Click here to listen.

Customization is one of the newest trends in putter technology. Podcast host Dave Berner talks to Bruce Sizemore, Jr., chief designer for the new Sizemore Collection, about why he got into the putter customization game.

“Putter design has always been kind of left to the side,” Sizemore, Jr. says. “Back in 96, when I started designing, I wanted to give attention to both original, unique design as well as … some of the things that I’ve encountered that people have struggled with, and one of them is it’s tough to pull the putter back when you’re not confident you’re on the correct line to begin with.”

Caribbean island St. Kitts is going through a big change and it involves golf, according to National Golf Editor Tim McDonald, who recently visited the island.

“St. Kitts was known for years and years as sort of the hub of the British sugar cane industry. And last year was the last time they harvested a sugar cane crop. So, for 200 years St. Kitts was all about sugar, and it’s completely changed from an agricultural economy to a tourist economy,” he says. And “even though there’s only one golf course there now, people are expecting a lot more of the bigger name resorts to be built - and obviously a few more golf courses.”

Northern Michigan might not be a hot golf destination right now but it will be next spring, so you better start setting your tee times now, says TravelGolf.com blogger Ron Montesano.

“It takes that planning because so many courses are so busy in the north because of the short season that you’re really going to hit crowds and busy tee times,” Montesano says.

Created in New Zealand, GolfCross is another golf spin-off. Using a ball shaped like an American football, the sport is played just like a regular round of golf – well, almost, according to Golf Gear News podcast host Bruce Stasch.

“What’s cool about golf cross, is you play on a regulation golf course,” Stasch says. “The ball goes almost as far as a traditional golf ball, so you can play the game on the same course. You can play the game with your same clubs, with the exception of your putter.”

This podcast is supported by Pioneer Golf and Florida Golf Travel.