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Doug's
Pro Shop News
First and foremost I want to thank
everyone that came out to the pro shop sale back in December. It was so
nice to see so many turn out for the sale and I am very thankful for all
of the support. Over the years here at ACC the members have supported
the pro shop so well and I truly appreciate it. I think that all of you
trust that I am not just in to making a “sale”, rather, making sure that
you are purchasing clubs/items that would suit your game the best. I am
huge into club fitting, I’m sure all of you are aware of this. When I
say fitting I mean Driver, fairways, hybrids, irons, wedges and even
putters. I have been so lucky to qualify with Cleveland golf, to be one
of two golf courses in Illinois, to be able to bring in a bending
machine, to adjust lie and loft as well as cutting and gripping
station. This machine cannot be found nor can anyone deliver the
results I will be able to because this machine is capable of bending
cast clubs, not just forged, to any spec desired. Cast is a firm metal
and when trying to bend cast without applying constant pressure makes it
more prone to cracking or weakening the metal. This new machine is a
thing of the future. It will allow me to fit someone on the range and
go into the pro shop and adjust clubs to fit the individual and you can
be playing with your new “fitted” set of clubs that afternoon. I am
offering a lie/loft adjusting/checking to make sure your clubs are
properly spec’d. If you play more than 30 rounds of golf or hit more
than 2,000 range balls within the timeframe you have had your clubs I
would highly recommend having your clubs checked. The lie/loft of clubs
can change in a hurry, especially if hitting off of our artificial mats,
and can affect the centeredness of hits and the distances you are
hitting your clubs. I will check all irons and wedges for a fee of
$50. If your clubs are not at the desired spec’s that you give to me I
will make the adjustments to them. Again, no one in the area can offer
this, especially with cast clubs, to be able to guarantee no breakage or
weakening of the metal during the adjustment stages. I will be
receiving this machine on April 1st. I have already started
a list and will put you in order as I receive requests to check your
clubs. The process will take one day for me to make the proper
alterations to your clubs. If you would like to have your clubs
regripped I can also do that at that time. I will be offering an array
of grips to choose from. Secondly, I have purchased a Launch Monitor.
What is a Launch Monitor? It is a vital piece of equipment for me to
use to determine a player’s launch angle, spin rate, carry distance,
roll distance, point of contact, swing speed, ball speed, angle of
attack and the list goes on. To keep it simple it gives me all of the
data I need, in order to fit you into the proper driver to maximize your
distance off of the tee in order to get you further down the fairway as
well as reducing the amount of sidespin and backspin to optimize the
maximum carry and roll. Some of you are familiar with this as I have
Launch Monitor’s at my demo days, most of the time. Now I can offer
that to you every day. I will be charging $75 for a Launch Monitor
fitting, however, if you decide to purchase a driver, that $75 will be
applied to your balance owed, in essence making it $0 for you to be
fitted on the Launch Monitor. Again, I am the only club in the area
that can offer this. No one in the area offers Launch Monitor fittings,
on a daily basis, outside to where you can see your ball flight and
distance. Again the $75 will be applied to any purchase made.
My 2011 HOT LIST IN GOLF. When I
was at the PGA show in January here are some of the companies that I was
thoroughly impressed with. Now these companies specialize in different
center of gravity, spin rates, ect…so each company has their own nitch
in the market based on what the specific player’s needs are.
Drivers:
Cleveland UL Tralite Series. The driver
weighs 25 grams less than last year’s model and the driver has proven to
cut down on the side spin put on the golf ball. The unbelievable part
is that they have maintained consistent swing weights throughout which
keeps the club balanced. The real secret is the Miyazaki shaft. If you
don’t know anything about this shaft look it up and read about the
reviews, it is one of the best on the market.
Ping G15. Nothing fancy with this driver but it is extremely
effective. Mishit’s stay in the air longer and hold a straighter shot
pattern. This driver will get the ball in the air and increase player’s
trajectory immediately.
Titleist 910 D2/D3. Titleist has
knocked it out of the park. As far the adjustable technology, Titleist
is the best out there. This driver will lower a person’s ball flight
and reduce the spin dramatically. So if you are a mid to high ball
hitter, try this driver out you will be thoroughly impressed.
