Archive for June, 2011

Callaway Timberlake Contest – Vote Now…

by Annie Latham on June 24, 2011 in News, Contests, Callaway, Drivers with No comments

Callaway Golf and Justin Timberlake just announced the 25 finalists in the “Tee Off with Diablo Octane and Justin Timberlake” contest (. The Father’s Day-inspired contest, which kicked off on Callaway’s Facebook page on May 25, has drawn thousands of inspirational entries.

The public can visit Facebook.com/Callaway to vote for their favorite submission and determine the contest’s grand prize winner, who will meet Timberlake and enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime golf experience. Voting concludes on June 30.

All 25 finalists, whose entries are now posted on Callaway’s Facebook site, will automatically receive a Diablo Octane Driver, Timberlake’s driver of choice and the first club made with Forged Composite, an ultra lightweight material that Callaway co-developed with Automobili Lamborghini.

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TaylorMade Introduces Ghost Spider Putter

by Annie Latham on June 22, 2011 in News, Putters, TaylorMade with No comments

TaylorMade has just unveiled the newest member of its Ghost family — the Ghost Spider Putter which combines which combines the head construction, size and high MOI of the Monza Spider with the white alignment benefits of the Corza Ghost.

Like the original Corza Ghost and the entire TaylorMade Ghost series family, the Ghost Spider was developed with input from TaylorMade Tour Staff professional Dave Stockton. “We’ve never made a putter that combines this kind of forgiveness and ease of use. Putting is all about confidence, and the Ghost Spider promotes confidence, big time,” said Stockton.

Sean Toulon, executive vice president of TaylorMade remarked, “Dave convinced us that the concept of a white-headed putter was a good one, and he was absolutely right. Dozens of tour pros are using TaylorMade Ghost putters.” TaylorMade-adidas Golf Tour Staff professional Jason Day used a Ghost Spider prototype in his T2 finish at this year’s Masters and U.S. Open, resulting in widespread consumer inquiries.

Benefits of White Alignment

The study of thousands of putting strokes using our proprietary MAT-T (Motion Analysis Technology by TaylorMade) System revealed that 65% of golfers fail to square the putter-face to the target from 12 feet, leading to inaccurate putts and higher scores. The Ghost Spider’s white head contrasts sharply with the turf to make it dramatically easier to determine where the face is aimed. The Ghost Spider also incorporates the Monza Spider’s acclaimed “basketball court” system of alignment on the crown to further facilitate proper alignment.

In addition, the Ghost Spider’s white finish eliminates the distractions of glare and “hot spots” caused by reflected sunlight, making it easier for the player to focus his or her full attention on aiming the putter accurately and executing a sound stroke.

High MOI for Stability; Movable Weight Technology for Customization
Like the Monza Spider, the Ghost Spider incorporates the same innovative, steel wire-frame construction that concentrates most of the weight in the perimeter, which creates the high MOI that makes the putterhead so highly resistant to twisting on off-center hits. The Ghost Spider also shares the Monza Spider’s Movable Weight Technology™ (MWT®), which allows the user to customize the feel by changing the weights to make the head heavier or lighter.

PURE ROLL Surlyn Insert
The Ghost Spider is equipped with TaylorMade’s patented PURE ROLL insert, which promotes forwardspin to help reduce skidding to encourage a smooth, accurate roll and precise speed control. The PURE ROLL insert’s soft Surlyn construction delivers a satisfyingly soft sound and feel at impact.

Availability and Pricing
The TaylorMade Ghost Spider is offered in single-bend and center-shafted models in the 33″, 34″ and 35″ stock lengths, left- and right-handed, at a street price of $179. A mid-length “belly” version is available in 41″ and 43″ stock lengths at a street price of $199. Get more information here.

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Seldom Used Scotty Putter a Winner for McIlroy…

by Annie Latham on June 21, 2011 in News, Golf Equipment, Putters, Scotty Cameron with No comments

Golfweek’s Jennifer Gardner has the scoop on the putter used by Rory McIlroy during his romp to victory at the U.S. Open (Congressional Golf Club in Bethesda, Maryland). He deployed his little-used Scotty Cameron Newport GSS which sports a chromatic bronze finish.

McIlroy, a Titleist staff player, has used Scotty Cameron putters in the past. He first received the prototype putter at the 2010 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Though he has used it for events in Europe, this was his first time using it in the States. The Newport GSS putter provided McIlroy with a slightly different toe to better accommodate his putting stroke.

You can read more at the Scotty Cameron Blog.

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U.S. Open Players Adjust Clubs For the Second Major of the Year

by Hilary Harrison on June 17, 2011 in Golf Equipment with No comments

Pro’s making changes to their equipment this week at the U.S. Open is no new revelation. To many it may seem strange for a player to change up what clubs they have been playing with for the previous tournaments. While PGA Tour players don’t always change their equipment, they do tend to make changes to their clubs right before a big tournament. Essentially it all comes down to the course conditions for that tournament. Certain types of golf clubs are better suited for different course conditions.

