Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Our Picks For The Top Fairway Woods - 2013 - Great Golf Deals Blog




We are past the unofficial end of summer (Labor Day) and it's time to offer our humble opinion on the Top Fairway Woods For 2013. The selection team for this list consist of 8 full-time club sales people that have at least 3 years experience in the golf industry and our most experienced rep has over 20 years of club sales experience. We are not golf professionals and do not have any affiliation with any of the equipment manufacturers. We are just regular golfers with handicaps that range from scratch to 25 that because of where we work get a chance to play with and test all the latest golf equipment. We also get a chance to talk to a lot of customers to get their feedback on the equipment and that also factors into the selection.

The fairway woods often gets overlooked because golfers always focus their attention on new drivers with the latest technology or even the ever easier to hit hybrids clubs.  Next time you look at a golfer's golf bag more than likely what you will see is probably a fairly recent driver (1-3 years old) and some new hybrid clubs replacing the long irons.  

But what you will probably also notice is that the fairway wood is probably older than any other piece of equipment in the bag.  The perception has been the fairway woods have not changed much in terms of improvements and advanced technology.  If you believe this then you are missing out on some of the most important equipment advances that may have more of an affect on improving your game.

Despite its name, today's fairway woods are designed for use not just on the fairway.  New fairway woods are designed to be used off the tee when accuracy is more important than distance.  They are designed to hit out of all lies whether you're on a tight fairway or in deep rough.  It is a multi-purpose piece of equipment that can replace your driver on tight driving holes and because of the enhanced technology the new fairway woods still provide a ton of distance that can help you go after those long par 5 in two.

As a trickle-down effect from drivers, adjustabilty  has made its way now into fairway woods.  What used to be limited to just drivers is now available on a lot of the new fairways. Golfers can now make major adjustments to loft, face angle and lie angle to help them dial in the ball flight they are looking for.   But it is not just adjustability that is new in the fairway category.  New fairways are hot and produce a ton of ball speed and distance.  They are also easier to hit and get up in the air because of the design and location of center of gravity.

Bottom-line is if you haven't replaced your fairway woods in the past 3-4 years then you are missing out on some of the most significant changes in golf equipment technology.  Do yourself a favor and give some of these new fairways a try and you will see how these will help improve your game.

Our Picks for the Top 3 Fairway Woods For 2013 Season:


 Ping G25 Fairway Woods



Just hands-down a top performer. This is not one of the adjustable fairways but based on our experience with it it does not need any adjustment. The G25 was just long and straight out of any lie we could hit it out of. Off the tee this thing was 5-10 yards longer than any other fairway we tried and will keep your driver in the bag on tight driving holes. Off the fairway and in the rough this fairway performed flawlessly. Among the better-looking sticks in this category; long, shallow face and low profile lets you know that when you sit the club down, you're going to hit it well; handsome black matte finish.

TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Tour Fairway Woods



This fairway wood is better served in the hands of a mid-to-low handicap player because it is not the most forgiving one available.  What you lose in forgiveness you gain in adjustability, workability and distance.  TaylorMade's second generation of the speed pocket along with a center of gravity that is low and forward produces a low-penetrating ball flight that cuts through the wind.

The shallower low-profile head is easy to hit off the tee but more importantly is easier to hit out of challenging lies and still manages to get the ball up with no noticeable loss of distance or control.   


Callaway X Hot Fairway Woods



Probably the most balanced fairway wood of the group we tested.  The Callaway x Hot Fairway Wood was the hottest and most complete total performance fairway wood we tested, combining a modern Warbird sole with a Forged Speed Frame Face Cup to produce significantly hotter responses all over the face. The low CG in the head also promotes a lower spinning trajectory for ridiculously long distance from the tee, fairway or rough.

Regardless of whether you are a low handicap golfer looking for more playability or a high handicap player looking for forgiveness and distance this fairway will meet your needs.  We had no trouble hitting this out of any lie we could throw at it.  The lower-profile head instilled confidence when hitting out of the rough or on tight fairways.  Hitting off the tee was a breeze and this club was Long! 


Best Of The Rest


Cobra AMP Cell Fairway Woods - One of the few fairways with adjustable loft where the 3/4 wood can be adjusted from 13-16 degrees allowing maximum customization.  This was one of the longest fairways we tested and distance was consistent.  

Titleist 913Fd Fairway Wood - This deep-face fairway wood produced a more boring trajectory with less spin. It was one of the most workable drivers we tested.  It felt like you could hit a draw or fade on command with no loss of distance.

Nike VR_S Covert Fairway Woods - The cavity-back design on this fairway wood makes this a solid choice for golfers seeking more accuracy, forgiveness and help with getting shots in the air.  If you can get over the cavity look, this fairway will perform for you.


Thursday, September 5, 2013

Our Picks For The Top 3 Drivers 2013 - Great Golf Deals.com Blog


We are past the unofficial end of summer (Labor Day) and it's time to offer our humble opinion on the top drivers for 2013. The selection team for this list consist of 8 full-time club sales people that have at least 3 years experience in the golf industry and our most experienced rep has over 20 years of club sales experience. We are not golf professionals and do not have any affiliation with any of the equipment manufacturers. We are just regular golfers with handicaps that range from scratch to 25 that because of where we work get a chance to play with and test all the latest golf equipment. We also get a chance to talk to a lot of customers to get their feedback on the equipment and that also factors into the selection.

