Author: Jack Waddell

Before You Rip It, You’ve Got to Grip It

Grips are becoming as diverse and specialized as golf shafts. Do yourself a favor and scout out the grip that’s truly best for you and your game.

Bag DropThe golf grip industry has come a long way since the days of the venerable black and green rubber Victory grips that were standard issue on just about every club sold in America in the 70s and 80s. Whole new materials and technologies have emerged to deliver a dizzying array of choices for golfers. Now you can pick from colors, sizes, weights, and feel that suit your eye, your hands, and your touch. Here’s a look at some of the industry leaders, plus a couple of specialty makers, and their latest and most popular offerings…

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How a Napkin Ring Improved My Practice

Practice balls have always had their limitations. But the Birdie Ball addresses the key issues of realistic flight, great feel, and limited distance. It’s worth a try.

Bag DropThey say that practice makes perfect. The corollary must be that no practice makes imperfect. So, unless you’re a golf professional, work at a course, or live down the street from a range, finding time to groove your swing or practice your short game can be difficult. And given the choice between spending what time you do have playing or practicing, well, it’s not hard to figure out why those scores aren’t coming down.

That’s why I became so intrigued when introduced last fall to a relatively new product that’s turned my backyard into a viable, fun practice range. The invention of a father-son team from Colorado, it feels and flies like a regular golf ball, just a much shorter distance. The odd part is, it looks like a napkin ring.

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Home on the Range (Finder)

Distance measuring devices are now legal if all they do is measure yardage. So what are some options?

Bag DropFirst were the bushes planted at 150 yards. Then came the 150-yard stakes. Then the yardages engraved on sprinkler heads. Then colored circles and lines painted on cart paths. And of course, finally, detailed yardage books. Now technology has come to the rescue with amazingly accurate laser range finders and GPS systems.

With the “information age” of golf yardages decidedly upon us, the USGA and R&A relented last year and agreed to make modern distance finders legal for handicapping and tournament play subject to the enactment of local rules permitting them. Huzzah! But wait… they quickly followed up with an “Oh, by the way…”

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Srixon: Japanese Powerhouse Slowly Emerging in U.S.

A giant Japanese ball and equipment maker with a strong following in Asia and the Europe begins to make its presence felt in the U.S.

Bag DropIf you’ve played golf for any length of time – like in the past 70 years – and played a ball other than a Titleist or Top-Flite, you may very well have played a ball made by Sumitomo Rubber Industries. Never heard of them? Well, neither had I until this winter when hanging around my clubmaker’s shop wishing it were spring, I spotted an unusual-looking iron – a demo forged 6 iron my clubmaker had picked up at the PGA Show.

It was the Srixon I-506 model and it prompted a lot of web surfing and, ultimately, big changes to my bag.

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