Monthly Archives: February 2012

In Search Of A Golf Travel Bag Or Golf Travel Case

A Golf Travel Bag Or Golf Travel Case?

Well it had come time for another purchase. Sometimes I think I work to pay for golf. LOL. But seriously, I was kinda looking forward to this purchase because it is part of a vacation plan. I need a hard travel case for my golf clubs. Truth be told, we planned on flying and I would still like to fly to Florida but rates seem to be very high right now and with fees and sometimes carry on fees, my family might just drive to Florida. Yeah and now as I type this gas prices have gone up by 40 cents in the past week. Either way, I’ve decided that I need to protect my golf investment and get a golf travel bag, golf bag travel cover, or golf travel case for my clubs. So, I’ve done a bunch of research and thought that I would pass on what I’ve learned along the way.

Before I say anything else, I wanted to make sure that what I purchased was going to be sturdy and up to the task. Meaning, I have a piece of luggage that is breaking apart at the seams from being tossed at the airport and another one where the zipper (well the zip part) broke from being placed face down instead of on its back. I didn’t think that I purchased cheap luggage but I did want to make sure that whatever I bought to protect my golf clubs would last more than a couple of flights or more likely trips in the trunk of my car with luggage. So if the golf travel bag, golf travel case, or golf bag travel cover ends up being $20 or $200, I just want it to last and I care less whether it is a brand name.

A Look At Golf Travel Cases

Now right off the bat I should tell you that I should be partial to one particular golf travel case. That is the Plano Golf Guard Standard Case. Reason being is that I have a house about 10 miles from Plano, IL and this case is made by a company that I am familiar with, Plano Molding. Plus, it has a retail price of about $62.

Being a golf travel case (hard case), my thinking is that it will protect the clubs better than a bag might and it could work either when flying or in a crowded trunk with a bunch of luggage. The Plano golf travel case has a bunch of reviews but to be perfectly honest, a couple folks talked about cheap latching mechanisms/clasps. The case itself seems sturdy enough but that is something to keep in mind.

Now I really like the look of this case. It goes by the name
SKB 2SKB-4812WS ATA Standard Golf Travel Case

Golf Case

As you can see, there are rolling wheels and if you check out some of the reviews, this golf travel case is one in which others should be measured by. Of course having said that, it will set you back some $260 at the retail level, although I’ve seen the price as low as $190.

Another golf travel case that I particularly like and it received very good reviews is what is called Golf Travel Bags The Vault. .

Again, this is what I call a golf travel case rather than a bag so don’t let the name fool you. It is made for oversized drivers (I have a TaylorMade Burner Superfast myself), has heavy duty locking latches, and the wheels are recessed behind the housing. In other words, this is a quality golf travel case. The locks are what I have been told “TSA Approved”. Now you may not think that your clubs will be tossed around but please listen to this one tip. You play golf and your clubs make it around on a fertilized course. Oftentimes the fertilizer itself will attach itself to your golf bag and clubs which in turn sets off alarms that the TSA will need to inspect your clubs.

Golf Travel Bags

For a golf travel bag that comes with wheels, there aren’t too many more reasonably priced than the INTECH Golf Travel Cover with Wheels. It can be easily rolled through the airport. Just realize that this is a soft cover, so make sure to protect your clubs inside this golf travel bag in some other way. ie wrap your clubs in bubble wrap.

For my purposes, the bag above would be perfectly fine for being in the car but I would feel that it may not be up to the task if it was manhandled at the airport. Hey, just being honest here. I like flying as much as the next guy but I don’t like to see things broken.

When traveling long distances by car, I like the look of the following golf travel bag. It has a good look to it, comes in a few different colors and when found on sale, the price is right. It is called Golf Travel Bags Roadster 3.0. This golf travel bag rolls and has a nice padded top which can help to protect your club heads. There is also a pouch/compartment on the outside where you can put your golf shoes or other accessories.

Finally, here is another golf travel bag cover which owners particularly like. It is called the CaddyDaddy Golf Constrictor Golf Travel Bag Cover.

