1940 PGA Golf Contestant player badge for sale

Take at this collectible PGA players badge from 1940. Nelson created a Hall of Fame legacy punctuated by many significant events, most notably his winning streak in 1944. The first of his wins in the PGA came before World War II at Hershey Country Club in 1940 and this is a beautiful player badge is from that event. It is all original with beautiful green and gold enamel.

This original PGA badge is available on eBay at just $975.

Take a look at some more PGA golf badges from may different events.

Walter Hagen MS2 Golf Set Review – New and Used

Looking for a great golf club set that is both inexpensive and high-quality at the same time?  Consider purchasing the Walter Hagen MS2 Golf Set.  I have to admit myself that I was not very familiar with the golf brand before purchasing it.  Now that I have played a few rounds I wish I had known about it sooner.  The Walter Hagen MS2 Golf Set is actually a 19 piece set that contains the following: a 460cc driver, 3 wood, 3 hybrid irons (3, 4, and 5 to be exact), 6-PW regular irons, sand wedge, putter, stand bag, 5 headcovers, and finally a raincover.  It is truly a complete set that any golfer could use, whether they are new to the game or very experienced.

Positives

At under $200 (got them on sale recently for $159 at Dick’s Sporting Goods), the golf set seemed too good to be true at first.  Normally name brand complete golf sets can run as high as a thousand dollars plus, so it is reasonable for someone to be hesitant when buying this set.  However, after playing a few rounds with the clubs they seem comparable to other name brand sets such as Taylormade and Titleist.  What first stands out is the driver.  At 460cc it has one of the biggest sweet spots you will find on a driver, and the distance is on par with many of the new drivers out on the market today.  I also liked the forgiveness that the driver offered.  One wouldn’t expect a set this inexpensive to have such a forgiving driver, but the ball really goes off the club even if it is a mishit.

The hybrid irons are what really set this golf set apart from the rest.  If you are a beginner golfer or a normal golfer struggling with hitting high iron shots, definitely consider getting these golf clubs.  They have the feel of hitting a normal iron shot with the ease and distance of hitting a fairway wood.  They are great to hit both on and off the tee, and shoot right out of the rough.  You won’t find such inexpensive golf sets with such fantastic hybrid irons.  The regular irons (6-PW) have a good feel to them, and offer a higher trajectory than most other irons around this price range.

Negatives

There were a few minor negatives I discovered when it comes to the Walter Hagen MS2 Golf Set.  The first is in regards to the putter.  It has a unique shape to it and just did not feel right when putting.  It may be a great putter to help beginners learn how to align putts and what not, but for experienced players using this putter may not be the best choice.  The stand bag that goes with the set is okay, but after a few rounds it already seems as though it is starting to wear down a bit, and it may need to be replaced after a year or two.  Lastly, the sand wedge is certainly not the best when it comes to shots around the green, but I guess that can be expected for a golf set this inexpensive.  The grooves seem to be wearing down a bit faster than I would normally expect, and the club just doesn’t seem to cut through the rough as good as a name brand wedge like Cleveland or Ping would.

Conclusion

Overall the Walter Hagen MS2 Golf Set is a great buy for its price range (~$200).  It is especially recommend for beginning golfers, which has everything one would need to start enjoying the game with.  Experienced golfers will appreciate the distance and forgiveness that the driver offers, along with the distance and accuracy that the hybrid irons bring to the table as well.  The sand wedge and putter may not be that great, but for that price range it is to be expected.

Check out some deals on new and used Walter Hagen golf sets.

Ping Karsten Series Putter Review – New and Used -

I have struggled finding a good putter to cure my yips over the past few months, until I decided to try a Ping Karsten Series Putter.  Ping has traditionally been known as a great golf brand going all the way back to the 1960s.  It was 1967 to be exact, when founder Karsten Solheim created a putter that made a “ping” sound upon the club being in contact with the golf ball.  From then on it has been success after success with Ping putters, winning over 2,000 tournaments since its first putter was introduced.  Recently (as far back as a few years ago) Ping introduced a new line of putters named the Karsten line.  According to Ping, the Karsten line is the “perfect answer for the golfer seeking the performance of a steel face with and insert feel. An elastomer insert provides enhanced feel while maintaining the solid response of a steel-face putter.”  For this article the putter I am reviewing is the Ping Karsten C67 Putter.

