January 30, 2006

I Got My Srix---ON!!!

Publisher's note: Here's another golf post from our friend Robert at Elephonkey.tv ... Like I always say, "Everybody wants to be a golf blogger :)"... With posts like this, Rob continues to make a case (whether he wants to or not) for becoming a full-time Bogey Lounge staffer... Enjoy.

Saturday was a beautiful January day here on the East Coast. Politics were not on my mind. The temperature reached the low 60’s and the sun was shining. Luckily for me the new free driver that I ordered at the Srixon press conference and wrote about in "Get Your Srix---On!!" arrived a few days earlier so I managed to get out to the range and give it a try.

Now I must confess that this was not the typical taking a club to the range and giving it a whack trial. I brought along the two other Srixon drivers that my family members had ordered at the same press event and a selection of other drivers that have recently made appearances in my bag. The Six clubs I used were: Srixon W-506 10.5 and 11.5 degree loft with Srixon’s SV-3994 regular flex shafts, Srixon 10.5 degree loft with a Prolaunch Blue Grafalloy stiff shaft. Great Big Bertha II 9 degree loft with a GBB System 60 firm shaft, Taylor Made Ti Bubble 2 10.5 degree loft with a Bubble2 Shaft S90 firm shaft, and finally the Callaway ERC Fusion 10 degree loft with a YS-6 .335” tip stiff flex shaft. I am not sure if all the specs on these are meaningful but you get the idea that I tried a range of clubs.

For the rest of this post, click here to go to Roberts column at Elephonkey.tv

Posted by BogeyMan
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January 24, 2006

Bogey Lounge is going to the Super Bowl ... of Golf!

What could be better than traveling to Detroit, Michigan in the middle of winter to see the Steelers play the Seahawks in the Superbowl? How about a trip to sunny Orlando, Florida for a visit to the 2006 PGA Merchandise Show and Convention?

Yup! I agree, golf it is... so tomorrow, I'm packin' up the Bogey backpack and heading south to O-town for what is sure to be an awesome experience for a gearhead like me.

The bags are packed and the camera batteries are fully charged, so be sure to check in at the Lounge this Thursday and Friday as I attempt to bring you an insider's look at the PGA's annual orgy of golf gear goodness.

While I've covered many a special event for an internet audience (from NFL and NHL drafts to Major League Baseball post season games), I'm looking forward to this experience more than any because of the uniqueness of the event.

So if you've got any ideas about things at the show you'd like to get a closer look at, let me know and I'll try and do some posts geared towards your comments.

2006 PGA MERCHANDISE SHOW LINKS:
Official Show News Coverage [PGA.com]
Live Internet Video Coverage [GolfCenter.tv]
Official Show Website

Also, the Golf Channel will provide two hours of live show coverage Thursday through Saturday from 1pm-3pm, with one-hour highlight recap shows each night at 10:30pm. Read More

Posted by BogeyMan
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January 06, 2006

First Look: TaylorMade r7 425 - Get Away With Murder

I'll start by saying this is not my official review of TaylorMade's newest offering (r7 425 Driver) because I have only had the chance to play with it for one round. That's right, one round, no driving range (indoor or out), right out of the plastic and into the bag.

That being said, it turned out to be my best round of 2005, despite cold, wet, and mushy conditions (and to think, I almost decided to stay home that day.)

Long story short (ok, not so short), I get a call from a buddy who has gotten a last minute reprieve from the wife, saying he's available for a quick 18.

"But it's New Years Eve... and it's like 41 degrees, and it's um, raining..." I say, almost not believing that I'm about to turn down golf.

"So what", he says, "You gonna let '05 go out like that... 'cmon, we haven't played for two months!" (actually it was 2 days shy of two months).

"Alright", I said, never wanting to be the one accused of thwarting an attempt for golf, "Let's roll".

As we drive up to the course (Mountain Branch, Fallston, Maryland), it starts raining harder and by now I'm thinking maybe we hit some balls at the range, maybe play 9 holes... Are they even open?

We roll into the pro shop, pay our $65 (o.k. now that we've paid that much, we're playing 18 even if frozen frogs start falling from the sky), grab a cart and away we go.

My goal for the round is simple. After not having played for 2 months, and coming off a year where my game went backwards, I'd say that getting 3 out of every 4 shots airborn would be quite an accomplishment.

