The course layout is pretty fun. A good switch up of straight holes, dog legs, over water, greens surrounded by trees, etc.. The course plays extremely well and can produce great scores, IF you can hit the ball decently straight. 

Tee boxes, greens, and fairways are all above average. They take great care of their course and it shows. They recently reseeded it for winter and I imagine that the course is going to be beautiful in the next few months.

The pro shop is great and always has hot dogs ready to go at the turn (even if it is 9am), and we have always been treated very well by their staff. They are stocked up with balls, polos, gloves, tees, drinks, and anything else you need while you golf.

Overall we would rate Fairways Country Club as a 7.1/10. With a score of 5 being the average, we believe the course is above average and is a good course to play if you are in the area and have the time.

• Matt and JoJo

Extra Links

Click here to check out their website, scorecard, membership info, and more. https://www.golffairwayscc.com/

Check out our latest Course Reviews Here:
https://www.orlandogolfblogger.com/2023/12/18/casselberry-golf-course-review/

The post Fairways Country Club Course Review first appeared on Golf Blog by The Orlando Golf Blogger.

Scheduling the early tee time means the ground will still have the morning dew, which does for some reason get me angry, although on the flip, pace of play is usually really good because not many people are out. We only saw two other groups out there, and we all played at the same speed and there was very minimal waiting. When the course got slow, their ranger sped it up by telling slow groups to speed up. 

As far as the course, it is very short and challenging. Drivers are not recommended as you will water log your ball if you hit it too far off track, or even just too far. If you are excellent with the driver, then you have a lot of Eagle opportunities as the course is 5165 yards from the tips(furthest tees back on the tee box).

This course is great for any skill level because you are either trying to get better by being on a small course, or improving your score to brag to your friends because of the opportunities this course presents. In both ways, it’s a win. The tee boxes, fairways, and bunkers were all in mid to good shape.

My one problem with Casselberry was the greens, and it affected me a lot. I could never get an idea of if the greens were slow or fast. Every hole it felt different then the last and it was frustrating. If I was a great golfer, I may have had no problems with them, but because I’m still fairly new, I did not enjoy that part.

Lastly, their pro shop is hit or miss with customer service. I have had great interactions there, but at the same time I’ve had some of the worst experiences there. The biggest problem is there is no consistency with what they tell me, versus what they tell other customers. For some, this may not be a problem because it is usually a quick interaction, but it is bad enough sometimes that I feel the need to write about it.

Overall JoJo and I would rate the Casselberry Golf Course experience a 6.4/10

– Matt and JoJo

The post Casselberry Golf Course Review first appeared on Golf Blog by The Orlando Golf Blogger.

         The blog is going from one Dave to another, David “JoJo” Rodriguez, and from Mark to Matt Johnston. Matt (me) and David (JoJo) will be the two main writers for this site going forward. A little bit about us is that we are both High School Math teachers, and we are both in our mid-20s.

         JoJo and I have been playing golf for around 8 months and our current goal is just trying to get better. We would love to be scratch, and we would love to be pro (as teacher pay can barely keep us golfing), but we understand golf is a very hard game, and we are just happy to be out there. 

We have played many rounds of golf, at many different courses. However, for this blog, we will only write about courses we play that week. We do not want to do a disservice to the course or the readers by writing about a course we played 4 months ago. 

The three sections of posts will be: course reviews, product reviews, and things we find interesting happening in professional golf. There is always something going on in the golf world and we are just trying to spread the word, and hopefully make people enjoy the game as much as we do. We will do a 1-10 scale rating, with 5 being the average rating. So if a course is average to us, it will be a 5. 10s are very rare to come by, but definitely possible.

Our writing will take on a laid back, practical, and humorous tone. We implore you to come to our blog with a light heart, as nothing we publish should be taken too seriously. Golf is just a fun game and we want to share our experiences with you from the average golfer’s POV. The two of us look forward to writing for you guys and bringing back Orlando Golf Blogger to its peak.

• Matt and JoJo

The post 10 Years Later first appeared on Golf Blog by The Orlando Golf Blogger.

He finished the hole with a double bogey and ended up withdrawing, but I imagine the fame this shot will bring him probably made the entire weekend worth it.

Oh, in other news.. Tiger Woods is on the top the leader board and is in a good position to win tomorrow when play resumes at Bay Hill. A win tomorrow will be his 77th on the PGA Tour and will put him back in the #1 spot just in time for the Masters.

The post Sergio Garcia Tree Shot at the Arnold Palmer Invitational first appeared on Golf Blog by The Orlando Golf Blogger.

As you can see by the image below, each golf blogger sported a different Fila golf shirt in this years tournament.

Tony Korologos HookedonGolfBlog.com (top left) – is wearing the Black Trento Polo, a Tech-Dry, Anti-Bacterial raglan sleeve polo with shirt collar made from recycled polyester.

