Wireless Wednesday for 1/27/16 - 2016 PGA Show

Rick is down in Orlando at the 63rd PGA Merchandise Show, held Jan. 26-29. This is where the golf season kicks into high gear, with all the new product announcements and the debut of everything golf for 2016.

Tuesday is always Outdoor Demo Day, so Rick was at the massive driving range at Orange County National seeing all the new products.

Here is some of what Rick has taken in at the PGA Show:

1.  It's the 100th Anniversary of the PGA of America.

- Not the PGA Tour, but the PGA of America
Founded in 1916, The PGA of America is the largest working sports organization in the world, comprised of more than 28000 dedicated men and women who are ambassadors of the sport of golf. Certified golf instructors and promoters of the game of golf to everyone, everywhere.
 

2.  Datrek

Chiller Cart Bag

Bag Boy's new Chiller Cart Bag features a cooler pocket with a removable, insulated cooler bag which holds up to six 12-ounce cans. The Chiller is lightweight, weighing in at 5.85 pounds, with a 15-way organizer top with full-length individual dividers to enhance functionality and durability.

    Chiller pocket with removable insulated cooler bag holds six 12-ounce cans
    Nine total pockets provide ample storage including two large side accessory pockets, an over-sized ball pocket and a fleece lined valuables pocket
    Soft-grip over-sized putter well
    Ergonomic soft-grip lift assist handles
    Suggested Retail Price: $199.95
 


3. Ben Hogan Golf

Ben Hogan Golf started making golf clubs back in the 1950s, but what this company has done since 2014 is nothing short of amazing. They make quality clubs, but with the Hogan irons, no longer will you see the numbers 2,3,4 and so on on your clubs. Now golfers will see lofts ranging from 20-47 in degrees on their clubs.

FT. Worth irons and TK wedges, in addition to a new set of game improvement irons and a line of hybrids, both of which will present breakthrough technologies.
"By crafting irons in every loft from 20-47 degrees, and by re-aligning the length differentials between clubs, only the Ft. Worth irons allow you to carry one less longer iron and one more higher-lofted iron (in your bag)," adds Terry Koehler, President and CEO of Ben Hogan Golf Equipment.
 

4. GO PUCK

Wearable and attachable power.

External battery that clips right on to just about anything, including your golf bag.
Comes with a band and an optional mount.
Dual USB output: Standard and Rapid Charging at up to 2 Amps
Pocket Sized for Portable Power Anywhere
4 LED State of Charge Indicator
Super Lightweight
Rugged Design - Shock and vibration resistant
 
 

5.  GOLFZON Simulators come to the U.S.

GOLFZON, with headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, made its debut at the 2015 PGA Show soon after finalizing a position as an Official Marketing Partner and the Official Golf Simulator of the LPGA and the installation of a simulator in the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Fla. GOLFZON is also the golf training system for the Korean National Team and has simulators situated globally, presenting golf in a way never seen before.

"We are excited to publicize the excellent technology and quality of GOLFZON at the world's largest golf exposition and look forward to the response from attendees and media at this important event," said Tommy Lim, the Vice President of the EU and American Business division at GOLFZON. "Participation in the show will serve as momentum in further aggressively targeting the North American and global golf markets."

Since its establishment in May 2000, GOLFZON has been trying to overcome the entry barrier to golf and expand the number of golfers under the corporate philosophy, "making golf enjoyable for everyone," believing that golf should be no longer exclusive for the upper class only.

Some numbers to consider about GOLFZON's impact:

• 43: Number of countries where GOLFZON has a presence.
• 2000: The year GOLFZON was founded in Seoul, South Korea.
• 5,500: Sites around the world for GOLFZON.
• 25,000: Number of simulators in operation around the world.
• 130,000: South Koreans playing on GOLFZON simulators daily.
• 200,000: People around the world playing on GOLFZON simulators daily.
• 1.7 million: Online GOLFZON members.
 


App of the Week:

BioMech Putting App and Sensor

- An app that can improve our putting stroke, it's worth a try.
BioMech Sports is using technology to improve your putting. First there was the AccuLock ACE putter, as it was a putter designed with biomechanics, physiology and physics in mind. The thought here is a  legal putter that allows better vision and takes the unpredictable muscles in the arms, wrists and hands out of play is something golfers of all levels can benefit from and trust.
BioMech continues its wave of innovation with the introduction of the BioMech Golf App and real-time Putting Analysis Sensor, the first such products to not only identify mistakes in the putting stroke but to actually help fix them.
Among the putting elements that the BioMech Golf App & Sensor identify throughout the stroke are:
    Position of the putter throughout the putting stroke
    Path direction back and through
    Putter face orientation and loft at address and impact
    Detailed analysis of timing, acceleration and force changes at any point throughout the stroke
 

