I am a big fan of the original Squared Sumo driver and I was obviously excited about the new Sumo 5900. I would be lying if I didn’t say I was expecting big things from this club and the sleek new look certainly was pleasing on the eye. I’m not sure if I am a little disappointed though when I say it isn’t actually that much better than the one I already have.

I’m sure the max’d out MOI at 5900 technically has made some improvements on those off centre shots and the new powerbow weighting which has been designed to offer greater head stability and accuracy will be more reassuring, but for me it wasn’t enough to make a visible difference to my drive. Maybe I need a bit of time with it to really see the benefits of this club, after all I’m sure it hasn’t added 600 MOI to the original Sumo for no good reason.

But even with all this new technology if I had the choice of picking the old Sumo up for £100 or the new one for £230 I still think I’d go for the original.

Via GolfGearDirect.

Looking for a forgiving – easy to hit fairway wood then this R5 Dual Ti could well be your club. The engineering by TaylorMade on the launch control in these clubs becomes really apparant when you have the ball on the deck. They are so easy to get the ball into the air and the ‘V’ design really helps to cut through the turf and get thr ball airborne, which is probably why this is such a successful club as fairway woods are notoriously more difficult than an iron to achieve the right ball trajectory from the fairway.

Similar in technology then to the V Steel fairway woods but this R5 wood contains the dual cartridge system which has been an enormous success for TaylorMade allowing you to ‘tweek’ the loft and height by increasing the moment of inertia and deepen the centre of gravity. This increases club head stability for a smooth swing across a variety of lies producing a strong and straight ball flight.

Most impressively at the moment tho is the price, originally retailling at £300 they are now selling them at Online Golf for only £50.

Via Online Golf

Following a comment left from our post on the Taylor Made R7 CGB I felt obliged to take one of Ping’s new G10 Drivers to the range.

And although I am not a massive fan of Ping clubs I was much surprised (as I was by the Ping G5!!) that this is actually a very good club. Although it didn’t give the same excitement as I felt with the r7, the ping feels more reliable, has a softer feel and probably gave better consistency than the r7, but the r7 was so long and powerful.

The G10 I felt was very similar to the G5 with a slightly larger face and deeper crown, this has resulted in a higher MOI that combined with the 460cc head makes it a great club. I think if you were a fan of the G5 or G2 then this is going to be a popular choice, but I don’t think this driver compares the Titleist 907’s and the r7 CGB.

At only £170 from GolfDealers.co.uk it is over £100 cheaper than the r7, which is quite amazing!

The TaylorMade r7 CGB Max Driver is here and after a quick session down the range this is a quality bit of equipment! TaylorMade have introduced an extra long shaft which effortlessly generates much quicker club head speed, the forgiveness from the triangular head is surprisingly reassuring, but most impressive is the technical details which is going to make this driver a massive success…

The r7 CGM Max features three moveable weights to give you draw or fade and a whole range of other technology, which is designed to match this driver perfectly to your swing! The three adjustable weights give the r7 CGB Max an impressive 35-yard trajectory change from side to side. By placing the weight in the heel, it will create 30 yards of extra draw, placing the weight in the back and you will get a 15 yard draw, putting the weight in the toe will produce 5 yards of fade…. And so on!

Whilst the moveable weight technology sounds impressive TaylorMade have also introduced this triangular head shape, similar to the Titleist 907D1 and kicks out a substantial 460cc’s. The r7 CGB Max also incorporates the inverted cone core technology, an extremely high MOI and a deep centre of gravity allowing it to boast massive forgiveness and consistent distance.

£270 from Online Golf

Online Golf is having a massive sale and one of the best finds i’ve come across is the Taylor Made V Steel II Fairway Wood. The club has had many great reviews on the website from golfers of varied handicaps and with 75% off the rrp is a sure bargain at just £29.99.

The name derives from a V shaped sole which has been designed to give stability when addressing the ball, making aiming easier and once you are swinging reduces turf resistance giving what should result in greater consistency and more reliability.

The V Steel comes with a lightweight graphite shaft giving Taylor Made’s fairway wood a mid-torque and greater head pull, offering an optimal combination of distance, control and loft benefiting golfers of every ability.

