Tag: technology

You Can’t Miss the New TaylorMade TP5 Pix Golf Balls

Clearly, the era of boring, plain white golf balls is over. Every year at the PGA Merchandise Show – the golf industry’s annual trade show – more and more companies are showing off new golf balls with ever more bright and creative graphics.

Very conspicuously, TaylorMade Golf wasn’t at the PGA Show this year. In a weird way, their absence had almost as much impact as if they had been in attendance. For example, the release of a new golf ball doesn’t normally create waves, but since we didn’t see the new TP5 Pix golf balls at the PGA Show, this announcement is now more impactful. Well played TaylorMade… I think?

The new TP5 Pix golf balls are the same excellent TP5 golf ball, with some distinct graphics added for greater visual impact. As TaylorMade describes it: The TP5 Pix golf balls are “optically designed using advanced visual technology to offer more visibility in The Most Complete Tour Ball in TaylorMade’s product lineup.”

Tech Talk

Pix, derived from ‘pixelated’, was designed following extensive research with partners at Indiana University, who also helped them design their latest putter line.

From the official press release: “First and foremost, Pix™ is easier to see than a normal white golf ball. The human eye processes lighter colors more efficiently when it’s darker and darker colors when it’s lighter. It’s this phenomenon that led designers to the two-color design of TP5 Pix. Whereas most competitive products have only one color within a single image or shape, TP5 Pix’s unique design features 2 colors within one shape, further enhancing visibility and delivering a product that’s easy to see, regardless of the time of play during the day. Producing this shape requires a unique, one-of-a-kind printing machine which has taken more than 18 months to design and develop.”

Seems to me like a lot of words to say “we’ve painted this cool pattern on our golf ball so you can see it better.” Naturally, there’s some science behind the design of the pattern and the colors they used, but in the end it will allow the golfer to see the spin of the golf ball on short shots and putts.

As I’m currently gaming the TP5 myself, I’ll be putting these in play to see if they help me visualize the spin of my pushed and pulled putts or chunked chip shots! (Just kidding, I never push putts. The pulls though…UGH)

Pricing & Availability

TP5 Pix will be available (US and Canada only) at retail on March 22 at an MSRP of $44.99 USD per dozen. Pix is not currently available in the TP5x golf ball. To learn more about TP5 Pix or any of TaylorMade’s ’19 golf ball offerings, visit TaylorMadeGolf.com.

March 14, 2019
First Look: Swing Caddie SC200

Korean company Voice Caddie has been shaking up the golf electronics market for several years, and their next product is sure to help continue that trend. The Swing Caddie SC200 is their second generation portable launch monitor and follows in the footsteps of the original SC100 model. The Swing Caddie SC200 works much like other launch monitors, using Doppler radar to track the flight of the golf ball after impact.

Obviously, there’s some trade-off between a $15,000+ trackman unit and this little device that sells for under 0. The much more expensive devices are able to track almost the entire flight of the golf ball and can provide more data like peak height, launch & descent angle, angle of attack, total dispersion between shots and much more.

The Swing Caddie SC200 measures variables like swing speed, carry distance, ball speed and smash factor. For golfers wanting to improve and get some basic information about their game, the SC200 will provide most of the information they’ll need. It’s a great training aid because you see the results in real-time. If you hit a few balls really solid you’ll see an increase in ball speeds and distance. Miss it a bit and those numbers will come down.

The reason most high-end club fitters use expensive launch monitors is that they provide the most information. While the Sc200 can be used for club fitting, to do the best job you’ll probably need a little more information. A good fitter may arrive at the same conclusions using the SC200, but it will probably take longer to get a club dialed in because you don’t get as much information from it compared to a more expensive model.

The Swing Caddie SC200 is a perfect tool for serious golfers looking for more information about their swing. It’s so compact that you can leave it in your golf bag for range sessions or even on course work. It uses a built-in barometric pressure sensor to calibrate itself automatically to your environment and speaks the distances to you over the speaker. You can store the stats for the last 100 shots taken and review them later, but it doesn’t connect to a smartphone or tablet to save the data for later or upload to the web.

The bottom line is this: If you want to get a taste of some cool launch monitor technology without taking out a second mortgage, the Swing Caddie SC200 should probably be your first stop. It will give you most of the important numbers you need, is very portable and easy to use, and it can be purchased for less than $300. Click the following affiliate link to get your own Swing Caddie SC200 for only $289.99. That’s cheaper than retailers and even Amazon!

