Cleveland Golf Blog

I’ve been coming to Augusta National Golf Club as a Cleveland Golf/Srixon representative for seven years now. With all of the rich history and the course’s unmatched condition and beauty, Masters week is flat-out special. We are very lucky to have the opportunity to come here for a few days in April year after year.

With past champions having a lifetime invitation, our staff list for Masters week was a cool mix of Masters legends and current stars. We have five former champions playing our Srixon golf ball this week: Vijay Singh, Larry Mize, Craig Stadler, Ben Crenshaw and Sandy Lyle. We also have Keegan Bradley, Graeme McDowell, David Toms, and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano in this prestigious field.

We were able to get a few thoughts from Crenshaw on his 41st Masters appearance:

Cleveland Golf/Srixon: Welcome back to Augusta. How does it feel to be back?

Ben Crenshaw: By virtue of the fact that I won the Masters, I always look forward to coming here in the spring. It really is different than any other tournament. You watch springtime unfold and it’s just beautiful.

CGS: The old saying is you learn something new every time you play this course. Is that still the case for you after all these years?

BC: I still do, absolutely. I’ve played this tournament over 40 times. It’s just an amazing piece of land. It has something to do with the undulation and change of elevation on the holes. You can still get fooled going uphill or downhill.

CGS: You’re regarded as one of the best putters in history. Do you change anything in your putting when you come here?

BC: Well, you still have to putt the ball. Like I said before, the greens fool you, as everyone here knows. You have to have a great respect for these greens or they’ll get you.

With our staffers spending the majority of their preparation time playing the course and practicing, there wasn’t much club work done this week. We made fresh 588 Forged Wedges for Keegan Bradley early in the week — complete with the colors of his alma mater, St. John’s University — and checked the lofts and lies on his irons. On Tuesday, we cut down David Toms’s Never Compromise Limited Dinero Tycoon putter a half-inch to allow for a little more arm hang at address. Otherwise, he’s really happy with his gear.

One of the cooler moments of the week was when Keegan had his mother, Kaye, caddy for him in the annual Par 3 contest. She was fired up and even got to hit a shot (with a Mashie hybrid, I might add). So neat for them to be able to share that moment!

‘Til next week…

It was a busy few days for us in Orlando, Fla. While the PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Invitational was gearing up on Monday and Tuesday at Bay Hill Club & Lodge, some of the best players in the world were competing just down the road at Lake Nona Golf Club for the annual Tavistock Cup.

The Tavistock Cup is a match between four high-end private clubs in Florida and the marquee tour players that represent them. Besides featuring amazing golf, it has raised more than $7 million for charity in its brief history. Cleveland Golf/Srixon had three players in this exclusive event: Graeme McDowell, Soren Kjeldsen, and Robert Allenby. One of our tour representatives was fortunate to snag a really tough ticket and was there for the festivities. Check out some of his photos on Facebook.
Back over at Bay Hill, it was business as usual for the rest of our staff. With only two weeks remaining until the Masters, guys who know they’ll be playing at Augusta National start to think ahead just a little bit. Some will start to experiment with lower-bounce wedges for Augusta’s super tight fairways, others will have an “Augusta Driver” built that might fly a bit higher and be easier to turn right-to-left since the course calls for that shot quite often. Those little “projects” are always fun.

Bay Hill is in immaculate condition. It’s greener than I’ve ever seen it, and the thick rough will definitely play a factor. Most work this week was normal maintenance aside from some of the Augusta prep work for McDowell and Vijay Singh. GMac got off to a slow start Thursday with an even-par 72, but bounced back with a 9-under 63 Friday to put himself in the thick of the title hunt.

We have some guys really feeling good about their games at the moment, so we’re looking forward to watching some good golf this week! Next week we head West for the Shell Houston Open, the final tune-up before the Masters.

‘Til next week…

Cleveland Golf is pleased to announce the introduction of the 588 Forged Black Pearl wedge, an extension of its highly-successful 588 Forged wedge line that was released in the fall of 2011. The 588 Forged Black Pearl wedge maintains the popular, tour-proven shape of Cleveland Golf’s original 588 wedge while offering the same technological breakthroughs featured on the 588 Forged line of wedges. It also boasts Cleveland Golf’s highly-popular Black Pearl finish, which helps reduce glare to make it easier to frame the ball at address.

