Equipment Review: Sonartec GS Tour Fairway Metal
by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, London Ontario Golf
Copyright 2007 www.LondonOntarioGolf.com

Here at London Ontario Golf, we’re huge fans of Sonartec hybrids and fairway metals. Both have a regular spot in my bag. So, when Sonartec announced the release of its latest birdie machines – the GS Tour fairway metal – I stood up and took notice. And after testing this club at the range, I can’t wait to see my playing partners buckle at the knees when I knock it on in two at even the longest of par-5s.

A high-tech helper with a classic look, the new GS Tour fairway metal has captured Silver from Golf Digest’s 2007 Hot List. That speaks volumes. So does the familiar Driving Cavity running along the centre of the sole – a familiar and welcomed friend to anyone who has swung a Sonartec club. This cavity helps the face perform like a trampoline, thanks to the laws of compression. It remains, in my books, the best design feature in any fairway metal or hybrid.

The GS Tour is certainly a player’s club – no doubt about that – but I would tend to think a mid-handicapper could manage to tame this club to his satisfaction, with the right specs. It’s available as a 3-wood in lofts of 13, 14 and 15 degrees, as well as a 5-wood at 18 degrees. A small but great looking black head (147cc, 140cc in 5-wood) provides you with a sense of confidence – it just looks like a quality club, one of the best we’ve tested.

Here’s the real scoop from Sonartec. The GS Tour boasts the largest sweet spot of any Sonartec fairway metal, due to improved patented Driving Cavity technology. The all-important CG is repositioned, producing the highest-launching low-spin men’s fairway metal ever produced by Sonartec. The sweet spot is aligned vertically with the CG of the ball for increased power transfer. The club features a newly-designed leading edge and sole plate for less drag in all turf conditions (I really liked this off the deck), including tight lies. There’s a neutral face angle, too, to instill confidence at address – another key: the moment I gripped this club, it gripped me with its instant alignment. The GS Tour is a new friend which feels like an old reliable friend from tee to green.

I tested the 14-degree 3-wood with the new Graphite Design Red Ice shaft designed for Sonartec to maximize the feel and performance of the GS Tour head. Sonartec says this should help golfers of all levels, and it most definitely should. But I would recommend mid-handicap golfers hit the 15-degree 3–wood, and high-handicappers the 18-degree 5-wood – accompanied by a regular shaft. And there are numerous shaft options from Aldila, Graphite Design, Mitsubishi, and Fujikura.

The purest golf shot I ever hit was with a Sonartec 13-degree SS-3.5 fairway metal. The new GS Tour should provide plenty of punch on par with this club in rounds to come – it’s a winner from grip to toe. It offered me a wonderful penetrating mid-high trajectory and landed the pill softly when needed, but also ran for yards and yards when I called for a stinger. I look forward to putting this club to work again soon.

At $239 US, I believe this club is reasonably priced in terms of its results. Having tested other clubs form Sonartec, I can vouch for their durability, as well as their trend-setting performance.

Sonartec has also just released it new hybrid – the HB-001. Watch for this better player’s club to also win accolades soon.

For information on all of Sonartec’s offerings, visit www.sonartec.com.