Where to play, what to play and who can teach you

Review Ping i15 Driver

Written on May 30, 2010 by Steve in Drivers

Ping has always been a unique company. Starting in a garage, it has evolved to be a name synonymous with game improvement. Putters and irons were the staple Ping club. Ping took club fitting to a new level in the 1970’s with the advent of color coding for lie angle specs. As Ping celebrates 50 years of golfing excellence, I find that they can add metal woods to their incredible and long list of accomplishments.

Amazing Solid Feel

I played Ping Eye 2 irons for most of my “growth” stage in golf. For 4 years I played a club that was ultra forgiving and enabled me to learn this game. Ping irons were the rage in the late 80’s. In fact I still play my Ping Eye 2 one iron…it is by far the easiest “knife” I’ve ever hit. I also have a stable of Ping putters…I mean who doesn’t. Kushin, Anser 2 and 4, Zing, and Piper. I wasn’t one to ever give Ping a chance when it came to metal woods…maybe it was the strange experience I had playing Ping Zing woods…and yes they were wood. I never thought they looked normal, and I had a tough time convincing my eyes that these clubs could move the ball down the fairway.

Well today it’s a different Ping, and they have a great line of game enhancing and player woods…this time they are metal thank goodness!

The Ping i15 is a players club. The Ping website has it in the “competition” category. Coming in at 460 cc and a traditional pear shaped head, the Ping i15 looks clean. The smoke grey deep titanium face looks sleek and sexy. The face has an amazing solid feel, not too much “ping” or “pong” or “dink”….just a solid “thwack”, which fills my ears with joy. The ball flight and results were a joy as well! I was surprised that I enjoyed the look, usually anything other than a Titleist looks bulky and toolish. Ping hasn’t gone the route of removable (anything) but sets up the club in a fade bias. This allows the player to work the ball.

The 8° i15 was the club of choice for me. The higher lofts seemed to accentuate my high ball flight, which could also be a result of the shaft I was hitting. I tried the i15 in two shaft models the Fujikura Motore F1 and the UST Mamiya AVIScore Tour Red 69. The Fujikura Motore F1 is a nice option and a great sidekick to the i15 driver. The Fuji comes in at 65 grams and has a low to mid lauch angle. The UST is a slightly heavier shaft and a mid launch. Both have 3.2° of torque, if there was one thing I would have changed…it would have been to a slightly heavier shaft, which is a personal preference since I do not need to increase my swing speed to gain distance.

Overall

The Ping i15 Driver is a very nice club. In fact it has made the short list for my new 2010 bag makeover. The ball jumps off the face, it has a very solid feel and can be worked. I did find that my draw (10-15 yards) was slightly less than with the Titleist 983K that I currently love….My ball flight was typical…sorta high, but when I focused on hitting a low shot, ball back in the stance and tee’d lower…the ball screamed about head high.

This driver isn’t for high handicap players…the face is somewhat less forgiving (a miss is a miss with this club). The deep face and classic look is for purists or traditional players. Other models of Ping woods offer elongated faces to increase the sweet spot. So if you want a really solid feeling driver without all the wrenches, ports and screws…more of a set and forget…then I recommend giving the Ping i15 a try.

Tags: Fujikura Shaft, i15 Driver, Ping, UST Shaft

Perfect Putting Aid Review

Written on May 14, 2010 by Steve in Training Aids

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Hank Haney, Stan Utley, and Chad Johansen. What a motley crew of Guru’s. All three are PGA Professionals with golf putting aids. And each strives to provide you with the best putting tools through countless years of observation. Lucky for me Chad is not too far away, and has yet to raise his teaching abilities to “diva” status….at least for a little while.

Chad is the head professional at Blackberry Oaks in Bristol. He’s the man behind the curtain of the Chad Johansen Golf Academy, and creator of The Perfect Putting Aid. He’s also very passionate about teaching golf, and well… putting.

The Perfect Putting Aid

For me it’s always been about making things simple. Simple is easy to remember, easy to repeat and easy to sell. When a new product or dohiggy comes onto the market, I take a look and if it looks simple…I’m interested. I’ve used putting aids in the past, but have found that a good somewhat straight 2×4, a chalk line, or a few well placed golf tees got the job done. I’ve tinkered with fancy arc’s, locked my putter into a contraption of, bells, whistles and lasers. So of course I was interested in Chad’s Perfect Putting Aid…I mean who wouldn’t, it’s all about the name isn’t it?

The Perfect Putting Aid comprises of a Tower, a putting line and a mirror.

