The one aspect of improving on the golf course that most players overlook is fitness. While you don’t have to run or just to play good golf, you do need to maintain a level of fitness in your muscles to be able to produce good swings over the period of 18 holes. If your muscles are out of shape, or you are inflexible in certain key areas, you will have trouble getting good distance, making consistent swings, and lowering your scores. There are many products on the market today that specialize in improving your golf-specific fitness, and each of them go about it in a different manner.

The Sona Fitness Trainer

The best way to think about the Sona Fitness trainer is like an advanced, golf-focused medicine ball. This product comes in both 6lb. and 8lb. versions, so you can pick the one that will work best for you. Most of the focus around golf fitness is relating to your ability to rotate back and through during the swing. The muscles that control the core of your body are the target of any golf exercise. These muscles need to be strong but flexible so you can make a full turn and unleash that energy into the golf ball.

What sets this product apart is that it is not simply just a medicine ball for you to swing back and forth. There is a built-in Swing Place Guide System intended to help you work on the plane of your swing while also improving fitness and conditioning. There are thumb placement point located on the ball so you can take a proper grip each and every time. The two halves of the ball are also different colors to make sure you are releasing the hands properly through the swing. When you are able to make repeated training swings with your Sona Golf Fitness Trainer, you will be that much closer to having success out on the course.

Not Just About Strength

One mistake that golfers make is thinking training and exercise is only about getting stronger and adding yards. If they are happy with their distance as is, they will neglect golf-specific exercises. The important point here is that golf exercise will not only help to add yards, but also prevent injury. In a repetitive stress game such as golf, injuries are common – especially to the back. Nothing will knock you off the course longer than a back injury, so train your body for the course so you can keep playing as the years go by.

Thanks to the included instructional DVD, anyone can use the Sona Golf Swing Fitness Trainer. Consistent use of the trainer will help to add distance, improve strength, and prevent injury. Any product like this one should always be used exactly as intended with careful attention being paid to the directions. Rather than spending extra hours out pounding balls on the range, investing some time in your golf-related fitness can pay off big time in the way of lower scores and more enjoyable days on the course.

There are a lot of great things about the game of golf. The time you get to spend outdoors, competing with your buddies on the course, and trying to improve your game are all things that keep us coming back time after time. One thing that most of us don’t love about golf, however, is the cost of playing the game. Not only can greens fees get expensive, but you also have to deal with purchasing all of your equipment. Quality golf clubs can run into the thousands of dollars, and that doesn’t even mention golf balls, gloves, bags, clothing, and more. Simply put, golf can be an expensive hobby to keep.

Great Clubs for a Great Price

With that in mind, it is a welcome change when the opportunity arises to save some money in your pursuit of the game. Of course, purchasing less expensive clubs can be a catch-22 – trying to save money could lead you to inferior clubs that hurt your game in the long run. The trick is to walk the line between affordable and lower quality so you end up with a product that can get the job done without breaking the bank.

That is exactly what you will get out of the Wilson Mens Staff Ci11 Irons. This is a great looking set of clubs that carries with it the Wilson name and has the performance to match. You will instantly be impressed with the feel of these clubs, and nothing about them will say ‘discount’ at all. Everything from the graphics to the head design looks premium, but at a price that is more reasonable then some of the big name brands.

To start, these irons are finished in black, which is a look that has gained popularity in recent years. The head design falls somewhere between blade and cavity back, giving the clubs a nice balance between control and forgiveness. The playability of these clubs will appeal to a wide audience because they are big enough to forgive some mis-hits, while not resembling a shovel on the end of the shaft. Players from low digit handicaps all the way up to 20 and beyond will be able to use these clubs right away and find that their games benefit from the switch.

The offset in these irons is progressive, meaning it is largest in the long irons (4-5) and gradually gets smaller as the clubs get shorter. They are available in both left and right handed versions, and both steel and graphite shafts are also offered. When you see that the price tag for this set comes in at around half of what some other iron sets retail for, you will know you have found a winner.

Save Money and Still Play Your Best Golf

Don’t fall for the marketing – you can play great golf without spending a fortune to build your set of clubs. Make sure any set of clubs you purchase makes sense for your game regardless of the price tag, but don’t be scared away just because the Wilson Mens Ci11 Irons are more affordable than some other brands. All that means is you will have more money in your pocket to play golf more often – and isn’t that the goal? Enjoy these irons and play well!

Walking a golf course and carrying your clubs is one of the purest ways to experience the game. If you are playing a beautiful course is a natural setting on a warm summer day, it almost seems like a crime to take a cart and ruin the atmosphere. If you are a golfer who enjoys the quiet walk down each fairway, the Taylor Made Quiver bag is a product you need to take a close look at.

Keeping it Simple

The Quiver bag is a throwback with some modern technology to bring it into the 21st century. It is truly a carry bag, with no stand mechanism or useless extra pockets. This bag sticks to only the essentials, and as a result it weighs just 2.2 pounds before you start loading it up. The bag does come with a double-strap system to take the pressure off of your shoulder as the round wears on. An easy-to-reach bottle pouch is found on the outside of the bag to keep your drink close at hand.

A Couple of Limitations

Admittedly, this is a product that is best used in the dry months wherever you play your golf. You will have to set the bag down between each shot, so wet turf and the Taylor Made Quiver bag don’t really get along. Also, because of it’s unstructured design, this bag will not really stand well-enough to ride along on the back of a cart. If you know you will be riding, better move your clubs bag to your full-sized bag for the day.

