Golf Blog by The Orlando Golf Blogger

I thought the days of discrimination were over…

Recently, there’s been a lot of buzz going on about the 2010 Bridgestone J38 Irons. I spoke to quite a few folks who had hit them out at demo day during the 2010 PGA Merchandise Show, and not a single person was disappointed. Most said they were probably one of the best sets of 2010.  They released two sets in the J38 series. Both are designed for mid handicap to professional golfers.

Bridgestone J38 Cavity Back Irons

• Midsize premium forged 1020 carbon steel

• Magnesium composite enhances perimiter weighting for more forgiveness on off-center hits and dampens vibration for better feel

• Tapered sole design for versatility in shot making

• Trailing and Leading edge relief for better performance from a variety of lies

• Project X™ flighted shaft

• Golf Pride® Tour Velvet® Grip

• Available Right Hand Only: 3, 4-PW

I was extremely interested in trying out the dual cavity backs, they’re a bit more forgiving than the standard cavity backs, but they still retain that forged workability & shot shaping.

Bridgestone J38 Dual Cavity Back Irons

• Midsize premium forged 1020 carbon steel

• Dual Pocket cavity benefits:

• Removes discretionary weight to the perimeter for more forgiveness

• Provides more mass directly behind the hitting area for better feel

• Tapered sole design for versatility in shot making

• Trailing and Leading edge relief for better performance from a variety of lies

• Project X™ flighted shaft

• Golf Pride® Tour Velvet® Grip

• Available Right Hand Only: 3, 4-PW

Imagine my disappointment when I went to Bridgestone’s website to learn more about the J38’s only to find that they’re right handed only! Really? Can you believe that?

Left handed golfers (like myself) only make up a small percentage (modified due to lack of specific %’s) of the total golf market. It seems to me that although it’s not the majority, it is still a good chunk of potential consumers. To alienate them all by refusing to make clubs they can hit seems dumb.

Now, I know I’m slightly biased, in that I’m in the offended party, but I would think that if I were a club manufacturer like Bridgestone, meaning that I’m not one of the top dog club makers out there, I would want to do everything possible to get new and recurring customers, including making clubs for both sides of the ball.

It’s not only the irons, they did an all around F-you Lefties, the Bridgestone J38 Drivers and the Bridgestone J38 Fairway Woods are also right hand only…

Ah well.. That’s enough of my ranting, me and my fellow lefties need to need to catch a ride sitting in the back of the bus and drink from our segregated water fountains…..

There’s still plenty of other companies who “swing” both ways, I still love the 2009 TaylorMade Burner Irons!

Have a great weekend!

-Dave

If you recall, last week, I received two Bettinardi Golf Putters, the BB1 and the CC  from their 2010 line to try out and review. Here’s the original post – 2010 Bettinardi Putters.

I made my way out to Winderemere Country Club last Saturday and gave the BB1 a good workout. Now, if you’re local, you’ll know that Saturday was one of the coldest days Orlando has experienced in quite some time. To make matters worse, it was raining for the first 1/2 of the round. But despite all of that, I still played because I knew you, my loyal readership, were waiting with bated breath for this review!

About Robert J, Bettinardi and Bettinardi Golf..

Robert Bettinardi has a history of  quality metal crafting. It began when he was 12, working in his father’s machining facility, his father who is a master miller taught his son the craft from the ground up. He received his degree from the Milwaukee School of Engineering and later opened his own milling facility, called X-Cel Technologies. The company specialized in producing parts for the medical and defense industries.

His metal crafting expertise, combined with his love of golf, lead him to begin crafting one-piece putters in the early 90’s and eventually founding Bettinardi Golf in 1998. Not to long after the company opened it’s doors did Bettinardi gain a reputation of precision, innovation and quality within the golf industry. Bettinardi Golf is credited with being the first company to ever create a one piece technology putter.

There’s been some pretty big names in the golf industry who have wielded a Bettinardi Putter. Guys like Nick Price, Bill Andrade, Lee Janzen, Bob Tway, Charles Howell, Rocco Mediate, Olin Browne, Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh, Luke Donald and Phil Mickelson… to name a few. Jesper Parnevik was instrumental in Bettinardi making a name for themselves. One week after opening their doors, he asked if he could use one of their putters and then proceeded to win the 1999 Greensboro by 23 strokes. He only had 99 putts over four rounds. If you round that up, it’s 25 putts per round..

