GOLF EQUIPMENT REVIEW: Wilson FG Tour Golf Ball

I am, and always have been a firm believer that the equipment you choose to play will definitely have an impact on your game, either for better or for worse. I hesitate to over-emphasize that point because in today's golf industry there are many high quality options in every piece of equipment one might need, so choosing one brand over another, for most of us, will have little noticeable impact on our game.

Choices in equipment must be made in the apparel, glove, and shoes you choose to wear, the clubs you choose to swing, the putter you carry, and even the sunscreen you decide to trust. With all of those choices, who needs yet another, but is there a more important choice to make than what kind of ball to play? I'll let that point be argued about, but in all seriousness, without the ball, what is golf?

There exist many schools of thought on the golf ball decision. I have heard many say that with their swing, they are just going to lose a bunch of balls anyway, so why spend any good money on them...just grab the cheapest bunch available and swing away. Fortunately for that golfer, there exist options, but if one wants to improve, and have the best chance of achieving success, that mindset needs to change.

In my own experience, I have gradually evolved from that 15-ball bonus pack mindset to playing top line models for most of the last decade. Though I haven't bought them new for more than 2 years now, the staple in my bag has been the Titleist ProV1x...an outstanding ball, but one that has, in my opinion, gone beyond the acceptable price limit for a semi-disposable commodity. Additionally, during my endeavor to build the Beaver Golf online store, the Titleist companies chose to pass on allowing me to sell their products to my faithful fans. I was not pleased.

Wilson Golf based here in my hometown of Chicago, IL chose a different business practice, and allowed my to become an online vendor of their products. Over the years I have played a handful of Wilson balls, most recently the "True" back about 5-6 years ago. One of my longtime playing partners religiously used his Wilson irons for many years, and still swings his Wilson SW despite the grooves being worn down to slicks. So, what better time to try out Wilson's new offerings to the golf ball world with their premium 3-piece ball, the FG Tour.

The FG Tour has a simple, clean, and elegant look right from the sleeve. The outer layer feels soft as you might expect, and inspires confidence before placing it on the tee. Off the Driver, the distance and feel might be just a fraction off the ProV1x, but equal to, or better than all other premium balls I have played, such as the Nike One Tour D, Callaway Tour i, Bridgestone B330-s, and the TaylorMade Penta. The slight loss in distance could very easily be attributed to my rusty swing or the colder spring weather, but I think it is about 5 yards shorter than the ProV1x.

Distance is far from everything on the course, however, and off irons and wedges, the FG Tour feels amazing. I haven't noticed any loss of distance off these shots with the FG Tour, and as mentioned the feel is top-notch...soft and buttery, but solid! That feel continues onto the green where I have found the FG Tour to really stand out. Off the putter the soft feel is brilliant, and inspires confidence on long and short putts equally.

One final area where the FG Tour takes a slight back seat is on chips and pitches. The spin is just a little off of the ProV1x, but again, equal to or better than the other premium balls I mentioned earlier.

At a $49.95 MSRP, the FG Tour will impact you wallet right along with its premium counterparts, but you can score big right now at Beaver Golf where through April a dozen will only cost you $34.99, FREE shipping, AND earn you $3.00 Beaver Bucks! I would strongly recommend that you give them a try.

If the premium balls aren't your bag, or you've got a slower swing speed so benefit from fewer compressions, the FG Tour's siblings, the C:25 and D:25 are also on sale now!

Fairways and Greens!

GOLF COURSE REVIEW: Mistwood Golf Club

We have all heard the old saying, "if it's not broke, don't fix it", heck, we've all probably said it many times ourselves. That sentence has always been one of my favorite idioms for two reasons. First, its meaning is crystal clear. Second, I couldn't agree with it more...especially in golf! There are great examples everywhere you look, perhaps most notably the Old Course at St. Andrews (they haven't changed that course much, right?)

Well, the reverse of the idiom rings as true, i.e. If it is broke, then FIX IT! Take, for example Augusta National, home of the well known PGA major, The Masters. Way back in its earliest years, the nines actually were reversed due to the fact that Amen Corner (then playing as holes #2-#4) was prone to frequent frost delays in the early mornings. Switching the nines created arguably one of the most exciting back nine holes anywhere in the world. Then and since Tiger Woods blew away the star-studded field en route to his first win back in 1997, Augusta has made additional frequent and significant changes to the course to better protect Old Man Par against the massive advances in technology that had nearly reduced the course to nothing more than a beautiful pitch-and-putt. Of course, that is an exaggeration, but I assume you get my point. The changes appear to have allowed the tournament to continually test the players games, often forcing them to hit clubs they are less comfortable hitting into those treacherous greens.

The same rings true at Mistwood Golf Club, located in the Southwestern Chicago suburb of Romeoville amidst a collection of courses that, in my opinion, are easily the best bang for your buck anywhere in the area. Mistwood opened back in 1998 and though it was a enjoyable layout, conditioning was lacking, customer service sucked, and the price was a bit high making nearby alternatives such as Prairie Bluff and The Links at Carillon much more appealing. I played the course two or three times back then, but learned that it simply wasn't worth it at some point, and consciously avoided the course for several years. I wasn't the only one. Mistwood went through some pretty hard times and had loads of financial problems leading to partner, Jim McWethy to become the primary owner of the course in 2003.



Since then, Mistwood has made several key changes. They put a tremendous effort into improving course conditioning, and it shows. The greens are fast and true (though it doesn't seem to help my putts drop), the fairways are in great shape, and the hole designs have always been a lot of fun to play. Next, they changed customer service philosophy, treating guests like...well, guests! The bag boys greet you in the lot with exuberance, and insist on bringing your bag to the front even if you are walking. The starter (I've got to remember his name next time) is extremely pleasant, and accommodated our foursome before Noon on a Saturday, despite half our group being almost 40 minutes late (inexcusable). Finally, and not to be underestimated, they changed the routing on the front nine. What used to be holes #7, #8, and #9 are now the opening three holes, and though they aren't pushovers, provide a much more gradual start to the course in terms of difficulty. I really like courses that give you a few holes to find you swing before featuring areas where a wayward shot can devastate your score, and the change of routing allows that at Mistwood.

Their value is off the charts, especially right now as they chose to extend their special spring rates, and on a Saturday morning it costs $40 to walk! For a course of this caliber in Chicagoland, $40 is an absolute steal! It defies comprehension that Bolingbrook Golf Club, just minutes north of Mistwood somehow gets away with charging over $100 at the same time of day. I don't think I could even begin to listen to an argument over which course between the two is more fun, more challenging, and more interesting to play, and for 40% of the price, c'mon!

So, how about the holes themselves? It is hard to think of a single one that doesn't have something interesting and different to it. Risk/reward abounds at Mistwood. Between mounding, doglegs, well-placed hazards, and out-of-bounds on a few holes, Mistwood really forces you to think your way through the entire course.

