Summary:
If I want information on golf, I go to websites dedicated to golf and golf equipment. Here's why...
Sometimes I think back of the days when I started playing golf. Things were simple then. A wood was still made of wood, and a 5-iron was a 5-iron. Or at least that's what I thought until I learned more about equipment. Still, things were relatively simple, but they are not anymore. Just read some golf equipment reviews. It's totally amazing how technology has changed the game of golf, and how radically golf equipment has changed over the past couple of decades.
As someone interested in new gadgets, I have been fascinated by the introduction of Golf GPS. Let me give you a few basics. GPS stands for Global Positioning System and uses satellites and a receiver to determine where you are on the planet with amazing accuracy, as close as a couple of feet. GPS is available in most new cars and it's also available for golf where it can help you improve your game. It's not a traditional training aid, though. What a Golf GPS receiver does is figure out where you are on a course, and then give you the exact distance to the green, water hazards, bunkers and fairway boundaries. This way you know the number of yards, golf clubs to pick, and even the size of the green from the angle you're approaching it!
How did I learn about all this? Certainly not by going to an electronics store. If I want information on golf, I go to websites dedicated to golf and golf equipment. I love to read what golf enthusiasts have to say about golf shoes, golf bags and other equipment, as I have no use for the usual marketing hype. I mean, where else than at a golf enthusiast site could you read comparisons of electric golf carts and what's important when you consider getting one of your own? Did you know, for example, that you can create tricked-out custom golf carts with special suspensions, paint jobs and fancy wheels?
But it's not only emerging technologies like Golf GPS or big ticket items like carts that you can get good information on at a golf review site. There are probably thousands of different golf bags out there, and I love to read about the latest from some of the best companies like Burton, Ogio or Nike, and that includes the good and the bad. Nothing's perfect, and I rely on unbiased reviews to give me the real scoop.
Same with clubs. We all have our favorites, of course, but I keep an open mind. Nothing can replace trying out a club, and that's where the pro shops come in, but I like to do my research online. Did you know companies like Ping actually have online fitting systems? Or that Titleist clubs are no longer just for top-level players with low handicaps? The company is clearly going for new and aspiring golfers with their new lines of clubs. Again, I found out on an enthusiast golf site that also does golf equipment reviews. There's just nothing like it.