GOLD
GOLD
GOLD
OVERALL RATING ★★★★ ½ PERFORMANCE ★★★★ ½ INNOVATION ★★★★ ½ LOOK • SOUND • FEEL ★★★★ ½
OVERALL RATING ★★★★ ½ PERFORMANCE ★★★★ ½ INNOVATION ★★★★★ LOOK • SOUND • FEEL ★★★★
OVERALL RATING ★★★★ ½ PERFORMANCE ★★★★ INNOVATION ★★★★ ½ LOOK • SOUND • FEEL ★★★★ ½
‘I can fade or draw it without the ball spinning much. Has a lower launch but a takeoff that lets the ball stay in the sky longer.’ –4-HANDICAP
‘Small head, thin topline
‘I love the softness off the face. This club gets the ball up quick with a lot of forgiveness.’ –5-HANDICAP
with a powerful sole. The feel
is slightly soft, even on mishits.’ – 4-HANDICAP
CALLAWAY
CALLAWAY
COBRA KING TOUR R22 000
APEX CB R32 000 WHY WE LIKE IT
APEX PRO R32 000
WHY WE LIKE IT For close to a decade now, driver technol- ogy has trickled down into irons, particularly springy faces. To achieve optimal performance in the Apex Pro, engineers used a hollow-body construction with a thinner, more flexible cup- face (in which the face wraps around part of the sole and topline) on the 3- through 5-iron to provide more ball speed and a higher launch to enhance distance. The remaining irons have a 1025 forged-carbon-steel face insert designed for precision, accuracy and repeatability. • Urethane microspheres damp sound and improve feel. • A pre-worn leading edge on the sole cuts through the turf. • Back weight gives fitters more options to dial in swingweight. • 7-iron: 33 degrees; PW: 45 degrees
WHY WE LIKE IT Most traditional irons use a two- or three-step forging process, but these irons feature a five- step process that more effectively aligns the grain structure of the metal and reduces the number of voids. This process allows for tighter control of the weight specs and reduces the amount of hand polishing, leading to a more precise clubhead. The grooves are milled into the face so that they can be manufactured closer to the USGA limit. A channel behind the hitting area is filled with a thermoplastic ure- thane to keep the feel just right. • Weight in the toe places the CG closer to face centre. • The TPU insert delivers the soft feel better players demand. • A shorter hosel length helps bring spin down. • 7-iron: 32 degrees; PW: 44 degrees
With its effective mix of classic looks and contemporary technology, the Apex CB is made for the demands of elite players. This is an iron that gets the details right, especially the features better golfers appreciate, like an improved sole design for more effective turf interaction, tweaked centres of gravity via the use of tungsten weights that are dialled in for each individual iron, and hitting the trifecta of shape, sound and feel that better players require.
Though they look similar and often produce the same type of shots, hybrids and fairway woods should not be treated the same way. When swinging a hybrid, your goal should be to strike a little down on the ball – not sweep it off the turf like you do with woods. Think of hybrids more like a 6-iron. One issue with amateurs I see a lot is playing the ball too far forward with these clubs. Not only does that make it more difficult to get ball-first contact before catching a little turf – which is your goal – it also exacerbates a slice because your swing path becomes even more out to in before con- tact. You put a glancing blow on the ball. Next time you’re ready to hit a hybrid, set up with your heart just in front of the ball in your stance. You can even place your right hand over your heart to check ball position (above). If your hand/heart is closer to the target than the ball, you’re in position to get the most out of a hy- brid. – with Ron Kaspriske Erika Larkin is one of Golf Digest’s 50 Best Teachers in America. She is director of instruction at the Club at Creighton Farms in Virginia DON’T TREAT YOUR HYBRIDS LIKE FAIRWAY WOODS BY ERIKA LARKIN
• Single-piece forging produces a soft feel. • Tungsten toe weights move the CG closer to the face’s centre. • Progressive CG promotes appropriate ball flight. • 7-iron: 34 degrees; PW: 46 degrees
BALL FLIGHT
BALL FLIGHT
BALL FLIGHT
Lower
Higher
Lower
Higher
Lower
Higher
SENSORY
SENSORY
SENSORY
Softer
Firmer
Softer
Firmer
Softer
Firmer
PLAYABILITY
PLAYABILITY
PLAYABILITY
Workable
Forgiving
Workable
Forgiving
Workable
Forgiving
TOP 5 HIGHEST FLYING, PLAYERS IRONS, LOW-HANDICAPS
TOP 5 SOFTEST FEELING, PLAYERS IRONS, MEDIUM SWING SPEEDS
TOP 5 SOFTEST FEELING, PLAYERS IRONS, LOW SWING SPEEDS
65 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 66
HOTLIST 2024
HOTLIST 2024
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software