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!).