Tour Edge Exotics Wingman Wedges Review

Tour Edge is known for its innovative golf club designs, and the new Exotics Wingman wedges are no exception. These wedges are packed with features that are designed to help golfers improve their wedge game, from increased spin to greater accuracy and forgiveness.

In this review, we will take a closer look at the Tour Edge Exotics Wingman wedges, including their design, grinds, benefits, and pricing. We will also provide our overall thoughts on these new wedges and who they are best suited for.

Tour Edge Exotics Wingman Wedges.

Design

The Tour Edge Exotics Wingman wedges feature a forged 8620 carbon steel construction for a soft feel and enhanced durability. They also have a high-toe design that raises the center of gravity and promotes a lower launch angle and more spin.

Another unique feature of the Wingman wedges is the Triple-Traction milled face technology. This technology combines milled grooves, micro grooves between scoring lines, and toe lines to create a rougher surface that increases friction and spin.

Each wedge also features Tour Edge’s VIBRCOR pockets on the back of the club, which dampen sound and feel to provide feedback that all golfers will appreciate.

Grinds

The Tour Edge Exotics Wingman wedges are available in four different grinds:

• C Grind: This is a versatile grind that is well-suited for a variety of course conditions and lies.

• S Grind: This grind is designed for softer conditions and features a wider sole and more bounce.

• W Grind: This grind is designed for tight lies and features a narrow sole and less bounce.

• D Grind: This grind is designed for deep rough and features a wider sole and more bounce.

Benefits

The Tour Edge Exotics Wingman wedges offer a number of benefits to golfers, including:

• Increased spin: The high-toe design and Triple-Traction milled face technology work together to generate more spin on the ball, which is essential for controlling wedge shots and stopping the ball on the green.

• Greater accuracy: The offset hosel design helps to improve accuracy on wedge shots, especially for golfers who struggle with opening the clubface.

• Forgiveness: The forged construction and wide sole design help to provide forgiveness on mishits, making the Wingman wedges a good choice for golfers of all skill levels.

Pricing

The Tour Edge Exotics Wingman wedges are priced at $140 per wedge. This is a competitive price for a premium forged wedge with all of the features that the Wingman wedges offer.

Overall Thoughts

The Tour Edge Exotics Wingman wedges are a great option for golfers who are looking for a wedge that offers increased spin, greater accuracy, and forgiveness. They are also a good choice for golfers who want a wedge with a variety of grind options to choose from.

Who Are the Tour Edge Exotics Wingman Wedges Best For?

The Tour Edge Exotics Wingman wedges are a good choice for golfers of all skill levels. However, they are especially well-suited for golfers who:

• Struggle with generating spin on their wedge shots

• Need a wedge that is more forgiving on mishits

• Want a wedge with a variety of grind options to choose from

Conclusion

The Tour Edge Exotics Wingman wedges are a great option for golfers who are looking for a wedge that offers increased spin, greater accuracy, and forgiveness. They are also a good choice for golfers who want a wedge with a variety of grind options to choose from.

If you are looking for a new wedge, we encourage you to check out the Tour Edge Exotics Wingman wedges. They are a great value for the price and offer a number of features that can help you improve your wedge game.

Do Rapid Release Cycles Intentionally Mislead Consumers?

For an industry that has more competitors and moving parts than you could possibly imagine, the golf equipment industry does a fantastic job of keeping their customers informed, engaged, and coming back for more. However, the volume of products available can be overwhelming, which can confuse consumers and lead to false conclusions as we try to make sense of it all.

I’ll cover a few of these misconceptions in a series of brief posts, but I encourage you to offer your own views in the comments section below. You can also contact me via email at golfunfiltered@gmail.com.

Part 1: Do OEMs intentionally mislead consumers via rapid release cycles?

I recently received a series of messages from a reader who was absolutely convinced that golf’s biggest brands maintain equipment release cycles meant to intentionally mislead their consumers. While I vehemently disagreed with the points he argued, it was not the first time I’d heard this hypothesis, nor will it be the last.

Golf’s original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are the brands that we all know. Any company that produces parts and equipment that can be marketed by another manufacturer falls into this category. Think Callaway, TaylorMade, PING, Srixon, Cleveland, Bridgestone, Mizuno, and others.

For years these companies have been locked in competition to find a place in your golf bag, and this has become more difficult over the last five years. I’ve argued the quality gap between one OEM to the next is more narrow today than ever before, which actually helps consumers more than it hinders. You almost can’t go wrong with anything you purchase.

In an attempt to widen this gap — at least in the perception of the consumer — many OEMs have gone the route of “more is better” in terms of releasing new equipment to the market. Release cycles have sped up considerably over the years as golf’s major brands appear to churn out new equipment at a break-neck pace.

While not entirely accurate — many OEMs operate on biennial release cycles, if not longer — the sheer volume of brands following different timelines can alter our perception. More “new stuff” is released across all brands more often, so golfers feel like they just saw a new product release last month.

While perception is reality, it’s important to remember that OEMs do not want to intentionally confuse the consumer via their release schedule. That confusion occurs when the same brand releases more than one similar product in the same calendar year, and it’s something brands must do a better job at explaining.

Callaway Golf is an example of a brand that handles this well. As Harry Arnett explained in episode 152 of the GU podcast, the 2018 release of Callaway Rogue required a detailed explanation of how it differed from the Callaway Epic line, which was released months prior. In this instance, the Rogue was not a replacement for Epic; the two lines were to co-exist as a means to cast the widest net to capture the largest scope of golfers who fall into specific equipment categories.

