Golf Blog

Last month, we reviewed the three best mallet putters of 2019. Next we turn to drivers. If you’re looking to go the distance with your next driver, take your pick from these top-rated drivers. Callaway Epic Flash Flash is the new flagship driver for Callaway, and with good reason. The increased ball speed you will experience from connection was developed by a supercomputer using the latest in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. AI was able to fix age-old problems that occurred from simply not having enough viable research to optimize ball speed. The Flash also includes a stiff club head that creates more face flex, weight savings from a triaxial carbon crown, and a 16-gram sliding weight for adjustable balancing. Cleveland Launcher HB Cleveland Golf is best known for its wedges, but if you need a forgiving and powerful driver, look to this brand as well. The top model 460cc Launcher HB gives you an extremely light hosel, a HiBore crown and Flex-Fin sole design that optimizes impact compression for unprecedented power from this line. The Launcher HB is great for middle- and high-handicap players who are looking for more ball speed. Mizuno ST 190 The ST 190 is the most advanced driver from Mizuno to date. The SP700 titanium face increases the strength of the driver by about 10% over your traditional 6.4 titanium. You save a great deal of weight from the carbon composite crown, and the sole design is created to resemble an accordion for a more forgiving launch. Mizuno also provides a back weight to increase stability on shots that are a bit off center. Srixon Z 785 The Z 785 is designed for professionals by professionals. It is defined as a 460cc club, but its smaller profile gives it a higher workability than the Z 585, Srixon's game improvement club for higher handicappers. The extremely lightweight carbon crown works well with the Ti51AF Cup Face to give you improved speed as well as a low spin flight pattern for greater distance and accuracy. You also have the customization system and quick tune adjustment features to play around with, giving you the opportunity to tweak the loft dynamics and weight on your drive. Titleist TS2 The TS2 is arguably the best driver from the most well-known brand in the game, and that’s saying something. The Speed Chassis alone required two years to upgrade. The SureFit hosel, super thin and lightweight titanium crown, fully adjustable swing weight and customizable face thickness give you one of the most advanced 460cc shapes on the market. The level of forgiveness on this club alongside its great workability means that it’s great for professionals and recreational players who are looking for that perfect piece of technology to improve their game. You can’t go wrong with any of these top-rated drivers in your golf bag - so pick the one that is best for your unique style of play!

When the elements keep you indoors and off the golf course, hone your putting skills at home or in the office with these simple daily indoor putting drills. While you can practice on carpet, I recommend purchasing an inexpensive putting mat to most closely simulate the feel, control and speed of an actual putting green.

Distance Control

You can work on your distance control with several different exercises. First, place a something flat and small like a business card or playing card on the mat several feet away, then try putting the ball so that it stops on the card. Second, place a ball on top of a coin on the mat. Putt a second ball towards and as close to it as possible without knocking the first ball off the coin. Finally, just start putting around the room. Find different targets at various distances and practice, over and over again. All of these drills can help improve your putting accuracy.

Straight Line

To work on the straightness of your putt, place a yardstick or a three-foot strip of painters’ tape on the mat. Practice putting the ball from one end to the other along the yardstick or tape to find the sweet spot on your putter. If the ball veers right, then you’re making contact with the heel of putter and conversely, if it rolls left, you’re putting with too much of the toe. Try lining up additional yardsticks or three-foot strips of tape to practice from six, nine and more feet from the hole.

Putting Stance

Keep your putter close by and practice your stance as many times a day as you can in order to build strong muscle memory. Take advantage of the many online videos and tutorials that can help you with the correct putting stance and set-up and then practice in front of a full-length mirror as well as behind the ball. It’s also a good idea to also stretch really well before and after your practice drills.

Try some of these indoor putting drills to improve your game while you’re waiting to get out on the course and check out my previous post for more tips on perfecting your putt. Remember, practice your golf putting drills daily!

