For any golfer who wants to play great golf
Posts tagged Equipment
Feedback from the Technical Staff at Optishot
Apr 10th
Since I’ve seen that a number of people commenting in the Optishot review had some technical issues, I decided to ask the manufacturer for a response to their complaints. I have not had any significant issues with the optishot and in fact really like the product. Over the winter it provided me with a solid golf experience at home and allowed me to work on things in a a warm environment as the snow fell outside.
Here is what the technical folks at Optishot provided. I hope it helps anyone who is having some technical issues with their unit.
The best way for an individual to get technical support is to follow the link below, fill out the form and use it to ask questions. Then we will get back to them as quickly as we can.
http://support.dancindogg.com/reportissueHowever, inaccurate swing results is the most common cause of frustration. There are three possible parts to this issue, lighting in the room, Swing Pad integrity, and software adjustments.
Review: Vharness
Aug 27th
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.
Review: Penta TP Golf Ball
Mar 19th
Today I had the chance to play the Penta TP. I bought two sleeves and headed out to meet some friends at Great River Golf Club in Milford, CT.
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. Read the rest of this entry »
Review: Divot Mat
Mar 8th
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. Read the rest of this entry »
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.
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.
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
Review: Tour Striker Pro
Jan 9th
According to the website for the Tour Striker:
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
Winter Golf Practice – Get the most out of it
Dec 15th
So you live in colder part of the country. Maybe there’s snow on the ground, maybe there isn’t but the temperature outside doesn’t make you want to hit the golf course. And it’ll be a while before spring arrives and melts the snow. What do you do to improve your game.
Actually winter golf practice can be extremely productive. Imagine that spring time comes around and not only are you not rusty but you feel like you’re ready to play the best golf of your life. Here are the essentials you need to make this your best winter practice session.
1. A quality golf mat
Nothing is more frustrating than hitting golf balls off rock hard mats at the driving range. They don’t provide realistic feedback. They don’t allow you to hit down and through the ball. The tees may not be adjustable or they are those rubber tubes. Yech!,
Review: Country Club Elite Golf Mats
Nov 20th
I recently ordered the small (20″ x 30″ ) Country Club Elite golf mat from Real Feel Golf Mats.
I’ve heard about a lot of mats that promise to give you the lush feel of hitting off a fairway and being able to “take a divot”. I was a bit skeptical but I knew I needed to try it. The mats at my local range were so hard that I think I was developing tendinitis in my shoulder. At home I had a small Hank Haney mat that I hit off and it was really getting chewed up. The mat was only 1/4″ of an inch thick at most and I would find little tufts of mat all over the floor that needed sweeping up.
I knew when I took the first swings that this mat was different. When you hit into it, you get this real resistance as the club digs into the mat. It handles fat shots realistically. I find typical range mats provide a false sense of security because you can hit the ball so fat and because the club just bounces off the mat you can still end up with decent contact. It’s not like that on the golf course.
