Tag: review

Course Review – Kinderlou Forrest in Valdosta Georgia

240 miles south of Atlanta, near the Florida state line and along the I-75 corridor lies the city of Valdosta, Georgia. About 45000 people live in Valdosta, and the town was named ESPN’s Titletown, USA in 2008. It may not be known as a golfer’s mecca, but this town has certainly augmented it’s reputation with the addition of Kinderlou Forest Golf Club to it’s golf course resume.

Founded in 2004, Kinderlou Forest Golf Club sits on 160 acre site who’s history dates back to 1863. It is named after Louisa McRee, The original land owner George McRee’s sister “Kinder” is German for children and “Lou” is a reference to Louisa McRee. Kinderlou is not known as a golf destination, but it probably should be. It is within 3.5 hours of Atlanta, Tallahassee, Jacksonville and Orlando. My recent trip package, booked through the Comfort Inn Conference Center in Valdosta, included two nights accommodations and unlimited golf at Kinderlou Forest for only $180. For more info on their golf packages, check out the Kinderlou Website for more info.

Davis Love III was tapped to design Kinderlou, and he did a fantastic job. The course is a classic type of layout with no tricky holes or strange design elements. He used the natural lay of the land and didn't force the design upon it, which gives you the impression that the course has been here all along, he just had to cut some holes. The front nine makes its way through some uncharacteristically hilly terrain for Southern Georgia, and runs through a hardwood forest of Oak, Hickory and Dogwoods. Several holes find their way through an open meadow, giving it a bit of a linksy feel before returning to the clubhouse. The back nine winds through a planted pine forest, giving it a totally different feel compared to the front nine. Kinderlou has been host to several Hooters Tour and Nationwide Tour events over the years, and also hosts the First Stage of the PGA Tour School this October. The course is always in excellent shape, with tees and fairways planted with TifSport Bermuda and TifEagle on the greens. Both times I have played the course the greens were running between 10 and 12 on the stimpmeter. The first time I visited the course was a few days before last year's Nationwide Tournament, and it was an interesting experience coming up 18 with the bleachers and tents everywhere. Unfortunately for me, nobody was watching and cheering me on.
This course has something for everyone. The back tees, if you are man enough (or dumb enough) stretch all the way back to 7781 yards. It's a good test of golf for sure, but in my opinion it doesn't quite play to it's marked distance. The fairways are generous and the greens large, averaging almost 7000 square feet in size. In dry conditions the course will most likely play 300 or 400 yards shorter in my estimation. Check out the official scorecard for last years, South Georgia Classic on the Nationwide Tour. Just for reference, the winning score at this years tournament was 13 under. My friends and I played the next set of tees, measuring 7200 yards or so. The next set is at about 6700 yards, and there are a few more sets of tees making the course friendly for all ages and abilities. The practice area is large, with a double-ended range and large putting green. The balls are provided free or charge when you play, and the range is well kept and targets are plentiful. There is also a staging area near the putting green, which sits at the halfway point between the first and tenth tees. It also serves to reduce cart clutter around the clubhouse. The staff was always friendly and helpful, and the pro shop was well stocked with everything you might need. The restaurant is polished and comfortable, and the food was very good. I especially recommend the sweet potato fries!
The two things that impressed me the most about this facility is the care taken to keep the course in prime condition, and the decision to set the home sites far back from the golf course. Although the course was in fantastic shape when we last played it, they had received several inches of rain that week. There was no standing water or casual water on the course, and mud balls were minimal, but the superintendent restricted the players to the cart paths only. Many people would complain at the inconvenience, but this kind of attention ensures that the course stays in tip top shape. The development company also made a decision at some point to set the home sites far back from the golf course, giving the homeowners more privacy (and land) and giving the golfers a more intimate golf experience without the distractions of cars, kids and radios. Kinderlou Forest Golf Club is a first-class golf facility and should not be missed if you live in Central or Northern Florida and Southern Georgia. The Course is fair, fun, has great variety and is in great shape. The facilities are clean and welcoming and the staff is friendly and helpful. Valdosta has plenty to offer in terms of dining and accommodation, and is located right off the interstate, making access quick and easy. Overall this is a must-play golf course, and with packages this cheap it's also a great value.
If you've never been to Kinderlou, I suggest you plan a weekend away and try it. If you have played it before, let me know how you liked it!

