For any golfer who wants to play great golf
Equipment
How do I choose a golf simulator?
Feb 25th
Recently a friend asked me to provide some information on golf simulators to his wife, a university golf team coach who needs to present a proposal to the school for an indoor practice room.
Whether you are looking to create a commercial facility, a team practice area, or a home practice room, there are a lot of choices out there when it comes to a golf simulator.
What I would advise anyone who is looking to buy one is to look at the following factors. Each one will have an impact on the golf simulator actually chosen.
- What is your budget?
- How do you intend to use it?
- Do you intend to use it for club fitting or lessons?
- How much space do you have?
What is your budget?
Golf simulators range from a few hundred dollars to more than 50,000 dollars. Interestingly some of the lower end units can rival the more expensive units for a certain type of customer.
Generally though, your budget will determine what you can actually look at, realistically for an installation.
On the lower end of the price spectrum (but nonetheless an excellent simulator) is the Optishot from Dancin’ Dogg. You can see my review here of this golf simulator .
At the higher end of the spectrum you have something like the PGA Tour Simulator which will run you $50,000.
Another thing to consider is how many you want or need to install. One is perfect for home use, but you may want to have 5 or 6 bays for a team practice center or commercial facility.
How do you intend to use it?
There are many excellent uses for a golf simulator. You can use a golf simulator to stay sharp over the winter , you can use them in a commercial venture and host golf leagues, or as an add-on to a bar or restaurant, to sharpen your short game , or you can use them for lessons and club fitting. How you intend to use it will again, affect the choices available to you.
While I wouldn’t use the Optishot for club fitting, it can certainly be used for commercial or home installations for practice, and camaraderie. On the other hand, a launch monitor like the Vector Pro should not be used to play rounds of golf with friends as the software doesn’t support that. It’s best use is for club fitting and lessons.
Do you intend to use it for club fitting or lessons?
Club fitters typically need more data than other users of simulators. Club fitters need to look at things like back spin rate, side spin, angle of attack, in addition to the normal data offered by most simulators (club head speed, path, club face angle).
If you give lessons you may want a simulator or launch monitor that integrates with you V1Pro or Catalyst package.
How much space do you have?
This is an important question. I can fit my Optishot system in a small room in my apartment or house as long as the ceiling is high enough and I have clearance. The system is flexible so that I can start out with just the base unit connected to a computer, but at any point I can add stance mat, net, screen, projector etc, creating a system that would rival the big boys.
However if you have the funds and the space you can start out with a fully loaded system like the PGA Tour Simulator that can have 50 courses and counting, and can have multiple screens projected on them simultaneously to create a true panoramic view. That kind of system takes up a lot of space.
Review: Thumb Caddy – stop regripping the club
Feb 19th
The Thumb Caddy is a clever golf training aid. It’s main purpose is to help players stop regripping the golf club. I know that I have been guilty of this in the past.
I’m not sure what causes the regrip, but I think in my case it was a quest for more distance. I think that when I regripped, I felt like I could come into the ball faster. What it created though was uncertainty and inconsistency. How in the world can you hit the ball consistently if you’re changing your grip midway through the swing?
The thumb caddy is easy enough to slip on to the club. You open it slightly and get the club into it near the hosel where the shaft is narrow. You then slide it up toward and onto the grip.
Using it simple. The thumb on your upper hand goes into the Thumb Caddy and stays there nice and secure throughout your swing. If you’re used to regripping, the sensation of having your thumb stay in the same place will feel a little strange. Because your hands are your connection to the golf club, regripping mid swing can have major consequences on the flight of the ball and the consistency of your shots.
If regripping is an issue for you, give this device a shot. They are sold individually and sets so that you can have one on every club. Obviously you can’t use it during tournament rounds, but for practice, or practice rounds, the Thumb Caddy is an excellent little training aid.
Review: Project X Graphite Driver Shaft
Feb 16th
The Project X Graphite shaft is designed to provide lower spin, longer carry and a laser guided trajectory.
I got a chance to review this because I won a Project X shaft in a twitter contest that the company had. Once I won the contest, I needed to pick out which version I wanted sent to me.
