Is now up on golfdigest.com.

Here you go.

Thanks for that. Can’t help feeling these guys are losing the plot though. Six pages of putters? Maybe trying to hard not to offend any one manufacturer.

Yeah, there’s so many, I think they’re obliged to provide a broad range, otherwise they could be accused of bias. That being said, there is a huge quantity of Callaway equipment in this year’s list. Either they’ve made a great bunch of gear this year, or there’s some advertising funds pushing the judge’s decisions in their favour.

The trend towards 3i, 4i, 5i hybrid seems to be continuing, with loads of companies releasing hybrid sets. The traditionalist in me wants to go buy irons, but the pragmatist in me tells me to get a hybrid set.

Can’t bring myself to even try out hybrids. Seems to me like having a 9 wood in the bag. I see reasonably young guys at my club hit woods and hybrids from 140m or further out, and makes me wonder if these “recovery” or “utility” clubs actually lead to degraded, negative swings, i.e. not having the balls to hit down aggressively and take a frickin divot with an iron.

OK, time to take another one of my pills.

From what I have been told by my US counterparts, the value
of the list has been diluted by the brands wth Ads getting the
getting the ticks in the right boxes.

Was it two years ago that Nike seemed to have a lot of Gold
performers and Callaway over the the past two lists 2007+2008.

Its a good guide and interesting reading though.

I does seem to be that way…. there picking what the sponsors pay them to pick, not what is best for the readers which is sad to see.

Try the Hybrids Muntz ,until you do you won,t know what your missing. Ihave a cobra Baffler DWS.20deg & it is definately the easiest club in the bag to hit well.

All right, I’ll dance with the devil… how far does it go, and when do you pull it out of the bag?

I had a similar attitude to hybrids until my swing coach suggested I retire my 3 iron forever… my 3 iron is the one club I could never consistently hit straight (no matter how hard we worked on it) The truth be told there are many clubs in my bag like that, but the 3 iron was the worst of them.

I have replaced my 3 iron with a Callaway X 3 Hybrid, and I am again in love (don’t tell my wife)! Straight, consistent and happy.

If you could choose one club from each section. Which one? or add others?

Driver: TM Burner or Callaway FT5
Irons: X-20
Putter:Odyssey
Wedges: Vokey or Cleveland CG12
Hybrid: Adams, Nickent or TM Burner
Wood: TM Burner

Over to you guys/gals…

Driver :
FT5 or FTi

Irons: X20

Muntz, I have a Cleveland Halo 16 degree and i prefer to hit 3 iron at the moment. If you hit a good long iron there is no point in them. i would never go above a 4 hybrid. I love hitting irons into greens. i could never imagine looking at a 150m marker and thinking “Yeah ill take hybrid here…” Its a 7-8 iron all day long….....

Can’t bring myself to even try out hybrids. Seems to me like having a 9 wood in the bag. I see reasonably young guys at my club hit woods and hybrids from 140m or further out, and makes me wonder if these “recovery” or “utility” clubs actually lead to degraded, negative swings, i.e. not having the balls to hit down aggressively and take a frickin divot with an iron.

OK, time to take another one of my pills.

Reverse every natural instinct you have and do just the opposite of what you are inclined to do and you will probably come very close to having a perfect golf swing. – BEN HOGAN, POWER GOLF

I’m with you Muntz (and Ian) “hybrid shmybrid”

Hit my 3i 190 sometimes ,200 occasionally and 150 hooked OOB more often than I want.22 degree TM dual hybrid195 to 210 nearly always and straight,Luv it,luv it luv it!!! ;)

All right, I’ll dance with the devil… how far does it go, and when do you pull it out of the bag?

Reverse every natural instinct you have and do just the opposite of what you are inclined to do and you will probably come very close to having a perfect golf swing. – BEN HOGAN, POWER GOLF

Better late than never. I hit it 200m consistantly & have since the first day I received it I use it anywhere from 180-200m for full shots . It is also very useful for low punch shots, either draws or fades when I am in trouble under trees. Used to play these type of shots with 3 iron but the Baffler is much easier to use than the 3 iron.

Love my 3 and 4 irons…can’t see me getting rid of them and getting Hybrids…have tried them and well they went like my 3 and 4 irons – so I am on the ‘no hybrid for me’ team…good luck to those that do have them and like them…I think my grandad has one…and Aunt Bessy :)

Can’t bring myself to even try out hybrids. Seems to me like having a 9 wood in the bag. I see reasonably young guys at my club hit woods and hybrids from 140m or further out, and makes me wonder if these “recovery” or “utility” clubs actually lead to degraded, negative swings, i.e. not having the balls to hit down aggressively and take a frickin divot with an iron.

OK, time to take another one of my pills.

Reverse every natural instinct you have and do just the opposite of what you are inclined to do and you will probably come very close to having a perfect golf swing. – BEN HOGAN, POWER GOLF

I sharre your a view a bit…

I have worked relentlessy on drawing a 4 iron that goes a160 m into the wind….its paying dividends…you cant play that shot with a hybrid

that said theres a place for them also

the hotlist is about as accurate as the weekly weathermans prediction, callaway ft-i and ft-5 rated gold , give me a break you can tell who pays alot of advertising with them .

the hotlist is about as accurate as the weekly weathermans prediction, callaway ft-i and ft-5 rated gold , give me a break you can tell who pays alot of advertising with them .

If you were the Editor – Which clubs would be gold in your books?

Agree a few great clubs were not even mentioned (Nickent Driver?)

The list probably created from the following formula
Gold – 50k advertising $
Silver – 25k
Bronze – 10k

LOL.

the hotlist is about as accurate as the weekly weathermans prediction, callaway ft-i and ft-5 rated gold , give me a break you can tell who pays alot of advertising with them .

If you were the Editor – Which clubs would be gold in your books?

Agree a few great clubs were not even mentioned (Nickent Driver?)

Is that a rhetorical question? :P

If you were the Editor – Which clubs would be gold in your books?

What would be your list?

the only list to pay attention to is one that tests every club on the market i remember a test about 5 years ago that used a robot to swing and tested all drivers in same conditions and the srixon was 20 yards longer than 2nd place which was a taylormade , callaway and nike were in the bottom half of test and as was mentioned earlier they did not test the nickent which from what i have read is now in the top 3 selling drivers in usa and was the 4th biggest company in the usa last year .

the only list to pay attention to is one that tests every club on the market i remember a test about 5 years ago that used a robot to swing and tested all drivers in same conditions and the srixon was 20 yards longer than 2nd place which was a taylormade , callaway and nike were in the bottom half of test and as was mentioned earlier they did not test the nickent which from what i have read is now in the top 3 selling drivers in usa and was the 4th biggest company in the usa last year .

HARRo8U..

you’re not telling porkies with unsubstansiated facts again Are you? 5 years ago some of the drivers around I knew of where:

TM 300/500 series
Cally GBB MK II and Steelhead MKIII
PING Tisi/TEC series
that Adams Rubbish (383?)
Titleist 983 E and K
That Srixon piece of crap XXIO (get a funky Jap to wear a cowboy hat at the PGA and pretend his driver is it)
Cobra gravity back
bridgey precept

The Nickent driver of the day was the Genex, – seriously a non contender against any of the above..

NOw as for your test, was the beloved srixon conforming or non conforming?

The best driver of that list I could say would have been either the PING Tisi TEC or the 983K. pity the ping shape was such a radical thing..

Those old Ping Tisi drivers went pretty good.