Bags Packed For 2013 PGA Merchandise Show

Written by: Tony Korologos | Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013
Categories: HOG World Tour • PGA Merchandise Show • Site News

I’m all packed for my departure tomorrow. I’m heading to my 2nd least favorite city, Orlando, and one of my favorite events in golf, the PGA Merchandise Show! More about Orlando later.

I have a new bag for the HOG World Tour ready to test out and it is looking great! All my camera stuff and my media devices (laptop, phone, iPad, cables etc) fit in there great! Lowepro is the bag.

Bags packed for the 2013 PGA Merchandise Show!

Stay tuned right here to HookedOnGolfBlog.com for show updates, interviews, photos of the cool new gear and show news. Also be sure to tune into the HOG social networks for live updates:

HOG Twitter

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Review: SkyCaddie Breeze Golf GPS

Written by: Tony Korologos | Monday, January 21st, 2013
Categories: Golf Accessories • Golf Equipment • Golf Gear • Reviews

SkyCaddie has a new, simple, inexpensive golf GPS out now called the “Breeze.”

Sky Caddie Golf GPS Breeze

Is it a breeze to use? Let’s dive into this golf GPS review and find out.

Features

Out of the box the breeze is loaded with about 30,000 courses
Courses are auto-detected. Get to the course, turn the unit on and it automatically knows what course you’re playing
GPS yardages to front, middle and back of the greens provided instantly, updating every second
Measure shots on the course to track club distances
Digital scorecard tracks scores and stats
Sharp color TFT-LCD display is easy to read, even in direct sunlight
Upgradeable feature set

On The Course

I’ve reviewed and tested many golf GPS units. My home course is new, at least to the GPS community. It is about 10-12 years old and for some reason doesn’t “come up” on many units. I have to download the course first. This is not the case with the Breeze. As advertised, I turned the unit on and my home course came right up.

The yardages the Breeze delivers are SOLID. Some GPS units can be quite off. I’ll shoot a yardage with my laser for comparison and sometimes other GPS units are off by 5, 10 and even more yards. Not the case with the Breeze. Yardages are right.

Using the digital scorecard is a new concept for me. I’d forget to punch in scores, but once I got the hang of it the feature was nice. Nothing beats a golf pencil with no eraser and a paper scorecard though.

I really like the shot tracking functionality. You can mark where you hit your shots to/from and the unit will give you the yardages. Want to REALLY know how far your 7-iron goes? You’ll find out. The biggest problem for me was remembering to do it. I’d get a yardage, hit the shot, then halfway to the green I’d realize I forgot to mark the shot.

To truly benefit from the scorecard and shot measuring features, one needs to get the hang of doing those during the routine of the shot process.

Battery life on the unit is great. No issues with unit running out of juice in the middle of a round.

Upgradeable

My test unit from SkyCaddie does not include the upgradeable feature set. I’d love to get that functionality running and do a follow-up review. I’ll cover the additional available features here, but don’t have any on-course comments about them.

Feature pack 1 includes “IntelliGreen Pro.” This feature set gives the user reads on distances and major contours of the greens as well as false fronts.

Feature pack 2 has an “interactive hole view” which gives overviews of the hole. These zoomable features allow you to read the hole from above to read hazards, hole shapes and course routing. Quick view, part of this same feature pack, is an overview picture of the hole.

Dynamic RangeVue is part of Feature pack 3. Multiple arcs overlay across the fairway landing areas and greens to show the best club for all shot lines. PinPoint is also part of this pack. With PinPoint the user puts a mark on the green for pin placements to get better and more accurate yardages.

Critiques

I always include critiques in my reviews, even if they’re minor. I have two for this unit:

My first critique is the membership fee. Many GPS units out there do not charge a membership fee. For you penny pinchers out there, the unit may be less expensive at first but be sure to build in the cost of membership plans in factoring in the overall cost of the unit.

My second critique is with the dual navigation button. This button is a mini joystick style button used to navigate the screen and perform other functions. It is meant to give the user “one hand” style operation but I find it to be much less easy to use than a simple set of arrow keys would be.

Accessories

The unit charges with an included wall charger or via the computer’s USB cable. A clip system allows the Breeze to mount to the player’s belt, golf bag etc.

Conclusion

The Breeze is an entry-level golf GPS at a $229.95 retail price point. The features are basic but the most important a golfer needs from a GPS. The performance and features included out of the box are very solid and accurate. A high caliber player can depend on the numbers. The upgradeability of the unit is nice if one wants to get started with the basic features and add more features a la carte later.

The Breeze is like having a sprinkler head in your pocket, without getting wet pants.

