Golf Spelled Backwards

Looking for an unusual gift for the golfer in your life? I recently found something that seems pretty cool: belt buckles made from the blades of antique golf clubs. Not surprisingly, this item is offered by that purveyor of the weird and wonderful, the unique and expensive, Hammacher-Schlemmer. They call it "The Genuine Hickory Golf Club Belt Buckle." How is it made? Take authentic 1920s-era hickory-shafted golf irons made in Scotland, remove the blade (the head of the iron), and turn it into a belt buckle. The original club was either a mid-iron or mashie. And every buckle is unique, with unique stamps, markings and wear patterns. Says the retailer: No two buckles are alike and each one has unique markings that may have been caused by determined swings from a cavernous pot bunker while battling whipping coastal winds on St. Andrews or another legendary links course. The club head was originally hand-formed by a blacksmith and the buckle has the artisan’s cleek mark a...

This tweet popped into existence today from the floor of the 2015 PGA Show: I don't think someone thought through the product name long enough. pic.twitter.com/YQfq3nOZdI — Ryan Ballengee (@RyanBallengee) January 22, 2015 See the name? "HJ Glove." Right. Because no golfers are going to make jokes about what the "HJ" might stand for on your new golf glove. Another tweeter replied to the above by recalling a line of skin care products aimed at golfers that debuted under the name "Fore Skin." Really! I remember that stuff. After receiving lots of derision and eye-rolling, the company quickly changed the name to "For Your Skin." Don't think they are still around. One terribly named golf product that is still around is the Big Dick driver. Wait, what's that? Yes: Big Dick. By a company called Divnick Golf. Here's photographic proof of its existence: They tried to claim they were just playing on the "Dick and Jane...

Did you know that actor Kristy Swanson - the original "Buffy" in Buffy the Vampire Slayer - has her own golf apparel brand? I didn't, not until Swanson tweeted this: I am thrilled to be appearing on the @Back9Network today to talk about my #Ladies #Golf line called @aDRESSitGOLF with @EricaBachelor 😄👍⛳️ — Kristy Swanson (@KristySwansonXO) January 12, 2015 Kristy originated the role of Buffy in the movie version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the TV version followed and was based on the movie). She's worked steadily in movies and television since the mid-1980s, with the 1990s being her most prolific decade as an actor. Swanson has also appeared in Maxim and Playboy photo shoots. I knew all that. What I didn't know is that Kristy Swanson is a golfer who not too long ago started designing her own golf apparel. That turned into the brand aDRESSitGOLF. An announcement of the brand appeared on the aDRESSitGOLF website back in March 2014, and inclu...

This tweet came across the transom today: This is happening! #RyanMoorePGA puts @ParsonsExtreme #Golf clubs into play at the #HyundaiTOC http://t.co/FYeHnvVpNM via @PGATour #PXG — Parsons Golf (@ParsonsExtreme) January 9, 2015 We all know who Ryan Moore is, and you might be familiar with his quirky history when it comes to golf equipment and endorsements. In the past he's gone years without an endorsement deal - by choice - and he's played some lesser-known (to average golf fans, anyway) brands such as Scratch Golf. But who the heck is PXG Golf? PXG Golf is Parsons Xtreme Golf, and it's the baby of GoDaddy.com founder Bob Parsons. When you're super rich you can indulge your passions, and Parsons is passionate about golf. He owns Scottsdale National Golf Club, and now he owns his own golf equipment company. Check PXG Golf prices on Amazon And Ryan Moore, always unafraid of doing his own thing, is playing PXG irons in the first PGA Tour tournament of ...

Have you seen the ReTee? It's a ballmark repair tool whose claim to fame is that it comes with a sharpener built in. A sharpener? You know, like those little sharpeners schoolkids use for their pencils: insert pencil into hole, twist pencil, blade of sharpener shaves off pencil wood and sharpens the lead. Here's the thing about the ReTee's sharpener: It's pitched as a tee sharpener. Snap a long tee? Pop it into your ReTee sharpener, sharpen up the point of the tee, and use it again on a later hole. Clever or crazy? Brilliant or bonkers? My first reaction to the ReTee was this: I wouldn't be caught dead using a tee sharpener on the golf course, any more than I would show up with a ball retriever sticking out of my golf bag. C'mon, man, I'm not in my 70s yet! And who needs to sharpen a tee to re-use it? On par-3 holes I frequently scour the tee box looking for a snapped off tee to use. But any tee will do, I don't need a sharp point on in order to...

