Friday, December 14, 2007

Lifestyle: Don't forget the golfer on the list

By Katharine Dyson
GPA Lifestyle Contributing Editor

Hot pink tote bags that fold up into virtually nothing and can be tucked into your suitcase, high-tech items like a pendulum putter training aid, and golf bags that weigh less than two pounds -- these and many other things are great options for the golfers on the holiday gift list.

Start with the Mizuno Scratch-Sac, fill it with goodies, tie a big ribbon on it and hang it on the mantel. It's a super lightweight unstructured carry bag (about 1.9 lbs.) designed to carry 14 clubs. It can be transported in a small travel golf bag or even a box. The entire tube is waterproof and has an apparel pocket, strap and bottle holder.

On the web: www.bhmgolf.com or www.mizuno.com.

I often use a tee to keep my club grips off the wet ground. Now it seems that a number of clever people have jumped into the game and come up with alternative solutions. One of the hottest new ideas comes from inventor David Jones, who won top honors in Golf Channel's Fore Inventors contest.

His idea is so simple that you wonder why no one came up with it before now. It's called a Club Caddy and looks something like a long, slick pair of pliers and clips near the bottom of your club creating a sort of tripod. The product keeps grips dry and, better yet, golfers don't have to bend over again to pick up a club. Holds two or three clubs at one time.

On the web: www.theclubcaddy.com.

If putting is your "A" game, don't screw it up trying some new. But if you are one of the 98 percent of amateurs who are still working on perfecting this tricky skill, yippers might find the P3 Perfect Pendulum Putting training aid helpful.

Neil Higgins came up with the idea and it helps putters develop a pendulum swing without a breakdown in hands or wrists. Attach a putter to the gadget, and using the two handles on either side, practice the stroke using just the shoulders. Gradually move the grips closer to the center until you are holding your own putter. If your hands or wrists jump into the action, the P3 handles give you instant feedback.

On the web: www.p3putter.com.

The tech guys talk about negative ions and 1,000 Gauss therapeutic magnets and that sort of thing, but whatever it's made of, the Trion:Z Wrist Dual Ion bracelet claims to balance your body, take away pain and make you stronger. Essentially it's a feel-good enabler. So why not? The bracelet comes in several sizes and colors, including a new College Series.

There are also necklaces, which are all the rage in Japanese baeball.

On the web: www.trionz.com.

For night golfers, this can be the indispensable best new thing: a professional-grade flashlight by Surefire. The flashlight is used by law enforcement agencies, so it has to be good. Prices vary from $34 to $270, but are very compact, easy to pack and come in a range of brightness levels -- from the optically enhanced super bright LEDs to the brilliant Xenon bulbs.

On the web: www.surefire.com.

There are head covers and then there are head covers -- cute little faces of tigers, frogs and labs. But now let's flip them upside down and you get the other side of the story from Butthead Covers. Alice and Danny Scott, CEOs of the company, say it all started out on when the couple was playing golf and one of their playing partners mentioned their head cover looked like a turkey's butt.

Actually, it was a well-used reindeer with its antlers flopping, but a light went off and the Butthead Covers was lunched. Now the line includes a huge array of butthead covers like Clucky, Happy Horse, Ewe Too, Mingo Bingo (an upside down flamingo), Margarita Macaw, Rocky Raccoon and its best seller, Baboon.

On the web: www.buttheadcovers.com.

If you want your golfing neighbors to play the game better -- and we're talking practice -- but don't want their backyard shots taking out your picture window, give them a bunch of Point3s.

These solid core golf practice balls work much better than the old whiffle ball numbers and have a true ball flight and feel. They actually fade and draw, yet distance is limited. And … if the shot happens to hit something like your greenhouse, the glass won't break.

On the web: www.almostgolf.com.

Golfer's can now take team pride to the tee box with PrideSports' team-colored Softspikes Pulsar cleats. Currently, the cleats are available in red/white (think Nebraska), yellow/black (think Missouri) and light blue/dark blue (think North Carolina vs. Duke), with more color combos in the plans.

On the web: www.softspikes.com.

