With the imminent arrival at retail of Ping’s new ranges, John Clark, Ping’s European managing director, spoke exclusively to Robin Barwick
Taking centre stage at retail at the end of August and in September is Ping’s new K15 range. How will K15 sit alongside the existing G15 and i15 lines?
The emphasis of K15 is really to maximise forgiveness, with its Straight Flight technology, and with the irons we are using a titanium face, so from a price point of view K15 irons are a little bit higher than G15 or i15. The K15 family of products will appeal to a significant number of golfers and we are very hopeful of what it can achieve.
It seems everyone is getting into grooves this year, and Golfsmith Europe’s technical director Neil Cooke has seen an influx of orders for wedge re-grooving
Even though golf’s new groove limitations apply to Tour golfers only in 2010, and even though a non-conforming club cannot be made legal by re-grooving, the new regulations have led to club golfers focusing on cleaning up and re-grooving their existing wedges in increasing numbers. A clubface that is too worn cannot be re-grooved, but one with less wear can certainly be freshened up, resulting in noticeable results on the course.
With the demand for minimalist footwear growing in the running and outdoor sectors, Ecco Golf is spearheading the concept’s entry into golf. Thomas Maymann, design manager for Ecco Golf, spoke to Robin Barwick about the introduction of Biom Golf.
It is hard to imagine that conventional thinking in footwear for running and walking over the past four or five decades – and in golf to an extent –might have been leading us down the wrong track. It has been widely accepted that feet require substantial cushioning and support to encourage optimum performance and injury prevention, but this theory is being challenged with increasing conviction by a new wave of ‘barefoot’ or ‘minimalist’ thinking, or in Ecco’s terms, by its ‘Natural Motion’ concept.
After a rocky few years, Maxfli has returned with new investment and fresh impetus. Ben Gardener of Elite Brand Company outlines an ambitious future for a brand with an illustrious past
At the 1923 Open Championship, just a year after the first Maxfli ball was developed, more than three-quarters of the field used one. In more recent times Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros gave testimony to the calibre of the brand by teeing up a Maxfli. Sandy Lyle’s famous last-gasp trap shot to win the 1988 Masters was played with a Maxfli DDH, so the brand has a strong sense of belonging at the premium end of the golf market.
PowerBilt’s patented Nitrogen charged clubs have been described as one of the most important new technologies to hit the hardware market. With distance and accuracy improvements for all standards of players, tour proven performance and great margins, it’s clear why this brand is taking the US by storm
With so much marketing hype surrounding golf GPS products, Jacqui Hitchcock, SkyCaddie’s Managing Director UK, expresses her view on the issue of distance-measuring accuracy
Golfers around the world are buying distance-measuring devices in ever increasing numbers, making it the fastest-growing golf retail category in recent years. But we hear many stories from the industry about inaccurate marketing and sales claims, which concerns us at SkyCaddie greatly. It is important that retailers fully understand DMDs.
It is no coincidence that Nippon Shaft is at the forefront of the steel shaft sector in golf. A combination of heritage, dedication and innovation has worked well for the Japanese company
With technology advancing at ever-increasing speed In the 21st century, Japanese manufacturer Nippon Shaft has established itself at the leading edge of golf shaft technology. Golfers will find Nippon shafts on clubs made by Bridgestone, Callaway, Cobra, Titleist and Tour Edge, and as custom-fit options for Cleveland, Mizuno, Ping, and Srixon, to name just a few.
