Little Tikes Golf Set Review

Written by: Tony Korologos | Tuesday, November 26th, 2013
Categories: Golf Balls • Golf Clubs • Golf Equipment • Golf Gear • Reviews
Tags: Golf Balls • Golf Equipment • Golf Equipment Review

Little Tikes Golf Set

Having blogged about golf since before people knew what blogs were, and having reviewed 100’s of different golf clubs, I have to say this review was one of the funnest. I have never encountered such a great minimalistic set of clubs which was also so useful and versatile, until now. Testing out the clubs has been great. Working on the review along side my one-year-old Seve was fabulous. Let’s take a look at the Little Tikes Golf Set.

Little Tikes Golf Set Overview

The Little Tikes Golf Set is a beginner’s set of clubs which comes complete with an iron, putter, putting green, three balls, golf hole and even a tee. Though the set is designed for beginners, even low single digit handicappers like myself can benefit from the forgiveness, feel and versatility of these clubs.

Iron

The Little Tikes iron is groundbreaking. This is two clubs in one, at least. There is a club face on each side of the head, meaning the club could be played right or left-handed. From a business perspective this is great. The manufacturer doesn’t need to spend a bunch of money and time building two sets of irons, right and left-handed. From a player perspective the versatility is great. Think of all those times you’ve had to turn over your 7-iron to hit a backward shot. No need now.

Iron plays both ways…

The control I have with the iron is great. I’m able to produce low or high shots and working the ball either direction is a breeze.

Putter

Like a Bull’s Eye putter, the Little Tikes is a straight blade which can be played right or left-handed. The shorter shaft is great. It helps me get set properly with my eyes over the ball. I can really see the line well in that position, mostly because my face is about 18 inches from the ground.

Putter at address…

The way this putter rolls the rock is fantastic. The ball rolls true, even on shag carpet.

The feel of this putter is like butter while the audible feedback the putter produces helps with feel and confidence.

Balls

The golf balls included with the Little Tikes give the Titleist ProV1 a run for its money. These are two layer balls but they feel so soft you’d think they were a 3-5 layer.

The core of the ball is made up primarily of oxygen (since it is hollow), which helps increase distance with the long clubs but still gives a soft feel in the short game. The hollow core also helps increase the golf ball’s “moment of inertia” or MOI. This helps the ball fly truer and straighter. The dimple pattern helps give the ball lift while reducing side-spin and increasing accuracy.

Despite having such great distance, the ball produces a TON of backspin with the iron. When hitting full iron shots from the TV room to the guest room, I’ve actually backed it up several times. It is like having Phil Micklespin. I do find that I need to be careful. Sometimes I can produce too much backspin and the ball sucks away from the target. 3/4 shots work well, or I’ll just fly it past the pin and suck it back.

Green

The included green and tee with the Little Tikes Golf Set provides a nice practice area which is also portable. That portability comes in handy when taking Seve to grandpa’s house or moving the course from the TV room to his bedroom.

Tee

The tee, built into the green, is a bit high for my taste. I find sometimes I pop up my shots. Seve doesn’t have a problem with the tee height though. He’s able to tee it high and let it fly.

Little Tikes Golf Set

Critiques

In my reviews I try to play devil’s advocate and point out some areas which could be improved.

As I mentioned above, the tee is a little high for me. An adjustable tee would be great.

I have found the durability of the balls to be a little on the soft side. After a few solid short iron shots I can see areas in the golf ball’s cover which are showing signs of wear. I do realize though, that in order to produce such high spin and short game performance, the cover needs to be soft. It is a tradeoff and I’m fine with giving up a little durablity for performance.

Conclusion

If you’re shopping for a beginner golf set, and I mean BEGINNER, the Little Tikes Golf Set is a great option. The clubs and balls are solid offerings which are very versatile and work for righties or lefties, or little kids who we’re not exactly sure which one they are.

Related Links

Check out the Hooked On Golf Blog Little Tikes Golf Set photo album.

First Look: Cobra Golf Baffler XL Hybrid

Written by: Tony Korologos | Monday, November 25th, 2013
Categories: Golf Clubs • Golf Equipment • Golf Gear
Tags: Cobra Golf • golf clubs • Golf Equipment

Golf gear alert! In for review here at Hooked On Golf Blog is the latest and greatest hybrid from Cobra Golf, part of the new Baffler XL lineup. This one is a 19 degree Baffler XL Hybrid.

Cobra Golf – Baffler XL Hybrid

These pictures look great but the club is even more pretty when it is sitting in your hands.

Assuming it doesn’t snow, I’ll be putting this new hybrid from Cobra to the test. Stay tuned for my review but until then, check out this gallery of Cobra Baffler XL Hybrid photos.

Holiday Golf Gift Guide – Golf Shoes

Written by: Tony Korologos | Sunday, November 24th, 2013
Categories: Golf Apparel • Golf Gear
Tags: Black Friday • Golf Gifts • Holiday Golf Gift

Each year I write a holiday gift guide around Thanksgiving. I usually include many random items from golf equipment to golf apparel. Those articles feature a comment or two about the item, plus a link to my original product article or review.

I’m going to do something a little different this year. Rather than putting a bunch of random items into one post, I’m going to post a few more focused golf gift guides. This one will be shoes.