Again, it has wheels for rolling, you can purchase an optional TSA approved lock, and it is padded across the top to protect club heads. The material is strong and it will just fit your oversized clubs. This is a golf travel bag and not a case, so it will not have quite the protection that you will find with the cases. But then again look at the price and compare the Caddy Daddy Golf Co-Pilot and the Caddy Daddy Golf Constrictor at Amazon.

So Was It A Golf Travel Case or Golf Travel Bag?

Now I usually end a review by saying whether I like a particular product or not, pro’s and cons, and if I am looking at multiple products and I decide to purchase one, I’ll be sure to tell everyone which product I chose. Unfortunately I can’t do that at this very moment only because I have not decided whether we will be flying or driving on our upcoming vacation. If it were flying, I would definitely choose a golf travel case but in driving, I would be more than fine with one of the soft golf travel bags shown above. I’ll let you know which one I choose as we get closer to making that decision about our mode of travel.

Golf Training Aids – Quickly Knock Strokes Off Your Game

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Each year a new range of golf training aids hits the market. Most are takeoff’s or improvements of an existing product but in some cases you will find an original patented device. If you peruse the Golf Channel, you will see many of the newer golf training aids being advertised for a number of months before being replaced by another upcoming hot selling product. I am lucky enough to test out, review, or try some of these golf gadgets so I thought I might show a few of the golf training aids that have either made into my home, golf bag, or wish list this upcoming golf season.

Medicus Power Meter
The Medicus Power Meter measures club head speed at the point of impact with a golf ball. This is one of the golf training aids that I use on a regular basis only because it is so simple to use. Just put in the batteries, adjust your height and the length of the club you will be using, attach the Medicus Power Meter to your club as per the instructions and start swinging. I can honestly say that I’ve used the Medicus Power Meter in my backyard this winter to see progress in my club head swing speed. While most amateur men golfers swing at about 86 miles per hour, our professional counterparts are somewhere around 110 to 112 miles per hour. Increased club head speed equals increased distance with all of your golf clubs.

Swingyde Golf Swing Training Aid
This is a plastic device which costs around $35 or so. You will find a few videos on Youtube showing this product in use. This is one of those golf training aids that I originally wrote off as something that I thought was cheap and was going to break. I was wrong. I now find the Swingyde Golf Swing Training Aid as the product I reach for when my swing has gone awry. From making sure that your swing stays on plane (my issue) to creating the lag which is so important in regards to club head speed, this device will keep or get your swing on track.

Hank Haney Plane Finder

If you’ve watched the Golf Channel at all lately, you’ve seen Hank Haney with the Haney Project teaching golf to the likes of Charles Barkley, Ray Romano, Rush Limbaugh, and more recently, Bill Cowher. While not many of us can get the one on one attention from Hank Haney, you can certainly work with one of the golf training aids that he supports. The Hank Haney Plane Finder. Swinging on plane is key and is also part and parcel to having both a powerful and consistent golf swing.

Dancin Dogg Optishot Golf Simulator
One of my favorite golf training aids that I’ve used this off-season is the Dancin Dogg Optishot Golf Simulator. Feel like playing a round of golf at home? This is the product you need. Want to get a round of golf in before work in the morning? With the Optishot you can play a round in about an hour. You will need a ceiling about 8 1/2 feet tall and an area of about 10 feet around you. I recommend hitting into a net, although I’ve heard of folks using a mattress. Yes, you are really able to hit golf balls with your own clubs just like you might with the golf simulators that you find at golf stores. Plus you will get statistics showing distance, face angle, tempo and more. Just check out the image here. So if you are tired of playing computer golf games and truly want to use your own clubs to play some of the worlds top courses, look into the Dancin Dogg Optishot.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed just a few of the golf training aids that I’ve put together today at a variety of price ranges. Sure, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the great golf gps devices that are out on the market today as well as the new clubs and balls that come out each and every year. But that is another day…

Medicus Power Meter Review

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Medicus Power Meter Review

Just ordered the Medicus Power Meter a couple of days ago and looking forwarding to testing this product on a number of my clubs, including my 20 year old driver, a cheapy 460cc driver that was purchased 3 years ago from a big box store, and a Taylormade Burner Superfast driver just purchased a few months ago. Test to come within the week.

