GOUGE: Sixt-one appointments later, Bomb & Gouge are ready to relay what was doing at the annual PGA Merchandise Show. Sixty. One. For those just learning, the Show, as it’s called by the regulars, is the annual gathering of the golf business in an effort to give us winter dwellers all a chance to escape the cold winter and realize how ill-equipped our short games are for playing flop shots out of thinning Bermuda rough. But the mission for equipment writer types like us is to get a gauge of what might be the next big thing. Certainly, with the Hot List, we’ve already seen nearly every club and ball of substance. But for many it was the first time looking at the new stuff. That, of course, meant real-live trial of those four-sided drivers everyone was talking about. Leading the parade were the Nike Sumo2 and the Callaway FT-i. Probably most interested parties are the small players in the golf industry. Said one, “We are rooting hard for the square drivers, because if they take off, it’s an easy two years of predictable sales.” Indeed, we saw at least two more square drivers, the Fury QB from Orlimar and the Simpac and its family of Dynacube square drivers and fairway woods. These clubs may all work fine or they may hurt your eyes and ears, but bottom line, at least for me, they don’t look like golf clubs. I appreciate the technology commitment, but it’s sort of J.Lindeberg golf clothes. I suppose they’re smarter fabrics and more efficient designs. But they just don’t feel like golf.

BOMB: That head cold you had all week is obviously still clouding your mind. Good lord, man, get with it and stop being such an Eeyore. I mean, you should be encouraged by what you saw last week. The rules have club manufacturers boxed in, but last week showed that designers are not throwing their hands in the air and saying, “We give up.” Quite the opposite. There were plenty of good driver stories, both square and otherwise. Shafts aplenty and at least a ball or two that looked intriguing. It’s harder for designers, but it’s not over for them. And innovation clearly isn’t limited to just bats and balls, either. How about those golf bags and travel covers that we were drooling over. But I think what gets lost about the PGA Merchandise Show is something Joe Steranka, CEO of the PGA of America, told me when I asked him why everyday golfers should care that there is a show. He said, “Because what happens here helps the 100 things get done that need to get done for the everyday golfer to enjoy their round.” That makes sense. Clubs, balls, shafts, agronomy, carts, GPS systems, rules, apparel, gadgets, gizmos and everything else was at the show and it all relates to the game of golf—even those Buttheadcovers. But enough of us. Let’s give the folks a list of the 10 coolest things we saw at the show.

GOUGE: I didn’t say it didn’t work. I said I didn’t care for it. So sue me. Technology is hardly dead. It’s alive and pulsing through golf like a freight train on the loose. So over the next 10 days, we’ll share with you our thoughts on the hottest stuff at the Show.
1.    High MOI—When you talk to Nike Golf’s chief product wizard Tom Stites, for all intents and purposes the father of the modern high Moment of Inertia driver, the USGA limit of 5,900 is not that far away. “If we wanted to, we could be there tomorrow,” Stites says. Callaway officials have told us that they’ve explained to the USGA how they already can produce prototypes above the limit, and even Mark Adams, research and development czar at minor player Tommy Armour, says they’re having to dumb down future driver designs from current prototypes that are above 6,300. What’s it all mean? Basically, 5,000 MOI is the new standard. Look for the new Cobra Speed LD, the Adams Insight and even (believe it) staid old Titleist with its new 907D1 and 907D2 to be at or above the 5,000 mark, joining leader Nike Sumo2 (5,250 or so) and Callaway FT-i (just above 5,000) in the move into 5K territory. And let’s not forget industry leader TaylorMade. Its new Burner driver measures at 5,100. Of course, you have a thought or two about what MOI really means, and by the way, how are those high MOI drivers doing on tour?

BOMB: You want to know what high MOI really means? Glad you asked. Wrote about that just this past week in Golf World. And as for those high MOI drivers on tour, well, not so fast. At last week’s Buick Invitational the most-used 460cc driver was the Titleist 905R, followed by the Ping Rapture—neither coming close to the 5,000 mark. But then again, those boys don’t miss the center as much or as often as you do, do they my chopper friend?

BOMB & GOUGE: Normally we’d try to use this space on a Monday after a tour event to talk about a current trend or perhaps a prototype we saw (anyone notice Jim Furyk using that prototype Odyssey putter??). But instead, kids, we’re gonna save ourselves for tomorrow. That’s when we’ll be chatting live from 3 p.m. until we get tired of typing or you run out of questions about the Golf Digest Hot List—our annual rankings of golf equipment. Have a question or simply want to question our selections? Here’s your chance. And if you’re nowhere near a computer at 3 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, January 16, you’re not out of luck. You can send in your questions ahead of time if you care to. Simply go here and ask away. We look forward to hearing from you.