Positives

With a price point under $100 ($89 when I bought it recently at Golf Galaxy), it seemed like a steal compared to the $200+ Scotty Cameron putters that everyone seems to rave about.  Don’t look at it as being just another under-$100 putter, because when you start putting with it you will think it should be worth more.  What made me attracted to it first was the bottom-heavy design of the putter.  This is extremely useful when having to deal with the yips, and I found myself making a lot more short putts out on the golf course with this putter as opposed to more expensive ones I have tried.  The alignment of the putter is very easy on the eyes, with one simple white line going down the middle.  The shaft of the putter also goes down the middle as well, which may seem awkward at first but it only took a short time getting used to.

What is also great about the Ping Karsten C67 Putter is in regards to its consistency.  Whether it was a five foot putt or a twenty-five foot putt, the golf ball always went on the line that I intended it to go on.  This is important, because many recreational golfers may know how a putt breaks out on the golf course but they don’t have a putter that can consistently go on the line they want it to.  If you are struggling with this problem you should definitely consider getting this putter.  Having a putter like this can only increase confidence when out on the golf course, and it certainly helped me shave some strokes off of my golf game.

Negatives

As far as any negatives concerning the Ping Karsten C67 Putter go, it was hard initially for me to find any.  After playing awhile with the putter I did find one negative that is worth mentioning.  The putter seems to me to take a lot longer getting used to when playing on faster greens as opposed to slower ones.  Because it is a bottom-heavy putter there is a tendency for putts to go farther than usual on fast greens, and thus it may take longer to get used to them.  In other words, make sure to hit some practice putts before going out to play or you may find yourself having a few too many three putts out on the course.

Conclusion

Don’t let the price of the Ping Karsten C67 Putter fool you.  It is a fantastic putter that has a bottom-heavy, simplistic design.  It will greatly reduce the yips and provides consistency on the putting green that is comparable to any of the top putters on the market today.

Check out some deals on new and used Ping Karsten putters.

Nike Sasquatch Two Fairway Wood Review – New and Used –

Nike Sasquatch Two Fairway Wood

Like many recreational golfers out there, I have struggled for some time trying to find a good three wood that I can hit consistently well.  I have tried practically every brand under the sun expect for Nike, which I decided to give it (Sasquatch Two 3 Wood) a try at the local golf store.  There are three main changes that should be noted about this club.  First, it has a tungsten monorail sole design which supposedly helps when hitting out of bad lies.  Second, the fairway wood has a new face upgrade to cryo steel, leading to a bigger sweet spot.  Last but not least, the weight at the bottom of the club was positioned farther back for a lower center of gravity.  Technical golf jargon aside this golf club felt pretty good at the local golf store so I decided to try it out for a few rounds to see how it really played.  The exact golf club I reviewed was the Nike Sasquatch Two (or Sq) 3 Wood with a stiff flex standard Diamana shaft.

Positives

When first looking down the club one can’t help but notice the arc of the clubhead, which is very natural and seems to fit the eyes perfectly.  What is also worth mentioning is the rubber grip.  I don’t usually fall for grips that easily but the grip on this club is fantastic.  If you are a golfer who plays in hot weather this grip will not let you down.   The appearance of the club is great overall and definitely inspires confidence when heading out to the first tee.

What I first noticed after playing a couple of rounds with the Nike Sasquatch Two Fairway Wood was that it was easy to hit both off the tee and in the fairway.  Many recreational golfers have commented on three woods that while some may be good off of the tee, they are terrible when using them from the fairway.  This is certainly not o when using this club.  It must have something to do with the sole design, because everything just seemed to go right up in the air no matter what kind of lie I was in.  I even tried it a few times out of a fairway bunker and the ball still carried pretty far.

