Alright, so what’s the deal, do these things work?
What the hell do you care?  It’s one more golf toy to add to your collection; and a write-off for the company. Ok, but honestly, aside from having a transponder inside your ball, the V-100 glasses from Visiball (great name by the way) are about as good as it gets. These specs block out about 90% of dark colors and allow shorter wavelengths of light such as whites and yellows to pass through. I guess that means when Pope Benedict goes golfing he can’t use his blue balls.  But, hey, if all else fails you can always use the V-100 spectacles on your next golf trip to check whether or not you should sleep on that hotel comforter.  On a serious note, one of the greatest features of these specs are that they double as fluffy bunny hunting glasses.

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Cool, another golf toy. This handy device analyzes you’re swing using tempo, rhythm, backswing length, and club-head speed. Not only that, it’s spot on, last week it told me to leave the range before I killed someone.  One more accidental death and they might rescind my membership.

With feedback from the G6 you can consistently repeat good shots.  Use the Test Mode to analyze consistency or variation in a way you can understand. The watch will determine if you’re an inconsistent swinger, a slow over-swinger, or a short hitter.  The Practice Mode allows you to fine tweak your skills and track progress on specific clubs or club sets.  Were you distracted?  Just mark it Bad and the G6 won’t include it in the summary.  Do you want to see who’s in the lead?  Just glance down at your wrist.  The Game Mode can easily track the stats with four built-in game types, handicap details, and golf course selections.  When you’re done, upload the info to your computer.  Remember, practice doesn’t make perfect. The Suunto G6 Golf Watch does.

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Named after Ferrari’s home town in Northern Italy, the Maranello Stand Bag by TaylorMade® is built for performance.  With carbon fiber wet PU body paneling and 1680 ballistic nylon, this bag is light and durable.  When you’re walking the course, the last thing you want is an overloaded heavy bag messing with your back and your swing. 
Even though the Maranello is light, this full length shaft divider bag doesn’t skimp on the features which include an integrated stand system, 2 magnetic access system pockets, 7 accessory pockets, a velour-lined valuables pocket, gel padding (for carrying), padded straps, a matching rainhood, brushed aluminum key hook, and an insulated water bottle holder.

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Besides being absolutely beautiful, the newest line of irons from the most winning brand of iron on the PGA TOUR (Nike of course), are also the best set of clubs I’ve ever used- really, they are.  If you prefer a compact blade but need a little forgiveness on those off center hits, you’re going to crap your pants with excitement when you try the new Victory Red Irons from Nike.  Tiger Woods himself worked directly with the development team to create these tour caliber clubs, they couldn’t be more perfect if they were forged in the fires of Mordor by Sauron himself. 

More offset than the Victory Red TW Blades but less than the VR Full Cavity and with a slightly wider sole and thicker topline, the Nike Victory Red Split Cavity Irons still look and feel like traditional blades.  The cavity also provides a higher trajectory with blade-like loft and lie.  The center of gravity was positioned to Tiger’s specs so that you can practice to match the best in the business.  With all the specs aside, these irons just feel good.  Professional grade yet still ultra-forgiving; you just can’t find that anywhere else.

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The Exodus couldn’t be more perfect if Yahweh himself created it from one of my ribs.

If it’s one thing that we understand at Essential Gear Guide, it’s that more is better, and guru bag design company Ogio definitely shares our passion for excess. 

I normally test products and think to myself, “they should have done this” or “wouldn’t it be nice if it had that“.  Though, with features like *The Wedge, a zipperless ball pouch, double pocket hydration, a built in rain guard, and a hidden umbrella compartment, my comments were refined to: “wow, that’s clever“, “this is handy” and “what a great idea“.
Bottom line, Ogio’s hit a hole in one with the Bag that leaves all others in the dust; and with a flashy new design, you’ll be sure to make an entrence with the Exodus!

*The Wedge (pronounced Wedg-ee) is a specialized compartment to hold a variety of hybrid clubs or wedges.

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Size does matter! 
It’s either go big or go home for Nike, who maxes out the USGA’s restriction on head volume, with a whopping 460 cc (4.9 inches front-to-back, the limit is 5″).  The Nike SasQuatch SUMO² driver is like Musashimaru Koyo in size (about 25 in²), but more like Michelle Kwan on precision.  It boasts the highest MOI in golf; a massive 5300 g cm², which makes it a very forgiving and accurate club; guaranteed to lower your blood pressure and keep you out of a quagmire. 

SUMO² stands for Super Moment of Inertia Squared.  The radical geometry was achieved by utilizing a multi-material construction with a composite crown. This is the ultimate driver for distance, forgiveness, and accuracy. 

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