golf training aids review

♪♪ >> every golfer has a unique and individual golf life. this show aims to help improve your own golf life. this is the "golf life" preseason special, and we have an entertaining show for you as we take you inside a few

early-season golf trade shows. plus, we bring you some golf tips for your game and show you some of the top new drivers for 2016. let's head out to the bali hai golf club in las vegas, nevada, with our hosts mike billingsley and

colton little. >> hello, and welcome to "golf life." it's our preseason special, and what a better place to kick off the season, huh? >> right here at bali hai. it's a beautiful golf course. >> we love this place.

you fly in to mccarran here in las vegas, about five minutes over to the golf course, and you're kicking your season off right, right now, in the early season. another great way to get started is the trade shows and demo days that are going on right now.

we wanted to take you inside one of the biggest trade shows. it's called the fifth major, and it's when the industry, the golf business, kicks it off in orlando at the pga merchandise show. what did we learn at that show? >> i talked to a lot of big

market brands. you know, those big icons in the industry, as well as some mom-and-pop shops. those start-up companies. and what i learned is both those regions, they're making the technology and innovation that much better for the game of

golf. >> and not only that, it's a competitive business, certainly, but people are working together, and they're working together to try to grow our game, get more youth in the game. let's learn more about some of the drive and motivation these

companies have to make your game better. >> we are at the pga show, and what does the pga show do for your business? what's your mind-set coming into the pga show? what do you think you take out of it?

>> well, it's exciting. i mean, golf is my passion, and it's the reason for this company's existence. so, to be around all these professionals, the industry, the business, it's exciting for us. >> i come every year because virtually everything new in golf

is presented to the golf industry at this show. the importance is to all the golf pros in the country, and they look at all the new innovations. >> it's an exciting event. we get to meet with all our customers at the one-on-one

level. it's all-encompassing, and it's a must for this business, so we're always happy to be here. it's one of the few times we can see our international customers as well. we can't go to them every other day, so it's great that they're

all visiting the show. >> well, i would say hey, this is the epicenter of the industry, so when you step into this arena, you see everybody. you see the golf professional, first and foremost, who is so meaningful to our company and, really, how they represent our

products, and then other industry people. you can feel the vibe of the industry in this one big convention center here today, and i think it's cool to be right in the mix of it. >> bringing it all here to the pga show just means so much to

us because we like to be accessible to the buyers. we like to be accessible to the green grass shops and to all the attendees here, and for here, it's really just the presentation and the showcasing of all the efforts and hard works of our sales teams, our

design teams, our merch teams. it's really a collaborative effort on the whole company itself, and we're just really proud to show what we've been doing. >> it's a lot of fun. we have a big crew here. we have fitters, so all of our

pga professionals and accounts get to get their hands on the product. it's wintertime, so a lot of our accounts up in the northeast snowed in. they come down here. they get to hit the product. they've seen it online.

they've been in touch with their sales reps. so to make our kind of electronic communication real life and they get to see it, hit it, and feel it, both at the demo day, and we get to have a lot of good face-to-face interaction with so many of our

customers and accounts. >> we need to get together and have these discussions and these relationships in order to keep -- we're the ones that are actually going to the front lines to get people to be excited about this game. we need a lot more

conversations, and the pga show is very important. this is the one time when we all kind of get together and talk about the struggles and the opportunities. >> i get to meet a lot of people i use in social media throughout the whole entire year, so it's

good to finally meet -- people i don't even know who they are, they're stopping me in the middle of the aisle. "hey, you're the golf father." so, it's like the meeting place. once a year i get to meet everybody that comes from all around the country -- japan,

europe, england. we all gather and have a great time. and yet it's still business. i get to write about their products, and it establishes a good relationship for me with them. >> this is a big deal for us and

i'm sure for everybody else. this is the main show of the year here in the united states. as you guys will see, the thousands and thousands of people that will come through these doors and walk around, what they're really trying to do, i think, is help not only

companies with their brands, but help the game of golf in general, and that's what we're about. we want to connect with them and everybody else that loves golf. so this whole show really helps to connect us to the world of >> don't go anywhere.

