Good Value: Cleveland Classic putters

If you are in the market for a new putter but need to watch your pennies, be sure to check out the Cleveland Classic series.

All three designs are reassuringly familiar, if not particularly original. Click on the image to get a better look.

According to Cleveland, each putter is machine milled from 17-4 stainless steel and then hand polished to a satin finish to reduce glare. The Classic 1, Classic 2 and Classic 3 all feature 340-gram, heel-toe weighted heads to help the putters resist twisting on off-center hits, and they are available in 33-, 34- and 35-inch models. But perhaps the most attractive feature of these putters is the price—$69.

For more information, go to clevelandgolf.com

My New Year's Resolution

Over the last three months, more than one golf company executive has told me the outlook for the 2009 season is not good. When people are worried about the economy, their jobs and the shrinking value of their homes, selling a new $500 driver is about as easy as playing the 17th at Sawgrass during a hurricane.

So my New Year's resolution is going to be for you: Whenever I can, I'm going to let you know about quality products—from companies large and small—that will not only help you enjoy the game more, but will also deliver good value.

Some things will be inexpensive, but good values do not always come with a small price tag. For example, my friend David, who lives in Vail, Colo., loves wearing his FootJoy Classics Dry Premiere golf shoes, which sell for $345. That's expensive, but the shoes could be considered a good value because David has worn them for more than six years. They still look great, and he has no plans to buy new shoes any time soon. If David gets a seventh season out of those shoes, his cost for them will be $49.29 per year. In my book, that's a great value for a comfortable, stylish, waterproof shoe.

Hey, like everyone else, my 401(k) tanked in 2008. But after you have toasted in the new year, rest assured that someone will be helping you find great golf equipment that will leave a few bucks in your wallet.