Oregon Business Magazine: Oregon Business Magazine

Home

What’s in your bag?

This year’s crop of new golf gear promises more speed, more distance, more fun.

NOT YOUR FATHER’S PUTTERS.

What the ordinary won’t do, the Nike Golf Black OZ T-130 putter will. Representing a clean break from tradition, this modified mallet putter will have you in the bottom of the cup all season. The nontraditional putter features optimal weight distribution, with its two 65-gram tungsten weights positioned rearward in the extreme heel and toe of the clubhead.

Moving weight rearward in the putter reduces skidding for a truer roll, while the polarity of the tungsten weights provides the stability on off-center hits that keeps putts on their intended line.

GO BIG OR GO HOME.

The latest iterations of the ever-popular r7 quad, the Taylor Made r7 425 and r7 425 TP drivers are still new enough to create a buzz. The “425” refers to the drivers’ clubhead volume of 425cc; the “TP” refers to Taylor Made’s Tour Preferred lineup, aimed at highly skilled players.

Both new versions of the r7 feature 28 grams of movable weight, configurable in two widely spaced weight ports. Depending on the combination of weights used, the center of gravity of the r7 425 and r7 425 TP can be moved laterally up to five millimeters. Taylor Made says robot testing shows that a lateral difference of 13 yards can be achieved when the weights are set to promote the maximum amount of draw or fade.

The new versions also offer greater difference in trajectory compared to the original r7 Quad. The TP version comes with a slightly open clubface; TP clubs are identical in construction to the clubs used by Taylor Made’s Tour staff.

HOT IRONS, COOL PLAY

Adams Golf sees hybrid iron sets as the future, and that future is here in five sets of Idea Hybrid Irons. The Adams Golf Idea a2 Hybrid irons line includes matched sets of hybrids and irons — the perfect game improvement iron for those wanting technology to help improve their game.

The X-Series Irons from Callaway Golf have long been favored for their performance-enhancing technologies, forgiveness and great looks. The new Callaway Golf X-18 irons combine many of the same patented Callaway Golf core technologies used in earlier X-Series models, only now with a new traditional head shape and size, and high-polish finish.

The Taylor Made r7 CGB Max iron incorporates Inverted Cone Technology, a metalwood breakthrough used to expand the size of the COR zone in Taylor Made drivers. That makes the r7 CGB Max more forgiving and easier to launch and promotes “constant distance” — exceptional yardage, shot after shot after shot.

The performance of a long iron, the forgiveness of a fairway wood. Who doesn’t have their eye on one of the new hybrids?

The Nike Golf Slingshot Tour Irons feature an extremely low center of gravity and premium materials, all of which translates into increased energy transfer to the ball, a higher launch angle, easier-to-square clubhead and enhanced stability for high, long. accurate shots.

The original Slingshot irons, as well as the Slingshot OSS irons, were excellent game-improvement clubs. With the Slingshot Tour Irons, Nike Golf is minimizing some of the more obvious game-improvement design features to appeal to golfers playing at higher levels.

HYBRIDS RULE

Never fear a long shot again, with the Callaway Golf Big Bertha Heavenwood Hybrid, the go-to-clubs for confidence, consistency, and playability anywhere on the course. The modified warbird sole makes it easy to hit from any surface and promotes solid contact with the ball for distance and green-grabbing technologies.

EYES ON THE BALL

Nike Golf has taken its premier One Black and made it even better. The three-piece, two-cover ball, designed for maximum distance and to reduce spin, this year has a thinner cover, expanded core size and enhanced dimple pattern for even more high speed and distance with a lower spin.

Phil Mickelson can play any golf ball he wants, but he plays Callaway Golf HX Tour 56 for a reason — performance. The ball’s tour-proven, three-piece design takes performance to a new level with Callaway’s RIM (reaction injection molding) Technology, creating a thinner, more consistent and precisely centered core.

Current Issue | JUL 08

Start me up
They're young, they’re creative and we’re guessing you’ve never heard of them. Meet some of the coolest startups running around Silicon Forest today. MORE >
Oregon’s top private companies learn to adapt Frank Foti sprints up a flight of rusty stairs to a gritty rooftop with a panoramic view of Portland’s shipyard.
Circuit judges become scarce in rural counties Low pay, long commutes and a heavy workload make it hard to find judges for the rural areas of the state.
Economist Tim Duy uses the "R" word Is Oregon in recession? I have been startled by the unwillingness of many to accept the obvious fact that the Oregon economy has shifted gears markedly.

Around the State

Munich on the Willamette
Gunther Hoffmann knows at least one reason why German tourists are expected to flock to Oregon this summer: “Germans are entranced with the West and Indians,” says Hoffmann, head of the German Consulate in Portland.

Governor hopes to fund water initiative with new lottery money
Gov. Ted Kulongoski plans to ask voters to approve lottery money for his Headwaters to Ocean (H2O) initiative, which would fund water supply and quality needs, support related state agencies and set strategy for long-term management of water. Oregon is one of only two Western states without a comprehensive water plan.

Q&A with Bob of Bob's Red Mill
RISING PRICES and lackluster consumer spending isn’t bad for all businesses. Take food for example. After all, you’ve got to eat, right?

Feds release LNG impact report
In a move that exemplifies the growing rift both within and without Oregon state government over liquefied natural gas terminals, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in June gave an environmental endorsement to a proposed project on the Columbia River.

Sales decline prompts Mt. Bachelor shakeup
As the final days of last winter’s ski season wound to a close, Powdr Corp. — which runs the Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort — took the dramatic step of firing the majority of the resort’s top management.

View all Around the State >

Advertisement | Advertising

Biz Life

Tactics: LaCrosse Footwear gets some traction
hen Joseph Schneider was promoted to CEO of LaCrosse Footwear in August 2000, the shoe industry had changed, but LaCrosse, founded in Wisconsin in 1897 as a maker of rubber horseshoes, had not.

Next: an electronic shoe
Need to get a grip or gain a little traction? Maybe your shoes can help.

Boosting sales in a down economy
FOR SMALL BUSINESSES without large cash reserves, economic downturns can be especially tough. To stay afloat, you need to keep the cash register ringing even when customers are cutting back — and that means thinking outside the box.

Powering down at the office
COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS account for 40% of the energy used in the U.S., and with energy costs on the rise, that’s a huge burden for business.

View all Biz Life >

Lists