Alpha Golf Driver Test

The folks at Alpha Golf have been kind enough to send me a driver to test. Never heard of Alpha? You'd know them if you followed long drive competition. In 2006 Alpha drivers won four of the major long drive tournaments against the likes of every big name stick you can think of. If you read a lot of golf articles, you may have seen their driver referred to as the 'best driver you've never heard of'. What I want to know is can a lessor known brand driver hit the ball just as far as the ones that do all the advertising, or maybe further?

I just received the Alpha V5. Having never even seen a picture of the club before it arrived, I was impressed to find one of the best looking drivers I've come across in a long time. I'm not a big fan of all the modern graphics and paint jobs on many of the new clubs. For a traditionalist, the V5 is a welcome return to a classy, elegant and understated look. There's nothing cheap about the looks of this club. I'd put it in a beauty contest with any club on the market! Call its look 'cool stealth'. This thing will definitely turn heads on the first tee. This is one club where you don't have to close your eyes when you hit it.

As soon as the weather warms up a bit in New England I'm going to put this club through the paces in a one person golf test. After all, this is what it finally comes down to for any of us. You go out and hit clubs, compare to what you have and decide if it's a go or not. Regardless of what reviewers say or golf club tests show, any club has to work for you. I figure the best and fairest way to do this is to take the club to an outdoor practice range and compare it against the club I'm currently using. Joe Simon of Alpha Golf swears I'll get an extra 20 yards - time will tell. To be fair, I'm planning on alternating between the Alpha V5 and my existing driver, hitting groups of five shots with each. By using different color coded golf balls I'll be able to walk out on the range and judge for myself the difference between each club. To make it even fairer, I'll try the same exercise on at least 5 different days.

No test is perfect, but I hope to get a true comparison between the two clubs and create some information you can add to your own experiences. Both clubs are set up the same way, are the same length, fitted with a firm shaft and have a 460cc head. I like my current driver so I'll be surprised, pleasantly, if the Alpha gives me more distance or greater control or both. So far it gets top marks for appearance.

One more thing, it came with the best head cover I've ever seen. It's not a sock or a zip or just plain open. It's a leather cover that uses magnets to close the seam on the underside. It's simple and foolproof and there's no struggling to get the cover off or on. It also looks great. Check out the head covers on their site. Regardless of the test results I'm going to get myself a head cover.

For now I'm praying for some warmer weather so I can begin the club test. Stay tuned as I'll blog my way through it.

Changes Are Coming For Equipment

First, I recommend that you read John Duggan's interview with Peter Dawson, the secretary of the R&A. Find it at Golf Observer or go to GolfDash and find it under the January 31 Daily Headline. I've never heard Peter Dawson speak nor have I read his comments before, but he strikes me as extremely down to earth, fair minded and generally lucid.

Towards the end of the interview, you'll find very interesting information on grooves, distance and side spin. Read his remarks carefully because more than likely this man is going to have a lot to say about what kind of clubs will be allowed in your bag in the future. Mr. Dawson did not directly give away his hand, but it's not hard to imagine that changes are afoot if you read between the lines. He's got some really interesting facts to back up his conclusions. These alone make the article worthwhile reading.

Bottom line, the USGA and the R&A are finding out that it's too easy to get out of the rough and to make balls spin when your club has the new U grooves. I'd bet a sizable sum that these will be outlawed soon. How about 70 degree wedges? The problem seems to be that they make it easy to swing hard in the rough when you only want to hit the ball a short way, greatly eliminating the skills of finesse and feel. I'm not sure I'd put one of those pancakes in my bag if I was planning on keeping in line with future club conformance rules.

Here's a very interesting fact from Mr. Dawson, 'there is no longer a correlation between driving accuracy and scoring' for the pros. I can sympathize with him wholeheartedly that this is an alarming development. The good news for driver makers is that they have seen no further distance gains in the last five years. HOWEVER, the new clubs are so good at reducing side spin that the balls don't stray off course nearly so easily. Mr. Dawson says the officials intent will not be to punish shots in the rough, but to reward those in the fairway. Given the fact that millions of drivers have been sold in the last five years, I don't see them outlawing what we already have in our bags. On the other hand, he seems very intent on getting driving accuracy and scoring to correlate once again.

Any moves the R&A and the USGA can make to save more of the original nature of the game would be greatly appreciated by this writer - as long as it doesn't cost me money to be in compliance. One last thought, I wonder if they'll ever consider outlawing the long shafted putters? I'm not sure if I really despise them or that I'm just afraid of what my friends would call me if I started using one.

Cheers

AceMagnetics.Com Announces New Patent

"RallyBand" design Floats Magnets in Silicone.

