I am a numbers guy. I don’t want to be, but as I mature I realize that there is no better way to be miserable than to fight your essential nature. I’ve tried being the ball, gazing at flags and imagining the shot, choosing a club based on nothing more than feel and The Force, but that led to some numbers that I just couldn’t avoid; 7s, 8s, even a couple of 9s before I surrendered to my own personality.

When that happened I didn’t just accept the inevitable, I embraced it with a vengeance. I measured my paces until I could repeat the same stride uphill and down. I added hundreds of steps to my round as I paced off distances from yardage plaques. I bought terrible-quality recycled golf balls to hit at the range because I didn’t trust range floaters. I learned the range of distances for each of my clubs and kept it written in a notebook in my bag.

What I didn’t do was buy a GPS or laser rangefinder. It seemed like every time I got paired up with someone who had one, our round would drag on forever while they checked the distance to everything. It seemed like once they had the ability to know the distance to things they were compelled to find out. They couldn’t not know the distance to the front, middle, and back of everything on the course, from water hazards to cart girls. I once watched as the foursome ahead of me “shared” a laser rangefinder by making the poor geezer who’d spent the better part of $400 on it walk to each of their balls and shoot the distance to the pin. Nobody could choose a club until everyone had their yardage read. Then I watched two of the four lay sod over their ball, advancing it maybe 30 yards before repeating the whole process. I resigned myself to pacing the yardage from the last marker on the way to my ball and trying to do the math in my head (which got increasingly more difficult as the beers added up), but that was a price I was willing to pay to not be one of those guys.

12:08 tee time. Ready to go.

But what if it didn’t have to be that way? A couple of years ago I got a GPS watch for running. I wanted to leave my bulky phone at home and go light, but I had to know how far I’d run and what my pace was (yeah, numbers guy). The watch made an immediate difference in my training, and integrated smoothly with my run. So when GolfBuddy sent their new WT4 GPS watch I was eager to get my mitts on it, and not only is it making a difference in my game, it’s actually speeding up my play as well.

Searching for satellites.

I’ll confess that I had some reservations about the a GPS watch for golf. Before the WT4 I made it a point to not wear a watch when I played, to keep my hands as free and unencumbered as possible. I also wondered how well a delicate device like a GPS would stand up to the jolt of hitting one fat. Lastly, my usual courses don’t show up in Golf Digest, so I was concerned that I’d have to go through some computing gyrations to load the courses that I play onto the watch, if they were available at all.

Identifying the course

Happily, the Golf Buddy WT4 comes preloaded with 37,000 courses from around the world, including my own favorite tracks, and installing updates is point and click easy using the free software. Arrive at the course, put the WT4 in play mode, and it recognizes the course automatically. To start Play mode, hold down the lower left button until the main menu opens, then use the upper and lower buttons on the right to scroll through the options (Play is the one that looks like a green). Select from the menu by pressing and releasing the lower left button again. The magic doesn’t stop there though – walk to the tee, any tee, and the GolfBuddy WT4 recognizes it when you’re within about 10 feet, displaying the distance to the front, middle, and back of the green.

The marker says 165.

Just knowing the distance to the green from the tee really isn’t that useful though. After all, that info is usually on a fairly large marker. What about that bunker on the left? How far to carry the water in front of the tee? GolfBuddy has you covered. Scroll through the hazards by pressing the lower right button and see the distance to the front and the back (and sometimes the middle, in case you ever need to hit one exactly in the middle of a pond). In fact the WT4 gave multiple distances to the front of an irregularly-shaped water hazard on my home course, a feature that really did improve how I played the hole. Be careful though, pressing the upper right button doesn’t scroll backwards, it returns you to Play mode.

Of course being able to measure the distance from point A to point B with Department of Defense-approved accuracy comes in handy for a number of different things, and the WT4 features as many of them as I could think of. Do you want to know how far you really hit that hybrid you claim to carry “about 200”? (Hint: No, you really don’t.) Your GolfBuddy will tell you. After hitting your shot, enter Shot Tracking mode by holding the upper right button until the shot tracking icon appears. When you get to your ball, press the upper right button again to see how far you hit it. I’ll warn you though, it’s never as far as you think.

That’s 170 total. But it was cold. And windy. And cold.

The WT4 will also track how far you’ve walked during your round, and how long your round has taken, which has lots of uses, from knowing how many beers you need to drink to replace the calories you burned walking to having an outside authority to remind your human Golf Buddies to pick up the pace. And unlike your human Golf Buddies, the WT4 doesn’t forget unless you want it to, giving you the ability to save your mileage and your score (did I mention that you can keep your score on the WT4? Of course you can) for logging later. In Play mode you can scroll through the secondary information by repeatedly pressing the lower left button.

One WT4 feature that I haven’t seen on a GPS watch before is the ability to actually change the pin location. The Pin Placement menu lets you use the watch buttons to move the pin location on the green. I didn’t use it in play since I didn’t have a solid idea of where the pins were, but I fiddled with it and it seemed to work as advertised. If you’re the kind of golfer who needs to know that the hole is cut 5 paces on from the left and 23 paces from the font, and you have a pin sheet, you’ll have a leg up on most other GPS watch users. From Play mode press the upper left button, or hold the lower left button and then select the Green View icon. In this mode you can adjust the pin placement using the buttons on the right side, and distances to the front, middle, and back are calculated based on your angle of approach to the green, which I hear is convenient if you sometimes hit your approach from somewhere other than the middle of the fairway.

So many choices…

As for my other concerns, after the first few holes the WT4 felt completely natural, and while I’m on a bit of a putting schneid I don’t think I can blame the fact that I’m wearing a watch . . . sadly these things happen. After 7-8 rounds and multiple range sessions in frost-delay weather, my GolfBuddy WT4 still functions flawlessly and looks good.

In fact the WT4 looks so good that GolfBuddy bills it as a “lifestyle” watch, and I wear mine away from the course frequently. With a choice of digital or analog time display, backlighting, and a nifty menu of secondary information that includes day/date, seconds, or my favorite: sunrise/sunset times, my WT4 has been mistaken for a smart watch more than once.

Of course that’s kind of understandable, since smart watches are known for being big, and the WT4 is anything but dainty. With a large LCD surrounded by a chrome-ish plastic bezel, it’s an eye catcher, but the styling doesn’t scream “Golf Watch”, so no complaints there. For all the surface area, the WT4 is relatively slim, a good bit thinner than my Soleus running watch, and the large screen is what makes things like a Pin Placement menu workable. I have small wrists, but the WT4 doesn’t look out of place on me, so chances are that unless you’re very small-boned it will work fine for you as well.

My 105 club was a little short of pin high when it went in the water

My only real complaint with the WT4 isn’t with the watch at all, it’s with the instructions. The WT4 has a lot of features and only 4 buttons, so it’s no surprise that it’s a little tricky sometimes to find the feature you want, but the instructions make this worse because they aren’t really instructions, they’re really a list of how to access the individual features. The first couple of times I tried to keep score using the WT4 things went adrift pretty quickly. I was able to figure it out after a good sit-down with the instructions, but you can only access the scoring mode when you’re at the golf course, so if you don’t routinely drop by your local course for a beer and a little putting practice, you’re going to have to remember to put the instructions in your bag. Even then there’s no clear-cut route to actually playing a round of golf, which is what I’d like to see in the instructions. As someone who has made his living writing instructions I realize that this is a very small problem, since nobody reads the instructions anyway. Don’t let my professional ire scare you away from what is really a very useful tool.

Please proceed to the next tee.

With the GolfBuddy WT4 I can get yardage information at a glance as I approach my ball without even breaking stride. By the time I get to my ball I know the yardage and have a club in hand. Because I can use the WT4 to track how far I hit each club, I’m more confident in the club I’ve selected, which means less indecision over the ball. The end result is that I play faster and better, and have a better time doing it.

If you’ve been a reader of this site for some time now you’ll completely understand how much we love reviewing the unique, boutique style putters you just won’t find on the racks at your local golf shops. Finding new companies that are passionate about their craft and who are creating exceptional products, which could easily be passed off as “Art” as much as they are a putter, is the equivalent of hitting the lottery for us.

Our latest and greatest find is a well-known company on the social media networks, from Italy, called Mati Putters. Mati, as a new company, is doing a fantastic job at growing their presence here in the United States with their Instagram, Twitter & Google+ accounts, and we were beyond thrilled when they agreed to let us do a review of their Mati GAB 1 putter.

Before I get in to this masterpiece of a putter I want to talk about the man behind Mati, Mr. Seliano Brambilla. Based in Bernareggio, Italy, Mr. Brambilla has taken his experience of working with steel over the last 28 years and has combined it with his love of golf to create the one man show that is Mati Putters.

Named after his Daughter, Matilde, Mati Putters is quickly making a name for themselves and it is all due to a passion for the game and a desire to create a superior product when compared to the garbage that’s constantly being regurgitated from places like China.

In the few conversations I’ve had with Mr. Brambilla, the pride in his work is profound. He’s always inquiring how the review is going and what I think of the putter. I somehow doubt if we’re ever enchanted with a review from the likes of you know “that guy” he’d be so forthcoming to send me Twitter messages asking how things were going with his putter.

The truth is Mr. Brambilla cares about his product probably more than any manufacture I’ve ever encountered. He’s the miller, the painter, and the assembler, and he wants only to put out perfection. It’s that passion and pride for his craft that makes Mati Putters not only a fantastic story but an amazing putter as well.

Stories like Mr. Brambilla’s is what makes doing product reviews so rewarding. I know a lot of you out there think we just get free swag, write about it, take a few pictures and that’s it. There is more to it though, and the special part about what we do is engaging with people who we find out are more like us than we could have ever realized. I guarantee you I could sit down with Mr. Brambilla and talk about golf for hours, just like I can with Adam, Matt, Wade or any of my other golfing friends.

For this review Mati sent us a 34” version of their GAB 1, which is named after his son Gabriele. Company named after his daughter, putters named after his son, you can get a sense just how much Mr. Brambilla loves what he’s doing. The GAB 1 is a mallet style putter that weighs in at 350 grams and is perfectly face-balanced, and I mean perfectly.

