Hooked On Golf Blog

The SUMI-G divot tool is not for every golfer. For golfer’s on a budget, a cheap plastic divot tool will do. After all, we just want to make more putts and have better greens. But for the discerning golfer, the $24 SUMI-G divot tool is as elegant as it is functional. In fact, it is a dead heat.  As a bonus, you can store it in the accessory box of your Porsche.

Forged?

You’ve heard of forged golf clubs? They have the best feel and performance. How about having a forged stainless steel divot tool? There’s nothing like the feel of forged on the course, when you fix that ball mark right on the sweet spot. Ahem.

Built in ball marker

If you own certain other SUMI-G products like say, the mega cool Dormy or Stymie belts like I do, you can use the interchangeable ball marker. The divot tool’s included ball marker secures to a magnet on the head, as well as magnets in the super-hip SUMI-G belt buckles. And once again, the use of said ball markers or SUMI-G gear is called “SumiGizing.”

On the course

The forks on the SUMI-G divot tool are bent inward and downward to provide the perfect angles for fixing ball marks. My pal Marius, the brains behind SUMI-G, rubbed together the massive gray matter inside his cranium and figured this out somehow. That’s why he’s a pioneering golf inventor and I’m not.

The tool is light in my pocket. It doesn’t weigh down my now “falling down” pants, since I’ve dropped a few LB’s this season. My pants would completely fall down if not for my SUMI-G belts as a matter of fact.

Critiques

Mark this down. This is the first “critique” I have regarding a SUMI-G product. As awesome as Marius’ products are, it may be the last as well.

On very hard greens the tool is tough to use. There isn’t quite enough length to get good leverage. The corners on the top of the tool can painfully poke the palm of my hand.

Keep in mind this is really a stretch. I’ve encountered conditions like this in one round out of close to 40.

Conclusion

Man this tool is sexy and shiny too!  I love shiny toys.

This is a unique piece which will last longer than you will, with its stainless steel forged design.  The magnetic ball marker is very convenient and interchanges with SUMI-G belts.  The greens and your fellow golfers will be thankful you ponied up the bucks for a great divot tool.

Related links

Buy SUMI-G products online at The Golf Space SHOP and at the SUMI-G home site.

I have a few images of the SUMI-G divot tool and other SUMI-G products in the HOG SUMI-G gallery.

SUMI-G headcover review.  Do your headcovers have a “rigid exoskeleton”???

SUMI-G Dormy belt review.

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Equipment & Accessories, Golf Accessories, Golf Equipment, Golf Reviews golf divot tool, sumi-g

If you only knew how many golf gadgets I have in my house…  It is tough to pick which one I’ll try out each day I go to the course.   With all the rain here lately in Seattle Salt Lake it has been a good opportunity to put The Club Caddy into play and I’ve been quite satisfied with the results.

The Club Caddy is basically a spring loaded “Y” shaped clamp which attaches to the shaft of a club and provides two of three legs of a tripod.  The third leg is the club shaft.  The unit elevates the club grip off the wet grass and keeps the club easily accessible, especially good for those with bad backs like myself.  It also serves as a reminder not to forget a club.

The footprint isn’t exactly conducive to putting in your pocket or storing inside smaller pockets of your golf bag.  But the unit comes with a bag clamp to attach it to.  You don’t really need to do that though, as you can attach the “Y” to the shafts of clubs in the bag, bag straps etc.

As you can see by my 2nd image, I’ve managed to use The Club Caddy to not only keep my clubs dry, but my playing partner’s as well.

Conclusion

It is tough to write a 2000 word review on something like this so I won’t even attempt it.

I was skeptical before I started using this thing.  You can even ask The Club Caddy inventor David Jones.  In one of my email responses to him I told him it wasn’t likely I’d use it.  That being said, I’m pleasantly surprised at the usefulness of this device, having dealt with a ton of rain and soggy conditions on the golf course lately.  I really don’t like trying to hit shots with wet grips.

I’m not the only one who likes this unit either.  It won the Golf Channel program “Fore Inventors Only.”

Golfer’s love to buy toys but in today’s economy that can be tough. The price point of The Club Caddy is reasonable at $14.99.  I think going beyond the $15 level for an impulse buy golf gadget is a tough sell.

Related links

I have a few more shots of The Club Caddy, including the shot of it with the bag attachment, in the HOG Club Caddy gallery.