Encinitas, CA (PRWEB) November 20, 2007 -- AceMagnetics.com ®, an internet company providing magnetic bracelets and magnetic jewelry for sports and health enthusiasts has patented RallyBands. The company is the sole distributor of this new product. The new design actually "floats" magnets in silicone.

"We are delighted about the advantages of our unique RallyBand® wristband," says Jay Varon, President of AceMagnetics.com®. "The Rallyband has no clasp so it slips on and off more easily, it is more flexible than traditional metal wristbands, the silicone is completely waterproof so there is no rust or wrist marks and the silicone lets us embed and protect even more magnets.

The RallyBand® is the lightest weight most powerful magnetic wristband on the market and is virtually indestructible. Last but not least we can make them in different colors so they are stylish!"

AceMagnetics.com utilizes neodymium magnets in its entire product line. Neodymium magnets will retain 90% of their magnetic force for a hundred years. AceMagnetics.com products are used by a wide range of professional golfers and other athletes.

About AceMagnetics.com, Inc.

AceMagnetics.com Inc., headquartered in Encinitas, CA, offers more than 200 magnetic bracelets, copper bracelets, titanium magnetic bracelets, magnetic rings, magnetic necklaces, magnetic wraps, magnetic mattress pads and other magnetic products.

For more information:

Loren Norquist, Public Information Officer
V: 1.800.599.9098
F: 760.479.0202
lnorquist@acemagnetics.com

Preview of '08 US PGA Tour

I think there were some clues to how the '08 PGA Tour in the US might play out based on what happened at the Target Championship last week. For starters, Tiger may be as good as we've ever seen him. He says he's finally put his father's death into perspective and I believe him. He's also got to be feeling that things are in good shape in his world. Tiger is content in his family life, his coach, his caddy and his game. He said as much in an interview he gave during the tournament. A happy relaxed golfer is a tough opponent. Look at what Jack Nicklaus did under similar circumstances, he had his best year on tour. Bottom line, Tiger could exceed his own standards of excellence this year. When he plays in '08 the rest of the field may have to be content playing for second place.

Jim Furyk is back from the wrist problem that effected him two years ago. His game is probably as good as it's going to get. He'll get hotter or colder from time to time, but, bottomline, he's going to have a lot of top 10 finishes that will keep him way up on the money list. His workman's attitude makes him consistently good, he just doesn't have the physical abilities to allow him to dominate the game. He'll do well at the Ryder Cup, but we still won't see him smile much.

The player that is really coming in to his own is Zack Johnson. With every passing week he proves more and more that he isn't just a flash in the pan. He played extremely well after winning the Masters, where most newbies and even some seasoned pros have let downs. He's a solid, if unconventional ball striker, putts and plays the short game well and has shown he has the nerves to be steady down the stretch. He could be the younger US player that really excels for whom we've beeen waiting for quite a long time. He seems to have a level of maturity about himself that many younger golfers don't. I look for him to have a great year in '08.

Then there's everybody else. There's very little to go on to say how some of the other top world players will fare next year. We'll just have to wait for the early tournaments to see who's ready to make a move. I like the fact that Lee Westwood has gotten himself into better physical shape. He's a consistently good player that many thought would contend for the majors. Perhaps his new physique shows a renewed commitment to take his game to the next level. Unfortunately it seems that VJ Singh, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen are all still off their games a bit. Will any one of them be able to find the old magic? All three are in need of a real boost. Sure they'll compete, but it doesn't look like any will make a charge for the top spot.

The biggest question is, as always, Phil. It's very hard to know where he's at. He's shown he can be the guy to beat and, then again, he can disappear to who knows where. Will his desire to beat Tiger push him to raise his game? Or will his desire to be with his family keep him playing in so few events that he'll never be really sharp on a consistent basis. Maybe Butch Harmon can help him with his mental demons more than his swing. Is that where Phil really needs to focus? As there's little word from the Mickelson camp, we'll just have to wait and see.

Besides Zach, I don't see much from the young golfers. Sure they'll win here or there, but like last year they'll disappear shortly thereafter. I can't help but think that it's too easy to make a million on the tour these days and that it keeps most young golfers just happy with making the cut and occasionally getting a top 10.

Why You Shouldn't Buy A New Driver

If you want to be a better golfer, don't spend your money on a new driver! I'll make one exception to that. If you haven't bought a new big stick in the last 10 years, you'll benefit from the new larger heads and more perimeter weighting. Other than that, you can do much better by purchasing a new putter. Let me explain why.

First, answer this question honestly - Why do you want a new driver? Because you want to hit the ball further. That's the honest to god truth. A new driver isn't going to make you hit the ball straighter or correct your slice or duck hook. Only a new swing can do that. So what's wrong with wanting to hit it further? It's the ultimate curse any amateur can put on their game.

