TaylorMade Golf today launched R11S, the most technologically advanced driver to date. The all-white, USGA maximum 460cc R11S features a 3° Flight Control Technology (FCT) sleeve and an all-new 5-way Adjustable Sole Plate (ASP) which allows the golfer to find their optimum address set-up – a proprietary setting not found in any other driver. Combined with TaylorMade’s Movable Weight Technology (MWT), the new R11S driver can be tuned for 80 separate launch settings, making it the most adjustable driver in golf.

At 460cc, the R11S is at the USGA limit for size. Similar to the original R11, the new R11S features a flat-white crown color and black PVD face to improve alignment and accuracy off the tee. Its address footprint measures more than 11,500 mm², and its white crown color makes it appear even larger (2%). That’s an advantage given that TaylorMade testing indicates that the majority of golfers gain confidence at address from a head that appears large relative to the ball.

The R11S driver’s modern-classical clubhead shape is intended to suit the eye of better players, while still providing ample forgiveness and confidence for average players. The head boasts a contemporary, slightly more triangular appearance than traditionally shaped drivers that provides higher MOI and a deeper, farther-forward CG position

New 5-Way ASP Provides More Tuning Options
ASP technology was a major performance breakthrough as it complimented Flight Control, a technology first introduced in the R9 family. When FCT is employed alone, the loft and face angle is coupled by the sleeve system.

Adjustable Sole Plate technology allows the decoupling of loft and face angle by using a sole plate to adjust face angle independent of loft sleeve setting. Very simply, that means you can adjust the face angle independently of the loft, and vice versa. The five face angles made possible by the improved ASP Technology of the R11S are neutral, slightly open, open, slightly closed and closed.

ASP Technology is characterized by a raised, five-pointed plate on the sole roughly the diameter of a quarter. Changing its position is easily achieved by loosening the screw that holds it to the sole, rotating the ASP, then re-tightening the screw.

ASP works with FCT to create 40 combinations of loft and face angle, which can be used to further accentuate a face angle or counter a negative face angle due to a sleeve adjustment. It effectively doubles the range of face angle for the club for ±4° to ±6° or alternatively can create 5 lofts in 0.75° increments with the same face angle.

Flight Control Technology
Flight Control Technology allows you to change the orientation of the driver head with the shaft to effectively adjust the loft up or down, giving you 8 choices of lie and loft/face angles at range of 3° of lie and 3° loft/6° face angle for up to approximately 60 yards side-to-side trajectory adjustment and 3° and 1500 rpm of launch condition change.

Movable Weight Technology
TaylorMade introduced Movable Weight Technology (MWT) in 2004 in the r7 quad driver. MWT gives golfers the ability to easily move discretionary weight to different areas of the clubhead to shift the CG location to promote changes in trajectory that produce greater distance and accuracy. Millions of TaylorMade metalwoods with MWT have been sold since the introduction of the r7 quad.

Employing two widely spaced weight ports delivers 4 mm of CG change from heel to toe to promote up to 20 yards of side-to-side trajectory bias. The R11S includes two MWT cartridges, one weighing 10-grams and one weighing 1-gram. Configuring the weights properly is intuitive: To set up a neutral bias, install the heavy (10-gram) weight in the toe; to create a draw bias, install the heavy weight in the heel. If a more neutral setting is desired, 4- and 6-gram cartridges are available separately, and so are other cartridges of varying weights, which allow you to change the club’s swing weight as well as promoting changes in trajectory.

Combining MWT, FCT and ASP
Together, MWT, FCT and ASP allows for 80 launch-condition combinations, the most of any driver in existence. The total launch condition range is 3° and 1500 rpm by combining full FCT and MWT settings.

Players can also adjust the weights to influence trajectory, either to enhance the launch conditions created by the face angle setting, or independent of the face-angle setting. For instance, some players prefer to look at an open face at address while still desiring a draw-bias performance. With the R11S driver, the player can open the face and install the heavy weight in the heel, resulting in an open face but a draw bias weighting.

Inverted Cone Technology
Like every TaylorMade driver since the R500 Series (launched in 2002), the R11S incorporates TaylorMade’s Inverted Cone clubface technology, which dramatically expands the COR zone, which is the portion of the clubface that delivers maximum ball speed.

