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The “Must Have” Towel of the Pros…

by Annie Latham on March 31, 2011 in News, Style & Fashion with No comments

Usually after a tournament, an email will drift in talking about what was in the bag of the winners. I was caught off guard this week when I got an email touting a performance towel that dominated the PGA and LPGA tours. Really?

Indeed, the company, also named Players Towel, put out a press release stating their “high performance microfiber waffle technology” towel dominated the PGA and LPGA Tours over the past weekend recording a combined nine top ten finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and the KIA Classic. This brings the total top tens to 22 for the last three weeks for the PGA, Champions and LPGA Tours.

Patrick Le Vine, the founder of the Players Towel, remarked, “With a dominating 22 top ten finishes over the past three weeks, the Players Towel is clearly identified as the one piece of equipment golfers and caddies alike depend on and need to perform at the highest level by keeping their clubs, ball and hands free of moisture and debris.”

Available in custom logos, signatures, colors and an optional “Putterslit,” the Players Towel, starts at $20 (with price breaks for volume). For more information, go to www.playerstowel.com.

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New Allen Edmonds Honors Collection Features QR Technology

by Annie Latham on March 31, 2011 in Style & Fashion, Technology with No comments

Here’s a novel idea which is sure to gain traction (pun intended)…

The new Allen Edmonds Honors Collection™ golf shoes are being shipped with QR code technology on hang tags that can access a special video showcasing the new line’s fine craftsmanship process, Ben Crenshaw’s commentary about the Honors Collection and the line’s five shoe styles. The intent is to provide a push at the point-of-purchase. Of course, shoppers will need a smartphone with a QR app to be able to scan the image of the QR Code and connect to the web via the phone’s browser. Yeah, that’s a lot of steps. But for a $300 pair of golf shoes (actually $295), some folks may be willing to make the extra effort.

The videos are also available on the Allen Edmonds website (www.allenedmonds.com).

For those not wanting to bother with QR, here’s one of the videos.

Source: Allen Edmonds

http://www.thegolfwire.com/stories/234271

Getting into the Swing of Things… With Tiger’s Help?

by Annie Latham on March 25, 2011 in Golf Tips, Technology with No comments

This doesn’t make a lot of sense. Conceptually, releasing a golf swing helper app just before The Masters, as seasonal golfers start heading to the links to get their game on, is the right idea. But a “Tiger Woods: My Swing” iPhone app? He hasn’t actually been consistent over the last year. Most consider his swing a work in process.

In a New York Times story, Woods was quoted saying,” “I have always enjoyed helping people learn how to play golf. Everything about this app is based on how I practice. To be able to do something like this, which wasn’t possible 10 or 15 years ago, is a win-win for everyone.”

I’ll admit that I learned course management from Tiger Woods on my Playstation.

The Swing’s the Thing: Among the application’s features is the ability to capture one’s swing online and evaluate it over time in a side-by-side comparison to Woods’s swing. In the role of virtual coach, Woods also offers analysis, updates, how-to demonstrations and personal tips.

Here are some highlights of the app, which was created by Shotzoom Software:

  • Enhanced video capture
  • Side-by-side swing comparison with Tiger Woods
  • Advanced swing analysis and how-to demonstrated by Woods
  • Swing comparisons, sharing and feedback tools tied to friends and community members
  • Exclusive updates from Tiger and his life on Tour**

**Might be TMI (as in too much information)

  • High quality video of each club from both Face On and Down the Line angles
  • “How-to” video directly from Tiger covering swing analysis
  • Time delay to allow for self-recording**

** This is an interesting concept. Just curious how you prop the iPhone to grab the swing. There must be tips for that.

Analyze:

  • ·Overlay “Tiger Lines” that demonstrate proper technique
  • Compare your swing side-by-side with Tiger, a friend or one of your own

Plus, there’s an for saving your videos online in a free personal profile at Golfshot.com

The “Tiger Woods: My Swing” app is a “mere” $9.99. Considering the price of other golf aid products, that’s actually not bad. But relevant to other iPhone apps, it is pricey. The proceeds of this app benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation.

“From the funds raised we can continue to give many more young people a shot at college,” said Tiger.

Might be worth a shot.

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K.I.S.S. and Furyk’s Putter…

by Annie Latham on September 29, 2010 in Golf Equipment, Manufacturers, Putters, Yes! with No comments

It’s not often that the K.I.S.S. philosophy is applied to golf equipment.  But that was the case of the putter Jim Furyk used to win the Tour Championship ($11.35 million) and FedEx Cup.

