January 21st was Golfmas for golf fans, aficionados, and gear junkies alike. The reason? That’s because it marked the opening of the PGA Show for 2020. Demo Day took place at a cold, wind-swept Orange County National Golf Resort and Lodge and even though the conditions were very attendee-friendly the weather didn’t dampen the spirits of those in attendance.
I would be remiss if I failed to mention that I felt really bad for the manufacturers and in particular their reps. Seeing equipment company representatives bundled up in long coats, gloves, scarves, and beanies (or as we call them in Canada… toques) was hard to witness but not one of the representatives that I talked to let it hamper their excitement. After all, Demo Day at the PGA Show is the perfect time to showcase your wares.
It didn’t take me long to find the first terrific product of the day. The new CBX Full Face wedge from Cleveland Golf was very fun to swing. Using a 64* wedge I was able to hit accurate bunker shots and pitches and the best part. The CBX Full Face is a forgiving wedge. If you need help with your short-game… This might be the wedge for you. Staying with the Srixon/Cleveland Golf/XXIO family the new range of XXIO products was exactly as advertised. The more forgiving Eleven range (geared towards the moderate swing-speed golfer) was among the easiest to swing golf clubs that I have made wings this. That said, Eleven’s brethren the XXIO X (geared towards faster swingers) performed as advertised. If you’ve never made swings with XXIO… Do so. I really liked the “Weight Plus” technology in the grips. More on that at a later time.
There were certain brands with products that were on my immediate radar. COBRA Golf and their SPEEDZONE range of products coupled with the Forged Tec irons were everything that I thought that they would be. I had a terrific interview with Tom Olsavsky. Mr. Olsavky is the VP of Research and Development. The interview will be posted here at a later time.
Just to finish off the writing of this article (it is #TeeBoxChatter) I just wanted to touch on a couple of surprises. Pictures didn’t wow me in the leading up to the PGA Show of the LaunchPad metalwoods from Wilson Golf. They impressed! High Heat 257+ metalwoods with TGS (Turf Glide Sole) were a pleasant surprise. Hitting the hybrid out of a literal hole (massive divot) was easy. It might be the most forgiving golf club in the industry. Drivers from Yonex and ONOFF late in the day could factor in on Teezy Awards nominations. Speaking of which, the Prowler VT driver from Lynx Golf featuring “SwitchFace Technology” was a Demo Day “sleeper”. And then there was Honma Golf. I have no words other than to say “look out”!. That is one seriously impressive range of products. I didn’t even know that they were attending. Tour Edge Golf released a new putter (The Wingman) and the Exotics EXS 220 product range was improved “big time” over 2019’s uber-impressive Exotics EXS range. Mizuno Golf added a whole bunch of new technology with their new ST200 metalwoods. The range has three different heads (ST200, ST200G, and ST200X).
There were a couple of golf clubs that I was lukewarm towards and among them was the MAVRIK from Callaway Golf. I really was perplexed with it until I mistakenly put a 70-gram X-flex shaft into my hands. Overall, it didn’t give me “awe factor” like the Epic Flash did in 2019.
Well, I think that’s enough reading. So how about some “chatter”?
Until The Next Tee!
The Next Tee (TNT) 