Here’s what they have to say about their new shaft:

“The C-TAPER LITE iron shaft incorporates proven KBS performance benefits – piercing trajectory and smooth feel – in a lighter weight design. The firm tip and stiff butt sections produce a mid-high trajectory and controlled spin. Featuring a constant taper design and proportionate wall thickness, the C-TAPER LITE maximizes energy transfer for maximum distance. As a result, an average of 5 yards increased distance was seen during robot testing. The C-TAPER LITE come with the signature KBS brushed satin finish.”

Specs

Looks

The entire Ping G25 lineup is simplified with less lines and color schemes. Upon first glance, the simple appearance of the G25 is easy on the eyes. In fact, the all black matte non-glare finish with white grooves on the club face looks great. Ping’s traditional crescent alignment aid is all white and really pops with the black club head. Ping’s ultra thin crown technology distributes weight to the perimeter and positions the CG lower and farther back in the club head. A noticeable weight is positioned on the bottom of the sole toward the back of the club head.

The Ping G25 driver is an oversize 460 cc club head with a triangular shape. The G25 is Ping’s first product in the adjustable head category and allows you to add or subtract one half degree of loft to optimize launch conditions for ‘maximum distance’. While other clubs have several adjustable features, the G25 keeps it simple. In addition, the G25 has one of the smoothest shaft sleeves ever making any alterations extremely easy.

The Ping G25 driver looks really cool… until you put the club down at address: the face looks open. Grrr… Personally, I struggled with the address where I felt the club would produce a wild slice or snap hook. It was my only real complaint about the looks of this driver.

Performance

I tested the Ping G25 9.5 degree driver with a stiff TFC 189D shaft. The TFC 189D is the stock shaft that weighs 58 grams with 4.8 degrees of torque engineered to produce a mid ball flight. When it comes to these shafts, which in comes in five models from soft regular to tour x-stiff, the more flexible the shaft, the higher the ball flight it produced.

The G25 driver stands out as one of my top two drivers tested in 2013. While I did not prefer the aesthetics of the driver at address, the club performs awesomely. The G25 bombs the ball long and straight which should immediately make the driver a top choice for anyone in the market. It delivers a high and piercing ball flight, that goes for miles. I was very impressed.

Additionally, I tested the driver in a few of the other available positions. Adding one half degree of loft resulted in a slightly higher trajectory and a little inconsistency compared to its previous position. Reducing the loft by a half degree produced mostly straight shots or a slight draw. Strangely enough, subtracting loft produced better results than adding loft. Shots were longer and straighter. Typically, a club is more forgiving by adding loft, so I was a little surprised by my results. Overall, this driver’s consistency, distance, feel and trajectory were all winners in my book.

Feel

The Ping G25 features a D3 swing weight. The club feels great and the ball jumps off the club face better than any other driver I’ve hit tested so far this year. The driver produces a loud impact sound and feels and sounds like you crush the ball every time. In fact, the impact will make your ears ring. The ball feels solid at impact and Ping did a nice job of combining feel and performance in the G25 driver.

Value

This driver’s performance is definitely not mirrored in it’s price – just another admiring quality.  With a standard (if not low) price of $299. this driver really is a steal for anyone looking to get more out of their driver. If you are on the market for a new driver don’t skip a demo of the Ping G25.

After a while, a lifeguard blares out a message of warning with a megaphone. Everybody runs from the sea to the safety of the sand, with Tiger and Sergio amongst them. Tiger asks a nearby lifeguard to clarify what exactly is wrong. The lifeguard says nothing, but instead he gestures out to sea. As Tiger surveys the horizon, he quickly focuses on the ominous sight of a pair of fins.

“Is that…?” asks Tiger.

“Yeah!” says the lifeguard, cutting him off.

Meanwhile, Sergio turns to the pair.

“To hell with this!”

Sergio runs back into the sea, without any fear whatsoever. The lifeguard makes a brief attempt to chase him down, but Tiger grabs him and holds him back.

“Leave him be”, says Tiger. “If there’s one thing about Sergio Garcia, he’s not afraid to go back in to the water.

Sergio Garcia is playing poker against Tiger Woods. He’s got a flush, but he’s worried that Tiger might also have a similar hand. After a minute or two of eyeing each other up, Tiger puts in a big bet. Sergio sighs, clearly exasperated by the efforts of fathoming whether he has the best hand or not. Should he fold and give up the pot? Or should he call and look dumb if his hand is beaten. After trying to soul read Woods for a minute or so, Sergio mucks his hand and Tiger takes the pot. Not content with merely winning, Tiger shows his hand. As suspected, the hand is similar, a 10 high Club Flush. Sergio lets out a loud groan.

