EQUIPMENT | NEW GEAR
Autumn
Taking a Load Off Pushing a trolley on Hong Kong’s mountainous golf courses can be a bit challenging especially when it’s parked on the side of a hill. Sun Mountain, who have been making collapsible push carts since 1999, have addressed that issue with their latest offering, the Micro Cart Sport (price available on request). This lightweight, four-wheeled caddie has a low centre of gravity so it stays upright even when parked precariously on side slopes. Another advantage to using it here is its diminutive size and weight. Its frame is built from a lightweight anodized aluminum so it weighs a scant 13 pounds and, when collapsed, measures just 52 cubic inches, making it fold 25 per cent smaller and weigh 20 per cent less than its competitors. Comes with a padded valuables tray, magnetic scorecard holder, ball and tee holders and drink holder. Visit Sun Mountain’s authorized Hong Kong distributor, Golf Corner in Causeway Bay, to place orders. golfcornerhk.com
Offerings
Charlie Schroeder takes a look at the latest new gear to have hit the shelves.
Get Into the Grove Two new mallet-style flatsticks claim to help golfers control their putts’ distance. PING’s Nome TR (from HK$2,800) boasts something last year’s iteration didn’t have: grooves of variable depth that have been milled onto the face. PING says by having deeper grooves in the middle of the face and thinner ones on the perimeter, golfers can better control their ball speed on off-center strikes, thus making miss-hits travel farther. Another new offering comes from Scotty Cameron and Titleist. Called the FuturaX (HK$3,900) and used by Adam Scott to win this year’s Masters, this space-age putter features two large weight ports on the end of a large reverse “C” bar. This weighting scheme moves the centre of gravity farther from the face and produces a higher sweet spot and a larger MOI for more consistent ball speeds across the face – just the thing that will help golfers control their putts’ speed. Cameron calls it a “lethargic putter, for those golfers that need a slow, steady stroke”. The Nome has a bold alignment bar and can be adjusted from 32 to 38 inches, while the FuturaX features a Frozen Titanium finish that helps reduce glare, two black sightlines and red cherry-dot weights in the sole and balance bar. For more information visit ping.com and titleist.com. 70
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Designed for Speed Lighter and more adjustable than any of the company’s previous titanium drivers, Callaway’s two new FT Optiforce drivers (HK$3,800) were built with one thing in mind: distance. These light and long clubs (measuring a stout 46 inches) produce fast clubhead speeds and, Callaway claims, longer drives. Another way Callaway generates speed is with an aerodynamic clubhead that generates 23 per cent less drag and a light shaft. The primary stock shaft is a 43-gram Project X Velocity, the lightest shaft Callaway has ever included in a standard driver offering. The secondary stock shaft is a 62-gram Mitsubishi Diamana S+. Both drivers weigh less than 300 grams. What’s more golfers can adjust both drivers’ lofts by four degrees. The 440cc, which was designed for better players is set at 9.5°, but can range from 8.5°-11.5° and the 10.5° 460cc game improvement version has lofts as low as 9.5° and as high as 12.5°. Slice the ball? No worries. Players can also adjust the clubs so they have draw bias. Look for a dual cog that can change the club’s lie angle. Fairway woods available too. callawaygolf.com
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MWT Made Easy
Lift Your Sole
Let’s face it, movable weight technology – MWT in golf geek speak – hasn’t always been the easiest concept to grasp. The very thought of putting more weight in the heel to draw the ball (and vice-versa) contradicts all logic (at least to people who weren’t physics majors). Fortunately golf’s movable weight pioneers, TaylorMade, have introduced a new club that simplifies the process. (Okay, so Mizuno unveiled a similar technology six years ago in their MP-600, but never mind). Their new SLDR driver (HK$3,095) features a track on the sole that extends from the toe to the heel with the words “FADE” on the toe and “DRAW” on the heel, so you know exactly what you’re doing. Within that track is a 20-gram weight that you can position in 21 different notches. TaylorMade engineers say adjusting it allows you to shift the centre of gravity further and influence shot shape by more than 50 per cent. Comes in TP and ladies’ versions as well. taylormadegolf.com
Over the past few years golf shoes have gotten lighter, more comfortable and sportier looking. So sporty in fact that it’s getting harder to tell the difference between a pair of golf shoes and street shoes. FootJoy’s new M:PROJECT (from HK$1,400) is the latest such offering in this hybrid footwear category. These shoes, made with a thin, yet durable leather from Pittards of England, are so low to the ground it often feels like you’re not wearing shoes at all. The objective, as Titleist Performance Institute’s Dr. Greg Rose says, is to increase movement, which can benefit some golfers. While some golf shoes may be too rigid, the M:PROJECT allows golfers to “actually sense things that they couldn’t sense before.” Rose goes on to say that creating more mobility “actually teaches you how to create more power.” Available in multiple colour combinations and in softspike and spikeless versions. footjoy.com 
Black is Back
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Small but Shapely
Japanese manufacturer Miura has released a very limited set of Black Boron irons (HK$28,000 per set, 4-PW). How limited? Only 10 sets are made every other month. To date, the company has released versions of their CB-501 and Passing Point 9003 irons in the new finish and both sold out quickly. These beauties are perfect for golfers who like a really black clubhead, as the boron penetrates deeply into the finish. For those who like a more silvery-grey patina, try the company’s Limited Forged Black Blades and Black Wedges. For more information on availability visit miuragolf.com or call the brand’s official Hong Kong distributors, Golf Partners, in Central, on 3110-3328.
Adams Golf’s Idea SUPER 9031 hybrid (approximately HK$1,550) features a tiny 80cc clubhead with Velocity Slot Technology in the crown and another slot on the sole. Both features help enhance ball speed. Conceived for low-to-mid handicappers, this utility club also has a thin maraging-steel clubface that produces a spring-like effect. That, combined with the smaller head shape, means better players can not only expect to hit longer shots, but shape them with ease. Comes in four different lofts (16°, 18°, 20°, 23°) and three different (Mitsubishi Diamana D+) shaft flexes. adamsgolf.com
Something for Christmas
Grip and Spin
Increasing numbers of Hongkongers gain entry to public transport with the aid of a nifty Octopus watch and with the recent introduction of Samsung’s new Galaxy Gear watch, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that engineers can cram a lot of data into a tiny space. Consider then the sporty new offering from SkyCaddie, the rangefinder experts, who have released their SkyCaddie Watch (HK$2,288) in Hong Kong. Preloaded with up to 30,000 course maps, this is considered the most accurate GPS unit on the market, and gives you easy-to-read distances to the front, centre and back of each and every green. What’s more, the manly, waterproof watch even boasts and odometer so you can tally the number of steps you take on or off the course. To order online visit hkgolfer.com or write to skycaddie@ hkgolfer.com.
What do Rickie Fowler, Ian Poulter and Lexi Thompson have in common? They’re all on Cobra’s Tour staff, which means they wear bright, colourful outfits of dubious style and offer advice on new club design. Their latest release? The company’s new Tour Trusty Wedge (around HK$920). Constructed with a straighter leading edge and non-offset hosel, the Tour Trusty has, not surprisingly, been built with a shape better players prefer. What makes it really perform well around the greens, however, are larger and wider milled grooves (for more spin) and a Variable Feed Rate milling that roughens the rest of the face rough for better grip. Made from 8620 carbon steel and available in two finishes, Tour Matte Satin and Tour Matte Black PVD. Comes in 11 different loft/bounce combinations. cobragolf.com
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