I've just returned from a short, 4-day golf break in Florida.

For a Canadian struggling through a very snowy winter where I am re-evaluating global warming as just a theory after all, it was a wonderful getaway.

And it was made even more pleasant thanks to the Alpha V5 driver.

The Orlando area was warm and sunny with the temperature in the mid 70s Fahrenheit. Upon our return to Toronto, the temperature was about 70 degrees colder. If it weren't for the high taxes (!), I'd leave. One day I will, at least in the winters.

Before Christmas, I received an email from Joe Simon at Alpha Golf, a division of Kent Sports in California.

Joe offered their Alpha V5 driver to try out. I replied I'd be delighted but I wouldn't get my first real chance to put it to the test until our trip south this past week.

I hit a few balls with it at one of the Toronto golf domes in January and it felt good but hitting inside a dome gives you no real idea of what the club and ball are doing.

Alpha built the driver to my simple specs: I asked for the 12 degree loft club head and a 43 inch regular flex shaft rather than the industry standard 45 inch shaft.

In other words, my driver had the shaft length of my 3-wood.

My current driver has been a TaylorMade R5 with an off-the-shelf 45 inch regular flex shaft and a 9 and a half degree loft.

Sometimes I hit it well; sometimes I don't.

Anyway, our first round in Orlando was at Remington Golf Club (full review tomorrow) where they offer a great golf deal that allows you unlimited practice among other things.

I immediately got a sense of how the Alpha performed outside a golf dome and I was amazed. The combination of plenty of loft, shorter shaft and Alpha's all-titanium 460cc head resulted in shots that flew high, straight and much farther than ever.

I have to admit that I was also swinging well.

But on the course, when every shot counted, I was impressed even more. I'm not known for length off the tee but I was routinely hitting my tee shots about 245 to 250 yards, probably 15 to 20 yards further than with my TaylorMade. One tee shot the following day was over 260.

I was loving the club more and more and I was easily reaching greens in two on par 4s and reaching the par 5s at Remington in three (which vary from 517 yards to 587 yards from the gold tees where I played).

I had never heard of Alpha drivers before Joe Simon's email. But they are a big hit on the ReMax Long Drive Championship tour where an Alpha driver has won the title six times in recent years.

Of course, it's not all club but the club head certainly has a lot to do with it.

In the January 2005 issue of Golf Digest, the magazine said "Alpha Golf produced the preferred driver for six of the top 10-ranked hitters" on the PGA Tour.

The specs on the Alpha - for those who are technically minded - include a 15-3-3 Titanium forced "Active Beta" face insert and low, centered COG or Center of Gravity.

There are two weighted screws at the toe and heel that can be removed and replaced with screws that are lighter or heavier by a few grams.

What I personally like - other than the distance and shot pattern - is that the face of the club is square - almost straight - as you look down at it. This allows me to easily align the club face to my target line with a good degree of confidence.

And the satin black finish on the club face shows the dimple marks after impact so I can always tell whether my hits are in the middle of the generous sweet spot or not.

This driver is a winner in my books. And it proves that a company doesn't have to be big and noisy to make great equipment.

The Alpha is a hit with me and it's staying in my bag. C'mon Spring!