My first impression with Mati came in the form of a surprise and it was in regards to how fast the putter arrived. During one of our conversations I was told to expect the putter by Monday at the latest, mind you this was on a Wednesday. Normally you can lock in a 3 week to 4 week delivery time for products shipping out of Europe. Not the case with Mati. Just as he promised, on Monday afternoon the package was left at my door step. I know it’s minor when it comes to an overall product review, but even the little things can be impressive.

The putter arrived in a cylinder container (which in my opinion seemed a lot more durable than the standard cardboard box), and for our putter Mati installed a True Temper shaft and a Lamkin 3Gen EBL Paddle grip that I’ve grown very fond of. Based on wheat I’ve seen on their website, Mati is more in favor of the golfer purchasing the putter head and then taking it to a professional shop to get the right shaft and grip installed.

I likened it to how Vega does the same thing with their wedges. Head only and you get the rest installed. It was kind of Mati to go ahead and install the shaft and grip because I took it into my backyard and started rolling putts before the bubble wrap hit the floor.

The putter also came with a Mati logoed head cover. The embroidery is very well done and it showcases the companies name and their starfish logo. On one side there is a pattern of three starfishes sewn in the colors of Italy and also in large white letters ‘303 SS MILLED’. The opposite side features three words: MEMENTO (remember), AUDERE (to dare, to venture, to risk) and SEMPER (always). There are so many different ways to look at those words. From a player’s viewpoint to Mr. Brambilla’s own ideology, remember to be bold always now resonates within me just how passionate he is for creating such an amazing piece.

As you probably figured out, the 303 SS MILLED embroidery on the headcover means the GAB 1 we received was milled from a solid piece of 303 Stainless steel. The milling is downright exquisite and reminds me of the beautiful body lines you’ll find in cars from Alpha Romeo 8C Competizione, which coincidently comes from the same country.

When looking down at address there is an alignment aide that starts behind the face and elegantly flows down the step towards the back of the clubhead. The blue paint fill matches the GAB 1 fill on the back of the face.

The alignment aide isn’t overpowering in, you know it’s there but it doesn’t stand out against the satin finish and it seamlessly blends in with any alignment mark you may set up on your ball. I don’t recall seeing a blue fill for this type of marking before. Typically they’ll be white or black but the combination of the silver head and the blue alignment line is a nice touch.

The sole of the club features the Mati logo with the same blue paint fill and also three separate dashed lines that have the colors of the Italian flag filled in. Mati did a great job adding this simple feature. It oozes Italy and does so in a way that isn’t unbearable for the consumer.

Aesthetically speaking the Mati GAB 1 is one of the finest looking putters I’ve ever had the pleasure of putting with, and without a doubt its beauty adds a tremendous amount of value to the club. I’ll say this, after holding the putter and knowing how it was made and where it came from, I fully understood what it must feel like to own a putter from those Table Rock people.

In the world of boutique putters, looks and manufacturing will take you a long, long ways but what I feel separates the “could be something” from the “is something” happens to be the most important element… How does it putt?

True story, the first time I made contact with the face and a golf ball I was lined up for an 8 foot putt. I have a section on my green that I had purposely constructed to be as flat and as smooth as possible so I can take any putter and see how I stroke it. When the Mati made the connection with the golf ball I truly believe I miss hit the putt. I moaned out the typical “ah crap” when you miss hit a putt and much to my surprise the ball kept rolling an rolling and dropped in the cup.

I’ve been using a milled putter for a little over 10 months. The change from a non-insert face has been one I’m thrilled about and I’ve adapted to it rather well. The clicky noise I used to hear from the impact of an insert is gone and I’m rolling the ball better than I ever have. The consistency I’ve gained was completely worth the change.

I tell you that because I want you to understand that although I’m relatively new to hitting a milled putter, it’s not an anomaly to me.

I hit the Mati dead pure in the face and it was so smooth it felt like I barely made contact, and I truly believed I had miss hit the ball. That’s not a ringing endorsement of my skills as a putter of the golf ball, but it’s a testament to just how well the Mati GAB 1 is made.

My stroke is not really fit for a face-balanced putter, but as a reviewer I love tinkering with new clubs. I don’t want to be known as the guy who only reviews blade putters so I accepted the challenge. Even with a putting path not suited for a mallet I’ve been draining putts like crazy with the GAB 1.

Short putts from 3’ or long ones from 30’ – the contact on the face is outstanding, and much like my other milled putters, the consistency has been outstanding. I always go back to the flat 8 footer that I practice at home to really judge how well I’m putting. There are no elements involved other than my stroke and the putter, and time after time the ball drops into the cup.

The Mati GAB 1 is a complete gamer. It’s jaw dropping gorgeous and putt dropping madness all in one remarkably well-made putter. It will turn your friends’ heads with its beauty and empty their wallets with its play.

Now that 2015 is upon us you may be in the market for a new putter. I highly recommend you find you way to the Mati Putters website and check out Mr. Brambilla and his wonderful line of Mati Putters. The GAB 1 sells for around $390.00 USD which equates to €330.00. Remember to plan on getting the clubhead shafted and gripped once the package from Mati arrives.

I want to thank Mr. Brambilla for letting me access his time and his great story for us to share with you here on Three Guys. Hopefully after reading this you’ll be just as impressed with not only his work but his passion for the game and desire to create an amazing putter, which in my mind he has accomplished perfectly.

Q: What do you call Chewbacca when he has chocolate stuck in his hair?
A: Chocolate Chip Wookiee.

Funny right? Ah, not really and neither are any of the assorted novelty headcovers you might be tempted to put on your clubs. Sure, it’s ok to represent your Alma Mater but even then, why not give your school some true respect by passing on the $8 headcover and instead opting for something more substantial.

How does one obtain some style advantage over the gimmicky sales rack at Golf Galaxy? One of the oldest types of head covers that are still widely used even today is . . . wool. A perfectly fitted, hand knitted wool cover has a very classic look to it that can instantly add style to your bag in a way that Marvin the Martian falls dramatically short.

Always willing to cover all aspects of the game, we humbly agreed to order up some customized offerings from Jan Craig Headcovers, who has been handcrafting premium wool head covers since 1962.

The Jan Craig story is not only fascinating but also a perfect example of why I love writing for Three Guys Golf, because like most people, I had never crossed paths with this premium headcover company. Learning about Janet Craig and her husband Bert’s passion for the game and for each other was not only inspiring, but it made me proud to have their covers on my clubs.

The beginning of Jan Craig started out I’m sure like a lot of small companies. Mrs. Craig wasn’t satisfied with what was available, as far as headcovers go, so she took it upon herself and handcrafted her own headcovers from worsted wool. It helped that she was good with yarn and needles because soon others were noticing her work and wanted a set of their own.

My favorite part in learning about the history of their company was how it was never planned to be a real business. In fact, the Craigs only intended to make enough headcovers to finance the couple’s yearly wedding anniversary trip to Pinehurst.

Luckily for us though, a certain touring professional by the name of Jack Nicklaus ordered a set, and as his recognition grew so did the attention paid to those stylish wool headcovers that graced the Golden Bear’s clubs. The rest is ongoing history as many top level PGA Tour pros now have Jan Craig Headcovers in their bags.

Like I mentioned earlier, the story is a great one and even though Jan Craig passed away many years ago her family has continued the tradition she started of handcrafting worsted wool headcovers now some 53 years after she created her first set.

When the package from Jan Craig arrived I opened it up and right away I knew I was dealing with superb quality. I likened it to Christmas mornings from my childhood when grandma would send you that hand-knitted sweater that you quickly toss aside, moing on to the next present hoping it’s anything but clothes. Maybe some twenty years later, when you’re much wiser, you’ll pull out that special blanket grandma made you for your 5^th birthday that somehow has held up better than any other blanket you’ve ever owned and you begin to realize what went into making such a remarkable piece.

It wasn’t just Grandma taking some needles to yarn and making a piece of clothing or a blanket, but every strand of wool and every stitch was made with love and passion. This is Jan Craig in a nutshell. The quality that goes into every piece screams passion, pride and love.

Their covers are not sitting in a warehouse on a shelf waiting for an order to be fulfilled; they’re made to order, fully customizable and will take up to six weeks to come in. The time frame was tough to overcome but I had a feeling when I did have them in my hands it was going to be worth the wait, and it was.

The first sign that I had a superior quality product in my hands was the weight. Everyone is in love with lighter, faster, stronger, but when it comes to protecting those expensive metal woods in your bag you don’t want an inferior fabric or process. The time that goes into creating each unique piece is a testament to Jan Craig’s dedication to the craft and it is clearly shown in the details of their work.

The ordering process was as easy as it comes. You access the Jan Craig website and with one click of the mouse you’re in step one of the design phase. Next you’ll choose the club you like a cover for, then there’s an option to go with a 5” POM an 8” POM a Tassel or nothing. From there you get into color combinations and lettering.

For this review I went with a color combination of Scarlet & Gray that worked perfectly with my Cobra bag and, in my own vat of self-righteousness, pays homage to my beloved Rebels of UNLV. It’s the closest I’m going to get to the famed “Hey Reb” covers the UNLV Golf team has.

Since Adam went the way of the Pom Poms for his review of Jan Craig a few years ago, I decided to go with the tassel look to be different. Yeah, it had nothing to with the fact that they’re Pom Poms.

You can customize the headcovers with any number or letter configuration. I chose the “D” on the driver, “3W” on my fairway wood (which with my game will always be a 3-wood) and an “H” for my hybrid. Keeping with the color scheme I had the lettering done in white to match the accents on my bag.

The lettering came out perfect and it most definitely adds to the classic look the wool covers.

After a thorough inspection of the covers, examining every inch of fabric, it was time to grab my woods and see if the obviously well-made products from Jan Craig were actually user friendly. I say that because in the past I’ve owned a few that didn’t make it through the first couple of holes before the on and off action had transformed the head cover from a functional product to dust rag.

While checking out the Driver cover I noticed Jan Craig includes an elastic band right around where the hosel and shaft come together. I’m not sure how many other wool head cover manufactures are doing this, but it was the first time I had seen it used. It a great feature that allows a large 460cc driver to “slip” nicely into the cover and feel like it’s fully in place.

