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The minute you arrive at the Glen Club you’ll notice the 48,000 square foot clubhouse which features the golf pro shop, 21 room hotel, and restaurant. After you drop off your bag at the bag drop off, the attendant gives you a few tokens to be used at the all grass driving range, which can accommodate 25 golfers.  The driving range and short game area are not located in the same area, so to practice putting you need to head over to the first hole behind the bag drop off.

After I was done warming up, I headed over to the starter and checked in for my tee time, where the starter informed me that its cart path only today and the pin location was number three. I thought cart path only was due to the rain from the previous evening, but it turns out that the Glen Club likes to encourage its golfers to walk as much as possible. You don’t find a lot of golf courses encouraging walking in the Chicago area, which is not only good for the golf course, but for your health.

The Course
The first tee is a 559 yard par 5, one of the longest holes on the golf course with a wide open fairway, that can easily be reached in two by long hitters. The beauty of this hole is that its a great hole to warm up on, but what I liked the most is the elevated green, which is severely uphill if you decide to go for the green in three by laying it up like I did. This makes for a fun, yet challenging opening hole for any golfer.

The fourth of hole of the Glen Club is a deceivingly short 156 yard par 3, with its elevated tee, your tee shot is downhill to an undulating and well guarded green surrounded by native prairie grass and two green side bunkers. Don’t let this hole fool you, it’s not an easy 2 or 3 by any stretch of the imagination if its windy. On the day I played the wind was a big factor, but needless to say it was a great par 3.

The 375 yard par 4 eighth hole is very dramatic and requires precision to play because you have creek and lake that run up the entire left side and trees and fescue grass on the right. The wide fairway becomes very narrow the closer you get to the hole and its heavily guarded by a cluster of four bunkers. You don’t have a lot of room for error on this hole, and you should choose your approach shot wisely as you go for the small bowl shaped green.

My favorite hole of the Glen Club has to be the 218 yard par 3 eleventh hole, which also happens to be the most difficult to play because of the prevailing wind your playing into. To have a chance at scoring par you need to play this hole conservatively by aiming for the right side of the green, but that won’t guarantee you par, if you leave it short like I did. I had to content with a pin location on the tiered green that slopes towards the water and deep green side bunkers. You really have no room for error if your attempting an up and down, but I loved every minute of playing this hole, even if it meant only getting a bogey.

The 451 yard par 4 sixteenth hole can be very challenging if your playing towards the end of the day because it faces west, making it incredibly difficult to see where your tee shot went with the sun right in your eyes. What also makes this hole challenging is your playing into the wind which forces you to aim for at the turn to the left of the fairway bunker. Or if you really want to play aggressive you can attempt to hammer your tee shot over the tree and fairway bunker. I tried to blast my tee shot over the tree and fairway bunker and payed the price of losing my ball in some of the nastiest prairie grass and rough all along the right side of the hole. I recommend you play it conservative on windy days and aim for the slight dogleg instead. As you approach the elevated sloping green you want be careful you don’t hit into the three green side bunkers or leave your shot short or your ball will roll into a collection area, leaving you with a tricky lie.

The eighteenth hole is quite a dramatic long 589 yard par 5 hole as you have not one but two water hazards. Your elevated tee shot plays into a nice wide fairway where you can catch the downslope if you hit past the right fairway bunker. While its possible to go for the green in two, you’ll have to contend with hitting your shot over the pond on the right and green side bunker on the right to a very shallow green. I decided to play this hole conservatively, and chose to layup my shot. This is no cake walk, by any stretch of the imagination, because you still have to contend with pond, the bunkers,  and narrow fairway. This was quite picturesque way to close out an amazing 18 holes of golf.

While some people may think that the $177-$165 green fees are a little pricey, I found it to be worth every penny. I still find it hard to believe that this was the former site of the Glenview Naval Air Station. Tom Fazio did a remarkable job with developing a gem in the North Shore of Chicago, that offer golfers of varying skill a challenging yet enjoyable experience.

Fazio emphasizes the premise that “golf courses should reflect the natural beauty of their environments” and he clearly achieved this in designing the Glen Club and capturing the true essence of a prairie-style golf course.

There’s a reason the Glen Club is consistently rated as one of the top public golf courses in Illinois and you should definitely put it on your list of courses to play.