We haven't done any "Pro Shop Finds" entries in a while because, well, there just hasn't been much in the way of new or funny or innovative or weird golf equipment crossing our transom. But then this arrived in the email today: I know what you're thinking: So it's a golf bag on a push cart. What's the big deal? Ah, but this isn't just the usual push cart with a golf bag strapped onto it. No, this is all one unit . It's a golf bag-and-push cart in one . And I absolutely love this idea. It's called the Duo Golf Cart and the company that makes it is Alphard. No more having to carry around a bag and also a push cart, get both of them into the trunk, take both of them out at the golf course, strap the bag onto the cart, then several times around have to adjust the bag and retighten straps because the bag keeps slipping out of place. The Duo Golf Cart even comes with hydraulics to make folding and unfolding easier. Yes, like a regular ol...

Do you like to immerse yourself in golf? Now you can do it even when relaxing at home. And you don't even have to wear clothes! But you do have to wear the golf ball-themed onesie pictured at left. It's the Classic Zooop Fleece Golf onesie from a company called Zooop It Up! They are makers of "luxury adult onesies." The product page on the Zooop It Up! website suggests "Wear anywhere: beach, dancing, poker games ..." But hey, why not wear it to a golf course that doesn't have a dress code! Or at least wear it on your couch as you watch golf on TV. The Zooop Golf Onesie is 80-percent cotton/20-percent polyester; it is hooded and footless; it has two front pouch pockets and two zippered pockets. And it's fleece. "This ZOOOP iT UP Classic ZOOOP onesie unisex fit is perfect for him or her. Your search for the Ultimate Comfy Wear ends now. Once you've put on your ZOOOP you'll never want to part from it!" So says the company. An...

Did I say ugly? Maybe I meant cool! Whether Loudmouth Golf apparel is ugly or cool is in the eye of the beholder. And now you can "behold" Loudmouth golf bags: Actually, the company has been working its way into other product areas (in addition to apparel) for a while. Loudmouth partnered with a company called Molhimawk Inc. to make its new bag: Loudmouth Cart Bag by Molhimawk measures 35" tall and features a single putter tube, 14-way top, and anti-slip rubber feet. The cart bags are currently available in some of Loudmouth's most popular patterns including Shagadelic White, Disco Balls Black, and Lightning Rod. ... Loudmouth Golf also offers stand bags by Molhimawk. The stand bags come equipped with a one-of-a-kind Loudmouth hip pad, comfy straps, three roomy pockets, and an over-sized felted valuables pocket with a water resistant zipper. Would you be willing to go the full Loudmouth in outfitting your golf game?

For many, golf and booze go hand in hand. Golfers are probably evenly split between those who play because they really love the game, and those who play because they love spending a few hours with buddies drinking beer and ogling beer cart babes. (Of course, you can love the game AND ogle babes!) Every golf course has its drunks and, frankly, they are damn annoying. Often stupid. And sometimes dangerous. Those guys are probably too dumb to care whether they are in any kind of shape to drive a golf cart - much less, to drive home after the round. But social drinkers who play golf might be interested in a gadget called the Golfalyzer. It's a Breathalyzer clone aimed at golfers - blow into it, and it will tell you your blood alcohol level. Want to monitor your level throughout a round to make sure you're not crossing the line? After downing a few more in the clubhouse after the round, want to check your level before getting behind the wheel of a car? Here's a video, an...

Miura Golf used to routinely price iron sets in the $2,000-plus range for the American market. But in recent years, the upscale Japanese forged irons leader has been offering iron sets much closer in price to the mainstream companies that dominate the American market. But not it's latest offering! The Miuru irons pictured above cost $325 per club, or $2,275 for a set. The high price is for two reasons: The Miura "Black Boron" irons have a finish that is, well, black boron, and that requires switching the usual nickel-chrome finishing production line over to this finish; and Miura says only about 10 sets a month will be available. That's what we call "limited edition." They do look sweet. But, in addition to having lots of money to burn on a new set of irons, you need to be a very good golfer to make the most of them. The Miura Black Boron irons are not game-improvement sticks. They are players' clubs. Also note that the Black Boron name simply d...