September 18, 2009
Game Review – Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 for Wii
There’s a lot of discussion these days as to which gaming system is the best. Many people would say the the Nintendo Wii is a bit of a laugh and can’t compete with the other systems like the XBox 360 or Sony PS2/PS3. Certainly, the Wii isn’t designed like the others, which are basically PCs packaged for top graphics performance. Where the Wii may not have the graphics performance of the other systems, it has a user interface that is inovative and fun to use, making the game experience unlike any other system.

I broke down and bought a Wii a little while back, and the first game I purchased was Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10. I’ve been playing golf games since the original Nintendo and Sega Genesis and my old Apple IIc. What makes TW 10 appealing to me is that Wii interface and the new Wii Motion Plus controller that adds a whole new level of sensitivity to the controller. Every golf game I’ve ever played had some sort of swing scale, and you had to push a button to start the swing and push it again to hit it. It started getting pretty boring, until the Wii came along and made you get off your lazy ass and actually make a golf swing!

As I mentioned before, the graphics on the Wii version of TW 10 may not measure up to the PS3 or Xbox 360, but they do just fine in this game and there is certainly enough detail to know what you are looking at. Once you start playing however, the focus shifts to the user interface, as it’s a real stroke of genius. The new Wii Motion Plus controller adds an ultra sensitive accelerometer to the bottom of the wireless Wii controller and combined with the great control system in this game it makes even the slightest movement possible. I’ll get to that in a minute. Another benefit of the Wii Motion Plus add-on is that it adds length and weight to the controller, which to me makes swinging it through the air more realistic and gives me better tactile feedback.

The ultra sensitive controller now allows you to control the club and the swing with much greater accuracy. On the most sensitive setting, the interaction between the game and the player is almost 1:1, in that if you make a half swing the player in the game will make a half swing. If you rotate your right hand over the left during the swing, the game will interpret this, close the clubface and in the game you will hit a hook shot. It’s really quite ingenious and fun to experiment with. The only issue I found is producing a fade requires you to rotate your right hand under the left to open the face, and this isn’t a natural move when swinging. It’s a minor annoyance, and I’m sure future versions of the game may be even more sensitive to the swing path of the “club” in producing fades and draws.

Putting has been taken to a whole new level in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10. The Wii Motion Plus makes it so sensitive that you really have to concentrate on your stroke. The length of your backswing and the tempo of your swing determine how hard you hit the putt. It’s as close to real putting as I’ve ever seen in a video game, and it’s where the game really shines. Not only do you have to keep the controller/putter face square to the target line, if you jerk the controller too fast towards the ball you will hit it too hard. You really need to make a smooth stroke to get good results.

The next cool feature of the game is the real time weather conditions. If your Wii is connected to the internet, you can use the weather channel to download real time weather updates. If you decide to go play Bethpage Black and it’s actually raining at Bethpage State Park at that time, it will be raining in the game too. Now that’s cool, because you’ll never actually get wet! In the game however, the ball will roll less in the fairway if the fairways are wet, and the putts will roll slower too.

In the past, golf games have tried to add commentary and mostly it’s been botched and the execution was pretty weak. I almost always end up turning it off. In TW 10, we get a broadcast like presentation with the voices of ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt (formerly of the Golf Channel) and Kelly Tilghman from the Golf Channel. They present the action like you would see on a TV broadcast and give updates on tournament scores. They will offer up some praise for good shots and hammer you for bad ones. It’s pretty well done over all, with only one problem – Kelly Tilghman is almost as annoying in this game as she is on live television, which again has me looking for the option to turn off the commentary. I wish we could just turn off Kelly, because Scott Van Pelt is a funny guy. I love those Titleist NXT spots.

I haven’t tried playing online yet, but I’m sure online tournaments will add a whole new element to the game, where you will play with others all over the globe. The only real negative I can see with this game is that because of the accuracy of the user interface and precision needed to hit a great shot, it’s impossible to play a quick round in 10 or 15 minutes like the traditional golf games that use a joystick or keyboard & mouse. It takes closer to 30 minutes or even an hour for a 2 person game. The big plus of this game is of course the control. This game becomes wildly addictive when you play with others, and at least it makes you get off your butt a bit and concentrate on making a good swing or stroke.