Amenities

Golf Pro Shop, Driving Range, Practice Putting area

Electric Golf Carts with ProLink GPS

The Grill by Chef Clay Rasley offers American fare at reasonable prices with the outdoor terrace that overlooks the picturesque 18th hole.

21 Room Hotel offer well appointed rooms and stay and play packages, with rates starting at $175 - $250. The rooms are named after famous golf clubs in the Chicago area like, Cog Hill, Kemper Lakes, Olympia Fields, Butler National, etc.

Green Fees: $177 -$165 (does not include cart $22)

For more information and to book your tee time http://www.theglenclub.com

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For more information, visit http://www.nike.com/nikegolf

I was lucky enough to get a pair of the ECCO Casual Cool II Hydromax Tie from 2009 Spring/Summer collection.

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Look and Feel
The minute I unboxed my ECCO Casual Cool II Hydromax shoes, I was amazed by how lightweight and supple the Hydromax leather was with its distressed leather uppers and rubber details. I really liked the mix of solid and perforated leather details in the tongue and side portion of the upper, that give the Casual Cool II Hydromax a very young, trendy look, that has nice masculine details.

New for 2009 is the use of the raised Four Dots logo that are featured in the saddle portion of the shoe in black leather, which is inspired by the four, circular-formed letters of the company’s iconic logo.

Other details include the use of a low profile Direct-inject PU constructed midsole/outsole, that creates very comfortable, lightweight, and weather resistant pair of golf shoes. Round that out with a transparent single-density colored TPU outsole and Stinger III cleats with Q-Lok for traction and flexibility on the course.

Performance
The ECCO Casual Cool II Hydromax are not just about clean lines and being aesthetically pleasing, but they also perform well too.
The use of ultra-soft, high-grade leathers with hydrophobic treatments in the leather, give the Casual Cool II Hydromax superior water resistance. The Hydromax leather does an excellent job of keeping your feet dry in not only wet conditions, but also in hot an humid conditions. I wore the Casual Cool II Hydromax during several 90+ degree days in Florida with 70% humidity and my feet never felt better during and after my round of golf. I was quite surprised by this, because normally when I wear leather golf shoes on a hot and humid day, my feet are burning up and sweaty. This wasn’t the case.

The green-friendly outsole design features molded traction bars combined with Stinger III cleats from Champ with the Q-Lok insert system that did a great job of providing just the right amount of grip and traction you need on the golf course. The use of a single-density TPU outsole provided superior shock absorption and comfort all day long, especially when your walking the golf course.

Inside the shoe is an internal stabilizer that reduces torque and provides swing stability. This technology isn’t visible, but you’ll appreciate the support you get during your golf swing.

“Comfort and performance are about more than features and benefits, they are a fundamental part of the ECCO philosophy,” says Michael Waack, Head of Global Golf at ECCO.”

Overall, I couldn’t be more pleased with how well the ECCO Casual Cool II Hydromax golf shoes performed and worth every penny in my opinion.

If your looking for a pair of well constructed golf shoes, that use high-grade leathers, and perform well, then checkout the ECCO Casual Cool II Hydromax.

ECCO Casual Cool II Hydromax retail for $190

What is a golfer to do?

The solution to this problem can be found on 50DollarGolf.com called Fore! Alerts, it’s their version of Southwest Airlines Ding tool. Fore! Alerts will save you time, money, and your sanity by making it as simple as going to their site to find the item you want to Set an Alert for the auction your interested in and let the system do the rest.

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Don’t see the item your interested in? No problem at all, just click on “Fore Alerts” button to search for your club based on, Club Type, Maximum Price, and Alert Frequency  (every hour, every day, every week, or every month) and have it send the results to your email.

The system will then start to do all the work for you behind the scenes…searching through hundreds of thousands of products on eBay to see if the exact product your looking for is available at the price you are willing to pay and with less then 1 day left in the auction. It’s that easy and eliminates the hassle of having to go to eBay multiple times a day to check on the auction listing.

If your tired of missing out on those great deals on eBay for golf clubs, give Fore! Alerts a try.