Taylor Made R11. All of you were probably
waiting on this one. If you are a low to mid trajectory ball hitter you
will definitely want to check this out. I’m sure even if you are a high
ball hitter you will want to try this driver out. Taylor Made has hit a
homerun with this driver, 48 possible settings and a white head has got
people talking about this driver non-stop. Plus seeing it in all of the
tour player’s hands doesn’t hurt. Taylor Made has combined the R7
(adjustable weights in the head) with the R9 (adjustable hozel settings)
to create the adjustable weights in the head and the hozel setting,
hence the 48 different settings.
Fairway Woods
Cleveland UL. They have taken 30 grams of
weight out of their fairway woods and still maintained that consistent
swing weight. Lighter is faster and that is a direct correlation to
overall distance improvement.
Taylor Made R11. Again you have the adjustable head weights as well as
the different hozel settings. If you like the driver you will love this
fairway wood. Again, it has the white paint job just like the driver.
G15. If you have a hard time getting your fairway wood airborne I have
your fix, it’s this club. This club is extremely easy to hit. Not only
does it get the ball airborne but tests show that the sidespin on the
ball is reduced by 20% on average against the other companies. You can
also be fitted for lie angle with this fairway wood.
Callaway Razr. Has an extremely thin face which allows Callaway to move
more weight around the perimeter of the club to allow for better results
on miss hit’s. Toe and heel shots stay in the air longer and the club
is designed to put minimal spin on off centered hits to keep the ball in
play.
Hybrids
Cleveland DST and Mashie. I hit the
Cleveland DST and what I have found is an extremely aggressive
trajectory which seems to be more of a penetrating ball flight vs. a
floating/ballooning ball flight. This hybrid is designed with one thing
in mind “DISTANCE”. The Mashie has great technology with their advanced
rail system on the bottom of the club to help reduce turf drag and
torque at impact. In other words, the rough has less of a chance to
affect the shot because the club glides through the turf vs. getting the
turf wrapped around the hozel/sole of the club twisting the club causing
off centered hits.
Adams Idea Tech V3. This hybrid has a very thin look to it overall.
From the top line, to the sole plate. This hybrid is extremely workable
and sounds more like an actual iron vs. the sound of a traditional
hybrid. This club is awesome.
Callaway Razr. Callaway has thinned the face by 18% allowing them to
move the weight to the perimeter of the club. This club is extremely
forgiving and easy to hit.
Ping G15. If you are new to hybrids or
need a hybrid to get the ball airborne this is your club. Everything
about this club is to get the golf ball in the high up in the air. They
have truly maximized distance on mishits with this hybrid. Plus you can
be fitted for lie angle as well with this hybrid.
Irons
Cleveland CG16. They have the four laser
milled groves on the club face. This will help increase spin and
consistency when hitting out of the rough especially. The feel has been
softened dramatically. They keep enhancing the feedback from the
clubface to the players hand by softening the feel of the cast iron.
Ping G15. Again with Ping this iron will help increase the trajectory
off of the clubface which will help that low ball hitter carry their
shots further and more importantly having the ball come to rest faster
rather than rolling over the back of the green. The sole plate on this
iron is wide which provides the forgiveness at impact for those off
center hits. The clubface is much more balanced and can improve a
player’s misses dramatically. This club would benefit the player that
is missing his/her shot by a groove.
Adams. Forgiveness, Forgiveness,
Forgiveness. This club is all about helping that player that misses
more shots than centers up on the clubface. These clubs are light
weight and have wide soles helping the player maximize the most out of
his/her game. Adams has stepped up their technology with the better
players clubs as well. They have developed a thin top line and thinned
out the sole of the better players clubs to offer more workability of
the shot shaping that the lower handicappers tend to obtain.
Wedges. I have stock piled up on
CG15, Titleist spin milled and the Callaway forged wedges. These are
the wedges that have non-conforming grooves. Unless you plan on playing
on the PGA Tour or in a major amateur qualifying event (no the Men’s
City does not qualify as a major amateur event) you will be fine playing
with these wedges. These wedges I have in stock all have the deeper
channeled grooves maximizing the spin a player can put on the ball.
Once they are sold, I cannot order any more. So if you are
contemplating on purchasing a set of wedges I would recommend doing so
at your earliest convenience to ensure the availability of these
wedges. Tests have shown that the new wedges being used are spinning
the ball about 35% less than the non conforming wedges. That is a huge
difference in performance around the greens.
