Drive, Chip, Putt - Everything About Golf

The old golf adage goes “drive for show, putt for dough” and this golf variation rewards the better putters of the group.  This game can be played with any group that has at least two players.

“Putt for Dough” is a game that is won by accumulating the most points throughout the round.  You will only get points if you one-putt the hole and the amount of points is determined by your distance from the hole.  For example, in a foursome, the player farthest from the hole will get 4 points if he or she one-putts and the person closest to the hole will get 1 point by making a one-putt.

Since this game is about the importance of the short game, poor putters will be punished.  Any time a player three-putts a hole, subtract 1 point from that player’s score.  Likewise, chipping in from off the green rewards a player with 5 bonus points.

Also, any player can get a 10 point bonus at the end of the round if he or she makes a chip in, a 4 point, a 3 point, a 2 point, and a 1 point putt throughout the game (if you have less than 4 players, award the bonus points based on the number of players you have - for a twosome, bonus points will be awarded if you make a chip in, a 2 point, and a 1 point putt).

At the end of the round, the player with the most points wins the game.  You can play this game for bragging rights or you can place a wager on the game. If you do decide to bet on the game, you can wager on the final score or you can assign a dollar amount to each point scored.  Good luck with your putts!

With all of the new drivers that have been released recently, we consumers are constantly told how great a club’s Moment of Inertia (or MOI) factor is compared to other drivers. Well, what exactly is MOI and what does it do for my golf game? Is this just marketing speak or is this a real term that you need to be aware of as a golfer?

In the golf sense, Moment of Inertia refers to how a clubhead resists to twisting from center when contact is made with the ball. For instance, if you have a less than perfect swing and you strike the ball off the toe of the club, a clubhead with a higher Moment of Inertia factor will not twist as much because of the mishit. This gives your ball a much better chance of flying further and straighter than if your clubhead had a lower MOI factor. Moment of Inertia is increased by club manufacturers by manipulating the size, shape, and weight of the clubhead.

If you are a higher handicap golfer, a higher MOI club will greatly improve your golf game - especially your position off the tee. These clubs are more forgiving and will increase the likelihood that your mishits are playable. However, if you are a low handicap golfer, you may want to steer clear of higher MOI clubs because they reduce your ability to really shape the ball’s flight path off of the tee. If you’re interested in one of these high MOI clubs, the Nike SQ Sumo Squared 5900 and Cleveland Hibore XLS drivers are two of the more popular newer models that you might want to consider.

The Ping G10 is the latest upgrade from Ping’s G5 Driver. According to Ping, their engineers used finite element analysis (FEA) driven by a Cray Supercomputer, to optimize the G10 Drivers’ crown, sole and face structure interaction to ensure maximum energy transfer to the ball.

The 460cc driver features a larger profile with a taller face and deeper crown that produces a higher Moment of Inertia (MOI) for greater forgiveness and increased ball velocity.  This club’s thinner crown and face (compared to the G10) provide discretionary weight which is positioned inside the club head to lower the center of gravity for reduced spin and higher launch.

All of that scientific engineering talk seems to translate to performance on the golf course!  This club has great forgiveness and packs a lot of power into a more traditional looking driver.  You can have mishits off of the heel or the toe and it will still go straight and far.  This club also seems to have the tendency to launch the ball at a high angle off of tee but it still provides significant roll.

If you’re interested in a new driver that looks more traditional than some of the more exotic drivers today, you can buy the PING G10 Men’s Driver for about $300 from Golf Galaxy.

Here it is, the update to the model that started the square head driver craze of last year! Whether you love them or hate them, you can’t deny that the square head driver is here to stay.

With the SQ SUMO 5900, Nike engineers have pushed Moment of Inertia (MOI), volume and impact efficiency to the USGA limits. The result is a driver that will hit the ball long and accurate off the tee. From last year’s model, the SQ SUMO 5900 has a deeper face, a convex crown, and redefined body shaping to increase ball speed and accuracy. Also, weight has been repositioned to the farthest corners of the Nike PowerBow design, optimizing head stability and delivering ultimate accuracy.

Whether you hit the ball of the toe, the heel, or the sweetspot, your drive will most likely go straight. This year’s model also has a more muted sound than last year’s “shotgun” sound. If you are used to working the ball of the tee, this club is most likely not for you. However, if you’re just happy to hit the ball long and straight down the fairway (sounds good to me!) this club will certainly work for you. If you pay the steep price for this 460cc driver you will really pound the ball. You know what they say - drive for show…

The Nike SQ Sumo Squared 5900 can be found retailing for approximately $400. If you’re interested you can get your own
here from Golf Galaxy.

