Stay Dry During Wet Golf

April showers might bring May flowers, but they can also put a damper on your golf game.

Thankfully, your choices in rain gear have never been better, not just from the standpoint of styles and brands, but also in terms of technology and performance.

Starting with your hands, TaylorMade’s H20 Wet Weather gloves (pictured below) keep your digits dry and cozy during a downpour, and they also work well when the skies clear, too. The durable construction resists water penetration, yet it is also breathable for heat dissipation. Silicone “hex dual grip” synthetic leather palms resist slipping in wet conditions.

Ironically enough (considering their brand name), Sun Mountain is a leader in gear designed for rainy days, including jackets, pullovers and pants. Their RainFlex gear isn’t cheap, but the quality is remarkable and worth the investment. Even the zippers and pockets are waterproof.

Keeping your head and face dry is important as well. Sun Mountain, Mizuno and others make caps and bucket hats that are designed to repel water. If the weather gets really crazy, you might consider a GustBuster umbrella, which has wind-release vents designed to withstand gusts of 55 miles per hour while keeping you dry.

If the thought of rain darkens your golf day, then you might consider upgrading your rain gear, so that you can keep grinding until the sun comes out.

This report was authored by Nick Taylor, proprietor of Golfland Warehouse, the official retail affiliate of PutterZone.com. The Golfland Warehouse Report is an exclusive monthly series designed to keep golfers informed about the latest equipment, technology and ideas in the world of golf, with an emphasis on putting and the short game.

New Solutions for Healthier Golf

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to play more golf, why not kill two birds with one stone and get in better shape while doing it?

Indeed, more and more golfers are choosing to walk, and a growing variety of push carts has helped make it trendy and more enjoyable.

Many of you might remember the pull carts of yesteryear. Most were unstable and tough to use on courses with varying terrain. Today, however, the cart has evolved into the push cart, with oversized tires that can conquer any terrain and durable lightweight metal tubing built to last the test of time.

The push cart of today is also collapsible and compact, making for easy storage in the trunk of any car, not to mention the corner of your garage or closet.

The two most popular and well constructed push carts are made by Sun Mountain and ClicGear.

Sun Mountain has been been perfecting their push cart for many years. It is available is two models, the V1 and the V2. Each has many accessories and features available, such as a cup holder, score card holder, braking system, seed/soil holder, tire pump, umbrella holder and even add-on features such as a seat, clip-on gloves, cooler pack and more. These models outsell any other push cart and will definitely reward your investment.

The ClicGear Push Cart is constructed to a similar level of quality as the Sun Mountain carts but has one huge advantage—the ClicGear collapses to almost half the size of the Sun Mountain carts. If you have a small sedan or sports car and trunk space is minimal, then the ClicGear is the way to go. They are also about $10 to $20 less expensive and come in a few different colors, including white (pictured here), which makes it the only cart that features this color. White might sound boring, but it stands out from the crowd.

With either cart you can't go wrong. Both are constructed to the highest standards and both are very user friendly. So if you are looking to get in shape by walking a few more rounds this year, there’s never been a better time to consider a stylish new push cart.

This report was authored by Nick Taylor, proprietor of Golfland Warehouse, the official retail affiliate of PutterZone.com. The Golfland Warehouse Report is an exclusive monthly series designed to keep golfers informed about the latest equipment, technology and ideas in the world of golf, with an emphasis on putting and the short game.

Golf Travel: It's All in The Bag

The golf travel season starts in earnest after the holidays, when your credit cards have recovered and the long winter needs escaping.

But in addition to deciding where to go—Hawaii? Scottsdale? Palm Springs?—you are also faced with how to get your clubs there in one piece (editor's note: including your brand new putter; stay tuned this week for PutterZone.com's roundup of hot new putters for 2008). Fortunately, the choices in golf club transportation have never been better.

There are three main types of travel gear bags: hard case, soft case, and what I call the hybrid case.

Hard cases that store your golf bag are probably best for club protection, but their bulk can be frustrating and impractical. Be aware that you may not be able to fit one of these cases into the trunk with your other family luggage, especially if you have a small rental car. I do like hard cases for those traveling on buses, trucks and vans, and in very frequent traveling situations, simply because they are the most durable.