Putters. I am one of 200 accounts in the Nation, only one in
Illinois, to carry the Never Compromise Limited Edition putters. These
putters all have milled faces and several different options on the
offset position of the hozel and the position of the hozel going into
the head of the putter. Better yet, the face balance and toe balance
with these putters is phenomenal. I was able to meet the gentleman that
is responsible for designing this line and he is a genius. He is the
individual who developed the Titleist Scotty Cameron Putter when he was
working for Titleist. These putters are legit. Marino was using the
Never Compromise Limited Edition putter during the AT&T and was
averaging 1.51 putts per green (27.18 putts per round) during his first
event using this putter and finished the event in second place. Had he
not chunked one in the water on #18 perhaps he may have won the event.
You will see more players on tour using this putter within the next
month. This putter is a thing of the future that is able to be
purchased today. There is a style of putter in this line to fit any
golfer’s eye.
GPS. Callaway has the best deal out there. They are offering
the new UProGoGo. They currently offer the UProGo and if you go to
their website they have not posted the new GPS and the features it has
to offer as of yet. They are releasing this item on April 1st
and when I was at the show they stated that if orders have not been
placed for this item prior to March 1st that more than likely
they will be backordered until September. I have ordered 24 of them for
stock. First, I like that there are over 60,000 courses preloaded onto
the device. No downloading necessary. Secondly, the price, if you
purchase this unit from me it would be $300 minus 15% Discount getting
the amount to $255. SkyCaddie’s new GPS will be retailing for $450,
huge difference in price and you’er not getting anything extra for your
money with SkyCaddie. Finally, there is no yearly fee. Only expense
with this item is to purchase it and then nothing else. Skycaddie is
going to be asking between $30-$75 for their annual service program, in
order for you to use your SkyCaddie that you just paid $450 for.
Callaway’s UProGoGo has larger font and is easier to read in the
sunlight. Callaway has also made it very similar to a touch phone by
sliding the pages across the screen vs. having to use touch keys
simplifying the process to use the device. I use Callaway’s UProGo and
love it. I’ve never had a problem with mine or one that I have sold.
They made all of the proper adjustments to make this even more golfer
friendly.
Clothing. When you come in the shop this year you will see some
new brands that I am bringing in and the colors will be bright and
fresh. There is nothing about the clothing that I am bringing in that
will blend into any walls. I am going with PUMA and ADIDAS. Last year
I had great feedback from the edgy trend that ADIDAS has started and it
just makes sense to bring in PUMA which is starting to be a household
name again. If/When you watch the PGA tour players all these guys are
wearing is PUMA and ADIDAS. Once you see and feel the fabric that
these companies offer I’m not sure you will ever purchase a different
type of golf shirt again. Not only are they more breathable, but they
also hold up to the sunlight (less fading) as well as the collars lay
flat after washing them and the clothing doesn’t wrinkle or shrink like
some of the other brands on the market. When I met with my PUMA rep he
said his boss told him to take on 30 new accounts for the season and I
was lucky to be one of them. I am excited to carry the two brands in
the shop.
Shoes. I carried ADIDAS last year and their shoes are the best
in the business. They will be back in the shop again this year. They
are the best shoe on the market in my opinion. They are extremely low
to the ground (ThinTec Technology and Fit Foam insert) and by being
closer to the ground there are huge advantages to that, one being
balance (a key component to being a great golfer). I am not lying when
I say that I can truly tell a difference when I wear my ADIDAS shoes vs.
any other brand of shoe that I have. I have had several members that
have purchased the ADIDAS shoe that have come in and said that they to,
can tell a difference by being lower to the ground with the ThinTec, as
well as the comfort of the shoe coming from the Fit Foam feature. It
just makes sense to be as close to the ground as possible to get the
best traction and to have the best balance possible. I am also going to
carry the PUMA golf shoe. They have some very trendy shoes on the
market (ever see Ricky Fowlers wardrobe?). Not only trendy, but the
technology is identical to the ADIDAS shoe. Close to the ground for
balance and memory foam in the shoe to add to the comfort. These shoes
looks awesome, not that ADIDAS is conservative by any means, put PUMA
has added that edginess that some golfers seek. I was not surprised by
the comfort of the shoe as they are just as, if not more, comfortable
than the tennis shoe that they offer. These should be a big hit.
If you have any questions
about the products on MY HOT LIST or feel that I have left one
off I would be more than happy to discuss your thoughts and opinions.
Please feel free to give me a call.
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