Though most of the Par 4s measure less than 400 yards, none offer simply a straight shot up a flat fairway. Notable among them are the fourth hole (formerly the 1st before the re-route) which runs like a chasm between large mounds on either side of the fairway. It is a relatively mild dogleg left that look more severe than it is due to that mounding which almost blocks your view of the pin from the tee. The bunkering that must be carried to cut off the dogleg seems to cause missing to the right quite common, and poorly struck balls landing on the mounds on that right side will very often leave a severely side-hill lie and a long tough shot to the green. The short 12th hole protects the front of its two-tiered green with a deep gaping pot bunker that demands every bit of ingenuity and skill to get out of, in fact, hitting backwards away from the green might be the best escape from there. Don't fall asleep on 16! Though the wise play off the tee is a mid to long iron, the green is guarded in front by water (more good changes happening right now) and falls off sharply behind. The green is tough to hold, and if you miss it, recovery is no picnic.

The Par 5s are all reachable for longer players, but like their shorter siblings, all come with some degree of potential peril. The 3rd hole has a ridiculously tough green guarded by a creek directly in front. The 8th, which might be their signature hole, has a split fairway, and though the right side might offer a good chance to get home in two, it brings you dangerously close to the water all the way up the right side. The 15th is a severe dogleg left, and forces the player to avoid water guarding the entire left side from tee to green. Though it can be fun, the 15th might also be my least favorite hole on this course because it feels a little forced into the corner of the property. Finally, the 18th doesn't allow for any late round letup as shots to the large green must carry another creek to be safe, while woods, and a small lake guard the right side against wayward drives and poorly struck layup shots.

The Par 3s are probably the easier holes collectively, but the 200-ish yard 14th hole will take your breath away with almost the entire flight from tee to green over the corner of the 60-plus acre, Lake St. James. When a northwesterly wind is howling, you might just want to cross the bridge to the drop zone and hit your third saving yourself the ball.

The clubhouse and practice area are adequate, and the service from start to finish is outstanding at Mistwood. I highly recommend this course not only as an incredible value, but as one of the most enjoyable and challenging tracks in the Chicago area. I hope for their sake, that Mistwood's staff continue their current path to success, and not forget the lessons in their past. With all the quality options in the area, they need to keep their service high and their prices reasonable. They are winning on both counts right now, so get there, and let them know what you think! If you haven't played Mistwood since before 2003, trust me, it's time to come back for another try, you will be impressed with the change.

For some great 360 degree photos of Mistwood, check out LookAroundGolf.com here:

Fairways and Greens! (by the way, I lifted that ending from Mistwood)

Beaver Golf is now selling Piranha!

I have mentioned several times that back in January, I and my ad hoc sidekick, Brad, attended the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, FL. The show is the granddaddy of all golf shows with oodles of vendors showing many thousands of their wares, everything from razzle-dazzle golf carts to virtual golfing simulators to custom tees and training aids that would make your head spin. We were exactly like kids in a candy shop...overwhelmed but very excited!

While there were lots of cool things at the show, some of which I have mentioned previously, one booth in particular really stood out with both Brad and I. The booth of which I speak was Piranha Golf's, manned by their charming and loquacious Chairman, Antonio Gelonesi. I will spare Antonio another biography detailing all the wonders of his life, but suffice it to say, the man knows golf, and is an unbelievably successful businessman. His manner was welcoming, and he oozed passion, pride, and excitement about his Piranha Golf products. Here is an ad they ran last year that sort of captures their spirit.

Founded in 1997, Piranha Golf has been around for a few years, but is still relatively unknown here in the States. My personal prediction is that won't last very long. The Piranha products are amazing! Their aesthetic is more than appealing, their form and function solid, and their logo and branding is downright cool - almost as cool as The Beaver! Personally, the V-Blade Irons are the cream of the crop, but I'll leave it to you to decide which of the Piranha collection you like the best. These are serious clubs designed with both improving your game, and the environment in mind.

Yes, I said the environment! Here is their environmental policy straight from their mouths:

Piranha Golf takes enormous pride in its environmental and sustainable practices.

Our Carbon Footprint:

Significant levels of energy are used when forging club heads in our factory and we have determined the amount  of that energy as well as the relative energy used and the carbon emissions created during transportation and assembly. As a consequence, Piranha Golf has purchased "off-setting contracts" to "zero out" our carbon footprint and we can accordingly offer our clients zero carbon clubs.

In addition, by using an “air blow” process to install our grips, rather then traditional methods, Piranha Golf limits the use of processing chemicals and this is a manufacturing process that we strongly advocate and encourage others to adopt. If we do need to use any acetone, we have developed a lemon acetone variant of equal efficiency but which has significant environmental benefits for both our staff and the planet.  Piranha Golf will happily provide this lemon acetone to all club makers “at cost” to promote  better practices and to demonstrate our willingness to meaningfully assist in achieving a cleaner environment.

What do you think of that? I think it's admirable, and well worth giving these guys your consideration if you are in the market for some new golf equipment, and really, who isn't?

So, check out the latest addition to the Beaver Golf family of products now at Piranha. Be the first in your foursome or club to put these works of art into play!

Fairways and Greens!

BEAVER GOLF is open for business!

Today is a day that I will long remember in my life, it is the day I opened my first business...Beaver Golf! Yes, of course, I have been writing the blog with purpose for going on a year now, and I did make a very small amount of money via Affiliate Marketing and Google Ads, but the brand new online store supporting my growing community of fans on Facebook and Twitter is a real honest-to-goodness business venture, and I intend to make sure it succeeds.

Success, of course is not an easy thing to achieve in the business world. I believe the odds are more in favor of my failing than succeeding, but that is just a statistic. I have already, and will continue to put a ton of effort into ensuring that my store delights my fellow Beaver Golfers on a regular basis. The satisfaction that I am able to bring to my customers will ultimately determine how long this little store of mine will thrive, so I am counting on all of you to keep me up to speed with just how satisfied you are with the site, and what you would like to see from it.

To that end, I'd like to give you a brief tour of the store and what we have to offer, without dwelling too long on any specific items, saving those in depth product reviews for the near future. No good business begins without a mission, and ours is this - Beaver Golf strives to be your virtual clubhouse, complete with comfort, conversation, and a store in which you will find stylish, unique, and innovative products all designed to enhance your enjoyment of the game of golf. I am very pleased with the simple and pleasing aesthetic of our site design, and I love our logos. I hope that you all share this sentiment, and that the clean and simple design makes your shopping with us more pleasing.

This blog will continue, and even expand, creating one of the several "rooms" where conversations about all aspects of the game will take place. I have always, and will continue to encourage interaction and participation from all who choose to read the blog, follow our Facebook Fan Page, or keep up with us on Twitter (I like hearing myself talk, but I like hearing all of you talk much more). On the blog, I will continue to write course reviews, but will begin to feature more significant product reviews, and eventually service reviews as well. Talk is cheap, so I can only hope that you will all come to trust that despite my product reviews often being intended to drive a sale, I will always be honest and forthright about my real feelings about a product or service. If I haven't "experienced" the product or service myself, I will not write about it - and if I don't like something, I will tell you so. I ask that you all will share your experiences as well, with courses and the like on my various Social media portals, and with products by posting reviews right on the product pages of my store. Please be honest, I will not remove bad reviews, but will remove any that include profanity or distasteful commentary.

As for the store proper, I'd be lying if I said I have used every product I sell - I do sell women's apparel after all, and I have yet to play the game as a cross-dresser (though if it'll get me onto the forward tees without shame, perhaps I should give it a try!). I have made an effort to ensure that I carry products that are high quality, innovative in design, and more often than not, have aspects that will help you to play better golf, or at least look and feel better while playing. I, and my ad hoc assistant, Brad, spent the better part of two plus days at the PGA Merchandise Show back at the end of January scouring all that the world had to offer in the business of golf. At that show I learned quite a bit about the industry of golf, and where my biggest challenges would be. I also saw some of the most interesting apparel and equipment there was to see, and from the hundreds of vendors, chose a select few to begin my store with. More selection will continue to make its way into the store, and some may work its way out based on the feedback, both direct and indirect, that I receive from all of you.

