Callaway Diablo - Hybrid
The first time I teed off as a beginner in golf, it was with an iron. Teeing off with a driver was a futile and hopeless exercise as it often leads to exasperation. Then a good uncle who is an avid golfer kindly presented me one of his old club, an used Callaway Warbird 3-wood. I tried using it from the tee and immediately fell in love with that club which I'm still keeping to this day. I begin to ask questions like why would most people struggle with a driver and refused to use a 3-wood to tee off? I could hit the Callaway Warbird for 200m and in the fairways.
I was also experiencing the feel and the sound of the club compared to some run-of-the-mill type and I got some association with the brand name of Callaway. Later, some other golfers kept suggesting that if you never learned how to use a driver you are putting yourself in a disadvantaged position because you will lose distance which contradicted with my observation that slightly shorter but on the fairways is better than longer but in trouble. As the struggle and the search for answers continue, an old friend recommended me a Nickent Genex 425 driver. Now 425 means 425 cc which at the time was an increased in club head size (today the largest is 460cc).
I was also experiencing the feel and the sound of the club compared to some run-of-the-mill type and I got some association with the brand name of Callaway. Later, some other golfers kept suggesting that if you never learned how to use a driver you are putting yourself in a disadvantaged position because you will lose distance which contradicted with my observation that slightly shorter but on the fairways is better than longer but in trouble. As the struggle and the search for answers continue, an old friend recommended me a Nickent Genex 425 driver. Now 425 means 425 cc which at the time was an increased in club head size (today the largest is 460cc).
Nickent Genex 425
This was a driver that hits like a bazooka. Usually those that played in my flight would be amazed with what can be achieved with this driver and by the second nine, they could not resist the temptation to try it as I encouraged them. After some amazing shots, they found themselves in new places they have never been before and they were playing every hole with my club. Soon, some of them got themselves one. This is the beginning of my discovery of drivers, woods, length and lofts.
Explore and Conquer
Changing from irons to driver to 3-wood and back to driver gave me ample opportunities to explore the differences, the mechanics and engineering of golf clubs. After foraging for information, there were more questions left begging than answered. It had to be experienced through application. I had to explore and conquer and thus began the conquest of testing clubs, buying some, learning from mistakes, trial and error and in search of a solution. I was hugely impressed with Karsten Solheim who founded Ping on the basis of searching for an answer on putting and came up with the Ping "Anser" and built it to where it is today where Ping flourished and is renowned not only for their putters but also excellence in irons, woods, hybrids and they make very fabulous drivers. Top that with the best club-fitting system in the world. We have people like Gary Adams who invented the metal-wood and founded TaylorMade, Roger Cleveland and Bob Vokey, Bettinardi and Scotty Cameron - master craftsmen who gave you those great wedges and putters respectively branded in their names. They are not just captains of the industry but they are movers and shakers. I wanted to be like them, to be movers and shakers but as of now, though I am still moving and shaking around golf courses and all over the places, I have yet to attain their cult status.
Callaway
Callaway Golf Company was named after its founder Ely Callaway who died aged 82. He was President of Burlington Textile and Callaway Vineyard before venturing into golf buying a small company and made it one of the world's largest if not the largest club maker. It was founded in 1982 and since sold more than US$5 billion worth of equipment. The Odyssey brand of putters is also owned by Callaway. Then he gave the world the ERC driver and the ERC II driver which was banned from competitive play in the US ruled by USGA but not by Royal & Ancient (St. Andrews). ERC is actually short for his name Ely Reeves Callaway and his stance has always been to make golf easier for the pros and especially the weekend hackers therefore making the most forgiving clubs available to golfers. His maxim was that golfers must be able to enjoy those occasional good shots and he will create such forgiving clubs for golfers to enjoy and help their game.
Callaway gave the world the Warbird, Big Bertha and the X-Series and Fusion Technology (FT). The Warbird woods were popular while the Big Bertha is a very popular iron set and fairway woods because they are very forgiving and easy to use until the latest model which is more like iron hybrid with thick soles. To me, one of Callaway's great innovation was Fusion Technology where they put different metals and various materials together for supposedly greater feel, distance and accuracy. The latest FT-9 driver uses six different materials to push the centre of gravity low and deep. While they have always been in the forefront of technology, superb designs and pushing the performance enhancing frontiers, Callaway was a rather late comer to the hybrid game.
