The Best of The Best Golf Products – 2003 |
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By: Dr. Barry Lotz
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Over the past year literally truckloads of apparel and golf equipment have been received, tested and reviewed by our staff. Soft good are the bread and butter for retailers as this is where the highest percentage markups are found. And with the advent of new apparel and accessories companies blossoming, the golfers upgrading of their wardrobes can be seen in the styles and selections being made available by these new companies. Companies such as Tehama and Nike have very avant-garde merchandize while companies such as Zero Restriction, Sunderland and Fairway & Greene have made great inroads on the Tours, which in turn have boosted their sales. As regards to equipment, the product life cycles have been shortened to less than six months giving both the consumer many options but also causing confusion as to which product to purchase. In this domain of equipment (drivers, irons, woods, wedges and putters), marketing is playing a more important role for the manufacturer. For the consumer, his best defense is to test drive these products before making a purchase. The most common thread amongst the star performers in each category was their quality, design, and functionality and desired intended usage. We have, after exhaustive testing, concluded that to do each category justice, we would pick the top three products in each category, where possible, and award the title The Best of the Best . Certain categories will reflect just a single product. Others contain two and sometimes three items, as we felt they were of equal stature. For those categories with only a single brand named, it was simply that other products submitted were deemed not up to snuff and therefore were omitted. The first product listed is to be considered the best of show, unless there is a tie in which case all the products named will be bolded. I too often get asked about my favorites therefore for the sake of my sanity and that of my publisher, I concur with the first product shown to be my choice as well in that category. This article is Men Only . The Ladies Only will appear in an upcoming issue.
EQUIPMENT
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Barry Lotz, J.D., Ph.D. is the director of the Professional Golf Teachers Association of America. He is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America, the California Golf Writers Association, and serves both as a Consultant and Mediator to the golf industry. He is also the author of numerous books, including “333 Best Web Sites for Golfers” and his current book, “How to Build Business Relationships Through Golf” is in the Top Ten Golf Business Book’s best seller list. He can be reached at www.pgtaa.com or drlotz@cbsgolf.net |
APPAREL:
ACCESSORIES
On-Line Golf Shopping The Golf Warehouse (www.tgw.com)
TRAINING TEACHING 
The Inside Approach
Irons – Regular TaylorMade RAC Series Callaway X16 Nike Slingshot
I recently was examining swing sequences of some of the greatest players in history. Knowing that some of these players favored a draw as their standard shot while others preferred a fade, I sought to identify swing features within each group that would explain their respective ball-flight tendencies. Something profound emerged that I think will benefit all golfers, especially those cursed with a wicked slice.