/ OVERLOOKED / In a world gone mad for smart, game-saving hybrids and super game-improvement long irons that fly 240 yards, you might think the fairway wood is on the verge of becoming a Walkman among iPods. But its sturdy work ethic keeps its place secure. Under a benign exterior lies technology that will make you look better than you know you really are. It’s the kind of blue-collar performance that leads to more intelligent tee shots, more greens in regulation, more pars saved. Once reserved as an attack weapon solely for the warrior class, today’s fairway woods offer improved stability, new heat off the face and even the occasional creative space-age material. In these bottom-line times, that means they’re easier to hit than ever. Fairway woods just need a better PR campaign. Here are 13 new models to help the cause.

Adams Redline RPM
Score: 90.3. Specs: 460cc; neutral and draw versions; lofts: 8, 9, 10, 11, 13. Street price: $300, adamsgolf.com.
• What the company says: Its cast head marries an X-shape internal-face design (to control face flex) with a crown that’s one part thin beta titanium (near the front of the crown) and one part lightweight carbon composite (in the back). Result: a weight savings of 20 grams.
• What our panelists say: “The shape might be a little distracting for a better player, but it really goes when you hit it.”
• What THE JUDGES say: “A cool, high-tech approach to the composite-titanium driver concept. It has a friendly face, and if you struggle with the 46-inch shaft, you can always cut it shorter.”

A breakdown of the market
TaylorMade is the king of the driver game in many eyes

Here are two pictures of what’s played on tour and what golfers prefer. The first illustrates PGA Tour use during the latter part of 2004. The second assesses consumer preference. Both are based on research of industry sources.

Designers say the thin faces on TaylorMade’s new irons allow weight (more than 20 grams) to be redistributed low, deep and to the perimeter to improve launch conditions

There’s a reason more and more pitching wedges have the loft of what used to be an 8-iron. It’s because, thanks to television, we all want to hit our irons as far as tour players, and manufacturers are happy to oblige. But optimizing iron performance isn’t just about changing the number on the bottom of an iron. “Anyone can just jack up the lofts,” says Bret Wahl, TaylorMade’s director of product development.

“The challenge is to manage those launch conditions so you can hit higher shots with lower-lofted clubs.”

Many companies are attempting this feat. Adams Golf’s a2 OS set has a 44-degree pitching wedge, and the Callaway Big Bertha and Cobra 3400 I X/H are a degree higher. TaylorMade has unveiled two 44-degree pitching wedges. The r7 CGB Max and the r7 XD irons feature multiple metals and multiple-piece construction, such as plasma face weld in the CGB Max, to achieve higher ball speeds off the face. By mixing lower lofts with weight redistributed low and deep (the CGB Max uses tungsten weights), shots could be launched higher. That means longer irons that hold greens.

TaylorMade’s designers attempted to maximize the area of unsupported face on its new irons to increase a springlike effect at impact ($1,200 for r7 CGB Max steel; $800 for r7 XD steel, taylormadegolf.com). For the CGB Max, the ultra-thin steel face (thinner than the XD titanium face) is plasma welded to the rest of the body (making it the biggest iron in TaylorMade’s line), and on the XD the titanium face is mechanically pressed into the club’s steel frame. Both clubfaces have the company’s inverted-cone technology milled into the back in an effort to mitigate loss of ball speed on off-center hits. Wahl says the r7 CGB Max achieves the maximum springlike effect allowed under USGA rules. USGA Technical Director Dick Rugge would not confirm that assertion, although he did indicate there were “a small number” of irons that exhibit some springlike effect.

CART BAGS

Our Choice
Ogio Stinger II

For the second year in a row, Ogio’s Stinger gets our highest honor for the simple reason that it takes the idea of a cart bag beyond what it has been. The unique RAIL feature, which allows the bag to rest at an angle while strapped to the cart, makes access to clubs nearly effortless. The unique and ample eight-way club-specific divider on top makes that access equally easy. But where the Stinger really shines is the myriad features that surround its big-picture attributes. Consider the rain cover. Not content with zippers or elastic, the “Hoode” clips to the bag and springs shut to keep clubs dry. Pull it open to get a club and the jaws snap back once the club is retrieved. The ball pocket has the same zipperless hinging action, easily accessible from the side thanks to the bag’s angled position in the cart. Among its 11 accessible pockets are two fleece-lined valuables pouches, because Ogio knows, as we do, that one won’t be enough to handle cell phone, money clip, watch and ring. There’s even a sturdy handle to aid in lifting it out of your trunk ($200, ogio.com).

Highly Recommended Sun Mountain C-130 When it comes to golf bags, Sun Mountain gets it. The C-130 is golf-cargo management at its best. The 14-way divider keeps tall clubs and short clubs segmented, and an aluminum-plated, liftable compartment protects sunglasses and a cell phone while letting the cart strap slide underneath ($160, sunmountain.com).

Recommended Bag Boy NXO Deluxe Here’s something different: Thanks to 14 rubber grips in the neck, clubs don’t bang against each other and won’t fall out even if the bag is dumped upside down. But it’s easy for the golfer to remove and reinsert clubs. Twelve pockets and two external sleeves make this bag more than a gimmick ($145, bagboycompany.com).

CARRY BAGS

Editors’ Choice
Sun Mountain Lightning ES

The Lightning ES is Editors’ Choice for two years running for one reason: It does what a golf bag is supposed to do. Weighing less than five pounds, it’s light but sturdy, with legs (connected by ball joints) that have nonslip footings and a nylon frame made of the same material used to make batting cages. It’s functional, featuring 11 pockets, including a unique, saddlebag-like wraparound pocket that easily accommodates a full rainsuit, a change of clothes or enough golf balls to start your own driving range. It’s smart, too, with legs that stay put when you place the bag on the cart and clear panels in the attached rain cover that expedite club selection. Finally, this bag is innovative: The nifty rotating top handle not only gives you a place to grab as you set the bag down (instead of grabbing for that elusive handle on the spine), it also helps the straps stay balanced, a must for any carry bag. All that and an insulated cooler pocket. The only thing missing is a caddie to carry it for you ($160, sunmountain.com).

Highly Recommended Ogio Grom Ogio succeeds because it rethinks everything, even the obvious. That’s why the Grom is a success. Every feature, from its eight pockets to its supplemental anti-twist cart strap, is in exactly the right place. The automatically retracting ball pocket is so silly/smart it makes you wonder what the guy who originally suggested a zipper was thinking ($140, ogio.com).

Highly Recommended Ping Hoofer Extreme It’s easy to take a bag’s strap for granted. Ping hasn’t. An internal mechanism keeps the retractable strap elevated while the bag is standing so you don’t have to bend down to pick it up. The eight-way, full-length divider keeps clubs untangled. Five roomy pockets, including one with access to the bag’s interior ($150, pinggolf.com).