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Look and Feel

The Swami is IZZO Golf’s answer to a simple golf GPS that is utilitarian in design and easy to us. The SWAMI is about the size of a garage door opener and features a large easy to read display with four buttons to operate the unit. The up and down arrows are meant for you to cycle through the holes your playing and the FCB (Front, Center, Back) for changing the reading to the front, center,or back of the green. The ENT button is used to power on and off the unit. The SWAMI body is made of plastic and has a slight curve at the top of the unit, and also features a mini-usb port for syncing and charging the unit. Also included is a belt clip for wearing the Swami on your belt if you feel inclined to do so.

Performance

The SWAMI 1500 GPS features Insta-Lok Technology & powered by the latest SIRFStarIII chip, which instantly calculates distance to the Front, Center and Back of the green of 12,000 US courses. The minute you fire up the SWAMIi, the GPS automatically recognizes the course you’re playing. This is a great feature, because you no longer have to cycle through a bunch of menu screens to start playing golf.

In order to begin using the SWAMI 1500 GPS, you need to install their SWAMI Map Manager desktop application on your PC (the SWAMI Map Manager is not MAC compatible) to load the courses on your SWAMI. After you have registered your unit and purchased the annual golf course map fee of $35 for an entire year, you can begin to add courses to the SWAMI. The SWAMI can store up to 10 courses at a time. Just locate your courses with its easy to use search by name or zip code, and hit the Load to SWAMI button.

In terms of battery life the SWAMI does come with a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery that holds a charge for a minimum of 12 hours at time. During my tests, the SWAMI held its charge and lived up to its specs. I like having a long lasting battery, because the last thing I want to worry about is the GPS running out of power or having to constantly recharge the unit.

How accurate is the IZZO SWAMI 1500 GPS ?
I discovered in my tests that the SWAMI was extremely accurate and quick at getting my measurements to the front, center, and back of the green. As mentioned before, the minute you power up the unit, it automatically recognizes the course your on. I compared the distance reported on the SWAMI against the course markers and with a laser rangefinder. I was very impressed by the Insta-Lok technology and how accurate and reliable it was.

The SWAMI is very easy to use and accurate, but it does have a couple of small drawbacks. First, I’d like to see the SWAMI Map Manger be available for MAC or at least offer a web based version of the software. In this day and age you really need to offer both a MAC and PC version of the software. Next, I’d like for the SWAMI to automatically advance to the next hole, after you completed your previous hole. It doesn’t take much effort to press the up arrow, but it would be one less thing to have to remember to do. I found myself several times expecting the SWAMI to advance to the next hole, only to realize I had to press the down arrow to advance to the next hole.

Overall the IZZO SWAMI 1500 GPS is great value for a no fuss golf GPS. If you’re looking for a simple and intuitive golf GPS, that is lightweight, accurate, and has great battery life, then pick up the IZZO SWAMI 1500 GPS.

IZZO SWAMI 1500 GPS retails for $149.99

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Look and Feel

The Tour360 Sport has the look and the feel of a performance gym shoe, that has a bold look which utilizes tour-proven 360Wrap and ThinTec. One of the key features of the Tour 360 Sport is its 50/50 Protect, which is a water resistant TPU shield that surrounds the lower half of the shoe that repels dirt and water, while the upper half is left open to provide breathability and flexibility.

The men’s version I tested comes in Running White/Black/Victory Red which give this shoe a very athletic performance look. I especially liked the Victory Red 360Wrap support system that contrasts nicely against the Running White mesh and with black accents. The women’s version of this shoe comes in Echo Blue/Metallic Silver/Dark Silver Metallic, which gives the shoe a sporty look.

The shoes also feature Adidas Golf’s 3D FitFoam sock liner which is a thick memory foam top layer that provides your foot with support and customized fit. The use of adiPRENE cushioning provide long-lasting impact absorption, which your feet will appreciate after walking 18 holes. Another cool feature to point out in the Tour360 Sport is the use of X-Static technology or silver filaments that are woven into the sock liner. Silver has natural antimicrobial property which kills bacteria and also regulates temperature, that helps keep your shoes odor free. Gotta love that!

The toe of the Tour360 Sport is made of a abrasion resistant material called adiTUFF, which protects the toe from wear which can occur during the follow-through.

Overall the Adidas Tour360 Sport is great looking pair of athletic performance golf shoes.

