It seems to be that time of the year when people purchase gifts for others and for themselves.  Please do not worry; I’m not judging you!  I am here to assist by suggesting you not limit your largesse to your particular religious observances.  Why stop with 7 festive days, or 8 crazy nights or 12 Calling Birds?

I’m hitting them all, baby! All for you.  In no particular religious order, here are my golf gift suggestions to recognize the 8 nights of Hanukkah, the 7 days of Kwanzaa and the 12 days of Christmas:

Hanukkah
–Night One–Heavy Putter
–Night Two–Pukka Golf Hats
–Night Three–Round of Golf at Victoria Hills, Deland, Florida
–Night Four–Groove Sharpener tools
–Night Five–Book # 1–Fifty More Places To Play Golf Before You Die
–Night Six–Trip to central Massachusetts to play Crump’n Fox and The Orchards (you’ll have to negotiate to get on the latter!)
–Night Seven–Henry-Griffitts custom fit irons
–Night Eight–Loudmouth Golf pants

Kwanzaa
–Day One–Scratch Golf wedges
–Day Two–Book # 2–The Impact Zone from Bobby Clampett
–Day Three–Accommodations at The Pit Vacation Villas
–Day Four–North Carolina Quarry Golf at The Pit and Tobacco Road
–Day Five–Ping Moon-Lite II carry bag
–Day Six–Nike Air Zoom Bandon golf shoes for all kinds of bad weather
–Day Seven–Book # 3–Golf’s Dream 18s from David Barrett

Christmas

–Day One–Central New York golf at Seven Oaks and Leatherstocking
–Day Two–A pair or two of Kikkor Golf Shoes
–Day Three–Another pair … of tickets to the Buffalo-Niagara Golf Show
–Day Four–A central Florida round of golf at Sanctuary Ridge
–Day Five–A multi-pack of Nuun tablets for water bottles
–Day Six–An Xtensor to exercise the forearm, eliminate weakness and add strength
–Day Seven–Shirts and Pants from Quagmire Golf
–Day Eight–Book # 4–A Course Called Ireland
–Day Nine–northeastern Ohio golf at Little Mountain, Avalon Lakes & Fowlers Mill
–Day Ten–Mugs and Greeting Cards from our favorit golf comic strip, Life In The Trap
–Day Eleven–Book # 5–Planet Golf USA
–Day Twelve–Summer resort golf getaways in western New York at Byrncliff and Holiday Valley

I made a brief mention of the Loudmouth Golf pants that I wore at The Pit in North Carolina. Even though the temperature climbed into the low 90s, the pants held up pretty well. That heat reminded me of why a PGA Championship will probably never be held in North Carolina…August in the Sandhills is a scorcher in long pants. Anyhoo, here is an image of those fine threads:

Loudmouth Golf

I was fortunate a month later to get my hands on another pair of these trousers, a groovier style in this second instance. Understand that while I liked the Shagadelic Black-A stylings, the Mojo-A lines that arrived next did wonders for a change of pace…

Loudmouth Golf

the style of the 1960s hep cats and groovy go-goers was an entirely different look. In fact, I can’t wait to illuminate an otherwise-dull western New York post-leaf change Fall day with these cats.

For whatever reason, I had it in my head that the Loudmouth Golf pants would not wear nearly as soft as they do. They feel like a pajama pant against the leg, but do not cling when the going gets warm. I believe that if there is a bit of the showman in you, clamoring to get out, these are the pants for you. If the showman is already out, chances are you have a pair of these duds.

I’ve traveled all around the world of golf apparel and equipment this Summer and have a few finds for you to consider.

Antigua (http://www.antigua.com/antigua.htm) is making some fine shirts these days. I took three with me to North Carolina last week and put them through the rigors of hellfire and brimstone in the depths of The Pit, Tobacco Road and Tot Hill Farm. Each of these three courses utilizes elevation (ascents and descents) as prime aesthetic and hazardous elements. You sweat a lot, so what better way to test a shirt? White, Red and Blue passed with flying, patriotic colors.

When you head out for a week of golf with friends, why not set the tone with a comfortable and scandalous pair of pants? Loudmouth Golf (http://www.loudmouthgolf.com/) did just the trick with its Shagadelic pants. My three chums shook their heads and enjoyed the round. Each took an opportunity to poke a little fun at my bottoms. When the dust had settled, the Shags signed for the low round and the high fives for their bravado. Loudmouth’s pants are incredible soft and comfortable, not to mention eye-catching. I have a pair of Mojo style that I can’t wait to bring out next.