You will notice, for instance, that my store is heavy in apparel right now. While there are several reasons for this, the biggest reason is that this is an area where there is a great deal of innovation, and much of this innovation can not be found at your local Pro Shop or big box retailer. On Beaver Golf, you will find some familiar clothing brands like Antigua, who utilize a great feeling performance fabric that they call Desert Dry, but also some lesser known brands that I hope you will give a try. 

Beyond The Links is a small apparel company owned by Joe Skovron, who also happens to caddy for one of the PGA Tour's young guns, Rickie Fowler. The clothing from Beyond The Links is slightly edgy, but very clean, and is constructed from performance fabrics to aid with your comfort on the course. Check out his shirts, caps, and a sweet belt featuring their great logo!

Hawke & Co. is a company with a history in the apparel business, but very new to the golf world. Hawke initially caught my eye with the colors they presented, and was the very first booth we visited at the show in Orlando. All of their apparel is designed with comfort in mind, and features technologies that wick moisture, move and stretch with your swing, utilize recycled materials, and resist odor as well as UV rays. Hawke also caught the eye of PGA Tour Pro Jim Furyk who wears their shirts on tour...take a closer look at Jim next time you watch him play.

Puma has been around in the athletic apparel industry for a long time, though their foray into golf has come more recently, they are really making a splash. With Golf Digest cover boy Rickie Fowler sporting seemingly everything that the Puma designers can think up, they may be around for many years to come. With some fresh designs, and quality fabrics, Puma will surely catch your eye, and if you like it, hopefully a few of your dollars! Puma is currently my only brand of shoe offered, though both the Puma shoe selection, and overall golf shoe collection should expand throughout the year. I am particularly fond of the women's shoes on the store, so check them out ladies!

Straight Down is not new to the golf scene, but may be new to you. I first discovered Straight Down on the very same trip to Bandon Dunes that helped launch the original idea for Beaver Golf. I still wear a fleece vest by Straight Down with the Bandon Dunes logo that I purchased out there on a subsequent trip. Straight Down has some excellent tops and bottoms, but really excels at making some stylish outer wear for those post-round drinks out on the clubhouse porch evenings - a nightly occurrence at Bandon Dunes!

With all due respect to the other great brands we carry, Sunice might be the one that makes me stop and stare the longest. Sunice specializes in outerwear, and makes some of the best use of Gore-Tex fabric in the world. While their Gore products are unbelievable, they feature a stepped selection of products with varied features and degrees of water and wind resistance so that they have a solution for almost any weather condition that ails you. I am particularly intrigued by their use of silver fibers woven directly into the fabric of their X-Static products. The silver fibers contain some "big word" properties such as thermal conduction and reflection, moisture transfer, anti-microbial, anti-static, and visible technology...altogether they mean you will feel great and odor will never be a problem! Guys and gals, check out the Bowen and the Evelyn respectively for two of the more exciting pieces in my opinion. I'll be personally reviewing the Bowen as soon as I can!

After doing some pre-show research back in January, Tattoo Golf was a company I sought out at the show. If you haven't seen their styles, you are missing out. I am one who likes to bend the traditions a bit when it comes to apparel (after all, my store is called Beaver Golf), so one look at Tattoo Golf, and I knew I had to offer them a home in my store. If you like to make a statement, but still want the high-performance fabrics and design in your shirts and accessories, take a good look at the Tattoo Golf section on the store. I am even selling their bottle opener and Koozies for those who like to sneak a tasty adult beverage or two onto the course!

An important part of our mission at Beaver Golf is to embrace the women -- y'know as part of the golf community! I hear often from the women in our group how limited the selection is for good women's apparel, so want to remedy that on the store. We are nowhere close to that goal as we open our doors, but our selection from Tracey Lynn is an excellent peg in the ground (again, no pun intended there). Tracey Blake, the founder and CEO of Tracey Lynn has an inspiring story of her own after recovering from a rare and serious illness, she dedicated herself to making women's golf apparel that used high-performance fabrics and did a better job of flattering a woman's figure. Take a look and see for yourself.

My club selection for "off the green" strokes is limited to be sure as this is easily one of the toughest nuts to crack in this world of handshakes, longtime relationships, and old-school rules, but do not let that take away from the quality I was able to find and offer from my hometown of Chicago's own Wilson Golf. Wilson is one of the oldest and most experienced club-makers in the world, and is showing no signs of letting age get to them. Their equipment is played by many pros including 3-time major Champion Padraig Harrington, and PGA Pro Ricky Barnes who had himself quite a Masters tournament after finishing 2nd in the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black. Their clubs are highlighted by their FG Tour Irons for better players, and their new Hybrid-shafted D-FY Irons which will benefit anyone trying to hit the ball straighter, higher, and longer. Along with their world class irons, we carry their FYbrid club system designed to help you better optimize the fourteen clubs in your bag, their Smooth Driver, their TW9 Tour Milled Wedges, 88 Series Putters, balls, gloves, bags, you name it! We have some exciting surprises on the way to help expand our club selection, but trust me, you can't go wrong with Wilson, and our prices through April are incredible!

Putting is a BIG part of the game, and is all too often overlooked. How many people do you see carrying a $400 Driver that they will swing at most 14 times per round, then pull out a cruddy old stick with a steel block on the bottom that they found at a garage sale somewhere with which they play a third of their strokes? Beaver Golf believes in bringing technology to putting, and very proudly features three brands who do as well. Along with the aforementioned Wilson, please take a good look at the putter selection from Rife and Yes! Both Rife and Yes! use different methods to achieve the same result...immediate forward roll on your putts, eliminating the initial hop and backspin to create a more consistently accurate result. Both of these are world-class brands and have very notable Tour wins among them on many of the major Tours.

Practice makes perfect, and arguably the most successful and well-known swing trainers available today is the Medicus Dual-Hinge club. The patented design of the dual hinge clubs helps you to quickly determine where the flaws in your swing path are, and correct them...AND you can hit balls with them! Along with the dual hinge, Medicus offers several other helpful aids that you should explore and purchase to help keep your game in shape.

Though Asher Gloves are a small part of our store, I'd hate for them to be overlooked. Asher makes premium golf gloves with exciting and uniques designs. I am particularly fond of The Birdie with a subtly effective placement of a bird graphic on a certain finger! Buy one of these gloves for the fun factor, and you will not be disappointed in the quality, which together could help you play a more relaxed and better round.

Last, but by no means least, is the ruletwentyone from RuleGolf. The r21 is a durable terrycloth towel with a waterproof back side that easily folds over itself and fits in your pocket keeping your pocket dry while the towel side stays wet and allows you to clean your clubs and ball no matter where you are on the course. A clean club face and ball has been shown to deliver a more consistently accurate shot time and time again. With this little beauty available to you, why play another dirty shot again!

