Jun 28, 2014

PGA TOUR member Brad Fritsch to be FORCES & FAMILIES OPEN First Professional Golf Ambassador

Great news from the upcoming FORCES & FAMILIES OPEN. They introduced PGA TOUR member Brad Fritsch as its first Professional Ambassador of Golf. Great stuff from a local golfer who keeps on giving back in the Ottawa area.


PGA TOUR member Brad Fritsch to be
 FORCES & FAMILIES OPEN
First Professional Golf Ambassador 

(Ottawa, Ontario) – John Randolph, Tournament Director is pleased to announce that Ottawa native and second-year PGA TOUR member Brad Fritsch will be supporting the FORCES & FAMILIES OPEN as its first Professional Ambassador of Golf.

Brad, 36, continues to have roots in Ottawa – even being sponsored by the Ottawa Senators – and is excited to be returning to his hometown to help support such an important event.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to help PGA TOUR Canada make a return to the city of Ottawa forForces and Families Open,” said Fritsch. “It's extra special to have the military involved, as my father flew in C-130s for the Canadian military for many years. I hope that the city's golf fans come out and watch exciting young players who will no doubt be making waves on the Web.com Tour and PGA TOUR in the years to come.”

The FORCES & FAMILIES tournament week begins Monday August 4th with the Monday Qualifier at Camelot Golf Club, and three Pro-am tournaments at Hylands Golf Course on Monday and Tuesday with a gala meet and greet on the Monday evening led by General Thomas Lawson, the Chief of the Defence Staff in the Lockheed Martin Pavilion at Hylands.

On August 6th, Brad will be putting on a golf clinic for Canadian Armed Forces members, as well as a Q&A clinic for members of Ottawa’s business community at the Web.Com Small Business Summit presented by RBC Royal Bank.

This clinic will precede the official opening ceremonies at 2:00 at Hylands GC.

John Randolph:

“Having Brad Fritsch participate as our first Professional Ambassador of Golf will give us a huge boost for the first year of this annual tournament. His participation will be a thrill to members of the CAF, to members of the business community as well as the young golfers in Ottawa”.

All proceeds from the FORCES & FAMILIES OPEN will go to the CAF’s own Military Families Fund, supporting the brave men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces and their families.

ProAm, Ticket and Volunteer information can be found at www.forcesandfamilies.ca

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

John Randolph
Tournament Director, FORCES & FAMILIES OPEN

Jun 26, 2014

A Hidden Gem in the Heart of Toronto: Lambton Golf & Country Club Golf Course Review

Had the pleasure of playing Lambton Golf & Country Club back in May and I can see why Score Golf had it ranked in the top 100(2012) of all golf courses in Canada (94th). My father-in-law tagged along and had been a caddy for a summer back about 50 years ago so for him to play the course years later was a treat beyond words for him.

Having never played the course before I can only deduce the redesign work by Rees Jones and Keith Evans in 2010 has enhanced this beautiful 1902 golf course. Here's a few highlights with pictures.

Number starts out tame with a straightaway par 4 with a fair size landing area and a large bunker on the right that will swallow many a golfers ball.

Contouring on #2 is perfect for this downhill par 4
View from #3 is great considering your in the city of Toronto. Love the use of bunkers and the culvert situated before the green.
The holes that lie along the Humber River including the par 5 7th are flat but the use of bunkers and culverts make for a challenging back 9.

Plaque on #9 reads to the History of the golf course. Picture below is #9 a tricky narrow par 4.



One of my favorite par 5s on the course the uphill #15
My favorite, the beautifully contoured uphill #16

The par 3 #17 a stout par 3 that would be even more beautiful in the Fall
My father-in-law and I  on #18. I could definitely image the golfers getting off the train to play the prestigious Lambton Golf & Country Club. A must play for sure!