Did consumers catch on to this difference? It would be naive to think all golfers knew that Rogue did not “replace” Epic, but this isn’t Callaway’s fault. It’s human nature to assume the new shiny toy is “better” than the last, especially since the majority of industries follow this exact logic with their new products. I received numerous emails from readers and podcast listeners who made this abundantly clear to me.

Callaway is just one example, of course, but it’s a case that further validates there is no perfect recipe to follow when releasing new products to the public. There are far greater risks to the OEM than the consumer when release cycles speed up, as I’ve discussed in the past. Overproduction and excessive inventory are incredibly hazardous forms of waste and should be avoided at all costs.

So while no successful company intentionally misleads their consumers (even typing that sentence feels dirty, but it’s a sentiment shared with me often enough to prompt this post), brands should never overlook the reality of consumer perception regardless of planning. Properly educating customers can be more valuable than the revenue generated from a one-time sale of a new product, and can continue to pay off for years.

Adjustable Drivers, Effective Loft and You

(Note: This is a 2013 article written shortly after the Christmas holiday.)

The Christmas holiday has come and gone. Thanks to your dedication to staying on his "nice" list, Santa left you a brand new adjustable driver under the Christmas tree. You're excited to play the best golf of your life, but there's one glaring question that you just can't shake from your mind:

How the hell do I use the adjustable settings on this beast?

Well kids, the best place to start is to visit your local golf pro for a proper club-fitting session. However, I wanted to introduce an adjustable driver term that may be new to most of you: effective loft.

In a nutshell, "effective loft" refers to how much loft your club will have AT IMPACT. This is an important distinction that you should keep in mind because we'll come back to this in a bit.

When I first started using an adjustable driver, it came pre-set to 9.0 degrees in the neutral setting. I typically like to play a 10.5 degree driver, so I wanted to find a way to increase its loft by using one of the many settings on the club. I was also fighting a nasty hook, so I also decided to open the face angle of the club a couple degrees. Next stop: the PGA Tour!

Not so fast. After making my adjustments (I increased the loft to 10.5 degrees and opened the clubface 2 degrees) and hitting a few drives, I was puzzled. While my hook was eradicated thanks to the open club setting, my drives were actually shorter than before and my ball flight was much lower. What gives?

In my mind -- which is a scary place -- opening the clubface of the driver should have added even more loft to my newly-adjusted 10.5 setting. After all, when you open the face of a sand wedge to hit a flop shot, you are adding a ton of loft to help shoot the ball into the air.

What I eventually learned was that opening the face of your driver via an adjustable setting has the opposite effect on loft. This is where effective loft comes in.

The effective loft of your driver will DECREASE one degree for every degree you open the face. The opposite is also true; clubhead loft will increase one degree for every degree closed.

Going back to my example, while I had increased the loft of my driver by 1.5 degrees (9.0 to 10.5 degrees) opening the face by 2 degrees ultimately decreased the driver loft by the same amount (10.5 to 8.5 degrees), leaving me with less loft than what I started with.

Effective loft suggests that you cannot truly change the loft and face angle of a club independent of one another. Furthermore, adjustable drivers all have the same goal in mind in regard to their buffet of clubhead settings: to help you square the clubface at impact. Adjustable drivers are built to react to your swing tendencies, not the other way around.

Before you start messing around with loft, lie and face angle settings on your new driver, be sure to educate yourself on how each setting interacts with one another.

Golf Equipment Review Trends | Episode 171

Matt Saternus of PluggedInGolf.com and industry veteran Michael Vrska join the show to continue the conversation on the current state of golf equipment reviews.

Follow Plugged In Golf on Twitter at @PluggedInGolf.

Follow Michael Vrska on Twitter at @vgolfman.

Golf Equipment and Trends | Episode 161

Really helps the fallen arches.

On today's episode the GU family welcomes Matt Hackett to the team as he and I discuss what he's currently playing in his bag, where he sees golf equipment trending, and what the future of the GU Podcast. Follow Matt on Twitter at @matthewliam.

Controlling the Message of Golf Equipment Reviews

Blogs have long been used as an outlet for golf equipment manufacturers to get the word out on new products through the eyes of amateur testers. While websites like Golf.com and Golf Digest continue to be the mainstream sources for equipment reviews, others like The Hackers Paradise, Plugged In Golf and My Golf Spy have established themselves as trusted alternatives. However, as with any industry, times are changing in the golf equipment space.

Availability of new product to review is becoming scarce for many websites, GU notwithstanding. This is not a criticism as much as an observation in today's industry as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are choosing to be more strategic to whom they send new product. Reactions to this shift have been mixed, to say the least, but looking at things from the viewpoint of an OEM, anything that can be done to control a message is probably a good thing for their brand.

Of course, there are always two sides to any story.

When popular golf YouTuber Mark Crossfield recently published a vlog entitled "TAYLORMADE HATE ME" in response to that company's decision to no longer send him equipment, Crossfield caused ripples across the independent media landscape. In his vlog, Crossfield references an email from TaylorMade which provides more than adequate reasoning for their decision. Of course, Crossfield disagreed and proceeded to record himself coming to terms with this gross injustice for nearly 20 minutes.

This isn't rocket science: when you sign a sponsorship contract with an equipment brand (Titleist), don't be surprised when competing brands choose to no longer send you free stuff.

Regardless, this is yet another example of a freelance journalist showcasing a false sense of entitlement to an audience who is only hearing one side of the story.

