UPDATE: Nippon Shaft’s new prototype Modus3 shaft recorded its first professional victory Sunday at the Volvo Golf Champions at the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain. The world’s ninth-ranked player used the Modus3 shafts in his irons and finished at 20-under par on rounds of 67-67-66-68—268.

Making it’s debut at the 2011 PGA Merchandise Show is the new Nippon Shaft Pro MODUS3 Tour 120. The first new shaft to come to market since Nippon Shaft began researching the needs of top PGA touring pros over the last 18 months, according to Hiro Fukuda, head of sales and marketing for Nippon Shaft.

Watch this short video of Mark Pekarek from Nippon Shaft, talk about the key features of the N.S. Pro MODUS3 Tour 120.

N.S. Pro MODUS3 Tour 120 Backstory
Representatives from Nippon Shaft traveled regularly with the PGA TOUR starting in July 2009, talking with players, allowing them to sample prototypes, and refining the shafts to fit the players’ unique requirements.  A number of players used the shafts in competition last season.

“By traveling with the PGA TOUR, Nippon Shaft gained insight into the equipment preferences of many of the world’s elite players,” said Fukuda. “The N.S. Pro MODUS3 Tour 120 is the initial product to result from this exhaustive research and development process.”

A number of PGA touring pros – including former Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup team members – have been playing prototype versions of the MODUS3 shafts in PGA tournaments this year.

The Tour 120 model weighs between 114 and 126 grams and comes in S, X, and Tour X flex options.  Other models still in the testing phase weigh as little as 106 grams and as many as 139 grams – but all meet the requirements of top players.

N.S. Pro MODUS3 Tour 120 Features
The N.S. Pro MODUS3 series shafts are popular with touring pros because they offer optimal performance in the three key areas:

• Desired trajectory, which comes as a result of the unique shaft structure;
• Accurate distances, thanks to the shaft’s unique raw steel material and accompanying heat treatment;
• Tight dispersion, which comes from the exacting tolerances of the highest quality level.

Where to Buy
For the first time, consumers may purchase the shafts directly from major golf retailers, such as GolfSmith and The GolfWorks.

As always, the shafts are available through Shaftology – Nippon Shaft’s dedicated clubfitter network – and through the custom club departments of top club manufacturers.

www.nipponshaft.com

Congratulations to Christopher Chin of NY, the winner of the Cleveland Golf T-Frame Mallet Putter!

Sandbox8.com and Cleveland Golf have teamed up to give away the new Cleveland Golf T-Frame Mallet Putter to one lucky reader.

Cleveland Golf T-Frame Mallet Putter

Cleveland® Golf introduced the new Cleveland® Golf T-Frame™ Mallet putter, engineered by Never Compromise® at the 2010 PGA Merchandise Show. With over 70 grams of weight redistributed to the rear of the putter, the T-Frame™ Mallet is engineered with high MOI, which increases forgiveness on off-center hits.

Available in both RH and LH models, the T-Frame™ Mallet incorporates a dominant “T” feature which facilitates proper alignment. Designed from 17-4 Stainless Steel, the precision milled face provides a soft yet solid feel. The satin polish minimizes glare and provides a long-lasting finish. The T-Frame™ Mallet putter, which carries a street price of $119, is offered with three different lie angle options (68°/ 70°/ 72°) and features a unique head cover which includes a silver dollar-sized ball marker.

Prize: (1) Cleveland Golf T-Frame Mallet Putter  (70* Lie, 3* Loft, Right Handed, 35″) will be awarded to a randomly selected contestant.

All entries must be recieved by Noon PST on April 29th,  2010!

Contest Rules
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE CHANCES OF WINNING.
All winners must be 18 years of age or older.
Eligibility is limited to residents of the United States.
Only One Email Entry Per Household Daily.
Read full contest rules.

Sorry the Contest is over!

Don’t miss out on future contests, news, and updates, by subscribing to our Email Updates , RSS feed, twitter, facebook, or download the iPhone app!

Good Luck!

UPDATE: The winning caption is from Martin King, “Did I win nearest the pins? By the way, your outfit’s the pits…” Congratulations Martin and thanks to all that entered!

It’s almost Spring and there is no better way to kick off the month of March, but with a Caption Contest! At the PGA Merchandise Show you see all sorts of things and I stumbled upon this guy talking to this girl.

All you have to do is come up with the best caption and leave it the comments section below.

Caption Contest: What's This Guy Asking?

The winner will get a copy of Jim McLean’s, The Slot Swing!

Here’s my attempt: “Got any gum?”

Golf is one of those sports that can bring sheer enjoyment one moment and in another instance so much frustration, that you question why you’re playing in the first place. One of things that we often overlook or are not aware of is the life lessons we can takeaway from playing this game and how it applies to our everyday lives.

