Golf Gadgets & Gizmos

Golf Guru GPS

If you’re going to rely on a hand held GPS system to aid your golf game why not go with the unit created by the industry’s pioneers?

Darryl Cornish and Chad Huston were working on a system in early 1991 that used the emerging Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system to track fighter planes for Huston’s reserve fighter unit. In 1994, the two introduced UpLink, the golf cart-based GPS tracking and distance measurement system. Next came the Golf Guru, another patented invention designed to improve play by providing accurate yardages to identifying features on the golf course, to keeping score.

The device has a “Green Zense” feature that allows golfers to move the pin icon to any location on the green. Small and lightweight, the highly accurate 16-channel receiver fits easily in a pocket and holds up to 20 downloaded course maps and 20 user mapped course maps. Suggested retail price: $249.95, www.gpsgolfguru.com.www.gpsgolfguru.com

PING i10 Irons

Golfers preferring the look of a smaller, blade-style club yet seeking the forgiveness of a cavity back ought to consider the i10 irons. The compact head features a thin top rail and reduced offset to give it the look of a players' iron, while the cavity design is engineered to deliver consistent performance and a solid feel across the club face.  

Improving feel and consistency is the rib structure of the Custom Tuning Port (CTP), which also stabilizes the face. Crafted for the lower handicapper, these clubs provide a high moment-of-inertia and a center of gravity strategically positioned closer to the face assuring a low, penetrating ball flight. Appreciating that workability is a factor to the better player, club designers also worked in a narrow, cambered sole into the i10 irons. Suggested retail price: $699 (steel shaft), $899 (graphite shaft). www.golfsmith.com, www.dickssportinggoods.com.

Ashworth Apparel

Even though summer is in full swing, autumn isn’t far behind. Giving golfers snazzy options on (and off) the course are Ashworth’s Men’s and Women’s Fall 2008 Collections. Some of the trends that Ashworth incorporated into their women’s lines were monochromatic prints, oversized buttons, lightweight sweaters and outerwear.
Of the three collections each has its own identity. California specifically has a very So Cal feel made up of warm yellow and crisp white tones with accents of soft khaki. New York has a very preppy, East coast feel and Hawaii has a water theme comprised of deep blues and aqua greens.
Ashworth’s men’s Fall 2008 categories include Third Groove Performance fabrics, EZ Tech Hi-Def 100 percent Luxury Cotton, environmentally friendly Ashworth Organics and young-minded ASHW33. Good looks and lustrous fabrics combine with performance attributes including moisture wicking, breathability and quick drying. Suggested retail price: $29.95 to $89.95. www.golfsmith.com, www.dickssportinggoods.com, www.tgw.com.

The SwingSetter Pro

Developed to help golfers hit longer, straighter and more consistently, the SwingSetter Pro is an evolution of the SwingSetter, David Leadbetter’s original training aid.
Leadbetter, golf instructor and coach to some of the world's top tour professionals, created the SwingSetter Pro to help golfers perfect the four basic fundamentals of the golf swing: Grip, Swing Plane, Proper Release and Tempo.

Built to mimic the length and lie of standard six-iron, the SwingSetter Pro takes these four fundamentals and adds real-time feedback as users hit balls and see ball flight. Wrapping their hands around a patented Form Molded Grip made by Golf Pride, players place their hands properly on the club every time, correcting a poor grip, which Leadbetter estimates affects 80 percent of all golfers. The Adjustable Magnetic Ball releases and ‘snaps’ when a golfer properly sets his or her wrists during the backswing providing auditory feedback to develop a consistent golf swing. Suggested retail price: $119.95. www.SwingSetterPro.com.

Adidas Tour 360 II Shoes

Introduced two years ago as Tour 360s, this latest iteration features a 360WRAP+ that surrounds the foot for an extremely stable hitting platform. The 3D FitFoam (three densities of foam in the sock liner) provides exceptional support and comfort while a polyurethane base layer assures outstanding support from heel to toe.

Its proprietary Dynamic Traxion AC cleat system reduces clogging, which translates into better traction shot to shot and a TPU toe-drag bumper protects from wear which can occur during follow through.

Earning the shoe a two-year waterproof warranty is ClimaProof’s waterproof membrane that surrounds the outside of the Tour 360 II to keep water out while a moisture wicking lining inside encases the foot to ensure dry cool comfort. A lightweight EVA midsole with adiPRENE cushioning cradles the heel and provides long lasting impact absorption. Suggested retail price: $149.95. www.golfsmith.com, www.dickssportinggoods.com, www.amazon.com.

ClubGlider Travel Bag—

Schlepping a golf bag is a drag…sometimes literally. With Sun Mountain’s new ClubGlider, moving your bag from the car or SUV to the airport ticket counter is a breeze.

The bag’s pivoting wheels and extendable/retractable legs not only supports 100 percent of the weight of the clubs, it also eliminates the repeated bending and lifting required with traditional travel bags.

Manufactured with ballistic fabric, vinyl-reinforced wear areas, heavy-duty, two-way zippers, internal cinch straps and thick foam padding extending the length of the travel bag, ClubGlider is great at protecting club heads and shafts.
Additionally, ClubGlider’s design enables the bag to support additional luggage, freeing the traveler’s hands. Named by the Golf Channel’s “Fore Inventors Only” judges as one of five finalists in the search for the next great golf invention, ClubGlider deserves consideration. Suggested retail price: $259.99. www.coloradodiscountgolf.com, www.scorelow.com, www.edwinwattsgolf.com.