Powerchute

For the past month I’ve worked with a swing trainer called the Powerchute. I’ve given it an extensive test and the results are in.

What is the Powerchute?

It’s a swing training aid that aims to increase clubhead speed and lag, and improve timing and lag. In addition it strengthens the fast twitch muscles.

You attach the powerchute to your club and it becomes a small sail, that uses the wind created by your swing as the resistance you swing against. I was skeptical at first. I watched the videos on the website and Jack Nicklaus using it and I was still skeptical. It wasn’t until I took my first few swings with the powerchute, and then without it, that the wow factor hit me.

The first swing after you take the powerchute off your club is an amazing. The club feels lighter. The backswing feels normal, and then you start your downswing. My first swing without the Powerchute was so fast that it threw me almost off balance.

After using the Powerchute for a few months now, my old weakness: driving, has turned into a strength. Working with the powerchute daily has really helped with that trouble spot for me. I find that I’ve developed much better sequencing, even better lag, but more importantly I am able to use that lag properly. The resitance from the Powerchute has forced me to use my body and my hands properly to finish the swing correctly.

Over the last few months, the Powerchute has become my favorite swing trainer. I really enjoy heading down to the basement, where I have my golf practice area setup, to make some Powerchute swings. I feel that not only am I practicing solid fundamentals, but I am developing good golf fitness, and in the right muscles.

I can honestly say that the more I use the Powerchute, the more I want to use it. I’ve found new uses for it to help my game overall. It really is the only swing trainer I use now.

Golf Fitness

Now, to the fitness part of the powerchute. I’ve been told that the Powerchute, strengthens the fast twitch muscles that you use in the golf swing. These are the muscles needed to generate speed and power. The Powerchute achieves this by providing a plyometric workout. What are plyometrics? The following is from Wikipedia.

“Plyometrics (also known as “plyos”) is a type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving performance in sports. Plyometric exercises may also be referred to as explosive exercises.”

The golf swing is all about controlled explosive power. It requires finesse, touch, feel, and power. Plyometric training is a perfect fit for golf. A friend of mine trains using Kettle Bells to achieve this, and he happens to be a director of golf so I know that those are great exercies for golf.

I do find that the Powerchute provides a plyometric workout and a very good one at that. The faster you can swing with the powerchute, the more resistance you create, and the more you work out those fast twitch muscles.

At first I found I struggled when I switched from Powerchute swings, to iron swings. They felt too fast. Over the past few months everything that’s gone into the driver has also gone in to improve my iron play.

Conclusion

The Powerchute has been amazing to work with. I was so skeptical at first, but it has improved my power with all clubs, my balance, and my fitness. I have zero hesitations about recommending it. It is worth every penny.  Check it out at: http://www.powerchutegolf.com/

• accurate distances
• satellite views of the holes
• fly overs
• scoring for multiple players
• club recommendations
• No subscription fees

How does the application work in real life?

In order to start using Mobitee you need to create at least one golfer in the system.  The process is simple and painless and then you can start using the application.

On course Mobitee is an accurate GPS.  The target selector allows you to pick out any target and get the distance to it, in the same way that advanced gps units like the SkyCaddie SGX allow.

One of the nicest features of the application is a fly over of the hole.  It’s perfect for holes with blind shots.

As new courses are added, the application is automatically updated.  There is no need to manually download any courses, as they are downloaded automatically when you want to play them.

Overall, Mobitee is an excellent golf GPS.  It compares nicely to stand alone units.  While I can’t say that it is as accurate as something like a SkyCaddie,  it is accurate for most recreational use.  One glitch I ran into is that unlike traditional gps units, it’s best to turn off the setting for getting your location from wireless networks.  This setting can interefere with the performance of the gps and provide some wrong yardages.

Mobitee is priced at 24.90 for the full version.  A lite version is good for showing you up to the first 5 holes on each course.

One of my favorite uses for Mobitee is tournament or course preparation.  Because you can see each hole and move the pointers around you can plan your on course strategy.  It becomes like an interactive yardage book and it’s a lot of fun to do.  This way you can plan angles and shots into the greens and give yourself an opportunity to shoot a low score.

Mobitee has created a fun contest to win $250 just for downloading Mobitee Lite.

If you’re a serious golfer, you want to be able to practice at home.  It’s not always easy to get to the golf course with all of the obligations we have on our lives.  It was with this thought in mind that I got a BirdieBall putting green.  I received it as a present from my parents, who know just how serious I take my golf.

I received the 13.5 x 9 ft green.  Although it would have been nice to get a bigger green for those long putts, I really don’t have the room for it.  The width at 4 feet allows me to comfortably hit putts to all three cups.

The green comes in three speeds, slow (9-10 on the stimp meter), medium (10-11 stimp) or fast (11-12 stimp).  Since most of the time I’m playing in real life on greens in the 10-11 stimp range, I opted for that one.  The nice thing about knowing how it stimps, is that it allows me to train in a solid frame of reference.  I can get good from various distances with a green speed I play on regularly.  Since I don’t often play fast greens, it didn’t make sense to get the faster green.

What I Like

The green is quite realistic in terms of speed.  It’s soft and springy like a real green, and it rolls out nicely.  Check out the video above to see the roll.  The surface is nice and textured and in fact you can add grain to it.  By brushing the green in one direction or the other you can actually make it faster or slower.  The green also comes with some foam inserts that allow you to create breaks in the green, from very subtle to severe.