Cherry blossoms lined the entrance to Lambton in the Spring


Jun 17, 2014

PowerBilt Air Force One DFX Tour Driver Review:

It's hard to believe it's almost the middle of June. The golf season was a little late in arriving in the Ottawa area but the weather has been great and the review testing has been fun and furious. I started off the season with only one new club to test out,  and that was the new PowerBilt Air Force One DFX Tour Driver. PowerBilt has been around awhile first getting it's start way back in 1916 making persimmon drivers. Now they're better know for being the #1 choice for junior golfers.

 Deep face cannon

It's always fun testing out a new driver and I usually start by getting acquainted on the range for a few days. The PowerBilt Air Force One DFX Tour Driver was a little different. I had set up 3 rounds of golf in early May in Toronto with my father-in-law and brother-in-law. So I hit the range at Lambton Golf and Country Club the first stop on my golf weekend only thinking about hitting a few balls with the PowerBilt and going with my regular driver (TaylorMade R1). Well that all changed after taking the headcover off the deep faced Air Force One DFX Tour Driver and hitting a few balls.

Four things happened:
  • Ball came off the club head hot with a solid feel
  • Ball flight mid to high with a boring trajectory
  • Limited distance range balls were even going long and straight
  • PowerBilt Air Force One DFX Tour Driver has been in my bag since (just recently started to hit my R1 again)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The AFO DFX Tour driver from PowerBilt really surprised me out of the gate, I definitely wasn't expecting to put into my bag right away and most definitely expected a few range sessions first.
I tested out the 10.5° model with stiff Aldila RIP Alpha 60 g shaft – this proved to be an effective combo for my swing right from the get go as I had used this shaft previously in a few drivers.

The AFO DFX features a forged titanium body with titanium cup face technology, as well as aerodynamic 460cc clubhead shaping. I definitely loved the more traditional-sized head offered by the Powerbilt Air Force One DFX Tour Driver. Set beautifully up at address and framed the ball perfectly. 

The PowerBilt Air Force One DFX Driver is available in both the high MOI and Tour Series, in lofts of 8.5°, 9.5°, 10.5° and 12.5°. Standard shaft length is 45 ½”. The club is offered in several leading shaft models, like Aldila/Fujikura/Oban/Mitsubishi/Graphite Design. So finding the right shaft for your swing and achieving the optimum launch angle and spin rate for their personal swing.



So what's up with this nitrogen thing?
The PowerBilt Air Force One DFX Tour Driver is one unique driver and the first driver I've hit that includes nitrogen (Nitrgen N7) within the driver.

PowerBilt says Nitrogen Charging is a newly patented method to reinforce the face of the club without adding any weight. “Compressed nitrogen provides tremendous support to the club face so every golfer can benefit from maximum C.O.R., maximum C.T., maximum Trampoline Effect, and Maximum Smash Factor for incredible distance!” says PowerBilt.



After gaming the driver for the past month and a half I have to admit that's one of the things I loved about the driver when you hit it well or on the sweet spot (which is huge) you get that instance feedback. That pretty much starts out with a nice sharp sound and then with quite some substantial drives. I've always been one who has mainly hit a draw but with the PowerBilt I was fading the ball at will with little to no draw. Straighter drives got more distance but with this new found fade the left of the fairway was non-existent.

“We reduced the nitrogen pressure (from a previous model) to 80 pounds, for better impact feel,” said PowerBilt President Ross Kvinge. “This new amount of nitrogen generates a tremendous trampoline effect for increased ball speed. In fact, now the trampoline effect is up to the USGA maximum limit. Shot dispersion is also the tightest ever in our drivers. And by adding 6 grams low and forward in the clubhead, we moved the CG lower and more forward than in any other Air Force One driver. We did this to appease our clubfitters who requested a better smash factor. I can confidently say that this is the most solid driver we have ever produced.”
Solid Driver that can stand up to OEMs
The PowerBilt Air Force One DFX Tour driver is one solid driver and can stand up with the big OEM golf companies. I'd only really heard of junior clubs made by PowerBilt but I think they really have a solid driver in the PowerBilt Air Force One DFX Tour Driver.  With a price tag of $299.99 US, this driver performed performed beautifully over the last month and a half and it just may stay in my bag permanently. I would recommend to PowerBilt to add customization of grip to their options as I wasn't in love with the stock grip as well I'd make some improvements to the headcover with so many companies going with retro or unique headcovers Powerbilt's just seemed cheap.