The driver cover has a very long sleeve and for that reason it may not be ideal for bags that have a shaft lock or a small slot for holding the club. I think it’s a great feature though and I love it. It adds even more protection to the club shaft so accidentally scratching up a shaft when returning it to your bag is no longer a worry.

The Hybrid and Fairway woods have a much shorter sleeve but I’m confident there’s more material than you’ll find on other wool head covers, at least when I compared them to the few I have there is a notable difference.

On and off, on and off, on and off, I spent a decent amount of time (what I’d reflect as at least two rounds on the course) taking the covers off and putting them back on. I’m far from an expert when it comes to fabrics but I have to believe that, because the covers are made from a more durable wool called Worsted (Google is your friend), the repetitive actions of removing and replacing will do little to wear down the material.

Jan Craig Headcovers offers a great option for those looking to add some style and class to their golf bags. The quality is phenomenal and with all the customizable options you can make them your own very easily.

When I started this review I wasn’t sure if I was the type that could pull off wool. I felt I didn’t have the personality to pull it off and over the past couple of years I have grown very fond of my leather covers. I certainly didn’t think it was possible that there was a fabric cover out there that would make me change it up.

Jan Craig and their amazing headcovers did just that.

Prices vary depending of the size of the cover of course. The covers we ordered sell for $62.00 (Driver) $59.00 (Fairway Wood) and $44.00 (Hybrid). For $165 you’ll get an outstanding set of headcovers that are built to last and will probably outlast your golfing career.

To see just how easy it is to customize and order your own set of Jan Craig Headcovers please visit their site and add some classic style to your bag.

Way back in 2012, I posted my first iron review and it was for a set of irons I actually paid money for (the horror!). Those TaylorMade Burner 2.0’s stayed in my bag for about 2 years before I upgraded to the Rocketbladez. It seemed only natural then for me to review the new TaylorMade RSi2 irons.

Over the years of playing TaylorMade I have come to believe they are the “everyman’s” club. Basically meaning that in a pinch (like a rental set) anyone can play them and not have any real complaints. I guess what I am saying is that TaylorMade irons always have fairly classic lines, decent forgiveness, and enough distance for nearly every level of play.

In the case of the RocketBladez, which was my most recent club, I felt like they had plenty of forgiveness and good distance. So when I got the RSi2 irons I was expecting your basic version upgrade with maybe a little more of both. What I found, however, was a little different than just a rocketBladez v2.0.

Back Story:

Before getting into the nitty gritty, I need to give you a little backstory. In early Novemember 2014, I received the RSi2 irons as part of the company’s November 15th roll out media blitz. The original plan was to have the review ready by that date so that Taylormade could have a bunch of reviews on hand for those interested in upgrading their irons. Unfortunately, the set that I received came with Tour Stiff KBS shafts. Like a trooper, I took them out on the course and while I really liked how they felt, I was giving up a ton of distance due to the fact that I needed regular shafts. Lesson one…shafts matter.

Shafts, perhaps the most important feature of how a club performs and also one of the least understood. My first intention was to just swap out to regular flex KBS shafts, but after talking to a friend who plays professional golf, I took him up on his suggestion to try out Steel Fiber shafts. More on that later. So after a week blown for new shafts and another few days while I ordered some leather Best Grips, I quickly realized there was no way I could do an adequate review in time for the rollout.

As it turns out, the delay was a good thing, as I really do not like to rush an iron review. For me, I need a few months and 20 rounds before I can get a true sense of the club.

Overview:

The TaylorMade RSi2 is more of a player’s club than I originally thought it would be. First off, the top line is thinner than the RocketBladez and the club itself is smaller. What this means is that you will get a lot more feedback than with a club like the Rocketbladez. I also think that it makes it easier to work the ball (not something I can do with regularity, but I can do more so with the RSi2 than with my other clubs).

Of course, the big selling point of the RSi clubs is the face slot technology, which is supposed to provide forgiveness for mis-hits on the toe and heel. Hence the #mishitshappen hashtag TaylorMade has been promoting. For the past few years TaylorMade has utilized this technology in the sole of many of the clubs. Now, they have extended it to be part of the face of the club (with the long irons, hence you get the graduated set).

So the forgiveness/#mishitshappen claim I believe to be true, but it is tempered by the fact that the clubs are more of “player’s club” than say the Rocketbladez. In other words, it kind of evens out depending on what type of club you are coming from. If, for example, you play blades then you will think they are way more forgiving, but if you play a game improvement club, you might not notice as much. For me, I felt like I got about the same forgiveness with more control and feedback. With that said, I can absolutely hit the 3 iron with confidence which is something that is not typical of other irons I have played.

Looks:

No one ever drools over a TaylorMade iron so there is no reason to bring out the chin towel now. How do they look? They look fine. In fact, if you are a iron snob, you will much prefer the significantly thinner top line. The vertical face slots which you might think could be a distraction are a total non-issue for me.

As a comparison, you can clearly see a difference in the top line versus the RocketBladez. While not as thin as a tour blade, they are much slimmer than prior year models.

Steel Fiber Shaft:

In terms of the shaft, the stock version of the RSi2 was only used once by me since this guy cannot swing a tour stiff flex. For the record, the stock shaft is KBS which I have had plenty experience with and is fine. However, as I mentioned, I decided to experiment since I had to make a change anyhow. After consulting with Sam Goulden of TourQuest I decided to go with lesser known company called Aerotech. While you may never have heard of Aerotech, you are very familiar with guys who use their shafts as there are a number of Pros who use them including Matt Kuchar.

I know this is a TaylorMade RSi review, but I want to at least give you an overview of the Steel Fiber shafts as I think they were a critical reason as to why I like the irons so much. As a 10 handicapper with medium swing speeds, I always opted for regular steel stafts (and even wondered about trying a graphite shaft). Well, Steel Fiber shafts are like getting the best of both worlds. The technology is a touch over my head but, basically, they take thousands of ultra thin strands of steel to create a shaft that is light (to promote swing speed) and strong (to promote stability).

Like any product review, there are tons of variables that go into the final result. What I want to convey is that I firmly believe the Steel Fiber shafts have improved my distance and feel. Part of my reasoning is that I hit about 20 balls with both the RSi2 and my RocketBladez in the simulator directly after getting the irons reshafted. My distances were significantly farther with the RSi2 compared to my regular shaft RocketBladez. Yes, I could give the credit to the RSi2 irons (and maybe I do a little) but I think the primary reason was the shaft. Frankly, TaylorMade is not selling the RSi2 as a longer iron so it furthers my belief that the shaft should get most of the credit. I would direct you to the Steel Fiber website to learn more.

Forgiveness and Feel:

I have now played with the RSi2 irons for a full two months (likely about 15 rounds). Considering conditions are not exactly perfect this time of year, I feel like my game has been pretty much the same as it usually is (average score of about 83). With that said, I made a hole in one and shot my career low, 75, with the RSi2 irons. I guess, besides a not so humble brag, the reason I bring this up is that there is something to be said for a set of irons that was used for a career low and an ace.

Back in the world of normalcy, i.e. regular days, I believe the RSi2’s bring an increased level of feedback compared to prior models of Taylormade cavity back irons. For years I had to endure guys who play blades yammer on about feedback and workability. So much so that I even tried a set of blades but all I got back was “yea, that felt awful and went nowhere”. Now, with the RSi2’s, I do get some of that feedback but more in an educated way. Like, “I hit that a bit off the toe”. Unlike a toe shot with a blade however, the RSi2 eats up the mis-hit and you still end up with a decent shot. The ol’ best of both worlds.

Who should play the RSi2

I am going to come clean and say that I don’t believe anyone who is not playing golf for a living should play blades. Still, I know there are guys who like the idea. Well, if you like having feedback from your irons, the RSi2 are for you. Now if you are someone who hits the ball pretty well already and want a little more workability but do not want to give up the forgiveness then the RSi2 are for you as well.

Basically, anyone under a 14 handicap is fully safe to play these clubs. Scratch golfers can do anything they want with the ball and higher handicappers are not going to feel like they are playing with a butter knife. I am not going to deep dive into the face slot technology since I am pretty sure you have read more than your fill about it already, but I absolutely think TaylorMade has made a significant breakthrough.

My bet is that the RSi irons will be a huge hit and should be part of everyone’s basket of ideas when checking out a new set of irons.

Learn more on the TaylorMade website.

Sun Mountain H2No Cart Bag Review

We don’t use them to bomb drives or bury putts but perhaps one of the most important golf purchases we make is the golf bag. The golf bag is our trusted home for our clubs and personal “carry-all” for 4+ hours each glorious time we tee it up. Like many people, I only get a new bag every 5-7 years so when it comes time to replace “old trusty”, I am pretty fickle about what I want. You would think ‘a bag is a bag’. I mean, it would seem reasonable that at this point in time that golf companies would have figured out all of the best features and just put them in every bag and the only difference would be the color scheme.

There is no similarity between golf and putting; they are two different games, one played in the air, and the other on the ground. – Ben Hogan

How many times have you heard a golfer say “I was hitting the ball well, I just couldn’t make any putts”? How many of your own rounds have left you shaking your head, thinking that if you could have just made a putt – any putt, you’d have had a great round?

There’s a great round, right here in this box

By my count there are approximately a bazillion different putting aids on the market today. If you’ve played golf for any length of time the odds are good that you’ve tried at least one of these: round grips, fat grips, flat grips, long grips, short grips, putting cross-handed, cross-eyed, cross-legged, or just plain cross; Aimpoint, Aimpoint Express, Dave Pelz, Bob Rotella, and Ty Webb. I don’t have any stats to back it up, but I’d bet everything I’ve ever made as a golf writer that more people have quit golf over their putting than over any other aspect of their game.

Personally, I’m a pretty good putter. I say that because I think that as soon as you think you aren’t a pretty good putter, you’re doomed. The guy that hits it to 6 feet and says “Now watch me three-putt that” is going to do it more often than not. In the immortal words of Tug McGraw, “You gotta believe!”