Medicus Power Meter Click Here to check out the Medicus Power Meter.

Update: 2/13/12

My hope was that by now I would have some sort of video up and running which would show me demonstrating how to use the Medicus Power Meter by now. I’ve had the product for about a week now but the weather has not been cooperating in regards to me shooting a video outside. However, I did have a chance to use the Medicus Power Meter and can report my results, including some do’s and dont’s.

When you first open the package, you will note that there are two included batteries. Woohoo. I can’t stand it when you buy something and then have to go head off to the store to find the right batteries. I had to find one of the eyeglass screw removers around my house to remove the 2 screws on the back of the Medicus Power Meter. Hopefully you will have a screwdriver which can remove small Phillips screws. One minute later and the batteries were installed and the screws were back in place.

I followed the directions and held down both buttons until the unit turned on. It immediately wanted me to enter my height. Now I am a very small guy and thought I might run into a problem here because I am only 5’0″ tall. Luckily the Medicus Power Meter let me enter 60 (for inches) and I was good to go. Once the height was set, the unit toggled over to let me enter the club length.

Now there is a handy chart included with the Medicus Power Meter which shows the standard length of various clubs. I knew that I wanted to go full out and use my driver and that this older 20 year old driver was 45″. I then attached the product with the word “grip” just under the grip and the word “club” on the opposite end.

Medicus Power Meter Review Video

My initial thought was that hey, I just purchased a new driver all of a few months ago in part because the weight was so much less than this 20 year old driver. I wonder if the additional weight of this power meter is going to slow down my swing? Having said that, I think I’m making a big deal of nothing because this golf gadget can’t weigh more than a couple of ounces.

I headed outside in the 22 degree (fahrenheit) weather and started swinging away as
I was warming up. I noted that I was swinging initially at 70.9 miles per hour and this increased to 76.2 mph and eventually 80.6 mph with my old driver. I ran back inside because I was freezing and I wanted to change over to a cheapy 460cc driver ($30 at a big box store) that I purchased about 2 years ago. This driver was slightly larger than my old driver so I needed to change the club length adjustment on the Medicus Power Meter to 46 inches. It took me all of 10 seconds to make this adjustment and maybe 30 seconds to remove the device from one club to another.

Another step outside and a couple of swings had me matching the 80.6 that I put up with my old driver. I hit 82.0 mph and then decided that I’d put a little oomph into my swing. Hmmm. That is funny. My mph actually went down. A few more swings that were about the same yielded the same results. When it finally hit me that I needed to work on my tempo rather than swinging my arms faster, I jumped up to 86 mph.

One final jaunt inside for my new Taylormade Burner Superfast driver which I purchased just a few months ago. I wasn’t really sure whether I should change the length on the Medicus Power Meter to 47″ for this driver as it was slightly longer than my last driver that I swung but I believe the length is 46.5 inches, instead of 47 inches, so for the purpose of this Medicus Power Meter Review, I decided to keep the length of the driver at 46 inches. After changing the device over to the new driver, some hot milk, and a few minutes of warming up, I headed outside again. I truly wish I could have captured all this on video because with the ice and snow on the ground, it must have been a site to see behold as I was swinging away as if I was practicing my golf game in the dead of winter.

Medicus Power Meter Review Final Thoughts

Make sure that you read the directions and use the Medicus Power Meter as it is meant to be used. By that, I found out after the fact that I should have actually been hitting golf balls right from the start. The Medicus Power Meter is setup so that it should give its club head
speed number when the ball is struck. There are some other club head speed monitors on the market which will give you club head speed but they are not setup for the exact moment when there is impact with the ball. So, with these other radar or power meters,
they may show a club head speed number which does not reflect the moment of impact. Meaning it may show a maximum mile per hour number that came from moments before or after what would have been the impact with the ball. In other words, not the number that you need to know to more accurately know your swing speed. Having said that, it is one of the reasons why I think that the Medicus Power Meter is more accurate than some of the other units out on the market.

