Proven Insect Repellent

Written by: Tony Korologos | Wednesday, July 10th, 2019
Categories: Golf Accessories • Reviews

This past spring has been the 2nd wettest on record this year here in northern Utah. I live in a lowland area which is quite swampy and has a nearby river. Combine those two and you have a recipe for mosquitos. Fortunately Proven sent in some of their insect repellent for me to try out.

Proven

For awhile I couldn’t sit out on my back porch in the evening because the mosquitos were coming out, big time. After applying some Proven, that issue was instantly resolved. We don’t have many ticks here, but I’m glad to know that if I’m slogging through the brush here at my local golf course looking for balls, the ticks will not want to have anything to do with me.

I’ve used proven in many situations and it has performed well. Those include golf, hiking in the mountains where there are big flies, working/playing in the yard and more.

Not Proven

One scenario that Proven (and three other repellents) was ineffective was down in the Utah desert. On a recent trip to Goblin Valley our camp was infested with gnats. The Proven was my first line of defense and I was surprised that the gnats couldn’t care less about it.

Final Thoughts

If you have a gnat issue, Proven may not be the ticket. Otherwise I completely recommend Proven for flies, mosquitos, ticks and other irritating bugs.

Bonehead of the Week – Errant Tee Shot

Written by: Tony Korologos | Tuesday, June 25th, 2019
Categories: Boneheads • Hackers
Tags: Boneheads

I live fairly close to my home course. My place is about five houses down the street from the 8th hole. On the way to work this morning I couldn’t help noticing a golf ball in the gutter. See below.

The home in the background sits about 10 yards from a fence. Roughly 30 yards on the other side of the fence is the green of the par-3 8th. The 8th plays about 150 yards for the average player, 175 for better players. This tee shot, on a 150-175 yard hole, finished about 80-100 yards left, out of bounds of course.

Naturally I stopped and grabbed the ball. It’s a cheapo Callaway golf ball. It will come in handy on my next range session, in 2020.

Aerial Photos – River Oaks at Sandy City Utah

Written by: Tony Korologos | Sunday, June 23rd, 2019
Categories: Aerial Photography • Golf • Golf Courses
Tags: Golf Aerial Photography • Utah Golf

It’s not lucky. It is by design that I live next to a golf course. I live near the 8th and 9th holes, about a five minute walk from the clubhouse and the first tee. I have a good relationship with the course, having been a very active player there, and president of the men’s league for seven really long years.

River Oaks 10th Hole Tee View

Tonight I brought out my big hexacopter (drone with six propellers) and did some photos of a few holes. The hexacopter is equipped with a mirror-less camera and a prime wide angle lens. It’s my gamer for photography and video from the air.

With the evening light I was able to capture a few very nice shots of some of the holes. The first photo above is the very tight and tough 10th hole. The black tee is at the bottom of the frame and you can see that the tee shot must be extremely accurate or it is adios white spheroid.

River Oaks 10th Hole Green View

Above you can see the 10th hole from behind the green. You pretty much can’t miss left or right on this hole, as is the case for just about every hole on this course. Bring your tee shot A-game here.

I’ve added six nice shots to the River Oaks photo gallery here. Enjoy.

New Balance Striker Golf Shoe Review

Written by: Tony Korologos | Monday, June 17th, 2019
Categories: Golf Apparel • Golf Gear • Reviews
Tags: Golf Shoes • New Balance

I’ve been waiting a long time for the opportunity to review golf shoes from New Balance. Finally that time came but the timing wasn’t great. Unfortunately I didn’t get as many rounds with these shoes as I normally would have prior to my review, due to my shoulder surgery. I only had a few weeks with them when I normally like to test golf shoes out for a few months.

New Balance Striker Golf Shoes

The Striker is a sharp looking golf shoe with a ton of great features. Here are a few:

“CUSH” foam provides softness and comfort
“REVlite” foam is lightweight and provides durability and support
The outsole is designed to move naturally with the motion of the foot
2- year waterproof warranty
Waterproof microfiber leather upper looks sharp and provides ultralight support and fit
Champ Slim-Lok Zarma Tour cleats

Colors/Sizes

There are three color ways available in the Striker. Pictured is the Grey with Blue option. Rounding out the three are Black with Red and White with Grey. They all look very classy.

Sizes available run from 8 to 16. Width options, not normally available in most golf shoes, are standard, wide and extra-wide.

On The Course

As I expected the Striker was very comfortable and fit my feet well. I had no wearing or blister issues walking rounds straight off. It was like the shoes were already broken in. The CUSH and REVlite foams obviously did their job because walking felt soft and low impact.

Power, accuracy and distance start with the feet and a solid, dependable base. The sole design and Champ Slim-Lok Zarma Tour cleats did a fantastic job providing the stability and traction needed for that solid base. In varying conditions from very wet and muddy to super dry, traction was terrific.

Final Thoughts

The New Balance Striker is strikingly sharp looking and provides terrific performance. I look forward to picking up where I left off with my Strikers. I have some unfinished golf business as soon as the shoulder is ready. Unfortunately that’s looking like sometime in 2020.

My 2019 US OPEN Dark Horse Pick

Written by: Tony Korologos | Wednesday, June 12th, 2019
Categories: Pro Golf • U.S. OPEN • USGA
Tags: US OPEN

A lot of HOG patrons have been asking me for my picks for the US OPEN, especially my “dark horse” pick. After a lot of thought and analysis, here it is.