Jeff Ritter, the author of Your Kid Ate a Divot! 2010 PGA Merchandise Show

When I was visiting the Sligo Wear booth at the 2010 PGA Merchandise Show, I ran into this guy holding a book with a funny book title, Your Kid Ate A Divot! Eighteen Life Lessons from the Links. I was automatically intrigued by the funny title of this book and I had to learn more. This is how I met Jeff Ritter one of the world’s most prominent golf instructors known for his unique coaching style that incorporates creative concepts from all walks of life to help teach that crazy game of golf to his students.

About Your Kid Ate a Divot!

In his book Jeff tells a humorous collection of tales sure to add inspiration to your game and your life! These true stories deliver the valuable life lessons within the game in a manner never seen in the world of golf. You’ll find yourself thinking about how these lessons not only apply to the game of golf, but in your personal life or career for that matter. I was really amazed by the level of insight and how simple some of the lessons were.

The book is broken up into 19 Chapters or holes on a golf course and each hole starts out with a story related to the chapter, followed by Jeff’s insight called Ritter’s Tip. For example, in chapter 3 (referenced as 3rd Hole in the book) Whistle While You Work. The story is about a student who wanted to become a good golfer and was taking lessons from Jeff.

When we are learning something new, it takes time for it sink-in and repeat consistently. So when the golfer would struggle with hitting his shots, he would simply begin to whistle his favorite tune to loosen up. After doing this, the golfer would begin hitting his golf shots consistently again. Ritter’s Tip for this is called Letting Go.

Learning to Let Go
We’ve all been there when we become frustrated and get all in our head, because we can’t hit a shot, etc. Letting Go, is the key to mentally freeing up your mind and relaxing your body so you can execute. And Whistling is a great way of doing it, because it distracts you, but also puts you in a different frame of mind. This is something I plan on trying out and doing more often, when things don’t go the way you expect them too.

As you read the other chapters titled, “The Duck of Death,” “Squirrel Boy,” and yes…..a kid who really ate a divot, you will experience a new found enthusiasm for the game and the uplifting messages a life on the links brings! What you’ll also get from reading this book is a genuine sense of who Jeff Ritter is as an instructor and a person. Which in my opinion is not easy to do.

At only 176 pages, Your Kid Ate A Divot is quick and enjoyable read, that will leave you wanting more great stories and life lessons. I know that’s how I felt after finishing the book. Hopefully, Jeff will write a sequel, because I’m sure there are more than 18 lessons we can learn from golf.

Overall, Your Kid Ate A Divot! Eighteen Life Lessons from the Links is in my opinion one of the best golf books I’ve read in quite sometime. The book will resonate with golfers of all abilities and you’ll come away looking at the game differently and more aware of yourself.

Your Kid Ate A Divot! Eighteen Life Lessons from the Links $14.95

Let’s face it, practicing your short game (wedges) in the winter is not an option for most golfers unless you live in a part of the country where you can golf year-round or have access to a golf dome. The key to any good short game is practice and ingraining the proper feel and feedback of your shots. How can you do this indoors without damaging anything inside your home or annoying your wife?

The Floppy-Indoor Golf Ball

The answer to this problem is a product I stumbled upon at the 2010 PGA Merchandise Show called the Floppy, which is an indoor practice golf ball specifically designed for the practice of your short game, indoors.

How it Works
The Floppy is meant to be hit off a plush carpet or golf mat indoors. This might be a challenge for homes with hardwood flooring throughout the entire home. The unique Patent Pending design of The Floppy® gives the golfer realistic feedback. Because The Floppy® feels, rolls and spins like a golf ball. Each Floppy ball is hand-made and built to last through thousands of hits.

The Floppy® feels and reacts like a real golf ball but is safe enough to hit into a window or a wall. It offers realistic feedback and keeps your short game tuned when you are away from the course. Now you can have the freedom to practice your golf game when ever and where ever you like.

My Thoughts on the Floppy
My initial reaction to seeing the Floppy is it looked a lot like a hacky sack and I was bit skeptical about how good of a substitute it would make for a golf ball. Once, you get over the fear of hitting the Floppy into a wall or patio door, you’ll enjoy using it to sharpen your shot game. What I liked about the Floppy is the immediate feedback it gives you just like a regular golf ball, but without the risk of breaking anything indoors. If you skull your shot, the Floppy just flies across the ground.

The one thing missing from the Floppy is the sound and feel only a real golf ball will make hit perfectly in the sweet spot, but that’s a trade-off most golfers would be willing to make to practice their short game year-round indoors. Priced at $19.95 for 4 Floppy golf balls may put some people off, but that’s a lot cheaper than paying to fix a broken window or damaged wall.

Are you willing to give the Floppy a try?

www.thefloppy.com

Sligo Wear is all about fusing fashion and performance when it comes to golf apparel and the 2010 Summer and Fall collections from Sligo continue to deliver with it’s most dynamic collection to date.