If I had any negatives to say about this device it would be that you have to adjust the club length as you change clubs. When I was hitting inside the dome and did not bring the directions with me to change the club length, when I switched to hitting a 5 iron I couldn’t remember the length of that club. Plus my old clubs were chopped about an inch because of my height.

The other thing is that I let my brother use the device and we had to remember (after the fact) to adjust the height on the Medicus Power Meter to reflect that he is 7 inches taller than I am. All I’m getting at is that I wish (yeah I’m asking for the world) that these inputs were not manual.

I was jazzed that the Medicus Power Meter came with batteries. One less thing to worry about. Setup was easier than I had imagined. You literally could have this out of the box, batteries installed, height and length input, attached to your club and testing out your club head speed in a matter of 15 minutes or so. Remember that this is setup to hit a ball.
Accuracy seemed to be right on the mark. The last time I tested was in a golf simulator and tested the driver that I purchased, I reached a maximum of 93 mph. After not touching a golf club for a little while this winter and reminding myself that tempo and having your body in sync outweighs trying to muscle the ball by swinging your arms too fast, I had a consistent club head speed of between 92 and just over 93 mph using the Medicus Power Meter. To me, the results speak for themselves.

At under $80 over at Amazon, I am very happy that I purchased this product and minus my couple of negatives posted above, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Medicus Power Meter to any golfer who is serious about improving his or her game. I hope you enjoyed my Medicus Power Meter Review and if you would like any other products reviewed, just give me a hollar.

Dancin Dogg Optishot Golf Simulator – Play Golf Indoors

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Dancin Dogg OptiShot Infrared Golf Simulator

A few short weeks ago I went to the one of the local golf stores to try some clubs on their golf simulator. Actually, I was trying to gauge my club head speed as it related to the different brands of clubs that I was trying. I walked away without purchasing anything (can you say willpower) but I do enjoy seeing the immediate feedback of my swing, especially as we can’t exactly get out to the golf course with snow on the ground in the midwest. A few days later I heard that we had a new place in town where you could play (indoors) a bunch of different courses. Not only that, you could grab a pizza and a beer while playing. I headed over there to take a look and was flabbergasted that the price to play indoors approached what I pay to play on an outdoor course. Sure, I suppose I have no choice when it is 5 degrees outside with 15 mile per hour winds, but c’mon, give a guy a break.

Enter the Dancin Dogg Optishot
I first saw the Optishot on TV and knowing that I had seen other golf simulators for well over $1000, I immediately turned off the infomercial. Well that was until I watched the 2012 PGA Merchandise Show on the Golf Channel. A bunch of cool looking new products and a gentleman telling us that the Dancin Dogg Optishot Golf Simulator is affordable. What?

OptiShot Infrared Golf Simulator combines pinpoint accurate swing analysis in a highly realistic, three-dimensional visual golf environment… All in the comfort of your own home. Optishot combines Dancin’ Dogg’s award winning accurate swing
Sale Price:$399.00

Well, looking at that price, the Dancin Dogg Optishot Golf Simulator is close to the price of some of the drivers that I hit the other day. Seriously. At just under $400 it puts the price in reach of most golfers looking to improve their game.

Dancin Dogg Optishot Golf Simulator Video

Dancin Dogg OptiShot Infrared Golf Simulator Setup

So now that you’ve seen the Optishot video, lets get some insight on how we can get one up and running in our home. First of all, you will need a Windows computer that has either Vista, Windows XP, or Windows 7. In addition, the computer will need at least 2 GB or memory and 3 GB of hard disk space. You will also need a high end graphics card with a minimum of 256 MB of ram. Install the software and plug the optical swing pad into your computer. Beyond that, you will need 8 1/2 foot ceiling height, an area that is about 10 feet by 10 feet and your golf clubs. The Dancin Dogg OptiShot Golf Simulator only works indoors. Meaning if you have the intention to use it outdoors and there was not sufficient lighting or shadows were over the sensors, this product will not work. You can use either normal golf balls, foam golf balls, or play without golf balls.

