Golf Buddy GPS keeps it simple

There's only one thing you really need to know about the Golf Buddy, and it is Golf Buddy's biggest plus. You don't have to do anything to use Golf Buddy except turn it on. I took an immediate liking to it for that reason, having just dueled with my home PC trying to get set up on a competitor's model that required downloading files and then, when I finally slogged through that, discovered I needed to cough up another $35 to access course maps.

The Golf Buddy keeps it simple, stupid. Which works for me. All I do is turn it on once I arrive at the golf course I'm playing, the Golf Buddy uses GPS to figure out where I am, and the course is loaded into my system.  The company claims to have 20,000 courses on tap worldwide. The graphics are relatively rudimentary, but that's immaterial. It's the numbers that matter. The view screen serves up the back, middle and front yardages to each green. If you want to know how far it is to a certain target, like a fairway bunker, you just hit the toggle switch and you get a list of yardages to the pertinent targets. That's really all there is to it.

I can't swear to the level of accuracy that Golf Buddy provides but in five rounds of use (I used the Tour edition, with color screen, above right) I haven't had any what-the-hell moments. Its yardages have always been in line with the numbers I've gotten off the 150 stakes or sprinkler heads on the courses I've played. Also, I was able to get two 18-hole rounds in before having to recharge the Golf Buddy unit.

The Golf Buddy, golfbuddyglobal.com, $429.99

Kenny Perry's Travelers Championship Winning Clubs

During last week's U.S. Open at Bethpage Bloack, Kenny Perry removed his 3-iron and put a 19° prototype TaylorMade Raylor rescue club in its place. According to TaylorMade, Perry used the club successfully out of the rough from 220 yards out on the 10th hole to reach the green and make a birdie. Company reps said that because Perry's angle of attack is shallow, he often has trouble hitting longer clubs from deep rough, but the Raylor's V-shape sole design helped him a lot.

At the TPC River Highlands outside Hartford, where the rough was less severe than at Bethpage Black, Perry put his 3-iron back in the bag, but used a 22° Raylor instead of his 5-wood.

Here is a complete list of the club's Perry used to win his 14th career PGA Tour event:

DRVIER: TaylorMade R9 460 (9.5°) with Fujikura Matore F1 shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade Burner (14.5°) with Fujikura Re AX TP75 shaft
HYBRID: TaylorMade Raylor prototpye (18°) with Fujikura Rombax TP 75 shaft
IRONS: TaylorMade r7 (4-PW) with FST KB Tour shafts
WEDGES: TaylorMade rac (54°, 64°), Cleveland CG14 (60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts
PUTTER: Ping G2i Craz-E
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

Take a look inside more PGA Tour winners' bags

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(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Nike Golfers Support Lance Armstrong's Live Strong Foundation

At this week's PGA and LPGA Tour events, several golfers who have endorsement deals with Nike will use a special yellow golf bag to show support for Lance Armstrong's Live Strong Foundation and cancer awareness.

At the Traveler's Championship in Hartford, Stewart Cink, U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, Justin Leonard, Carl Pettersson, Kris Blanks, Brendon Todd and Bob Tway will use the bag. At the Wegmans LPGA in Rochester, N.Y., Amanda Blumenherst, Paige MacKenzie and Ashley Simon will have it.

Anthony Kim and Michelle Wie are planning to wear yellow shirts during their respective events to show support.

While Nike does not plan to bring Live Strong golf bags to retail outlets, the players' bags from this week's tournaments—along with other Nike Golf Athletes' Bags—will be autographed and auctioned on Ebay. All the proceeds will go directly to the Live Strong foundation.

Ricky Barnes' 2009 U.S. Open Clubs

The irons that Ricky Barnes brought to Bethpage Black for the 2009 U.S. Open are Wilson prototypes called Staff FG. According Wilson, they are designed to enhance feel and control, but with a small cavity-back design, they're more forgiving than the muscle-back Wilson's Staff FG59 irons. Wilson plans on releasing the Staff FG irons late in 2009.

Here is a complete list of the clubs that Ricky Barnes is playing:

DRIVER: Callaway FT-9 Tour Authentic (8.5°) with Accra SC shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: Callaway X (13°, 18°) with Accra SC shafts
IRONS: Wilson Staff FG prototype (3-PW) with True Temper Project X 6.5 shafts
WEDGES: Wilson Staff Tw9 (54°), Callaway X Forged (60°)
PUTTER: Odyssey White Hot Tour #9

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(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

David Duval's 2009 U.S. Open clubs

Here is a list of the clubs that David Duval is using at the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black:

DRIVER: Nike SQ Dymo 380 (8.5°) with Mitsubishi Diamana White Board 83 X shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: Tour Edge Exotics (15°) with Mitsubishi Diamana White Board 83 X shaft; Nike SQ Dymo (17°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 93 X shaft
IRONS: Nike Victory Red Forged Blades (3-PW) with True Temper Project X 6.5 shafts
WEDGES: Nike prototype (53°, 58°)
PUTTER: Scotty Cameron for Titleist Newport 2
BALL: Nike One Tour D

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(Photo by Al Tielemans/SI)

Phil Mickelson's clubs for 2009 U.S. Open

I had a chance to speak with Callaway Golf club designer Roger Cleveland in the company's massive tour truck this week. Cleveland mentioned that Phil Mickelson is using a new hybrid this week. Still in the prototype phase, the club was designed and conceived with significant input from Mickelson himself.

