Yamura Golf Review

The running gag in the movie "Lost In Translation" is that Bill Murray is a star who is doing a Japanese commercial that no one will see over in the US. The movie came out in 2003 and the world has gotten a lot smaller since then, so much so that now you bet you would be seeing that Japanese commercial here in the US on YouTube, TMZ or elsewhere.

Golf manufacturers have operated much in the same way with their products to the frustration of many US golfers. Sure, everyone loves the Callaway Apex irons here in the US but did you know that they are based in part of Callaway's Japanese line called the "Legacy Blacks" which came out YEARS ago and many US golf nerds have dubbed some of the best irons ever? If they were so great, let the US get em eh Callaway?

Some companies are now circumventing the East West divide and bringing their products directly to the American consumer (and the world, can't forget about the world) and I am all for that! The brand I want to highlight today is Yamura Golf.

These tees are made of bamboo and like my dad's fishing rods of old, are strong yet flexible meaning the tee lasts longer. I am hard on tees and have been searching for something just like this so I don't blow through so many tees.

As you can see, the tees are very distinctive with Japanese lettering and black and white rings down the 2 3/4 inch base. The tees come with with a great velvet pouch (pictured above) so even if you run out of the tees, the pouch is well worth the purchase alone.

I also had a chance to try out the golf towel from Yamura and much like the tees, delivered as expected. While it doesn't have a carabiner attachment like most golf towels, it does come with a cloth attachment loop for some attach-ability. Attachment, attache, atchoo.

Yamura isn't just sticking to golf accessories, they have recently rolled out wedges and given the quality of the products coming from Japan, I am expecting big things from this company in the future.

If you want to buy some Yamura products, check em out on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_dp_s_web_0?ie=UTF8&search-alias=aps&field-keywords=Yamura+Sport

DISCLAIMER:

I was provided the above-mentioned products for review and commentary purposes. That being said, I try to review everything as honestly as possible but it is the Internet, take everything with a grain of salt and learn what you can from it. I receive no compensation whether you buy these things or not, its up to you, I just happen to think they are great! 

Reviewing 101 Mistakes All Golfers Make Book by Jon Sherman

Golfers are an obsessive bunch. What is the latest tech, what is the latest course and how do all of those things compare to tech, courses, etc. of the past. One thing that golfers ponder as much as any other is what is going on in their games and how to fix it. I recently experienced this, why the hell am I topping the ball with a club I normally stripe? Many holes later I figured out I was too upright and blammo, the club goes straight.

Jon Sherman has tried to the same analysis of his mistakes (and yours when he plays with you) and tried to boil it down to 101 Mistakes that we should at least address in some way or form. For example, and right out of the gate, he states the truth that that we all implicitly know but ignore anyway, don't copy someone else's swing. For me, I love Freddie Couples and I do try to incorporate his thoughts about timing and tempo but in no universe do I actually have his swing.

There are also great truisms in the book like:

I love when I am on the course and people are asking me what club I hit when, my game and my clubs are one thing, you should be hitting the right distances for you.

Jon really boils this down into a quick read that is enjoyable and makes you think in the best possible way. One of the lessons Jon imparts which I will leave you with is don't forget to enjoy yourself out there. Golf is a GAME that is meant to be FUN, so buy Jon's book, get to a better place with your game and regardless go have some fun out there!

If you want to purchase the book please check out this link: http://www.amazon.com/101-Mistakes-Golfers-Make-them/dp/0692605223/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452258006&sr=8-1&keywords=101+mistakes+all+golfers+make

Disclaimer:
I was provided the book for review purposes but I try to review things as honestly as possible. I don't make any money whether you buy the book or not and it's the Internet, take everything with a grain of salt and learn what you can. That being said, I really did enjoy this book! 

Golfing Pine Dunes Review

Way out in East Texas, waaaay out there is according to GolfWeek, the Number 1 course in Texas. Pine Dunes Golf Resort is out in the pine barrens 2 hours east of Dallas and nestled within those pine trees and is a great golf course with no houses, plenty of tee times and lots of challenges.

