While 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
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
I frequently travel to golf tournaments and stay in mediocre hotel rooms with starchy cotton sheets. I had been looking for a better option than simply upgrading to even more expensive hotels when LPGA Star Paula Creamer took to her Twitter account to talk about her Sheex Sleep Sax that she travels with. I immediately got one for myself and still use it every time I travel and stay in hotels. Once I got used to luxurious feel and comfort of the Sleep Sax, I decided it was time to have that luxury every night at home, and I got a set of Sheex sheets for my bedroom. In the year’s time I’ve been sleeping on Sheex sheets, they have actually saved me money and paid for themselves. For an explanation and more detailed look at Sheex Performance Sheets, check out my full review from last summer.
Sheex athletic sheets are nothing like the old fashioned cotton bedding most people sleep on. They are like a moisture wicking athletic shirt for your bed, very similar to the popular Under Armor shirts. The fabric is a combination of 82% Polyester and 18% Lycra spandex, and it won’t shrink or fade like cotton. According to the North Carolina State University Center for Research on textile Protections and Comfort, Sheex sheets transfer body heat twice as effectively as cotton and breaths nearly 50% better. This allows the body to cool itself rapidly for faster and deeper sleep. It also reduces fluctuations in temperature that can be distracting to sleep. The high performance fabrics used in Sheex also feel softer and cooler to the touch than cotton. Imagine having the “other side of the pillow” feeling all night, that’s what Sheex feels like.
Sheex sheets are available online and at Bed Bath and Beyond stores nationwide. Prices for a Queen set are $199, and a King set runs a bit more at $219. We spend so much of our lives in bed (about 1/3 of every day) that the price for a high quality set of bedding like Sheex seems reasonable to me. For those looking for a coupon or discount, Sheex has created a promo code for our readers to receive 10% off purchases from the Sheex online store. Just go to http://sheex.com/IntoTheGrain get 10% off your entire order at checkout. This amounts to a savings of over $20 on a king sheet set, which isn’t bad if you ask me. Trust me, once you spend a few nights with Sheex sheets, you won’t sleep on anything else.
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I know I know, I’m sure your first thought when reading this title was: “What the heck does bedding have to do with golf?” There are a few reasons why I’m talking about bed sheets on a golf website. For starters, everyone has to sleep – even golfers. In fact, most people will spend about a third of their lifetime sleeping! (8 hours per 24 hour day) Secondly, anyone who lives an active lifestyle knows how beneficial a good night’s rest can be for recovery and stress reduction. Even so, sleeping isn’t something most people think about. I never gave it much thought either, until I discovered Sheex. A while back, LPGA golfer Paula Creamer wrote on twitter account about Sheex after ordering one of their body sleeves for traveling. After reading about their products I reached out and they were kind enough to send me a set to try out for myself.
Before you read on – for those interested in saving a few bucks, Sheex has created a promo code for our readers! To receive 10% off purchases from the Sheex Online Store. Just go here: http://sheex.com/intothegrain and you’ll receive 10% off automatically.
What is Sheex? Sheex is performance bedding. Long gone are the days of wearing a heavy cotton shirt to work out, or even play golf. Most people (in warm climates especially) wear some sort of moisture wicking light weight fabric, like Nike’s DryFit, Adidas’ CLIMACOOL or Under Armour. So why sleep on heavy cotton sheets any more? After seeing the evolution of fabrics in athletic clothing, company founders Susan Walvius and Michelle Marciniak decided to bring the same type of high performance fabrics to the bedroom and created Sheex.
To describe it in the most basic terms, Sheex bedding is like Under Armor for your bed. Sheex performance bedding is designed to help people sleep better by achieving and maintaining better thermal conditions for sleep. What does that mean? Basically, Sheex helps keep your body cooler, which is one of the most critical factors for optimal sleep. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, “A cool (not cold) bedroom is often the most conducive to sleep.” The National Sleep Foundation also notes that “temperatures above 75 degrees and below 54 degrees will disrupt sleep,” with 65 degrees being the ideal sleep temperature for most individuals, according to the Foundation.
Sheex performance bedding works just like an athletic shirt or shorts made of similar materials. According to testing conducted at the North Carolina State University Center for Research on textile Protections and Comfort, the bedding transfers body heat twice as effectively as cotton and breaths nearly 50% better to allow the body to cool itself rapidly for faster and deeper sleep onset. It also reduces temperature fluctuations that can be distracting to sleep. The high performance fabrics used in Sheex also feel softer and cooler to the touch than cotton. “Research shows that sleeping better and longer leads to improvements in athletic performance, including faster sprint time, better endurance, lower heart rate, and even improved mood and higher levels of energy during a workout. …Getting a better night’s sleep is about making a larger investment in sleep overall, including taking a closer look at your sleep surface and surroundings. Improving sleep quality is just as important as quantity.” – Dr. Bert Jacobson, Oklahoma State University
But the real question is, does one really sleep better with Sheex versus cotton sheets? In a word – probably! I was sent a king set to test at home. The king set included a fitted sheet, top sheet and two king pillow cases. At first glance and touch, the sheets are smooth and silky feeling, just like a good athletic fabric. However, the fabric used in Sheex bedding is quite a bit thicker than a DryFit shirt, giving it a very luxurious and high quality feel. The bedding is also made with Lycra, so it is stretchy to fit any bed well. Before putting the Sheex on my bed, I ran them through the washer and dryer. After a normal wash cycle, I noticed that they came out of the washer almost completely dry, which is consistent with the company’s claims that they dry three times faster than cotton and effectively wick moisture. Being made of 82% Polyester and 18% Lycra spandex, the fabric won’t shrink or fade like cotton either. After a quick session in the dryer they were ready. I have a king size Sealy memory foam mattress with an additional 1.5″ thick memory foam topper. Most normal fitted sheets are a tight fit, but the stretchy Sheex bedding slid on with ease and I have plenty of additional room. I’ve noticed with memory foam mattresses that when a fitted sheet is too small, it limits the effectiveness of such a bed, not allowing the body to totally sink into it. the ability of the Sheex bedding to stretch allows the sleeper to sink into the memory foam a bit more for a better “fit”.
