Posts Tagged ‘golf’
Written by Peter Suciu on 09 November 2010
Tired of lost golf balls? There are now all sorts of balls with GPS, radar to find balls and other technology. But maybe the best way not to lose a golf ball is to simply shoot straighter. We’ve probably said that before, but it is worth saying again, especially as Polara Golf has announced their new self-correcting golf balls. These are ideal for the recreational golfer who might have some hooking or slicing issues when teeing off.
“It is estimated that 85 percent of golfers have trouble hitting the ball straight and then end up slicing the golf ball. If you want to prevent a slice, you have to understand how the ball behaves when you slice it.” said Dave Felker, Head of Technology for Polara Golf. “What Polara Golf has done surpasses anything that golf ball companies have ever tried. If a golfer has trouble hitting the ball straight, there is no other ball out there right now that has the same ‘Self-Correcting Technology’ that each Polara golf ball has.”
The new Polara Ultimate Straight and Super Straight golf balls should help even a crooked golfer go straight. These feature “self correcting technology” that guarantees to correct hooks and slices up to 75 percent according to the company. So is there a super computer inside or some sort of radio controlled gizmo? Not exactly. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Dave Felker, golf, golf balls, Polara Golf, Polara Ultimate Straight, Self-Correcting Technology, Super Straight
Posted in Equipment, Exercise, Outdoors | No Comments »
Written by Enid Burns on 29 October 2010
GPS has tackled just about every major sport that takes place on any area larger than a standard court of field. Cycling, running, swimming, skiing, and yes: Golf. Garmin just released the Approach S1, a wristwatch with built in GPS set up for time on the green. The new watch is sibling to touchscreen models Approach G5 and Approach G3 already out by the GPS manufacturer.
The Approach S1 comes pre-loaded with over 14,000 U.S. and Canadian golf courses. When you set it into golf mode it identifies the three closest courses and lets you select the one where you have tee time. It then gives you stats including distance and par for each hole. A GPS-enabled odometer tracks the total ground covered on foot during each round and in total.
While it doesn’t have quite as much information as the handheld units, the Approach G5 and G3, the Approach S1 is streamlined to the essential information needed on the course. Your opponents will appreciate the discreet device, and that you’re not fumbling with — or showing off — a handheld device to tell them how many strokes above average they’re swinging.
Garmin Approach S1
Tags: Garmin, golf, golf courses, GPS, Watch
Posted in Gadget | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 27 October 2010
This week aboutGolf announced that it is helping a number of Asia’s top junior golfers, who are spending more time in the simulator and less on the fairways. Thailand’s Suchaya Tangkamolpraser uses the aboutGolf Simulator at the Bangkok-based Wilding Golf Performance Center, where she is being coached by Shane Wilding, founder of the center. She is not the only standout to be getting into the swing of things at the club either.
Wilding’s students use the simulator for both “on the range” to develop their swing, and “on the course,” which teaches club selection and management.
“The aboutGolf Simulator has a proven record of improving the performance of golfers around the globe, including here at Wilding Golf in Thailand,” says Wilding, an Australian golf coach with extensive amateur and professional (including PGA TOUR stars Curtis Strange, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite, David Eger, Graham Marsh and Stewart Ginn) teaching experience in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the United States. “aboutGolf technology helped these Junior golfers reach a world-class level of performance and, as an instructor, it is exciting to have aboutGolf’s incredible technology enhancing my teaching philosophies. The accuracy of the aboutGolf system is absolutely mind-boggling.”
Let’s just hope these golfers still get out in the fresh air too!
aboutGolf Official Website
Wilding Golf Performance Center Official Website
Tags: aboutGolf, Asia, Bangkok, golf, Simulator, Suchaya Tangkamolpraser, Thailand, Wilding Golf Performance Center
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Written by Peter Suciu on 20 October 2010
We’ve previously heard about a radar system that could find lost golf balls – but alas that product isn’t currently being sold. So instead we did some digging, and we realized that even better than finding a lost golf ball was not losing it in the first place. And that also involves using a bit of radar. It seems this technology will help you improve your game. TrackMan is a radar unit that can measure both club delivery and the full trajectory of any golf shot, up to 400-yards. That could mean no more lost balls.
It can be used to track date on club speed, attack angle, club path, vertical and horizontal swing plane, spin loft, ball speed, and even flight time – plus a whole lot more. No calibration is needed and the TrackMan Pro can be used with a computer via a USB 2.0 port, and provide a printable report of your efforts. An indoor version can help you train in the offseason as well. Either way, with TrackMan’s unique proprietary radar tracking system and software for your computer you can get the same type of analysis that is often used by the PGA, the R&A and USGA. Of course you’ll still have to work at it to make better swings, but here is where technology can show you what you are doing wrong, and how you can improve.
