Golf Digest 2008 Hot List

[JamesR]

2008 Hot List: Ratings: golfdigest.com

Performance Category Winners (Editors Choice)

Driver-Ping G10
Fairway Wood-Ping G10
Hybrid-Taylormade Burner
Game Improvement Irons-Callaway X-20
SGI Irons-Cleveland HiBore
Players Irons-Taylormade r7 TP
Wedges-Titleist Vokey Spin Milled
Blade Putter-Titleist Cameron Studio Style
Mallet Putter-Nike IC
$40+ Ball-Titleist Pro-V1/x
$21+ Ball-Callaway HX Hot Bite
Cheapy Ball-Precept Distance IQ180

[Rockford35]

Top 5 contributors to GD's advertising promotions:

Taylor Made
Titleist/Accushnet
Callaway
Nike
Cleveland Golf

I rest my case.

R35

[RickinMA]

I might care more about the list if they dropped "buzz" - that just seems silly to me

the putter section in particular made me sick - and I didn't need to look at the driver section - I can just skim the ads and see some of the fugly designs

[Wi-Golfer]

Originally Posted by Rockford35

Top 5 contributors to GD's advertising promotions:

Taylor Made
Titleist/Accushnet
Callaway
Nike
Cleveland Golf

I rest my case.

R35

It's that way with most magazines, even though they will write editorials stating otherwise. Look at Motor Trend & it's easy to figure out which manufacturer gets the bs "car of the year award". They definitely are not about to bite the hand that feeds them.

[Rockford35]

Originally Posted by Wi-Golfer

It's that way with most magazines, even though they will write editorials stating otherwise. Look at Motor Trend & it's easy to figure out which manufacturer gets the bs "car of the year award". They definitely are not about to bite the hand that feeds them.

I agree 100%. But citing that these are "the best of the best" is 100% crap.

In the new episode, check for the insert on the Geek DCT. Rumour has it that it kicked all the OEM stuff's asses, but they couldn't include it as a "complete club" as it was a component.

That makes me even more irate that they won't properly admit their own findings, they fudge them from the get-go.

I've dropped my GD susbscription, BTW. It made nice reading material as I was wiping my a$$ with it and flushing it down the toilet.

R35

[MIKE1218]

The hot list is crap. I did not renew GD when it ran out a few months ago. I still have a free year and a half of golf magazine left, but it is just as bad as GD. Only thing I read is Golfweek.

[Eracer]

Totally agree. GD lost me a long time ago.

I have to say - I think the Bobby Jones driver looks sweet. If it wasn't $350 I might try one.

[RickinMA]

Originally Posted by Rockford35

In the new episode, check for the insert on the Geek DCT. Rumour has it that it kicked all the OEM stuff's asses, but they couldn't include it as a "complete club" as it was a component.

I agree that the list flawed - but I don't understand why they'd exclude the Geek but include the Wishon 949 fairways - they have even less availability than the geeks

[ualtim]

My GD ends in Feb. It will not be renewed. Golf is cancelled as well. The only Golf Mag I will be receiving is Golfworld and that is coming to an end soon. Is Golfweek better/worse than Golfworld?

As far as the hot list goes, Cameron Studio Style has been out for a while now. No changes have been made to it. If it was not the Best Blade Putter the last two years, how can it be this year? Oh, thats right, gotta rotate the winner every year.....

[FKA19]

Yup the list is flawed for sure. And the Burner hybrid? Ugly hooking piece of junk. Maybe if they make a TP but still...

[Glenn70]

Buzz: A product must be in demand. We look at a company's or a product's market share, tour use and (in consultation with our panel of golf retailers) the word-of-mouth excitement a new product is generating.

The fact that this a part of the ratings scale just goes to show you how stupid their ratings are. How in God's name do the following characteristics translate into a lower handicap for me:

Product Market Share: Is Ping's or TM's increasing bottom line going to help my drives go straighter?

Tour Use: I may be wrong, but MOST Tour players don't use off the rack product, its all customized specifically for them, their swing, and their playing style. So even if some Tour Yahoo uses a specific club off the rack, how does that help my game?

Word of Mouth excitement: Wow...I don't even know where to begin.....

Sorry, I'll get off my soap box now. I've been sick since last week, so I've been ornery as hell for a few days now.

[Rockford35]

Originally Posted by Glenn70

Buzz: A product must be in demand. We look at a company's or a product's market share, tour use and (in consultation with our panel of golf retailers) the word-of-mouth excitement a new product is generating.

The fact that this a part of the ratings scale just goes to show you how stupid their ratings are. How in God's name do the following characteristics translate into a lower handicap for me:

Product Market Share: Is Ping's or TM's increasing bottom line going to help my drives go straighter?

Tour Use: I may be wrong, but MOST Tour players don't use off the rack product, its all customized specifically for them, their swing, and their playing style. So even if some Tour Yahoo uses a specific club off the rack, how does that help my game?

Word of Mouth excitement: Wow...I don't even know where to begin.....

Sorry, I'll get off my soap box now. I've been sick since last week, so I've been ornery as hell for a few days now.

You sound like every Golf Digest subscriber.

R35

[Glenn70]

Correction.....Former Golf Digest Subscriber. My subscription runs out this month too...not planning on renewing. The only reason I haven't canceled my Golf Magazine script is that I like Feherty's column on the back cover. But I'll start reading it online and save the money.

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by Glenn70

Sorry, I'll get off my soap box now. I've been sick since last week, so I've been ornery as hell for a few days now.

Did you have that nasty stomach bug that's going around? I think I'd be pretty ornery myself after that mess...

[ezra76]

So let's do our own. I'd be willing to do the research to make a poll of pretty much every company's current driver line if other people want to do other clubs?