Shaft and Club Specs
The R11S measures 45.75” and is equipped with an Aldila RIP Phenom 60 shaft (X, S, R and M flexes), which weighs 60 grams and which features a medium-firm tip profile. RIP shafts feature Reverse Interlaminar Placement to provide more stability more stability at impact and promote more distance and control without the harsh feel associated with some firmer tip shafts.

Grip: TM FCT.
Lofts: 9°, 10.5°, 12° in right-handed; 9° and 10.5° in left-handed.
Street price: $399.

The R11S TP is equipped with an Aldila RIP Phenom TP 65 (X, S, R)
25 additional TP shaft choices are also available.

Grip: TM FCT.
Lofts: 9°, 10.5° in right-handed; 9° and 10.5° in left-handed.
Street price: $499.

www.taylormadegolf.com

UPDATE: Nippon Shaft’s new prototype Modus3 shaft recorded its first professional victory Sunday at the Volvo Golf Champions at the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain. The world’s ninth-ranked player used the Modus3 shafts in his irons and finished at 20-under par on rounds of 67-67-66-68—268.

Making it’s debut at the 2011 PGA Merchandise Show is the new Nippon Shaft Pro MODUS3 Tour 120. The first new shaft to come to market since Nippon Shaft began researching the needs of top PGA touring pros over the last 18 months, according to Hiro Fukuda, head of sales and marketing for Nippon Shaft.

Watch this short video of Mark Pekarek from Nippon Shaft, talk about the key features of the N.S. Pro MODUS3 Tour 120.

N.S. Pro MODUS3 Tour 120 Backstory
Representatives from Nippon Shaft traveled regularly with the PGA TOUR starting in July 2009, talking with players, allowing them to sample prototypes, and refining the shafts to fit the players’ unique requirements.  A number of players used the shafts in competition last season.

“By traveling with the PGA TOUR, Nippon Shaft gained insight into the equipment preferences of many of the world’s elite players,” said Fukuda. “The N.S. Pro MODUS3 Tour 120 is the initial product to result from this exhaustive research and development process.”

A number of PGA touring pros – including former Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup team members – have been playing prototype versions of the MODUS3 shafts in PGA tournaments this year.

The Tour 120 model weighs between 114 and 126 grams and comes in S, X, and Tour X flex options.  Other models still in the testing phase weigh as little as 106 grams and as many as 139 grams – but all meet the requirements of top players.

N.S. Pro MODUS3 Tour 120 Features
The N.S. Pro MODUS3 series shafts are popular with touring pros because they offer optimal performance in the three key areas:

• Desired trajectory, which comes as a result of the unique shaft structure;
• Accurate distances, thanks to the shaft’s unique raw steel material and accompanying heat treatment;
• Tight dispersion, which comes from the exacting tolerances of the highest quality level.

Where to Buy
For the first time, consumers may purchase the shafts directly from major golf retailers, such as GolfSmith and The GolfWorks.

As always, the shafts are available through Shaftology – Nippon Shaft’s dedicated clubfitter network – and through the custom club departments of top club manufacturers.

www.nipponshaft.com

Ping Golf is known for its innovations that became industry standards like club fitting, perimeter, and investment casting in the manufacturing of golf clubs. One area where you can see its commitment to club making is in its metal woods category, with the development of the Ping i15 driver. The i15 driver is Ping’s latest driver aimed at the competitive golfer who likes to shape their shots off the tee.

[View with PicLens]

Look and Feel
The i15 driver has a very traditional pear shaped 460cc body made of Titanium that features a fade-biased design, that has internal weighting and hosel position farther away from the face of the club for workability, better flight trajectory, and less spin. The crown of the i15 features a prominent alignment stripe and what Ping calls a Bulge Crown Design, meaning that the crown is very high and round like a dome. The bulge crown design is meant to help with better crown and face interaction that lead to higher ball speeds. The titanium carbon finish and burgundy accents on the sole of the i15 make the club look very stealthy and svelte. The 199g head weight and 45.75″ 60g Ping TFC 700D Graphite shaft make the i15 driver very lightweight and easy to swing. The i15 has a really nice traditional setup that any golfer would appreciate and feel very confident on the tee with this driver.