Golf equipment reviews are the most popular articles on our website. For whatever reason, followers of GU and our podcast like to read our thoughts on new golf equipment. This is true for everything from golf instruction books to accessories for your golf cart. As a result, I've had the privilege of trying out some really cool stuff over the years and have connected with a number of awesome marketing and PR contacts.

At no point does any of that guarantee me anything in terms of new products to review. Ever.

During a recent text exchange with a marketing director from a well known brand, the topic of new product reviews came up. My contact explained that his company recently decided that the practice of sending products out for review was becoming stale. There was nothing more frustrating to him than to see their brand featured on a blog's front page today, only to be replaced by an entirely different brand tomorrow.

The return on investment for an OEM has dwindled, especially if no correlation between a product review and sales of that product are seen.

As was discussed in a recent GU podcast episode, there is nothing "free" about receiving golf equipment to review. Shipping costs alone can cost larger companies tens of thousands of dollars a year on top of the cost to actually make the equipment. While a drop in a bucket for some, this can become a significant budget line item for others.

In addition, golf is one of the very few industries that does not require media to sign a contract or lending agreement to review a new product. Ninety percent of the items I've reviewed, for example, I've been able to keep or give away in a contest. The rest I have to ship back to the manufacturer on my own dime.

Is that inconvenient? At times. Am I entitled to being able to keep anything? Absolutely not.

Everything is strategic in business. Golf OEMs have to make hundreds of important decisions a week in order to stay ahead of competition in a space that still falls under a luxury category. While independent media can be vitally important contributors to spreading the word on new products, companies have every right to have input on how that message is conveyed. Some choose to be more involved than others.

Out of the sake of transparency, many of you know that I've partnered with Cleveland/Srixon Golf. While the details of this partnership will remain private, theirs was always a brand I preferred compared to others. Their products help my game throughout the bag more so than any other brand, period. Our mutual respect and trust in one another made this an easy decision for everyone involved.

Does that mean that my opinions on other brands will become biased overnight? Of course not. But I also know that perception is reality, and this decision will likely cause other brands to look the other way.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, and frankly, shame on me if I thought anything different.

Golf is a game first and a business second. Playing this game requires certain resources, equipment included. But when a media outlet or personality takes the stance to discount the credibility of a brand simply because they chose to not participate in a review, that accomplishes nothing.

Instead, you come across looking childish and ignorant to how business works.

Are there too many golf club options?

Have golf equipment manufacturers unknowingly confused customers because of providing too many choices? Earlier today Callaway Golf announced the release of two new iron series upgrades to their popular Apex and X-Forged models. This brings their total current iron offerings to double digits, which caused a bit of a ruckus among equipment junkies on social.

On one hand, having too many options from which to choose could paralyze the potential buyer. On the other, having too few options limits the versatility of a brand. It's a wonder how marketing departments and R&D balance this dynamic.

So where is the middle ground? Is there one?

Limiting choice is not the answer

Believe it or not folks: the golf OEMs know what they're doing in this case.

While I do not agree with the way rapid release cycles are handled by some, offering a menu of golf clubs allows us, the consumers, a sense of control. We aren't pigeonholed into buckets or a corner of binary options. Instead, we are shown opportunities of being better without taking a giant leap into the unknown. We crave familiarity.

Golf is a sport that excells not on greens but in areas of grey.

This is why custom fitting is so important

Yeah, I'm still beating this dead horse.

Chances are out of the 10 iron models offered by Callaway, you are able to successfully play two or three. Some will be too "game improvementy" for you. Others will be geared toward players better than you.

Throw in shaft combinations and iron spec adjustments and you're facing dozens, if not hundreds, of club options among those two or three models.

Having more options available increases the chances of a custom fitter finding you the best club combination possible. The alternative is choosing among unleaded, premium, or that weird corn stuff.

That may seem like an easy choice to make, but there is a difference between choosing and settling.

Fix My Game: Do you have the right golf equipment for your game?

Buying the right golf equipment for your game can be a daunting task, especially when you consider the wide range of options at your disposal. Walking into a PGA Superstore, Golf Galaxy, or browsing any of the major online golf warehouses can be confusing and intimidating. Throw in the growing used golf club market and the number of possible choices can be paralyzing. How can any golfer expect to make the right purchase decision for his or her game? Is there such a thing as finding the "right equipment?" Are golfers leaving shots on the golf course without even knowing it?

I'd like to find out.

This will be the first in a series of blog posts in which I will document my search for the right golf equipment for my game. But first, I want to address what I believe to be the biggest first step any golfer should take before buying equipment.

First Things First -- Get Fitted

This shouldn't be a shock to anyone: I am a huge proponent for getting fit for your golf clubs.

Last year I visited Club Champion near my hometown for a full iron fitting. That visit was coordinated by my friends at Miura Golf, after which I left with a custom set of gorgeous Miura Golf MB-001 irons. Still in my bag as of the time of this writing, the MB-001s are the finest golf clubs I've ever hit in my life.

I also walked out with my iron specifications, which include a lie angle of roughly one-degree flat. No more standard sets for me, sadly. (4-iron through SW below; golf shafts are True Temper Dynamic Gold AMT Tour Issue S400)

Finally, the biggest context point to remember is I went into that fitting while considering only one brand. I did not try any iron models from any other brand.

Why is that an issue?

Simply this: could another iron model set to the same specs perform better than my current gamers?

My Plan

As many of you know, I don't hide the fact that I have tried many different types of golf equipment. The most popular posts on this blog are equipment reviews. I've worked with many companies to not only try their equipment, but to play it on a regular basis.