It’s halfway through winter and you may be itching to get out to make progress on your golf game but there’s snow on the ground and it’s 20 degrees outside. How can you prevent being rusty with your shots and putting once spring arrives? The answer is a simple one: Build a better winter golf training program for your game. Here are several tips for staying at the top of your game over the cold winter months. Hit the Gym. Even just a few days a week can be the difference between having power in your swing and stamina for the game or heading onto the course rusty and out of shape. Strength training and cardio for endurance are essential to performing well, in golf and in life. There are numerous exercises for building and strengthening muscles, including squats and lunges, core work and dumbbell raises. Find a trainer who can put together a program for you to work on your shoulders, back, abdomen and legs. Then after the strength training, hit the treadmill and work up to several miles without stopping. Remember, it’s important to stretch before and after each workout to prevent injury. Practice Indoors. Leave your remote control golf caddy in the garage while you visit an indoor driving range or set up a putting green in your family room to practice because it’s all about maintaining that muscle memory for your swing or put. Many major urban areas have indoor driving ranges where you can work on your swing throughout the cold winter months. If you can’t find an indoor facility near you, then try setting up a putting green at home with a chipping turf mat you can find online. Then practice, over and over again. Take a Vacation. This tip may seem like an obvious one, but it truly is a great way to get in some real practice and continue to improve your game. There are many warm-weather golf destinations to visit in the winter, from Florida to the Bahamas and Arizona to Baja, for some great rounds of golf. It’s also a great way, given the time and expense, to benchmark where you’re at with your game and what you can continue to work on the rest of the winter. Take your own clubs and golf bag on the trip! Watch Lots of Videos. It goes without saying that you can learn by watching the pros. In between your workouts and indoor practice, watch as many videos with professional golfers as possible, studying their technique and learning new tips. There are virtually hundreds of golf videos online and great instructional videos you can purchase as well. With a little bit of planning and a healthy dose of discipline, you can build a winter golf training program that keeps you strong, sharp and in practice for your game come spring.

Golf Influence has recently named the top-rated mallet putters for 2019 and they’re all remarkable putters for increasing your putting performance. Without further ado, here are the three best mallet putters of 2019: TaylorMade Spider Tour One of the hottest putter models on the PGA Tour, the new Spider X has been reengineered in three distinct ways for optimal stability and better alignment. • A steel frame combined with a carbon composite sole for extreme perimeter weighting in a more streamlined shape. • Improved True Path alignment technology for increased putting accuracy. • An improved pure roll insert for a better feel and more topspin to help the ball start rolling smoothly, prevent skidding and stay on its intended line. With the enhanced Spider X, TaylorMade has placed the focus on how the putter feels through the stroke, stable while at the same time forgiving, to make putting easier. Golf Influence agrees, stating that “with technological enhancements that aided in creating the most balanced putter on the market, TaylorMade has crafted a mallet that places a strong emphasis on feel throughout the putting stroke.” The Spider X comes in several different options—with True Path alignment, single sightline or single bed—and two different colors, copper or navy. Odyssey Red O-Works #7 The Odyssey Red O-Works #7 scored a 20 out 0f 20 by Golf Digest last year, receiving a gold medal on their “Hot List 2018”. Their line of Red O-Works putters has consistently been among the best on the market and this year is no exception. The O-Works Red #7 is a modified mallet with a double-bend hosel and weighted alignment wings making it beyond compare for arc-stroke putting. The mallet’s clean, attractive red finish is extremely popular among professional golfers Odyssey’s real competitive edge is their Microhinge technology. The steel Microhinge plate with thermoplastic layer molded on the inside provides a great feel, an increased topspin and smooth roll. Odyssey is continuously working on shapes for ultimate performance, but it seems for now they’ve perfected the fanged putter with toe hang “for players who like to feel the face of their putter rotate more in their stroke.” Cleveland Huntington Beach #6 Mallet Putter According to Golf Influence, “Perhaps one of the most underrated producers of quality putters, Cleveland has outdone themselves with the introduction of the Huntington Beach line.” With its classic design, the Huntington Beach #6 putter is a sleek stainless-steel mallet with a precision diamond-shaped mill face in a pattern four times deeper than Cleveland’s previous generation of putters. The deeper milling pattern enables increased friction on impact and a better, more consistent roll. The stainless steel has a softer feel, is easier to bend and can be customized to fit your stroke with an 8-degree range (+/- 4 degree) of lie angle bending. In addition to the #6 putter, the Huntington Beach collection features five other traditional putter shapes. If you’re in the market for a new putter this year, you won’t be disappointed with any of these three top-rated mallet putters and how they improve your performance on the putting green.

