Gotta Have Gadget

If you walk while you play golf, check out the new Clicgear 3.0 push cart.  This is the third version of the popular 3-wheel push cart.  The folks at Clicgear took feedback from users and incorporated the best of the best into version 3.  The thing I like most about the Clicgear 3.0 cart is that it does not take up a lot of room in the trunk of my car.  This allows me to keep the Clicgear 3.0 in my trunk at all times ready to get the call to go play.  Another added bonus is all the accessories available for the Clicgear 3.0 cart.  Accessories include a wheel cover, shoe brush, warm mitt for cold days, a cup holder and more!  You can now purchase the clicgear 3.0 on their website at www.clicgearusa.com!

A couple of cool golf gadgets for the upcoming season include the Callaway Lighter/Divot Tool/Ball Marker and AB Golf Designs’ Throwback head covers.  How many times have you searched your bag for a light to spark up your favorite stogie while on the golf course, only to find out you don’t have any matches? 
Read the rest of this entry »

Watching a PGA tour player strike the ball is a beautiful thing.  Watching me strike the ball would probably suck the life out of your game.  The Tour Striker Pro is designed for single digit handicappers.  I am just on the outside of that range, considered myself a good ball stricker, so I went for the tour Striker Pro.  When the Tour Striker Pro showed up at the door, the look of this 7-iron was a little intimidating.  Read the rest of this entry »

With all the products out there, sometimes the best thing to do is to go back to the basics.  Tom Watson has a great 2-disc DVD set called, Lessons of a Lifetime.  Disc One focuses on the basics.  Tom starts with something he learned when he was 6 years old, how to grip a golf club.  If you have the basic fundamentals, you can improve your game!  Disc One includes lessons on grip, setup, aim and even the low handicappers might just learn something from this disc.  You have probably all seen replays of one the greatest short players in the game.  Tom focuses on the short game on Disc Two!  Read the rest of this entry »

If you are a fan of John Daly, you have probably seen his clothing style.  I have raised a lot of eyebrows at work, on the golf course, heck pretty much anywhere I go wearing my Loudmouth Golf clothing.  For those who know me, I am loud no matter where I go.  Now I have the pants and shirts to match my loud style.  You gotta have game to pull off wearing your Loudmouth Golf gear.  Read the rest of this entry »

If dad struggles with his long iron shots, Adams Golf has the answer.  The IDEA a7 hybrid can replace dads current 3-iron, 4-iron or any low club that he struggles with.  Available in 17, 19, 22 and 25-degree lofts a hybrid is far easier to hit than standard long irons.  The width of the sole allows you to get maximum contact from any lie on the course.  I will admit it took me far longer to hop on the hybrid bandwagon, but once I did, I was hooked.  The Adams Golf a7 hybrid 3-iron certainly has a place in my bag, since it is the number 1 hybrid on tour!  I get increased distance with maximum forgiveness and carry something I could never get from my standard 3-iron.  I no longer dread standing over a 215-yard shot where I have to carry a water hazard or bunker.  When you find that kind of confidence in a club like the a7 hybrid, there is always room in your bag.  Giving dad the Adams IDEA a7 hybrid will help his game instantly.  Check them out online at www.adamsgolf.com.

Callaway has the perfect gifts for mom & dad!  For Dad, try the Callaway Diablo Edge Driver!  There is nothing better than giving Dad extra yardage from his drive.  The nice thing about the Callaway Diablo Edge Driver is dad doesnt need to change his swing.  The Diablo Edge Driver uses a fused 4-piece titanium design which gives dad a huge sweet spot and optimal ball flight.  The design also reduces drag up to 8% over typical 460cc driver heads which will increase his club speed.  I was extremely impressed with the consistency and accuracy of the Diablo Edge and believe Callaway has will help your dad hit longer, straighter drives this year.  Check out the Callaway Diablo Edge online at www.callawaygolf.com.

If you are looking for a great carry bag, you have to look to Sun Mountain Sports.  The Sun Mountain Four 5 carry bag weighs only 4.5 pounds.  It features 8 pockets which includes a velour-lined pocket to hold your valuables.  Of course it has the Sun Mountain patented roller bottom and Y-Spring activator to firmly stand your bag when off your shoulder.  The Four 5 bag also includes an individual club divider system with full length driver protection.  If you happen to find yourself playing golf in the rain, check out the Sun Mountain RainFlex® outerwear.  Not only is the RainFlex® great for playing golf, but I use mine for any outdoor activity in the rain.  Ive used the RainFlex® jacket and pants at NASCAR events, watching my niece play field hockey and even when you go to watch the PGA tour.  For all Sun Mountain has to offer, visit their website at www.sunmountain.com.

