The BH-5 irons are the first fully cast stainless steel irons in the Ben Hogan product line. These are being marketed as extremely fogiving irons - "Whoever said you can’t buy forgiveness never tried the new BH-5 irons." - is their punchline. But judging from the reviews I’ve read, the BH-5 irons aren’t that forgiving. You still need a decent swing to hit well (I thought that was the case with any golf club???). You can’t deny them the sleek, sophisticated, yet still serious look though.

Best deal found:

Ben Hogan BH-5 Iron Set (Steel Shafts) - 399.99$

Ben Hogan BH-5 Iron Set (Graphite Shafts) - 449.99$

I had no idea Victorinox makes golf tools. In fact, until today I had no idea who/what Victorinox is and what they make. They’re the manufacturers of the worldwide popular "Swiss Army" knives. You know.. Those little red thingies that have a million tools inside. And it turns out there’s a sweet "Swiss Army" golf tool available too.

The Swiss Army Golf Tool consists of 8 tools: blade, scissors, nail file, bottle opener, toothpick, tweezers, ball marker, divot repair tool. All the stuff a golfer needs basically (and I know you always repair the divots!). The range finder that’s included is pretty basic and might not be space tech like the Bushnell 1500, but you won’t have to sell a kidney to be able to afford it either.

Best deal found: 

Swiss Army Golf Tool & Range Finder - 41.99$ 

When searching for the best deal on Adidas Tour 360 golf shoes, I came across this review:

"Forget every shoe you’ve ever played in, this thing is the real deal. The 360 is the most comfortable, high performance piece of footwear I’ve ever worn. I walk most of my rounds, and walking in the 360 is fantastic. It’s almost like I’m wearing my favorite pair of sneakers. On top of the sheer comfort factor is the stability the shoe provides during the swing…."

Read the rest of it here. Judging by his excitement, I’m sure the shoe makes him coffee and gives him a back rub too! But seriously… An  enthusiastic review like that, written by a real golfer, must mean the Adidas Tour 360 golf shoes are definately worth checking out. Go try them out at your local shop, then come back and buy them from the store below.

Best deal found:

Adidas Tour 360 Golf Shoes (Mens) - 149.99$

aff. link 

Now here’s something you don’t see every day. The Putt-her by Blueball sports will certainly get you attention anywhere you play. It looks just like a regular putter when it’s stored in your golf bag (turned with the head up), but when you take it out to score that winning putt, it reveals a surprise. A sexy surprise! That’s when the black cover floats into the grip and you (and your buddies) get to see a hot babe in a bikini. This thing would make a great gift for any golfer.

Safety tip: make sure there’s no golfers with a heart condition around you, when using this baby.

Best deal found: 

Putt-her (the putter with sex appeal) - 59.95$ 

Findgolfdeals.com is not trying to be a golf equipment review site, since none of us are qualified for giving objective, professional views and reviews of golfing stuff. But this post is gonna be an exception, since the Golf Launchpad Simulator is a gaming device (which we’re more than qualified to comment on) / golf training aid hybrid gizmo. Not to mention I own one, so I can speak about it from experience. Note that this is not a detailed review, but rather my personal views on this device.

The manufacturer - Electricspin- claims the Launchpad provides unmatched realism. Their main selling point is its compatibilty with EA’s Tiger Woods PGA Tour video game series. "Play Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, Bethpage Black and the other premiere courses with incredible realism with your own clubs". They’ve even included Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 with the Launchpad, but only the PC Windows version. Mac users are rich enough to buy their own copy anyway I guess. Getting a "free" game gives the Launchpad a couple of bonus points, but…

The problem I’ve experienced is, that the game is completely unplayable using the Launchpad. No matter how hard I try or which club I use, I can’t get the ball to fly more than 50 yards. I’ve had a couple of buddies (who are much better golfers than I am) try it out,  but with the same outcome. The way I understand it, the Launchpad is actually trying to somehow translate your golf swing into a mouse gesture, which the game can understand. But in order to get the in-game Tiger to execute a good, clean strike, you have to be extremely precise when playing with a computer mouse. And it’s very hard to believe that the Launchpad would be able to somehow simulate the needed precision and coordination. Judging from what I’ve experienced, it fails miserably at it. Don’t get me wrong.. Using the Launchpad to play a couple of holes with your buddies can be extremely fun (try playing it drunk, loads of fun), but don’t expect any birdies or pars.

