By my count - and I stopped counting after a while - golf teaching guru David Leadbetter has endorsed at least nine golf products ranging from training aids to wireless instructional systems. What, this guy doesn’t make enough money from his lessons - $5,000 a day will get you four hours with him. He also has a line of clothing and those 26 Leadbetter Golf Academies staffed by nearly 60 “certified” Leadbetter instructors. Among his corporate sponsors are Cadillac and Rolex. Here’s a list of Leadbetter endorsements: Swing Setter Swing trainer K-Vest, a three-sensor wireless instructional system Eurosocks – Callaway Golf Ecco shoes Lazerguide Personal Golf Swing Trainer Swinglink ... full post »

Stink-A-Way is a super absorbent shoe pod. I need say nothing more. Bad Golf Pants, from Loud Mouth Golf. Golfers dress badly enough as it is. Don’t encourage them. “Divot,” the world’s greatest golf clown. I thought that was Charles Barkley. The Massage insole that’s supposed to prevent all sorts of pain to your lower extremeties. This one is on the list because of the overly aggressive salespeople at their booth. “Hey, what shoe size do you wear!” the woman yelled at me. When I meekly submitted and tried one on, she said: “You have to have it. It’s not an option.” Well, yes ... full post »

The PGA Show has a little corner with booths manned by those little companies you sometimes read about in the back pages of golf magazines. They always seem to have some patent pending gizmo. Some promise amazing results, others are more practical. Some actually have good ideas. Here are a few of the winners I’ve found. The Backsaver golf grip can save you from having to bend over and pick up embarrassing missed putts. You can also use it to suck up “gimmes” before you are officially awarded one. Being from Florida, I’ve noticed some old-timers using different versions of these, and ... full post »

For the past couple years, I’ve been on a personal quest to bring back the Ban-Lon, and wandering around the apparel section of the 2007 PGA Show has only made me more committed. Golf apparel is as boring as Vijay Singh. But, put Vijay Singh in a Ban-Lon, what do you have? Sean Connery. I went to at least 15 apparel booths and asked to see their Ban-Lons. I do stuff like this. I got a variety of negative responses, some blank stares from the younger ones and a few nostalgic chuckles from the old-timers. The Ban-Lon is the perfect golf shirt, if ... full post »