In some respects 2009 has been a quiet year for OGIO as far as stand bags are concerned.  At the time I received my Anomaly for review, they had (in addition to the Anomaly) released the multi-functional Devolver, and an update Atlas.  Having only moments ago looked in on the OGIO site, I can tell you that my friends in Utah are going completely buck-wild this fall.  New to the cart bag roster are the PPK, Spry, Sultan, new Syncro, new Kingpin, and the sub-$100 Section.  I think my head is about to explode.  Seriously…bear with me here while I try and regain enough focus to tell you about the Anomaly.

Features (Shamelessly lifted from OGIO.com as usual)

• 10″ Uniter ™ 15 club top version 1 ™ 33 with integrated top grab handles
• Individual full length club dividers
• Lightweight exo skeletal frame
• Magnetic OGIO ball marker
• Integrated tee holders
• ZBP – Zipperless Ball Pouch ™
• Lift Grip ™ integrated trunk handle
• Internal Isolation Chamber wet/dry pocket
• Dual flip up pockets for easy on cart access
• Glove/putter cover velcro attachment loop
• Fleece lined valuables pocket with cell phone sleeve
• Easy access divot tool and pen sleeves
• Custom OGIO ergonomic 3-point handle
• Dual insulated hydration pockets Elastic oversized towel loop
• Full length umbrella containment
• Easy access top scorecard and pencil sleeve pockets
• Gripping rubber feet on base to prevent on-cart twisting
• Multiple accessory pockets (all front-facing for accessibility while on cart)

First Impressions

Clearly the designers at OGIO went to great lengths to include as many features as they possibly could into a single bag.  As I pointed out when the Anomaly was first announced, in many ways, this bag represents the culmination of everything OGIO has done thus far with its golf bags.  One can’t help notice the Uniter, which until the latest round of bags was announced, was the OGIO standard for larger cart bags.  The flip-up pockets are borrowed from the original Kingpin, the Exoskeleton design was taken from the Exo stand bag (the first OGIO I ever owned).  Many other standard OGIO features (wet/dry isolation chamber, lift grip, tee holders, fleece-lined pockets, etc.) have been integrated into the Anomaly as well.  Throw in the massive storage of the Atlas, and at first glance, the Anomaly appears to be the most complete cart bag OGIO has ever made.

Of course, almost nothing in this world is perfect, and I’m afraid the Anomaly is no different.  For all of its features, there are a couple of glaring omissions that will most likely disappoint OGIO fans.  The most obvious of these is without a doubt the patented (and I think popular) ball silo.  For whatever reason OGIO chose to leave the handy little external 3-ball storage device off the Anomaly.  I was also concerned about what appeared to be undersized hydration pockets (only 1 of them is actually insulated).   While both of those omissions are somewhat disappointing, in this not-so-humble reviewers opinion, the most glaring omission from the Anomaly is some sort of…heck…any sort of external clip, hook, loop, etc, for attaching things like brushes, cleansers, tags, GPS/Rangefinders, or anything else you might like to dangle conveniently from your bag.  I carry a fair amount of external…for lack of a better word, I’ll call it crap.  I carry a lot of crap on my bag (one could almost mistake it for a clumsy charm bracelet), and the OGIO Anomaly leaves me with no means whatsoever to secure it to my bag.  I’m totally bummed about this.

The right-side flip up pocket features a separate cell phone pouch. It's a cool idea, although I don't personally get much use out of it. I use my phone to keep score.

You’d also be hard-pressed to miss the exoskeletal plastic that surrounds the Anomaly.  To say it looks odd is a bit of an understatement, but it’s a small price to pay for the reduction in weight, and increase in storage capacity that results from it.  The integrated tee holder, and matching silver tees have a bolt-like appearance which gives the bag a sort of Shrek meets Frankenstein’s monster appearance.  It’s certainly not my intention to suggest the Anomaly is ugly…it’s not, but it looks like no other golf bag I’ve ever owned.  Let’s just say it’s appropriately named.