Wireless Wednesday for 1/21/15: 2015 PGA Show

New Stuff from the PGA Merchandise Show

Rick is in Orlando for the 62nd PGA Show and Demo Day looking at all the new golf tech and products
Rick is also staying at the Reunion Resort in Orlando, home of the Annika Academy... Annika Sorenstam's academy, where they use use high tech traning techniques and fitness technique to make batter golfers.

www.reunionresort.com
www.theannikaacademy.com

Have a listen:

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday for 1/21/15 on 92.9 The Game’ on audioBoom

1.  Virtual Green by Golf Scene

A dynamic, shifting putting green designed to revolutionize the putting experience in golf simulators. Virtual Green is a moving putting green and software that changes the landscape and contour of flat turf via thousands of pinpoints beneath the surface to mimic an actual golf green.

"As the premiere event for golf professionals, the PGA Merchandise Show is the perfect platform to debut our patented innovation. Debuting Virtual Green in front of thousands of enthusiasts is very exciting, we look forward to enhancing the future of putting in golf simulators," stated Sean Coffman of Virtual Green.
 
 
 
2. Robogolfpro

The RoboGolfPro develops a customized swing for each player. You can discover the swing that works best for your body and store it in RGP’s computer for future reference! The robot works so well because it relies on motor learning to train the golfer to automatically remember the correct swing form.

The robotic swing trainer has been grabbing the attention of professional golfers like Vaughn Taylor, who has found quick success from his training. He has even purchased one for his home. Scot W.R. Nei, founder of RoboGolfPro, who has partnered with Lori Heller, Heller Events, to distribute and sell the robot and events across North America and Europe, says, “Vaughn texts me all the time with comments like, ‘I had my best round ever in over 6 years' and says that his swing is better than ever!”

 

3.  DST "Warm Up" Clubs

Golfers get injured when they don't warm up properly

DST had a new warm up club
DST Golf - developer and manufacturer of ground breaking golf clubs that speed game improvement among players of all skill levels - will launch its line of Compressor Warm-Up Clubs featuring patent-pending Delayed Strike Technology at Booth #1606 and Demo Day during the 2015 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida.
Available in 8-iron and wedge models, DST Compressor clubs simplify the swing by stripping out complicated and unnecessary movements. This is achieved by automatically pre-setting the hands in the optimal impact position, which is identical for all normal shots (chip, pitch and full swing).
www.dstgolf.com

4. Knuth's "High Heat: Driver

A new driver based on Anti-Submarine Warfare

The club is the brainchild of Dean Knuth. Why does that name sound familiar? For 16 years, he was in charge of monitoring handicaps for the United States Golf Association and was dubbed "the Pope of Slope" because he was the primary inventor of the USGA Course Rating and Slope System. Knuth, who turned 60 this year, retired from the USGA a few years ago to move to San Diego, where he ran a software company. Now he's an engineer for Northrup-Grumman, which took over the software company, and he has pursued an inventor's dream — making a better driver.

Knuth got the idea for the High Heat at a World Scientific Golf Congress at St. Andrews in the '90s when he heard a visiting professor theorize that there should be a way to significantly decrease the loss of energy from the driver to the ball. Knuth, who has a masters degree in computer systems technology, had done research on energy passing through different mediums (such as metals, air and water) while in the Navy's postgraduate school, which he attended from 1975 to 1978. His postgrad program focused on anti-submarine warfare.

He needed a tough-but-thin metal to achieve that optimal frequency, but the Chinese titanium typically used in golf clubs broke down in his design. Knuth found a Russian titanium called ET 22 that was strong enough — after he made it into sheet metal instead of forging it, used a laser to cut it and pressed it into a die at 70 tons per square inch.

5.  Yamaha with new golf carts with an AC charge

Just plug them in to get them charged up.

Yamaha now has golf carts with a DC charge, gas, and AC charge.
The AC charge carts have 7 horse power in them, great for climbing hills on the course

App of the week:  Tennis Channel App now available on Apple TV
and the Australian Open app

Good news for "Cord Cutters"  you can now watch Tennis Channel on your Apple TV with a new app, but for the unlimited tennis it will cost you about $70/year

Also the official Australian Open app is available for iOS and Android devices-  download it to follow everything Australian Open.
 

Wireless Wednesday for 1/22/14: With Mitch Evans - PGA Merchandise Show Part 1

* TOPICS -
Rick is in Orlando at the PGA Merchandise Show with Brian Katrek and others.... He loves to go searching for the new and cool golf gadgets to tells us about.
The 2014 PGA Merchandise Show has over 1000 exhibitors, 50,000 attendees, over 10 miles of aisles to walk and all the cool golf products you would expect.



