My Son Seve’s First Birthday

Written by: Tony Korologos | Monday, October 28th, 2013
Categories: Life

Seve turns 1 today

Today is a big day around HOG World Headquarters, but not quite because of a golf related subject. It is baby Seve’s FIRST birthday. The last year has been quite a blur, as anyone with a new baby would likely agree. My lovely bride and I have had a blast watching this little guy grow from a tiny helpless baby to a highly entertaining, mobile and FUNNY one-year old. This little guy has really made a big difference in my life. I thought I was too old to deal with having a kid, but I have so much fun with this little guy that I can’t wait to play with him every day.

Yes, Seve’s name is inspired by golf legend Seve Ballesteros.

I can’t wait to see what the next year has to offer with this little guy. He’s just learning how to walk now, by bracing himself against objects or using mom/dad for support. He’s starting to form quite a few syllables too, most of which warm my heart like you can’t believe: “Dada dada dada!”

Hats off to the little guy today.

And now back to our regularly scheduled golf blogram.

Nike Golf Hyperadapt Storm-FIT Jacket Review

Written by: Tony Korologos | Friday, October 25th, 2013
Categories: Golf Apparel • Golf Gear • Reviews • Rory McIlory • Tiger Woods
Tags: Golf Apparel • Nike Golf

Nike Storm Fit Jacket

The temperatures here are dropping fast here. We’ve had a lot of rain this fall, and now even frost delays in the mornings. Two Fridays ago a tournament I was competing in experienced a snow delay.

This time of year can be the best though, as casual weekend hackers are hanging up their sticks for the season. As long as die-hards like myself can brave the conditions, the courses are far less crowded and we can play golf in a reasonable amount of time.

In these conditions golf apparel and golf outerwear become more and more important. Its nice to know that I’ve got the same apparel to choose from as Rory McIlory and Tiger Woods. One such item is my new full-zip Hyperadapt Storm-FIT jacket. Lets take a look.

Hyperadapt Storm-FIT Jacket Overview

Nike engineers have produced a jacket with some amazing properties in the Hyperadapt Storm-FIT. The jacket is waterproof and wind resistant, yet stretches more like a sweater.

There are strategically placed fabric “vents” which make the garment breath very well. This is especially useful in the bipolar weather in the spring and fall where one minute it is raining and the next it is sunny. No need to take the jacket off and put it back on all the time.

The shoulders of the Storm-FIT have specially designed four-way stretch system which reduces binding and tightness and increases the range of motion in the golf swing. The system even reduces noise.

The body fabric is 100% polyester while the mesh components are 81% nylon and 19% spandex.

The sleeves have adjustable cuffs which are great. Being able to set the cuff tightness can help keep rain and wind out, yet allow the golfer to retain flexibility.

Nike Storm-FIT Hyperadapt Full-Zip Jacket – click to zoom

On The Course

First things first. I must mention the style of this jacket. This is a very sharp looking piece. The wife really loves the look when I put it on. My dad tried it on and for quite a while refused to give it back. I just figured out what his Christmas gift will be…

Many of my outerwear items are one size bigger. This is because here in the cold of Utah, we often have to wear a few layers to stay warm. The bigger size is needed because of the restriction imposed by the outer layer. One problem with that extra size is that the garment can get in the way of the swing, especially for my putting stroke. I bend over quite far with a 34” putter and when I do that, often times my outerwear snags on the butt of the putter grip. Not good. When I have a huge putt to win a $2.00 nassau, the last thing I want is worrying about my putter going off line due to snagging on my apparel. No worries with the storm fit. The fit is precise without being too small. The jacket performs, but stays out of my way so I can perform.

I’ve managed to make it rain twice during my testing of the Storm-FIT. Rain drops bead up on the outer layer and no water or moisture gets inside. None.

On windy days the Storm-FIT is fantastic.

Critiques

I always try to find a flaw or place for improvement when I do my golf reviews. In the case of the Storm-FIT I have none. Zero.

Colors/Sizes

The Hyperadapt Storm-FIT jacket comes in the following sizes: small, medium, large, extra-large, double extra-large.

Colors: Black; Cool Grey; Game Royal; Armory Slate

Full-Zip / Half-Zip

There are two versions of this jacket available, a full-zip (pictured) as well as a half zip. The half zip retails for $240 and the full zip retails for $280.

Conclusion

Thanks to the Hyperadapt Storm-Fit jacket I’m ready to take on wind and rain with the confidence that my outerwear will not interfere with my golf swing. Bring on the Old Course! Scotland here I come!