Furyk played with  a heel-shafted, Yes! Golf Sophia putter which he purchased used at Joe & Leigh’s Discount Golf Shop just outside Boston.

According to the “The Tour Van” story posted by Jennifer Gardner, Furyk found the flat stick after putting poorly at the Deutsche Bank Championship, held at the TPC Boston. He was looking for a heel-shafted putter with no alignment aids – “I just wanted it as simple as it could be, heel shafted,” he said – and found the Yes! Sophia putter.

He shelled out a whopping $39 for it.

The little putter that could is now on its way to Wales for the Ryder Cup.

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Adams Golf Unveils New ‘Easy-to-Hit’ V3 Hybrids

by Annie Latham on September 27, 2010 in News, Golf Equipment, Adams, Hybrids, Manufacturers with No comments

Earlier this month, Adams Golf unveiled its new Idea Tech V3 hybrids and hybrid irons that are supposed to establish a new standard in the “super game-improvement” category.   Intended for aspiring and recreational players looking to improve their games, the Idea Tech V3 set is offered in two configurations (forged or all-hybrid) in order to meet each customer’s preferences. The Idea Tech V3 hybrids may also be purchased individually.

In both configurations, the eight-piece Idea Tech V3 set consists of 4-, 5- and 6- progressively-sized hybrids and a 7-mid-hybrid.

  • The forged set features four oversized cavity-back forged irons in 8-iron through gap wedge.
  • The all-hybrid set features four hybrid scoring clubs in 8-iron through gap wedge.

The easy-to-hit hybrids in both configurations feature strategically placed tungsten weighting in the premium stainless steel heads for enhanced forgiveness and spin.

A four-way cambered sole and recessed heel and toe areas reduce turf drag for superior playability and versatility.

The transitional hybrid mid-iron includes a viscoelastic vibration dampening system for exceptional feel.

The stock shaft for the Idea Tech V3 hybrids is the Mitsubishi Rayon Bassara graphite shaft. Offered in four different flexes and weights–stiff (65g), regular (60g), lite (55g) and super-lite (50g)–the Bassara shafts are designed to exactly fit each player’s swing speed and type. For the short irons in either the forged or all-hybrid set, consumers may choose between True Temper Performance Tech shafts in steel or Mitsubishi Rayon Bassara shafts in graphite.

The eight-piece sets begin shipping to golf shops October 1 with a suggested retail price (SRP) of $899.99 for steel and $999.99 for graphite.

Individual Idea Tech V3 hybrids are available right-handed (2-7) or left-handed (3-6) with a SRP of $249.99 and will begin shipping November 1.

There is also a Women’s’ version of the Idea Tech V3 hybrid iron set fwhich provides the same advanced features and materials found in the men’s sets, but with dedicated tooling and design specifications created specifically for a woman’s swing.  Available with the Mitsubishi Rayon Bassara graphite shafts in the super-lite (50g) flex, the eight-piece women’s set begins shipping to golf shops October 1 with a SRP of $999.99.

Watch the commercial here.

MLB’s Rays Get “LoudMouthed”

by Annie Latham on September 22, 2010 in News, Style & Fashion with No comments

Last Sunday, in honor of old-time manager Clarence “Pants” Rowland (and supposedly Golfer John Daly), the Major League Baseball (MLB) team from Tampa Bay, the Rays, wore  LoudMouth pants for their themed road trip to New York (dubbed “The LoudMouth Pants Rowland trip”).

The concept for the road trip was organized by Rays’ manager Joe Maddon, who has been an admirer of Pants Rowland since discovering that he is the only manager in baseball history to have his team be no-hit twice during the regular season and then go on to win a World Series title with the 1917 Chicago White Sox.

“We are combining a tribute to him, along with LoudMouth pants,” said Maddon. “It is just natural to call it the LoudMouth Pants Rowland road trip, so it works perfectly.”

LoudMouth will provide their bold style to the entire traveling party: players, coaches, trainers, broadcasters and front office staff, making this the team’s flashiest trip ever.  Some of the patterns that were selected by coaches and players were Bushwood, Oakmont Houndstooth, Disco Balls Black and Big Buzz.

Larry Jackson, CEO of LoudMouth Golf said, “LoudMouth is confident that the pants will be the wind beneath the Rays’ wings on their way to a LoudMouth Pants Rowland World Series where we fully expect them to meet our hometown San Francisco Giants for the title!”

Check out this video to see the players getting Loud.