And some people think golf is just about hitting a ball into a hole on nicely manicured lawns.
TrackMan Official Website
Tags: balls, golf, radar, Software, swing, TrackMan Pro
Posted in Outdoors, Pro Sports, Research, Software | No Comments »
Written by Enid Burns on 11 October 2010
Hammacher Schlemmer is known for its nifty sports equipment such as the Seven Person Tricycle that’s always a blast; Mountain Scooter that can glide over some rugged and steep terrain; and Articulating Inline Casterboard that has kids squiggling around the block. One of its newer products is the Golf Ball Locating Glasses.
These glasses look like a pair of Oakleys with an alternate style that looks like you just walked out of the optometrist’s office (that fit over most prescription glasses) and cost about $40. The lenses contain a pigment that helps filter out light as it passes through. The affect is almost as through you’re looking at the world with a black light. All colors are overtaken by a predominately blue tone except for those balls and anything else in white that gets in your line of sight.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: black light, golf, golf balls
Posted in Apparel, Gadget | 1 Comment »
Written by Peter Suciu on 05 October 2010
Bowling pretty much remains the de facto demo game for the Nintendo Wii. Even after several holiday seasons, bowling is the game that just remains the gold standard for the Wii. And soon golf could do the same for the PlayStation Move, but not just any golf. We’re talking about O-Games newly released John Daly’s ProStroke Golf, which will arrive next week in North America. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: golf, John Daly's ProStroke Golf, PlayStation Move, The Lion, Video Games
Posted in Software, Video Games | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 01 October 2010
For those who take their golf game seriously, and we mean seriously there is no substitute for hitting the driving range to improve your game. Well, there is the aboutGolf aG Studio, a new monitor and club tracking device that might make you want to hit the simulator rather than the range. This new, integrated device is powered by 3Trak, aboutGolf’s proprietary 3D, high-speed photography tracking technology.
It is designed for indoor use, and from the comfort of your own home (or other indoor virtual course) can provide data on ball speed, trajectory angle, distance, spin, club speed, angle of attack and horizontal path. The system is further equipped with 3Trak, so that the aG Studio “sees” like no other launch monitor. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: aboutGolf, aG Studio, Chuck Faust, golf, Perform Software, PGA Tour, simulators, Software
Posted in Equipment, Research, Software | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 28 September 2010
Golf isn’t exactly the most high-tech of sports. While there is much innovation in training, and of course in the development of the gear, some of the accessory products are essentially very low-tech. Shoes, attire and other apparel breath better, are made of our better materials and fabrics, but how do you innovate gloves?
Try adding a LED digital monitor. That’s the concept behind the Sensosulutions digital glove for golf. The SensoGlove is the world’s first golf glove with a built-in digital sensor that continuously reads a user’s grip pressure. This ensures a consistently accurate, smooth and powerful golf swing. The SensoGlove made of basic cabretta leather but goes high-tech as it is equipped with highly responsive sensors and it features a small, sweat-proof 1.2-inch LED monitor that analyzes the pressure of the swing. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: David Bauer, digital LED, Gloves, golf, SensoGlove, Sensosolutions
Posted in Equipment, Low Tech, Software | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 16 September 2010
If you want to improve your performance in any sport, you go to the expert to help you what you’re doing wrong and how to correct it. For golf this means working on swing optimization, and this week aboutGolf announced that Jean Jacques Rivet has joined their team as a new partner.
Rivet is a renowned sportsman, as well as a professional engineer, who has worked on the advancement of biomechanics and body motion. His company, BiomecaSwing has worked with golfers to attain a new level of game performance by applying a proven scientific approach. Rivet will serve as a consultant to aboutGolf in its ongoing product development, including its performance products such as the aG Balance, aG Flix and future TechCentric suite of products. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: aboutGolf, BiomecaSwing, biomechanics, body motion, Chuck Faust, golf, Jean Jacques Rivet
Posted in Equipment, Exercise, Research, Software | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 10 September 2010
In ancient to medieval times Japan was famous for the craftsmanship that went into making its famous “samurai swords” and this level of skill and craftsmanship is alive and well today, but for those hitting the greens not to do battle but to play a round of golf.
After receiving rave reviews for its Yoshitaka Grind wedges and C-Grind wedges and positive response during a soft launch of the products last year, Japanese golf-club maker Miura Golf will make these part of its Series 1957 special edition product line. The two new wedges models will join four iron models. The Yoshitaka is the result of its namesake, master craftsman Yoshitaka Miura. He trained under this father, and company founder Katsuhiro Miura at the family’s forging facility in Himeji, Japan.