That rounds out our initial list of brand partners. Though I am very pleased with and proud of the products we have already brought to you, there is more variety on the horizon, and with it more opportunities for exciting specials and savings! Of course, we will have a selection of products with our own Beaver Golf logo as well, as some of you are already wearing. These products will be a mix of store essentials such as tees and gloves, but also limited edition designs on shirts, hats, and much more.

I hope you will make the time to browse our store, and fill up that shopping cart. My intent is to stick around for a long, long time, but without your patronage, that simply won't materialize. So please let me know what you like, AND what you don't like whenever you have the chance so we can make this the comfortable virtual clubhouse it is intended to be.

Thank you!

Fairways and Greens!

Take me out to the...

by guest contributor: Don Moorhead

Getting close to Opening Day for baseball, at which time you’ll no doubt hear a gazillion (estimated number; actual number may be higher) paeans to the grandness of going to the ballpark, of taking in a game to remind you of spring, and of those long afternoon (or more frequently evening) conversations you have with your son, your daughter, your spouse, your father, or just a friend (usually it’s father-son, they always play that up for the “Field of Dreams” guys who feel guilty that they haven’t called their dad this week so they’ll go to a game). There the two of you sit, having a beer, watching the game, catching up or just telling old stories you’ve both heard before. (Ed Note: should somebody tell him this is a golf blog?) Don’t worry, I’m getting there.

Anyway, for my money, as much as I love the ballpark for that purpose, give me a golf course any day and twice on Sunday (see, I brought it around). Not only are you out in the sun, you’re actually doing something in the sun. Not only are you looking at the spectacular green of the grass, you’re actually, well, walking around on it. The conversation is the same, as are the overpriced hot dogs. You’re still catching up with your dad or your buddy or your son, telling the same ridiculous jokes, reciting the story about how one day when the course was in bad shape they asked Fuzzy Zoeller “How did you find the golf course today?” and he replied “Easy, just turned left at the clubhouse, same as yesterday.” Most baseball players would have to have that joke explained to them, possibly with charts.

On a golf course, you talk about golf and you talk about everything and you talk about nothing. You tell your friend “I have no idea what’s going on with my irons lately, I might as well use them to pry up rocks” and you tell your dad “I have no idea what I’m going to do if I don’t get a job soon.” You confess your sins and you confess your love for hybrid clubs and 60 degree wedges and that girl you’ve been seeing. You bust on your friends who don’t play, and you bust on the ones who play badly (like I should talk). You laugh about that one friend you all have who gets a little too mad when he shanks one and a little too happy when he skulls one that dies on the green in spite of itself. You flirt with the beer girl when you’re in your 20s and 30s, then you stop because she could be your daughter’s age. Then when you’re in your 60s, you say “what the hell” and flirt with her again. Ever flirt with a beer vendor at a ballgame? He’ll break you in half.

Because they go ahead and give you a scorecard, you might as well keep score, and if you’re going to keep score, you might as well have a $.25 skin or a $5 Nassau on the line. Ask the last guy who got caught at the ballpark making it interesting by betting on himself how that works out in baseball, they won’t even let him in their stupid Hall of Fame.

So sure, I’ll come out to the ballpark, and I’ll bring my boy or my dad or my buddy. But I guarantee you that by the third inning, one of us is gonna say “so when are we playing golf?”

Read Don's occasional non-golf thoughts at www.aggressivelethargy.blogspot.com

BEAVER GOLF REVIEW: Top Golf Chicago

If you are a regular reader of Beaver Golf, you might be familiar with my golf course reviews. Hopefully you find them informative and helpful...or at least amusing. I try to be fair with all my course assessments, judging courses by a variety of aspects including cost, customer service, and conditions among others. This review will apply the same methodology, though the subject is a little bit different - a driving range.

This is not your neighborhood range that I will be reviewing today, mind you. Top Golf Chicago is a driving range on the cream and the clear (that's code for steroids for those Bonds-impaired in the audience). Given that here in Chicago we just had one of the snowiest winters on record, for the second year running - AND that we didn't have it nearly as bad as many other places less used to the blizzards south and east of us - a beefed up driving range seems like an appropriate way to start my Chicago course reviews this year.

Top Golf also is only relevant to a select few of you out there. Having only three facilities in the United States, and three more in Great Britain, I am guessing the vast majority of you will not have the chance to utilize this review. Alas, the concept is so simple, and the experience so enjoyable, I just had to write about it. Top Golf locations include Chicago, IL (actually Wood Dale, but who really cares?), Dallas, TX, Alexandria, VA, and of course, Chigwell, Surrey, and Watford over in jolly England.

At first glance, Top Golf looks like any multi-decked driving range, the draw in Chicago being heated and covered bays making practice possible nearly year-round. We also have several bubble domes to hit in, an experience I will likely never partake in again after visiting Top Golf. Upon arrival to Top Golf, you are greeted by a host who, if there is a wait for a bay, takes your name and hands you a beeper. You immediately head over to the cashiers, if necessary, to purchase or refill your playing card. This is an important point, because there are pricing options right from the get-go.

You can purchase a card good for 30 days for $5.00 if you are between 18-55, and $3 if you fall above or below that age range. The card can then be filled with any value you choose in order to purchase balls for the range. The 30-day card is renewable after the 30 days expires for another $5.00. I'll save you the five second calculation, and let you know that comes to $60.00 if you were to use the 30-day card all year, PLUS anything you spend on balls.

The best value is the TopGolf Playing Card. This puppy costs you $35 to activate, but you don't have to renew it again for a year, and you get the following perks:

• 6 Free Games (120 balls)
• Free 30 minute lesson with one of their academy instructors
• Complementary club rental

The six free games alone covers the tab if you use it in prime hours when 120 balls would otherwise cost you $36.00 (off-prime would cost $18.00 for the same number of balls). Interestingly, one of the instructors at top Golf Chicago, named Matt Vinge, game me at least 16 personal lessons while he was working with GolfTec, so now I can grab a freebie with him at Top Golf should I choose to do so. He is really good...check him out if you use this deal.

So, I mentioned prime times and off-prime times...a 100% difference in price. Prime time is M-Th from 3:00-11:00 PM, Fridays from 3:00-Midnight, Saturdays from Noon-Midnight, and Sundays from Noon-9:00 PM. Fortunately, I am an early bird, and Top golf Chicago opens at 10:00 on weekdays and 9:00 on weekends, so there is plenty of time to hit for half price. Six bucks for 20 balls is a little steep (even for the coolness of this concept), but let me tell you more about the good things...perhaps you won't be as tight with the cash as I am?

Top Golf offers various memberships as well that offer additional perks such as unlimited balls, no waiting for bays, and preferred access to the Executive Suites. I can no comment on the Executive Suites as I have not yet made use of them, but it sounds plush!

Top Golf has a Pro Shop, not large, but they have club fitting on site, so potentially cool perk there. If you do need to wait for a bay to open, there is a surprising decent restaurant on site. I'm not going to call the place gourmet dining, but they have a substantial menu, and I was able to find a Turkey and Avocado wrap that was mighty tasty, easily better than what I could get at any other driving range, if they had anything at all. One caution...avoid the seasoned curly fries as they paled in comparison to the wrap, and the steak cut fries looked much better. As we dined, our beeper went off to alert us that our bay was ready. The bartender noticed it flashing and buzzing, so offered to have our food and drinks brought out to our bay for us. Sorry, I know my expectations are lower than some, but that struck both Brad and I as over-the-top nice, despite it being something that they probably do many times every day. Anyway, out to our bay we went, and our food arrived before we returned with our buckets of balls.