I talked to a few friends in golf, asked their opinions, than headed out to the driving range at Sterling Farms Golf Course. They have a beautiful trackman setup in their Callaway Fitting center. I would highly recommend going there if you are near Stamford, CT.
I tried the 6.5 shaft in a number of heads and noticed a few things.
The trajectory at which the ball was being launched was perfect. There was no ballooning, and the picture on the trackman was beautiful to look at. I feel like I could go after it without worrying about big hooks. Although it was at a 6.5 frequency, I didn’t feel boardy. It was smooth, and it is a very stable shaft. For higher swing speed players this is a great shaft that will kill spin, and result in better rollout and longer distance overall if fitted properly. The better a swing I put on it, the better the shaft performed.
Project X Graphite Driver Shaft Review coming soon
Feb 11th
I’m so excited. I won a Project X driver shaft. As soon as it gets here, I’ll have it installed and will review it.
This is one of the hottest shafts on tour and I’m pumped to see what it can do. In the meantime enjoy the tech specs from the True Temper website.
New Technology
Project X Graphite Technology
Zonal Design Theory
Project X driver and hybrid shafts are engineered using True Temper’s proprietary Zonal Design Theory (ZDT) which divides the shaft into three zones—butt, mid and tip sections. Each zone is optimized for performance using a specific design technology.
Butt section:
Hex-Axial Reinforcement Technology provides unmatched cross sectional stability minimizing energy lost to ovalization.
Mid section:
Constant Taper Design eliminates localized bending and creates even loading and unloading for maximum energy transfer.
Tip section:
Elongated Double Wrapped 55 MSI Reinforcement for a firmer tip section which minimizes droop and lag and reduces back spin.
Tour Launch and Spin
Like the Project X iron shafts, Project X driver and hybrid shafts provide penetrating launch conditions with ultra low spin. The stiff butt, soft mid-section combine with the double reinforced tip section to maintain a strong angle of attack and greatly reduce spin, even in higher loft drivers.
Stay Tuned for the Review of the Project X Driver shaft.
Review: Dura Launcher Practice System
Feb 7th
Hitting golf ball at your local range can be a frustrating experience. Most ranges do not have adjustable height tees, and the ones that do offer it, may have other issues with the tees. Typically in order to switch from hitting driver to you have to manually remove the tee, go find a smaller one and install it. The driver tee may be at a different height than you are used to, and the fairway tee may be too high as well. In short, you can’t hit balls off the tee at the height that you do on the course.
The Dura Launcher Practice System addresses this problem. It consists of 2 pieces, a rubber base and a special tee. The rubber base is designed to go into any golf mat as it is a standard size. I have tested it on the Country Club Elite Mat as well as the Birdie Turf Mat. It provides an adjustable height tee.
Adjusting the height of the tee is as simple as pulling up on it, or pushing down on it. What could be simpler?
In practice it works very well. I was able to easily adjust the tee height. I could tee the driver high, or tee it low. I could even tee it up a little bit for iron shots too. The neat thing is that the way it’s designed, the tee won’t fly out of the base. It is a very well thought out system. Your level of adjustability though, depends on the thickness of the mat. The CCE mat is a thick mat and so it allows the tee height tee be good for an iron, up to about a medium driver. On the thinner Birdie Turf Mat it doesn’t work so well for irons or fairway woods, but it does allow for a low driver tee, up to a very high driver tee.
The only concern I have about this tee is the durability. I have seen a range that uses them and the tees themselves got very beat up but I’m not sure that they are designed for commercial use. A strike with driver or irons tends to push the tee and after a few strikes, you may need to adjust the base unit. Not a big issue for individuals who bring it with them and practice, but I can see how this could become an issue on the driving range. Overall though, I think it is a good product for the targeted user. If your driving range mats has replaceable tees and you are unhappy with how they function, this is a good solution for you.
Trackman: The game – full post soon
Feb 4th
I got a chance to get on Trackman: The Game today. It was amazing. A great way to practice and compete against friends on the driving range. Full details coming tomorrow. In the meantime check out their website to get a taste of it.
