The folks at Sweet Spot Golf contacted me a few weeks ago about their Pink line of products geared toward women and endorsed by the host of Highway 18 on the Golf Channel.  Intrigued by the designs that they sent in the press release, I asked them for an opportunity to test out their products.  They obliged and sent me a putter, hybrid, and a driver.  I went to the driving range today to test out the products.

Before I went to the range, though, I returned to the Sweet Spot Golf site to get a better feel for the products' design and intent behind their design.  Throughout their line of products, several design elements are common.

Common Design Principles

The first is an eye-catching designed that is looking to appease the eye while also providing a tool to line up a shot before pulling the trigger.  As seen in the hybrid pictured below, you can see the unconventional, but appealing view at address.

The second is a commitment to the concept of MOI.  MOI is also called Moment of Intertia.  It is a physics principle that is the big buzzword today among clubmakers when talking about forgiveness on off-center hits.  For a little insight, I decided to consult the MOI for Dummies post by 19th Hole Golf Show guest and club fitting guru Tom Wishon:

"Moment of inertia," or MOI, is a property of physics that indicates the relative difference in how easy or difficult it will be to set any object in motion about a defined axis of rotation.

The first example refers to the MOI of the clubhead about its center of gravity. In marketing terms, this is the head design property that has a bearing on the amount of "forgiveness" a clubhead offers for off-center strikes. The larger the clubhead, and/or the more the designer incorporates perimeter weighting, the higher the MOI of the clubhead about its center of gravity vertical axis will be. The higher the MOI of the head about its vertical CG axis, the less the head will twist in response to an off-center hit, and the less distance will be lost from that off-center hit.

Bottom line?  Sweet Spot Golf cares about MOI and forgiveness.  All of their clubs are weighted to the perimeter in an effort to make sure that off-center hits go straighter and further - more like sweet spot hits.

Take a look at the driver they sent my way to get a feel for it.

Keeping both of those principles in mind, you can understand the game improvement emphasis in the Sweet Spot Golf design philosophy and how the clubs perform.

Individual Club Reviews

V-11 Driver

The driver I received, called the V-11, is a 455cc traditionally shaped club.  The club comes in a 10.5 degree loft - recommended by club fitters as helpful in improving MOI.  Despite the perimeter weighting, the club felt as light as other clubs I have hit in recent memory.  The distribution of the weight does not impact the feel of the club.  It also does not impact hits on the center of the clubface.  I crushed a few balls down the range line and it exploded for the full distance I normally hit it.  Also, the 10.5 degree loft did not prove a detriment to my normal lower ball flight with the driver.  I could reasonably work the ball - like normal - and the top of the club head actually did help me with alignment.

H-5 Hybrid

I also received a hybrid club from their H series.  Sweet Spot Golf has 3, 4, and 5 hybrid irons available.  These clubs feel significantly heavier than comparable hybrids, and it seems by design.  The whole intent of the hybrid golf club is to make long irons/lower lofted clubs easier to hit, including out of the rough.  With the perimeter weighting and heavier overall weight than a number of hybrids I have hit in the past, Sweet Spot is achieving its mission.

I had no problems hitting the ball straight.  I also hit the ball longer than I would with an average 5 iron.  Admittedly, it did take some adjusting to hit a heavier club.  But, it did not prove a detriment into finding a groove with the club.  My biggest adjustment was ball position, which optimally turned out to be more like a 7 iron than a normal 5 iron.  With the feel of a shorter iron from address, it made swinging the club a more confident mental exercise.

AX Putter

The last club I tried out was the AX putter.  It is an oversized, mallet style putter.  It is particularly heavy, kind of keeping with the trend in putters.  In recent months, I had been going back and forth with my old, steady Wilson 8802 and Odyssey Rossie II mallet putter.  I had been struggling with both in terms of pace and tempo.

From the moment that I stepped on the putting green with the AX, I felt at ease.  I tend to stand upright with I putt, and the AX did not cramp that style.  But I also have a tough time in defining a pace to my stroke that will work for short putts, lags, and aggressive mid-range putts.  On the putting green at my favorite local muni, I had no problems in deciding on a pace.  The weight of the putter helped to give me clues as to when to pull the putter forward to impact.

With the 3 degrees of loft on the putter, the ball got rolling quickly and didn't lose any speed unnecessarily.  Normally, I don't take heart to putters very rapidly since I'm not that great of a putter.  But, with the AX, I am prepared to take it out on the course for a real test drive.

Final Thoughts

The Sweet Spot Golf line of clubs definitely maintains its core design principles of catchy, appealing aesthetics and perimeter weighting.  For me, the best benefit was in the putter because that is where I struggle most with tempo.  For the golfer that struggles with solid contact, the hybrid could be perfect for them as a recovery club from the rough and an alternative to long irons from the fairway.  The driver is a quality club that will be able to help mid to high handicappers with their consistency issues and lend forgiveness for off-center hits.  It is a good driver for a lower handicap player, as well.

For more information and more detailed specs, head to www.sweetspotgolf.net.