There are 27 courses to play, and 24 PGA and LPGA pros to choose from, along with a host of fantasy players also. If you can name a famous US course, it’s probably on there, and at least you won’t get bored playing the same couple courses all the time. I wonder if EA will make additional courses available for download in the future. The only disappointment I have with the players is the lack of realism of their golf swings. The player attributes are not bad, if you play with Jim Furyk for example you won’t hit the ball as far as Tiger, but if you are expecting to see his trademark loop-de-loop swing you will be disappointed.

There are quite a few other features of this game that I haven’t touched on, but I can still highly recommend this to any golfer and gamer out there. Its the most fun and addictive golf game I’ve seen since the original Links 386 came out. Once you pick up that controller and start making swings and rolling in putts, you won’t want to put it down! I was up until 2:14am on the night I brought it home!

Here’s a summary of the game’s features as listed on EA Sports’ website. I also embedded a video of an EA staffer Jay Shenkman showing off the game’s features. Enjoy!

General Features
- Wii MotionPlus Integration – Through EA Sports Motion, gamers can now experience a true-to-life golf swing and have the ability to work the ball with precise draw and fade capabilities
- Play the Prestigious U.S. Open – The U.S. Open makes its inaugural appearance in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10. Known as one of the toughest tests in golf, Bethpage Black will challenge every player’s golf skills with its extremely challenging course conditions
- Real-Time Weather Conditions — Powered by The Weather Channel, real-time weather now effects gameplay by providing current conditions at actual courses. Putts will roll slower on wet greens and drives will be shorter due to the rain soaked fairways
- Broadcast Style Presentation — ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt and the Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman form a new commentary team that adds to the new sports broadcast presentation, including hole overviews, up-to-the –minute updates from around the course, and more
- Tournament Challenge — Relive key moments in tournament history through an all-new character progression mode
- Precision Putting – Maintain complete control of your backswing and follow-through to ensure an accurate putt with all-new Precision Putting
- Take on the Leaderboard — Exciting changes are in store for gamers as Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 features new enhancements for the online tournaments. Get ready to step up and take it to the next level this PGA TOUR season
If you’ve been looking to buy the game, Amazon has some great prices and most orders will ship free. Check it out below.
September 16, 2009
2009 Taylor Made Burner Irons Review

I have admired the new Taylor Made line of club since I first saw them at the PGA Show last year and hit them at a demo day in the spring. I didn’t get a chance to hit the Burner irons however, and I had every intention of procuring a set and writing a review when I discovered that the work had been done for me! My friend Dave Lair from Orlandogolfblogger.com recently got a set of these irons and posted a good review on his site, saving me the trouble! Click the link below to read his review.

http://www.orlandogolfblogger.com/2009/08/03/taylormade-burner-2009-irons/

Dave also did the smart thing and had his new clubs custom fit. If you take the game seriously and you are ready to shell out big bucks for a top of the line set of clubs, you owe it to yourself to have those clubs custom fit. As luck would have it, Taylor Made has a Performance Lab at the Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando. Dave took his golf swing and spent a few hours being fit for his new clubs using state of the art computers, launch monitors and high-speed cameras. Luckily for us, he also wrote a review on his experience at the TPM Labs:

http://www.orlandogolfblogger.com/2009/07/06/taylormade-performance-lab-at-grand-cypress/

Be sure to leave us a comment to let us know how we’re doing, and check out our RSS feed for the latest updates from intothegrain.com and orlandogolfblogger.com!

August 27, 2009
Ball Review – Srixon Z-Star X

Srixon has been selling golf balls in the US market for a number of years now. Srixon is a spinoff from Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. SRI is a Japanese company also selling equipment in Japan under the market leading Dunlop/XXIO name. They started manufacturing tires in 1913, and then golf balls in 1930. In 1997, SRI founded Srixon USA and started marketing golf equipment. In 2004 SRI Sports was formed to be the parent company of Srixon, and they acquired equipment companies Cleveland Golf and Never Compromise in 2007. Srixon’s golf ball offerings have been gaining ground in the past years with the ZUR line. Jim Furyk switched a few years ago, and several other pros have now joined and play the new Srixon Z-Star and Z-Star X. Some of the names include Tim Clark, Robert Allenby, Boo Weekly, Steve Flesch, John Rollins, Fuzzy Zoeller and Karrie Webb. This year, Vijay Singh switched to the new Z-Star X, leaving Titleist after many years, and he proclaims this fact in a new commercial we are seeing during weekend golf broadcasts.

