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9 Must-Have Golfing Accessories to Take Your Game to the Next Level

Golf may be “the gentleman’s game,” but when it comes to getting a leg up on your competition, the game is anything but gentlemanly.

Whether it’s fine-tuning their short game or buying new gear, golfers are always trying to get a leg up on the competition. In this article, we’ll be focusing on the latter. With the competition in golf as stiff as it is, you need all the help you can get.

9 Golfing Accessories You Need In Your Bag

Some sports, like tennis or hockey, rely extremely hard on gear for performance. If you don’t have the top-of-the-line racket or skates, you won’t be able to compete with the pros.

This is especially true for golf, but it doesn’t stop at golf clubs. There’s plenty more you can add to your golf bag to improve your performance. Here are the 9 best add-ons in the market.

1. Shag Balls

If you’re trying to improve your golf game, the thing you need most is practice. If you’re stuck behind a slow group of golfers out on the course, shag balls are the perfect target practice.

No one wants to waste time out on the course, and practicing your swing on shag balls during those idle periods is time-well-spent.

2. The Blast Motion Swing and Stroke Analyzer

On top of practice, you also need data to improve your game. This nifty technology from Blast Motion can deliver just that.

How it works is simple: You attach this little device on to the grip of your golf club and tracks the quality of your swings. It tracks the speed of your swing, measures your timing, and uses a compass to create a 3D map of each of your strokes.

With this data, you’ll be able to hone in on imperfections in your game and adjust accordingly.

3. Garmin S6 Approach Watch

When playing a new course, it’s helpful to know the ins-and-outs of the green, like the yardage of each hole. This watch is loaded with in-depth information of over 39,000 golf courses worldwide.

It also has a digital scorecard and can display text messages and emails from your phone.

4. A Rangefinder

If you don’t want to go the watch route, you can use a rangefinder like the Leupold GX to get extremely accurate yardage readings. This rangefinder can also record the incline or decline of the course, as well as the temperature and the altitude.

Of course, you want to be able to intuit this sort of thing over time, but you can use this as a training tool. Before taking your readings, try guessing the yardage or incline/decline. You’ll find that you’ll get more accurate over time. It’s like developing a superpower!

5. The EZee Golf Power Club

Golfing, like any other physical activity, becomes more difficult to do with age. But age or injury doesn’t have to prevent you from hitting the golf courses these days.

If those intense swings when teeing off cause you too much pain you can get a little help from this piston-powered driver. With the hard part out of the way, you can still work on your short game.

6. Putter Grips

Speaking of your short game, it can benefit greatly with some updated putter grips, like these. Putters can be tricky and a lot of the stock grips on these clubs aren’t great for a lot of players.

Since putting is such a fine motor movement, you need all the help you can get. One slip-up could ruin your performance on the course. These Lamkin putter grips add a little weight to your club, giving your put some more heft. This added weight theoretically smooths out your swing if you’ve got a hitch in your putting motion.

7. Swingbyte 2 Training Aid

The Swingbyte 2 Training Aid is a lot like the Blast Motion stroke analyzer but can monitor even finer motor movements. It monitors all the same things in your swings like speed, tempo, and angle. But it can also check for things like if you’re rotating your clubface accurately on drives.

It also weighs less than an ounce, so having it clipped to your club shouldn’t affect your swing at all. The accompanying smartphone app is loaded with personalized lesson plans to improve your game as well.

8. Customized Golf Gloves

Golf requires that you have an iron-clad grip. You can’t tee off right if your hands are slipping and sliding around the grip on your club.

If you don’t already have gloves, you should get a pair tailored perfectly for your hand. These gloves by Gfore, for example, have fine-tuned size options to ensure a perfect, snug fit.

You’ll find that your golf game will improve a lot with a good pair of gloves.

9. Titleist Pro V1 Golf Balls

A good golf club is essential for good gold performance, but their quality is negated if you’re hitting rocks off the tee.

Any quality golf ball will vastly improve your game, but we recommend the Titleist Pro V1 golf balls. It’s the ball most PGA pros use and for good reason. The ball is constructed with an ultra-soft outer layer perfect for soft puts around the hole. But it also retains enough aerodynamic qualities so that no power is lost when driving off the tee.

Titleist ensures that using this ball will result in longer distance drives and more consistent flight.

Ready to Hit The Green?

With these golfing accessories, you’ll be able to improve your game and dominate the courses in no time flat. It’s important, however, to remember the fundamentals. A pair of gloves alone isn’t going to help you improve your game.

It’s easy to get lost in buying new gear, but you need to remain dedicated to improving the basics of your game.

If you need any more advice on recommendations on training golf gear, check out the training section of our website. Happy golfing!

Top 7 Apps to Help You Play Golf Like a Pro

Heading out to the golf course is a popular American pastime. In 2016, over 23 million golfers took to the links.

While the basics of golfing haven’t changed over the years, the technology available to players has.

Using golf technology to improve your game can lower your score and maybe even give you bragging rights in the clubhouse.

Whether it’s using the latest clubs to improve your swing or using GPS technology to track the distance to the green, there are many ways for technology to improve your game.

One key piece of technology that you likely have access to is the smartphone.

Your smartphone can do more than take pictures or allow you to text your friends about that birdie putt. It also offers access to an array of golfing apps you can use to help you progress and become a better golfer.

We’re here to tell you about the 7 best golf apps that can help improve your golf game.

Top 7 Apps You Don’t Want to Play Golf Without

There is no shortage of golf-related apps you could choose. We’ve selected to 7 we feel are the best for improving your golf game.

1. Golf Channel Academy

This app is a great addition if you’re trying to improve your swing. The app provides access to a collection of over 2,000 videos from top golfing instructors.