My plan is to work with any golf brand that wants to help me find the best clubs for my game. This will go beyond simply spreading the word about a new piece of equipment. I am truly interested in finding what's best for me, and to use data to help make that decision.

If I try something that doesn't work for me, I will give those pieces of equipment away to readers of this site.

This will be a work in progress, but I plan on documenting my journey through video, the Golf Unfiltered Podcast, and written updates as they come.

Stay tuned for more info!

Interested in helping out with my journey? Contact me via email at golfunfiltered@gmail.com!

Golf Equipment Reviews: Is Perception more Important than Reality?

Golf equipment reviews are the most popular articles posted at GolfUnfiltered.com. For whatever reason, my readers seem to enjoy what I write about new golf equipment and how it can help my game. Golf equipment is also the only topic to which any participant in this sport can relate. But has the performance of golf equipment plateaued over the years? What do consumers base their product purchases on today?

This month on this site and on the Golf Unfiltered Podcast we will focus on the old adage that "perception is reality." Simply stated: if we think a golf club performs better than our current gamer, is that good enough to make a purchase?

Or should we instead base our decision on cold, hard data?

Obviously, there are two schools of thought on this topic.

The Practical Approach

If you hit a golf ball longer with one driver compared to another, and you can see those results in real time, do you really need data or statistics to prove that you just hit that ball further?

No, you don't.

Feel, confidence and good ol'-fashioned personal preference play as much a role in how a golf club will perform as any technology built inside it. I'm willing to bet that you have a "favorite club" in your bag that you trust more than any other. You've established a relationship with that club over the years and someone will have to rip that sucker out of your cold, dead hands.

Your favorite club is your "favorite" because you can trust its performance.

But aside from personal preference, the technology gap between different club options has been reduced to a sliver. I don't care what any golf review says in the data: chances are the average player won't be able to tell the difference. Dan Hauser said as much in a recent podcast.

Don't believe me? Just look at what notable YouTube golf equipment reviewer -- and teaching professional -- Rick Shiels says in his review of the new Callaway Epic driver.

Did you catch what Rick said around the 3:45 mark? "Exactly where I see a ball speed for me..."

Compared to what he is already playing, this brand new driver  performs "exactly" the same in one category. That shouldn't shout "technological breakthrough" to the layperson. While a very positive review overall, I would venture a guess that Rick isn't going to replace his current driver with the Epic. (Note: We will be testing the Epic driver in coming weeks.)

What's interesting in his review, however, is how often Rick comments on the ball flight of the Epic. He takes note of how straight the golf ball is flying as well as its trajectory. What we don't know is how those characteristics compare to his current driver. So why can't we make a final determination on this golf club's performance?

That's because practical analysis alone cannot be the be-all-end-all determining factor when comparing golf clubs. That's where data is needed.

The Analytical Approach

Today's ball launch monitor technology is amazing. You can measure and compare statistics ranging from spin rate to ball flight apex to how off-center a ball flies when hit. In many cases, the incremental statistical differences from one club to the next cannot be seen with the naked eye.

Data helps us tell the difference.

Above, if Rick was shopping for a new driver that he can hit straighter and lower than his current driver, he could benefit from analyzing ball flight data before making his decision. During a proper clubfitting, he could also test different club shaft and loft combinations to reach his optimal club specifications.

So even though the technology gap between brands has shrunk considerably over the years, you could argue that this is exactly why data is so necessary. In my opinion, nobody site does a better job at providing this data than MyGolfSpy.com.

So if we agree that a combination of practical and analytical measurement is required to make the most educated purchasing decision possible, why doesn't every golfer just go with what performs the best in both categories?

The Perception Factor

Golfers are lazy.

I know this is true because all golfers are human, and all humans want problems to be solved in the easiest way possible. If I know purchasing Product A will get me to Outcome B, and Outcome B is more favorable than where I am right now, I'm going to pull out my wallet.

When golfers are thinking about buying a new driver, for example, the majority will make their decision based on how a driver performs at one moment in time.

A substantial number of golfers are also brand-loyal. You probably know a "Titleist Guy" or "Callaway Supporter" among your golfing friends. They refuse to switch brands no matter what.

As crazy as this sounds, other golfers will make a purchasing decision based on how well a club performed for their playing partners. This happens! I've seen it!

How a golfer perceives a club will perform -- regardless of reason -- is the most important variable that leads to a final purchase. Period.

Over the next few weeks I am going to speak to industry leaders in golf equipment and golf club reviews to dive deeper into this perception. I'm going to ask how each addresses this perception to learn more about what makes golfers like you and me tick.

In the meantime, I want to know your thoughts.

What variables do YOU look for when making a golf club purchase? What do you like to see in golf equipment reviews? Are they helpful? If not, why?

Leave your comments below or send me an email at adam@golfunfiltered.com. I'd love to hear from you.

REVIEW: The Aiming golf shot aiming device

With everything that can go wrong in your golf swing, the least you could do is get yourself aligned correctly to your target. However, a number of golfers still struggle with this concept, which literally sets them up for failure. 'The Aiming', a new golf equipment device made by the Korea-based MotionScape, is designed to help align you to your target during practice sessions or on the course.

As the video shows, The Aiming is a small device that clips onto your belt or waistband and vibrates to let you know when you aren't lined up correctly to your target. After standing behind your golf ball and pressing the button on the device's face, you'll feel and hear a notification that the device is "ready." Address your golf ball and The Aiming will notify you if you're standing too left or too right from your original target line.

