Cobra Speed LD FST, 3 & 5 Metal, True Temper Grafalloy ProLite X Stiff

Hybrid - Titleist  909H, 24 Degree, True Temper XHC1 Graphite Hybrid Shaft

Irons - Cobra Pro CB 5-PW, Project X Tour Flighted 7.0

Wedges - Titleist Vokey Design 54,58,60 Degree, Project X Wedge

Putter - Scotty Cameron Circa 62, No. 6

Ball - Titleist Pro V1

Poulter defeated Paul Casey in the final match of the Championship.  Here's what he used to do it.

Driver - Cobra ZL Driver 9.5 Degree, Neutral Postion, Fujikura Motore Speeder X Flex

3 Wood - Titleist 909 F2 13.5 Degree, Fujikura Rombax 7X07 Shaft

5 Wood - Titleist 906 F2 18 Degree, Grafalloy Prolite 35 X

Hybrid - Titleist 909 H 21 Degree, Aldila NV Hybrid 85 X

Irons - Cobra Pro CB (4-7), Dynamic Gold X100

Irons - Cobra Pro MB (8-PW), Dynamic Gold X100

Wedges - Titleist Vokey 54 & 60 Degree

Putter - Rife Antigua

Ball - Titleist Pro V1x

This week was the At&t Pebble Beach National Pro Am.  Dustin Johnson defended his 2009 title and recored his first win of the young 2010 season.  Despite firing a second round 74 ( two over par), Johnson held on to win the event at -16.  So what sticks did Johnson take to battle?  Here is a breakdown of the whole bag.

Driver - Taylor Made R9 TP 10.5 Degree

3-Wood - Taylor Made R9 15 Degree

Hybrid - Taylor Made Rescue TP FCT 22.0 Degree

Irons (3-9) - Taylor Made R9 TP

Wedge - Taylor Made RAC Prototype 48 Degree

Wedge - Taylor Made RAC 54 Degree

Wedge - Cleveland 588

Putter - Scotty Cameron Newport 2

Ball - Taylor Made Penta TP

So there you have it.  Dustin Johnson - winner of the 2010 At&t Pebble Beach Pro Am. 

It should also be noted since I didn't start this post untill 6 weeks into the 2010 PGA Tour season, that the first 5 winners on tour this season all depeneded on Titleist Irons.  A pretty impressive start to the year for the Titleist brand and all of it's players world-wide!

SBS Championship - Winner Geoff Ogilvy - Titleist MB Irons

Sony Open - Winner Ryan Palmer - Titleist AP2 Irons

Bob Hope Classic - Winner Bill Haas - Titleist CB Irons

Farmers Insurance Open - Winner Ben Crane - Titleist AP2 Irons

Northern Trust Open - Winner Steve Stricker - Titleist 755 Irons

First off, Scotty Cameron will be introducing two new Studio Select models.  A Laguna model as well as an improved Kombi model.  These are both exciting introductions to the line for a few reasons.  Personally, the Laguna head has always been one of my favorite looks of any Scotty Cameron putter and this one does not disappoint.  Scotty is taking all of the classic lines that have made the Laguna so successful and combining them with the already tried and true technology of the Studio Select models.  With heel and toe weights ranging from 10g to 20g, each putter is custom built to suit the player's needs.  The putter sets up with a very familiar look and feels really solid at impact.  This one will for sure end up in my bag this season.

The new Kombi model is a big improvement over last season.  A more compact head size gives the putter a much better look at address.  The biggest change however, is that the head is now made of the same stainless steel found in the other Studio Select putters.  This gives the putter a much more solid and recognizable feel.  As the Kombi has evolved since its introduction in 2009, both the look and feel have gotten better and better.  This one is the best.

Nike Golf is also introducing a new line of putters called Method.  This is big news and is raising a lot of attention around the golf world.  Nike's past several offerings in the putter line have left a lot to be desired but the Method line aims to change that. 

The Method putter will be available in 5 different head models ranging from a classic Answer style blade to mallet style.  Already a Golf Digest Gold Medal Winner, the Method Putters show a lot of promise.  The technology in the putter includes precision milled stainless steel combined with Nike's innovative polymer groove technology.  This groove technology is designed to optimize the forward roll of the golf ball without sacrificing the feel of a stainless steel face that so many players prefer.

After having a chance to roll all of the new putters in the Method line, I can say that these are hands down the best putters that Nike has ever made.  Each model has a very solid feel and the ball seems to roll off the face immediately without any kind of skid or hop.  You can expect to see a bunch of these in play on tour this season.

 Overall, both Titleist and Nike seem to have some winners on their hands for 2010.  To see more pictures of these new putters, click here.

It's an easy to use search engine.  Check here to see if your clubs conform?