Wednesday 31 December 2014

A Review of the Bushnell Tour V3 Jolt Golf Laser Rangefinder


A Review of the Bushnell Tour V3 Jolt Golf Laser Rangefinder

A laser rangefinder instantly works out distances for you. It can help you get over obstacles such as bunkers and water hazards. 

 

A decent rangefinder can also help you get into an area of fairway of your choice. This is why I choose the Bushnell Tour V3 Jolt Standard Edition Golf Laser Rangefinder. All you have to do is use the optical viewer to locate you target. Then simply press the spotter button and a distance of yards or meters will be shown on the LCD Display.

The Bushnell rangefinder works up to 1000 yards and as close as 5 yards. Not that any golf player would need this distance. With many golf courses now adding laser reflectors to their fag poles a laser rangefinder such as the Bushnell tour V3 Jolt is a great choice in gauging distances.

The Waterpoof Casing and Design Features

With a waterproof outer casing and an ergonomically designed hand grip the Bushnell tour V3 Jolt sits very comfortable in a golfers hands.

SCAN Mode

One of the key points I liked most when I used this rangefinder was that the spotter allowed me to move around without giving false readings. This increased my confidence when working out distances as I knew the device was accurate. This technology is known as the SCAN mode which is perfect for scoping out any golf course terrain.

Pinseeker Technology

The Pinseeker Technology means you can spot flag poles from distances of 300 yards. I felt this was a great feature as I could spot flags from way beyond my normal playing distance.

How the Bushnell Tour V3 Jolt Golf Laser Rangefinder Works

The Bushnell V3 Jolt Laser Rangefinder uses a class 1 laser which means it’s invisible to the human eye. The Laser basically works by bouncing back a light signal (laser) from your chosen spot, on board electronics then works out the distance and display it for you on the clear LCD screen.


I was pleasantly surprised at both the accuracy and comfort of the Bushnell Laser rangefinder. It’s great easy to use tool that serves its purpose extremely well.

Sunday 28 December 2014

What is the Titleist Performance Institute as a Golf Brand?

In terms of golf think of the TPI as the world’s largest education establishment built for the education and development of the game of golf as a sport.

The two connections between how the human body swings a golf club and the effect of how the club face hits the ball at impact is the reason the TPI exists. It provides education and development of how the human body functions in relation to the mechanics and biological elements of the Golf-Swing. Pretty impressive for a leading Golf Brand to take such a step but there’s more!


The TPI is for All Golfers

Think of the TPI as an academy dedicated purely to helping ALL golf players excel and you'll begin to understand its importance. It’s a new venture, so to speak, having been created in 2003, and you make ask why so late? Well it takes time to organize all of the educational and development tools that golfers can access. From leading tour players to weekend players with high handicaps the TPI welcomes all. 

Over the course of the years the TPI has collated thousands of pieces of data from all types of golf players and uses this to form the analysis that each and every golf swing is different. Think of being able to see how swinging a golf club the correct way is also the most efficient!

The Titleist Performance Institute Certified Program

But it isn’t just a members club. The TPI have produced a TPI certified program that recognizes the importance of education in golf. Think of it as a quality standard.

There are currently 6 fields of golf that organizations can gain recognition in:

  • Golf Coaching
  • Golf Mechanics
  • Medical
  • Fitness
  • Power
  • Junior Development

The Global Spread of the TPI

Although originating in the USA the Titleist Professional Institute stretched all around the globe, encompassing all countries that have or want to have an interest in golf.

With over 9000 Titleist Professional Institute Certified professional in 57 countries locating a TPI professional is very easy.

The TPI is really a condensed sports database that leads the industry in educating players through tips, analysis, biological and body structure, and speed golf drills all helping to improve in golf the grandest game of all.

The Philosophy of the Titleist Professional Institute

Essential understanding and education of how the body moves and its relation to the golf swing. This I totally agree with, and have had many great lessons focusing on the natural pendulums found in my natural bone structure.

Why is Health Important in Golf?

The importance of health and well-being is a key point of the Titleist Professional Institute. This again makes sense a healthy body equals a healthy mind, more receptive to learning and absorbing and better able to deal with the physical challenges of golf.
Efficiency is the key underlying the TPI’s philosophy of golf mechanics and the uniqueness of each golfer.

