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Browsing through the Cleveland Golf catalog for 2008 makes one observation very obvious: The club lineup has been refined with the idea of targeting specific types of golfers and their individual playing characteristics.
Although a bagful of new products has been introduced for this season, it's a simplified and easily understandable refinement of the Cleveland portfolio.
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| Cleveland HiBORE XLS driver |
Along with the driver, there are new HiBore XLS fairway woods and hybrids, each with just one basic style.
In irons, in addition to the CG Gold and Red sets launched last year, Cleveland has added a CG Tour blade set for skilled players. Further, in the growing category of combination sets, the company has introduced a HiBore/Gold Combo.
In wedges, which have been a noted Cleveland specialty for a long time, there are five different models in a myriad of loft and bounce combinations. The newest wedge for 2008 is the CG12 DSG model with large ZIP grooves.
Perhaps most notable: In an effort to combat the ever-increasing problems associated with counterfeit equipment, the company is supplying an Authenticity Cleveland Golf Product label on many of the new products. Located on the shaft, the label includes an Authenticity Decoder Lens to help retailers and golfers certify the legitimacy of the clubs.
"Golf club manufacturers are dealing with an onslaught of counterfeit products today," said Steve Gingrich, vice president of global security. "These inferior products deliver substandard performance and expose unsuspecting consumers to potentially hazardous situations. In addition, counterfeit equipment costs golf companies millions of dollars in damaged reputations, as consumers of counterfeit goods blame the companies when a product turns out to be defective."
Not much has been happening yet at Cleveland since its announced acquisition last fall by SRI Sports, the Japanese-based parent of Srixon. In the U.S., Cleveland remains headquartered in Huntington Beach, Calif., while Srixon is based in Lawrenceville, Ga. Eventually, it's expected some consolidation will take place, especially in the back office. But for now, the products remain distinct and separate.
On tour, Cleveland boasts a large roster of staff players. Cleveland pros include Boo Weekley, Jerry Kelly, Bobby Wadkins, Steve Flesch, Steve Lowery, Vijay Singh and Woody Austin.
Here's a closer look at a selection of what's new from Cleveland Golf in 2008.
Drivers
In test sessions with a variety of golfers assembled by CBSSports.com, the consensus review was that Cleveland's HiBORE XLS line of drivers, fairways and hybrids represents a significant improvement over the company's previous HiBORE and HiBORE XL products.