The first thing I did the night before our departure was to clean my iron and wedge faces. I used my newly-acquired groove sharpeners (http://groovesharpener.com/) to evict the dirt and grass and other crud from the grooves and give the irons a bit of bite. Through six rounds over six demanding courses, any well-struck iron shot hit and bit with authority, leaving me with a host of birdie putts. Tees are do a nice job of getting the top layer of dirt out, but the groove sharpener is the answer for complete cleaning and restoration of iron grooves.

A few years back, Boccieri Golf introduced the Heavy Putter (http://www.heavyputter.com/). With weight in its handle and head, the putter swung the golfer, rather than the other way around. The brain trust behind the club introduced a Mid-Weight model in 2009 and the popularity of this version was evidenced by its visibility in the hands of customers. Having struggled with an old putter (Wilson 8813 an 8802), I decided to flip the switch 180 degrees and try the latest thing. On the demanding greens of Mike Strantz and Pete Dye, I slowly regained my touch. That I did so without any practice time whatsoever seems to point toward a certain usefulness of this Heavy Putter Mid-Weight.

I’ll have more in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, let me know if you agree or disagree and certainly tell us what we should review in the near and distant futures.

No drumrolls, no fanfare, no confetti.  In the grand scheme of things, my (hopefully permanent) relationship with a hybrid may not matter to many yet I respectfully submit that it is currently a beautiful thing.

Over the past months, I’ve tested a fair number of these clubs, hoping to find the one(s) that would carry me to a new (and lower level) of golf.  I was across the border (NY-PA) yesterday at Penn Hills Club (18) and Pine Acres CC (9–rain out as we started off 10) and became aware, amid the growing storms, that the Nike SQ SUMO hybrids were my soulmates and would stay in my bag for a long time.

These Nikes look like traditional fairway woods/metals, albeit with a thinner club face.  I’m big on looks, as I suspect many are, although I did give some of the more contemporary clubheads (Nickent, Nike SUMO2, et al.) a chance. When my eye is distracted by a back-end bulge (on the club head!), I find it difficult to execute the swing.  I imagine that, if I were mired in the high 80s to low 100s (shots, not years), or if I were 20 years younger, I’d be much less influenced by appearance and much more open to a more radical club head.

Next comes a tie between sound and feel, all of which lead to confidence and performance.  I was always equally distracted and amused by the quacking sound the first square-headed Nike driver made a few years back.  Didn’t matter to me how straight and far it went; if it sounds like a duck, then it is a duck.  Thankfully, the company has improved that aspect of the club, making life easier for wolfhounds everywhere who went to therapy due to these invisible geese.

Some dandy Cobra clubs were eliminated in the semi-finals.  I liked their look, sound and feel.  Their performance was excellent (blew two second shots to par fives at Charlotte Golf Links over the green with them in April!) but I could not punch them under trees!  Darned things flew too high.  I’d never had trouble with the punch recovery with my long irons.  I actually relied on it from trees and into the wind, and it was one shot I wanted to keep in my bag.

The final match pitted the winners against a fine entry from Titleist, the 909F2.  If this doesn’t confirm my fringe lunacy (or perhaps seat me as your hero), I don’t know what will.  The Titleist club is the ultimate player’s hybrid.  It has the traditional look (as all Titleist clubs do) and swings, sounds and feels like someone on tour should hit it.  In other words, it is slightly less forgiving than the Nikes (which have the slightest of slight offsets in the hosel.)

My 74 from the tips at Penn Hills (and 38 on the front from the tips at Pine Acres) convinced me that I can be really good, but not great.  I’m not going to venture into the high 60s anytime soon.  If I did, then the Titleist series would be the clubs for  me.  Where I am, around a 5 handicap, is a deceitful temptress.  I hit enough good shots to envision myself playing the game at the highest level; at 43, I’m realistic enough to know that I won’t be doing so.  I need the security of the Nike, although I’m darned attracted to those Titleists!  For what it’s worth, no matter how many other balls I try, I can’t get enough of the spin I get from those ProV1s!!