Cobra Introduces New S2 Max Iron and Iron Hybrid Set

Cobra extends the S2 lineup with new S2 Max Iron-Hybrid and Iron sets, which borrow a good deal of key design features from the drivers and fairway woods released earlier this year. Why let a little thing like Puma’s acquisition of Cobra stop them from giving you an extra bit of game improvement?

Bag DropRecently, we covered Cobra’s new S2 drivers and fairway woods, which were said to offer numerous improvements for this year in terms of forgiveness and distance. With that in mind, it would be safe to say the the newest game improvement irons and hybrids from Cobra have the same exact intention – to help improve your game as much as possible.

At the time of that release, we had no idea that there were some shakeups right around the corner. The guys at Cobra aren’t going to let a little thing like the sale of Cobra from Acushnet to Puma stop them from rolling out some new hardware. We’ll get to the few details we know about the Puma/Cobra acquisition in a minute, but first lets check out the latest in the S2 lineup from Cobra.

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Volume Two Hundred Twenty Nine

Bay Hill needs some overtime, Finchem shows favoritism, and Couples kicks senior butt!

Hittin' the LinksHello again golf fans, and welcome to another volume of Hittin’ the Links. This volume comes before we even have a winner at soggy Bay Hill. You will just have to watch Golf Channel for those results.

In this edition of HTL we begin with a little verbal nothingness from everyone’s favorite crackpot Martha Burk, then take a look at Michelle Wie’s latest rules gaffe, and investigate some PGA Tour favoritism. Also on tap, we find out at least one person who is happy about Tiger’s return, check out the testing department at the USGA, and do a wrap-up of some of the week’s events. Read on!

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Five Golf Secrets for Beginners

As soon as you declare you are taking up golf, you get hit with dozens of pieces of conflicting advice on how to start. To prevent backspin overload, here are five secrets to help you launch your golfing experience.

Trap Five LogoPeople remember when they had that first “I gotta do golf!” moment. Maybe you were watching golf on TV a couple of weeks ago, and saw the crowd go wild when Ernie Els birdied the 17th at Doral to clinch the CA Championship. Maybe your in-laws gave you a set of irons for your first wedding anniversary.

Once you say yes, the next few weeks can be mind-boggling. People are talking about fairway metals, short irons, up and down, wedge bounce, and other weird things. And, beginners quickly realize how ominous the first tee can be: You have to hit a pesky little white ball while dozens of people watch. How does Ernie do it?

Fear not, golf is quite do-able and fun if you just know the secrets for getting started. Here are five basics I wish people had shared with me when I was a beginner.

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When It’s Time For a Golf Trip, I’m Flying Solo

Give me peace, quiet, and meeting new people over reminding my buddies each night that our 8 a.m. tee time will make staying until last call all the more painful.

Thrash TalkI made my long awaited (in my mind) return to the golf course last week. No press conferences. No media stakeouts. Just me, my clubs, and a balky putter. At some point there will be apologies to my wife and family since the next eight months I’ll be sneaking off with my other loves (all 14 of them, with a few substitutes depending on my mood). I’d like to blame the layoff for by abysmal start to the year, not the distractions caused by my infidelity this winter (demoing irons and drivers for hours on end, leaving my current player-club relationships in serious jeopardy).

Unlike a certain big name golfer, I couldn’t possibly wait for the Masters. But I did choose a controlled environment to kick off my season, and got away from my familiar surroundings, heading across the country for a solo golf trip in Nevada that reintroduced me to the joys of traveling and playing alone, with strangers, and (unfortunately) the rigors of being joined by my buddies after three days by myself.

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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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Volume Two Hundred Twenty Eight

Ogilvy does some unexpected traveling, John and Tony hang out, and Tiger talks again

Hittin' the LinksHello golf fans and welcome again to Hittin’ the Links. Lots of Tiger stories again this week as his return grows closer. Everyone wants to talk to Tiger. Everyone, that is, but CBS.

In this edition of HTL we begin with a traveling story involving Geoff Ogilvy, then find out whats wrong with David Toms, and take a peek at Tiger’s interviews. Also, we see who passed on a Tiger interview, find out who is hanging out with John Daly, and do a wrap-up of some of the week’s events. Read on!

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PING i15 Fairway Wood Review

PING’s new offering in the fairway metal market gives the lower handicap and professional a solid option that has little to no drawbacks.

PINGThe newest line of PING woods comes in the form of the i15 line. The sleek design and profile of the i15 fairway metal is right in line with the current trend you see in the bags of professionals on tour.

I’ve sampled many fairway metals over the past few years. Going from a Callaway Steelhead to a TaylorMade r7 before settling on my current Callaway X-Hot. I even tested other Callaways and a Titleist during that time. None could really shake the Callaway X-Hot as it did a great job off the tee, which is where my fairway metals get the most use.

So now comes the PING i15. With some specific design features that intrigued me I was eager to put it to use. Whether or not it could supplant the X-Hot was the big question. Read on to find out.

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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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SkyGolf Annouces New SkyCaddie SGX with SmartClub Technology

Tired of manually keeping track of your stats or not knowing your exact distances? Maybe you’ve also had problems with habitually forgetting your clubs on the course. Though you’re wondering how these two different problems are related, the new SkyCaddie SGX might be the all-encompassing solution for you.

Bag DropWhile most of us have one or two places that we frequently play, a lot of players like to venture out every once in a while to a course that’s unknown and unfamiliar. I know that I’m pretty familiar and comfortable with the yardages at my home course, but along with the excitement that comes with playing somewhere new is a certain degree of unfamiliarity which can lead to a few issues, the biggest being second-guessing club selection.

Since we aren’t lucky to have a Steve Williams or Fluff Cowan by our side every weekend, yardage book in hand, devices such as laser range finders and GPS units have found their way into a lot of bags, and it seems like they’re improving with every product release. Sometimes, though, these new features leave you scratching your head, thinking “Why didn’t I think of that first?”

One such product is SkyGolf’s new SkyCaddie SGX with SmartClub Technology. What improvements am I talking about? Well, you’ll just have to read on to find out more!

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