First tee, I pull out the shiny new r7 425 the fine folks at TMaG were nice enough to send me for review. Now I haven't taken even one swing in anger with this beauty, but I figure what the hell, I've got nothing to lose. The movable weights are set to "fade" as is the case with my trusty old r7 and away we go.

A few warm up swings and stretches later, and I'm standing on the tee box watching my first drive of my last round of the year sail a good 250, bounce (er, trickle) another 15-20 down the left side of the fairway for what is no doubt one of my best drives of the year.

A nice 8-iron, and tricky 6 foot putt later and I'm in for bird (and making it look easy) ... At this point I'm seriously considering how the logo for "BogeyLounge" will look if I change it to "PARlounge" or dare I say "BIRDIElounge"...

Suffice it to say "BogeyLounge" is safe for now and "BogeyMan" won't be turning into "BirdieBoy" anytime soon. However, with the help of the r7 425, I was able to get away with murder all day long and still hit decent shots without a whole lot of loss in distance.

Even shots that were 1-ball inside or outside of center did not hurt me... as I went on to miss only 2 fairways all day.

And, after not breaking 90 all year (after shooting an 83, 84, 86 in 2004), I actually shot an 88 on a day when the conditions where rough and I couldn't hit a wedge to save my life.

Was it the new driver? Was it the stress reducing lack of high expectations? Whatever it was, I'll tell you this...

Once you fine tune the settings on this new r7, expect to step up to the tee with an awesome amount of confidence, knowing you can get away with murder.

I'll have more to say on the r7 425 once I've had a chance to play it a little more, but for now it's already my early favorite for 2006 driver of the year.

As always, Stay Tuned...

Related links:
r7 425 Press Release [TMag]

TaylorMade Hits Mother Lode with Clarke's r7 425 Comments [BogeyLounge]

Posted by BogeyMan
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November 03, 2005

Recovering from "high-end" golf ball addiction...

So I find one of these balls a few weeks ago while playing a round. It had a magic marker alignment ring on it (which I personally can't stand), but I paused a minute because I'd never seen these balls before. Hmm, a Wilson Staff Dx2?

Wonder if this is their high end ball? The last thing I need at home is more "junk" balls that will never get used, however, for some reason I proceeded to toss it into my bag.

Later in the round I reach for a new ball (usually looking for a ProV1 or BlackMax), and pull out the Wilson.

Oh well, I'm shooting a bad score and it's late in the round, so what the heck? I tee off using the Wilson... and about 275 yards later I'm standing in the middle of the fairway preparing for my second shot from about 250 yards away... Three wood - down the gut - carries about 220 - and rolls right through the green... I chip close, make a 2-footer... BIRDIE!

Next hole, I reach for a "good ball" and proceed to not make a birdie or par or even bogey... round ends, whatever.

The significance of this already long winded tale is that over the next few rounds, whenever I pulled out that old Dx2, I would make par or birdie... Par 3, Par 4, Par 5 it didn't matter.

No one has ever accused BogeyMan of being smart, so it took a while for me to realize, that there was a correlation between the success I was having and this ball.

Was it a magic ball? No, that can't be it. I know! It was superior to the balls I was using, probably a $60/dozen self correcting nano-technology ball that I hadn't heard of!

No, that wasn't it either. As a matter of fact, as I would later learn, this wasn't a "high" end ball at all. It was a low end, Wilson 2-piece ball. On sale, in fact at Edwin Watts for $13.95/dozen.

Could it be that BogeyMan has been throwing away gobs of hard earned cash in order to play (and lose) the "good" balls, when he could have been a better golfer all along using these "rocks". By the way, the dx2 felt soft and responsive before I found out that they were $13.95 per twelve.

What's a desperate golfer to do? I bought a dozen of the Wilson Dx2, and of course a dozen of Wilson's "high end" ball the Tx4. The logic, of course, was that if the cheap ball played so well, think of how the top line model would perform.

O.K., I promise I'm wrapping up here... Long story short... The more expensive Tx4's were nice but nothing to write home about, but the dx2's continued their impressive run of long and straight carry off the driver, control off the irons, and responsiveness in the scoring zone.

What have I learned? Don't be an equipment snob! The price or marketing of a golf ball doesn't matter when it comes to your score. Maybe this 2-piece ball is extremely well suited for my swing?

Whatever the case, I'm glad I found and kept this ball. Maybe it was a gift from the golf gods as a reward for raking bunkers and fixing divot marks.

