I’ve spent some time now with two of True Linkswear’s 2012 models, the Tours and the Stealths. The short version is that they took an already great shoe line-up and made it even better. Click continue for the long version.
Equipment
TRUE Linkswear has completely revamped their shoe line-up for 2012. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of the brand and the new shoes look great. They feature a redesigned rubber outsole (the previous outsole was TPU) for improved traction/performance and slimmer profiles without sacrificing toe-box width.
Additionally, TRUE is releasing a new shoe, the Phx at the $99 price point, and will be releasing a $99 women’s shoe, the Isis, in May.
Full release after the break:
Can you tell which one is the fake? It's the one on the left.
Last week the Chinese government conducted multiple raids on counterfeit golf club operations in China. They seized over 25,000 products from markets in Beijing and Shanghai.
This is part of an ongoing effort to stem the flow of fake golf clubs coming from China. In September alone, the Anti-Counterfeiting Group conducted 4 raids that seized 80,000 fake clubs.
According to Michael Rider, Senior VP and General Counsel for Callaway Golf, “The number and location of these recent raids sends a strong message to counterfeiters that we are committed to shutting them down.”
“We are striking back at these illegal operations, hitting them where it hurts like our most recent action in shutting down some of the most popular locations in the world of counterfeit store fronts,” said Rawleigh Grove Vice President and General Counsel for PING. ”We’re confident this will be a deterrent to counterfeiters in the future as we keep pushing to keep golf real.
The problem is that while the numbers sound impressive (and they really are), this is just a drop in the bucket. When you shut down one market in China, 2 more will open up. Personally, I don’t really have a problem with Counterfeit clubs per se. If you want to buy some cheap knock-offs, then go ahead. Nobody buying a $50 set of Callaway’s in China actually thinks they’re real. The real problem is when the counterfeits get shipped over here to be sold as legitimate clubs. Some golfer then ends up going on eBay and unknowingly buys one and wonders why his new super-titanium carbon fiber driver is shorter than his 5-wood.
To that end, I’ve posted a list of websites allegedly selling fake golf clubs after the break. Also, for what it’s worth, the counterfeiters only bother going after the big name brands. A rep from Adams told me earlier this year that they’ve never actually seen a fake Adams club because they’re not yet a big enough brand to have caught the attention of the counterfeiters in China. Also, My Golf Spy has a nice guide on how to avoid buying fake clubs on eBay (they claim 24% are fakes).
Hirzl Trust Control, Trust Feel, Soffft Flex
I first came across Hirzl gloves back in January at the PGA Merchandise Show. Hirzl claims that the gloves maintain or even improve their grip when wet and demonstrated this by spraying the glove down with water and then having you hit a few iron shots. The gloves seemed to work and I was impressed. So of course I jumped at the chance to conduct a longer-term review. What did I think? Click on continue to find out.
Mosoro has just released their new Bluetooth LE 3D Sport system. You attach the sensor to your golf club (or really just about anything else) and it beams data back to your phone where your swing is re-created in 3D.
Mosoro 3D-Sport – a miniature USB thumbdrive sized motion capture product that contains an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, and Bluetooth LE. 3D-Sport works by physically attaching the hardware to a piece of sports equipment and, over Bluetooth, the hardware “pairs” to a smartphone app that records how the piece of equipment moves in 3 dimensions during use (for example the ability to monitor how a golf club moves precisely during a swing). This data is then overlaid on a 3D model within corresponding smartphone app that shows the equipment moving.
Pretty cool, huh?
If George Jetson had a putting green mower this would be it. Made by Precise Path, with ultrasonic transducers and an infrared receiver, the mower uses 5 beacons placed around the green to determine location and cut the grass to the proper height.
There are several benefits. First, it doesn’t damage the greens when turning, like conventional mower can. It’s also pretty quiet and frees up maintenance staff to do things like repair ball marks, rake bunkers, and mow the rough. At $30k, these mowers aren’t cheap, so don’t expect to see them at your local muni anytime soon. But give it a few years and who knows, these things could become the norm at courses around the country.
Check out the video of the mower in action after the break:
This is a pretty cool video showing some of Google’s self-driving golf carts. They’re showcasing it as a cheaper alternative to their autonomous Priuses that could be used to move people around corporate campuses for example.
Google engineers have actually been using this system to travel between buildings at the Googleplex. Once the carts arrive, they can either drive the carts to the final destination themselves, or sit back and enjoy the ride while HAL the completely friendly and benevolent golf cart takes you to your meeting.
You will now be hearing that phrase at golf courses around the country. Arizona tea is releasing a “hard” version of their classic Arnold Palmer drink (1/2 lemonade and 1/2 iced tea). It will come in 12 oz. six-packs, 24 oz. cans and 32 oz. jugs, and will contain 5% alcohol by volume. My only question is why no 40?
I may have to go pick up a few… strictly for research purposes of course 
Atlanta Falcons kicker Matt Bryant thought he was just ordering some delicious sweet and sour chicken. Little did he know that prior to dropping the food off at his front door, the delivery guy, 22-year old Kristian Vail, walked into his garage and helped himself to Bryant’s golf clubs.
Vail then traded the clubs for 80-ecstacy pills. Police were able to track down the clubs, worth $3k, via serial numbers over the internet (I guess the guy tried to sell them?). However, Bryant’s Scotty Cameron remains at large.
Larry Brown Sports (via )
[Image flickr/voteprime]