when "golf life" returns, we get a golf tip for your game and take you inside a regional golf expo. >> your short game, shots from bunkers, or rough around the green -- these are the shots that allow you to score and enjoy the game.

the hybrid wedge solution from black magic makes all these shots automatic. you use hybrids for long shots. now use our patented face-forward hybrid wedges to hit perfect approach shots. hit the ball higher from the fairway, the sand, and the

rough. >> when i'm in the bunker and i play out of the sand, i didn't miss it. it went exactly where i wanted it to go. >> i can control the greens much easier with this club. much easier -- out of the sand

or in the short. >> it's a real comfortable club. i don't have a problem out of the rough, fringe -- wherever we need to put it. >> if you don't have a lot of time to practice, this is a great wedge that makes you feel pretty confident after just a

couple swings. >> to order your hybrid wedge now, visit us at hwedge.com. that's hwedge.com now. or call 877-799-6099. order now at hwedge.com. >> the cure has just been a total opposite change of all these other putters, and i mean,

you could tell it right away when you first start using it. >> first time i hit that putter, i nailed 9 out of 10 back-to-back. >> the ball comes off the face just so soft, and it just feels like it's starting to roll immediately.

>> it came off the putter very softly. there was a lot of great feel with the putter. >> when you get this ball on track, it's going in the hole every time. >> the way that the weight is spread out so well between the

heel and the toe, it has a tremendous m.o.i. even if you mishit a little bit off the center of the clubface, you get a really true roll. your distance control is a lot >> the first week, over seven players took this putter and put it in play on the

champions tour. >> that putter is just crazy good. the cure is the cure. >> learn more at cureputters.com. and as a special offer for "golf life" viewers, save $25 on any putter when you enter code

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with demo days and golf expos scheduled across the country, we wanted to take you inside one of these local events to learn why these are a great way to kick off your golf season. let's visit the denver golf >> regional golf shows have been around for a long time.

>> yep. >> what does a show like the denver golf expo do for you and your company? >> well, obviously it's a lot about branding, but again, it gives us a chance to talk to our customers about what kind of things are they looking for in

the golf industry, how do our products relate to how they are bringing it into their families and into their lives, and so it gives us a chance to sort of reflect on improvements on our own product and, really, it's that interpersonal -- you know, the internet can be sort of

cold, and it gives us a chance to actually see our customers up close and personal. >> the most important part is for our golfers in the state of colorado. it's an honor to have all the golf reps here, from puma to titleist, to taylormade, to

mizuno. giving the golfer an experience of a custom fitting. lenny's golf has been around for 30-plus years. it's more of a mom-and-pop shop. just an opportunity to build relationships over that time through numerous golfers, from

family to now their kids. >> the cool thing about these shows is consumers can actually come out, try the product, touch it, feel it, use it, and make an educated decision based on their own experience with it. we've seen any swing and every swing you can think of in the

last two days, and it's just fun from our standpoint that we get to meet a lot of these people and help them out a little bit with their swing or maybe -- whether they buy the product or not, they leave with a little something that might make the game a little more enjoyable.

>> this golf show -- you get some people here, but some people haven't heard about it or don't come. why is it so important for those golfers, those avid golfers, to get here? >> it's really important for them to come just because

there's so many new, exciting things happening in the industry for golf. there's new technology with all of the products, so it's great for them to just come out, learn, meet the people that actually work at these courses, learn about what they've got

going on and just meet them, just have that other friendly face when they go on the golf course. >> coming out to these expos, you've got so many different you've got bargains. you've got different golf courses.

you got products like mine. guys that are trying to enter the golf market. it's just a great opportunity for everyone. and coming to these, there's a lot of contests and different things you can win, so just a great opportunity to come out

and spend the day. >> if you're new to golf, it's sort of a melting pot of all the different widgets and gadgets and latest in the industry, and you have to be sort of discerning as to what's important and what isn't. at the end of the day, you have

to be able to put the clubface on the golf ball. that's kind of what the game is really all about. but there are lots of ways to filter through the training aids and the various offerings. everybody sort of has a deal here, and whether it's three

nights at breckenridge or a new glove that gives you the perfect swing path. it's just fun to explore the world of golf. >> when "golf life" returns, we'll get some off-season advice to keep your game sharp. please stay tuned.