What I don’t Like

The cups are too shallow.  If you’re putting on a hard surface, the ball will go in the hole and pop back out.  I usually end up putting the cup side over some carpet to soften the ball impact and so that it has less chance of popping out.

The other thing I don’t like is the cups themselves and the target flags.  The cups are a hard plastic and although they have some holes that are supposed to catch the ball, they often don’t.  The target flags are so light that if the green moves a tiny bit they fall.  They have no weight to them.  So I usually take out the cups and the flags and just putt to the holes.  It’s not a big problem, but they do ruin the feeling a bit.

Conclusion

Overall, this is a solid green.  With fixed cups (a bit deeper) and flags (a bit more weight to them, and not as flimsy), I would heartily recommend it.  It’s less expensive than other greens that are similar.  It has a much better feel and roll, then almost all other synthetic greens that I’ve been, so that is a huge plus.  All in all, it has some limitations, but I’m glad I have it because I can set it up how I want, as well knowing that I’m practicing to a speed I’ll encounter almost every round I play.

The Vharness is a swing trainer with the goal of teaching anyone to swing like a pro.  The Vharness is endorsed by Rocco Mediate, who I think is a brilliant spokesperson for this product because of how well heconnects with average golfers.  He looks like a guy in your foursome.  But of course he has tremendous game.  His performance at Torrey Pines in the US Open made him a household name.  He plays what seems to be off the shelf game improvement clubs.  He doesn’t have the fluid easy motion of a Fred Couples, or the power of JB Holmes or Bubba Watson.  These reasons though make him ideal as a representative of this product because he, of all tour players, looks the most like an average Joe, and almost everybody can relate to him.

So does the Vharness achieve it’s lofty goal of teaching anyone to swing like a pro?  No, but it is an excellent swing trainer, and if used effectively especially with some guidance from an instructor it can really help the average golfer to feel their swing better.  Frankly I don’t think there is a single device that can teach anyone to swing like a pro.  Swinging like a pro requires coordination, talent, strength and flexibility.  Provided you have those things, with a good instructor and dedication you can learn to swing like a pro.  What I did find is that the Vharness can enable you to not only create a better swing, but really feel what it feels to swing better.

I have a number of swing trainers in my collection, and they all fulfill different purposes.  I’ve been using the Vharness for about a month.  I wanted to give it a full test before I wrote about it.  The Vharness is definitely different from my other swing trainers.  It gives me feedback that I never got from anywhere else and really helped me to understand and feel my swing better.  It almost acts as a sensation amplifier and you really feel what the club head, path and hands are doing.

One of the main objectives of the Vharness is to help you feel more connected. There are a number of ways to feel more connected that I’ve seen routinely taught. Most commonly is tucking a golf glove under one or both armpits depending on how you are trying to feel the connection. Recently we have been watching players like Sean O’Hair and Justin Rose tuck their sleeves into their armpits. Both are effective ways of feeling the connection.

The Vharness approaches this concept from a different point of view.  Instead of feeling the connection through your armpits as in the other techniques you keep it by by focusing on keeping the “vcords” taut.  As you do your body naturally becomes more connected.  It feels like it is a less tense way of feeling it.

But the Vharness takes it a few steps further. It naturally creates more width in the swing and keeps your hands more in front of you preventing you from getting stuck.  One of my major flaws in my swing is getting stuck.  Working with the vharness, this is dramatically improved, and with it so has my distance and accuracy.  The great thing about it for me, is that it really worked with the things I’ve been learning and working on, and it provides excellent feedback.

When ordering the Vharness you’ll be asked some questions to have it properly sized for your your height and your clubs.  I find that it fits well on all clubs.  It is very easy to transfer from one club to the next and allows you to use it with all your clubs.  The more I use the Vharness the more I enjoy using it.  Give it a shot, I think you’ll like it too.

Learn more about it on their website.

Richter Park is nestled in the hills of Danbury, CT.  It is within driving distance of New York City, but more likely played by the residents of Danbury, Fairfield County, and Westchester County.  A 6,744 yard layout from the back blue tees, Richter Park is not a monster in terms of length.  It is however, 6700 yards of great golf.  As the course winds around the hills it’s laid out on, elevation changes make club selection a somewhat tricky task.  Combine that with lightning fast, undulated greens (sometimes severely) and you get a fair but solid test of golf.  The slope of 133 seems low, as the course can certainly play more difficult than that.

Driving up Aunt Hack road toward the course, you pass the 9th hole on your right, then head into the parking lot.  The modest restaurant/bar and pro shop building set a welcome that can lull you into a sense of calm.  You’ll need that calm for the course as it it can quickly punish or reward you.  The course does lack a driving range which is it’s biggest drawback, as you need to have your A game if you want to score well here.  The practice putting green does however begin to prepare you for the test ahead.  It is fast and runs pretty close to the greens on the course.  It lacks many of the severe undulations you’ll face but you can at least get a sense of the speeds.  Richter Park has some of the fastest greens I’ve played in any public course Connecticut.  It’s not unusual to have your putt end off the green if you’re unlucky enough to leave yourself a speedy downhill putt.  On this course it is a must to leave your approach shots below the hole.

