Nike ONE Tour

How about a golf ball review folks?

I recently played the Nike ONE Tour golf ball. Traditionally, Nike golf balls have not been a big seller. When Tiger first signed with Nike, their balls flew off the shelves. But, lets face it, it is hard to overthrow a dominant brand like Titleist.

Nike continues in the ONE tradition by making the new Tour, Tour D and Vapor solid core, multilayer, urethane covered golf balls. The previous versions of the One did not live up to the expectations of this golfer. For instance, the Platinum spun too much and did not give me the distance off the tee that other golf balls did. The Black was a better all around ball but the cover did not hold up to well against full wedge shots.

The new ONE Tour is a vast improvement over previous versions. For instance:

• The Tour is a longer golf ball off the tee than the Platinum. The Platinum had the dreaded "Wounded Duck Syndrome" where the ball would fall out of the air as if it was just shot down. The Tour did NOT do that and I was pleased that it was as long as some other golf ball brands on the market.
• The Tour was not buttery soft like the Platinum. Rather, it felt more like the Black with a nice click off of the putter face.
• The Tour still spins WAY TOO MUCH! The Tour and the Platinum spin way too much around the greens. The Dunes at Maui Lani has some of the firmest greens on the island here and the Tour was backing up like it had just been sucker punched. This type of spin for me is a big no no as I like to control my yardage and not have to worry about zippin' the ball back off of the green. I spun a Tour so far back off of the green yesterday that it rolled into the middle of a 30 yd long green side bunker. Completely undesirable for me. But, it may suit lower spin golfers perfectly.
• The Tour has a cover that is somewhat durable. Every golf ball will scuff when it is hit properly with a wedge and the Tour is no exception. Although, it did hold up better than the Platinum in that regard.

All in all Nike has produced a ball that is better than its predecessors. My major complaint with the Tour was its spin factor. I believe Nike needs to tone it down a notch. But, with the new USGA groove rule coming into effect next year, maybe Nike doesn't need to do anything to it and it will perform beautifully when hit with restricted grooves.

At this time I know what some of you are saying "Well try the Tour D!" Oh believe me, I will. And, believe it or not, I am looking forward to putting the Tour D into play.

Stay tuned folks! The golf ball market is going to get crazy in the next few months and yours truly will be trying out and reviewing lots of the craziness!

Aloha

Tourstage 701 Irons

Ok folks, here is the scoop.

Tourstage is primarily a Japanese product even though they fall under the Bridgestone name. But, seeing as how we live and work in Hawaii which is a cross-over market for them, I was able to get my hands on a set of Tourstage 701 irons.

The Japanese have always been known for their fantastic forgings and club designs and this set is no different. The only difference in set make up is that the iron sets are sold as 5i-pw. Also, the fact that they are designed for Japanese players makes the stats on them pretty weird as far as American irons go.

The set I tested/own came with True Temper s200 shafts which are 1/2 in under American standard. That means the 5i measured in at 37.5 in instead of 38 in. Upon inspection I found that the length, lie and swing weight were dead on. The 5i even came with a sticker on the shaft that states what all those factors are. That was kinda neat and ensures that Tourstage takes pride in its product and quality control.

This is one beautiful iron set as there is minimal offset, a medium width top line and cavity back which has a magnesium insert to improve feel. Not that they need the insert as the heads are forged anyway. These irons feel awesome! Mis hits still go to the target with minimal distance loss and without that "oops I just mis hit a forged iron" feel in the hands.

I was a little hesitant about getting s200's a half inch under my normal length as I would have to re shaft them, bend them and tweak them again and again. Not this set! I found that the 701's fit me perfectly and NO adjustment what so ever was needed.

Like I stated before, the irons come in sets of 5i-pw and come stock with s200's or NS Pro 950's. If one orders the irons with NS Pro's the clubs come out 1/4 in longer and 1 swing weight point lighter than those with s200's. A 3i and 4i can be ordered separately if one wants them.

As far as ordering this product or anything from Tourstage, one must live in Hawaii or Japan. But, our store, Golf-Maui can get these irons and lots of other products from Tourstage and ship them all over the world.

We can be reached at 800-981-5512 or visit our website www.golf-maui.com

Titleist 909D3

Aloha,

This club review is on the Titleist 909D3 driver.

This line of drivers has been out on the street for several months now and this writer is certainly surprised that we at Golf-Maui have not had much interest in it from our customers. Under normal economic times Titleist equipment flies off the shelves. But, in todays times, golf sales are down worldwide.

The Titleist 909D3 was the first of its kind to enter our store and what a beauty it is! Like all Titleist equipment it sets up very square with gorgeous aesthetics. The alignment aid on top of the crown is very, very typical Titleist- a line and triangle.

The D3 is a little smaller in head size than its fellow drivers as it measures in at 440cc. I could not tell a difference in head size between the D3 and the typical 460cc drivers.

The D3 is a all titanium head with a internally milled face insert which increases ball speed all across the face of the driver. And, for you shaft replacement junkies, Titleist has decided to use a blind bore hosel rather than a bore thru hosel which makes new shaft installs easier.

The D3 I tested was done over the span of 3 days at our local PGA Section Pro-Pro event. It was a 9.5* with a stock 65 gram Diamana Titleist Blue Board in Stiff.

