Free Club? aka Nice Club Labels!

Dear Unscratchers,

I have put golf labels on my clubbies since I started getting something worth more than my original hand-me-downs. The free club part? Ok, not exactly true BUT I can tell you that twice in the past few seasons I have accidentally left a club on a hole and had them returned to me = kinda free club.

Anyway, I have been using golflabels.com and they are great. Shipping is super fast and they are inexpensive and send 20 labels instead of the 16 found some other places. Bonus is that I re-ordered recently and they were lost in the mail - the great folks there had another set in my hands in a couple of days.

Scotty Cameron California Monterey Putter

Dear Unscratchers,

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a California Monterey and am loving it. I currently game a Fastback 1 (custom Gator Bait-style) but tried the Monterey because it is an Anser-style and I have traditionally been very good with those blades.

I am happy to report that it has been rocking, great round today. I am gaming a 35" and it feels good.

I have always been a "feel" player when it comes to putting and this is returning the feel. I moved to the Gator Bait mid-mallet last season but have finally gotten my groove back (cue some song about Stella, not sure who she is lol).

Trying to win an iPod Nano

I am posting today because Jason Sadler from iwearyourshirt.com and MBO Partners are giving away an iPod Nano to bloggers so here goes.

I love blogging for Unscratcher because I love golf, am mediocre at it, and love sharing info with my equals (no offense, Unscratchers!).

A call for course reviews for the Unscratchers

If you have a good review that you think is fit for the UnscratchGolfer.com, please comment on any posting. Reviews don't need to be from stinky golfers like me, just please make sure you write the review for a fellow Unscratcher. Pertinent reviews will be listed asap.

NEW REVIEWS: Courses - Stone Ridge, OH

Dear Unscratchers,

Glad to be back and Happy Easter!!!! This weekend I played Stone Ridge, a track I have heard is the best public course in the Toledo/Perrysburg/Bowling Green, OHIO area.

Like any of you that are from the near area, you probably felt the near-tornado winds on Saturday. Holy cow, I had promised my daughter earlier this year that I would buy her a kite (2 yr old=big deal!) and it hadn't worked out yet. On the first three holes, I was thinking that she and I would have a kite-tastic time once I got back from golf.

Well.. that definitely wasn't going to happen. I was out there with my father-in-law (FILW from here on out - fill you in on the 'W' when it matters) and sister-in-law Carrie. The course was amazing but at one point I almost could have leaned fully over (and I am 6 feet tall and fatter than I will admit on this post) and felt like I could have leaned in an not fallen over just from wind.

Side note - and this is something I will be updating regularly for my Irish/Scottish/Watermelon-headed brethren - they have sweet fitted hats that look good and fit the giant-headed.

Check it and comment on how you like it. Also, I know LOTS of courses that have nice fatheaded fitted hats that look good. Just let me know ;).

Little Help Over Here?

Dear Unscratchers,

After seeing the results of my FootJoy MyJoy ICONs, I am thinking about doing some MyJoy spikeless shoes for around the clubhouse - and, really, just for wearing around shoes.

So, at any rate, I am asking you guys for some advice.  I am thinking about the FootJoy LoPros in UF Gator colors, what do you think?  And even if you hate the Gators, you must admit that the colors look great.

Golf Update? Nah, Blogger Update!

Dear Unscratchers,

Sorry I've been inconsistent the past couple of weeks with the posts.  I promise that I am back on track.  I guess I was just preoccupied by....... a bun in the oven!  OK, I may look like I have one in the oven but I assure you it is Mrs. Unscratch.  Things were hairy there for a bit - and of course you never know what to expect - but currently things are good and the reviews will keep coming.  Thanks for sticking with me, stay posted for Monday's update!!!

Nike Sasquatch Tour Carry Bag

Dear Unscratchers,

I was looking for a new carry bag and am a big fan of the 14 club dividers on bags.  It seems that the best (maybe only) two carry bags with it are the Sun Mountain Four 5 bag and the Nike Sasquatch Tour Carry bag.  After tons of research, I decided on the Nike bag.  This was actually a bit of a surprise to myself as I have always been a fan of Sun Mountain bags.

The bag sells for about $200 but I found it for $150 and free shipping at Discount Golf World.  The bag showed up VERY fast and in perfect shape.  Never used DGW before but can definitely recommend it.

At any rate, the bag is fantastic.  I love the layout and it is not very heavy.  I am especially please because, while I like Nike, I don't have any interest in carrying a bag that has something like SASQUATCH splashed all over it or something.  This just has a simple swoosh, something I can definitely live with.

I plan to walk with it this weekend if the snow that showed up today disappears (I mean, cmon, it was in the mid 60s last week).

Excellent bag so far, I will keep you posted!

Back!

Dear Unscratchers,

Finally back from vacation and just letting you know that postings will resume later today.  Thanks for keeping the blog on your radar!

FINALLY!!!! My new FootJoy MyJoy ICONS appear!!!!