In addition to his own line, Robert Bettinardi has made putters for Ben Hogan and Mizuno and he is considered one of the worlds hottest putter designers.

Bettinardi’s whole concept on putters is based on looks. He says you’ve got to be able to pick up a putter and say “wow, I could hole some putts with this.” He believes that too many of us select putters based on the technology behind the putter. Only to put it down behind the ball and get no confidence from it. He feels that with Bettinardi Putters, you will get the technology you want and not compromise on style.

On to the putter…

The 2010 Bettinardi BB1 Putter is a traditional heel-toe weighted design and has a more rounded shape punctuated with soft edges throughout. This reoccurring heel and toe cavity back design has more wins on tour than any other putter in golf, and has now been perfected by applying “honeycomb” face milling and “one piece technology” to insure accuracy and perfect feel.

The honeycomb pattern on the face comes from the unique way the putter’s face is milled. Bettinardi discovered that running the mill horizontally across the face caused a little bit of a concaveness, a dishing effect. So they played around with alternative milling techniques, eventually applying the cutting mill ends vertically from above like a sewing machine needle and made the face flat to within .001 of an inch, a 200% improvement on existing putters. The honeycomb pattern is actually a by-product of the milling process and wasn’t an intentional design, but it really worked out!

The putter comes in two sizes, 35″ Length & 332 grams and 34″ 348 grams and has a three degree loft.

My impressions..

My first thought when I saw the putter was “awesome,” and after playing with it, I’ve solidified that comment and turned it into fact.

The putter looks great, I love the sleek one piece black nickel finish putter head,with the (unintentional ) honeycombing on the face. It’s milled with a single sight-line near the pocket and I’ve always liked the simplicity of that. The pistol style grip took a little getting used to, I still prefer a little fatter grip, but it has a nice feel. The putter also comes with a black Bettinardi head cover. I strongly suggest you use the head cover, I didn’t and I already scratched up the heel of the club. My current putter is quite a few years old and I lost the head cover quite a while ago, so it’s been my habit to just throw it in the bag and move on to the next hole. Well, old habits are hard to break and I did that with the BB1 and by the 18th hole, there was some visible wear on the heel from where the other clubs had rubbed up against it. That was a little disappointing, but that’s why they give you a head cover..

Putting with the Bettinardi BB1 is pretty solid. You can really tell the difference between putting with a one piece vs a two (or more) piece. You get a lot more feel and touch out of the putter. The ball came of the face with a click like you’d hear watching a tour event where they’ve mic’d the green (or however they get that clear crisp click) and it felt really good, pretty soft without being squishy.

I’m enjoying this putter and presently, it’s moved to first string whereas the old Ping putter is riding the pine… (or cheap trunk carpet..)

Now for some really good news.. you can win a Bettinardi BB1 or a Bettinardi BB8 Putter! Fellow golf blogger John Duval is giving them away. Click the link below for details.

Bettinardi (2010) Putter Giveaway

Bettinardi Putters are only going to be sold in green grass facilities, like your local pro shop and selected club fitters, so you can’t hope to pick one of these up at a big box retailer. I’m assuming this also means that they won’t flood ebay and other ecommerce sites like many of the other manufacturers.

I’m curious, what are your thoughts on this move? Good Idea? Bad Idea?

Yeah, I know, I said I wasn’t going to be writing anymore this year and yet… here I am..

I wanted to share the news! Good friend and fellow golf blog intothegrain.com is giving away two Cleveland Golf CG15 Wedges.

The giveaway is running until December 31st, 2009 and all you have to do to enter is submit your name, email address and new years golf resolution.

The best entry wins the sticks!

Not too shabby!!

Click Cleveland Golf CG15 Wedge Giveaway to enter.

Happy Holidays again!!

After playing  another round with the 2009 Taylor Made Burner Irons, I can say with little or no hesitation that these irons are well worth the investment.

Granted… I might be a little biased considering spent a good little bit of $$ purchasing them..

To give a little background for those who might have missed it, back in early July, I went out to the TaylorMade Performance Lab over at Grand Cypress for a custom club fitting.

