Spalding Sports Worldwide is testing a prototype Ben Hogan driver with its U.S. and European staff players, company officials said. “We are highly active right now on the European tour with a seeding program of drivers,” Eddie Binder, executive vice president for Spalding Sports Worldwide stated. Even though it recently launched its Strata Tour Ultimate golf ball, the company has more in the works. “We are right now on Tour with several new Strata prototypes and you can expect news from us on the new golf ball in the third or fourth quarter,” Binder predicted. Spalding staffer J.L. Lewis, according to Binder, played the prototype ball at last week’s BellSouth Classic in Atlanta where he failed to make the cut. Binder wouldn't reveal any other details about the impending new ball.
Likewise, he didn't get specific when discussing the prototype driver except to say that it currently carries the Hogan name and conforms to Royal & Ancient Golf Club rules. That means it doesn't conform to U.S. Golf Association rules regarding spring-like effect. However, he said, "The golf clubs we've been giving to our Tour players (in the United States) to work with are USGA-conforming.” The company believes that technology "should be able to help average golfers enjoy the game more," according to Binder. But despite sounding like his competition, he added that, "for the Ben Hogan brand in the U.S., we will not bring out a driver that is not USGA-conforming." Binder did remark that Spalding does not support the indoor testing protocol that the U.S. Golf Association plans to implement next January. “There is no question that we believe the USGA plays a vital role in the game of golf, but the USGA’s and Spalding’s goals are not the same on the issue of golf ball testing. We believe the test is too narrowly focused on elite players and (the new test) will indeed limit manufacturers' abilities to make golf balls that make the game more enjoyable to the average golfer," said Binder.