John Duval – IntoTheGrain.com (top right) – is wearing the Black Birmingham Polo, which is a Moisture Wicking, Anti-Bacterial diamond pattern polo with shirt collar, solid curved right shoulder panel and top sleeve panel.

Rob Hayashida sandbox8.com (bottom left) – is wearing the super stylish Vicenza Polo, a Moisture Wicking, Anti-Bacterial striped polo with self collar, raglan sleeves with contrasting back panel and under placket, golf tail and side vents, made from recycled polyester.

The Champ (Me – bottom right) – is wearing the Phoenix Polo, a Tech-Dry & Anti-Bacterial polo with mesh rolled shoulder yokes, mesh shirt collar, made from recycled polyester.

Fila Golf Shirt Technology
Recycled Polyester – is an eco-friendly fabric which has been manufactured from 100% recycled pop bottles. This unique recycling process converts post-consumer plastics into high quality performance yarns, making the fabric extremely soft.

Anti-Bacterial – This finish is highly effective for eliminating bacteria causing perspiration odors, and has excellent washing durability.

Tech-Dry/Moisture Wicking – This fabric feature draws moisture and sweat away from the body by transferring it to the fabrics’ outer layer, allowing it to evaporate quickly. The wicking fabrics dry very rapidly, keeping you cool, dry, and comfortable during any activity.

Fila Golf Giveaway

To participate…

Visit ShopFilaGolf.com and select a shirt from the mens, womens or youth tab that you’d like to win.

Like their Fila Golf Facebook Page and post the shirt you’ve chosen like this:

#FilaGolfGiveAway I want to win this shirt! <shirt link>

Example:

OR

Follow @FilaGolf on Twitter and tweet the following:

@FilaGolf #FilaGolfGiveaway I want to win this shirt – <shirt link>

Example:

All entries must be submitted by 11:59pm EST on February 15th, 2013 and the winners will be contacted through either Facebook or Twitter. Once they accept their prize, I’ll post up here the winners and the shirts they’ve chosen.

Pretty simple right?

Whilst you’re in a following mood, feel free to follow me on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with all the exciting things that happen on OrlandoGolfBlogger.com!

Oh, and if you’re looking for a recommendation, I suggest the Phoenix Polo, after all, it was the shirt I was wearing when I took this years Battle of the Golf Blogs!

The post Fila Golf $200 Golf Shirt Giveaway first appeared on Golf Blog by The Orlando Golf Blogger.

15th Hole – Black Diamond Ranch Quarry Course

As in previous years, the battle consisted of  a motley assortment of some of the world wide webs best, most influential golf bloggers (or at least we like to think so… ); John “Long Bomber” Duval from intothgrain.com, Tony “tears in his eyes” Korologos from hookedongolfblog.com, Rob “paparazzi” Hayashida from sandbox8.com and yours truly, the newly titled Dave “sandbagger” Lair.

The format was team match play where partners changed every six holes and the individual player with the most holes won at the end of the round was declared the winner

I’m happy to report, after a hard fought 18 holes of golf, five of which circled an old limestone quarry (hence the name) and one pretty impressive putt on #5, everyone’s favorite Orlando Golf Blogger took the title of “2013 Battle of the Golf Blogs Champion!”

Photo Courtesy of Rob Hayashida

It came down to the 18th hole which is a Par 5, between Tony and I. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a spectacular finish like you see in most of the Major tournaments, but “technically” I only had one putt on the card for the win. Full disclosure, we played net scoring, if I had to go head to head with any of those guys, Tony & John would wipe the floor with me and Rob & I would probably have a good match. But.. as they say, a win is a win and to the victor goes the spoils.

Below is the post round interview and the passing of the torch from the 2012 Battle of the Golf Blogs champion John Duval.

Many Thanks to Fila Golf, the official apparel and BridgeStone Golf the official golf ball of the 2013 Battle of the Golfs and of course Black Diamond Ranch for hosting the event this year.

Also, many thanks to you, our readership for following all the action and sending words of encouragement on twitter #BOGB.

Photo Courtesy of Rob Hayashida

See you next year!

The post 2013 Battle of the Golf Blogs Champion first appeared on Golf Blog by The Orlando Golf Blogger.

To celebrate such an accomplished golfer, Miura Golf has released a limited, special edition set of the clubs he used to win, the Miura CB-501 irons, which were forged in Japan by master club maker Katsuhiro Miura and his sons.

Only 300 sets of these clubs will ever be made and each set is separately numbered from 1 to 300 and the 7-iron and 2 wedges will bear the special K.J./Miura designation design.

K.J. Choi used these special edition Miura CB-501 irons to turn in a top ten finish at Torrey Pines during last week’s Farmers Insurance Open located in San Diego, CA.

