Essential Gear for B.C. Golfers

Ecco 2013 Tour Hybrid Golf Shoe
ECCO’s 2013 Tour Hybrid golf shoe is a hybrid of fashion and function.

With news, views, high-tech and hot fashions, we’ve got your golf game covered

Fashionably Functional Nothing spells “class” like fine leather with a wingtip cut. With ECCO’s 2013 Tour Hybrid Golf shoe you can literally move the meeting from the boardroom to the green. The brand’s latest line of golf footwear, however, does not put fashion above function. Thanks to the durability and water-resistance of a hybrid material of plastic and silicone (called TPU), the shoe still offers optimal grip via its 100 “traction bars,” as well as protection from the elements (eccocanada.com).

Absolute Power How do you make a crucial tool such as the TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Driver even more powerful without adding dreaded weight? According to vice-president of Metalwoods R&D, Todd Beach, it was a “tremendous challenge” to increase the club face to 4,100 square millimetres, couple it with a more aerodynamic head shape and still keep the club under 300 grams. In addition, TaylorMade’s Loft-Sleeve technology allows the player to adjust the $350 club’s head 12 different ways to squeeze out that much more from a drive (taylormadegolf.ca).

Wrist App Your smartphone is a golf nuisance no more, now that you can use it to instantly track—and improve—your swing using GolfSense, a 3D motion analyzer that straps onto your glove. Renowned instructor and Michigan Golf Hall of Famer Rick Smith calls it a “revolutionary technology” that “has the ability to empower the average golfer to capture their swing in a meaningful way.” The free app is compatible with iPod, iPad, iPhone and Android platforms (golfsense.me).

Global TV Gets its Golf On Starting this year, Canadian golf fanatics won’t need to rely on U.S. broadcasters for full coverage of their favourite sport. Shaw Communications has signed a five-year deal with the PGA for the rights to show Weir, Bubba, Tiger and the rest competing. Among the scheduled tournaments are, of course, the Masters, as well as the Players Championship and the FedExCup playoff tournaments (full PGA Tour schedule at globaltv.com/pgatour).

Blissful Thinking Latin America’s second PGA stop is moving up to the big leagues with a new unencumbered date. This leg of the FedExCup competition will be held the week of November 11 to 17 this year. What better way to spend time away from frigid Canada than to tee off with some 130 professional golfers on Mexico’s Mayan Riviera? That is, if you can qualify (ohlclassic.com).