Archive for May, 2011

Callaway Big Bertha Heavenwood

Tired of mishitting long irons every golf round? I know I am, and that that is why I decided to try out some hybrid woods recently. One hybrid that has been getting rave reviews is the Callaway Big Bertha Heavenwood, so I decided to give it a try and see if it could replace my long irons. The exact club I tried out for this product review is the Callaway Big Bertha Heavenwood 23 degree loft with a Callaway regular flex shaft.

If you are looking to replace some of your high irons with hybrid woods, I would strongly suggest that you consider checking out the Callaway Big Bertha Heavenwood. I have nothing negative to say about it at all, that is how good it really is. The first thing that I noticed about the club was its elongated, narrow clubface. What is great about the clubface is that it, along with a low center of gravity, it makes it easier to get more distance out of mishits. The Callaway Big Bertha Heavenwood feels fantastic on every shot, no matter if it is off the tee or on the ground.

Another great feature that I found especially useful for low handicap golfers is its versatility. Not only is it great to use on long par three’s, but in many other situations as well. For longer shots, I found that when I choke down and hit it easy out of a bunker, it can easily replace my mid iron for the same kind of shot. Another great situation to use it in is around the green. Out of the rough it feels like pure butter when I hit it, and just seems to fly off of the golf club no matter how deep the rough seems to be.

For shorter shots, the Callaway Big Bertha Heavenwood can be great to use when chipping or pitching. When you are chipping with the flag on the opposite side of the green simply choke down on this club and make a similar chipping motion than you would using a sand wedge; in other words, it can be used like a Texas wedge. It will take a couple of skips and roll right up to the hole every time. If the golf ball is caught between the fringe and the rough, simply play the ball in the back of the stance using this club and it will roll out straight practically every time.

There are two other positive aspects of the golf club that I found when playing a few rounds with it. First, the hybrid has a great ball flight out of virtually any lie imaginable. It gets right up in the air every single time, and I cannot say the same when using a three or four iron. Also, the Callaway Big Bertha Heavenwood is very easy to shape the ball with. If there is a shot where I need to get around a tree or a tee shot on a dogleg hole, I can use an inside-out or outside-in swing path and curve the ball any way I like. This can be especially useful for low handicap golfers, as situations come up on the golf course from time to time that require a long iron shot that must be shaped around something.

In conclusion, I found the Callaway Big Bertha Heavenwood to be a fantastic replacement for my long irons. I don’t have to struggle anymore trying to get the ball up in the air or shaping a shot around a tree. What makes this golf club especially useful is its versatility. You can be a lot more creative out on the golf course using this club, and it could aid you tremendously in cutting strokes off of your golf game.

Take a look at some great deals on all kinds of new and used Callaway Big Bertha Heavenwoods.

Nike Sumo S900 Driver Review

Nike Sumo S900 Driver

Having used Titleist golf drivers for most of my playing career, I was a bit skeptical about trying out a driver from Nike.  Dick’s Sporting Goods had a tremendous sale on them so I thought I’d give one a try anyways.  For this article I am going to review the Nike Sumo S900 Driver, 9.5 degrees of loft with an S-65 Diamana Shaft.

Positive

The first thing that struck me when buying this club was the shape of the clubhead; it has sort of a square look to it.  Not only that, but the clubhead itself is huge, a full 460cc.  Having the club at address makes you think that it would be nearly impossible to mishit it.  The alignment on the club is great as well; it is very inauspicious while aiding you at the same time.

Another great feature about the Nike Sumo S900 Driver is that it is great for both low and high shot when needed.  Have you ever had one of those days where it is very windy and you need to keep the ball low to get any distance?  This club would be great to use if the wind were both helping and hurting you.  When I teed the ball low and hit a few shots with the Nike Sumo S900 Driver, it has a nice, penetrating ball flight.  When I needed to cut the corner of a dogleg, I simply teed the ball up higher, gave it a rip, and it carries the tees with ease.  The Nike Sumo S900 Driver is a club that can be used in practically any situation.

