New balls please

Laid my filthy mitts on some new golf balls today from the callaway stable. The are called HEX.
Don't know if anyone has played them yet but my club pro was checking the loft and lie of my wedges and when he was on the phone I went through to see where the magic happens and spied these little beauties. As I sorted out some sun tan lotion for him I have secured a couple of sleves of hex Crome and hex tour. They will all be gone by the 7th on sunday but you heard it here first. If anyone wants a sleeve of three to be first in the club, 15 quid to v606 charity and I will send em

I am literally quite excited at the prospect of trying the Hex Black.

Apparently the hex chrome is a 3 piece with the emphasis on distance, while the hex black is a 5 piece, with the emphasis on all-round spinny distancey goodness. It's currently receiving a lorra lorra praise on tour.

5 quid a ball.

What's the normal retail price?

Marcus wrote:...It's currently receiving a lorra lorra praise on tour.

I'm sure it is...from Callaway staffers...who're no doubt told to extol its virtues.

Any ball will receive untold amounts of praise on tour from players because they are paid to play them.

The proof of how good it really is, is in using it yourself. Will give them a miss not a fan of callaways balls or clubs

Agreed with Mav here- same as clubs, for example- my club pro, guys at custom fit shop where i get my clubs and myself maintain that Ping's G5 driver is still the best driver they have released despite 3 generations coming out since, yet the pros will use and promote the new ones because they are paid to do so.

Like everything you haveto try for yourself. Personally I still haven't found anything to improve on Prov1, but that's just my opinion based on the feel I want off the club as well as trajecory spin and shape. Different strokes for different and all that.

Wilson FG Tours are worth a try. quality urethane balls for alot tless than your Pro V1's and Callway I tours. Found them to perform really well. I would say all users of preimium balls should at least gives these a go to see what they think.

matelot golfer wrote:Wilson FG Tours are worth a try. quality urethane balls for alot tless than your Pro V1's and Callway I tours. Found them to perform really well. I would say all users of preimium balls should at least gives these a go to see what they think.

Never been a fan Matelot, I don't like the font of the writing, look like a ball from the 60's, The surface becomes discoloured quickly and I split 3 out of the first 4 I ever used. Not a good start. Returned the rest and swapped them for a better quality ball.

I am a fan of Callaway balls but not their clubs, but the price would need to come down to nearer £2.50 a ball, before I would try them

oldparwin wrote:I am a fan of Callaway balls but not their clubs, but the price would need to come down to nearer £2.50 a ball, before I would try them

Callaway bats arent that bad! Granted, the woods are a bit of an acquired taste, and the giant sized game improvement irons are horrid, but the stuff for the better player such as the x forged irons and the prototypes are as good as anything out there, and the wedges are in my opinion knock spots off any of the Vokey offerings.

I don't think Callaway bats are worse than any other OEM. Most manufacturers produce clubs that are ugly. Callaway blades are actually quite handsome.

for me callaway lost all credability when they brought out the 'diablo' series. up till then the big bertha titanium 454, vft, and steelhead fairway woods were all fairly desirable clubs. seem like they've gone a bit chavvy - even more so than the likes of the nike's which are considerbly more classy (despite being a manufacturer more traditionally associated with les ned).

The diablo clubs performed really well. I had a 3 wood and a couple if hybrids. It was just the colour scheme that spoiled them.

The Diablo Black Tour is a good looking driver. I've had an FT-5 for a few years and it's a great driver.
I think OEM's are trying too hard to "out-design" the competition these days.

Wouldn't touch Nike with a bargepole. Played a guy the other week in a club comp who had his name stitched into the front panel of his Nike bag (filled with everything Nike). That's as much motivation as I need, like playing football against someone with a Celtic or Rangers top on.

i loved my old callaway woods and was gutted when i saw their latest offering back then!

in fairness, my g15's are not exactly the most beautiful clubs either.

your point about 'out-designing' is spot on s-r. its painful to see, but then again it mainly only applies to the 'game-improvement' category of clubs.

Yeah, you are right Ban, Most "players" club remain delightfully spartan and elegant.

super_realist wrote:The Diablo Black Tour is a good looking driver. I've had an FT-5 for a few years and it's a great driver.
I think OEM's are trying too hard to "out-design" the competition these days.

Wouldn't touch Nike with a bargepole. Played a guy the other week in a club comp who had his name stitched into the front panel of his Nike bag (filled with everything Nike). That's as much motivation as I need, like playing football against someone with a Celtic or Rangers top on.

Agreed. Can't stand Nike stuff and would never use it. I feel the same way about Taylormade now. Their cynical marketing machine has made me feel very anti. Surely they must be running out of ways to re-hash the R580 by now?? They're also the chavviest brand out there.

Have no issue with Nike stuff, actually think it performs well, especially the drivers, the VR has a very classic looking head shape and the VR Blades are lovely looking, they just need to lose the red colouring.

TM is another kettle of fish, being seen with those is tantamount to wearing a shellsuit.

Callaway, I think used to always produce the best Drivers, but they've gone to far with the way they try to make them look now and not a fan of the sound off the face.