What's in store from Loudmouth Golf for fall? The designer of very loud, very garish golf apparel - what most golfers used to call "ugly" but now prefer to think of as "cool" (but crazzzzzeeee any way you look at it!) - has multiple new patterns ready. The Loudmouth Fall 2013 collection includes: "Crak!" - Inspired by 1960's pop art, Loudmouth has designed a golf themed comic book drama. "Paint Balls" - After the runaway success of Drop Cloth, Loudmouth has released a new colorway that is sure to make a splash. "Cheezburger" - This print is phat. 'nuf said. "Bent Grass" - Named after the smooth putting surface, coveted by a low handicapper. "Cowz" - What inspires pant design more than a holstein out in the pasture chewing on cud? "Blue & Gold Splash" & "Merlot & Chardonnay" - Designed specifically for the collegiate market, these prints are too good not to share with ...

Golf is hard. We can all agree on that, right? Lots of people think that golf is too hard, and if only we changed golf so that it was no longer, you know, golf more people would play whatever it is that "golf" turned into. Here's one: EZeeGolf. EZeeGolf's motto is, "Now everyone can play!" Kudos to them for not claiming that is it real golf that is being played using the EZeeGolf club; they call EZeeGolf "an exciting new sport that is fun and easy to play." The explanatory video speaks for itself, so let's watch: It's basically a golf ball gun! Place it on the ground behind the golf ball, aim it towards the target, and watch that little white pellet be propelled up to 225 yards through the air. Imagine, if you will, that something like this actually catches on and becomes popular. Does that bring more people into real golf, or does it steer people away from playing real golf?

That's some putter above, isn't it? It's the Cupidon half-mallet made by a French company called ValGrine ( http://www.valgrine.com/ ). And yes, those are diamonds around the body of the putter and serving as the sightline. How does ValGrine describe this putter on its website? Like this: "Curve and harmony, assertion of a delicacy by the detour of sensual and soft curves with a greedy volume. Son of love and beauty. At the address: a point, two lines and an arrow to touch its deepest desire: remove the ball from the green." Damn! Is that a putter in your golf bag or are you just happy to see me? With a putter like that, who needs Viagra? Does the Cupidon come with a vibrating clubhead for the ladies? (I could go on, but I'll stop there.) The French can sex up anything. And they can "luxury up" anything, too, including putters. ValGrine custom makes various luxury putters - putters with diamonds, putters made of silver, putters made o...

Maxfli used to be one of the biggest, most prominent, best-selling brands of golf balls in the game. Now, it's a house brand at Golf Galaxy and Dick's Sporting Goods. A house brand? That means that there's no more innovation taking place under the Maxfli name, right? Wrong. That's what "house brand" means for a lot of formerly independent brands, but not, apparently, at Maxfli. Because Maxfli just became the first to market a 6-piece golf ball, the U/6. Man, I'm so old I can remember when a 3-piece ball seemed like a luxury! My first reaction to the news was to think of those 5-blade razors and triple cheeseburgers. If two beef patties are good, why not put three on your burger? If twin blades shave close, why not add three more blades ? If 3- and 4-layer golf balls are selling, let's add ... more ... layers ! Yes! Marketing genius! More, more, more! But Maxfli makes the case that each of the six layers that make up its U/6 ball is ther...

How much scratch does it take to buy the new special-edition putter from Scratch Golf? Nine-hundred and ninety-nine dollars worth of scratch. But that's still $49,000 cheaper that the cheapest implements regularly made by Scratch's partner in the production of the Scratch Golf by James Ingles handmade putters. Charles Hellis and Sons Firearm Company in London, England (which is owned by the James Ingles whose name is on the putter), hand-makes shotguns and rifles for the luxury market. None of the company's firearms sell for less than $50,000. The company's craftsmen bring the same attention to the new weapon for golfers, shaping, engraving and finishing each putter head by hand. That attention is a big part of the $999 price tag. Something else is, too: "... there is no paint fill in the putter. Instead, all the markings are filled with precious metals like 24k gold, sterling silver and copper." Scratch Golf started taking orders for the James Ingles...