The balls at Top Golf each have a computerized micro-chip inserted, that not only tracks your ball as it hits targets ranging from 20-250 yards away, but also keeps your score! When you get your balls from the dispensers, not unlike most ranges, you use your card to activate it. As the balls come out, there are programmed with your information, making tracking possible. Once you have a chance to sit in the very comfortable heated bay and look out at the range, you immediately see what really makes Top Golf different. There are round targets cut out of the ground at intervals all over the range! Each flag has a series of rings around them just like a dartboard. The range is very well lit, so darkness poses no problem whatsoever in seeing all the targets.

You can go there to practice, they call it TopPractice, and just hit balls without "playing a game". The added benefit is that if you hit into any of the rings around the targets (yes, it is possible to miss the target areas, though I don't like admitting it) it will report back your yardage...cool.

The real fun of Top Golf, however, is the games. The namesake game, TopGolf, consists of 20 balls. You can play alone against "the field" as they track everyone's scores on large boards, or against your friends as well. Brad and I played against each other alternating hitting five shots in a row then switching players until we completed the game. In TopGolf you choose the targets you want to hit, the longer the distance, the greater the potential points. Additionally, it rewards you heavily for hitting targets consecutively. This makes for great practice, and comes with the benefit of slowing you down and making you think, in my opinion more closely resembling real golf. One issue Brad and I often have at the range is that he blows through his bucket at warp speed while I take a little more time. this leads to Brad finishing sometimes well before me, then either stealing a portion of my remaining balls, or wandering around bored stiff. In TopGolf, the issue is moot as one player can not play faster than the other. And you aren't limited to two players...this is a great group activity, even for the unskilled players as there are plenty of points to be had from bad shots finding their way into unintended targets.

Another game, called TopShot is a lot of fun. In this game you need to shoot at targets at four consecutive distances, five shots per target. You get to pick your own starting point, based on your skill level. The trick to this one is that missing a little can net you a zero point shot, or can even take points away should your ball find a wrong target.

The third game we played, called TopDrive forces you to only hit the targets at 195 yards plus. Having not swung our drivers all winter, save for those two unfortunate rounds in Orlando, we needed to hit the ball hard, though disappointingly scored very low. Sure, it could be my swing, but generally I can fly my driver between 240-260 yards, and will hit one over 290 several times each summer. I didn't hit that 250 yard driver target one time in 18 swings! I will say that while Top golf gives you distance reporting, and it is consistent, those balls do fly a club to club-and-a-half shorter than a new golf ball off the turf of a golf course...just sayin'.

Other games include chipping and pitching focused TopChip and TopPressure which I will try out this weekend. While playing, we were visited by our waitress at least 4 times, had our drinks refilled without asking, and played on a night in the high 40s wearing short sleeves and jeans!

I am so delighted to have finally given Top Golf a try, and will make it part of my practice routine for this point forward, especially through the depressing Chicago winters. I highly recommend Top Golf to anyone who can utilize one, and though I know that leaves out most of you, perhaps if you are visiting Chicago, Dallas, or D.C., you can give it a go, if only for a day, and let us all know how you liked it.

Fairways and Greens!

Florida Blows!

OK, all you touchy Floridians, just relax! The title was merely to get your dander up. I am quite fond of Florida - as a place to temporarily visit for a nice relaxing vacation only during certain weeks of the year when there isn't a terrible heat wave, downpour, hurricane, or surprisingly cold and windy weather. But seriously, this is not an article about how much or how little I, or anyone else, likes Florida. Rather, it is about how those docile looking flat and sandy South Florida golf courses can look so tame, but play so tough when the winds start to howl.

If you read my previous post, a review of the Southern Dunes course in Haines City, you know that I recently battled the wind and cold in Florida myself, and I was beaten soundly. Well, perhaps to make myself feel better about my own game, I found it particularly interesting to watch some of the PGAs best deal with that wind yesterday in the first round of The Honda Classic played at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. I have not played PGA National yet, but have played many rounds in South Florida including two at Tom Fazio's Emerald Dunes course, just down the road from PGA National.

Obviously, that particular course at PGA National is a major contributor to the diffculty. In fact, last season, the 14th and 17th holes both ranked among the five most difficult Par 3s on the PGA Tour. The stretch of holes from 15th-17th is known as The Bear Trap, and plays very strong with water everywhere. Water should not cause anyone on the PGA Tour to tremble in my estimation, so I will reiterate that it is the winds that make this course so difficult, and yesterday in particular.

Some stats to back me up include the following:

• Only 29.3% of the field yesterday finished with a score of Par or better, and only 23% broke Par.
• The average score for the 143 players in Round 1 was 72.41, 2.41 strokes over Par.
• Two players finished in the 80s, two more finished at 79, including the defending champion Y.E. Yang who took a 9 on the second hole and shot 8-over on the front nine!
• Former PGA Championship winner, Rich Beem, withdrew after shooting 78.

I look forward to how the pros handle round two, especially if the wind keeps up, but for now, I will simply take solace in the fact that when you play on a tough Florida course with cool temperatures and the wind blowing, your score will likely be elevated, even in a state where not much else is.

Fairways and Greens!

GOLF COURSE REVIEW: Southern Dunes Golf and Country Club

Well, it took me a few more days than planned, but here, is the follow up to my review of Orange County National. This review is of the Southern Dunes Golf and Country Club located about 28 miles Southwest of the Orange County Convention Center (where the PGA Merchandise Show was held, and near where we stayed during our visit). We got what we thought was a great tee time on Sunday morning at 9:40 am, so arose early enough that we could get down there and hit some balls after our frustrating lack of warm-up the previous day at Panther Lakes. We quickly found out that we were mistaken.

Upon departure from the very average Hampton Inn on International Dr. just north of Sand Lake Rd, we hit the drive through at McDonalds for a quick bite on our drive down. As it turned out, this was no ordinary McDonalds, and became the cause of our failing to hit a bucket for the second straight day. The car in front of us must have been sent from Disney World itself, and ordered for the entire cast of characters, because we sat in that drive through for at least 15-20 minutes...argh! The thing was, this was something called a McDonalds Bistro (I think), and served things like omelettes and...wait for it...Eggs Benedict! Sorry, McDonalds, you know I love your tasty offerings, but no way am I trusting a fast food joint with poached eggs and Hollandaise Sauce, but I digress. Finally, Sir Ordersalot in front of us received and paid for his smorgasbord, we pulled up, grabbed our grossly overpriced Egg McMuffins, and were on our way, now just trying to make our tee time.

The drive was a little longer than expected, but the directions were simple, so we made the drive in the 36 minutes that Google told us it would take. One of the oddities here is that the entrance to the course is through the modest community built around it, sort of tucked away behind some big box stores like Wal-Mart and Home Depot. Perhaps I am just used to a bit of posh at highly rated golf courses, but Florida never fails to remind me that it is all just a little temporary, and therefore lacking in polish and shine. Pulling up, the clubhouse is most unremarkable, though the range that we didn't have time to use looked fairly nice. From the bag drop area, you also get a glimpse of the 10th hole, a really pretty and interesting hole that we would discover after our rounds had already gone further south than we had already traveled to get here, but more about that later.