[View with PicLens]

Sligo doesn’t take your typical approach of designing their apparel from the current trends in the golf fashion, instead they get the inspiration from fashion globally and non-golf apparel.

Digitile Trousers

Digitile is a new Sligo design influenced by Moroccan tile dating back to the 14th century. This art form flourished during the Hispano-Moresque era and is still prevalent in Spanish and Portuguese architecture today. The Digitile trousers in Platinum Digitile are made from a Poly/Lycra materials and the pattern is very subtle, almost looks kind of like snake skin at first glance.  Truly a unique pair of golf pants, guaranteed to make you stand apart from others on the course.

O’Brien

The O’Brien golf shirt which we reviewed last year has gotten an update, with only displaying the argyle diamond print on the front and back. The O’Brien is made from a technical polyester jersey that wicks moisture from your skin, has a UV protectant, anti-microbial, and 4 way mechanical stretch.

Hadden

When designing the Hadden, Sligo thought about how they could change up your typical horizontal strip golf shirt. The solution, remove a portion of the stripe diagonally across the chest to break up the horizontal stripes and create visual interest. Made from the same technical polyester jersey that wicks moisture from your skin, has a UV protectant, anti-microbial, and 4 way mechanical stretch.

Laurer

When you view the Laurer golf shirt from the front, it looks like your typical solid color golf shirt. Don’t let the unassuming front of the Laurer fool you. It’s when you view the back of the shirt do you see a modified version of the Digitile print running along the back of shoulders, that sets this shirt apart from others. The Laurer is made from the same technical polyester jersey that wicks moisture from your skin, has a UV protectant, anti-microbial, and 4 way mechanical stretch.

Gator

With a name like Gator, you’d probably think it’s short for Alligator? That’s not the case, its the name for the technical polyester pique shirt from Sligo which features a “L” stripe that runs along the left shoulder and armpit and runs across the shoulder blades on the back. Again, Sligo takes the ordinary golf shirt and adds a slight twist with this design. The Gator has the same wicking , UV protection, anti-microbial, and 4 way stretch, like the other Sligo shirts.

I think Sligo has done a great job of mixing things up for 2010 Summer and Fall collections. Same Game. New Vibe.

www.sligowear.com

At the 2010 PGA Merchandise Show, I got a tweet from ZENIO asking me to stop by their booth and check out the ZENIO Putting System. I’ll be honest, I’ve never heard of this company and I was really curious.

[View with PicLens]

This was probably one of the more interesting putting training aids I saw at the PGA Merchandise Show and in the video, you’ll see Dr. Richard Jaekel talk about the benefits of the ZENIO Putting System.

How Does it Work?
ZENIO is a revolutionary new training and fitting system that gives golfers immediate and accurate data on their putting in real time and in real outdoor conditions. Measuring the size of a matchbox and weighing just 29 grams, the ZENIO attaches to any putter in just 15 seconds. It uses the latest sensor technology to measure the key parameters of the putting stroke – impact, rhythm and face angle – and then immediately transmits the information to a Smartphone of PDA via Bluetooth, where it is displayed in an easy-to-understand graphical format.

Why ZENIO?
With data from each session being recorded, users can chart their progress over time on all manner of putts (straight, breaking, uphill, downhill) from a variety of different distances, helping to build up a clear picture of putting strengths and weaknesses and how to improve your putting consistency . ZENIO’s innovative software uses the player’s ‘Best’ performance as a benchmark for future sessions and also includes a Tour player consistency benchmark for comparison. Golfers can also use the ZENIO to find their optimum stance, grip and posture, and by using the fitting option can even reveal which putter type suits their stroke best.

The real beauty of the ZENIO is that you can use it to train in real conditions rather than in the protected environment of a putting lab (not sure how many of have access to one). ZENIO’s mobility allows you to test your putting on the practice green as well as on the golf course in real time, anywhere you want, anytime. All you need is the ZENIO and a Smartphone and you have your putting coach in your pocket.

My Thoughts on the ZENIO
I really liked the idea of the ZENIO Putting System, but there are a few minor drawbacks. It only works on a Windows Mobile Operating System Smartphone/PDA. But they will release a version eventually for the iPhone. The other drawback is the high price tag. At 671 Euros or $912 USD, the cost might be a little too high for most consumers. Hopefully, as they sell more units the  manufacturing costs of the ZENIO will go down.

Overall, I was really impressed by the ZENIO Putting System and it shows a lot of promise as robust putting training aid, that gives you tons of quantitative data and feedback.

http://www.zeniosports.com

Quagmire, the lifestyle apparel company known for its edgy, modern golf and sportswear, premiered its 2010 men’s and women’s collections at the PGA Merchandise Show.