Dear Unscratchers,

I am very happy to finally be able to review my new MyJoy ICONS.  I got them in the beautiful Large Croc style to rock my UF Gators and they are fantastic (the original spikes were black, luckily I had a hookup to finish them with the awesome blue spikes).

First of all, I haven't yet gotten to play with these babies.  That being said, I can give you some insight:

First, I normally wear a 9.5W in the DryJoys and a 10W in the Contours.  My ICONS (9.5W) at first seemed a bit tight but literally ended up fitting like "butta" (ok I like the Sopranos) after about 10 steps.

They, at least I believe, are OBVIOUSLY beautiful and I hope you agree.  Actually, even if you don't please post, it would help me get my blog traffic up.

At any rate, I hope you like my preview, let me know what details you want!

P.S. The shoes came with black/white spikes, I replaced them with the blue for Gator-represenation.
Also, I welcome any other college representation, let's get some smack talking on here!

Peak Vision SL8 golf sunglasses

Dear Unscratchers,

(sunglasses disclaimer - I have a giant Irish watermelon head so these SL8s work great.  Peak Vision does a nice job of describing which styles should fit which head sizes/shapes).

I realize that I have been mostly reviewing gear that I have good reviews for.  Well this is because I haven't been sent any free shwag yet but I today I am going to review the Peak Vision SL8 sunglasses.
Peak Vision SL8 Golf Sunglasses, Slam Matte Black  (though I have them in Denim Blue - very sharp!).


Off the course, I enjoy wearing sunglasses but have never been a fan of wearing them on the course.  Well that has all changed now with my Peak Vision sunglasses.  I am here to tell you that you really can wear these babies throughout an entire round without wanting to remove them.  And the vision on the course that Peak Vision claims is really true, I love these glasses.  In fact, I wear them as my regular sunglasses now as well.

In short, you cannot go wrong with these golf sunglasses.  I offer them a very high recommendation (and don't forget that I don't get ANY money for reviewing this stuff - at least yet....)

Callaway uPro GPS

Dear Unscratchers,

Today I am reviewing the Callaway uPro GPS.  I have had it for about a year now and have mostly very good things to say about it.

First, I have never owned any other yardage device beyond the good ol' sprinkler heads.  I have played many times with friends that had SkyCaddies and rangefinders.  At my home course, we also have the Laser Link system that bounces yardage readings off of the flags.

I decided to go with the uPro because I didn't want to need line-of-sight to get my readings and it really shines in this area.  The uPro also has a fly-by feature which is really nice.  I actually turn it off on my regular courses as I am familiar with them but it has been very valuable when playing a new course.

I also liked the fact that Callaway doesn't require an annual membership.  You do have to purchase tokens for the Pro mode (with the fly overs, etc) but the standard courses (which are free) offer pretty much what you would expect from a SkyCaddy.  Furthermore, the uPro is always spot on with the sprinkler head yardages as well as my friends' rangefinders.

Overall, it is kind of expensive but the cost is really mitigated by not having annual fees.  I really like it!  By the way, I showed my friends at my course and two of them went out and bought them within a month.

Tiger Woods press conference

Dear Unscratchers,

If you read this blog (or how about if you have access to ANY kind of media) then you definitely know about TW's press conference today.  Instead of reviewing something today, I would like to offer the comment section for a discussion about Unscracthers' thoughts on the subject.

FootJoy MyJoy ICONS

Dear Unscratchers,

Sorry for the tease but I am still waiting on those babies to show up.  I promise that pics and a full review are upcoming as soon as I receive them.  Thanks, as always, for checking out The UNscratch Golfer.

Tin Cup Marker

Dear Unscratchers,
Well I have a pretty cool item to review today.  I know that we all have ball marking Sharpies or personalized golf balls but this is really cool and sets your golf ball apart in a new way.

I have been using the Louis the 14th version of the Tin Cup ball marker.  It is really cool and (surpisingly to me anyway) comes out perfect on your golf ball every time.  They have quite a few versions and also offer customization.  I wish that some tourneys I have taken part in had given these away instead of some of the garbage out there.  They are also pretty inexpensive.

Definitely giving this one an A+

Scotty Cameron putters - Studio Select Fastback 1

Dear Unscratchers,
I finally took the plunge and purchased a Scotty Cameron Studio Select Fastback 1 last season.  I have always preferred a blade (in fact, I briefly had an Odyssey 2-ball and hated it - much to the pleasure of my friend who I sold it to for nothing).

It actually really surprised me when I tested them out at my local Golf Galaxy and loved hitting this mid-mallet putter.  It is almost like a hybrid between a blade and mallet.  Well, after gaming it for a few rounds, I started sinking almost everything with it and it hasn't let me down since.

I should also mention that a friend of mine turned me onto Scotty Cameron's Club Cameron.  While you don't need to be a member to have your putter "pimped," I joined and sent my new baby in for paint fill in Gator orange and blue - it even has GATOR BAIT personalized on it.