I can tell you, it won't be easy to quit my "high-end" ball habit. As I sit here I'm fighting the urge to purchase a dozen ProV's for an upcoming golf trip. Old habits are hard to teach new tricks... or something like that.

Editor's Note: BogeyMan has always known that equipment doesn't make the golfer. It's just that he's having a hard time actually convincing himself of that. "It's all so shiny and new, and the tour players are using it, I need it... really!"

Posted by Spiro
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November 02, 2005

Hey Mizuno, why do I always have to come looking for you?

Once again, Mizuno, a company that produces excellent equipment and backs it up with piss poor marketing, has struck again.

While browsing at a local golf shop the other day, I ran into the new Mizuno mx-500 driver. This thing is down right sweet looking. Quaility craftsmanship, solid feel and a confidence inducing setup at address, this club looks like it could be major player in the driver category.

However, here's my problem. I watch a ridiculous amount of golf on television, I read everything available about golf, and yet I had to run into this piece of gear by "mistake". Not to mention, when I did find out about the driver, I had to spend time searching around the internet for some decent info. There are vendors out there (Edwin Watts, etc...) that have more info about the mx-500 on their website than Mizuno does on it's corporate product site.

I'm excited about trying out the mx-500, but I doubt many others will ever think to do the same. After all, you can't expect customers to come looking for you.

Here's more info on the mx-500 Driver:
GolfReview.com
GolfMagic Review
Detroit News
Mizuno Site

Posted by Spiro
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SureShotGPS: A wonder from down under

Just a few days ago, I wrote about the need for an on course portable gps solution that provided an intuitive interface design and good graphical representations of golf courses. I even said, "If it wasn't too bulky or heavy, I wouldn't have a problem clipping it to my belt or sliding it into my left back pocket."

From my mouth to the Golf gods ears, this morning I came across the sureShotGPS device developed by an Aussie company (tee2green).

From the looks of the website info, the surreShot's got everything you could ask for in a portable GPS device. And the $399US price makes it about as affordable as any optical range finder.

The sureShotGPS has just moved to the top of my holiday wish list...

Check it out: tee2green technologies | iSeekGolf

Posted by Spiro
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October 27, 2005

Mizuno MP-60 - Early reviews...

Early reviews are in for Mizuno's latest offering and so far, it's all positive. I haven't had a chance to try them yet (and probably shouldn't because I'm hitting the mp32's pretty good).

If Mizuno put more into advertising and marketing in the U.S. and on the PGA Tour on this side of the pond, their quaility gear would play a bigger role in American golf. As it is now, they get some of the worst floor space in golf shops around the country and launch products without any fanfare (see Mizuno MX500).

Hire more retail reps, sign more tour players, and spend more to promote your gear. It's a shame Mizuno is not higher profile, because their gear certainly is top line.

Read reviews: Mizuno MP-60 [GolfReview.com]

Posted by Spiro
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August 14, 2005

Callaway HX Tour 56: The reviews are in...

I haven't been paying much attention to what the pros have been saying regarding Callaway's new HX Tour 56 ball, but from the comments coming from fan review sites (like golfreview.com), it looks like the 56 ball is a winner.

I've only had a chance to play the ball one round and so far it matches up with both versions of the ProV1 when it comes to distance and it seems even more soft and responsive around the greens.

Now if my damn elbow problems settle down, I may be able to get out there and give you a nice review, but for now check out what others are saying about the HX Tour 56 at GolfReview.com.

Posted by BogeyMan
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August 01, 2005

Callaway FT-3 : I think I love you, but...

It usually goes something like this.

"Sure we have a great time together and sometimes it feels like we were meant for each other, but it's just not working and it's not fair to you... you can do better than me... It's not you, it's me."

That pretty much sums up my much anticipated (and probably soon to be over) affair with Callaway's new flagship product, the FT-3 driver.

I really wanted to love this beauty with its' sleek stealth-bomber style lines, deep orange (Orioles orange mind you) Aldila NVS shaft, and buttery soft Callaway hex pattern grip.

Not to mention the soft spot I have for Callaway drivers, given that my first "real" driver was a Hawkeye VFT... and you never forget your first.

Anyway, this driver is sweet. Amazing in the area of confidence building appearance, quality craftsmanship and a set-up visual that gives you the sense of having an unfair advantage. And the 460cc head didn't seem as large as some of the other big boys (like the 460 Launcher or TaylorMade r5 TP).

