2009 Hot List: The Panelists Meet the Hot List Judges, Scientists, Testers and Retailers Senior Editor. Co-host of "Big Break" on the Golf Channel; former golf-shop owner/operator; 12.4 Index. Writer based near manufacturers' mecca of Carlsbad, Calif; USGA Book Award winner; 12.9 Index. Associate Editor; former collegiate golfer; editor, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Golf Book; plus-0.5 Index. Senior Editor, Equipment. "Gouge" of Bomb & Gouge; 10.8 Index. A retired physicist, Axe studied features of solid materials and served as a technical advisor to several companies on ball-club interaction. Equipment Editor, Golf World. Golf writer for 22 years; "Bomb" of Bomb & Gouge; 5.1 Index. Trained at Caltech, this rocket scientist teaches mechanical engineering at the University of Sherbrooke and researches high-speed air flow. This professor and associate dean for research in the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan studies manufacturing systems. Associate professor of physics at Gordon College, Lee is an expert in advance-materials science, including golf-club parts. He owns eight U.S. patents. Teaches systems-design engineering at the University of Waterloo, Canada's largest engineering school. His expertise is in design optimization and dynamic modeling. Professor in the department of aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford University, his studies include mixed materials and their uses in sports equipment. The retiree uses game-improvement irons but is considering the switch to super game-improvement irons. "I never knew there were clubs designed to negate bad swing habits," says the auto-repair business owner. "Performance and quality is so high that feel is essential in club selection," says the retired pilot. "Technology is making golf easier," says the stay-at-home mom. "What a terrific bonus!" "The difference between a good and a great club is minute," says the business teacher. CPA and nine-time club champ at Riviera says "all golfers should look at a game-improvement iron." The endodontist learned that "an R-flex shaft helps me decrease spin and hit it 15 yards farther." "Using so many clubs at once really made me realize how many options golfers have," says the investor. The IT analyst is surprised by "how good little-known and unendorsed golf clubs perform." The sales engineer says technology helps him have more fun: "Companies should be praised." "Golfer-friendly clubs make the sport more enjoyable," says the investor. "You actually believe you're good!" The actuary is excited that "companies are using R&D dollars to make great clubs for mid-level players." The rewards-company COO now knows to be "open-minded about brands and specs." "The best club might not be the prettiest," says the computer-app. builder. "The options stun me." "Underexposed clubs work as great as the popular ones," says the realtor. "No hype, but solid principles." The consultant changed his thinking about flex: "Shafts that fit your swing speed make a big difference." Bader has co-owned Joe & Leigh's Discount Golf Pro Shop at Pine Oaks Golf Course for 28 years. "You'll see more sets that blur the line between a traditional hybrid and a hybrid-iron," he says. The vice president of operations at Miles of Golf says 2009 "will bring higher-lofted wedges, longer shafts and more adjustable-faceangle drivers." The director of golf at Congressional Country Club says "component fitting and interchangeable shafts are game-changing and will be big in 2009." The vice president of retail and marketing at Haggin Oaks Golf Super Shop says "the evolution of hybrids deeper in the set will be the iron-technology story." The owner of Dale's Winning Edge Golf Headquarters for 20 years says "golf companies with first-class fitting systems will have a leg up, but it'll be a tough year." "People often come to me with a jumbled mess of clubs, and they have no idea which ones to pull out," says the co-owner of Carlsbad Golf Center.
