Puetz Golf - In The Bag

PRODUCT REVIEWS AND EQUIPMENT NEWS YOU CAN USE

‘Mini’ golf high-tech style and hot gear for summer play and travel

BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

There really aren’t many better places in the world to play golf than the Pacific Northwest, when the dark days of winter and unpredictable days of spring are behind us. So, with this season now well underway, we trust you’re getting in lots of outdoor golf. We can now look forward to three months of unfettered sunshine — bright, invigorating mornings with 6 a.m. tee times, and tranquil, golden evenings with sunlight all the way until 10 p.m. 

Washington’s beautiful golf courses look and play better during summer (late spring and early fall are pretty good, too) so get out and enjoy the game in amazing surroundings. 

If you hadn’t played much prior to the Masters, it’s likely the tournament got you itching to play like it always does. Whether you’re a fan of Rory McIlroy’s or not, you probably want to recreate some of the Irishman’s shots (or at least try), like his second on the 15th in round four. We’ll probably never compete for a green jacket in the final round at Augusta National, but we can still imagine it when hitting a high draw over the water to the green on the 7th at Bear Mountain Ranch, or over the pond in front of the 18th at Camas Meadows, or even over the creek on the 8th at Sudden Valley. 

To hit a shot like that, or get over the water in two, you may need some new gear. Perhaps a mini driver, which are all the rage at the moment. Or, if you need to lay up in front of the water (don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone), you could probably use a new wedge with a rough face and zippy grooves. To hole the putt for eagle or birdie, you might benefit from a new putter. Maybe a zero-torque model, which like the mini drivers, are enjoying a moment. You’ll find all that, and so much more, at Puetz Golf. 

Whether you’re putting for an eagle or not, we hope you’re loving your time out on the links.   

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1 • TITLEIST

GT280 Mini Driver

PUETZ GOLF PRICE • $449.99

Unless you’ve been denying yourself golf content of any form, you’ll know the mini driver has become a thing in recent months, whether it’s on the PGA Tour, especially, or even in the bags of the better players at your club or course. With Titleist’s new GT driver line already delivering four impressive new drivers, a mini driver was a natural progression. The manufacturer says the 13-degree GT280 “marks the next evolution of generational GT performance.” It features a new lightweight design, born from a new Proprietary Matrix Polymer. The acoustic properties of this new composite allow Titleist engineers to achieve new material gains while maintaining the sort of sound and feel you expect from a Titleist club. In addition to the inner tech, the club has a clean look that better players prefer. Together, the forged face and new insert – which wraps around the bottom of the club — help low-center impacts from tight lies get airborne with impressive ball-speed. Plus, impact sounds good even when you pick it clean off the turf. With a Seamless Thermoform Crown, the Center of Gravity lies low in the head to make getting the ball off the ground easier. The GT280 features two weight positions to customize launch: position the weight forward for more penetrating shots, or push it back for a combination of speed, spin, and stability. Mitsubishi’s tour-proven Tensei shaft line-up complements the clubhead perfectly, while the Titleist fairway metals SureFit Hosel sleeve fine tunes the club to your exact swing specifications. 

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2 • TAYLORMADE

Quad r7 Mini

PUETZ GOLF PRICE • $479.99

This mini driver is inspired by two of the most popular drivers in TaylorMade’s history: the R7 (released in 2004), and the R7 SuperQuad. The original R7 won more than 30 professional events worldwide, including Retief Goosen’s victory in the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Twenty-one years later, the R7 Quad Mini Driver incorporates the same Movable Weight Technology enabling you to dial in spin, distance, trajectory, and shot shape by precisely positioning the Center of Gravity (CG). The Quad Weighting System includes two 13-gram weights and two 4-gram weights, with two ports in the back of the clubhead and one each in the toe and heel. Pushing weight forward and back effects a shot’s trajectory and ball-speed, while adding weight to the heel or toe promotes a draw or fade bias. Additional weights, which can provide an even greater range of adjustability, are available. As with Titleist’s GT280, the main goal with this club was to minimize mass in the top of the head to lower the CG. The ultralight Infinity Carbon Crown does that, while also looking clean and elegant. Like some of its predecessors, the R7 Quad Mini features Twist Face, which helps golfers keep their shots (even mishits) under control. The Speed Pocket increases face rebound at impact, increasing ballspeed and raising the launch angle, especially on shots struck low on the face. The stock Fujikura Speeder MD shaft is designed to keep spin rates down while keeping the club stable, without adding any weight.