This driver is quiet! There was no harsh can or corked bat sound when swung. It was a pleasing sound that I can only describe as a silenced gun shot. Speaking of gun shots, the ball flew off the face and found the fairway a lot! I was able to manipulate ball flight easily by adjusting tee height and ball position. Normal ball flight was a nice medium, penetrating trajectory with a Bridgestone B-330.

This writer normally plays an extra stiff shaft in all his clubs, but after swinging the D3 with a stock stiff shaft, he has switched back to good 'ol stiff flex as I never missed the center of the club face..for all 3 days!

The Titleist D3 has 2 stock shafts: The Aldilla Voodoo and the aforementioned Diamana. Both of which were designed by their respective companies for Titleist and the D3 series of drivers.

Available lofts are 8.5*, 9.5* and 10.5*

This driver is the perfect blend of all factors: great looks, great construction, great feel, great sound and perfect length and control.

Non-Conforming Golf Balls???

The USGA has instituted a lot of rules for the game of golf. Not only do they have rules, they have decisions on those rules. I guess that's why golf is a lot like life.

Anyway, the USGA has a conforming driver and a conforming ball list. A lot of people know about the conforming driver list with COR still being a hot topic and widely debated. But, did you know that there is a conforming ball list as well?

There are 5 categories with which balls are tested under to be deemed conforming or non-conforming:

• Weight
• Size
• Spherical Symmetry
• Initial Velocity
• Overall Distance

Weight is the key issue these days with a couple of golf ball manufacturers asking the USGA to take certain balls of the conforming list because they were over weight. Not ALL of them, but less than 1% produced. This speaks very highly of those manufacturers who are keeping with the integrity of the game. The weight of the golf ball can not exceed 1.620 ounces. The ball can be as light as the manufacturer wants it, but not heavier than 1.620 ounces.

The USGA and R&A have different ideas on golf ball size as well. To be conforming by USGA standards, the golf ball can not exceed 1.680 inches in diameter. The R&A uses a smaller diameter for their rules. The golf ball can be as large as a manufacturer wants it to be, but it can not exceed the weight limitation.

The golf ball must be round/symmetrical/spherical etc, etc.

The initial velocity of the ball can not exceed certain limits and the overall distance of the ball can not exceed certain distances.

So, how does one find out if their ball is conforming or not? You must go to the USGA web site and click on "equipment". There you will see a link to their "conforming golf ball list". I would imagine that anyone playing in the U.S. will NOT have a problem with their golf ball being non-conforming, but you never know. The way to tell is to input your golf ball markings and wait for the results. Pay attention to EVERYTHING the list tells you about your golf ball. Do you have different markings than what the list says you should have? Then you may, MAY have a non-conforming golf ball.

Recently, two manufacturers (who shall remain nameless here) had issues with a certain percentage of their balls being over weight. Hence, the USGA removed them from the conforming golf ball list. That means nothing for the average player who uses one of those balls to post a handicap or plays in a small golf event. Remember, it was only less than 1% made so the chances of getting a non-conforming golf ball is slim to none. It gets a little quirky for the professional though.

If a professional was to play one of these "non-conforming" golf balls in a tournament, it would be up to the person bringing it to the attention of rules officials to see if the ball was illegal for play. In other words, the burden of proof is on the accuser NOT the accusee. And, how would they determine that? With a scale? Is the scale calibrated to USGA standards? Blah, Blah, Blah! The tour players don't need to worry about it as I am sure there stock of golf ball was replaced even before the general public got wind of this news. The local professional playing in section events probably won't get DQ'd for using it. But, I am sure it can and will cause some sort of hair raising adventure on the links somewhere in the world.

After reading this, I am sure there will be a few of you out there who go to the list and find out that the ball you currently play is not on the conforming ball list. Don't worry about it! There is no need to rush back into the retail store or pro shop where you bought them and demand a refund.

Remember, it is up to who accuses you of using a non-conforming ball to prove their case! I mean, who carries around a golf ball scale with them???

Ping Rapture V2

Aloha. Long time no see! Anyway, this review is on the Ping Rapture V2.

A couple of months ago I was fortunate enough to see this driver before its release date and was quite pleased with what Ping has done to update the original Rapture. The first noticeable difference is apparent when one soles the club. Ah ha...no "spiderman" web like design on the crown. Now both the original and the V2 have the "Thin Crown Design" but only the original actually shows it.

The second noticeable feature are the external tungsten weight pads. These weight pads push the CG lower and farther back to reduce spin and optimize launch angle. To push the CG even further back, Ping has elongated the V2 by extending face height and sloping the crown. Although, one would never know it just by looking at it as it retains a classic 460cc head design. In other words, it is not a funny looking driver!

Ping has also done something pretty cool in regards to the stock shafts they put in the V2; they offer their TFC 939D or a Diamana Blue 63! That is a wise choice in my opinion and I am willing to bet that V2's with the Diamana go flying off the shelves.

The Ping Rapture V2 that this writer used was a 9* stock length with the extra stiff TFC 939D. What a beautiful club. I did notice that because of the extra 3/4 in on the shaft it setup just a hair closed. That was not an issue for me as I just choked down about 1 in.

Ladies and gents, this driver is looooong and accurate. Ball flight was easy to manipulate but its natural ball flight tendency seemed to be a slight draw with a medium-high trajectory. The V2 comes in stock lofts of 9*, 10.5*, 12* and 13.5* to help iron out your trajectory issues.

Once again, Ping has put out a winner of driver. So, go out and demo one today. You won't be disappointed.