Lastly, I tested out the club to see how it handles mishits out on the golf course.  I hit some shots off of the toe and others off of the heel, making sure to intentionally miss the sweet spot of the club.  What I found was that while I wasn’t getting great distance (as expected), it was still going out there the same distance as any other driver would when mishit.  This can be especially helpful to golfers whose weak point is their driver or those who are not very experienced.  You can still mishit balls with the Nike Sumo S900 Driver and get fairly good distance out of it.

Negative

There was one major flaw that I found with the Nike Sumo S900 Driver and some other nitpicky things as well.  The major flaw that I found when hitting the club is that it is very difficult to shape shots with.  Every shot seems to want to go straight, and that may not be a bad thing depending on your handicap.  However, being a three handicap golfer, there are a lot of times each round where I want to be able to shape the ball in such a way that it gives me a better chance at making birdie.  Unless I over-exaggerate my swing it is very difficult to get it to hook or slice.  I did find that I can fade the ball with some effort, but not really any other type of shot.  This can be a big negative to an experienced golfer, but as I said before it may not be such a bad thing to an inexperienced golfer.

A couple of other nitpicky things I found about the club include the grip not being very durable and the sound when hitting the golf club.  After a few rounds the grip started to wear down fairly considerably, such that I may have to get another golf grip for it soon.  It may just be me getting a bad grip with the club, so I wouldn’t expect that every other grip is much the same way.  The sound of the golf club may take a little while to get used to as well.  It is hard to say what it really sounds like; I would say it is very similar to hitting a driver off of a sidewalk.  It has a very unorthodox sound to it, and some may like it while others may not.  Also, because of the sound it is hard to tell whether you hit the ball solid or not.

Conclusion

The Nike Sumo S900 Driver is a very good golf club for inexperienced golfers or those with high handicaps.  It has an extremely large clubhead, which may give added confidence when teeing it up on the golf course.  The ball flight is great, and the club gives good distance even when mishit.  With that said however, I wouldn’t recommend it for low handicap golfers, as it is very difficult to shape the ball with.

Take a look at some deals on new and used Nike Sumo Drivers.

Pinnacle Gold Distance Golf Balls

Pinnacle Gold Distance Golf Balls

Let us face the facts: no one really hears of Pinnacle golf balls being very good.  Commercial after commercial on television is inundated with Titleist, Callaway, or Srixon golf balls.  And thus, Pinnacle golf balls have not been given their due justice.  I thought I’d buck the trend of buying from the previous brands mentioned and decided to try a sleeve a Pinnacle Gold Distance golf balls for a few rounds.  It says on the package that it is “for golfers seeking long distance tee-to-green with straight ball flight.  Does it really live up to its name?

I certainly found several great things about the ball when playing a few rounds with it, and I will discuss three of them in this article.  First, I must admit that I was surprised and the distance I was getting out of them.  When I hit several drives using well known golf balls such as Callaway and Bridgestone alongside the Pinnacle Gold Distance golf ball, it was going just as far if not further.  What is great about it is that it does not simply give one better distance off the tee; it also gives great distance using the irons as well.

Second, the durability of the golf ball was phenomenal to say the least.  I played round after round using the golf ball and it never seemed to scuff up (unless I hit the cart path or a tree of course, but I digress).  It certainly lasted a lot longer than the Bridgestone I was playing alongside it, and I was pleasantly surprised by it.  Less golf balls scuffed=more money in my pocket, so if you are a frugal golfer this could be a great alternative golf ball for you.

Lastly, I believe that the best feature about the Pinnacle Gold Distance golf ball is the trajectory that if offers on mid-to-low iron shots.  When compared with say a Callaway HX Bite (nearly twice as expensive), the Pinnacle golf ball was getting much high trajectory.  This was extremely helpful for me because I play in a region where there is not much wind, and the higher I can get the ball the softer it will land on the green, thus giving me a better chance at making birdie.