Performance

The Adidas Golf Tour360 Sport golf shoes are packed with a lot of the same technology and features found in the Tour360 3.0 golf shoe. One of those features is the split outsole technology with 360WRAp support sytem, that allows the upper to surround the midfoot. What the 360WRAP does is provide your foot with a glove-like fit and really good upper stability. I know my wife and I both felt a big difference in upper foot support with using these shoes on the golf course and at the range.

The shoe also utilizes the ThinTech low profile which brings you closer to the ground for better ball-striking through the added stability and support. My wife felt that she was much closer to the ground than with her other golf shoes when wearing the Tour360 Sport, and I also noticed how much lower I felt as well.  This is also very helpful for when you initiate your downswing and push off the ground with your right foot as you start transferring your weight to your left foot.

Part of this stability can be also attributed to the Powerband Chassis which is the state-of-the-art TPU chassis that delivers extraordinary lateral stability. This is especially important in generating power in your golf swing from the ground up. In other words, when your shifting your weight forward, you want your left foot to stabilize and not role when your posting up.

The 50/50 Protect TPU shield does a great job of keeping your feet dry on those days when the grass is still wet and keeping your feet cool on those hot summer days with the mesh uppers.

Traction is an important feature in a golf shoe and the Tour360 Sport provides great support and turf interaction with its Traxion outsole that feature tapered lugs that hold firmly and prevent slippage in all types of playing conditions. Couple that with the low profile and green friendly Dynamic Traxion AC cleats, that provide good grip and are clog resistant. What I noticed is that the cleats didn’t leave spike marks on the greens and did a good job of not getting caked in mud, especially in wet conditions.

If you’re looking for pair of performance athletic golf shoes, that provide great support, lightweight, breathable, and comfortable. You’ll want to check out the Adidas Tour360 Sport.

The Adidas Tour360 Sport retail for $160

Men’s Adidas Tour360 Sport available in Running White/Black/Victory Red
Women’s Adidas Tour360 Sport available in Echo Blue/Metallic Silver/Dark Silver Metallic

The Nike Golfers will be carrying a custom made LIVESTRONG golf bag this week to support the LIVESTRONG campaign and at the end of the week will autograph these bags to be auctioned off at a later date with proceeds going to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.  Also, during one day of tournament play the Nike Golf athletes will wear LIVESTRONG logo’d Nike Golf shirts to help raise awareness.

On a personal note, my father passed away last April from a two year battle with Esophageal Cancer and this is a great way to help raise money and awareness for the Lance Armstrong Livestrong Foundation. Show your support and bid on one of these great looking golf bags and let’s help find a cure!

At the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show I had the opportunity to try out the new Nike SQ Dymo STR8-FIT (pronounced “straight fit”) driver, which is Nike Golf’s first adjustable driver, that allows you to change the golf club face, loft, and lie angle. Over the past few months I’ve been playing the Nike SQ Dymo STR8-FIT driver and like the results I’ve been seeing on the golf course.

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Look and Feel
At first glance the Nike SQ Dymo STR8-Fit has a nice round shape that features a shiny black finish, which has that stealth bomber look. The 460cc clubhead setups up quite nicely when you sole the club and very easy to align to the target line with alignment stripe. When you flip the club over you’ll notice the new rounded folded geometry repositions square mass into a round format.

The wide face and STR8-FIT adapter logo on the face of club, will give you all the confidence when you tee up. The stock shaft is a nice yellow Nike Golf UST Proforce AXIV Core (45.75″), which features a strengthening core material that provides an extremely stable environment at impact, making it easier to swing the club faster and remain in complete control of the club head at all times. Custom shafts are also available. The SQ 360 design grip is designed to look the same no matter what position the club head is in, just like the shaft. The butt end of the grip also features a visual reference to the clubhead position, like what is found in the head cover.

The head cover is worth mentioning because it has two well thought out features: one is the storage pouch for the torque wrench, and the other is the  head positioning reference wheel. Why is this important? It’s important, because you’ll always have easy access to the torque wrench and you also have a visual reference to what position the clubhead is in without having to look down at the hosel. I appreciate the thought process and attention to detail by Nike Golf, to make everything easily accessible.

