WannaHaves: Christmas stocking list

Put these highly desired items from Odyssey, Mizuno, Garmin and FootJoy on your Christmas stocking list.

New Odyssey Ai-One and Ai-One Milled putters

Artificial Intelligence is popping up more and more and it now features in Odyssey’s new Ai ONE and Ai ONE Milled putters. Both feature AI-designed inserts that are designed to produce more consistent ball speeds on off-centre strikes.

Ai-ONE: The new Ai-ONE range uses AI to create an advanced multi-material insert which includes unique contours on the back of the face to minimise ball speed reduction on off-centre hits. Callaway says this design will leave putts up to 21% closer to the hole and will also improve feel, speed control and consistency. Jon Rahm used an Ai-ONE while earning three points for Team Europe at the Ryder Cup.

Ai-ONE Milled: Callaway says this putter leaves putts 7% closer to the hole on average than a traditional milled putter. This model also also uses Callaway’s AI insert design and features a 303 stainless steel head with a 100% milled titanium insert.

Mizuno’s new Pro 24X irons

Mizuno’s new Pro 24X series forged irons includes the 241 blades, the 243 speed cavity and the 245 hollow body – and one extra model, the Fli-Hi utility. The new lineup focuses on precision distance and tour-level speed.

The Pro 241 is a muscleback blade designed for superior feel and control, while the Pro 243 is a cavity back which features wider micro-slots to boost ball speeds and to ease blending of lofts. The Pro 245 is a hollow body iron intended for distance with a smaller player-friendly profile.

Most casual golfers will go for the Pro 245 model as they have a hollow construction designed for added forgiveness. The 2-iron down through the 7-iron on this model have interior tungsten weighting for improved stability while the 9-iron through gap wedge have smaller heads.

Mizuno also introduced the hollow-body Pro Fli-Hi iron created as a substitute for those not wanting to hit hybrids in 2-, 3- and 4-iron lofts.

TaylorMade Black P.790 irons

TaylorMade went to the dark side in April when they released the P.790 Black irons. The darker clubs got a lot of positive attention on social media. The black PVD finish (physical vapor deposition) was put on top of the steel to give the clubs a black look and a high-gloss finish. TaylorMade says the PVD finish is strong and durable.

These irons have a sleeker blade design than previous black P.790s and 69 percent less dense heads thanks to the advanced urethane “SpeedFoam Air”. To compliment the black PVD finish, the stock shafts for the set are the KBS Tour lite in a black finish.

Garmin S70 Smartwatch

The Garmin Approach S70 Golf GPS Smartwatch is an upgrade on the previous S62. Garmin is a leader in the golf GPS market, producing a premium range of GPS watches which have made a huge impact on the world of golf.

The S70 provides accurate yardages to greens, bunkers and other course features, can track your score, your shot distances and make club selections. You can also set them up with a smartphone so you can see all your notifications on your wrist.

It has 43,000+ preloaded golf courses from around the world, a touchscreen, 24/7 health monitoring and activity tracking, a host of game-strengthening feature such as Green View feature, and can be connected to the Garmin golf app so you can monitor your health and fitness information, connect with friends and more. The S70 comes in a smaller 42mm size, which might appeal to those with a smaller wrist size, as well as the 47mm option.

TaylorMade MG4 wedges

TaylorMade‘s MG4 wedges arrived in the summer with a new laser etching groove designed for more spin and to help golfers in wet conditions – perfect for winter. In the rain and damper conditions, it’s harder to get shots to spin as much. These new MG4 wedges feature a new groove design which combines a laser treatment with strategically designed grooves and a raw face to push out water like wet tyre treads. The brand calls this Spin Tread Technology.

The grinds offered come in three main options, low bounce, standard bounce and high bounce. LBV stands for Low Bounce V-sole. SBC is Standard Bounce with a classic C-grind sole. And HBW stands for High Bounce with a wide sole for softer conditions and bunker play. The lofts available range from 46° through to 60°. 

There is also the TW Grind option inspired by Tiger Woods. The 56° TW wedge is a dual sole with heavy heel relief, while the 60° TW has an extremely high bounce on the leading edge with a shaved heel. They all come in tour satin chrome or tour matte black.

FootJoy Black Winter shoes series

Winter golf boots are one of the newest golf shoes on the market as they are great in wintery conditions, providing sure footing and comfort while you swing and stride the fairways.

Each model features soft, full grain leather with thermal lining for a comfortable and dry environment and are equipped with Pulsar LP cleats by Softspikes® – low profile spikes that deliver stability and support.