2012 Memorial Tournament: Tiger Rekindles His Golf Magic

This weekend in golf was filled with chips we will never forget, and putts we wished we didn’t see.  The tournament started by the “Golden Bear” himself, Jack Nicklaus, was truly a magic filled weekend.

Jack Nicklaus had a vision to create a golf club that encompassed his personal and professional life; to create a golf tournament that would embody his passion for golf. In May of 1976 is when the first Memorial tournament took placed, and the roster was a star studded roster, with only the best in the world competing.

The first winner of the whole tournament was Roger Maltbie. Maltbie overtook Hale Irwin in a playoff, shooting a birdie in the fourth extra hole, solidifying himself in Memorial Tournament history.

Today the competition, the tension and the pressure are just as thick as they were over 30 years ago. With world renowned golfers, coming to compete from invitations only, inviting only golfers who were in the top 75 for purse winnings in the previous year, guarantees that only the best, and the most formidable are competing each and every year.

This year’s winner however won in dramatic, high drama fashion, rekindling some of the old Tiger magic. Tiger Woods was down 2 strokes before he teed off on the 15^th hole, only four more holes until the winner of the tournament would be decided. Birding on the 15^th hole the tear began that would shake the golf world would begin.

On the 16^th hole, par-3, Tiger Woods’ was playing 201 yards, having to go over water to a back left with the wind adding even more of a challenge than ever. Than Tiger with his mojo, his magic, whatever you decide to call it, birdies the hole, but not just birdies the hole, makes a shot that is in the top 10 of greatest plays ever.

Woods using an 8-iron to approach, launched the ball a bit far to the right, and overshot his mark passing the green. After the long approach Woods was faced with a challenging chip shot, 50 feet from the pin, a shot where most golfers just hope to get within just ten feet of the pin.

"This was one of the hardest ones I've pulled off,'' Woods said.

Jack Nicklaus, the same man who founded the tournament and designed the course, said Tiger had little room for error.

"If he leaves it short, he's going to leave himself again a very difficult shot. If he hits it long, he's probably going to lose the tournament,'' Nicklaus said. "He lands the ball exactly where it has to land. It doesn't make a difference whether it went in the hole or not. Going in the hole was a bonus. But what a shot.

"I don't think under the circumstances I've ever seen a better shot.''

The shot is the golf shot that was heard around the world; it will be long remembered, as the tournament when Tiger Woods matched Jack Nicklaus overall wins at 73, ten years the younger to Jack when Nicklaus won his 73^rd tournament. Another great achievement for Tiger Woods’ this week is he moved up into the number 4 position in the world standings, ranked just behind Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood.

The question now comes up, is Tiger back? And is he really back, with the roller coaster of a career he has had in the past years since his major trail and tribulations he faced in life, it is really hard to tell.

My personal opinion I sure hope he is. The man is electrical and he can really get the crowd fired up. The way he plays will bring even more life to the golf of sport and recharge the younger community of golfers.

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Acushnet Golf Company: FootJoy Golf

Acushnet is the undisputed leader in golf shoes and apparel, netting over 1.2 billion dollars last year in sales; Acushnet continues to dominate golf apparel sales. Acushnet was founded in 1910 first as a rubber company, focusing on de-resonating latex and supplying rubber to the industry, then as time progressed Acushnet started manufacturing their own rubber based products including water bottles and bathing caps. A far cry from what they do today.

Eventually Acushnet started crafting golf equipment products mainly golf balls, then in 1932, Acushnet separated into two divisions; golf and rubber, both of which became very successful in there respected markets. When 1935 came rolling around the first Titleist golf ball was manufactured. It happened by fluke, the owner of the company Philip E. Young, was sick and tired of his golf ball flying every which way on the golf course, he could not understand why it was so difficult to hit the ball straight. What happened next would revolutionize the golf ball industry.

Philip E. Young then took a series of golf balls to an X-Ray machine so he could see what was going on in the middle of the ball, trying to figure out what was causing the trajectory path of the golf ball while in flight. What he found was the core in the middle of the golf ball was not centered. They were off to the left, or to the right, or oblong, there was no consistency throughout. Philip then went back to the manufacturing lines and created the first Titleist golf ball, today Titleist is the most used golf ball on the market.

Then in 1985, Acushnet acquired the FootJoy golf company, the same year FootJoy joined the Acushnet brand, the company decided to sell its long standing rubber manufacturing side of the operation and focused solely on golf. The decision paid off for each individual golf brand including Titleist, FootJoy and Scotty Cameron.

On May 20^th, 2011, 26 years after the Acushnet Company purchased FootJoy Golf brand, they were sold to a Korean group who were known to have ties to Fila Korea, LTD. The Korean group purchased the Acushnet Company and all their brands which included Titleist, FootJoy, Scotty Cameron and Pinnacle and they paid 1.23 billion dollars cash for the exclusive owner rights.