Understanding the new USGA Groove Rule
Jan 29th
Cleveland Golf has put together an excellent video explaining the new controversial USGA groove rule. It does it clearly and concisely and explains how and why the USGA wanted to increase accuracy off the tee. Take a look and let me know your thoughts.
Review: Launcher and Launcher II Tees
Jan 28th
Having used the Zero Friction Tees for many rounds last season I became a fan of the synthetic tee. My problem with the Zero Friction Tees was that although they can last a while, in some respects they are flimsy. An iron can easily decapitate one of them. They are also hard to stick into hard ground.
I was excited to try the Launcher Tees. There are 4 models. The original Launcher tee is designed for the driver, the Launcher II is also for the driver and provides repeatable ball height, the P3 is for iron and fairway wood tee shots, and the G4 is supposed to help hit the 4th groove on iron shots.
The main difference between the Launch and Laucher II and the P3 and G4 tees is the ability to have a repeatable ball height with them. The Launcher Tees are built from a soft composite. I found them to be very sturdy, easy to stick in the ground and stable. The smaller surface area of the top f the tee can make it just a bit more difficult to get the ball on there and may cause issues in a strong wind.
Overall these are excellent tees and have become my new favorite. It is difficult to verify their claim of increased distance. Using these tees I have hit some very long drives, fairway woods and even irons, but whether it is the tee or not, is difficult to determine. Bu it does feel as if the ball comes off hotter. The tees should last a very long time and don’t seem to bend and get out of shape the same way that the Zero Friction tees do.
Overall these tees are an excellent value, and a pleasure to use. The repeatable height and durability are excellent features. If you do like to vary tee height on your drives then you should opt for the original launcher tees.
Launcher tee website .
Preview: Sky Caddie SGX
Jan 28th
SkyGolf will be releasing their new flagship GPS the SkyCadie SGX to the public on March 15th. It will have some new features that can truly help make better decisions on the golf course and improve confidence. These developments should help golfers to improve their games. See the press release here .
One of the basic ways that GPS units help golfers is by providing them with accurate distance information. However, golfers need more than distance information in order to make good decisions, especially when approaching the green. The SGX’s new or improved green features should give golfers the information they need to approach greens with more confidence.
IntelliGreen Pro provides distances to green contours, false fronts, and any other point on the green. Although it is not available on all SkyCaddie courses (including the course I play), for those courses that it is available it should be very helpful.
I’m most excited about seeing the “Smart Club” technology in person. If the SGX can deliver on its promise to track club data (club used, distance hit) etc, that could really help the average golfer. It would provide and easy way for people to really know how far they hit each club.
Currently, tracking that information by hand is certainly doable, but tedious. I imagine that few people actually do it, and when they do, they may fall into the trap of only writing down their best shots. The SGX could provide players with more accurate data as it could capture every shot. One could potentially track it over time and see trends, etc. This could take some of the “ego” out of the game so that players can make decisions based on realistic data.
Overall the SGX unit looks promising. It appears SkyGolf is serious about helping golfers to actually improve their golf games. They also seem to be responding to their competition by pre-loading the unit with 30,000 courses. All of this competition between GPS manufacturers should end up enhancing this game we love.
Empty ad slot (#6)!
TrackMan: A valuable teaching tool
Jan 23rd
I had an opportunity to get on TrackMan today. If you have not had the opportunity to try it I highly recommend it. Sterling Farms, in Stamford CT will let you get on the TrackMan launch monitor for $110/hr.
What a great experience! Trackman is much more advanced than I had thought based on what I’ve seen on the Golf Channel. It is so much more than just getting your launch numbers.
I was really surprised at the amount of information that it generates, especially when you see the teaching modules for it. Along with tracking the golf ball, it also tracks the clubhead through the impact zone. The 3D club view is awesome and it was truly eye opening to see what the club was doing through impact in a way that video analysis just can’t do.
The teaching modules in TrackMan can show you things that you really can’t get in a regular teaching session because everything the instructor describes can be shown on the screen and in 3 dimensions. In a short session I was able to make some huge improvements in my swing and ball compression.