Precision Forged from 1025 carbon steel, the 588 Forged Black Pearl wedge offers golfers an incredibly soft yet solid feel, as well as the highest level of manufacturing consistency for supreme confidence and trust over every shot. The 588 Forged Black Pearl wedge’s Tour Zip Grooves and Laser Milled technology help to maximize spin in accordance with USGA regulations. The 588 Forged Black Pearl wedge comes with a Tour Concept Wedge steel shaft, co-developed and engineered by Cleveland Golf and industry leader True Temper. With a unique stiffness profile that features a less active tip, this shaft promotes a more penetrating ball flight, increased spin and optimal distance control along with superior feel.

“Our latest introduction of the 588 Forged line of wedges has been a huge success for us,” said Todd Harman, President of Cleveland Golf/Srixon – U.S.A. “With Black Pearl historically being our most popular finish in past wedge lines, we’re really excited to bring the unique look and performance of the 588 Forged Black Pearl wedge to golfers.”

To learn more about the 588 Forged Black Pearl, click here.  To shop for the 588 Forged Black Pearl, click here.

What do you think of the new 588 Forged Black Pearl wedge?  Will you be putting one in your bag?

George McNeill only needed to make par on the 72nd hole to secure a win at the 2012 Puerto Rico Open over the weekend, but instead decided to add some style points with a closing birdie en route to his second-career PGA Tour victory. McNeill, who finished the day with three consecutive birdies, won the tournament with rounds of 66-70-67-69 for a four-day score of -18, 272.

McNeill, who won previously at the 2007 Frys.com Open during his rookie year, was the 54-hole leader at Trump International Golf Club in Puerto Rico but still needed to make a Sunday charge since the leaderboard was filled with low scores.

“I was really nervous, but I knew what I had to do, and basically I just had to bear down and get it done,” said McNeill, a 36-year-old Florida State alum. “If not, then somebody else was going to win. I was trying to basically have control of myself, and that’s all I was looking for.”

He earned $630,000 for the triumph, along with 250 FedEx Cup points.

McNeill’s story really is that of a journeyman. He turned professional in 1998 and tried to make a name for himself on the Nationwide Tour and mini-tours. After a few years with varying results, McNeill gave up playing competitive golf completely and returned to Florida to work as a teaching professional. After nine months of working at two different golf courses, McNeill had had enough and made the decision to get back to what he loved – playing golf at the highest level.

In 145 career PGA Tour starts, McNeill now has two wins, six runner-ups and two playoff losses. He’s learned a lot since his first victory.

“I think I was a little dumb, for lack of a better word, in 2007,” McNeill said. “I really didn’t know any better.

“It’s not easy to be the best even if it’s only for one week, and that’s why it’s tough. And you got to take in golf what you can and move on.”

In his bag this week was:

Driver: Launcher Ultralite TL310, 9.5*

Irons: 588 Forged MB, 3-PW

Wedges: 588 Forged 54* & 60*

Ball: Srixon Z-STAR XV

We love these multiple-event weeks on the PGA Tour. It’s an opportunity for some Cleveland Golf/Srixon staffers to compete against the very best at Doral, while others can earn some valuable World Ranking and FedEx Cup points in Puerto Rico.

World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship

This event, reserved for 75 of the best players in the world, takes place at the famous Doral Resort in Miami, Fla. The resort was recently purchased by real estate mogul Donald Trump, who showed up on site this week.
They don’t call this course the Blue Monster for nothing. Weather is almost always a factor at this lengthy, bunker-laden track, and winds have been gusting all week – sometimes up to 30mph. With weather like this, our staffers spent most of their time dialing in their short games and putting, since it’s hard to get much out of full-swing practice in these conditions. As is usually the case at these top-tier events, equipment work was relegated to the normal maintenance of lofts and lies and a few re-grips – this way, players can focus more on practice instead of club-building.