I think I mentioned in my Orange County National review, that the previous day was supposed to be steady rain, but only sprinkled us for 3-4 holes, and turned out to be rather pleasant. The forecasts didn't achieve any higher level of accuracy on this day either. What was supposed to be a sunny sky with temps in the low 60s turned out instead to be a dreary, cloudy day with temps in the low 50s and the wind whipping at 15-20 mph. There is always a false belief among us Yankees that on trips to Florida, we will forever be wearing shorts and sunglasses, but I've been there enough to know this was a bit on the chilly side, and for the folks who call Orlando home, it was downright frigid! I can tell you this much, we were almost dressed appropriately, but this would have been a cold round even back home in Chicago's unpredictable spring season.

Ignoring the fact that the weather gods were conspiring against us, and that we were parking in a near empty lot because most of the locals were huddled in front of blazing fireplaces wearing cardigans, we knocked around a few practice putts, then moved across the lot to where a very nice, and well bundled starter greeted us. He gave us the 411 of the course, asked where we were from, then told us that a B-level celebrity here in Chicago was out playing the course with his son. Yes, somewhere on the front nine, Ken "Hawk" Harrelson was talking somebody's ear off about how good he once was, and that you could put it on the board...YES! Again, I digress...my apologies for wandering a bit tonight.

Upon finishing his piece, and sharing some quick pleasantries, the starter bid us farewell, then turned quickly back to the warm shelter of the clubhouse I suppose, and we made our way to the first tee. Looking at the scorecard, Southern Dunes is a beast. From the back tees, it measures 7,227 yards, and sports a rating and slope of 75.5/138. That is bad news on a surprisingly cold and windy day for a couple of slumping 9 handicaps who played only the previous day in the last 2 months. So, we moved forward to the Blue tees where plenty of challenge remained, according to the card, with a rating and slope of 73.3/134 at 6,803 yards.

The first hole is a 390 yard Par 4, with houses along the left, and large sandy mounds along the right with sporadic pines dotting the length of it. Brad, having won the previous day, hit first and sort of block/sliced one that caught the wind blowing right into us. It took a sharp right turn and landed somewhere on the wrong side of those mounds...oh well, he hit a provisional (not much better) and was ready for our first ball hunt of the day. I didn't do much better, but kept it in play, albeit in a fairway bunker on the right side of the fairway, and only about 220 yards from the tee. I didn't pure it, but man, that wind was really blowing. Upon reaching where we thought Brad's ball had landed, we noticed that invisible from the tee, once over the mound, a ball can quickly head OB with a chain-link fence right at the bottom of the mounds. Brad's did not, but his second did, forcing him to take a triple-bogey seven on the first and bringing on a very early foul mood in my playing partner. I managed a bogey after hitting a decent lay-up from the fairway bunker, so felt OK about things, though still concerned about the lack of distance on both my normal shots on the hole.

Leaving the first green, we realized something else. Southern Dunes is not just another course built as part of a community of homes, it feels as though they only planned the homes, found a really nice course layout and jammed it into whatever free space they could find. The houses are not only ever-present but feel like they are right on top of you here. It's a shame, because as I mentioned, the layout is really appealing, offering plenty of challenge for any golfer, highlighted by a significant amount of elevation changes that have a major effect on the greens.

The front nine was wild to say the least. Brad recovered from his opening disaster hole to some extent and managed to shoot bogey golf on the outward nine, while I disintegrated and forgot how to strike a golf ball. I knocked a drive out of bounds and squarely into the heart of someone's roof on the Par 5 4th (though I did par my 2nd ball, for the unsatisfying double-bogey). Then, on the short Par 4 5th hole, I hit a dreadfully short 5-iron into the wind off the tee, donated a few balls to the local aquatic wildlife and dragged myself off the green with a NINE! Not to be completely outdone, I carded a snowman on the very difficult Par 4, 7th after using everything but a hand-wedge to get out of the greenside bunker, and finished double-bogey, bogey on 8 and 9 for a blow-up 54! Easily one of my worst nines of the last 8-9 years!

At the turn, Brad ran in for a quick break while I stewed in the cart realizing that quitting after nine would deprive you all of a good "bad golf" story, and would only mean I'd have to find more time to kill in the land of the Mouse before making my way to the airport for our evening flight. So, onward we went, and it was fortunate we did.

The sun peeked out for about ten minutes as we began the back nine, though it was hardly a break in the weather as the wind and cold stuck around all day. Even through my tainted view of the game of golf at the moment, I knew from the front nine that this was a nice course, but the back nine secured it for me. The stretch of holes from 10-14 is as good a stretch of five holes as anywhere I've played in Florida, though I would still notch the whole course well below both courses at World Woods and Doral's Blue Course, and haven't played many courses outside of the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale areas. See, those holes that begin the back nine take you away from the houses, and you get the feeling for the first time all day that you are on a course designed for the land rather than routed through a development. Notably, I felt that the two Par 3s on 11 and 14 were extraordinary and allowed for some very imaginative and challenging pin placements. Holes 15-18 provide a decent finish, though you do return to the houses, and definitely leave you with the feeling that you'd like to give it another go (one of my criteria for a good course).

From a performance standpoint, I was able to "recover" from my dismal front nine, with an average 6-over, 42 on the back, while Brad found his own opportunities to melt down with a disappointing 49. Though I walked away with a dismal 96 (ugh!), the fact that Brad only beat me by two strokes at least provided some testament to the difficulty of the course, AND the day. I am not kidding when I say that 6,800 yard course with the cold and wind we had probably played more like 7,600 yards. The course is well bunkered (between us we hit out of the sand at least one time on ten different holes), and hides many surprising breaks on its greens (though, surprisingly, we both putted decently). Furthermore, with all the houses lining most of the holes, there are simply too many opportunities to knock even slightly bad shots OB, which in my opinion is one of the most devastating penalties in golf.

Overall, I would say that Southern Dunes is a nice course, overpriced by about $30, and located just a little too far from Orlando to make the trip. On the other hand, Orlando golf is not cheap, and if you can't make the trip down to Tampa or up to Brooksville, perhaps Southern Dunes will be to your liking. I would love to have another shot at this course on a more typical Orlando day, so who knows, I may even play it again. If I were to suggest one over the other, I would have to give the nod to Southern Dunes slightly over Orange County National. Though at OCN, you don't have to deal with the houses, Southern Dunes just captures the imagination a little better, even if you have to imagine how much better it might be away from those homes.

If you have played either of these courses, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Fairways and Greens!

GOLF COURSE REVIEW: Orange County National – Panther Lake Course

P1011435
Originally uploaded by chris07920
While visiting Orlando, FL to attend my first PGA Merchandise Show during the last week of January, I took the opportunity to play a couple of golf courses that I had been itching to play. This review will focus on the first of those two courses, the Panther Lake Course at Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge located in Orlando, FL.

Most notable about the Panther Lake Course is that it has recently played host to the PGA Tour’s Qualifying School, known to most simply as Q-School. The PGA of America’s Q-School is one of the handful of methods by which a player can earn their PGA Tour Card, and with it the privileges of competing in some number of PGA Tournaments every year. Q-School is a rigorous 90-hole tournament from which the top 30 finishers will emerge with full PGA Tour exemptions.