No matter what aspect of your swing you’re trying to improve, there’s no shortage of videos from pro golfers explaining how to make your swing better and improve your game.

If watching videos isn’t enough to improve your swing, you can use the app to find a Golf Channel Academy coach nearby who can work with you in person.

All these features make the Golf Chanel Academy a great app.

2. Golfshot: GPS + Scorecard + Tee Times

Another great app, Golfshot can help you with keeping track of your score. But it doesn’t just keep track of your score, you can use the app to track the scores of friends as well as you play golf.

The app also allows creates graphs of your performance in driving, your short game, and putting. This means you’ll have insights into your golf game you can use to improve your performance.

If that wasn’t enough, it will provide you with distances for over 38.000 golf courses, so you don’t have to guess how far away the green is.

If you go for the Golfshot Plus version of the app, you’ll be able to find real-time distances to the green and hazards. You’ll also get a 3D flyover preview of each hole and personalized club recommendations based on your previous shots.

3. Golf Nearby

This app has an expansive list of golf courses around the world. Using this app, you’ll have no trouble finding the nearest golf course when you want to play golf.

The app is great if you’re a frequent traveler but still want to be able to find a golf course that meets your needs wherever you are. You’ll always be able to practice even when you’re in an unfamiliar area.

It will also give you directions to the course, contact information so you can set up your tee time, and even give you an overview of the course.

This makes Golf Nearby a handy travel accessory for those of you who are determined to get in a round while on the road.

4. TheGrint – All Golf. One APP

Maybe you’re the type who doesn’t want to load your phone with all sorts of different golfing apps. If so, then this is the only app you’ll need.

This app serves as a GPS rangefinder, handicap calculator, and can track live scoring. Also, the app helps you book tee times and track your performance, so you can see how your game is progressing and where you need to improve.

It’s hard to beat this one as your go-to app of choice.

5. V1 Golf

A great tool for improving your golf swing, this app allows you to use your phone’s camera to record and analyze your swing.

The app lets you analyze your swing in slow motion as well as frame by frame. You can edit the video and even add notes to it.

One great feature of this app is the ability to compare your swing to the swings of over 50 professional golfers from the PGA, LPGA, and Champion Players tour. This allows you to see how your swing stacks up against top golfers and find ways to make your swing better.

6. mScorecard

While this is predominantly a scorecard app, it offers other features that will help you improve your game. Naturally, it helps you keep track of your score, strokes, sand shots, chips, saves, penalties, putts and other scoring metrics.

But it also has some GPS features to help determine the distance to the green or hazards along the course. It will also keep track of your game histories and stats, so you can use this information to find new insights into your game.

7. Swingbot

Another app you can use to analyze your swing, the Swingbot features video playback and allows you to upload the video from your smartphone.

What sets this app apart from other swing improvement apps is its ability to give instant feedback about your swing as you play golf. This means you can use it while you’re out on the course as well as when you’re practicing your swing.

Ever wonder what went wrong with that last shot? Look at the app and you’ll be able to see your last swing. By uploading the videos to a library, you’ll also be able to track how your swing is changing over time.

Hitting the Course

Before heading out to play golf, you should download some of the great golfing apps here.

These apps can help you improve your game and make your day on the links more enjoyable.

We’re always happy to get feedback on any great golf apps you’ve found. Let us know if you have any favorites we didn’t mention.

2018 Golf Predictions – the Future of the Game

Some people believe that Nostradamus was foretelling the election of Donald Trump when he predicted, “The great shameless, audacious bawler, he will be elected governor of the army.” Not a bad prediction considering he was writing in 1566. Want to know what will happen in the 2018 golf world?

One of the reasons we love golf is that it is full of surprises. On and off the course predictions are difficult. For this very reason, it’s great fun to discuss and debate the future.

So, just for fun, read on for a bunch of 2018 golf predictions.

A Brief Look Back

Predicting the future is best done with an eye to the past. What was your highlight of 2017? For many, it was a moment on the 13th at the Open at Royal Birkdale. Jordon Spieth was at a turning point.

He could have crashed and burned just as he had the previous year at the Masters. From an unplayable position and in a tie with Kucher he was set to lose. He took his next shot from the driving range and then with three birdies and an eagle, lifted the Claret Jug.

This proves that one thing we can be sure of is, this game we love is full of surprises.

More to Life Than Golf

Before we get more deeply into the 2018 golf predictions it is worth mentioning that 2018 is a year full of sport and two certain predictions.

The Winter Olympics and then the Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea in February and March will be the biggest event of the year. A safe prediction will be, last times host and top medal winner, Russia, will win no medals. They are excluded from the games due to doping offenses.

Another major global event will be the Soccer World Cup which takes place in Russia in June and July. It’s safe to predict that the USA will not win. The US team failed to qualify for the tournament.

Tiger Burning Bright

Tiger Woods must appear more often than any player in annual golf predictions. At the Hero World Challenge last year he achieved eight under par and beat the likes of world number 1, Duston Johnson. His recent spinal operation has left him pain-free for the first time in many years.

What can he achieve in 2018? Sponsors love him and golf fans love him too. He could surprise us with a return to winning ways. So Tiger to win a tournament in 2018 is my first 2018 golf prediction.

Grand Slam

Jordon Spieth still needs to win the PGA Championship to complete a career grand slam. After his performance at the Open at Royal Birkdale in 2017, he has demonstrated the mental strength to deliver when it matters.

He is young and so the pressure of having to achieve his career grand slam before it’s too late is not there.

Speith jointly owns the Masters Scoring Record with an 18-under 270 to win in 2015. He shares this record with Tiger Woods. My prediction is he will also complete his career grand slam in 2018.

Up and Coming

It’s always exciting to watch the new talent emerge from obscurity. Tiger Woods had a great school golf record and tying with his record is Maverick McNealy.

