Dunlop delivers performance and value with fun attitude

May 18, 2005 By Chuck Stogel GolfWeb Equipment Correspondent

One of the most stunning comeback combinations in golf has to be John Daly and Dunlop.

For Daly, who’s had his ups and downs, his switch to Dunlop equipment preceded his capturing the PGA TOUR’s 2004 Comeback Player of the Year award. His season included winning the Buick Invitational, finishing third in driving distance with a 306-yard average, along with being fifth in putting, fourth in eagles and seventh in birdie average.

Further, with just about the same equipment, Daly is enjoying a successful 2005, having pocketed $768,626 in earnings so far, highlighted by a second place finish in a playoff with Vijay Singh in April at the Shell Houston Open.

For Dunlop, a venerable name that has been producing all sorts of sports equipment since 1910, Daly -- who is in the second year of a three-year contract -- and long-drive specialist Sean “The Beast” Fister both have gone a long way to reestablishing Dunlop as a performance golf brand in addition to its longstanding reputation for offering value-priced products.

“John Daly has definitely helped enhance Dunlop, along with our LoCo and Redneck lines, among golfers and golf fans,” said David Villareal, vp of marketing and product devleopment at Focus Golf Systems, Greenville, S.C., which handles Dunlop Golf in North America. “He plays the Dunlop LoCo Pro ball, wears the glove and uses at least 11 Dunlop clubs in his bag. He’s brought a lot of validity to what we do.”

Designer Rick Gray has also helped elevate Dunlop among core golfers. Since being asked to produce the company’s irons and putters with an RG Designs label, Gray has crafted an array of high-performance equipment.

Still, there’s a fun -- almost irreverent -- attitude to Dunlop that should appeal to the recreational player as well as the avid golfer. To complement clubs and balls that are “crazy long,” the company has a vast lineup of Redneck putters with model names such as Bubba, Wilbur, Lurch, Airhead and Doublewide.

There are also numerous offerings in extremely low-priced clubs and balls, in addition to the new performance products.

Here’s a selected look at what Dunlop has to offer in 2005.

METALWOODS

At 450cc, the LoCo Pro titanium driver is the flagship among Dunlop’s metalwoods. It has a forged beta titanium head, 10 degrees of loft and is most noticeable with its bright yellow Harrison Striper XL graphite shaft.

In testing among GolfWeb players of all skill levels, the LoCo Pro driver was very popular. It was specifically praised for its ease of swing, solid contact and distance trajectory.

Suggested retail price for the driver is $149.95.

Earlier this spring, Daly was testing a new 440cc cast titanium driver with 8.5 degrees of loft, adjustable weights and a Grafalloy Blue shaft, but the club is not ready for production yet, according to company execs.

To complement the driver, Dunlop offers its LoCo fairway woods. Available in Nos. 3, 5, 7 and 9, they have stainless steel heads with graphite shafts. Suggested retail is $79.95 each.

IRONS

Dunlop offers several sets of irons, led by the RG Designs Players irons and the LoCo Redneck models.

The Players irons are muscleback players while the Redneck are undercut cavitybacks. Both have stainless steel heads with chrome plating and are available Nos. 2-PW. Suggested retail price is $599.99 for a set of eight irons.

As a packaged Redneck set, Dunlop has put together two hybrid clubs (18 and 21 degrees loft) with steel heads and Harrison graphite shafts matched with 5-PW Redneck irons that have True Temper steel shafts and Golf Pride grips. The suggested retail for the entire set is $499.95.

WEDGES

Dunlop’s wedges come with either a traditional chrome finish or an oil-quenched finish that will rust over time. Both the Redneck by RG Designs chrome and RG Oil Can wedges have scoopback designs, plus soft carbon steel heads under their respective finishes. The chrome wedge also has a channel groove for a smoother lift.

Dunlop's RG Oil Can Wedges comes in 56 and 60 degrees. (Dunlop Golf)

Chrome wedges come in 52, 56 and 60 degrees of loft, while the Oil Cans are available in 56 and 60 degrees.

Suggested retail price for Redneck chrome wedges and RG Oil Can is $89.99.

PUTTERS

The Redneck line that Daly prefers is most noticeable because of its red anondized aluminum hosel. There are seven models in the line that features milled carbon steel heads with platinum champagne plating. The faces don’t have inserts and the heads are the more standard heel/toe weighted style. The differences are mostly hosel shapes and flange back designs.

Daly plays the Wilbur model on tour.

Suggested retail price for the Redneck putters is $129.95.

Dunlop also offers a variety of oversized mallets, and other putters with steel hosels and face inserts.

BALLS

Dunlop makes six ball lines overall totaling 17 different models. The balls vary in composition and performance characteristics.

On tour, Daly plays the LoCo Pro ball, which is a multilayer three-piece construction. With a 95 compression rating overall, which would be geared for higher swing speeds, the ball consists of a polybutadiene rubber core, ionomer mantle and thin urethane cover with 432 dimples.

The LoCo Pro is geared to deliver a high launch with low spin off the driver, combined with “hit and sit” spin characteristics on approach with irons and around the green.

Suggested retail price is $29.95 per dozen.

For slower swing speeds, Dunlop has the Super LoCo ball, which is a two-piece model with a relatively low 65 compression high-energy core. The cover is a proprietary DuPont HPF polymer which the company asserts is softer and longer than surlyn. Suggested retail price is $16.95 per dozen.

Dunlop balls are manufactured and tested at the company’s own facilities in Westminster, S.C.

Editor's note: Chuck Stogel writes about golf equipment. Look for his columns each week on GolfWeb and PGATOUR.COM.