Trying to hit it further means swinging harder to us amateurs and that's the biggest problem we have. If we slowed down our swings and worked on a nice smooth tempo, we'd see our games improve beyond our wildest dreams. If you don't believe me, maybe you will believe Jack Nicklaus who says the full swing for every club should be the same. In fact he suggests alternating shots on the practice range between your pitching wedge and driver to condition yourself. If you buy that new driver, you're not going to be able to stop yourself from constantly trying to get another 10 yards out of it. It doesn't even matter how far you hit it, your always going to want it to go further and in the process completely destroy your swing.

A better ideas is to put your dough towards a new putter. If you're a terrific putter and love the club you have, then don't buy anything, but I'll bet that's less than 5% of the amateurs out there. There are some terrific new putters on the market, clubs where technology and new design can really help. One of the most interesting new putters I've seen is from MacGregor. Who would have thought that? They're using something they call Face-Off Technology. I don't know how it works, but I can tell you what it does. It feels like you've hit the ball in the center of the sweet spot no matter where on the face you make contact. You really have to feel it to believe it. I suggest going to the local golf shop and trying it out. As soon as my piggy bank gets full I'm going to run down and buy one in time for next season. I'm also going to take an oath for next year that says I'll practice my pitching,chipping and putting longer than I practice the full swing. If I can do that and forget about adding distance, I should be able to lower my handicap by at least 5 strokes.

Good golfing! PS, if anybody knows of a good practice putting surface that is cheap and can be rolled out on a hardwood floor for indoor practice, please drop me a line. Thanks!

Manage Your Left Arm For Better Contact

I said I wasn't going to give people advice on how to hit the ball, BUT.... I love the game and when I find something that works for me I can't resist passing it on.

My latest and greatest tip has to do with the left arm. For me the change has worked wonders and proven to be effective the last 3 times out so I'm confident it's a real fix. I was practising a few weeks ago and not making consistently crisp contact. I was also pushing a lot of shots. As is my habit at these times, I try to put my consciousness in my body and let it find where the problem is.

What I discovered was that my left elbow was bending a small amount just prior to contact. This was probably from an overly aggressive swing and desire to 'beat the snot out of the ball', something I have to constantly fight against. My fix was to keep the left elbow straight at the end of the downswing and to make sure I pulled the outside of it (where the sharp protrusion is when you bend it) in towards my body. Low and behold! I now had something to hit against, AND the club face was squaring up beautifully.

Try this little drill. Even without a club I think you'll see why this move has to happen or your shots are going to be erratic. Make a downswing in slow motion, you don't even need a club. Bend your elbow slightly just before contact and watch were the club face squares up - past the point of ball contact. That explains your (and my) weak push. Now try the same slowmo downswing keeping the elbow straight before contact and pulling it in towards your body. Does the clubface square up perfectly? How can it not! Try this move on your chip shots and you'll notice a dramatic improvement in how crisply you hit the ball.

I hope this tip works as well for you as it did for me.

Getting the Most Club for the Money

It ain't cheap to own the latest and greatest golf equipment, but there's no doubt that technology has improved balls and clubs in the last 15 years. Anyone who doesn't know that by now has been golfing in a cave. The big question for all golfers is how to buy what will actually help, avoid what won't, and stretch your money as far as possible. Based on my own experience, I've got a few tips that may help.

Forget the $40+ a dozen golf balls. Yeah, they're nice, but for anyone with a double digit handicap they aren't going to make a noticeable difference. There are actually some good 3 piece balls for less than $26. Check out the e5 and e6 from Bridgestone for starters. They're soft, they fly long, and they spin well for the short shots. Most major golf ball suppliers have there own version.

If you have to get the latest equipment, try to wait for the sales - which happen more frequently than you may think. Lots of clubs get marked down this time of year in an attempt to move inventory for the new '08 models. Let's face it, if it was the new 'hot' technology for '07 or '06, it will be just fine for you. Before you buy, go online and check the price of your equipment at the major Internet retailers. If you don't know who they are, go to www.golfdash.com and look under equipment/ishop. It won't take you more than 10 minutes to find the street price. Your local golf shop will match it if they plan on staying in business. You can also go to the GolfDash website and find out street prices for many items under the Daily Specials tab.

My final piece of advise is for anyone looking at Callaway equipment. I just bought my wife a used Ladies Big Bertha 460 driver and saved one hundred bucks - honest. If I showed you the club, it would be impossible to tell it wasn't new. They test every club they sell and guarantee it will perform as new. If you don't mind a few cosmetic scratches, you can even save more.

Good luck shopping.