Source:  Golfwire

Polara Unveils Self-Correcting Golf Balls

by Annie Latham on September 16, 2010 in News, Golf Equipment, Golf Balls with No comments

A company named Polara Golf has come up with that they call “Self-Correcting Technology™” which they have incorporated in  the Polara Ultimate Straight (2-piece) and the Polara Super Straight (3-piece) golf balls.  Utilizing a unique dimple design (there are 386 dimples), Polara’s Self-Correcting Technology golf balls are supposed to reduce dreaded hooks and slices by up to 75%.

In the company’s press announcement, they stated,  “Using Polara golf balls is guaranteed to improve the game, increase accuracy and lower the score for every golfer.”  That’s definitely an eyebrow-raising claim.

If you go to their website, you’ll find videos and test results.  Limited editions of the Polara golf balls, with the Polara ‘No Limits’ logo are currently available for pre-sale at www.polaragolf.com.  Pricing starts at $27.99 for a box of 12 balls.  Please note that Polara is offering 100% satisfaction guarantee.

“If you are not completely satisfied with any of your Polara® golf balls, simply return the unused portion, package, and cash receipt within 30 days of purchase date (found on your receipt) and we will refund your purchase.”

Could be worth a try…

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Watch where you swing: Golfer sparks blaze…

by Annie Latham on September 2, 2010 in News, More... with No comments

Smacking a rock with a golf club caused a spark that ignited a brush fire that consumed 25 acres.

Wanna get away?

I’m sure the golfer who snagged that rock while playing at the Shady Canyon Golf Club in Irvine, California wasn’t feeling too darn good about the fact that it took 150 firefighters, 38 trucks, 53 helicopter drops and 22,000 gallons of water to put the brush fire out.

The good news:

(a) No homes were damaged
(b) No charges were filed against the golfer

There had been rumors that the golfer was smoking.  However, club officials confirmed that neither the golfer nor the other members of his party—his wife and another couple—were smokers.

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Furyk’s “Dooh!” Moment Leads to DQ…

by Annie Latham on August 27, 2010 in News, Players with 1 Comment

You may have heard Jim Furyk overslept Wednesday after his cell phone alarm clock lost power overnight, causing him to be late for his pro-am tee time in The Barclays at the Ridgewood Country Club.  Under PGA Tour rules, that makes him ineligible for the tournament, the first of four FedEx Cup playoff events.

Per the story in The New York Times, Furyk, who is ranked third in the FedEx Cup standings, took responsibility for his cellphone calamity:

He said he set his cellphone’s alarm clock Tuesday night, but somehow the phone’s battery — which he thought he had charged fully — died overnight. He awoke at 7:23 a.m., seven minutes before his scheduled tee time, and threw on a shirt and pants.

Beltless, sockless, and with his shoes untied, Furyk rushed from his hotel to the course, but he was too late.

“I’m beside myself,” he said, his shoes still untied. “I have a way of climbing into stupid situations.”

On the Golf Channel, Furyk and Phil Mickelson weighed in with their take of the DQ rule.  Video (4:49)

Mickelson pointed out that the rule only applied to “half the field” and that it was “ridiculous.”

PowerMat seized the  opportunity. By noon on Thursday, a media alert crossed my desk with the subject:

Powermat: Because Waking Up Is the First Step to Winning the FedEx Cup

It referenced a CNBC report by Darren Rovell that said all Furyk really needed was a Powermat.  Per the alert, Powermat, the leader in wireless charging, is the fast, easy and hassle-free way to charge your cell phone while you sleep. Powermat simultaneously delivers real time, wireless charging to multiple electronic devices that have been enabled once with a Powermat receiver.  All you need to do before closing your eyes for the night is ‘drop and charge.

Maybe Powermat will step up and be a title sponsor of future Pro-Am events.

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Time to Update Rules? Things the USGA Should Consider…

by Annie Latham on August 20, 2010 in News, More... with No comments

In a recent post, Golfweek’s Adam Schupak proposed some rule changes for the USGA to ponder.

  • Eliminate the white stakes for out-of-bounds. Stroke and distance is cruel and unjust punishment. OB should be marked by red stakes (penalty and drop at point of entry).
  • A ball that moves without the intent of hitting should not be a penalty. This may create a gray area, but in a game of honor, I can live with that.
  • If a pro signs his scorecard wrong, he shouldn’t be disqualified for a lower score or forced to accept the higher score. With all the electronic scoring and Shotlink tracking that exists, this rule is archaic.
  • Allow a free drop from a divot in the fairway.
  • Tamp down all the spike marks you want. The advent of spikeless spikes has done wonders for eliminating this problem, so let’s go ahead and eliminate another antiquated rule.

Do you agree?

What other rules would you like changed?

Personally, I would love to see one added — a shot clock!

Here’s a link to where you can read up on USGA rules.

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