How Does The STR8-FIT Work?
The creation of STR8-FIT technology was inspired by how Nike Golf Tour athletes set up their equipment to suit each tournament’s course. On the PGA Tour, Nike Golf athletes have the luxury of utilizing the Nike Tour Van, where a staff of Nike club experts can adjust each Nike athlete’s driver to the face and lie angle that they want to perform their best on any given week. This same concept is now being made available to consumers through the STR8-FIT’s wide range of choices in shot shaping with one shaft, one club head, one club.

Simple changes can be made before your round to dramatically correct your ball flight or subtly perfect it through the selection of eight unique head positions from open to close with one club, eliminating the use of multiple shafts and movable weights. For example, if a golfer is pushing, fading or slicing the ball too much and they wish to draw the ball or hit more to the left for a particular course set up, they can change the position of their clubface to a more closed position. If a golfer is hooking, pulling or drawing the ball more than they wish, they can manually change the clubface to a more open position. Club face angles range from a neutral position of zero degrees to both one and two degrees closed or open.

The technology in the NIke SQ Dymo STR8-FIT is quite simple. To adapt the head positions, the player will use a torque wrench (70 in/lbs), which is located in the headcover that comes with each SQ DYMO STR8-FIT driver. Select the desired head position, based on desired ball flight, trajectory, or course conditions. When the head position is “locked in,” a sound indicator (produces a loud beep) and light on the wrench goes off to ensure that the club is ready to be hit. It’s that easy!

During my tests, I found it incredibly easy and comfortable to use the 70 in/lbs torque wrench to unlock, adjust, and lock the clubhead into place. Another nice detail on the torque wrench, is that it tells you what side should be facing the clubhead and which way to tighten and loosen the clubhead. I also really liked the audible and visual feedback of the wrench, so I new when the clubhead was securely attached.

Performance
All SQ DYMO and SQ DYMO² STR8-FIT drivers are engineered from the ground up with the express purpose of optimizing the launch and spin by loft. Distance is maximized in every loft by varying multiple specifications from lie angle, to MOI and CG placement, to overall head size and face.

The first thing you’ll notice when you hit the STR8-FIT is the pleasing sound that the driver makes when you hit the ball off the tee. The ball comes flying off the face of the club producing the optimal medium-high trajectory on my drives, that produce a lot of extra carry.

The STR8-FIT is also a forgiving driver on mis-hits, thanks to the low center of gravity and MOI in the square mass that is repositioned in the rear of the the driver. Off center hits seemed to go nearly as far as those hit in the sweetspot of the driver. As you adjust the clubs position, you start to see the impact the different lie and loft angles can make on your drives as well. According to Nike Golf’s comprehensive tests you can see a 45 yard difference between maximum left and maximum right positions.

I couldn’t be more pleased with the results of my drives after using the STR8-FIT, I was blown away by how much better my driving accuracy became after fine tuning the club position that suited my swing. I have a tendency to push the ball or what I like to call a power fade, and by closing the driver face 2 degrees, it helped with promoting more of draw to my drives.

How Does The STR8-FIT Compare to the TaylorMade R9 Driver?
I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to test both drivers simultaneously over the same period of time and the results are quite interesting.

Before I go into my results, I want to point out the obvious difference between both clubs and that is the R9 features movable weights in addition eight adjustable club positions (TaylorMade recently released the R9 460 (no MWT) that I did not test), and the STR8-Fit does not use movable weights. The other big difference is clubhead size, with the R9 being a 422cc  and the STR8-FIT is a 460cc.

One of the first things I noticed when hitting both the STR8-FIT and the R9, is how much more forgiving I found the STR8-FIT to be on mis-hits. My off center hits with the STR8-FIT went a lot straighter and 3-5 yards longer than with the R9.

In terms of ball flight and distance, I found the STR8-FIT outperformed the R9. The ball flight and trajectory was much more desirable with the STR8-Fit, resulting in drives that were 7-10 yards longer on average. The R9 would produce a low-medium trajectory ball flight, that didn’t carry as nearly as far.

I also found that STR8-FIT, much easier to adjust the clubhead positions using the torque wrench, that fits comfortably into your hands. As mentioned before, the audio and visual feedback are great for determining exactly when the clubhead is locked into position. What I also liked was the head positioning reference wheel found inside the torque wrench pouch and on the butt end of the grip. With the R9 you have to look at the hosel every time to determine the head position.

Overall the Nike SQ Dymo STR8-FIT is a phenomenal driver, that provides maximum distance and forgiveness, unprecendented amount of control to shape your shots, and eight ways to attack any golf course.