To find out more about PowerBilt and its 2014 offerings, visit www.powerbilt.com.

Jun 10, 2014

Socks With A Purpose - Mitscoots Socks Review Not Only For Golf

I love reviewing golf related products, it's one of the great perks of having a golf blog. I also love when the company that's providing the products is hip and happening. After testing out some Mitscoots Performance Socks I can honestly say both the socks and the company rock.

For it's founders working as volunteers, they realized that homeless people in the Austin Texas area really cherished having clean socks. So they gave out their "Made in the USA" socks. They wanted to do more and employ some of these homeless people. So they did that to. I love what Mitscoots has done they've taken a great idea and gone an extra mile. Watch the video below for more insight into this brand.

Get+Give+ Employ



I tested out a couple pair of Performance socks. On the golf course and with my various jobs both at the golf course, delivering the mail or working at the LCBO they performed great. My kids got to test out some kids socks as well. They were quite excited to say the least.

  • We all agreed we love the look of the sock, color scheme is great.
  • We dig the comfort, my kids wanted to order more right away. It's become my sons go to sock for various activities.
  • They keep our feet dry, moisture wicking is great!
  • The padded heal and toe is a nice comfort touch
  • Great sock for an active lifestyle

The Margaret
$30.99 for a 3-Pack


The Steve
 $30.99 for a 3-pack

The Riley (Kids)
 $22.99 for a 3 pack



We love the fact Mitcoots sells 100% comfortable American socks for an active lifestyle. For every pair you purchase, they give away another pair to someone in need. Plus they take pride in employing the less fortunate. All pluses in my opinion.

Follow them on Twitter and Instagram. Right now they have a great Father's Day Sale going on.


U.S. Open Preview


Justin Rose, 2013 US Open winner

The PGA Tour heads to Pinehurst in just a matter of days, as the elite golfers compete in what is considered to be one of the four most prestigious annual golfing events, also known as one of the ‘majors’, the US Open.

Justin Rose will be looking to secure back-to-back wins in North Carolina, after he won last year’s competition at the Merion Golf Club, Pennsylvania by an impressive two strokes. This selection appears to be quite the gamble though, as the last golfer to win back-to-back US Open tournaments was Curtis Strange in both 1988 and 1989. The fact lighting rarely strikes twice is already reflected in his pre-tournament price of 25/1 with Bet365 and despite his consistently strong performances, it appears Rose is far from a favourite to win the Open this time around.

By contrast, Rory McIlroy, who has had a whole host of golfing inconsistency problems to deal with over the past few months, is considered the clear favourite to achieve victory at Pinehurst, at a price of just 10/1 with Bet365. While he is closely followed by Adam Scott and Bubba Watson at 12/1 and 18/1 respectively, he is largely expected to build on his BMW PGA Championship win last month on the European Tour.

Graham DeLaet will be the only golfer originating from Canada when the tournament gets underway in two days and while he is far from considered a favourite, the 32 year-old is currently 21st in the FedEx cup ranks and is also remarkably ranked as the 32nd best golfer in the official world rankings. These statistics indicate he could be capable of something special this time around and after a recent tied-seventh at the HP Byron Nelson Championship last month, it appears he may have the form to surprise a few people.

Other golfers to watch out for are Matt Kuchar and the aforementioned Adam Scott. Kuchar is riding high on the PGA tour right now with one win, one runner-up and nine top-ten finishes to his name thus far in 2014. The man from Florida has now impressively climbed to fifth in the world rankings, whilst also staking his place for the FedEx cup, ranking third going into the US Open and will surely look to put another consistent performance in. One problem that we may see arise for Kuchar in Pinehurst is his green management. However, should he handle his putter sufficiently, we could be looking at the next US Open winner.