The Aiming device is very easy to use and rather non-invasive due to its size when worn on your belt. Admittedly, I took a few minutes to figure out how to use the device properly, but in time I was impressed with how well the device sensed my alignment.

While the tried and true method of laying a training rod or golf club on the ground is still the easiest way to practice your alignment, The Aiming is definitely helpful when playing in a round. Of course, using a training device like The Aiming during competition would be a no-no, so I'll have to keep its use to practice sessions.

Why you should buy this device

If you're looking for a way to check your alignment during a round of golf, The Aiming is a high-tech solution. The sensors are accurate, the feedback immediate, and the device features a long battery life. Just be prepared to try it out first on the driving range.

Why you should not buy this device

At a price point of $149.99, The Aiming might be a little expensive for what it is meant to do. It is definitely a one-trick ponie, and you'll probably be able to find cheaper alternatives or methods to check your alignment.

REVIEW: Major Chase Golf Gloves

Golf gloves can be a very personal equipment purchase based on preferences that differ widely from one player to the next. Finding the perfect fit for your glove, for example, can be a challenge. The folks at Major Chase golf gloves offer a wide range of sizes, thicknesses and customization options to help you find the perfect fit for your game.

Major Chase takes the "traditional" glove size chart and blows it up to massive proportions and versatility. While you may be most familiar with sizes like "medium," "large," "small" and cadet sizes of each, Major Chase offers more than 50 different glove sizes to fit literally any hand in the game.

What makes Major Chase golf gloves so special?

Top golfers from all levels of the game -- amateur, professional, and club professionals -- agree that the Major Chase 100% Cabretta Sheep Skin Leather Gloves don’t replicate, they vastly improve the glove pros love to wear. [T]his one-of-a-kind, Purely Premier golf glove has received wide acceptance for its durability, feel, performance, and value pricing.

In short, anyone who wears the Major Chase Purely Premier glove will find the same consistent sizing; the soft, supple, velvet feel; the precise stitching; and the incredible comfort from fingertips to beyond the wrist line.

I found the Major Chase gloves to be true-to-billing, extremely durable and a perfect fit. I like my golf gloves to be snug, so the company's thickness options allowed me to dial in the exact fit I needed no matter which glove model I chose. Never before have I had as many customization options for a golf glove as I did with Major Chase.

For more information on these amazing, value-priced golf gloves from an independent golf company, visit www.majorchase.com.

Golf Unfiltered Podcast 18: Tony Covey of MyGolfSpy.com

Today on the Golf Unfiltered Podcast we welcome one of the brightest golf equipment minds in the blogosphere, Tony Covey from MyGolfSpy.com. Tony and I take a deep dive into the golf equipment industry and how sites like MyGolfSpy.com are educating the general public on what to look for in golf clubs. While most golfers rely heavily on clubtesting results from big-name publications, Tony and his team have taken an independent approach at "Datacratic" analysis of every new club that hits the market. Golf nerds of the world, unite!

This is a must-listen for any golfer who considers himself a gearhead or likes to tinker with golf equipment.

Follow Tony on Twitter @GolfSpyT.

Golf Unfiltered Podcast 12: Steven Bowditch, Depression and The Memorial

  This week on the Golf Unfiltered Podcast we discuss Steven Bowditch's impressive win at the 2015 AT&T Byron Nelson Championship and what it means to overcome a debilitating disease like clinical depression. Is it appropriate to focus so much on a narrative like an athlete's personal illness, or should we keep things "all business" instead? One of the more personal and serious discussions we've had to date on the show.

We then switch gears to preview The Memorial Tournament and discuss our expectations for Tiger Woods. We also ask whether or not Rory McIlroy should play this week despite having already played five weeks in a row. Should we expect more from the World Number 1?

Finally, we briefly discuss golf equipment technology seen in today's market and how the gap between one club brand to the next is narrowing.

Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes via the link below!

REVIEW: SwingTalk Golf Swing Analyzer

The popularity and social integration of smartphones and tablets has opened the floodgates of new golf-themed swing analytic software. SwingTalk by South Korea-based Golfzon is a look into the future of these devices by offering something competing devices do not: voice feedback.

SwingTalk breaks down all phases of your golf swing, including your address position, backswing, top of your swing, downswing and impact position. It then analyzes the impact phase, the movement of your golf shaft, clubhead speed, swing type (inside-out or vice versa) and swing tempo. What's even better is that all of this information is transmitted via Bluetooth to your smartphone instantly.

SwingTalk accomplishes this analysis by way of a 10.5 gram sensor that easily attaches to the grip-end of your club that tracks the motion of your club throughout your swing. Just download the SwingTalk smartphone app from the Apple Apps store or Google Play, turn on your device's Bluetooth, follow the easy-to-follow app setup tutorial and you're set.

What I liked most about the SwingTalk trainer was the voice feedback option on the app. One of the more frustrating elements of similar swing analysis devices I've tried was the need to check my phone's screen after every swing. SwingTalk's voice feedback eliminates that need by providing me instant vocal analysis of my swing.

While the SwingTalk app still needs a little fine tuning -- there were a handful of swings that didn't register, and the app's on-screen appearance is pixelated -- overall I found the system to be rather responsive and informative. I especially appreciated the "professional golfer" outline example that shows how a scratch player's swing path would look on the app. It gives you something to shoot for, you know?

SwingTalk is now available exclusively on amazon.com and ebay.com and retails for $149.95.