Performance
The Ping i15 driver is designed for the golfer who wants to shape their shots off the tee and want a medium-high trajectory ball flight. Shaping your shots can be a little tricky with the i15, since the face has a fade-biased designed. Hitting a fade or straight shot couldn’t be easier with the i15, thanks in part to the hosel positioned farther from the face of the club. To hit a draw with the i15, I found it took a little more practice with closing the face of the driver more at impact than I’m used too. Once you figure this out, the i15 driver is very easy shape your shots.

The i15 doesn’t use any perimeter weighting for reducing spin or high MOI, instead Ping uses internal weighting to reduce the amount of spin on your shots. What I noticed from playing the i15 is that my shots were very easy to control and produced the tour-preferred medium-high trajectory.

One thing I did notice the minute I started hitting the Ping i15 was how hot the ball was off the face of the club. The ball explodes off the deep face of the i15 driver which has been engineered to have a thin face for increased responsiveness and linger drives. By removing weight on the face of the i15 driver, Ping was able to create a driver that produces a lot of ball speed that will deliver longer drives of 4-5 yards or better on average in my tests with additional carry.

At the same time by removing the weight from the face of the driver, Ping was also able reposition the weight for an optimized center of gravity to produce that tour-preferred trajectory. The bulge crown design also helps with achieving faster balls speeds, by allowing for better crown and face interaction, and delivering that trademarked “ping” sound associated with Ping golf clubs.

The TFC 700D shaft by Ping is very lightweight weighing at 60g and provides the proper amount of torque and flex to produce the optimal ball flight and help you get that increased club head speed for maximum distance and control off the tee.

In terms of forgiveness, I found the i15 driver to do a good job on my off center hits. Is it the most forgiving driver on the market, no. But the caliber of golfer the i15 is designed for will be just fine. If you need a more forgiving driver, Ping has other models like the G15 or Rapture V2 that can help.

Overall, I was really impressed with the Ping i15 driver and how easy it is to produce medium-high trajectory drives that went long and straight. The i15 driver is a great club for a player who wants workability and distance off the tee.

Ping i15 Driver $349

The most common swing fault golfers face is either the dreaded slice or hook, which is caused by either having the club face too open or closed at impact. What if there was a golf ball that could help reduce the amount of spin imparted on the golf ball, resulting in a straighter and longer ball flight? That’s what the 2010 version of the Bridgestone e6 golf ball aims to accomplish with this updated version of its popular e6 ball.

Look and Feel

The three piece design of the 2010 e6 is comprised of a soft gradational compression core, Anti Side-Spin Inner Layer, and soft Suryln cover that has a 330 Seamless Dimple Design. Last year’s version of the e6 was the most popular model of the the e series, because of it’s forgiveness on off-center hits and the 2010 version is aimed at making it easier to hit the ball longer and straighter, and resulting in hopefully lower scores.

The 2010 Bridgestone e6 golf ball utilizes a newly enhanced Anti-Side Spin Inner Layer that is designed to eliminate excess spin for straighter and longer flight. The Anti-Side Spin Inner Layer is made up of a new Bridgestone formulation that provides a combination of high resilience and low compression. The multi-layer e6 is even softer than the previous version, by reducing its compression by 8% according to Bridgestone Golf. The reduction in compression gives the e6 a softer feel that is best appreciated in chips and pitches and on putts.

Performance

The biggest selling point of the 2010 e6 is its ability to reduce side spin, and promote long straight ball flight. The big question is does the e6 make good on what it claims? The answer to this question is not a simple yes or no, and let me explain. No golf ball on the market is going to correct a faulty swing path or swing flaw. If you have a tendency to push the ball right or have a slice, you need to correct the swing flaw for why the club face is open at impact. And the only way to get that corrected is to seek help from a PGA Professional who can work with you on your swing flaw. Enough about that!