The course opens with a dog leg right par 4 down the hill into the valley.  Water is in play for long hitters down the right side of the fairway.  A fairway wood or driver (for the shorter hitters) leaves a fairly straightforward shot to the green.  Although not heavily protected, the bean shaped green is undulated and it pays to be in the right part of the green below the hole.  Two bunkers front left and front right guard the green from any shots that approach short and crooked.

Hole number two is a straightaway par 5 with water down the right side.  The kidney bean shaped green is surrounded by 4 large bunkers.  Richter Park has some of the nicest bunkers for a public course.  The sand is nice and white, and not too fluffy.  The hole is reachable in two by the longer hitters but beware those bunkers.  It can be easily played as a 3 shot par 5, and it’s nice to attack the pin with a wedge in your hand.

Hole number 3 is a short par 3 over water.  Club selection can be tricky depending on the wind.  The green is protected by water in front, and bunkers in the back left and back right.  The green is large, like many of the greens at Richter and slope quite a bit from back to front.

Hole number 4 is a challenging par 4.  The number 3 handicap hole is a dog leg right with a tricky drive.  Fairway bunkers on the left protect a wayward tee shot, but beware of going too far right and ending up out of bounds.  A flatter green is accessible after a good tee shot, but watch the winds as they can make club selection tricky.

Hole number 5 is a tough par 3 over water.  A three tiered green forces you to be on the right level if you want to have any chance of birdie on the hole.  When the pin is in the front of the green, you must be on the same level.  A putt from a tier up is almost impossible to stop and many players routinely putt off the green.

The sixth hole is a tricky par 4.  The ideal tee shot is roughly 220 yards up on the fairway right center.  Left is trouble as the fairway severely slopes left, and too long is trouble as well.  From the flat part of the fairway you’ll be left with roughly 175 yards to the green.  This is a tough hole, especially when the greens are really fast as you can’t run it up the fairway short of the hole.  A false front will leave you with a tough shot up to green if you’re unlucky enough to find it and roll down 10 to 20 yards below the level of the green.

The seventh hole requires a carry over water.  The carry is not severe but the dog leg right makes it a difficult hole to reach in two, as your second shot would be blind toward the well protected green.  The whole hole slopes to the left so any mishits that end up left can be in trouble.  Play it as a 3 shot hole and make accurate strikes and you can be rewarded with a birdie opportunity.

The 8th hole is a short par 4 that requires an iron off the tee to the an elevated fairway.  The green is fronted by a pond so don’t leave your second shot short.  It’s a fun and beautifully designed hole that will test your irons.

The 9th hole, with Aunt Hack Lane on your left is a short but uphill par 4.  The tee shot will land somewhere below the hole requiring a delicate shot to the putting surface up the hill.  The nearly heart shaped green is well protected with bunkers left, back and front right.

At the turn load up your favorite beverages and get a bite to eat.  Hamburgers, sandwiches and hot dogs with all the fixins’ are waiting by the 10th tee.

The tenth hole is a par 4, dog leg right.  A tee shot left center near the fairway bunker on the left should provide the ideal angle for your approach shot.  The green is severely sloped from back to front.  Do not go long.  Any putts left above the hole will have a hard time staying on the green.  You have been warned.  The green is elevated from the second shot influencing your club selection.

Hole number 11 is a down hill par 4.  The tee box is roughly 70 feet above the level of the fairway.  You’ve got plenty of options.  Bomb and it leave your self a short wedge, or play conservative and get it in the fairway with 150 yards or so left to the pin.  Either strategy can work well.  Just make sure that you hit the green and don’t leave it short, as a small pond protects the green.

The twelfth hole at Richter is a challenging par 5.  The tee shot and second shot are blind.  It is a green the long hitters can go for but it also has its risks.  The green is almost like an island green, flanked by water in front, right, and back.  Going for it in two requires a bit of courage, some luck, and solid strike.  For those not choosing to go for it in two, the third shot is still challenging.  A mid to short iron is all that will be left but the green is well protected.

The 13th hole is a short up hill par three and depending on what the wind is doing can be anything from a pitching wedge to a mid iron.  Bunkers front left and front right protect a undulating surface with a bit of a false front.

The 14th hole is a par 4 from an elevated tee.  The tee box is roughly 90 feet above the surface of the fairway.  Water on the right is reachable by long hitters.  A tee short of the water leaves a mid iron approach shot to a green guarded by bunkers front, left and back.

Hole number 15 is a dog leg right par 4 with a long pond guarding the right side of the fairway.  You can tee off with anything from a driver to an iron on this hole, but the smart play is usually a long iron or fairway wood down the left side of the fairway.  Your approach shot is to an elevated green guarded by deep bunkers front right and left.

The sixteenth hole is a long straight away par 5.  Trouble will find you if your tee shot finds the hazard along the right side of the hole.  Left center to center is your best route up to a wide green.  This hole offers a good opportunity for birdie if played well.

The seventeenth hole is a short par 3 from an elevated tee box.  The heavily bunkered green is wide and receptive.

The finishing hole is a dog leg right par 4.  The hole plays fairly long, with a good tee shot left center leaving a long iron or hybrid approach to a raised green.  Par on this hole is a good score.  Long hitters could bite off a bit of the corner leaving a shorter approach shot, but anything right is in trouble with no angle to green.