For this weeks’ U.S. Open the playing conditions at Congressional Country Club blue course are best known for their narrow and long fairways, along with a deep rough. This week it’s crucial for players hit the fairways. Instead of using what players have become comfortable with they are switching to a 2-iron to get the most accuracy possible off the tee. At least 12 players in the field, including 5-time 2nd place U.S. Open finisher Phil Mickelson have added this golf club to their bag. Not having a 2-iron in his bag for the past 6 years may prove more difficult than he imagined, during the first round he shanked the 2-iron off the 14th tee into weeds.

Mickelson and a few other players also added a high lofted wedge to their golf bag for this week’s tournament. The higher lofted wedge allows for more versatility around the green and deep rough. Their shots have a better chance of getting high and landing soft from various lies on the greenside bunkers or in the deep rough.

Every tournament will have players thinking about adding different golf clubs in their bag depending on the conditions. The same 14 clubs in their bag for one tournament may not make sense for another depending on the course. When preparing for the U.S. Open (arguably one of the toughest majors to win) players will prepare as best the can to have every advantage possible on a tough course like Congressional.

Cobra’s S3 Irons are the Real Deal

by James on June 15, 2011 in Golf Equipment, Cobra, Irons with No comments

I’ve had the pleasure of striking the Cobra Golf S3 irons for 3 rounds now. And let me tell you… These irons produce a solid feel and penetrating ball flight on each and every shot. They’re the real deal.

With the Cobra S3 Irons, Cobra Golf incorporated something they call their ‘E9 Face Technology’. The E9 technology offers a massive sweet spot. Combine that with a unique multi-material construction, and these irons could be some of the easiest to hit on the market today… and I sincerely mean that. From the first shot through to the last wedge I hit the other day, shots come of crisp, clean and consistent.

An interesting little tidbit about these irons is the actual material used in head construction. The 3 through 7 irons are made of 17-4 hyper steel, while the 8 through lob wedge are made from 17-4 stainless steel. The difference? I suspect the stainless is offers a tad more feel for those scoring shots around the green, and the hyper steel provides a crisper contact, for more distance. Just a hunch, but that’s what is has to be!

The last (and quite unique) feature of the S3 irons is the stepped crescent sole design. You’ll notice the sole design right off the hop if you ever see these clubs on display or in a bag around the course… The design allows for what Cobra calls ‘superior turf interaction’, for consistent and accurate shot making.

Cobra Golf S3 Irons

While all this is well and good, don’t take Cobra‘s word for it. Take MY word for it. I had the pleasure of playing the course on which I learned the game over this past weekend. I’ve looped the course many hundreds of times, and while I’m a decent player, had never carded a round under 75. With the Cobra S3 irons as an integral part of my game, I managed to get around all 18 in one-under par. A 70. I was flabbergasted!

While sitting in the clubhouse with some buddies to reflect on the round (and enjoy a beer), I decided to break down the round… and this is where the impact of the S3 irons became clear. Fairways hit? 6 of 14. Not so good. Total putts? 31. Again, not so good. Greens in regulation? 14 of 18… and the four that I missed… were right on the fringe. So what does that mean? Well, in the end it means my iron shots were finding the target. I was on or around the green, and managed to hole out with 2 putts (on average) to take my par and run. My mid and short iron shots with the Cobra S3’s were on the money, and thank goodness for that!

Stay tuned very shortly for an S3 iron photo gallery. I’m very eager to show off these beauties to you… and as always, an extra special THANK YOU to the good folks @CobraGolf!

What if Tiger Sat Out in 2008 Instead?

by Annie Latham on June 14, 2011 in News, Players with No comments

Sports columnist, Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News raised an interesting point in a story appearing today — Did playing the U.S. Open in 2008 end up being “career limiting” as the saying goes?

We have all heard the story of how Tiger ignored doctor’s orders to play (and eventually win in a playoff). Purdy mentioned something he wrote down in his notebook after all was said and done in 2008:

After it was over, Woods basically came clean to reporters and said something that I think many people have forgotten, but I circled in my notebook as I wrote it down: His physicians had actually recommended that he not play at Torrey Pines. They feared long-term ramifications. Specifically, they had warned him that he might injure the knee worse by playing.

Two days later, he underwent reconstructive surgery for a torn ligament and double-stress fracture of the left knee.

And now, after four surgeries on that knee… You get the point.

He may have flown too close to the sun and is now paying the price.

Do you think playing in the 2008 U.S. Open was a career limiting move for Tiger?

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Tiger’s other surgeries:

1994 – Doctors removed a benign tumor from the left knee.
2002 – Arthroscopic surgery in the same knee.
2008 – More arthroscopic surgery to correct cartilage damage.