These WGC events also allow us to see some of our European staffers we don’t normally have much time with in the States. This week, Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano is back in the U.S. after he was in Arizona a few weeks ago for the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Gonzo, as he is called, is a terrific talent and really interesting guy. We always enjoy our time with him and hope he continues to climb the Official World Golf Rankings so everyone will have the opportunity to see more of him (he’s currently 50th).

Check out some photos of Gonzo here.

Puerto Rico Open

As mentioned before, this event is a great opportunity for our staffers to make a big move up the money list. Every dollar is important as players try to position themselves before the next reshuffle. We have some players in the field that have gotten off to solid starts this season and want to continue that momentum, and others that really need to ignite their year.

No real club work is done down in Puerto Rico, since logistically it can’t really happen. However, we did have to tackle one equipment emergency.

At least a few times a year, an airline baggage handler will manage to take out some aggression on one of our staffers’ travel bags – leaving us to put the pieces back together. This week, Ted Potter, Jr. was the unlucky victim. The airline broke his Launcher Ultralite TL310 driver, but we were able to send him a replacement the next day from our tour department in Huntington Beach.

There are always some cool stories that come out of Monday Qualifying for PGA Tour events. This week, two of our CG/Srixon tour players – developmental staffer Derek Tolan and Nationwide Tour member Andy Matthews – both played their way into the field. We certainly wish them the best this week as they look to make their stamp on the PGA Tour.

Next week we are off to the iconic Bay Hill Club & Lodge for the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

‘Til next week…

This week we’re at PGA National’s Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., for the beginning of the PGA Tour’s Florida swing. Many of the world’s best players are in the Honda Classic field, and whenever they show up, it creates a special environment.

The story this week is really about holes 15-17 at PGA National, affectionately known as “The Bear Trap” after course designer Jack Nicklaus. This is certainly one of, if not the most difficult trio of holes on any course all year. It was really fun listening to Cleveland Golf/Srixon staffers discuss their various plans of attack for that stretch. Be sure to watch how they perform there, as the holes will get a ton of television coverage (look for our new commercials on both NBC and Golf Channel).

This week is a home game for some of our staffers, such as Keegan Bradley and Robert Allenby, who live in nearby Jupiter and West Palm Beach, respectively. It makes for a fun week for them since they get to hang out with all of their family and friends.

Equipment-wise, we couldn’t be more excited about the start to our year. The Classic driver has been adopted more quickly by our PGA Tour players than any other driver I can remember. It’s received a great deal of attention for its good looks, but it performs as well as anything I have seen. The overwhelming majority of Cleveland wedges in bags now are the new 588 Forged. The most common comment has been, “They just feel better than everything else.” That feel combined with the classic 588 shape has made them a home run on Tour to this point. We’re having more fun working with this current product line than any I can remember.

Check out a quick gallery of pictures from this week’s Honda Classic.

Final Notes:

Again, be sure to tune in to this week’s coverage. Check out our staffers playing this week and our new commercials that will be airing over this weekend.

Also, there is a nice article in this week’s Golf World about Jason Kokrak, his prodigious length, and his Classic driver. It’s a great read. Jason put a Miyazaki Kusala Black 83X shaft in his 15-degree Launcher FL fairway wood this week, and it will be interesting to see how it performs for the bomber.

Srixon staffer Robert Allenby is coming off of a tough finish at last week’s Mayakoba Classic in Mexico, losing in an eight-hole playoff. Allenby is in good spirits this week, and at No. 60 in the Official World Golf Rankings, he’s looking to contend more on the Florida Swing so he can crack the top 50 and earn an invite to the Masters in April.

‘Til next week…

Readers,

We continue our blog series on the 588 Forged Wedge with a closer look at the shaft that makes it all possible.  The Tour Concept Shaft, co-designed and engineered with True Temper is known around the office as “the shaft with more spin.”  True Temper is the industry leader in steel shafts, so co-engineering a shaft with them was a no-brainer for Cleveland Golf, and putting it in our industry leading wedges was another no-brainer.  The Tour Concept Shaft sets itself apart from the competition for a variety of reasons:

A Unique Stiffness Profile:

The Tour Concept has been designed with a less active shaft tip and a higher kick-point than a traditional wedge shaft.  This stiffness profile decreases the launch angle for more control and increased spin from all yardages.

