Golf Etail Blog

Many would argue the most significant improvement to golf equipment in the last 10 – 20 years is the new GPS or Laser Rangefinders.    These handheld instruments give you precise distances to greens,  bunkers, lay up locations, or to hazards all in effort to allow you make a better club choice before you hit your shot.  Simply said, they allow you to eliminate the guess work out of your game, and make better, more informed decisions.

Since the USGA approved them for play back in the mid 1990’s, these handy devices have become a staple in many golfers bag. And although still not allowed on the Professional Tours, you will find all caddies using them during the practice rounds to record important yardages and distances.

Rangefinders come in two flavors:  GPS Rangefinders and Laser Rangefinders.

• GPS Rangefinders are very similar to what you probably have in your car.    They use overhead satellite technology and pre-mapped courses to pin point where you are on the course, and what lies ahead of you (or behind you).  Typically GPS Rangefinders are accurate to +3-5 yards and many (but not all) require an annual subscription.

  The advantages of GPS rangefinders are: A complete overview of the hole can be displayed which is great when playing unfamiliar courses. Thousands of courses are pre-mapped. Many allow you to save information (digital scorecards, shot distances, …).

  The disadvantages of GPS Rangefinders are: Most (not all) require an annual subscription. Accuracy of GPS Rangefinders is not quite as good as Laser Rangefinders. Distances must have been pre-mapped and course must be downloaded in advance. Battery life on some models is limited.

• Laser Rangefinders use a laser technology to determine the distance to an object that you aim it at. You simply take the device aim at an object you interested in and the distance appears in the view finder. So why purchase a Laser: Well Laser Rangefinders are considered to be more accurate (typically + 1 yard).

  The advantages of Laser Rangefinders include: Accurate to within 1 yard. No pre-mapping is required … simply point and shoot. Excellent battery life. Can be used for boating, archery, …

  The disadvantages of Laser Rangefinders include: Must have something to shoot to get a distance (not always great for layup shots). Sometimes difficult to get depth of greens. Must have line of sight to object of interest … can’t shoot through trees or around dog-legs. No hole overview display.

So there you have it. We have a good selection at GolfEtail.com all at discount prices, so be good to yourself and think about one.

We’ve added new “Learn more” pages to GolfEtail.com to help you make more informed purchases. They’re accessible from the sidebar on every page — check out “Apparel” below!

Golf Apparel for Comfortable Play

Is there still some white on the green? Well, soon the snow will be gone and the greens keepers will be busy. We will be watching Tiger and getting excited about the new season of golf. Now is a good time to drag out our equipment and make sure we are ready for that day when a buddy comes along looking for a fourth.

A few questions are in order: Is the driver still “state of the art” or could I get ten more yards with a new one? I certainly need a new golf glove or two and a couple dozen new golf balls. Do I still have golf tees? And I seem to remember my golf shoes were in pretty bad shape. My bag is still OK but I did like that “Heavy Club” commercial I saw on TV, maybe I should get one and work on my tempo before I go out to play. So many decisions, good thing I have GolfEtail online. In this economy it’s good to know where I can get discount golf products I need and still have enough left over to pay my greens fees.

To all my golfing buddies, hit em’ long and straight, and sink a few putts too.

Harvey Morris Penick was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002 under the lifetime achievement category for being one of the greatest golf teachers of all time. According to Penick, “Nothing is more important psychologically than knocking putts into the hole. Sinking putts makes your confidence soar and it devastates your opponent.” (Penick, H. (1997). The Wisdom of Harvey Penick. New York: Simon & Schuster.)

Let’s face it, putting is the scoring game and the right equipment can help you hear that spine-tingling sound when the ball rattles down the inner rim of the hole.

To illustrate, let’s take a look at the Carbite Golf ZG Offset Hosel Mallet Putter. As the name implies, this putter is packed with technology to help you put more putts in the hole and watch your golfing buddies cringe.

Carbite Golf ZG Offset Hosel Mallet Putter Club

But what does each part of the name really mean?

•    Carbite Golf ZG – Brand name of putter.

•    Mallet – Putter shaped like a mallet.

•    Hosel – the part of the clubhead into which the shaft is fitted and secured.

•    Offset – the distance from the frontmost part of the hosel to the frontmost part of the clubhead. This helps get the ball rolling smoothly and on line. If you read the green right you know where the ball will end up.

•    Offset Hosel – The purpose of the offset hosel is to help golfers line up with their eyes over the ball with a good line of sight. This type of club also helps keep the hands slightly ahead of the ball when the putt is struck, which is a putting fundamental.

With a full-sized, weighted and proper balanced club for the same price as a dinner at Applebee’s, you may want to add your name to the Carbite Golf ZG Offset Hosel Mallet Putter’s list of satisfied golfers.