What’s New and Unusual for New England Spring Golf (Part 3 of 3)

By Leigh MacKay

Training Aids

Tired of missing those 4 to 8 foot putts far too often? If you don’t trust your line and don’t trust your stroke, you need to try the Circle of Trust, a small but effective putting aid. It has a hole (the “circle”) in the center of a three-inch wide and ½ inch thick plastic equilateral triangle. It adheres to your putter face, and the ball is placed in the center hole. You begin the back stroke down the line and keep the putter head close to the ground or risk ejecting the ball from the hole. As you begin the forward stroke, the ball will be rolling inside the center of the hole as the putter moves forward. As the stroke continues, the ball is automatically released from the hole and heads down the target line. This little gizmo promotes a consistent putting stroke by keeping the putter head low to the ground back and through the hitting zone.

Another putting device is the Instant Pro Putting Fix by Drain-O. You need to check the website to see the Drain-O in action. Lightweight and portable enough to put in your bag, the device first reveals flaws in the putting stroke and then is a corrective tool with multiple arc settings that fit golfers of all skill levels and stroke types. The mechanism keeps the face of the putter square no matter what the arc or path height of the user is, and it encourages a stroke that is repeatable and on target.

TaylorMade through its partner tmax Gear has developed the TR3 Speed Sleeve so that any club in the bag, from driver to putter, can be quickly and effortlessly turned into a multi-dimensional training aid. This weighted training tool of 228 grams and 14 inches in length is hittable with clubs from your own bag, and the benefits are tangible: increased swing speed, better tempo, more distance on full shots, and better control on chips and putts.

If you are having trouble with a reverse weight shift or with no weight shift at all, Pin High Pro is a golf mat that beeps at the moment of impact after you have successfully shifted your weight from the back swing to the downswing. Pin High Pro helps your muscle memory in starting your downswing, and it also helps to prevent “coming over the top” when the weight remains on the back foot. As you properly shift your weight, Pin High Pro gives a distinct beep that means you have hit it deep. The product is portable, has a shoulder strap, and weighs about one pound.

Tees, Threes, and What’s Left

Evolve Golf is the emerging leader in performance tees and is known for its game-improving, environmentally-friendly Epoch tees that are made of recycled materials and are far more durable than wood. The Epoch is the only tee with radius posts that span the width of a golf ball dimple, creating an extremely low coefficient of friction between ball and tee. The four evenly spaced marks printed on the stem are the catalyst for Evolve’s Sweet Spot System. Players enter the make and model of their drivers at the Evolve website, and the application returns the recommended depth of the insertion mark when placing the tee into the ground.

The Bio-Tee, 100% biodegradable but durable, is another clean and green contribution to help reduce course maintenance. At 2 ¾ inches and 2 1/8 inches, the Bio-Tee comes in packs of 50, 20, and 10 and can be personalized with colors, names, and logos for corporate, charity, and club events.

Zero Friction Tees from Excel Golf are also environmentally friendly and made with recycled materials. The three-prongs reduce the contact area between the tee and the ball and decrease the friction. Independent testing has shown that with a 100 mph swing speed, a golfer can gain up to four yards of distance and more than five yards of accuracy.

RuleGolf has three products that correspond to rules 11, 16, and 21 in the USGA’s 34 rules of golf. Rule 11 is the “Teeing Ground,” and RuleGolf offers an eco-friendly, multi-pronged, reusable tee of recycled materials. Rule 16 is “The Putting Green,” where ball markers rule the play. RuleGolf has a well-weighted, stainless steel, rectangular-shaped marker that can align the putt as well as mark the ball, and the marker is housed between the tines of an ergonomic divot repair tool. Rule 21 “Cleaning Ball” translates into a waterproof golf towel with a quick-release clip that you can hang on your belt or bag or tuck in your back pocket. The interior Bamboo Terry stays wet while the soft-feel Waterproof Shell keeps pants dry. No matter where you are on the course, you’ll have a wet towel to clean your clubs or your ball.

Jeremiah Bohannon, whose first name has been coupled with the 1971 Three Dog Night hit “Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog,” named his golf company Frogger in honor of the comparison and then created three golf items that have become hits as well. (1)The latest one is the HOP! ball marker and repair tool. The highly magnetic zinc alloy body features six strong magnets embedded in the frame, and when the metallic marker is removed from the green and dropped into your pocket, it literally “hops” onto the HOP! so it can always be found quickly. Between rounds the marker sits securely in the magnetic pocket of the HOP!. (2) The Amphibian Towel is a three-layer system that features a waterproof membrane to keep the dry side dry and the wet side wet, come rain or shine. (3) Finally, with a recoiling lanyard for easy bag attachment and use, the BrushPro has both nylon and bronze bristles to remove unwanted dirt from the clubs’ scoring lines and a retractable, groove tool to tackle any packed mud.

Giant Ballmarker Corporation has introduced a handsome, handmade wooden retractable divot tool that fits unobtrusively in the pocket. Made of polished teak and stainless steel, the 2 ½ by ½ inch case houses the divot prongs, which emerge like a switchblade at the touch of a button. A metallic ball marker is embedded in the case, and this marker can be customized for group sales.

Hail Wales Tales

Once you have assembled all the essentials for spring golf and have hit the links with regularity, it may be time to think about playing golf where Merlin and the dragons once played and where the Euros slew the US in the 2010 Ryder Cup. Now that Celtic Manor and Wales have become part of the international golf landscape, golf in that country is no longer the UK’s best kept secret.

Celtic Manor Resort is a world-class venue that offers five-star luxury and historic golf, and on October 3, 2011 you can play the famed Twenty Ten Course on the one-year anniversary of the Cup singles matches. Participants will compete for either Team USA or Team Europe in an 18-hole, four-ball match play format, and the holes will be cut in the identical spots as they were on that final day of the singles matches. For those unable to make the anniversary date but still plan to visit the resort, you can relieve the final day with those same pin placements on the first Monday of every month from April through September. See the website for complete details.

The other 177 courses in Wales also provide plenty of options for golf and sightseeing. Tours and opportunities abound-take advantage of them.