Tag: ernest sports

  • 2015 PGA Show – Best New Accessories

    Ogio Silencer Golf Bag
    Ogio Silencer Golf Bag

    Perhaps the most diverse and interesting group of products at the annual PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando is the accessories category. We see all kinds of electronics, soft goods, golf bags and various other products that it is hard to narrow the list down to just a few standouts. 2015 was no exception as we were able to sample quite a number of cool gadgets. Here are the ones that stood out in the crowd:

    • Arccos Golf – Arccos Golf is a game analysis platform that allows golfers to capture information about their swing, club performance and statistics in real time via a set of sensors installed to each club that connect to your phone or tablet via bluetooth. The amount of data collected can be overwhelming, but the mobile app and website help to dissect the information and pinpoint areas that need improvement. Easy to use and priced competitively, Arccos should be a big hit with the tech-savvy golfer looking for advanced stats and game tracking.
    • Golfersskin Sunscreen – Hopefully the sun is out most of the time when you play golf. After all, enjoying time outdoors is partly why we play. Too much time in the sun however, and you can develop sunburns or even skin cancer. Most sunscreens are oily and messy, but Golfersskin was developed specifically for golfers to be easy to apply without hurting your grip on the club. It’s not oily or slick and cleans up easily, while protecting from the sun as well as any sunscreen out there. It’s also fragrance free so it won’t attract bugs.
    • Izzo Swammi GT – There are many cool rangefinders and GPS devices on the market, and you can spend upwards of $600 on the latest models. That’s what makes the $199 Izzo Swami GT so attractive. It provides quick and accurate GPS yardages for over 30,000 courses, plus it includes game tracking technology using NFC sensors similar to GAME GOLF. It’s a simple, easy to use device with no frills.
    • Ogio Silencer Golf Bag – Ogio has been making very high quality products for as long as I’ve known about them. Their golf bags are among the most functional, stylish and durable on the market. The new Ogio Silencer golf bags have a great feature that locks each club so that they don’t bang together while being transported. This not only saves the clubs from bag nicks and bag wear, but also cuts down on noise. In fact, the Silencer system keeps the clubs locked in the bag even upside down.
    • Golf Pride MCC Plus4 Grips – There hasn’t been much change in golf grips for decades, because there really isn’t much you can do within the rules and, frankly, rubber is rubber! Golf Pride has been one of the leaders in golf grips for decades and are widely used on all professional tours around the world. What most pros do that most amateur golfer don’t do however, is build up the grips with additional tape for less taper under the right hand. The new Golf Pride MCC Plus4 grips feature a larger lower hand and new softer rubber material. They have a 4.6% larger lower hand diameter than the Original MCC. The larger diameter of the Plus4 encourages lighter grip pressure, reduced tension and just feels better to me. The lower hand has a soft rubber compound ideal for enhanced feel and the upper hand material is a soft compound with brushed cotton cord.
    • Switchgrips Putter Grips – Changing grips is a pain and can be expensive, especially for putters. Switchgrips has taken the grip world by storm by letting people change their grips without cutting and installing a new one every time. With their proprietary under listing and interchangeable grips, if you want a change simply loosen with the torx wrench, pull the old one off and slide and twist a new one it into place. Grips come in different colors, sizes and materials, including rubber, leather and exotics like Alligator and Ostrich.
    • Ernest ES14 Launch Monitor – Launch monitors are all the rage for club fitting these days, and even golf telecasts on TV use them to show viewers information about tee shots. While the ones used by golf pros and high-end fitters can cost upwards of $40,000, Ernest Sports has a few models that cost under $500. Sure, the expensive units from Trackman and FlightScope are able to track the entire ball flight using military grade doppler radar, but the Ernest Sports ES14 is still able to give you all the information you need like club speed, ball speed, spin, launch angle, carry distance and smash factor, all in a compact package that fits in your golf bag. Oh yeah, and you don’t have to sell your car to buy one either.
    • Jan Craig Head Covers – The most basic of golf accessories, the head cover is often overlooked by many golfers when spending their hard earned dollars. Any time you buy a new driver or fairway wood you get a head cover, but those clubs are also the clubs that are most frequently stolen, along with putters. They are easy targets for thieves with their bright colors and easy-to-identify designs. Jan Craig makes premium hand-knit 100% worsted wool head covers that look great and mask your clubs’ brand to help deter thieves, but they are also beautiful and guaranteed for life. They’ve been around since the early 1960’s so they aren’t “new”, but they may be new to you! If you were paying attention to the past two Ryder Cups, you may have noticed that those cool looking head covers the US team was using were made by Jan Craig. These are simply the best made head covers you can buy. They are perfect for an old-school guy like me, and the fact that you can designing your own knit head covers on their website to suit your tastes is the icing on the cake for me.
    Jan Craig Headcovers
    Jan Craig Headcovers