With those drawbacks acknowledged, this is still a great product and one that is worth your consideration. Once you get used to the minimalist design, you will wonder why you ever put up with your large carry bag in the first place. The Quiver makes life on the golf course simpler – and that is something that we can all appreciate.

Still Full-Featured

Despite being a stripped down golf bag, there are still many of the features you have probably come to expect. You can find a padded valuables pouch for safe keeping while you play, and a hip pad where the bag falls against your side as you walk. The pockets are surprisingly large on both sides of the bag – big enough to hold as many golf balls as you want (need) to lug around the course. If the weather forecast is dicey, you can slip a jacket into the larger pouch just in case.

Golfers who only hit the links when riding in a cart will not have much use for the Taylor Made Quiver, except for possibly as a driving range bag that fits in the car easier than a full-sized model. For those who love to walk, however, the Quiver is a product that can change the way you experience the game. Lightweight, simple, and well-made, this golf bag will be a joy to throw on your back hole after hole. If you live somewhere that has dry golf as the norm rather than the exception, investing in the Taylor Made Quiver is a decision you won’t likely regret.

The Scotty Cameron line of putters from Titleist is an interesting collection. On the one hand, Cameron putters are some of the most classically-designed beautiful pieces of art that you could possibly find in a golf bag. Models such as the Newport and the Studio Select series are simply gorgeous in their design. At the same time, Scotty Cameron has also devised some of the more ‘interesting’ looking putters on the market. In this case, ‘interesting’ is another word for ‘ugly’.

Results-Oriented Game

However, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is if the ball finds the bottom of the hole frequently enough to keep the putter in your bag. With that in mind, the Scotty Cameron Futura X putter has hit the market and it will not likely win any awards for beauty. A large mallet head with a curved bar across the back for stability, the Futura X combines features from a few different older Cameron models into one all-new product.

The idea with the Futura X, as it is with any mallet putter, is to make the putter feel stable through the strike of the ball. Also, the forgiveness that is achieved through the size and weight of the putter head helps the golfer to start the ball on line and get the speed right more often than not.

A Winning Design

In the case of the Futura X, it seems that Cameron has been very successful. While the putter head is large, it doesn’t feel too uncomfortable while making a stroke and the ball comes off with an easy roll. Unlike some previous Cameron mallets, like the original Futura, this putter has nice weighting and a low-enough profile so as not to dominate the ball visually at address. If you are making the transition to this putter from another mallet, you will have no problem adjusting your stroke and should see good results right away.

It’s Not for Everyone

One warning with this putter – its design is intended to limit ‘toe-release’ through the ball, so it will only work properly for those that swing the putter in a straight-back, straight-through manner. If you like to swing the putter open and closed during the stroke (like a golf swing), you will not feel comfortable with this mallet and probably miss most of your putts to the right of the hole. For that kind of putting stroke, you will be better served with a blade-design putter.

The Titleist Scotty Cameron Futura X putter is not for everyone, but there are some putting strokes out there that are sure to love it. The balance and stability at impact is truly incredible, and you just might find yourself starting more putts on line that you ever thought possible. Once the putts start rolling into the middle of the hole, you will quickly realize you don’t care what the putter looks like as long as it works. Even the high-end price tag that is associated with Scotty Cameron putters won’t bother you much when you start collecting on your bets with buddies you beat with more regularity during your weekly game.

It is a surprise to no one that Taylor Made is once again on the cutting-edge of golf club design and technology. After all, many of the major innovations throughout golf history have come thanks to this Carlsbad, CA company. While they seemingly produce a new club at least once or twice a year, they still manage to make them fresh, exciting, and worth putting in your bag. So, does the SLDR live up to that reputation?

First, a quick explanation as to what the SLDR is all about. The name ‘SLDR’ is meant to sound phonetically like ‘slider’, because the movable weight technology on this driver is in the form of a 20g weight that can be slid back and forth across the sole of the club. The idea is the same as with the interchangeable weights that have been found on the sole of Taylor Made drivers for more than a decade now. By moving the weight closer to the toe or heel of the club, you can alter the ball flight you will achieve and help to correct any mistakes in your golf swing.

Intuitive Use

The greatest asset of the new Taylor Made SLDR driver is that the weight system is far easier to use for most average golfers. For one, there are no extra weights to keep track of like there were with the old system. Also, the sole is clearly marked with ‘fade’ and ‘draw’ so you can quickly slide the weight in the direction that you need and off you go. The old system never seemed all that complicated, but this mechanism is still a marked improvement. Practice sessions on the driving range where you adjust the weight after each shot to dial in your ball flight will be quick and easy with the SLDR.

Great Looks

The white-crown look of recent Taylor Made drivers such as the R1 have been a love-or-hate kind of thing with golfers. Looking from the address position, the SLDR has a much more traditional appearance. The crown is charcoal grey with only a small silver-colored accent toward the back of the club head. These aesthetics should please just about every played with their neutral tones and clean design.

Loft Sleeve Remains

Along with the sliding weight on the sole, the SLDR driver from Taylor Made also retains the ‘loft sleeve’ that allows for quick change of shafts and adjustment of the loft of the club +/- up to 1.5 degrees. When you combine those technologies, you are left with a club that can achieve more than 250 different unique settings. If you can’t find one that works for your game, it might be time to look at your swing rather than the club.

Overall, Taylor Made has outdone itself yet again with the SLDR driver. While the technology and how it is used doesn’t change that much from previous driver editions, the mechanism is significantly improved and made to be basically fool-proof. Those in the market for a new driver will love everything that the SLDR can offer to their game. This club is starting to ship mid-August, and retailers have been accepting pre-orders.