By Cory Olsen | [email protected]
Starting your golf season off right often begins with a trip to your favorite golf store to see what new gadgets are being offered.
Who doesn’t want to hit it straighter, longer and with more spin? But there’s much more to the game than just clubs.
How you look, feel and function on the course is important to every golfer (heck, even I'm partial to a special cigar tee so I don't have to drop my precious Gurkha Warlord on the grass — cigars and fertilizer don't mix well).
Jason Sanchez, general manager at Maple Hill Golf in Grandville, helped take some of the guesswork out of my search with these suggestions to get you back on the course in style with plenty of stuff to help your game.
Volvik Golf Balls
Volvik, a company that is a huge sponsor on the LPGA Tour, is breaking into the men's game as well.
"We just brought this line in last year called the Vivid," Sanchez said. "It comes in an assortment of colors. It has a different cover on it, it feels different, doesn’t feel like a traditional golf ball."
The ball almost has a slight velvety touch to it and comes in bright yellow, still white, hot pink, hot red, orange and fluorescent green. They’re starting to make a breakout on the PGA Tour with Bubba Watson and offer a wide-array of lines for different skill levels.
Price: Sleeves from $10, boxes from $20 to $40
Callaway's Great Big Bertha Epic driver
If you watch any PGA Tour events, you’ll see a lot of players using this. It’s made by Callaway and it’s got the adjustable slide weight so you can adjust it heel or toe based on draw or fade.
These drivers can also be ordered with different shafts based on club head speed, height, spin rate, open-close angle. Maple Hills uses technology called Track Man to help fit the player to the right shaft.
It produces less ball spin so players don’t balloon their drive as much.
“I have a number of guys on staff playing it and I saw a couple guys in the top 10 at the Masters playing it," Sanchez said. "It’s the hot driver of the year.”
Retail $500
Maple Hill price: $469
Custom shafts and fittings are extra
Golf Shoe Grabber
A clamp and handle all in one, the Golf Shoe Grabber secures both of your shoes together and can attach to any golf bag to free up your hands while heading to the car or to your flight out of town.
“This is a popular item this year that’s kind of innovative, made by someone in Grand Rapids," Sanchez said. "This clips on, it’s airport friendly and the shoes don’t come off. We’ve sold quite a bit of these lately.
The Golf Shoe Grabber is also being marketed for use with school backpacks and lockers or anywhere you need to take along an extra pair of shoes.
Price: $19.99
FootJoy Contour Series golf shoe
Tired of your golf shoe laces shrinking after they get wet, or even worse, the ones with wax on them? The FootJoy Contour golf shoe has a lacing system called Boa that uses a turning knob on the back of the shoe to tighten down your laces, which are made of tungsten.
Pull the knob out and the laces release their tension so you can slip effortlessly into the shoe. Push it back in and turn clockwise to tighten the laces up.
The bottoms have replaceable soft spikes as well as permanent grip ridges.
The Contour Series is gaining popularity with pros and amateurs alike and comes in different color combinations and the price is manageable as well.
Price: $129.99
Time for tees
With so many different tee options, which one should you pick? The lengthening of tees to fit with oversized drivers was a big change in the golf world years ago, but there are plenty more to choose from.
The 4 Yards More brand uses a flexible plastic tip to reduce resistance on the ball when it's hit.
The fact that it's not wood helps as well, as you're more likely to bend over and pick it up if it cost you more than a few cents each.
Price: $6.99
Want something more of a conversation starter? These Martini tees could create some interest, Sanchez said.
"The Martini tees are just fun, they look like a martini glass but they have a wider base so it helps the ball sit on there,” Sanchez said. “It’s easier for juniors and also seniors to balance the ball on top of there, and they come in different lengths, of course.”
Price: $6.99 or two packs for $12.99
Titleist SM6 wedge
This wedge produces more ball spin just by the way it's milled.
Five “grinds” are available for the bottom of the club so it will lay flat for each golfer preference.
“Back in the day what they’d do is, they’d take it off the cement,” Sanchez said. “Watson, Nickalaus and those guys would go out there and hit balls off the pavement to get the wedge to grind down a little bit and sit flat.”
Price: $149
The Drizzle Stik
The perfect umbrella for your golf bag, the Drizzle Stik keeps your clubs and bag dry while playing in the rain. Complete with a spring just underneath the umbrella which enables you to bend it to make club selection easy, it also folds up and will sit in your bag just like another club.
Made by Harbro in Brighton, what better way to keep your bag and clubs dry? Beats trying to cover it up with your golf towel.
Price: $25
The Revelation Golf Bag
Made with dividers for each club, there’s also two putter wells, all the pockets you could need including a soft pocket for rings, watches, glasses or cell phones. The cooler pocket will fit six canned beverages while there’s a bag strap area to attach it to a golf cart.
“This thing is like the Cadillac and for $139.99,” Sanchez said. “This thing has got everything. Once we explain to people everything it has, then they see the cooler in it, it’s a no-brainer.”
Ball holders, a cell phone pouch, spots for your tees and more zippers than an '80s Michael Jackson leather jacket, the Revelation has it all.
Price: $139.99
The Link Belt
Marketed as "The best fitting belt in the world," The Link Belt is fully adjustable. You cut it to length yourself and the buckle goes every quarter of an inch. It doesn’t matter if you gain or lose weight, the belt doesn’t use holes, so there’s no crease created, which makes for a sharper look.
Price: $22.99
Bag Boy Tri-Swivel pull cart
Pull carts are made for the serious walker, but much has been done to save the shoulders, elbows and wrists of these players.
The Tri-Swivel features and 360-degree movement with little force applied and has foam wheels that will never deflate.
“There’s so much less room you take up in your trunk, it’s crazy. It’s light and easy. You push two buttons and it folds up."
Complete with a hill break, a pocket for essentials, golf ball holder, you can even get a drink holder for it.
Price: $229.99
Bazooka 1 Out wedge
It has a wide sole on it so when you’re hitting sand shots, it splashes so it glides over the sand and doesn’t dig in.
“We sell a lot of these and had a lot of good feedback. For the person that digs in too much or just hates getting into the sand, try this baby and it’s designed specifically for that person.”
Price $59.99
GPS Golf Watches
Many of the GPS watches function as pedometers, have all the holes to your favorite golf courses, and oh yeah, still function as watches! Some of the pricier models have touch screens and will display distances to hazards such as water and sand traps.
All units are rechargeable with a USB port. For golfers on-the-go there’s a regular function mode so you can wear it away from the course as well.
Prices range from $99 to $249
Bag Boy Backbone
Remember those American Tourister commercials where the gorilla tosses the luggage around? The Backbone would have prevented golf club damage even under those harsh circumstances.
This strong, yet light tool is a travel cover support system for folks who fly often with their golf clubs. It’s adjustable up to 54 inches and takes the brunt of any force applied to the end of your golf bag and clubs so your Big Bertha doesn’t get snapped.
“A lot of people fly and their drivers are the longest clubs in your bag and they open up their travel bag and their drivers or 3-woods are broken," Sanchez said. "This protects against that and I’ve never seen one come back broken.”
Retail price: $29.99
Puma Soundchuck speaker
“She wants to laugh, she wants to sing, she does everything…” Ahh, the sounds of the rock band Journey emanating from the multi-gadgeted bag of Al Czervik in “Caddyshack.”
Today's golfer doesn't fear a scolding from Judge Smails so much, so many are taking their tunes to the course with them. Puma's Soundchuck, a durable speaker with a carabiner on it is Bluetooth ready to play your favorite jams.
Just don’t turn it up too loud.
Price: $79.99
Take your tunes to the course!
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