Top 13 Things I Won’t Miss at the PGA Merchandise Show
Written by: Tony Korologos | Monday, January 23rd, 2017
Categories: Boneheads • Golf • PGA Merchandise Show
Tags: PGA Merchandise Show
Categories: Boneheads • Golf • PGA Merchandise Show
Tags: PGA Merchandise Show
For 10+ years I ponied up my own money for plane tickets from Utah to Orlando to attend the PGA Merchandise Show and report to HOG readers about the latest longest long long super long really awesome big long longest longer drivers. Along with those expenses were rental car fees, lodging, transportation, food and beverage, parking etc. It added up to thousands by the time I was done with a week in Orlando. While in Orlando something happens to my body. I’m allergic to something there. It’s the swamp water or something. I get massive headaches, my eyes turn as red as a ripe tomato and hurt like hell, and my digestive system shuts down literally for the entire time I’m there. Needless to say that is, shall we say, uncomfortable.
So the last couple of years I’ve made the executive decision to pass on the PGA Show. I was probably the first blogger to ever “live blog” from the show, and now there are dozens of blogs and websites doing that stuff. They’ve got it covered. I can stay home with my family, not have to take time off of my day job, and not have to fork money out of my own pocket that the blog advertising would never recoup.
I do miss going and seeing all my industry friends and I’m going to write a companion post to this one, logging the 10 things I miss most about not attending the PGA Merchandise Show. But for now, here are the:
Top 13 Things I Won’t Miss at the PGA Merchandise Show
- Massive migraine headaches every day. Seriously! WTF is in the air/water in Orlando?
- Crap “show” food
- Bloodshot eyes that are hurt and look as red as ripe tomatoes. Seriously! WTF is in the air/water in Orlando?
- Puma’s “DJ” cranking out mind numbing, eardrum shattering, wrist-slitting, talent-less “music” that goes boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss, boom-tiss…. for f*&king ever. The poor FootJoy guys across the aisle will be deaf by the end of the show, if they don’t kill themselves first.
- Booth babes. I have no respect for golf companies who hire local
strippers“talent” to attract visitors to their booths. For example the photo below. I have no recollection of the product or company represented at this booth.
- Being subjected to the marketing nonsense of the longest long long super long really awesome big long longest longer drivers ever in the whole universe, longer than ever LONG!
Did I mention how long it is? Longest EVA!!! - Foreigner in concert
- Drinking and eating too much.
- Golf club stands and other horrible golf inventions which will only serve to bankrupt the inventor and investors.
- Booths staffed by people who don’t speak english. Why someone would pay $40,000 for a booth and then put reps in there who can’t communicate with customers or sell products is mind boggling.
- Speaking of spending $40,000 on a booth, I have to mention the “sleeping dude in the booth” thing. As the show wears on, people will be nodding off in their booths.
- Educational conferences on how to “grow the game” which are full of buzz phrases and “feel good” ideas. Those ideas will be completely ineffective, just like last year’s ineffective ideas and the year before…
- Being constipated for a whole week after drinking and eating too much. Seriously! WTF is in the air/water in Orlando?
So there it is, more than you ever wanted to know about a golf blogger’s digestive system and the only place on the entire planet it fails in: Orlando.
State of My Game
This photo sums up the current state of my golf game.
First Look: Forté Golf Apex 6 – 6 Layer Golf Ball
Written by: Tony Korologos | Wednesday, January 18th, 2017
Categories: Golf • Golf Balls • Golf Equipment • Golf For Women • Golf Gear
Tags: Golf Balls
Categories: Golf • Golf Balls • Golf Equipment • Golf For Women • Golf Gear
Tags: Golf Balls
Fast forward to 2021 and I will be reviewing golf balls with 18 layers. Until then, there is not a golf ball on the market with more layers than the Forté Golf Apex 6. The only other 6-layer ball I’m aware of is the Maxfli U6. I played a box of those and really liked them. I’ve got three boxes of Apex 6’s to test out and I’m excited to try them. They’re “tour” level balls, meaning the highest performance and specs in a ball. Ones PGA Tour players would trust.
Forté Golf is a brand not yet available in the USA but hopefully it will be soon. I’m afraid to like these balls because I’ll have to get them shipped to me from Australia, where they’re available. Better yet, I’ll just fly there. Yeah, that will work.
This is just an introductory post to get the word out that I’ll be reviewing these balls. Right now the high temperatures here in northern Utah are below freezing. We’re skiing here, not golfing. When spring comes, I’ll be out there knocking these 6-layer golf balls from Forte golf about, and seeing how well they perform. A report will follow.
Stay tuned.
Related Links
Forté Golf Tour Performance Intro
Review: Volt Fleece Heated Gloves
Written by: Tony Korologos | Tuesday, January 17th, 2017
Categories: Golf Accessories • Golf Apparel • Golf For Women • Golf Gear • Reviews
Tags: Golf Glove
Categories: Golf Accessories • Golf Apparel • Golf For Women • Golf Gear • Reviews
Tags: Golf Glove
I’ll admit this review is a stretch in relation to golf. It’s almost better for skiing, so maybe I should post it on my ski blog as well. Yes, I have a ski blog. It’s winter here in northern Utah, so we aren’t golfing much. We are skiing. But some crazies (like I used to be) will still play golf if the course is open, no matter what the temperature. I’ve played in single digit temps before, back in the crazy days. Even played in snow and hail storms. The first problem I would have in those conditions would be cold hands. One thin long iron shot with cold hands and it’s over.
These Volt Resistance Heated Gloves would be a great solution for keeping the hands warm between cold golf shots, or using them for more practical winter activities which we are deep in right now here, shoveling snow and skiing. Let’s take a look.