In 2012 FootJoy has released the XPS-1 Men’s Golf Shoe, which features brand new golf shoe technology seen nowhere else on the market. The shoe is made from Extreme Comfort Leather (ECL) which proprietary is waterproofing system and is 30% softer then FootJoy’s past generations’ performance leather, giving the ability to keep golfers comfortable and dry no matter how rugged the rough gets. As with many of FootJoys’ other shoes, the XPS-1 is backed by a two year limited waterproof warranty. By limited what FootJoy means is, when the storm clouds roll in, and you are at hole 13 and the sky opens up, your foot will be protected from water and so will the shoe. However, if you let your frustrations get the best of you and you throw your pitching wedge in the water hazard and later you have to go in after it, your shoes are no longer covered by the waterproof warranty.

FootJoy also released in 2012 the Street Style Golf Shoe with integrated spikes. The integrated spikes give golfers the ability to go from home, to the golf shop, to the tee box on the first hole without ever changing shoes. The traction given in these shoes are paralleled to golf shoes with traditional spikes. My first experience using these shoes, I almost tore the ligaments in my knees, simply because I was not ready for the grip these shoes gave. Many golfers on the market who have had experience with these shoes, and have used them on the greens, have claimed that the Street Style shoes are the most comfortable golf shoe they have ever had the opportunity to wear. That statement is a huge compliment to FootJoy with all the cut-throat competition they face on the market today.

FootJoy is known for thinking outside the box, and I could only imagine what everybody said when FootJoy announced that they are manufacturing a golf sandal. I know what I said and it was mostly just laughs and doubts. Sure enough, FootJoy released the GreenJoy Golf Sandals, and I can guarantee for every critic who critiques the sandal as unpractical, or useless, there is an advocate who uses the sandals every Sunday. The sandals are revolutionary in the industry, and can be seen everywhere in the United States on the local links in use by many avid golfers. Do I recommend using the sandals? No. I prefer more conventional golf shoes, or even the integrated spike shoes. If you want to wear sandals go to the beach, not golfing.

Now for the other side of this two headed beast, FootJoy Gloves. FootJoy Gloves have such a high regard from the consumers that use them. FootJoy has many of the same customers they have had since the 80’s making the same high quality product they offer today. FootJoy gloves have a very soft feel to them and the grip they offer has no equivalent on the market. Today many golfers on the PGA use FootJoy gloves including Rory Mcilory, Adam Scott, Lee Westwood and Bubba Watson; four golfers who are dominating the sport today.

I believe FootJoy golf makes high quality products great for any and every golfer. I did not touch up on it, maybe next time, but FootJoy also features a whole line of ladies golf shoes, golf gloves and apparel. The apparel line includes polo shirts for the hot summer days, windproof jackets for the windy spring and heavier coats for the long falls and winters. The apparel line is featured in men’s, ladies and kids, so your kids can get in on the golfing event. But to be honest isn’t that why all of us go golfing? Just to get a break from everyday life, from the kids and the wife? If you so choose to use FootJoy golf equipment on your next outing, I can assure you, you are using the highest quality of product available on the golf market today.

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New Nike TW 13' Tiger Woods Golf Shoes

Nike Golf's most choice staff member, Tiger Woods, has finally received what he has been wanting. Tiger Woods has been asking, many years now, that Nike to design a shoe that resembles the same shoe he works out in and runs in. The shoe is designed with very striking looks, and top-notch technologies, allotting golfers of any caliber level improve their skills.
Tiger Woods was training with the new technology from Nike called FREE. The label accurately depicts the function of the new golf shoe sole technology, because FREE is designed to give the feeling of running barefoot offering little protection and traction. The FREE technology makes for a very lightweight shoe along with being very, very flexible.
"I love the feel of Nike Free for training, so I asked Tobie if it was possible to bring that technology to the golf course." Tiger Woods first wore these shoes back in mid August of 2011.

The technology actually gives golfers more movement in their forefoot, which in speculation, will allow more power transfer from their golf swing into the ball. Giving further, longer drives than in any other Nike golf shoes.

The upper part of the shoe is crafted from polyurethane coated with stretch fabric; you can also find this sort of fabric throughout some of Nike's basketball shoes. Giving the shoe more stretch and durability, everything an athlete can ask for. Also, a portion of the heel in the shoes comes from old, recycled Nike Air Max shoes that have been melted into thread and crafted into a textile material.

The TW 13' golf shoes also use Dynamic Fit support and Flywire infused straps. Integrating these two features into the shoe give for maximum comfort ability, making the shoe fit snuggly around the golfers' foot. The tighter feel and the added support makes for increased performance right from the tee box, getting maximum amount of distance on every shot.

Before you start jumping out of your seat with excitement to purchase the new Nike TW 13' Golf Shoes they will not be released until next fall to the general public, which is right around the corner, but still it is time an impatient golfer may not want to endure. The retail price is $230.00 a HUGE investment for any golfer to make. If you have the extra cash to spend on these shoes I strongly suggest purchasing them, if not the golf market today offers a plethora of great alternative, discount golf shoes available anywhere. Also the Nike Zoom TW 2012 Men's Golf Shoes are available to order right now, just in case you feel you cannot wait.