He starts this season with no status on any major tour just like Jordan Spieth in 2012. It didn’t hold Jordan back and it needn’t hold McNealy back either. My prediction is McNealy is the 2018 golf newcomer to watch.

LPGA Winner

“Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful.” So said Zig Zigler. Lexi Thompson has had a tough time in 2017.

A bizarre four-stroke penalty at the ANA Inspiration cost her a major championship title. Later in the year, she has had to endure family illness and bereavement. In 2017, her nine top-ten finishes, two of them wins shows her talent.

I predict, Lexi Thompson coming back from adversity in 2018 and winning several majors.

Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup will be very closely contested in 2018. The US has not won in Europe for 25 years. With half a dozen superstars in the team and local knowledge, Europe looks a good bet.

The US win in Hazeltine was impressive and perhaps the time has come for a US victory in Europe. My prediction is that the US will have to wait a little longer and the Europeans will triumph.

Golf Balls

Golf ball brands are competing for your golfing dollar. The balls available in 2018 include soft, hard, control, distance, spin reduction, soft center and more. The choice is bewildering.

My prediction is your ball will be the only item of golf equipment you use for every shot. Find one you like and stick with it, at least for 2018. Use it in practice and competition.

Golf GPS

Golf has seen huge steps forward in technology. Clubs, balls, and clothing have all benefitted from this.

If you don’t own a golf GPS you may be one of the many golfers who will feel that 2018 is the year to invest. With a golf GPS, you can play any course as if you have played it many times before. The technology has come on so far and now provides powerful, pinpoint information.

The addition of swing analysis, details about locations of water and traps, and distance to the hole all support your golf game. Post-Game analytics help you improve too. I predict better scores and more enjoyable golf for users of golf GPS.

2018 Golf

The 2018 golf year will see majors at, US Masters at Augusta National in April, US Open at Shinnecock Hills in June, Open Championship at Carnoustie and US PGA at Bellerive in August. Lots of great golf to look forward to.

Your golf year might see you with a new club, a new course or a new love for the game. Whatever it is, my confident prediction is golf will still hold a fascination for golfers all over the world for many years to come.

To read more about golf and golf gear, click here.

5 Reasons to Use a Golf GPS Device

Hitting the links never feels so good as when you do it with total confidence. Knowing every blade of a course gives an immense feeling of accomplishment that resonates in your game.

With golf GPS apps and devices, any course can be played with total familiarity, even if you’ve never set foot on the fairway. These apps and devices add a touch of augmented reality to provide a powerful experience.

Whether you are looking to excel at a new course, push the limits of your favorite, or just have a relaxing day on the fairway, these devices can help.

Not convinced? Consider these following 5 reasons you should be on board with a golf GPS.

Golf GPS

GPS has come a long way in the past 10 years. What was once a sort of novelty for geocachers has expanded to be a common part of every digital technology.

Much like a typical GPS a golf GPS uses satellite data and tracking software to triangulate a location. Built into a watch, a smartphone, or other handheld devices, the system gives powerful and precise information about a course. Some services boast as many as 40,000 courses in the library and those libraries are growing.

Topical displays and features different from one device/service to the next, but in general they all serve the same purpose, to improve your game by adding vital information.

Let’s explore what these features provide in the following list.

1 A Digital Caddy

If you have played with a caddy, you know how invaluable they can be to explaining the features of a course. They also know what clubs to recommend given the terrain, weather, and other conditions. They provide a valuable service that often only the pros and semi-pros get to benefit from.

With a golf GPS, you have the next best thing at your disposal. You can store information about your average swing distance with each club and the programs can recommend clubs based on distance and situation.

Even if you don’t use a swing analyzer knowing where the water hazards are, the distance to the hole, curvature, and grade of the fairway, in addition to other factors, will let you make better decisions and give you that professional experience.

If nothing else, these programs offer a second perspective, a voice outside your own. Being able to keep that kind of objectivity can do wonders for keeping you focused on the game.

2 Enhanced Situational Awareness

Familiarity with a course, as mentioned, gives a lot of advantages for not only playing a good game but enjoying the game you play. While it can take many plays on a course to get into the mindset of playing the strengths and avoiding the traps, a golf GPS can provide that info up-front.

Knowing not just the distance to the hole, but where the rough starts, where the water and sand hazards are located, and the slope of a green can all contribute to a solid game.

When you land a ball outside of the fairway and need to orient to the hole and push hard to recover a stroke GPS knowledge gives an advantage. The kind of advantage that normally only comes with repeated experience.

3 Speed Up Your Game

You may have different objectives for a game, be it simply to enjoy the day or improve your overall game. Either way, utilizing a golf GPS can improve the flow of your game and the speed of play.

This is not to say that the apps will rush you, just that you won’t’ have to spend valuable time measuring, eyeballing, or considering distances. No need to walk and pace and stare at the clubs to think about the situation when the information you need can be present.

This puts more of the time you spend playing the game into playing the game.

4 More Enjoyment

Taking a single stroke off a rough hole can have a ripple effect on the whole day. When you come up with a strategy and finish a tricky shot, you feel that sense of accomplishment from improvement.

These types of achievements come more readily when you have the information you need at your fingertips.

One of the greatest values of an app or device comes from its utilitarian nature. You decide how it is used, so you decide what enjoyment means to you. While improving the game might be a benefit for some, spending more time really playing the course might be best for others.

Don’t lose sight of the forest for the trees, so to speak.

With a golf GPS, you can plot out your whole game moving from hole to hole before you get to the site. Then you can measure and make your play against your ideal strategy. This kind of tactical planning and execution brings a lot to a game.

5 Post-Game Analysis

Golf GPS apps and devices help catalog information as you go. With help from swing analyzers and scorecards, you can see where your best lies fall and where you need improvement.

