Twitter Blowing Up. Not Because of GOP Debate But Because Rory McIlory is Heading to the USA

Written by: Tony Korologos | Friday, August 7th, 2015
Categories: European Tour • Miscellaneous • PGA Championship • PGA Tour • Pro Golf • Rory McIlory
Tags: Rory McIlory

This is from Rory McIlory’s Twitter:

🇵🇹✈️🇺🇸👍🏼✌🏼️⛳️ pic.twitter.com/Ko0LX9mEo7

— Rory Mcilroy (@McIlroyRory) August 7, 2015

In case anyone forgot, McIlory is still the #1 golfer in the world. He has been off nursing an injury, but as the above photo seems to indicate, he is headed to the USA. Why would he be headed here? Where is he going? My guess is the private jet will be landing at the nearest airport to Kholer, Wisconsin. There’s a little golf tournament here next week at a course called Whistling Straits, the PGA Championship.

Quarterfinal Net Match – 5 Shots, a Rock, and a Cloud of Dust

Written by: Tony Korologos | Wednesday, August 5th, 2015
Categories: Golf • Hackers • Miscellaneous
Tags: Match Play

I’ve said many times that match play is my favorite form of golf. Despite losing a quarter final net match today I still do. Today’s match was an uphill battle all the way. The best part of my game, putting, was essentially nullified by newly punched and sanded greens.

punched_green

Making putts in these conditions is not about skill. It is about luck. I’m not good at taking a full swing with my putter and feeling the ball compress. Just don’t have the right feel for it!

My opponent was a very nice chap from Colombia of all places. We chatted about Bogota and my trip there was was fun. Gross I beat him by four shots and he won the net match 2-and-1. That’s what getting five shots will do for you. I hope he does well in the next round.

I’m not mad this time around. It just wasn’t in the cards, the clubs, the sky, the grass.

Oh yeah the rock, mentioned in the title of this post. On the 7th hole I was in the left rough but in good shape since my opponent had a lost ball. I hit pitching wedge and heard a horrid thwacking sound. The ball went about 30 yards. I looked into the divot and there was about a five inch rock underneath my ball. My new Mizuno JPX-850 Forged pitching wedge broke the rock in half and took some bad battle scars. That blows.

See ya next year match play.

Golfers Are… Not Liked. Just Ask Google

Written by: Tony Korologos | Wednesday, August 5th, 2015
Categories: Boneheads • Miscellaneous

If you’d like some mild entertainment, type in the words “golfers are” into Google’s search and see what Google autocompletes for you.

Golfers are...

Google’s autocomplete is simply producing the most popular searches, showing that the general public does not think too highly of us golfers.

Credit to Twitter user @TwoInchesShort for this sadly entertaining find.

TaylorMade Tour Preferred Golf Ball Review

Written by: Tony Korologos | Tuesday, August 4th, 2015
Categories: Golf Balls • Golf Equipment • Golf Gear • Reviews
Tags: Golf Balls • TaylorMade

This is the second review of three TaylorMade golf ball models I’m in the process of reviewing. The first was the Project (a) ball, a ball designed more for amateurs with slower swing speeds. This review features the TaylorMade Tour Preferred golf ball. The “TP” is a “tour” level ball, meaning their highest performance and most expensive. This is one which many TaylorMade PGA Tour players use, and for good reason. Let’s take a look.

TaylorMade Tour Preferred Golf Ball

Construction

The Tour Preferred ball is a four layer ball. Each layer features materials and engineering which give the ball specific performance characteristics. For instance, the core may provide the primary distance of the ball while the outer layer or cover provides much of the ball’s feel and spin. Most tour balls, the Tour Preferred included, have a urethane cover which provides the softest and best spin in the sort game.

Together these layers and their engineering produce the following performance characteristics in the TaylorMade TP ball:

Low driver spin
Medium-high mid- to long-iron spin
High short iron and wedge spin
High spin inside of 100 yards

These characteristics are slightly different than the Tour Preferred X ball, which I will be reviewing soon. The difference between the two is that numbers two and three above are swapped. The X ball has medium mid- to long-iron spin and medium-high short iron and wedge spin.

Low driver spin means more accuracy off the tee and longer distance. High spin inside 100 yards means short game control.

On The Course

I don’t do TrackMan or FlightScope testing on my golf balls and clubs, just real world golf on real golf courses. If you need to know the exact spin rate off a 9-iron at X miles-per-hour swing speed with x-launch angle, there are other sites full of that information. Google it.

Off the tee the TP feels very solid and I can hit it as far as just about any other ball I’ve tested. I can feel the ball compress and I’m able to work the ball as needed, though my swing lately seems to only want to go straight or draw. Don’t ask me to hit a fade right now. I’ve hit a few massive drives (for me), and even some massive 3-woods with this ball.