The Club Caddy is available to purchase at The Club Caddy web site and I hope to soon have it availabe in The Golf Space SHOP.

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Equipment & Accessories, Golf Accessories, Golf Reviews Club Caddy, Golf Accessory

David Poole is a pal of mine.  He’s with Golfdotz, a company which makes cool transfers for golf balls and now even golf shoes.  Golfdotz, as seen here in this photo, are a much more fun and unique way of marking your balls.  I prefer the skull and cross bones myself.

Two weeks ago at the biggest amateur tourney in the state, here’s the conversation from the first tee with me and 3 other players.

Player 1: “I’m playing a Titleist #2 with a blue dot”
Player 2: “I’m playing a Bridgestone 330 with a red line”
Player 3: “I’m playing a Titleist #1 with three black dots”
Me: “I’m playing a Titleist #3 with a black skull on it”

Little did I know that I was apparently playing ball which may have been illegal with the black skull Golfdotz on it.  Now that isn’t the case as the USGA has approved Golfdots for use in competition.

Golfdotz are also a prize provided by my buddy David for the HOG Space Fantasy Golf 2009 season.

Related links

My Golfdots review

Buy Golfdots at the TGS SHOP

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Equipment & Accessories, Golf Accessories, Golf Balls golf balls, Golfdotz

Back in April Fox News was constantly talking about T-Bagging.  Comedians like Steven Colbert and John Stewart were having a hay day with it.   Funny thing was that Fox didn’t really know what that term meant to some people.  Yes, to us golfers it refers to a very cool golf accessory bag which holds golf tees and makes them easy to access.

The T-Bagg is a fun and inexpensive stretchy mesh bag which hangs from your golf bag or your golf cart.  You put tees in there and stick the pointy end of the tee through the mesh.  When you need a tee you just pull it through the stretch mesh and it it pops out.  Simple.

I was skeptical at first but I’ve grown to really like having that bag handy rather than having a bunch of tees in my pocket poking me or poking holes in my pocket.

Critiques

The only critique I have, which I’ve suggested to my T-Bagg friends, is to change the top of the bag from velcro to magnetic.  I’m not a velcro fan because it wears out and gets shabby over time. With magnets sealing the top of the bag it will last much longer.  I do realize the price point of the T-Bagg at $7.95 retail may not be attainable with more expensive components and assembly if they went with magnets.

Conclusion

The T-Bagg won’t replace my having some tees in my pocket but it is a fun and handy golf gadget which I like.  My golf pals like it too.  I gave two extras to some golf pals and they both rave about them.

Great Father’s Day Golf Gift

Father’s day is coming up and the T-Bagg is a very inexpensive yet unique gift to give to that dad who golfs.  (Kids, don’t get me one since I already have one!).

T-Baggs are available at The Golf Space SHOP, or at the T-Bagg web site.

More T-Bagg pictures are here.

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Equipment & Accessories, Golf Accessories, Golf Reviews Father's Day Golf Gift, Golf Tee Bag, T-Bagg

I’ve been touting how cool the products from SUMI-G are.  My new golf buddy Marius, the cranium behind SUMI-G, has a talent for making super hip, elegant, unique and functional golf accessories.  Every round of golf I play I have people drooling over my new head covers.  Just two days ago a military buddy of mine wanted the driver cover so bad I gave him the one off my personal set so he could have one in time for a trip to Hawaii.

Tired old head cover designs

Lame head cover #1: This one is a stretchy cotton sock which wears out and eventually just falls off.
Lame head cover #2: This one is leather or plastic and has velcro, which wears and and gets shabby looking over time.
Lame head cover #3: This one is leather or plastic and has a zipper.  The zipper may work for 1-2 rounds, then fails.

SUMI-G Mega-cool super stylin’ hip headcover

Looks

The SUMI-G head cover (hybrid shown upper right, driver cover lower right) has a stylish look with a silky black finish which feels like velvet.  I’m no fashion expert, but the black finish will match any bag color.

Mechanical enclosure

This headcover has a unique mechanical closure which protects the head.  The mechanical enclosure allows for installation of the cover with one hand can be put on the club from the ground without even having to bend over.  This one handed ground installation can save having to bend over dozens of times (drivers, fairways, hybrids) during around, helping guys like me with a bad back stay off the injured reserve list.  This 12 second video below shows just how quick and easy it is to slip the cover on:

Rigid exoskeleton

I’ve been excited to write this review not just because this is the coolest head cover on our planet and several others, but because I could use the words “rigid exoskeleton.”

