Of all the new products and innovation on display at October's Golf Europe show in Munich, the new, gleaming Fairbrids from Benross were particularly eye-catching.
Much of the appeal of the Fairbrids is in the concept's simplicity. Benross now offers irons sets from sand wedge to 5-iron only, then come the Fairbrids in four evenly-spaced lofts; 15º, 18º, 21º and 24º, and from there the range arrives seamlessly at the driver. No overlapping between irons and hybrids, or between hybrids and fairway woods, and so no confusion over what clubs should fill the gap between 5-iron and driver.
The second Fairbrid factor that is easy on the eye is the way in which the Innovator X Fairbrids resemble the bullet-shaped Benross Innovator X driver, thereby providing golfers with a smooth transition through the series in terms of sight and feel.
"The Fairbrid family spells out which clubs should be in the bag of virtually every amateur golfer," says Jon Everitt, chief executive of Benross Golf. "We've worked hard to develop the concept as we're the first manufacturer to sell sets of irons from five iron to sand wedge. We believe club golfers can really benefit from a matched set of Fairbrid products between their driver and 5 iron."
While ‘Fairbrid' sounds like a new equipment category, the clubs are not entirely dissimilar, in name or function, to what companies such as Wilson Staff have already brought to market. Wilson Staff's FYbrids for example, merged hybrids and fairway woods into one family of ‘utility metals' - much to the approval of Padraig Harrington, who won the Open playing with them - but the FYbrids don't work up to a driver in terms of sight and feel like the Benross Fairbrids.
There will also be an argument that the characteristics of a driver should not be down-sized into clubs that perform different functions on the golf course, so it will be intriguing to see how Benross Fairbrids perform in independent tests.
Benross says the Fairbrids have that low and deep centre of gravity golfers need to generate power from a variety of lies, and the company claims golfers who carry both the Fairbrids and the Innovator X driver will draw renewed confidence from the similarity in appearance between the clubs.
Product spec:
Benross Innovator X Fairbrid
Lofts: 15º, 18º, 21º & 24º
17/4 Stainless Steel construction
Aldila DVS shaft as standard
Golf Pride Tour Velvet grip as standard
Right-hand only
SRP: £79.99
W: http://www.benrossgolf.com/