The Tower is supported by two legs, and each leg has a cutout, kinda like Jerry’s mouse hole. One cutout is large and the other is small. The idea is to work your way from easy to hard (start with the large..trust me). The large cutout will allow a ball to pass by unmolested on a decent stroke…the smaller hole requires a well struck ball as it is only a few millimeters larger that a golf ball. The supporting bracket that runs the length of the “aid” provides you with a visual that divides the golf ball while looking down. This is a key factor in determining how your eyes should be over the ball. If you see only ¼ of the ball outside the line…then your eyes are too far behind the ball. In a perfect world you would see about ½ the ball on either side.

The Perfect Putting Line is a metal bar that resembles a yardstick. Placing this between the cutouts and over the center of the Tower bar support bracket will allow you to putt down the “line”. This is a great tool to have, in fact I think it might be the strength of the whole Perfect Putting Aid system.

The main goal for using the Perfect Putting Aid is to get the ball rolling on line! If you can keep the golf ball on the perfect putting line you are rolling it very well and then combine it with the perfect putting tower and get it through the little hole. Your scores will fall rapidly!

This is nuts and bolts, not fancy, and simple. Place the golf ball on the Perfect Putting line (hole pre-drilled) and make a stroke. Painted white with a black line, the object is to putt the length of the “bar” without the ball going off the track until the end. Reminds me of railroad tracks…and the feedback is really really good.

A small mirror completes the Perfect Putting Aid. Placed on the ground at the center (of the Perfect Putting line) it gives you instant feedback on head, eyes and shoulder positioning. It basically provides you with a tool to help you memorize where your set-up should be every time you putt.

Overall Thoughts

What I like about the Perfect Putting Aid is the simplicity, and feedback it provides. I have used it for about 3 hours of practice putting over six days. I’ve also had others try it out. The one thing every person has commented on is “wow it looks easy, but I’m having trouble hitting through the small hole…” I’ve always felt that putting should be a challenge, but not too much to keep you from practice. Using the Perfect Putting Aid at times was difficult, but with use I found that I could regulate my tempo, and stroke and get the ball to roll down the line. For me that is an ultimate strength. Being able to repeat a stroke and “see” the line it travels…is priceless. When I used the mirror to make sure that each stroked putt was from the same set-up I did notice a much better roll and control. I began to equate the roll of the putt with the Putting Line, in fact I enjoyed using the Putting Line the most (since it was much easier to transport in my bag). It also does not discriminate between a down the line putting style or an arc style. It gives feedback to both. In fact it doesn’t promote a specific style, but rather choses consistency or repeatability as it’s measuring device. That earns some serious golf karma in my book.

Is the Perfect Putting Aid perfect? Almost. For me it has two factors from becoming “Perfect”. One it is a large aid, it doesn’t fit easy into your bag, and can be cumbersome to transport to your local putting green. Second it is the cost. In my conversations with Chad (the inventor), he defends the pricing of his golf aid.

I realize that the price of the aid may seem to be expensive. One thing that I am not afraid of is charging what I think something is worth. Do you want to buy a Scotty Cameron for $299 and have no idea how to use it. It’s kind of like buying a very expensive pair of reading glasses with no prescription on the lens…. If price is an issue then buy the Perfect Putting Line for $39.99 and you will be emailing me about how many more putts you are making. I promise!

The overall cost of the entire Perfect Putting Aid system retails for $139.99 plus tax and shipping. It makes it one of the more expensive aids you can purchase. But does it deliver? I feel that this is a great teaching tool for golf professionals giving putting lessons, since it has no bias, and covers all the bases in feedback. For the casual golfer looking to improve…I feel that the Perfect Putting Line is the way to go. (In fact I have it in the computer room and hit some putts a paragraph ago) For $40 this is worth it. In fact think of it as a lesson…since most Pro’s cost about $60 an hour or more you’ll save a ton buying this aid. And you can stick it in your bag to take with your clubs when you go and practice.

Since using the Perfect Putting Aid I noticed two things while playing. #1 I have made more longer putts and #2 I’ve seen the “Line” better…maybe because the aid has conditioned me, but I like that I can see my ball rolling longer on the target line.

So if you need some help, by all means contact Chad Johansen to help you with your putting. Heck he’s sending the Perfect Putting Aid on a countrywide tour to all the Professional Golf stops…with any luck, his passion for the game and simple aid will get him a late night infomercial. Then he might become a “diva”.

Tags: Blackberry Oaks Golf Course, Chad Johansen, putting aids, The Perfect Putting Aid

Course Review: Seven Bridges Golf Club

Written on May 5, 2010 by admin in Golf Courses, Metro West Courses

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It has been a few years since I’ve been out to Seven Bridges Golf Club in Woodridge. Since my last visit, the nines flip-flopped, and that’s how the course originally played. During my absence the course has grown into it’s own, and has become a real treat to play.