Storage

I’m not overstating it when I say that the Anomaly offers more storage space than any bag I’ve carried to date.  As I mentioned above, I carry a lot of crap.  And even allowing for the fact that OGIO neglected to give me anything to clip my crap to (which means I have to stuff it all into the bag), I haven’t come close to pushing the Anomaly to capacity.

I can live without the ball Silo as long as I have the Zipperless Ball Pouch which stays tightly shut, but can be opened with a gentle tug of a finger (my actual finger shown)

Large Side Pockets

The largest of pockets is found on the right side of the bag.  This primary storage area also features the internal isolation (wet/dry) pocket which can be used to keep wet and smelly things (like dirty socks, and rain soaked shirts) from things you’d just as soon not have stinking like a Fenway Park bathroom after the 8th inning.

The pocket within a pocket isolation chamber helps keep unpleasant things like wet socks away from the rest of the stuff in your bag.

As with other bags I’ve reviewed, the large pocket on the left side has been more or less designated by OGIO as the Hoode (clamshell rain hood) storage pocket.  In past iterations this was somewhat problematic insomuch as the Hoode top would fill almost the entire space.  In the Anomaly, however, the pocket has been cleverly designed such that the Hoode sits relatively flush against the structure that holds the club.  It’s essentially recessed, which means there’s room in the pocket for additional stuff.

In addition to the Hoode, I’m able to hold my rain gear, which includes an elaborate (and somewhat unwieldy) Mibrella Load-N-Go holder, gloves, and jacket (have I mentioned all the crap I carry?) without adding any external bulk or interfering with the bag next to mine on the cart.

The largest pocket on the left side of the bag is designed to carry the OGIO Hoode rain top. The slightly modified design of this pocket allows for Hoode storage, and plenty more.

Hydration Pockets

As first glance I was convinced that the hydration pockets were undersized, and dare I say, inadequate.  I was all set to write of the Anomaly (at least from a beverage capacity standpoint) until I actually got around to putting things like water bottles and beer cans into those hydration pockets.  Though they look small, the pockets are able to expand into the bag (a nice benefit of the exoskeleton design), which basically means that both pockets are bigger than they look.  I’m able to fit either a 32oz. water bottle, or two beer cans (depends on the kind of day I’m having) into either (or both pockets).

Though at first glance it seems small, the one actual hydration pocket on the Anomaly can easily hold this 32 ounce (1000 militer, Canadian) water bottle.

While both pockets are labeled hydration, only one of them is actually insulated, which means whatever you stuff into it, isn’t going to stay cold (or hot) for very long. OGIO’s description of the bag would seem to suggest that both pockets are insulated, but that simply isn’t the reality – and it’s disappointing.

Flip Up Pockets

Perhaps no feature of the Anomaly garners more attention that the two flip-up, magnetic, side pockets which are designed to sit over the top of the cart strap.  This design allows full access to the contents of the pockets, even when the bag is secured to the cart.  Of course, the design is only really cool if it actually works – and that’s the rub.  Whether or not the pockets behave 100% as advertised is a simple matter of positioning.  Depending on which side of the cart your Anomaly is attached to, one or the other of the flip-up pockets will work perfectly, the other…um…well…it kind of works…sorta.

Hidden underneath the left flip-up pocket is a handy little scorecard pocket and pencil sleeve.

I’ve had my Anomaly on a few different models of golf cart, and in every case, the results are the same.  The outside pocket’s ability to flip back down into place (after the strap has been run underneath it) is inhibited by the cart’s bag strap.  What happens is the pocket doesn’t sit completely flush with the bag (it flops loosely over the strap).  It’s still completely accessible (which means it’s a great place to store phones, keys, wallets, and snacks), it just doesn’t look as cool as the inside pocket which, without the restriction of the mechanism to secure the cart strap, sits flush on the bag as if the strap wasn’t even there.

On the carts that I've buckled the Anomaly to, the cart's strap fastener prevents the flip up pockets from sitting flush against the bag.

