top advertisement


Friday, October 17, 2008

Pre-Owned Clubs BLOWOUT!

In an era where it seems a new driver hits the shelves virtually every season, it's good to know it's never too late to get your hands around some less recent drivers, irons, wedges and so forth. Sure, there are auction sites online that proliferate with used clubs, but do you really know what you're going to get? Probably not. That's why equipment companies are trending towards offering used options, backed with the guarantee that you're getting authentic products, free and clear of any hidden cracks, dents or defects.

Among the latest site is TaylorMade's (Click HERE). Just today, we saw some screaming deals, including a Burner driver for $149, a rac Chrome wedge for $49 and a set of rac HT irons for $229.

Schweet.

In addition to TM, don't miss Callaway's pre-owned site as well. (Click HERE). We like this trend, and can't wait to see more equipment companies follow suit. After all, there are a lot of great products out there, even if they're a couple years old.

Become a Birdie Machine (Part 2)-Nick Watney


Here's Nick Watney, the 2007 Zurich Classic winner and current leader of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. This photo was taken on TPC Summerlin's 12th hole, a 442-yard Par 4 that the pros reach with a driver and wedge. (That's so wrong!)

Notice how Watney's hit down on the ball (see spray of dirt for evidence) and kept his head down through the shot while his hips rotate?

You often hear amateurs telling their buddies to "keep your head down" on driving ranges all across the country. Sure, you want to keep it down for most of the swing, but definitely not the entire swing. See photo below for further proof.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Become a Birdie Machine-Like Zach Johnson


Check out these snapshots taken by yours truly at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (12th hole, yesterday during the Pro-Am). Here's last week's Valero Texas Open champ Zach Johnson consulting his caddy, Damon Green for yardage.

1. Know your yardages.




Once Johnson selected his club (it looked to be some kind of wedge) he thought of which type of shot he wanted to play. The pin was cut in the center of the green, far from the pond that borders the green's right side. With nothing guarding the green, Johnson could hit a low shot with tremendous spin.

2. Know how to hit a variety of wedge shots.

Check out Johnson's finish. There's NO RELEASE! Don't try this shot if you don't SEVERELY ROTATE YOUR LOWER BODY. Otherwise, you're guaranteed to block the heck out of it.

3. Practice five-footers because if you knock your wedges stiff, you'll want to drain your putts.

By the way, last week Johnson made 23 birdies en route to shooting 19 under. Today at the Timberlake he's birdied nine of his first 14 holes.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

FREE GOLF!

Okay, now that we have your attention...

Yesterday we received word that the 5-star, cliff-top Fairmont St. Andrews resort is celebrating the opening of its new Kittocks Course by offering FREE tee times on October 21st.

That's right, FREE GOLF AT ST. ANDREWS!

Interested? Dial 01334 837023.

For reservations call (800) 257-7544 or click here.

Tiger To Build Another Course



I can't help but wonder what it's going to take for Tiger to build a golf course in his native Southern California. We've got the land, the space, and if you're like me, you know the Southern California's public course landscape is in need of some venerable, solid and most of all, affordable golf courses. I'm not talking about the fancy, overbuilt, over-hyped mega-million dollar developments. But instead honing in on the core golf market and building more course like Rustic Canyon, which despite its rave reviews for being a top course in So Cal, it's also less than $40 bucks to play (during the week). That's 1/4 of what it costs to play at some of the other new courses built down here.

Nonetheless, Tiger is getting closer. He's going to design a course in Ensenada, Mexico, which I can say having been there, is an interesting choice. First, you have to drive through Tijuana to get there-- a town not known for its charming personality. I suppose you could take a cruise there too, but good luck playing 18 holes after a 9-course lobster dinner the night before. And once you're there- umm, maybe it's best to chillax at the hotel and not mingle outside the confines. That is, unless you care to unleash your inner party animal and ham it up with the 18-20 years olds who flock there in the summer months for the easy access booze. (Having been there/done that, I don't recommend it if you want to play your best.)

I guess it's fair to say that the land in Ensenada can be beautiful and you can have a lot of fun there (maybe too much), so long as you don't mind the trek it takes to get there. Naysayer am I? Nah, I'm just bummed that it takes me $100+ and/or 7 hours to play golf around here. And now to play a Tiger-designed course, I not only have to drive 5 hours+, I have to hop the border and hope I make it back in one piece.

It's us So. Cal. golfers who are most likely to head to Ensenada to play golf anyway. So why not build something a little closer? Come on Tiger, help a fellow Angelino out.

Scratch that.

Help an American out.

Here's the SCOOP

Friday, October 3, 2008

See It To Believe It

Who wants to sit and read a book on how to train the brain and become a better visualizer, when instead you can kick back and watch it on a screen?

The innovators at See It Golf have unveiled a new video geared for helping golfers better visualize perfect putts by employing Aaron Baddeley, who has arguably the best putting stroke on tour. In a matter of about 15 minutes, you'll be able to train your mind and eyes to putt just like Badds, and hopefully build a new found stroke and confidence on the greens.

The production value is first-rate and the best part is, the video can be downloaded directly to your portable video player (we just stuck it in an iPhone and it worked beautifully.)

Check it out here.