I played 36 holes at Pine Dunes and despite being in Texas, I often thought I was playing in Virginia or the Carolinas, it had such a laid back, outdoorsy feel. Also, as you can tell in the pic above, the fairways were GREEN! For a SoCal boy, this was a welcomed site (now if I could just find the fairways to appreciate the color up close!).

There are two real outstanding features of PD, the first of which is the bunkering.

While the greens are wide, the throats are narrow so misses mean either you are in a bunker or shooting over one to a tight cut pin. The bunkers also contain interesting flourishes of islands of turf jutting into the bunker so even if you push a shot into the bunker you still might be in grass.

The second outstanding feature of the course is the routing. There is one par 5 that either forces a carry down the left or you have an easy bailout to the right but once you pick one route you are stuck to it as there are trees going all the way down to the green!

The course also embraces the design aesthetic we saw in the Coore/Crenshaw re-design of Pinehurst by having less turf and more waste areas (but areas you can play out of).

Allow me for a quick second to offer some thoughts about tee selection with this course. While this course is relatively new (having come about in 2001), I would argue that the white tees (making the course about 6,000 yards) is the best way to play this course rather than the blues (6,500) or the golds (7,000). I played the blue tees and the white tees during my 36 holes and the course really comes alive with the white tees. The challenges, the bunkering, the routing are all more acute and interesting from the white tees. From the blue tees you are hitting either before or over the trouble but with the white tees you are in the thick of it, which makes the course way more interesting in my mind.

Plus hitting from the white tees gives you more options like on the 18th hole which is a severe dogleg left over a pond which from the white tees you could potentially drive over.

I hit 3 of the best shots of my life and got an eagle on this hole, which will be a highlight for years to come.

The only small negative about PD is about the greens. They were a bit slow, which isn't surprising given the amount of rain in East Texas and I can't fault them for that. However, how they cut the greens in a cross-hatch pattern makes them difficult to read some times, which often led to a double break on numerous putts.

I bet during the Spring or Summer when the course drives out, the greens will come alive and give you a tremendous experience and credit goes to the greenskeeper for keeping the course as awesome as it was for a deep in December round.

The pace of play was fantastic, all the staff from the pro shop to the cute restaurant were great and with the quality of the golf, PD is well worth the trip if you are in the Dallas area. One suggestion, since the course is out in the middle of nowhere, definitely try to play 36 and/or stay at the resort so you can play the course multiple times.

Many thanks to John O'Keefe for taking many of the pictures of the course you see here, great playing partner and photographer!

For more information on Pine Dunes, check out the following: http://www.pinedunes.com/golf/info-gallery

Countdown To Bandon- Gearing Up

Update on the Countdown? Reservations have been confimed!

One of the appealing features of Bandon Dunes is its location on the Pacific Ocean coast of Oregon. That location is a double edged sword because being right on the ocean means you will be faced with wind and rain.

Bandon averages 4.8 inches of rain a month (although less than inch during the Summer) so gear for the elements is a must. http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/bandon/oregon/united-states/usor0023

Even though I have grown up in Upstate NY, living in California has softened me and my wardrobe so I need to up my game for the elements. Enter Galway Bay, a US company that makes top end gear that rivals Galvin Green and others in my humble opinion.

I have two pieces of their gear, their jacket and their pants:

What I like about them is that all their gear is waterproof but it doesn't feel bulky, its all pretty lightweight. I also LOVE the fact the pants can come in any size length you want. I find myself needing 30.5 or 31 on pants and I ordered a 31 in these babies and like Goldilocks, they fit great!

The pants have been tried and true after golfing in very cold Texas weather so they have held up!

I also have been reading a lot of forum posts and a lot of people recommend having 2 pairs of shoes to switch things up if you are playing 36 holes a day. Good thing I have Ecco golf shoes, those things are super comfortable and are water resistant so they should hold up to the Bandon turf!

