While Tim and Jennifer argue about whether new equipment improves one’s ball-striking efficiency or one’s handicap (Note: These are two different things), as an admitted golf Luddite, I feel I must get the word out to folks about a very under-rated golf experience: The Demo Day. I recently drove up to Bolingbrook Golf Club outside Chicago for a 10-vendor Demo Day on Bolingbrook’s vast practice facility. Reps from Tommy Armour, Callaway, Wilson, Mizuno, Vulcan, Tour Edge, and several more were not only willing to show off their new gear, but also to do informal fitting sessions and even the odd mini-lesson ... full post »

Several months ago, I did a story on disabled golfers, the hurdles they face and the equipment designed to help them enjoy the game. Featured prominently in that article was the SoloRider company, and one of the distributors of SoloRider single-rider carts, John Hikel of Total Access Golf. Recently, John was asked by the folks at Queer Eye for the Straight Guy to come to NYC and be a part of a show. It seems the eye-guys were re-making a US Marine recently returned from Iraq. The Marine had suffered severe injuries in battle, but wanted to continue playing golf. Long story short: ... full post »

Bob Thomas knows what’s wrong with golf. According to Thomas, author of Ben Hogan’s Secret, it is not money, time, or access, as most commentators suggest. ”It’s a lack of passion,” explains Thomas. Thomas goes on to place the blame for this lack of passion squarely at the foot of golf publishers. “Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book sold 3.5 million copies,” says Thomas. “Can you imagine any golf book creating that much passion for the game today?” Thomas’s own experiences with major publishers has lead him to call the business “corrupt.” He tells the story of one publisher who accused him of ... full post »