Tom Spousta

Nike improves its golf game with new STR8-FIT driver

Look, regardless of what kind of golf clubs you think Nike makes, just having Tiger Woods endorse your products guarantees a large number of sales. But Nike has done wonders with its new SQ Dymo2 STR8-FIT driver as it tries to grab more market share. Namely, they’ve manufactured a club face that blows away the old Sasquatch/Sumo models.

The ball fires and climbs off the face, and the distance/carry you get now competes with Nike’s rivals on the driver side of the biz. (I walked it off … I got about 15 more yards than the original Sasquatch I had been playing the last couple years.)

The STR8-FIT comes with the adjustable shaft tip which can change the club head into eight lie/loft/open/closed positions (Face Angle Technology, Nike calls it). The quality UST Pro Force shaft is slightly longer than most other drivers. And Nike has a nifty little wrench pocket sewn in the head cover.

I sampled the square-headed version just to see if I’d like that look and shape. I can see why people swear by it, but that’s a personal preference, and of course Nike makes one that’s round, too. The square head has a shallow club face, which means you might have to tee it a little lower than other jumbo-sized driver heads.

At $399, the STR8-FIT is priced the same as TaylorMade’s R9 driver and most other offerings this year, which already has seen many impressive products released so far. You’ve also got the re-launch of the Cleveland Launcher; the Callaway FT-9; a new line of Titleist drivers; and strong club designs from nearly everybody else.

Agree or disagree … Overall this ranks as perhaps the best generation of drivers ever released (along with the variety of shaft technologies to go with them). Go hit ‘em and get back to me.

Fore! Tiger Woods plays through PGA Tour return with C-plus game

Yes, Tiger Woods won his first match at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. But if you bothered to look beyond his birdie-eagle start Wednesday, you saw a golf superstar so far off his game that I bet it even surprised Woods.

Did you see some of those wild shots he hit Thursday (actually, both days)? It would be hard to pick which one was the worst. Hey, that Nike commercial was great, you know the one where everybody’s having a great time, and then suddenly Woods walks in and the locker room goes silent? Well, maybe the students are still shooting a spitball or two while the teacher has his backed turned …

Go ask any athlete, any sport. Once a knee undergoes major surgery, it’s never quite the same. Certainly not eight months after waking up from the anesthesia. Just ask Ernie Els; it took him about two years to regain his true form after tearing up his knee.

Woods won’t need that long, but I’d give him a C-plus for his initial comeback. I’d wager to say he isn’t going to have his A game back until after the U.S. Open at the earliest.

So lower the Tiger bar until then. And give Tim Clark credit, too. He sensed weakness in Woods and raised his game to beat him soundly. (I’d consider the pesky Clark for your Masters pool, too. He’s tied for 13th twice and was second in 2006 at Augusta National.)

Still, it was the perfect PGA Tour event for Woods to make his return. Oh, he’ll win this year, based on the simple fact he doesn’t need his best game to beat any of these guys. But I’ll stick by my prediction from a couple months ago that Woods won’t win a major this year.

Sorry, but Tiger still has a lot of work to do to get his game and knee back in gear.

Checking out the new TaylorMade R9 Driver

Just got the new TaylorMade R9 Driver late Tuesday, and dude, it is a hot piece of machinery! Don’t bother running down to your local golf shop to get it, either. It won’t be in stores for at least a couple weeks, or as TaylorMade so succinctly put in their promo material, “3.06.09.”

I’ll be test driving it Wednesday, before Tiger Woods enraptures the golf world with his comeback at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana, Ariz. A more detailed review will come later.

With its clean lines and aerodynamic shape, if this driver were a car, it would be a BMW. It’s got a high-tech Motore shaft by Fujikura, with a two-tone red and silver/gray shaft color design.

It also has the adjustable shaft tip (Flight Control Technology, according to TaylorMade), which can twist/click open/close the head into eight different positions. Like the R7 before it, the R9 has moveable weights to change the clubhead’s center of gravity. Combined, it gives you all kinds of trajectory options.

Or as the packaging sticker on the face says, “8 head positions, 3 movable weights, 75 yards of left to right adjustability.”

