Bringing you the latest news about the ever changing world of golf equipment.

Square Drivers first went on sale to the public one year ago, with the introduction of the Nike Sumo2 and the Callaway FT-i drivers. Since that time,  the other major manufacturers have not jumped on board with the square head concept. Historically, the success of a new golf technology has been judged by the copycats that inevetibaly spring up.  In this case, only Orlimar, Hippo and Nickcent have followed suit with a square head driver. So, the verdict is still out.

The concept behind the square driver technology is that the design pushes the weight of the club head to the extreme corners of the clubhead; corners that never existed before. Doing so raises the moment of inertia (MOI). Increased MOI creates a greater resistance to twisting of the clubhead. Less twisting of the clubhead upon impact with the golfball means more foregiveness on mishits on the toe or heal of the club. More foregiveness means a straighter golfball flight, and a reduced likelihood of a slice or hook.
We are compiling a list of online sources for square driver reviews and will post a complete list within days, so check back soon. Feel free to post your own golf club review by clicking the comment link below.  

The Golf Digest Hot List is out. Check it out here: Hot List.  The publishing of the hot list kicks off the new golf equipment year.  We can’t wait to get our hands on the these clubs to see for our selves how they feel. Which club will be your first purchase; the Callaway FT Driver, the Odyssey Sabertooth putter, or maybe the  Nike SQ Sumo hybrid? Post your comment below.

When reading golf equipment news and reviews, the acronyms and terms can be confusing; especially for beginners. We put together this index of golf terms to help you understand what the experts are talking about.

CT (Characteristic Time) - Designed to measure the clubhead flexibility (or ’spring-like’ effect) of a driving club. A steel weight is suspended on a pendulum and then released to strike the clubface. The amount of time these two objects are in contact is the basis for the test, and the conformance limit has been set at 239 microseconds, plus a test tolerance of 18 microseconds. Any golf club with a CT measurement exceeding 257 microseconds does not conform to the Rules of Golf. This test replaced the Coefficient of Restitution Test. 

COR (Coefficient of Restitution) - A measurement of the clubface’s ability to rebound the ball, expressed as a percentage that is determined by a ball’s speed off the clubhead divided by the speed at which it struck the clubhead. Commonly referred to as the “springlike effect” of a golf ball off the club face.

CG (Center of Gravity) -The point within the head of a golf club at which it is perfectly balanced. The position of the center of gravity within a clubhead can affect the trajectory of shots. 

MOI (Moment of Inertia) - a clubhead’s resistance to twisting on off-center hits or a property of physics that indicates the relative difference in how easy or difficult it will be to set any object in motion about a defined axis of rotation

Blades - a style of iron head that is (usually) smaller and thinner along the bottom but especially along the top edge, resembling a blade

Bounce - (”bounce sole, bounce angle”) the angle of the club’s sole in relation to level/horizontal, or the amount that the leading edge of the club is higher than the part of the club’s sole that is lowermost (usually used in reference to irons — wedges in particular — and measured in degrees)

Camber - the curve of a club’s sole, either heel-to-toe or leading edge-to-back of sole, to soften the sole’s edges and create a more forgiving club

Cast Irons - a process of manufacturing clubheads where stainless steel (containing varying amounts of nickel) is poured into a mold in molten state and removed as one piece

Cavity Back - (also “perimeter-weighted”) a style of club head where the mass is distributed more toward the perimeter (outside edges) of the club head in order to increase the effective size of the center of mass

Club Head Speed - the speed that the clubhead is travelling through impact (usually measured in miles per hour).

Compression - the flattening of the golf ball when contacted by the club

Demo Club - a demonstration club or a used club. Most often used by golf pros or retailers to allow customers to try out a club.|

Face - the striking surface of the club head 
 
Face Progression - the distance from the center of the shaft or hosel to the blade, or leading edge, of the club face

Flange - the back edge of the sole (bottom) of an iron club (usually most associated with the sandwedge)|

Flex - the relative strength (stiffness or softness) of a club shaft

Forged Irons - a process of manufacturing clubheads where 100% stainless steel is stamped or hammered and ground into shape, with or without heat

