Posted at 6:02 PM by David Dusek
CHASKA, Minn. – I had a chance to eat lunch today in the media center with Major Dan Rooney, an F-16 pilot in the Oklahoma Air National Guard and a PGA professional. Major Rooney is also the tireless face of Patriot Golf Day (Sept. 4-7) and the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides scholarships to the children and spouses of members of the military disabled or killed in service.
Rooney is an inspiring guy who, after serving a few tours in Iraq, said he's looking forward to not only playing more golf this fall but also to watching football from his sofa.
"It's like I missed the whole season last year," he said with a laugh.
Golf Pride recently created a special red, white and blue grip, the Patriot (right), and will donate a percentage of the sale of each all-rubber grip to the Folds of Honor Foundation. Buying them will give you good feel on the course, and a good feeling off it.
Click here for more information about the Patriot grip, and to make a tax deductible contribution to Folds of Honor, click here.
Posted at 2:40 PM by David Dusek
Tiger Woods is synonymous with Nike's swoosh. Thirteen of his 14 clubs are made by Nike, and he's outfitted by the company from head to toe. The lone exception is his Scotty Cameron putter. But the grip on King Arthur's Excalibur isn't made by either company, it's made by Ping. (Woods used a Ping Anser for years as a junior golfer.)
While going through images of Ernie Els recently, I noticed the Big Easy, who uses an Odyssey putter, is also using a Ping grip. (Click on either image for a closer look.).
If you want to get the same look on your flat stick, consider buying a Ping Blackout. As the name implies, the logo on this replacement grip matches the black color of the grip itself, so it's barely visible.
At $4.99 on golfsmith.com, the price of this grip is well within your reach.
(Photos: Travis Lindquist/Getty Images (Woods), Jerome Delay/AP (Els))
Posted at 11:18 AM by Charlie Hanger
Super Stroke Putter Grip
$44
superstrokegrip.com
K.J. Choi won the Memorial and the AT&T in 2007 using a super-oversized putter grip. After winning the 2008 Sony Open in Hawaii last week, Choi has climbed to No. 7 in the world, and he's still using that massive grip.
It's the SuperStroke Classic, and the company's booth at the PGA Show has been very busy. The grip's designers claim that it requires 32% less hand pressure than traditional grips, which is supposed to enhance your sense of touch. The size also helps you lock your wrists in place during your stroke, which increases your chances of squaring the face properly.
The grip has certainly help Choi--he went from averaging 29.51 putts per round in 2006 (ranking 151st on Tour) to 28.84 (39th). -- David Dusek
Posted at 7:35 PM by Anne Szeker
Iomic Grips come in a wide array of colors to match any player's style or outfit. But the company says they aren't just fashion statements: they're waterproof, shock-absorbent and have a soft feel.
