Golf Blog

Archive for July, 2008

Padraig Harrington successfully defended his Open Championship title with a four-shot victory over Ian Poulter at Royal Birkdale, becoming the first European to successfully defend The Open since James Braid in 1906.

Harrington, who beat Sergio Garcia in a play-off to win at Carnoustie last year, was a major doubt in the days leading up to the event after injuring his wrist winning the Irish PGA. It seems that history has repeated itself as Harrington missed out on practice time leading up to The Open at Royal Birkdale and at Carnoustie last year. The victory all but assures Harrington of a place in Nick Faldo’s European Ryder Cup team for the defence of their title in September.

Choi, who was tied with Harrington on four over after three rounds, fell back with a 79 to end 13 over. England’s Simon Wakefield, third overnight, partnered Choi in the penultimate group on Sunday but plummeted with a disastrous back nine of 43, including a triple-bogey eight at the 17th to end 14 over. South Africa’s two-time Open champion Ernie Els ended in a tie for seventh on 12 over despite a first-round 80 after carding a closing 69. England’s Paul Casey also finished tied seventh after a 70, as did countryman David Howell who climbed back up the leaderboard with a 67.

Another nice story from The Open was that of the English amateur, Chris Wood, who finished tied for 7^th. He birdied the par-five 17th hole and parred the last at Hillside to secure his place at Birkdale through LFQ with rounds of 71-72 and was the winner of the Welsh Stroke Play Championship at Conwy in 2008, he moved to seventh spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking to become England’s leading player.

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Golfbuyitonline has one of the largest selections of golf gloves all at reduced prices so you don’t have to spend a fortune on essential golfing items.  We have golf gloves from Footjoy, Ping, TaylorMade, Nike and Callaway to name but a few and the Golfbuyitonline site is set out so you can easily find what you are looking for, whether it be men’s golf gloves, ladies golf gloves or junior golf gloves.

Some of the gloves Footjoy have to offer are the Footjoy Mens Weathersof GTX Gloves which provide the next level of advance grip and flexibility in golf glove technology and the Footjoy Ladies ShockStopper Gloves which give maximum Impact Protection for Grip Confidence.  If you already have Callaway golf clubs and equipment then why not check out our fantastic Callaway glove range?  The Callaway Golf Tech Series Gloves provide for exceptional grip and feel and the Callaway Golf Gems Ladies Gloves are made from premium leather for durability and performance with a Lycra back for stretch and breathability.

Whilst we stock a huge range of items to suit your needs, we can also help you make a decision by informative descriptions and comprehensive articles and as Golfbuyitonline is owned and run by PGA professionals we can help you find the golf equipment that you are looking for.

The much-loved British golf shoe brand, Stylo, has made a welcome return to golf shops across the country. According to the new Stylo owner, Mark Wilkinson, the brand has been treading water in recent years and needed major reinvestment. He acquired exclusive rights to Stylo last year and took charge of a major redesign and subsequent launch of one of the most recognisable brands in British golf industry history.

“Stylo is one of the most recognised British golf brands among consumers and has a rich heritage that includes associations with some of the biggest names in international professional golf,” said Wilkinson. “But we are now reinvigorating Stylo designs with bolder styles and brighter colours that appeal to more golfers, while retaining the core values of the brand that appeal to the more traditional customer.” Wilkinson added: “These are exciting times – the future for Stylo is looking good.”

Golfbuyitonline have a huge range of low price, high quality Stylo golf shoes. Stylo Typhoon Golf Shoes are innovatively styled and feature the same ISO-Thermal waterproof Membrane as all Stylo golf shoes. The Mirage Shoes are a modern yet stylish golf shoe. They look the part and because thanks to the waterproof membrane, Foam heel insole and cushion lining they offer excellent performance.

With a handful of shoe brands in this increasingly tough market, price becomes a major factor. And, while that may seem like a problem to the shoe companies operating in the UK market, it spells out good news for the ordinary punter, who, subsequently benefits from the reduction of prices across the board.

Odyssey holds the title of the Number One putter in golf, and with its range of putters appealing and benefiting all playing types, it’s easy to see why. You’ll find an extensive range of Odyssey putters at remarkable prices at Golfbuyitonline. The Odyssey putter range includes White Hot XG putters, Black Series putters, Marxman putters, Devine Line putters and many more.

The White Hot XG is the next generation of White Hot Technology. This is inspired by technology used in the multi layer golf ball; the White Hot XG is Odyssey’s latest putter that uses an insert made up of multi-layers which results in excellent performance on the putting green. Putt with confidence from all ranges with the new Black Series from Odyssey. The Black Series Odyssey Putter includes a small mallet and two heel-and-toe models. Each features a heavy rear tungsten flange that improves clubhead stability and moves the centre of gravity back to generate a better roll. Lofts in each model are fine-tuned in line with the head’s weight distribution to ensure the ball launches at the optimum angle. The White Hot XG Marxman is the latest addition to the Odyssey Golf line-up and has the softest, most responsive insert ever in an Odyssey design. Models come in blade or mallet styles with a very high moment of inertia. The Devine Line was created exclusively for women who want to dominate the game on the green. While the Devine Line was inspired by Odyssey’s most popular models, each feature was developed with the female putting stroke and playing style in mind.

Odyssey stands for the future with all new putters featuring cutting edge technology, the brand’s popularity around the world is also backed up with lots of tour usage. Golfbuyitonline only supplies the best golf equipment on the market, and these are some of the best putters you’ll find at some of the lowest prices around!