Groove - (also “score line, scoring”) markings (usually horizontal and linear) etched into the face of a golf club to enhance spin direction and decrease hydroplaning (grooves come in different types based on their shape or appearance, e.g., V grooves, square or box grooves, U grooves, etc. and are regulated by the rules of golf)

Hybrid Club - (also “hybrid iron, hybrid wood”) a club that combines playing characteristics of both woods and irons; one valid method for differentiating between hybrid irons and hybrid woods is whether the face is flat (like irons) or has horizontal bulge and vertical roll (a curved face, like woods)

Lie Angle - the angle between the sole of the club and the shaft from the face view (looking at the face of the club straight on)

Muscle Back - (also muscle-back, muscle-backed”) a style of iron head with a thick amount of metal on the lower half or two-thirds of its back side (thicker than a traditional blade iron and almost the opposite of “cavity-back” or “perimeter-weighted” designs)

Perimeter-weighted - (also “cavity back, cavity-back”) a style of club head where the mass is distributed more toward the perimeter (outside edges) of the club head in order to increase the effective size of the center of mass

Shaft  - the handle of a golf club. Usually made of steel or graphite.

Hosel - the butt of the club head into which the shaft is secured.

Kickpoint - also called flex point or bend point, is the point along a shaft’s length at which it exhibits the greatest amount of bend. Ball flight is affected by the location of the kickpoint.

Loft - A measurement, in degrees, of the angle at which the face of the club lies relative to a perfectly vertical face.  Loft affects how far and how high a struck ball will go. 
 
Offset - The distance from the front of the hosel to the face of the clubhead. At address, the shaft of an offset club will appear to be in front of the clubhead.

Swingweight - the measurement of a golf club’s weight about a fulcrum point which is established at a specified distance from the grip end of the club.

Toe - the far end of the clubhead (farthest from the hosel/neck/shaft)

Torque - the tendency of a club’s shaft to twist or rotate around its long axis — also the amount of that rotation measured in degrees

Wedge - short iron with significant loft  for playing shorter, more lofted shots 

1. A gift card from Dicks Sporting Goods, Golf Discount, GolfSmith, or any other major golf outlet

2. Golf Balls
- for a husband, boyfriend or boss buy Titleist Pro V 1’s or Callaway HX Tour
- for a friend or favored co-worker buy Nike Ignite, Titleist NXT Tour, or TaylorMade TP
- for all others buy Callaway Big Bertha, Maxfli Noodle, or Titileist NXT

3. A Putter - check the gift receivers bag and match the style of putter with a new one. 
- if he’s using a blade putter, try the Odyssey Black Series, Ping G2i, Nike IC, Scotty Cameron
- if he’s using a mallet style putter, try the Odyssey Two Ball, Ping Craz-E, or Taylor Made Rossa series
- if he’s using a belly putter, skip this gift idea

4.  Golf Bag Storage Organizer - great for storing a golf bag, golf shoes, golf balls in the garage or utility closet. He will appreciate the gift and you get his golf stuff oragnized. Try Golfsmith.com or the Golf Warehouse (TGW.com) for a good selection with free shipping.

5. Golf Gloves - an avid golfer can go through a dozen or so gloves a year.  You can’t go wrong buying FootJoy Stasof, Nike Dri-Fit, or Callawy Rain Series

6. Range Finder/GPS Device - every golfer could use one but they can be expensive for a gift, so you really need to like the golfer to buy this one. We recommend the Garmin GolfLogix GPS or the SkyGolf Golf Caddie.

7.  Golf Cap - sneak a peek at your golfers favorite hat. By the same size and style, but pick a different color. It an easy gift.

8. Golf Push Cart - if your golfer walks the course, check out a golf cart.
- if you really like the golfer buy the EZ-Go Cruiser or Sun Mountain Electric Speed E
- if you kind of like the the golfer buy the Bag Boy Express 180, EZ Go Explorer, or the Sun Mountain Speed Cart

9. Umbrellas - every golfer needs one and every golfer has ruined one. Pick your golfers  favorites sports team, college or university and buy a matching umbrella.

10. Golf Passes - a season pass from your golfers favorite course would be a big hit. If you can’t afford a season pass, pick the a limited round pass from that course your golfer has been itching to play.