Analysis can help you see where you went wrong, see what you did right, or figure out which club choices should change for the future. If nothing else, a digital record can help you recall what choices you made when memory fails.

Recording a game also lets you play back the markers. It never hurts to show off a bit of your technique to friends and colleagues. (Well, it can hurt some feelings, but it will also inspire them to seek you out for some advice in the future.)

Some apps even let you list your scores online. You can use this to chart progress over time, or join and compete on leaderboards to show off your game to others playing the course.

Learn More

Propel your game into the 21st century with cutting edge tech and the knowledge to utilize its potential.

If you are interested in golf GPS, or any of the other emerging digital technologies that are shaping modern golf game, check out our Golf Talk blog. We have product reviews and guides for a lot of golf equipment, accessories, and apparel.

Gear Review – FX-Sport VC Golf Headphones

We recently had the chance to review a new golf product called the VC Golf Headphones by FX-Sport based out of the UK.

Who Are They

First lets take a look at the company behind the product. FX-Sport is centered around coaching and training and puts together audio for wireless headphones that you wear while you work out and train.

They have several products that are geared toward workouts and weight training. They have several conditioning coaches and personal trainers who have recorded audio and you can upload them onto their VRX model. The selection is pretty extensive ranging from basketball, cardio, triathlon, and swimming. We took a look at the VC-Golf product specifically and wanted to share our geek thoughts on it.

For their VC-Golf Headphones they got a A-team of golf and sport psychologist and trainers to create the content. Check out their crack team:

Dr. Morris Pickens – Sports Psychologist with a strength in competitive performance enhancement. Clients have a combined 27 PGA Tour victories.

David MacKenzie – Founder of ‘Golf State of Mind’ and a 10 year performance coach. Students include PGA, LPGA, and NCAA golfers.

Karen Palacios-Jansen – Golf Digest’s Top Female Instructors, owner of Swing Blade Enterprises, and a Nike Golf Performance Specialist and created Cardiogolf.

Dr. Mark Smith – Advisory Board Member for TPI and has a doctorate in exercise physiology and owns The Spa and Sports Center in California.

Needless to say, they know what they are talking about and provide the best coaching and insights in golf available.

Why You Need Them

Mental toughness is a crucial component in any sport, but especially golf. Being able to concentrate and focus on the shot and swing in the moment is a skill and it does NOT come naturally. You must practice and be aware of this in able to improve. I personally think the earlier you practice mental toughness, the better off you will be…like I mean as soon as you think you want to start playing golf. The sooner the better.

In our multiple gadget world of blue light, the art of focusing on a single task can be lost. This is why I personally love to play golf..the quietness and calmness of the course.

Now on a professional level, the pressure is a lot different. Money is on the line and rankings are fluid.

For amateur golfers like myself, concentration can lead to a happy golf round..and therefor a happier overall day! For professionals, its higher standings and more confidence going into the next tournament.

How It Works

Ok, lets get into the nitty gritty of these headphones.

Physically, the headphones are nice with no wires to get tangled. They are water-resistant and sweat-proof. They are pretty comfortable and do not squish your ears too much (if you have big ears like me, this happens a lot). After swinging and walking for a long period of time, they did not move or fall off.

Most of the tracks that are pre-loaded on them are all about preparing yourself mentally for the game of golf, boosting your confidence, bettering your body language, and be able to relax in the moment. These are great to listen to while at the range or right before a round.

There are also workout drills. These are challenging scenarios that are intended to simulate a tricky shot in order to prepare your nerves for the real thing.

The only con I have with them is that they are a little tricky to figure out at first. Since they don’t have a screen or display to show what is playing or to scroll through the tracks, it can get a little confusing. After a few minutes though you get the hang of it.

The workout drills can play simultaneously with the psychological tracks which is also a little confusing. The drills are meant to be used in real time so the other tracks (music or audio) can fill the void if you don’t want the silence.

They do have a USB port and you are able to transfer your MP3’s onto the headphones although you must use their software to do this. Downloading is easy for Mac or PC.

Some other key features:

5 hour battery life from a lithium ion battery (included) – more than enough time for a round of golf or practice. And don’t worry..no fires or explosions!
Compatible with other workouts from FX-Sports including swimming, basketball, weight training, and cardio to name a few.
The Cardiogolf warm up and workouts – Keep loose! I mean how else is Phil still playing…
Comes with USB cord and storage case
Able to customize your own workouts – With the FX-Sport software, you can upload your own personal drills and commentary..if your not sick of your own voice

How To Make It Useful

Ok, so think of these headphones as the equivalent as a personal psychological and golf coach standing right behind you giving you valuable advice. FX-Sports have done a great job of getting the best coaches and doctors in the industry to put together a training and practice routine for everyday golfers.

Personally, I would use these while at the range or putting green and maybe right before going out for a round. Again, these are for the (beginning and intermediate level ) golfers who are more serious about getting better at the game than most. It is a tool to better your golfing mindset and get focused on lowering that score and having for fun out there!

The 12 Days of Golf Gifts Starts Right Here

Long gone are the days of buying bag stocking gifts like packs of balls and boring gloves for the golf lover in your life.

With endless options for tech gear and useful gadgets available for any price range, you’re sure to find a gift they’ll love.

Keep these 12 awesome golf gifts in mind for this upcoming holiday season.

1. Aguila Golf Virtual Reality Golf Trainer

The Aguila Golf virtual reality headset allows the golfer in your life to be fully immersed in a 360-degree virtual environment.

The headset works when paired with any smartphone and allows for various on-course situations to be faced and worked through. Over time using the Aguila Golf headset will improve your game through accurate assessment of shots.