Chicago Duffer Year in Review -- 2014

Another year has come and gone at the offices of ChicagoDuffer.com (i.e. my condo), and as many of us are closing out the year on a high note, it's the perfect time to reflect on all the great golfy things that happened over the last 12 months. Before I go any further, I'd like to take a quick moment to thank everyone who clicked on a link to my blog, read a post I authored, or simply engaged in a conversation with me over Twitter. This main seem cliche, but without my readers, this blog would not be possible -- let alone any fun to work on. So thank you.

The High's

Overall, 2014 was a great year for me and this blog. While our focus will always center around golf equipment reviews and commentary on the professional tours, we also wrote more about the golf business as a whole. I also attempted to merge my "two lives" together -- my day job as a Six Sigma Black Belt and my night job as a golf blogger -- by examining the different wastes in the golf industry and what we can all do to improve the game we love. I plan on continuing that discussion in 2015.

We also had the opportunity to review some great golf products over the last 12 months, which is both a perk and a fantastic opportunity afforded to me by some really great people. I am forever thankful to the handful of PR contacts I work with on a regular basis who make the reviews on this blog possible. I hope my reviews of your products have been consistent, honest, and helpful.

I also started writing for BunkersParadise.com -- a truly special golf blog/social network hub. Ken and the rest of the gang over at BP have welcomed me with open arms and have provided me with an outlet to pepper the world with more of my bad golf thoughts. If you haven't had the chance to check out their site, crawl out from under your rock and visit them today.

Last but certainly not least, we also broke a page view record at ChicagoDuffer.com this year. For some reason a lot of people wanted to read about golf equipment, Rory McIlroy pumpkin carvings and a twitchy Keegan Bradley cat on October 20th. The internet is a weird place, and I hope it never changes.

The Low's

While not directly related to this blog, 2014 unfortunately marked the (hopefully temporary) end of my time with the Back9Network. For those who aren't aware, I spent the better part of two years blogging for the new Hartford-based television network from October 2012 to roughly October 2014.

While I only had the chance to meet a handful of the folks at B9N in person, I can safely say that those two years were the most enjoyable for me as a golf writer -- and it had everything to do with the people at that network. I wish nothing but the best for everyone at B9N, and I hope to one day work with all of you again.

What's in store for 2015

I'd like to say that you can all expect big things at ChicagoDuffer.com next year. I'd also like to say we'll be adding new categories of content, reviewing wonderful golf courses and writing reviews on the best new golf equipment available.

But the truth is, I simply don't know what to expect for this site in 2015. I'd like to leave that up to my readers. I'd also like to focus more on Chicagoland golf, because the town in which I live is a golf mecca held back by the unpredictable Midwest weather.

In the meantime, stay safe this New Years Eve, thanks again for a fantastic 2014, and I look forward to seeing more of you next year.

Do Golf Companies Really Want You to Improve?

Whether it be a new driver release, the introduction of a new set of irons, or a flashy new golf ball that dances on the green, all new golf equipment comes packaged with the promise to lower your scores and improve your game. But does this promise actually work against what golf companies really want from their customers?

Consider this

A new golf product is released by a well-known original equipment manufacturer (OEM) that promises to "revolutionize the game as we know it." This new piece of equipment, while expensive, undoubtedly allows golfers to shoot lower scores no matter what. Anyone who buys the product and uses it regularly experiences an immediate benefit, no exceptions. In other words, this product successfully delivers what the company promises 100 percent of the time.

Why in the world would that golf OEM want you to purchase that product? I propose it would be detrimental to that company for you to do so.

If I were the golfer in the above example, I would be so impressed with the amazing product that I wouldn't even think about buying any competitor's products. Why would I need to? I've already seen the benefits of committing to this "revolutionary product," and that's good enough for me and my crappy golf game. Further, I will probably look the other way when the same company releases Awesome Product 2.0 a year later. I don't need it. My pain has already been relieved.

But that's not how the real world works, right?

As with any retail company, products are released with an understanding that the "next big thing" is right around the corner. This is especially true with golf equipment. Company A wants you to buy their new driver that promises 20 more yards off the tee, but they also want you to buy next year's model that promises 22 more yards. Hell, they'll even throw in a few interchangeable weights on the club to make you drool more.

But why would I want to drop $500 on the possibility of two more yards? I wouldn't, and golf companies know that.

Golf OEMs aren't selling me on the fact that I can hit a drive 20-yards further with their new product, because they have no way of promising that I'll be able to get those results. Instead, they are selling me on the chance that I'll get those results.

Every time I purchase a piece of golf equipment that actually improves my game, I also stop looking for other pieces of equipment for the same purpose. Even if that equipment is from the same company.

So, do golf companies really want you to improve?

I propose that they do not. If they did -- truly wanted you to get better -- then why would you ever need to buy another piece of equipment later?

Police officers don't want crime to end just as hospitals don't want all illness to be eradicated. As soon as either of those two outcomes occurs, businesses shut down soon after.

I breached this subject last week on Twitter when I asked my followers whether or not they believed golf equipment companies really want their customers to get better at the game. The replies I received were mixed, however nearly every response ultimately focused on brand loyalty in some manner.

So what is "brand loyalty?" A common definition suggests that brand loyalty is "the tendency of some consumers to continue buying the same brand of goods rather than competing brands." It is an outcome every company wants their customer base to embrace. However, at what point does this blind dedication to a brand actually devalue the brand's products?

Stay tuned for my next post along those lines.

