Conforming List Finds: New Gear from Ping and Mizuno—plus Another Titleist Mini

For golf equipment sleuths Mondays are a big day in the world of new clubs because that's when the USGA and R&A update their joint conforming clubs list for the purpose of competition, which also means it's the first opportunity for us to get a preview of the newest equipment before it hits shelves.

With the PGA TOUR Season now in full flight, it has been a busy few weeks for the folks who help regulate the gear that can be used at the highest level. So, we thought it might be fun to share some of the things we've found on the list that could give us some insights into what might be coming next from the major equipment manufacturers.

PING iDI

It's been a while since Ping updated their driving iron and the new iDi looks like its ready to take the place of the current iCrossover. The conforming list shows that the available lofts are 17, 20, and 23, and from a design perspective it also appears that Ping is once again getting away from an adjustable hosel (adapter) and going with one that will be adjusted via traditional bending.

Like most clubs found on the USGA List, there is no confirmation on when these might hit retail, but Ping usually keeps things close to the chest, so I imagine it will be sooner rather than later that we hear about this potential release.

Titleist GT280+ (Plus)

Since recently launching the GT280 it looks like Titleist has one more thing up their sleeve, the GT280+.

It first showed up on the USGA conforming list last week and was first spotted in the wild by the folks at GolfWRX in a "What's in the Bag" gallery for Cameron Young.

I did some quick analysis based on the USGA pictures and came to some conclusions about what it's likely all about below.

Mizuno F121 Prototypes

As I wrote about in the most recent Trend Tracker: Gear Notes From The Zurich and The Chevron, Mizuno had a pretty hot week with three iron wins, plus a driver win the DP World Tour.

Now it looks as if they're slowing working towards replacing the current 230 line (lets be clear engineering teams are always working hard—we just don't hear about it), and starting with fairway woods and hybrid looking clubs.

These new F121 Prototypes feature Mizuno's adjustable hosel, CorTech Chamber, and large back weights. What really stands out though is the one above on the right is labeled as a 7w with 21 degrees of loft, but has a shrunken down front to back profile similar to the Callaway UW.

If that is the case, it looks like Mizuno's next line of fairway woods will include some type of flowing shape to potentially blend into hybrids, but like some many other clubs spotted on the conforming list, only time will tell if any of these make it to retail.