This Month's Reviews: The Orlimar Tri-metal Fairway Wood A Use for Old Clubs Ping ISI Titanium Wood   The Orlimar Tri-metal Fairway Wood by Jerry Holmes Several factors go into making the TriMetal different from any other club currently on the market. First of all, it has a classic and traditional shallow face design as opposed to the oversize clubs that have been so popular the past few years. Secondly, the TriMetal combines three distinct metals giving it its unique weighting properties that (according to the Company) make it easy to hit and produce a desired boring trajectory, added distance and pinpoint accuracy. The Apha-Maraging metal face (specially heat-treated with a high composition of nickel and chromium) is 85% harder than pure titanium and more than twice as strong. This allows the club to be significantly lighter while retaining its strength. The weight that is removed from the face is then redistributed throughout the clubhead to make the TriMetal easier to hit and more accurate. There are strategically placed copper-tungsten weights in the soleplate to produce a low center of gravity. The Trimetal Fairway Wood Test TriMetal test club specifications: Loft 13°, Shaft-Graphite Firm Flex, 17/4 Stainless Steel Shell , Alpha Maraging Metal Face, Copper Tungsten Weights, Swing Weights D3, Head Size 190cc, Lie 56.5°, Length 43.5". The first 10 balls or so didn't go so good. I think the very shallow face and longer shaft than my current fairway wood had a lot to do with this. Seems like I either topped the ball or caught it a little fat. So I decided to tee the ball up about a quarter to a half inch to try and make some good contact. About the time the first bag of balls was gone I was hitting the club well and decided to hit the second bag from the turf again. After another 30 fairway shots I decided this is really a great club. Several things seem to stick out in my testing. First, this club is only longer because of it's lower trajectory and longer shaft. Second, I didn't think it was that easy to hit, but when struck right, the ball did go straight and long. And third, the ball does seem to come off the face good with an unusual sounding click (very solid when hit on the sweet spot). Conclusions I noticed that the TriMetal was as long as my driver (lower trajectory probably) and was straighter than my current fairway wood and driver (don't know why, perhaps the slight roll built into the face). Shaft and grip are acceptable but I would have preferred an oversize grip. Price is a little too high; at least $230 for the graphite shaft fairway wood and $280 for the graphite shaft driver (new last month). If the clubs were $80 less I could see buying one right now. With practice, I think the club does provide a straighter shot and toe/heel hits were straight as well. Now that I've scratched up the face, sole and top of this demo club, perhaps the club pro will knock off $80 or so. Titanium or TriMetal? I can't tell any difference, the shots seem to come off both clubs with equal punch and length. A final thought.....this club does hit a straighter shot than any I have played with. Jerry Holmes is a 16 handicap golfer and member of Memphis National Country Club. He has played golf for 18 years and has tried (in vain) to better his game by purchasing several sets of clubs, a dozen different wedges and about 20 different woods that promised improvement.   A Use for Old Clubs by Bill Killillay Do you have an old set of golf clubs that you might be thinking of getting rid of? You would probably try and sell them for a few bucks if you had someone willing to buy them wouldn't you? Here are a few suggestions when you start cleaning out that bag this spring: You could throw them away, or... You could put them in a garage sale, or... You could donate them to you local youth organization, where some child that might not other wise have a chance to learn golf can pick them up and get some use out of them, Or... You could give them away to a family member or friend A better idea would be to have them made into junior clubs. Case in point, I had an old 5 Wood from a set of Northwestern's that I no longer used, but did not want to get rid of. Instead of throwing it out or donating it I decided to see how much it would cost to get it cut down and re-gripped for a youngster. I took it to my local Pro Shop and they where able to cut it down and put a new grip on for less then $4.00. Now my young son has his very own driver that he can use. By cutting down some of these clubs you can also save the high prices for junior clubs. Check back next issue for my recap of a search for the right new driver and what I decided. Until then hit'em straight and above all remember to have fun. Fore!   Ping ISI Titanium Wood by Kolin Walters Ping's first attempt at the titanium market is a monster club for a monster price. Ping introduced their club to compliment their ISI iron. At first appearance, the ISI driver appears to have a lot larger head than its counterparts. 323 cc is huge even by today's standards. Ping went away from the usual shape driver and designed a unique 'rounded' driver. The driver is designed to be customized to the players fit, with different lies and lofts. Although the lofts are not as varied as say a Taylor Made or Callaway. The ISI driver is offered in a 7°, 8.5°, 10° & 11.5° lofts. The lies are offered in 4° upright 2° upright standard & 2° flat. When I set the club down before I hit, it looked like I was setting up to hit a boulder from the Flintstones. Again, this thing is huge! At 47 inches, it's normal for today's driver lengths. The first drive I hit was a nice high cut (I did not mean to cut it though. he-he) about 250 yards. I hit it hard, soft, funny swings, and nice, easy swings. Pretty much all the same result, nice long drives. I took one swing with one leg, straight down the middle. The accuracy is very consistent, comparing it to Pings other drivers available on the market. The shafts Ping have produced have been known to inconsistent. The results with this club are great. A few adjustments had to be made for the length but end result, WOW. I hit about 90 balls with the ISI and was very pleased, until reality hit. The ISI driver sells for $550 Canadian. A wonderful driver but and hefty cost for the average golfer. Don't get me wrong, if I had the money, it would be in my bag. But I live to waggle the ISI driver in golf shops all across Saskatchewan another day. [Home] [Opinion] [Equipment] [Links LS] [Golf Tips] [Rules of Golf] [Monthly Joke]