Another great feature that I found about the Nike Sasquatch Two Fairway Wood was in regards to off-center shots.  Generally what happens when a three wood is not hit on the sweet spot (or center of the clubface) the golf ball will be both off target and much shorter than anticipated.  What was different about using this golf club was the distance I got out of bad shots.  I intentionally hit golf shots both off the heel and off of the toe, and while they were off-line as expected I only lost about 5 to 10 yards in distance.  That is amazing compared to other three woods out on the market, especially lower quality ones where you can expect to lose as much as 50 yards on an off-center shot.

Negatives

One negative seemed to really stand out, and that was a lack of ball control.  The ball goes straight when it is supposed to, but whenever I wanted to hit a fade or a draw it would either do it too much or not enough.  It just seems very difficult when trying to shape shots using this club out on the golf course.  Another possible negative is in concerns to the trajectory.  It gets a high trajectory on nearly every shot, but when I wanted to hit a low “stinger” off the tee for instance it was difficult to.

Conclusion

The Nike Sasquatch Two 3 Wood is a great fairway wood overall.  It does exactly as Nike said it would, providing great shots out of practically any lie, a bigger sweet spot that leads to longer off-center shots, and a higher trajectory.  However, it may not be the best choice for a near scratch golfer, as I found when playing a few rounds with the club that it can be difficult shaping shots with.  However, if you play at courses that do not require a lot of shot shaping this is certainly a must have fairway wood.

Take a look at some deals on new and used Nike Sasquatch Two Fairway Woods.

Srixon AD 333 Golf Ball Reviews – New and Used

Srixon AD 333 Golf Ball Review

Srixon has slowly been climbing the golf ball rankings year after year with great quality golf balls that appeal to any handicap.  A close friend of mine gave me some Srixon AD 333 golf balls to try out, so I decided to compare them with Titleist NXT golf balls to see how they perform.

The Srixon AD 333 golf ball is a 2-piece ball made with a state of the art Rabalon elastomer cover.  It supposed has a softer feel and more durability than Surlyn, which is another popular cover used on golf balls.  It has a 333 aerodynamic dimple pattern, which is unique in that most golf balls these days have an even numbered dimple pattern.  With that said, how does it compare to the Titleist NXT?

Long Game

As far as the long game (driver, woods, high to mid irons), the Srixon AD 333 performed above average compared to the Titleist NXT.  I was most surprised at the distance difference of the two golf balls.  The Srixon golf ball went an average of 10 yards further than the Titleist golf ball did.  A lot of it had to do with the launch angle and roll.  The Srixon AD 333 certainly a high launch angle to say the least, and this lead to greater carry and roll with the driver.  The woods and irons were mixed when it came to the Srixon golf ball.  The distance control for the irons and woods was great, but the spin on the golf ball was below average when compared to the Titleist NXT.  Where I could reasonably expect the Titleist golf ball to release a little and then stop on the green, I could hardly get the same result with the Srixon golf ball.  It always seemed to just hit the green and keep on running off of it, as if it were being chased by something.  This was surprising given that the launch angle was generally higher with the Srixon AD 333 as opposed to the Titleist NXT golf ball.  I also found it difficult to hit low stinging shots into the wind with the Srixon golf ball.  For a low handicapper like myself, it is a must to be able to adapt to the environment and hit particular shots when called for, and I was able to do this as well with the Srixon AD 333.

Short Game

As stated earlier, the golf ball does not have a lot of spin to it when approaching the green (at least during the few golf rounds that I played with it).  However, it still compared favorably to the Titleist NXT when it came to the short game (putting, chipping, low irons).  What surprised me the most concerning the short game using the Srixon AD 333 was bunker play.  I was hitting great bunker shots consistently with the Srixon golf ball, as opposed to sporadically using the Titleist golf ball.  I generally hit explosion-type bunker shots where the ball just lands on the green and runs to the flag, and the Srixon golf ball performed beautifully in this area.  Nonetheless, it was below average when it came to chipping around the green though.  If you need to hit a flop shot or have the golf ball stop immediately this is not the golf ball to do it effectively.  Another bright spot however came when putting, as the Srixon golf ball had a better and much softer feel than the Titleist golf ball.  It was much easier to gauge distances putting when using the Srixon AD 333.