“Damn! I would have won with a Jack High Club Flush.”

Tiger smiles.

“Whaddaya know! Even when you have better clubs than me, I still win!”

Sergio Garcia is in a bar, having a beer and contemplating life and golf. The bartender looks a little sorry for the Spaniard, who quietly sips his beer and stares straight ahead. Asking him if he’s OK, the barman gives the golfer a bowl of nuts and goes back to serving his other customers.

A little time passes. Suddenly, Sergio is on his feet. He pounds his fist on his chest and coughs loudly.  The other customers are on their feet too.  The Bartender is unfazed and barely notices the ructions as he polishes some beer glasses.

One of the other customers, a well-do-do London businessman, realises what the problem is:

“I say, Bar Keep! This chap appears to be asphyxiating on those nuts you provided him with. Are you not going to assist him in some way?”

The Bartender keeps polishing his glasses and shakes his head.

“Nah. He’s OK.”

“Are you quite sure, my good man?”

“Trust me. I’ve seen Sergio Garcia choke a lot worse than that.”

Here’s what the decision says:

“Note 1:  The club is anchored ‘directly’ when the player intentionally holds the club or a gripping hand in contact with any part of his body, except that the player may hold the club or a gripping hand against a hand or forearm.

“Note 2:  An ‘anchor point’ exists when the player intentionally holds a forearm in contact with any part of his body to establish a gripping hand as a stable point around which the other hand may swing the club.”

USGA President Glen D. Nager called the decision “necessary.”

“Our best judgment is that Rule 14-1b is necessary to preserve one of the important traditions and challenges of the game–that the player freely swing the entire club,”

Wait, what? One of the most important traditions? While traditions like grabbing a drink on the 19^th hole with your friends is often talked about, why have I not heard of this one before? While the statement may be true, it’s not like this tradition has been stated in the rules book, or any golf book for that matter until today.  I’m going to have to call BS on this statement Mr. Nager, but nice try.

Moving on… rather than just griping about why I think the rule is stupid, I would like to call your attention to the USGA’s 40-page manual of why ‘they’re right and we’re wrong’, which includes their responses to naysayers of the ban.

1)    So why is anchoring a problem? USGA: “Rule 14-1b is based on a judgment that anchoring the club, rather than freely swinging it, might assist the player by altering and reducing the challenge of making a stroke.”

Wait… “might”?? So what you’re telling us is that you didn’t actually determine if this stroke is helping players putt better or not. I’m not even going to get into the fact that if the stroke does indeed make it easier for players to putt, that this may actually help benefit the game…

2)    How can you ban something that you have no statistical evidence improves play? USGA: “The playing rules are definitional: individually and collectively, they reflect what the game is and how it should be played. For example, a player may not pick up the ball and roll it into the hole. That is not because the rulemakers assessed through statistical or other empirical analysis whether players rolling the ball by hand are more successful than players using a club to strike the ball; rather, it is because rolling the ball with one’s hand is simply not ‘golf.’”

So, because it’s different, you decided to ban it.  100 years ago, by this logic, why didn’t you decide to ban left-handed golf? Honestly USGA, if you you’re going to give us a “cause we said so” type response at least try and hide it better.

3) Will this change have an effect on adopting new players to the game, and retaining current ones? USGA: “There is a difference between possibly not playing as well as playing less or not at all; and there is a difference between expressions of possible future intent made well in advance of the rule’s effective date and actual behaviors that will only later occur as players adapt to the rule.”

Wow. Way to walk around that question.  Let’s summarize: “Talk is cheap, we doubt this will effect anything”. Instead of tackling some of the real problems facing golf these days – i.e. slow play, it costing too much, it being too difficult to learn, it taking too long, the USGA went after the low hanging fruit – a tool that helps some players enjoy the game more. While I do hope this rules change has no effect on the game, I hope it’s for entirely different reasons. I hope casual golfers who play for the love of the game take a page out of the NRA playbook and tell USGA President Glen D. Nager that “you can have my belly putter, when you take it from my cold dead hands”.

Where I really find this ruling unfortunate is for newcomers to the game.  The USGA runs a majority of the junior tournaments across North America, and this will undoubtedly affect a large number of kids and teens playing the game. These players are the future of the game, and instead of evolving with the game, golf is attempting to cling to the past. I find this rule akin to making knickers mandatory, and banning all bright colors from the course.

This decision is a big step backwards towards improving the game of golf to fit the needs of the masses, and I really hope it starts a wave of talk about bifurcation.  And if you don’t know what that means, we’ll let the USGA comment on that too:

“The history of golf is actually a history of movement toward unification of playing and equipment rules–and this is more than ever true today, as golfers of different abilities from myriad geographies and cultures seek to play the same sport on a national and international basis, and soon in the Olympics.”