Conclusion:

Overall Richter Park is an excellent test of golf.  Fast undulating greens require accurate shots below the hole to have a good chance for birdies or pars.  The layout is tough and challenging with numerous blind shots and tricky approaches.  This is a course that rewards precision in ball striking as errant shots are easily and sometimes severely penalized.  The course is absolutely gorgeous in the fall with the foliage.

Website

Richter Park Golf Course

Rates:

GREENS FEES		WITH CART
Daily	$ 32		$ 50
Twilight	$ 20		$ 33
Juniors (18 and younger) (Monday – Thursday only)	$ 10		$ 28 (Carts available w/driving adult only)
Monday – Thursday	$ 23		$ 41
Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Holidays	$ 32		$ 50
Twilight	$ 20		$ 33
Monday – Thursday	$ 85		Carts complimentary
Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Holidays	$ 95		Carts complimentary
Twilight	$ 50		Carts complimentary
Seniors Monday – Thursday	$ 65		Carts complimentary
Juniors (up to 18 years) (Monday – Thursday only)	$ 10		$ 28

I bought the Tifosi Ventoux in the gunmetal color.  These sunglasses come with a hard case, a soft case and 3 sets of interchangeable lenses.  The hard case was important to me as I might keep them in the golf bag and didn’t want them to break.  The hard case is nice and light, but still sturdy enough to give me peace of mind that they won’t break while in there.

The sunglasses came with 3 interchangeable lenses: The GT (golf and tennis) lens, the EC (extreme contrast) and the AC (All Conditions Red).  So far I’ve only worn them with the golf and tennis lenses but I am quite impressed with the quality of the lenses and the frame.

I wear these sunglasses all the time playing golf, even when it’s not as bright.  They cut down on the glare and really help me saw the ball better off the club face and in the air.  The enhanced contrast is great for reading greens.

Another benefit I’ve found  is that these lenses don’t create any distortion.  I had another pair of golf sunglasses before, and while the contrast was great, the shape of the lens actually created some distortion.  The way the lens wrapped around my face and the eye was also a bit of a problem because when I putted, it was like looking through bifocals, except that instead of blurry and sharp areas, it was areas covered by the glasses and those not covered by the glasses.  That made putting difficult.  With these Tifosi sunglasses that issue is a thing of the past for me.

The glasses come with the interchangeable lenses, a hard case, and s soft cloth bag which also doubles as a polishing cloth.  For $60, they are an excellent deal and I’m very glad that I got them.  If you’re in need of some golf sunglasses, give these a chance, they won’t disappoint.

Tifosi Optics

It is amazing how golf connects to and reminds of every day life.  I know people who will play golf with potential business partners to see how they handle themselves on the course, as it is often a reflection of how they deal with adversity in life.

But the journey of improving your golf game can also have an impact on improving your life in general.  My life has changed as a result of playing golf.  I’m reminded of a quote “Whoever said golf and life are similar was wrong.  Golf is harder.”

Josh’s journey in which he learns to stop worrying and love his swing is a journey filled with ups and downs, meeting fascinating people, and making connections to things that on the surface seem unrelated to golf. But Zen and other disciplines have many similarities.  For me I always understood Zen to be about letting go.  It was about letting your body do what it does, instead of trying to control it with your conscious mind.  After all, a warrior who has to control his muscles consciously won’t last very long.  He will quickly be defeated by a foe with flow.

I love this quote from the inside cover of the book.

“Throughout the ages, the ancient arts of Zen and meditation have helped warriors prepare for battle,  brought philosophers to enlightenment, and opened the path to inner peace for countless practitioners.  Perhaps most importantly, however, these practices have allowed golfers to transcend their game and shave precious strokes off their handicap.”

I find that golf does indeed mirror many things in life.  Hard work pays off.  Tough rounds are interspersed with moments of glory, when we are in the moment and in the zone.  These highlights keep us wanting to come back to the course, to subject ourselves for what we know can be either bliss or frustration, and that’s half the fun.  You don’t know what you’re game is going to be like on any particular day.  You don’t know what your swing and your chipping or putting are doing that day until you get on the golf course and start hitting shots.

I said that my journey mirrors in many ways Josh’s journey.  I have not seen the people that he’s met but outside of golf I have been exposed to transformational techniques, and in many ways I’ve bridged the gap between them.  You can see part of that in the domain name of this website.  But the connections go deeper.  People who know me well, know that I am a bit of a philosopher and thinker.  It is partly why I created this website.  I wanted to write about what it takes to become a better golfer from a different perspective then almost everything else I see on the subject.  What I write about improvement is based on ideas, conversations and insights that germinate, then grow and develop, sometimes from the most unusual sources.  But like life, all things are connected.

I’m willing to try unconventional things to improve my game, and in that way Josh and I are very similar.  Get this book.  If any of what I wrote above connects with you at all, then you are going to love it.  He writes with a great wit and refreshing style. For me, this book is as close to a must read, as you will find.

Most of us will never get a chance to play at Augusta National.  I heard a story that President Bill Clinton was in Augusta, GA one time, and decided he wanted to play the course.  So he drove out there, and somehow got on, but he quickly taken off the course and he wasn’t allowed to finish.  I don’t know if this story is true, but I do know that it’s near impossible to get on the course to play it. That and Cypress Point are probably two courses that golfers dream of playing due to their exclusivity and history.  I’ve personally dreamed of playing it every since I started to play golf.