According to Cobra, the LD (Limit Dimensions) driver has golf’s largest clubface. Pushing the limits of clubhead size set by the USGA help this club generate a massive Moment of Inertia (MOI) for faster ball speed and longer, straighter drives. The real benefit of a high MOI is reducing the dispersion of your drive from its intended target on a mishit.

The club’s high MOI, combined with Speed Tuned clubhead and shaft promote high launch with a slight draw bias for maximum distance and accuracy. This club also contains an increased Crown Slope which is responsible for moving the center of gravity lower and deeper in the clubhead for high trajectory and increased distance.

While this is a very good club, we feel that in comparison to the Cleveland Hibore XLS, it does not matchup in forgiveness and distance off the tee. Ultimately though, the decision rests with each golfer based on his or her own personal preference. If this club is the best driver that you have ever used, then great! The best advice we can give when evaluating different clubs is to try them all! There’s no harm in shopping around!

The Cobra Speed LD driver can currently be purchased here at Golf Galaxy for about $200.

The Cleveland Hibore XLS is the newest driver in Cleveland’s Hibore line of clubs. The club face is 17% larger than last year’s Hibore XL model. It’s Cleveland’s largest ever and among the biggest on the market. Cleveland’s Full Face Performance technology extends the “Hot Zone” across a larger area of the face creating more distance from both solid shots and mishits.

This club also features maximum USGA clubhead dimensions to push the currently allowed Moment of Inertia (MOI) limit. 5300 MOI represents a 13% increase from the Hibore XL. This higher MOI provides even more control off the tee for extremely straight drives even when the driver is off the heel or toe.

All of the technology that Cleveland has packed into this driver seems to have really paid off for golfers. It is one of the farthest and straightest clubs that we have hit. This club comes in lofts of 8.5, 9.5, 10.5, and 11.5 degrees. Draw versions are available in lofts of 9, 10.5, and 12 degrees. The Cleveland Hibore XLS retails for around $300 at Golf Galaxy right now.

The new 460cc FT-5 Driver is the latest driver utilizing Callaway’s Fusion Technology. The larger, more robust Titanium cup face is designed to the legal limit, as defined by the USGA Characteristic Time test, resulting in increased ball speed, distance and forgiveness — even on miss-hits. This club is in the same family as the FT-i driver but it does not have the non-traditional square club head.

Callaway’s Proprietary Fusion Technology creates an unprecedented 50 grams of discretionary weight which is strategically positioned for a high Moment of Inertia and precise lateral location of the center of gravity. This provides exceptional stability on off-center hits, while enabling ball flight customization for optimal individual performance. The 25-gram weight located at the rear of the driver lowers the CG for optimal trajectory.

Some players complain about the loud noise created when hitting the ball with this club but I think this is a minor point of contention that most players can deal with especially for the performance benefits this club gives you. The only other negative we can think of is the price - $430 retail. This price may be steep for the weekend golfer, but for more serious golfers, you get what you pay for. If you are interested in buying this club, you can get it here from Golf Galaxy.

Round Robin is a golf variation that can only be played with a group of four golfers. Some people also refer to this game as Hollywood or Sixes.

In Round Robin, every group member will end up playing against each other player in 2 on 2 team match ups. Here’s the interesting twist - players rotate partners after every six holes so that each member of the foursome partners with every other member throughout the round.

Any scoring format for the 6-hole matches can be used, and each 6-hole segment is a separate round. If at the end of the 18 holes you’ve been on two winning sides and one losing side, you end up the winner. You can turn this format into a betting game or simply play for bragging rights. If you choose to place a wager on this game, you should bet on each of the 3 6-hole matches.

Round Robin only really works well when all of the players are of similar skill levels, or by golfers using full handicaps.

Here is a list of the golf courses that we have reviewed in Florida so far. If there is a course that you would like us to review for tips on how to play it correctly or if you’re a golf course owner that wants to have your course reviewed, just leave us a note in the comments and we’ll try our best to get you on the list.

• Beachview Golf Club - Sanibel Island, FL

Here is a list of the golf courses that we have reviewed in New York so far. If there is a course that you would like us to review for tips on how to play it correctly or if you’re a golf course owner that wants to have your course reviewed, just leave us a note in the comments and we’ll try our best to get you on the list.

• Ravenwood Golf Club - Rochester, NY
• Glen Oak Golf Course - Amherst, NY
• Audobon Golf Course - Amherst, NY