Golf Blog by The Orlando Golf Blogger

A couple months back I wrote about the Win With Phil Free Callaway Driver promotion. This was the promotion where, if Phil Mickelson won the 2010 Masters and you either purchased one of the 2010 Callaway driver (Callaway Diablo Edge, Callaway FT-Tour or Callaway FT-iZ) or if you went into Golfsmith and filled out a free entry form, you would receive that driver for free.

Well, as you know, Phil ended up winning the 2010 Masters and everyone’s favorite golf blogger just received his sweet new driver.

In retrospect, I should’ve probably opted for the regular driver not the 9.5 tour. My slice is bad enough without opening the clubface another degree.. But I digress.

From the company..

Callaway Golf Diablo Edge Tour Driver

Designed to give golfers a distance advantage every time you tee it up.

The Diablo Edge and Diablo Edge Tour Drivers offer superior face technology, a higher MOI, a deeper CG, and better aerodynamics — and it all adds up to the longest, most accurate all-titanium drivers Callaway Golf has ever made.

4-piece Fused Titanium

The use of Fused Titanium in a 4-piece modular design produces the most weight efficient all titanium driver we’ve ever created. Each part is precision-formed and accurately fused together, allowing weight to be positioned optimally, delivering distance-enhancing, penetrating ball flight.

Chemically Milled Hyperbolic Face Cup

A chemical reduction process selectively removes unwanted material from the face cup for precision thickness control, resulting in our most consistently high ball speeds ever.

Aerodynamic Body Design

We’ve reduced drag in the downswing for higher impact speeds by using an Aerodynamic Body Design that refines and optimizes all edge transitions. This reduces drag up to 8% versus other 460cc driver heads.

Standard Shape vs. Tour Shape

Callaway Golf Diablo Edge and Diablo Edge Tour Drivers feature two unique shapes, but all the same technology. Both drivers offer a 4-Piece Fused Titanium Design, a Chemically Milled Hyperbolic Face Cup and an Aerodynamic Body Shape for the longest all-titanium driver we have ever developed.

The standard models feature a core Callaway technology (S2H2), which removes weight from the hosel and repositions it in the perimeter of the golf club for more stability. The Tour models have a full-length hosel, less face progression and an optimized center of gravity that provides the look, feel and performance highly skilled golfers demand.

Aldila Habanero Shaft

The high-performance Aldila Habanero Shaft is engineered as the ideal complement to the Diablo Edge Drivers to deliver incredible feel and performance.

I opted for the 9.5 degree Callaway Golf Diablo Edge Tour driver with the Aldila Habanero regular flex shaft which has a low kickpoint, mid torque and weighs 60 grams. The club has a total weight of 319 grams.

My current gamer is the Cleveland Launcher DST Driver and it’s significantly lighter, having a total weight of 292 grams. It’s an awesome club and the lighter weight makes it easier to get the clubface closed on impact.

Initial impressions of the Callaway Golf Diablo Tour Edge driver are fair. As I predicted,  it’s more difficult to square up the clubface at impact so over the past two rounds, I’ve been hitting some slice-rrific shots.. But when you hit it clean, it’ll go forever. The ball flight is pretty low and it rolls for a mile. I hit a recorded 303 yards with this driver, my longest drive ever..

Stay tuned for a full golf club review.

Last week I wrote about the Boccieri Golf “Wedge-a-day Giveaway” promotion. They’re giving away one Heavy Wedge per day until September 19th.The intent of this promotion is to increase awareness to their new wedges and website.

Additionally, and much to my elation, this isn’t the only method they’re using. When I came home from work today, there was that familiar shaped box waiting for me.

You know the one I’m talking about… It’s long and rectangular and  upon seeing it, your palms start sweating, your heart beings to race and in your mind plays the sound of a well struck golf ball. With a cry of joy, I rushed forward, snatched up the box, shouldered open the front door, used the box as a weapon cutting a swathe through kids and pregnant wife alike. I then rushed up the stairs, locked myself in my former man cave (soon to be new baby’s room) and began tearing into the box like a kid on Christmas day. The contents revealed a shiny new 56 degree Boccieri Golf Heavy Wedge, for me to play with and write a golf club review on.

Boccieri Golf Heavy Wedge

From the company…

The 5611 gets its name from having 56 degrees of loft and 11 degrees of bounce. This wedge is ideal for shots from the sand, chip and pitch shots around the green, as well as full swing shots from the fairway and rough.

With a head mass just a few grams heavier than a conventional wedge, the Heavy Wedge gets its name from the addition of the tour proven back weighting system found in every club we produce. The 37 % higher balance point produced by the back weighting system is the key to improved body mechanics affecting the swing’s plane, tempo, transition, impact and balance. You will be hitting it closer with more control than ever before.

There’s a number of purported benefits associated with using the Heavy Wedge; better plane on takeaway, set hands more quickly, smoother transition, holds angle of retention longer, square fact at impact, full extension through impact, and a balanced finish.