Men’s: Loft Options 8.5 (RH), 9.5 (RH/LH), 10.5 (tested)(RH/LH), 11.5 (RH/LH), HL (RH)
Women’s : Loft Options 11.5 (RH/LH), HL (RH)

Nike SQ Dymo STR8-FIT Driver MSRP: $540.00

TaylorMade-adidas Golf is a pioneer in golf club adjustability when it introduced its r7 quad driver in 2004. The r7 quad incorporated TaylorMade’s Movable Weight Technology(MWT), which gave golfers the ability to change the clubhead’s center of gravity to promote different ball flights.

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2009 marks a dawn of a new era in golf club design and adjustability with the introduction of the R9 driver, that not only allows you to adjust the center of gravity, but also the face angle, loft, and lie angle of the R9 through its Flight Control Technology (FCT). The combination of the of Flight Control Technology and Movable Weight Technology promote up to 75 yards of side-to-side trajectory adjustability.

Look and Feel
At first glance the R9 driver features a new clubhead shape that is a blend of modern and classic designs in 422cc clubhead, that looks a lot like last year’s r7 limited driver and r7 SuperQuad, with its triangular shape, contoured corners, and similar graphics on the sole. In fact, TaylorMade calls it “New Classic” because it is at once modern and traditional, and should prove the test of time.

The R9 clubhead is constructed with the aid of TaylorMade’s Ultra-Thin Wall (UTW) technology, which allows the clubhead walls measuring as thin as 0.6 millimeters, with the saved weight redistributed to make the MWT and CG low as possible.

The Movable Weight Technology on the R9, features three weight ports (Center, Heel, and Toe) and cartidges. One 16-gram weight, and two 1-gram weights that can be adjusted using included torque wrench.

When you setup to the ball, R9’s smaller triangular shape took a little getting used to, espeically in this era of oversized 460cc clubheads. The R9 is equipped with a brand new shaft by Fujikura Golf-the 65-gram Fujikura Motore graphite shaft that is 45.25″ Long. The Fujikura Motore graphite shaft with High Intertia Tip (HIT) technology, is engineered with a new advanced tip construction that promotes faster ball speed. The added kick through the impact zone to promote increased ball speed and distance.

The Fujikura Motore shaft features a white graphic print on the top portion of the shaft, that uses a special “rotating graphic” that looks the same no matter what position the shaft is locked into. You’ll also notice that the grip is also graphic free, as to prevent distraction when the shaft is rotated.

As the shaft tapers down towards the hosel it begins to turn into a deep red and connects to the special metallic sleeve over the tip of the shaft.

Overall, its a really sharp looking driver that has a great throwback look to it packed with a lot of modern technology.

How Does FCT Work?
Up until now, if you wanted to adjust the face, loft, and lie angle, you needed to have that done by a club technician at your local golf shop. Or in the case of the PGA Tour Pro, you had this done at the TaylorMade Tour Trailer. This process requires a technician to immobilize the  clubhead and bend the hosel by hand.  Flight Control Technology eliminates the need of a tour technician to make adjustments quickly and accurately to the face, loft, and lie angles (Neutral-1 Flat Lie, Neutral Upright-1 Upright Lie, 1.0 Closed-.5 Flat Lie, 1.0 Closed-.5 Upright Lie, 2.0 Closed-Standard Lie, 1.0 Open-Flat Lie,1.0 Open-.5 Upright Lie, 2.0 Open-Standard Lie).

To adjust the face, loft, and lie angles, is quite simple process with the supplied R9 torque wrench, which provides 40 inch-pounds of torque. Just loosen the FCT bolt, remove the shaft from the head, rotate the sleeve and shaft into one of the eight clubhead positions and then locking the clubhead into position with the FCT bolt. The clubhead position adjustments were simple to make, like described, but I did find it a little tricky at times to line up the desired position with the clubhead. You’ll know that you have tightend the FCT bolt on tighly when you hear a loud snap.

When using the provided torque wrench, I was little nervous about loosening the FCT bolt, because I might lose it. But that’s not possible, since the FCT bolt cannot be removed from the clubhead completely. Using the same torque wrench you can also adjust the Movable weights on the R9, but these can be misplaced, so be careful where you do this.