So if you’re a good putter, but you’re not making putts, clearly the problem is in the equipment! If I had a bad round putting on Sunday, you could usually find me in the shop on Monday auditioning a new flatstick.

“Steve? The ball is over here…”

And that is why, when Edel Golf Director of Business Development and master putter fitter Bobby Dean invited me to come have a putter fitting, I already owned 16 putters in various configurations, lengths, weights, and materials. Worse than that, I had 16 different putting strokes: 15 that matched putters I already owned and one that would drive me back into the golf shop, looking for a cure.

I mentioned all of this to Bobby as he got ready to start my fitting. I was sure that he was going to tell me that I was a basket case and beyond help or hope, but he just smiled and nodded like he’d heard it all before, and told me that he’d fix me right up. A very edifying and informative 90 minutes or so later, he had me believing that he would do just that.

The Fitting

Most of us have, at one time or another, had a putter “fitting.” Your club pro or the PGA pro at a big-box golf retailer sized you up, watched you putt, told you “You’ve got a strong/slight arc/straight back-straight through stroke, you need a blade/mallet/frontal lobotomy, try a few of these and see what feels good.”

For the folks at Edel Golf, that’s not even step one. Bobby taped a mirror to the face of the putter I’d brought with me (Yes! Sandy, 33″ with a Super Stroke Slim grip and  strips of lead tape on the bottom) and set up his laser. No, seriously, Edel uses a laser extensively as part of their fitting process, to see exactly where you’re aiming your putter. If you think that’s strange, let me tell you that based on what I saw, you probably aren’t aiming your putter at the hole. Edel uses a curtain behind the “hole”. You line up a putt, they remove the ball, and the laser bounces off the mirror on the face of your putter. I was so far left that Bobby had to move the curtain to find my laser.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain

And with that, we were off and running. With the ease of a man completely in his element, Bobby started combining heads, hosels, shafts, and grips. The Edel fitting cart has 3 million combinations of head, hosel, shaft, loft, lie, weight, and alignment aids. Obviously there’s not time to go through all of them, but all Edel putter fitters are trained in how to quickly find the best head, hosel, and shaft length for you, and then begin fine-tuning with adjustments to loft, lie, weighting, and alignment. The Edel fitting cart is amazing, and Bobby travels the country training fitters to use it systematically. At no time did his hands leave his wrists as he quickly found the best length for me (no surprise, nearly the same 33″ that I was using in most of my putters), then zeroed in on the best head and hosel.

Bobby Dean, doing that voodoo that he do so well

Frankly, I was skeptical. Remember, I already owned 16 putters, ranging from a Ping Anser with a Scottsdale zip code to a Bettinardi for Ben Hogan “Big Ben” with a center shaft and a head that could be seen from space, and I was equally effective with all of them. How big a deal could custom fitting really be?

Then I watched the laser dot move closer and closer to the hole, until finally Bobby removed the ball and there was the dot, right in the hole. So we’re done, right? Oh no, now we can really get started. Bobby ran me through different combinations of loft and lie, then started balancing the putter by adding weight at different points in the shaft. Finally, he used a marker to test different combinations of alignment aids, finally settling on a single line on the top strap. I couldn’t believe how much difference just changing from 1 alignment line to 3, or moving lines from the strap to the flange made in how I aligned the putter.

Finally came speed, because in the Edel philosophy, good aim is worthless without good speed. Speed has always been the bane of my putting. When I 3-putt, it’s because my first putt put too much pressure on my second putt. A few adjustments and an impromptu putting lesson later (“You ever lose a ball on the putting green? Then keep your head down.”) and I was clustering all my putts within a couple of inches of the bright pink string that was my target.

Because I’m all about that pace, ’bout that pace…

Then came the goodies. Bobby transferred all of the data to build my personal putter to an order form. Then her turned to me and said: “Want us to stamp your name on the face?”

Hell yes I want you to stamp my name on the face!

“What color paint fill do you want?”

What color paint fill? Have I died and gone to heaven?

Finally the details were all attended to, and there was nothing left to do but wait.

You take it on faith, you take it to the heart.

The waiting is the hardest part. – Tom Petty

Something else you need to be prepared for: you aren’t going to go home from your Edel fitting with a putter in your hands. Instead, the Edel folks in Liberty Hill, Texas take all of the information that your fitter so carefully collected and the build a bespoke putter to fit you, and only you.

And they’ll even stamp your name on it.

What’s my name?!?

The Putter

You know what the worst part of getting fit for your very own custom Edel putter is? It’s trying to get through the next 4 weeks knowing that the putter you’re using is all wrong for you.

I dug through my collection of putters and found the one that most closely matched the head shape and offset Bobby had shown were optimal for me. I even putted a bit better for the next few weeks, which I attribute more to Bobby’s putting lesson than to any vestigial similarity between the interim putter and MY putter.

And then MY putter came. Columbia head (the biggest one Edel makes), no offset hosel, lieing 68 degrees with 3 degrees of loft, 33 inches long with weights 3″ from the top and 4″ from the bottom, Edel’s Pixel insert, and both my name and Edel’s stamped on the face in Carolina Blue and White.

It’s a very satisfying piece of gear. Substantial, but so well balanced that it doesn’t feel heavy. The lines are clean and nicely radiused. This putter head wasn’t cast in a mold, it was machined by a guy in Liberty Hill who loves making things out of metal. The head and hosel are hand-finished, the Pixel insert is assembled by hand, the stamping is all done with a set of metal stamps and a mallet. There is nothing gaudy about this putter. No flashy graphics, no eye-popping colors, no hyped technical claims. It has the same aura of quality you’d find in a hand-built car, or custom furniture. This is a putter with nothing to prove.

Once, when I was struggling to play a new piece on guitar, my instructor handed me his hand-built Martin. “I’m not a hippy,” he said, “but I swear it’s like this guitar knows what you want to do, and it wants to help.” That’s exactly what an Edel custom putter feels like. Your Edel is literally built for your stroke, which makes swinging it feel effortless. I don’t have to remember a dozen tricks to make my putter work, I just… putt.

When you can just putt, you can focus all your attention on getting the correct line and pace. It took a good bit of practice before I could just let go and swing the putter, but the difference in my game is second only to the difference in my psyche. I used to consider 6′ to be the break-even point. Outside 6′ I figured that I had less than a 50% chance of actually making a putt. Now I’m disappointed when I miss 15-20 foot putts, particularly if it’s by more than a foot or so.  Instead of grinding over 4-footers for my second putt I’m walking up and tapping them in. No matter how far I am from the hole, if I can use my putter I’m confident that I can get down in two. Golf is fun again.

The Net

Edel believes that there are two parts to the perfect putter – fit it to you, and build it perfectly. Just going through the Edel fitting process improved my putting by showing me very clearly what I was doing wrong, and how. If I’d stopped there it still would have been well worth the time and money, but to use a putter that’s actually custom fit to you is an epiphany. I don’t want to say that it’s easy, but it inspires confidence like nothing else. When I stand over a putt, I know that I can swing my swing, and if I’ve read the putt right and hit it properly, it’s going in.

It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up. – Ferris Bueller

Edel putters are not inexpensive. A lot of time goes into fitting one to your stroke, CNC-milling, hand-finishing and assembling it, and delivering it to a grateful world. But an off-the-rack putter isn’t inexpensive either. If an off-the-rack putter that’s “fit” for you based on nothing more than your height and a vague idea of your stroke is worth $250, surely a bespoke putter that’s custom-made for you and you alone is worth significantly more.

And they’ll even put your name on it for you.

You can find an Edel fitting professional near you, learn more about all the love that goes into an Edel putter, and watch some really cool videos on the Edel website.

I love golf. I know that sounds like a really obvious statement coming from a guy who writes about golf, golf apparel, golf equipment, golf salad, boiled golf, golf scampi, you get the picture. Thanks to DVR, Golf Channel, and my patient, long-suffering, and quasi-narcoleptic wife I watch a lot of televised golf. Not just competitive golf, either. I watch instructional shows, equipment reviews, golf travel shows, even golf reality shows. In my house everyone knows that if nobody can find anything else to watch, the Golf Channel is coming on. But until this year I have never watched a long drive competition.

This year I had to watch the Long Drive finals, because Jeff Crittenden, who made the final eight, is not only a North Carolina boy, but a friend of one of my regular golfing partners. Jeff advanced all the way to the final, where he lost in a heartbreaker when his drive of 365 yards came up 14 inches short of winner Jeff Flagg. Not bad for a guy who was planning to retire after this year because he thought he didn’t have the power to be competitive.

 

Don’t let the “all abilities” tag fool you though, the Srixon Z545 comes with all the features and adjustability you’d expect in a top-shelf driver, with quality touches that you might not expect in any driver.

The larger, more forgiving shape is a 460cc pear-shaped head that just looks right. The combination of a simple black crown, lacking even an alignment mark, and dimensions that all fall toward the middle of the spectrum makes the Z545 look substantial without looking oversized, and the classic shape should please all but hardened anime fans.

Too often “classic shape” and “simple colors” are really code for “looks better with the headcover on,” but the Z545 is a looker. I picked mine up at my home course and took it outside to unwrap. Before I could get the headcover off she had already drawn a crowd, and by the time I had the plastic off and the onlookers had their chance for a closer inspection I was already fielding questions about where they could get one of their own, and it’s hard to blame them. The “simple” paint job on the crown is a metallic gloss that would look right at home on a luxury car. To put this paint on a driver Srixon has to have complete confidence – the slightest imperfection in the crown or the paint would be immediately obvious. Neither I nor any of the foursome that gave the Z545 such a thorough unboxing inspection found a single nit to pick.

I call this one: Skyscape in driver head 

The understated good looks continue on the sole of the club, where the Srixon logo and Z545 branding are nicely integrated into the grey sole plate and paint. What does stand out on the sole are the weights that comprise Srixon’s Quick Tune System. On the Z545, Srixon has included a fixed weight in the center of the sole close to the face, and an adjustable weight port closer to the heel of the driver. From the factory this port contains a 7 gram weight designed to lower the driver’s center of gravity and deliver a medium-high launch with enough spin to keep the ball online and in the air.