New FedEx Campaign for Shipping Clubs…

by Annie Latham on June 12, 2011 in News with No comments

FedEx has launched a new campaign aligned with its sponsorship of the PGA Tour FedExCup. The global shipping service and the PGA have partnered since 2007.

The campaign promotes FedEx as the optimal shipper of golf clubs, thus enabling the best of all possible golf experiences.

Tag: “We Understand. Nothing’s More Important Than Your Clubs.”

The message is, next time you travel, use FedEx to ship your clubs to your hotel, or even to the course you’re playing.

Here’s one example:

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Source: MediaPost

Equipment or Instruction – Which Would YOU Choose?

by Hilary Harrison on June 10, 2011 in News with No comments

Hank Haney Recently Signed a Deal with TaylorMadeWho picks equipment over instruction? Legendary golf instructor Hank Haney recently revealed to Golf Digest that he would pick equipment. Haney who opened up his first golf instruction center in 1991 has been honored with numerous awards throughout his career. He is best known for his years spent as coach to Tiger Woods and over 200 touring professional from the PGA, LPGA, Champions, European, Japanese, Australian and Asian Tours. Or you might recognize him from his popular television series “The Haney Project” on The Golf Channel.

An interesting comment from a man who made it his life’s work to help people learn to play golf. However in the article he commented “You’re still playing a game where you’re standing to the side of the ball and the ball’s sitting on the ground and you turn your body and you swing your hands and arms.” There are more knowledgeable golf instructors around the world today and with the help of technology they can even help remotely. Nevertheless, the fundamentals have not changed.

Where the true breakthroughs have been in equipment technology. The better the equipment gets the easier it is to break through golf’s harsh learning curve. Take into account how much golf drivers have changed in the last 10 years. Everything has been tailored and improved. For example the TaylorMade R11 may make headlines because of its non-glare white finish but where it really shines is its adjustability. An adjustable sole adjusts the face angle of the club and it also offers you the ability to adjust the launch angle. Callaway created a new material for their latest driver. In a partnership with Lamborghini they created a material called forged composite, which is lighter and stronger than the traditional titanium used on golf clubheads.

A recent deal with TaylorMade is perhaps the reason behind this sudden statement. He will now be teaching with only TaylorMade equipment and wearing their logos on the course. Both Haney and TaylorMade are leaders in innovation for their industry, which will hopefully lead to a good partnership.

Stricker’s Hole-in-one at The Memorial

by Annie Latham on June 7, 2011 in News, Players, Titleist with No comments

Titleist is quite proud of their Brand Ambassador Steve Stricker, who won last weekend at The Memorial Tournament. In the email blast the company sent it was a link to view his hole-in-one at Muirfield Village’s par-3 8th hole (his 17th hole of the day) during Round 2. It was named the No. 1 Top Play on “SportsCenter” on Friday. It was the Steve’s second-career PGA Tour ace.

The video, embedded below includes commentary from Jack Nicklaus. You can also watch Stricker fix his ball mark if you hang with it past the 2 minute mark. After the round, Steve signed the Pro V1x and gave it to his scorer for the round. Note: He had also birdied his final hole with the ball.

Finnish Company & Audi Introduce Nationwide Tournament (with App)

by Annie Latham on June 7, 2011 in News, Contests, Technology with No comments

Anyone who has spent time playing video games knows that a huge part is knowing how you are doing against others. Thanks to Internet-enabled console, the others could be anywhere on the Web. A company from Finland has taken that head-to-head scoring concept and applied it to the world of golf — REAL golf (like on a course with grass and divots and bumpy greens).

Their flagship product, also named GameBook, is a real-time scoring system and ground breaking social technology platform for golf, intended to make golf more social, fun and enjoyable for all. The GameBook product family includes the GameBook iPhone App, available from the Apple iTunes App Store.

  • The iPhone application includes an intuitive real-time score card, built-in traditional and fun game formats and well as statistics.
  • The GameBook Clubhouse is a free online community for golfers that takes the social and sharing aspects of the iPhone application to the next level. At the Clubhouse, you can follow and comment on your friends’ games real-time from wherever you are, share photographs from the course as you play, store your scores, and compare your golf statistics with those of your friends.

    • Seems like the only thing missing is trash talking…

    To demo/promote how it works GameBook teamed up with Audi Finland to launch of Audi Super Saturdays. The inaugural event was held 4 June. According to the company’s press release, “it was the first time ever in the world of golf” that players (open to anyone) could compete against each other nationwide on any golf course. Audi is kicking down prizes too and not just for good results. For example, there is a prize for the “most number of bogies.” The intent is to make everyone’s Saturday game more enjoyable. To participate, a player must log-on and record their Saturday score on the GameBook iPhone application or register at the GameBook Clubhouse and enter the score manually in the player’s Clubhouse profile.

    The concept is innovative. It will be interesting to see how the pilot run in Finland goes. This could be coming to golf courses near you in the not so distant future.

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