Bridgestone's newly-updated e-Series golf balls, like their predecessors, are each designed to help golfers overcome a specific shortcoming. The e5 is for golfers who want to hit the ball higher and farther; the e6, lower and straighter; and the e7, something in between.

In a media release, Brandon Sowell, Bridgestone's marketing manager for golf balls, said, "The entire e-Series evolved from our learning about where players needed help in terms of ball-flight optimization. In the new e-series line we've made some significant modifications to make the balls even better at what they’re designed to do."

As most golfers know all too well, excessive sidespin can cause hooks and slices. So Bridgestone added a newly formulated layer around the core of the three-piece e6 which greatly reduces spin (Bridgestone calls it the Anti Sidespin Inner Layer). That new layer helps the ball fly straighter. Designers also reduced the compression of the e6's core by 8% but kept the ball's Surlyn cover.

For slower-swinging golfers who crave more distance off the tee, the dimples on Bridgestone's two-piece e5 ball are fractionally larger in diameter, but shallower than its predecessor's. This should give the ball more lift and carry off the tee. But the new e5 still features a soft Urethane cover (a rarity for a two-piece ball) for better feel around the greens.

The new e7 has a lower, more penetrating ball flight than the previous e7 thanks to a new material under the Surlyn cover that makes the ball about 5% firmer (Bridgestone calls it the Velocity Increasing Inner Layer). Like all of Bridgestone's balls, the inner portion of the e7's core is very soft, but it gradually gets firmer as it moves out toward the cover.

The new e-Series balls are available in golf specialty stores and pro shops for about $27 per dozen.

In the first interview in our new Ask the Expert series, you get to be the reporter. Submit your questions for Roger Cleveland in the comments area below and check back with The Shop over the next few days to read his answers.

If you'd like to see a video of Cleveland explaining what makes the new Callaway X Series JAWS wedges unique, click here.

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Designed specifically for golfers with a swing speed between 80 and 95 miles per hour (the average for most weekend players), the Crush has a soft, low-compression core and an ionomer cover designed to reduce sidespin for increased accuracy.


Rock Ishii, Nike Golf's director of product development for balls, said in a release, "I believe we've done a great job designing a longer and straighter golf ball for a wide range of swing speeds at a mid-tier price."
 


The Nike Crush is available now for about $30 per dozen.

The newest clubs with state-of-the-art technologies will still cost more, especially when custom shafts are added, but many companies are trying to release new drivers with proven technologies for less than $299.

While watching CNBC a few months ago, I heard an economist talking about the "trade down" effect in the restaurant business. In a recession, people still want to go out to eat. But instead of going to their favorite restaurants, they choose fast-food chains. (As our wallets tighten, our waistbands bulge.)

The $299-driver trend is a similar phenomenon. For many golfers, it's tough to justify spending more than $500 for a new driver, but $299 is easier to stomach and can still provide a significant upgrade.

My question for you is this: If you are thinking about purchasing a new driver, how important is the $299 price point to you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments area below.

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(Photo by David Dusek)

"I started playing a new golf ball that Callaway made," Els said. "This is what I've been looking forward to, is this golf ball. It would have been unbelievable if I could have won with this ball. It would have been great for Callaway and myself. I'm looking forward to the future now, and I think my equipment is now spot on."

Els was referring to the new Callaway Tour i(s). Ryan Moore, who finished third, also used it.

The Callaway Tour i(s) is a four-piece ball that Steve Ogg, Callaway's vice president of ball R&D, called "the most highly-engineered golf ball product we have ever come out with."

According to Ogg, the Tour i(s) is the softest ball Callaway has produced, but what makes it special is a large degree of spin separation, which makes it possible to put a lot of spin on iron shots and very little spin on drives.

"The ball has a high core compression differential," he said. "That is the difference between the compression of the inner core and the outer core. When you have a high-compression outer core, the ball holds it shape better when you're hitting wedge shots so you can give it more spin."

The greater force of a driver, he said, will penetrate the outer core and compress the soft inner core. That reduces spin and creates greater distance.