They had an aptly named Heavenwood which was quite a hit and progressed to the X series. X series hybrid of 1-2 years ago was rated the best hybrid by an independent and reputable USA equipment testing company and I have briefly flirted with both. I liked them but the Heavenwood was gotten quite late and I could not get the loft I wanted and ended with a no. 6 at 29 degrees. For those who plays well with an iron, you may not need this while the X series was a Japanese specification that I found has too much flex in the shaft. For sometime, I was playing without any Callaway clubs in my bag and I felt something is missing. For me, the Callaway feel and sound is rather unique and unmistakable, especially the classic sound of its woods and hybrids which I simply love. It's like the feel of riding the bicycle the first time. It brings back memories of my humble beginning. I have to return to my roots some day.
They had an aptly named Heavenwood which was quite a hit and progressed to the X series. X series hybrid of 1-2 years ago was rated the best hybrid by an independent and reputable USA equipment testing company and I have briefly flirted with both. I liked them but the Heavenwood was gotten quite late and I could not get the loft I wanted and ended with a no. 6 at 29 degrees. For those who plays well with an iron, you may not need this while the X series was a Japanese specification that I found has too much flex in the shaft. For sometime, I was playing without any Callaway clubs in my bag and I felt something is missing. For me, the Callaway feel and sound is rather unique and unmistakable, especially the classic sound of its woods and hybrids which I simply love. It's like the feel of riding the bicycle the first time. It brings back memories of my humble beginning. I have to return to my roots some day.
Callaway released the Diablo series early 2009. They came in a driver, fairway wood, hybrid and irons. The Diablo gets the highest ratings from Golf Digest and some other magazines among the range. Not only that, its performance rating is the best together with another couple of hybrids for 2009 and scored highly for look, feel and sound.
Diablo means devil or seasoned with hot spices. Think Lamborghini Diablo and you get the idea with the right vibes. It's hot! Made from 17-4 stainless steel, the Diablo featured Callaway's VFT (Variable Face Thickness) that enhances off centre hits. A pair of rails runs across the sole which are suppose to increase club to turf interaction called "DRS" or Dual Runner Sole. I thought the graphics is quite cool but prefer how the red colour look on the fairway woods. It is long but easy to hit perhaps one of the easiest.
They also have it in Japanese specification with the club looking exactly the same except that the name Diablo is not present and instead the word "DRS" was boldly inscribed across. The other obvious difference is while the Diablo is red the Japanese DRS is blue. Most people are being recommended or personally prefers Japanese specs and shafts but I found them too light and prefer a tad heavier feel. The most interesting to me was that the club head has a leading edge which looks closer to the ground, quite different from others.
It has a "face-forward" feature which I think is clever and effective as the shaft is joined to the hosel in what appeared like in the middle of the club head rather than at the heel making it appear and make you feel that you will never hit it on the heel and giving you every reason to go for it. That's confidence, what a devil! Diablo. It's like a home-coming to the green green grass of home. Simply nostalgic. I think it's a five-star performer with that classic sound which gives a sweet ring to the ear. Haven't been buying any club this year but we have to think of those jobless Americans and their fellow citizens who may lose their job assembling clubs if we don't do something. The other day, I met someone at the golf course and he asked what was I driving. I said "Diablo". You should have seen the look on his face.
They also have it in Japanese specification with the club looking exactly the same except that the name Diablo is not present and instead the word "DRS" was boldly inscribed across. The other obvious difference is while the Diablo is red the Japanese DRS is blue. Most people are being recommended or personally prefers Japanese specs and shafts but I found them too light and prefer a tad heavier feel. The most interesting to me was that the club head has a leading edge which looks closer to the ground, quite different from others.
It has a "face-forward" feature which I think is clever and effective as the shaft is joined to the hosel in what appeared like in the middle of the club head rather than at the heel making it appear and make you feel that you will never hit it on the heel and giving you every reason to go for it. That's confidence, what a devil! Diablo. It's like a home-coming to the green green grass of home. Simply nostalgic. I think it's a five-star performer with that classic sound which gives a sweet ring to the ear. Haven't been buying any club this year but we have to think of those jobless Americans and their fellow citizens who may lose their job assembling clubs if we don't do something. The other day, I met someone at the golf course and he asked what was I driving. I said "Diablo". You should have seen the look on his face.
Golf as in life, play as it lies!
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