Have you ever wondered why the pros are so good at putting and wondered how you can get your putting game up to speed? Wonder no more, we have some tips that can help you perfect your putt! Putting can make or break your game, your short game as it’s called. If you can hit perfect long drives and get the ball relatively close to the ball, you must be golden. Unless your short game is on par with your long game, you will continue to struggle. Practice Makes Perfect

It’s important to practice a multitude of different short shots to try to perfect your game. Research shows that spending time from a wide variety of angles and slopes prepares you better for a game. If you’re practicing the same shot repeatedly until you get it right, you might be setting yourself up for failure. While it’s beneficial to practice a swing until your body feels comfortable and knows what to do, this can hurt you. You’re only going to get one shot at it out on the green, so by giving yourself multiple chances to get it right it may not go as planned.

Go out and work on your short game. Take plenty of different shots and mix up the levels of difficulty and distances from which you take the shots. The variety will help you improve in ways you wouldn't if you stuck with only one shot over and over.

Hitting the Ball

It's been discovered that some of the best putters tend to hit slightly upwards on the ball. This adds a little loft to their stroke, and causes the ball to roll forward immediately, and stay in line. For great putting to happen it takes precision. Any small change to the way you hit a ball can jeopardize your shot.

A great tip for working on precision putting is to stack three quarters behind the ball. Keep three quarters in your remote control golf caddie. Align the center of the putter with the middle of the ball. Keep your putter vertical, and not forward. Practice striking the ball right around it’s middle, or equator, without hitting any of the stacked quarters.

If you can consistently hit the stack of quarters, you know that your stroke is low or not moving upward like it should. Once you start to hit the ball consistently here, the ball will roll much more smoothly. Keep working on this drill until you get the loft to your putt that you want.

Putting

Find golf drills that work for you to perfect your putting. Research some additional drills that you think might help. Finding drills like the quarter drill can help you to make small adjustments.

Golf can be a game of driving around the course in a golf cart, but the benefits of walking the course has become a much healthier option for many. The benefits of walking the course far outweigh driving, and it gives a healthier aspect to the game of golf. One downside to walking the course, is your run the risk of injuring your back if your golf bag is too heavy. Here’s where electric golf trolleys come in. You can still walk the course but benefit from a remote-controlled golf caddy to do the work of carrying your golf bag for you.

ELECTRIC GOLF CARTS

Most electric golf carts use lithium batteries which last much longer than other batteries do. They’re also lighter, making your walk on the course that much easier. Regular golf carts are harmful to golf greens. With the constant driving, and the potential for mud, the tires run the risk of ruining the grass. If you play a game of walking golf, you take that damage out of the equation.

WALKING THE COURSE

Studies have shown that a walking game of golf is so much better for your health and your heart. We encourage you to consider investing in a remote-control golf caddy so that you can more easily play a walking game of golf.

Something that most golfers don’t consider when riding in golf carts, is that it changes the position of the body so much between holes. It requires the body to completely reset, when you get in and out of the golf cart. Playing a walking game keeps your body steady and warm for the entirety of the game, therefore you won’t need as much time to adjust each hole. It keeps you looser and doesn’t require as much time to reset before each swing.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

If it’s been awhile since you’ve played a game of walking golf, it’s time to get out there and try it. Find a place to rent or borrow a remote control golf cart and give it a spin. You can also purchase one on our website at www.carttek.com or give us a call, we would love to tell you more and introduce you to our different models.