After my first night with Sheex I particularly enjoyed the soft, luxurious feel of the pillow cases. Most people sweat a bit during sleep, weather they know it or not. The moisture wicking ability of Sheex may help with this. My pillow felt soft and cool, which is very nice. I even brought my Sheex covered pillow on a recent road trip, giving that hotel pillows are always too soft or too thick for my tastes. I live in Florida, and the weather at the time of my testing has been in the mid 90s with over 60% humidity. Needless to say, it’s not the most comfortable weather for sleeping. My thermostat normally stays at 74 during the day, and goes down to 72 at night. The actual temperature in my bedroom normally hovers a few degrees above the rest of the house, so when the thermostat is set on 74 I have trouble sleeping. I decided to experiment for a few nights to test the Sheex bedding’s ability to transfer body heat, breathe better and wick moisture better than cotton sheets. For my testing, I bumped the temperature to 75 for a few nights to see if I was able to get to sleep and remain asleep with the Sheex bedding, then tried the same with my old cotton sheets. As stated above by the National Sleep Foundation, 75 degrees is the borderline high temperature for a good night’s sleep and 10 degrees above the ideal temperature of 65.
There weren't any scientific methods or techniques used in my test, I just tried to sleep normally with the different sheets and tried to observe the results. With the Sheex bedding, I didn't feel hot or uncomfortable, and I slept well for the most part. I woke up once or twice, rolled over and went back to sleep, which is normal for me. In the morning I felt rested and ready to go, which is also normal for me. After two nights with the Sheex, I went back to my old cotton bedding for two nights at the same 75 degree temperature. I didn't employ any timers or brain wave measurement devices to get real concrete data like a lab study would use, but at 75 degrees with the cotton sheets I wasn't able to get to sleep. I was not able to cool down enough and get comfortable, which is consistent with all the times in the past and why I always set the thermostat to 72 at night.
Given my past experience with cotton sheets and the two nights I spent with the Sheex bedding at a room temperature that was three degrees warmer than normal, I can conclude that the two times better heat transfer and 46% better breathing claims of Sheex compared to cotton are absolutely true. Of course there are many factors that go into a good night's sleep, but I've been sleeping normally for two weeks with Sheex on my bed and I've settled on a temperature of 74 degrees in the house, which is two degrees warmer than normal for me. One could even claim that Sheex will save you money on your electric bill, not only by using less AC, but also because they take less time in the dryer! I know, that's a bit of a stretch, but every penny counts in a down economy right?
Sheex bedding comes in several colors and all the most common sizes, as well as collections for baby beds, boats and RVs. Also available is the Sleep Sax, which is a fantastic travel sleeping bag. This one is becoming very popular with travelers who cringe at the thought of sleeping in dingy, starchy hotel bedding. I for one love bringing my Sleep Sax me when I travel to golf tournaments and such. Guests at my house also ask for it while they are hear! Check out the review of the Sheex Sleep Sax here.
At a price of $219 (king) and $199 (queen), Sheex bedding falls into the premium price range of Silk and high end Satin sheets. If they can contribute to energy savings as I speculated above, I wonder how long would it take for them to pay for themselves? Either way, given that we spend so much of our lives in bed and that the value of a good night's sleep is immeasurable, both for working professionals and athletes, the price for a high quality set of bedding seems reasonable to me. I can do better than that however. Through their affiliate program, the nice folks at Sheex have created a promo code for ITG readers to receive 10% off purchases from the Sheex Online Store. Just go here: http://sheex.com/intothegrain and you'll receive 10% off automatically. This amounts to a savings of over $20 on a king sheet set, which isn't bad if you ask me.
With all the advancements in high performance fabrics, it only makes sense that someone would have thought to put those fabrics on your bed. When I read about Sheex, I had one of those "Why didn't I think of that!?" moments. While I can't state that they will help everyone sleep better, they helped me sleep better. I can't say they are affordable for everyone, because not everyone thinks spending $200 on sheets is reasonable. But if you are willing to spend thousands on a quality bed like many are, why not put quality sheets on it? Most people play sports in high performance moisture wicking fabrics now, so why sleep on old fashioned cotton bedding? Sheex performance bedding is catching on with professional athletes and others who just want to sleep better. I'm very impressed with the product, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to get a better night's sleep!
Remember, for a 10% discount on Sheex, visit shop.sheex.com and use our exclusive promo code!
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While 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…