If you are a golfer who travels a lot, or know of a golfer who travels a lot, you really need to look at the Club Glove Train Reaction Luggage System.  If you have traveled even once with your golf clubs, you know what a pain it can be lugging your clubs and bag through the airport.  The Club Glove Train Reaction luggage system is three pieces of luggage that easily locks together to help you transport your clubs, travel bag and a computer case.  No longer do you have to try to balance your luggage on your golf bag, with the Club Glove Train Reaction system, 100 pounds of gear glides behind you as you stroll through the airport.  View the video of PGA Tour Player John Malinger as he utilizes this system as he gets ready for a three day tournament.  The video and more information on the Club Glove Train Reaction system can be viewed on-line at www.clubglove.com.

What I love about writing this column is from time to time I find products or manufacturers that I was just unaware of, however they make really nice items.  STX Golf sent me their latest Envision TR putter.  What makes this putter unique from others is the STX soft face technology.  This is very different from most putters on the market, and gave me a different feel for my putting stroke.  The ball releases from the soft face smooth and reduces ball skid which is vital for accurate putts.  The design is sleek and simple which gives added confidence when standing over your putt looking down at the ball.  STX Golf makes a variety of styles for putters and has other training devices and accessories as well.  If you are looking for a unique putter for someone on your shopping list visit STX Golf on-line at www.stxgolf.com.

By now everyone knows my grip it and rip it style of golf.  The Nike SQ Dymo STR8-FIT driver and Nike Vapor Golf Balls gives me the distance and bragging rights I demand off the tee.  The Nike SQ Dymo STR8-FIT driver offers you EIGHT different club head positions which in turn present you eight different shaped shots off the tee.  The head position is easy to adjust with a torque wrench that conveniently fits into the head cover.  I found the Nike SQ Dymo STR8-FIT driver gave me a couple extra yards off the tee than some of the recent clubs I have tested.  The Nike Vapor Golf Balls provide me the distance I crave and the feel around the green I need when it counts.  Combining the Vapor Golf Balls with the SQ Dymo STR8-FIT driver gave me the confidence to pull out the big dog standing over the most difficult tee box.  Add confidence to your game with Nike Golf.  For all Nike has to offer, visit www.nikegolf.com.

If you are truly looking to improve your golf game, take a look at how many putts you have each round. When it comes to saving strokes, take a look at www.rifeputters.com. Rife putters have a style putter for every golfer and can help lower your score. Interesting that Rife promotes no professional golfer is paid to use their putters, however watching the golf channel you will see several players using the Rife putter. My friends will be the first to tell you I am not a very good putter. I am a living example of Drive for show, putt for dough. I love the look and feel of this putter, and can see the difference in roll from the putter I have used for the past two years. I feel more confident attacking the pin from within 10 feet, which is where I tend to struggle.

If dad is in the market for new golf shoes, look no further than the Adidas Tour360 3.0 golf shoes.  Taking all the best features from the Tour 360, the Tour 360 3.0 is the latest addition to the Tour360 family, which blends comfort, style and stability.  I had the chance to put these to the test early this season, during one of my first rounds; the course was slick as it had just rained 3 straight days in a row, although the course was soaked my feet stayed dry.  More than just keeping your feet dry, grip is far more important.  Uphill, downhill, sideways and yes even in the woods, I could concentrate on my shot knowing I wouldnt lose my footing.  Where the Adidas Tour 360 3.0 truly shines is the comfort.  The name 360 comes from the proprietary 360wrap that surrounds the midfoot area where other shoes lack support.  Combined with the 3.0 or three-dimensional molding will give dad the fit, comfort, support and grip he needs to attack the course in any situation.  Tour360 3.0 is the second member of the Tour360 line, which incorporates THiNTech technology.  THiNTech incorporates a one-piece TPU sole designed to position your foot closer to the ground, which gives you better stability.  For styles and technology visit Adidas on-line at www.adidasgolf.com.  If dad grew up in the 80s tell him he can break out the old CDs and sing-a-long with Run DMC to My Adidas.  Maybe they need to update that song for the Adidas Tour 360 3.0 golf shoes!

The Taylor Made R9 Driver would be the perfect gift for any dad. What makes it such a great gift is Dad can adjust this club to fit his swing and the golf shot he would like to hit. I was amazed at how many different adjustments you can make with the R9. With the Taylor Made R9 Driver, it is like you were giving your dad 24 drivers for him to pick the best one for his swing. I was a big fan of the R7 with adjustable weights when Taylor Made Golf released it, and they have out done themselves with the adjustability of the R9. Now all the adjustability is great, however if the driver doesnt produce results the adjustability wont matter. Well fear not, the Taylor Made Golf faithful will find everything they love about Taylor Made drivers, and those who are faithful to other brands will be pleasantly surprised if they visit their local pro shop or demo days and hit the R9 driver. As technology evolves, dad can take advantage of this technology and have more fun on the golf course. After all, isnt that what it is all about, having fun on the golf course? Well that and out driving your buddies by 10-15 yards doesnt hurt either! For all the technical specs on the Taylor Made R9 driver visit www.taylormadegolf.com.

