Category Archives: Golf Gadgets

A Golf Launch Monitor For Those Who Analyze Their Game

I remember watching golf last year and they were talking about Tiger’s comeback. Now I don’t know what you might think of Tiger because folks tend to either love him or hate him. One thing that did strike me about the conversation was when they mentioned the angle of descent and launch angle and how those numbers had changed over the last few years for Tiger. According to the announcers, those numbers told the story of how Tiger’s game started to deteriorate. They continued on and said the reason why Tiger was having a very good year in 2012 was because the swing plane and launch angle were coming back to the same numbers that he had when he practically ruled week in and week out. So I decided to do a little research on my own to see how launch angle and how using a golf launch monitor might improve my golf game.

When you turn watch golf on TV, you are bound to see the new commercials which now promote drivers, 3 woods, and such where you can change the launch angle. The pro hits a ball some 270 yards with his 3 wood (fairway metal) and the guy using the launch monitor tells him that he had a certain clubhead speed, ball speed, and launch angle. Then he walks over and with a minor click or adjustment the 3 wood now has a different setup. The pro hits the ball again and he has now hit it 280 yards. Makes for a great commercial and you and I say to ourselves, “where can I buy one of those clubs”?

Tip: Before going any further let me state one thing. If you go to a golf store and want to try out some clubs, make sure that you also try a couple of competing brands. If you are not aware, some unscrupulous stores will ramp up the golf simulator. What this means is that if you typically hit a 6 iron 150 yards, you might all of a sudden be hitting this new club 165 yards on the simulator. Do yourself a favor and either bring in your current clubs or test the clubs that you are looking to buy with competing brands at the same time on that same golf simulator. That way your 160 yard Taylormade 6 iron can be compared with a Callaway, Ping, Titleist, etc… The other thing to note is that not all clubs are created equal. So your current 6 iron might have a 33 degree loft while the new club that you are trying out on the simulator has a loft angle of 30 degrees. All things being equal otherwise, you are more likely to hit that 30 degree club further than the 33 degree club.

Lets quickly look at a couple of affordable golf launch monitors.

Swingbyte Golf Training Device

What I like about the Swingbyte is the opportunity to couple it up with your smartphone or tablet. As a new tablet owner, it is a definite plus. The Swingbyte Golf Training Device hooks up similarly to the Medicus Power Meter, just below the grip on your golf club. So I can watch the swing plane and path right on my tablet. How am I doing with that new Moe Norman swing I’m trying out

Club Head Speed
Swing Tempo
Club Face
Club Path
Lie Angle
Club Loft

In general users like this launch monitor. The main negative seems to be with slippage of the device but if necessary you can tape up the Swingbyte and it should not have this issue. All for a price of about $150 retail but you can usually find it for somewhere around $130 on sale here.

Similarly priced is the SwingTIP Wireless Golf Swing Analyzer Package

At a retail price of around $130, SwingTIP has received relatively good reviews and it is very similar to the Swingbyte above. Download the app, hook it up to your driver, woods, or irons just below the grip, swing away, and then look at the data on your android or iOS 5.1 device. All of this in virtually real time. Why is the ball flying to the left? Look at the data.

If you’ve got the time, this is a good interview regarding the SwingTIP Wireless Golf Swing Analyzer. Close to 10 minutes long and not a video but worth listening to.

I have not had the opportunity to try either of these devices as of yet but I am leaning towards the SwingTIP. This is my thought. If you are struggling with your golf game or just want to see feedback on how your swing looks and the numbers that go with your swing, check out one of these golf launch monitors.

Cut Strokes Off Your Game Using a Golf Ball Locator

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Stop Losing Golf Balls Thanks To A Golf Ball Locator

Have you ever heard of a golf ball locator? No, I’m not talking about a buddy you bring along or a dog who finds your errant shots. Golf ball locators can be used on the gof course by beginning as well as veteran golfers who are tired of spending hundreds of dollars each year replacing golf balls that have somehow not ended up down the middle of the fairway.

On the other end of the spectrum, I’m sure you’ve had the occasion of looking for a lost ball for a couple of minutes only to find it almost right in front of your face, just slightly into the rough. At other times a leaf might be hiding the ball or it can be on the other side of the tree that you haven’t checked yet. Let’s face it that golf balls are small enough and sometimes so dirty that they might not be found as easily as we like them too. Then there are the times that we’ve hit a shot 60 yards off that almost goes into the next fairway. In those cases, a golf ball locator can often be your best friend.

So how does a lost ball locator work? Well actually there are a few different types of golf ball locators. One kind has simple technology using a transmitter that finds the ball’s code using receivers. So if you’ve hit your shot out of bounds from the tee, a receiver gets a signal from the ball, it shows you where this golf gadget calculates your ball to be and then you can go and locate it easily and quickly.

Another technology is through something that looks like a pair of sunglasses. Some of these golf ball finding glasses use light which reflects a certain way off the ball to help you find your golf ball while others may dull the surrounding rough while at the same time make your golf ball stand out like a sore thumb. So in effect if you’ve hit the ball into the rough and put on these golf finder glasses, they in theory should be able to help you more readily and quickly find that golf ball.