The optional weight kit adds a 3 gram weight for a lower launch angle and greater roll, and an 11 gram weight for a higher launch, at the cost of less roll. I hit very high tee balls, and I found that using the 3g weight made a noticeable and welcome change in my ball flight. Changing the weight requires only a quarter turn of the included wrench to remove the old weight, and another quarter turn to secure the new weight. Remember folks, in golf as in most things: righty/tighty, lefty/loosey.

Clean and functional, unlike your author 

And while you’ve got the Z545 turned upside-down and the wrench in your hand is the perfect time to consider the adjustable hosel. That’s right, Srixon thinks that “all ability” players can benefit from the same sort of hosel adjustments found on their Z745 “player’s” driver. Loosen the adjustment screw on the bottom of the driver using the supplied wrench and adjust the head to any of 12 settings ranging from 0pen to neutral but 1 degree upright to full closed, seat the head back on the shaft and tighten until the wrench clicks.

Where the magic happens 

I’ve always been skeptical about adjustable hosels – I figured that if I’m driving well I don’t need one and if I’m driving badly it won’t help, and like many “all ability” players I’ve been stubborn and insisted that I’d rather improve my swing than adjust my club. Somewhere along the line, however, I realized that fixing your swing is a luxury for golfers who have time to practice. Golf is hard enough, there’s no need for me to make it harder. I spent my warm-up for the first round I played with the Z545 adjusting the face angle to suit my swing, and I saw an immediate and very significant improvement in the number of fairways I hit. No amount of adjustment is going to save me when I make a really bad swing, but the Z545’s adjustable hosel turned what was a game-killing case of the rights into a driver I can live with.

You’re just a few clicks away from a better drive 

Also helping in this department is the Kuro Kage Black shaft. In R-flex it’s 65 grams, and in all flexes comes stock at a very user-friendly 45 inches. Srixon claims that their Dual Speed Technology maximizes rotational efficiency to maximize clubhead speed at impact. What I notice is that it gives good feedback on what the head is doing, how the shaft is loading, and most importantly when and how the shaft is going to unload. Violent swingers might want to stiffen up a notch, but I doubt that anyone for whom the Z545 is a better fit than the Z745 is going to be hampered by the stock shaft offerings.

At the grippy end of the shaft is a red Lamkin UTx full cord grip. I’m a Lamkin fan, so I think that the grip is a nice change from the Tour Velvet or Winn offerings that are ubiquitous factory offerings these days, and the full cord gives positive engagement and faithfully relays the feedback from the shaft and head. Capping it all off is a crisp white headcover with the Z logo. All-in-all I think that the Z545 is one of the most attractive drivers on the market.

Pretty is as pretty does 

Pretty is as pretty does, however. A good looking driver that you can’t control is like driving an exotic car: Everyone is jealous of you until you disappear into the woods for the third time. Fortunately the Z545 lives up to its good looks when you put it in play. With the hosel adjusted for my swing and the Quick Tune System adjusted for my ball flight, the Z545 wasted no time kicking my old driver out of the bag. My longest drives are a few yards shorter, but my normal drives are a few yards longer, and my average drives are ridiculously longer, thanks to all the yards I’m saving by not hitting so many balls in the woods.

For me, driving is the toughest part of the game. The combination of good looks, adjustability, and forgiveness in the Srixon Z545 makes the toughest part of my game easier. The Z545 is the newest addition to my bag, and while not even the Z can turn me into a long driver, I’m betting it can at least keep me on the grid.
You can learn more on the Srixon website.

“Camp for Grown ups”. This is how Ford Plantation was described to me by more than one member of this exclusive Georgia Country Club. Located in Richmond Hill, Ford Plantation is home for about 250 fortunate families. However, on this given weekend it was also home to 17 media yokels including yours truly. Yep, I was getting the chance to play the newly redesigned Pete Dye creation and spend some time socializing with the members of the club.

Driving into Ford Plantation you get the sense that you have travelled back in time to the old South. A long winding road flanked by trees filled with Spanish Moss ends at an imposing but not overbearing clubhouse. Having no idea what to expect, I made may way up the stairs to the dining room where I would get my first glimpse of the back nine that is the postcard for Ford Plantation. Through the back windows I was treated to views of fairways, tall grass and lakes for as far as my eye could see. A true links style course in Georgia, who would have guessed.

Unfortunately, I would have to wait an hour as my tee time was not till 2pm. With time to kill, I enjoyed a tasty lunch in the open dining room. After making short work of my chicken salad sandwich I headed to the driving range where I warmed up next to Gene Sauers (no,he did not recognize me). I would come to find out that Gene often comes to the club where he presumably steps back to the 7400 yard tees.

After demolishing the pyramid of golf balls I was met by the two members I would be paired with. First up was to load my bag on the cart. Since this is a private course, most members have their own cart and in the case of my host, it was rigged with fishing poles and a net on top. He also had a fire extinguisher bolted to the side but I will hold that story for another time. Sensing my curiosity, Bill explained that the rods were just in case he wanted to take a break from making birdies in order to catch a few fishies. Seriously, I am definitely missing out on the good life!

That day we would only play nine holes (the back nine) but it was a great warm up for the next day when I would get to play the entire course. Since this review is not just about the course, let me start by making a few observations about the membership.

The two gentlemen I played with were likely incredibly successful (I would later learn one has run for Governor and the inventor of the Chile mine rescue capsule). However, during the course of our nine holes (and a few post-round cocktails), what I mostly learned was that these guys really love their club and have an absolute blast each and every day. No tee times required… just show up around 9am any morning and get paired up for a friendly round . . . that’s how they roll at the Plantation.

While I know everyone was being super nice to me for this media event, I never got the sense that they were anything but genuinely fun people. Case in point, when we finished our nine we headed to the bar for “one beer”. Turns out, there were 8 other members who were having “one beer” and the next thing you know… well we all know how that goes. While I would have preferred to spend the rest of the evening on a bar stool yakking with my new friends, duty called and I headed to the oyster roast (yeah, life was tough that day).

Typically, my knock on shellfish is that there is no way you can get enough to actually make a meal. Apparently, the cook was out to prove me wrong as there seemed to be no end to the buckets of oysters he would pull off the open fire.

Alright, you get it, the food is awesome, the members are super cool, the facilities are top notch… what about the golf?

Pete Dye gets it right:

Imagine you joined an exclusive country club only to find out that it closes for two days every time it rains a few inches. I don’t know about you, but I would be slightly annoyed. Apparently, so were the members at Ford Plantation, which is why they voted to chip in some dough and self-fund a redesign of the course under the direction of Mr. Pete Dye and Tim Liddy.

The basic problem with Ford Plantation was that the drainage was so awful that the grounds crew became the bucket squad. So the first priority would be to build high-end pump systems that could move the water off of the course. Additionally, they needed to makes changes to the topography so that the land actually helped with the drainage. So with marching orders in hand, Pete Dye and Tim Liddy set to work restoring Ford Plantation.

Front Nine

The front nine is pretty traditional with large trees bordering the fairways and lakes on most holes. Some of the big changes to the front nine included adding long bunkers next to the lakes which helps to save the Pro V1 from the water. Dye also moved some bunkers and of course redid the greens. Speaking of greens, all of them are amazing. Perfect in fact. They roll so true is is hard to actually play the proper break as they just seem to hold the line forever. And they are fast. Not crazy stupid fast but fast. Despite feeling more at home on the front nine, I found it to be more challenging since the fairways were narrower and greens seemed harder to hit. The front nine is also where you will see some of the homes of Ford Plantation. Not in play, mind you (no dreaded white stakes), but just off in the distance.

Back Nine

The back nine is a totally different experience. As you stand on the tee box you feel like you can hit it anywhere but also have no idea where to hit it. Thankfully our hosts provided us with a little direction, although they too are still learning the course. What I really like about the layout is that it continually provides new challenges depending on the wind and weather. With so many options you never get locked into playing the hole a single way.

Obviously the views are outstanding. Wildlife is abundant and the sun dancing off of the water provides endless opportunities to take in the landscape. Plus you can always take a break and do a little fishing.

So what did I think?

Clearly I loved the course but it is odd in the sense that both nines are so different. Good and bad as they say. Good in that you get two experiences, bad in that you don’t feel like you are playing one course. I asked a few members what they thought about the contrast and they agreed it added to the experience. They also noted that if you just want to squeeze in nine holes you can choose the side that fits your mood.

But what else is there to do?

Ford Plantation is not just a golf course. It is a community that offers a wide variety of activities and social events. For example there is a large equestrian facility (we saw 6 horses trot by as we teed off on #10) and marina. There is also fishing, shooting and other naturalist activities. Plus, I get the sense that there is a lot of social activities that are widely attended by the membership.

Staff

As you would expect, the staff is top notch. It starts with Director of Golf Course Maintenance, Nelson Caron, who I firmly believe spends 22 hours a day thinking about how to make the course better. I would not be surprised if he is up at 3am each morning checking the greens and making notes. In the Pro Shop, Ryan Skipton makes it his priority to provide the members with the best golfing experience possible. This includes organizing tournaments such as the “hook and slice” (part fishing / part golfing event) and traveling with them on overseas golf trips.

Bottom line

Sure I know that the members were on their “best behavior” for the media event, but I truly got the sense that everyone really loves to spend time at Ford Plantation. Why then would they invite 17 members of the media to tell the world about there secret paradise? Well, as it turns out they are looking for a few new neighbors. Unfortunatley my W-2 won’t cut the mustard yet but maybe one day… one day.

If you would like to learn more about Ford Plantation you can visit their website.

This is crazy, but the newest addition to my workplace is the Monster Cage made by Rukket Sports. Yes, a giant golf ball hitting cage. My back is really bummed about it.

Depressing workplace not included

When reviewing a product like the Rukket Monster Cage, I figure there are two items to address: 1) how is it as a cage – design, build, durability, etc.?, and 2) why the hell would anyone want/benefit from a giant pill-smashing cage and exactly who are these people? Let’s go in order:

The Rukket Monster Cage is a full-scale, heavy duty, industrial strength hitting cage. I know we’ve all seen the different backyard driving nets, the portable ones, the ones that look like half-shells (Rukket even makes a version of this model) . . . this is not one of those nets. This is essentially what your local golf store has for its hitting bay, minus the $100k simulator. When I hear about Steve Stricker hammering balls inside a cabin in the Great White North, I picture a cage like this. It would have to be a big cabin, mind you, because the Rukket Monster Cage goes 10′ x 10′ x 10′.

