Golf News

The Taylor Made Rossa Core Classic putters will appeal to a wide range of classic putter fans. With five classic shapes, three blades and two mallets these putters promote better touch and improved putting due to the AGSI face insert. One of the top putters in its category the insert produces consistent roll without skidding. They also display excellent distance control through the nicely balanced head and show plenty of forgiving for this putter style. Well-struck putts are rewarded with a soft pop that produces smooth roll and simple the white alignment aid isn’t overdone. The range sports a rich, bold, attractive color scheme.  For more information go to Taylor Made and video

Mantys is a new type of electric powered golf cart for one person on which the rider stands rather than sits. Recently demonstrated at the Munich Golf Show, it is powered by 2 x 500w motors which enable it to handle 20 degree climbs. Rather than using a steering wheel or a handlebar, Mantys is controlled by shifting your weight in ski-ing like movements which produce a unique ride experience. Designed with a range of 36 holes in mind, it has a top speed of 12mph and uses turf saving tyres to avoid wear on the golf course. Its main advantage over conventional carts is that you can take a direct route to the ball and thus speed up play. Have a look at the video for this interesting device at Mantys

Hickory golf is enjoying a revival in some parts of the world with players re-living the challenge of playing with wooden shafted clubs. These clubs were widely used up to the 1930’s when club makers started using more modern materials. However, despite their lesser performance, the attraction of dressing up in old-fashioned golfing garb and hacking around 18 holes with mashies, niblicks and cleeks — the evocative names given to the clubs used by Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen and Henry Cotton — has endured. The format has a huge following in the U.S. where devotees gather at historic courses to play an “authentic” round of golf. There’s a saying about modern golf clubs that you can buy any shot out of the shop but playing with hickory makes people think more about their swing and be clever about their shots. Read more about hickory golf and see the superb photos.

Now that GPS devices are allowed in competition play on most golf courses you may be looking for an application for your phone. FreeCaddie works on all popular phones such as Blackberry, Iphone and Windows mobile and the free version gives distances to the front, centre and back of the green. Upgrade to the Pro version and get extra features such as shot measurement, distance to hazards and scoring with stats. All the UK courses are available for download. For more details go to Freecaddie