>> sit tight. you're on the back nine with "golf life" in a moment. sponsored by orange whip trainer, the number-one swing trainer with golf teachers and pga professionals. plus, number-one golf swing tool on the pga tour.

get your orange whip and start grooving your swing at orangewhiptrainer.com. here's some advice from top teacher jim hackenberg to help you with off-season training to get your golf swing grooved on plane. >> hi. i'm jim hackenberg, pga

professional, developer of the orange whip, and i've got a lesson for you. most golfers struggle with the slice. the slice is caused by an over-the-top casting motion, and that leads to a tension-filled, choppy motion that creates that

i'm gonna demonstrate for you so you can see what it looks like. i'm very tense. i'm basically off-balance because i'm so tense and i'm focused on hitting that golf ball. i take the club back. and it creates a glancing blow

on that golf ball, making it start to the left and then work back to the right. i'm gonna show you how we can use the orange whip and the orange peel to improve that motion. i'm gonna settle into the orange peel, move my toes to the

very front so my toes are higher than my heels, therefore my balance is settled back, making it easier for me to take the club on a plane that will drop it inside and i can create that draw. by taking the orange whip and simply swinging it back and

forth, i can develop this by repeating this swing, my club will drop on the inside, creating that inside-to-out path. after numerous swings with the orange whip, i then suggest go back to your golf club so you can feel the same motion with

your golf club. keeping your toes higher than your heels, settle in. slowly back and forth. let that club work to the inside. now, once you feel comfortable with that, do some individual swings.

once you're comfortable with that path, you're gonna be able to let it drop inside, connect to that golf ball and deliver the energy through it, creating a straight shot or maybe even a slight draw, and you're gonna greatly increase your distance. have a good day.

thank you for your time. >> "golf life" is always looking for equipment to improve your game. the new cx series from cure putters was recently chosen to the golf digest hot list. let's hear what champion tour players and average guys are

saying about this innovative new putter. >> exciting announcement -- you guys have been voted for the hot list this year right here at the pga show. tell me about it. >> yeah, thanks, mike. we're excited to be on the

golf digest hot list with our cx model. it's certainly been a great achievement. we really feel like the line has something for everybody now. we have our rx series, the super-high m.o.i., and now our cx series, which are just a

phenomenal blade, giving the stability and forgiveness of a traditional high m.o.i. >> i'm not here to sell the i'm here to tell you about the first time i hit that putter, i nailed 9 out of 10 back-to-back. i don't change nothing in my bag, right?

i've been putting with this other putter forever. that sucker came out instantly when i got home. >> very first nine holes i used it in competition, i had 10 putts. i chipped in once, but in eight holes, i had 10 putts, and i've

had a version of their putter in the bag ever since, so i've had a lot of success, and a lot of it is owed to how well i think i roll this putter. >> i dropped a ball down, sunk a 40-footer, and then dropped another one, sunk another 40-footer.

ended up actually making five 20- to 30-footers in a row. and so i was like, "okay, well, fluke, whatever." dropped probably 20 balls. hit them from 5 to 10 feet. made all but one of them. so i took it on the course with me that day.

putted one of the better rounds of putting i'd had in a while, and it kind of just stayed in my bag. >> what i like about it is the deep face. i've always liked a deep face on my putter. so, when you put the ball there,

it doesn't look like you're gonna chip the ball. a lot of times, these putters, they're so shallow, it looks like it kind of almost helps the ball up off the green, and i don't like that. i like the ball to get rolling immediately as soon as i hit it.

>> well, i think the way they've designed it -- and this is a newer version of the one i'm using, the rx3 flange -- but the way that the weight is spread out so well between the heel and the toe, it has a tremendous m.o.i. i personally like the idea and

their research behind no loft on the putter. i feel as though my ball rolls much better than it ever had. it doesn't skip in the beginning. it really starts to tumble early. >> this one just feels so solid

in your hand. like i said, when you get this ball on track, it's going in the hole every time. >> the best characteristic of this putter is the ball comes off the face just so soft, and it just feels like it's starting to roll immediately.