ASSEMBLY/CONSTRUCTION

The Monster Cage arrives at your door in two medium/large boxes – one heavy, one moderate. Inside the heavy box you will find a pile of small push button metal poles, industrial versions of what goes into the pop-up canopy you used for your niece’s graduation party. In the lighter box, you’ll see a big wad of folded up, heavy duty netting. And somewhere in all of that you will find the following letter:

Cool enough, it’s nice to know that the company selling you a product actually cares to throw that in. What they don’t include, however, is an instruction manual on how to put this sucker together. Never one to shy away from looking like an idiot, I tweeted Rukket Sports and asked if perhaps I was missing something – indeed I was – there is no manual, but a video on their website that demonstrates the assembly process:

The video is straightforward and well done, and the assembly itself really is relatively easy given the magnitude of the beast you are creating. The push button poles work like a charm, and the net itself uses little wooden knobs and Velcro straps that are very intuitive and create zero net/Christmas lights/ball-of-mess frustration.

The video says assembly is a two-person job and should take about 20 minutes. Like a typical meathead, I went with a one-person approach and probably took about 45 minutes, having to call in reinforcements for the final stages of barnraising. There was one initial mistake I made regarding where the “front” of the cage was, something I wish the video had made sure to clarify, but all in all the assembly was super straightforward and caused very few spikes in blood pressure. For your reference, I once threw a motorized baby swing off my back porch mid-construction, so my smooth session with the Monster Cage is a testament to its quality design.

The construction of the Monster Cage is all about sturdiness and durability, for both indoor and outdoor use. The frame itself is made from 3 part steel tube construction with nickel-plated fasteners, powder-coating for weather resistance, and a little PVC and canvas thrown in to help drive home the message that this bugger can handle some adverse conditions. I detect no weaknesses in the cage – there isn’t one piece that I’m looking at and saying “that thing’s gonna croak by next Spring”. And for such a gangly piece of equipment, there is very little play if you were to go up and push on one of the posts . . . the cage might lean an inch or two, but that would be impossible to avoid without introducing some serious bolts and such into the assembly process.

PERFORMANCE

This one is easy – it’s a giant cage with a net that I can rip balls into with absolutely zero fear of something going awry. No shank, skull, or block can thwart the Monster Cage. As you can see in the pictures, the entire cage is made up of netting, and then you have a heavy duty “inside net” from the top to handle the serious business. The inside net is substantial and has no problem absorbing my Dalyesque drives. And, heaven forbid I honk one straight left, the ball is safely eaten up by the outside net.

When rigging the inside net up you have two choices: 1) ball return configuration, which means the top of the net is hitched further towards the front of the cage, and 2) standard hang, allowing for more space between the golfer and the net. I’ve tried both, and switching between the two is easy (only takes 5 minutes but requires a step ladder), but I’ve always defaulted to the ball return setting because it helps me maintain my pace of 34 swings per minute. I can see where the standard setting would be valuable for the more claustrophobic among us, though, and you also have just a bit more room to see where your ball is headed.

The bottom line on performance – I haven’t thought about this net since the minute I finished putting it together. It is clearly capable of handling Vijay Singh levels of punishment, and there has never been even one glitch in the program that made me wonder if I should take out a general liability policy or tell my buddies to put a helmet on. Ball hits net, ball drops down, meathead hits ball.

YEAH BUT . . . WHY?

It’s long been thought that hitting cages/nets are inferior to actually hitting balls into the open air. On a general level, of course that’s true. But when it comes to practice, I have come to realize that the net is an incredibly valuable tool, and probably my best tool. Here’s why:

1) I love hitting balls on the range. I love it so much that I have been known to wander into the range itself at friendly (and empty) courses and hit every frigging ball in sight until it gets dark. I am in the double digits with that activity alone. But on most occasions, I am limited to one or two buckets with which to do my thing. This places a subtle premium on each swing – I only have 35 balls to hit, and as much as I want to work on what that pro told me two weeks ago, I can’t leave this joint with 35 shanks under my belt. So, after 20 mushballs that felt like ayzz, I start to revert back to my normal flawed swing that at least makes solid contact.

Ego also plays a role in this. At some point I need that girl next to me to know that I am not the world’s biggest mark, getting taken for over $1,000 in equipment while wielding a Spaulding stroke . . . maybe they should issue a special hat to anyone that has taken a lesson in the last few weeks, kind of like a “Student Driver” sign for your head.

Bad for my game.

But ultimately, as a middle-aged dude with not enough time to play 18, I go to the range to “hit some balls!”. Hitting balls is fun, and trying to implement changes to your swing will sometimes interfere with that fun. With the Rukket Monster Cage, I quickly realized that I was in the perfect swing-practice environment. Say you’re trying something that feels SO goofy, like most lessons will have you doing . . . no worries in the cage. Just keep trying it. Your supply of balls is infinite, nobody’s watching, and you can work on it to your heart’s delight.

It’s a perfect setting for experimentation, which I have found to be extremely helpful in applying what I learned at a recent lesson. As you know, most golf instructors are going to look at your swing and see the same flaws, but then explain how to fix them to you in 1,000 different ways. They are all teaching the same basic swing, it’s just a matter of which concept your brain can digest and apply. Is it “turn back like you’re shaking hands” or “turn and face the wall behind you”, or is it “clear the hips” or “bump the lower body”. With the cage, you have the time and resources to work these things through and arrive at the swing thoughts/moves that work for you. In other words, you can “waste” as many shots as you’d like in the name of experimentation.

2) To a reasonable degree, you DO know where the ball is going. I know that’s a famous argument against hitting into a net, and I know there is such a thing as smashing a drive all nice-like and then looking up only to see it going banana on you. But for the most part, you can tell when you hit one correctly, swing correctly, push/pull, etc., especially because you already know what your bad tendencies are. Sprinkle a little “where did it hit the net” over that knowledge, and you’ve got about 85% of the data you need (highly scientific calculation). And yes, every week or so, hit the range and make sure it all translates to the real world. Put it this way – I’ve had the Monster Cage for a little over two months now, and each time I’ve hit the range or played 18, it all translated.

THE TAKEAWAY

If you love the game and have a large garage, a backyard that can handle the look of an athletic cage, or a depressing warehouse space like me, the Rukket Monster Cage is only a good thing. A great thing, actually. The price tag is $600, so it’s not cheap, but like most things in golf it is well worth it when amortized over the amount of use you will get out of the Monster Cage. In fact, my experience has been so positive that I would call the cost a no-brainer . . . my practice time in the Monster Cage has been more efficient and productive than any range sessions I have ever had. And I don’t even have a launch monitor yet, so this could get even better.

The Monster Cage can be used for other sports too (baseball, lacrosse, soccer, whatever you want to hammer into a net), so if you have kids that can get some use out of it then the purchase is even more justifiable.

SIDE NOTES

-As I mentioned up top, my back briefly paid the price for my newfound practice glory. After absolutely spazzing out for the first two weeks, I realized that a more disciplined approach to warming up and practicing was imperative. In fact, I need to give some credit to the Pros who rap balls every day, the mileage on the back adds up quick  (*pouring one for my PGA homies*).

-Plan on spending a couple hundge on a good mat. Cheap ones do a poor job of mimicking real turf conditions, and more importantly, they don’t have enough shock absorption built in and will eventually do a number on your body as you continually slam that club down.

-Two items I would note regarding the assembly video: 1) when starting out, make sure to check the logo on the top front pole and confirm that it is facing out, this will ensure that you have everything headed in the right direction (I didn’t at first). 2) The owner suggests putting the whole unit together at half-height so that you can rig the net without using a stepladder. Makes sense in theory, but in hindsight I would much rather have constructed the whole thing first and then used a stepladder at the end to hang the net. Trying to add the final poles once the cage was built to half-height proved to be more trouble than hanging the net at 10′ would have been.

Three Guys Exclusive! Use the following code and get 10% off your next purchase:

Check out all of the Rukket Sports products at www.rukket.com.

There’s a fine line between having hipster cred for liking things before they’re cool and just being strange for liking things that nobody else likes. I’m choosing to believe that Cleveland Classic putters are going to help me cross the line from the latter to the former, because they are too good to not be cool. I have long said that if you removed the branding I would be hard pressed to tell the difference in a Scotty Cameron putter and Cleveland Classic of the same style, and if you blindfolded me I wouldn’t have any more chance of figuring out which one I was using than I would of making putts.

I was recently fortunate enough to review the goods at State Apparel, a California-based golf clothing company that puts an emphasis on the “equipment” side of clothing. If that didn’t make sense right away, bear with me . . .

Right or wrong, often times companies get tagged for a certain look and then have a hard time shaking those conceptions even when they no longer fit. About four years ago, we were sent a bunch of Bunker Mentality shirts to review, and since our blog was still pretty new we were probably a bit over-giddy about the hip European brand. As the months wore on and we began to see more apparel, I compartamentalized Bunker Mentality as a “kinda cool, but a little over the top” brand.

What’s in the bag, or WITB for us golf geeks, is a staple of every Monday morning press release. This is where everyone oohs and ahhs at what clubs the winning pro used to win the latest PGA event. Sure, I am interested in what driver and irons were involved in the victory, but it’s the wedges and putters that I primarily focus on because, right or wrong, I can still hold out hope that my short game can become world class with the right tool of the trade (don’t go bursting my bubble).

You see, in my head I’ve always had an idea of what these exotic clubs were all about and imagined that if I could get my hands on them my game would magically improve. Earlier this year, I got my first chance to put this notion to the test when I reviewed the Giannini G6 putter, and while I am still seeking my Tour card, I firmly believe there is absolutely a clear difference between mass-produced and boutique clubs. For one, the simple act of opening the box provokes feelings akin to paging through a Playboy for the first time, those articles… they’re amazing!

