We golfers tend to be sentimental. Playing the game for years inevitably lets us build up a cache of artifacts that are of little to no value to anyone but us. But those things we value tend to make us a little emotional.
When visiting with my parents recently, I encountered a couple of golf bags in a closet, with clubs I used in high school. I spotted the distinctive early-2000s Callaway fairway wood headcover - fuzzy and deep, deep blue - on my old Steelhead 5 wood.
I loved that club. Even when brand-new, the grey steel material looked like it had already hit countless solid shots over many years. The simple, small silhouette at address with just the Callaway chevron always framed the golf ball beautifully.
As soon as I glimpsed it, I was taken back to a specific shot in a junior tournament. I'd missed my tee shot to the left on a sharp dogleg-left par 5 and pulled that 5 wood out to hit a banana-slice layup well beyond the spot where I could have (and probably should have) punched out to. Like all great immersive memories, it made me feel like the carefree kid who hit that wild shot for a moment.
Golf stuff is more than just inert objects; it helps tell the story of our journey in the game. Maybe one of the items we cover this month will eventually help you make some great golf memories as well. - Tim Gavrich
Parente Golf – the DRAC putter
I've been watching vampire movies since I was little, from the campy "Blackula" in the 1970s to the really bad "Twilight" series in the early 2000s and the latest comedic release, "Renfield." I've found my favorite Dracula where I least expected it: the golf course. The new DRAC putter from Parente Golf is unlike any mallet putter I've ever tried. It's almost as if putts glide off the face like they've been nudged forward by a kiss. The feel is undeniable. As soon as I started testing it, I made a bunch of putts inside 15 feet. Its soft touch has made hitting quality lag putts tougher to get the speed right, but that's an issue with any new putter.
This fang-shaped mallet putter was created by the California-based Sacks Parente Golf Company. SPG’s cutting-edge patented ultra-low balance point (ULBP) technology has added the substantial tungsten weighting of 100 grams on the heel and toe, and moving more weight forward to create a higher MOI. Moving this weight forward reduces spin, which allows for a more pure roll. The one single alignment dot is simple, like a single puncture from a vampire bite. Like every golfer, I hope this putter sucks strokes from my scorecard more often. It's scary good. “We wanted to come up with an expression reminiscent of the fang-type putters, and I think by way of craftsmanship, we nailed the look without compromising performance,” said Steve Sacks, Co-founder of SPG. Cost: $399.99. - Jason Scott Deegan