A Tale of Two Sides

Seven Bridges Golf Club was built in 1991, actually it was carved out of an existing 36 hole facility which became part golf course, part housing development. Located west of State Route 53, and north of Hobson Road, the golf course has two different and distinct flavors. The front nine is a calming parkland style course. Plenty of trees and subtle topography frame almost every hole on the front. Water comes into play on three holes 4-5 and 6. My favorite hole on this side is #7.

What a great hole #7 Tee Box

At 469 yards from the Gold tees, this is an awesome par 4. A slight dogleg right, the giant stands of oaks on the right off the tee force you to play it to it’s true length (unless you can really motor the ball and carry the tops of the oaks…um yes I did!). You will be left to a long iron shot to a three club green. It slopes from back to front and has a ridge to navigate at the back half. It reminds me a lot of hole #6 on Cantigny’s Woodside (which is one of my all-time favorite holes) and it makes you earn your score. Finishing up on the front is an interesting par 5. Measured at 579 yards from the Golds, this is a true risk reward par 5. If you’ve bombed your drive (it’s slightly downhill) you have a chance to go for it in two…but danger lurks. Water is guarding the front portion of the green in the form of the Dupage River Tributary. It’s not too wide, but it sure can make you think about going for it!

The back nine is totally different from the front. The first three holes known as the Bermuda Triangle are challenging, actually it makes sense that they re-routed the nines back to their original design. These holes are guarded by unrelenting water…water and more water. Hole 10 is basically a par 5 surrounded by water…the whole thing…so you better be on target and take your time. Playing at 505 yards, it’s my opinion that you play this hole as a 200 yard par 3 for your first and second shots. Hole #12 is a wicked par 5. The a water retention pond plays along the left side of the hole, and the green is tucked away in a corner. The river crosses the front portion on your approach and the fairway is split off to the left…again it makes you think on every shot. Did I mention that water is the theme on this nine? The most difficult hole on the course is #16 Maelstrom.

Hole #16 called Maelstrom

Playing a tight 441 from the golds, this hole requires a well placed tee shot…there is no bail out…unless you are like me and knock it into the water on the right, then hit your next shot to 12 feet and sink a curling putt for par. The elevated green sits above the water, and is beautiful and terrifying at the same time. The round ends on a demanding par 4. At 447 yards it plays slightly less since it’s downhill, but the water comes back to play on your approach. A well placed second will leave you on a green with some twists and turns.

Overall

After I finished I was reminded why I thought the course was a tough nut to crack. The back side will either surrender some strokes or add them on. I had a strange back nine in that I had 4 penalty strokes yet still shot 39. The front nine is challenging, yet calm, while the back nine is more of a wild ride…always on the edge of your seat nine. And this time around I found it much more enjoyable. Maybe it was because I was playing by myself and finished in 2 ½ hours. Or maybe it was that the course was in superb condition. I was loving the greens. They were fast and true and would hold a shot. The fairways were well watered and not too hard, yet cut short enough that you could spin shorter shots with ease. I was very impressed with the grounds crew, every time I came to where they were working (and believe me you need to have a top notch grounds crew to keep a course like this in pristine shape) they would stop…and let me play without having to listen to mowers or trimmers. That is a sign of a great facility…when you put the guest first only good things will happen.

The Pro Shop is fully stocked with all the necessities. The clubhouse offers a wide array of dining options, and the outside bar (The Dock..go figure) is a great place to cool down with some adult beverages and reflect on the day of golf. Carts come with GPS and you really should ride, the front is walkable, but the back nine would be a haul…especially on a hot day. Plus you get the advantage of seeing the “Pro” tips while using the GPS system.

Photo of the Dock an outside bar at Seven Bridges Golf Club

The Dock outside Bar

If there is one negative…and it only grinds my teeth a little…it has to be the cost. Now Premium golf courses require a premium rate, but I feel that given the current economic conditions, price is king. Weekend Rates of $107 will price most people out of playing. Will you want to add it to your heavy rotation? Maybe, but unless you have a fat wallet, a couple of rounds at Seven Bridges Golf Club will set you back some dough. I think that you should give it a shot for a special occasion or a well deserved treat, and the bring a 4-some during the weekday and get 20% off (about $54 per player with cart which is a very attractive rate). An attentive and well trained staff and a well conditioned course will ease some of the monetary burden…if not the killer drinks at the “Dock”.

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Tags: Course Reviews, Seven Bridges Golf Club