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”
Category Archives: Equipment
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”
Honma TW757 Fairway Woods boast tradition and tech
Japan is a golf-crazed nation. The sport is associated with status, leisure, and wealth. When I lived there in the early and mid 1990s, I would sometimes spend $200 in an evening just at a driving range–and the range was packed with golf nuts like me. Honma is one of the top golf equipment companiesContinue reading “Honma TW757 Fairway Woods boast tradition and tech”
Bloodline Vale: Stand up for your putts
You’ve likely seen the infomercials for the putters that stand up behind your ball. This review is NOT about those putters. The Bloodline Vale (HPP) ($299) does stand up on its own, but there is no infomercial for Bloodline putters, the original self-standing putters. The Vale is Bloodline’s newest addition. It’s a mallet with aContinue reading “Bloodline Vale: Stand up for your putts”
Edison Wedges: Invented for the average player
Terry Koehler has been in the golf equipment industry for 40 years. He began with Ray Cook Putters in the early 1980s. He joined Ben Hogan Golf in the early 90s. He founded both Eidolon Golf and Scor Wedges, where he developed the first progressive weight wedge system. Then he brought Ben Hogan back toContinue reading “Edison Wedges: Invented for the average player”
Midwestern Golf 