The Seven Dreamers Laboratories Golf Shaft is the innovator of the worlds most advanced and expensive golf-club shaft.
Their USP (Unique Selling Proposition) is “Autoclaving”. Autoclaving is traditionally used in manufacturing high-precision carbon products and helps the carbon fiber retain its quality without adding “unnecessary resin and paint or polishing and grinding”. FYI, most shafts are oven-baked.
The autoclaving process is traditionally used for manufacturing high-precision carbon products, including those utilized in the building of satellites and aircraft.
This pioneering approach helps the carbon fiber retain 100 percent of its quality and eliminates common practices used by other manufacturers, including grinding or polishing to achieve weight and flex specifications, as well as adding 3-5 grams of useless paint weight to the structure.
The surface condition of the shaft is perfect – no broken fibers, no fiber tears and no fiber bullets. The resulting design provides golfers with incredibly smooth feel and near-perfect transfer of energy for more distance with tighter shot dispersion.
Gone are the fancy paint color schemes found in most all other shafts that help TV viewers identify brands. This has a pure carbon fiber look with only the serial number and “Seven Dreamers” monogram.
The company offers 28 different bend profiles, ranging from 40 grams to 80 grams, which they identified as the most common through thousands of club fittings. However, it is imperative that a customer, to find the correct shaft, will need to be custom fitted at a Seven Dreamers authorized dealer: Seven Dreamers sells its products through select retailers, club fitters and “high-profile” green-grass shops. The shafts debuted in Japan in 2014 and have been endorsed by Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki, who won 94 times on the Japan Tour.
Our testing group, those who had slower speed swings specifically and average drives of 165 to 175 yards, used the J-50, 40 R High Launch in the new XXIO driver. Overall, every tester was enthralled with the shafts’ performance. On their missed hits, they averaged 15 yards further and center hits increased their distance from 25 -35 yards over their existing drives! They all agreed that the shaft gave them a better and smoother feeling than their current shafts, and they loved the ball flight as well!
Since its introduction in Japan in 2014, and the US in 2017, Seven Dreamers has gained a large and loyal following among the most discerning and affluent golfers. The ultra-premium, custom-fit shafts, which start at $1,200 each (J Global Design series), have been adopted by members of Cypress Point Golf Club, Riviera Country Club, Oakmont Country Club, Seminole Golf Club, San Francisco Golf and Country Club, Southern Highlands, TPC of Boston and hundreds of other golf and country clubs.
For those who must have their very own custom shaft built for them personally, this can be arranged for $2500 and a visit to their Tokyo studios.
“Much like fine-quality, bespoke suits, our shafts are designed to complement the user by perfectly reacting to his or her unique swing profile,” says Shin Sakane, President and CEO of Seven Dreamers. “No other manufacturer in the world has the resources or manufacturing knowledge to create the superior shafts our labs produce.”
Iron, hybrid and putter shafts are also available in the market.
A list of authorized dealers: golf.sevendreamers.com/en/shop/agent.
Burton XLT Cart Bag
This is one of Burton’s best looking and functional cart bags they have yet produced.
Burton Golf, part of the Dynamic Brands portfolio of premium golf brands and a name synonymous with quality and workmanship since 1907, just introduced its 2019 Heritage Collection of golf bags featuring the XLT Cart Bag.
The 5.9 lbs Burton XLT Cart Bag combines premium organizational and storage features with a sleek design in classic colors. The XLT transports easily with rubberized lift-assist handles and fits on a riding cart with the cart strap sleeve on top allowing the bag to be fastened with complete pocket access.
The XLT features a 15-way organizer top with full-length individual dividers and a dedicated rubberized putting well integrated into the bag top.
Our testing group really liked the 12 total pockets, including 4 full-size garment pockets and the oversized, insulated cooler pocket, and the towel holder with hook and loop fastener for gloves.
The XLT is designed with nine zippered pockets, including a waterproof, fleece-lined valuables pocket. Comes with YKK premium zippers, an integrated umbrella sleeve and matching rain hood with dual access.
The XLT can all be customized with an embroidered name, monogram, tournament or club logo or combination of two options.
Available in six colorways with or without embroidered customization.
$199.95 www.dynamicbrands.com
Tour Edge EXS Driver
The thrill is back with the EXS driver!
Tour Edge products have been put in play on the PGA TOUR, PGA Tour Champions, LPGA Tour and Web.com Tour, as well as European professional tours, and have been in play in every PGA TOUR major event and in Ryder Cup competitions, leading to over 15 wins for players playing Tour Edge products on the PGA Tours.
In 2018 alone, Tour Edge clubs have earned five wins, eight runner-up finishes, 24 Top 5 finishes and over 40 Top 10 finishes on the three PGA Tours.
Tour Edge R&D paired the superior TSP 910 Beta Titanium face plate with the exceptionally light Carbon Fiber Crown and with additional Carbon Fiber located on the toe of clubhead, allowing weight to be strategically repositioned lower and deeper in the head for optimal spin and creating an extremely high MOI.
