Golf Equipment

YOUR EDGE the Tour Edge way! I have been a fan of Tour Edge for years. They make great clubs with precision! Their new "CB Pro U" is INCREDIBLE! I have NEVER hit a better fairway utility club in my life! And I live by my utility clubs!

A Book Review by Randy Tantlinger “A Difficult Par by James R. Hansen” I'm a huge Jimmy Buffett fan. And because I am I have made it my goal to know the meaning behind every song he has written and sung. To me to know why he wrote a tune and its hidden message makes me feel closer to Jimmy. More intimate as if he's a close friend. I know his birthday. Where he grew up. I have read his biographies. All of this allows me to appreciate his music more. Certainly you have been a fan of someone, some team, some celebrity in your life. Perhaps the Pittsburgh Steelers are your team. You know that Art Rooney founded the club in 1933. The fact that they are the only team in the NFL to have their logo only on one side is a fact. But why this is and how it came to pass is a odd tid-bit of trivia you relish to tell others. A list of “Hall of Famers” that wore black and gold is readily available on the tip of your tongue. That is if anyone ever would ask you. You love the Steelers and you have made it your business to know all there is to know about them. In reading “A Difficult Par” by James R. Hansen you will be taken on a journey of discovery. Perhaps your passion and devotion is not that of a screaming sixteen year old girl at a Beatles concert. However your appreciation for the game of golf and the designs of Robert Trent Jones will lead you to this book. Hansen has pulled off a tremendous feet. He wraps a simple story of a humble golf course architect into a tale. “A Difficult Par” recants the life and times of RTJ. Hansen writes as if he's telling us the story of a fictional character from a Charles Dickens novel. The reader is immediately enthralled as a young English immigrant is forced, along with his family, to escape to America in search of a better life. For you history buffs you will like how the story wraps historical time frames around the small wayward boys fresh start in the new world. Sounds sappy doesn't it? But it how Hansen will captivate you from page one and gain your immediate and undivided attention. You will then take a step by step journey into the world of RTJ. You will feel as if you are walking hand in hand with RTJ as be grows from youth, to yearling to manhood. RTJ's passion for both the women of his dreams and designing golf courses deliver the reader into the birth of perhaps the greatest golf course architect the world has ever known. But here's the gift that awaits you once you have unwrapped your bright and shinny new Christmas gift. For example, to me Ballybunion is home to the 36 best holes of golf on the planet. Heaven on Earth is “Ballybunion Golf Club”. Even if you have played the Top 100 Golf Courses in the world according to Golf Digest; you have not truly played golf unless you have kneeled down before Ballybunion. Located in the Southwest of Ireland in a sleepy seaside village she awaits you. Here thirty six holes of golf perfection draws you closer to the game as if a fabled Siren from the days of Achilles. “The Old Course” was built in 1893; she is simply amazing. She is everything that links golf could ever be. “The Cashen Course” was built in 1984 by Robert Trent Jones Sr. She is everything that links golf could ever be. When I get to heaven; God will ask me what course I'd like to be reborn as a blade of grass upon for just one day. I will smile and humbly say, “Ballybunion, please. I love these two courses. A picture hangs on my office wall of her sublime Hole 17. I can't wait to kiss her, stroke her and make love to her again one day. And here is where the majesty of “A Difficult Par” by James Hansen finds her truth and depth. Hansen's Christmas gift to is his telling of RTJ's designing and shortcomings in building the “Cashen Course”. Similar to wanting to know all about your favorite sports team, athlete or celebrity; you will discover the origins and birth of some of your favorite golf courses. And this knowledge will give you a greater appreciation for each and every blade of grass on each and every RTJ course you will ever play again! Trust me BUY this book!! If you love golf; you are doing yourself a disservice in not reading it!!! FILA! FILA! FILA! FILA Makes great golf equipment! Watch this review of their outerwear from our tv show! Trust me you will laugh and see why FILA is the best!

FROM GOLF DIGEST REVIEWS:
Your Short Game Solution: Mastering the Finesse Game from 120 Yards and InBy James Sieckmann (foreword by Dr. Greg Rose of the Titleist Performance Institute), Gotham Books, $27.95, hardback, 171 pages

Not only are golfers bombing it longer off the tee than decades ago, the distances at which they can be proficient with the short game seem to be increasing as well. That's if you use the 30-year evolution of short-game books as a measuring stick.

First was Tom Watson's 1983 classic, Getting Up and Down: How to Save Strokes from 40 Yards and In. Within the decade in 1989 came Raymond Floyd'sFrom 60 Yards In: How to Master Golf's Short Game, and in the years after Floyd there were a few books that said you could be a short-game expert from 100 yards in. With James Sieckmann's new book, you can be good with the short game from 120 yards in; but he was beaten to 120 by Ted Hunt in his 2010 book, Ben Hogan's Short Game Simplified: The Secret to Hogan's Game from 120 Yards and In.

Watson and Floyd wrote from their careers as World Golf Hall of Fame players with a pair of the best short games in history. Sieckmann played professionally, and also soaked in playing knowledge from older brother Tom, a 17-year tour player with one victory. But James Sieckmann, who lists several dozen tour players as students of his, gathered his knowledge from studying great players -- including Seve Ballesteros and Floyd -- and devising a methodology he says takes the best features of great short-game players while going against some of the long-standing beliefs about short-game technique. He disagrees with such common thoughts as "don't let the club head pass the hands" and "lean toward the target at address." The operator of an academy at Shadow Ridge Country Club in Omaha, Neb., and prior to that a Dave Pelz School staff member, Sieckmann is insistent that hard work and diligence be a part of the learning process or improvement can't be achieved. 

