By John Strege

Technology, now or in the future, won't replace the teaching professional, but it can narrow the gap, according to Vijay Nadkarni, founder, president an CEO of Mobiplex, a Silicon Valley concern that has developed a device it calls "a golfer's mobile swing coach."

"I think there's a big gap between what you currently understand about your swing and what a golf pro can tell you about your swing," Nadkarni said. "We think this device gets you a little closer to the middle of that gap."

The device is the SwingTIP, which uses a wireless 3D motion sensor that attaches to the golf shaft and provides swing data instantly via the free app to an iPhone or Android device.

The SwingTIP analyzes 900 samples of data from a single swing, including the impact location on the face (based on its ability to detect the direction of the vibration caused by off-center hits), clubhead speed, swing tempo, the path of the club and the orientation of the clubhead during the swing. From this information, it produces a 3D animation of the swing.

"I think golfers learn when they know what's happing in their swing," Ray Leach, a former PGA Tour player who assisted in the development of the SwingTIP. "Learning can't happen if you don't have a vision of your swing. What I think we're getting at is helping golfers understand the origin of why, why their shots aren't going where they want them to go."

The SwingTIP also comes with 14 video and written swing tips in its instruction library, with additional tips to be added over time.

The device has been tested against popular launch monitors, including FlightScope and TrackMan. "We have found that our swing speed is typically within 2-3 mph of FlightScope or TrackMan," Nadkarni wrote in an email, "and swing path is right in line with what TrackMan or FlightScope measure (ball needs to be placed right on the target line, and the golfer needs to be aiming at the target)."

A video description of the product, including commentary from Craig Stadler, can be viewed here.

The SwingTIP sells for $129.99.

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By John Strege

Peter Millar has enjoyed "a meteoric ascent" in the world of golf fashion, according to Golf Digest fashion director Marty Hackel, an ascent that has culminated in the company being acquired by Richemont, parent of such brands as Alfred Dunhill, Cartier and Montblanc.

Peter Millar, which provided the apparel for the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2010 and the U.S. Presidents Cup team in 2011, has Brandt Snedeker (shown here), Bill Haas and Harris English among its golf clientele.

"[Peter Millar] is one of the key players in better goods," Hackel said. "Chris Knott, the designer, has a great eye and really understands how to design and make great sportswear."

Hackel said to expect a "a major presence for Peter Millar" at the European Tour's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship next month.

"Partnering with Richemont represents a wonderful opportunity for Peter Millar to continue to build the brand globally under Richemont's stewardship," Peter Millar CEO Scott Mahoney said in a news release.

Incidentally, there is no Peter Millar, at least none that was the basis for the company name. It was taken from a brand of lawn bowling ball in the late 1800s.

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By John Strege

A move is afoot to provide recreational golfers with some of the same tools available to professional golfers in their efforts to improve their games. For instance, those who want to record video of their swing can now do so by themselves, courtesy of the CamCaddy.

Several companies have devloped devices that measure aspects of one's swing. The latest is NewSpin Golf, which has launched SwingSmart (now available through its website, and soon through retailers).

The SwingSmart is a Bluetooth-enabled sensor that attaches to the shaft and, with the use of an app, wirelessly relays swing information to iPad, iPhone or iPod devices (and soon to Android users). Among the information available is swing speed, face angle, angle of attack and a 3-D swing view that shows the route of the clubhead from any angle.

It also has a training mode, "great for people in the winter months so that they can stay sharp," NewSpin CEO Angelo Papadourakis said. "With training mode, you do not have to hit a golf ball to get your data. You just set up in your regular stance and make a swing. Peter Kostis initiated the training mode. It's a great way to teach people the swing motion without having the pressure of hitting a golf ball."

The user can email the information to anyone who has the free app, including their teaching pro. "We want to make sure people maintain their relationships with their local pro," Papadourakis said.

Kostis, a prominent teaching pro and CBS golf analyst, was involved in the entire development process of the SwingSmart, by providing insight into the data that would be most beneficial to the golfer. He, too, provides tips on the app and will be featured in an infomercial expected to begin airing soon on Golf Channel.

The question on any of these type devices is whether they're accurate. How, for instance, can a sensor on the shaft detect whether the clubface is open, square or closed through the impact area? "Our face angle is relative to where you started," Papadourakis said. "That's one reason why we included an aiming triangle that allows you to set up square to the target."

Papadourakis said he has tested the SwingSmart against information provided by TrackMan, Vector Pro and FlightScope launch monitors. "The results are pretty amazing as to how accurate they are," he said. "The plus or minus is probably about the same as there's, three percent."