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3 • KRADUL

Sport Cart bag & Lux

PUETZ GOLF PRICE • $199.99 Sport Cart, $269.99 • $299.99 Lux

The golf bag market has grown in recent years with the addition of specialty manufacturers like Vessel and Ghost. Kradul is another popular manufacturer, whose offerings bring a significantly lower price point. The Las Vegas-based company has been making bags for big-name brands for 20 years and is responsible for many now-familiar innovations and design silhouettes. It decided to make bags under its own name, with its own logo (the endangered Desert Tortoise) and remove the big brand markup. Its Sport Cart Bag has a 14-way club-divider and many other features, while remaining impressively lightweight at just 4.5 pounds. There are three access points to the Protective Security Pocket. The electronics (rangefinder, phone, etc.) pocket is accessed with a Tommy clip, and the 360-degree Auto-Fit & Balance Strap System is a lot easier to operate than it sounds. There’s a waterproof valuables pocket and a mesh hydration pocket, plus holders for a pen, glove, umbrella, and towel. The Lux 9.5-inch Hybrid Stand Bag is both luxurious and extremely versatile, enabling the golfer to walk, push, or ride. It is made using vegan leather and has a Flex-Foot (no pedal) Stand System. There are 14 full-length dividers and Tommy Clip access for electronics. There’s a waterproof valuables pocket, a mesh hydration pocket, and a push-button Strap Buckle Release mechanism. The bag weighs 5.5 pounds and comes in three colors – Fossil, Tar, or Steel Blue. The LUX 7.5 model is also a fine choice.

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4 • CLUB GLOVE

Pro & Club Traveler

PUETZ GOLF PRICE • $450.99 • $350.99

Club Glove club travel carriers have been the standard for several years, and the brand preferred by most touring professionals who require a sturdy and reliable bag in which to transport their clubs. The company continues to introduce quality models, that get mostly five-star ratings, and which more or less guarantee that your clubs arrive in the state in which you packed them. Made from 1,000 Dernier Nylon fabric, the Pro Traveler is water-resistant and has rugged wheels locked in the company’s impressively stable wheelbase for safe and smooth movement. It has premium YKK Zippers and ITW Nexus Buckles known for their durability and ruggedness. There are two outer pockets, and a stiff arm to ensure the bag remains rigid and your clubs are protected during travel. The strap is both adjustable and detachable, and the dimensions in inches are 16 x 15 x 51. It weighs 10 pounds and comes in 10 different colors. The Club Traveler (and Pro model for that matter) is for the destination-focused golfer that seeks class, sturdiness, looks and excellence in their luggage decisions. You have a lot tied up in your golf gear and all those specifics that make your 14-clubs and accessories personal to you. Club Gloves line of travel carriers make sure your tools and toys show up mint, dry, protected and ready to roll. The proper investment here is not only worthwhile but warranted. Puetz has many travel cover options — this one stands up well and is an excellent Father’s Day choice.