The focus of Sieckmann's method, which he professes to have been teaching since 1994, is the "finesse wedge system," which can be used for any wedge and for any shot situation. The system is a way to practice and learn based on what he observed from short-game artists. Some shots are named after a player, such as "The Raymond Floyd" for shots on an upslope. With its many charts, journal assignments and training plans, Short Game Solution reads more like a textbook or manual than a step-by-step, large-photo instruction book.

Being proficient at short shots is not a quick fix, it's a serious all-out effort, and Sieckmann's book gives you the blueprint to short-game proficiency if you're as serious as he is to learn. (Interestingly, Sieckmann presents the short-game swing as a different swing than the full swing, something that contrasts with what Tiger Woods has referred to with the recent work he has done with swing consultant Chris Como, where Woods says he is having trouble trying to match his short-game release patterns and impact points to those of his full swing.)

I particularly liked: The healthy number of drills spotted throughout. A good drill is often an amateur's best chance to understanding a technique and then master it. Also, many of the black-and-white sequence photos are run thumbnail size, making it tough to see details at times. An eight-page section of color sequences is a nice break from the smaller images and makes you wish every image was in color.

Nicklaus Golf Ball Line Celebrates Jack’s 75th Birthday with Special Offer Three Dozen Premium Golf Balls Available for $75, January 21 through end of Month, With Part of the Proceeds Going to Children’s Charities (NORTH PALM BEACH, FL) – Nicklaus Golf Balls – the line of premium golf balls designed, tested and perfected under the direct supervision of legend Jack Nicklaus – announces a special offer in honor of the Golden Bear’s 75th birthday, wherein customers can purchase three dozen Nicklaus Golf Balls for the bundle price of $75, beginning on Nicklaus’ birthday, January 21st, and valid through the end of the month. This limited-time offer provides significant value – including savings up to $21 a purchase – on the company’s critically acclaimed models, which are available in three unique options to benefit players of all skill levels. Available at www.nicklaus.com, the special includes free shipping and handling. This promotion continues the commitment of the Nicklaus Companies to support children’s charities nationwide. For every dozen sold through nicklaus.com, the company makes a minimum donation of $1 each to the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation (NCHCF) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. When FedEx delivery services are used, another $1 is donated to St. Jude. “In honor of Jack’s 75th, we wanted to share his legendary success with all golfers seeking a premium ball perfectly suited for their game,” said Howard Milstein, Co-Chairman of the Nicklaus Companies. “We also wanted to recognize Jack’s commitment to children and his community, positively impacting the game of golf while delivering a best-in-class product at an affordable price.” Nicklaus Golf Balls are engineered for players with a variety of swing speeds. Offered in three models—Black, Blue and White—golfers choose their ball according to the color of the tee markers from which they typically play. The color-coding makes choosing the correct ball easy, benefitting scores and pace of play. Nicklaus worked closely with experts in materials, technology, engineering, design and manufacturing to develop these made-in-the-USA products. Nicklaus Golf Balls are exclusively sold at nicklaus.com and pro shops at the more than 200 domestic Nicklaus Design courses. This saves players money by reducing costs built into products sold through traditional retail channels. As a result, the premium line is attractively priced at $28 to $32 per dozen, and generates greater charity donations, as visitors to nicklaus.com have the option to make a voluntary contribution. For more information about the Nicklaus Golf Ball line, visit nicklaus.com. Get social: @jacknicklaus and Facebook.

GolfTEC Launches ‘Training Camp’ to Help Golfers Prepare for the New Season Program Ensures Players of All Skill Levels Receive the Necessary Tools to Enjoy the Best Golf of Their Lives in 2015 (Centennial, CO) – GolfTEC – the world leader in golf lessons – announces the launch of Training Camp, a comprehensive program devised to help players of all skill levels prepare for the 2015 season by improving every aspect of their game under the tutelage of the company’s renowned coaches and proven technological approach to learning. Training Camp is all about getting golfers ready during the pre-season, so they can start their season strong. During Training Camp, a free Swing Evaluation is included with purchase of any Training Camp package. A typical program includes a Swing Evaluation, 10 Private Lessons, 18 hours of Video-Based Practice and a TECfit club fitting. Offered at all GolfTEC locations throughout North America, sign up is available now through February 28, 2015. On January 22, GolfTEC centers will host a special “Training Camp Open House” for the public between 6-8 p.m. local time. During the event, center coaches will give an overview of what the program is all about and provide useful tips to help attendees prepare for a breakthrough season. This will include an equipment analysis and preview of new products. “So many golfers have plateaued when it comes to performance and are unsure how to take their game to the next level,” says Brent Stewart, Vice President Creative Director at GolfTEC. “Through Training Camp we breakdown exactly what players need to work on and help them achieve their goals. Everyone can make this a truly memorable golf year by allowing us to help them create a plan of attack.” Highly efficient and boasting a 95 percent success rate, GolfTEC lessons are taught one-on-one by Certified Personal Coaches in fully equipped indoor bays that utilize proprietary teaching technology. Developing a comprehensive improvement plan for each student is the foundation of GolfTEC’s philosophy. Click here to learn more about Training Camp, the world leader in golf lessons or call 877-446-5383. About GolfTEC The world leader in golf lessons has a 96 percent success rate among its students. The more than 600 GolfTEC Certified Personal Coaches at nearly 200 centers worldwide, including nearly 80 within Golfsmith stores, have given nearly 5 million lessons since 1995. All lessons are based on the company’s “Five Factors:” Fact-Based Diagnosis, Sequential Lessons, Video-Based Practice, Advanced Retention Tools, and Precision-fit Clubs. GolfTEC Improvement Centers can be found in almost all major U.S. cities, Canada, Japan and Korea.