Oh, sorry, again, the USGA’s cryptic response sort of skirted the question.  Well let’s clarify – bifurcation refers to there being different rules for different tours or different levels of play.  There is talk about the PGA Tour adopting its own set of rules for it players, as Tim Finchem has already expressed his thoughts on the ruling: “[I do] not think that banning anchoring was in the best interest of golf or the PGA Tour.” Cobra Golf is also on-board with their recent press release:

“Golf lost today. This is not the direction we should be going, it will only continue to alienate people from golf. COBRA PUMA GOLF has been stressing the importance of game enjoyment since we formed in 2010; game enjoyment is how we are going to bring people back to golf. This decision is a giant leap back on that front. With this decision, bifurcation needs to be front and center in golf’s conversations and we should be focusing on adapting the rules and the game to be inclusive and fun.”

So what are our thoughts on this?

Ultimately, this should scare the sh*t out of the USGA.  Truth be told, the USGA needs the PGA Tour more than the PGA Tour needs the USGA.  And if golf’s most prestigious Tour gives the USGA rules the boot, it begins to show how little power they truly do have. Frankly, I think this is the right thing to do, if anything it will put the USGA in its place.  I would also go one step further, and say there should be a different rulebook for amateur golf than there is for professional golf.  Amateur golf needs to be focused around fun and improving the game, not limiting and restricting it.

So in a nutshell: USGA, thanks for wasting all our time, and making it much more apparent how backwards your thinking is.  Ironically, your cryptic ‘we’re right you’re wrong’ responses to the public’s concerns really helped shed some light on how you’re not interested in improving the game for the masses. You really shot yourself in the foot with this one.

Picture: http://venturebeat.com/2012/10/18/yelp-scarlet-letter/

Look

The new Ping G25 hybrid resembles the shape and color of the i20 more than the previous G20 hybrid.  In fact, the change in design offers a desirable upgrade in aesthetics.  The simple design with flat black color scheme and white grooves looks great.  The G25 hybrid is modeled with a more traditional shape and made from 17-4 stainless steel.  An external weight is visible on the sole positioning the CG low and back on the club head.  The updated appearance inspires more confidence in comparison to the off-set and deep face of the G20 hybrid.  The previous G20 hybrid had a the look of a hook written all over it – the G25 is much better.

Performance

I tested the Ping G25 hybrid in a 20 degree loft with the stock TFC 189H in stiff flex.  The TFC 189H weighs 71 grams with 3.1 degrees of torque.  The stock shaft is available in soft regular through tour x-stiff.  The more flexible shafts are designed to produce a higher ball flight while the stiffer flex shafts offer lower ball flights.

The best feature of the Ping G20 hybrid was a solid and dependable performance.  While the performance in the G20 was solid, the G25’s updated appearance combined with the same great results is a home run for Ping.  Ball flight was generally a mid to high trajectory.  With the updated club head design, the G25 hybrid is still just as forgiving and easy to hit as any hybrid available on the market today.  Distance was above average and would make a great addition in any bag.  The Ping G25 line up is fantastic, the driver is amazing while the G25 hybrid is not far behind.

Feel

The Ping G25 hybrid weighs in with a D1 swing weight.  The club head and shaft combine for a solid feel throughout the swing.  While the G25 driver makes your ears ring at impact, the hybrid produces the similar dull ping sound as the G20, however, with better feedback and softer feel.  Off center hits also have an enhanced sensation and softer feel than the firm feel of the G20.

Value

Last season’s G20 suffered in the sales department because of its awkward appearance.  Ping updated the G25 hybrid with outstanding looks to accompany outstanding results, making the G25 one of the hottest hybrids available today.  The Ping G25 hybrid retails with an average price point with a $199 price tag.  The G25 does not offer adjustments and still outperforms many of the more expensive competitors.  Overall value is up there with the best hybrids of 2013.

Look

TaylorMade made their original RocketBallz clubs RocketBallzier with the release of the Stage 2 line.  The updated appearance features a yellow and gray color scheme on top of the white club head with black club face and sole.  The 460 cc club head looks easy to hit at address with a similar design as the previous RocketBallz driver.  In addition, TaylorMade positioned a weight behind the club face to lower the CG, promote faster ball speeds with a higher launch and low spin.  The TaylorMade Loft-Sleeve offers 7 standard and 5 upright loft options where golfers can alter add or decrease 1.5 degrees of loft.  The trendy line is a nice update from the original RocketBallz line but overall the club looks very similar to the original.