The clubs we received from Vega were the VW-02 in the Raw finish with a 56° loft and the VW-08 in the Satin finish with a loft of 52°. I’m gapped at 4° starting at 52° so the wedges fit perfectly into my current setup.

Delivery Day: They say good things come in small packages, but when I saw the box from Vega was no bigger than a loaf of bread, I was perplexed. Were they foldable clubs or a miniature version of the real thing? As it turns out, neither. Vega had sent me just the club heads. ARGG! Rather than heading straight to the range I was now going to have to wait a couple more days since they would need to be shafted.

As it turns out the way the Vega’s were shipped was a blessing in disguise. Since I needed to get the shafts and grips installed at my local golf shop I was able to match them to my most recent club fitting. During that fitting a big change was made to my equipment. I went from a stiff, lightweight shaft to a regular flex one that is heavier compared to what I’ve used in the past. Being able to get the Vega wedges setup with the same configuration as my other irons has been a huge benefit – that’s obvious, right?

Since I was going to have to wait a few days before I hit the wedges, I tried to temper my anticipation by doing some further research. What I realized was that Vega offers a proverbial boatload of options.

First off, the Vega Wedges come in three different finishes; Satin, Brushed and Raw. The Satin finish is a stunning look for any club but with the elegant design it is outstanding on the Vegas. If you’re not a fan of the clean, smooth look the Satin produces, the Brushed finish is an excellent variation with a more aggressive tone, while the Raw finish is without a doubt the club you don’t take home to mother. The dark appearance just screams “Don’t mess with me!” and is easily my favorite variation. Additionally, the Raw and the Brushed finishes are not plated and will rust over time, similar to the old Cleveland and Callaway wedges.

Beyond the three choices in finishes, Vega also offers five different sole grinds so you can get the exact type of grind you are looking for to fit your game. Here’s a breakdown of their unique grinds:

The VW-02 wedge comes with the Angular Tri Grind which features three very distinct grind areas with toe and heel relief. Vega states this is an aggressive wedge to play. For me, this means I feel comfortable using it in even the most difficult lies.

The VW-04 wedge comes with the Three Port Grind which offers cutbacks on the heel and toe areas of the club, enabling this wedge to cut through the rough.

The VW-06 wedge adds a little extra grind to the heel which allows the club to be laid wide open while still maintaining the low bounce.

The VW-08 is your classic wedge in looks but Vega uses a versatile sole grind making it a very playable club from all types of lies. Being more traditional in looks and in feel, this has been my go to wedge around the green and within 90 yards.

Lastly the VW-10 is another traditional looking wedge with one unique element that makes it one of the most resourceful wedges there is. The leading edge of the club is curved and when added to the Vega grind, which is similar to the VW-08, the VW-10 is excellent for tight lies.

Throw into the mix loft variations of 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58° & 60° and you can see the possibilities are near endless. Five grinds, three finishes and six lofts (on a few clubs there’s also a 48° option) equals 90 different wedges available and I didn’t even mention the clubs offered for lefties. Yes, Vega was nice enough to take care of those folks from the other side of the stance too!

Gorgeous, stunning, splendid, marvelous are all great words to describe the craftsmanship of the Vega wedges. The grinds are so clean they appear more like works of art than tools to attack flags!

Unfortunately in golf, beauty will only get you so far (unlike in real life) and it certainly won’t help you stuff it close to that back right, tucked pin. The clubs have to perform, and from the first time I struck a range ball before my first outing with the Vegas I was sold.

On course testing: When I finally got my mitts on the shafted clubs, I quickly headed to the course to see if the performance could live up to my lofty expectations. So jacked to hit these guys, I didn’t even care about my tee shot, I just wanted to get about 100 yards out so I could put one of the clubs in play on the first hole.

Almost immediately I fell madly in love with the 52° VW-08. For me a 52° wedge is my go to club anywhere from 100 to 75 yards out, but I also use it for chipping and short bump and runs around the green.

The 56° VW-02 I use for short chipshots and as my sand wedge for greenside bunkers, if they’re not too far away of course. With the special Tri Grind there hasn’t been a lie I’ve found where I can’t get the club to lay wide open, which has helped me get out of some tricky spots and also some nasty bunkers.

As a reference point, it may help to know that I’ve had my current set of wedges for over two years and I never imagined I’d find another set of wedges I like well enough to make a change. Well, it looks like my old wedges feel a lot like the broom and dustpan from the Swifter commercials. Sorry old friends, you have been relocated to the “extra club” bag.

As you can imagine, the Vega wedges are a bit more expensive than your average club so it is worth considering whether they are right for you game. While I have been extremely impressed with the clubs, I thought it would be valuable to get some insight from a real Pro who also plays the Vega wedges.

Interview with Sam Goulden: 

Bio: Sam is the founder of TourQuest, accomplished player, respected instructor and author of Square to Square. As an active member of team #TourQuest, Sam is traveling all across the country vying for spots in some of the PGA events by playing in the Tour Qualifiers. Everyone, including Sam, knows the importance of solid wedge game and Sam trusts Vega to deliver for him when he needs it most.

I first want to say thanks to Sam for taking some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about the Vega wedges for us and, by doing so, adding some valuable insight to this review.

TGG: How long have you been playing with the Vega wedges?

SG: I was fitted in early May and have been using them since then.

TGG: Which Vega wedges are you currently playing?

SG: I play the VW-06 in 50°, 55°, and 60°. All satin finish and no paint fill.

TGG: Was there anything specific about the Vega wedges that helped you make the switch? Did the different grinds Vega offers have anything to do with it?

SG: The main reason I switched was for the look and feel. The Performance turned out to be way more than I expected. It was hard to get used to at first. I hit each wedge around 6 yards longer than my previous set with the same lofts. I think the main reason for this is that I got a really good bounce fit for my swing.

TGG: Do you feel the Vega wedges are made only for the high caliber players like yourself or can the mid to high handicapper benefit from the technology used in them?

SG: I’ve suggested Vega for a ton of players. Because of the variability in grinds, lofts and finishes there is definitely a wedge out there for every type of player.

TGG: Since adding the Vega wedges to your bag have you seen any notable improvements to your wedge game? Anything you’d care to discuss?

SG: The main difference in my wedge game has been the feel of the hit and the distance increase. The hit feels really solid. Not soft, not hard. Like hitting a tiny nail with a heavy mallet hammer. They are not heavier than other wedges; they just deliver a really solid blow.

TGG: Thanks for your time and good luck to you and the TourQuest team.

Sam also wanted to point out that beyond making amazing wedges Vega has been outstanding as a sponsor for team #TourQuest. He feels they are super committed to making sure the correct wedges are in their players’ hands and Vega is continually checking to make sure all the guys are happy with everything and offering to help any way they can.

You can check out all of the Vega wedges and options on the Vega website.

Since you’re using the Internet to read this I’m sure you’re familiar with the game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”, where you see how quickly can you connect Kevin Bacon to any other actor in the world. I think that I can connect Kevin Bacon, star of Footloose, to Mike Stranz, designer of Tot Hill Farm in Asheboro, North Carolina:

1. Kevin Bacon was directed by Clint Eastwood in “Mystic River”.
2. Clint Eastwood got his start playing cowboy Rowdy Yates in Rawhide.
3. There’s a picture in the clubhouse at Tot Hill Farm of Mike Stranz sitting on a horse, wearing a cowboy hat, as he surveys the property that would eventually become Tot Hill Farm.

Thanks for playing, you can now forget that I ever mentioned Kevin Bacon.

From the porch it looks peaceful

What’s important is the connection between “Cowboy” Mike Stranz and Clint “Dirty Harry” Eastwood. I don’t know if these two gentlemen ever met, but after a day at Tot Hill Farm I’m positive that Mike Stranz and Dirty Harry share a philosophy: “A man’s got to know his limitations.”

Tot Hill Farm has a fearsome reputation. Voted the 7th hardest course in America in 2007, Golf Digest gave it 4.5 stars in 2008 and 2009 and named it to their coveted list of Best Places to Play in 2010. Ask anyone who’s played there and you won’t get a tepid opinion – the consensus is that you may love Tot Hill Farm or you may hate it, but you aren’t likely to forget it any time soon.

I’m thinking flop shot

That’s fitting, because Tot Hill Farm isn’t your average golf course. For starters, it plays just 6,500 yards from the tips. That’s practically a pitch-and-putt course by today’s standards, but I doubt that many will walk off the 18th green wishing for more length. In those 6,500 yards, Tot Hill Farm makes you use not only every shot in your bag, but something even more rarely called for in many designs: self-restraint.

If you watch any professional golf you’ll hear commentators talk about a “good miss”. A recurring theme during Master’s Week is that “you have to miss it in the right spot.” At Tot Hill Farm it’s very rare for there to be a good miss. Nearly every hole offers you several places to safely hit the ball, but if you don’t hit it to one of those places, my advice is not to waste time looking for it. At many golf courses you can hit toward targets – if you’re a little short or a little long that’s okay, it’s a chip and a putt. At Tot Hill Farm you have to hit to targets. If you’re a little short or a little long, it’s a drop and at least one extra stroke on your card.

The good miss here is – don’t

But if Tot Hill Farm is harsh, she’s also fair. If you’re willing to be honest about your game you can navigate the course with remarkably little fuss. After an atrocious start, hitting driver off the planet on nos 1 and 2, I settled down, accepted my limitations, and ended up bunting my way around using mostly my hybrid and mid irons, escaping this 132-slope maze with the same score I’m happy to card at my 119-sloped home course. My playing companion had more faith in his driver (and justly so), and was able to parlay that into a slightly better score, but since I would never play him straight up, I’m counting it as a moral victory.

In a few days the Eldorado Expedition went into the patient wilderness, that closed upon it as the sea closes over a diver. Long afterwards the news came that all the donkeys were dead. I know nothing as to the fate of the less valuable animals. They, no doubt, like the rest of us, found what they deserved.

-Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

There’s a fairway out there. Trust me.

Tot Hill Farm was built long after Mean Joe Conrad wrote the book that would become Apocalypse Now, but as you make your way from the first tee down the winding maze into the forest canopy of the front nine I wouldn’t blame you if you felt the urge to keep looking over your shoulder. Somehow golf carts seem like the wrong conveyance – pack mules would fit right in.