Heavy Wedge 5611 Specifications

• 56° Loft | 11° Bounce

• Non-Glare Satin Finish

• Dexterity: Right and Left Hand Available

• Back Weighting System (weight in grip end of shaft) = 65 grams

• FST Hi REV Shaft

• Custom Heavy Wedge Grip

• 8620 Carbon Steel Material

• CNC Milled Face and Grooves

• Maximum Groove Width Allowed by the USGA

• Stock Length: 35 1/4”

• Lie Angle: 64° (custom lie adjustments +/- 2 degrees)

• Custom Lengths Available

The FST Hi REV Shaft is designed to perform harmoniously with the heavier and more lofted heads to impart ball spin and preferred ball flight. It features a tapered tip, step-less design and has a weight of 120 grams. This additional shaft heel weighting is where many of the benefits derive.

First impressions of the Heavy Wedge are positive, Boccieri Golf makes pretty solid golf clubs, I’ve hit a couple of their Heavy Putters and I’ve loved the feel they have. Having said that, however, I’ve not hit the clubs on the course yet. I spent a good bit of time tearing up the carpet with it.

Stay Tuned for the full review!

BuildASign.com is a custom sign design company that provides you with the tools you need to make customized products in as little five minutes. They’ve been in business for over five years and they have every type of signage you can think of, from vinyl banners to custom decals. They have over 20 different types of custom signs that come in up to 10 different sizes.

I was first introduced to BuildASign.com through an email from a fellow named Jared, who stumbled upon to the blog while researching the TaylorMade Rossa Corza Ghost Putter. After a couple of emails, Jared invited me to try out the process, come up with a custom golf sign design and he’d send me a few to check out and give away.

I spent a good amount of time at BuildASign.com trying to decide which sign to use and I eventually settled on a 4″ x 4″ custom golf decal.

It’s a three step process to create the custom sign.

Step 1: Choose a Template.

The design process begins with you choosing a template to work off of and although I don’t have an exact number, I’d say there’s over 200 to choose from. The templates are categorized into various themes, such business, events, non-profit, sports, etc…

For my custom golf creation, I began with the sport decals.

Step 2: Customize it.

Once you choose a category, you then select a template to customize. I began with the “I’d rather be playing” golf decal. Below is what the customize your design page looks like. Notice you can upload your own image or add an image from their existing clipart library. You can also choose the size and color of the text and place it anywhere in the decal.

From here, I removed all the existing text and golf images and uploaded the new OGB Logo. After that, I spent quite a long time figuring out what text I should add and finally came up with the custom golf design below.

A cool feature about this custom decal page I really enjoyed is the ability to share the design with others. I suppose it’s pretty common place nowadays to have a share button, but I was able to post it on Facebook & Twitter and get everyone’s feedback.

Step 3: Pick your size & material

Probably the easiest step of all, choose the material (static cling, aluminum, clear plastic, etc..), choose the size and choose the quantity. As with most printing companies, the more you order, the cheaper it gets. For example, 1 decal is $11.07 whereas 100 decals are $2.94 per.

* Step 4: Wait for your package to arrive (an ogb addendum)

Once the order was placed, it took two-three days to produce and ship the decals. Once shipped it only took four business days to arrive.

The custom golf decals I created were exactly what I had designed. Good quality material, with some vigorous rubbing on the ink the image held strong.

Now, I would be remiss in my duties as a blogger if I didn’t mention the customer service I received from BuildASign.com. Just to clarify, the products I received were freebies. When I was going through the design process, I created two versions of the decal. Due to my numerous emails, the wrong decal was sent to production and consequently sent in the mail. When I received them, I was a bit crestfallen because it wasn’t quite the awesome custom golf decal you see above.

Once they received word that the wrong decal had been produced, they insisted on getting the right ones created and sent to me. Pretty impressive customer service, especially since they didn’t make a dime off the interaction. I know what you’re thinking, of course they’d hook you up, you’re writing a review of the decals. I can see your point, but I think it’s worth noting that I would’ve given them a fair shake even if they hadn’t sent the correct decal, it was most likely my fault the wrong ones went into production first.

When you get a chance, take a look at BuildASign.com, they’ve got a pretty cool thing going.

If you like the decal, I’ll be more than happy to send you one free-o-charge, just send me an email with your mailing address and i’ll get one out to you! I have one stipulation though, once you receive the decal and affix it to your vehicle or wherever, you must take a picture and post it up on the OGB FB Fanpage. Deal?

What are your thoughts on the decal?

Book your next Discount Orlando Tee Times through our new online tee times booking engine.

I’ve lived in Orlando for many years and until recently I had never heard of Mission Inn. A friend of mine who recently began an affiliation with the club invited me out to tour the facility and write a golf course review on one of their two courses, El Campeon.

