Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what is Heaven for? – Robert Browning

…we wanted a cool place for our buddies and customers just to hang out, talk golf, watch golf, roll putts and tinker with putters. – Neal Rohrbach

Where does he get those wonderful toys? – The Joker

It’s probably best for us all that the reach of the founders of Strokes Gained Putters exceeds their grasp for now, or they might still be lounging inside Strokes Gained’s luxurious putting studio cum world headquarters. And who could blame them?

A couple of years ago I ended up having dinner and drinks with the founder of My Golf Spy and one of his writers. Among the many topics we spent time talking about was the rise of the boutique putter market. For years the putter market was dominated only by the major brands like Ping and Callaway. However, with the increased popularity of Scotty Cameron, brands like Edel and Piretti got more attention from people looking for some putter bling.

The idea of putter bling obviously flies in the face of what MGS stands for, since they obsess with being “datacratic”. In other words, they were having none of my argument that looks matter.

I don’t care how many Major Championships Greg Norman coulda, woulda, shoulda won, he has absolutely won the game of life. If you still shed a tear for the big Aussie, check out his interview on Feherty and you will quickly realize he is holding all of the cards. The fact is, most golfers careers are relatively short compared to their endeavors after golf. Greg Norman has certainly made the most of his time so far.

As a blogger and interested party of golf apparel, the Iliac brand has been on my radar to review for about 4 years. On Tour, we have seen recent PGA Champion Jimmy Walker wear Iliac, as well as 2015 Open winner Zack Johnson. Other brand ambassadors have included the “human lightening bolt” Retief Goosen, Justin Leonard and Jin Park.

You would think it would be pretty straightforward to design a good pair of golf shorts, but unfortunately that seems to not be the case. While I have plenty of quality golf shirts, quality shorts maintain a “short” stack in my closet (no pun… whatever). For me the keys to a good pair of shorts – besides a good cut – is the material and pocket configuration.

For years I have had my eye on the Adidas Tour 360, but for whatever reason I have never owned a pair. Unlike most models of golf shoes, the Tour 360 have remained relatively consistent over the past 10 years without a major design overhaul. This year’s model is no exception, although they definitely look way cooler than past models.

This spring, as every spring in my memory, a few things have happened. In the usual rite of spring, your humble scribe has emerged from his den and seen his shadow, which has nothing to do with how much longer winter will last, except for my noticing that perhaps the layers that were making me look a little, ahem, fluffy around February were in my skin instead of in my wardrobe. So in an effort to undo all the carbs I stuffed into my face to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder, I’m cleaning up my act: back in the gym, back to early morning runs, and working hard to eat cleaner.

18 months ago I did not think I wanted a laser rangefinder. Then I got one to review, and despite it being an entry level model, I quickly changed my tune. It only took me a few rounds to realize that a laser rangefinder is the best distance finding instrument. Sure watches and apps can get you quick and accurate distances to the front, center and middle of the green, but only a laser range finder can give you exact distances to the pin or other objects.

Anyone remember this?

I remember it, and it was nasty. Watching the highlights when they first ran back in March, I couldn’t help but notice that the sole of his driver also looked pretty damn sharp. Good looks, 410 yard bombs… I had to have one.

Of all of the companies I work with, True Linkswear is one of my favorites. I have reviewed about 8 pairs of their shoes and still have about 6 that are in and out of rotation. What has really been fun for me is to see the evolution of the brand. While you may think it is really quick and easy to design shoes, the fact is that it is a long process from sketch pad to retail shelf.

In what is known as “The Miracle of the Swallows,” every year on St. Joseph’s Day  the Cliff Swallows return to the Mission of San Juan Capistrano. Officially or not, this marks the beginning of Spring in San Juan Capistrano.

My desire to find the perfect golf bag as a product reviewer has taken a wild but pleasant turn, as we were introduced to a rather unique company based out of Arizona. TactiCool Clothing and Accessory Co has taken the very popular tactical gear industry and applied all it’s features and durability and incorporated it into one of the most unique golf bags I’ve ever seen.

The original Star Wars premiered in theaters on May 25, 1977. That’s 39 years ago next month. When it came out, my cousin and I went to see it in the theater. Four times. In a row. We made lightsabers out of the bamboo that grew in front of our grandmother’s house and bashed each other with them until they splintered, then made new ones and did it again. I’m not sure how we managed not to put each other’s eyes out, but nearly 40 years later we do, in fact, need both of the lenses in the reading glasses that we each keep close to hand (although I still say I could totally rock a monocle.)

TaylorMade has caught its fair share of heat over the years for promises such as “17 yards longer”. I guess all the jokes left a little sting because you won’t find any such claims for the new M1 and M2 drivers, yet this may be the first driver that I actually think goes farther than most.