Odyssey Black Series #2 Putter

While I fully understand the importance of putting in the game of golf, I still can’t understand why anyone would pay the $250 that they’re asking for this putter.

Ok, so it’s milled from milled 1025 carbon steel and has a weighted tungsten flange. And its lower center of gravity and loft are supposed to get the ball rolling faster. But I still can’t fathom it. For me, the break point on a putter is about $100.

Golf Ball Corn Holders

Ridiculous Golf Item of the Week

If the golf season in Michigan sometimes seems cruelly short, there is at least one wonderful compensation: twilight golf.

Warmer climes may get more days, but our peak summer days in the pleasant peninsula are longer and there is something delicious about playing golf at nine-thirty at night.

On vacation in Northern Michigan (what we call “Up North”) this past week, I have played three twilight rounds, and finished all of them sometime after nine thirty pm.  I started all of them after six.

Try doing that in any of the sunshine states. In Orlando and Myrtle Beach, golfers are packing up their clubs and heading to the bars at about the same time that I’m heading for the first tee.

Not everyone Up North has discovered the pleasures of twilight golf, though, and for that I’m grateful. Twilight golf is usually much less crowded and—following the laws of supply and demand—much cheaper.

Starting a round at 6:30, I paid just $10 (walking) to play 18 on a top quality course that normally charges $69.

I was one of just a handful of players out there that night.  I saw a foursome once in their carts, passing me on their inward route as I headed from seven to eight. And always a hole ahead of me was another single, just disappearing into the woods to the next hole as I was approaching the tee.

But for the most part I was wonderfully alone. It was quiet and cool—I was grateful I had worn long pants. As the sun sank lower beneath the tops of the trees, I packd the hat, and then the sunglasses. I saw some deer grazing in the rough, and a fox cross the fairway—sights you wouldn’t see when the course is being buzzed by loud golfers in their gasoline carts.

I play better when I’m alone, of course. Not because I’m cheating, but because it’s wonderfully calming. No audience, no pressure, no need to hurry up and get out of the way of the loud foursome behind. I shot a legitimate 84.

As I finished the last hole, there was just barely enough light to see. I considered staying and putting, but looking at my watch noticed that it was nine thirty and figured that Mrs. Golfblogger would start to worry. So I packed and went home.

A couple of years ago, I took advantage of the long Michigan days to walk and play 54 holes in a single marathon stretch. The first 36 were played in the heat of the day and after the third nine, I wasn’t sure I could finish.

But the last round was a twilight round, and as the sun went down, the air cooled adn the breezes picked up. And in the cool quiet, I got a second wind. I finished strong, although I had to use a lot of motrin the next day.

And I think I could get in even more. Since its gets light enough to play in July at around 5:30 am, and is still not too dim to quit at 9:30, that would give me sixteen hours to play golf. If I averaged four hours a round, I could easily get in 72. And if things moved fast enough, I think I could get in 90 —but I’d have to take a cart.

A golfer in Scotland is suing his club after being suspended for allegedly twice misplacing his ball during a competition.

If it weren’t being taken so seriously, it would be comical. I think there’s a movie in this one.

C9 Ti Face Insert

Grade: A-
Comments: You get very good value with these clubs.

This past summer, I got into the market for a second set of golf clubs. My intent was to have a set that I could leave at the Inlaws’ cottage in “Up North” Michigan, so that I don’t have to cart my bag back and forth on short jaunts.

After looking at a variety of options, including new sets on clearance, and used clubs, I decided instead to get a set from GigaGolf. I was intrigued by the technology behind the C9 Titanium Face irons and attracted by GigaGolf’s relatively low prices. I have had good luck with GigaGolf clubs before and given that GigaGolf offers a 30 day playability guarantee, I figured I had nothing to lose.

One of the nice things about ordering from GigaGolf is that you can customize things to your specifications, choosing which clubs are included in the set, grip type and size, shaft type and flex, and adjust length loft and lie. I ordered a 4-SW, plus a gap wedge. Passing on the GigaGolf grips, I had the set made with Lamkins—my favorite. Grip size was standard, but I also could have ordered them in midsize, jumbo, small or junior.

For the shaft, I decided to go with GigaGolf’s standard True Temper Feather Flight. The online fitting wizard recommended a firm flex (between standard and stiff), regular length and standard loft and lie. I stuck with the recommendations. GigaGolf offers twelve different steel and graphite shafts, so I could have had pretty much anything I wanted.

The ordering process was easy, and communication was good. I got emails confirming my purchase, telling me when the building process started, and when the clubs were shipped. There was a brief delay because of a shortage of the heads, but I was kept apprised of the situation.

From first glance, I could tell that the clubs were well made. As a clubmaker, I know the telltale signs of a poor construction job: ferrules that are not flush, stray bits of epoxy, mis-aligned grips,  inconsistently placed shaft bands and so on. Every one of the GigaGolf C9 irons was well built. Ferrules blended smoothly with the hosels, meaning that they had taken the time to turn them, since no ferrule ever fits properly on a first try. The grips all were aligned consistently. The clubs had been cleaned and wiped free of any stray epoxy. It was clear to me that they had been expertly made by a clubmaker who cares. I haven’t taken one apart to see whether the cuts were even and smooth, but I have no reason to believe otherwise.

Here’s some good golf advice: When in doubt, club up. The odds of an amateur hitting the perfect shot that takes your eight iron 150 yards are pretty slim.