Via American Golf

The most used Driver on the European Tour in 2007 and only £129.99. The TaylorMade R7 Quad 425 Driver is definitely a big hitters club with a massive 425cc club head this is one for the big dogs! The R7 utilises Taylor Made’s Inverted Cone technology for a bigger sweetspot and 4 removable weight cartridges which allows you to slip from neutral to a draw bias as required.

Personally I havn’t had the pleasure of trying this driver but the R7 Draw driver was a pleasure to use and im sure this will be all that and more. Especially at only £130 saving £170 off the rrp, not bad in my book!

From Online Golf

Before you buy your new driver or set of irons a bit of professional advice and tailoring is always welcomed. Ive been to one or two demo days before and they are so helpful. If you know what you want and want to try before you buy then they are spot on. With trained professionals able to assist and tailor the products to your needs this sure beats hitting a few balls at the range from the pro shop!

Golfalot have very usefully provided a search database of UK demo days where you can search from location and maunfacturers to find one coming near you!

Check it out here

This is the Ping G5, a club and brand which has never been top of my list for drivers and irons. However having just played 18 holes with this club I could well be converted!

The G5 comprises a 460cc titanium Ping head with a new internal weighting distribution that re-positions the center of gravity for lower spin rates and higher MOI. The G5 is following in the footsteps in the massively successful G2 and whilst still similar in shape to the G2, the confidence-inspiring G5 head provides greater forgiveness and extra distance.

The re-distribution of the weight on the G5 to the back of the club is very confidence inspiring and rather reassuring as you wind up your back swing. The re-designed Ping head has allowed a redistribution in 8 grams of weight from the crown of the driver and placed it lower and further back to generate a higher launch and to reduce ball spin. The larger head on the G5 compared to the G2 also gives more confidence on the tee and what with a higher sweet spot you just need to tee it high and let it fly!

There are also plans for an offset version of the G5 which seems to be a market trend what with clubs such as the R7 Draw proving very popular clubs. The G5 Offset driver will utilize a quarter inch of offset to help those golfers who struggle to produce a draw, or just to help beat that slice!!

Overall this was a very impressive club, and one which I was not expecting to like! The club was very long and straight, and playing a very tight course there certainly is still more to come from this club! I will definitely be taking a demo G5 to the range and may even be looking to trade in the SasQuach, I was that impressed. Find other golf clubs in the Ping G5 range on Clickgolf’s website.

Callaway’s bold claim to having introduced the world’s straightest hitting driver in the Callaway FT-i Driver (Square) Draw, has been largely confirmed by a study in Today’s Golfer – What Gear 2007 where 100 readers tried this club and 80% of them hit longer whilst 70% hit straighter. With a similar concept to the R7 Draw this club is designed to provide natural draw on your shot or simply to correct those golfers who hit the left to rights!

The Callaway FT-I incorporates a 460cc club head and dispersed weighing positioned towards the rear corners of the club head. Callaway have also introduced in this club ‘Complete Inertial Design’, which basically not only targets the horizontal MOI, but also vertical MOI. This focus on vertical MOI is said to provide resistance to twisting on off centre shots, specifically the sole to crown.

The abundance of square drivers on the market now all aiming for increased MOI providing better accuracy and forgiveness is starting to become overwhelming. At first I had the SasQuatch, which I was very impressed with. The FT-I has a slightly less conventional head shape and I found it difficult to get comfortable standing over it on the tee. However, the club did play nicely and I was hitting long and straight but overall I just could not get past the shape! But then again the SasQuatch sounds like I’ve pulled a plank of wood out of my bag so I guess it’s each to their own! The Callaway FT-I is definitely worth a try but I would recommend trying before buying!

From Onlinegolf at £350

I recently bought a new square sumo driver. At only £269 I thought I would be hitting the ball much straighter. As a 19 handicaper I was prone to a frequent slice, an occasional pull, and an occasional straight one.

Having used the sumo now for about 10 rounds I can honestly say that I still slice, still pull and still make an occasional straight one. Oh well.