Well, if you can’t play it for real, at least you can play it virtually.  The first Premium course for the Dancin’ Dogg golf simulator (read my review here), Georgia Peach has been released.  It is a faithful (as far as I can tell, since I’ve never been there) reproduction of Augusta National.  So now you can play the course from the back tees and play your own Masters tournament with up to 3 friends.

The course looks beautiful.  Below are some screen shots.  It is a full reproduction with all 18 holes and it is a joy to play.

Dancin’ Dogg did a beautiful job on this course reproducing all the flowers, and plants, and everything about the layout.  This add-on is totally worth the $49.95.  It’s a beautifully rendered course that really gives you the opportunity to play this historic layout.  Try setting the green speeds to Fast to get a sense of what it’s like to putt at the masters.

The Penta has 5 layers (thus the name), and each layer is supposed to make the ball react properly.

Layer 1: Feel

This layer is the urethane cover for high spin from shots of 100 and in.

Layer 2: Spin

The outer mantle layer is for delivering high spin with the short irons.

Layer 3: Control

Middle mantle layer prevents balooning for greater distance control between 140 and 170 yards.

Layer 4: Launch

Soft feel and high launch, low spin, provide ideal ideal conditions for long iron and hybrids to get the ball up in the air, land it with a steep descent angle requiring less spin to stop the ball.

Layer 5: Distance

Core is supposed to provide high launch low spin with the driver.

Putting Penta in play

I brought out the first two Pentas to putt with on the practice green.  Right away I knew I was going to like this ball for putting.  Feels great off the putter.  Not hard or clicky, and soft enough, but not too soft. It felt just right and all day I was controlling my putts well.

Throughout my round I also found the the spin layer to be very effective.  Shots from around 100 yards and in were stopping beautifully on the greens.  Partial wedges were easy to hit accurately and the feel was butter soft.

The control layer for mid irons was also really good.  I really did feel like I had good distance control in those critical distances from 140 to 170 and the ball also stopped nicely on the green with those mid irons.

The fourth layer, launch, was pretty good as well.  I did feel the launch was a bit high with the hybrid and long irons but then again I’m also dealing with softer shafts that tend to balloon the ball for me.  I’m not yet totally sold on this layer yet, but I’m willing to continue experimenting with Penta.

Layer 5, Distance.  This was actually the most disappointing layer for me.  I did feel like I lost some distance compared to other balls I’ve played with the driver.  However the other layers more than made up for this loss of distance.  I’m going to say that it was probably more a swing issue than the ball, but I’ll keep my eye on this and see if my distance with Penta improves.

If you’ve been reading this blog, than you know that I was recently fit by Bridgestone using their Ball Fitting Challenge.  They fit me into the B330.  While I liked the distance I got from the B330, the control was not like the Penta.  On all shots from 170 yards and in the Penta is my go to ball.  It performs so well in those areas that I can live with a shorter drive (but again that may be more a swing issue than the Penta).  Well done TaylorMade. This is an excellent ball.

The DivotMat is an excellent practice/training aid.  It identifies your impact characteristics in a unique way for indoor or outdoor use.

The Divot Mat consists of a few key pieces.  1) The Divot Mat Sheets, 2) The Divot Pad (Lie Board), 3) The Divot Mat, a soft mat on which to put the Divot Pad including velcro strips to fasten it securely to the mat, 4) 2 DVDs with instructional information.

The Divot Mat sheets have 9 golf balls printed on them that serve as the focal point for your shot.  When you swing and hit the mat, your club leaves a trail mark on the Divot Mat.  This trail shows where the club first hit the mat, how long the divot is, and the direction of the divot.  These 3 things enable you to see whether you are hitting the ball fat, thin or just right, and whether you have an inside-out swing, outside-in, or straight swing path.

The sheets are very sturdy and definitely stand up to the impact from the club without tearing.  The divots are clear, although it can get harder to see your last impact if the sheet is already pretty marked up.  The company sells refill sheets that come in packs of 36.  They recommend using each sheet 30 to 40 times, which means a refill pack should last about 3 months.

It’s very easy to use, though I recommend putting it on a mat or carpet.  Do not the Divot Pad off hardwood floors or concrete.  The sheets stick to the Divot Board through some double sided tape.  It’s a piece of cake to take a sheet off and put a new one on. Then start swinging your irons and look at the divots.  The feedback is instantaneous and easy to understand.

It’s a great practice tool that can help sharpen up anyone’s game.

Check out DivotMat website for more information.

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.

Thumb Caddy Website.

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.

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.

I feel that calling it Trackman: The Game, is a bit of a misnomer.  It is simply a great practice tool, although one of its best applications is the multiplayer games.  Above you can see my actual stats, ball flight and score for one short session of Trackman: The Game.  Click on each thumbnail to open a larger image.

How it works

The way it works is that you sign up for an account, typically at the driving range that has it.  In my case I went to the Tappan Golf Center in Tappan, NY.  You pay for a certain number of credits and that gives you an amount of time on the unit itself.  A touch screen at the driving range bay allows you to log in and start your session.  This screen provides all the vital information that you need as you begin using it and practicing.

The driving range has a number of trackman targets set up.  These are physical targets out on the range.  They were numbered 1-5 and were setup at various distances, typically in between club distances.  Target 1 was setup at 66 yards, target 2 at 94, target 3 at 115 etc.  This allows you to practice in a similar way to being on the golf course.  After all if you hit your 9 iron 135, how often will you have a shot that is exactly 135?  Probably not all that often. Partial irons are where you can really lower your scores.

