Merchandise Show highlights

The problem with the annual PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla., is that it's like walking through a candy store without actually getting to taste anything. What looks good isn't always what tastes good. So here's my list of the 18 most intriguing new products I spotted at the show, along with the disclaimer that since I haven't actually used most of them, all I can say is that they look mah-velous. I'll report back to you through the year as I'm able to field test some of this stuff.

The BRV will set you back a mere 13 grand. Ogio

1. Here's the golf cart that's perfect for the golfer who strays from the fairway ... or wants to. It looks like something Starsky and Hutch, or maybe the Banana Splits, would drive, but trust me, it was the absolute coolest thing at the show. Ogio, a bag and backpack company with attitude, and Yamaha combined to put this together. It actually was on display at last year's show and drew so much response, they decided to start selling them to the public. It's called the BRV -- that's Battle-Ready Vehicle -- and costs $12,995. (Is that all? I'll take three.) The customized BRV looks like a tough, all-terrain vehicle with mountain tires, running lights, harness seats and the works. In golf-cart communities such as Palm Springs, Calif., where customized carts abound, the BRV is sure to be the latest in one-upsmanship.

2. I would've ranked The One as No. 1, but that would've been too redundant. This goofy putter from some Swedish scientists (no relation to the Swedish Chef from the old Muppets TV show) is less than two feet tall and has an angled shaft attached to what resembles a rectangular ash tray. You putt with it one-handed, while bending from the knees, as if you're curling (non-Canadians, grab a dictionary now) or maybe playing shuffle board. I tried a few strokes with it; though it looks wacky, once I got the feel of it, I could roll in six-footers if I looked at the hole instead of down at the ball. It might be worth the $170 suggested retail just to show up with this thing in your bag (uh-oh, its weird shape means it probably doesn't fit) to freak out your playing partners.

MAILBAG Probably one of your best articles last week. Oh, wait -- Rich Cardillo wrote that! I thoroughly enjoyed the perspective Rich gave on his Pebble Beach Pro-Am experience. It's great to hear about a fellow hacker getting to live out a golfing dream. Will you be having more of your readers write your columns in the future? By doing so, you could probably easily double the vacation time you already have. —K.C. Weber, Cedar Rapids, Iowa K.C., I like the way you think. Consider yourself promoted. Thank you for Rich Cardillo's piece. I wonder what he's doing selling copiers instead of writing for Sports Illustrated. And the followup with Backstreet Boys put me in a great mood for the rest of the day. —Michael Lee, Salt Lake City Thanks for the setup, Michael, but picking on Backstreet Boys further isn't much of a challenge, so let's just continue to wait for them to go away. It worked for the Spice Girls and MC Hammer. I read Rich Cardillo's story and enjoyed it thoroughly. My question: I am a 5 handicap and have played in a few pro-ams over the past couple years, but how does one get a believe-it-or-not call to play Pebble? I would be deeply in your debt if you shared the secret. —Andrew Fackrell, Salt Lake City It's simple, Andrew. Become a celebrity. Star in your own sitcom. Movies. Or become a CEO at a big company that sponsors a PGA Tour event. Then pay your $10,000 pro-am entry fee and you're in. It's so easy! Rich Cardillo is a SMASH! Get him out of copiers/duplicators and into print on a regular basis. The common man needs representation at Sports Illustrated. —Dan Pope, Lubbock, Texas Maybe we can get Rich to file a report from that Toner Convention he's attending, Dan. How's that sound? Rich Cardillo's Pebble Beach story was great! It may be hell for the pros, but I'm with Richie -- it would rank No. 2 behind the birth of my kids. —Don Boxley, Fort Collins, Colo. Wait a minute, Don. Rich Cardillo playing in the AT&T at Pebble ranks No. 2 behind the birth of your kids? Your column last week was one of the best I have read. Rich told an entertaining story of his week at Pebble Beach, which most of us will never have the opportunity to experience. And in the process he gave the impression that Vijay Singh actually has a personality. —Chris Reagan, New York You're right, Chris, that copier salesman has a future in fiction writing. The piece on the copier salesman in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am was one of the funniest, most entertaining golf articles I've ever read. The guy got to live a dream. The fact that Mark Johnson did so well in the tournament only added to the story. Great stuff. —Paul Dodd, Ann Arbor, Mich. All right, Cardillo -- how much did you pay all your friends to write these letters? First time I read your column. Almost as good as David Feherty, but then again, you're probably a better golfer than him! Do you think there are other 40-plus pros out there who can compete against the Garcías, Howells and Woodses of the golf world? —Tim Quigley, Alexandria, Va. Thanks, Tim, I can't wait to jag Feherty with your comment. As for the old-timers, I think it's too early to give up on Mark Calcavecchia, Paul Azinger and Hal Sutton, to name a few. I expect each of them to win this year and contend in majors. Ditto, Jeff Sluman. I am a huge Jonathan Kaye fan and I'm wondering where is he. He hasn't played all year and he didn't play Pebble either. I miss his antics out there. Any help would be appreciated. —Kevin D., Hartford, Conn. You may be the only one missing his antics, Kevin. Kaye was suspended for the first part of this season. Last year, he made several obscene gestures to the gallery at the 18th green at Pebble Beach. At Williamsburg, he had a run-in with a security officer at the course, which led to his suspension. Several years ago, he was kicked out of an LPGA event for behaving badly as a spectator.

