Leading Edge

FootJoy has been busily remaking its golf shoe line, moving on from the lamentable but necessary closing of its Classics operation in Brockton, Mass. But without losing momentum, the company has launched two major product lines this year: the SYNR-G, a maximum stability shoe, and the FJ ICON, which is building a reputation for performance and elegance.

Now FootJoy is ready with a third line, the FJ SPORT. The new look is athletic and a step-out, if you will, in the boldness category, employing striking patterns and colors. The shoe also incorporates performance features to suit a more aggressive, athletic game, FootJoy says. Uppers are leather, but interior linings are athletic mesh to help with greater breathability. There’s an ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) midsole for some soft, lightweight cushioning and a stable thermal plastic urethane (TPU) outsole. Standard cleats are the Stinger III model from CHAMP.

The shoes will come to stores in February; suggested retail price will be $135.

If you could condense the story of modern premium irons to one phrase, it would be this: classic shapes jammed with technology. That’s TaylorMade’s intent with its new R9 irons, due out next month. The look would catch the eyes of Nelson, Hogan and their contemporaries, while one peek under the hood would raise their eyebrows.

For example: There’s a completely enclosed cavity behind the face of the long and middle irons (3- through 6-iron) that allows a large portion of its thin face to be unsupported. That gives the face more flex and rebound at impact, says TaylorMade, just like a thin-faced driver. The Velocity-Control Chamber (or VCC) cavity is filled with a near-weightless foam. Behind the foam is a silicone shock-absorbing material. That’s another theme in modern irons – reduction of unwanted vibration, both the kind you can see and the kind you can feel. (The face also has TaylorMade’s by-now familiar inverted cone technology, which the company says concentrates more power into the shot.)

Most players find short irons easier to hit. So TaylorMade has designed its R9 versions without the VCC, concentrating instead on a low center of gravity (provided by a deep undercut cavity) and a broad sole to encourage consistent contact and spin. Soles throughout the set are beveled with an eye toward optimizing each clubhead’s interaction with the turf; TaylorMade says it’s aiming for a “glide” effect with the R9s. The new irons have grooves that will conform to changes in the Rules of Golf and Condition of Competition that take effect January 1, 2010.

Look for the clubs Nov. 1. Suggested retail price with KBS 90-gram steel shafts will be $999. With Fujikura Motore graphite shafts (75 grams in S flex, 65 grams in R flex and 55 grams in M flex), the suggested retail will be $1,249.

Data from 40,000-plus fittings has convinced the ball barons at Bridgestone Golf that more golfers are paying attention to what their ball is doing in the air and how that’s impacting their performance. So the company has updated its popular e-series distance-performance balls to concentrate on trajectory.

Many recreational players need to get some air under the ball, Bridgestone scientists reasoned, so the 2010 version of the e5 has shallower, larger dimples to encourage a higher ball flight. The two-piece ball also features a urethane cover, prized by many for its short-game feel. For golfers plagued by hooks and slices, Bridgestone suggests the e6, whose inner layer cuts down on sidespin. Still other players aren’t height-challenged; many of them like a lower, more boring trajectory. The e7, which is a little firmer than the other models, provides this, Bridgestone says.

The updated e-series balls will be in stores Nov. 1. Suggested retail price per dozen will be $38, but expect a “street price” of around $27.

The PGA Tour has entered its Fall Series, a time when many players will be testing new equipment in anticipation of the 2010 season. From the looks of things, they’ll have plenty to get their hands on.

Justin Leonard will arrive at the Presidents Cup with a new Nike SQ MACHSPEED driver. He says he’s hitting the ball 10 to 12 yards farther with it. Nike designers made the club with a deeper center of gravity and a shape designed to increase clubhead speed by making the head more aerodynamic. The MACHSPEED also has Nike’s STR8-FIT adjustable technology. The club will hit stores in March; suggested retail will be $360.

Meanwhile, Japanese clubmaker Miura, which has attained cult status among some of the game’s best players, has brought a hybrid to the U.S. market. The Precious Edition model comes in lofts of 17, 20 and 23 degrees, and is said to offer a higher, more iron-like ballflight instead of the boring trajectories some hybrids feature. The idea, says chief designer and patriarch Katsuhiro Miura, is to help mid- and high-handicappers hold greens more readily on long approach shots. Suggested retail will be $239 with the standard shaft, a Nippon NSPro 950 steel. Other shaft options will be available.

Also on the way: wedges with interchangeable faces from TaylorMade. The company was showing them off at Cog Hill during the BMW Championship. TaylorMade is hoping the ability to insert a new face will not only provide fresh grooves for exacting players, but also save them the trouble of choosing a whole new wedge when a favorite wears out.