The app this headset pairs with comes with statistics, visual training guides, golf lessons, and fun facts about rules and the game itself.

2. FlightScope Mevo

The FlightScope Mevo is one of the best launch monitors you can buy.

This launch monitor records and analyzes your performance. You can pair your FlightScope Mevo with your Android or iPhone smartphone to capture and playback video directly on your phone.

This seamless experience allows you to practice without any interruptions since your video will be clipped and saved with your performance data overlaid. This technology also allows for easy sharing of your stats.

3. The Power Package

The Power Package claims to help you “swing like a pro” and the reviews of this product say it doesn’t disappoint.

This swing trainer helps to correct all of the most common problems golfers face when they’re perfecting their swing all at once.

With the Power Package, you’ll be training your arms and your hands to swing through with the most accuracy and power possible, every single time.

4. SkyTrak Launch Monitor

Another amazing launch monitor, the SkyTrak is a real-time practice and play monitoring system.

The SkyTrak can be synced up with your smartphone or PC device where you can capture and see your launch and ball flight data immediately after hitting the ball. The ability to receive and display this instant feedback is revolutionary in personal launch monitors.

5. Arccos 360

The Arccos 360 is a live shot tracking system with a set of 14 sensors to make sure you have one for every club in your bag.

With the Arccos 360 you can know exactly how far you are from any point on the course, intuitively learn which club to use in varying circumstances, and begin to point out your strengths and weaknesses in your game.

6. GolfBuddy Voice 2

The GolfBuddy Voice 2 is an audio distance measuring device that is tournament legal and pre-loaded with more than 38,000 global golf courses.

This compact system can be kept on a watch, a belt clip, or simply slipped into your pocket.

The GolfBuddy Voice 2 is able to show you the distance to the back, front, and center of the green and allow you to see a dynamic view of the green from the golfer’s perspective.

7. Garmin Approach S60

As far as golf gifts, The Garmin Approach S60 is one that anyone will love thanks to its offerings of GPS tracking and a large, sunlight-friendly easily readable full-color touchscreen display.

This watch allows you to get incredibly precise measurements to any point on the course and see where you’re at on course maps.

The battery life on this smartwatch is up to 10 days in regular watch mode and up to 10 hours when you’re in golf mode.

8. RolFlex

When looking for golf gifts, The RolFlex is perfect for unwinding and helping your muscles out after a long practice session.

The design of the RolFlex helps to promote healthy muscle tissue and alleviate pain by applying pressure to trigger points deep within muscles.

Using a RolFlex will cut down on recovery times and ease muscle tension and soreness that may result from a day on the course.

Unlike most foam rollers that are bulky and a pain in the butt to use, the RolFlex is compact and designed in a way that allows you to roll away your muscle fatigue without exerting so much energy that you’re defeating the purpose of a roller.

9. Bushnell Tour V4 Rangefinder

The Bushnell Tour V4 Rangefinder is, as its name would suggest, a tournament legal rangefinder that uses technology to make golfer’s lives easier.

With a combination of accuracy, speed, compact size, and Slop and JOLT technology, this rangefinder allows golfers to pinpoint the exact distance down to the green.

The JOLT technology is quick and accurate and lets the golfer know that the rangefinder has locked onto the flag with quick bursts of vibration.

10. Golf Pride MCC Align Grips

These Golf Pride grips are rubber and cord hybrid grips that are perfect for performance in any weather.

The Align technology aids in golfers getting the perfect grip and hand placement to play their best game every time. This technology works through a red, raised ridge along the back of the grip that promotes more awareness of the swing and a square hit.

11. Cobra Connect

With the Cobra Connect, you can see real-time data about every shot you hit via sensors that fit directly into the top of your grips.

These sensors pair with the Arccos Driver App to allow you to review your distance on your smartphone as soon as you hit the ball.

After your game, you can review your average driving distance, the number of fairway hits you had, and your longest drive.

12. Zepp Golf 3D Swing Analyzer

The Zepp Golf 3D Swing Analyzer is able to analyze your performance after a few quick swings.

After the technology analyzes your swing, you’re able to get immediate feedback and smart coaching within the app to guide you to an improved game.

Get the Best in Golf Gifts this Year

Get the golf fanatic in your life one of these golf gifts that they’ll love for years to come.

Use this list of 12 of our favorite golf gadgets to get some ideas, and check out our list of golf technology that will improve your game while you’re at it.

Drop us a comment below and let us know what else we should have included on our list!

7 New Golf Courses Opening in 2018

Are you looking for a new place to play golf?

Indoor putting greens and golf simulators are great for practice, but there’s nothing like getting out there on a beautiful, brand new golf course. Next year, there are lots opening up around the world to satisfy all your golfing desires.

Read on to find out what new golf courses are coming in 2018.

New Golf Courses We Can’t Wait to Play On

1. Sage Run Golf Club

The Sage Run Golf Club is a hotly anticipated new course in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

The course is built over a drumlin, which is a large sloping hill that has formed into an oval shape. This challenges players to move with it in different directions, playing on open and wooded areas as well as through pine scrubs.

Water is only involved in one or two holes throughout the entire course, and players are said to have no forced carries at all.

The course is part of the Island Resort, which also features a casino. Book a stay and play package for a long weekend, and you can enjoy a relaxing spa and evening entertainment after a long day of golfing.

Once you’ve played there, you can also hop over to the nearby Sweetgrass Golf Club to enjoy another game.

2. Baylands Golf Links

Bayland Golf Links is currently being built on the same site that California’s Palo Alto Municipal Golf Club once occupied.

The old course was fraught with flooding problems. This prompted a huge reconfiguration project to transform it into a course that California can be proud of. Wetlands and marshland areas are being incorporated into the course in order to provide better flood protection, so the new course won’t suffer the same fate as its predecessor.