I could probably make do without most of the adjustability. But here’s the thing about the R9 (and=2 0the R7 before it). Suppose you get a case of the hard left pulls (like I’ve recently had). Instead of fidgeting with your stance, messing with your swing and overcompensating your aim, etc., you could adjust the head a click or two, maybe move a weight, and try that with your natural swing (and swing thoughts). I think it beats trying to adjust your whole body in order to correct what should be a minor hitch. It’s an aid, and it makes for basic options in your game. Who doesn’t want that?

TaylorMade chose not to unveil the R9 at the recent PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, although the buzz was certainly there. I got a sneak peak at lunch from my new best pal, Harry Arnett, senior director of equipment for TaylorMade/adidas. He gave me a quick tutorial on how to adjust the shaft tip and weights, and although he was great in explaining it, I have to admit it can be intimidating. But once you’ve got the R9 in your hands, it’s really easy to understand and do.

I hit all the new drivers at the PGA Show’s Demo Day. I love the new Cleveland Launcher, another great brand name that’s been re-released. Nike has a new driver with an adjustable shaft tip. The new Titleist drivers are excellent, of course, but mostly single-digit handicappers tend to favor those.

I asked Arnett if the trend with these click-and-go shaft tips might be too much technology and might malfunction in the hands of the average hack. “Hey, it’s a lot more durable than glue,” he said with a defusing smile.

Overall, I had to agree with Arnett when he said to me, “It’s a touch-and-feel product. Regular golfers can really get the look and ball flight they want.”

Can’t wait to grip it and rip it!

Return of Tiger Woods? Doral Golf Resort & Spa offers ringside rooms and seats

You might not be able to play the famed Blue Monster course during this particular stay at Doral Golf Resort & Spa. Seems Tiger Woods likely will have a tee time that weekend while trying to win another World Golf Championships – CA Championship title that weekend.

But you certainly can have a front row seat to watch one of the top PGA Tour events March 12-15, when the Miami resort is offering a 15% discount on its tournament golf packages. The bargains start at $349 per night ($399 for double occupancy) and include daily tickets that give you full access to the clubhouse, grounds and amenities. As a guest, you could also play the resort’s other layouts (Gold course, the Great White course, the Red course, and Silver course.

What makes this one of the better golf deals is timing and, well, Woods. Positioned perfectly at the end of the Florida swing and three weeks before the Masters, the WGC–CA Championship has Woods in the sweet spot of his comeback from knee surgery.

Woods is expected to play because he’ll need to be at Doral Golf Resort & Spa as a tune-up for Augusta National and the Masters, which he has said is a priority for his 2009 return to the PGA Tour. He lives in Isleworth, a ritzy development near Orlando, meaning he won’t be playing that far from home.

Also: Woods’ wife, Elin, gave birth to their second child, Charlie Axel Woods, on Feb. 8. So, Tiger doesn’t have the distraction of being an expecting father as he plans his near-term schedule.

And Woods enjoys winning on the Blue Monster, having outdueled Phil Mickelson and David Toms among his three victories on this course.

Doral Golf Resort & Spa’s regular rates for a Garden-view room start at $429. The daily clubhouse tickets normally range from $40 to $50 each. For reservations or additional information, visit www.doralresort.com or call (800) 71-DORAL. When booking please mention the WGC Room and Ticket Package or rate code 21GGOL for double occupancy and 21GGOK for single occupancy.

Rosen Shingle Creek resort salutes military members with special Orlando golf rates

Tough times for the golf industry hasn’t stopped Rosen Shingle Creek resort from saying thanks to those who serve our country. From now through September, the Orlando golf destination has put in special rates for active duty, reserve and retired military personnel.

Service members can play for $59 until April 5, then $49 from April 6 through May 17. The summer rate is $39 from May 18 to September 30. Price includes greens fees and golf cart at Shingle Creek Golf Club.

It’s a deep discount, too. Rates usually run between $79 and $149 during those dates.