Holiday Golf Gift Guide – Golf Shoes

FootJoy M:Project

FootJoy M:Project Spikeless

When looking back the the shoe reviews I’ve done this year, and there are many, I’d be inclined to give FootJoy’s new M:Project the best golf shoe of 2013. The M:Project is a departure for the normally conservative FJ in its appearance, in a good way. Not only are these shoes very stylish, they’re perhaps the most comfortable golf shoe from FJ I’ve ever worn.

The M:Project comes in spiked and spikeless flavors. Check out the Hooked On Golf Blog FootJoy M:Project golf shoe spiked review and the M:Project spikeless golf shoe review.

GoBe Prodigy Golf Shoes

GoBe Golf Prodigy-Black/Red Golf Shoes – click for more images

GoBe is a new player in the golf shoe market.

The new GoBe Prodigy golf shoe is a hybrid street/golf shoe with great comfort, performance and best of all, a very cool look.

The GoBe Prodigy shoes are 20x more water resistant than treated leather golf shoes.

Puma Faas Lite Mesh Golf Shoes

Puma Faas Lite Mesh Golf Shoe

I really dig Puma golf shoes. They’re always very stylish and trendy, with all sorts of great innovations.

The Puma Faas Lite Mesh golf shoes are the lightest golf shoes on the planet (currently). They’re like wearing super-light sneakers, only more comfortable and better looking.

The treads are very innovative with their “SmartQuill” pattern and flex grooves. Great traction.

Ecco Tour Hybrid Wingtip

Ecco Tour Hybrid Wingtip Golf Shoes – click to see more

I’d have to say the best looking shoe I’ve reviewed in 2013 is the Ecco Tour Hybrid Wingtip. You could wear this shoe to a wedding, then run out to the adjoining golf course to squeeze in nine holes between the ceremony and the reception.

Not only are they fantastic looking, the Ecco Tour Hybrid Wingtip is as comfortable as wearing a pair of fuzzy bunny slippers.

Conclusion

Whether you’re going for comfort, performance, style or a bit of each, the list above has you covered for great holiday golf gifts!

Best golf blooper ever? Chi Chi Rodriguez hits himself in the Chi Chi’s

Written by: Tony Korologos | Thursday, November 21st, 2013
Categories: Champions Tour • Golf Videos • Miscellaneous • Pro Golf
Tags: Chi Chi Rodriguez • Golf Channel • The Big Break

This is sure to be all over the web, everywhere, but I had to post it anyway because it’s so damn funny. I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with golf legend Chi Chi Rodriguez on many occasion. He’s such a cool cat, full of so many stories.

During an appearance in Puerto Rico (his home) on Golf Channel’s Big Break NFL, Chi Chi’s attempt at the “break the glass” gig went terribly wrong.

An instant classic.

Staying Warm on the Golf Course – Dunning Base Layer Review

Written by: Tony Korologos | Wednesday, November 20th, 2013
Categories: Golf Apparel • Golf Gear • Reviews
Tags: Dunning Golf

Dunning Base Layer Long Sleeve – click to zoom

After yesterday’s round I must post this review today. In northern Utah golfing in late November is not common because it is either too cold or the courses are closed due to snow. Since I hadn’t played for 21 days and the wind was down, I decided to brave the cold and play some golf with a good friend. Thanks to my Dunning Layering system, the only cold part of the round was my putting.

Dunning Base Layer Overview

The Dunning Base Layer system is made from 100% merino wool, one of the finest wools available. The merino wool in the base layer is fantastic at regulating body temperature, especially in keeping the player warm and insulated in cold conditions.

Dunning offers two options for the top portion of the base layer (the upper body). There is a short sleeve shirt base layer ($89.00) or a long sleeve version ($99.00). Sizes for the top section come in small, medium, large, extra-large and double extra-large. The only color offered is black.

The bottom portion of the base layer comes in the form of boxer briefs, with three styles to choose from. Sizes for the boxer briefs are small, medium, large, extra-large and double extra-large.

On The Course, At The Game, On The Slopes?

I’m normally pretty picky about the temperatures I’ll be willing to golf in. Anything below 55F is usually a no-go with my sketchy back. Yesterday’s temps were sub 50’s and hovering around the 40’s when the round was over. With my base layer system rocking, I was nice and warm and somehow hitting the ball very well to the point of being 20-30 yards longer than normal. The base layer helped keep me warm so I could focus on playing good golf, not on how cold I was.

I’ve worn the base layer system for two of the last home Utah football games here. My seats are in the west stands, which can be very cold when the sun goes behind them. I’ve nearly frozen to death several times at November football games. Not the case this year. The base layer has been a huge help.

Soon the golf courses here will be permanently closed due to snow. At that point I’ll be hanging up the golf clubs and heading up to Utah’s greatest snow on earth for some skiing. I’m looking forward to putting my base layer into play on the slopes. I like to suggest to my friends at Dunning they they make a long-underwear version of the boxer briefs.

Dunning Merino Wool Boxer Brief Base Layer

Conclusion

Dunning’s base layer components are not cheap. They could certainly be more expensive than the regular apparel items they would be underneath. That cost is offset immediately by the performance, comfort and especially the warmth the system provides. Thanks to the Dunning layering system, I can enjoy outside activities like golf, football, and soon skiing.

Related Links

The Base Layer would go great with the Dunning Golf Stretch Thermal ¼-zip pull-over as well as the Dunning Stretch Pique Multi Stripe Polo.

Check out the Hooked On Golf Blog Dunning image gallery.

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