Small Accessory Pockets

The Anomaly also features 1 small, and 1 smaller still, accessory pockets located above the Zipperless Ball Pouch.  The Atlas has a similar pocket, which despite its diminutive size, was probably the most useful pocket on the bag.  The same is true of the pockets on the Anomaly.  The larger of the two is big enough to hold a small first aid kit, Callaway uPro GPS, Callaway I-MIX Wrench (I swear I’m not a Callaway guy…hmm…maybe I am.  Anyway…) and a couple, two, three gloves.  The smaller of the two is ideal for smaller items that might otherwise be difficult to locate in a bigger bag.  I generally keep a chapstick (Aveno lip balm actually), a small sharpie to mark my balls, a couple coins (ballmarkers), and divot tool or two.  They’re both easily accessible, and truth be told, I’d give up any other pocket on the bag before I’d give up either of these smaller pockets.  Every golf bag should have similar.

I absolutely love the two small front-facing pockets on the Anomaly. It may sound like a ho-hum feature, but they're absolute my favorite part of the Anomaly design. By the way, the two red circles above the pockets are the divot tool, and pen sleeves.

Other Features

There really isn’t much I can say about the 15-way Uniter top that I didn’t cover when I reviewed that Atlas a couple years back.  It’s functional, and allows for easy access to all of your clubs.  I like having the 15th slot as it allows me to bring a little something extra in the bag.  Some days it’s my TourStriker training club, some days it’s an extra wedge (Jim Furyk style), and some days it’s an extra I-MIX shaft (I’m still trying to figure out if the UST Proforce V2, or Mitsubish Rayon Fubuki is a better fit).  On no day has it ever been a ball retriever, but if that’s how you roll (or fish), well, that’s fine too.

There isn't much to say about the Uniter top that hasn't been said before. I think it's a great design as far as club organization goes. For 2009 the design has been updated with a handle that makes getting the bag in and out of the trunk a little easier.

Other useful features include a velcro patch for sticking your glove to when it’s time to putt, external divot tool and pen sleeves (I prefer the smaller pocket for such things), and the umbrella pocket.  The Hoode Clamshell rain hood is still not perfect, but I’ve never seen it done any better.

The umbrella socket, sleeve, whatever you want to call it, located beneath the towel loop, allows you to bring an umbrella along with you without sacrificing bag space.

The Good

There’s plenty I love about the OGIO Anomaly.  It has every bit the storage space of my beloved Atlas, despite being more than a pound lighter, and having a noticeably smaller footprint.  The exoskeleton design allows for more bag in less space, and that’s really cool…even if it looks a bit strange.  It offers an assortment of OGIO’s best features; including the zipperless ball pouch, flip up pockets, and an insulated hydration chamber.  The two small accessories pockets are indispensable.

A simple little patch of Velcro allows you to store (or air dry) your glove, while keeping it within reach.

The Bad

The Anomaly isn’t without its shortcomings.  Only one of its “hydration” pockets is insulated (the non-insulated one works great for snacks), and it lacks a ball silo.

From my perspective, the lack of any sort of anchored attachment ring has been an ongoing oversight on OGIO’s part, and one I would think is easily correctable.  Alas, not on the Anomaly.  Although it was several rounds before I noticed, them; a few of the zipper pulls do have a hollow design which allows smaller items to be clipped to them.  They’re borderline genius for most of the clip-attaching things that golfers carry, but for larger, heavier gear, however; a stable D-ring would be my preference.

Attaching to the zipper pulls works well for smaller items (brush, BallBrite, etc.), but for larger items, like my rangefinder, they're not ideal.

Esthetically, the Anomaly is…different.  My guess is it won’t appeal to everyone (even if I think it’s really cool).  It’s not exactly the Steve Buscemi of golf bags, but hopefully you get the point.

Finally, with a street price of just under $300, one (me anyway) wonders if perhaps the Anomaly isn’t priced a bit high when compared to other bags in its class.

As a bit of an aside…do you remember that episode of the Simpsons where a car company lets Homer design the perfect automobile?  Homer has free rein, fully creative control; and it turns out to be an unmitigated disaster.  I have this recurring fantasy where I get to design the ultimate golf bag, but it would probably turn out the same way as it did for Homer.  Still, I can’t help but think I’m on to something with this whole accessory clip thing.