This playable 4-PW set, which also includes two special wedges (54 and 59 degrees), features distinctive graphics, KBS Shafts and PURE grips and although they come in a special wooden presentation case.

The purchase also comes with a letter of authenticity signed by Choi and master club maker Katsuhiro Miura and each club bears it’s sets distinctive number in a “001/300” format.

The set is selling for $2,100 which includes shipping and part of the proceeds from each set of these special irons will benefit the K.J. Choi Foundation in its broad-based work to help the children of Korea and the world gain the educational and other benefits they deserve.

I think this is a pretty cool concept, having a player specific, special edition set of irons, but I’m not so certain I’d ever buy a set for myself. From all accounts, Miura makes a mean set of clubs, but unfortunately they’re right-handed only, so I cannot attest to the quality myself. Aside from all that though, paying $2,100 for  set of special edition irons is a hard pill to swallow and I’d be too concerned about messing up the aesthetics of the clubs to take them out of the box and play a round of golf with them.

How about you, would you buy a set of these clubs and if so, would you play them or keep them in the box?

The post Miura Golf announces CB-501 K.J. Choi Special Edition Irons first appeared on Golf Blog by The Orlando Golf Blogger.

I know, by now I shouldn’t have to recap the event to you, it’s most likely as familiar to you as the Masters, but just in case.. Battle of the Golf Blogs is an annual event taking place during the PGA Merchandise Show where the best golf bloggers in the industry (even those on the inactive list.. ) come together to duke it out on the golf course to determine who’s going to be top dog for the year.

Aside from bragging rights, the champion for the year gets a dollar bill, signed by the losers. Below is some of the earlier trophies.

Here are the dollar bills that have changed hands over the years.. One seems to be missing though..

2013 is the 5th anniversary of the Battle of the Golf Blogs and it’s shaping up to be the best year yet!

This year, the awesome folks out at Black Diamond Ranch have graciously offered to host the event (thanks David!), so the gladiators will be making an hour and a half trek out to Lecanto, FL to play the Quarry course, whose 13th – 17th holes have been dubbed “the best five consecutive holes of golf anywhere in the world.”

We’re also getting some love from Fila, who is outfitting each blogger with some of their fine golf apparel, adidas is supplying the golf shoes, Kentwool with the best golf socks on the market, and BridgeStone will be supplying us with plenty of golf balls to dump into the quarry lake..

This year’s contestants are the usual suspects, John from intothegrain.com, Tony from hookedongolfblog.com, Rob from Sandbox8.com and yours truly.

The tournament is taking palace on Saturday, January 26th and you can follow all the action (before, during & after) on Twitter with #BOGB.

Hopefully you’ll be able to tune in and interact with us as I collect YET another dollar bill from the competition!

The post 2013 Battle of the Golf Blogs – Black Diamond Ranch first appeared on Golf Blog by The Orlando Golf Blogger.

However, as new driver technology continues to emerge, making these clubs lighter, larger and more consistent, the pressure to make a driver upgrade continues to rise. Now, despite the urge to go out there and find the club that produces the most distance, one that will allow golfers to flex their muscles by bombing tee shots, there are more important aspects of a driver to consider.

How quickly does the ball get in the air? How much spin does the driver produce on mishit drives? What kind of bend does the shaft experience when bringing the club head through contact? These questions are essential for golfers to find the right fit, questions that Ping has taken very seriously in their development of the Ping G20 Driver.

Ping faced an uphill challenge in convincing me to replace my TaylorMade R7, a club that has been loyal to me for many years. However, what has impressed me so far about the G20 is its ability to get my drives in the air quickly and with far less spin than I have experienced with the R7. In large part this characteristic is due to the club’s advanced center of gravity technology that assists in getting the club in a square position more consistently, causing the golf ball to get off the ground faster. The increased weight on the back of the club also provides significant assistance to this process. The combination of these two characteristics has shown me that the G20 is a driver that many mid to high handicappers could turn to as a game changer.

Beyond the carry factor, what impressed me about the Ping G20 was the reduction in spin my ball generated when coming off the club face. This reduction was especially evident when I put a less than ideal swing on the ball (about 75% of the time). In most cases prior to hitting the G20, I could instantly tell without looking up that my poor swing would result in me hitting my third shot off the tee. However, what surprised me about the G20 was that, even when I was certain my ball would be found in the trees, I would look up to see that amazingly the ball had remained in play and in some cases was even sitting in the fairway!

Technologically speaking, this amazing feat can be attributed to the increased club head stability of the G20, a stability that despite the poor swing keeps the club head reasonably in line with the ball. This stability was able to get the ball in the air quicker all while reducing spin, a feat that amazed me throughout my 18 holes, saving me at least 4 penalty strokes.

