By Jay Allred Searching for a great Father’s Day gift that will not break the bank? Look no further than the Precision Pro NX7 and NX7 Pro rangefinders. The NX7 sells for only $199, is lightweight and offers all the same performance of more expensive brands. The NX7 Pro offers slope and vibrating lock on…
By STUART HALL Ten days is all Mike Thompson needed to receive the first return from his investment in a new SkyTrak launch monitor. Playing in a Virginia State Golf Association’s Senior Open qualifier, on a Meadowbrook Country Club course he had never seen before last year, Thompson, of Richmond, Va., fired a 67 to…
By STUART HALL Let’s be honest. How appealing is the thought of standing on the far end of the driving range with a bucket full of golf balls, repetitiously pounding one after another into vast acreage dotted by a few makeshift greens and bunkers. Oh, and it’s also hot and humid. Most golfers, if they…
By STUART HALL Last summer, as Jordan Spieth turned his attention toward preparation for the Open Championship, the third leg of his Grand Slam pursuit, his approach raised a few eyebrows. Though Spieth had played St. Andrews’ Old Course only once — in 2011 prior to the Walker Cup as an amateur — he chose not to…
By Robert Kimball Some people would argue that golfers are the easiest people to buy presents for because you can never go wrong. Sure, we like the “hole-of-the-day” desk calendar and the occasional sweater vest, but what really gets us going is new equipment. One look at the money spent by golf equipment firms on…
By Stuart Hall Each January, the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla., brings together the industry’s biggest corporations and smallest entities for a weeklong showcasing of golf’s newest and improved products. This year, 24 companies and programs with ties to North Carolina were in attendance. Included among the Tar Heel-state representatives were SportTrak, which debuted…
By STUART HALL The claims by equipment manufacturers are as enticing as those of a carnival barker. Their product will produce more distance, reduce spin rate, improve ball control and help shape shots. In general, your game can only improve, so just step right up. The claims are mixed with technical terms like launch angle,…
By Jay Allred Most golfers walk into a golf shop, pick up a putter and start trying to see if they can make a few putts from 10 feet to decide if the flat stick fits their game. In a few months they are in search of another putter, but Edel Golf is trying to…
Former caddy for Payne Stewart shifting golf careers By DAVID DROSCHAK Mike Hicks has read thousands of left-to-right putts on the PGA Tour during his 33 years as a caddy, toted the bag for major champions Payne Stewart and Justin Leonard, traveled the globe, and witnessed professional golf’s psychological pressures up close and personal. A…
By MARC PRUITT Keith Henshaw has his brother Rob and their penchant for smoking cigars to thank for their latest innovation, one they hope will provide an alternative – and more cost effective – solution to players who are constantly re-gripping their clubs. It was over cigars last fall when Rob pulled out his clubs…