Steeper Attack Angle:

The advanced construction of the Tour Concept encourages a slightly steeper angle of attack into the ball.  This also enhances spin and stopping power on the green.

Tour-Proven Performance:

True Temper has been the No. 1 steel shaft on the PGA Tour for more than 70 years.  Professionals rely upon the high quality and consistent feel that have made the brand a staple for players of all skill levels.  Quality and feel are also at the core of the Tour Concept.

Variable Wall Thickness:

Variable Wall Thickness is unique from True Temper.  With this technology, it allows the shaft’s wall to vary in thickness (as the name would suggest) throughout the shaft.  The exterior of the shaft will look normal, but the inside walls of the shaft will vary to allow for a stiffer tip, while maintaining feel.

Along with the Tour Concept Shaft, we are now offering Collegiate Shafts.  Chose from over 50 of your favorite colleges, and show off your team spirit no matter where you play golf!

The PGA Tour events that consistently boast the best fields are played on great golf courses, and that’s certainly the case this week with many of the world’s best competing at legendary Riviera Country Club for the 2012 Northern Trust Open. This is also one of our favorite events since it’s in Pacific Palisades, a quick jaunt up the 405 freeway from Cleveland Golf/Srixon’s American headquarters in Huntington Beach.

Because Riviera is such a demanding track, many staffers spent more time practicing on the course than usual. We did some normal loft and lie maintenance and other minor tweaks, but overall, this was one of our slower equipment weeks of the year. Like we’ve said, that’s a good thing – our guys are dialing in their gear and getting ready for a great stretch of golf.

One staffer who seems poised for such a stretch is rookie Jason Kokrak, who’s coming off his first career top-10 finish with a tie for ninth at last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. The 26-year-old put on an impressive display of power and precision, leading the field in greens in regulation with his 588 Forged MB Irons and ranking sixth in driving distance with the help of the Classic Driver (which launches tomorrow, by the way).

Kokrak made a small change to his wedge setup this week, switching to KBS Tour shafts in his 52, 56, and 60-degree 588 Forged Wedges. These shafts flight the golf ball a little lower and add some spin, which is exactly what he’s been looking for.

We had an opportunity to chat with Jason about his season thus far and what he’s looking forward to in 2012:

How has the transition been from the Nationwide Tour?

I wasn’t on the Nationwide for that long, but it’s still been a big transition for me. There are more tournaments and longer weeks. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday getting the practice dialed in, and then you have the tournament after that. I went out there at the beginning of the year and made my first cut, which was great. Last week I got my first top 10, which was great. Now they reshuffled me and I should be good for the rest of the year as far as getting spots in the field, which is great! But, the transition hasn’t been too bad. I have been playing professional golf at some level for a few years now and it is all about getting into your routine. Out here my routine is different from the Nationwide, which was a different routine from the mini tours.

How are the courses on the PGA Tour different than Nationwide courses?

I think [PGA Tour] courses are a little more manicured. They are more consistent from week to week. It helps to have that consistency when you’re trying to work on a certain shot or hone your game. Mostly, the courses are a little tougher, but they’re similar in green speed and firmness.

You’re known for your driving distance. How has the Classic Driver helped you?

I put the Classic Driver in the bag at the beginning of the year. I tested a few of them, and the one I originally used didn’t have enough spin. I was hitting it great and I had a lot of distance, but it fell out of the air a little bit. But, we made some small adjustments and now I am dialed. I like it a lot. The head is great, looking down at it, it feels very comfortable. It looks different than everything else and it feels better to boot. It’s a great club and it’s going to be in my bag for the foreseeable future.

Do you get a lot of questions from other guys on tour who haven’t seen it yet?

Yeah! A lot of guys want to look at it and look down at it. It is such a great looking driver that everyone is intrigued. The other guys all want to hit it, but it’s mine! Ha! Even the fans, sometimes they will yell out and ask what driver it is, which has never happened to me before. You know, there are a lot of companies that put drivers out there that you have never seen, but it’s great to have something that looks a little different coming from an established company right here in the U.S.

What tournament are you looking forward to the most this year?