Focused Practice

The best thing about that Trackman: The Game is focused practice at actual targets where you get actual distances to the pin.  Because you are hitting at actual targets and there is something on the line, even if it’s just your pride against a buddy, it gets you to focus in a similar way to being on the course.  Practicing this way I think can really lead to serious improvement.

Games

You have a number of games that you can play.

18/18 – 18 holes in 18 minutes is the main game. Players hit 3 shots to each of the 5 TrackMan approach targets and finish up with 3 drives between the driving poles – now that’s a time efficient game of golf, not to mention a real test of skill!

18/18 Quick-Play allows players to randomly choose their shot sequence and targets. Players hit 18 shots at any of the five approach targets or any combination thereof – not including the driving zone. The game concludes once 18 shots have been played.

The 9 Shot Challenges focus players on a specific TrackMan target. Players hit 9 shots to a chosen target and their shot results are scored based on performance.

The 9 Drives Challenge is based on an imaginary fairway between the two white TrackMan driving poles. While the objective here is straight and long drives, being straight is rewarded more than being long!

Shot analysis and club comparison

In Single player mode you have the shot analysis and compare clubs options.  You can use this to get your launch statistics in order to get your distances with each club, figure out your gaps, and optimize your launch conditions.  I would imagine taking a demo driver and hitting it in comparison with my current driver to see the differences.  Although should not replace a true fitting session, it can provide a basis for comparison.

Online

Once you have completed your session you can go anywhere you have an internet connection and log into mytrackman.com.  There you can see the results of the games, club comparison and shot analysis, and take a detailed look at each and every shot.  This makes tracking your statistics a cinch.  The online component is phenomenal and for anyone who really wants to take a close look at their game, it is invaluable.  Your online account saves all of your sessions, so that you can see your improvement over time, or the effect that new clubs are having.

Conclusion

Trackman: The Game is the future of practice.  It makes the time spent at the driving range more focused and productive.  If you really want to improve your golf game, go and check it out.

Website: MyTrackman.com

Aaron Baddeley:Putting from seeitgolf is unlike any putting video you have seen. It is designed to replace the images of doubt and failure and replace them with success and confidence.

This video is intended to be used both in a 30 day training program as well as before rounds of golf. The idea is that by watching perfectly executed putts free of distractions you build in your mind solid images of success and visualization you can call upon on the golf course. It is intended to be viewed on a portable video player like an iPod, iPod touch, an iPhone or any other portable video player.

The putts are beautifully shot using 4 RED cameras. These cameras record at a very high resolution and are known for fantastic images.

Along with pristine footage of the putts is a musical score that is designed to help ingrain the images and tempo into your brain and memory. The music is beautiful and easy to listen to.

All in all it is an impressive package. Although it is not your typical training aid for your physical technique, it is an excellent training aid for your mind. With repeated viewings I felt my putting visualization significantly improve.

When you listen to the best mental game coaches they emphasize visualization. The objective is to visualize so well and so congruently that your body reacts to what your mind sees. Instead of thinking about your technique, your stroke, you can use the mind to drive the body.

Using this product I did feel my powers of visualization improve. I could more clearly see the line that I wanted the putt to start on and I was able to do that more consistently.

The more you use it, the easier it is to visualize success. Now obviously this does not mean that you will make every putt, nor does the product promise that. I did make more putts, but more importantly I could see the lines better and imagine much more vividly the putts rolling into the cup.

This is an excellent product. If you have an iPod or iPhone definitely get the mobile version so that you can have wherever you go. If you don’t yet have a portable video player or would also like to experience this on your TV (very nice on a large flat panel display), then get the DVD version, which also includes the mobile versions.

The product is endorsed by renowned sports psychologist Dr. David Cook and short game/putting guru Stan Utley.

seeitgolf Website

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.

Range Mat Comparison

So how does this mat compare to range mats.  There are few different types of range mats depending on the type of range.  Some ranges have very thin hard mats.  Those are the harshest on the body.  Most public driving ranges that I have been to have a thicker harder mat with little give, but are a step above the thin mats.  With those two types of mats, they are often so hard they provide little realistic feedback.  A shot hit fat could easily appear to be a quality shot because of the way the club bounces of the mat and into the ball.  Those mats don’t allow you to hit down and through the ball and if you have a digger type swing that normally takes a divot, those mats can end up causing you pain in your wrists, elbows, and shoulders.

The nicest range mats have a softer grass surface that feels more natural and allows you to hit down and through the ball.  Those mats are pretty rare at commercial driving ranges.  I have seen these only at a prestigious private golf club.  The mats there really do feel like hitting of a lush fairway, they allow you to hit down and through the ball, they give you realistic feedback, and you can put a tee anywhere you want.

The BirdieTurf feel is somewhere between the nicer range mat, and the private club mat described above.  Although it does not really let you hit down and through the ball it does feel soft on the wrists, elbows and shoulders.  It is a higher quality mat than you will find at most commercial driving ranges.

The BirdieTurf is very portable and solidly built.  Each half of the two piece system measures 32” by 22” and weighs 19 lbs.  It will not slide during swings.  Each mat also has a heavy duty carrying handle, making them ideal for a backyard driving range, or even taking to your local park with a sleeve of birdie balls.