Looking for the perfect gift idea for golf lovers this holiday season? We’ve got you covered with five of the hottest trending golf gadgets this year. If the golfer in your life likes to have the latest in golf gadgetry and gear, then consider purchasing one of the following top gifts for golfers this year. PHIGOLF GOLF SIMULATOR WITH SWING TRAINER CLUB If you are getting a little stir crazy this winter, we recommend this indoor launch monitor. Continue to get that practice in during those cold days we've come to expect during the winter months. More affordable than other simulators, the PhiGolf comes with a sensor to put on your club and it links up to your smartphone or TV. You can get data on each swing’s speed, path, and estimated carry distance that’ll help your game come spring. GARMIN APPROACH S20 GOLF WATCH This GPS-enabled golfing watch can be a huge asset when you are on the course. These help on judgement shots and have been found to be very accurate. The cost around $180 and include a round analyzer that measures shot distances with auto-recording for post-round analysis on your Garmin Connect account. It also has activity training, stat tracking, it’s truswing compatible, sunlight readable, high resolution and has a stylish comfort. This is a perfect gift to pair with your new remote control golf caddy. GARMIN APPROACH Z80 GOLF LASER RANGE FINDER Known as the most technologically advanced range finder on the market, this gadget is useful in many ways. It tells you how far you are away from the flag, has the image of the green on the scope so you know the distance between the back and the front of the green. A perfect addition to your electric golf trolley, giving way to more efficient course time and reduces needless walking. It’s one of the more expensive gifts you could give for your golf enthusiast, but well worth it for accurate golfing. Runs about $600. MEDICUS DA DUAL HINGED DRIVER If you are ready to seriously improve your golf game, this is the gift for you! This driver will help you improve your technique by identifying problem areas, so you can learn how to go about fixing them. The Dual Hinge helps to correct your swing, helps to improve your consistency, distance and accuracy. It also helps with ball flight. You can improve your swing tempo, path and plane, control your clubface and hit on target shots. This helps train your muscles to use the right form. The driver runs about $160.

As we enjoy the last few days of warm fall weather and gear up for the fast approaching holidays, it’s time to consider the best training regime for the cold winter months off the course. The winter months can be a great time for working on a golf training program that keeps you focused and active each week. You can use the time for building up your body, your mind, your fundamentals and your focus. The game isn’t just for the course, so consider the following ideas for getting in shape for the upcoming golf season. MEDITATION & MINDFULNESS Serious golfers know that physical strength and agility aren’t the only key ingredients to a strong player. Golfing is as much a mental game as it is a physical game. Your focus can make or break a game so the more you practice mindfulness, the stronger your game will be on the course. Consider taking a meditation class or listen to guided meditations, there are some great ones designed for athletes. STRENGTH TRAINING Think about hitting the gym a few days a week. Core strength will add power to your game and help you control your swing. By building your strength, you’ll be able to control your muscles as you get into your game. When a player doesn’t have muscle strength, they run the risk of overexertion and as you overexert, you become less predictable with each passing swing. Strength training helps with your fatigue, so join a gym or invest in some free weights for the winter. CARDIO & ENDURANCE & FLEXIBILITY Endurance can be the difference between a good game and a great game. You don't want your remote control golf cart running faster than you when you hit the greens in a few months. Start small and work your way up, you don’t have to become a professional runner. Run for ten minutes the first week, just to get your legs and lungs use to the idea. Then, you can slowly increase the distance each week, until you are training at a comfortable and productive distance. The by-product of running is the mental resilience that comes with completing the mileage. Set some running goals and push yourself to overcome the urge to quit before you meet your goals, the payoff is worth the pain. INDOOR DRILLS With the limited indoor space, it can be tough to practice your all-out swing, but chipping and putting practice are doable and the more you do them, the more it helps you zero in on a skill you’ll always appreciate on the course. Working on the fundamentals during the off-season will be the key to your success when your game resumes in the spring.