You can read about it here -> TaylorMade Performance Lab at Grand Cypress.

To quickly summarize the experience, let me tell you that I’ve become a proponent of custom club fitting and I think there’s a value to be found for golfers of all skill levels and experience.

Out of that custom fitting, I took the recommendations and ordered my first set of custom clubs. They’re -.5 degree flat 2009 TaylorMade Burner Irons 4I-PW.

These irons are bit longer than most irons on the market today. It’s taking me a bit of time to adjust to these, my old irons were about 1/2 inch shorter than most irons on the market (yet another reason to get fitted, I’d of never purchased shorter than average irons, especially considering my somewhat over-average height ). Combine those two, we’re talking almost an inch difference between the old sticks and new.

TaylorMade Burner 2009 irons were designed with greater forgiveness and longer distances in mind. Something that I thought was very cool is that the long-irons, middle-irons and short-irons were all designed separate and independent of one another by TaylorMade’s iron-creation team.

With greater forgiveness and longer distance in mind, they thinned the club face down as much as possible to make it more flexible and faster for a higher COR.

In case you were wondering, COR stands for the “coefficient of restitution” and is calculated by:

COR = ball speed after contact – club speed after contact ÷ club speed before contact

Or in simple english, how efficiently a ball bounces off the club face. A higher COR results in longer shots.

The TaylorMade Burner Irons feature Inverted Cone Technology. This technology was originally developed to expand the COR zone of TaylorMade drivers. The Inverted Cone was drilled directly in the back side of the club face resulting in drastic variations of face thickness. The end result of the Inverted Cone was more distance resulting from mishits.

The club head is increased in sized by expanding the perimeter which increases the moment-of-inertia to a higher level than any previous TaylorMade iron. A higher MOI gives the club head more resistance against rotating when it makes contact with the golf ball… or ground..

The offset of the sole was increased a bit in order to make it easier to square the club face during impact. Also, the width of the sole was increased to lower the center of gravity of the club face.

A new technology, labeled  SuperFast Technology was created and incorporated into the new TaylorMade Burner 2009 Irons. SuperFast Technology incorporates a higher coefficient of restitution(COR), higher moment-of-inertia(MOI), and progressive(longer, lighter) shaft-length, progressive(lighter) grips, and larger, more forgiving club faces. Combine all this and the end result is greater ball speed and forgiveness as you progress through the round.

TaylorMade Burner Irons are available in full sets that include 3-iron through Pitching Wedge. You can also purchase an additional sand wedge and lob wedge to complete your set.

Interested in purchasing a set? Click
TAYLORMADE Burner Iron Set 3-PW with Steel Shafts

I am very pleased with my new TaylorMade Burner Irons and if you’re in the market for some new clubs, I strongly encourage you to give them a shot.

Later folks!

-Dave

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About a month ago, I was asked to participate in the Nike Golf 8 > 9 challenge. Nike put together this “friendly” competition where they reached out to us totally awesome golf bloggers (and others?) and asked us to hit the Nike Str8-Fit and Taylor Made R9 drivers side by side and report on which we liked the best.

Let me start out by saying, this was a REALLY difficult challenge for me, I felt like a kid who’s parents were getting divorced and I had to choose which parent to live with… I’m a big fan of both companies and I’ve only owned either TaylorMade or Nike drivers (currently wielding an the SuMO)…

Anyway, on to the review!

Both the Nike Str8-Fit and the TaylorMade R9 have adjustable clubheads that give you access to eight unique head positions. There are three open, three closed and two neutral positions for you to choose from. Depending on what type of swing you’re prone to (slice, hook, fade, draw), you would adjust the clubhead to compensate for that.

I’m prone to a slice, so for my review, I hit both clubs neutral and 2 degrees closed.

Before I get into the performance of the clubs, I’d like to discuss the various components. To begin, let’s start with how to identify the face angle of the club.

Here’s a picture of the top of the grip on the Nike Str8-Fit (see left image). When you first receive the driver, the club is set to neutral and the yellow arrow is on the top. I’m going to need you to stay with me here, but let’s say you’re a left handed golfer and you want to close the club face two degrees.

You’d think it would be a simple matter of unscrewing the clubhead  and turning the clubhead two degrees to the right and re-attaching it. Well, you’d be wrong.