3. My most-wanted award from the show goes to the Odyssey White Hot 2-Ball putter ($215). Two ball-sized circles on top of the clubhead help improve your notoriously bad aim. I got the chance to try one out during an outing before the show and it really did help me line up better. Plus, it had a nice feel. Charles Howell has been using one on the PGA Tour.

4. Last year, Dexter went laceless with its introduction of GolfMocs, slip-on golf shoes that feel as comfortable as slippers. It was a great innovation for a guy like me who puts on shoes (or tries to) without untying the laces first. Anyway, Dexter came back this year with ClassicMocs ($89), last year's great idea done even better. The laceless shoes have a more traditional, saddle-shoe look. Dexter also added CoolMocs, which look very youthful; SandalMoc; and a line of way-cool laced shoes that truly resemble bowling shoes (black shoes with white or silver trim), which is high fashion these days.

5. You probably haven't even heard of Sonartec woods. Don't worry, PGA Tour players have. The Sonartec 3-wood ($265) is popular on tour (the company says more than 60 players used it last year) because the pros like its penetrating ball flight and its strong, sleek head. It does, indeed, look pretty sleek.

6. I'll predict that the ball generating the most buzz in 2002 (next to the Titleist Pro V1, which remains the dominant buzz king of orbs) will be Callaway's Red HX or Blue HX ($58 per dozen). Coincidentally (or maybe not), Callaway licensed technology from Titleist to make them. The Red HX seemed particularly long. (See next paragraph.)

7. Callaway's new C4 driver is a total departure for the company. It's made from compressed carbon. The head is black. At impact, the sound is muffled. One of the big selling points of Callaway's drivers has always been the sound. They are the loudest. No matter how badly you hit the ball, the driver makes a loud, satisfying thwack. Not the C4. Its feel felt muted, too. I used one in an outing, and once or twice the others in my group said, "Hey, you crushed that one." My reaction was, Did I? I couldn't tell until I got to my ball, which was way down the fairway. Callaway had Senior tourist Bruce Fleisher hitting a tee shot for each foursome on one hole. He seemed to lace one pretty good when it was our turn but, sorry, Bruce, I was 12 steps past you using the C4 and the Red HX. Must be that extra weight I have stored in my gut.

8. We didn't know what big drivers were until the show. There were more than a dozen models over 400 cubic centimeters. Maybe you saw the life-sized photo of the Integra SoooLong , all 600 ccs, in last week's Golf Plus section of Sports Illustrated. Integra also has a 505-cc model that is its most popular big driver. Nike , new to the field, already showed off a 400-cc forged driver, a traditional look only biggie-sized (and at $499, with a substantial price tag). The Integra 600, by the way, will set you back only $219. You want bargains, then you want to go off brand. ProTech's No Limits 450-cc driver is $125 and Pro Select's 400-cc driver is, believe it or not, $99. The King Cobra SS ($369), at 427 cc, looked good. I also liked the Jazz Ball Launcher , a 500-cc behemoth ($249). Jazz, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, also has a 460-cc model as backup for when the USGA imposes its 470-cc limit. Two other notables are the Zevo Compressor , 410 cc (although at $500, it's going to be a tough sale), and Orlimar's TriMetal HipTi , 420 cc ($329).