Overall View

My overall view of the Srixon AD 333 is that it compares well to the Titleist NXT golf ball, for both long game and short game.  The ball offers great distance off the tee, while having below average spin on incoming shots to the green.  It is a mid-handicappers ball at best, as it doesn’t offer the performance that a low handicapper needs around the greens.  It could be a great alternative consider if you  are playing a Titleist NXT or similar golf ball.

Take a look at some great deals on new and used Srixon AD 333 Golf Balls.

Ping I5 Lob Wedge Review

Ping I5 Lob Wedge

Ping I5 irons have been widely regarded as for their craftsmanship and playability.  They are also one of a select few golf manufacturers that are well known for their wedges, whether they are 48, 52, 56, or 60 degrees.  With this in mind I decided to try out the Ping I5 lob wedge to see if it really provides the playability that I am looking for in a wedge.

The specific lob wedge I tried out was the Ping I5 with a red dot.  What does the red dot mean?  After putting in some research, I found out that the dot color relates to the lie angle of the club itself.  Before swinging a golf club one should make sure that the grooves of it are parallel to the ground, with both the heel and toe not being elevated above the other.  The red dot on the club specifies that the lob wedge  is  -0.75 degrees flat.  What this means is that the heel of the club is elevated a bit more than the toe, which leads to shots going more to the right for the average golfer.  With all of that technical golf jargon aside, let us move on to the review itself.

As far as positives, the Ping I5 lob wedge has great feel and control not only around the greens but also in the fairway as well.  It feels a bit lighter than a normal wedge, and I believe that is what makes it feel so good.  What does feel have to do with anything?  For low handicap golfers like myself, feel plays an important part in the wedge game (shots 100 yards and in).  You want to have a club that you can feel confident in and know will get the ball where you want it to go, and I certainly felt very comfortable using this club.  The trajectory on most shots was either mid or high ball flight.  The golf ball goes airborne very easily when hitting this lob wedge.  Even when in the deep rough it still has a pretty good trajectory to it.  Lastly, the Ping I5 lob wedge has very good forgiveness.  When I hit a shot that was a bit off the sweet spot the golf ball was still very close to my original target.

Now onto the negatives. Concerning spin, I thought the lob wedge was average to below average when it came both to fairway shots and shots around the green.  Don’t get me wrong, it spins like any other lob wedge would when hit properly, but that is the problem.  If the spin is the same as other lob wedges on the market, why not go with those instead?  I like to hit a lot of bump and chips around the green, and this lob wedge did an okay job at best.  At least two or three out of every ten shots did not check up the way that I had planned it to, and this can add unnecessary strokes to any golf round.

My overall conclusion of the Ping I5 lob wedge is that it is a good club for its intended target area – mid handicappers (around 15).  The lob wedge doesn’t have the top of the line performance that a low handicapper needs when trying to shoot scratch or below, but if offers great workability for golfers with mid to high handicaps.  Before purchasing a Ping lob wedge, make sure to check with a golf pro or golf store representative to figure out which color dot is right for you.  It could make the difference between a slice and a hook, so it is important to check into this before buying any golf club.

Take a look at some great prices on new and used Ping I5 Lob Wedges.

Callaway FT-9 Driver Fujikura ZCom for $99

Here is a great deal on a Callaway FT-9 Driver setup with the Fujikura ZCom graphite shaft for just $99.

The Callaway Golf FT-9 Driver expands on the success of the FT-5 Driver. Ball speed across the club face has been improved with to the addition of Hyperbolic Face Technology. The FT-9 Driver has the option of Draw or Neutral setups to allow golfers to choose the desired trajectory and ball flight they are looking for. Fusion Technology combines a carbon composite body with a titanium face cup creating maximum perimeter weighting and maximum forgiveness.

Check out some more deals on new and used Callaway FT-9 Drivers.