The mats come with a heavy duty universal tee that holds any type of normal tee.  I would suggest using a plastic tee like a zero friction tee if you are going to hit drives off this mat as the tee holder has a solid bottom and a wooden tee could break, leaving the wooden part embedded in the holder with no chance of getting it out.  Plastic tees are less likely to break like that.  The tee that comes with the mat is removable and you can replace it with your own rubber tees or even something like the DuraTee.

High Quality Mat, excellent value

Overall this is an excellent mat system for the price.  It has a soft feeling surface that won’t injure you the way most commercial range mats do.  It is portable, so you can take it anywhere and work on your game.  You could even take it to your local range to hit off a better surface if you don’t like the mats they have.  While it doesn’t have quite the feel of the mats that allow you to hit down and through, it is surprisingly close.  Even when I went after it with a steep swing, the mat felt softer and had more give than your traditional range mat.

BirdieTurf product description at the BirdieBall website.

Update: A new DVD is available with the Taly Mindset.  Read more about that here.

The Taly Mind (Taly) set surprised me.  When I first opened the package and pulled out the training aid, the pamphlet, advertising post card, and a whiffle ball I was excited to start using it.  However when I read the instructions I found them a bit wordy and overly technical.  I think the average golfer would greatly served with a clearer guide or even a DVD to help them get started using the device.

Taly Williams, the inventor is an engineer and it shows in that document.   I was a bit confused about what it was designed for because there is so much information packed into one page.  So I went to talk to a PGA pro about this device and the way he described it made all the pieces fall into place.

The most obvious use of the device is in helping a golfer to stop flipping the club at or before impact.  This common fault causes golfers to hit weak shots to the right.  When a golfer executes this distance robbing move, what they are actually doing is adding loft to the club, and opening the face.  The end is result is weak hit that flies higher than it should, and slices right.

How does the Taly Mind Set help?

By slightly extending the red ball the golfer can immediately see a flip occur because the shaft of the golf club will cross the shaft of the Taly.  The bright red ball serves as a very visible reference point.  The more the golfer can prevent the two shafts from crossing, the better the impact position will be.  Once I understood that this was one of the main goals of the Taly, the value of the device became clear.

For the average golfer who flips the club, it is worth getting the Taly to fix this dreaded flaw.  However as I have used the Taly more and more new applications came into focus for me.

One of the interesting things about using the device is that the little red ball really does become ingrained in your mental imagery of the swing.  When you are not wearing the Taly, you can still clearly imagine where the red ball would be.

I use the device to help generate lag and keep my downswing slightly underplane.  Imagine Sergio Garcia’s swing from a down the line view, as if you are standing directly behind him, watching him hit a ball at a target that is in front of you, a few hundred yards away.  The great thing about this device is that no matter what move you are trying to ingrain, if you start to see how the red ball moves, it becomes a move you can duplicate very quickly, as if it has become etched into your mind’s eye.

For me, it’s working on my version of Sergio Garica type lag.  As Sergio takes the club back he reaches the top of his swing.  He then executes his famous move where the club lays off just a bit, and he allows the lag to happen.  This move is the polar opposite of what most amateur golfers do.  Most amateur golfers, especially those who have problems slicing the ball, typically come down over the top, cut across the ball with a flipped club head and wonder why they can’t hit a straight shot or a draw.

This is a move that I’ve been working on for months.  Within minutes using the Taly, it had become a part of my swing, rather than something I was just working on. Watching the Talynt point  (the little red ball) quickly grooved the move.  I took the Taly off and to my amazement I was able to clearly see the little red ball in my mind’s eye and swing after swing, repeat it perfectly.

I used video to record the swings both with the Taly and without it and I was really impressed by how the Taly Mind Set helped me to visualize and execute this move.

No physical restrictions:

The Taly helps to accomplish all of this without restricting the player’s movements.  The most restrictive device I have reviewed is the Swing Jacket which obviously restricts the player into making correct moves.  The Taly is different though.  By visualizing the Talynt point it is possible to reproduce those moves that you have been working on.  This is the first training aid I have used that so clearly has an impact when it’s not being worn, because your memory and mind’s eye can easily recall those movements.

I have also found it useful for chipping and putting.  During my putting practice it helped me achieve a really solid feeling putting stroke.  I’m very excited about continued use of the Taly and plan to integrate into my regular practices.

For more go to: Taly Website

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Finally! A simple training club that intuitively promotes the essentials of Tour quality club head to ball impact!

One percent of golfers strike golf balls correctly. The Tour Striker and Tour Striker Pro training clubs will intuitively help you understand leverage and how to apply the club head to the golf ball in the same manner as the best players in the world. You will gain command of the elusive skills required to compress a golf ball. Best of all, this is not a temporary solution!

Allow the creative golfer inside you to enjoy the game once and for all. You can learn how to have world-class impact conditions and strike golf balls purely, accurately and with great control.

Tour Striker Models

The Tour Striker Pro is the pro version of the Tour Striker, a training aid designed to teach a player to hit the ball with a forward shaft lean and the hands ahead.

Pro Vs Regular Tour Striker

Here’s the tour striker compared to a regular iron.

Tour Striker vs an iron

Side view of the tour strikers:

Tour Striker Side View

Photo source: www.tourstriker.com

The only way to get the ball up in the air hitting this club is to have a forward leaning shaft at impact.  If the shaft is straight up and down or leaning away from the target at impact, the ball will fly very low or simply roll on the ground.