Scott, meanwhile, is sat happily in top spot across the world rankings, which is enough reason in itself to suggest that he can earn victory this time around. He is off the pace in the running for the FedEx cup though as he lies in 14th, but a win here would give him plenty of chance to shoot up into the top ten. The 2013 Masters winner comes into the Open with bags of confidence though and it will be interesting to see if he can put it to good use on the fairways this week.

Jun 9, 2014

Graham Delaet 2014 US Open Puma Apparel Scripting

No pressure right, being the only Canadian in the field at this weeks US Open. Hard to believe PUMA Golf tour athlete, Graham DeLaet, will be the only Canadian representative at the upcoming 2014 US Open Championship at Pinehurst #2. There will be a lot of Canadian golf fans pulling for Graham this week, although he didn't make the cut as the Masters this year. Here's hoping his game is suited for a US Open style course like Pinehurst #2.



 Thursday (June 12th) to Sunday (June 15th) with are usual "Canadian Sunday" theme (of course!). All of the apparel worn by DeLaet is from our Summer/Late Summer 14 line, and can be found at retail locations across the country.



Jun 2, 2014

Devil's Paintbrush Golf Course Review

It's not often you get to play one of Canada's top private golf courses but recently I had the pleasure while in the Toronto area to play Caledon beautiful Devil's Paintbrush. I had wanted to play this course as it had appeared on Golf Week's Best : Canadian Modern Golf Courses at #2. Having played #1, Cabot Links I was intrigued to play this gem of a course as well.

Located North West of Toronto both Devils's Paintbrush and Devils's Pulpit were established back in the 90s by Trivial Pursuit gurus and noted Canadians Chris Haney and Scott Abbott.

Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry were the architects of the Devil’s Paintbrush (named after a wild flower which grows on the course) built two years after Pulpit (1990. Devil's Paintbrush was constructed at a mere fraction of the cost of Pulpit and with minimal earth movement, Devil’s Paintbrush has gone on to become higher ranked over various publications than it's sister course.

Highlights
Having a member play with my buddy and I was perfect. Not knowing the little nuances of the course was greatly helped by having a member play with us. We ended up taking a cart but Paintbrush is made to walk and if I had a chance to play again I'd definitely walk.

The course was in spectacular conditions. Although only being open a little over a week the greens were amazing, fairways immaculate and the various bunkers were mint. Thumbs up to to the Grounds Staff.

Although not a true links style course it's as close as your going to get around the GTA. The fescue hadn't grown in yet but the rough still played havoc with any wayward shots. Playing Paintbrush with fully developed fescue must be amazing.

The bunkers at Paintbrush are quite bold (some pot bunkers, some wooden banked, and others revetted). They are both beautiful and deadly take my advice stay out of them.

The greens at Paintbrush are pretty tough especially the ones that are tiered/contoured (like #7 and #13) You have to be a good putter and no where to miss to make some decent score.

Dislikes
Considered a modern course I just wasn't real keen on any holes that had blind tee shots like the par 2nd where your aiming guide is a white rock from the tee 2. Number 2 is also quirky in the fact it has a large mound situated in front of the green. Not a big fan.

My Favorite Holes 

Par 4 3rd 
Love the drivable 3rd take out your driver and give it a rip.

Par 3 7th 
Beautiful par 3 situated in a bowl with bunkers and a tired green as hazards. Good luck!

Par 4 8th
Love the ruin of an old, abandoned stone walled barn on the fairway of the 8th hole. Hard not to aim for it, fun hole.

Par 5 11th
With Toronto's vista in the background, the only hole I managed to birdie during my round. Love the shared green with #14. A fun par 5.
 Shared green #11 and #14

Par 4 18th
A slightly uphill par 4 love the stone fence on the left side and the hazardous bunkers scattered throughout the hole.

Conclusion
 If you get a chance to play Devil's Paintbrush you won't be disappointed. I can see why it's one of the top ranked golf courses in Canada. Beautiful scenery, conditions and golf holes. Play from the right tee boxes and you'll have an amazing time. Although a few quirky holes Paintbrush is one rugged test of golf. Good Luck!