I would really like for the torque wrench to be able to be stored in the clubhead cover, because having to fish it out of my golf bag anytime I want to makea an adjustment can be a bit of a hassle and easily misplaced.

Performance
What makes the R9 a fully adjustable driver is the combination of the FCT and MWT. As mentioned before, the R9 features three weight ports that can be adjusted. Put the 16-gram weight in the heel port to promote a draw, in the toe port to promote a fade, and in the middle for a neutral ball flight. By combining both the MWT and FCT you actually give yourself a ton of influence over the flight trajectory of your shots. According to TaylorMade testing, the R9 driver can promote up to 75 yards of side-to-side trajectory change, depending upon how the clubhead has been adjusted. If you take the eight positions of the FCT and multiply that with the three MWT configurations, you end up with twenty-four possible combinations.

In my tests, I didn’t notice too much of a variance in my shot trajectory to validate the 75 yards claim by TaylorMade, you’ll need to take their word for it. But what I did notice, is that shaping my shots was much easier to do with the combo of FCT and MWT. The only downside of so many options is that it took a lot of experimentation to find the right combination that worked best for my swing (neutral upright). Once, you have it dialed in your not going to want to change it.

In terms of the trajectory of my shots, I found that ball would fly off the face of the R9 and have a nice medium to low trajectory, similar to that of Tour player. Part of this can be attributed to triangular shape of the R9 that lowers the center of gravity lower in the face of the club that makes it easy to launch the ball.

The Inverted Cone Technology which has been used in other TaylorMade drivers, expands the area of the clubface that delivers high ball speed. The cone is actually milled directly onto the inner side of the clubface, which gives the R9 forgiveness on mis-hits, high MOI, and low CG. Now in terms of distance, the ball flies off the face of the R9 and travels a good distance, but not as far as I would like. I think part of it has to do with the lower trajectory ball flight and Fujikura Motore shaft. I need a softer tip shaft then the stock offerring on the R9.

Bottom line, the TaylorMade R9 driver is a great golf club that provides unprecendented amount of adjustability and customization quickly, and without the support of a tour van. If your a low-mid handicap golfer, who likes to fine tune their golf club, and wants a tour claiber flight trajectory, than checkout the R9 driver.

The TaylorMade R9 driver is available in 8.5, 9.5, and 10.5 (tested) degree lofts (9.5 and 10.5 left-handed), and in X, S, and R shaft flexes. MSRP $500

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The solution to this problem can be found in a new product introduced at the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show, called ruletwentyone.

Look and Feel
The ruletwentyone back pocket towel has an absorbent bamboo terry cloth layer with a waterproof shell similar to what ski and snowboard jackets are made from, that folds conveniently into your back pocket. It kind of reminded me of the back of neck tie when it hangs from your back pocket. 

The towel which is Made in the USA, offers 9″ inches of exposed Bamboo as a printable surface, ideal for custom printing for brand marketing or as a giveaway.  Another benefit of using Bamboo is that its eco-friendly. Bamboo is sustainable material that is anti-microbial, so it wont get mildewy, and the fibers become more absorbent over the time and frequent use.

The exterior shell which is made from a very soft waterproof material, also features a plastic grip at the top of the towel. The purpose of the grip is for you to snap the towel when your done wiping your golf ball and return the towel to its original shape. Quite a clever little feature.

Performance
How does the ruletwentyone golf towel work? To use the towel, all you do is wet the super absorbent bamboo terry cloth interior and ring out any excess moisture, and place the towel in your back pocket. That’s all you have to do to begin using the ruletwentyone towel.

When I initially used the towel, the water seemed to bead quite a bit, but it eventually began to absorb water. And the other side of the towel stayed completely dry after I soaked and wrung the towel. 

During my round, I found the ruletwentyone towel to live up to its billing and did a nice job of remaining moist, removing dirt from my golf ball, and keeping my back pocket dry. What I also liked about the ruletwentyone towel is how convenient and easy to use it is. I no longer had to run back to the cart to fetch a towel to clean my golf ball before I putt or use the ball washer before teeing off. 

If your looking for a convenient way to clean your golf ball, want to help the environment, and stimulate the economy, then check out the ruletwentyone.

The ruletwentyone golf towel by rulegolf retails for $19.95