Preparing your golf gear for the winter months doesn’t have to be a big chore, in fact, it can be quite easy if you follow a few easy steps each year. If you live in a climate where the temperatures vary from summer to winter, knowing how to best preserve your equipment will help ensure your gear stays golf-ready for the season ahead. Check out our top 3 golf equipment tips. CLEAN YOUR CLUBS It’s likely your clubs have some mud and dirt in the groves of the heads, so you’ll want to clean your clubs before you store them for the winter. There are golf cleaning kits available or you can follow a few easy steps to get those clubs cleaned up. All you need is a bucket of warm, soapy water and a good brush. Start by soaking the heads in the water for a few minutes, to loosen the residue. Once they’ve soaked for the time you think is necessary to moisten and loosen the dirt and grass, remove the heads and use the brush to remove any remaining dirt. Once cleaned, be sure to dry the heads thoroughly before you store the clubs. CHECK GEAR FOR DEFECTS Taking an inventory of your gear can help you identify any defects, so you can replace the equipment before next season. Check your golf bag zippers, your gloves for holes, your scorecard inventory, and any other supplies you use on the course. This would be a great time to replace anything you’ve been meaning to get rid of, as well as decide if there are new supplies or equipment that would make your golf game more successful. STORING YOUR CLUBS We recommend you don’t store your clubs in the trunk of a car during the winter months. The extreme temperatures can weaken the epoxy bond from the expansion and contraction of varying temperatures. Most people store their clubs in the garage or a storage unit, which is fine if the temperatures are controlled and don’t get too cold. Storing your golf clubs in a consistent, comfortable room temperature will preserve them for the long haul. Like any sport, golfing has best practices that help keep you and your gear in good shape.

Consider taking some time to follow these golf equipment tips and you’ll be set for your golf game whether it’s during the winter months or next spring when the days aren’t as chilly!

When shopping for your next pair of golf shoes, you’ll want to keep some main points in mind. You can always play a round of golf in any pair of athletic shoes, but if you are serious about the sport, investing in some golf shoes will keep your feet happy round after round. Even if you plan on using an electric golf trolley, you'll definitely want to invest in a good pair of golf shoes! Golf shoes are specifically designed for the amount of walking that takes place, as well as the way the golfer swings their body, pivots, and twists. Golf shoes are designed to handle the pivots and twists, keeping the movement fluid and easy on grass. The sole of the golf shoe is much different than your normal athletic shoe, it typically has a wide, rubber sole that allows the shoe to grip the grass, preventing any slipping. Golf shoes use to have metal spikes on the sole, for an even better grip, but those are no longer allowed on courses. Instead, there are often rubber or plastic spikes on the sole. Comfort is key, so make sure you try on several pairs before you purchase the ones you are going to be stuck with long-term. The style is important as well, so have fun looking at your options and settle on the ones that give you both style and comfort. The following four shoes were rated as the best golf shoes for this year, so check out the brief descriptions and consider trying some on before you invest in a pair. FOOTJOY TOUR S CLEATED TPU SADDLE STRAP These shoes are liked by many professional players for their style and comfort. The classic style offers a lightweight shoe that doesn’t take forever to break in on the course. These are waterproof, which is a great option for wet golfing conditions. These run about $270. PUMA IGNITE POWER ADAPT DISC These are also a waterproof golf shoe, and well-liked by many serious golfers. They have adjustable disc closures that give the shoe a tight, snug fit. They give off a bouncy effect which makes your feet comfortable and feel lightweight. Puma also makes this shoe for women and they run about $150 per pair. ADIDAS GOLF TECH RESPONSE These shoes are a great investment for several reasons, one is the fact that they are very affordable. Each pair runs about $100 and has been called one of the most comfortable options for a golf shoe. They are mostly mesh which provides a lightweight feel and gives more flexibility across the entire shoe. The mesh also allows for breathability and they make it in women’s sizes as well. ECCO GOLF BIOM HYBRID 3 GTX This shoe is made for women and has been popular with both casual and professional golfers. Known for good support and style, they are also 100% waterproof. They provide a generous base with a wide sole and are made from Gore-Tex. These will run you about $180.