"It morphs to the shot that you want," Ogg said, "yet retains all the distance of the previous Tour i golf balls." The Callaway Tour i(s) will be available in mid-January for about $43 per dozen. In the video below, Ogg talks more about the ball.

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In the video below, Odyssey's Austie Rollinson goes into more detail about the new line.

It's a common reaction. What golfer wouldn't love to spend four mornings on a manicured driving range, like the one at PGA National Resort & Spa, hitting the newest clubs before playing 18 holes with them in the afternoon? (At right are just a few of the clubs on hand for testing.)

But it's not as glamorous as it sounds. Spend a day in the spikes of one of GOLF Magazine's ClubTesters, and you might be whistling a different tune. It's blister-forming work that starts before sunrise.

After trying each driver, iron, hybrid, iron, wedge or putter, testers are asked about the club's best trait, which players would benefit most from the club, and who might want to avoid it.

Words like "nice" or "good" are almost valueless here. Golf Magazine editors Rob Sauerhaft and Michael Chwasky encourage ClubTesters to describe things as vividly as they can. 

A quick look at the math will give you a sense of the scale of ClubTest. In 2007, GOLF Magazine estimated that more than 68,000 shots were hit during the data-gathering portion of ClubTest. If you tried to hit one ball every 10 seconds until you reached that number, it would take you about 188 hours, or nearly eight days!

So go ahead and dream about being a ClubTest panelist. But in that dream, be sure to remember the BENGAY.

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Here is a complete list of the clubs that Troy Matteson used to win the 2009 FRYS.com Open at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

DRIVER: Titleist 909D2 (8.5°) with an Aldila NV 65X shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: Ping TiSi (14°) with a Fujikura Vista TS 70X shaft
IRONS: Titleist ZB (2-7), ZM (8-9) with True Temper Dynamic Gold shafts
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design (48°), Spin Milled (54°, 60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold shafts
PUTTER: Odyssey White Hot Tour #2
BALL: Titleist Pro V1

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Fowler also signed an equipment deal this summer with Titleist. As you can see from the photos below, he hasn't wasted any time customizing his clubs and showing his Cowboy pride. Fowler said this week that "Steek" is a nickname from his amateur days.

Here is a complete list of what Fowler is playing:

DRIVER: Titleist 909D2 (7.5°) with a Diamana White Board 73 X shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: King Cobra S9-1 Pro (15°) with a Fujikura ZCom Pro 95 shaft
HYBRIDS: Titleist 585H (17°) with UST Proforce V2 100X shaft, Adams Pro Black (20°) with a Matrix Ozik XCON
IRONS: Titleist Forged MB (4-9) with True Temper Dynamic Gold shafts
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design (48°, 54°) Spin Milled (59°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold shafts
PUTTER: Scotty Cameron for Titleist Newport prototype
BALL: Titleist's Pro V1x

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Sergio Garcia put a set of R9 TP irons in his bag before the start of the Madrid Masters in early October, and has them in the bag again this week at the Castello Masters in Castellon, Spain.

Garcia started the 2009 season using TaylorMade's Tour Preferred irons and switched during the summer to a set TaylorMade RAC MB blades that he'd played in previous seasons.

According to the company, Garcia's R9 TP irons are fitted with Project X 6.5 shafts and Golf Pride New Decade 60 grips with four to five layers of tape under the grips.

This week Garcia is also playing new TaylorMade RAC wedges that feature grooves that conform to the new 2010 regulations.

Meanwhile, Paula Creamer, who is playing a Japanese LPGA Tour event this week, has been Twittering about her new irons:

Thurs. 5:55PM Eastern: I am using new TaylorMade irons this week. They are the new R9 TP irons and are awesome. I haven't changed my irons in almost 3 years!

Thurs. 6:05PM Eastern: These R9 TP irons are the new groves. I loved my r7 irons but it was time for a change. Plus in January I have to change to the new groves.

Fri. 5:26AM Eastern: The new irons worked well today. I missed 4 greens. Still trying to figure out how far I hit them. That is the hard part for me right now.

Here is what GOLF Magazine had to say about the game-improving R9 irons in its November issue.

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