The SUMI-G head cover employs a rigid exoskeleton to protect the club and the shaft.  Drivers these days are quite an investment and I don’t know about you but I’d sure want a rigid exoskeleton protecting my $500 driver with the $150 shaft.

On the course

These headcovers bring more enjoyment to my golf rounds because of their ease of use.  I just throw the head cover on the ground by the tee and slip it on with one hand when leaving the tee after blistering a drive down the middle.  It has become sort of my “post shot routine.”

Conclusion

Style, uniqueness and a perfectly useful functionality.  This is the coolest innovation in head covers in years and they’re so classy and sharp looking to boot.  Who wouldn’t love to own a head cover which has a rigid exoskeleton and convenient one handed ground installation?

Related links

If you just have to have a set of these head covers now, the new Golf Space SHOP carries the entire SUMI-G product line.

SUMI-G HOG Photo Gallery.

SUMI-G interview at the 2009 PGA Show.

SUMI-G web site.

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Equipment & Accessories, Golf Accessories, Golf Equipment, Golf Reviews Father's Day Golf Gift, golf head cover, sumi-g

Back at the PGA Show I interviewed a cat named Marius.   That video is at the bottom of this post for those who haven’t seen it yet.  I’d met him the year before when he was part of a top secret design project I got to see by another company who I won’t mention.  That deal never happened and Marius decided to start his own company, rather than have another company putting their name on his designs.

Marius’ company is called SUMI-G and his designs are the hippest, coolest, classiest and most innovative golf products I’ve seen in a long time.  And trust me, I see more golf products than just about anyone on this planet.  Their stuff isn’t cheap. It isn’t cheaply built or made out of cheap materials either.  You get what you pay for.

Even more, Marius and I live in the same town and have become regular golf buddies.  He must think I’m the worst damn 2 handicap he’s ever seen, since we started playing when my game went entirely down the drain and I haven’t even broken 80 with him yet.

First offering which is NOW available from SUMI-G are his very hip golf hats.  As you can see in these two hats below, they’re very simple, yet very stylish as well.  I’ve got one of each and they’re great.

These hats are NOW available at The Golf Space SHOP as well as the SUMI-G web site. Around the 1st of June most of the remaining SUMI-G product line will be available as well. Stay tuned for the “exoskeleton” head covers which will blow your mind. Coolest head covers ever.

Here’s my interview with Marius from SUMI-G below.

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Equipment & Accessories, Golf Accessories, Golf Apparel golf apparel, golf hats, sumi-g

Tattoo Golf is one of my all time favorite golf companies.  Anyone who can mix skulls and cross bones with golf is cool in my book.

Tattoo Golf Pitchmaster

Tattoo Golf does it again.  TG has a huge product line of hard edged golf items from shirts to golf bags.  Now we can add one of the manliest ball repair tools known to man to the TG product line.

The Tattoo Golf PitchMaster is made out of stainless steel, so it won’t rust.  The blades are retractable and there’s a magnetic ball marker on the back.  Of course, all of the components sport the trademark “skull and golf bones.”

Features:

• Small, perfectly formed and it fits in your pocket, the PitchMaster Divot Tool features are quality crafted to be durable and easy to use so you can repair pitch marks with minimum effort and get the most out of your game on the green.
• Makes Pitch Repair Quick & Easy
• Fully Retractable Fold Away Blades
• Superb Quality & Rust Proof Stainless Steel
• Lifetime Guarantee

Critiques

I’ve loaned this unit to a couple of pals to get their opinions.  Both said this was a bit heavy and that they wouldn’t want it in their pockets.  Personally, the weight doesn’t bother me.  I just told my pals that my wallet, with all the cash in it, counter balanced the divot tool.

On the course

The fact that the blades are retractable is great.  Many times I’ve poked myself in the groin or close due to a divot tool pointing the wrong way in my pocket.  This won’t happen with the PitchMaster.

The thick forks really make a big difference and make it much easier to fix my ball marks, of which I hope there are many (meaning I didn’t miss the green).

The TG ball marker is a bonus addition which comes in handy.