For the Nike Str8-Fit, you have to reference the top of the grip and visualize that it’s a steering wheel of a car. So, if you want the ball to go right, you have to turn the shaft to the right, which will cause the R on the grip to be on the top (see right image).

I don’t know if it’s just me, but it took me a while to get a handle on it. Not only that, but it’s a little annoying to have to keep checking the other end of the shaft each time you adjust the clubhead to see what the setting is.

The TaylorMade R9 does a better job of identifying the lie, they label each setting directly on the shaft where the club face attaches.

I suppose the natural progress would be to talk about the tools used to modify the lie of the club.The TaylorMade R9 has a bolt on the bottom of the clubhead that is unscrewed using a screwdriver (I think they call it a wrench, but come on…).

I saw on the website that the screwdriver/wrench can be conveniently stored in your golf bag for easy access… To me, that means, inconveniently misplaced or lost..

I’ve gotta say that the Nike Str8-Fit does it better, they have a more traditional wrench and you can store it in the headcover. There’s also a Velcro lie indicator on the top flap of the head cover that serves as a reminder of either what your club face is or was set at.

I also think that the Str8-Fit has a sexier head cover

Regarding the grip, the TaylorMade R9 has a solid black grip and the Nike Str8-Fit is very similar with one (in my opinion) very confusing trait.  I apologize for the bad picture, but I didn’t think to grab a better one at the time and I’m too lazy to break out the camera and take a better one….

Alright, so on the Nike Str8-Fit Driver, there’s a yellow arrow on the grip itself that shows where the neutral setting is. If you take a look at the picture to the left, you can barely make out what I’m talking about.

Well, that arrow had me hating this club when I first started swinging it. Here’s what I was doing. I was closing the club face incorrectly (turning the clubhead to the right and not the shaft) and then I was ensuring that my lead hand thumb always rested on that yellow arrow. The result was a very awkward clubhead angle that resulted in some funky shots for a while. It took a trip to Golfsmith to get this sorted out..

Now hear me out.. doesn’t it almost make sense that if you alter the lie of the club and you set the club down at “rest” that it would almost undo the lie? It made sense to me until the associate described to me that the grooves are angled differently.

So, back to my point, if you decide to give this club a try and you modify the lie, disregard the little yellow arrow, it serves no REAL purpose, other than to confuse unsuspecting bloggers..

The TaylorMade R9 also sports three adjustable weights in the clubhead called movable weight technology (MWT). This was a HUGE selling point for me. There’s one 16 gram weight and two one gram weights. Coming from a hacker who has difficulties closing the clubface on impact, putting that 16 gram weight in the toe of the club was helpful in bringing the clubface around.

Now, for the most important part of the challenge, the clubs performance. I was hitting the Nike Str8-Fit square head 10.5 degree driver with a regular flex shaft and the TaylorMade R9 10.5 degree driver with a regular flex shaft.

I found that I was getting more distance off the tee with the Nike Str8-Fit but I was more consistently in the fairway with the TaylorMade R9. Regarding aesthetics, I like the look of the Nike Str8-fit more than the TaylorMade R9, but hands down swinging the R9 was definitely alot smoother than swinging the Str8-Fit.

So the verdict…… Both clubs are awesome and the technology is great, but for me, the TaylorMade R9 Driver gets my vote. It was tough decision and it was a close race, but I think what ultimately sold me was the MWT.

Also, Nike is using Trevor Immelman as their spokesperson and TaylorMade is using Nick Faldo…

So 8 < 9 and Immelman < Faldo

-Dave

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If you are a golfer and you are planning a family vacation to Orlando to visit the attractions, you need to schedule a little time to play one (or all)  of Disney’s five golf courses. Every course on the property offers a different experience for golfers of all skill level.

Osprey Ridge, rated 4 1/2 out of 5 stars by Golf Digest and rated one of the “best courses you can play” by Golf Magazine,  takes you through a wilderness-like setting where you’ll encounter all types of local wildlife. This Tom Fazio-designed course will take you through forests of scrub oak, pine, palmetto, cypress and bay trees. From the tips, Osprey Ridge is 7,101 yards and boasts a whopping 74.4 course rating.

