Shop for Pop: 2023 Father’s Day Golf Gift Guide

I just returned from an annual 3-day golf trip with a group of guys who’ve been playing together once a year for 33 years. We don’t all go every year, and sometimes we don’t see someone for a half-dozen years. Yet somehow, I feel like I recognize these guys better than my own neighbors, andContinue reading “Shop for Pop: 2023 Father’s Day Golf Gift Guide”

Cobra T-Rail Irons: Golf clubs for regular folks

Depending on which statistics one looks at, the percentage of golfers who never break 100 is somewhere around 50%. Of course, this estimate also depends on how you define “golfer.” Is someone who plays once or twice a year a golfer? We could argue about this all day. Irrespective of these statistics, though, everyone whoContinue reading “Cobra T-Rail Irons: Golf clubs for regular folks”

Cleveland HB SOFT Milled Putters: Sink putts, not your budget

Your putter is the only club you use on every hole. This intense familiarity tends to breed a manic relationship between golfers and their flatsticks. One type of player largely ignores their putters – they’ve played the same one for 20 years, and the grip is glassy smooth, the head is dented, the shaft mightContinue reading “Cleveland HB SOFT Milled Putters: Sink putts, not your budget”

Srixon ZX MK II Drivers: Consistency breeds confidence

It feels like just yesterday that I first received a dozen Srixon golf balls to review, despite it being nearly 20 years ago. I called them “The best balls whose name you can’t pronounce.” Srixon golf balls continue to be some of the best balls for the money at every price point. Moreover, Srixon hasContinue reading “Srixon ZX MK II Drivers: Consistency breeds confidence”

Titleist does it again with TSR2 woods

Golf equipment companies introduce “new” clubs two or even three times a year. Every time, without fail, these new clubs are “longer,” “more forgiving,” “better performing.” Heck, they’re regularly trumpeted as “the best ever!” I’ve been writing about golf equipment for over two decades now, and I am not the only person in the industryContinue reading “Titleist does it again with TSR2 woods”

Honma BERES Aizu Line: Straight from the heart of Japan

Aizu-Wakamatsu City is remote by Japanese standards: just over two hours north of Tokyo by Shinkansen (bullet train), followed by a connection of another hour or so by local train. During the winter, heavy mountain snows can block those local tracks completely. The region’s isolation was a reason it became one of the final strongholdsContinue reading “Honma BERES Aizu Line: Straight from the heart of Japan”

Should I play or will it snow, now? 2022 Holiday Gift Guide for golfers in all climes

Every winter, I think to myself: “Will I be able to get out to play before spring?” Despite living in central Illinois, sometimes I do – I worry about climate change while teeing it up on some random 45-degree February day. If you happen to live in a climate more conducive to year-round play, countContinue reading “Should I play or will it snow, now? 2022 Holiday Gift Guide for golfers in all climes”

Pfau rhymes with “Wow!” Indiana University’s new home course dazzles

Big-league universities should have big-league golf courses – at least they should if they dream of competing at the top level of college golf. Indiana University in Bloomington is a stalwart of the Big 10 Conference in many sports, but their men’s and women’s golf programs have historically lagged behind many of the conference peers.Continue reading “Pfau rhymes with “Wow!” Indiana University’s new home course dazzles”

Golf in the Midnight Sun at Iceland’s Brautarholt Golf Course

The clubhouse at Brautarholt Golf Course outside of Reykjavik, 2 a.m. on the Summer Solstice It was 9:30 p.m., June 21—Summer Solstice, 2019—when Gunnar Pálsson picked me up at Hotel Frón in Reykjavik. Soon joining us in the Brautarholt Golf Course shuttle were four test pilots from Phoenix and a couple from outside Toronto. WeContinue reading “Golf in the Midnight Sun at Iceland’s Brautarholt Golf Course”

Sandals Emerald Bay Resort and Golf Course are Bahamian Gems

The view from our room was awfully hard to say good-bye to when it was time to head home. The water around Great Exuma Island in the Bahamas is one of the most recognizable landmarks to astronauts 249 miles overhead. The irradiant blue-green hues are unrivaled elsewhere on the plant, as tides rush in andContinue reading “Sandals Emerald Bay Resort and Golf Course are Bahamian Gems”