Season awards: Best new equipment from 2007

Roll out the red carpet. Dim the house lights. Cue the announcer. Drum roll, please ...

It's time for our annual equipment look back at the year past, and for our CBSSports.com panel of testers to present a final review of the many introductions in balls and clubs.

It was a bountiful year for equipment, and perhaps the hardest ever to judge. First, manufacturing across the board has improved dramatically, led by technology and design engineers implementing the latest in shotmaking and game-improvement products. Second, new equipment pours forth at an increasingly rapid pace, as companies shorten product life cycles for both marketing and R&D purposes.

Callaway's X-20 irons receive Stogel's Gold Tee Award for 2007.

For golfers, the selection has never been greater. One of the reasons for this is the degree of customization the industry has achieved. There is no longer just one model of iron being offered by Company A or one "premium" ball being offered by Company B. Clubs and balls are being tailored to match up better with players' skill levels, playing styles and preferences.

In presenting our Best of 2007 Equipment Awards, we bypass for now clubs and balls introduced this past fall, which are geared primarily for next season. Products such as Nike's recently upgraded SUMO and SUMO2 drivers, TaylorMade's CGB roster, and Ping's G10 and i10 lines are not listed.

Meanwhile, we might include clubs and balls that first appeared on a limited scale toward the latter part of 2006 but which really gained full distribution in '07.

Also, ongoing models of clubs and balls are not listed. These accolades are meant only for equipment introduced for or during the past season.

Before we get into the category citations, we first present our Gold Tee Award for 2007 to the best overall introduction of the year: Callaway's X-20 irons. In a very competitive race in which several companies' models could have claimed the Gold, Callaway earned a slight nod among a consensus of CBSSports.com year-long testers.

With products for 2008 already rolling out in abundance, the following represent a selective showcase of eagles, birdies and pars for clubs and balls in 2007.

Drivers

It might seem unusual for a company to claim the Eagle award in drivers two years in a row, but maybe not when it's Titleist.

Last year, we anointed the 905R, which added much greater forgiveness to Titleist's legacy of precision. This year, Titleist claims the prize with its 907 lineup, comprising the triangular shaped D1 model and the more traditionally shaped D2. Both employ new geometric technology.

They are 460 cc with multimaterial clubhead construction: a titanium body, beta titanium faced insert and milled aluminum hosel.