The cost of the SwingSmart is $249.99.

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By John Strege

There is a point of diminishing return, surely, in wedge lofts for better players, but for those who don't fit that category, there's this: A new conforming 73-degree wedge from Feel Golf.

"I think it helps the recreational golfer more so than a tour player," Feel Golf CEO Lee Miller said. "The nice thing about it, we designed it for the player to take their full swing, which is without a doubt the most repeatable swing anybody has. I have a guy here that's got to be about a 120 handicap. The only club that he can hit three or four times out of 10 is a 73. When he does, he makes it talk."

The object of the 73-degree wedge, Miller said, is to eliminate the need for the recreational player to open the clubface in an attempt to hit the ball higher and have it land softer. Just aim at the pin, he said.

Phil Mickelson uses a 64-degree wedge, the highest loft in play on the PGA Tour.

Feel Golf previously had introduced a 73-degree wedge, but as part of its wedge offerings with non-conforming grooves. This new one, in a satin finish, has been deemed conforming by the USGA.

What is the market for 73-degree wedges? "I did an interview on PGA Tour XM," Miller said. "I have never ever, ever, seen such a deluge of 73 wedge orders. Since Friday morning, I bet we've sold 200 of them."

The obvious question, of course, is that should you elect to open the face up, would you hit yourself in the forehead with the ball? Miller laughed. "That's the same thing they said about the 60, the same thing they said about the 64," he said.

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By John Strege

There is something to be said for simplicity (hence the adage often employed in golf: KISS, for Keep It Simple Stupid).

SkyCaddie already has the comprehensive covered, with its SGX rangefinder. Now it has introduced the Breeze, the name said to reflect its ease of use -- a breeze.

The Breeze comes pre-loaded with courses and automatically identifies the course at which the golfer is playing, then automatically provides distances to the front, center and back of greens, none of it requiring even the push of a single button. Pretty simple.

The company calls it "a virtual sprinkler head."

The Breeze also has a scorecard for digital scorekeeper and can also measure exact shot distances.

It has a suggested retail price of $229.95, but can be upgraded to include some of the features that are included on the SGX, HoleVue among them. HoleVue provides distances to any point on a hole, permitting the golfer to know, say, how far it is to a hazard.

Consumers can reduce the cost of the Breeze through the SkyGolf Trade-in program, by trading in a used SkyCaddie or laser rangefinder, or even old golf clubs, for a discount.

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By John Strege

The movement away from traditional golf shoes (those featuring spikes) to hybrid golf shoes that can be worn on or off the course has a new entrant, GoBe Golf.

"We have a two-fold plan," Joe Allen, president of GoBe Golf said. "An athletic-looking shoe ...and a lifestyle shoe for on and off the course."

Allen, a former club pro and sales manager for Ecco, said that the sole will help differentiate GoBe with its five-point stars and traction stripes. "We were looking for a little more traction and more lateral traction," he said. The company also is offering a two-year warranty on the outsole. "You are not going to wear that bottom out," Allen said.

GoBe is offereing three styles in its men's collection (with a suggested retail price of $159) and two styles in its women's collection ($139). GoBe Golf shoes will be sold only through green-grass facilities (high-end resorts and pro shops) and at its website.

As for the name, GoBe, "it means nothing," Allen said. "To me, to have a name that really meant nothing, that was fun. My partner and I, when we started the company, it was to have fun. Sell a lot of shoes in the morning and go play golf in the afternoon. I'm proud of what we've done. We've made a real nice shoe."

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By John Strege

Ryder Cup players from both the U.S. and European teams will have new shafts in their irons, provided their shafts of choice are True Temper's Dynamic Gold or Project X.

True Temper Sports is introducing limited-edition Dynamic Gold and Project X shafts featuring Team USA and Team Europe logos. Players who use Dynamic Gold or Project X will have their shafts replaced with the limited-edition shafts.

"We want to celebrate our overwhelming presence at this event, and felt it was very fitting to specifically pay tribute to these two extremely talented and competitive teams with shafts that commemorate the Ryder Cup and the classic rivalry," True Temper Sports CEO and president Scott Hennessy said in a news release.

The shafts will be available to the public at Golfsmith, Hireko Golf, the GolfWorks, Swing Science and Performance Fitting Center dealers, the company said, with a portion of the proceeds earmarked for Birdies for the Brave, a PGA Tour charity supporting miliary personnel and their families.

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