[View with PicLens]

The new collection is highlighted by contrasting color combinations, casual styling and new fabrications. Merging elements from sport and street fashion, Quagmire’s latest collection offer vibrant looks that are designed to take the wearer from the greens to the downtown scene.

“You don’t have to be a serious golfer to wear Quagmire,” says co-founder Geoff Tait. “Our styles are fresh and playful, and designed to fit our customer’s lifestyle. Whether it’s hanging out at the bar Friday night, golfing on Saturday or hitting the beach-Quagmire helps you look good and feel great in what you wear, wherever you are.”

Environmentally Friendly Fabric

Crafted from Quagmire’s exclusive, environmentally-friendly “Gud ‘N’ Dri” fabric, the line’s polos are available in several textures including pique, interlock and cotton slub. The 2010 collection also includes a new “Recycled Honeycomb” 100 percent polyester cloth. Performance wise the Gud ‘N’ Dri fabric breathable, fast-drying, offers UV protection, and antimicrobial.

You’ll notice what a soft hand the Gud ‘N’ Dri fabric has, which is static-free, and wrinkle and pilling-resistant. For the bottoms in the collection, Quagmire has introduced a woven-nylon, seersucker plaid and cotton stripe, among other fabrications.

Men’s and Women’s Designs

Quagmire’s 2010 men’s and women’s designs include names like “Heckler,” “Choke,” and “Lipout,” emphasizing the line’s tongue and cheek approach to fashion. Some of the highlights for me were the Women’s CrossHand, with it’s diagonal button placket that goes across the chest, gives a modern twist to buttoning up your shirt.

The BeerCart shirt for men also had a unique design with the Green/Grey/White color blocking that looked like a wave and the placement of Quagmire logo on the back.  You really see the playfulness in the designs and how they accent their pieces, with subtle style elements.

Retailing from $65 for some tops to $79 for select outerwear, the 2010 Quagmire Golf Collection is reasonably priced, and you don’t have to spend a lot of money to look good on the golf course.

www.quagmiregolf.com

Tom Stites, Nike Golf's Director of Golf Club Creation

Tom Stites is Nike Golf’s Director of Golf Club Creation and at the 2010 PGA Merchandise Show Outdoor Demo Day, we had the opportunity to interview Tom about the following topics: The new SQ MACHSPEED driver, the technology behind the MACHSPEED driver, how the average golfer can benefit from adjustable face drivers, cub fitting, and the future of golf club technology.

Special thanks to Nike Golf and Tom Stites!

Featuring the same innovative and durable design that has made the original Epoch the most popular performance tee on the PGA Tour, the Epoch-S3 incorporates the company’s groundbreaking Sweet Spot System, a proprietary internet application. It takes the guess work out of consistently teeing at the proper height by aligning the ball with the driver’s “sweet spot,” assuring optimum distance on every drive. Players simply enter a make and model of driver and the recommended depth of insertion is displayed, which coincides with markings on the tee stem.

[View with PicLens]

Various new cosmetic options are available as part of the company’s 2010 catalogue, including a “natural” finish for the Epoch and a variety of vibrant colors for the Vireo-S3 line.

“We’re continuing to push the technology envelope with new, eco-friendly products which help improve player performance,” says BJ Maloy, Founder and CEO of Evolve Golf. “The Epoch-S3, in particular, is a leading edge design that significantly cuts back on the needless waste of natural resources caused by wooden tee manufacturing while providing the golfer with an intuitive custom tee height solution for optimizing the player’s performance.”

Recognized as one of the golf industry’s most environmentally-friendly companies, Evolve Golf’s popular performance tee lines and packaging are made completely from recycled materials.

PGA Merchandise Display Booth Made from Sustainable Materials

Taking this approach to another level at the PGA Merchandise Show, the company’s unique display booth was made entirely from sustainable materials:

The structure was made completely from reclaimed river wood, dredged using historical research and sonar technology by the Cape Fear Riverwood company – dedicated to protecting living forests by relying on resources abandoned a century ago.

ECO ACT II banners from Banner Creations – a green printer since 1993 – which are made from 100-percent post consumer recycled PET bottles. Exceptionally durable, they offer great print quality through a dye sublimation process employing water-based inks

FLOR carpet tiles made with renewable and recycled content, an ingenious flooring design system that blends form, function and a commitment to be environmentally responsible

“Since day one we have been dedicated to providing players and facilities with products that out perform competitors on the course and are as eco-friendly as possible,” says BJ Maloy, Founder and CEO of Evolve Golf. “This specially designed trade show booth is a representation of who we are as company and further expands our message of the importance of sustainability in the industry.”

Evolve Golf is one of the few companies in the golf industry that is close to being cradle to cradle and leader in stewarding resources and the environment.

www.evolvegolf.com