2019 is a big year for Pete’s Golf. We are excited to celebrate our 40th anniversary! We’ll be having a golf outing this summer (more details to come) to mark the occasion, so stay tuned. Now let’s talk about some product releases we are looking forward to…
Every year the staff at Pete’s Golf does our homework on new equipment releases. This includes meeting with the engineering teams with the major OEMs, visiting the PGA Merchandise Show, and testing equipment at our location. Our goal is to make sure we understand how new clubs will fit in with our clients’ swings.
This time of year many of you are inundated with marketing claims, and our goal as always is to uncover the truth about each release. Here are several product releases we are excited about in 2019.
Callaway
Callaway’s last two releases, The Epic and Rogue, have been huge successes. We have been able to fit a variety of golfers into their drivers and fairway woods because of the club’s versatility.
This year they have announced the Epic Flash line, and based on our testing so far we think it’s another strong release from Callaway. The driver has added even more ball speed while still maintaining the stability (Higher MOI) of the prior releases. Once again, we expect this driver to fit well for a wide range of golfers.
Another exciting release from Callaway is their latest Apex Irons. The original release was a strong one, and it took their engineering team several years to improve on the initial design. So far in our testing, we believe the club has improved feel while being able to launch a bit higher and lower spin. On top of that, the club is extremely forgiving.
TaylorMade
Recently, Pete’s Golf visited the TaylorMade engineering team in California to get a better understanding of their latest releases. We were very impressed with the changes they made with their new M5 and M6 that improved upon the original Twist Face design. This year they are looking to add more ball speed to their drivers and fairway woods. Our staff is set to test out the demo clubs soon, which will give us a better understanding of what kinds of players these will suit best.
Ping
As usual, the team over at Ping has made several exciting enhancements to their line.
The G400 driver was a home run last year and was one of the most stable drivers we have ever seen. This year they will release the G410 with several enhancements. Ping has never sold an adjustable driver from a weighting standpoint because they feared it would give up forgiveness and stability. The engineering team was able to do this with the G410, which will give us more choices when fitting. Additionally, they have improved the sleeve to adjust an extra half degree of loft, which will now enable us to add or remove up to 1.5 degrees of loft. Based on our initial testing, this driver looks very promising and will likely be one of the most stable drivers on the market, which will help golfers who struggle with consistent impact location.
Another release from Ping that we are looking forward to are their hybrids. In the past, Ping did not offer adjustable lofts with their hybrid clubs. We believe this is an extremely important feature because it allows us to fill in gaps in a player’s bag. Now we will be able to dial the lofts in more precisely, which is something that was missing from their offering in years past.
Titleist
At the end of 2018, Titleist announced their TS series. They had fallen behind a bit in the driver market because their prior releases did not address the needs of many golfers. We believe the TS series was a major step forward for Titleist, and it has been very successful for us in fittings since it was released. Both the TS2 and TS3 offer a jump in ball speed and stability, which gives us a lot of options for various golfers. Our staff particularly likes their fairway woods.
Overall, Titleist has caught up with their competition and the TS series is a far more versatile offering than their D series.
ACCRA
Pete’s golf has a very special partnership with ACCRA Shafts. We believe their quality is as good as it gets in the shaft industry. Their newer Tour Z line this year will add more variations to an already popular line for stronger players who have faster swing speeds. They’ve done a ton of testing with tour players and we’re excited to have their latest release available for fittings.
PXG
PXG is set to release their 0811 GEN2 driver, which is an upgrade over the original model. We have yet to test them out, but we expect this to be another solid release from them offering increased ball speed, lower spin, and plenty of adjustability.
One thing to note is that they lowered the price significantly compared to their initial driver release. It will now be in line with the other major OEMs such as Callaway, TaylorMade, and Titleist drivers.
YOU GET THE CLUBS YOU NEED
That wraps up our list of new products we are excited about for 2019. Our promise to every golfer who walks through our doors is that we will put together the right mix of equipment for your golf swing. It doesn’t matter which manufacturer’s name is stamped on the club. Our goal is to make sure you will have the best opportunity to play well out there.
If you are interested in booking a fitting you can visit this page. We are now offering extended fitting appointments in New York City at Golf & Body NYC. We look forward to seeing you in 2019!