I’ll spare you the gory details of a hole-by-hole description (you can see an excellent flyover here) and hit the highlights. The front nine feels like Stranz wanted to get some work done while he waited for the bulldozer to get there. It’s rare to see a golf course that looks as though it’s always been there, but the front nine at Tot Hill Farm looks as though someone was cutting trees one day and came across a golf course.

Well I’ll be darned – a golf course!

Nearly every hole on the front nine features a significant elevation change, you’ll know that you’re headed back toward the clubhouse when you start back uphill.  Water is everywhere on the front, and not the kind of benign water that sits quietly out of the way, waiting to swallow bad shots on normal golf courses. This water is like a psycho ex, it will not be ignored and it demands to be considered when you select a shot. Finally, to keep things interesting, there are granite outcroppings scattered about, just waiting to send a misdirected golf ball on a new and random trajectory. And at Tot Hill Farm, all of the random trajectories end somewhere you don’t want to be.

My favorite thing about the front nine is the complete lack of development. There may have been a little here or there, but none that grabbed your attention. The course flows through the woods with a sense of belonging, it reminded me of being a kid and following a creek just to see where it went.

Easy hole, just hit it between the creek and the mountain

The back nine puts the “farm” in Tot Hill Farm – a bit more open, ponds replace some of the creeks. The forest gives way to beautiful homes that continue the theme of fitting in to the surroundings rather than sitting on them. An added twist on the back is that you’ll end up driving through several tunnels, including one that’s below the level of a lake, featuring a warning that it may flood rapidly (“What happened to Steve?” “Drowned in a golfing accident.”)

Yes, that’s a tunnel. There’s light at the end, I promise

We played Tot Hill Farm on a Wednesday after three days of heavy rain, so the grounds crew was playing catch up. Even so the course was in very good condition, the fairways were well-kept and the bentgrass greens were very receptive. Green speed was moderate, which I think is appropriate for the well-defended greens. There are very few holes at Tot Hill Farm that encourage you to hit a long iron at them, but the ones that do will hold the ball – if you can get it there. Putts rolled true, putting a premium on skill in reading the greens.

The practice amenities are comprehensive and well thought out. The fact that the driving range features a significant elevation change is a nice touch. I wish I’d had time to use it before we teed off, overestimating my yardage gain when hitting downhill cost me several strokes over the course of the day.

Just a smooth 7 – if you’re bailing out

The clubhouse is not opulent, but packs a good selection of necessary gear and souvenir equipment into a minimal amount of space. You’ll want a yardage book. Trust me.

No review would be complete without a mention of the grub. Tot Hill Farm has more of a “snack bar” arrangement than a grill room, although why anyone would want to eat inside when they could sit on the clubhouse’s expansive porch and watch the hopeful start off and the survivors struggle home is beyond me. Selection for this type of arrangement is very good, and my chili dog was an excellent example of the breed – not veering into the frou-frou world of the “gourmet hot dog”, but not a piece of roller jerky either.

They should have called it “liquid courage”

The snack bar also has a full liquor license and a decent selection of adult beverages. With each of us facing an hour drive home we elected not to try out the featured Lemon Moonshine, but the next time I play Tot Hill Farm I’m going to bring a designated driver – a little of the ‘shine might just make the tee at #10 less intimidating.

Everyone we met at Tot Hill Farm from the clubhouse staff to the grounds crew was great – friendly and smiling, they made the entire round a very pleasant experience. We played on a Wednesday morning and the course was well-attended. We waited a few times for the group ahead of us and ended up joining up with the group behind us for the last few holes, but in the end we got around the course in a timely 4:25 including grabbing dogs at the turn.

 Check for traffic before you tee off

At Tot Hill Farm, Mike Stranz has created an unusual challenge. Not crazy length or humpbacked greens, the challenge at Tot Hill Farm is you. Mike Stranz has designed a course that gives you plenty of rope, and dares you not to hang yourself with it. If you’re willing to take the shots that Tot Hill Farm gives you, you’re going to have a great time. If you can’t you might still have a great time, but you’re going to need more golf balls.

You can see flyovers, scorecards, and more at the Tot Hill Farm web site.

Like most people, when I start the adventure of looking for some new sunglasses the first priority on the list is of course style. As a society we can get so hung up on the looks of a pair of sunglasses that I’d be willing to bet 9 out of 10 guys would not wear magical “see thru” sunglasses if they knew they looked ridiculous.

Ok, maybe I’m stretching the truth there a little, but you get my point. While style is on the top of the list, what should be on the forefront of choosing a new pair of shades is the actual lens that protects your eyes from the sun and its damaging rays. To put it simply, protection is exactly WHY we buy sunglasses in the first place.

Providing sunglass wearers more options when it comes to replacement lenses for their current frames is where a company called Revant Optics has decided to fill a void. As much as the big brand retailers would like you to continue to use their lenses for your frames, there is no rule that says you have to replace your existing lenses with the same ones when bad things happen like scratches, or worse, you accidentally step right on them and destroy any chance of using them again.

That being said, when we found out Revant Optics offers replacement lenses that perform equally to if not better than the originals, at a third of the price, we eagerly agreed to do the review for them.

Knowing we’re all about golf, Revant sent us a pair of sunglasses fitted with their new Elite HC3™ polarized lens that we were told is ideal for the golf course. From the Revant website here’s a breakdown of the features for the Elite HC3™ lenses.

• HC3™ Stealth Black (high clarity, comfort, contrast)
• Injection molded, precision polarized HC3™ lenses for complete glare elimination & vivid contrast
• Superior clarity (exceeds ANSI Z87.1 clarity, refractive & prismatic power standards)
• Taper corrected to eliminate peripheral distortion, ensuring accurate and comfortable vision
• 100% infused UV & blue light protection
• 8% light transmission – neutral view tint
• High impact resistant (exceeds ANSI Z87.1 high mass, high velocity standards)
• Revant Elite microfiber transport bag included
• Precision cut and guaranteed to fit

For most, including yours truly, there’s a lot of information in the Elite HC3™ features list that soars way over the cranium, and even though I’m not a fan of listing specs/features I did want to show you some of the key points Revant is utilizing when creating these high performance sunglass lenses.

The stats or features list could have been 200 bullet points long with beyond impressive information but if the lenses don’t perform what’s the point, right? Well, I’m happy to say I’ve been completely impresses with how the elite HC3™ lenses have held up in the desert sunshine over the last month.

I’ve had several pairs of polarized glasses over the last several years so my comparison of the Revant lenses started off relating to my past experiences, and for a few weeks that really hindered my review. I was comparing how everything looked through the lenses and not concentrating on how they were performing. A quick “Bill Nye the Science Guy” moment will help me explain.

Polarized lenses contain a filter that helps eliminate “glare”, which is also known as horizontal reflective light. Long roads and smooth water are a few instances where “glare” can be easily produced. The glare-educing filter in polarized lenses can be very helpful if you find yourself in situations where you’ll be staring into the sun for longer periods of time, like the hood of a car or… a round of golf!

My previous encounter with Polarized sunglasses had made me believe that in order for them to be effective they have to be overwhelming. If you have ever worn a pair of polarized lenses and looked at your cell phone or LCD screen you’ll understand what I mean. Cell phones (my iPhone for example) have a particularly odd visual response.

I tell you all of this because the first time I put o the sunglasses with the Revant Elite HC3™ lenses what I experienced wasn’t as dramatic as others I’ve tried, and that put a sour taste in my mouth. I was concerned these were just another pair of lenses trying to compete with the big boys. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

After playing a several rounds with lenses I started noticing several differences in how they performed. Most notably was the lack of distortion because of the tapered lens technology Revant uses. With most polarized sunglasses the filter can cause the outer edges of the lens, basically your peripheral vision, to distort somewhat like those funny mirrors you find at a state fair. Casually wearing them around the city the lack of distortion was mildly noticeable but once I got on the course, into a wide open space, it was evident how well Revant has taken the troublesome distortion out of the lenses.

I also noticed something different off the course. Later on in the day, once I got home and started relaxing after my rigorous golf outings, I realized my typical “after golf” headache was missing. You never realize how much of a pounding your eyeballs take when they’re not protected to the highest level. The Elite HC3™ lenses block 99.7% of glare, and out here in the desert we’re exposed to a lot of it!

Having a photography background, one of my favorite filters to use is a polarized one. I love being able to make the blues just pop of the page on my prints. The same experience can be said when you put on a pair of polarized lenses. Like I said earlier the Elite lenses were not as dramatic in this area when compared to others I’ve worn, but where the Revant lenses absolutely dominate is clarity.

I have a few “HD” lenses from a several different manufacture and what I dislike about them is how they change the hue or the colors to get their enhancement. The Elite HC3™ lenses accomplish this clarity enhancement without altering the color spectrum. While having some light spectrums “pop” when you wear polarized lenses maybe ideal for some but, I’m a huge fan of natural colors with virtually no glare and amazing clarity.

The Elite HC3™ lenses sell for $52.00 and that price includes a Revant Elite Micro Fiber transport bag for storing your glasses when not in use and also for cleaning. Considering replacement lenses from the OEM Brand can run anywhere from $90.00 to $110.00 – spending half that and getting a lens that is equal to, if not better, is a fantastic option.

There is only one color choice for the Elite HC3™ lenses and it’s called Stealth Black. It’s not a mirrored lens like you often see with polarized sunglasses; however, if you are looking for a mirrored lens Revant Optics has you covered there as well. They offer 8 different MirrorShield finishes that all include the polarized filter and they sell for $36.00. Non-mirrored polarized will run you $32.00, while their non-polarized lenses come in MirrorShield and regular starting at $24.00

The next time you’re in the market for a set of replacement lenses for your Costa, Oakley, Ray-Ban, Rudy Project or Spy Optic sunglasses head on over to the Revant Optics website and see if the choices they have to offer will fit your needs.

Aside from long car rides or days out on the lake enjoying the water or simply fishing, the Revant Optics Elite HC3™ have been a welcomed addition to my golf outings and will be for many rounds to come.

You can see all of their products on the Revant Optics website.