Using it on the Right Surface

It is very important that when practicing with the tour striker you are on either very firm closely mown turf or a hard mat.  In fact the best test for your ball striking abilities with the tour striker come when using a lie board.

If you attempt to use the tour striker on fluffy grass or a very soft mat like the Country Club Elite (CCE) mats that allow you to hit down and through the ball you will negate the benefits of the tour striker as the soft grass or mat will allow you dig in to ground and hit a decent shot without the forward lean of the shaft.

I can use Range Mats again (but only for this)

One of the interesting results for me of using the Tour Striker Pro is that using this club actually gives me an incentive to use the hard mats at the range near me.  If you read this blog you know that I am not a fan of range mats.

For normal iron practice I intend to continue to use my CCE mat as that simulates a lush fairway and gives me great feedback on the quality of the strike, but for working on the shaft lean and hands forward at impact I can use the range mats, but only with the Tour Striker.

Once you are on the correct surface the Tour Striker shows its true value.  I consider myself a pretty good ball striker.  Over the past few months as it has gotten colder in the northeast I have not only kept my distances the same in the colder temperatures but have actually increased them as my technique has improved.

Still, the tour striker showed me that I had some work to do with the shaft lean as I hit a number of low worm burners with it.  However, the majority of shots I hit with it were fairly acceptable with a few exceptional ones.

During my practice sessions I alternated using the Tour Striker Pro and my irons and the feedback was great.  My iron playhas improved over the past few months, and I think continued and regular use of the Tour Striker will take it to new levels.

The quality is product is excellent.  It appears to be manufactured to pretty high standards.

I consider the Tour Striker Pro to be a valuable addition to my practice toolset.

Which Tour Striker to Get

“The Regular Tour Striker is targeted for mid-to-high handicap golfers and slower swing speeds (under 90 mph with driver), while the Tour Striker Pro is geared for dedicated practicers with higher swing speeds. We also offer a Tour Striker for women and younger players who wish to improve their game.”

I agree with this description.  If you are mid to high handicapper you will struggle with the Tour Striker Pro.  For the lower handicap players the Pro model adds the right amount of challenge.  The leading edge of the club does look pretty high.  It is a pretty cool and rewarding sensation to see this high leading edge hit a nice high soft shot that carries forever.

On the range I introduced a friend of mine to the Tour Striker and watched him hit a few balls.  It very quickly forced him to make a few adjustments but then he started hitting some great shots.  When he went back to hitting his own irons I could see that the adjustments had carried over and he hit the ball on a better trajectory with a slightly more penetrating ball flight.

If you have a flippy swing where you try and scoop the ball to get it in the air, the Tour Striker will definitely help you to change that.  Be prepared for a bit of frustration as you make the adjustment but the end result will be worth it.

Take a look at the slow motion shot below.  You will see a very nice iron strike.  The shaft is leaning a bit forward, the clubhead hits the ball first, then the ground.  A phrase I was told to remember this was “Hit the little ball (the golf ball), before the big ball (the earth)”.

Website: www.tourstriker.com

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The Floppy is a soft indoor practice golf ball.  It has  a woven cover, a liner and a proprietary filling.

The Floppy Close Up

The videos on the homepage do a good job of showing what the floppy does and how it reacts when it bounces of windows.  When I first saw the floppy on-line I thought it was going to be a bit like a hacky sack in the shape of a golf ball.  But when you squeeze it, it instantly bounces back into shape.   The quality of the woven cover is very good.  I would imagine that a single ball could easily take thousands of hits.  The sticker on the ball won’t last that long though.  It pretty quickly got worn down so that the text was difficult to read.    That does not affect it’s performance.

How it behaves

It is best to have it land on something as close to turf as possible.  I found that on carpet it does react very much like a golf ball.  It checks up pretty well, and can even spin back a little bit.  You can hit it high or low and it will behave predictably.

For us North Easterners, and anyone else stuck in the cold, it does provide a nice way to practice your short game.    Depending on how hard you hit them I think they could still knock some things over as they do have a little bit of weight to them.  However they do absorb impacts well and lightly bounce of harder objects like walls or plate glass.  I think these would be a blast to use in an indoor AstroTurf field.

Overall I think The Floppy is a very cool indoor practice ball.  When I combine it with my golf mat (Country Club Elite) and use the stance mat as a grassy target it really does allow me to practice short chips and pitches very well.   I was easily able to practice chip shots inside up to 25 ft, limited by my living space and not the ball it self.  I could hit high little floaters or low running chips well with it.

The Floppy certainly takes a bit of the sting out of being in a cold part of the country with a few months until the golf season officially starts here.  In the meantime I can become a deadly chipper and pitcher and hopefully a short game wizard.  My preference with the floppy is to land it on the “short grass” of the stance mat, and see how it rolls out or responds rather than bouncing it off the walls as it is show in the videos on the home page for the product.

On a side note, I am a fan of Phil Mickelson’s “Secrets of the Short Game”, and find that the Floppy with the mats allows me to groove a consistent hinge and hold.

Although it can be used for the long game, I do not have a net and I would not take full swings with the floppy, at least not until I had a good practice net in place.  But for short game practice, I have not hit another practice golf ball that gives me the kind of feedback that the floppy does.

The Floppy Home Page