Ever get tired of that rubbing noise that a rainsuits and windshields make out on the golf course? ProQuip has attempted to reduce that annoyance with its Silk Touch rainsuits and windshields.

Using soft and quiet performance fabric, ProQuip has created an ultra-lightweight suit that does not compromise waterproofing and breathability. ProQuip recently outfitted the victorious U.S. Solheim Cup team and has been the weatherwear provider for Ryder Cup teams dating back to 1981.

On the web: www.proquipusa.net.

OK, OK, we know that Tiger Woods is probably the epitome of fitness in the game of golf. We should all be so lucky, but we may just be.

In this new fitness era of golf, players are seeking ways to increase balance, flexibility and strength. The TRX Suspension Trainer delivers in each area - and ultimately delivers.

Suspension Training originally evolved in the military by a former Navy SEAL squadron commander who needed a way to keep his team in peak condition while on deployment. What transpired was a portable device that trains the entire body with a person's own weight.

A complete golf-specific training regimen has been written to use with the system, which is made of soft industrial-strength, non-elastic nylon webbing. Users rely on gravity and between 5 and 100 percent of their own bodyweight for resistance from this trainer that can attach to the top of any door. The workouts increase strength -- especially in the core region -- balance and flexibility. And that translates to a better golf game.

Still skeptical? There are no fewer than 15 NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB teams using the system with its players.

We say just try it.

On the web: www.fitnessanywhere.com.

What woman does not like fun, fashionable and functional?

Keri Golf has the answer with its uniquely-designed bags. Holiday favorites include the candy cane stripes of the Christina cart bag ($375) and the red and green trimmings of the Nancy stand bag ($295). For the youth player, pick up one of the line's newly-introduced junior bags ($175), which feature embroidered bumblebee, ladybug and golf cart icons on the side pocket for a fun, youthful flair.

On the web: www.kerigolf.com.

Ah, yes, the golf car. It has become a staple of the golf course, but it's slowly becoming a standard around the homestead.

If you don't think so, try E-Z-Go's Freedom, which starts at $7,500, but features on its LE model dual halogen headlights, brake lights, turn signals, center storage baskets, a canopy top, wood grain dash and fold-down windshield.

On the web: www.ezgo.com.

Is there anything worse than losing your favorite U.S. Open towel on the previous hole, not because you left it there but because it fell off with one of those flimsy clips?

NiteIze, an outdoor hardware accessories company, actually has started marketing its S-Biner as a golf accessorie -- and for good reason. NiteIze offers three size of its S-Biner and all are good for locking towels and other outside accessories to the bag.

On the web: www.niteize.com.

You arrive at the airport, max-filled backpack over the shoulders, looking to check two bags, one being a max-filled golf bag. Running late doesn't help.

What happens? The golf travel bag flips and you're cursing Gods as three families step in front of you, 37 minutes before you are about to board your flight.

Thanks to Ogio -- and it's Mammoth travel bag -- those three families are history. The golf travel bag stands upright like most bags, but what sets device apart is its four sturdy, swiveling wheels. So twist it, spin it, the puppy will move at your beck and call. And who doesn't want

At 50-inches tall, the Ogio Mammoth is a life-size caddy heartily welcoming golf gear through a wide mouth opening that unzips the full length of the bag. Once inserted, golf bags stay securely in place with the aid of internal compression straps, and another two straps around the bag's exterior. With the aid of its unique spinning wheels, the fully weighted Mammoth is designed to glide forward and back, left and right, responding instantly to its owners touch.

On the web: www.ogio.com.

So much golf management rhetoric centers on expanding the game at the junior level, which is good if it delivers. OnTrack Sports, though, happens to be one company delivering.

OnTrack Sports, makers of Accu-Length Expandable Junior Golf Clubs, is offering Spider-Man Junior Golf Sets.

Who said Spidey don't fly? Just look at the bottom of the clubs, which feature the Spider-Man logo on the flip side. Sure to impress friends as the web man gets you an extra 10 to 15 yards.

On the web: www.acculength.com.

GPA editor Stuart Hall contributed to this report.