Fantasy Golf – HP Byron Nelson Championship Winner

Written by: Tony Korologos | Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
Categories: Fantasy Golf • Miscellaneous • Site News

HP Byron Nelson Championship Winner: Golf Grouch

2013 Fantasy Golf is brought to you by Hooked On Golf Blog and The Golf Space.

SPONSOR UPDATE

The following four sponsors have been confirmed for 2013!

Nike Golf – Nike Covert Driver
FootJoy – Shoes/Apparel
Bridgestone Golf – Bridgestone Golf Balls
Tornado Tee – Very cool golf tees (weekly)

I’m still hammering out prizes and arrangements for coupon codes to claim the weekly prizes. Stay tuned!

It is never too late to join HOG Space fantasy golf FREE. Follow the easy instructions below:

1. Go to www.buzzfantasyleagues.com
2. Create an account if you don’t have one
3. Click on “Join an Existing League”
4. Enter League ID 233, and Season ID 335
5. Create your team, enter league password “HOG”

: Nike Covert Driver Grand Prize

Sponsors Wanted

If you wish to sponsor 2013 Fantasy Golf, let me know. Sponsorship would mean providing prizes in exchange for weekly air time, banners and links to your web site via the fantasy golf updates.

Discussion

HOG Space fantasy golf is a dual effort between Hooked On Golf Blog and The Golf Space. Official fantasy golf forum discussion thread is in The Golf Space Forum here.

What Is The Worst Airline for Golf Travel? Reader Poll Results

Written by: Tony Korologos | Monday, May 20th, 2013
Categories: Boneheads • Golf • Miscellaneous • Travel

delta-airlines The Pundits Have Spoken…

I needed to use my professional tripod yesterday to shoot some golf photos and video. I hadn’t used this particular tripod since my recent trip to Bogota, Colombia a couple of months ago. Unfortunately I found out that my tripod joined the list of my property that had been damaged or destroyed by Delta Airlines. The clamp which extends the top section of the tripod was broken off. Add this to the list of three golf bags, two golf travel bags, broken head covers and trashed luggage courtesy of Delta. Hell, on one trip, they trashed two separate bags! Fortunately that time they paid for the damage.

I’ve had a poll buried in the bottom of the HOG pages here, slowly gathering some votes. Based on my latest item trashed by an airline, I thought it a good time to post these poll results:

What is the WORST airline for golf travel?

British Airways (7%)
United Airlines (10%)
US Airways (13%)
Southwest Airlines(12%)
Continental Airlines(8%)
JetBlue Airways (9%)
American Airlines (14%)
Delta Airlines (27%)

The pundits have spoken. Delta Airlines is the worst airline for golf travelers according to HOG readers and I’d have to agree. I can’t believe they actually charge me extra money in the form of baggage fees to trash my gear too! Such a privilege. What’s even more crazy is that I pay that money just so I can rack up frequent flyer miles so I can presumably have my bags trashed for free on my next skymile redemption…

Next poll: What is the BEST airline for golf travel? Vote in the left column!

Golf Training Aid Review: Golf-Grip

Written by: Tony Korologos | Monday, May 20th, 2013
Categories: Golf Accessories • Golf Gear • Reviews
Tags: Golf Training Aid

Golf-Grip In Action!

The golf grip is the one place where the player connects with the club. This is where it all starts in the golf swing. If the grip is bad, all sorts of corrections in other parts of the golf swing and setup are required to compensate. Starting with a proper grip makes the rest of the swing fall into place, just ask Ben Hogan.

Golf-Grip – Golf Training Aid

Golf-Grip is a very cool golf training aid which goes on the player’s own clubs and helps him/her establish a proper grip.

My grip is a bit skewed, with one hand strong and the other weak. That must be what produces my “granny over-the-top dual chicken wing” swing. After a few practice sessions with the Golf-Grip I’m trying to get the feel of where my hands should be and what relationship they have to each other. It is hard as I’ve learned some bad habits.