Conclusion

It is hard to write an extended review on a divot tool, but this unit is great and I strongly recommend it!  For $14.99 you’ll get a very strong and durable divot tool which is most definitely cooler than any other out there.

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Equipment & Accessories, Golf Accessories, Golf Reviews divot tool, PitchMaster, Tattoo Golf

Yesterday I met with my new friend Doug from “MySack.”  MySack is a golf ball/tee bag you can hang from your golf bag.  The bag looks like, well, a guy’s ball sack.

Not only does MySack look like a ball sack… it comes with two balls in it!  Bonus! Ya gotta hand it to Doug for having the balls to “sack up” and try to make a golf product like this fly. I wish him luck.

The MySack could be a good ice breaker for that nervous first golf date you are on.  I could definitely see this unit as a good giveaway or tee prize for corporate tournaments, embroidered with a Hooters logoo etc…

I just installed my MySack yesterday.  I’ll be evaluating MySack, and putting MySack to the test for a review soon.

If you just gotta have one now, click here.

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Equipment & Accessories, Golf Accessories, Golf Balls, Golf Equipment, Miscellaneous golf balls, MySack

Before I get on with this short review I need to preface it. I’m not a big fan of “health food” or “organic” items. I really want to like health food, but I seldom find health food items that taste good, or have any taste at all for that matter. I also don’t like almonds or nuts of any kind. Hmmm. Doesn’t sound like I’m the right person to do this review. Since there’s nobody else here I guess I’ll have to proceed.

Sun Valley Bar

Ann Scales (specialty foods caterer) and Sara Walker (athlete and baker) founded Sun Valley Bar in 2004. Their goal was to make tasty and nutritious sports bars. They’ve been growing the company ever since and have now expanded into the golf market.

Par Bar

Par Bar is a nutrition bar dedicated to golf. Great name. It definitely has a ring to it.

The par bar series comes in four flavors:

Cranberry Almond
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
Chocolate Chocolate Chip
Goji Lemon

I put all four Par Bars in my golf bag this spring. I was especially stoked to taste the Goji Lemon version. To my disappointment, being the picky eater I am, I didn’t really enjoy any of the bars. They all contain some sort of nut based butter (almond or peanut) and they all contain almonds and walnuts. The lemon was downright unpleasant to me.

My apologies to Sun Valley Bar. Perhaps I should have just given them to a golf buddy and asked for his opinions, rather than trying them myself. Then again, my dislike for the bars is probably bodes well for those who actually do like health food.

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Golf Accessories, Golf Lifestyle, Golf Reviews, Miscellaneous Nutrition Bar, Par Bar, Sun Valley Bar

7:24pm ET – ANGEL CABRERA IS MASTERS CHAMPION

Kenny Perry lost his swing starting on the 17th hole and through the two hole playoff. Chad Campbell succumbed to the pressure as well, putting his approach shot into the right greenside bunker on the 1st hole of the playoff.

Angel Cabrera has some big time kahunas and is Masters champion!  I’ll write more later, but there’s still daylight.  I’m off to the course to play until sunset.

6:46pm ET PLAYOFF

I think I’m going to have a heart attack.

Kenny Perry bogeys the last two holes.  We have a three man playoff between Kenny Perry, Chad Campbell and Angel Cabrera. Guess I’ll keep my clubs in the garage for now and crack open a frosty beverage.

6:21pm ET

17th fairway… Kenny Perry has a two shot lead after making birdie on 15 and nearly ACING 16.  I’m so happy for Perry, who will become the oldest major champion in the history of golf.  I just hope he finishes soon, so I can get out and play a few holes.  This is the only time of year I’d rather watch golf than play it, and I have the itch.

5:40pm ET

Kenny Perry just made a 3-putt par on #13 to stay at -12, but still holds one shot lead over Chad Campbell.  Cabrera still has a chance at -10.

Tiger and Phil both limped home, making bogey on 18.  Perhaps they just beat each other up today.  Tiger even knocked his 2nd shot off a tree trunk.  Phil’s 67 and Tiger’s 68 could have been 65’s or better.  I could have sworn I saw Tiger limping after the tree shot on 18.  Just like in football, limp after you make a bad play…

Read more…

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Champions Tour, European Tour, Golf Accessories, Golf Equipment, Nationwide Tour, PGA Tour, The Masters, Tiger Woods The Masters