At any rate, this is a thing of beauty and I'll post some pics of it tomorrow.  Also look out for my upcoming Club Cameron review this week!

Golf Pride grips

Dear Unscratchers,

For the past several years I have used Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips.  They were nice and grippy, inexpensive, easy to find and install.  The issue that I had with them is that they seemed to wear fairly quickly.  This was kind of a non-issue because of the low cost but I figured I'd try something else.

Last season, I decided to try the Golf Pride New Decade Multicompound grips.  They come in a variety of colors (nice if you want a Gator orange like I did).  They are quite a bit more expensive than the Tour Velvets but I love them.  They are much more grippy (especially if they get wet) and last WAY longer.  In fact, now have them on all of my clubs except for my putter.  IMHO, I think they are definitely worth the money.

P.S. Golfworks regularly offers a full set of the New Decade Multicompounds for a nice discount.  You can sign up for their email alerts to find out when it is offered.

Cobra S9-1 driver

Dear Unscratchers,
This was an interesting one.  I had been playing a Callaway Hyper X 11 degree driver but received a Cobra S9-1 M speed 10.5 degree reg flex driver for Christmas (woohoo for new equipment received as a gift!).

As I received this in western NY and live in Ohio, I didn't have the chance to hit it for about a month.  When I finally did get to the indoor range, the shaft broke near the head on the second shot (too bad as the first shot was great, ha).  I sent it in for a refund but needed something for my recent trip to Florida.

I replaced it with a Cobra S9-1 F speed 10.5 reg flex.  I wasn't sure if I was going to regret it as I have a swing speed of about 135 but I love it!  I have been hitting it on average about 250 yards, which is pretty good for me.  The great thing is that after a few shots with it, I was able to dial it in so it's consistently straight.  It also offers pretty nice workability.

I really like it much better than the Callaway (and usually go with Cally too).

What do you want me to review next?

Dear Unscratchers,
What should I review next?  Please post a comment and I will try to get it on here asap.

FootJoy MyJoy ICONS

Dear Unscratchers,
Ordered some FJ MyJoy ICONS for my birthday, can't wait to get these babies.  I'll definitely post pics once (and of course a review) once I do!

SoftSpikes Black Widow Tour

Dear Unscratchers,
As I mentioned in my FJ DryJoy review, I put the Softspikes Black Widow Tour spikes (set to backswing support) on my DryJoys and Contours.  I put the DryJoys in play for the first time and could really feel that extra support.

I haven't yet used Champ spikes yet for comparison but FJ just sent me some to try (they are standard on the new FJ Sport and ICONS).  I will keep you posted on what I find!

FootJoy DryJoys

Dear Unscratchers,
I purchased a pair of DryJoys (white with - my favorite UF Gator orange) from TGW.com last season.  First of all, they arrived quickly like usual from TGW.  Strangely they were too big, I had ordered the same size that I wear in my FJ Contours.  Quick shout out to TGW, they offer free return shipping and had my white-silver combo (orange wasn't available in the size) very quickly.

These shoes are wonderful.  As much as I loved my FJ Contours, these DryJoys really became my go-to shoes on the course.  They are also super comfortable and have excellent traction.

I can say that the Contours are a bit softer but it doesn't hurt the DryJoys in the comfort category, in fact I actually prefer the more "stiff-yet-comfortable" feel of the DryJoys.  These also came stock with the Softspike Pulsars (same as the Contours) but felt more stable.  I believe this is from the stiffer feel of the shoe.  Yet again, though, I never was wishing to remove my shoes in the clubhouse afterwards like I used to with my old Nike spikes.  (The Nike experience was actually a surprise as they are the only sneaker that I wear normally).

Just like I mentioned with the Contours, I also put the Softspikes Black Widow Tour spikes on my DryJoys.  I have, however, been able to play a round with these (my best - 88 - woohoo!).  I have them set to Softspikes' backswing support settings shown on their website.

I definitely recommend these DryJoys, they are comfortable and are a perfect fit.  By the way, they fit about 1/2 size smaller than the Contours for me.

FootJoy Contour

Dear Unscratchers,
I bought a pair of Contours last winter and love them.  They are super comfortable (ie, you aren't looking to change out of them immediately after a round).  They offer a very comfy base and pretty good traction (though not quite as good as my newer DryJoys.  I am not sure if that is because of the spikes that came stock (Softspikes Pulars vs the Softspikes Black Widows on my DryJoys).

At any rate, you can pick up Contours pretty inexpensively these days so they are definitely recommended for frugal golfers.  I have also put Black Widow Tours on these this off season so I will let you know what my findings are after the snow melts.

Finally getting better...

Dear Unscratchers,
Finally have broken 90, shot an 88 last week in Florida.  Maybe based on my previous post, this blog will be even more helpful (and I can't wait to play again to see if I can continue to progress!).