For this “Gotta Have Gadget, I have enlisted the help of my sister Jen Richards: When my brother asked me to help him out with his latest article, I was flat out excited. When he brought in the new King Cobra SZ Women’s Irons, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I have had my beloved King Cobra Driver for nearly 10 years and it has proven to be a go-to club for confidence and consistency. So the opportunity to play with an entire set of Cobra irons in my bag made me want to swing them immediately in my kitchen.  The King Cobra Women’s SZ set includes clubs ranging from the 5-iron down through the pitching wedge, sand wedge and even a gap wedge, and I couldn’t wait to try them all. When I ventured off to the local range, I could not believe how easy they were to swing. They were so light when I picked them up and the grip felt easy and comfortable in my hand.  I started with the pitching wedge. As much as I like my old set of irons, I just could never seem to hit the pitching wedge well enough to get it up in the air the way I would like. My first hit with the King Cobra SZ pitching wedge was in the air where I wanted it, high, straight and about 110 yards, a first for me. I hit it again and again, each time it was in the air, high and straight. I couldn’t wait to hit the others. I have never had a gap wedge so I hit that next even though I didn’t know entirely what to expect. Again, like with the pitching wedge, the ball popped high in the air and landed straight ahead of me about 75 yards this time. As I worked through all the clubs in my bag, each of these new irons gave me a little bit of something I was looking for. The premium Cobra/Aldila DVS-HL shafts, the urethane inserts and the full cavity back made each club easy to bring all the way back in my back swing and also allowed me to drive through the ball to have a full and complete swing. Besides finding out that I could get more accuracy, height and distance out of a club, most important of all, I found a higher level of consistency and a renewed level of confidence in my game. I have happily used my current set of irons for several years, a long enough period of time that it does make me a little hesitant to change. Well, needless to say, I am a changed woman. With the King Cobra SZ irons you do not have to swing hard to get the launch and distance you need and want. All you need is a nice, and even swing, and you will have the competitive edge you were looking for to keep up with your brothers or whomever is in your foursome.  Check them out on-line at www.cobragolf.com.

Golftraxx turns your iPhone 3G, RIM/Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Palm or Pocket PC into a golf GPS tracking system. Like any of the handheld golf GPS units out there, Golftraxx gives you important yardages in the palm of your hand. Golftraxx also allows you to keep score and track of how many putts per hole, which is a great feature to help improve your game. If you are interested in Golftraxx, get to www.golftraxx.com FAST as Golftraxx is offering FREE Lifetime Subscriptions!!  While at www.golftraxx.com you can also check out their database of over 21,500 golf courses!  This would make a great present for Dad on Fathers Day!!

If you know someone who cant travel without his or her clubs, the perfect gift is the SunMountain Clubglider. There are plenty of travel bags out there, what sets the Clubglider apart from the rest is the integrated leg set which gives you two extra wheels and puts the bag at about a 45 degree angle. That eliminates all the bending and lifting in line at the baggage check-in counter. They also support 100% of the weight of the bag, which makes it much easier to maneuver. The extra set of wheels also pivots making it easier to steer around obstacles. Visit www.sunmountain.com for more information on the Clubglider.

There are a lot of golf yardage gps gadgets out there, but none offer a hole preview like the Callaway uPro GPS. The uPro GPS offers an aerial view like you would see watching the PGA on a major network station. The fly over gives you a unique perspective on the hole you are playing, giving you a helicopter view from tee to green. Now the aerial view comes with a price, but unlike other GPS devices, there are no annual fees. If you dont want the fly over feature, you can update your uPro with free course layouts. For the pro layouts, which include the fly over, you can purchase credits. The benefit of this is you just pay for the courses you want. From what I found, most courses run only a couple of credits to purchase. There are bulk purchase plans for credits so you can load multiple courses. Another cool feature is the uPro software is built into the device, so there is nothing to load on your computer. Just hook up the USB cable and you will be up and running in no time. The Callaway uPro offers all the other benefits of a golf GPS by giving you target landing zones, potential hazards and accurate distances. For more information on all the Callaway uPro has to offer, visit www.callawaygolf.com and click on Shop.