I found misses to be forgiving and when you hit it on the screws, Watch Out!... it flew a mile. However, you really need to hit it perfectly to get that "wow" factor feeling and while misses were forgiven, they tended to die in mid-air.

I didn't mind the weird "thump" sound (usually found in composite crown drivers, but much more pronounced with the FT-3), after all, who cares what it sounds like when you're crushing drives down the middle?

O.K. then, why not just make the commitment and let this beauty suit up for regular season play?

To sum things up, let's go back to the relationship analogy. Right now, my r7 Quad is my steady girl... And while the FT-3 sure is a sweet and racey little vixen, I just can't turn my back on a dependable companion who's been through so much with me. Plus what would happen to all the little weight cartridges. I'd hate for the little ones to get all split up.

You think I'm a sick man now, wait till you read my tribulations regarding the potential retirement and replacement of my trusty 3-wood... Coming soon, so Stay Tuned...

Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 Tour Neutral Driver
Played: 2 rounds

Liked: The looks are incredible and confidence inspiring. A good swing results in amazing distance and accuracy. Misses were forgiven. Nice selection of configurations (draw bias, neutral bias, fade bias).

Disliked: "Thump" sound. Deadened flight on mishits.

Here's a link to a previous post that inlcudes some third party reviews of the FT-3. Read: Early reviews look good for Callaway's Fusion FT-3

Posted by BogeyMan
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July 12, 2005

Monza Corza: An early favorite for gear of the year

If rave reviews from a hack like me aren't enough to persuade you, how about some honest to goodness tour validation to make you take notice?

First it was Sergio Garcia using the new Monza Corza in his victory at the 2005 Booz Allen Classic. Now it's Sean O'Hair winning the 2005 John Deere Classic using TaylorMade's latest innovation.

Like I said earlier, this putter is something to consider if you care about your putting. Keep in mind, before trying this putter, I was very much against using any of the "alignment assistance" putters.

From GolfWeb - In testing the Corza model among a group of amateurs assembled by GolfWeb, golfers praised the putter for its ease of alignment, smooth and solid strokability, and, particularly, for its feel. Several testers cited the club as especially good on long putts.

Read more: TaylorMade adds seven new putters to growing lineup [GolfWeb]

Posted by BogeyMan
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Ogio golf bags and golf bloggers...

What is it with Ogio golf bags (particularly the Grom) and golf bloggers?... Maybe it's the techy gadgetry, many compartments, lightweight components and unique design... What am I talking about?

I recently changed bags to a black Ogio Grom... low and behold, a few weeks later I see posts from Hooked On Golf and Sorta Golf praising their new Ogio Grom bags.... Hooked bought a blue Grom and Sorta bought a red Grom (by the way, Sorta thinks that if the USGA gets a whiff of his new bag bliss, they may shut Ogio down ;)...

What is is with Golf Bloggers and Ogio? Coincidence? I think not...

Ogio Grom Reviews: Hooked on Golf | Sorta Golf

Posted by BogeyMan
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July 08, 2005

Monza Corza: Read this before buying another putter...

I don't have time to write a full review that would do this putter justice, so for now heed my warning: Don't buy another putter until you've had a chance to try the new Rossa Monza Corza putter by TaylorMade Golf!

From the time I picked it up to try at a golf store, to the moment I rolled in my first putt with it, it has changed my outlook on alignment assisted putters.

Maybe it's the AGSI insert (Anti-Skid Groove System Insert) which allows balls to skid less and spin forward on impact, or maybe it's the incredible configurable weight system that allows you to customize the weight to your exact specs... whatever it is, this putter will make you roll the rock like it was meant to be rolled.

I'll give it a full review once I've had a chance to play it one more time, but for now, all you need to hear is the comment my playing partner (a total stranger I got paired up with) made after I smoothly sank yet another ten footer...

"Boy! You sure do have the smoothest rolling ball I've seen in a long time... it must be fun to putt when you can roll the ball like that!"

Now, while "smoothest rolling ball" are not the words you want a 65-year-old man saying to you while you're alone in the woods, it sure is enough to tell me that you gotta try this putter.

As always, Stay Tuned...

Posted by BogeyMan
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July 07, 2005

Early reviews look good for Callaway's Fusion FT-3

The long anticipated Callaway Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 (couldn't they find a shorter name?) has finally arrived in stores and while I haven't had a chance to hit it yet, I did get a chance to see it in person today.