July 2, 2018
First Look: Bushnell’s Advanced Distance Measuring Devices
Bushnell has been a leader in GPS and laser rangefinders for golf and other outdoor activities like hunting for years. Electronic distance measuring devices have been a part of my golf routine for so long, I can’t even remember the last time I played a round of golf without one. Using a laser rangefinder or GPS speeds up the game so much, especially for low handicap and pro golfers that usually take more time getting yardages, that I still don’t understand why golf’s governing bodies haven’t accepted their use in high-level events. In any case, Bushnell has some new devices to show off this season, and they won’t disappoint! Here’s a sneak peek:

Bushnell Hybrid: MSRP- $399.99

Description – The Hybrid combines the latest in Laser and GPS technologies to provide better data so golfers of all levels can make better decisions on the course. The new Bushnell Hybrid rangefinders utilize precise laser and GPS yardages allowing the golfer to see distance like never before. The new Bushnell HYBRID takes the guesswork out of the game by displaying the lasered distances to the pin and GPS provided front and back yardage readings within the LCD. Additionally, Bushnell has incorporated exterior GPS front, center and back yardages to assist with correct club selections when golfers have cart path only or blind shots.

Key Differentiators
- 1^st ever integrated Laser/GPS display
- Dual Battery source (CR2 for Laser, USB for GPS)
HYBRID Laser Features
- PinSeeker w/ JOLT Technology
- Accurate to 1 yard
- 5X Magnification
- Ranges 400 yards to a Flag
- Fast Focus System
- Stable-Grip Technology
- Tournament Legal
GPS Features
- Exterior Front/Center/Back Readouts
- Up to 4 hazard distances per hole
- Bluetooth for auto course updates
- Auto course recognition
- Auto hole advance
Bushnell Phantom: MSRP- $99.99

Description – Phantom GPS Rangefinder, rounding out a robust collection of products comes preloaded with more than 36,000 courses and provides simple measurements to the front, center and back distances of the green – along with up to four hazard/layup distances per hole. The Phantom unveils “Bite Technology.” Equipped with a high powered magnet the Phantom can easily attach to a cart bar or any metal surface, providing quick and easy yardage readings. Additional features include auto course and auto hole recognition, shot distance calculator and long battery life (play up to two rounds before charging).

Bushnell Pro X2: MSRP- $499.00

Description –The Pro X2 has rubber armored metal housing that makes the device fully IPX7 waterproof, incredible range capabilities of up to 1,300 yards (450+ yards to a flag), 2^nd Generation E.S.P. (Extreme. Speed. Precision.) and PinSeeker with JOLT Technology. Dual Display Technology allows users to easily toggle between the bright red display featuring VDT (Vivid Display Technology) or the crisp black display. Bushnell Golf also included JOLT Technology amongst the host of features offered in the new Pro X2. When the golfer aims the Pro X2 at the flag, JOLT Technology will provide short, vibrating bursts to reinforce Bushnell’s advanced PinSeeker Technology has isolated the target and locked onto the flag. The vibrating bursts provided by JOLT Technology will assure golfers have the exact distance to the flag. The Pro X2 is also equipped with 2^nd generation E.S.P. technology. E.S.P. provides yardage five times faster and more accurately than ever before. Not only has the acquisition speed been increased to a lightning fast level, E.S.P. provides 1/2 yard accuracy from five to 125 yards, and the distance is displayed to 1/10^th of a yard. Having more accurate distances creates the confidence the golfer to hit every shot with confidence.

Pro X2 Features

・      Slope-Switch Technology

・      Rubber Armored Metal Housing

・      IPX& Fully Waterproof

・      Dual Display Technology

・      PinSeeker W/ Jolt Technology

・      Accurate to 1?2 yard

・      6X Magnification

・      Ranges 5-1,300 yards; 450+ to a Flag

・      2^nd Generation E.S.P.

・      Fast Focus System

・       Stable-Grip Technology

Conclusions

You really can’t go wrong with any of Bushnell’s offerings. My current rangefinder of choice is the Pro X2, and I’ve been using it for over 8 months as of this writing. It’s fast, accurate, compact, and the display is easy to read. That’s basically everything you’re looking for in a laser rangefinder. I’ve also used the predecessor to the Phantom and loved it’s compact size and simplicity. The new model is magnetic, which addresses the only complaint I had with the old model, which was what to do with it once you broke the flimsy plastic clip it came with. Now you can simply stick it on the roof supports on your golf cart or the handle of your push cart. Easy peasy!
May 29, 2018