Anyone who knows me knows that when it comes to golf gear, I’m pretty much an equipment whore. I used to think that a new club might help my game, or give me some advantage on the course, but well, my buddy G and I were talking about it the other day, and the simple fact of the matter is that guys like me but new equipment just because we like buying new equipment. And despite what Mrs. WTD would have you believe, there’s nothing wrong with that. As part of that whole thing, I generally keep up with what’s new, exciting, or just different in the industry.

You can get the same info (mostly) from Golf Digest, but I find two problems with going that route. Firstly, Golf Digest costs money, while WTD is free. Secondly, while it could be considered a plus that Golf Digest provides rankings/grades/what have you for the new gear, they tend to do stupid things like award no less than 7 Gold Medals for each category of equipment they cover. Apparently the folks at GD have never seen the Olympics and don’t really get the idea that each sport (category) only has one gold medal winner.

What I’m going to do is run down the list of the manufacturers that matter (at least the ones I think matter) and let you know what’s new and interesting, and perhaps even a little stupid about the 2007 product lines. I’m going to limit the info to what I consider to be the big 7 brands (Nike, TaylorMade, Ping, Titleist, Callaway, Cleveland, and Mizuno). I was going to do this over the course of two days, but I think I’ve settled on devoting an entire post to manufacturer.

Brands like Bridgestone and Srixon are making the same type of high-end equipment, but since most golfers have never heard of them, well, it’s not my place to learn you. Maybe they should spend a little more on advertising. I’m also going to ignore the smaller brands like TourEdge, Cobra, Adams, Nickent, and Wilson. It’s not that they don’t make quality equipment, but realistically, if you’re buying one of those brands, it’s not because they have exactly what you want, it’s more that they cost exactly what you’re willing to spend, and we all know that’s not really the same thing. Still, I may write an all encompassing “everything else” post when everything else is done.

With respect to general trends in the industry…I was talking with one of the Pro’s at my local golf shop over the weekend. Apart from all the buzzwords (MOI being the biggest of the bunch), he said that the industry, almost universally and exclusively, is trending towards straight distance - give the weekend golfer the ability to hit the ball as far and as arrow-straight as possible. It makes sense right? Who doesn’t want to hit the ball further and straighter? The unfortunate consequence is that the subtle elements of the game; workability, feel, etc. are being cast to the wayside. The game is changing quickly, and the new product lines clearly reflect as much.

Even with all the focus on distance there are a wealth of interesting new products on the market this year. We’ve got square-headed drivers, a new set of all hybrid irons, a bucket or two full of new balls, and a bit of a revolution in putters to discuss. I went all of last season without buying a single new club. That’s definitely going to change, so where applicable, I’ll be making notes of the various bits of equipment that I’ll be demoing on my way to a new driver, new irons, and possibly fairway woods and maybe even a putter.

I’m guessing a few of my regulars (and few there are) won’t be reading me for a while. Still, I’d rather offer up new content you’re not interested in than no new content at all.

Finally, who has a couch I can sleep on should I actually buy all this new stuff I’m talking about?

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