What the 2010 Bridgestone e6 can do is help with reducing the amount of side spin imparted on the ball by utilizing the Anti-Side Spin Inner Layer and turn your miss into not such a big of a miss. In my case, I have a tendency to slice the ball, and it won’t be that bad of a slice, because of the reduced side spin. I can tell you from my experience as a golfer who suffers from hitting a slice or “power fade” like I call it, the e6 did a nice job of making my misses not as severe.

It’s important to note that I have been taking golf lessons to work on a swing flaw that causes me to keep my face open at impact, which has greatly improved my accuracy with my driver and irons. It’s nice to have a golf ball that can give you a little help, even when you slice or hook the ball. With all that said, the e6 performed very well on drives, I was able to hit the ball very straight throughout my round and get at least an extra 3 yards of carry on my drives.

Mid-Irons and Short Game

With my mid-irons and short irons, the e6 was very responsive off of them  and the ball carried very well. The one area that I was really surprised to the see the e6 do well in was in the short game shots, like chipping and pitch shots. The previous versions of the e6 were not as green friendly at producing the kind of spin you get from three and four piece golf balls, that are softer. The feel on the new e6 was definitely improved and much softer than before and had great touch when putting, something I didn’t expect. Will the e6 produce the spin and control in the short game like the Tour B330-S or Tour B330? No, but it does a good enough job, that most golfers will like the amount of control it can provide in this class of golf balls.

Overall, I was really impressed by the 2010 Bridgestone e6 golf balls. They are a great ball that can help you achieve longer and straighter ball flight with reduced spin, without giving up short game feel and performance at a great price.

Bridgestone e6 $26.99

Bridgestone Golf has just released  three new e-Series golf  balls that reflect consumer demand for different solutions for different players.

After 40,000 ball-fittings and innumerable encounters with golfing consumers—on golf courses, at trade shows and through the web—Bridgestone Golf has collected a vast resource of data on average amateurs’ golf swings and has developed a product line that maximizes their strengths and minimizes their weaknesses—that makes the game more enjoyable and, most importantly, that helps players score better!

Targeting the average amateur player, Bridgestone is bringing updates to its award winning e-Series line focused on optimizing trajectory to improve distance and accuracy.

e5

2010 Bridgestone e5 golf balls

If you struggle with hitting your shots too low and need a higher ball flight for added carry. The new e5 golf ball uses its unique 2-piece urethane cover construction to help golfers who have a desire to add more height to their shot trajectory.

For the 2010 model, Bridgestone Golf has incorporated a 326 dimple pattern with shallower and larger dimples, producing a higher trajectory than its predecessor. In addition, the new e5 has a large gradational compression core and soft TOUR caliber urethane cover. The result – longer distance off the tee with exceptional spin control on and around the greens.

e6

2010 Bridgestone e6 golf balls

Do you suffer from hooks and slices in your ball trajectory? If you answered yes!  The most common cause for hook or slice is excessive side-spin imparted on the golf ball at impact due to a swing flaw. The 2010 version of the e6 golf ball has a new and improved Anti-Side Spin Inner Layer that kills excess spin for an even longer and straighter ball flight.

The Anti-Side Spin Inner Layer is comprised of a brand new Bridgestone formulation that offers a combination of high resilience and low compression, like never before available. Already the most popular model of the e series due to its forgiveness on off-center hits, this latest version of the e6 will bring even greater accuracy to help players lower their scores. In addition, Bridgestone has made the softest multi-layer golf ball on the market even softer, reducing its compression by 8%. The softer feel
is best appreciated on chips and pitches around the green and on putts.

e7

2010 Bridgestone e7 golf balls

What if you already have an ideal trajectory or want a slightly lower trajectory, and longer distance? Bridgestone has the updated e7 with a new proprietary Bridgestone Inner Layer formulation that makes the ball 5% firmer. This new Velocity Increasing Inner Layer along with a new higher speed Gradational Compression Core combine to create a more piercing flight and better wind resistance – resulting in even deeper distance off the tee.

The new e-series balls will be available at golf specialty stores and green grass retailers on November 1st, 2009 and will feature a street price of $26.99 per dozen (MSRP – $38 per dozen).

For more information on the new e5, e6 and e7 visit www.bridgestonegolf.com