New Hot Stix Facility

Langdon Farms Golf Club in Aurora, Oregon is the latest facility to welcome Hot Stix Golf to their range. The independent custom club fitting and equipment testing lab will be located at the Portland area from now until October 1st (presumably because it gets chilly?).

"At our new Portland-area facility, a Tour-Fitting costs just $125 for woods and $125 for irons," says Hot Stix chairman Tom Graunke.

Langdon Farms boasts 18 holes designed by John Fought and Robert Cupp and was opened in 1995.

To make reservations call (877) 513-1333 or visit http://hotstixgolf.com/

Are You a Gulbis fan?

Dubbed the Anna Kournikova for women's golf (with an added Tour win to her credit), Natalie Gulbis simmers with charm, personality and well in case you weren't noticing, a healthy dose of sex appeal. And for you fans, boy is there ever an opportunity for you...

Seems like there's a contest available now (see the link below) that coincides with this year's Women's US Open, where one lucky winner will get the chance to spend an entire day with this LPGA superstar. What's in a day with Natalie? Well, it starts a morning workout, nine holes of golf followed by a lovely dinner...who knows?

Now wait a minute fellas. Sign ups aren't that simple. The actual contest is a sentimental one, which requires a short essay on the most influential person behind your success. In the case of Gulbis, her offbeat but very supportive father gets the credit in her very own essay, which you can read (again via the link below.)

Guys, gals, young and old are encouraged to submit their short essays online. Just be sure and do it soon. (We already did.)

http://rsmmcgladrey.eprize.net/nataliecontest/index.tbapp

These GIRLS Can Play

Yeah yeah yeah,

I know the PGA Tour runs ads declaring "These Guys Can Play." But Paula Creamer shooting 60 yesterday is a real testament to the fact that the girls can play too. She's on the course right now, so it's TBD how she'll end up, but once and for all it's time for you MEN out there to admit that these girls have game. Serious game.

How many of you are 10-under after day 1 of your club tournament? Hey, I challenge you to shoot 10 below from any set of tees with the pins in the center of every green. I'm not saying that's how the LPGA does it, but that's what you'd need to do just to make it fair. If you shoot 10-under, respond to my post. I'll send you a box of pink golf balls...

Congrats to Paula for nearly tying Annika's 59. (Wish I could do that.)

Renovation of Canyon Course at Spanish Trail Golf and Country Club Completed

Okay, that's the longest blog title ever.

News yesterday that the private, 27-hole Spanish Trail Golf and Country Club in Las Vegas has completed renovations on its 9-hole Canyon Course. The upgrades to the original Robert Trent Jones Jr. course were handled by the Houston-based design firm of Finger, Dye, Spann, Inc. Look for a drainage system, new state-of-the-art irrigation system, new cart paths and all new sodded fairways.

The Canyon Course's improvements are the first part of a multi-year renovation program.

A River Runs Through It

Playing golf in the summer is a great chance to visit northern destinations. In our July issue I wrote an article titled "The Great Green North," that profiled three regions (Northeast, Midwest and Pacific NW) and some of their best offerings.

One of the areas I didn't write about was the Mountain States (Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, etc.). But there's plenty of great golf in them thar hills.

In addition to the great public and resort golf in the area, the recently opened "luxury residential sporting community," Snake River Sporting Club in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, offers a fine test of golf designed by Tom Weiskopf, not to mention a helipad and personal ambassadors. After all, it is a luxury community.

Snake River is surrounded by 3.4 million (that's right, million) acres of Bridger-Teton National Forest and features bluegrass fairways and native fescue grasses. At 7,500 yards it might seem like a beast, but the high elevation (5,900 feet) means you can subtract a couple clubs (and brag to your buddies that you once indeed did poke a 9-iron 170 yards).

"What makes it such a special piece of property is the Snake River, the canyon, the varieties of large, mature trees on site, and the meadow and wetlands areas," says Weiskopf, who goes on to say it's his "finest golf course design in the U.S."

If the thought of living and playing in such unspoiled nature appeals to you check out their website: http://www.snakeriversportingclub.com/.

A Glove in the Hand

"The Bionic Golf Glove is one of the few products in golf in a long time that actually does what the marketing says it will," says Crescent Hill Golf Course Pro Barry Bonifield. Bonifield's words are pretty strong (and not entirely true), but I do agree that Bionic delivers on its promises. Namely that wearing this ergonomic glove significantly reduces the amount of hand pain in golfers with weak and/or arthritic hands.

In fact at this year's PGA Merchandise Show I actually took time off from my many meetings to drop by their booth and personally thank them for helping me battle back from a hand injury. For months I couldn't swing a club because of pain in my left hand. However after wearing the Bionic (and tweaking my grip a bit) I could swing pain free.

I don't usually recommend specific products unless I believe in them, so take this as a ringing endorsement: if you suffer from hand pain (in either your right or left hand) consider trying a Bionic. They won't cure your pain (only a doctor and rest can do that) and they're not cheap (about $25 a pop) but they're worth it.

Seeing Straight

A very small, but highly annoying abrasion above my left iris motivated me to write this blog. Yes, I saw the doctor, and yes I'm squeezing some kind of unpleasant goo into my eyeball four times a day and am getting better, still it's a highly unpleasant sensation to be reminded of the scratch EVERY TIME I BLINK!

So I have to wear my glasses-for the first time since I was 18 years old-and I am considering buying some of those massive wraparounds from my local CVS to help me get by. (However, I hear you get carded when you try to buy them and if you were born after 1930 they won't sell you a pair.)

It's a wonder any Tour player can tee it up without a pair of shades.