Setup

Setting up Golf-Grip is easy. Slide it on any golf grip on any club in the bag except the putter, line up the white alignment line and put your hands on it.

If you want to strengthen your grip to promote draws or hooks, rotate the Golf-Grip clockwise on the grip. If you want to weaken the grip to produce fades or slices, rotate it counter-clockwise.

Conclusion

At around $20, Golf-Grip could really help players get their connection with the club setup properly. More experienced players could rotate the grip to get the feel of draw and fade grip setups.

Related Links

Hooked On Golf Blog Golf-Grip images

Golf-Grip website

Rukk Net – Portable Golf Practice Net

Written by: Tony Korologos | Friday, May 17th, 2013
Categories: Golf Accessories • Golf For Women • Golf Gear • Golf Videos • Miscellaneous • Reviews

Rukk Net Golf Practice Net

If there’s one thing I need almost as much as a round of golf at Augusta National Golf Club, its practice. The problem with my now very busy schedule along with the months of winter when there is snow on the ground, is that I can’t go to the driving range very often. So I get rusty and my golf muscles atrophy. Fortunately this past winter I had a new golf practice net from Rukk Net by Rukket, setup in my basement. I was able to make some full swings with real golf clubs and real golf balls in my house over the winter. I can feel the benefits this spring already! Lets take a closer look at Rukk Net’s golf practice net.

Size

When setup, the Rukk Net is seven feet high and about 10 feet wide, roughly five feet deep. There’s an outer net for the frame and an inner net which catches the balls. When properly setup (not on long grass as in my video) the net will return the ball back to the player hitting the shot!

The net sets up in, just estimating here, 3-5 SECONDS. Teardown is a bit more tedious, clocking in at perhaps around TEN seconds, unless you include stuffing it into the included carrying case, then the teardown is a whopping 20-30 seconds. In short, it is about the quickest and easiest setup and teardown of anything you’ll ever have.

Hit Balls In The Basement, Back Yard, Parks….

When in its carrying/storage case the net is about the size of a big drum cymbal. It is flat and easy to store. As mentioned I had it setup in my basement, even with eight foot ceilings. I couldn’t swing drivers because the club would hit the ceiling, but I could hit wedges and short irons. The unit could easily be taken anywhere and setup quickly for practice on the beach, the park, the back yard.

Video

Here’s a video showing two types of shots into the net. Some question if the net is tall enough to catch high lofted shots. The first two shots in the video are my 56 degree sand wedge. The next two are my driver. Bear in mind this is a golf net demonstration, not a golf swing clinic! Enjoy my granny swing…

Conclusion

At $199 retail and a street price of around $179, the usefulness of a practice net can pay for itself quickly. Around here a bucket of 30-40 balls is $8 and a jumbo is $10. Two weeks or practice at 50-100 balls per day on the rang would pay for a Rukk Net. Beyond that would be gravy. The benefits to one’s game and confidence are an even bigger payoff.

Rukket’s golf net would make a great Father’s Day gift for the golfing father in your life.

Related Links

HOG Rukk Net photos

Rukket Website

Golf on TV This Week: HP Byron Nelson Championship, Volvo World Match Play Championship, Mobile Bay LPGA Classic

Written by: Tony Korologos | Thursday, May 16th, 2013
Categories: European Tour • LPGA Tour • PGA Tour • Pro Golf

PGA Tour
HP Byron Nelson Championship
TPC Four Seasons Golf Course, Irving, Texas

Thursday, May 16 3:00-6:00p Golf Channel
Friday, May 17 3:00-6:00p Golf Channel
Saturday, May 18 1:00-2:30p Golf Channel 3:00-6:00p CBS
Sunday, May 18 1:00-2:30p Golf Channel 3:00-6:00p CBS

European Tour
Volvo World Match Play Championship
Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort, Kavarna, Bulgaria