Turfed areas are being replaced with natural ones, bringing the course more in line with the beautiful Baylands landscape. Non-native trees are being removed, too. Instead, 300 new native trees are being brought in to be planted.

The course is set to open in the spring of 2018.

3. New Tempest Golf Club

Tempest Golf Club is currently under construction in Texas, on the site where the Southern Hills Golf Club once sat.

The course spans more than 7,000 yards, with one hole alone playing over a 450-yard stretch. This is the eleventh hole of the course, which is deemed to be the most challenging.

The course is due to open in July 2018.

4. New Utah Golf Club

Utah is soon to get a brand new golf course in the city of Hurricane.

The first half of the course is set in grassy valleys, while the second half is on more difficult terrain, with plenty of hills. Throughout your game, you’ll be able to admire the beautiful backdrop of Pine Mountain.

The course will also feature a driving range for golfers who just want to get a little practice. Dale Beddo, designer of the course, says this is an important part of the facility and will make it a complete product.

The driving range will be 345-yards long. There’ll also be a short game area covering four acres, spanning over uphill, downhill, sidehill, and rough terrains.

This course will be open to the public in September next year.

5. Cromwell Golf Resort

Plans for a new multi-million-dollar resort are underway on New Zealand’s southern island.

The project is a partnership between Kiwi pro golfer Phil Tataurangi and golf course designer Brett Thompson. It covers a huge area of land next to the Highlands Motorsport track, which mainly consists of flat terrain. Pine trees will provide shade in areas dotted around the course.

The course is designed for golf tourism rather than for hosting championship events, so just about anyone can play there.

If you’re into motorsports as well as golf, this course should be on your list. Keep your eyes peeled for opening dates for this one!

6. Le Mont Choisy

If you’re looking to take a golfing holiday in a gorgeous tropical location, this course could be just the one for you.

Le Mont Choisy is opening in Mauritius, taking its name from the stretch of land it covers, starting from what was once lush sugar cane fields and ending at the coast.

Now, it’s home to one of the world’s most luxurious golfing resorts. However, that doesn’t mean the site’s history has been erased. The designers vowed to preserve the environmental and historical heritage of the site while turning it into a great golfing destination.

The course is set on a site of incredible natural beauty. As you play, you can observe the wildlife, with yellow canaries chirping in the trees around you.

It’s designed to provide numerous options for each hole, so golf enthusiasts can come back to play again and again and have a different experience each time.

7. Links Valley

Links Valley is one of the most exciting new golf courses set to open next year. This is because it brings something different to the game. Instead of playing the traditional way, from hole 1 to hole 18, you’ll be able to play this 9-hole course from either direction.

That’s right, this golf course if completely reversible. That means there are two different courses in just one area of land. This is a relatively new concept to the game, although there are some existing reversible golf courses. One of them is The Loop at Forest Dunes, situated in Michigan.

This course is being built in Ullerbeg, Netherlands, on a former sand quarry site. The course will feature height differences of up to 20 meters, over sandy areas, pine tree-lined heathlands, and green, grassy plains.

While no specific date has been set for a grand opening, it’s expected to be open for the summer of 2018.

Everything a Golfer Needs

Now that you know all the new golf courses that you’ve got to look forward to visiting next year, you can get ready to play!

Part of preparing for a big golfing trip is honing your swing and improving your putting skills. We can help you do just that.

Before you get practicing, see our list of 7 golf putting tips to improve your game on the green.

7 Golf Putting Tips To Improve Your Game On The Green

Do you need to improve your putting skills for your next big golf outing?

You don’t have to be a pro to play a killer game. A few minor changes can improve your putting skills drastically.

With these seven golf putting tips you’ll be able to impress your friends or co-workers on the green.

If you want to take control of your scores, follow these simple tips.

1. Use Your Eyes

Your eyes have more effect on your posture than you might think. Always make sure your eyes are directly over the ball, and you bend your hips instead of your waist.

You could have an inconsistent stroke if your eyes aren’t directly over the ball. This could mean you’re standing too close or too far. If you do a good job aligning your eyes with the ball, you’ll also aim better at your target.

To get better at aligning the ball you need to practice. Following a few simple exercises could make your eye-ball coordination more accurate.

One trick is to place a golf ball on the ground and stare at it. Then hold a second ball on the bridge of your nose and let it drop. If the ball falls directly on the ground, then your set up is on point.

2. Identify Your Weakness

One of the most useful golf putting tips is to identify your weakness. A simple way to do so is by keeping your statistics. Track your fairways hits, short games up and down, and greens.

Try tracking your statistics using an electronic tracker that records your results for each part of the game.

You could also try to incorporate a pre-shot routine. Sometimes your weakness might be poor alignment. Work on aligning your shot by practicing proper alignment and proper ball positioning.

3. Block Out Noise

There’s no predicting what noises could be distracting to you on the golf course. You could be distracted by other golfers talking, golf carts passing by, and even birds singing.

You need to have a strong mental strength to be able to block out the noise. Some golfers work horizontally. This means they look for a flat line anywhere in the background.

If you have a cap or visor, it’s easier to block anything else outside the horizontal line. If you don’t have one, you can always put your hands around the frames of your eyes.

Anything you block with your peripheral vision is included in the horizontal zone. You can mentally train yourself to block any noise that is directly above your eyes.

4. Rotate Your Torso

Golf putting tips for a better swing almost always include rotating your torso. The torso is the engine source of a golf swing.

Many golf players don’t use their torso to its capacity and end up enlisting the help of their arms and wrists. There’s limited up and down movement involving the wrists and arms.

To improve your backswing, identity your spine’s angle and correct your posture. Then, rotate your core as you turn your torso away from your target. Position your left shoulder over your right leg and then your left.

