Historically, the best golfers have always been admired not for their technical skill but for their creativity. While we applaud the 350 yard drive, what really gets fans going are shots like Bubba’s massive hook out of the trees to win the Masters, Mickelson’s ability to see shots no one else could imagine or Roy McAvoy’s persistence to never lay up.

At the 2016 Masters, Bryson DeChambeau took the golf world by storm as an amateur via his stellar play and unique set of irons… all the same length. Cobra clearly liked DeChambeau’s style, throwing a huge endorsement deal his way and doubling down by launching their own line of single length clubs – the King F7 ONE Length irons and the KING Forged ONE Length irons.

The first pair of expensive golf shoes I ever pined for were the Ecco Street. Unlike anything at the time, these shoes represented one of the first steps in the evolution of cross over golf shoes. While I never purchased the Ecco Street, I ended up reviewing them a few years later. Since that time I have reviewed a number of Ecco golf shoes and have carefully watched as the brand has made steady improvements to their line.

Looking through the pictures on the “heritage” page of the B. Draddy website, it is clear where much of the inspiration for this apparel comes from. Images of Kennedy, Nicholson and Hunter S. Thompson at play cast a reflection of the iconic preppy Northeastern lifestyle.

Despite increased competition from both major brands and smaller shoe companies, Footjoy has maintained its absolute dominance in the golf shoe market. Next to your clubs, golf shoes are probably the most important golf gear you will buy. Take it from someone who regularly has 8 pairs of golf shoes, having the right shoe can make a huge difference in comfort, traction, and to some extent, performance.

The modern belt has been around for centuries – obviously there is little technology involved and the only materials required are leather and metal. For me, that is part of the appeal of belts. The fact that two simple materials can be combined in so many ways to create a one of a kind “pants holder upper”. Well, a funny thing happened a few years ago. Nexbelt came out with a buckle that totally changed how a belt and a buckle work together.

While Chase 54 is far from a household name, they have grown incredibly fast over the past 4 years and there is a good chance you can find them in your golf club. Unlike most apparel start-ups that are founded by designers, Chase 54 comes from the manufacturing side. Basically, the company had tons of capacity so they decided to start their own line of apparel. With the cost side of the equation under control, Chase 54 has been able to pound out lines quicker than Rick James back in 1981.

“Do you come from a land down under?

Where women glow and men plunder?”

Finally, I have an excuse to quote Men at Work lyrics. Oh, come on, you know you loved that song so don’t even pretend to not know the words. While we all know the “greatness” of Men at Work, I will forgive you if you have not heard of Forte golf balls unless you say “mate” or eat VegeMite sandwiches, because these balls are primarily sold in Australia.

For this review, we played two of Forte’s golf balls (they make four). Specifically, I will review the Forte Tour Performance and the Apex golf balls.

Growing up in the 80’s I am all too familiar with the “puffy jacket”. Looks aside, if you have ever donned a puffy jacket you know the two words you won’t utter are “I’m cold”. I am not exactly clear on the science, but puffy jackets dominate when it comes to warmth.

Finding the right mix of colors to create bold patterns is not an easy task. Too often brands end up looking unprofessional or even clownish. In other words, not appropriate for serious golfers. Fortunately, Bunker Mentality pulls off a fun look while staying within the accepted golf boundaries.

The beer of the month club may have started this trend but the cat is surely out of the bag now. With companies competing for the same customers, more and more are turning to some type of subscription model to boost sales and create loyalty. The idea is simple for these companies: lock in purchases in exchange for discounts and exclusive offerings. For customers the hook is not only the savings but ease of having products delivered to your door on a regular basis…like Christmas but every month.

First off, I am a brand person rather than a piece person. What I mean by that is that I prefer to find a brand that I like and then create a collection of pieces from that brand, rather than find individual pieces from a number of brands. The reason being is that once I lock onto a brand that I like, I can feel comfortable with everything from sizing to fit to quality. Moreover, I like the idea of being a brand ambassador and feeling like an adhoc “member of the team”. You know, “sponsored by xxx”.

Trying to keep up with all of the new golf apparel brands can be quite the challenge, as it seems a new label pops up each day. Plus, the lines between golf apparel and just ‘apparel’ continue to blur. I mean, what makes a shirt a “golf shirt” or a pair of shorts “golf shorts”? Frankly not that much. Sure there are some technical properties, such as material leaning towards performance, but mostly what we are talking about is a style that looks like it belongs on a golf course.

$99 for Three Bombtech Wedges?

Seriously, when Bombtech offered to send me their new wedges I was more than a bit skeptical. I am no math major but it is hard for me to figure out how you make money on a $33 wedge that has an ounce of quality in it. I am not picking on Bombtech either, I feel the same about a burger, fries and a drink for $1.50. At some point, low pricing becomes a signal of low quality.

Playing golf on Saturday is a hard enough sell to the wife, let alone getting away for a long weekend golf trip. Luckily, my wife is pretty cool and I probably get more rounds in per year than most guys. Still, some of my favorite rounds come each year when I take 15 other guys to Pinehurst for our annual Ryder Cup trip. The fact is, golf trips are AWESOME!