Get that mother******* visor off your mother******* head! That's the message contained in Kangol's new Samuel L. Jackson collection of golf hats and caps. And Samuel L. Jackson is the coolest golfer on the planet, so are you going to argue? Jackson "worked closely with Kangol's design team to personally select each of the heritage shapes and fabrics within the collection," the company states . And continues: "While the Kangol Golf by Samuel L. Jackson collection offers nods to Kangol's history, it also incorporates ultra-modern performance treatments. The refined Heritage styles feature P2i's revolutionary, liquid-repellent ion-mask technology, which provides an undetectable coating, causing liquids to bead up and roll off the hats. "The range of hats incorporates Samuel L. Jackson's personal touches through use of his favorite colors, purple and yellow. The SLJ Jacquard print on the P2i Golf Spitfire was inspired by a vintage ha...

Hey, that's what its makers claim about the MagneCaddy! They wouldn't just make up a statement like that, right? So let's check out this invention so stupendously awesome that it "may be" better than the guttie, the Haskell ball, dimples, steel shafts, graphite shafts, metal woods, perimeter weighting, cast irons, the sand wedge and all the rest: MagneCaddy may be the greatest invention in golf history! Huh. I think they're overselling it. What do you think? I can see something like this coming in handy for some golfers - older golfers, golfers with back pain. You screw a powerful magnet into the butt end of the grip of one of your clubs - putter, I'll guess - and then you can pick up other clubs on the ground. How many clubs do you leave laying on the ground during a round of golf? Enough to pay $24.99 for the MagneCaddy? As I said, I can see it being useful for some golfers - but is it more useful than other grip-end attachments you can buy tha...

Loudmouth Golf Apparel burst on the scene back around 2004, 2005, with its wild, wacky, eye-hurting, vision-blurring golf apparel. Golfers had spent decades trying to overcome the lingering stigma caused by those horrible 1970s golf fashions, and here was a company making clothes even uglier than those 1970s duds. That was the joke, of course. And a funny thing happened: Loudmouth caught on and grew, eventually signed John Daly and other tour pros, started showing up on the pro tours, and became kinda cool. And you know what happens when something because cool: Others start copying it. Royal & Awesome is the name of another apparel company that is turning out wild, wacky, crazy golf clothes. Here are a few pieces: See royalandawesome.com for more. Royal & Awesome makes men's and women's bottoms, plus flat caps and belts.

What's the answer to the riddle posed in the headline? This: When we're talking about the John Daly drink! Get it? A John Daly cocktail combines tea and lemonade with vodka. Arizona Iced Teas markets the Arnold Palmer drink (iced tea/lemonade blend) and also markets Jack Nicklaus Lemonades. And Fuzzy Zoeller has his own vodka label, Fuzzy Vodka. So: Arnold + Jack + Fuzzy = John Daly! Hmm, what's that, you say? If the Arnold Palmer already combines tea and lemonade, then won't adding Jack Nicklaus lemonades throw off the recipe? Um ... shut up! Math was never my strong suit. Anyway: Yes, John Daly (the golfer) is now marketing John Dalys (the drink). Long John put together a company that is making Original John Daly Cocktails, which are bottled vodka cocktails (30 proof). There are three of them to start with, each combining lemonade and vodka with, respectively, raspberry tea, peach tea or sweet tea. Daly's been talking about John Daly cocktails on Twi...

So, class, what do we think of Madcapz? I like 'em. They are "colorful caps with style and personality," their maker says, and who am I to argue? It's easier and easier to find silly, crazy, wacky, offbeat, wild colors and patterns - if that's your thing - in tops, bottoms, socks, even shoes. But not so much in golf caps. Unless the cap is sporting some kind of allegedly funny or daring graphic or slogan - in which case, the "funny" or "daring" is often just dumb or offensive. Madcapz are made for women. See more at madcapz.net .