Mickelson has previously used a Callaway FT hybrid in some tournaments.

Cleveland would not go into detail about the club or specific technologies used in its creation, but Mickelson himself told reporters, "This is a special club I actually made, taking the back part of the hybrid out so that I can open it way up and get through that thick rough." (Click on the image for a better look at the club.)

Like all prototype clubs, there is no guarantee Phil's new hybrid will ever make it to the pro shop. Here is a complete list of the clubs he is using at Bethpage:

DRIVER: Callaway FT-9 (7.5°) Tour hosel with Mitsubishi Fubuki 73 X shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD:  Callaway Big Bertha Diablo (15°) with Mitsubishi Fubuki 83 X shaft
HYBRID: Callaway PM prototype (18°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Thump X shaft
IRONS: Callaway X Forged (3-4), Callaway X Proto (5-9) with Rifle Project X 7.0 shafts
WEDGES: Callaway X Tour Forged (56°, 60°, 64°) with Rifle Project X 7.0 shafts
PUTTER: Odyssey White Hot XG #9 Blade
BALL: Callaway Tour ix

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(Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Lucas Glover's U.S. Open Clubs

Lucas Glover used a Nike prototype putter that is similar to the one used by Paul Casey, Trevor Immelman, Michelle Wie, Justin Leonard and Stewart Cink.

As I wrote previously in this blog, it's a heel-toe weighted Anser-style blade, that features a series of red ribs on the face. The ribs are designed to help to reduce skidding on the greens and get the ball rolling faster.

I've seen five different versions of the Nike prototype putters and each was heel-shafted; I did not see a high-MOI Nike prototype putter with the red ribs in the face.

Here are the clubs that Lucas Glover used to win the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black:

DRIVER: Nike SQ Sumo2 Tour (9.5°) with Matrix Apache Ozik shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: Nike SQ II (13°, 19°)
IRONS: Nike CCI Forged (3-PW)
WEDGES: Nike SV Tour (52°, 60°)
PUTTER: Nike prototype
BALL: Nike ONE Tour D

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(Photo by Al Tielemans/SI)

Tiger Woods Golf Clubs at Bethpage

FARMINGTON, N.Y. -- Tiger Woods recently experimented with different shafts in his driver, increased the loft on his driver, and put an older set of irons back in his bag.

However, Tiger really doesn't change the makeup of his set very often. In dry conditions, Woods often pulls out his 5-wood and replaces it with a 2-iron. While the 2-iron may have made the trip to New York from Florida, the 5-wood is in his bag this week. And although he has tested hybrids, Woods has not put one into his bag during competition.

Here is a complete look at the clubs in Tiger's bag at Bethpage:

Driver:  Nike SQ Dymo (10°) with a Mitsubishi Diamana White Board 83x shaft
Fairway woods:  Nike SasQuatch Sumo (15°, 19°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 103g shafts
Irons:   Nike Forged Blades (3-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts
Wedges:  Nike Victory Red (56°), SV (60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts
Putter:  Titleist by Scotty Cameron Newport 2
Ball:  Nike One Tour

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(Photo by Simon Bruty/SI)

Drew Weaver's U.S. Open Golf Clubs

The first player to post an under-par round at the 2009 U.S. Open was Drew Weaver, the 2007 British Amateur champion. Here is a list of the clubs he had in his bag Friday at the U.S. Open.

DRIVER: Titleist 909D3 (9.5°) with UST AvixCore 79 X shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: Titleist 909F2 (13.5°)
HYBRID: Titleist 909H (19°)
IRONS: Titleist Forged ZM (3-PW)
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design (54°), Spin Milled (59°)
PUTTER: Scotty Cameron Newport prototype
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

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(Photo by Ross Kinnair/Getty Images)

TaylorMade Raylor Prototype Hybrid Seen at Bethpage

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Kenny Perry and Fred Funk each tried a new, unreleased prototype hybrid club as they prepared for the U.S. Open at Bethpage.

The TaylorMade Raylor has a weight screw in the low, rear area and a V-shaped leading edge. According to representatives from TaylorMade, the unique sole of the club helps it work through the rough especially well.

Perry practiced using two Raylor hybrid clubs, a 19° and a 22°, each fitted with Fujikura hybrid shafts. Funk was given a 22° Raylor and took it to an unused fairway on Bethpage's Red Course.

TaylorMade reps didn't know if either player would be putting the club into play during the U.S. Open, and like all other prototype pieces of equipment, there's no guarantee that the Raylor will ever be made available to the general public.

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