The Panther Lake scorecard gives the Q-School tees a rating of 76.0 with a slope of 139 playing Par 72 at 7,350 yards. The Q-School tees weren’t even out as if we were going to take that punishment while on a quick stop in Florida anyway. With the Championship tees still offering a hearty challenge with a rating and slope of 73.2/132, and both myself and Brad rusty from the annual winter layoff in Chicago, we opted for the Back (blue) tees. Playing at a relatively short 6,394 yards, the course still had some bite as evidenced by its 71.2/127 rating and slope. Disappointingly, however, all but a couple of the “lakes” for which this course is known were empty, though not enough to discount the greens fees of $114 apparently.

The clubhouse is quite nice, large enough to comfortably feature loads of logo-ed apparel and gear, though a logo ball was the extent of my extraneous purchases on this day. Though we arrived 20 minutes before our tee time, we were told that we didn’t have time to hit a few range balls, and instead were sent over to the Panther Lake starter shack where we putted for about 20 minutes prior to being sent off. Maybe others need a really long time on the range, but five minutes of swings would have been most welcome for the two of us, having not played any golf for about 9 weeks prior to this round.

Once on the course, all was fine. We were expecting to play through a steady and sometimes heavy rain through most of the round, but fortunately, aside for holes six through eight, we stayed bone dray with the temperature hovering in the high 60s…fantastic weather for us, having lifted off from O’Hare airport on a night hovering around 9 degrees. The beverage carts were attentive and showed up every 3-4 holes, and carried dogs and brats, much appreciated for our mid-day round.

The course itself was better than average, though hardly worth the $114.00 they charged us. The layout is challenging, but the greens were average at best, and when we played, were probably rolling at about half the speed as they do for Q-School. I shot a Net 77 with zero practice after a nine-week layoff. Look, I know it’s Florida, and almost the high season, so they can pull that cash out of visitors, but back here in Chicago, we have four public tracks that charge over $100, three are WAY overpriced (Bolingbrook, Ruffled Feathers, and The Glen Club), and the other one is Dubsdread, the fourth course at Cog Hill. In fact, there are at least five courses in Chicagoland that charge less than half the price of Panther Lake, which I would argue are “better” than the star of Orange County National.

In short, if you are in Orlando, and want to play some golf without taking out a second mortgage, Orange County National will do the trick, and you will probably be satisfied with the overall experience. If you have the time, however, and can handle a 90-120 minute car ride, head northwest to Brooksville, and play both the Pine Barrens and the Rolling Oaks course at World Woods. You can thank me later.

Fairways and Greens!

Makray Memorial Junior Golf Clinics

Of the many excellent public courses in the Chicagoland area, Makray Memorial is certainly in my Top Ten. Aside from the excellent conditioning, and interesting layout, they have a classic clubhouse with a top notch restaurant overlooking the 9th and 18th greens. Makray also uses sand that is unique to the Chicago area, and plays more like the sand you encounter in Florida as opposed to the heavy, often waterlogged sand found at most Chicago courses. Their practice area, though compact, offers golfers an opportunity to tune up all the various aspects of their game either before a round or for a full practice session. For junior golfers, this facility must be fantastic.

Well, registration is now open for Makray's 2010 golf clinics. To register, you can stop in their pro shop in Barrington, IL, or visit their website at www.makraygolf.com.

PROGRAMS & SESSIONS:


After School Program (May 11,12,13) 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm = $100.00
After School Program (May 18,19,20) 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm = $100.00

Golf Clinic (July 6,8,13,15,20,22) 8:30 am - 10:00 am = $175.00
                                                    10:30 am - 12:00 pm = $175.00

August Mini Clinic (August 3,4,5) 8:30 am - 10:00 am = $100.00
August Mini Clinic (August 10,11,12) 8:30 am - 10:00 am = $100.00

The classes include mastering the fundamentals of the grip, stance, and swing. Emphasis will be put on skill development for putting and the short game. All students will additionally see a video analysis of their swing.

The average age of the participants in these clinics is 10-12 years old, but Makray reports that the ages do vary outside of that average, so if you've got a hungry little 6 or 7 year old Beaver to be, by all means, let them eat!

Fairways and Greens!

The Greats...for a reason.

by guest contributor: Don Moorhead

When I was a kid, there was only the lingering aftereffect of one of the great divides in sports history. It was still there, but only as a vestigal reminder of the past. The lines had mostly been blurred, and the sides had softened into mutual respect. But once upon a time, it was factions that made Team Coco vs. Team Leno look like nothing (actually, it already looks like nothing, but still...) battling it out for the soul of the game.

I'm talking, of course, about Jack vs. Arnie. The Golden Bear vs. Arnie's Army.

It's one of the things that makes professional golf so great. You see, most team sports are so geography dependent, they make fandom meaningless. I grew up in Cincinnati, thus I grew up rooting for the Reds, the Bengals (god help me), and the Cincinnati Stingers (of the WHA... no, really). It was predestined and predetermined, based solely on where I lived. There are a few exceptions to this, such as baseball in Chicago, where you root for the Cubs or the White Sox based on whether you're a drunken 20 year old yuppie-to-be or a drunken son of a plumbing contractor (or something like that, I'm generalizing). Also, had I been forced to pick an NBA team (the NBA did not, and in fact still does not, exist as far as Cincinnatians are concerned), it may have been the Lakers because of Kareem and eventually Magic. But it was just as likely to be the Pacers, because they were the closest team. In golf, you get to pick who you root for from the beginning. And not only that, you get to pick the criteria on which you base your choice. You can choose the crafty short-game guy, the big bomber, or the guy who wears the wacky clothes and clowns with the crowd. But back in the day, golf underwent a battle for its soul.

You know the biographies, so I won't bore you with them. Palmer was the son of the groundskeeper, Nicklaus was the silver-spoon priveleged one. Jack's swing was refined and his game was precise, Arnie gripped it and ripped it. And the rivalry was fierce. I remember my grandmother, the gentlest, sweetest woman in the entire world, who never said a bad word about anyone, calling Nicklaus "that stupid fat kid." Granted, this was in 1986, when he was in his 40s, but you get the point. Old habits died hard.

I thought of these two and their battles recently, as the whole you-know-who drama has unfolded. Jack turned 70 the other day, and was still talking about his clubhead speed and the state of his game. But he got off a great line when he said he was "still looking down at the grass" (it took me a full 5 minutes to get the joke...as opposed to looking up at the grass. Well played, sir). I laughed, and thought about his interview recently when they asked him about you-know-who and his problems. And he said, in essence, I don't care. It's none of my business, and it's none of your business. He was the first one I heard say that (other than maybe me, to myself). And then I thought about Arnie's interview a couple years back, when he got called out for endosing a club the USGA banned. Did Arnie kowtow to the powers that be? Did he put out a statement talking about the rich history and tradition and grandness of the game? No, he put up a rhetorical middle finger and said (paraphrasing) look, when most people go out an play golf, they carry 18 clubs, a couple of different types of ball, they play for $5 skins, ride in a cart, have a couple of beers, take mulligans and free drops, and they go out to have a good time. So sue us.

And then it all made sense. There's still a battle for golf's soul, and these two are still fighting it. Only now, they're on the same side. Whether we know it or not, they're on our side. Happy (belated) birthday, Jack. Keep up the good work.

2010 - The Year Of The Beaver?