you know, you don't get that -- any jumpiness. it's crazy good. my handicap is down from 12.5 to 8.0. when we return, "golf life" learns about the top new drivers for 2016. america's golf show for your

golf lifestyle. "golf life" is sponsored in part by h-wedge. here are the hosts of "golf life," mike billingsley and colton little. >> welcome back to "golf life." we're standing at bali hai golf course, and, colton, what a

better way to get off the tee than a brand-new driver for >> it's one of the greatest feelings in the world, hitting it straight down in the fairway. >> it really is. we wanted to take you guys out and show you some of the leading product out there right now.

colton went around the pga show. we talked to different folks. >> yeah, we talked to engineers of those bigger companies, as well as marketing managers and c.e.o.s of the smaller companies. and what i found was the innovation and the forgiveness

of these drivers is now making driving fun again. let's go around the pga show and talk to people about the new drivers for 2016. >> our key design principle for 2016 was to make a really forgiving driver that was also fast, and that's kind of the

sweet spot for players because they want to hit a lot of fairways, but they are not willing to trade distance to do so. so, one of the things we did is we reached out to boeing. this is the largest aerodynamics company in the world.

they make airplanes. they make fighter jets. they make drones. they make things that go fast. and we thought maybe they have some ideas about aerodynamics, and we worked with them on a new feature we have on the xr 16, which is called a trip step, and

we're calling it our speed step crown, and what that does is, as the air goes over the top of the driver, it actually helps it reattach to the back of the driver, making it very, very fast. and what this allowed us to do is unlock the m.o.i., so we

could stretch out the shape and make it a very, very high m.o.i. driver because boeing worked with us to make it very, very fast. so, you combine that with our new r-moto face, and we're really, really excited about this driver launch.

>> this is complimented to m1, really. it kind of started on the same platform. when you set down this m2 driver for the first time, it looks very much like an m1. it has that multi-material construction, a carbon-composite

crown. this is really proprietary, the carbon that we make here. it saves weight and allows us to move down to the bottom of the sole. whereas an m1 you have this ability to personalize it with all the movable weight and such,

this one, all that weight savings is isolated into one spot. it's low and back, and that provides a lot of forgiveness and ball-speed protection on the face, so essentially we're making an extremely forgiving version of the m1.

you walk in, you say, "hey, you know what? i hit it all over the face. i don't really want to mess around with all that adjustability." the m2 is gonna deliver that hot trajectory but gonna provide that extra forgiveness.

we work every day to try to provide more performance to the golfer through innovative ideas and technologies, and if we stop doing that, we're gonna stop being on the top, so we're gonna continue on that path. >> one of the things we know about performance of metal woods

and irons as well is center of gravity is one of the most important specs to focus on. so what we've done with the king ltd line is focus a lot on improving the center of gravity by taking weight out of the top and front of the club and moving it down and further back.

so, this design incorporates something called a spaceport. we actually had done research with cases on the international space station around spaceport technology, plating technology, and other things to give us a little inspiration. we also have some key

technologies on the inside of the club to help us save that weight. so, the spaceport can be removed and you can see inside the golf club. it's actually also a lens, but you can see inside the golf club without taking it off.

what we wanted to do there was show off some of the technologies that give us the best c.g. and inertia properties in golf today. this club has a very high inertia -- about 4,700 inertia points -- and a very low c.g. we call it a zero c.g. driver.

so, it's very low c.g., which gives it a great speed, high launch, low spin, and great forgiveness, something that nothing else offers in the market today. >> the new g driver, i think the first place to start is this very unique design on the crown

of the driver. so, john solheim, our chairman and c.e.o., sent us a picture of a dragonfly, and we were inspired by that. he said, "let's learn from that," and so we created a very thin exoskeleton design that allows us to create our thinnest

crown thickness ever -- 17 thousandths of an inch. we kind of broke the barriers for how thin you can centrifugally vacuum-cast titanium. so, the end result -- seven grams of weight-savings, 20% thinner crown.

we located all that mass low back for a deeper center of gravity to launch the ball higher in the air. >> thanks for watching this month, "golf life" is giving away new drivers, so make sure you visit the new golflife.com for your chance to

win. you can also follow us on twitter, @golflife, or facebook.com/golflife for your chance to sign up today. i'm kate collins. look for "golf life" next week on this channel.