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5 • CLEVELAND 

RTZ Wedge

PUETZ GOLF PRICE • $169.99 Tour & Black Satin, $189.99 Tour Rack

The wedge market is largely dominated by two manufacturers — Vokey and Cleveland. Vokey’s SM line is now in its 10th generation, while Cleveland’s impressive RTX series reached its sixth before the company introduced the new RTZ Wedge earlier this year. Made with Z-Alloy, it’s 10 percent softer than RTX6 ZipCore, and less dense than 8620 stainless-steel. The RTZ goes through a series of face-blasts that create the HydraZip face which maximizes spin in wet conditions. It also possesses Cleveland’s innovative ZipCore, a high-density material positioned in the hosel, to move the club’s Center of Gravity (CG) closer to the strike zone. Sharper, deeper UltiZip Grooves clear debris from the face, optimizing spin, regardless of conditions. The RTZ comes in four grinds — Full, Mid, Low, and ADAPT. The Full Grind offers stability on full shots and has a little extra bounce (12 degrees) to handle sand and/or thick rough. The Mid Grind is the all-duty grind that works from all lies. The V-shaped sole cuts through the turf smoothly. The Low Grind has half the bounce of the Full. There’s relief in the toe, heel and trailing edge, making it ideal for chip shots from tight fairway lies which take a hop, spin, and come to an abrupt halt. The ADAPT Grind is C-shaped and features relief in the heel, toe, and trailing edge. An additional leading-edge chamfer makes it ideal for open-face shots. ADAPT models have a high toe and are available with full-face grooves — one of Cleveland’s hallmarks. You can depend on Cleveland’s quality in these new models and they are selling well.

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6 • MIZUNO

T-1 & T-3

PUETZ GOLF PRICE • $179.99

Given the sophistication and craftsmanship of its irons, you expect Mizuno’s wedges to be pretty special, and they certainly don’t disappoint. The T-1 is a blade design with six sole profiles that cater to a variety of playing styles, which pretty much guarantees there’s a model to suit the course you play most regularly and the way you approach wedge shots. The elegant T-1 is made with 1025 Mild Carbon Steel and features Mizuno’s advanced Grain-Flow forging technique whose copper underlay creates exceptional feel. It also features a combination of tightly packed, Quad Cut+ Grooves and Hydroflow Micro Grooves, which provide great spin in both wet and dry conditions. Hydroflow technology channels moisture away from the impact area. The grooves in the stronger lofts (48, 50, 52 and 54) are designed to improve consistency, while the grooves on the higher-lofted wedges (56, 58 and 60) maximize spin. The T-1 is available in three finishes — Black Ion, Blue Ion, and Soft White Satin. The T-3 has a slightly extended head and perimeter-weighting to give it a higher MOI and make it a little more forgiving. Despite the shallow cavity-back, it still has a touch of Mizuno elegance, and the same Grain-Flow forging process used for the T-1 gives the T-3 the sort of feel you wouldn’t necessarily associate with a cavity-backed club. The T-3 is available in three sole profiles, and it has the identical Quad Cut+ Grooves and Hydroflow Micro Grooves as the T-1. The finish is Soft White Satin.

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7 • CALLAWAY

Opus & Opus Platinum

PUETZ GOLF PRICE • $179.99 Opus, $229.99 Opus Platinum

Callaway staff players used prototype Opus wedges disguised as JAWS Raw wedges for 18 months. When the company finally revealed the Opus in February, the first thing people noticed was its shape — a cleaner, smoother teardrop which players had requested. The groove technology is similarly notable. Referred to as “Spin-Gen,” it features three elements that, together, create more spin under any conditions. The aggressively milled grooves are positioned close together, which provides space for more of them, while a new face-blast (using tiny quartz crystals) creates a rougher surface producing more friction and angled micro-grooves between the main grooves channel away moisture. There are four sole grinds — W (wide with 12-14 degrees of bounce for those who play in soft conditions), S (good for virtually any situation, with bounce from 10 to 12 degrees), C (available in 58- and 60-degree lob wedges with eight degrees of bounce), and T (aggressive heel/toe/trailing edge relief which helps the club sit tight on the ground). Opus Platinum wedges place 17 grams of tungsten in the top-line to raise the CG and lower the shot’s trajectory. They’re made using Metal Injection Molding (MIM), where powdered metal is mixed with polymer binding agents, creating a metal paste that forms the clubhead when injected into a mold. The binding agents are then melted off to leave the final clubhead. Two grinds are available in S and low-bounce Z. A chamfered leading edge with trailing edge relief adds to the club’s versatility. Available in two finishes.

