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2013 Hottest New Stuff

Great Gear For The New Year

This Article Features Photo Zoom

Tour Edge Exotics Xrail ($179) aims to make fairway-wood shots effortless. A wide V-sole guides the clubface into a square position at impact. Weight in the heel and toe produces a high MOI for stability on off-center hits.

Cleveland Golf's CG Black ($200) features an aerodynamic shape plus teardrop-inspired profile, to reduce airflow drag and increase clubhead speed. Ultralightweight grip and shaft also boost speed. All that, plus a variable-thickness, lightweight clubface add up to loads of distance.

Orlimar's Tri-Metal ZX ($119) offers a fade-fighting design: A draw-oriented tungsten sole weight plus a 2-degree closed-face alignment help square contact, as does an offset hosel. A low CG promotes high trajectory.

HYBRIDS

Are hybrids falling out of favor, now that fairway woods seem to be making a comeback? Nope. In fact, hybrids seem to be evolving. One form of that evolution is the utility iron that's more ironlike than fairway wood-like, and can easily replace the long irons in a player's bag. Another is the woodlike utility that looks more like a wood but plays like an iron. Either way, expect a slew of alternatives for your long irons this year.

Each club in Cobra's Baffler Hybrid-Iron set ($499-$699, depending on makeup) features a progressive, oversized face that's forgiving, and a low CG to help get the ball airborne. Hybrids at the set's long end boast a wide, railed sole and shallow face.

Callaway's X Utility Prototype irons ($229/graphite shafts, $199/steel) have been popular with PGA Tour pros. Offered only in lofts of 18, 21 and 24 degrees, their hollow, forged construction packs a graceful blend of distance, speed, feel and control.

Adams Idea Tech V4 Hybrid ($249) contains a new "Through Slot"—spanning completely through the club—for maximum ball speed and distance. It's covered with a TPU insert. Ball speed approaches that of a driver for more distance.

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