This weekend I did some short game and putting practice. I chose to use some golf balls sent in by Sightball, which have six crosshairs on them as seen below.
If you can’t aim with this ball, take up another sport…
The balls themselves are not “tour” level golf balls. They are not ProV1’s or anything like that. I wouldn’t play these in a regular round of golf, but that’s not the point. These are best suited for practice and improving setup.
Using the six aiming markings on the ball one can gather some great setup and swing path information quickly and easily. Recently I did some testing of my putting stroke via the 3Bays GSA Putt app, and noticed that my putter face was open 1 to 2 degrees at impact most of the time. The Sightball confirms that as seen below. Without the marking lines I couldn’t see the alignment issues as clearly.
By looking at the Sightball and the alignment of my putter face and center mark, I can easily tell if my putter is square
Post-impact the ball can give some great feedback as well. The golfer can gain great feedback as to the roll of the ball when aided by Sighball’s markings.
Critiques
I have no problem with the balls or the product itself. They serve their purpose well. That said, the branding, packaging and Sightball website should be blown up and redone. It needs a total facelift.
Conclusion
At $14.95 for a half dozen, one might consider marking shag balls with his own alignment markings. Those markings will not be as accurate, durable, and sharp as the ones Sightball comes with. I can certainly see an instant alignment benefit by using an alignment ball like Sightball. If you have alignment issues, especially with the putter, these would be very beneficial to improving your setup.
Yes, my brain has shorted out and the cerebellum is hotwired to my cerebral cortex backwards… Like I mentioned in my last post about the evil lady golfers who cast no shadows, I’m cleaning out my laptop files, including screen captured images which are puzzling, dumb, odd, sexist, or who knows what. I stumbled across this one which made my brain cringe. No I don’t cringe. My brain does.
“You deserve it?”
How does Troon Golf know Jordan Spieth deserved it? What criteria did Troon Golf use to determine whether Jordan Spieth deserved it or not? Who determined that Troon is the one who decides if someone deserves something? And if they did determine Troon was qualified to determine whether someone deserves something, who the hell put them in charge? What if Spieth didn’t deserve it but still won? What if Spieth deserved it and didn’t win? Did other players deserve it? Why didn’t those other players win if they deserved it? Why does Troon not post commentary about players who won other tournaments and deserved to win those? Why doesn’t Troon post “you did not deserve it” to players who won but didn’t deserve to? Why?
Whether or not Troon was qualified to state that Jordan deserved it, and whether or not Jordan did in fact deserve it, what is the purpose of saying so? Maybe Troon thought Jordan would appreciate being informed that he deserved it? Perhaps Troon thought Jordan didn’t know he deserved it and Troon was simply helping him out? Certainly if Spieth really did deserve it, he should have known, right? Could Spieth have deserved it and not realized he did? It would seem Troon thought he didn’t know he deserved it, assuming in fact he did.
I’m trying to clean up the files on my laptop. I screen capture things that look odd, funny, dumb… The photo below is one of those and it has taken me a long time to figure this out. Take a look.
Something is wrong with this photo, and it isn’t the fact that the lady in the background is aiming away from the flag, which is a few feet away from her and not pulled. If she putts and hits the stick it is a two stroke penalty. But like I said, that’s not the problem.
The lady in front looks like the lady in the back. Almost like they are the same lady. Maybe they’re twins? Plus she putts with a glove on? That’s odd. But that’s not it either. The front lady’s hair is blowing to the right, but the flag is blowing back and the lady on the right’s har isn’t moving. A little odd as well.
I finally figured out that the lady in the front is casting no shadow, but the lady in the back is. After hours, even days of research on the Google webs I figured out that this is a female golf Doppelgänger. Check out the description:
“Ancient folklore and mythology portrays the Doppelgänger as an entity that casts no shadow and has no reflection. They are also known as “evil twins” and often have sinister motives…”
I figured it out! These ladies are obviously evil Doppelgänger twins! I bet there’s something in there about not being affected by the wind and wearing a glove while putting.
Written by: Tony Korologos | Thursday, April 30th, 2015
Categories: Life
Yesterday was a fantastic day. On the date of his 2.5 year birthday, my little guy Seve (the 2034 Masters Tournament Champion) got to putt on a real putting green for the first time.
The little guy has been whacking plastic balls all around the house saying “that’s a good one,” for a while. Yesterday I played a round of golf with my dad. Seve and his momma were waiting by the 18th green for us to finish. When the little guy saw me he ran to me and had to show me his putting.
The slogan of Hooked On Golf Blog for many years has been “Golf, Life. In That Order.” With my son Seve being born exactly 2.5 years ago, the slogan has been reversed quite often. Today golf and life were one in the same.
Following the round we all enjoyed a “wee pint,” of milk.
With the 2015 Masters Tournament in the books and the U.S. Open coming up sooner than we think, tour pros and media are now in Chambers Bay mode. Chambers Bay is the location of the 2015 U.S. Open. Some players and caddies are now playing “recon” rounds at the course, and media are starting to post their Chambers Bay material.
That said, I thought it would be a good time to remind any HOG readers that I have a gallery of some Chambers Bay photos for those who are wondering what the course looks like.
Chambers Bay – Click to see the HOG Chambers Bay Photo Gallery
Foolish folks are calling Chambers Bay “America’s St Andrews.” This is about as dumb a statement as I’ve ever heard or read. First, St Andrews is a town in Scotland, not a golf course. Are these pundits saying that Chambers Bay golf course is America’s version of a town in Scotland? I believe the comparison they are trying to make is between St Andrews and the OLD COURSE, which is IN St Andrews. Having spent much time on both courses I must say the two are hardly similar. In fact they’re more dissimilar than they are similar. If I had to compare Chambers Bay to a course in or near St Andrews I would compare it to the Castle Course, but even that is a stretch.
Click the photo above or the following link for more Chambers Bay pictures. I have a bunch more I’ll try to dig up and post later.
HOGWire – Golf Industry News