It looks much better than the ERC Fusion, but still includes a good amount of "plasticy" parts. I think serious players will continue having a hard time playing with a piece of equipment that looks like a toy. The Aldila NVS shaft, however, is a very nice touch, and so is the hex-design stock Callaway grip.

I'm sure I'll get a chance to review it for you in the near future, but for now I'll point you to GolfReview.com for some early reports (so far all three reviews posted are glowing).

Will this be a savior for Callaway, as they try to make up lost ground in driver marketshare?

As always, Stay Tuned...

GolfReview.com : Callaway Big Bertha Fusion FT-3

Dragon Golf's FT-3 Comments (This is a new blog I just found)

Callaway FT-3 Official Site

Posted by BogeyMan
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March 27, 2005

Call me Craz-E, but this is one review I can't argue with...

MediaGuru over at Hooked on Golf has posted a nice review on Ping's very sweet "Craz-E" Putter. This is Ping's answer to the two-ball putter craze and guess what? They got it right.

The putter feels nice in hand and as MediaGuru states in his review:
"It is just a static piece of metal and plastic but when I put it in motion it feels very smooth and wants to travel square to the target line. The weighting is balanced perfectly and helps you produce a pendulum like stroke."

I couldn't have put it better myself... If I decide to take a dive into the world of "alignment assistance putters" this is the one i'll choose... SEE THE FULL REVIEW AT "HOOKED ON GOLF"

On a sadder note, MediaGuru's personal best streak of playing the same ball ended at 92 holes without reloading. The ball was a prototype Maxfli BlackMAX which says a lot for the durability of this ball (one of the reasons I think it will be the hit of the summer.)

Anyway, congrats to MG on his record streak, maybe the boys over at Carlsbad Confidential can get the man a "certificate of achievement" or something (at least another sleeve of balls for the good publicity).

Posted by BogeyMan
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March 22, 2005

Hi-Tec CDT Golf Shoes: Golf's alternative to steroids?

(Original review done March 22) As if it's not bad enough that we carry a diagram of weight distribution configurations for our drivers, now it looks like some of us will have to do the same for our golf shoe cleat configurations.

The new Hi-Tec CDT golf shoes are said to employee proprietary cleat technology that makes the Hi-Tec CDT the "world's first game improvement golf shoe".

Endorsed by Irishman Padraig Harrington, who says the shoe has increased his ball speed from 166mph to 173mph (for a whopping 17.5 yards of distance increase), the shoe is the result of "two years of intensive research to perfect the shoe's biomechanics".

Are we buying any of this? You're probably not, but BogeyMan is a fool... so my review of the Hi-Tec CDT appears below (with follow-up updates to follow)...

For more info check out Hi-Tec online for yourself.

---

My initial thoughts on the Hi-Tec CDT Golf Shoes:

I finally had a chance to try these shoes last week and I have to say that I was impressed with the overall comfort and performance.

STYLING: There is no doubt that these are good looking traditional shoes and the quality and durability is easy to see. I look forward to seeing how they perform in wet conditions, but based on the construction I assume they will stay dry.

COMFORT: The Hi-Tecs come with two sets of insoles (regular and wide fit). I have always stayed away from the traditional golf shoes because of the narrow fit. My wide foot calls for a wide front (usually found in non-traditional golf shoes - i.e. Cyclonic, ECCO, etc...), but these traditional looking shoes fit nicely even with the regular fit insole.

If there was any discomfort, it was with the fact that the spikes on these shoes dig so deep that I found my feet catching ground when I was just walking up the fairway.

PERFORMANCE: While I didn't see (or expect) the marked improvement in distance that the shoes claim, I honestly did feel more balanced over the ball. I also felt that some thought did go into the shoe's design when it came to the golf swing and the body's weight shift from takeaway to follow through.

OVERALL: Probably not worth the price tag ($129), but still a very nice shoe. Comfort, quality, and performance are all above average.

UPDATED JUNE 17, 2005 - I was wrong. This shoe is very much worth the $129 price. Once I started wearing these regularly (and breaking them in), I couldn't switch back to some of my other shoes. They may not be the best looking in my collection, but they have now become the most comfortable golf shoes I own.

They stay dry in all conditions, and provide better support than I have ever gotten from a cleated shoe.

Try them, and you won't be sorry.

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Posted by BogeyMan
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