Hot List 2010: Performance Category Leaders: Golf Digest

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Hot List: golfdigest.com

Hot List Category Leaders: Performance

Performance factor (45%): Based on interviews with our player panelists, independent robot testing and other sources, the judges assessed the utility of each product. Simply put, this is a grade for what happens to the ball when it's struck by the club.

Other Hot List Slideshows: Performance | Innovation | Look/Sound/Feel | Demand
W: ALSO IN WOMEN'S | (H) HIGH-HANDICAPPER | (M) MIDDLE-HANDICAPPER | (L) LOW-HANDICAPPER

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PING G15

STREET PRICE: $300
WEBSITE: ping.com
LOFTS: 9, 10.5, 12, 13.5;
Draw: 9, 10.5, 12

TECH TALK: The back edge's external sole weight pad is designed to increase off-center hit stability. But the hidden boost to MOI comes from a lighter shaft that shifts the balance point toward the grip yet still allows for a heavier head and an unchanged swingweight. The theory: More mass delivered to the ball at the same speed.
PLAYER COMMENTS:
(M) "This is like a big porterhouse steak. It's in front of you, and you're salivating because it's so meaty and satisfying, and there's no way you're sending it back." ... "It goes forever and is easy to hit." ... "There's something to be said for being understated. It has a crisp sound with a ball flight that doesn't balloon." (L) "Very stout and strong at address." ... "Big head, but it's not overdone. Easy to look at.
HOT: In a world full of overstated cases, Ping just makes things that we want to use because they work. Like this club. Plus, Ping fits you better than anyone.
NOT: For some, the crown's alignment aid evokes Frito Bandito.