For Harris Rosen, President and COO of Rosen Hotels & Resorts, it was a perfect fit. Rosen also is a former officer in the United States Army. “We continually look for new ways to support our active duty troops as well as the members of the reserves and retired military members,” Rosen said. “We are proud to be able to provide our country’s military with a little R&R by way of some affordable championship golf to help them relax and recharge with their friends and families.”

For more information, visit www.shinglecreek.golf.com or call (866) 996-9933. Valid military ID must be presented upon arrival. The rate is subject to availability, does not include tax and gratuities and cannot be used by groups or meeting attendees or with any other coupons or offers.

Golf can wait, trip from Callaway Gardens to FDR's Little White House can't

PINE MOUNTAIN, Ga. - I really didn’t feel like going. But I’m glad I did.

Any trip to a golf destination or vacation resort includes one of those moments. Golf might be the first priority, but you’ve got to put the sticks down occasionally and enjoy a little history and culture. Hey, if you want to be a lug, stay home and don’t crowd the courses and sites for the rest of us!

This time, I got in the car and drove from Callaway Gardens through the FDR State Park, taking Highway 190 along Pine Mountain. The gorgeous views west toward a sprawling valley were worth the ride alone. About 15 minutes later, I was wheeling into Warm Springs to see Roosevelt’s Little White House, the former president’s retreat.

A new FDR Memorial Museum is very well done in covering his life and presidency. The actual Little White House is essentially a cottage and remains in much the same way as when he died of a massive stroke on April 12, 1945 while sitting for a portrait in the living room. (Check out www.fdr-littlewhitehouse.org for more info.)

If you enjoy history and the perspective it gives us, do it. Very inspirational, especially in these times. (I’d compare it to the JFK museum, the Sixth Floor, in Dallas.)

Travelers, check this: Baggage, butterflies and Callaway Gardens golf

Random thoughts on the first day of a trip to Callaway Gardens (Lake View and Mountain View courses) in Pine Mountain, Ga.:

There are no bounds to the idiocy of our airlines. And the Japanese Paper Kite is a very cool butterfly.

Did AirTran, Delta, American and every other airline figure that charging people to check bags only encourages people not to check them? Which causes even more people to try and jam their luggage onto planes? You know who you all are, and after listening to a gate attendant in Sarasota berate boarding customers several times, I was thinking, Yeah, you go get ’em girl!

Until she dropped this bomb: You can check your bags at the end of the jetway for free.

Great. So I could have saved $15 by dragging my bags through security and dumping them off at the plane door? (I had thought of that before, but didn’t want to go through the hassle and still get charged.) And if everyone did that, would anybody ever get through security? And why the hell would airlines charge at the ticket counter and not at the gate? (They shouldn’t charge at all, but that’s another blog.)

Because they’re idiots! Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!

Thankfully, I think I avoided a stroke by getting in touch with my inner butterfly. As part of my welcome tour, I was taken throughout Callaway Gardens, which included a stop at the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center.

Go ahead and laugh. The Butterfly Center (one of the largest in North America) is the most popular attraction of numerous popular attractions at Callaway Gardens. Close to 100 species and about 1,000 butterflies are flying around the center’s natural habitat area at any given time.

Unless you’re a knucklehead, you might learn something, too. Like this common misconception: Caterpillars go into a cocoon and become butterflies. Wrong! As was pointed out to me, moths come out of cocoons. Caterpillars metamorph into chrysalis and become butterflies.

“It’s like Ford Mustangs and Ford trucks,” my tour guide said, weaving her own homespun analogy. “Both fly, but they’re entirely different models.”

At least the Japanese Paper Kite and friends know how to wing it. And they don’t have any baggage.

Travel trend: Golf destinations and resorts open wallets to renovations

Seems a good number of golf destinations and resort hotels have been renovating, refurbishing, remodeling (or whatever you want to call it) their properties lately. Which could be a hopeful economic indicator for the industry and the travelers they want to attract.

I’m headed this week to Callaway Gardens Golf Resort, a property in Pine Mountain, Ga., that has been rejuvenated. They’ve got two courses, the Lake View and Mountain View layouts, a spa and all the amenities.