1.   Putter Wheel - Putting training aid   (3 for $40)
 
It doesn't look like a normal ball, but the PutterWheel is the same weight as a standard ball and has the same cover as a ProV1. So, despite the fact that you're looking at significantly less material, it's supposed to feel pretty similar to a normal ball.

There are a few little cues that the training aid provides to help with alignment: First, the straight lines of the ball function the same way drawing a line on your ball does - and at address, you can see pretty clearly if your feet are going on the same line the ball is. Second, there's a red ring that runs around the inside circumference of the ball. If you see any red when you're standing over the ball it means your eyes aren't directly over the ball.
If you don't put a square stroke on this ball, it's going to wobble around and miss the cup instead of rolling straight. The wobbly feedback steers you towards hitting the ball with a square, descending blow.

2.   GAME GOLF - New Wearable Shot-Tracking Technology
2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell is on board with Game Golf and he gave a demonstration on how it works.
It's cool technology, explain it's vesatile, and the statistics golfers are able to review following a round of golf are amazing.  To help bring GAME GOLF to life, McDowell displayed one of his previous rounds and highlighted some of his favorite features.
 

3.  Rife Putters
Grooves on a putter face
RIFE Golf is the true innovator behind horizontal grooved face putter technology with a patent on specifically sized grooves since 1997. These precisely spaced grooves allow the putter to gently press into the cover of the ball and grip and lift it into an instant forward roll. RIFE states, "just as grooves in irons help control spin so do grooves in a putter face." Other companies are now trying to imitate this patented technology but the spacing of the grooves is the true key to the gripping and lifting effect of grooved face putter technology. Horizontal RollGrooveTM faced putters create the truest "no skid" roll in golf no matter where you hit the ball on the putter face
 


4.  Eye Loc headgear  $79.99
EyeLoc Head Gear is designed for indoor, low light outdoor and bright light outdoor conditions.

Moulded from Grilamide TR90, a thermoplastic polyamide, the unisex frames are strong, flexible and lightweight.

The yellow or polarized lenses are impact resistant with excellent optical clarity.

A hard case with an inner soft sleeve are included.

 
 



 

* If we have time-  Adams Golf  -  High tech golf club manufacturer
Rick plays some Adams clubs
Maker of the most-used hybrids on the PGA Tour for six consecutive seasons, Adams increased its presence to 37 percent of all hybrids in play in 2013. This goes along with the company topping the Champions Tour count each of the last nine years and ranking as the most-played hybrids on the Web.com Tour since 2006. Adams also earned top billing on the European Tour for the first time and won the LPGA Tour season hybrid count.
 
Adams’ renowned heritage in hybrids has been documented by Golf Digest, which awarded the company ‘Hybrid Innovation Leader’ honors in each of the five annual Hot List issues. No other category has been so ruled by a single manufacturer.
 
The company recently re-introduced the legendary Tight Lies fairway wood with great fanfare. It features the classic revolutionary club design, combined with today’s technology, making it easy-to-hit from any lie. A tri-level sole design reduces the amount of turf interaction to create a larger impact area below the ball and promote crisper contact and more optimal launch.
 
Adams Golf, the maker of the #1 Hybrids on Tour, produces easy-to-hit products that all players can use to enjoy the game more. For more information, please visit www.adamsgolf.com or shop.adamsgolf.com.
 
#1 Hybrids on Tour claim based on usage on the PGA, Champions, LPGA, European and Web.Com Tours, as reported by the Darrell Survey Co. and Sports Marketing Surveys, Inc.



App of the Week  - Ernest Sports new Club Fitting App  $20 for iPad

Based in the Metro Atlanta area, Ernest Sports is a company known for their technology advances when it comes to launch monitors.
Now they have an app that goes along with their popular ES12 monitor and it gives you the ability to see and evaluate different data from your swing to see what your best choices may be when it comes to picking out new clubs.
All makes and models of clubs are entered into the app
It will email you fitting results
Great graphics
Ball speed and distance data recorded.
http://ernestsports.com/club-fitting-app/
 

Wireless Wednesday for 1/30/13: With Mitch Evans - Tennis and the PGA Merchandise Show

Mitch and I recap the 2013 Australian Open, talk about some of the cool products at the PGA Merchandise Show and I make my Super Bowl prediction.

Have a listen:

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday on 92.9 The Game for 1/30/13 Part 1’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday on 92.9 The Game for 1/30/13 Part 2’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday on 92.9 The Game for 1/30/13 Part 3’ on Audioboo

 

Wireless Wednesday for 1/23/13: With Mitch Evans - The 2013 PGA Merchandise Show

Mitch and I talk about the 2013 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando and I give a bit of a preview.

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday on 92.9 The Game for 1/23/13 Part 1’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday on 92.9 The Game for 1/23/13 Part 2’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday on 92.9 The Game for 1/23/13 Part 3’ on Audioboo