I really want to play in my home state in Ohio. Either at the Memorial or Firestone, but both of those would be tough to get into right now. But my goals are to play in those tournaments this year.

‘Til next week…

It seems like I say this every week, but yet again, the setting for this week’s PGA Tour event is truly something special. The courses and cities where our Cleveland Golf/Srixon staffers start their season are phenomenal, and Pebble Beach may just be the crown jewel. Golf on the Monterey Peninsula is as visually spectacular as you’ll find anywhere in the world.

This week’s event is played on three courses on the Monterey Peninsula–Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, and Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course (MPCC). The two latter courses are fantastic in their own right, with Spyglass heralded as a superb test by all the players and MPCC sporting ocean views on 14 of 18 holes.

We usually do a lot of wedge work in the Tour Trailer for this event, and this year was no different. While the courses this week were as firm as we’ve seen them in some time, they’re still softer and just altogether different than anywhere else the guys have played thus far.

This creates an interesting challenge.

With softer turf conditions, players will often want to game a wedge with a bit more overall bounce, making it less prone to digging. But the greens here are also softer this time of year, and the last thing you want with soft greens are super fresh, sharp grooves. We know our Tour Zip Grooves really do spin the golf ball more than any other grooves out there. So we as reps, along with the players, have to weigh the pros and cons of putting a new wedge in the bag this week. If someone does opt for a new wedge, he’ll often hit a lot of practice greenside bunker shots just to take that initial groove sharpness off for the soft greens of Pebble and avoid over-spinning the ball. As you watch this week, keep an eye on who controls their spin the best on wedge and short-iron approaches. The player that does this best will have a great chance to win at week’s end.

The 588 Forged wedges continue to impress CG/Srixon staffers and are drawing more and more interest from players outside our staff. The most common question we get from players is, “So it’s a 588, but it feels way better?” The answer is YES! The classic 588 look, combined with the feel of our advanced Precision Forged process and the best grooves on the market, is making many tour players very happy!

Staffers in this week’s field include: Steve Flesch, Steven Bowditch, Troy Kelly, Russell Knox, Chris Stroud, George McNeill, Vijay Singh, Jason Kokrak, Roland Thatcher, Charlie Beljan, Ted Potter Jr., and Kevin Stadler.

For more pictures from this week, check out this photo gallery!

‘Til next week…

Readers,

Today continues our blog series on the advantages of the 588 Forged Wedge. Last week, we focused on the timeless shape of the wedge, which has won 26 majors and over 330 PGA Tour events since 1988. This week, we want to educate you on the 588 Forged’s grooves, specifically some of the finer points that are often overshadowed or overlooked when discussing wedge grooves.

So, let’s “Face The Facts” about wedge grooves (pun intended!)

Did you know that grooves function like tread on a tire? The purpose of a groove is to channel moisture and debris away from the contact surface to improve friction. With a car, that means better handling on the road, with a wedge it means that optimum groove dimensions allow for optimum control of spin. The 588 Forged Wedge has the maximum groove dimensions allowed by the USGA; if the grooves are too small, moisture and debris (grass, dirt, etc.) won’t be channeled away as effectively, meaning less spin control.

Cleveland Golf has been the leading innovator in groove technology for over a decade.  Since the release of the 900 Wedge in 2000, Cleveland Golf has set the industry standard in wedge face consistency.  Along with that, the Laser Milled face is truly one of a kind.  Laser Milling, originally introduced on the CG15 wedge and later added to other CG wedges, allows for even more spin and control of the wedge thanks to optimal surface roughness, which also improves friction.

Milling is taken to new heights at CG. After our club builders mill the grooves into the wedge, we fill them with a protective, wax-like material. This material insures they maintain their original milled shape throughout the other manufacturing processes such as sandblasting and polishing (this also keeps them shiny… see for yourself next time you’re in a golf shop). Since they aren’t touched at all after milling, we can mill them right at the USGA’s limit without worrying that they will change shape and become non-conforming. No other company can make that claim, so no other company’s grooves are as pristine as ours.

So, readers, when it comes to face technology, Cleveland Golf is truly unmatched.  No other company can do what we do with grooves on the face of a wedge, and at some point we just need to FACE the facts!