The storied Boca Raton Resort & Club in Florida recently announced it has completed a $220 million refurbishment. It also has two layouts, the Resort Course and Country Club Course, and boasts the world-class Spa Palazzo. It’s also home to the Dave Pelz Short Game Golf School and has its own golf academy.

The 1,047-room resort destination, built in 1926 by architect Addison Mizner, is scheduled to join the Waldorf Astoria Collection later this year.

Hmmm. Seems like a tough time to throw all that money around. Wonder if all this spending means some parts of the travel business expect a turnaround sooner than later.

Can expectations possibly be too high for Tiger Woods’ return to golf?

Another day, another Tiger Woods update. He’s going full bore in practice sessions, his knee is stronger than ever, surgery hasn’t changed his swing …

Yawn.

Meanwhile, television, tournaments and the PGA Tour wait for the bailout that only Tiger can provide. Like he’ll single-handedly turn every 55-inch flat screen back to golf and rescue the game from economic ruin.

If anybody could, it’s him. A lot is riding on Woods’ return, and not just for Tiger.

But I’m just wondering if it’s possible to put too much on Woods’ formidable shoulders.

On the course, he can win with his B game or even C game. He works infinitely harder than anybody else on tour (Hank Haney detailed a typical day for Woods recently at the PGA Merchandise Show, and people’s heads were spinning).

He prepares far better than anyone. How about this for planning:

I was told by a reliable source recently that in anticipation of the USGA’s new rules for grooves, Woods ordered Nike to make him a new set of irons with conforming grooves – a year and a half ago. The rule change doesn’t take affect until 2010 – and Woods already has been practicing with the clubs for more than a year!

Oh, and his immense talent helps too. But if you think Woods is going to win every time and save the golf world, think again. He’ll play at least twice before the Masters, which I still think he won’t win. I bet there’s a little more rust to shake off than even he believes.

This should be interesting. It’s going to be great to watch him again, but you’d better temper those incredibly lofty expectations just a bit. Even for Tiger Woods.

PGA Show: TaylorMade-adidas takes the collar roll out of golf shirts

ORLANDO – Sure, there’s a buzz here, but it’s a dull one. No spectacular product rollouts, no revolutionary advances in club technology. It’s been more about best practices in business and instruction, not new toys.

With all the great stuff of the past 10 years or so, maybe the golf industry needed to take a breather. Or there’s little left to discover.

At least one apparel exec begs to differ. Patricia “Tiss” Dahan, Senior Director-Global Apparel for TaylorMade-adidas Golf, dragged me down the hall of the company’s department store-like exhibit and pointed at the shirt collars of her male colleagues.

“Guys have got all these great shirts, but they have a lot of collar issues,” she said. Sure enough, their shirts were in various stages of what Dahan called collar roll … you know, when it bunches up, flops in all directions, generally rolls up and over and all around.

According to her, TaylorMade-adidas has addressed, if not solved, collar roll with the latest golf line.

“I can’t tell you how. Trade secret,” Dahan said. “But our engineers have done it.”

No more ironing? Or pressing? No more muss or fuss? How come women’s collars were always better than ours anyway?!

She showed me the shirts, but I couldn’t tell anything. No matter. We’ll soon put this latest golf technology to the test.

PGA Show: G24 wants you to Go Green with solar golf bags

ORLANDO – Solar golf bags … it makes perfect sense! Heck, if I’m ever going to “Go Green,” now was the time as I wandered aimlessly around the exhibits after lunch Friday.

I literally stumbled into the G24 Innovations booth … and there it was. A good-looking golf bag with a solar panel built into it.

You can scoff, but I’m thinking this thing might work. You can discreetly plug in and charge your cell phone, GPS yardage device, iPod, Blackberry or whatever (connectors are available from G24).

It needs four hours of sunlight to fully charge, and battery life is three to four hours. Or, as Regina Dyer, G24s Director of Administration, told me, “Say you’ve got six holes left, the sun is going down and your cell phone is dying. You still have plenty of power to charge it.”

They’ve also got a portable charger that can attach to the bag for use in the car or elsewhere. The United Kingdom-based company already makes backpacks, solar lamps, computer bags and a hunting pack, and is making its first foray into golf.