Lake Buena Vista, rated 4 out of 5 stars by Golf Digest, is, as expressed by course architect Joe Lee, “exciting, challenging, yet fun to play.” The course has more of a “country club” feel to it, everything is expertly manicured and there are some absolutely beautiful holes to experience.  Holes #4 and #16 are my two favorite on the course, both play over water and are quite appealing to the eye. On hole #16, you can sometimes catch the ferry boats taking the park goers to and from the attractions and if you aim your tee shot just right…… Hole #7 is a Par 3 to an island green, very similar to a certain TPC Sawgrass hole. While not as back breaking as Osprey Ridge, you’re still faced with a 73.0 course rating and 6802 yards of pastel villas, pine forests, palmettos, sparkling lakes and a lighthouse.

The Palm Golf Course, also rated 4 out of 5 stars by Golf Digest, strangely enough features many strategically placed palm trees. Quite the opposite of Osprey Ridge, this Joe Lee design comes equipped with tropical sand and shimmer lakes to give you the feeling of playing golf in an oasis. There are 94 bunkers on the course and hole #18 is considered one of the most challenging holes on the PGA Tour. The Palm is a part of the annual Children’s Miracle Network Classic, offering plenty of challenges for players of all skill level. From the tips, the course plays 7010 yards with a 73.9 course rating.

Disney’s Magnolia is by far, my favorite Disney course to play. It features the famous Mickey bunker on the Par 3, 6th, which, I was 2 inches away from my first Ace… Magnolia is a tough course, from the tips it plays a fearsome 76.4 course rating and 7516 yards. Designed by Joe Lee, the course was named for it’s many fragrant Magnolia trees. This course is also home to the final round of the Children’s Miracle Network Classic. Last time I played this course, I saw no fewer than 20 deer, a dozen turkeys and one alligator. In this bloggers humble opinion, if you had to choose one Disney course to play, I’d strongly recommend Magnolia.

Last and least (regarding the number of holes…tee hee) is Oak Trail Golf Course. It’s a pleasant family course that is a walking nine hole. It’s a fun course with something for everyone and it’s a great relaxing round.

Back in February, Golfnow.com, started offering discounted tee times for all the Disney golf courses, sometimes you can find rounds discounted as much as 75% off. So if you’re looking for a good way to save some cash, I recommend checking them out.

Among some of the best places to stay in the area are the Omni Orlando at Championsgate, the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress and the Ginn Reunion resorts, which all feature golf courses designed by Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus among others.

Enjoy!

- Dave

For great golf deals sent to your mobile phone, simply text orlandogolf to 69302. There is no charge to use this service, but standard text rates apply. Please contact your cellular provider for details on these rates.

If the dad in your life is a golfer, then there’s no better gift this father’s day than a round of golf. Many might say that dad would rather spend the day with the family and while that may be true, he would also love to be out on the golf course first thing in the morning, doing what he is most passionate about.

Father’s day is one of the only days of the year when dad can get out for a “guilt-free” round. For those who don’t have any idea what I’m talking about, we golfers understand how demanding our sport can be on our time and the time spent with the family, but it’s one of those demands that we simply cannot ignore. So, while satisfying this dark mistress on an early Saturday or Sunday morning, we encounter what is known as “guilt” golf. We know that the loving father we all strive to be “should” be at home spending the morning with the family, yet, there we are, on the first tee box, drinking in the sights and sounds of the golf course just waking up, visualizing that perfect 1st drive and the amazing round that is sure to follow.

In an effort to support my fellow dad golfers, I’ve come up with a list of the best deals on golf in Orlando for father’s day.

Harmony Golf Preserve has put together two great packages that are good June 19th, 2009 – June 21st, 2009

Package 1 – $70.15

• Round of Golf
• Range Balls
• Logo Hat
• Dozen Nike Golf Balls
• Logo Towel
• Yardage Guide
• Golf Glove
• Divot Tool
• Bag Tag

Package 2 – $28.03

• Round of Golf
• Range Balls
• Divot Tool
• Bag Tag

You can contact the Harmony Golf Preserve pro shop by calling (407) 891-8525.

Victoria Hills Golf Club has three different packages for you to choose from. They can be purchased anytime and there’s no restrictions on when they can be used.

