2010 PGA Merchandise Show – Weszty Golf

I have a pal named John who makes a series of irons. His brand name is Weszty Golf. I’ve reviewed one set of the Weszty irons to date, with another review on the way soon. Here in this video below, I caught up with John and got the lowdown on his three models of

Read the rest here:
2010 PGA Merchandise Show Weszty Golf

UST Mamiya Releasing ATTAS Shafts

ORLANDO, Fla The next time you have a great sushi meal and want to sound cool as you leave the restaurant, say, “Attas” (pronounced, Ah-Taas). According to Robb Schikner, UST Mamiya's vice president of sales and marketing, it's a form of Japanese slang meaning “thank you.” It's also the name of the company's latest premium graphite golf shaft, and it will be arriving in better golf pro shops this season as an after-market upgrade for your driver, fairways woods and hybrid clubs. Unlike many premium graphite shafts that maintain a specific diameter through the butt section and then slowly taper to a narrower diameter near the tip, the ATTAS continuously tapers along the shafts entire length. The benefit of the continuous taper design is a smoother delivery of power as you swing down to the ball. “Because we are seeing a lot of benefits to that, we are working on some next generation ProForce products [UST/Mamiya's other popular premium shaft line] that will also have the constant taper design,” Schikner said. It's also not a spin-killing shaft. The ATTAS is designed to promote a moderate ball flight that should appeal to many players. In fact, Stewart Cink put a prototype ATTAS shaft into his 5-wood midway through last season, and had lots of good things to say about it. The new ATTAS shafts will retail for about $350 at better pro shops and golf specialty stores. Related: Follow David Dusek on Twitter

The rest is here:
UST Mamiya Releasing ATTAS Shafts

Utopia putters are impress with leading-edge design

ORLANDO, Fla. — A small company can still break into the golf equipment industry, especially in putters. Those clubs are often impulse buys. You're not a serious golfer unless your collection of putters is in double figures. At last year's PGA Merchandise Show, I discovered the Axis 1 putter , an innovative piece of engineering that all but eliminated torque (twisting) in the putting stroke. That club is still in my bag, and Axis 1 is here at the show, alive and kicking and boasting tour player Patrick Sheehan among its users. This year's Axis 1 could be the putters from Utopia Golf Products . These putters have a unique look and are trying to do what every other putter does — get the ball rolling with overspin as quickly as possible. The Utopia TXR 1 (a standard rectangular blade model) and TXR II (standard mallet) do this because of a large ridge line — the edge, Utopia co-founder Bill Deichler calls it — that runs horizontally across the putter face. “Did you ever use the edge of a sand wedge to putt from just off the edge of a green?” Deichler asked. “The edge of that club gets the ball turning over right away. That's what we tried to do with these putters.” The edge is designed so that its leading edge strikes the ball first, a little north of the ball's equator, to produce a quick and true roll. (With many putters, the ball actually skids the first few inches after contact before beginning to roll over.) There's no question the Utopia models get the ball rolling. The best part is, they have a nice feel at impact. The club does what it's supposed to do. By the way, the company is named after the co-founders' hometown of Utopia, Texas, a village of about 300 located 80 miles west of San Antonio in Texas Hill Country. Photos: utopiagolfproducts.com

