GOLD
GOLD
GOLD
‘Good turf interaction with a crisp sound off the face. That sensory feedback makes it easy to tell centre strikes from mis-hits.’ – 1-HANDICAP
OVERALL RATING ★★★★ ½ PERFORMANCE ★★★★ ½ INNOVATION ★★★★ ½ LOOK • SOUND • FEEL ★★★★
OVERALL RATING ★★★★ ½ PERFORMANCE ★★★★ ½ INNOVATION ★★★★ LOOK • SOUND • FEEL ★★★★ ½
OVERALL RATING ★★★★ ½ PERFORMANCE ★★★★ ½ INNOVATION ★★★★★ LOOK • SOUND • FEEL ★★★★
‘This is a ball-strikers club. Love the classic look. Centre strikes felt exceptional. A lot of pop.’ – 4-HANDICAP
PXG 0317 T R32 000 WHY WE LIKE IT ‘A players iron with tech. Little curvature on mis-hits. Off-centre hits stay straight.’ – PLUS 1-HANDICAP
SRIXON ZX7 Mk II R22 000
TAYLORMADE
P·770 R28 000
WHY WE LIKE IT What’s different in this model is the “Pure- Frame” design in which mass is forged into the clubhead behind the hitting area. That added thickness, determined by studying the iron- impact patterns of the company’s tour staff, reduces face flex by 12 percent, providing the distance control of a muscle-back blade iron with more than a hint of forgiveness. A shorter blade height enhances control, allowing players to flight short-iron shots lower. Notches on the heel and toe of the sole aid exiting the turf.
WHY WE LIKE IT Yes, tour players use this iron, but even average players can enjoy many of the club’s benefits. Tungsten, for example, is used in the longer irons to make it easier to get shots airborne, and despite its classic looks, this is a hollow-body iron with a face as thin as 1.55mm. The thin face and TaylorMade’s “speed-pocket slot” produce plenty of spring- like effect at impact for maximum distance.
Forget for a minute that this iron almost looks like a muscle-back blade. It plays anything but. PXG has taken what it has learned over the years from previous hollow-body designs and brought it to an iron targeted to elite players. However, instead of using the hollow area and the polymer that fills it to enhance distance, polymer is used to stabilise the face. That improves distance and spin con- sistency, which is what you want when you’re pin-hunting. • Three-step forged from 8620 carbon steel for a soft feel. • Internal weighting improves off-centre-hit performance. • The centre weight can be adjusted for optimal swing weight. • 7-iron: 32 degrees; PW: 46 degrees
A common problem for amateur golfers is swinging a driver like it’s an iron. When you do that, your angle of attack is too steep and moving in the wrong direction (downward, not upward), and you can’t take advan- tage of all the technology built into these forgiving clubs. To better understand how you should swing a driver, imagine you’re hitting it out of a fairway bunker. Sound a little crazy? Perhaps, but hear me out: When you make a fairway-bunker swing, you want to contact as little sand as possible and clip the ball out, which is not all that different than your swing path with a driv- er. You want to come into the ball on a shallow angle of attack and, hopefully, clip the ball slightly on the upswing ( above ). When you address a teed ball with your driver, use this visual to not only help you shallow your swing and sweep the ball off the tee, but also to get in a better setup with your trail shoulder. It should be oriented lower than your lead shoulder. Now you’re ready to launch your driver and get the most distance you can – with Ron Kaspriske PRETEND YOU’RE IN FAIRWAY SAND TO LAUNCH YOUR DRIVER BY MOLLY BRAID
• A lower blade height promotes more control on short irons. • Short irons have deeper grooves for added spin. • The sole design helps maintain clubhead speed on fat shots. • 7-iron: 32 degrees; PW: 46 degrees
• Weight has been removed from the high-toe area to expand the sweet spot. • A polyurethane foam inside the head assists feel. • 7-iron: 33 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
Molly Braid is Golf Digest’s No 1-ranked instructor in Wisconsin. She teaches at Westmoor CC.
TOP 5 MOST WORKABLE, PLAYERS IRONS, MIDDLE-HANDICAPS
TOP 5 SOFTEST FEELING, PLAYERS IRONS, MEDIUM SWING SPEEDS
TOP 5 HIGHEST FLYING, PLAYERS IRONS, LOW-HANDICAPS
69 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 70
HOTLIST 2024
HOTLIST 2024
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