Callaway Tour i Golf Ball

For a first here on Golf Club Reviews we will be reviewing a golf ball. It never dawned on me until just now to do a review on a golf ball. So, why do one now? Well, everyone focus' on the latest and greatest drivers, irons, hybrids and putters from everyone so why not review the one most important piece of equipment we have... THE BALL!!!

The first time I saw the new Callaway ball being played I had to stop and ask my playing partner what he was hitting. He said it was the Callaway ix. I couldn't believe it, that ball was long! I bought a sleeve and went at it. Well, it was long alright, but green side control was lacking. Callaway then introduced the plain "i".

The i is supposed to be a replacement for the HX 56 tour ball. I loved the HX 56! It was long off the tee, spun when it was ordered to and the cover held up under hard wedge shots. Very hard to improve on the HX. Or so I thought.

The new i is a 4 piece, urethane covered, dual core ball. The inner core is designed for long drives. The outer core has tungsten in the mix so it reduces driver spin but excites the ball speed off the club face. The mantle, once again, reduces unwanted side spin for longer, straighter drives. And, of course, the urethane cover is soft for green side control. The i still carries the new tradition of hexagonal dimples within a seem less design. Several of these hex dimples are sunken even further to stabilize the core of the golf ball so it will roll true.

Off I went to play the new i ball. This ball does everything it says it will! I am a good driver of the golf ball so I really didn't notice any unwanted spin. The ball flew straight and true even into crosswinds and headwinds. It is a very stable ball. The check onto the greens with all irons was that reminiscent of a Pro V-1x. The ball hit and stayed put with no unwanted back spin or top spin. Chip and checks were a breeze with this ball. It really wants to "Suck soil!" And the feel off the putter face was no different than that of its predecessor the HX 56.

Callaway has done it again when it comes to their Tour i line of golf balls. I have no complaints about this ball what so ever. Well, maybe just one complaint, it doesn't like my putting stroke.

Adams Insight XTD A3 Boxster

As you may have guessed, I like test driving new putters and drivers. Well, this weeks review is no different.

Square shaped drivers have been out for some time now, and now Adams has jumped on that band wagon with their Insight XTD series. The driver I tested was a 9.5* stiff flex, Aldila DVS 55 gram shafted driver.

At first looks, one can easily see the square head shape. What one doesn't see is the pear shaped face profile. I personally thought that was one neatly hidden feature.

This driver setups very square and is very easy to hit straight. The overall look of the square head is easily overlooked at setup due to some design additions on the trailing edge of the club. I forgot I was swinging a square driver!!!

This driver was long but the low center of gravity coupled with the lower kick point shaft sent my tee shots sky high. This high tee shot is most certainly undesirable out here with the nasty trade winds that we get.

Other than that, this driver was accurate and was fun to hit.