Expresso Satellite Navigation WR67 Golf GPS Watch Review

Written by: Tony Korologos | Thursday, October 24th, 2013
Categories: Golf Accessories • Golf Equipment • Golf Gear • Reviews
Tags: Golf Equipment • Golf GPS

WR67 Designer Golf GPS Wristwatch by Expresso Satellite Navigation

I was playing golf with a guy a few weeks ago who seemed so preoccupied with the time and his schedule. It was driving me nuts. He kept looking and looking at his watch before every shot. It was a slow round, but not that slow. Finally I asked him if he was in a hurry or something. It turned out that he was using a golf GPS watch and simply getting his yardages!

The tables turned on me a few short weeks later. I was testing the new Expresso Satellite Navigation WR67 Golf Satellite GPS Watch. Sure enough, one of my playing partners asked, “what’s your hurry?” I couldn’t help but laugh as I told him his ball was 147 front, 158 middle and 170 back…

WR67 Overview

The Expresso Satellite Navigation WR67 Golf GPS Watch brings all the regular features of a bulky golf GPS unit, but delivers them in a wristwatch format. The numbers are big and easy to read with front, middle and back readings on one screen.

The watch automatically detects the course and hole from its internal library of 25,000 courses.

Along with the great GPS features, the watch tracks shot distances. When hitting a shot, click the shot button. Then when arriving at the ball click it again. The WR67 tells you exactly how far you just hit it. Be careful though, the numbers may not be as high as you think or want. You don’t hit your 7-iron as far as Tiger Woods. Sorry.

WR67 Charging Connector – click to zoom

Hazard yardages are also listed in the watch.

The watch also has an odometer, so you can track how far you’ve gone since you started your round. In the case of my trip to St. Andrews in July of this year, 104 total miles for the week.

To update courses, the attached USB cable is used with Mac or PC. The USB cable also charges the unit. I must say the battery in this golf GPS watch far outlasts a regular GPS in number of rounds. On the last charge I’ve lost count.

On The Course

I’m not big on wearing watches but I did use it for a couple of rounds on the wrist. After that I attached the unit to the top of my golf bag. That’s a perfect spot. I can check the yardage quickly and grab a club right there.

I found that I kept forgetting to track each shot. But when I was curious as to how far I was hitting shots, I would track them. That would give me a good idea of how far all the shots were going on a given day. Sometimes the conditions are such that the ball is flying farther or shorter than normal and that’s good to know.

Hazards – click to zoom

Critiques

The hazard yardages are a bit cryptic due to the lack of available digits. For the most part one can logically deduce that RFB is “right fairway bunker” but I kept thinking it was “right front bunker.” Know what FGWC is? Front green water carry. You get the idea.

Conclusion

The $199 WR67 golf GPS watch (found it on Amazon here for $179), is a great value compared to other regular golf GPS units. The GPS and shot tracking functions are great, plus it serves as a cool watch and odometer when not on the golf course.

Related Links

HOG WR67 Image Gallery

Expresso Satellite Website

Amazon Link (currently $20 off retail)

Obnoxious American in St. Andrews

Written by: Tony Korologos | Wednesday, October 23rd, 2013
Categories: Golf • Golf Courses • HOG World Tour • Miscellaneous
Tags: Travel

It is July 2, 2013 and I’ve arrived in one of my favorite places in the world, St. Andrews, Scotland. Though my Greek genes are dominant, I’m actually half Scottish. Greek mixed with Scot. That means I love links golf and feta cheese, often at the same time.

After checking in at the hotel in St. Andrews the first place my pals and I went was to the Old Course to get on the waiting list. The good news was that I’d be playing the Old with my good friend and caddie John Boyne, and my best friend Al Nelson.

While waiting, John and I were watching players coming home on the 18th hole. Our vantage point was directly behind the green. There’s a small fence there where locals hang out and watch the “gophers” come in.

Behind the 18th Green – Old Course – St. Andrews, Scotland

A ball goes through the green, a “wee bit” hot and settles in some long grass behind the green and about five feet in front of us. The grass is long enough that it has gone to seed. In comes the group, obviously Americans, to survey their shots. The player who hit the long shot is loud and obnoxious. This guy epitomizes the opposite of what I wished we Americans portrayed in foreign countries.

When Mr. Obnoxious American gets to his ball he surveys the situation. He’s presented with 10 inch long grass behind and around his ball and a very tricky, fast shot with a ton of break in it. He reaches down, presumably to move a few loose impediments, but that’s not what he did. Instead, he started pulling the grass right out of the ground. It was no accident. He was improving his lie. John and I were, as they say in the UK, “gobsmacked.” We looked at each other in silent disbelief.