Days Till Bandon: 109 days
Random Bandon Fact: There is a secret Bandon course which is right next to the resort but not affiliated (maybe?) with it. Playing by some covert reservation system and you make up your own holes! http://theaposition.com/jeffwallach/golf/courses-and-travel/50/flocking-to-the-sheep-ranch
Random Bandon Review: Breaking Eighty has a great review of Pacific Dunes: http://breakingeighty.com/pacific-dunes

Top 10- Favorite Courses Played 2015

It's the end of the year, time to look back and reflect and look forward to the year ahead. I am so thankful that I got to play amazing courses this year and am looking forward to all the amazing tracks next year. While 2015 is still a "thing", I thought I would share my favorite courses that I played this year:

10. Tierra Rejada:

Simi Valley, Moorpark. These areas do not roll off the tongue like Monterey Peninsula, St. Andrews or the Victoria Sandbelt but they are just as good. Along with my favorite Rustic Canyon, TR is an amazing course with a lot of blind shots and a lot of shots where you are on the top of the world, all worth your time. This is a great course. http://www.re-gripped.com/2015/07/golfing-tierra-rejada.html

9. Kayak Point:

Up until a few years ago, I never played outside the East Coast. After bashing it around SoCal, I set my sites on the Pacific Northwest and played a great course outside of Seattle called Kayak Point. This place is everything you think of the Northwest, big trees, friendly people and good golf. While it was a bit more target oriented than my spraying driver would allow I loved everything about KP. http://www.re-gripped.com/2015/07/regripped-goes-to-kayak-point.html

8. Olivas Links:

Those who know me know I am a links hound. Anything that is green and the sea is great with me (poet/didn't know it). Olivas while not directly up against the Pacific gives you a great bump and run feeling of true links golf and I will never badmouth a course that gave me a chance for eagle on a par 5. That aside, pace of play is great and the course is in amazing shape. One of the best in Ventura County. http://www.re-gripped.com/2015/06/golfing-at-olivas-links.html

7. Westin Dye Course:

I stretched myself this year, playing a lot of different types of courses in different areas in the country. I had never played in Palm Springs and the Westin Dye-course was a great example of golfing the Bob Hope way. Dye, you either lvoe him or hate him. If you love him, then you will love this course and all its diabolical terraforming. This was a top notch Palm Springs experience against which all future trips will be measured.

6. TPC Valencia:

I never played a TPC before but they are definitely "big boy" courses, lot of shelf hitting and fast greens. The course is immaculate and thanks to Mastercard, it made the course accessible to me, an average joe. Playing this TPC makes me thankful for such a quality course here in SoCal and hungry to play more TPCs! http://www.re-gripped.com/2015/06/regripped-plays-tpc-valencia.html

5. River Course at Alisal:

If I lived in Solvang California, I would play this course over and over again. Sure it was baked out because of the drought but it was still a top notch course with interesting shots, especially off the tee, it really makes you think. It was super windy the day I played so it really sharpens all facets of your game. A bit of a drive from LA but worth it! http://www.re-gripped.com/2015/08/golfing-river-course-at-alisal-review.html


4. Rustic Canyon: My first SoCal love. The best public course you can play (even with due respect to Torrey, Pelican and Sandpiper which I have not played). Every time I play here, I find something interesting and different. The course is in great shape and a true testament to Hanse and Shackelford.

3. Ojai Inn:

The history, the fun layout (especially of the "Lost Holes"), the chill vibe of Ojai. Its tough to beat Ojai in any of these categories but why would you try? You should go there and experience it for yourself. http://www.re-gripped.com/2015/11/golfing-ojai-valley-inn-review.html

2. Oak Quarry:

This is a gem, a big bright sparkly diamond out in the middle of nowheres Riverside California. The course has it all, interesting tee shots, second shots that make you think, great greens and amazing vistas. Not many people golf here and that is for the best, this is an amazing course. http://www.re-gripped.com/2015/10/golfing-oak-quarry-review.html

1. Kapalua Plantation:

You didn't think anyone else would be number one on this list would you? PGA tour stop. Immaculate views of the Pacific. This course has it all and is THE course to play in Hawaii. Plus, what a kickoff to my Coore Crenshaw adventure! http://www.re-gripped.com/2015/12/kapalua-golf-review.html

Well that is it for my adventures this year. Next year looks just as interesting as I am headed off to Bandon, going to Arizona and perhaps some detours to Wisconsin and Nebraska? Tune in and see where I get out to next and I hope you get to play a lot of great tracks in 2016!

