LynxGolf
recently attended Lynx’s launch of their 2016 products in the BT Tower, London. At the same time, the company also presented Nick Dougherty as their contracted player on the European Tour. The evening was hugely enjoyable, made more so by sitting next to former European Tour Player Paul Eales, now a staff player for Lynx on the Senior Tour. During the presentation of the complete range
of products, Paul casually asked me “have you tried the new Boom Boom irons yet?” I replied I hadn’t. His immediate reply was “you’ve got to, they’re unbelievably long and forgiving!” Music to my ears…
I sought out Mark Goodwin, their custom
fitting manager and set about arranging a visit to the factory where they had recently installed a Foresight GC2 simulator. The day of my visit arrived and I turned up
with my own seven iron so Mark could then make up clubs pretty much to the spec of my own in order to obtain a fair comparison. While this was happening, demo day manager Andy Sumner took me to the Simulator room to warm up. I hit approximately 10 balls with my own club to establish a benchmark and then began to try different irons. Firstly I tried the Predator; at address it sat well
but did not catch my eye. However, an immediate improvement was seen both in ball speed and resultant length, although the feel was slightly hard off the face and dispersion, although dispersion was still not what I would wish. Obviously part of that was down to the club being ‘cast’ instead of forged. However, it was a marked improvement over the cast clubs of old. Now to the new Boom Boom Tour. The seven
iron I used was the fitting iron, enabling the user to try different shaſts in the same head. I used the True Temper regular shaſt with Golf Pride multi compound grip. Straight away behind the ball I found the look I had been searching for- it looked and sat beautifully. A thinner top edge than the Predator and a traditional ‘blade’ shape, albeit
On the range I
Richard Punyer was recently treated to a test of Lynx Golf’s new product range. In an SGB exclusive, he visited Lynx’s HQ in Surrey
larger than I was used to. On swinging the club it was noticeably heavier in the head, a feeling I enjoyed. Immediately I felt at home with the club and hitting the ball out of the middle seemed exceptionally easy – and constant. Ball speed was greatly enhanced over not only my own club but also the Predator, by on average of five to six mph with a large leap in distance shown by the numbers on the screen. Dispersion also improved, the grouping much tighter than previously. Maybe this was me simply warming up? Mark by this time had made up the club in the Lynx range most closely resembled my own – the gorgeous looking, forged ‘Tour Blades’ as played by staff player Nick Dougherty on the European Tour. Quite simply, if you’re a purist they’re a work of art as a classic blade. The finish is beautiful chrome with classic lines and shaping. They come with a Dynamic Golf S300 shaſt and Golf Pride grip. Unfortunately, I’m a little too old to do these clubs justice now. On hitting, impact was pure and soſt, although immediately the forgiveness – and length – of the previous Predator and Boom Boom Tours reduced markedly. With this club I really had to work to get the ball out there and even then the drop off in distance was large. When you’re hitting something as pure as this, the hit really does have to be out the middle –
from a noticeably smaller sweet spot. The feel of the club was wonderful when struck properly, but I think I’ll leave this to Nick and other players who have far higher swing speeds than mine and much better swings! In the end, I couldn’t leave the Boom Boom
Tours alone and kept grabbing that particular seven iron again. Time and again the ball was struck sweetly, straight and long. The technology in these particular irons feature two separate cavities. The first, a muscle back design which gives weight evenly around the clubface, and the second, a deep ‘power channel’ which sits immediately behind the clubface. These two channels, combined with variable face thickness, give barely credible distance and forgiveness. I now knew what Paul Eales meant when he spoke to me at the BT Tower launch. They appealed greatly to me due to the length they gave me back – my club head speed at 54 years old isn’t what it was! The increase in forgiveness and dispersion also matched the length, making it an extremely attractive alternative.
Summary While not trying all Lynx had to offer, I tried the
majority of models and have to say the company really has something for everyone irrespective of age, ability and gender. With the Boom Boom irons I found a mixture of distance, accuracy and feel I have not experienced for a long time. With the comprehensive range Lynx have, from the beautiful Tour blades, through the Parallax, Predator, new Black Cat and Boom Boom models to Ladies and Junior ranges, the resurgent Lynx really does cover all the bases. Through their performance and looks they
would grace any Pro shop, as well as remind those of us who used them in the 1970’s and 80’s why we held the brand in such high regard – and still do.
SGBGOLF 21
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