Equipment at the Open

With a number of launches from major manufacturers scheduled for the near future the Open was a great place to get a sneak peak of what is coming up. I spent a few hours on the range during the week and noticed the following:

Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Angel Cabrera were amongst a number of players using Ping s new S57 irons. The new player s set will replace the extremely impressive S58. The heads seem slightly larger than both the S58 and S59 models but maintain a bladed look at address.

Zach Johnson and Davis Love III were all trying out the new Titleist 909D3 driver. The heads look fantastic and early reports suggest that this could be a seriously impressive driver from Titleist.

Greg Norman used MacGregor s MT 460 driver. The club will not be available in the UK in 2008 but if it s as impressive as the MT iron series it will be worth the wait.

Nick Dougherty was using the new Callaway Tour Authentic X-Tour Utility Iron. The hollow back design is available in 18° and 20°.

The Made In Japan team were on the chipping green early in the week showcasing their impressive range of wedges. A number of their wedges can be seen in the July issue of Golf Monthly.

The putting green is an interesting place during practice days. There were seven manufacturers on the green on Tuesday trying to get their product in play. Monty was spotted trying out a number of SeeMore putters, one of which stayed in his bag all week.