As most golfers will attest, confidence is everything when executing shots. One issue I have had with all of my drivers is dealing with the bend in the shaft that is generated by the over sized club head. When I began my downswing the bend in the shaft would give me one extra thing to think about at the worst possible time. What really impressed me when swinging the Ping G20 was the reduction in this bend due to the additional weight that was placed above the center point of the TFC 169D shaft. This added weight greatly reduced the clubs flex in both the back swing and address, allowing me to focus more on my shot. As a result, I began to experience an increased level of confidence off the tee, a confidence that lead to far better swings.

We all have to make our sacrifices when it comes to the clubs we choose to have the honor of sitting in our bag. This is especially the case when it comes to a club that we hit less than 15% of the time during most rounds. However, despite the urge to throw the driver on the back of the priority list for the upcoming golf season, the Ping G20 driver could be one of those clubs that makes more of a difference on the scorecard than any other. As a result, the many great characteristics of the Ping G20 driver have given me a significant reason to consider making the driver switch in my own bag, one that I would surely not regret.

Want to see what we have to think? Check out our Golf Club Reviews page to see if we’ve take the club you’re interested in for a test drive.

The post Ping G20 Driver Review first appeared on Golf Blog by The Orlando Golf Blogger.

Appearance and Specifications

There is a lot going on with the 910 D2. Now, from experience, I have learned that when you make too many changes, it rarely works. The one thing Titleist didn’t change though is their great traditional look. Let’s face it, they have never made an unattractive driver; their design is timeless. With its full pear-shaped profile and rich black finish, you know it’s a Titleist from a fairway over.

The D2 is a bit bigger than the D3 at 460cc, but you really can’t visually tell the difference unless you put them side-by-side. Of course, you already know that this bigger head is going to result in extra forgiveness, not that any of us needs it, right?

The first thing I noticed is the optimized weight distribution; it feels good to hold, almost familiar. There is an optional weight kit that allows you to swap weights in the soles. This means that you can fine tune the weight of the swing, as well as the position of the shaft. Yes, I said the position of the shaft!

Here is another first for Titlist that I couldn’t help get a little excited over! When I heard that they were making a driver that would let you adjust your trajectory without compromising the direction the ball would fly, I was skeptical yet intrigued. This is like one of those science projects that you doubt will work, bit if it does, it might be award-worthy. Well, work it does!

Their patented SureFit Tour hosel lets you set both loft and lie independently. This optimizes ball flight either lower or higher, and you can achieve more fade or draw. Not only that, it increases distance and provides more control of your shot. An interchangeable shaft connection paired up with the rear weight screw and you are granted 16 different combinations! If you can’t find your sweet spot with this driver, you might need to face the fact that you never will. The one complaint I do have though is that with so many options, it takes away from practice. I think I spent more time adjusting than I did swinging the first time I went to the range.

Performance

Sure, the 910 D2 is gorgeous, there is no argument there, but can it deliver? There’s a lot of competition on the market in its class, so it was going to have to really impress me to allow it to even compete with my coveted 905. Unlike other hosel technologies, Titleist’s SureFit system offers two ways to change how the head and shaft meet. This allows for some serious manipulation when you know to control the settings.

If it’s windy, lower the flight and remove a little of the loft. Playing after a heavy downpour? Add 1.5 degrees to the loft. Subtle changes can vary spin levels by nearly 1,000rpm. Every change you make will result in very obvious changes in flight pattern. Those who learn how to make these settings work for them are never going to go back to a traditional driver, but those who don’t really invest much time in the new technology, might see themselves reaching for their old dependable driver a little more often.

The 910 D2 has a fast face insert, offering up to 15 percent faster ball speeds and improved launch as well as spin gradients to achieve longer distance. Without even fussing with the SureFit, I launched a gorgeous 300-yard drive on my fist swing. I’d like to say I’m just that good without warming up, but trust me, I’m not.

What I like most about the 910 D2 is the sound. It’s hot and solid; a sound I could never get tired of hearing! You know when you make contact, and so do the people standing behind you. I will admit the only thing I’m not quite sure if I loved or hated the first demo was the 45-inch shaft. However, I had just spent a week with the 46-inch shaft of the Ping K15, so losing that inch gave me mixed feelings. Why hasn’t Titleist increased their length like most others? Is it because they want to hold onto their reputation of being the club for more serious golfers?

Review

Many average golfers will quickly dismiss the 910 D2 without giving it a fair chance. It’s hard not to, as Titleist does tend to be favored by lower handicap golfers. The styling of the open face that it offers could prove to be an obstacle for the faithful slicer, but if you make the adjustments work for you, I doubt you’ll have a hard time finding the fairway!

Want to see what we have to think? Check out our Golf Club Reviews page to see if we’ve take the club you’re interested in for a test drive.

The post Titleist 910 D2 Driver Review first appeared on Golf Blog by The Orlando Golf Blogger.