CAR AND DRIVER: CALLAWAY'S RAZR HAWK DRIVER

© Courtesy Callaway Golf

Last October, Lamborghini lit up the Paris Auto Show with its Sesto Elemento concept car—a matte-gray dream machine that made extensive use of advanced carbon-fiber technology to weigh in at a feathery 2,202 pounds. Now Callaway Golf has partnered with the legendary automaker for its new RAZR Hawk driver, released last week, which utilizes the same technology. The advantage conferred by carbon fiber is simple: It’s much lighter than titanium, allowing for greater acceleration in a sports car and greater clubhead speed in a driver.

Composite materials aren’t new to the golf industry, but the challenge has always been how to use them without compromising the clubhead’s structural integrity. Back in the mid-’00s, manufacturers were only able to build a potato chip–sized piece of composite into the crown, so the weight savings were fairly insignificant. Most companies eventually let the trend pass—more than 90 percent of drivers on the market today are all titanium. The RAZR Hawk, however, is the first-ever driver to feature carbon fiber in both the crown and the sole. (The clubface is still forged titanium.) This weight savings, Callaway says, reduces energy loss during the downswing by 43 percent over the company’s previous offering

The visual affinity between the RAZR Hawk and the Sesto Elemento is obvious. Is this savvy marketing by association? Sure. But with the Sesto Elemento estimated to sell for a cool $3.5 million and unlikely to enter even limited production, Callaway’s promise of adding a few extra yards on your drive is probably the more attainable fantasy.

RAZR Hawk is part of a full equipment line that includes fairway woods, a hybrid designed with input from Phil Mickelson, and three sets of irons. $400; callawaygolf.com.

Michael Jordan’s Celebrity Golf Invitational

Courtesy Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational

For 51 weekends a year, Shadow Creek Golf Club, in Las Vegas, is über-private, open exclusively to guests of MGM Resorts properties, and even then, play is largely reserved for VIPs. But the gates swing open to the public come the first weekend in April, when VVVIP Michael Jordan hosts his annual celebrity-invitational golf tournament. Last year’s event raised over half a million dollars for charity and drew huge galleries out to see a roster that included Ken Griffey, Jr., Wayne Gretzky and Roger Clemens—all of whom will return this spring. Those who aren’t content to watch from the comfort of the VIP tent or rub elbows at the evening events can tee up themselves: The Celebrity-Amateur Tournament, which takes up the first two days of the event, pairs each celebrity with four amateurs for a few memorable rounds. March 29–April 1; mjcigolf.com

Gift of the Day: Ferrari Golf Collection

Photo courtesy of Ferrari

Engineers from Cobra Puma Golf and Ferrari joined forces to design this luxurious new golf line, which includes a premium driver with a handstitched leather grip and a range of classic accessories and apparel like belts, gloves and jackets. A few items, such the Ferrari Golf Luxury Bag ($2,400, pictured here), are crafted from genuine Poltrona Frau leather, the same material used in Ferrari GTs. ferrarigolfcollection.com.