Package 1 – $99

• Round of Golf
• Lunch
• Logo Hat
• Divot Tool
• Sleeve of Balls
• Logo Towel
• Poker Chip

Package 2 – $99

• 3 Private Golf Lessons

Package 3 – $99

• Round of Golf
• Summer Club Card (which entitles you to unlimited discounted rates on golf until September 30th, 2009)

You can contact the Victoria Hills Golf Club pro shop by calling (386) 738-6000.

Celebration Golf Club and Legends Golf & Country Club have two really good promotions going.

The first is their “Buy in Bulk” Promo. This promotion expires November 22nd, 2009 and tee times cannot be booked before 10 a.m.

• Five rounds for $150
  • Four at Celebration
  • One at Legends

• 10 rounds $225
  • Eight at Celebration
  • Two at Legends

• 15 rounds $300
  • 12 at Celebration
  • Three at Legends

The second promo has to be purchased at Legends Golf & Country Club between now and Father’s Day (June 21st, 2009).

• You spend $59 dollars and you receive two all you can play days, one at Legends and one at Celebration. Only blackout day is Labor Day and Celebration is after 11:00am on the weekends.

You can contact the Celebration Golf Club pro shop by dialing (407) 566-4653 and Legends Golf & Country Club pro shop by dialing (352) 243-1118. Here’s a link to the Orlando golf course review I wrote about Celebration Golf Club

Shingle Creek Golf Club

• Five Rounds for $199.99

You can contact the Shingle Creek Golf Club pro shop by calling (407) 996-9933. Here’s a link to the Orlando golf course review I wrote about Shingle Creek Golf Club.

Timacuan Golf Club is running three different Father’s Day promotions that can be purchased online or in the pro shop.

• Par Package $49
  • One round of golf
  • One lunch

• Birdie Package $69
  • One round of golf
  • One Lunch
  • One Nike golf shirt

• Eagle Package $89
  • Two rounds of golf
  • Two lunches

You can contact the Timacuan Golf Club pro shop by calling (407) 321-0010

Champion’s Gate

• Play all day for $59 per person. Valid on both the National and International Course.

You can contact the Champion’s Gate pro shop by calling (407) 787-4653.

Mystic Dunes Golf Club has a couple of offers.

• Play all day for $59 per person.
• Dad’s eat (at Kenzie’s)and play for free with a paying adult.
• Spectacular Summer of Golf membership. You purchase a membership pass for $200 and receive $15 daily green fees from 3:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. Membership and offer valid June 1st, 2009 – September 30th, 2009.

Contact the Mystic Dunes Golf Club pro shop by calling (407) 787-5678. Here’s a link to the Orlando golf course review I wrote about Mystic Dunes Golf Club.

Diamondback Golf Club

• Dad plays free with a paying adult ($35).

Contact the Diamond Back Golf Club pro shop by calling (800) 222-5629.

Hunter’s Creek Golf Club

• Dad’s play free with a paying adult.

Contact the Hunter’s Creek Golf Club pro shop by calling (407) 240-4653.  Here’s a link to the Orlando golf course review I wrote about Hunters Creek.

Sugarloaf Mountain

• Play for $37 per player.

Contact the Sugarloaf Mountain Golf Club pro shop by calling (407) 544-1104. Here’s a link to the Orlando golf course review I wrote about Sugarloaf Mountain.

RankMark.com has posted up their top five iron sets for 2009.

RankMark.com has been in business for ten years providing completely unbiased, unweighted golf club reviews.

Golf Club Reviews: Top five irons for 2009

The company started back in 1998, by a man named Charlie Mandel who’s passion for golf turned into a much needed business.  Last year, the company was sold for an undisclosed amount and Charlie had this to say about it.

“They offered to buy my hobby and turn it into a very large and important part of the golfing business.” Say Mandel. “Well, Rankmark is like one of my kids. How could I resist seeing it grow taller and stronger?”

To further emphasize the company’s unbiased approach to reviews, they’ve pulled all manufacturer’s advertising from the site.

“We didn’t want even the slightest consideration that the results are ever altered in any way, the test results are what they are. Because of this we felt that no manufacture or company whose products we test should advertise, it’s just simpler this way.”

Hope you guys have a great friday!

-Dave