Cobra are coming back into the game in a good way not bad looking clubs and the feel off the MB's is superb

Bridgestone and Adams are making some of the best looking top end irons around at the moment. A fair amount of exclusivity built in there too.

Cobra have produced some decent stuff over the years, but this new link up with Puma will see them go the same way as TM. The ridiculous 48" driver they're offering next year is just the start!

super_realist wrote:Bridgestone and Adams are making some of the best looking top end irons around at the moment. A fair amount of exclusivity built in there too.

Took the MB's down the range last night for a test, even with the garbage balls the range the feel off the face made me feel like I needed to reach for a towel.

Taking them out tomorrow for a bounce game. Will keep you posted on them.

Looking forward to hearing about them Mav.

super_realist wrote:

matelot golfer wrote:Wilson FG Tours are worth a try. quality urethane balls for alot tless than your Pro V1's and Callway I tours. Found them to perform really well. I would say all users of preimium balls should at least gives these a go to see what they think.

Never been a fan Matelot, I don't like the font of the writing, look like a ball from the 60's, The surface becomes discoloured quickly and I split 3 out of the first 4 I ever used. Not a good start. Returned the rest and swapped them for a better quality ball.

Au contrair. I like the FG Tours a lot. They aren't the whitest for sure but they're OK. They play fantastically though and they're a softer feel ball than most of the junk out there which, for me, is a big plus. Good value as well. I have split 2 as well but, to be fair, that was after 35 and 40-something holes, respectively. Looking a bit tatty by then anyway. Be interesting to see what version 2 is like whenever it arrives as they have a seriously good start point on which to build.

Marcus wrote:...The ridiculous 48" driver they're offering next year is just the start!

They're not seriously offering such a stupid club are they?

Wouldnt mind a shot of the callaway x forged irons. Look amazing.

I have the old callaway ft3-tour driver and love the sound it makes. Its sounds a bit brash, which is appropriate when you're trying to bomb it as far as you can! Catch one out of the middle and it will go for miles. Not the most forgiving though, which is why I have a ping G10 in play just now. Totally agree on the out designing thing - I've never bought a brand new driver. Always go for 2nd hand model thats just been replaced by a new one.

As for balls. I used to like the Srixon Z-urs. Thought they were great in the wind. Now play prov1s. Due to their popularity its easy to get cheaper refurbs off ebay. Dont think I've ever bought a brand new prov1.

Can you imagine how inaccurate a 48" driver would be? As if most people aren't wayward enough.

super_realist wrote:Can you imagine how inaccurate a 48" driver would be? As if most people aren't wayward enough.

Quite. I've actually gone the other way recently (to 44") and I certainly haven't lost any distance as I'm almost certainly finding the middle more often and it's going a little straighter as well....which is nice.

Many pro's do the same now Navy. I'd cut mine down too, but I'd be worried how it would affect the flex given that i've been fitted for it.

I too have 44" had that fitted when I got all my near gear. Always amazes when they bring out the new longer shafts how people don't seem to correlate that with lack of accuracy

Mav, it's that magical word on which OEM's have made millions :- "Distance!"

It blinds (stupid) people to the laws of physics.

How true SR and how TM have made money off the masses as a result. Same as adjustable drivers, instead of people practising to stop the faults, just adjust the club to close/open the club face to combat the bad shot. Poor way of improving

Maverick wrote:How true SR and how TM have made money off the masses as a result. Same as adjustable drivers, instead of people practising to stop the faults, just adjust the club to close/open the club face to combat the bad shot. Poor way of improving

one of my occasional playing partners has the cobra zl (i think), and often will head up to the range the night before a match and adjust his driver settings 'appropriately' to suit his swing. next morning he's often confused why he's over drawing it / over slicing it when he set it up 'correctly'. truth is he swings it too fast and is the personification of inconsistency.

navyblueshorts wrote:

super_realist wrote:

matelot golfer wrote:Wilson FG Tours are worth a try. quality urethane balls for alot tless than your Pro V1's and Callway I tours. Found them to perform really well. I would say all users of preimium balls should at least gives these a go to see what they think.

Never been a fan Matelot, I don't like the font of the writing, look like a ball from the 60's, The surface becomes discoloured quickly and I split 3 out of the first 4 I ever used. Not a good start. Returned the rest and swapped them for a better quality ball.

Au contrair. I like the FG Tours a lot. They aren't the whitest for sure but they're OK. They play fantastically though and they're a softer feel ball than most of the junk out there which, for me, is a big plus. Good value as well. I have split 2 as well but, to be fair, that was after 35 and 40-something holes, respectively. Looking a bit tatty by then anyway. Be interesting to see what version 2 is like whenever it arrives as they have a seriously good start point on which to build.

Marcus wrote:...The ridiculous 48" driver they're offering next year is just the start!

They're not seriously offering such a stupid club are they?

They sure are. It's called the "Long Tom", and it's on their website already. It also known as their "four foot" driver. It's available in an unfinished, raw "finish" which looks awful.

Theyve kindly included a calculator on their website... You put in your current driver shaft length, how far you hit it, and they calculate how much further this new stick will go. According to them I'd gain 23 yards. Unfortunately it doesn't calculate how much further right my occasional snap hook will go though.