8 Wastes in Golf: Transport

Last week I identified the eight different types of waste in the golf equipment industry today. In that piece I explained that waste is inherent in most business processes, regardless of industry. the '8 wastes' are an evil all companies must deal with, but one that can be reduced if not completely eliminated. I will dive deeper into each of the eight wastes -- Transport, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Over-Production, Over-Processing, Defects and Skills -- in a series of posts on this blog. Where appropriate, I will also offer my suggestions to reduce and/or eliminate excessive waste in each category. I hope you will join the conversation by posting your thoughts in the comment section below.

Let's start our discussion with the first type of waste: Transport.

Transport -- Excessive Movement of People, Products or Information

The waste of transport is one of the most common forms of waste seen in industries today. Whenever there is excessive movement of people, products or information within a process or business model, waste exists. The key to eliminating transport waste is to first identify and objectify what is meant be "excessive movement."

In the golf industry -- and most industries that are driven by the volume of product sales to the general public -- there is a universally accepted practice to make your products as available as possible. This means building more brick & mortar stores, establishing an online vending service, and even offering a direct-to-customer option. If your target consumer population has more opportunities to buy your product, then more product units will be sold.

Unfortunately, that logic is not entirely sound. The idea that volume of sales will increase as purchasing options increase might sound accurate, but companies have to be very careful with that notion. That brings us to a little concept known as "correlation vs. causation."

Correlation vs. Causation

The concept of correlation suggests that as variable A increases, so too will variable B. For example, as the number of stores for a golf retailer increases, the number of sales for a particular golf club brand will also increase. The inverse would also hold true in a perfect correlation.

But that doesn't mean more stores cause more sales of any specific golf club or brand. The mere presence of more stores isn't enough to automatically sell more golf clubs. There are other variables at play here, such as popularity of a new golf club, customer awareness of that club, the club's overall performance in comparison to other golf clubs, etc.

In other words, we cannot concretely state that more golf club buying options cause more golf club sales.

So what does this have to do with transport waste?

If the mere presence of more options to purchase golf clubs doesn't cause more sales of a particular golf club brand or type, then OEMs would be best served to shift their focus to strengthening factors that do. I can almost feel some of your eyeballs rolling at that suggestion.

Think about all of those Mom-and-Pop bakeries or small scale retailer stores in your town. They haven't branched out into franchises or multiple locations. But customers still walk through the door every day. If a product is really special and truly rises above the rest in terms of performance, then customers will seek it out no matter where it resides. "If you build it, they will come."

Granted, I understand that this is an unpopular opinion to have regarding retail and product sales. But one way to reduce the amount of waste inherent in the golf equipment industry is to limit the places where a product is available in an attempt to control excessive transportation of those products.

If you have to stock less stores with your product, you'll spend less money on inventory and have less excessive inventory, which we will talk about next time.

8 Wastes in the Golf Equipment Industry

The current state of the golf equipment manufacturing industry is a wasteland. As companies turn out more and more clubs into the marketplace, customers are hard-pressed to keep up with all of this 'innovation' and 'performance' flashing across their TV screens, golf magazines and laptop monitors. Sorry friends, but the golf equipment industry needs an enema.

Not entirely unlike the 'Seven Deadly Sins', there are 8 wastes found in industries across the globe: Transport, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Over-production, Over-processing, Defects (Rework), and Skills (Human Intellect). Eliminating or reducing these wastes from the golf equipment industry would not only streamline processes and increase customer satisfaction, but it could very well save the industry itself.

Here are eight examples of each type of waste within the golf equipment industry as I see it.

Transport

Whenever you have an excessive amount of people, products or information moving around a process, you are dealing with waste. Think about all of the different places you can purchase a golf club. You've got brick & mortar major sporting dealers (Dick's, Sports Authority, etc.), golf-specific stores (Golf Galaxy, Golfsmith), second-hand sporting good shops, and this little thing called the Internet. The omni-channel model of combining multiple retail sources just compounds the issue.

If OEMs want to help solve the way their industry is perceived, they need to first limit the places their products are moving, not increase them. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but less is more in this case.

Inventory

This should be obvious. Anyone who has taken five minutes of an Economics class knows the concept of supply and demand. If you carry more inventory than what your customers need, you run the risk of your products expiring or cannibalizing themselves. That's waste in a nutshell, really.

All of those drivers and iron sets you see "priced to sell" that were once at full price only 4 months ago? That's excessive inventory, which costs money to store, and even more money to throw away. (See: Dick's Sporting Goods laying off all of their PGA pros.)

Motion

Similar to Transport, the waste of motion deals specifically with excessive moving parts within a process or task. Think about all the steps you -- personally -- have to go through in order to buy a new golf club. First you have to learn about the new product. Next, you have to find the product's price. Then you probably want to test it out at a store. You might need to also get fit for the club. If it's an adjustable driver, you'll also want to tinker with the loft, swing-weight and whatever else. All of that excessive motion needs to be done before you even buy the damn thing.

Want to cut down on all of that motion? Simplify golf club technology and increase accessibility of product testing. A one-stop shop is ideal.

Waiting

Any time you have to wait for something to occur before another step can take place in a process, waste is growing. Admittedly, OEMs have done a pretty decent job with cutting down how long you have to wait before you get their product in your hands. There's always room for improvement, however.

The waste of Waiting can also be delayed (pun intended). Whenever a new golf club is announced by your favorite brand, you may be tempted to "wait" for prices to drop on "older" equipment. Every day that goes by before prices drop is a day where you -- the customer -- keep your wallet shut. Want to decrease excessive inventory while increasing sales? Lower prices a full month before the next product is announced.