The facility is located about 45 minutes northwest of central Orlando in Howey in the Hills and while it’s not technically an Orlando golf course review, it’s close enough to be classified as such. Besides, who would read a review entitled “Howey in the Hills Review?”

Let me begin by saying the experience at Mission Inn Resort & Club is well worth the drive. Getting there is an adventure in itself. The drive takes you through a variety of rundown, ramshackle and bedraggled areas and at the end, the club shines like the last beacon of hope in a dying world.

I arrived on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, driving through very impressive Spanish architecture on my way to El Campeon. The first thing I notice upon my arrival was a massive putting green that was impeccably maintained. While spending some time working with the short stick, I was told about the course, who’s modern appearance belied it’s extensive history.

The origins of Mission Inn date back to the early 1900′s, when the Florida citrus industry was in its infancy. The course was originally created in 1917 by George O’Neil, who was a master of the game and had staked out his place among golf’s upper echelon for his abilities in architecture. The course he created boasted rare tee to green elevations of 85 feet, towering forests and sparkling, spring-fed lakes.

In 1924, the area was expanding so rapidly that Charles E. Clarke of the famous Troon Golf Course in Scotland was commissioned to further enhance the El Campeon golf course. Five years later, the stock market crash of 1929 lead to the Great Depression. That coupled with one of the worst freezes in Florida history, put an end to El Campeon’s owner, Mr. William J. Howey’s citrus empire.

Forty years later, in 1964, successful businessman, Nick Beucher of Wilmette, Illinois responded to a Wall Street Journal ad and acquired the Floridian Country Club, which consisted of an 18 hole golf course and a 1950s clubhouse, in Howey-in-the-Hills. He spent the first few years renovating and expanding the clubhouse, as well as completely restructuring the badly neglected 18-hole golf course.

In 1969, the decision was made to create a captivating, Spanish Colonial golf resort complete with overnight accommodations. So, building began on a hotel and the name was changed to Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort.

In 1992, a second championship golf course, Las Colinas was built. Designed by former PGA Tour player, Gary Koch, Las Colinas features wide open fairways and gentle rolling hills creating an inland links design.

Over the years, members of Nick’s family have joined the business and continue to actively operate the resort. The resort you witness today is a direct reflection of the vision and tireless effort of Nick Beucher, his six children and their dedicated staff.

El Campeon is the third oldest golf course in the state and boasts an impressive 7003 yards from the tips. The scenery is impressive and at times breath taking. I experienced this for the first time on the fourth hole, your tee shot is over a lake to an uphill sloping fairway that’ll leave you feeling small and insignificant.

With a course rating of 74.2 and a slope of 136, be sure to bring an ice pack to sooth the ache caused by the beating you’re about to receive. It’s a traditional golf course that rewards smart, accurate play. It’s not a course that randomly punishes good shots. What I mean is, if you aim for the center of the fairway, it doesn’t throw a random sand bunker out there for any other reason than to make it tougher than it already is.

It doesn’t need to..

With it’s 85-foot elevation changes, El Campeon requires demanding tee shots and many of your approaches are to double and triple-tiered greens.

There’s plenty of challenges to the course, island greens, sloping fairways, inconvenient lakes and rivers, trees that seem to reach out and grab your ball, soft sand and of course, one very mean double dogleg 538 yard Par-5. This beast is called “Devil’s Delight” and it’s the signature hole on El Campeon.

It begins as a harmless dogleg right that quickly shifts to a dogleg left, with the devil himself taking the shape of an ancient oak tree that blocks your approach shot, which,by the way, is over a canal about 10 feet wide to a protected green guarded by a beach side bunker.

I played this hole incredibly well until my landed in the shadow of the “El Diablo” oak, sitting two with about 90 yards to the green, I flubbed my pitch and my ball went for a swim. The rest, is… too painful.

The course was a blast to play and overall, in great shape. The one exception to this was the greens. The greens I experienced during the golf course review left a little bit to be desired. It was apparent on more than one hole that they had seen better days.

This was about two months back, however and I’ve heard that it’s since been corrected, I can’t confirm this, as I haven’t played the golf course since the review.

Mission Inn El Campeon golf course is ranked in the top 10 of Florida’s 1500 courses. In addition, the conference and golf facilities have been the recipient of such national honors as the Gold Key Award, Gold Tee Award, Planners’ Choice Award, Pinnacle Award and Greens of Distinction. They’ve also been mentioned in several Golf Digest “Best Places to Play” in North America, as recent as 2008/2009, and ranked by Zagat as one of “America’s Top Golf Courses in 2003”.

If you’re in the market for a challenging, change of pace, I strongly encourage you to make the trip to Mission Inn El Campeon. If you go, please give my regards to El Diablo.

-Dave

If you liked this one, feel free to check out my other Orlando golf course reviews and if you’re looking to play, here’s a selection of discounted Orlando tee times.