9. You thought you were too much of a hack to play classic blades, but Pixl irons ($950) offer an alternative. Face inserts, with hexagonal pixels that transfer energy like mattress coils, make the irons more forgiving. At least, that's the premise. I liked the Pixl putter last year and used it until my 15-year-old son snatched it out of my bag. Attempts to reclaim it have failed. Pixl founder Art Chou knows his club science, and these irons are small (by today's oversized standards), classic, sleek little blades that look like throwbacks. Very nice.

10. If even Fred Couples isn't too embarrassed to use a belly putter, I guess the club has finally arrived. The Hog belly putter ($99) will stick in your craw, literally. If you can't go long and can't putt conventionally worth a darn, belly putters may be your last hope, Obi-Wan. Ping also has jumped astutely into the belly-putter ring with its assortment of classic heads. So has Cleveland with its Gutcheck model.

11. Speaking of putters, Never Compromise added two new lines of models, the TDP and the Sub 30. The big difference I noticed was that you can get a Never Compromise putter with a milled face. Also, the company added a 60-degree sand wedge to complement the 56-degree model it came out with last year, a club I also really liked.

12. What's new in carry bags? Sun Mountain's Superlight 2.5 and 3.5 ($138-$146) are named after their weights, believe it or not. Most stand bags run around five to 5 1/2 pounds. Sun Mountain's new models hold a full set of clubs, have a full-sized 9 1/2-inch diameter top with dividers, dual strap, rain hood and the rest. How'd the company do it? Beats me. Ogio offered a new cart bag, the MLC (that's Mid-Life Crisis, as this company continues to come up with the best product names and seems to be having more fun than anyone else in the business), and some attractive carry bags, most notably the Tracer ($159), which has everything including a putter pit (that's a special slot on the top of the bag for your putter). If you've ever been to a junior tournament or a college event, you see nothing but Ping bags. Ping took its popular Hoofer series to the next level with its new J bag .

13. It's about time. Nike has had Tiger Woods under contract since he turned pro and is only just now getting into the club business, much to the chagrin and fear of the other club companies. Besides its forged titanium driver, which Woods put into play last week at Pebble Beach, Nike has a line of forged irons. They're thin, classic, sleek and uncluttered on the back of the clubhead, except for the famous swoosh logo. While these forged clubs appeal to low-handicap players, don't doubt for a minute that Nike will soon be producing game-improvement irons for the masses.

14. The hottest woods I've ever hit are the new V-cavity models from MacGregor. I'll have more on that company's comeback in this space in coming weeks, but the driver and the 13-degree 3-wood I tested on MacGregor's range last October went farther than any other woods I've tried. Uh, pardon my drooling. Lee Janzen is using their stuff on tour.

15. TaylorMade has a two-piece, red, titallium insert putter called Rossa ($275 carbon steel, $165 stainless steel). It's got a nice, milled face and comes in a variety of models. The red blob on the face is sure to look great on TV if tour pros start playing it.

16. More about woods. Check out Mizuno Blue Rage woods (driver $459, fairway and utility woods [graphite] $279) and Adams' new Tight Lies GT fairway woods ($229), probably the best-looking bunch Adams has ever produced.

17. Hey, Fatso. Not you. I'm talking about the Fatso putting grip system ($69.95, www.fatsogrip.com). It's big -- 1.67 inches in diameter -- to prevent your wrists from breaking down during the putting stroke and to force you to make an arms-and-shoulders stroke. OK, the Fatso idea isn't new. Bullet Golf put out some putters with gigantic grips about 10 years ago. What's new with Fatso is that it comes with a kit so it can be easily adjusted to fit your current putter.

18. After the word-of-mouth success of the Precept Lady, which many male college and low-handicap players discovered, Precept has come out with the Laddie ball. It's similar to the Lady but has a softer cover and should react better on the greens. Cleverly, a dozen Laddies come in a package that resembles a box of a certain company's butter -- soft as buttah, get it?

Sports Illustrated senior writer Gary Van Sickle writes for the magazine's Golf Plus section and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send him a question or comment.

 

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