If this thing really works, they might have me Going Green.

PGA Show: SkyCaddie SG5 is top dog in GPS device wars

ORLANDO – Guys wearing mini-backpacks with antennae sticking up wandered around the SkyCaddie exhibit Friday. Kinda weird, because you got the feeling they might zap you with a stun gun or something.

But the GPS device wars are heating up, and SkyCaddie brought out the ground troops to illustrate why they are the top dog. These are the mappers, the ones who use survey equipment and walk and measure every inch of the 30,000 courses the company says will be in its database by the end of this year.

Apparently none of SkyCaddie’s competitors do it this way and thus are not as accurate. Everybody else relies on satellite imagery or Google Earth to give you yardages, and with its new SG5 model, SkyCaddie figures to dominate the market.

It has a bright color display and is the easiest to use of the devices I saw at any booth Friday. It’s got a feature that rotates the shape of the green to the angle of your approach shot. You could be in the far left rough and hitting a blind shot over a large mound and still have a view of the shot you faced.

Also, you can aim the crosshairs anywhere on the green and get a yardage. Not just front, back or center numbers. The exact yardage.

You can measure your own shots, too, using a ball mark feature. Golfers who love gadgets surely will pay $429 for it, but in the long run, with the advanced technology and information the SG5 gives you, it’s worth the price.

PGA Show: Has Titleist improved on Pro V1 golf ball perfection?

ORLANDO – The Pro V1 brand owns 40% of the ball market, so what the heck is Titleist doing trying to tinker with the people’s choice of balls?

The Titleist crew explained it at a slick presentation in the Chapin Auditorium this morning. Cutting through the technical stuff, here’s how they did it:

Pro V1 … It’s not part of the marketing campaign, but from talking to people, I’m told you can get about 5 more yards with the new model. It’s got more spin, has a lower trajectory and slightly different dimple dimensions.

Pro V1x … Also about 5 yards longer. Only it’s designed to have a little less spin.

Both balls have a stronger, more durable cover. Apparently the old Pro V1 covers were getting chewed up by these high-tech grooves found in most irons.

We’ll see about all that. I’ll be hitting some this weekend.

Oh, and here’s a bit of news: Titleist plans to launch new irons late this year and redesign the grooves in some Vokey wedges.

PGA Show: Callaway, Cleveland top this golf hotlist for 2009 irons

ORLANDO - It’s a tie when it comes to the new irons between Callaway’s X 22 and Cleveland Golf‘s CG7 (both classic cavity-backed designs). I’m not sure how to break this deadlock, but the Project X shaft might give Callaway the edge.

Still withholding judgment, though. The X 22 continues that line of clubs, which have been best-sellers for years. (I had a set of X 12s I played for seven years, before switching to Ping and then TaylorMade). Callaway has again made a great iron.

Cleveland’s CG7 has a great offset look and a yellow injected molding to lessen vibration. It’s not a gimmick; it works and gives great feel and feedback on the shot. Cleveland’s shafts are very good, too (maybe I’m just used to Callaway).

At No. 3, I’ve got Cobra’s new FP irons. Just a good, strong feel and click at impact.

They’ve made this stuff so technical, you really need to do some homework before shelling out $800 or whatever for a new set of irons. That’s my hotlist for 2009 irons … so far anyway.

PGA Show: Tiger Woods chipping off last of rust, Hank Haney reports

ORLANDO – The golf industry convened here to discuss business and unveil products for 2009. An hour or so ago, we received an update on the game’s single BIGGEST industry.

That would be Tiger Woods, who according to his coach Hank Haney has nearly worked himself back into top form following last year’s surgery on his left knee.

“He’s still a little shocked – and I am too – at the rust that was there,” Haney said. “But he’s played only one time in nine months.”

Haney appeared at the PGA Equipment Forum Stage and was in town working with Woods, who lives less than 15 miles from the convention center.

“He’s fully aware the way he used to swing for those years that he was putting so much strain on his knee,” Haney said. “We’ve worked on hitting into a more stable left side. He won’t have any problem. His knee is incredibly stable now, and he looks great. It won’t take long to get it back.”