Let’s test one of Srixon’s latest offerings, the Z-Star X. Geared towards better players, this golf ball features a super-thin (0.5mm thick) urethane cover that allows for a larger core for more distance and spin potential. The Z-Star is the softer of the two models, producing a slightly higher ball flight and more spin on iron shots. The Z-Star X has a firmer feel and lower ball flight for more distance off the tee and is designed for swing speeds over 105 MPH.

Having played the previous versions of these balls, the Z-URS and the Z-URC, I can see there is a big difference. The first difference is the lack of a discernible seam in the cover of the ball. The URS and URC had a pronounced seam marking the two halves of the cover, leaving a small strip around the equator lacking dimples. What effect that seam had on performance is unknown to me, but the new balls are seamless, and that can’t be a bad thing! The new Z-Stars also have 6 fewer dimples than the previous model at 324. By comparison, the Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x have 392 and 332 respectively.

I have to preface this by repeating that I have played Srixon golf balls for over a year, and in that time I found myself switching back and forth between the Z-URC and Z-URS. I thought the Z-URC was too firm around the greens, and the Z-URS felt too mushy and spun too much off the driver. Then, just as I was preparing to run back to the Titleist Pro V1, Srixon introduced the Z-Star and Z-Star X. Since I was previously leaning towards the Z-URC, I picked up a sleeve of the new Z-Star X and put them through their paces. So how does the new Srixon Z-Star X perform? In a word – Brilliantly!

The first thing I noticed with the new Z-Star X is the fact that they have made it softer than the old Z-URC. This is a welcome change for me, as I prefer a soft feel for chipping and putting. It still feels on the firm side, coming off the putter face with a little click, but it is far from the feel of a harder ball like a Pinnacle or even the new Callaway Tour i. The cover feels very soft to the touch and I worry about what modern grooves will do to this ball. More on that later.

I moved from the putter to the wedge and started chipping, and I noticed that this ball really grabs. I crisply hit chip shot skids and checks, then rolls out gently. Flop shots from a tight lie spin furiously, coming to an immediate stop. Balls chipped out of the rough behave predictably.

Moving to the tee box, I was wondering how the thin cover would behave with the driver. Most players demand spin around the greens but want more distance off the tee. In the past with wound golf balls this was a trade off, spin or distance. You couldn’t have both. Nowadays with the advent of 3 piece and even 4 piece balls, it is possible to get high spin around the green and low spin from the driver. The Srixon Z-Star X is a great example of what the new golf ball technology can provide. This ball rockets off the driver with a mid to high trajectory and low spin. It is hard to say if I picked up any yardage compared to the old model. I would need a launch monitor to measure impact conditions and determine if it spins less than other golf balls. What I can confirm is that this new ball performs very well in the wind, especially crosswinds. I hit numerous balls into winds from all directions and the flight is very steady. I hit some cuts and draws into cross winds and the ball stays on line.

Iron shots come off the club with a mid trajectory, and plenty of spin. A solid iron shot will stop quickly on anything but the most severe greens. I am not known as a high-spin player, but this ball can be drawn back with wedges and stops dead with other clubs. I didn’t see too much ballooning into the wind, not as much as the Titleist at least. I have always despised the Titleist Pro V1’s wind performance, so the Z-Star X’s wind performance is a big bonus. As far as durability is concerned, I was pleasantly surprised. I played 18 holes with the same ball with only minor scuffing and wear on the cover. I could easily go another 18 with it, provided I didn’t lose it or hit a cart path!

I am very glad that Srixon released this new golf ball to replace the old Z-UR line. I am making the switch and now play the Z-Star X. It durable, holds it’s line in the wind, I love the way it spins and it feels softer than the previous generation. Overall it’s a great ball for aggressive swingers or players that like a high-spin ball with a slightly firmer feel. The price point is also good, at $39.95/dozen it is unchanged from last year and about $5 less than the Pro V1x, the Srixon’s main competition.

Those who play the Pro V1 and prefer a softer ball will love the Z-Star, which I’ll try to cover in a future post. I will stop short of saying that I hit this ball further, because a recent driver upgrade has helped me also. But for good measure, between the new driver and this new golf ball, I’ve regained 15-20 yards that I lost last year off the tee.

April 21, 2009