Volt Fleece Heated Gloves Overview
The Volt Fleece Heated Gloves are battery powered. Each glove has its own 7.4-volt 2200mAh battery which slides into a zippered compartment to shield it from the elements. On the top of the glove, over the wrist area, you can see a clear bit of plastic (photo). Through that clear part the wearer can see the battery lights, which indicate what heat level the gloves are operating at. There are four heat levels.
Heating is distributed through the hand and fingers.
The set comes with a battery charger which plugs into the way and has a “Y” connector to charge both batteries. I’m not sure how long the charge lasts. The amount of time the batteries last depends on how high the level you set. I took them skiing last weekend in brutally cold temperatures. Even without the heating the gloves were great. As the day wore on I turned on the heaters and had a whole afternoon of warm hands.
According to Volt here are the rough times the batteries will last based on heat level:
100% High – 2 hours
75% Med/High – 3 hours
50% Medium – 5 hours
25% Low – 8 hours
Their website says low is 8 hours but the packaging says they will last over 10 hours.
Check out the conditions I was in last week in the video below. Unbelievably my hands were never cold!
Comfort
The gloves are very comfortable. I’m a big fleece fan so they’re great for me. They fit well and with the wrist coverage they help keep the pow pow out when I’m carving fresh tracks, or shoveling the driveway.
Conclusion
At a retail of $149, these gloves aren’t cheap. But warm hands can make the difference between enjoying your time outside doing whatever activity you may be doing, and being miserable. Whether walking the dog, skiing, or playing golf in the winter, warm hands are essential!
Top 10 Reasons Which Have NO Bearing on Me Buying a Golf Driver
Last night I was on Twitter for a minute. My time on social networks has dropped of late, which has been quite nice. Harry Arnett (SVP, Marketing & Brand Management at Callaway and Odyssey Golf) was arguing with someone from “My Golf Spy.” The back and forth between these two has become quite childish and tiresome really. The discussion went from Arnett saying MGS’s latest bragging (nooo, MGS brags? Never!) of unique visitors was a made up spreadsheet, and MGS hitting back with driver sales smack or some such nonsense. As I was falling asleep I was thinking of golf marketing, MGS, Arnett and how the sales numbers smack was supposed to hit Harry in the nuts, so to speak. At that point I realized just how little I care about golf marketing and how little, if at all, it has a bearing on what I will purchase. As the last sheep jumped over the fence the idea for today’s post hit me, top 10 reasons which have no bearing on me buying a driver.
Drumroll please…. The envelope.
#10 – It’s the “latest” model
With the insane product release cycles from TaylorMade and Callaway, your shiny new driver will be obsolete by the time you get to the top of your first backswing. I don’t care if a driver is the latest model, last year’s model, or five years old. Because it is new doesn’t mean it is better. Plus, I thought last years model, when it was the newest model, was the best driver eva! Now it’s chopped liver.
#9 – It’s on Golf Digest’s or Golf Magazine’s hot list, or whichever soon to be out of business golf magazine’s hot list I never read
Maybe I’m weird, but I have never read any golf magazine’s hot list. Seriously. Year after year these hot lists come out and year after year golf companies use being on them for part of their marketing. It’s all noise to me. “Ooooh did you see the hot list?” Um, no. Let me guess, all 4-5 major companies’ drivers were on it for the 20th year in a row.
#8 – It has some weird hole in it with a window you can open up and put chewing gum inside
The driver has some nutty feature like a weird window in it which you can open up and put stuff inside. Great.
The New KINGPXGM1-MEGA Driver
This is supposed to make me deliver the club perfectly at impact. Got it. Pass thanks.
#7 – It’s the longest long double-long, longer, guaranteed, long LONG LOOOONG!
Did I mention this driver is the longest, ever? That’s quite a feat considering last year’s model was the longest long long, longer, long LONG LONG, distance, huge longer, massive, long. What’s even more amazing is that last year’s long one is even longer than the super long massive long long LONG model from the year before that. …and so on.
#6 – It has ‘x’ number of adjustments
Cool, this driver has 987,562 different ways it can be configured! I’ve played many adjustable drivers. I like the concept. But once I adjust it that’s it. I never change it again. Nice to have adjustments, but I can easily adjust my own swing to a driver which has no adjustments but is setup properly.
#5 – It’s the #1 selling driver
Because a driver is the #1 selling driver doesn’t mean it is the best for me. It means company ‘x’ has the biggest marketing budget.
#4 – It’s the #1 driver on Tour
Because a particular golf company has a large enough budget to endorse more Tour players than any other golf company doesn’t mean their driver is the best for me.
#3 – Kenny G plays it
The #1 kazoo player in the world plays this driver and so should you. Seriously. Kenny G or George Lopez or some “star” playing a driver will never be a reason for me to. In fact, I’ll probably avoid playing any gear Kenny G uses to prevent “kazoo by association syndrome.”
#2 – PGA Tour player ‘so and so’ plays it
I do not have the same swing as Bubba Watson, Rory McIlory, Tiger Woods, Jason Day, or any other tour player. Because Bubba or whoever is the longest driver in the world with a particular model doesn’t mean I’ll hit it longer.
#1 – My Golf Spy says to
Last but not least, no My Golf Spy driver contest has or will ever have any bearing on whether or not I will purchase a driver. Maybe I’m missing something, but the only thing I notice in their marketing of these “unbiased tests” (LOL) is the whining and sniveling that Titleist or some other company “declined to participate.” It’s like they’re trying to shame or embarrass that company into sending them clubs. I’ve decided to have a “best bank” contest. Whichever bank doesn’t send me cash “declined to participate” and will be shamed online. Power to the bank customer!
Best reason to buy a driver?
Right before I went to sleep I hit the Instagram button on my phone by accident. Then it hit me. There she was, LPGA star Belen Mozo. Whatever driver she plays is the one for me.
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