GOUGE: If we have not been helpful with the Hot List, please let us know our failings. A Bill Gritton suggests I have been too hard on Golf Digest's Hot List critics.

"Gouge I see that you are an equipment editor for Golf Digest and the Chief judge for the Hot List; this explains some of the apparent hostility that can be seen in your responses.  Frankly, I would expect better from a journalist than to see personal attacks against those who disagree with you.  Name calling doesn't make your point for you and it certainly doesn't make your readers believe your claims.  As an equipment editor I would imagine that you have access to any golf club you would like to try simply by asking a manufacturer to supply you with one.  I have to use the Hot List as a guide for what is available and how good it is.  The effort that you put into developing the Hot List would be more appreciated by your readers if the choices were defined in very definite ways rather than vauge notions that we must interpret to determine what you mean."

I apologize for having offended thee, but my argument remains unchanged. My attacks are against the logic, not the person. When you spend 90 percent of your waking hours committed to a project, you have just about zero tolerance for those whose arguments have no merit and aim to endanger the legitimate and potentially meaningful benefit of the hard work of those behind the Hot List.
The Hot List is our guide to what's most significant. It's a starting point in your search for new clubs. It is not an end in and of itself. Our message should be clear: In our opinion, these clubs merit your consideration. But the next step is yours, and that step must be an active one. I don't know your set of criteria for choosing a golf club, but I can guarantee you that if you stay within this list, and most importantly, get properly fit, you will not be disappointed and you will not have regrets. The judges cannot know the swing characteristics of every single golfer, and those swing characteristics should be the crucial final determinant of which club to put in your bag. There were more than 500 products we considered in our review. We believe we have helped narrow the field by cutting it by more than two-thirds. Our methodology is not vague to the judges: Which clubs have a presence in the marketplace Which clubs perform? Which clubs have expanded the technology universe? Which clubs resonate with the judges? Which clubs return a legitimate and measureable value based on price and features? The 140 products featured in the Hot List answer each of these questions not merely sufficiently but extraordinarily. Certainly, products score at different levels in the Hot List. Does that mean that the Callaway X Hybrid is better for you than the Titleist 585H or Tour Edge Bazooka JMax QL? Only you can answer that. We can happily guarantee that all three are exceptionally significant.

GOUGE: This is what I found in the old in box this morning. Here we go again.
A Matt Zacchio of Connecticut writes: "Golf Digest should be ashamed of itself, but I know that you’re not.  I also know why – you are a business and in business to make money by selling advertising space.  Therefore your interests and ‘real’ clients are the equipment manufacturers who buy ad space and not the readers to whom you dish out crummy advice by the boatload.
"I’m not sure why I’m writing this as I know it’s like shoveling sand against the tide, but have some comments anyway.
"I recently received my February 2007 copy of Golf Digest and have read/reviewed what was offered in the Hot List for 2007.  I think that the entire article is nothing but additional advertising space for the top manufacturers (who already advertise with you) and the commentary and ‘advice’ by your Equipment Editor nothing but a shameless shill.  While I generally enjoy the magazine and am in the midst of a three year subscription, something about the way in which this article is presented rubs me the wrong way.  Let me just say it here: muscle-back blades are not why or how Joe Average golfer shoots in the 90’s and carries a 20 handicap.  He does so because of his bad technique and golf swing, lack of understanding of what it takes to shot a good (better) round, general physical inability and a host of other reasons.  Suggesting that playing more ‘forgiving’ irons will make him a Tour star and cut his handicap in half is a joke.  If this were really the impetus for the article, the most forgiving clubs would be highlighted and not just those from the major manufacturers.  (I refer you to the Maltby Playability Factor for designs other than those cited which are at least as effective at yielding a ‘better’ result as deserved for an off center hit.)
"To cite the top 22 players on the PGA Tour money list and only 25% of all Tour players use true blades is a distortion of the facts and perhaps unconscionable in itself without explanation.  ANY player on Tour can play (properly fit) blades with NO effect on his game.  They can do so because they are great ball strikers and hit the ball in the center of percussion time after time.  Cavity backed clubs do them no good (and maybe take some things away from them) but they play them anyway…why?  MONEY.  It’s just too bad that you do not have the where-with-all to point out that Tour players are well paid to play the clubs that they play.  That Adam Scott, Tiger, Vijay etc. play what they want (regardless of the money they’re offered to endorse something else) should be heralded.  Think of how Nike could separate themselves from the pack if the Tiger-phenomenon trickled down from his endorsement of the Slingshot OSS or CCi (and they must be thinking the same thing too).  I would assert that Adam, Tiger and Vijay would be less effective overall with ‘game improvement’ clubs as they couldn’t work the ball in the way that they can work a blade iron, but I didn’t see that comment anywhere in the ‘For Purists’ section offered by E. Michael Johnson.  Yes they practice and yes, they are great ball strikers but, the fact is they all play the clubs that let them play their best (yes I said it) and they are blades.   That they all have enough money already is probably the deciding factor but noteworthy nonetheless.
We all know that the shaft is at least 50% of any golf club but I saw little reference to that fact.   I won’t go down that rat-hole here but to lead the poor schlep reader in any other direction is also suspect.
"I play blades because I know that they offer me the best combination of looks and performance and let me do things with my shot making that leads to my lowest possible scores.
I find it interesting that ‘combo’ sets exist and yet aren’t taunted as a holy grail of the golf intelligencia because they are of course, the best of both worlds.  I also find it interesting that while muscle-back blades are eschewed by the Golf Digest staff, no on seems ready to banish current/modern wedge designs from Titleist (Vokey), Cleveland, Callaway, Mizuno, et al.  Why not?  They are ALL blades designs with virtually no hosel offset AND these are the clubs most often used in a round by everyone.  Wouldn’t it make more sense to have the forgiveness of a cavity backed design in the clubs that you use the most?  And don’t tell me that a 20-something handi doesn’t miss a shorter club as much as he misses a longer iron…I’ve seen playing partners miss 50 yard chips by an inch or more on the face of the club lots of times (and/or hit hosel rockets off of a half swing).  BUT, all of the above manufacturers advertise with big dollars…I think you see the correlation.
"OK, I’m finished.  I don’t expect an answer but I just wanted you to know that I saw through the intent of the Hot List: to promote what your advertisers tell you to promote.  I think that there is a place for game improvement clubs out there (in perhaps more than half of all golfers), but to belittle blades so badly is to shake the foundation of what golf was built on and a sell out to all of the things that I hate about today’s game."