That said we're working on our August/September issue now, which will include eight pairs of performance eyewear (sunglasses as they used to be called), including the Adidas T-Sights (above). This experience has beaten home something I've written about for the past couple years. That it's vital to protect your eyes from the sun's harmful UV rays. Trust me, I've researched the effects of such big worded eye diseases as "macular degeneration" and their impact on your vision ain't pretty.

In the meantime if anyone has any better advice on how to cure a scratched cornea, I'm all, um, ears.

Summer Savings in the DR

Recession? What recession?

With rising oil prices, a real estate market in free fall and Costco limiting rice purchases to a measly four bags (the horror!) people are scaling back their summer vacation plans and really who can blame them?

Of course now is the time when savvy consumers take advantage of great deals.

From May 1-December 23 PuntaCana Resort & Club along the Dominican Republic's east coast is offering a special family golf package for $640 per adult and $575 per child.

Guests can play three rounds of golf at P.B. Dye's La Cana Golf Course at the PuntaCana Resort & Club (I played there a few years ago and enjoyed his use of mounds, bunkering and island greens-P.B. is, after all, Pete Dye's son.)

While not on the greens, guests can enjoy five miles of sandy beach, offshore reefs for snorkeling and scuba diving, a full-service marina, the exquisite Six Senses Spa, a tennis complex with lighted clay-caliche courts, a children's petting zoo, horseback riding and a nature preserve with crystal clear springs.


Here are the package details:
- four days, three nights in a deluxe room
- VIP service and assistance at the airport including transfers Airport-Hotel-Airport
- One a la carte dinner at La Yola Restaurant
- One a la carte dinner at La Choza Restaurant
- Three rounds of golf including shared golf cart and taxes, at the renowned La Cana Golf course
- Use of oceanfront Golf and Beach Clubhouse, including swimming pool and patio, lounge grill and locker rooms
- Full Dominican Buffet Breakfast and taxes included
- Complimentary kids club program, open until 10:30pm

Rates are as follows (Parent/Child):
May 1-December 23 $640/$575

Nike Scores a Slam Dunk and Jordan didn't even play.

There's nothing manufacturers love more than Tour validation and Nike got loads of it this past Sunday in Augusta. Not only did Nike staff players place 1st, 2nd and 3rd but the three men (Trevor Immelman, Tiger Woods and Stewart Cink) were split between two groups, resulting in beaucoup airtime and maximum exposure. Just about every shot Immelman and Woods hit was broadcast to 18% of U.S. households; Cink was never really in contention and appeared less often.

Kismet? Maybe. But credit has to be given to Nike for signing a promising golfer like Immelman, the sneaky-steady Cink and Woods (whoever he is). Had Paul Casey not ballooned to a final round 79 we may have even seen more of the Swoosh.

For the week Immelman hit 85.71% of his fairways and averaged a smooth 287.5 yards off the tee. Good driving is becoming a must for the new Augusta (along with a steady putter). BTW, the 28 year-old South African hits the Nike SQ Sumo 5000 drive (seen above.)

I Got Shafted.

While I may not be lucky enough to actually try one of those spiffy new drivers available with interchangeable shafts, I had the chance during my last two rounds to test a couple new shafts in two (but identical) driver heads to see if they made a difference in my game. I did this for two reasons: I noticed that the last time I played golf with my colleagues here at GT, they were hitting the ball a long way and seemingly straighter than I was. My driver on the other hand seemed to lack some forgiveness where I needed it, and it was about time to see if changing shafts was going to make a difference.

The first shaft I tried was Mitsubishi's new Javln shaft. Billed as a shaft with a stable tip section (for better control) but with a little extra flex to allow golfers who aren't swinging their best (or hardest) too still hit long and straight drives. Now, knowing the shaft had a firm tip, it was a still a smidgen softer than my old one. Reason being, I didn't tip trim it like I did my previous driver shaft. (My old driver shaft was tipped about 1/4 inch). So, I expected to draw the ball much more easily this time around.


The verdict? I did draw it. And to my surprise, unlike other shafts that tend to buckle when I swing hard and cause my ball to veer left of way left, seemed even when I swung hard with the Javln, the ball still went pretty darn straight. Virtually every tee shot had a slight draw, and I was happy to see that as I swung harder the slight draw didn't morph into a sweeping hook. This is a huge plus, and not only did I hit it with a slight draw, I tacked on at least 15-20 yards per drive. My old driver was set up for a fade, which I had to manipulate to hit to avoid not only slicing it, but also hooking the cover off it. The Javln though, was as they used to say back in the day, "da bomb."

The second shaft I tried was equally impressive, although different. The UST ProForce HMOI shaft, is designed for today's 460cc driver. The features include a higher balance point (to prevent the ball from ballooning) and a stiffer tip for added control. The result? I liked it a lot. This shaft felt and looked a lot like my old one, only with the HMOI it seemed that even when when my swing wasn't at it's absolute best, I knew the ball was going to go straight. Very straight actually, with a penetrating trajectory that added probably 10 yards to my drives. This is a strong-hitter's shaft, which is probably why the harder I swung, the better the result. I didn't tip trim this one either, but even still the ball flew straight as an arrow.
In any case, it's tough to say which one worked better for my game. All I can say is, both were an upgrade over my ultra-stiff driver in my bag, and having a tad more flex combined with good tip stability meant I was hitting straighter and longer drives. If anything, my advice for all of you if you want to hit the ball a little further is to try a softer flex profile, but keep a shaft with a firm tip--like both of the shafts that I tried. This will help you tack on a few yards, while retaining the control you need.

Other than that, I can't tell how good it feels to be the long ball in the office again. Try a few new shafts until you get it right. You'll know what I mean.