Final Thoughts

The Anomaly comes with a magnetic ball marker that attaches to the outside of the Uniter top.

After weighing the pros and cons of all 3 (mostly in an email), I came to the realization that forced to make a choice between the 3, I’d take the Anomaly.  It’s difficult for me to explain why (especially after being so totally frustrated by the lack of an accessory hook, ring, clip, etc.), but I love this bag.  In fact, it’s my favorite among all the golf bags I’ve ever owned.  If anything it leaves me feeling optimistic about the next generation of OGIO bags, because as functional as the Anomaly is, there is plenty of room for improvement, which makes me think OGIO might just be getting closer to making the perfect golf bag.

For our 5th wedding anniversary, I let my husband choose the restaurant.  Given his love for the golf course, it didn’t come as any real surprise he chose Prime at Saratoga National.  For those unfamiliar, the space previously occupied by Sargos reopened its doors in May 2008 under Mazzone Management, which also operates, Angelo’s 677 Prime, the Glen Sanders Mansion, and the Hall of Springs.  Since it’s reopening, Prime has quickly become known as one of the best (and priciest) restaurant in and around Saratoga Springs.  Over the years, my husband and I have frequented numerous steakhouses.  Having lived in Boston for several years, we’ve been spoiled by the likes of The Capital Grille, Abe & Louie’s and Grill 23.  We’ve also been to both Flemming’s and Morton’s, and plan a trip to Peter Luger’s in the near future.  My point is this; we both love a good steak.  And for a good steak in Saratoga, there’s really only one place to go.

Atmosphere

We made our reservation for a Friday night just at the start of the Saratoga track season.  As expected, the restaurant was busy.  Music was playing outside on the patio and there was an energetic vibe.  With lots of dark wood and noise, the atmosphere at Prime is typical of any good steak house.  There is a main dining room, but we were seated in the lounge area near the bar.  On some nights, seating in the lounge might not be ideal, but for us, it worked out extremely well.

The lounge where all the entertainment is – it’s a great place to see the sights.  While we ate, Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings made the rounds.  At first, my husband wasn’t completely sure if that was Mayor Jennings, but when Governor Patterson showed up, the puzzle sort of fell into place.  In a moment right out of Saturday Night Live, Governor Patterson entered the room with two men (who I assume to be bodyguards or some such).  At some point, however, the two men left the governor standing at the bar by himself next to a group of people, including some dude in jeans and black tee shirt who remained totally oblivious to the fact that he was standing next to the Governor of New  York.  For his part, Governor Patterson stood, hands interlocked at his waist, looking a bit lost and confused until one of his guards returned to usher him upstairs (some big Democratic Party event was taking place above the restaurant).  To top off our evening, a gentleman wearing a trilby hat, navy blue sports jacket, and shorts kept walking through the restaurant and out the patio doors.  He must have walked through a half a dozen times during our meal.  What was amusing about the whole episode is that we never saw him reenter the restaurant through the patio doors.  It was one way journey, like he was running laps or something.

The one downfall about being seated in the lounge area was that we were also close to the bar where groups of people congregated, talked, and laughed.  Normally, this isn’t an issue, but while we ate there was one woman at the bar who had a voice that could only be described as nails on a chalkboard, or perhaps an ice pick stabbing your brain through your eyeball.  Not to be overly unkind, but I really wanted her to go away, or at least stop screeching.

Service

We had a team of waiters, along with busboys and runners, all of whom were friendly and attentive.  Our waiter was knowledgeable and guided us through the Prime menu, pointing out feature items.  They checked on us often.  The service was quick (but not rushed) and efficient.  We were left unattended for a spell while waiting for the dessert menu after our dinner plates were cleared.  We waited for about 10-15 minutes before one of our waiters finally stopped by to offer us dessert and coffee.  This was really the only service gap during our visit, and for what it’s worth, it gave us time to do some digesting, and watch the guy in the hat run a couple more laps.

