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| Greetings! |
Welcome to our 2011 Equipment Review. We hope you've managed to get a few rounds of golf in already this year and that your equipment is behaving itself, if not, you know where to come!
In January this year, Simon & James made their annual visit to the PGA Show in Orlando to view and test the latest equipment due for release this year.
After a productive trip, they have returned full of enthusiasm about this year's products, and have subsequently dedicated this newsletter to providing their personal review of all the products that Precision Golf will be stocking this year, of which many have already been requested by some of our clients.
Simon has spent some time independantly reviewing all the shaft and club options that are available, this information can be found on our website as well as our Facebook page where all the images of the PGA Golf Show can be found.
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The Big Brands Are Back...
The general feel of the show was much more upbeat this year with a more enthusiastic and positive atmosphere. With all the major brands back at the show, combined with a fuller exhibition hall and a testing range at Orange County Golf Club for the demo day, the whole show was busier as more of an effort was being made by the big brands to get your attention.
We have also seen a number of companies making positive changes to existing product lines that enhance their ranges while not detracting from their core business. This has allowed them to tackle areas of the market that they have historically not done too well in, but at the same time have not been too concerned about.
This suggests that the industry is in better health than in previous years, where The Show has been getting smaller and smaller, all of which is a good sign for the coming years.
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What's Changed, Again!...
There were many new products this year, all suggesting they have moved the boundaries of technology and changed the industry, as they always try to get you to believe! However, it does appear that this has been done more than in previous years and the following are some of the ways in which companies have changed to develop new and better products:
- Working with other industries more closely to produce new materials to help take design and performance to new levels
- Different dimple patterns, core designs and cover materials/mixes of materials to enhance flight stability and all round golf ball durability and performance (and not just in Tour end balls)
- Further developments in materials within shafts and treatments to shafts, both graphite and steel, to promote more consistency and improved ball flight
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What's The Cost...
The only elements that have hurt the industry are the continued strength of the Japanese Yen coupled with the sustained high cost of steel and graphite. This has seen increases in the base cost of manufacturing the products we all use. As a result, trade prices are creeping up and whilst some of the brands swallow this, it does mean equipment is getting dearer.
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Launch Monitor Review...
Launch monitor technology and accuracy of ball and club measurements continues to improve through software and firmware tweaks. We saw more simulator products this year than in previous years indicating that there has been a lot of investment is this section of the market, however, the iPhone doesn't have an App for that yet, but I am sure it's only a matter of time!! | |
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In Summary...
The Demo Day was a great experience with the amount of products to test in hand rather than just discussing the various merits of the technology and looking at samples.
 Major brands have made positive changes to their products and we are starting to see a bit more separation in the directions they are taking from a branding and performance perspective, through innovation of product and straightforward visual techniques.
There are a few more products that will divide opinion (either love it or hate it) and with the adjustability of woods and hybrid heads in order to fine tune the set up and performance of the clubs, this has been taken to a new level by more companies than ever.
There are some stand out products for particular ball flight characteristics, however whether they are good or not depends very much on the player's needs, so there is not a "best" overall product out there, just a lot of very good ones!
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Happy Golfing,
The Team at Precision Golf
*Our 3 Shot Guarantee Saving Terms & Conditions can be viewed on our website by clicking here. |
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