  • 5 Golf Companies to Watch in 2014

    GolfboardWhile the golf industry as a whole isn’t doing as well as in years past, 2014 is shaping up to be a decent year for new golf products. While many were underwhelmed with the new product launches at the PGA Show, that doesn’t mean there is nothing worth watching in the coming months. Here are 5 companies we are keeping an eye on, as we expect them to have an impact on the market in the next twelve months…

    5 Golf Companies to Watch in 2014

    1. Hopkins Golf – Greg Hopkins knows all about wedges. After all, he was CEO of Cleveland Golf for 16 years. With his new company Hopkins Golf, he’s combining his knowledge of the golf industry with fresh ideas to market high quality, custom made wedges direct to the consumer. Cutting out the middle man allows Hopkins to charge less than his competitors. There are seven different grinds to choose from, and all kinds of shafts, grips and custom stamping options to help you design a true one-of-a-kind wedge. I’ve bought a Hopkins 60 degree “channel” grind wedge and put it in the bag almost immediately. They are that good. Plus, we’ve struck a deal with Hopkins to get readers a free custom grind on their next order by using promo code ITG20! Check them out, they will be the fastest growing wedge in golf this year.
    2. Wolsey – Wolsey is a British apparel company that has been around since 1755. Once a very popular golf brand in the U.K. with stars like Peter Alliss and Tony Jacklin, Wolsey is relaunching their golf line and coming to the US. The era of bright colors and flashy patterns in golf fashion isn’t for everyone. For those who aren’t fans of that style, Wolsey is a perfect fit. I’m starting to see a shift from golf specific fashion to more of a “wear every day” style that works both on and off the golf course. Wolsey’s entire line is representative of that philosophy. You’ll feel just as comfortable on the course or in the office wearing Wolsey’s classic designs while taking advantage of modern technical fabrics and performance. I predict that Wolsey will be one of the fastest growing apparel brands in 2014.
    3. Golfboard – “Surf the Earth” is the best way to describe the hottest new product at the 2014 PGA Show. Golfboard is basically a cross between a golf cart and a surfboard. The Golfboard allows a rider to “surf” along the golf course while having less impact on the turf than a golf cart. The golfboard weights 600 pounds less than a golf cart and uses the same tires as most common mowing equipment. The four wheel drive golfboard can handle 18 holes on any course while giving the rider two options for riding. You can get one with a bag stand for stability or free ride with the bag on your back. While the $4000 price tag may not be right for you, Golfboard is hoping that many progressive golf course operators will soon offer these for rent instead of a traditional golf cart. I for one, can’t wait!
    4. Ernest Sports – Until recently, expensive doppler radar launch monitors have been reserved for high-end club fitters and tour pros because of their huge price tags. Those same systems also required a laptop, special cabling and AC power, making them inconvenient for quick sessions on the run. Of all the technology in golf these days, launch monitors and swing analyzers have made the biggest leap forward. While the typical setup for a Trackman costs about $20,000, Ernest sports is launching their new ES14 launch monitor for under $500. It’s also portable (1.5 lbs), uses AC or battery power and connects wirelessly to your phone or tablet with a custom app to display all the data. The much more expensive Trackman is able to track more info and the ES14 derives some values (like spin rate) rather than measuring them like the Trackman, but for the price difference that is understandable. The Ernest Sports ES14 can show the golfer their club speed, launch angle, ball speed, smash factor, spin rate and carry distance, which is more than enough for most people wanting to get fit for new clubs or help them improve their game. The price point makes it affordable and the compact size make it practical to carry in your bag every day.
    5. Hack Golf – Hack Golf is not a company, but a movement led my industry leaders to make the game more fun, affordable and accessible, Hack Golf was introduced at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show by TaylorMade CEO Mark King. We’ve seen many of these so-called growth initiatives in the past and none of them had much impact, so our skepticism is only natural. Nevertheless, Hack Golf has potential to make a real impact by crowdsourcing the movement and with ideas to grow the game like tournaments with 15″ diameter holes and non-conforming oversize clubs and balls for beginners to learn the game. I recently wrote about the state of the game and presented some of my ideas on how to make the game more fun. Hack Golf shares some of these ideas and invites people to make their voices heard, which I applaud. Head on over to Hackgolf.org and join in the movement!