OK, I am starting to feel better about all of this cold weather. Despite the fact that our own Tom Spousta is pallin’ around with equipment mongers in Orlando, things are looking up. First of all, my kids and I had a wonderful day sledding today. Second, the fine folks at Nike have introduced their newest incarnation of the SQ driver: The SQ Dymo. Last year’s model, the SQ Sumo2 5900, was outstanding in my opinion. It was an improvement in terms of looks, performance, and especially sound over the flagship SQ Sumo2. Now the Dymo – which stands for dynamic MOI – looks ... full post »

It’s too cold to golf, and the winter blahs have already entrenched themselves firmly in my psyche, even though the paradoxically shortest and longest month of the year has not yet begun. Sigh… Thankfully, equipment companies are rolling out their new gear at the PGA Merchandise Show, and also sending some my way for testing and review once the snow melts. I recently opened my door to find SMT Golf’s spanking new DB Plus driver, singing me the sweet, sweet siren song of monster drives come spring. Seriously, when I say “spanking new,” it’s not just a cliché: The DB Plus has already been ... full post »

Yesterday, I received a comment on one of my blogs from a couple years ago. That blog dealt with golf and poetry, and the comment was from Leon S. White, alerting me to his own wonderful blog called, GOLF COURSE OF RHYMES. White’s blog is devoted to exploring the links between golf and poetry, and is, much to my surprise and delight, filled not only with contemporary verse, but also historical comments on the game, and quite wonderful poetry from centuries gone by. The current post not only treats readers to a poem from 1921 by W. Maling-Wynch, Jr., but also ... full post »

Golf equipment is complicated stuff: high-tech materials, space-aged engineering, and a veritable alphabet soup of MOI, CoG, Ti, etc., etc. Faced with the risk of wasting hundreds – even thousands – of dollars, golfers contemplating the purchase of new clubs often freeze. How many guys have I seen swinging persimmon fairway woods or some old set of knock-off irons, “thinking” about buying some new clubs? What these golfers need is their own personal equipment guru. Fortunately, Frank Thomas, inventor of the graphite shaft and former Technical Director for the USGA, is here for them. Thomas’s own equipment company, Frankly Golf, features a ... full post »

When an unexpected, mysterious box shows up on my front porch, I get excited. Not paranoid, call-the-bomb-squad-and-check-for-white-powder excited. (The fear-mongers are thankfully losing their grip on the nation.) No, I get excited to see what sort of treasure the golf equipment fairies have spun from their endless store of gold filament and dreams. The most recent of these mystery boxes turned out to be from the particularly magical fairies at Nike Golf. Upon opening it, I discovered some rather puzzling contents: a single yellow and black golf shoe and a small scale. It turns out, Nike has the Vapors. Not the ... full post »

Golf seems to be suddenly awash in green. No, not the turf, and most definitely not revenues. What I’m referring to is a rather rapid and unexpected recognition on the part of just about every major sector within the sport of the benefits of environmental responsibility. Perhaps I’ve just grown more observant of eco-friendly golf trends since writing my own green Christmas gift guide this past holiday season, but it sure does seem to me that there is a fundamental shift going on within the industry. Here are a few recent examples: • The golf course architecture firm of Robert Trent Jones ... full post »

Seems like everyone is on a diet kick these days. (Everyone except John Daly.) Even the Heavy Putter by Boccieri Golf. If you aren’t familiar with Heavy Putter, the moniker is accurate: It is truly heavy. The philosophy is that by increasing the weight of the putter, you need to use your “big” muscles to make a stroke. Consequently, your hands and wrists—your “little” muscles—stay out of the way. And when it comes to putting, big muscles are good, little muscles are bad. Now, though, Heavy Putter is introducing a series of slimmed-down models, the aptly-named Mid-Weight Series (MSRP $169). The Mid-Weights ... full post »

Sadly, I did not coin the term “whiz-bangery” in my last blog (a Google search returns 1,130 sites containing the term). But I do like the sound of the term very much, and therefore earnestly continue to strive to bring you some unexpected sources of golf whiz-bangery. Last time, it was the lowly golf tee. This time, it is the dull, lumpen cousin of the golf equipment family, the cart bag. Ogio, the ever-forward-looking bag and accessory manufacturer, has recently introduced its newest creation: The Devolver cart bag. I’ll leave the gaudy details for a future full-blown review. For now, suffice it to say ... full post »

As Equipment Editor here at WorldGolf.com, I see a lot of whiz-bang technology. But one of the more innovative - and unexpected - uses of technology I’ve seen has just been announced by Evolve Golf, maker of the Epoch Tee. Evolve has put together a proprietary website that allows golfers to enter the make, model, and year of their driver to discover what the optimal depth is for teeing up their ball. The optimal depth, says Evolve, is one that aligns the center of the ball with the sweetspot of your driver. The beta version of the website is easy to navigate ... full post »