When you practice the downswing, do the opposite of the backswing.

5. Practice Putting

A lot of players think going to the range and hitting balls will provide the practice they need. In reality, they don’t put as much thought into it as it should. The key is to pay attention to your movements and find opportunities to improve.

To improve their game, golfers should take warming up seriously. Before practice, they should perform about 10 to 15 minutes of stretching. This should be followed by hitting the balls in a slow smooth swing using a wedge.

If you know there’s a position you need to improve, spend 10 to 15 minutes working on it. Then, move to 10 minutes of practicing different shots. Change clubs after every two swings.

Lastly, work on your short game for 20 to 30 minutes.

6. Chipping

Chipping often ignored by many amateur golfers. This practice involves short shots using any golf club. The idea behind it is to have the ball reach the green and roll as soon as you can.

To begin, pick your spot of reference where you want to aim the ball. Try to find a spot on the putting surface. Avoid having your chip land on any uneven, rough, or sloping ground.

Before you hit the ball, visualize the shot in your mind. Try to be as precise as you can hitting the target.

7. Side-to-Side Survey

Golfers are used to surveying the ball’s distance to the hole. They rarely think about the side-to-side distance.

Many golf putting tips forget to mention the importance of side-to-side scoping. If you scan the distance of the ball to the hole, it’s a vertical movement. What you want to see is if the ball will be moving uphill or downhill.

A horizontal survey helps you visualize the side-to-side movement of the ball. You can scan it in a few steps.

Step 1: Stand behind the hole and examine the ball from about three feet away.

Step 2: Place two coins on each side of the ball and try to connect them in your mind. Imagine them about four feet apart.

Step 3: Squat down and place two coins on each side of the ball. You’ll be able to notice if one coin is lower. This will give you an idea of any slope.

Step 4: Walk around and repeat the squat down movement. Continue doing so until the coins align. After some practice, you won’t need the coins and it could all be done mentally.

Did You Learn New Golf Putting Tips?

Now that you’ve learned about these 7 tips to improve your game, it’s time you gear up like a pro.

We have reviewed hundreds of golf gear items to provide you with the best equipment.

Check us out and learn about the best golf gear in the market!

Golf Technology to Improve Your Game

Remember when we used to play golf with pebbles and wooden clubs? Of course not, but that’s what the sport was like when it first began in Scotland in the 1400’s.

Today, you can buy high-tech clubs with adjustable loft, face, and shape, GPS watches that tell you exactly how far away from the hole you are, and sensors that map your swing.

Relatively speaking, the way we play golf and the way we solve problems with technology today is new. But, with all these new pieces of golf technology, it’s even easier to help players, new and veteran, improve their golf game.

To help you improve your game, we’ve compiled a list of golf electronics that can help you improve your game.

Typical Golf Problems

For this purpose, let’s say golf problems tend to fall into one of three categories: swing, distance, and grip.

Swing

Swing problems are far and away the hardest problem golfers have because there are so many types of swing problems. When you swing a golf club, so many muscle groups have to coordinate to result in the golf ball going as far, high, and straight as you want it to.

While you can easily find guides to fixing different swing problems in magazines, the best way to nowadays are video tutorials and lessons. Check out Adam Young’s The Strike Plan for a 17 Video Series on the proper golf swing!

Distance

Not being able to visualize distance and adjust your power to how far you want the ball to go is a common issue and is something that requires a bit of coaching to fix.

You might also face challenges where your swing is not powerful enough to get your ball far enough down the fairway. This simply takes practice and strength exercises but can be fixed in the interim with a stronger golf club to make up the difference.

Grip

Your grip on the club has a heavy influence on your swing and how the golf ball will go down the range. As with swing problems, you can find plenty of published articles on how to adjust your grip to improve your golf game.

The other grip to consider is your grip on the ground. Having traction on the ground can help you make faster movements when you strike the ball. Over recent years, there have been many traction improvements in golf shoes which allow the wearer to rotate and lift off the ground when he wants.

Golf Technology to Improve Your Game

Swing Analyzer

Most golf sources agree that the Zepp Golf 3D training system provides the best value for your money. It’s an easy-to-use device with a simple user interface.

The sensor clips onto the back of your golf club and continuously links to your phone (iOS or Android) over bluetooth. With each swing, the Zepp records hundreds of data points like club head speed, tempo, and swing plane.

After each swing, the app provides a 3D rendering of your swing and points out areas where you can improve. You can even compare your swing to those of professional golfers.

Here are some other swing analyzers to consider, or buy the Zepp Swing Analyzer on Amazon!

Swing Coach App

If you want a bit more instruction on your swing, try a golf coaching app.

V1 Golf allows you to take videos of yourself doing different swings. The app then points out areas where there are inconsistencies or where you could improve.

For a bit more coaching, you can send the videos to one of the thousands of golf professionals who are available on the app. Download it on IOS!

GPS Watch

GPS watches only recently entered the golf technology space. Runners have used them to track their speed over distance for years, and now golfers can use them to determine the distance to the green.

There are plenty of sleek options on the market, but Garmin has the most reliable lineup of golf watches. The Garmin Approach series and S40 series offer a variety of styles and price ranges, but both series offer real time distance to the hole and thousands of pre-loaded courses.

Be sure to read our reviews of golf GPS watches.

Range Finder

GPS watches might not be for everyone, but it’s still useful to know how far away you are from certain landmarks on the golf course.

The Leupold RX-1300 is a rangefinder with all the bells and whistles. It’s drop-proof, waterproof, and ridiculously accurate. Simply look through the viewfinder and use the laser pointer to mark your target, then the rangefinder tells you how far away it is.

Using a rangefinder can help you learn how to adjust your power for different distances.

Spiked Shoes

As we mentioned, spiked shoes give you more traction which helps you put more power behind your swing.