The Dual Carbon Fiber Technology also helped Tour Edge engineers to significantly improve the acoustics of the driver and enabled them to account for the gram weight of the FTS weights and the adjustable hosel.
The Flight Tuning System allows adjustable sole weights to be moved to two alternate settings; a 9- gram weight in the heel, 3-gram weight in the rear for lower spin, slice-reducing shape and a medium launch, and then, the 3-gram weight in the heel and 9-gram weight in the rear for medium spin, neutral shape and a higher launch. Additional weight screws can be purchased as a kit that includes 6-gram, 11-gram and 14-gram weights.
The adjustable hosel allows the 9.5 degree EXS driver to go from 7.5 degrees to 11.5 degrees, while the 10.5 degree EXS driver will adjust from 8.5 degrees to 12.5 degrees, making the EXS Driver one of the most versatile drivers on the market. The adjustable hosel also features three upright lie angle settings, giving the EXS driver 16 different settings between the two FTS weights and the eight different loft and lie settings. An Exotics tuning wrench will come at no charge with each driver at the point of purchase.
The EXS 460cc head features premium Japanese exotic metals; TSP 910 Beta Titanium face plate featuring Variable Face Thickness Technology and a 8-1-1 Titanium chassis. The TSP 910 Beta Titanium face has been made even thinner and lighter in the EXS over previous Exotics driver models to produce a greater spring-like effect.
An ultra-premium Tensei CK Blue 2G shaft series by Mitsubishi Chemical is the chosen stock shaft for the EXS driver. Extremely light, yet extremely stable throughout, the Tensei Blue CK features advanced materials like Carbon Fiber and Kevlar mixed with other lightweight materials that weigh in the 50-70 gram range depending on flex. A 50- gram weight will be available in Ladies, Aflex and Regular, a 60-gram shaft available in Regular, Stiff and X-flex and a 70-gram shaft available in Stiff and X-flex.
Every Tour Edge club comes with a lifetime warranty and a 30-day play guarantee.
$299.99 www.touredge.com
Cobra F-Max Series Superlite Driver & Fairway Woods
I am the F-Max’s biggest fan!
Let’s start off by saying that the F-MAX Superlite Driver is the perfect solution for players who need the added speed of lightweight design without sacrificing forgiveness.
I carry the original F-Max fairway woods in #3, #5 and #7 lofts. These clubs are the ONLY fairway woods I personally have been able to hit consistently well, especially the #3. It is my perfect club for distances of175 – 200 yards, allowing for reaching par 4’s in regulation! Now with the new models, I see an increase of 10-15 yards from each club! Nirvana!
Building off the success of the original F-MAX family, first introduced in 2017, the new F-MAX men’s and women’s Superlite Drivers and Fairway woods are significantly lighter overall, providing more club speed, distance and easier launch than ever before.
The COBRA Golf F-MAX Superlite Drivers are re-engineered with a 6-gram lighter clubhead, while maintaining an MOI of greater than 5,000, delivering COBRA’s lightest driver head weight without sacrificing stability and forgiveness. Additionally, a 5-gram lighter shaft, and a 7-gram lighter grip design yield 18 grams in weight-savings, bringing the total overall weight to 287 grams.
These lightweight technologies and designs are combined to ensure the fastest club and ball speed performance for moderate swing speeds. The men’s F-MAX Superlite Drivers feature a Midsize LAMKIN REL 360 grip that is engineered using a lighter, softer rubber compound for a lighter swing weight and improved comfort and feel. Accentuating the weight minimization theme, COBRA’s new Superlite shafts offer the perfect blend of distance, speed and launch. A lighter profile allows for a faster and more balanced swing transition for golfers with smoother tempos.
The following information is derived directly from Cobra:
Offered in both offset and straight neck hosel designs, COBRA Golf has created its F-MAX Superlite Drivers with the following industry-leading super game improvement technologies:
· Oversized Clubhead Shape – An oversized address profile increases forgiveness by reducing twisting of the clubface on miss-hits, for more consistent, accurate drives.
· Forged Titanium E9™ Face Insert – A thin forged 6-4 Titanium face insert is designed with E9 Technology, a variable thickness face structure that enhances ball speed and distance on centered and off centered hits.
· Crown Alignment Feature – A subtle crown alignment design assists players with a square set up at address without being a visual distraction.
· Back/Heel CG Weighting – An internal weight pad strategically positions weight low, back and towards the heel to deliver higher launching trajectories and straighter ball flights.
· Hosel Options – F-MAX Superlite Driver is offered in player’s choice of an offset hosel that promotes a draw-biased ball flight, or in the straight-neck design for golfers preferring a more traditional look at address.
COBRA’s new F-MAX Superlight Fairways boast the same innovative, weight-saving considerations and game-enhancing benefits as the driver, but feature a low profile, shallow face design using high-strength forged 455 stainless steel to enhance ball speed and launch across the face from a variety of turf conditions.