View original here:
Utopia putters are impress with leading-edge design

Sun Mountain continues to innovate

ORLANDO, Fla. — Small innovations can add up to a lot. For instance, Sun Mountain came up with a handle near the top of the golf bag, which evolved into an opening carved into the bag. It doesn't sound like much, but that opening made lifting the bag out of the trunk or hoisting it onto a cart a lot easier. It was one of the great bag innovations of recent years. Sun Mountain, which specializes in bags, outerwear and pullcarts, seems to come up with a few new twists every year. I checked them out at the PGA Merchandise Show here in Orlando. You may have already seen my report on the Mantys , a motorized golf buggy that you drive like a Segway. Sun Mountain also has the Micro E-Cart, a new motorized pullcart that allows you to adjust the speed to match your pace, or set it to automatically roll ahead 15, 30 or 60 yards. It's easy to use and folds up without much fuss. The suggested price is $799. Two other novel tweaks are worth a mention. Sun Mountain makes Rainflex waterproof jackets and vests and has a new accessory for the vests — a pair of slip-on thermal sleeves. They're not waterproof, but they offer extra warmth and can be removed easily. Simple yet effective, for $20. Another innovation is the Dry Hood, a golf bag attachment. It comes in a small tube-like pouch, attaches by a Velcro connector around the mouth of the bag and unfolds like a fan to provides an arched rain cover for your clubs. You can easily push the fanned cover back to get to the clubs, which is way better than wrestling a conventional zippered cover. It's $25 and pretty darn clever.

Here is the original:
Sun Mountain continues to innovate

Williams F1 racing engineers produce $50,000 set of golf clubs

ORLANDO, Fla. –The most attention-getting club at this year's PGA Merchandise Show has to be the Williams Black Diamond driver. It comes complete with solid gold insets, a set of gold-plated irons and, oh yeah, a $50,000 price tag. These clubs are largely for show, and anyone who actually lays out the 50 grand will also enjoy a wide array of perks, including a customized fitting by an expert who will fly to see customers, an Italian leather handbag and VIP treatment at a Formula One race. No doubt several sheiks are already lining up for this bargain. In the real world, Williams also offers a Players Series driver for $500, and it's pretty good. I tested it at Orange County National during Demo Day this week and launched some pretty good tee shots with it. If I knew more about continental racing, I wouldn't have been surprised. Williams F1 is one of the top teams in Formula One racing and its engineers, who focus on aerodynamics, applied those principles to the design of golf clubs. It actually makes sense that a bunch of racing experts could improve the aerodynamics of the clubhead. The bottom of the clubhead has a series of fan-like ridges (again, for aerodynamics) that give it a distinctive look. It would be a mistake not to take Williams seriously. They race to win in Formula One. This club is worth checking out.

Read the original:
Williams F1 racing engineers produce $50,000 set of golf clubs

Tail Of The Tiger Golf Balls – 2010 PGA SHOW

I’ve only been able to squeeze in two one minute video pieces to my show coverage since I’m working a booth this year. But I don’t need to shoot anything else. I found the “show stopper.” Tail Of The Tiger Golf Balls Tail Of The Tiger Golf Balls is a set of one dozen golf

View original post here:
Tail Of The Tiger Golf Balls 2010 PGA SHOW

SkyCaddie SGX: Learn More About Your Game

ORLANDO, Fla. I have been a huge fan of laser rangefinders and golf GPS devise for a long time. Anything that helps me play faster and make better decisions on the course is welcome on my bag. SkyGolf , maker of some of the most popular GPS devises, is set to release the SkyCaddie SGX, and I have to admit, I think I'm in love. The SGX is about the same size and weight as a cell phone, comes pre-loaded with about 30,000 courses, and has a vivid 3-inch color screen that can be easily seen in bright sunlight. It has an omnidirectional antenna that the company claims locks onto more satellites, and keeps the unit communicating with those satellites, even when you are under trees or dense foliage. The rechargeable battery lasts up to 14 hours and as you approach the green, the screen rotates itself to your position and provides yardages to the front, middle and back of the green. But the coolest new feature developed by SkyGolf is SmartClub Tags, three-gram plugs that you attach to the end of your grip. Sold separately in packs of four or 14, the tags wirelessly communicate with the SGX and let the devise know exactly which club you have pulled from your bag. Without using the plugs the SGX is an excellent GPS devise, but combining the SGX and SmartClub Tags makes tracking every shot you hit, with each club in your bag, almost effortless. After your round is complete you will have a digital scorecard, tour-caliber stats like greens in regulation, fairways hit and total putts, plus a very accurate gauge of how far you hit each club. SkyGolf also announced rolling out a Web site, Club SG , designed to let golfers share the information gathered by their SGX devises. The SGX will be available starting in April for $399, plus an annual fee that covers course updates. The price for the SmartClub Tags was not available. Related: Follow David Dusek on Twitter (Photo by David Walberg/SI)

