APRIL 2010 CALGARY SUN 2010 GOLF PREVIEW 5

Get your gadgets for the season

CHRIS STEVENSON QMI Agency ORLANDO, Fla. ? Every year, as a public service, this QMI Agency scribe straps on his sensible shoes and begins hunting high and low through the 16 km of aisles at the PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Centre. The quest is for new, useful products sprung from the fertile minds of the golf world?s inventors and innovators. So here?s what we unearthed this year ...

Cleanup on Aisle 4

Big innovation the last few years is keeping your clubs and golf balls clean. The Spotless Swing is a towel in a cylinder shape with microbrush fabric on the inside. You insert your club to clean it, and the dirt and grass are trapped inside. The outside of the towel remains clean for wiping your hands. So much for that old piece of terrycloth that used to hang limply from your golf bag. US$19.95, spotlessswing.com

Getting a grip

The G Handle Sosten, the ?bag tag on steroids,? is a practical velcro-fastener. Use it to attach your laptop bag to a rolling suitcase. And clip it to your golf bag and stick your gloves to it, attach your cellphone or BlackBerry or golf GPS device. The front face can be personalized. US$24.95, ghandle.com

The brush-o?

Us hackers have the advantage of using the sharper-edged box

INGLEWOOD

GOLF AND CURLING CLUB (1980) grooves on our irons even though they?ve been outlawed on the PGA Tour. To make sure you?re getting the most out of them, keep them clean. The dBrush is about the size of a quarter with non-wire bristles. A few passes, and irons have bite. US$6 for three, dbrushgolf.net

This cover is a hit

The SUMI-G is a sharp, practical protective cover available for 460cc drivers, hybrids and fairway metals. It?s a rigid construction that protects the head and the shaft of the club. Throw it on the ground to hit your shot then snap it back on. US$38, sumi-g.com

Make your mark

Putting an identification mark on your golf ball has become a cottage industry. The latest offering is Tin Cup, a stainless steel cap that slips over your ball with a logo or design cut out of the metal. You insert a permanent marker and colour it in, and you?re good to go. There?s more than 30 designs from which to choose or design your own. US$17.95, tin-cup.com The G Handle Sosten keeps things handy.

No day at the beach

MEMBERSHIPS

$9000

Payable over 3 Years ~ Interest Free

ALSO SELLING

Annual Memberships

East Off Of Deerfoot On 17th Ave & South At 26 Street ? Call For Details 403-272-9709 If you?re golf mindset is more Jimmy Buffet than Tiger Woods, more T-shirt than button-down, Golf Gators has a great golf flip-flop for you. They have a pretty sturdy footbed that offers decent performance (c?mon, it?s a flip-flop) and non-metal spikes. There?s a few holes to keep your tees in the heel. US$49.95, golfgators.com

Corporate Memberships

0804-CS3106131

Good to the bone

Score on your next round with a fun look from Hockey Stick Putters. One of the biggest innovations for those of us who like to carry our clubs was a pretty simple one: Adding a second strap. Now companies are pushing the envelope with ergonomic designs. The Golf-Bone is a rigid yoke-type carry system that slips over your shoulders in one motion. Once you get the hang of it, it?s easy on and off. Available soon, golfbone.com

Just tap it in

Combining hockey and golf is about as good as it gets, especially since we?re prone to stickhandling on the greens. Hockey Stick Putters lets you roll the rock in style. It?s got a graphite shaft and an aluminum blade and is available with your favourite NHL team?s logo. Happy Gilmore would be proud. $115, hockeystickputters.com.

Good ad-vice

The Gentleman?s Vice is a combination cigar holder and cutter, club holder and divot repair tool with a magnetic ball holder. Stick it in the ground, and it keeps your grips dry when the turf?s wet and keeps your cigar off the ground and away from whatever pesticides or fertilizers have been recently applied. $19.99, gentlemansvice.com

The ruling class

Not sure what your options are at a lateral water hazard? If you?ve got an iPhone or iPod Touch, you could pull it out and use the USGA?s Rules of Golf application for iPhone and iPod Touch. It includes the Decisions on the Rules of Golf. There?s a BlackBerry version coming soon. usga.org/mobile

Playing a round

You knew it wouldn?t take long for somebody to come up with a Tiger Woods infidelity product. So here we have Tail of the Tiger Golf Balls, The Mistress Collection. Each of the dozen golf balls is adorned with a picture of one of Woods? alledged mistresses, produced by Mike Caldwell, a 63-year-old entrepreneur from Kelowna, B.C. US$44.95, tailofthetiger.com chris.stevenson@sunmedia.ca 0816-CS3106452

You need to upgrade your Flash Player

You need to upgrade the version of your Flash Player to version 9 minimum.

Click here

Adobe Flash Player Download Center