The introduction of the Odyssey Versa brings me back to a point that I made in the Bettinardi BB37 review; Bob Bettinardi is big enough in the industry that he doesn’t need to come up with new head styles, but because he is dedicated to his craft, he still does. Think about Odyssey in this context. They are #1 by a wide margin. It would be easy to just roll out the same heads each year with some minor cosmetic tweaks. The money would still flow.

Instead though, those wacky designers at Odyssey Golf have produced a line of putters that are a real left turn from the norm in the Versa line. Something this different really has the potential to be a huge flop if the public doesn’t “get it”, or if the claims of the Versa line don’t hold up on the course. You can forget about that second part, Versa putters have already earned millions of tournament dollars this year, and we’re only one Major deep into the season. Odyssey doesn’t get any of that tournament money though. For the Versa to be a commercial success, they need your money, and to get that, you need to get what the Versa is all about. [READ MORE]

From new products to new promotions to really cool photos for absolutely no reason at all (other than shameless self-promotion), the companies and individuals that power the golf industry make a habit of sharing (and sometimes over-sharing) absolutely everything they can through social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest (it’s for girls, I think).

We decided to pull together some of the coolest pics, along with some photos of new products (and features like Nike Golf’s new ball selector tool), and put them all here in one place. [READ MORE]

From basically the minute Rickie Fowler put a set of prototype Cobra blades into play, Cobra fans and Rickie fans alike have wondered when the company would make young Mr. Fowler’s irons available to the rest of us. How about now? Actually, it was last month, but why split hairs. If you want them, you can finally get them, and that’s all the matters.

It should go without saying that the Cobra AMP Cell Pro isn’t an iron for everybody and the custom-only, Rickie Fowler pure blade set is for fewer still. If you’re an excellent ballstriker, or a pretty good ballstriker who just needs a little help with the long iron, I suppose you could make a legitimate case that the AMP Cell Pro is a good fit for your game. If you’re completely delusional (you suck and don’t know it) or want to play a flow set or blade simply because you love the compact design and clean lines, I’m totally good with that too. Just know what you’re getting into, and don’t come crying to me if it doesn’t work out. [READ MORE]

No less an authority than Harvey Penick said that a heavy club is the one training aid that every golfer should have. Here’s the problem: today’s marketplace is full of training clubs in varying lengths, weights, and flexes all promising wonderful benefits, from improved balance and tempo to longer drives. So which one should you buy?

We’ve brought together some of the best-known and newest heavy clubs for a heavyweight slugfest. So let’s get ready to rumble! [READ MORE]

“I hate adidas golf shoes” – me, 2 years ago.

I had tried on a few pair. I was even stupid enough to convince myself that a pair I liked (except for the part where they made my feet hurt) would be fine once I got them on the course (they weren’t). With a broad selection of good-looking, non-blistering shoes available from other brands, I was finished with adidas. I swore at them, then I swore them off, and then I was done.

Fast-forward to January of this year and the FedEx guy is dropping off another box (a very huge box) of adidas shoes. The new adizero golf shoe shipped suspended in what I still say is a promotional fish tank, designed to convey the message that the adizero is so close to weightless it basically floats. At least that’s what I got out of it anyway. [READ MORE]