Original post:
SkyCaddie SGX: Learn More About Your Game

Grip it and play it: Pure grips

ORLANDO, Fla.–The biggest innovation I’ve seen thus far at the 2010 PGA Merchandise Show? You’ll laugh. It’s about golf grips. Yeah, I know. Wake you when I’m done writing this item. I’m serious. Pure Grips has a line of excellent and tacky rubber golf grips, but the true innovation is how you put them on and take them off. There’s no glue or tape, it only takes a few seconds, and you can begin using the clubs immediately. The secret is compressed air. The company’s gun-shaped attachment connects to an air compressor on one side and the grip on the other. ( See the video below. ) A shot of air makes the Pure grip expand enough so you can slip it onto the shaft — even over a layer or three of tape. Once you slide the grip into place (a two-second job once you’ve done a few), turn the air off and the grip contracts around the shaft like a vise. It’s ready for play. Removing the grips with the air-gun is even easier and quicker. Unlike all current grips, which have to be cut off with a knife because they were glued on, Pure grips come off intact and can be reused. It’s going to be a great incentive for club pros to stock Pure grips because they’ll be able to change them so quickly.The process is so easy, I’m considering doing my own grips now. I already scored a Pure grips applicator gun. After that, all I need are the grips (suggested price $8) and a little air compressor that I can pick up cheap at Wal-Mart or any hardware store. Instant regrips, no muss-no fuss, and they’re reusable. A Pure golf spokesman told me about a woman player he knows who changes her different colored grips to match her wardrobe before each round. Now that’s innovation. PURE Grips Tapeless Golf Grip Installation Video from Wes Brasher on Vimeo .

Read the rest here:
Grip it and play it: Pure grips

Are we at a golf show or a spa?

When at the PGA Merchandise Show, you expect to see apparel, clubs and training aids. Teeth whitening? Not so much. The following photos were snapped on the floor of the PGA Merchandise Show. (Teeth whitening) (Nail and cuticle protection)

Taken for a ride: Sun Mountain’s Mantys cart

ORLANDO, Fla. — There is good news about my test drive ( video below ) of Sun Mountain's new motorized, self-propelled golf bag cart: I didn't plow into a fire hydrant. That should count for something. Seriously, Sun Mountain's new Mantys cart is the hands-down winner of the Most Fun New Product here at the PGA Merchandise Show. It looks something like a pair of skateboards connected to a set of handlebars. You load your golf bag in front of the handle, put one foot on each of the flat legs and use your thumb to operate the throttle. There's no steering wheel. To turn, you simply shift your weight right or left and this four-wheeler and its sophisticated suspension system do the rest. All I took was a quick test drive around the range at Orange County National, but let me tell you, this thing is fun. I didn't open it up to full speed but it can really go. A fellow tester later told me he learned it has a turbo button and when he tried it, he almost did a wheelie. The Mantys might be more fun than a go-kart. For motorized golf course uses, the Mantys blows away the Segway, the famous two-wheel pedestrian mover that has seen limited use on golf courses because it has some issues with hills, especially sidehill lies. The Mantys has four wheels and is much more stable. I live in the Pittsburgh area, which is pretty hilly, and I think the Mantys could operate there with no problem. But it's not as if I could try it out on a big hill–I'm in Florida, the cradle of swampland. At a suggested retail price of $3,250, the Mantys is also about $5,000 cheaper than the Segway. I can see a couple of potential hurdles for the Mantys. The driver is in a stand-up position; there is no seat. If you want to sit down during your four-hour round, you'd better find a bench. If it's rainy, well, you and your clubs are going to get wet. Many people who own their own carts are older or retired and may prefer a sit-down cart. For fun on a golf course — or in a parking lot or in your backyard, for that matter — the Mantys is a blast. I'm already in negotiations to set up another, lengthier test drive.

Read more here:
Taken for a ride: Sun Mountain’s Mantys cart

Next Page »