subject: Howell Surges with Short Games [print this page] Howell Surges with Short Games Howell Surges with Short Games
"The lob wedge is mys most important club. It can save a round or it can make a round." Charles Howell
Charles Howell III has never missed the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard since he joined the PGA TOUR in 2001, but he's never had a more enjoyable round than his Friday run at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge.
Howell, 31, who lives in Orlando, fired a 7-under-par 65 on a sunny and calm morning on the Championship Course, his lowest round here by three shots and just his fourth round in the 60s. His reward is a spot just three strokes behind leader Martin Laird as the weekend commences.
Always a good ball-striker, Howell has been concentrating on his short game in recent months. Not just his putting though that has been stellar with 26 putts Friday after 29 putts Thursday but the rest of the ensemble.
DRIVER: TaylorMade R11 (9.5) with an Oban Devotion 7 X shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: Callaway Big Bertha Diablo (15) with a Mitsubishi Rayon Fabuki Tour 80 X shaft
HYBRID: Titleist 909H (19) with an Aldila Voodoo NV8 X shaft
IRONS: Mizuno JPX-800 Pro (4-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X-100 shafts
Modern-Classical Clubhead Shape with White Crown, Black PVD Clubface for Optimum Contrast for Alignment The Taylormade R11 driver is designed with a new, modern-classical clubhead shape intended to suit the eye of better players, while still providing forgiveness and confidence for average players. The shape is more contemporary appearance than traditional drivers, and slightly triangular to create a modern yet classical address silhouette. The triangular shape creates more inertia and a deeper back CG position for greater stability and forgiveness.
At 440cc, the Taylormade R11 driver appears slightly (2%) larger due to its white crown color. Most golfers recognize address size relative to the size of the ball as a key confidence builder.
The white crown color and black PVD face provides optimum contrast against the ground to make the R11 easier to aim. This advantage is even more pronounced in lower light, such as when the tee box is in shade or shadow, on overcast days or when the sun is low in the morning and in the evening. The crown color also eliminates high-intensity "hot spots" caused by reflected sunlight that afflicts gloss-finish metalwoods.
Featuresof TaylorMade R11 Driver:
Adjust the loft with Flight Control Technology (FCT)
Adjust the face angle with the new Adjustable Sole Plate (ASP)
Adjust the CG location with Movable Weight Technology (MWT)
Promotes up to 100 yards of side-to-side trajectory change and 1,000 RPM backspin change
New aerodynamic shape promotes faster clubhead speed for more distance, 6 yards longer than R9 Supertri
White non-glare crown and black clubface for easy alignment