The COBRA GOLF F-MAX Superlite Drivers and Fairway Woods are available as stand-alone products, or as a part of COBRA’s 13-piece Complete Set. See below for details:
· Men’s F-MAX Superlite Driver ($299) – Available in both right-hand and left-hand versions with a 45-gram Superlite shaft in stiff, regular and lite flex. Comes in a sleek black/red colorway. Player’s choice of offset or straight neck hosel comes standard. Available lofts include 9.5°, 10.5° and 11.5° in right-hand and 10.5° in left-hand.
· Women’s F-MAX Superlite Driver ($299) – Available in offset only in both right-hand and left-hand versions with a 40-gram Superlite shaft in ladies flex. Comes in a striking black/Lexi Blue colorway and 11.5° & 15 ° of loft.
· Men’s F-MAX Superlite Fairways ($199) – Available in both right-hand and left-hand versions with Superlite shafts (55-gram in stiff and regular flex, and 50-gram in lite flex). Comes in a sleek black/red colorway. Available lofts include 16°, 20° and 23° in right-hand and 16° and 20° in left-hand.
· Women’s F-MAX Superlite Fairways ($199) – Available in both right-hand and left-hand versions with a 50-gram Superlite shaft in ladies flex. Comes in a striking black/Lexi Blue colorway and available lofts include 19°, 23° and 27° in right-hand and 19° and 23° in left-hand.
· F-MAX Superlite Men’s Complete Set ($1,199) – Comes standard with a premium, full feature cart bag, featuring a 14-way top, 11 zippered compartments including a velour-lined valuables pocket and insulated beverage cooler along with an all new shoulder strap featuring COOLFlow EVA foam for maximum comfort. The set includes the choice of lite flex, featuring an 11.5° driver, or a regular flex set featuring a 10.5° driver. The standard complete set comes with a Driver, 3W, 5W, 4H, 5H, 6i-PW, SW and a Cobra blade putter. Available in right hand only in a black/redcolorway.
· F-MAX Superlite Women’s Complete Set ($1,199) – Comes standard with a premium, full feature cart bag (same features as the men’s version), 15° – ladies flex Driver, 3W, 5W, 7W, 5H, 6i-PW,SW and a Cobra mallet putter. Available in right-hand only in either a black/Lexi blue or white/Purple Cactus colorway (**White/Purple Cactus colorway available in complete set only).
GoGolf GPS
An ideal solution in a very small space. In this world of overly complicated expensive electronics that have found their way into the golfing community with an array of devices that were not only hard to use, but also hard to see and in some instances inconvenient to carry.
GoGolf GPS is compatible with both Android and iOS devices, GoGolf GPS connects via Bluetooth® and gives you the exact distance of your last shot and the distance to the center of the green every time.
All you need to do is to download the free iOS or Android app and install GoGolf GPS on your smartphone and sync wirelessly.
Clip GoGolf GPS is available in two sizes, the unit can be worn on your cap, visor, shirt, and more. No more reaching for your phone or your device – just tap, listen and swing. It’s also IPX5 certified to be water resistant.
Now you can improve your score without pulling out any devices. You simply press the button on the GoGolf GPS unit and hear the distance to the center of the green and/or last shot.
The GoGolf GPS app accesses over 30,000 global courses, supported in 35 languages, and reports in both audio and text so you’re always prepared, wherever you play.
Order directly from the company’s website:
$89.99 www.gogolfgps.com
PeakVision Sun Glasses – the GX5 model
I love these sun glasses so much that I have worn them every day for as far back as I can remember. This latest model is so very comfortable compared to previous iterations.
This is the first time in the history of sunglass technology that the lens deliver extreme clarity and zero distortion for a much more defined vision on the golf course.
The constructed frame is a composite microcrystalline nylon, has an adjustable nose bridge, and has a co-injected rubber temple grip. My previous versions did not have these two comfort enhancing features.
The GX5 lenses employ Dual Zone-Zero Distortions lens technology which provides sports performance with max wrap coverage and lightweight durability.
The glasses feature both impact-resistant safety and 100% UV400 protection.
The extreme difference with PEAKVISION Sunglasses is that the proprietary lens material, which equates to a distortion-free lens with extreme clarity, has the same clarity as ‘crown glass’ which has a -52 abbi rating for clarity. (The higher the number on a negative scale, the better the clarity). Normal polycarbonate lenses are typically in the -14 to -20 area of clarity. PEAKVISION lens provide 2 to 4 times the clarity on that index.
PEAKVISION offers a 30-day, money back guarantee if you are not 100% satisfied.
$120.00 www.peakvision.com
As one can see, this year’s opportunities for gifting are excellent. All golfers will appreciate and welcome any of these products that are sure to enhance their golf experience.
Barry Lotz, J.D., Ph.D. is the director of the Professional Golf Teachers Association of America. Visit www/facebook.com/PGTAA to see all the latest mental strategies, travel and equipment reviews.
He is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America and serves both as a Consultant and Mediator to the golf industry. He is also the author of numerous books, including “333 Best Web Sites for Golfers” and his previous book, “How to Build Business Relationships through Golf”, updated for 2011, is still in the Top Ten Golf Business Book’s best seller list.
His latest book, “The Right Mind for Golf”, is now in its 7th reprint is available on Amazon and at the Torrey Pines golf course.