Mr. Obnoxious then walked his line, checking out the break. Upon returning to his ball, as if to confirm to John and me what we weren’t sure we just saw, he started pulling grass again! By now his lie isn’t too bad. He hits quite a good shot which ends up about 14 inches from the cup.

We thought we had seen it all at that point but to our horror, we had not. Mr. Obnoxious then went up to tap his putt in. He stood over it for a second, concentrating, then took a huge swing at the ball and knocked it off the green, nearly to The Links road and the Tom Morris golf shop. Laughing proudly at himself he looked at his group and sarcastically shouted “oops!”

John and I were astonished.

I couldn’t help thinking to myself, “you spend thousands of dollars to go on the golf trip of a lifetime to the Home of Golf. You’ve waited your whole life to get to this place. You are playing the 18th green of the most famous and historic golf course in the world, where every one of the greatest golfers in the history of the sport have played. You then cheat twice by pulling grass from your lie and then sarcastically and intentionally miss your 14 inch finishing putt, in front of the ghost of Old Tom Morris. You never bother to finish the final hole, or the round.”

I know Americans in St. Andrews are a double edge sword. The caddies love us and hate us at the same time. They hate us because of obnoxious jerks like this guy who make us all look bad. They love us because, well, we are the biggest tippers of all the tourists who go to St. Andrews.

I can’t imagine the agony this obnoxious American’s poor caddie had to endure, and the wee tip he probably received for his services. Surely the prior 17.5 holes must have been a nightmare. Who knows what other asinine things this guy did or said. Somehow I wish I could buy the caddie, hell, the rest of this guy’s group, a wee pint to kill the pain.

To my friends and caddies in Scotland: we’re not all like that.

FORE!! Axel & Hudson Golf Apparel for Boys & Girls

Written by: Tony Korologos | Monday, October 21st, 2013
Categories: Golf Apparel • Golf Gear • Golf Life • Golf Lifestyle • Reviews
Tags: Golf Apparel • golf reviews

FORE!! Axel & Hudson – The “ensemble”

Fore!! Axel & Hudson is the child, no pun intended, of apparel designer Paul Nguyen. Before forming the company, he designed for Lucky Brand, Babystyle and Baby Nay. The garments are primarily made from very soft and eco-friendly bamboo/spandex.

I was thrilled to learn that Fore!! Axel & Hudson wanted to submit some products for me to review. On October 28, 2012 my little boy babe Seve was born. Seve’s name was inspired by golf legend Seve Ballesteros and outfitting him in some killer golf related, classy and comfortable baby threads sounded great.

One problem, the sizes I received were on the large size. So I had to wait from June when the product arrived, to October when the little guy had gotten big enough to fit in them. He’s still a bit small for them, but I couldn’t wait much longer to get this piece done and send some love to Fore!! Axel & Hudson.

Featured in this article are a few items which are in black headers below.

Crinkle Plaid Driver Cap

Straight out of Scotland, or at least it looks like it, is the Crinkle Plaid Driver Cap (first picture). This is a fantastic piece and when Seve doesn’t mind having it on, he looks very dapper. The cap is made from 100% cotton and has adjustable leather side tabs. Lots of room to grow into on this one.

Sizes range from 48cm to 56cm. No, my head isn’t that small unfortunately.

Nice golf polo and striped shorts… click to zoom

Poncho Stripe Shorts

Once again, master Seve has cooler threads than me. In this case, his Poncho Stripe Shorts (first two photos). These are 100% cotton so they are soft and comfortable. The front fly zips and the waistband is an adjustable elastic, which is great for kids as they grow.

Sizes for this $44 retail ($31 on sale) item are the same range as the Linen & Stripe Vest, which these shorts go well with: 12 months to 12 years.

Gray Linen & Stripe Vest

Available in sizes from 18 months to boys 10/12, this vest (first photo) is more stylish than anything I have in my own wardrobe. This slim cut vest features leather insets and welt pocket details.

Retail on this vest is $54.00 but the Fore!! website has them on sale at $38.

Shirts

Master Seve has a couple of great Fore!! Axel & Hudson golf shirts. Pictured in the “ensemble” (I don’t even have an ensemble) with the vest and Poncho Stripe shorts is a great, 3-button v-neck polo with plaid collar insert which matches the pocket accent.

Killer orange golf polo – click to zoom

Seve also has a fantastic orange polo with fabric so soft it feels like silk (last picture). The buttons and pocket configuration are very stylish. Wish I had a shirt like that…

Conclusion

Not only are the pieces very stylish, they’re super durable yet soft. I need to see if I can get Paul Nguyen to make the same pieces in an adult XL!

It has been a blast taking the photos of baby Seve for this review and I can tell Seve digs the threads.

FORE!! Axel & Hudson website

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