Performance 

I tested the TaylorMade Stage 2 driver in the 9.5 degree stock Fujikura RocketFuel shaft in stiff flex.  Results yielded a high ball flight, exactly what the club and light weight shaft is designed to do.  I tried the Stage 2 driver on a number of occasions and never found consistent results similar to the original RocketBallz driver.  If the original RocketBallz driver was in my bag, I probably would not make the upgrade.  Solid hits produced good distance with a fairly straight and high ball flight.  Misses produced a higher ball flight that tended to drift to the right.  Personally, I preferred the Stage 2 over the R1.  However, the Stage 2 fell short of my expectations overall.

Feel

Impact felt really nice and produced a louder sound (than the R1) with very soft club face.  The softer impact sensation feels like the ball springs off the club face.  The ultra light shaft is designed to promote faster swing speed, and definitely helps with feeling that sensation.

The Stage 2 driver features a D6 swing weight with a lightweight Fujikura RocketFuel shaft that weighs 51 grams with 4.5 degrees of torque.  The lighter shaft makes it easy to feel the club head throughout the swing.  The RocketBallz Stage 2 driver feels great throughout the swing and impact – and I was a big fan.

Value

The TaylorMade Stage 2 driver retails for a standard $299 price.  In my opinion, the driver was more consistent and felt better than the R1 driver, so Taylormade has a win on that front.  However, in comparison to other models, like the original RBZ, I felt this club was sort of a let down.  The Stage 2 driver is definitely worth a try, and at only a $299 pricetag will get you pretty solid results for a low price.

The accused: Vijay Singh, his golf career hanging in the balance.

The accusation: That he used Deer Antler Spray, which contains the Human Growth Hormone IGF-1, in order to boost his performance.  Performance Enhancing Drugs in Golf, you ask? Indeed.

The decision: Singh has been cleared of any wrong-doing.

Why? Well, it seems IGF-1 really needs to be injected to have any effect. Also, it needs to be taken in larger doses than are present in a bottle of Deer Antler Spray.

So, why was Vijay Singh using it? Well, it would seem that Vijay Singh was drinking the modern day sports equivalent of Snake Oil. He is guilty of nothing more than being gullible. Or so it seems.

The verdict does little to shed light on Singh’s improbable success in his later career. Singh has won 22 tournaments since turning 40. Compared to just 12 tournament wins before that.

Just how is Vijay Singh getting that edge?

The ridiculous hours of preparation he puts in before, during and after golf tournaments? That can only account for so much.

His natural talent? Well, that accounts for a lot too.

His years of experience?  Yes, OK…well…dedication, talent and experience. OK, so maybe he’s just a good golfer who deserves success.

Anyway, given the clamour of negativity that has surrounded Vijay and the repeated references to his shady past, Golf’s governing bodies have reached agreement on a package of ‘perks’ to compensate Singh for recent accusations.

The package of incentives will include:

• Vijay is allowed immediate entry to the European Seniors Tour. (He’s eligible anyway)
• Vijay can park his car wherever he likes at tournaments. (No change there)
• Vijay can be as rude as he wants to be with sports journalists. (No change there either)
• Vijay is now entitled to 3 Mulligans per round at all Majors, PGA and European Tour Events.
• When Vijay shouts “Mulligan”, one of the other golfers in his group must go and fetch the ball.
• The other player in the group not responsible for retrieving Vijay’s balls must replace Vijay’s divots.
• If Vijay’s ball lands in a water hazard, this is to be considered an act of God and he will not be penalised for it. He will be allowed a drop at the point nearest the hole.
• Vijay may ground his club in the bunker. But only if he opts not to tee his ball up on the sand. Oh, we should have mentioned… Vijay may now also use a tee in the bunker.
• Vijay will now be allowed to compete in the Ryder Cup. He will be allowed to compete for Europe, the U.S.A, or he may create a team of his own.
• Vijay will also be allowed to compete in the Walker Cup.
• Blackjack rules now apply to Vijay when he competes in the World Matchplay Championship. In the event of a hole being halved, Vijay wins.
• Vijay may carry 15 clubs in his bag and a chainsaw. The chainsaw may be used to clear a line to the hole if Vijay should find himself in the trees and out of Mulligans.
• In the event of a golf tournament encountering situations of fading light, play will continue for all players with Vijay being issued with Night Vision goggles and infra-red golf balls.
• In order that Vijay not endure any penalties for slow play, golfers playing with him will now have 10 seconds to play their shot upon arrival at the ball site. 60 seconds will be added to Vijay’s shot clock.
• Par for Vijay will now be 74.

