Taylor Made Introduces Non-Conforming Clubs, Sun Still Expected To Set In The West

Brendan Mohler reports from the PGA Show floor on Taylor Made's discreetly launched starter clubs, a major break from the tiresome resistance major manufacturers have had in resisting the release of non-Rules of Golf conforming equipment.

In this case, the non-conforming label is meaningless as the clubs are designed to appeal to a beginners and fans of Star Trek, The Next Generation.

The set includes four clubs -- driver, iron, wedge and putter -- that are meant to strike a larger-than-normal golf ball, with the end goal of holing the ball inside a 15-inch cup. Benoit Vincent, TaylorMade's Chief Technology Officer, says the company has found 100 courses that are willing to create 15-inch cups on six or eight of their holes and allow play with the non-conforming clubs. Not wanting to scare away traditionalists, or even just the average golfer, those holes will still include the usual 4.25 inch cup.

"This is all just an experiment," said Vincent. "We have no idea what this will lead to, but that's not stopping us from trying it out. The idea is to make golf more fun for more people. Part of the plan is to have people playing only for an hour or 90 minutes at a time, at least at first."