Adidas has been in the golf shoe game for many years, and their products never fail to impress their users. Their power brand Boa Boost has been a long standing go-to for players, and their new release has only improved upon last year’s model.

The shoes are waterproof, easily adjustable, and offer great mid-sole and lateral support.

Before buying spiked shoes, check with your regular course to ensure they allow spiked shoes.

Club Upgrade

Club upgrades should be dictated by where you’re experiencing problems in your golf game. Highly adjustable clubs can help if you tend to hit left and other clubs can help you improve speed.

The Callaway Epic Driver is as high tech as you can get. The club tapped into research from Boeing to develop the “energy lensing” concept which causes the majority of the impact to be taken by the face of the club.

Because the club can take on more impact, you get more ball speed and greater distance from the tee. It’s ultralight and a great investment for anyone looking to get greater ball speed and distance.

Connected Video Game

For those of you who think about your golf game constantly, consider getting the Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2014 game from EA. The game works with XBOX Kinect and PlayStation Move to analyze your posture, head movement, and swing plane.

You get to see the whole picture of your swing without needing to leave your living room. The epitome of golf technology.

Harnessing Golf Technology

While some may yearn for the days where golf was a simpler sport, others embrace the many advances in golf technology to help them improve their game.

Not all these technologies will make sense for you and your game, but they’re worth checking out.

For updates on newly available golf technology, check back with our blog regularly.

Golf Science: Aerodynamics of Golf Balls and Drivers

I’m sure you have been hearing a lot about aerodynamics and golf science lately. Especially as it pertains to drivers. Every time I start to research new drivers, there are so many manufacturers claiming to have some new science that lets their clubface slice through the air faster.

For you and I, that means faster swing speeds and closer to 300 yard drives. What is this science? Is this the same thing as the reason for dimples on a golf ball? Is it just a marketing gimmick? Or is it legit? Let’s see if we can try and get to the bottom of all this!

Aerodynamics Golf Balls

By now, I’m sure you know the general story of the golf ball and why it has dimples. The dimples decrease drag and lengthen ball flight. Let’s take a trip into the golf science of what’s going on.

If we could zoom in and see the air molecules right at the surface of the ball, we would see that they are getting stuck to the surface due to friction. In fact the velocity of the molecules right at the surface would be zero. As we moved outward away from the surface of the ball, the air molecules would be feeling the effect of the friction and would be exhibiting a decrease in velocity. At some point, after moving far enough away from the surface, the molecules don’t even know that a ball is traveling through them. The thin region of molecules which is being affected by the skin friction of the ball is called the boundary layer.

There are two types of boundary layers, laminar and turbulent. Laminar flow contains streamlines of molecules which are moving smoothly one behind the other in an orderly fashion. Turbulent flow is chaotic; streamlines break up and molecule movement is random. Both types of boundary layers will eventually separate from the surface.

The fundamental reason for flow separation is beyond the scope of this article but it has to do with the velocity profile of the boundary layer and the pressure gradient it faces. The bottom line is that turbulent boundary layers take longer to separate than laminar boundary layers. See fig 1

fig 1

Turbulent boundary layers want to stick to bodies moving through them. So as the molecules move to the back side of the ball, they stay closer to that back side of the ball more than a laminer boundary layer will. They wait to separate off the back. Why is that important? Well, once the air molecules separate off the back, they swirl around, cause eddies, and create a low pressure area directly behind the ball.

However, this low pressure isn’t acting alone. It is a lower pressure than the area directly in front of the ball. Air will always want to move from high pressure to low pressure to equalize itself, so the higher pressure air exerts a force against the front of the ball. This is the drag vector acting in the opposite direction of the forward velocity vector…you will hear this referred to as pressure drag.

Skin drag is different and is a product of how clean and smooth the moving body is. It is all about reducing friction and thus reducing those friction vectors at the surface which would be acting in the opposite direction of the velocity vector. So you are going to have pressure drag and skin drag both contributing. For a streamlined body, skin drag is a lot more of a problem than pressure drag. For a blunt body like a golf ball, pressure drag is a bigger problem. See fig 2

fig 2

So back to the low pressure area, directly behind the ball; if you can minimize that low pressure area on a blunt body, you will decrease the drag vector. The dimples on a golf ball transition the boundary layer from laminar to turbulent early on the body, the turbulent boundary layer sticks to the back side longer, decreases that low pressure area behind the ball, and thus decreases drag.

Aerodynamics of Golf Drivers

The same principles of golf balls apply to the heads of drivers. On your downswing, air molecules are flowing around the head and there is the presence of skin friction and flow separation leading to skin drag & pressure drag respectively. The head of a driver is still considered a blunt body, such that pressure drag will dominate over skin drag on your downswing.

As a result, we have seen an increased emphasis on aerodynamics for these clubs. The Computational Fluid Dynamics models (CFD) have become so powerful that they can predict precisely when the boundary layer will transition from laminar to turbulent. Remember, turbulant boundary layers will wait longer to separate from the trailing edge and thus decrease pressure drag. That means faster swing speeds for us.

Check out this promotional video for the Ping G driver:

The turbulators on the leading edge are transitioning the boundary layer to turbulent flow exactly like dimples do for a golf ball.

Now watch this video from Callaway who teamed with aerodynamicists from Boeing to design the XR 16:

(2:30 mark is when they start talking about aerodynamics)

They dialed in exactly where that trip step should be placed, and what shape it should be. So the next time you are just about to initiate that downswing, think of the aerodynamics principles of golf science that are about to happen around that club head and ball as it flies through the air. (like you don’t have enough to think about, right?)

reference:

Anderson, John David.

Introduction to Flight/John D. Anderson, Jr. – 4th Edition, 2000