Having discussed the positive aspects of the golf ball, there are a couple of downsides that should be mentioned as well.  First, it is extremely hard to get the ball to spin around the green.  I like to hit a lot of bump-and-run chips when playing golf and this golf ball is not very well suited for it.  It never seemed to really check up at all and just kept running through the green.  The ball is a nightmare when it comes to deep rough as well.  Whereas I am able to get the ball to stop on the green somewhere using a Titleist or a Srixon golf ball, not so much for the Pinnacle.

Even though Pinnacle put a sidestamp on the golf ball to promote better putting accuracy, it still wasn’t very useful for me out on the golf course.  I am what you would call a “feel” putter, and both the putter and golf ball play a tremendous role in whether or not I can sink a lot of putts during a golf round.  I just didn’t get that same comfort when putting with the Pinnacle Gold Distance as opposed to better name brand golf balls.

Overall, I thought the Pinnacle Gold Distance golf balls were a steal for their price.  If you do not want to spend $50 on some Pro V1’s, think about considering trying these golf balls.  I will admit however that these golf balls are not for those who are good at golf (I am a three handicap).  They won’t aid you in any way around the green, so if that is a weak part of your golf game I would suggest another golf ball such as the Callaway HX Bite.  If distance is your problem however, this is a must-have golf ball.  You will find yourself hitting it the same distance as you would a golf ball two to three times more expensive.  Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of that?

Take a look at some great deals on new and used PInnacle Gold Distance Golf Balls.

Prolength Max Professional Golf Tees

Prolength Max Professional Golf Tees

One of the most popular tips to drive the golf ball further is to “tee her high and let her fly.”  In other words, by teeing the ball up higher the golf ball will have more carry and supposedly more distance along with it.  I decided to try this tip out to the maximum on the golf course by purchasing a bag of Prolength Max Professional Golf Tees.  They come from Pride Golf Tee Company, which also produces three shorter versions called Short Tee, Prolength, and Prolength Plus.  On the front of the bag it states that they are specifically made for “drivers over 400cc,” and one can clearly see why.  They are the longest tees ever allowed by the USGA, at a whopping four inches in length.  Imagine your normal golf tee and literally double or even triple the length of it and it might come close to how long these gold tees are.  Are they really worth it though?  Let me first start out by describing the positive and negative aspects of the tee.

Positive
These golf tees certainly confirm the golf tip that teeing the ball up higher will get you more distance.  I hit a few practice drives using a regular tee and then using the Prolength Max tees, and I was averaging close to ten yards longer using the latter.  I would say that if there were any wind helping my drives, I could have gotten nearly 25 yards more distance than with using a regular tee.  It makes that much of a difference teeing the ball up so high.  I can get a great upward angle to each and every one of my drives, and the same can’t be said of using regular wooden tees.  Also, I found using these tees to be a lot better for my 460cc large headed driver.  Sometimes it gets difficult during a golf round trying to get the ball up in the air using a short tee with a large headed driver.  Using this tee it was almost effortless getting the ball into the air.

Negative
The one major downside when using the Prolength Max golf tee is that it is not very durable.  For the same price one could get plastic tees, which hardly ever break.  I must have broken at least six of the tees over the course of a couple of golf rounds, which is not very good to be honest.  Also, another potential negative is that in order to be able to drive the golf ball with such a high tee you have to swing the club differently.  You simply cannot use the same swing you normally use when hitting golf balls off of these tees.  I have a self-made golf swing that can easily adapt to any situation, and so I was able to tweak my swing to hit the ball with the tee at such a high length.  If one has a rigid golf swing it would be pretty hard trying to hit golf balls with the Prolength Max golf tee.

Conclusion
So are they really worth it?  The Prolength Max Professional Golf Tee can certainly add some extra yards to your drive, but overall I wouldn’t recommend that anyone buy a package.  There are other ways to improve yardage, such as using a better golf ball or more up to date golf clubs.  The tees just break too easily, and if you are an average golfer with a rigid golf swing it would be difficult trying to gain the extra yards at the cost of popping the ball straight up into the air every time.