Still Much to Ponder from a Quiet Week in Equipment News

There may not have been any major product releases this week, but there’s always something to talk about

By Tony Dear

They are steadily decreasing in number, it seems, though we still do occasionally get a week when little is happening in the world of golf equipment. But while it may be accurate to say nothing particularly newsworthy has been released this week, it would be wrong to suggest nothing of interest is going on.

As Fall continues and Winter approaches, manufacturers will be ramping up activity ahead of the busiest period on the equipment calendar which means introducing new gear to the PGA Tour.
The professionals will have been testing these products for weeks, if not months, of course(indeed, some have already put them in play). This week at the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas, both Titleist and Cleveland have major new products in players’ bags. And though they aren’t available at retail yet, we can be fairly certain they are coming early in 2025.

The new Titleist Pro-V1 will be making its debut at TPC Summerlin where the original Pro-V1 was first seen – at the Invensys Classic, won by Billy Andrade – 24 years ago. Yes, when the new Pro-V1 reaches stores next year, it will mark the ball’s first quarter-century.

Cleveland Golf, meanwhile, is rolling out its new prototype wedges which, if the photographs are to be believed, will go by the name ‘RTZ’ once they hit retail. In 2020, the popular RTX wedge series added ZipCore, a low-density material in the hosel/heel-end of the clubhead that positioned the Center of Gravity (CG) in the clubface striking zone to improve feel and consistency. It’s likely, though not guaranteed, that the ‘Z’ in ‘RTZ’ stands for ‘ZipCore’.

Also noticeable from the images is how clean the clubhead looks. The RTX ZipCore has long been clean-looking – it’s a better player’s club, after all. But the CG Proto Wedges are especially so – quite the prettiest club we’ve seen in a while.

Also worth noting are the recent additions to the USGA’s conforming driver list. Srixon’s ZXi, ZXi MAX, ZXi LS, and ZXi TR were added in August, and, this week, Cobra’s DS-Adapt LS (‘DS’ = DARKSPEED?) and DS-Adapt X along with Wilson’s DYNAPWR Max appeared.

Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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