Food

The menu offers a raw bar, a selection of appetizers, and caviar service.  The potential downfall of the menu is that if you are not a seafood eater (like my husband) you’re left with a somewhat limited set of options.  Since Prime is a steakhouse, the menu does feature an extensive choice of, well…beef; including Prime USDA cuts and Kobe beef (at $15 per ounce!).  If you’re not a steak person, the menu includes veal chops, rack of lamb, free range chicken, and pork chops.  If meat isn’t up your alley, then you can choose from a selection of seafood like Ahi tuna, seared diver scallops, or Chilean sea bass.

The specials menu also featured a Seafood Stuffed Lobster (2.5 or 3.5 lbs) .  My head was spinning and I was totally overwhelmed.  I could have ordered almost anything on that menu had would have been more than happy.  I love seafood, and order it almost every chance I get, but since we were in a steakhouse…well, when in Rome…

For starters, we shared the Heirloom Tomato and Burrata salad with Fresh Basil.  Although it’s a very simple stack of tomato, basil, and mozzarella, the flavors are amazing.  The tomatoes were fresh and sweet.  The burrata, described as a purse with your standard mozzarella on the outside and with curds and the equivalent of a cream on the inside, is without a doubt the best (and creamiest) mozzarella I’ve ever had.   The entire stack is topped with a drizzle of vinegar and olive oil.  It’s really quite delicious, and was the first time I contemplated licking my plate.

For our entree, we both ordered the Filet Mignon (cooked rare).   Before I met my husband, I used to eat my meat well done.  Over the years (last 12), he’s slowly pushed me towards shorter cook times.  Now, like my husband, I enjoy a nice steak with a cool red center.  Both of our steaks were thick cut, and cooked to perfection.   Our filets were seasoned just enough to allow the flavor of the meat to shine through.  Cliché as it might be, our steaks were so tender we could have cut them with a fork.  As all steaks at Prime are, our steaks were served with a side of their house steak sauce – not that it need it.  The sauce is flavorful, but definitely sweeter than I expected.

Like most steakhouses, the menu is a la carte, so you have to order the sides separately (it ain’t the Outback).  Prime offers a large selection of potatoes, vegetable, and grains (kinda like the Outback).  We had a hard time deciding between the lobster mac n’ cheese, parmesan and white truffle oil steak fries, and gnocchi with bleu cheese.  We finally decided to share an order of the creamed spinach with crispy shallots and a tasting of 3 mashed potatoes.

Sharing the sides is definitely the way to go.  First of all, the portions are far too big for a normal human to eat by himself.  Secondly, you probably won’t be able to decide on just one dish, so it makes sense to order a few and share them.  The creamed spinach was very good, and I would compare it favorable to the creamed spinach we’ve had at other elite steakhouses.  While there is plenty of fresh spinach flavor, the crispy shallots add a nice contrast to the texture, and crunch to the creamy greens.  The tasting of 3 mashed potatoes were smooth, rich, creamy, and heavenly (that’s because I’m sure they use real cream and butter).  The trio includes generous portions of their Sour Cream and Chives Mashed, Lobster Mashed, and Roasted Garlic Mashed.  The Sour Cream and Chives mashed had a nice tangy flavor topped off with fresh chives.  The Roasted Garlic Mashed featured a nice (but not overpowering) garlic flavor.  The Lobster Mashed had pieces of lobster mixed in, topped off with a lobster claw. My husband enjoyed the lobster mashed, which is surprising since he generally refuses to eat seafood.  I may visit Prime again and dine exclusively on sides.

You would think that we’d be full after all this food but we had our minds set on dessert long before we set foot in the restaurant.  We ordered the Famous Chocolate Gooey, which is a molten chocolate cake baked to order  When we placed our order, we were told that it would take approximately 12 minutes to make.  Since we were in no hurry (and since we decided long ago on this dessert) we were okay with the wait.  The cake was well worth every minute of that wait.  As the name suggests, it is warm, rich, and gooey.  The cake is complimented by vanilla ice cream and raspberries.  As we devoured the cake, my husband wondered, why do they always use vanilla ice cream. Why not chocolate?  I think he makes a great point, why not chocolate?  Once again, I thought about licking my plate, but the sight of our friend in the jacket and shorts brought me back to reality.

