As I was walking around the PGA Show, I saw this huge book on a table and had to stop to find out more. The book is called “Golf” and is the brainchild of artists/authors/TV producers Paul Skellett and Simon Weitzman. They started out knowing next to nothing about golf and spent the last 4 years creating a book (really a work of art) that covers the game, the courses, and the story of golf.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKCuF0Zo38I
Friday night after the PGA Show I decided to take a ride on the world’s tallest skycoaster, or as Phil calls it “an elaborate $40 suicide machine”. Phil was going to go too, but once he saw somebody else try it, he decided to stick to video commentary instead.
All I can say is that it looked a lot taller from the top than it did from the ground.
Stay tuned as we post up all of our great finds from the PGA show over the next week.
Frustrated with his putting at the Volvo Champions event on the European Tour yesterday, Miguel Angel Jimenez snapped his putter in two on the 13th green. Normally, that might be bad idea in the middle of a tournament round, where you can’t just go get a replacement putter.
But Jimenez apparently has a ridiculous wedge game. One that includes the ability to use his lob wedge as a putter. He made 3 birdie putts on the remaining 6 holes with his wedge, including a 15 footer. That’s just ridiculous.
[UPDATE]: You can check out my full review of the TRUE Tours here.
I’ve written about TRUE Linkswear several times on this blog, so it was a given that I needed to stop by their booth at the PGA Show. It might have been one of the busiest booths at the show relative to its size. In fact I joked that it looked like a bomb went off in there. And if you’re a new company at your first PGA Show that’s a good problem to have.
The booth was so busy that they had to stop sales on Thursday just to make sure they had some inventory left for the rest of the show. And I believe that by 2pm today they were basically sold out except for the demo models in their booth.
TRUE was showcasing not only their current lineup but some really slick looking upcoming models, including a very limited edition Masters shoe that TRUE fans will be dying to get a hold of.
It’s not that often that you see something that’s really different in the world of golf. Just about everything has been done before (yes, including white drivers). So when I came across Axis1 putters, I was surprised to see putter design that’s really different than anything else at the show.
I spoke to Luis Pedraza at the PGA Merchandise Show and he provided us with an overview of the technology behind the putter. The short version is that the unique design places the center of gravity directly on the face of the putter. This means that the putter has no tendency to twist during the stroke and stays perpendicular to the plane of the stroke.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhxEtbuaxrs
I’m not sure exactly what this thing is, but I’m pretty sure that Phil is planning on going back tomorrow and buying at least 2 of them.
[Update: You can read my review of the Kikkor Tenny here]
One our first stops this morning was at the Kikkor Golf booth. If you’re not familiar with Kikkor, they’re a 2 year old golf shoe company out of Canada. The founder and president is James Lepp. James is a former professional golfer who won the 2005 NCAA Individual Championship and has shot a 59. So he knows a thing or two about golf.
James founded Kikkor because he couldn’t find shoes that fit his personal style. Everything on the market was too stodgy and traditional for his tastes. Kikkor is definitely a brand that has broken that mold. Either you’ll love their style or wonder who the hell would want to wear skateboard shoes on the golf course.
Personally I really like the look and James was kind enough to take a few minutes to show us some of Kikkor’s latest styles.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atb94u6Ac-0
As Phil and I were walking around the PGA Show Demo Day, we saw a tent that said “NUNCHUCK”. We knew we had to go check it out. Honestly I was expecting something kind of gimmicky when I walked up. But as it turns out, this shaft may be a legit new piece of equipment.
The idea is that the shaft has a very different kick point than you’re probably used to. It’s basically flexible in the middle and stiff on both ends, hence the name “Nunchuck”. It’s only offered in 1 flex as they claim that the different kick point and low torque design doesn’t require different flexes for different swing speeds. It’s been out on the PGA Tour for 3 weeks and has already racked up a victory (Jhonottan “Johnny” Vegas at the Bob Hope last week).
I hit a number of drives with this shaft and all I can say is that I’m intrigued. It felt really good and it seemed like even mis-hits went a long way (and straight). It’s actually manufactured by UST so it’s not like the manufacturer is some no-name operation. I may see if I can pick one up to put into play and post a more detailed review down the road.
Here’s my list of highlights of the trip down to Orlando and the first day of the PGA Show:
-Derek cutting off a trucker exiting I-95 and the trucker confronting me at the gas pump for “my driving stunt”.
-Terrible meal at Savannah Hooters. And for the first time ever I had a hot waitress at Hooters. Then she opened her mouth and her teeth looked like Jaws from the James Bond movies.
-Awesome meal at Buffalo Wild Wings, and I’m pretty sure the waitress wanted to get to 2nd base with me. At least that’s the thought I had going through my mind.
And the award for the best booth/area at the PGA Show Demo Day goes to… Cobra/Puma. From the outside, it just looked kind of like a big inflatable square. But as you walked closer you began to hear music. And once inside…