The new mild-steel wedges are crafted through the company’s famous Precision Forging Finish process that ensures the clubs are consistent in terms of impact and feel. The Yoshitaka (also known as the Y-Grind) wedge will be available in lofts of 49, 51 and 53, while a 60-degree model will eventually be offered. The wedges, which only be available for right-handed, will feature W nickel (satin) chrome/black finish and will come with a stiff-flex steel shaft and Velvet Full Cord grip. The “Y” on the wedge’s sole not only represents Yoshitaka’s mark – much the way the sword makers of old would sign a blade – but it also signifies the special and limited production of the wedge. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: C-Grind, golf, golf clubs, Japan, Miura Golf, Y-Grind, Yoshitaka Grind wedges, Yoshitaka Miura
Posted in Equipment, Exercise, Outdoors, Research | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 20 August 2010
The technology of golf club design has evolved greatly since the first Scotsman took to the greens, but while the course regularly changes color with the seasons, the same can’t be said about those clubs, which pretty much all look alike. This is especially true ever since the advent of metal shafts, where you’ve been able to get your choice of chrome or plain metallic finishes. Those looking for a particular flare might as well find themselves in the bunker or water hazard, because about the only customizable aspect of clubs has been to put new grips.
But Vibrant Golf’s line of VibraCoat technology could very well change the traditional steel shaft by offering seemingly endless color combinations and finishes. The company offers opaque, gloss, flat, metallic and translucent finishes, all built around a durable polymer coating that will look good, but just as important will also protect the steel shaft from harsh weather conditions. Players can thus admire their stylish looking clubs while out on the fairway, and know that the metal is also well protected from the elements.
The clubs with VibraCoat are permitted under the rules of golf, while the addition of the coating has virtually no effect on the weight or swing. According to the company it can be applied to any steel shaft regardless of taper or stepping. The best part is that you know even if you can’t always get into the swing of things, your clubs will good trying.
Vibrant Golf Official Site
Tags: clubs, colors, golf, golf clubs, Shaft, VibraCoat, Vibrant Golf
Posted in Equipment, Exercise, Outdoors | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 16 August 2010
Inventor and self-professed “golf nut” Lance McWilliams is looking to change the game. He’s in the swing of things with a newly launched training aid, the Zoom Boom. The 44-year-old Fort Worth native had already gone from average golfer to the creator of the 15 Minute Golf instructional system, and now he’s looking to truly revolutionize the way golfers make their swings. To this end he actually studied not just the way the game is played but also the players too, and found that it might not be the golf clubs that are what is at question, but rather the way they’re used that really needed to change.
In an article for The Fort Worth Business Press, McWilliams explains, “I studied all the greats and then I’d go the driving range and study the not-so-greats. I tried to figure out what makes this golfer different from that golfer.” It was seeing the so-called “not-so-greats” that was the epiphany for the erstwhile marketer turned designer. He saw that many golfers failed to stay on plane and finish their swing in a balanced position. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 15 Minute Golf, 2010 North Texas Golf Expo, Club, Fort Worth, golf, Lance McWilliams, Zoom Boom
Posted in Equipment, Gadget, Outdoors | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 11 August 2010
With the aboutGolf simulator you won't have to search for lost balls in the woods
People pay good money to join a golf club, and even more money to travel to some of the world’s most scenic courses – but despite this fact there are times when you just can’t get outside for a round of golf. One way to avoid the weather and still get in a full 18 holes is to take advantage of the latest indoor golf simulator technology. And we’re not talking about a simple putting green in the corner or even golf on the Nintendo Wii, because while the video game experience is good, it isn’t quite like the real deal. For that you’ll have to turn to companies such as aboutGolf, which recently announced that it was the “secret weapon” in Canada’s University of Waterloo recent season.
The technology was utilized by the University of Waterloo’s engineering school, which took it to a new level with UW golf equipment and biomechanics researchers. This included studies of the technology, where engineering students used the aboutGolf PGA TOUR Simulator with new shaft and clubhead deisgns, as well as biomechanic modeling, motion capture, and golf ball simulation and optimization. This collaboration allowed UW’s men’s and women’s golf teams as part of their training for the 2010 season. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: aboutGolf, aboutGolf's PGA TOUR Simulator, Dave Hollinger, golf, Nintendo Wii, University of Waterloo
Posted in Gadget, Pro Sports, Research, Software | 1 Comment »