Vegas Golf Inc.

Adidas Golf Shoes VS. Nike Golf Shoes

Many golfers have a personal preference to what brand they like to shop, from golf shoes to drivers to irons. People, growing up may have received a set of Callaway Big Bertha’s when they were younger, and feel a product loyalty to Callaway and only golf Callaway equipment. Others may have remembered when Tiger Woods was signed by Nike Golf in the mid 90’s, then proceeded to become a power house in the golf world, dominating every tournament on the PGA. In turn their thinking went directly to, if I golf with Nike, I will become the best golfer on my local links.

It is these type of prejudices that holds back golfers from using the best product available on the golf market. I am going to write, in this installment, about the major men’s golf shoe manufacturers. I will compare Nike Golf to Adidas Golf, giving you the pros of each individual company. Also note, that these are not the only companies that offer golf shoes, there is a slew of golf shoe manufacturers that may offer better products, better prices and overall better customer service, but you are going to have to do your own research on companies that I will not be listing.

Let us first look at Nike Golf. Nike Golf Shoes are priced on a wide range from $90.00-$230.00 and everywhere in between. Nike makes their shoes from a number of different materials, all depending on the shoe you purchase. The Nike Air Tour Saddle II which retails for a cool 90 bucks, is crafted from %100 leather uppers, while the Nike Lunar Ascend, the more modernly designed shoe, is constructed from Hyper Fuse technology; Nike claims this technology optimizes durability.

Nike Golf also claims some of their products being waterproof, backing them by a waterproof warranty, some being a one year warranty, others two. Nike Zoom TW 2012, Nike Air Range WP, and the Nike Zoom Trophy are a few on the list that are back by the warranty. Now mind you these are limited warranty’s, meaning you can’t jump into the water hazard on your local par 5 to fetch your ball, the go back to Nike and say your shoe is falling apart due to water damage. However, on rainy days you can guarantee your foot will be dry and protected no matter how much the sky’s pour.

If you are looking for the higher end type of golf shoe, the shoes that employ every technology in them, except for microwave technology, and are willing to spend in excess of $200.00, Nike can sure suit your tastes. Including the New Nike Zoom TW 2012, manufactured for Tiger Woods, Designed by Tiger Woods with Nike Free Technology, the cream of the crop in Nike Golf Technologies. The Free technology actually conforms to the human foot, giving golfers feet the flexibility of being barefoot, while still giving traction and protection.

The final overview on Nike is great quality products backed by Nike’s confidence in all the goods they offer throughout their different lines. The negatives, the shoes are very expensive and probably over-priced, they also have a very limited selection when it comes to integrated traction soles; the hottest and up and coming technology on the market for golf shoes.

We have looked at the super-power Nike; now let us look at another sports sovereignty, Adidas. Adidas has been in cahoots with TaylorMade golf since 1997, wrecking the other competition in golf sports merchandise including golf clubs, golf equipment and most importantly, golf shoes.

Let me clarify that TaylorMade handles the Golf Clubs and Adidas handles the apparel along with Ashworth, but today are only concern is with Adidas.

Adidas along with Nike has a very wide price range on golf shoes; although no discount golf shoes, the starting rate for Adidas is at $87.00 with the Adidas adiCROSS Golf shoes, one of three golf shoes on the 2012 Adidas line with an integrated spike sole. The other two are the Adidas Pure Motion and the Adidas Cross Flex, prices ranging from $99.00-119.00.  The cheapest conventional shoe on the product line (conventional meaning spiked sole) would be the Adidas Power Band 4.0 costing $144.00.

All of the shoes from Adidas Golf are crafted from full-grain leather, giving the necessary durability all golfers need and want. Adidas also backs some of their shoes available with a waterproof warranty, the downside, when compared to Nike, is it only comes with two different styles you can choose from. One is the Power Bands the other is the adiPURE which retails at $249.00, which makes me wonder, how quality are the products coming off the Adidas assembly line?

To sum up Adidas in a few short words, they have very stylish shoe make ups they offer. Adidas also offers a decent selection of integrated spike shoes, with three different models, varying in over 12 different colors. The downside is, the general selection is very limited, marketing only 7 different style variations, not exactly a wide variety of choices. The prices are generally the same as Nike, no positive there; it really is starting to look a bit shaky for Adidas.

I am going to let you be the final judge of what company is better. Maybe you have special unique experience with one of these two companies, maybe you will have an opinion that may need to be heard. But these are not my personal opinions I have shared with you, these are just the cold hard facts. No bias on end, I actually prefer using Ecco Golf Shoes, I believe though, other than FootJoy, these are the one and two companies on the top of the market. I truly hope I have shed some light on the subject for you as a consumer, nothing less and nothing more.

Vegas Golf Inc.