Beaver golf at Great Wolf - originally uploaded by Jack and Shelley

Interestingly enough given recent events involving the world's greatest golfer, 2010 is the Year of the Tiger on the Chinese calendar. While that still must play out in full theater of the PGA Tour, I prefer to take a different route...yes, a Chinese Zodiac substitute for the year 2010. For this point forward, let 2010 be known as the Year of the Beaver!

Why, you might ask, is The Beaver a suitable substitute for the Tiger? It is quite simply because this will be the year that Beaver Golf makes a name for itself, and steps up to the next level of website-dom. To that end, I ask for all of my readers support and patience as I go about tying up all the little things that need tying up before this little blog can transform into something much more interesting. My posts may be a little more sporadic for the next several weeks, but feel free to use the handful of minutes spent reading each week doing something more productive like getting yourself in better shape for the upcoming golf season.

Stop! Before you go running off to the gym to pump some iron and crunch the night away, I must ask for one more thing. I am starting a little rumor that there might be some Beaver Golf SWAG in the works, and in order to be the lucky recipient of this debut SWAG, I need a little information from all you Beavers out there.

If you are interested in some free stuff, please send the following information to beavergolf1@gmail.com as soon as you can, best if you do it right after reading the following:

1. Your e-mail address.
2. Your name (preferably the name other Beavers might call you).
3. Your shirt size (Keep it to the standard letters if you would - S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL, etc.).
4. Your mailing address.

I will not share this information with any third party without first getting your consent, it is just for Beaver Golf's exclusive mailing list. I look forward to a flood of e-mails shortly!

Finally, just for kicks, let's have a look at that Chinese Zodiac again, shall we? Tiger Woods' birthday is December 30th, 1975. This puts him in the Year of the Rabbit. According to ChineseZodiac.com, Tiger would possess the following characteristics:

• Personality
• Occupying the 4th position in the Chinese Zodiac, the Rabbit symbolizes such character traits as creativity, compassion, and sensitivity. Rabbits are friendly, outgoing and prefer the company of others. They also prefer to avoid conflict. In confrontational situations, Rabbits approach calmly and with consideration for the other party. Rabbits believe strongly in friends and family and lacking such bonds can lead to emotional issues.
• Their serene nature keeps Rabbits from becoming visibly upset. Because they’re serene animals, Rabbits are easily taken advantage of. Their sensitive nature makes them shy away from aggressive or competitive situations. They’re overall conservative and not interested in taking risks.
• Classy, sophisticated, expressive, well-mannered and stylish, those born under the Sign of the Rabbit enjoy learning about cultural issues and learning about people from other countries. Rabbits are most comfortable being home, and their homes are always neat and organized. Home is also where Rabbits prefer to entertain. Rabbits are conservative in their decorating tastes.
• Rabbits should work at building more self-confidence and self-worth so they can feel more secure. The desire for remaining in safe, comfortable environments keeps Rabbits from taking risks which sometimes causes them to miss out on good opportunities. 

• Health
• Even though Rabbits don’t usually get visibly upset or stressed, they do tend to keep these feelings inside. When they don’t express these feelings, such feeling can cause Rabbits to become ill. Rabbits could benefit from more everyday activity which would reduce their stress levels and better their health.

• Relationships
• Rabbits are very sexual, but tend to give more of themselves than they should. This can lead to unrealistic expectations and unhealthy situations. Rabbits need partners who won’t take advantage of their giving nature. Such pairings will be strong.

So, do you believe in Chinese astrology, perhaps not, but some of those things sound pretty on target, don't they (especially with my clever edits, eh)?

Fairways and Greens!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

As I sit and write my first post on Beaver Golf in 2010, I am shivering slightly as the temperature a mere window pane away hovers in the teens with a wind chill factor of five...FIVE! Holding a warm cup of Joe at Starbucks only offers temporary relief as I view the 10-day outlook only to see the warmest day reaching a balmy 28 degrees Fahrenheit.

Offering significantly greater comfort is my completed task of registering to attend the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, FL at the end of the month. I am looking very forward to my first trade show as a legitimate member of the golf industry, and to hitting the links on a warm sunny day. Perhaps we can squeeze in a couple of rounds to see if my recent fitness regimen can hold up my rusty swing over 36 holes in prime condition.

These days are truly the doldrums of golf for those of us in cold climates. With Fantasy Football culminating yesterday, and the Golf Channel showing nothing but highlights of silly events like the Tavistock Cup, and Tiger's greatest moments (why?), we are left to take a few random swings in our living rooms, endangering pets and children alike with every hopeful lash of the 7-iron. My old roommates will chuckle to remember the actual divot I took in our basement carpet several years back during one of these winter warm-up routines.

So, what are we frozen souls left to do during the horrid month of January as we longingly hope for the rare unseasonably warm day when we all storm the few courses that are open year round here in the Windy City?

There are a few indoor driving ranges that can be utilized, true. I may very well have to utilize one before my weekend jag in Florida, but those visits always leave me feeling teased and sullen knowing what those few hours could have been spent doing in a warmer climate.

Several courses in Chicago also hold cold weather tournaments such as Cog Hill's Eskimo Open which was held this past Sunday. The hard core duffers who attended (would you believe almost 80 of them?) began playing around 8:00 am on a day where the thermometer struggled to reach double digits. I have no idea how many of them actually played a full 18, but I read that the winner shot around par, for what that's worth. I have always considered myself fairly hard core myself, but that event, at least for this year, would have to be classified as cruel and unusual punishment, right? Good God! I would probably snap something on my very first swing!

Finally, there is always the activity I undertake the most...dreaming of the rounds yet to come, and the warm days "just around the corner". It is a new year, and with it comes new confidence, hope, and expectations. That game feels easier the longer you are away from it, and usually I come out in the spring playing pretty well before those old habits start creeping back into my game. In fact, I played my best round of the entire 2009 season my very first time out, shooting 3-over through 16 holes before finishing with a bogey-double on 17 and 18. I only broke 80 two other times in 2009, my worst season in years.

We can also prepare for the questionable spring weather we Yankees must endure as we get back into the swing of things. Warm weather clothing has come a very long way in recent years, now offering ultra-thin, flexible, and moisture-wicking materials allowing for freedom of motion to go with exceptional warmth. I have become an enormous fan of Addidas apparel over the last 2-3 years as they seem to be ahead of the curve when it comes to advancements in performance apparel. Some of my favorties for the coming spring are below, please click on the images to shop for them and similar products at my partner Golf Galaxy.







Umbrellas are another springtime must here in Chicago, and I'm sure other places both north and south. Over the years, I have come to greatly appreciate spending a little extra on a high-quality golf umbrella that opens and closes quickly, dries even quicker, and can hold up to the blustery weather we can get from time to time up here. I appreciate them even more now that I accidentally abandoned my favorite umbrella ever in a local tavern on one of those on-again off-again stormy nights of bar-hopping. I can only hope that it is still available to purchase again, or there is something even better to offer. Quality rain gear in general can be quite valuable on the course for those so inclined to play through any weather. There is little worse than slogging through a round soaked through to the skin. Some options for assistance are below, also from Golf Galaxy.







So, if anyone else will be at the show in Orlando, let me know...I'd love to meet some of my Beaver Golf readers. If you aren't going to the show, and suffer the cold winters as I do, please take some time to do a little shopping, getting prepared might just make the spring feel a little closer than it really is!

Fairways and Greens!