Posts tagged golf
Brian Urlacher Talks About Hosting New Show On The Golf Channel
Driver vs. Driver is a new show on the Golf Channel that will debut next week on October 4th. It will follow the trials and tribulations of aspiring golf equipment designers as they compete for the chance to win $500,000 and the opportunity to have their driver concept brought to life and sold under the Wilson Staff name. Each design team will work with Wilson Labs engineers to evaluate, critique, refine and test their ideas and concepts, all while trying to stave off elimination by the panel of golf expert judges. Whose driver will be the next big thing? Make sure you watch to see who wins.
One of the judges will be Chicago Bears great Brian Urlacher. Some might know this, but Urlacher is a huge fan of the game of golf. He is looking forward to see who will come out on top in this competition show. I was able to chat with Brian about the show and when he became interested in golf. CLICK HERE to listen to the interview.
Sep 30th
The Bryan Brothers Now Part Of The Lexus Team
Lexus now has two more golfers on their sponsorship team. Who is it? The two new guys are brothers. They are George Bryan IV, age 26, and Wesley Bryan, age 24. For those who don’t know the Bryan Brothers are trick-shot golf masters whose videos went viral. They look to create a balance between precision and fun.
George and Wesley are known for doing unbelievable trick shots that defy logic. The Bryan Brothers hope to represent the next generation of golfers. They started filming trick shots as a hobby and now have thousands of subscribers on their YouTube channel. Their progressive approach to the game aligns with Lexus’ continued pursuit to push boundaries.
For those keeping score Lexus also currently sponsors Jason Day, Charles Howell, III, Peter Jacobsen, Mark O’Meara, Mark Pfeil, Annika Sorenstam, Natalie Gulbis, Johnny Miller, Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horshel and Jamie Sadlowski.
Check out their story below.
Aug 24th
Fore Jordan: Introducing The Flight Runner Golf Shoe
It was only a matter of time when us amateur golfers could play a round with Michael Jordan. Well maybe not the man himself, but at least you can play in his golf cleats.
Since retiring from basketball, Jordan has fueled his competitive drive on the golf course, inspiring Jordan Brand designers to create this new performance silhouette. The limited-edition offering combines one of Jordan Brand’s premium training styles, the Jordan Flight Runner 2, with Nike Golf’s innovative Nike Free-inspired tooling.
“The Jordan Flight Runner Golf is the perfect combination of Jordan and Nike innovation coupled with Michael’s love for the game of golf,” said Larry Miller, President, Jordan Brand. “This is the same formula that helped us create some of the most iconic shoes over the past thirty years and we are excited to bring Jordan Brand energy to the golf course.”
The Jordan Flight Runner Golf combines mesh and synthetic materials in the upper for lightweight support and breathability, while the shoe’s dynamic Nike Flywire provides the ultimate lockdown fit. The midsole contains a forefoot moderation plate that stabilizes the foot when twisting and the lightweight injected unit delivers maximized comfort on the course. The outsole’s TRI-LOK soft spikes and Free-inspired construction provide a flexible and supportive ride.
The Jordan Flight Runner Golf will be available on June 18th, exclusively on Jordan.com, for a suggested retail price of $200. Stay tuned to @Jumpman23 in the coming months for golf shoe updates.
Jun 8th
From A Hole In One To A Ride In Outer Space
I have never hit a hole-in-one on the golf course, but many golfers have accomplished it. Yet European Tour player Andy Sullivan’s hole in one this past weekend means a bit more than ones in the past. After making a hole-in-one on the 163-yard 15th hole at the Kennemer Golf & Country Club in the KLM Open, Sullivan could be blasting off into outer space.
As part of a promotion at the Amsterdam tournament, XCOR Aerospace offered a space flight to the first player to make an ace on the 15th hole. Sullivan aced the 15th on Sunday and ended up shooting a final-round score of 67.
XCOR Aerospace is an Amsterdam-based company that will offer trips to space for the public starting late in 2015. The trips cost between $95,000 and $115,000.
According to the company’s website, space tourists will travel on the Lynx Mark II, a two-seat piloted space transport vehicle. Total flight time is 62 minutes, and at the highest point, travelers will experience five to six minutes of weightlessness.