In my opinion, Electricspin should focus on promoting their own software, if they’re aiming at golfers to buy the Launchpad. But right now, it seems they’re just trying to cash in on all the hype surrounding Tiger and video games. Their software, LPDR as they call it, is actually pretty good. It provides data for analyzing your shot (like shot speed and angle), along with some distance graphs. No idea how accurate the readings are though, but judging by the feel of the swing, they seemed ok. It’s weird Electricspin doesn’t include LPDR with the Launchpad itself, but makes you download it from their site. And you even have to type in the long serial number that’s burried on the underside of the unit!

So… Does the Launchpad provide that realism they’re boasting about? Not sure, since I can’t even play with it (I’d say no though). Will it help you improve your golf game? Probably not. Is it fun? Yes.

Best deal found: 

Golf Lunchpad Simulator (PC Windows/USB) - 229.90$ 

The XD in TaylorMade R540XD stands for "extra distance". Bet you didn’t know that, did you? Hmm.. I wonder how much extra distance I’d get on my shots using a club with "extra distance" in the name. Probably about 10 yards or so, which means I’d be hitting 90 instead of 80 yards with a 3 wood. Yes, yes.. The about page says this site was created by golf enthusiasts, but being enthusiastic about something doesn’t mean you’re automatically good at it as well. Enough about my golfing (in)abilities, let’s move to some tech data.

The sole of TaylorMade 540XD woods has a low, deep center of gravity, which makes it easy to get the ball in the air quickly and with little effort. The shallow steel face promotes longer carry and increased distance and the dual crown lines are an effective aiming tool. Graphite is the only shaft available (stiff and regular flex) and there’s no TaylorMade R540XD woods for left handers. No. 3, 5 and 7 with 15°, 17.5° and 20° loft. Anything else? Probably, but I’m too lazy to do some real research…

Best deal found:

TaylorMade R540xd Woods (no. 3,5,7) - 129.99$

aff. link 

There’s an even better price listed here (0.04$ lower), but the shop listed above offers free shipping. No idea about the shipping costs on pgatour.com. Use their order form to calculate the shipping costs and see what you get.

Here she is - the Bertha! This beauty is probably the cause of many golfers’ wet dreams. A lot of stories and reviews have been written about the Big Bertha 454 titanium driver so you probably know all there is to know about this driver, that’s why I won’t bore you with technical details about the Bertha. There is one thing I’d like to point out though. This is Callaway’s biggest (454cc) rule conforming driver, and a big club face usually means the golf club is forgiving to small errors we all occasionally make (or not so occasionally in my case, but that’s another story). This means that the Bertha, with its 454 cc titanium constructed head, should help you a lot on those few bad shots.

Best deal found: 

Callaway Big Bertha Titanium 454 cc Driver - 259$ 

(Callaway has a special promotion going at the moment. You can get a 50$ rebate, if you buy the Big Bertha 454 Titanium Driver from an authorized Callaway golf retailer between December 1, 2005 and January 31, 2006. More info available at the official Callaway site.)

The Speedstik promises to "empower you to hit the ball farther by increasing the speed of your swing". And we all know that a faster swing means more distance. But what is it? Well… It’s a stick that measures your swing speed. It’s longer than a golf club and heavier as well. The manufacturer claims that training with the Speedstik will develop physical stregth, improve flexibility, enhance balance, increase range of motion and improve swing technique. I guess that means it will help you hit the golf ball farther. Oh… Vijay Singh says he uses it every day.

There’s two models available, one for golfers under 175 lbs and one for the rest of us.

Best deal found: 

The Blue Speedstik (golfers under 175 lbs) - 79.99$ 

The Red Speedstik (golfers over 175 lbs) - 79.99$ 

The White Hot # 5 Putter from Odyssey is one of the most popular putters among tour pros and amateurs around the world. It has a light urethane insert that gives you a soft, pleasing feel and moves mass away from the center of the putter and redistributes it around the perimeter for more resistance to twisting.The lamkin crossline grip and a cavity sightline should help you with your accuracy on the green.

Best deal found:

Odyssey White Hot #5 Putter - 79.99$

Waterproof Nike SP-5 golf shoes will keep the ladies’ feet dry and comfortable even in the toughest conditions. They are made of full-grain leather and the heel Air-Sole provides lightweight cushioning and comfort with with enhanced feel & performance through your weight shift. Not to mention these are extremely easy on the green. Looks like Nike did a good job on these golf shoes.

Available in Black/White, White/Grey, Navy Blue/White, Ruby/White (sexy!) and Quicksand/White color combos.

Best deal found:

Nike Women’s SP-5 Golf Shoes - 59.95$