Hacienda Golf Club Review

I am a sucker for historic courses. Have an interesting track with an interesting history? Will travel. Hacienda here in SoCal checks a lot of those boxes.

Built in 1920 and designed by William Watson a Scot but doesn't quite get the publicity that fellow scots MacKenzie or Ross but her should given his design of Hacienda and others including: Olympic, Harding and Brentwood. The clubhouse is also lousy with historical photographs, mainly of Tiger (who played here in 1994 in the SoCal Amateur) but also Gene Sarazen and many others who graced its doors.

Why wouldn't anyone want to play here, especially with a hint of Fall in the air (or at least as Fall as SoCal gets)?

The course is a fascinating mixture of competing ideas and architecture. For example, the course definitely has parallel running holes but yet you don't feel on top of other golfers in the other fairway.

Another example is that there are several choke points on the course where there are numerous greens and tees all bundled together creating a bit of traffic jam amongst carts and staff. While you would think this is due to the course being built in 2 stages, one 9 in 1920 and the other 9 in 1923 and they were folding in the holes, many of the par 4's are well over 420 yards making for a long, spaced out track.

The par 3's are the real superstars of this course. Long or short, all the par 3's go over canyons or streams and have many traps waiting to gobble up wayward shots.

What I also found engaging was that the course uses and follows a stream in unique and interesting ways on the back side where going right might be death but playing another hole on the other side of the creek, left might not be death.

The mix of competing ideas at Hacienda is fully realized on the greens. I made so many putts the day I played, draining 10 footers to 30 footers but I also 3 putted several greens because of the placement of the pins. To say it was a Sunday pin placement is an understatement. Putts run 20 feet past the hole, break by 5 feet or more. Certainly if you are a member here you learn quickly what is what but where the pins can be cut on this course can be BRUTAL!

Overall, Hacienda will wow you with history and great conditions and interesting routing. Local knowledge is key here and the greens are lightening quick so keep that in mind if you are lucky enough to play here.

Many thank to the SCGA for putting together the outing at Hacienda. I have been so happy with the golfing discounts and courses that they offer, it is totally worth it to join if you live here in SoCal (plus a boxed lunch at the turn, nice)!

For more info on Hacienda, check it out here: http://www.haciendagolfclub.com/

Holiday Golf Gift Guide

GIFTS, GIVE ME GIFTS!!!!!

Looking for something for the golfer in your life for the upcoming holidays but don't know where to turn? Fear not, ReGripped has you covered. Come sit on my red velveted lap and let me tell you what gifts...wait where are you going? Get back here! 

1. Revant Optics Replacement Lenses

Problem: You get awesome sunglasses but after awhile you need new or different lenses. Good luck for replacing those lenses for less than a new pair of sunglasses. Lenses don't have to cost you a second mortgage payment (well maybe a mortgage on a PlaySkool Playhouse perhaps) and so Revant has you covered for less. 

Got Oakleys, got Ray Bans, Costas, etc.? Revant has got replacement lenses for all of them and for a very nice inexpensive price. I particular like their Elite HC3 lenses and rocked them in Hawaii and elsewhere. Pretty awesome! 

For more info on Revant, check em out here: https://www.revantoptics.com/

2. Seamus Golf Pouch Bag:

I don't know about you but I hate, HATE having lots of things in my pockets when I golf. Wallets, cell phones, boarding passes to countries without extradition treaties with the US, all of this stuff takes up space and I ultimately throw it my bag and then search in vain for awhile, wondering where it all went.

Seamus makes quality products, from headcovers to ballmarkers and their pouch bag for your valuables is no different. I love having it in my bag and you can choose from a huge range of plaids to choose from. Definitely a MUST for any golfer.

For more info on Seamus Golf, check em out here: http://www.seamusgolf.com/

3.  eBars Golf Bars:

Its tough to find a power bar that doesn't have a lot of junk in it but gives you what you need in terms of protein and most importantly taste. Luckily eBars takes this all this worrying and Venn diagrams you have been making in your garage and puts it all into a simple, tasty power bar that is tailored for golfers. I love munching on these things and just typing this out makes me want to go and order some more right now. 

For more info on eBars, check em out here: http://www.ebars.com/all-products