June 2008

Now Playing: HiBORE Hybrid With input from Tour professionals, Cleveland Golf's new HiBORE XLS features a blunt-shaped toe for a more compact look at address. It also has some added offset that counteracts slices and enables the club to set up more like an iron. Other cool features include an updated crown section and two shaft options, both designed by Fujikura. Comes in five lofts: 16_â__, 19_â__, 22_â__, 25_â__, 28_â__. $149. golftipsmag.com/ezlinks

To A Tee Since driver clubheads swelled to 460cc a few years ago, there's been a greater need for longer tees. Now it's not uncommon to see ones that are nearly twice the length they used to be (so you can take advantage of a driver's spring-like effect and hit the ball high on the clubface). Longer tees aren't the only advancement the industry has witnessed in the past few years. Durable, polycarbonate tees with bristles claim to reduce friction and sidespin, and produce longer, straighter drives. Another advancement making waves in the tee world is the introduction of "green" tees. These biodegradable offerings are environmentally friendly and a greenskeeper's best friend. (No more damaged mower blades from running over wooden tees!) Like other areas of the game, there's something for everyone, so don't be afraid to try them out.

 

4 Yards More Company research claims that balls hit off the 4 Yards More tee go 3.9 yards farther than shots hit from wooden tees. Made from a durable construction, it can survive up to 100 drives. Plus the 4 Yards More comes with a height gauge, so you know just how far to stick it in the ground. www.4yardsmore.com

Certain Tee Designed with three "stops," the Certain Tee ensures that golfers tee their ball up the same height every time. It's made from an impact-resistant polymer that's "friendly to your clubs and the groundskeeper's equipment." Available in four colors—blue, red, white and yellow. www.certaintee.net _Ê

Zero Friction Zero Friction tees were built to reduce "the contact area between the golf ball and the tee, providing maximum distance and accuracy." (Note the three-pronged top.) They're also biodegradable and come in six colors and three different sizes (from 1_â__ to 3_â__ inches). www.zerofrictiontees.com _Ê

Pride Sports Pride's Professional Tee System (PTS) features a color-coded system of four tee heights, from irons to 460cc clubheads. Also available (not shown) is Pride's new environmentally friendly two-piece tee, the Insignia. www.pridegolftee.com

Brush-T Claiming that wooden tees increase resistance and create sidespin, the Brush-T is designed with bristles that allow the clubhead to easily make contact with the ball and gain distance and accuracy in the process. Comes in four different sizes. www.brushtees.com

Good Reads British golf pro Lee Pearce's Golfer's Logbook not only helps golfers record their in-round progress, but offers tips as well; former Tour player and CBS commentator Bobby Clampett devotes an entire book to The Impact Zone; past USGA Technical Director Frank Thomas weighs in on equipment, marketing and the state of the game in Just Hit It; long-drive champ Sean "The Beast" Fister delivers his "Ten Commandments of Distance" in The Long Drive Bible; Athletes' Performance founder Mark Verstegen gets your golf body in shape in Core Performance Golf. All books are available on amazon.com and at major booksellers. www.golftipsmag.com/ezlinks

Mix And Match Adjustability continues to revolutionize the golf industry; this year it's interchangeable shafts that are all the rage. Callaway's three-step I-MIX allows golfers to mix and match shafts on FT-i and FT-5 clubheads (a total of 22 head options and 70 shafts are available). Callaway's adjustable FT-i head costs $399, and shaft prices range from $149 to $349. The assembled FT-i club is $499. www.golftipsmag.com/ezlinks

Pimp My Putter We've heard of getting hot with the putter, but this takes the cake. The new Hot Rod_â_ã_www.golftipsmag.com/ezlinks putter has many characteristics found on today's putters: high MOI, a stainless-steel clubhead and lengths that range from 32 to 36 inches. But look closer and you'll notice that this high-octane mallet is missing the traditional alignment aid, an omission the Hot Rod people claim "unclutters the mind and [enables] you to make the putt." Sounds like just the kind of club we want to take for a test drive. Comes in four models, all with the signature "flame" design. $199 to $249.

Red Hot Golf fans who watched Lorena Ochoa make 23 birdies en route to an 11-shot victory at the HSBC Women's Champions event in early March may have noticed she was using a new putter. It was the PING Redwood ZB_â_ã_, one of two models introduced by the Phoenix-based company this March. Along with the new D66_â_ã_, the ZB is made of 100% precision-milled 303 stainless steel. $280. www.golftipsmag.com/ezlinks

Under Wear Adidas' TechFit PowerWeb Shirt features "sport specific ventilation" and strips of TPU power bands that help isolate golf-specific muscles. Available in short and long sleeve, the PowerWeb is worn under your shirt. Lamkin's Ultra-Lite Insoles keep your feet cool and dry. Plus, their padded arch support adds comfort. The X-Bio sport sock has a slip-resistant design and a remarkably strong antibacterial deodorization. golftipsmag.com/ezlinks

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Rethink Your Grip Does your palm make contact with your grip? According to the people who make the the Oval Hybrid Grip, it should, and finally can, with their oval-shaped grip. When this happens, they claim you can feel the actual weight of the clubhead and "maintain [a] consistent swing track_â"distance and desired direction." They also claim it prevents hooks and slices because the club (and hence clubhead) doesn't easily twist in your hands. www.golftipsmag.com/ezlinks