We wish him the best of luck in the future.

Update: Well, Vijay apparently hated the package he was offered and decided to sue the USGA instead. Really Vijay? Really?

Profile - 

What Makes It Work - As a re-cap, the RIP Technology stands for Reverse Interlaminary Positioning and in a nutshell means Aldila was able to reverse the layering of carbon fibers on the shaft so the outer layers were the strongest – doing this drastically increased the tip strength. S-Core Technology, which the infamous RIP line took a step away from uses a coiled carbon fiber rib system that runs the length of the shaft to prevent shaft deformation during the swing. Finally, the Micro Laminate consist of premium aerospace grade carbon fibers (up to twice as many as competitors) along the length of the shaft that helps reduce dead spots and ensures shaft consistency.

Who’s It For - This shaft is for mid to low handicapped players, or anyone who has a consistent enough swing to benefit from a premium golf shaft.  Stand alone these shafts will run you about $200, or $400-$450 in the Callaway Razr Fit Driver. With a mid-launch, for players who already hit a high ball they may want to consider something with a higher kick point like the RIP line, but definitely give this shaft a shot before moving on.  Even players with higher launches are making the switch.  Also, don’t let the higher torque numbers fool you, this shaft isn’t just for smoother swings, the shaft keeps up and responds well for a variety of swing types and speeds.

What People Are Saying - Many people are a little skeptical about this shaft at first, especially when you take a look at the specs… but performance-wise the Trinity has been anything but unimpressive.  Players are remarking on how incredibly consistent and tight the dispersion is with this shaft, despite its higher torque. In terms of feel, there are some mixed reviews, some faster swinging players don’t like the initial feel, while others who expected the shaft to be too soft and whippy were ‘pleasantly surprised’ at the stability of the shaft throughout the swing.  Distance wise – many players noticed an increase of 5-10 yards off the tee – mostly due to additional roll. In terms of trajectory and spin, this is where across the board this shaft was receiving (mostly) good praise.  Despite a mid-launch, it was incredibly consistent and didn’t balloon even for players who have a higher launch.  Launch angles hovered around 11-15 degrees, and spin numbers while varied, averaged around 2200-2600 rpm.  The players who were not the biggest fans of the shaft stated much higher spin numbers of 3500+ rpm.  Like most shafts nowadays there’s been mixed feedback from a variety of players and swing types – and this shaft is no exception. The shaft performs differently depending on swing types and how you load the shaft into impact.  More or less however, the positive comments outweighed the negative ones.  This shaft has a firm tip, but it is softer than most firm tipped shafts out there.  Coupled with the Callaway RAZR Fit Xtreme driver – this driver had a great sound at impact, and felt well weighted throughout the swing.

Shaft Specs – Aldila.com

Shaft Specs – Callaway Razr Fit XTreme

Like the other 4 issues that we have covered, it is difficult to keep the mobility in your neck needed for a good golf swing. Aside from checking your blind spots while changing lanes on the road, people rarely rotate their head to the side as much as is needed in order to keep it stable during the backswing. You can get away with this when you are younger. However, as people enter midlife and beyond, you will begin to lose the range in motion in you joints if you are not regularly using it.

Now days, pro golfers are so flexible that they can keep their head still enough to keep their eye on the ball looking over their left shoulder.

Since you are over 50, we probably will not be able to get the neck rotation that Dustin Johnson gets. But you can improve your neck rotation with a a few simple exercises. The least amount of neck rotation that you need to perform a solid golf swing is 75 degrees. This is approximately the range of motion you need to be able to lie down on your stomach with your head turned to the side.

If you are unable to rotate your neck enough, 2 things will happen:

Either you will have to shorten up your backswing so that you can continue to make consistent, quality contact with the golf ball or you can keep your backswing the same by allowing your head to move a lot. In the latter case, you will keep power by sacrificing good contact. Unfortunately, when you sacrifice good contact you tend to miss the sweet spot on the golf club and end up losing power anyway.

How to Keep or Regain Neck Mobility
The best way to stretch the neck is to lie down on your stomach in bed with your head turned to the side. However, may people find this position painful or too intense. If this is the case, you can try these exercises:

Turn your head to the right as far as you can rotate it. Take your right arm and reach across your chest. Use your left arm to pull the right arm further for a good stretch.

Or this one…

Rotate your head. Use your had to apply overpressure for a good stretch. Hold for 30 seconds.

Thanks for Reading!

About the Author. Dr. Ryan York is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Certified Golf Performance Specialist. He Co-created Age Defying Golf which serves men and women golfers between the ages of 50-75 years young. Visit us at www.agedefyinggolf.com.