Ban that in itself highlights my point exactly. Wonders why the next day he cant hit what he set up. Be better having spent the money he did on adjustable driver on a lesson to straighten his driving up.

It hink we all know these people that do what you have described there's dozens of them at my club

the problem is he also spent money on lessons, which haven't made a difference!!! he knows best apparently.

Marcus wrote:

navyblueshorts wrote:

super_realist wrote:

matelot golfer wrote:Wilson FG Tours are worth a try. quality urethane balls for alot tless than your Pro V1's and Callway I tours. Found them to perform really well. I would say all users of preimium balls should at least gives these a go to see what they think.

Never been a fan Matelot, I don't like the font of the writing, look like a ball from the 60's, The surface becomes discoloured quickly and I split 3 out of the first 4 I ever used. Not a good start. Returned the rest and swapped them for a better quality ball.

Au contrair. I like the FG Tours a lot. They aren't the whitest for sure but they're OK. They play fantastically though and they're a softer feel ball than most of the junk out there which, for me, is a big plus. Good value as well. I have split 2 as well but, to be fair, that was after 35 and 40-something holes, respectively. Looking a bit tatty by then anyway. Be interesting to see what version 2 is like whenever it arrives as they have a seriously good start point on which to build.

Marcus wrote:...The ridiculous 48" driver they're offering next year is just the start!

They're not seriously offering such a stupid club are they?

They sure are. It's called the "Long Tom", and it's on their website already. It also known as their "four foot" driver. It's available in an unfinished, raw "finish" which looks awful.

Theyve kindly included a calculator on their website... You put in your current driver shaft length, how far you hit it, and they calculate how much further this new stick will go. According to them I'd gain 23 yards. Unfortunately it doesn't calculate how much further right my occasional snap hook will go though.

Just looked at this and done the calculator, according to the cobra website I can add 26 yards to my distance off the tee so based on that ratio nprobably add about 40 yards to my shot dispertion what idiot is going to buy that...

I'd be more inclined to take notice of a club manufacturer whose main marketing point was that their product significantly increased accuracy, constantly going on about distance is like changing from a 6 foot snooker table to a 12 foot, you end up hitting the ball further, but are far more likely to miss the target by a bigger margin.
Still, by and large, golfers are a stupid and gullible lot who would rather believe marketing propaganda than put in the practice that will make the real difference.

Don't think I can remember the last a manufacturer advertised a driver that helped improve accuracy

Long tom raw, apparently this "48 inch phenom is ready to break distance records", although as a limited edition will only be made available for people with a phallus protruding from their forehead.


http://www.cobragolf.co.uk/golf-clubs/2012-limited-release-long-tom-driver-raw

I tried the FG Tour ball when it first came out. Felt nice and very responsive but I lost a lot of distance with it. Pal of mine (who is pretty long) said the same thing but losing a few yards isn't a problem for him.

t'isn't a patch on the Wilson Ultra 500. It had 500 dimples, don't you know.

raycastleunited wrote:Long tom raw, apparently this "48 inch phenom is ready to break distance records", although as a limited edition will only be made available for people with a phallus protruding from their forehead.


http://www.cobragolf.co.uk/golf-clubs/2012-limited-release-long-tom-driver-raw

That'd be about right. Oh and the fact that they use the pseudo-word 'phenom' in the blurb just makes them even more daft. Still, I'm sure it'll sell well enough.

We should run a sweepstake to see which gullibubble mug from 606 buys one first.

My money is on Maverick.

Marcus wrote:We should run a sweepstake to see which gullibubble mug from 606 buys one first.

My money is on Maverick.

Firstly I'd need to be a gullible mug.. Secondly would change my driver for anything...

Only buy gear when it's required not because some new comes out.

You're missing out on those GUARANTEED 26 yards!!!

Marcus wrote:You're missing out on those GUARANTEED 26 yards!!!

Rather lose 26 yards and be more accurate. Why anyone buys a club to get more distance I have no idea.. Suppose it's like buying a ferrari, people with inferior sized man sausages

Do you remember those illegal ceramic headed drivers? They went crazy distances.

Marcus wrote:Do you remember those illegal ceramic headed drivers? They went crazy distances.

I do remember those, they also sounded like you were literally hitting the ball with a dinner plate.

Do you remember the brand Olazabal used to play was supposed to go miles, had a blue head and couple of go faster strips cut out near the toe end of the club.. I believe the brand was Makser

then there was the STX putters made famous by Parnevik

Yep, those drivers were made by Royal Doulton I think. Awful things.

Makser drivers used to be the business. Looked perfectly normal at address, but bloody weird from any other angle. They used to make a lovely noise at impact.

A friend of mine had one of those awful STX putters. It had the softest insert ever. So soft in fact that if you hit down on the ball even slightly, the insert was so grippy that you'd squeeze the ball between the face and the ground and it wouldn't go anywhere.

Remember my old man having a Makser and wanting to nick it out of his bag.

The STX was awful friend of mine had the exact one Parnevik used, the insert was so soft that you needed a full swing to hole a 3 footer