So, it’s finally upon us. The 2008 Open begins tomorrow and promises to be just as interesting and exciting without Tiger Woods. Last year’s winner Padraig Harrington is off to a very similar start to the 2007 Open as he is suffering from an injury on his wrist which means he is missing out on practice time just like last year. Can lightning strike the same place twice?

There seems to be a healthy mixed opinion of who might win this year’s tournament at Royal Birkdale. There is a lot of press surrounding both Lee Westwood and last year’s runner-up Sergio Garcia. Westwood finished 3rd at this year’s US Open at Torrey Pines which was his highest finish so far of any of the 4 majors. Sergio Garcia has not won a major either, but did finish runner-up at the 2007 Open. He finished tied for 18th at this year’s US Open and won this year’s Player’s Championship after a playoff against Paul Goydos. Both golfers will be working hard to make this year’s Open Championship their first major win.

Lee Westwood’s golf bag currently contains:

Driver: Ping G10

Irons: Ping i10

Wedges: Ping Tour-W

Woods: Ping G10

Putter: Ping Redwood Answer

Sergio Garcia is currently using:

Driver: TaylorMade Tour Burner TP

Irons: TaylorMade rac MB TP

Wedges: TaylorMade Z TP

Woods: TaylorMade Burner TP and TaylorMade r7 TP

Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport

A lot of golf fans are saying that The Open this year will not be as challenging or rewarding with Tiger Woods not playing. What a load of rubbish. This year’s Open will be just as interesting as any other and for whoever wins, it will most certainly be rewarding, after all it’s not the “Who Can Beat Tiger Woods Tournament”!

The rules on golf clothing are a funny thing. Golf apparel that might be acceptable at one club might be deemed inappropriate at another. It was revealed this week that Frinton Golf Club, founded in 1895 in Essex has changed its dress code after 113 years allowing men to show off their legs if they wish to wear shorts.

The change of the rule has divided its 600 members but the issue was raised because of the increasing number of younger golfers who objected to wearing knee-length socks, not to mention some visiting teams. The rules remain that golfers must wear a collared shirt and tailored trousers and shorts whilst on the course.

Apart from golf, Frinton also seems to like to keep change at bay in other areas of its life – it only got its first fish and chip shop in 1992, its first pub eight years ago, it has banned commerce on the seafront and last year a bookmaker fought and won to bring gambling to the resort.

Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell all but secured his place in Europe’s Ryder Cup team after he clinched a two-shot victory at the Scottish Open. McDowell shot a final round of 68 to finish the tournament on 13 under. The money has lifted the 28-year-old from 10th to sixth in the Ryder Cup standings and only an extraordinary series of results can deny him a place in Nick Faldo’s side in September.

Ernie Els, a two-time winner of the tournament, finished joint ninth, while world number two Phil Mickelson ended the day 11 shots off the pace.

The golf clubs McDowell used to get his victory were:

Driver: Callaway FT-3
Irons: Callaway X-Forged
Woods: Callaway X-Tour
Hybrid: Callaway FT
Wedges: Callaway X-Forged
Putter: Odyssey White Hot XG

Tiger Woods has turned down an invite from US Ryder Cup skipper Paul Azinger to act as a vice-captain for the match against Europe in September. Woods said he would not do it because he is not on the team and insists the event is about the competitors.

Is Tiger throwing his dummy out of his pram?  That sounds like he’s saying if he can’t play and be the star of the show, then he’ll stay at home.  What’s that?  Something about his knee?  Yes, I know but there’s nothing stopping him from being on hand to offer his professional advice to the US team.

For those having Tiger withdrawal symptoms here’s a video of him showing off some “unconventional” golf skills.

Buying a new pair of golf shoes can be a big investment, but it is one worth making. Once you’ve made this investment you will want to keep your golf shoes in their best condition and you can do this by using the various golf shoe accessories available from Golfbuyitonline.

Many courses don’t allow metal spikes as they have a tendency to rip up the greens. Spikes are a critical component of your golf shoe, keeping your feet firmly anchored to the grass so you don’t slip over or lose your balance. Plastic spikes are lighter with a wider surface area which prevents the green from being torn up while still being equally effective in providing traction. Many golfers also find plastic spikes to be more comfortable than steel ones, which may have contributed to their popularity. Golfbuyitonline supply a varied range of Black Widow Softspikes which are the Number One shoe spike in golf.

A great way of taking care of your golf shoes is to use a shoe bag. If you are not currently using a shoe bag for your golf shoes then you may noticed that they get scuffed or knocked about if they are loose in the back of the car. Golfbuyitonline have a great selection of golf shoe bags from the likes of Footjoy, Callaway and Mizuno as well as many others.

If you notice that your golf shoes are looking scuffed and a bit beaten then you’ll be able to find great ways of keeping them looking new at Golfbuyitonline. As Footjoy are the Number One shoe in golf they know what’s best for golf shoes and their Wax Shoe Polish and Shoe Trees are just the thing to keep your golf shoes looking brand new. Footjoy Wax Shoe polish is available in Black, Brown, Neutral and Burgundy so no matter what colour your golf shoes are, there’s a Wax Polish for you. The Shoe Trees are a useful tool as they fit inside the shoes to keep them the same shape as they were when you first tried them on.

Look after your golf shoes and they will look after you. The fantastic range of golf shoe accessories available from Golfbuyitonline will help you keep your golfing footwear in top shape.