Iron feel of the TP is excellent. The ball is soft enough for me to feel it on the face and tell if I’m clipping it just right, compressing it. Those pure shots produce pure results and birdie opportunities.

Inside 100 yards (admittedly my weakest link) I have plenty of spin. Sometimes I can actually clip the ball to crisply when pitching or chipping and it will check too much. That’s not the ball’s fault. It the fault of my skill level, short game distance control.

Lastly, the fee of the putter is great. The cover feels soft and I have total distance control with the flat stick.

Not Just For Tour Players

Over many years one of the main reasons amateurs were not well off hitting “tour” balls is because of the compression of the ball and maxiumum distance. High swing speeds were needed to get full compression out of them. That does not seem to be the case with the TP ball. I have a driver swing speed of about 100MPH, and 105 if I’m really killing it. With the right driver head, shaft, and this ball, I can hit them quite far. I don’t feel like I’m losing distance with the TP due to not having a high enough swing speed.

The other component to “tour” balls is the high spin. The engineering of this ball gives the player, amateur or pro, the high spin where it is needed in the shorter irons and short game. So once again, an amateur could benefit from playing this ball.

Conclusion

Whether you are an amateur or a pro, the TaylorMade Tour Preferred golf ball is a high performance option.

FootJoy Hyperflex Golf Shoe Review

Written by: Tony Korologos | Monday, August 3rd, 2015
Categories: Golf Apparel • Golf Gear • Reviews
Tags: FootJoy • Golf Shoes

I’ve had the new FootJoy Hyperflex golf shoes in play now for about six months and probably a good 60-70 rounds of golf. That’s plenty of golf to determine a shoe’s performance not only out of the box, but after it has had a solid wear-in period. No flyby, surface-skimming reviews will be found here. No review will be written before its time…

FootJoy Hyperflex Golf Shoe – click to see more

Design & Technology

The HyperFlex features “FlexGrid” materials on the outside of the shoe. That’s the mesh you see. It gives the shoe strength but allows it to be flexible and also keep its shape over time.
The sole of the shoe is very cushy yet stable via FJ’s “FTF 2.0” technology. FTF is short for Fine-Tuned Foam.
The outsole features all sorts of traction enhancing components via FootJoy’s N.E.O. system. N.E.O. is short for Next Evolutionary Outsole. Yeah I know… who thinks these phrases up anyway?
The heel is stabilized by the OPS, “Optimized Performance Stabilizer.” Okay here’s where I’ll try my hand at FJ marketing: The Optimal Performance Stabilizer is very special. So we will call it “Special OPS.” Ha! I think I’ve found my next calling in life, golf marketing.
The toe is rounded and the heel narrow to provide a good fit across different sizes and foot styles and the “Fit-Bed” with “Next Gen HeelLoc” helps provide comfort but stability at the same time.

Looks & Style

FootJoy has been branching out on their designs and styles over the last few years. Two years ago it was the M:Project (still one of my favorites) and last year the D.N.A. golf shoe.

FootJoy Hyperflex Golf Shoes – click to see more

These certainly aren’t the old-style classic dress shoes with golf spikes on them.

Sizes/Colors

There are four color bases to the standard HyperFlex: black, white/gray/blue, gray/orange, navy/green (pictured here),

Standard sizes come in everywhere from 7-15 in men’s. A wide model is available in 7.5-13 and an extra-wide is available in 8-12.

There are three HyperFlex colors available with FJ’s “BOA” system, a reel which allows the wearer to custom tighten the shoe closure for a precise fit. Those are gray/blue/white, black/red, gray/orange.

On The Course

My requirements for golf shoes in order are:

Performance
Comfort
Style

The performance of the HyperFlex on the golf course is fantastic. I have a super solid base with which I can generate some great power in the golf swing. Aside from a time or two when the ground has been extremely wet or muddy, I’ve never slipped. I find that I draw the ball, especially my driver, more with these shoes. I believe it is because the left shoe is staying planted, and not slipping outward. This is helping me rotate around my spine angle, rather than moving laterally through it. If I change to different shoes, I don’t draw the ball as much.

Comfort, right out of the box. The HyperFlex is super comfortable. The cushioning and support all around the shoe really helps, especially when walking the course.

Style-wise I’ll admit they don’t quite match up with a few of my apparel scripts from a color standpoint. The photos here in this article show more of a green tint, but they seem to show some blue as well depending on the light source. The mesh is cool looking and I really dig the black trim.

Footjoy Hyperflex Golf Shoe – click to see more

Conclusion

I’ve been gaming the HyperFlex golf shoes for half a year and counting. After roughly 70 rounds of golf, they’re still comfortable and still provide superior stability and traction.

Related Links

For more shots of these cool looking golf shoes, check out the Hooked On Golf Blog FootJoy Hyperflex photo gallery.

FootJoy D.N.A. golf shoe review.

FootJoy City shoe review.

FootJoy M:Project shoe review.

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