If you will be looking for irons this season, a good place to start would be www.wilsongolf.com. The new Wilson Staff Di9 irons mix pricing with performance. During this economy, I know a lot of people are going to be looking to save money. Well, if you receive some of that stimulus money, the Wilson Staff Di9 are affordable irons that do not sacrifice quality for price. There are quite a few unique features of these irons. Wilson delivers a new lower profile; wider sole head design, resulting in the biggest sweet spot that Wilson has ever produced, so that your iron shots are longer and straighter. With Wilsons patented wide-tip technology, you will feel less twisting of the club at impact, which offers greater forgiveness, more distance with the end result of actually hitting the ball where you were aiming. Isnt that what everyone wants from their irons? If you recall in my January edition of Gotta Have Gadget, I listed the Wilson Staff FYbrid as one of my top ten items in 2008. The beauty of the Wilson Staff Di9 irons is the set consists of 5-iron through gap-wedge, what that means is for your longer shots, you can still take advantage of the Wilson Staff FYbrids. The combination of straighter shots, and more distance make the Wilson Staff Di9 irons a gotta have gadget for the 2009 golf season.

If you know someone who is technology challenged, but is looking for the accuracy of a GPS distance unit, take a close look at the Izzo Golf Swami 1500. The Swami is so easy to use; anyone who can use a remote control can now have the distance of every shot in his or her hands. Granted the Izzo Golf Swami doesnt give you a complete layout of the hole, what it does give you is extremely accurate yardage to the front, center and back of the green. When you arrive at your favorite course, simply turn the Swami on and the digital display will give you a read out of how long it will take to find the GPS Satellite. It is also extremely easy to load on your favorite courses. When I went to load on a course, most of the courses I play were already available. What I found truly amazing was how fast my course requests were answered through the Swami website. I simply clicked request course and I received an e-mail within a couple of days telling me the course was available for download. With a price of $99.99 and only a $35 yearly membership, the Izzo Golf Swami is an easy, affordable solution for any golfer looking for GPS distance accuracy. For more information and to view some of the 12,000 courses already loaded, visit www.izzo.com.

When its time to take a cart, the TaylorMade GTR Cart Bag is a Gotta Have Gadget. With 9 zippered pockets, there is plenty of room to carry everything you need. The really nice feature is the velour-lined pocket to keep your valuables safe. I cant tell you how hacked up my blackberry or watch would get, when I threw it in a pocket with tees, ball markers or whatever else was in the pocket they ended up in, the velour keeps everything nice and safe. I always told myself I wouldnt have a bag with a manufacturers name all over it, unless of course the manufacturers started paying me like a pro. Well, since it is the TaylorMade bag and I will be playing the new R9 Driver, I changed my beliefs.  This bag is both stylish and practical.  Check it out on-line at http://www.taylormadegolf.com/accessories_bags.asp

This gadget is from Wilson Golf. This club replaced my 3-iron. The Wilson Staff FYbrid quickly became my go to club in 2008. The Wilson Staff FYbrid took the place of my standard 3-iron as it was much easier to hit and gave me the little added distance I needed. Whether it was a long par-3, or a punch shot from the rough, the Wilson Staff FYbrid delivered. Wilson offers the Staff FYbrid from 15-degree to 27-degree lofts. The 19.5-degree FYbrid was my choice club. I even found myself using this club for short chips around the green when I needed to play a bump and run. The first time I hit the Wilson Staff FYbrid, I was 225-yards out and had to carry 214-yards to get over the waist land in front of the green. I not only carried the waist land, but also was able to stick the shot on the green. This set-up my first eagle of 2008. For more information on the Wilson Staff FYbrid and all Wilson Golf has to offer, visit www.wilsonstaff.com

The ultimate gift for any golfer is a new set of irons. Although you may not play like Tiger Woods, you can play the same irons as he does. The Nike Victory Red (VR) Irons hit the shelves on November 1^st and will surely be on holiday lists around the world. The first time I hit these irons, I could feel my confidence build with every swing. Believe me I gave these irons every lie imaginable during my test round. Of course you get a good solid feel from the fairway, but you all know with my go big or go home attitude I am not going to be in the fairway all the time. These irons were true from the short rough, long rough and even out of the pine needles of the woods. Even on off center hits, I carried the distance I needed to avoid further trouble. Tiger maybe hitting them from the fairway often, so I took it upon myself to test these from every lie the average golfer will find. Time and time again the Nike Victory Red (VR) Irons gave me solid contact, great feel but more importantly the confidence needed to know no matter what the situation, I could recover and make par or better. Nike offers three different versions of the Victory Red irons for every level of golfer. The Victory Red Full Cavity, Forged Split Cavity or Forged TW Blade will surely benefit every level of golfer. For the perfect gift for any golfer visit www.nikegolf.com.