Some lost golf ball locators are relatively simple and come with a low price tag of around $30 to $40 or so. Heck, I paid nearly that dollar amount for the last dozen golf balls that I purchased. Others are very high tech and may cost in excess of $300. My personal opinion on this is to go with the sunglass type of golf ball locator and see how that works for you but if you are into gadgets, then check out this cool video.

Prazza Golf Ball Finder

In the end, a golf ball finder may cut down on the frustration and sometimes embarrassment a golfer might feel when they’ve not only hit a bad shot but then may have to spend the next few minutes looking for the ball. Between the cost of losing golf balls and losing strokes on the course for the lost ball, my recommendation is to look into the various types of golf ball locators and decide which one might be right for you.

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.

Momentus Speed Whoosh Golf Trainer

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Momentus Speed Whoosh Golf Trainer

You’ve most likely seen it on TV or heard about it about it through your friends. The Momentus Speed Whoosh Golf Trainer is gaining more and more attention. Why? Because if you believe what Momentus is saying about the Speed Whoosh, it can increase your golf swing speed. Those of us that have been around long enough, know that increased swing speed equals increased yardage. Usually in the neighborhood of 2.5 to 3 yards for every 1 mile per hour increase or decrease in swing speed.

Average PGA Tour Club Head Speed = 100 M.P.H.
Average Golfers Club Head Speed = 80 M.P.H.

Momentus Speed Whoosh Swing Trainer Video

The thought behind the Speed Whoosh is that your body is made up of both slow twitch and fast twitch muscle fibers. If you continue to do what you’ve always done with your golf game, your slow twitch muscle fibers will continue to fire as they’ve always done but your fast twitch fibers will stay relatively dormant. So, read the directions and then grab onto the Momentus Speed Whoosh Golf Trainer. My recommendation is to swing like you would normally swing with the exception of not striking the ground on your downswing. If you were to look at your golf swing speed with a device such as the Medicus Power Meter and do a before with your normal swing (using your driver) and follow that up with a half dozen swings or so with the Speed Whoosh, you should notice an increase in swing speed up to 20 mph and beyond with the Speed Whoosh as compared to your driver. With the increase in clubhead speed by using the Speed Whoosh, your fast twitch muscle fibers start firing. Now if you were to pick up your driver and do an after swing, you should pick up 7-10 mph over your previous result with your same driver. With the same conditions (temp, wind, etc…) you should see an increase of 21-30 yards in your drives.

What I like about the Speed Whoosh is the sound that you get (whoosh) as you are swinging the club. Another added benefit is that you are able to work on the lag in your swing. This is something that is a definite bonus for me because I found that I was releasing my wrists and hands way too soon. To test this, you put the magnetic timing ball just past the grip on the Speed Whoosh and make your normal swing. If the ball hits the end of the shaft before you’ve hit the bottom of your downswing, you are releasing (un-cocking) your wrists/hands too early. This immediate feedback is what told me that I did not have enough lag in my swing. After a dozen or so swings (and continued practice), I can now feel the magnetic ball hit the end of the shaft at the bottom of my downswing. Woohoo. Mission accomplished thanks to the Momentus Speed Whoosh.

I’ve just gotten back into golf after a relatively long layoff. Yes, I play each year but not enough lately to make any improvement in my game. This past year the passion returned for me and I’ve purchased a bunch of golf gadgets that both make the game of golf easier and will hopefully improve my game. Yes, upgrading from a 20+ year old set of clubs is a tremendous bonus in and of itself. I added 20-30 yards to my drive with just a change in my driver. Now, truth be told I do not have a device that measures clubhead speed at home. I’m looking into both the Medicus Power Meter and Sports Sensors Swing Speed Radar at the present moment and am open to any suggestions. Having said that, I am unable to measure before and after speed in my Momentus Speed Whoosh review. However I do feel an increase in swing speed. Hopefully I’ll be able to substantiate that soon.

Final Thoughts: Momentus Speed Whoosh Golf Swing Trainer

Although the Speed Whoosh weighs approximately the same as my current driver, I find that it is much easier for me to warm up by using this device instead of using my driver. Now, you are not going to fix a duck hook or slice just by practicing with the Speed Whoosh. However you can do what this product was intended for. That is to increase your clubhead speed for increased yardage on the course and work on your point of release (lag) which comes from the timing of your golf swing. Talking about the lag, I found that if I actually slowed down my swing and worked on my tempo while using the Speed Whoosh, I could get the clicking noise of the magnetic ball at the bottom of my swing. Then, I gradually worked on speeding up my swing while maintaining that same lag. My only caveat is to not hit the ground (hard) with the Speed Whoosh as I could see that causing potential problems in the longevity of this device. Overall, I think the Momentus Speed Whoosh Golf Swing Trainer is a great product that can help beginner and intermediate golfers alike.

The Speed Whoosh works 2 ways: 1) It increases club head speed, resulting in more distance & 2) The proprietary Magnetic Timing Ball improves timing. The Speed Whoosh is a revolutionary club head speed accelerator that activates the fast twitch
Sale Price:$79.99