‘I’m not sure yet,” Sullivan said of joining a XCOR space flight next year. “I’ll see what the missus says!”
Sep 15th
Improve Your Athletic Skills with these Gadgets
Golf is a game that can mess with your mind. When you think too much about your backswing you ball goes nowhere. When you have a few cold ones you game is on point. So the why not pull a Caddyshack II and use some tech to help your gold game. A company called Zepp Labs created an app called GolfSense to improve your game.
Also for those who love to play hoops there is a cool gadget for you too. A company called Wireless Sports unveiled its Hoop Tracker, which is the world’s first basketball watch to analyze and record real-time shooting percentages. Here is a rundown of each new piece of tech to help you step up your game.
Zepp Labs, specializing in delivering sport specific products using real-time motion sensor data announces a major update to the world’s bestselling mobile swing analyzer system called GolfSense. GolfSense is a system (wearable motion sensor + free mobile app) that helps you analyze and improve your golf swing. The new GolfSense 3 application makes the entire GolfSense experience even more helpful and easier to use. Available for download now at the App Store and Google Play for free.
For the first time in golf history, now you can evaluate the quality of your swing using a single metric called the “SwingScore”. This revolutionary feature tells you how closely you’re achieving your personal swing goals. You can choose goals based on your skill level or use your own best swings or a coach’s swing as your benchmark. GolfSense also makes it easy to see what aspects of your swing you need to work with the all new color-coded dashboard.
Some of the Golfsense 3.0 features include SwingScore where you get to evaluate the quality of each swing based on your personal goals. There is a dashboard to help easily identify what you’re doing well and what you need to work on. Their “lab reports” analyze and track your trends for each hitting session. These reports can be shared via email, Facebook and Twitter.
The app has focus screens to isolate a single aspect of your swing to focus your practice. There is even a way you can check out your club head and hand speed. See estimated club head and hand speed at the point of impact to work on timing.
There is the backswing position where GolfSense provides the golfer with an exact club shaft angle measurement at the top of their backswing. The Plane Comparison feature instantly compares how closely aligned the backswing and downswing planes are. Golfers can work to achieve their ideal swing plane by finding what works best for their swing goals. Lastly there is a way to check out your wrist release speed. It is a key component of the swing is wrist release, or how fast the golfer’s hands move the club through the ball impact zone. GolfSense delivers actual speed measurements to help improve speed.
GolfSense 3 is available for download from the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or from Google Play for Android mobile devices for free. The GolfSense sensor can be purchased in stores at Apple and Best Buy retail locations within the United States and at Apple retail locations in Europe. In addition, online at www.zepp.com.
Wireless Sports, an entrepreneurial tech company specializing in wearable sports technology, announces Hoop Tracker, the world’s first basketball watch to deliver in-depth analysis of your shooting percentages. Data obtained from each shooting session can be easily uploaded to Hoop Tracker’s software to analyze and improve shooting performance.
“Practice is the key to success in a sport like basketball, and since it’s impossible to have a coach on standby 24/7, having a tool like Hoop Tracker can be invaluable for tracking progress and improving overall technique,” says Wireless Sports CEO Jason Duke. “We have high hopes for Hoop Tracker and are currently pursuing strategic partners to bring it to market.”
How does it work?
The Hoop Tracker has two components that work to develop in-depth analysis of each shot: the lightweight watch is worn on your non-shooting wrist, while the shot detector is attached to the rim using the mounting pole. The watch and rim detector work simultaneously to identify the make or miss of every shot taken. Data recorded includes where the shot was taken and if the basketball hit the backboard, rim, or activates the internal lever. The only shot not automatically detected is an air ball. In this case, the player pushes the air ball button located on the side of the watch, recording the attempt as a missed shot. All statistics are later uploaded to the Hoop Tracker software for further analysis.
Hoop Tracker Software
Although instant data is displayed on the watch, these measurements are only the beginning of unparalleled insight into a player’s shooting development. Through HoopTracker.com, players can create a free account and upload watch data from each shooting session. The homepage “dashboard” will show a half court diagram displaying the player’s shooting performance, similar to viewing a professional player’s box score. With a variety of modes players can observe their strengths and areas for improvement from every major shooting area on the court.