GOUGE: My response was mild. But I'm sure it will get us nowhere.
"Thank you for your recent thoughts on the Hot List. We are trying to learn how to produce a better product every time we do the Hot List, and your pointed criticism forces us to look at what we do.
However, if you believe that what we do is advertiser driven, then perhaps you can explain why we would have any Editors Choices at all? Certainly, disappointing three-quarters of our potential advertisers in the equipment category is not smart business. And believe me, the percentage of manufacturers displeased with the Hot List this year is much higher than 75 percent. I urge you to read our blog on the subject, even though your clear predisposition is not to believe it. http://blogs.golfdigest.com/equipment/2007/01/the_hot_list_20.html
"I am glad you enjoy your blade irons, but we respectfully disagree with your opinion. Your belief about tour players hitting their irons in the center of the face all the time is interesting, but wrong. Our sense is that more and more elite players' scatter pattern on the face is increasing in area, not decreasing. Playing with blades is just fine if you are a robot. Therefore, we will continue to not recommend them for humans. Hale Irwin, Dana Quigley, Annika Sorenstam, Phil Mickelson and dozens of others all could play with muscleback blades if they so chose. They don't. We think that's relevant. And to set the record straight, nowhere do we suggest that someone will become a tour star by switching to cavity back irons.
"As to the issue of wedges, the lack of precision on a chip shot cannot be resolved by a cavity back design, however with a full swing, the negative effect of a lack of precision can be generally mitigated with a well-designed, cavity back club.
"As to the issue of shafts, we welcome any thoughts on a meaningful, repeatable way of evaluating individual shafts for a group recommendation. Our sense long has been that the shaft search requires individual attention with a qualified fitter. That's why we recommend getting fit for every piece of equipment you put in the bag.
"I hope these answers have been helpful. Again, we value the comments we get from readers in assessing the Hot List process. We don't do the Hot List for manufacturers, we do it for readers. That's why it took us more than 50 years to get to the point where we felt we could put a valid process together for the magazine. It doesn't take much to satisfy only manufacturers. We could have gone down that road as early as Year 1. We didn't, and they will never be the audience we are trying to serve. But I certainly respect you enough to let you form your own conclusions. If you have further questions, please don't hesitate to contact me."

Peace be with you.

Editor's note: A selection of your questions about the 2007 Hot List, with answers from Mike (aka "Gouge") Stachura, Hot List judge and Golf Digest Equipment Editor. To ask a question of your own, click on the Comments button below, or e-mail the Hot List judges at equipment@golfdigest.com.

Use our interactive Hot List to review each product, "drag and drop" your favorites into your own Dream Bag and more.
Photos: Jim Herity/Flash animation: ATG Design Group