Review: Royal & Awesome’s Pink Ticket Flat Cap

Written by: Tony Korologos | Sunday, January 20th, 2013
Categories: Golf Apparel • Golf Gear • Reviews

Royal and Awesome Pink Cap Fun but short review today. I’m not going to do a 3,000 word review on a golf hat though the comments (mostly positive) I’ve gotten about the hat on the course have exceeded 3000 words. This is the pink old school flat cap, Scottish style, from Royal and Awesome.

Features

The hat is 97% cotton and 3% spandex. Whatever the reason for those percentages is fine with me.

Speaking of fit, there are adjustable buttons on each side which allow for adjustment and a one-size-fits-all gig.

Style/Comfort

I love flat caps. I feel like Old Tom Morris when I wear one. They’re different feeling than standard golf caps. More comfortable usually. The Pink Ticket is most definitely comfortable. The fit is perfect with both of the adjustment buttons on the loose setting. If the wind kicks up (or my head shrinks for some reason) I can tighten the hat up to keep it secure.

Conclusion – I want to be Mr. Pink

Pink is the new black. I love wearing this cap for the comfort and the unique style.

Video: Tiger Woods topping drive. He’s human. McIlory & Woods miss cut in Abu Dhabi

Written by: Tony Korologos | Friday, January 18th, 2013
Categories: European Tour • Pro Golf • Rory McIlory • Tiger Woods

The golf for Tiger Woods and Rory McIlory wasn’t spectacular in Abu Dhabi this week. Both players missed the cut. Thank goodness for appearance fees…

There’s been a video floating around the social networks of a drive Tiger hit. It is a topper which barely made it past the ladies’ tees. He is human after all:

McIlory fired two 75’s to miss the cut.

Tiger incurred a two stroke penalty for improperly taking a drop for an imbedded ball. He thought he’d made the cut until he was informed of the penalty.

Golf On TV This Week: Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy in Abu Dhabi, PGA Tour’s Humana Challenge, Champions Tour Opener

Written by: Tony Korologos | Thursday, January 17th, 2013
Categories: Champions Tour • European Tour • PGA Tour • Pro Golf • Rory McIlory • Tiger Woods

European Tour
Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship
Jan. 16-20
Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

TV Times (Eastern):
Wednesday – 10:30 p.m.-8 a.m. (Live)
Thursday – 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. / 11 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (Round One Replay)
Friday – 2:30-8 a.m. (Live) / 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. / 1:30-4 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday – 4-8 a.m. (Live) / 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. / 1:30-4 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday – 4- 8 a.m. (Live) / 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. / 1:30-4 a.m. (Replay)

In The Field:

Tiger Woods, Rory McIlory, Ernie Els, Martin Kaymer, Jason Dufner, Justin Rose, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Branden Grace, Thomas Bjorn, Francesco Molinari, Peter Hanson, Edoardo Molinari, Colin Montgomerie, Matteo Manassero, Henrik Stenson, Alexander Noren, Paul Casey, Robert Rock, Todd Hamilton.

PGA Tour
Humana Challenge in Partnership with the Clinton Foundation
Dates: Jan. 17-20
Nicklaus Private Course & Palmer Private Course, PGA West, La Quinta Country Club, La Quinta, Calif.

TV Times (Eastern):
Thursday 3-7 p.m. (Live) / 7:30-10:30 p.m. (Replay)
Friday 3-7 p.m. (Live) / 10 p.m.-1 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 3-7 p.m. (Live) / 10 p.m.-1 a.m. (Replay)
Sunday 3-7 p.m. (Live) / 10 p.m.-1 a.m. (Replay)

In The Field

Phil Mickelson, Brandt Snedeker, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Bill Haas, Robert Karlsson, Tommy Gainey, Stuart Appleby, Carl Pettersson, Sean O’Hair, Seung-yul Noh, Harris English, Mike Weir, Boo Weekley, Robert Garrigus, Greg Chalmers, Jhonattan Vegas, Erik Compton.

Champions Tour
Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai
Jan. 18-20
Hualalai Resort Golf Club, Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii

TV Times (Eastern):
Friday 7:30-10 p.m. (Live) / 8-10:30 a.m. (Saturday Replay)
Saturday 7:30-10 p.m. (Live) / 8-10:30 a.m. (Sunday Replay)
Sunday 7:30-10 p.m. (Live) / 4-6 a.m. (Monday Replay)

In The Field

Mark Calcavecchia, Fred Couples, Bernhard Langer, Tom Lehman, Mark O’Meara, Corey Pavin, Kenny Perry, Tom Watson, Dan Forsman.

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