Staying Cool in the Summer Heat, Part II

Even though fall will be arriving before we know it, there are still quite a few rounds to be played in the sweltering heat. So why let them go to waste? Though we covered some clothes for your top half, we couldn’t leave you hanging without recommending some shorts and shoes!

Bag DropThough we took a break from the summer-centric topic of ways to help cope with the heat in order to look at some of PING’s new clubs (in case you missed it, here and here), this week, we’re back on the topic of apparel that can help you stay cool and comfortable.

In addition to the shirts and caps we looked at a few weeks ago, comfortable, lightweight shorts and shoes can also go a long way to helping you be as cool and comfortable on and off the course as possible. The downside to the late summer months is that the blazing heat can turn into pouring rain in the blink of an eye. As the summer showers quickly roll away, the heat always seems to be amplified quite a bit. By that, I mean it gets nearly unbearable. The upside to that problem is that tour players face the same issues we do in that regard. Luckily, their equipment and clothing sponsors have designed some great performance apparel that satisfies the standards of tour players, and yet is available to us amateurs.

Continue reading “Staying Cool in the Summer Heat, Part II”

With the Pros Come the Putters

I spent the day on the practice putting green watching the reps go about their work.

Wyndham ChampionshipWhat a difference a day makes! The putting green is now a sea of color and vibrant activity. The pros, their wives and girlfriends (decked out in the latest fashions), agents, caddies, police, volunteers, PGA Tour staff, and Sedgefield Country Club personnel are all here and running around trying to get business done.

It seems like the putting green is like the bat at old Yankee Stadium – the place to meet. In the past few hours I have seen all sorts of deals getting done. Agents for companies welcoming new signed players into their corporate stable, children being herded off by their nannies, players talking about the best places to eat dinner, and the guys trying to move equipment.

Continue reading “With the Pros Come the Putters”

Wyndham on Monday

Talking with the guys who actually understand microclimate…

Wyndham ChampionshipIt is very dark at 0530 at Sedgefield Country Club and the place is extremely busy. I opened the Tournament HQ and simply watched the activity. Across the street, the greenskeepers are working to reset the pin locations for today’s practice pro-am.

Continue reading “Wyndham on Monday”

Volume Two Hundred Forty Five

Overton sets a speed record, Johnson breaks the rules, and Germany is celebrating

Hittin' the LinksHello there golf fans and welcome to the latest edition of Hittin’ the Links. Hey what a finish to the 2010 PGA Championship. It went right down to the wire, the best finish to a major this year by far. Congratulations to Martin Kaymer, 2010 PGA Champion.

In this volume of HTL we begin with a look at the automatic qualifiers to this year’s U.S. Ryder Cup team, then turn our attention to the latest scandal, and find out what record Jeff Overton set at the PGA Championship. Also, we investigate the Pavin-Gray fight, look at Dustin Johnson’s controversial penalty, and do a wrap-up of some of the weekends events. Read on!

Continue reading “Volume Two Hundred Forty Five”

Wyndham Introduction

What you don’t see on TV – behind the scenes at a PGA Tour event.

Wyndham ChampionshipHello world. No, that’s not quite right, I think I’ve heard that somewhere before in the world of golf, but I will quickly move on. I want to thank Erik for taking a chance on letting me try my hand at golf reporting for The Sand Trap. This is really my first time writing about golf and I hope to dig up some interesting stories while I am at the finest PGA Tour stop in the Piedmont Triad area (read Greensboro)!

I am an unabashed golf nut. I first held a club at the age of 23 and somehow I was hooked. I bought some clubs at a Wal-Mart somewhere in Pennsylvania and beat balls around courses in PA from State College to Danville to Erie. I took many (mostly forgettable) lessons and never seemed to get any better than a weekend hacker-duffer. Finally, I ran into the Stack and Tilt crew and things have become so much better for me over the past 1.5 years. I can actually hit the ball. Sometimes with a push-draw! That makes me very happy.

Continue reading “Wyndham Introduction”

2010 PGA Championship Final Round Chat

We’re having a chat for the final round of the PGA. Sign up and show up at 1pm eastern time (or any time thereafter). Can Nick Watney hold off the challengers?

LeviTee Golf Glove Review

Do your forearms look like Popeye’s after a day of golf? A new glove aims to lighten your grip with special pads stitched between the fingers.

leviteebackHow many times have you heard teaching pros say something to the effect of “grip the club like a bird: tight enough it won’t fly away, but not so tight you crush it.” Strangling the club is a common problem, and it leads to mechanical flaws, funky tempo and general stress on the hands and wrists.

A new glove on the market, the LeviTee Golf Glove aims to ease your grip with technology, rather than with cute analogies about wildlife.

Continue reading “LeviTee Golf Glove Review”

Adidas Tour 360 4.0 and Tour 360 Sport Shoe Review

The most comfortable shoes on the market? Perhaps. The lowest? Adidas says so.

Tour 360 4.0 SportThe Adidas Tour 360 is entering its fifth year and fourth version and the Tour 360 Sport its third year and second version with the new “Tour 360 4.0” and “Tour 360 4.0 Sport” models. Though the styling has remained fairly similar due to the common technology of wrapping the Adidas-style triple bands around the undersole, the shoe has come a long way in five years and has claimed its spot among the leaders in the golf footwear arena.

I’m a long-time FootJoy guy – shoes with “FJ” on them have always fit me well – and I gave a pair of the 360 4.0’s and the Sport models a try. Let’s see how the shoes fared.

Continue reading “Adidas Tour 360 4.0 and Tour 360 Sport Shoe Review”

Staff Predictions: PGA Championship 2010

Golf-crazed Wisconsin and Whistling Straits host this week’s PGA Championship, with plenty of story lines, most notably the struggles of the world’s top two players.

Thrash TalkWoe is Tiger, he’s coming off his worst tournament as a professional, he’s barely going to qualify for the FedEx Cup, and he’ll likely need to be a Ryder Cup captain’s pick. He’s struggling so badly, even the bookmakers have dropped him to double digit odds to win (12-1).

Woe is Phil, he’s had a summer full of chances to take over as the world’s number one golfer, yet balky play and a bout of psoriatic arthritis have kept him in his comfortable spot of second banana. He’s got a major on his 2010 resume, but that’s really the only highlight of his season.

With the game’s elite struggling (including world number three Lee Westwood, who withdrew with a leg injury), is now the time Steve Stricker steps to the forefront, in his home state to boot? Will it be one of the upstarts such as Rory McIlroy, Ryo Ishikawa or Ricky Fowler?

Continue reading “Staff Predictions: PGA Championship 2010”