Over-Production and Over-Processing

I'm grouping these two wastes together because they are very similar in most industries. Similar to Inventory, supply and demand dictates how bad these wastes can be for a product. A good analogy for Over-production is to compare McDonald's against a high-end restaurant. Mickey-D's makes a ton of hamburgers every morning in preparation for that day's customer volume (even though they really don't know how many people will walk through the door). At the end of the day, any burgers that aren't purchased get thrown away. Conversely, most restaurants are "made-to-order" and only make food at the time of order. Sound similar to golf clubs being pushed down your throat?

Over-processing is similar such that high-grade materials and features are being used when less fancy items would do just fine. I guarantee you that amateur golfers cannot tell the difference between a standard driver and an adjustable driver. Why do we need to move weights around and change our driver's center-of-gravity? Seems pretty wasteful to me. And expensive.

Defects (Rework)

This is, in my opinion, one of the biggest wastes currently seen in the equipment industry. While golf clubs might not be defective in the truest sense of the word, there is a TON of rework that occurs every single time a new club is released.

Be honest with yourself: is there really that big a difference between the TaylorMade SLDR and TaylorMade JetSpeed? Sure, there are a few different moving parts here and there, but such small details are hardly reason enough to shell out another $400. The same can be said for almost every new iron, wedge, putter or wood that comes off the assembly line. Increase the time between product releases to allow for true innovation to breathe.

Skills (Human Intellect)

Last but certainly not least is the waste of Skills, also commonly known as the waste of Human Intellect. The concept of Hack Golf and crowdsourcing was started to combat this waste, which describes any time you aren't tapping into your people's (or customer's) knowledge base.

Golf OEMs are comprised of some very, very intelligent people. I've met many of them. I enjoy speaking to all of them. And, more often than not, all of them also play golf. It would be foolish for the golf equipment industry to ignore the pain points golfers feel when purchasing new clubs, and I suspect they are finally getting the message.

Holiday Gift Guide 2014: Gear and Gadgets

Christmas is right around the corner, so we at ChicagoDuffer.com have compiled multiple lists to help you find the perfect holiday gifts for the golfer in your life. Each list will feature only products that we have tested over the year and would recommend to people on our own Christmas List. Want your product to be included on next year's holiday gift guide? Contact Adam at chicagoduffer@gmail.com for details. Here is our Holiday Golf Gift Guide for the best gear and gadgets this season:

Bushnell Neo XS Golf GPS Rangefinder Watch

This watch has become my everyday-wear accessory, on or off the course. As a GPS rangefinder, the Bushnell Neo XS is above and beyond any others I have seen on the market. It provides you distances to the front, middle, and back of each green in addition to yardages to many main hazards on the hole. It also comes preloaded with over 30,000 courses, so you don't have to worry about downloading any post-purchase.

Rukket Golf RUkkNet Pop-Up Golf Practice Net

Winter weather got you down? The Rukket Golf Pop-Up Golf Practice Net is the perfect golf set-up for a basement or garage during the cold offseason. This mammoth driving range net is perfect for your training session and is a cinch to set up and tear down. It can also be used as an outdoor range when the weather warms up.

Bunker Mentality Golf Apparel

Readers of this blog know that I am a huge fan of Bunker Mentality-- the UK-based golf apparel company that specializes in alternative styles for the modern player. Whether you are looking for European-style polos, slacks or outerwear, Bunker Mentality has you covered (literally).

Tin-Cup Golf Ball Stencils

No, I'm not referring to the legendary Kevin Costner movie. Tin Cup golf ball stencils are quickly growing in popularity due to their incredible inventory of stencil designs and customization options. With stencil patterns ranging from pop culture icons to collegiate sports logos and everything in between, Tin Cup has you covered.

DUFF TEST: Rukket Sports Golf

When it comes to high quality golf accessories and training aides, Rukket Sports might not be the first name you think of. After testing out two of their more popular products -- the RukkNet Portable Driving Range and Rukket Range Marker & Chipping Target -- I'm convinced that they are quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. Let's take a closer look at two training products that every golfer should own.

Rukknet portable driving range

The RukkNet Portable Driving Range is not only one of the largest products the company offers in the golf sector, but it is also one of the most impressive. This product takes the concept of a hitting net to a whole new level, both in size and usability.

In addition to being a high-quality net that can withstand any shot in your bag, the RukkNet Portable Driving Range also features three targets to help with your accuracy during practice. That is a feature you just don't find in competing driving range nets.

While the net itself is a little complicated to set up -- even with the included instructions that are sewn into the netting, which is very convenient -- the benefits your game will experience from using this net far outweigh any criticism of this exceptional product. Plus there is a nifty carrying case, which rounds out the entire package. ($219.99)

Rukket Range Marker & Chipping Target

Like the company's portable driving range, the Rukket Range Marker & Chipping Target adds a new spin on an old classic. I was not only impressed with how easy this target was to set up, but also how sturdy and useful this simple idea can be for any golfer. I will absolutely benefit from this chipping target for years to come. Guaranteed.

But wait, there's more! In addition to being a chipping target, the "bottom" side of the product serves as a yardage marker for longer iron shots. That's right; not only can you practice your short game with this target, but you can also practice shots up to 150 yards. I have yet to see a training aid that covers more clubs in my bag than what Rukket offers.

Overall Impression

To say I was impressed by what Rukket Sports has to offer would be an understatement. I've tested a lot of golf training aids, practice nets and other products on this blog. Rukket Sports offers, hand's down, the most versatile and useful golf practice aides I have ever tested. Period.