No empty shelves this fall: Putters, balls, woods among new offerings

Normally at this time of the year, as we move further into autumn and many parts of the nation feel the onset of winter chill, a shopping excursion to the pro shop or golf specialty store would reveal many empty shelves. Course pros and retailers most likely would be waiting for new inventory to arrive over the next several months, in anticipation of restocking for the following season.

But a recent tour of various pro and golf shops revealed just the opposite. New products are moving in at a rapid rate, as if 2009 were here already. One major question: Will golfers be buying or playing it financially conservative?

"The past couple of weeks have seen a lot of companies introducing new clubs, balls, shoes, just about everything," said the manager of a large driving range and pro shop operation. "And not just for the holidays, but for all of next year."

New fairway woods, putters, balls, shoes and more all drew our attention recently.

Among the items of interest were several new putters from TaylorMade, a new fairway wood from KZG and new balls from Bridgestone and Srixon. And Sun Mountain has just come out with one of the lightest full-size bags in golf.

Several companies are dangling shopper incentives in hopes of stimulating sales.

Here's a selected look at some interesting new golf products to consider.

TaylorMade putters

Two new lines are shipping now from TaylorMade, which is making a heightened effort to boost its image with the flatstick: the Rossa Core Classics series and the Itsy Bitsy Monza Spider.

TaylorMade putter: Itsy Bitsy Spider

In early testing among a variety of golfers assembled by CBSSports.com, the Itsy Bitsy putter received "must consider" reviews. The putter has a high MOI factor, which relates to stability on off-center hits, and was specifically praised for "good feel and control."

Despite the cute name, the putter isn't all that small. In fact, it's a midsize mallet with movable weight technology. Still, it is 20 percent smaller than the Monza Spider that TaylorMade launched at the outset of 2008.

"For some golfers, the Monza Spider was just too big," said Tom Osalvsky, TaylorMade's senior director of product creation. "As a midsize mallet, the Itsy Bitsy Spider should appeal to even more golfers."

Both the Monza Spider and Itsy Bitsy Spider look similar. But the wings on the Itsy Bitsy Spider (where the movable weight cartridges are located) have been pulled inward. Both putters have a steel wire-frame head; a lightweight, sturdy aluminum core; and a "basketball court" alignment design on top of the core.