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8 • BETTINARDI

HLX 6.0

PUETZ GOLF PRICE • $199.99

Bettinardi made its name with exceptional putters but expanded into short-game clubs with the release (in December of 2014) of its forged H2 Wedge, which featured the company’s honeycomb face, designed to generate spin. It had released limited wedge lines in 2001 and 2010, but the cost of manufacturing deterred it from continuing. After 2014, however, it produced further well-crafted clubs of which the forged HLX is the latest. These wedges — made with soft 1020 carbon-steel — are engineered for superior turf interaction, to maximize control with low trajectory (created by an extended hosel and deeper channel on the back flange) and high spin. The four lowest-lofted degree wedges (48, 50, 52 and 54) have a square leading edge and reduced offset that, Bettinardi says, “give a seamless connection between club and ground.” The higher-lofted degree clubs (56, 58 and 60) have additional heel relief which increases workability, and the weight of each head has been reduced by two grams. The HLX 6.0 has an increased number of grooves and a re-engineered groove geometry, which together, gives golfers extra spin and a little more control of their launch characteristics. Meanwhile, the thinner, beveled top line produces a look and feel that better players prefer. There are two sole grinds available. There’s the C-Grind, a familiar, classic shape ideal for golfers who favor straightforward, square-faced shots. There’s also the RJ-Grind, which features extra relief in the heel, toe, and trailing edge to provide more playability.

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9 • TAYLORMADE

Spider ZT

PUETZ GOLF PRICE • $449.99

TaylorMade is now involved in the no torque movement having introduced its Spider Zero-Torque Putter (officially known as the 5K-ZT). Longtime Spider users Jason Day and Brian Harman were among the first to demo the prototype in the U.S. — Day at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in March, and Harman in April at the Valero Texas Open, which he won by three strokes. “It removes the ‘am-I-going-to-hit-a-good-putt’ variable,” Harman said after his victory, having tried it for the first time on Tuesday of tournament week. “It seems like I hit more good putts with it, so I’m focused more on line and speed, and not worried about making a good stroke.” The putter got its first exposure on the DP World Tour, however, when Spain’s Angel Ayora used it at the Qatar Masters in February. The KBS puttershaft has a single degree of shaft lean with 25 millimeters onset behind the face, and the design of the sole allows the putter to sit flush on the ground without it twisting. Indeed, Day remembers asking TaylorMade to make a Spider that didn’t twist several years ago. The high-density stainless-steel perimeter and low-density aerospace-grade aluminum body creates a stable high-MOI putter whose two milled lines (one ball width apart) on the crown are an effective alignment tool. The Surlyn/aluminum black Pure Roll insert gives the putter a soft, responsive feel and improves the ball’s roll. The SuperStroke 1-degree Off-Axis Pistol 1.0 is the standard grip, and Long and Counter-Balanced models are also available.

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10 • ODYSSEY

S2S MAX

PUETZ GOLF PRICE • $349.99

It’s interesting how long other manufacturers take to adopt a technological development once it has been introduced. Which was the first company, for instance, to introduce an Anser-style putter after Karsten Solheim (Ping) had brought the original to market in 1966? Japanese company Kasco was the first to use Titanium in drivers in 1990, but it wasn’t until Callaway introduced the Great Big Bertha, five years later, that Titanium really took off. In 2006, Axis1Golf became the first to develop a zero-torque putter but didn’t exhibit at the PGA Show until 2011 when people thought it was so odd looking it received precious little attention. Ten years ago, Bill Presse rekindled the tech and built his first Directed Force putters whose technology was purchased by Sam Hahn, CEO of L.A.B. Golf, after Presse nearly went bankrupt. Hahn partnered with Presse and slowly their putters got noticed. Adam Scott was convinced by the tech fairly early on and now other PGA Tour players — Will Zalatoris, Cameron Young, Lucas Glover, Camilo Villegas — have come aboard with the Zero-Torque revolution now in full swing. Odyssey released its first ZT models last November and followed up in March with the Cruiser (counterbalanced), Armlock, and Broomstick versions. In May, it adds the Max 1 and Max Stripe — center-shafted, zero-torque putters with the company’s Ai-One insert to promote consistent ball-speed across the face. With 3.3 degrees of forward shaft lean, it presents the hands in a forward position, preventing the face from opening.

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