“Basketball is the #1 team sport played in the Unites States with over 23 million participants,” Duke reports. “Despite the rapid growth of wearable technology, Hoop Tracker is the first of its kind to provide instant feedback, making training or shooting around more fun, competitive and productive.”
Dashboard Hoop Tracker data includes:
• Number of shots taken
• Overall shooting, field goal, free throw and 3 point percentages
• Short, medium and long range distance accuracy
• Left, right and center courtside accuracy
• Consecutive shots made and missed
• Points scored
• Duration of shooting session
• Calories burned
Analysis Different modes for different occasions:
• Design your own unique shooting program to track your progress over time
• Select training mode with goals for improving areas of weakness
• Coaches can customize and monitor shooting performance for up to 15 players using Coach Mode
How do you compete?
With every sport comes the competition factor. Through HoopTracker.com, players can download games and compete with friends for awards and trophies. Every milestone achieved and award given will be sharable through Facebook and Twitter. For additional information on Hoop Tracker, check out the video or visit HoopTracker.com. The Hoop Tracker will later retail for $199 and is expected to ship Q1 2014.
Sep 2nd
FILA Golf Shirt Review – Bristol Polo
I just got back from Cancun, Mexico and it was all kinds of extra hot the whole time I was there. The place had that killer combo of high humidity, unforgiving sun and a wall of sticky heat that hit you in the face and weighed your body down for days. I stayed at the Moon Palace resort, and the first full day I was there, I scheduled a full 18 holes at the Jack Nicklaus designed golf course, which was absolutely gorgeous. The greens were being aerated, which wasn’t ideal because they were super rocky, but it really was a nice place to play a round. The all-inclusive nature of the resort extended to the links as well, so even though there was this unbearable heat situation, me and my group we’re fully stocked with water and beers throughout the morning and into the afternoon. It helped take the edge off big time. It also helped that I was sporting this sweet Bristol Polo golf shirt FILA Golf sent out to me just before I left on the trip.
You have to understand that I’m a big golf shirt guy. Not because I’m great at golf — I’m really not that good at all — no, I love golf shirts because they are the perfect form of shirt. Class meets comfort. Relaxation meets respectability. Over the years I’ve stockpiled vintage golf shirts like you wouldn’t believe. You know the ones I’m talking about. These shirts have a smooth, t-shirt like texture and a little bit of that cotton-poly wrinkle-freeness about ‘em. There’s usually four buttons that give you different neckline options ranging from extra-prep to fully exposed chest hair. The thing that really ties these shirts together though, is the crunchy, stiff and pointy collar at the top.
So with my love of golf shirts established and my new found fondness for the actual game in full effect, I happily accepted an offer to review this FILA golf shirt. I tried this thing out in rigorous conditions in Cancun, and it performed fantastically. I was a bit hesitant to not break out one of my older, trusted golf shirts, but I wanted to see what this FILA golf shirt could do in action. I came away very impressed.
The shirt was super breathable, but not in a pure cotton shirt way or even a cotton-poly blend kind of way. It feels more synthetic than any other shirt I own, like it’s constructed using some NASA-type fabric from the future (87 percent Nylon and 13 percent Lycra). It breathes, but it also absorbs wetness. It doesn’t stay wet for very long, either. I don’t think I’ve ever sweated so profusely for that long in my life. I was wiping my face down with a towel after every other shot. My hat was soaked. My shorts and my socks were soaked. But my shirt absorbed the wetness and still stayed dry. If splashed water on the thing, there would be no wet spot. If I wore a regular, old school golf shirt, it would be breathable, it would soak up moisture, but it wouldn’t be dry at all. This moisture wicking fabric is legit. The shirt also has an anti-bacterial finish that eliminates perspiration odors.
So yea, this shirt performed well. It also looks great. It’s got a bit of a throwback vibe do it. It features a respectably-sized collar and it works as an everyday work/play/comfy-professional top. I didn’t even know that FILA made golf stuff before I received this shirt, but I would totally buy something like this in the future.
Aug 28th