The Uniqueness of Each Golf Swing

The TPI understand that each player is different therefore an assessment of each golfer focuses on swing mechanics and biomechanics. Each golfer, whether professional, amateur, or a public golfer will have their overall physical fitness assessed. In addition TPI also monitor movement quality as each golfer has different physical challenges and conditions that will affect their game of golf. Health history is also considered an important aspect of why health affects golf so much.

Bespoke Assessment of A Golf Swing

This bespoke assessment then allows an individual to have a plan that focuses solely on their abilities. So many times I have seen coaches pass on information to someone who just isn’t in the same shape as say Tiger Woods as an extreme sample. You can’t play golf or learn how to hit the golf ball like Tiger as you’re not Tiger in both physical and mental terms!

Know you know what the Titleist Performance Institute is as a Golf Brand and why it focuses on golf education why not take a trip over to their Site and see for yourselves!


Saturday 27 December 2014

PGA Tour Hyundai Tournament of Champions 2015 Jan 9 - 12

As the 2015 PGA Tour gets underway it's interesting to know that many top players who have qualified to play in Hawaii are in fact electing not to take part.

So far with only a few weeks to go until the 9th of Jan Hyundai Tourney starts only the following players have committed to playing:

Steven Bowditch
Ben Crane
Jason Day
Matt Every
Chesson Hadley
Brian Harman
Russell Henley
Billy Horschel
Chris Kirk
Ryan Moore
Geoff Ogilvy
Patrick Reed
John Senden
Kevin Stadler
Robert Streb
Kevin Streelman
Camillo Villegas
Bubba Watson
J.B. Holmes
Angel Cabrera
Jimmy Walker
Sang-Moon Bae
Tim Clark
Scott Stallings
Hunter Mahan
Ben Martin
Hideki Matsuyama
Matt Kuchar


Both Kuchar and Day are likely to get off to flying starts and may well win this opening 2015 PGA Tournament.

3 Alternative Golf Balls to Try that Match the Titleist Pro V1

Having got to grips with the Titleist Pro V1 I decided it was time to look around and see if there were any alternative golf balls I should be using instead. This was not easy task as trying to beat the number one golf ball from my own personal rankings was difficult. I did however find a few real treasures in terms of driving distance, iron play, softness at the greens and putting to give Titleist a real run for its money.

Choosing a golf ball is always difficult. As a player though I know you must only ever use one type of ball. The amount of times I’ve seen players grab any old ball from their bag still shocks me. You see it’s all about consistency. Choose one golf ball and stick with it. This will rule out any X-Factor anomalies that can impact your game. Reduce the consistencies and golf gets easier! 

The Callaway HEX Warbird Golf Ball is a great choice in comparison to the Pro V1

Speed off the Club and Putting
It has a large soft core that means getting speed off of the driver and club face is phenomenal. The thin cover means it feels really soft which is essential when it comes to short-game green working. I wasn’t sure how it would putt though but its softness was a real delight as it seemed to gently compress off of the putter face. 

Low speed lift when coming off the club game me the confidence to go for the green knowing the Warbird would drop where I placed it.

HEX design is one of the key features of Callaway and I found the look and feel to be pleasing. The spin control on these balls was also very good especially when pitching in from 80 yards and less. 

The Callaway Supersoft
Heralded as the softest ball on the market with 35 compressions these squishy golf balls made me wonder – how could such a soft ball perform on the golf course? Well distance seemed great and the control off the iron clubs seemed amazing. I wish though that they were in white rather than fluorescent as I prefer a pure white golf ball. 

The super low spin dynamics made this ball fly very straight on tee shots and iron play. 

The Nike Golf 2013 Mojo
At first I thought these were too cheap to be any good. I mean how can you buy a 24 pack of golf balls for such a low price? However putting aside my economy versus quality consciousness I took a pack out for a round. When I took a Mojo out I looked at the logo and chuckled a little. It’s a great design and has a real 70’s feel if that’s your bag!

The Nike Mojo is a two piece ball that comes with a pre-printed alignment aid which is handy when you’re putting out. They felt great when chipping in shots and putting too. The soft exterior still felt comfortable when handling and flew very well off drives and iron shots. All-in-all not a bad golf ball which is perhaps aimed more at the amateur market than the other golf balls currently available. 

Before I can go I must give credence to Titleist Pro V1 as they remain outstanding golf balls. But with the other major brands competing for the number 1 position it can only be a matter of time until they’re eclipsed by more economically priced competitors.