New Adidas ClimaCool with CoolMax and Tour360 Sport Shoes

Adidas releases new shoes and clothes to help make the warmer months more comfortable and enjoyable.

Bag DropSince it’s getting hotter every day as we approach summer, it’s getting more important to be as cool and comfortable on the course as possible. I could even see an argument for lightweight, comfortable clothes improving your game. As silly as it sounds, we’re all very well familiar with how much of a psychological game golf is. You’re probably also familiar that the hotter your body temperature gets, the more that frustration and stress levels increase, which usually results in bad shots, and even more stress and frustration. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m in no way claiming that sporting some of Adidas‘ new Tour360 4.0 Sports and a ClimaCool shirt will turn you into a scratch golfer, I’m just saying being comfortable can go a long way in keeping your mind right.

Adidas has done quite well since jumping into the golf industry, with their acquisition of TaylorMade as well as their lines of golf shoes and performance apparel. Among their most successful products has been their Tour360 golf shoes and their apparel made with ClimaCool material.

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Ochoa Hands Off to LPGA’s Real Personalities

The world’s top female golfer steps aside, and the world shrugs. Now it’s time for budding stars like Michelle Wie and Christina Kim to spur the tour’s rebirth

Thrash TalkSome are saying Lorena Ochoa’s retirement is the latest blow to the LPGA. They must have forgotten the women’s tour took a major leap into irrelevance and tiptoed toward extinction while the phenom from Mexico sat atop their rankings.

How can it get any worse with her stepping away? It can’t. If anything, it should open the door for more of the LPGA’s personalities to take the spotlight. Names like Christina Kim and Michelle Wie, who can make more headlines without hoisting a trophy than Ochoa ever could while assembling what would be a Hall of Fame career had she stuck around for 10 years.

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Kikkor Introduces Eppik and Circle 3 Golf Shoes

If the same old saddle-type golf shoe just isn’t your thing, Kikkors might be exactly what you’ve been waiting for.

Bag DropI’ll be the first to admit that most of the traditional golf shoes available today don’t quite fit my taste and certainly don’t go far in terms of matching any sort of newer, younger style. So basically, with the golf apparel available today, you either end up looking like your dad, or you get into the Poulter zone, where, quite frankly, I’m equally as uncomfortable. So where does that leave people that don’t like Raisin Bran or Fruit Loops? For an industry that is so insistent on growing the game, most manufacturers aren’t really doing a lot to attract younger players in terms of youthful style. Exceptions to this might be Nike, Adidas, Ecco, and Puma, but even their lines of golf shoes are pretty conservative when compared to their other lines of everyday shoes.

Equally annoying is how uncomfortable a lot of golf shoes can be. If you’re accustomed to walking more than riding, it goes from moderate annoyance to a truly miserable experience. Former NCAA champion James Lepp had these same exact complaints, but unlike most of us, he decided to do something about it by creating his own golf footwear company, which he named Kikkor. This month, the company officially launched their line of footwear, which promises both style and comfort as its main goals.

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Volume Two Hundred Thirty One

Joey Sindelar gets no sleep, Furyk wins The Tartan Jacket, and Jerry Rice needs to stick to pro football

Hittin' the LinksGood Day golf fans and welcome to another volume of Hittin’ the Links. Another great weekend of golf, Harbour Town Golf Links seldom disappoints. Its just a type of golf you don’t see that often anymore. Hopefully everyone got a chance to watch.

In this editions of HTL we start with a look at Joey Sindelar, then check out Christina Kim’s new book, and find out more about Jerry Rice’s pro golf debut. Also on tap we see why Tiger is ready to face the public, investigate rumors of his divorce, and do a wrap-up of the week’s events. Read on!

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The Forgettable Five: Unheralded Major Winners of the 2000s

Who’s on this list? Surely you can venture a guess (or two).

Trap Five LogoThis week’s Masters marks the golf’s first major championship of a new decade, which means it’s officially possible to summarize the events of the 2000s. So, how about it?

The previous ten years in golf were dominated by Tiger Woods, who won 12 majors between 2000 and 2009. Underlining Tiger’s singular greatness during the decade (and also the lack of other talent) is the fact that even his supposed rivals could not manage more than three major titles during the same period.

Perhaps the worst indictment of golf in the 2000s beyond Tiger Woods is that these five men all managed to win majors during the decade. Major champions receive five-year exemptions on the PGA Tour and all major championships upon their victory, and these five players have struggled to maintain a presence in professional golf once that exemption expired. None of the following major winners have won on the PGA Tour since their major triumphs, and only one currently maintains full-time exempt status on the tour.

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Masters Offered So Many Lessons on Both Phil and Tiger

Whether you took away the good vs. evil angle, or if the Krispy Kreme pictures cemented the Mickelsons as “real,” this was a very educational major

Thrash TalkThere’s no doubt I could have written a half-dozen columns about the epic week at Augusta National. From the Hall of Fame leaderboard, to masters.com blowing me away, to the fact I’ll trade the televised par-three tournament for just about anything else golf-related, there’s so much to say about the highlight of the golfing calendar.

They say the Masters doesn’t begin until the last nine holes on Sunday. So in honor of that great Augusta truism, I present the nine things I learned from the 2010 Masters.

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PURE Grips Introduces Five New Grips and Tapeless Installation Tool

Take grip installation into your own hands with PURE Grips’ tapeless installation tool and custom grips!

Bag DropWhen we talk about the performance of our clubs, there is one desirable quality that’s desired by players of all skill sets – good feel. Good feel probably simply described as what the club feels like upon impact, both in the sweet spot and on the outer edges of the clubface. And yes, while the clubhead and shaft play the primary roles in what a club feels like, the connection between your hands and that club goes right through the grip. What you may not realize is that even a pured shot might not feel as good to the hands as it should if the grips on your clubs are old, hard as a rock, and flaking. Not to mention that you’re less likely to hit the ball well if you’re forced to squeeze your grips because they’re old, hard as a rock, and flaking!

Unfortunately, though changing your grips is something a lot of avid golfers do themselves, it’s always been a bit more of a hassle than it probably should be. That’s where PURE Grips comes in. Not only do they make a line of quality grips, they also make installation simple enough that anyone with a few spare minutes and an air compressor can install the grips without taking paying their local retailer. Couple that with a pretty enticing durability guarantee, and you have an overall product that’s definitely worth checking out. Follow along as we take a look at PURE Grips and their products.

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Volume Two Hundred Thirty

It’s Lefty’s day in Augusta.

Hittin' the LinksHello golf fans and welcome to another edition of Hittin’ the Links. What a great week of golf. There is nothing better than Sunday at The Masters, and this year certainly did not disappoint.

In this newest volume of HTL we start off with a look into Tiger’s return, check out why last isn’t that bad, and take a peek at some college golf. Also on tap, we investigate Phil’s putter, look into one phenomenal 16 year-old, and do a wrap-up of lefty’s win. Read on!

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2010 Masters Final Round Live Chat

Join us at 2pm eastern time when CBS coverage starts for a live blog.

We’re going to try a live “chat” this time around rather than a live blog as we’ve done in the past. We’ll have a few invited guests (primarily from the forum) who will join us, and you can pop in from time to time to add your commentary to the live feed.

The event kicks off with coverage at 2pm eastern time, so check back a bit before then.

Also, anyone who (in their first comment, prior to 2pm eastern time) predicts the winner and the final score will win a free license to Scorecard, an awesome statistics app that helps you analyze and improve your golf game. Post the final score (relative to par) and the winner’s name. Your first entry’s all that counts, and if you post multiple times, you’re DQed.