Category: Hot Topics

Leupold Releases New GX-3 and GX-4 and Updates GX-1, GX-2

How do you make a great accessory even better? Shrink it, add more features, and make it even more accurate and durable – which is exactly what Leupold has done with their new GX-3 and GX-4 laser rangefinders.

Bag DropMaybe you’re not a GPS guy. Some of you prefer obtaining your distances from laser rangefinders instead of their GPS-based counterparts. GPS units in the past have had issues with satellite acquisition times, which can lead to frustration for you, the group you’re playing with, and potentially groups behind you, whereas the laser rangefinder is point, shoot, and done!

If the laser rangefinders are more to your liking, then hopefully you’ve considered Leupold’s offerings. If you haven’t, maybe you should check them out. For starters, we’ve reviewed previous models from Leupold, and even given a few rangefinders away! Leupold’s optical systems can be found in a number of applications, some that require even more pinpoint accuracy than our precious knowledge of distance to the pin. Wouldn’t you trust the makers of the same optical systems used by expert marksmen world wide? I know I would.

Read on to find out more about how Leupold’s latest rangefinders might just be able to help take a few strokes off of your scorecard.

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The Cast of Characters Makes Any Driving Range a Colorful Place

The familiar, friendly, and not-so-friendly faces you’ll find on the practice tee.

Thrash TalkFinally, the weather in most of the country is starting to break, which means cabin fever is spreading at epidemic pace. Reports from driving ranges all over included 45-minute waits for a stall and range pickers running non-stop to keep the buckets full.

Heck, just last week I saw something for the first time in my long golfing life. With a full gallery of players blasting away, two workers made their way to the 150-yard green. I paused, wondering if they had a death wish. Then it dawned on me they were out there to rake up the balls plugged in the mud. But no worries, they were prepared. They were wearing what looked like a panel of fence on their backs like backpacks. The things others will do so we can hit a little white ball.

So while even a range veteran is bound to see something new ever once in a while, some things never change. So while many of us already recognize the characters who set up shop in the land of fake grass, vinyl divider walls and rubber golf tees, range neophytes can use a guide. Of course for range mainstays, you might just find yourself described below.

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My Dough is On Tiger Woods, Even if My Heart Isn’t

In the land of legal sportsbetting, now’s the time to plunk down a few bucks on 2010 being the Year of Woods afterall

Thrash TalkAs I prepare for a week in Las Vegas and the chance to place a wager on just about anything, I’ll be on the lookout for golf in the sports book. As if this sport isn’t maddening enough, why not combine it with another completely futile hobby – handing over my hard-earned cash so they can buy another chandelier for the lobby.

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I’ve Got an Addiction, and the Blisters Simply Confirm It

With the first tee (and my car) buried under two feet of snow, I’m left to the Internet to fill my golf needs. It’s not scratching that itch, and everyone around me is paying the price.

Thrash TalkFor years it’s been clear that I love golf. Love playing it, love reading about it, love watching it on TV. But it’s finally time to admit my passion has crossed the fine line into obsession. The snowiest winter the Northeast has seen in years and a dip into the deep, never-ending world of golf message boards has sunken me to new lows.

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It’s the Tiger Woods Way: Manipulation and Revenge

More of the same from the greatest golfer – and philanderer – most of us have ever seen.

Thrash TalkWoods will speak Friday, and to the surprise of no one, the rules ensure nothing can go wrong. Plus, in true Tiger fashion, he gets vengeance on the first sponsor to drop him.

As always, it’s on Tiger Woods’ terms.

Woods has yet to lace up his Nikes, so we can’t tell about his driving distance off the tee, his precision into the greens, or his ability to make clutch putts. But we already know two of his most defining characteristics are back in fine form: manipulation and vindictiveness.

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Ball Flight Laws

For decades golfers have employed an incorrect understanding of why the ball flies the way it does. Science has set things straight, but many golfers remain unaware.

For decades, golf instructors have been teaching the ball flight laws incorrectly. Many blame the PGA Teaching Manual, and have said that it has contained some incorrect or incomplete information pertaining to a golf ball’s flight. These pros – from Butch Harmon to Nick Faldo – often state the ball flight laws as follows: “The golf ball starts on the direction of the swing path and curves back to where the clubface was aimed at impact.”

Put another way, many instructors and famous golfers have stated that the swing path is the primary determinant of the golf ball’s starting direction. This information is wrong, and it’s slowly coming to be understood as such in recent years. Unfortunately, many golfers – famous or otherwise – and instructors – famous or otherwise – still believe these outdated and incorrect ball flight laws.

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TaylorMade Penta TP Ball Review

The Penta TP the world’s first five-piece golf ball. And you thought Gillette would never have anything in common with Taylormade…

Penta TP OutsideTaylorMade can’t be accused of shying away from technology. If anything, the company behind “MWT” and “FCT” and countless other technology acronyms is one of the most technologically adventurous around.

With the Penta TP, TaylorMade has moved the golf ball into new territory: the Gillette razor blade land of “more is better.” In shaving equipment, it’s the number of blades. In golf equipment, it’s the number of layers.

Joking aside, the buzz around the Penta TP has been tremendous since the ball was given to pros late in 2009. Can one ball – albeit one with five layers – really fit everyone? From the guy who is happy to reach the occasional par four in two to the guys who routinely reach par fives in two on our televisions each weekend?

Let’s find out.

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Mizuno MP-58 Iron Review

The MP-58 provides a solid option not only for the mid level handicap player but for the scratch player as well.

MizunoMizuno irons have long adorned the bags of many good players around the world. A large percentage of the near-scratch guys at my club are playing them and have consistently raved about them. In fact one of them just replaced an old set of MP-32s with a new set of MP-67s, never considering another brand. When I had the opportunity to review a set of Mizunos, I jumped at the chance.

The MP-58s were actually a good fit since my last set of Mizunos (yes, I also have had them in my bag) were the T-Zoid Pro IIs – a pseudo-cavity backed club. With the advancement in technology, though, this set was bound to be slightly more forgiving and consistent: two traits any golfer is looking for in a set of clubs they buy.

The biggest question that remains, though, is whether the MP-58s can give you the playability that a one-piece forged muscleback does? Sure, I was a previous Mizuno owner but I currently sport the Titleist 695 MBs. Taking them out side by side was the best and most sure way of answering that question. So what was the result? Read on to find out.

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2010 Predictions

Got your own predictions for 2010? Good. Compare them to ours and see if you agree – or disagree – with any or all.

Thrash TalkIt’s a touch of déjà vu. Tiger is MIA, and his return is the biggest story of the season. Geoff Ogilvy is off to a hot start with his season-opening win in Hawaii, and John Daly is about to steal the stage.

Wait, what?

Sure, 2009 set the bar high in terms of drama. Name a year with four better major Sundays, and a group of four less likely winners. And that paled in comparison to the Woods family drama that made the Silly Season all the sillier. Well, 2010 has a lot to live up to, but there’s no telling just how wacky it’ll get. Long John is leading all of Golf Channel‘s current promos, after all.

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