The driver stands tall and proud over any golfer’s bag. It is often the most expensive stick in the bunch and everyone loves to hit it. There has also been more innovation in driver design, materials, and manufacturing than among all other clubs. Some of those innovations later find themselves in other clubs. Multi-material construction used to be confined to drivers with stainless steel faces and composite crowns, but now you see multiple materials being used in irons with a stainless body, a polymer insert, and tungsten toe and heel weights in some models.
The biggest trend in driver innovation continues to be with adjustability. It used to be limited to minor adjustments in loft, lie, and/or face angle, but now we increasingly see wider adjustments. It is getting more common now to buy a driver that is fully adjustable. Golfers don’t buy a 10-degree driver, for example, that has adjustability allowing a few degrees of tweaking in one direction or the other. Rather, manufacturers are putting out one driver model that doesn’t come in different lofts but is fully adjustable to any loft needed – from around 8.5 all the way up to 12.5 degrees for some. That certainly makes it easier on golfers and easier on retailers, shippers, and manufacturers too. Imagine how much easier it is to manage inventory. As these and other innovations continue to come out on the market, you owe it to yourself to visit a retailer, talk to your pro, or visit a demo day and see what the new drivers can do for you.

Our Picks for the Top 3 Drivers For 2013 Season:


Cobra AMP CELL Pro Driver

The Cobra AMP Cell Pro Driver is probably not the first driver that comes to mind when discussing driver adjustability. There have been other equipment manufacturers that have done a fantastic job at touting their driver as the most adjustable driver on the market. But Cobra has quietly come out with an excellent driver that not only allows complete adjustability but also looks good and performs. 

The Pro model offers MyFly technology which allows you to adjust the loft on the driver from 7.5 degrees up to 10.5 degrees with a simple twist of a wrench. So now you can adjust your driver loft based on playing conditions, weather and how you're currently hitting the ball.

The Pro model head size is 440 cc which sets up well behind the ball and give you the confidence that you can work the ball left or right. It's available in two colors Silver, Orange, but what really sets this apart from the other available drivers is the premium Mitsubishi KuroKage shaft. This is not a shaft made for just this driver. It is the actual OEM shaft made by Mitsubishi that normally sells for $200.

The shaft, the head size, the adjustability and the cool looks all add up to a winner this year for the Cobra AMP CELL Pro Driver.


TaylorMade SLDR Driver

With the new TaylorMade SLDR driver, less equals more. If you've been following the latest releases in the TaylorMade driver lineup you've probably noticed that they have continued to add more features to their drivers. Features such as adjustable lofts, adjustable face angles, adjustable weights, different color selections, etc. With the new SLDR, TaylorMade has kept it simple and the results have paid off.

The new SLDR streamlines many of the driver features in an easy-to-use but powerful sliding technology that gives it a ultra-low and forward center of gravity which equates to higher launch angles and less spin - hence more yardage.

The SLDR driver comes in lofts of 8, 9.5, 10.5 and 12 with those being adjustable +- 1.5 degrees. So unlike the R1 driver where lofts were adjustable from 8 to 12 degrees, with the new SLDR you select the loft driver you prefer with still the ability to change the loft +or - 1.5 degrees.

The real "secret sauce" on this driver is the 21 SLDR weight position on the bottom of the club that allows for up to 30 yards of shot shaping adjustment. Our testing also found that the sliding weight track was surprisingly easy to use, and that it didn’t take long to find the favorite of the club’s 21 settings. Most golfers will “set it and forget it” after their initial fitting, but gear heads will enjoy the ability to add left or right bias to their drives when they’re struggling with their games or making changes to their swing.

Though it may seem like yet another TaylorMade gimmick to sell more drivers, we found the SLDR driver to deliver significant results. We like the more traditional look of the club and the ease of use in making adjustments. But most of all, we liked the results we saw when taking it out on the course and putting it through the real tests. TaylorMade has a real winner with the new SLDR driver.

Callaway X Hot Driver

Callaway actually came out with 3 new driver lines in 2013 which is more than what they normally come out with in a normal year. The three lines included the Callaway RAZR Fit Xtreme driver, the recently released FT Optiforce drivers and the Callaway X Hot driver. All three are very solid drivers but to us one stood out over the rest. 

The new Callaway X Hot Driver is the product that will appeal to most of the market as it is targeted at golfers at all levels ( form mid-handicappers to single-digit players). But by no means is this a one driver fits all product. Callaway has also come out with a X Hot Pro model targeted at golfers with more advanced skills and faster swing speeds.

The Callaway X Hot Driver is a speed demon with many of the technical features designed to increase club head speed while at the same time provide forgiveness on off-center miss-hits. Maybe it's because we are more traditional golfers we like the classic looks on this driver with the matte-grey- gunmetal finish. The driver checks in at 46 inches which is a half an inch to an inch longer than standard. It has a 460cc head and speed-frame face is made of titanium that is thinner around the perimeter and thicker in the center which optimizes the sweet spot and decrease the amount of distance loss on off-center hits. It also has the Opt-fit adjustable hosel which one of the easiest to use and most intuitive compared to others that you need a PhD to understand.

If you are looking for a driver that can bomb it out there with the best of them but also still provide the technology and adjustability to make it forgiving on miss-hits then this is driver you're looking for. Callaway's X Hot Driver is a product that will move Callaway back into the forefront of innovative, high-performance metal woods. It's a position that they once had and are now on there way back to obtaining.

Best Of The Rest


Titleist 913 D2 Driver:  With Titleist you don't get all the flash like you get with the other drivers but what you get is flat out performance.  No surprises here this driver just performs - you can't go wrong with this driver but make sure you have the game to handle it.

 Nike VR_S Covert Drivers: Winner of the most radical design for 2013.  The first cavity back driver looks normal on top but when you turn it over you'll notice the large cavity in the sole.  This driver performed really well and if Tiger and Rory are using it then it should work for you.