The Dancin Dogg Optishot Golf Simulator lets you play some of the worlds top courses.
Barseback Golf & Country Club – home of the Scandanavian Masters
Black Mountain Golf Club – premier course in Thailand
Canadian Club Golf Course – a replication of a course in St George, Canada
Long Island Black – a replication of Bethpage Black in Long Island, NY
Österåkers Golf Club – premier course outside of Stockholm, Sweden
Palm Desert Mountains – a replication of Big Horn Mountains in Palm Desert, CA
Palm Desert Canyons – a replication of Big Horn Canyons in Palm Desert, CA
Torrey Black – a replication of Torrey Pines South in La Jolla, CA
Torrey White – a replication of Torrey Pines North in La Jolla, CA
The Golf Club Scottsdale – an exclusive golf club in Scottsdale, AZ
West Maui Plantation – a replication of Maui’s most high-profile course

There are also some additional premium courses available.

Both left handed and right handed players can use the Dancin Dogg Optishot and it allows for up to 4 players at a time. You can hit every shot from the tee to the green or put putting on auto. Maybe best of all, you can just keep practicing. Use the driving range with 6 different greens that range from 60 to 300 yards.

Here is the feedback that you will receive while playing with the Optishot Golf Simulator.

Club head speed

Face angle

Path (swing)

Tempo

Face contact

Watch your ball fly

If you think that you will soon get bored in using the Dancin Dogg Optishot, think again. You will have nature sounds, the ability to control the speed of the green, weather customization, custom club sets, able to track stats and so much more!

Don’t have enough space to use your driver? The Optishot Golf Simulator lets you use par 3 tee’s if needed. Sound interesting? Just CLICK HERE to order from Amazon.

Tips:
You can use your other training aids such as the Swingyde Golf Swing Training Aid to see how that works in conjunction with the Dancin Dogg Optishot Golf Simulator.

Make sure that you either use the included foam balls or a regular golf ball. When swinging at a non-existent golf ball, the settings just don’t seem to work as well.

Get a decent mat to stand on and level out your stance.

Setup either a bed sheet or a net to hit into.

Hook up your computer to your HDTV and see the action in a larger format.

Final Thoughts On The Dancin Dogg OptiShot Infrared Golf Simulator

After looking at units which were well over $1000, the Dancin Dogg Optishot at less than half that price is a no brainer. It lets you practice, virtually play golf, and get feedback immediately. If you have an 18 handicap out on the course, you should have the same with the Optishot. Initial setup can be done in less than an hour and if you want to further calibrate your clubs to get the most accurate distances, you can have that accomplished within half an hour. Let me add further to that. Some folks have mentioned that something is wrong with this product because the distance they see when using the Optishot Golf Simulator is off as compared to how they hit on the course. Again, all should be fine if you take the time to calibrate your club sets. Make sure that your computer has plenty of speed. It runs best on a computer with speed, RAM, and a good graphics card.

I particularly like being able to virtually drop the ball in the fairway some 80 yards from the green and hit a dozen shots. Then I move the ball back 10 to 12 yards at a time to go through my short irons all the way to my 3 iron. I take note of how my face angle or tempo may change through the irons. For instance, it was ingrained in me that I had to swing my 3 and 4 iron much harder than my 9 iron or pitching wedge. I could see this within the tempo of my short irons and driver. When I decided to scale back and work on a better tempo, I not only hit the ball more accurately but my scores came down as well. I use the balls that came with the Dancin Dogg Optishot but every now and then I like the feel of hitting a real ball, so a quick switch every few rounds is no problem. A round of golf can be played in approximately 30 minutes

Today I have the choice of going out and hitting some balls inside a dome at $8 for a medium bucket. I really have no idea if I’m slicing the ball or hitting my 6 iron 120 yards or 165 yards because the golf ball can only go so far. My 2nd choice is to head over to the indoor golf course. Sure you are playing with a simulator but at $29 per round (not counting pizza and a drink), that is an expensive proposition. So, today I think I’ll stay at home, head down to the basement and play a round with my Dancin Dogg Optishot Golf Simulator.