Hot List: golfdigest.com

Four clubs that make us smile

February 2010

You would think we'd be sick of new clubs by now. They flood through our door almost every day, nearly reaching the level of occupational safety hazard. But every so often, we discover something that makes even the most curmudgeonly among us bound about the office like Scrooge on Christmas morning. Below, you'll find the one club that each Hot List judge found uniquely intriguing, paradigm-shifting or generally remarkable in ways others have overlooked. It's called the Editor's Choice.

ODYSSEY WHITE ICE 2-BALL

Why fools might fall in love

Putting is a fool's game. Designing putters then is exponentially more imbecilic. Unless you're Odyssey. Its White Ice line proves the point that if you investigate the hell out of something, you find answers to questions no one knew to ask. The company's designs aren't typical, just better, and the new insert somehow plays firm and soft at the same time. Letting you adjust the weight on the new 2-Ball (for free!) lifts this effective old standby to new heights. Almost makes me think I'll roll in that four-footer. Almost. --MS

CLEVELAND CG15

They figured it out

The rationale for my editor's choice is simple: Instead of whining about the new groove rule, Cleveland sought a solution. In our deliberations, we talk a lot about "advancing the category." Cleveland has done this. By laser-milling four textured lines between each groove, designers were able to create a face that spins the ball while staying within the rules -- no easy task. With a commitment to the complexities of the short game (22 loft and bounce combinations, and a DSG sole grind option), this club has my vote. --EMJ

PING G15 DRIVER

Subtle but efficient technology

These days, the trick isn't to design a crowd-pleasing driver with a complex technology story; it's to design a crowd-pleasing driver with a complex technology story and not have it look like a Transformer. That's the Ping G15. It was our Performance leader because it looks and works like a golf club should for every kind of player. The high-tech features are there -- like a cool fitting system, and the way mass has been moved from the shaft to the head, helping players increase ball speed -- but they're hidden. Just the way we want it. --SS

MIZUNO MP-58

Smart and pretty

Better players are like brown trout: If they detect anything slightly amiss with the look or sound, they won't bite. This is why most major iron innovations have been for higher handicaps. Until now. By joining a titanium slug to a forged steel head sans welds (ingenious), Mizuno's MP-58 achieves perimeter stability while preserving the solid feel of a muscle-back. Yet the topline, sole and face are all smaller than the MP-57, an already sleek model. And with Shaft Optimizer making the most crucial part of the purchase foolproof, case closed. --MA