The Fall equipment releases will be coming fast and furious the next few weeks so while I get those in order, I’ve got a few nuggets to share that will help you waste a few minutes in your cubicle this week.
With a few farewells, an equipment company breaking into the big leagues, and a “green” golf ball, this week’s Bag Drop bounces all over the map to bring you some equipment news.
Building Blocks
The folks at Tour Edge have started to dip their toes into building a Tour staff by making LPGA player Stacy Prammanasudh their first signee. Up to this point, TourEdge has been content to have a few of their products show up on the various tours but this is a very big step for the company from Batavia, IL. Tour Edge makes some great products so it will be exciting to see them make a bigger splash in the equipment industry as well as starting to make a bigger presence on the various tours.
Goodbye
Farewell to the Professional Clubmakers Society who quietly disbanded with too much debt. It’s really hard to believe that such a large organization involved in the equipment industry would suddenly be gone. Bizarre. But then again, they are not the only ones with too much debt floating around.
Eco-Friendly Golf Ball
The folks at Dixon Golf have created the first 100% eco-friendly golf ball that is made of completely recyclable materials. They’ve also created a recycling program that allows you to send in your beat-up Dixon Golf balls for a discount on new ones. Neat concept and we’ll have to see if other ball manufacturers try to adopt the same idea.
Goodbye, Part II
There once was a day when auto makers were heavily involved in the golf industry. However with the economy in the tank and the automotive industry trying to avoid bankruptcy, those days are long gone. This has forced the tours to find new sponsors for their events. It will be an interesting next few years if the economy stays the same to see the sponsorship name revolving door on your favorite tournament.
Vijay’s Mat
Not only does Vijay have the FedExCup nearly wrapped up, he also has a golf mat too! Actually, it looks to be a pretty cool item to have to stay in shape over the off-season as it simulates hitting a ball off a fairway. For a couple hundred bucks, you can hit balls year round. It just might make my list for Christmas this year (hint, hint).
My Next Putter
I like my current putter and see no reason to change but I am feeling the urge to find one of these beauties to add to my bag for what’s left of the golf season. Probably won’t happen but I can dream, right?
Final Thoughts
Fall is my favorite time of year to golf. The weather for the most part is really good and the greens fees are typically cheap. The only negative is knowing that in a month or so I’ll need to get my snowblower tuned up for the snow that comes anytime from Halloween on. I’ll have to get in some demo time with some of new equipment coming out this fall so I can spend the winter months dreaming of what I will be playing next year.
When your course is buried in snow, come on out to Santa Barbara, CA. The only problem we have in the winter is rain causing cancellation of perhaps one round, and crowded tee times, as the same number of golfers that played in the summer try to play in the winter despite the shortened days.