However, the soft travel case has come very far in recent years, offering similar protection with less bulk and weight. I believe that OGIO has done the best in creating a unique, user-friendly travel bag, particularly with their Mammoth model bag ($249, pictured here). This bag has four oversized wheels, enabling it to be rolled in any direction, which is particularly helpful when standing in lines. It can also stand upright on its own.

The Mammoth has a crush-resistant head cover that protects your clubs. It also has a removable shoe bag location. The handles are strategically placed for maximum convenience, and your club bag is cinched and secured inside.

I always recommend a top-of-the-line bag like the Mammoth for those who will be traveling with their clubs multiple times per year. Those traveling just once or twice per year can save a few dollars buy purchasing a bag with less features but the same club security. OGIO has the Monster at $199 and Callaway has the Big Bertha Travel bag at $119. The Bertha is the most basic travel bag of the branded bags, but it does offer basic protection.

The third type is the hybrid travel bag, such as the Atlas by Sun Mountain. This type of bag offers maximum protection with a hard plastic top and a collapsible heavy duty bag that folds up in to the hard top for easy storage. Another form of hybrid is the travel case that doubles as your on-course “bag,” such as the Ultima II by Trav-a-Lite. This hardshell cylinder may look a bit strange out on the golf course, but it’s also lightweight and compact, which can make your travel life easier.

The bottom line is that, before purchasing a travel case, you should not only consider your budget, but also the type and frequency of golf travel that you will be pursuing, as well as your storage space at home. There’s a travel case for every type of golf traveler these days, just make sure you do your research to find the right one for you.

This report was authored by Nick Taylor, proprietor of Golfland Warehouse, the official retail affiliate of PutterZone.com. The Golfland Warehouse Report is an exclusive monthly series designed to keep golfers informed about the latest equipment, technology and ideas in the world of golf, with an emphasis on putting and the short game.

The GPS Golf Advantage

How luxurious would it be to play with a caddie like the pros? To know the exact distance from each shot? To have pin placements communicated within a foot?

Today, all of these possibilities can fit in the palm of your hand with the advent of GPS-powered systems that feature mappings of more than 15,000 golf courses, including most of the courses right in your own backyard.

These systems are nothing short of revolutionary when it comes to empowering the average golfer with information that was previously out of reach. In an average round, they can save you a couple of strokes, perhaps even more.

Unfortunately, many golfers walk right by these GPS devices in their local pro shop or retail outlet, assuming them to be too complicated or too expensive. The truth is, however, that these devices only require a simple internet connection, a short learning curve and an investment comparable to the average driver. That’s a relatively small price to pay for a piece of game-changing technology.

The leading golf GPS system is the SkyCaddie, which offers several handheld models, including some starting as low as $249. You also pay a reasonable annual membership fee to download course information on a statewide, nationwide or international basis.

Using these GPS systems is a breeze. You just preload your course information and clip the handheld device onto your belt like a cell phone, and suddenly exact yardages from almost anywhere on the course are now at your fingertips.

GPS systems are particularly helpful when it comes to the short game. Yardages are rarely marked as you get close to the hole, but the difference between a 60-yard approach shot and a 50-yard approach shot can be the difference between sticking it near the hole or burying it in a bunker.

SkyCaddie’s IntelliGreen technology is a particularly impressive. It automatically provides distances to any point on the green from any approach angle. Up to three key distances can be calculated and displayed simultaneously, to include carry to front and back of the green, plus any target point in between, based upon the angle of attack selected by the golfer.

As the SkyCaddie gained much popularity last year, we were cautiously optimistic about how well it would function in the moderately hilly and remote terrains of our local courses on California’s Central Coast. But our customers have confirmed that the technology is reliable and accurate. If you’re looking for the perfect stocking stuffer this year—either for yourself or for the golfer in your life—a SkyCaddie or other golf GPS device belongs near the top of your list.

This report was authored by Nick Taylor, proprietor of Golfland Warehouse, the official retail affiliate of PutterZone.com. The Golfland Warehouse Report is an exclusive monthly series designed to keep golfers informed about the latest equipment, technology and ideas in the world of golf, with an emphasis on putting and the short game.