Price

Our entire meal for two at Prime cost just over $180 including tax and tip.  The tab included 1 glass of wine, 1 salad, 2 entrees, 2 sides, and 1 dessert.  No doubt Prime offers one of the more expensive dinners in the Saratoga area, but there’s also little doubt that it’s worth every penny (not that we’d eat there every night).  That baked stuffed lobster I didn’t order starts at $60, and don’t forget about the $15 per ounce Kobe beef!  Bring your wallet.

Overall Quality

We couldn’t finish all the food so we had to take home a doggy bag.  The mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, and steak heated up nicely and tasted every bit as good the following day.  Our recent dining experience at Prime ranked as one of the best we’ve had since we moved from Boston.  Unless you’re a lottery winner, or a master at picking the ponies, chances are Prime at Saratoga National isn’t going to be your regular dinner spot, but for special occasions it is well worth it for the atmosphere, service, the food, and of course, the golf course itself (my husband made me add that).

Find out more about Prime at Saratoga National by visiting their website.

Admittedly, I had some very high hopes for Baywood Greens.  Let’s be honest, as golfers, particularly golfers on vacation, we love the idea of a novelty hole or two.  I’m not talking about windmills or clown heads, I’m talking about things like island greens, and in the case of Baywood, island fairways.  Couple that with the moniker “The Augusta of the North” and yeah, I was really excited about the last round of my trip.

Adding to my own personal excitement…As part of my last order from LostGolfBalls.com, I got some Bridgestone B330-RX balls to try out (as usual the balls I received were indistinguishable from new).  For those who don’t get excited about golf balls, the B330-RX is basically the hottest new ball on the market, and it took everything I had to hold off until my last round to put them in play.  Island Greens, island fairways, and new golf balls.  That’s basically as good as it gets for vacation golf.

Once again I was without my camera (I left it in the car and was too lazy to go back for it), so I don’t have any pictures of my own to share (I’ll do better with future reviews).

Course Information

• Baywood Greens (www.baywoodgreens.com)
• Par 72
• Yardage 3539 – 6983 – I played the Black tees (6491), the “men” I was with played the Greens (6088)

Description (From the Website)

An “Exclusively Public” 18-Hole championship course, Baywood Greens offers golfers the most scenic and spectacular golf on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Described as the “Augusta of the North”, at Baywood Greens you will experience the meticulously manicured woodside and waterside nines with eight timbered bridges and 27 acres of man-made ponds, two tunnels and over 200,000 flowers, plants, shrubs and trees.

Initial Impression

It’s absolutely impossible not to notice the attention the staff at Baywood Greens pays to the grounds. Having not stumbled upon that “Augusta of the North” description until after playing the course, I can tell you that I had settled on the idea of Baywood as a poor man’s Augusta. Meticulously maintained planting beds are quite literally everywhere. As we would learn through the course of our round, plantings can be found on nearly (if not) every hole on the course. A solid hour before teeing off, I found myself absolutely taken with the course.

The 18th, visible from the far end of the practice area, provides an excellent preview of the beautiful golf to come.

Practice Facility

Baywood Greens offers guests complimentary access to the driving range and large short game/putting facilities.  As far as the range is concerned, there are an ample number of well-stocked stalls, but I wasn’t overly impressed by the driving range mats (I expect higher-end courses to have natural grass ranges), nor was I impressed by the lower-end, bright yellow range balls.  The range itself is shorter than most, which, if anything, made me feel mighty while warming up, so I guess that’s a bonus.

The short game area features a large green exclusively for pitching and chipping.  Plenty of balls were available, as was the simple little tool for clearing the green.  It’s actually one of the better short game areas I’ve encountered. It provides the opportunity to hit a variety of shots, from a variety of lies; including the a large greenside bunker.

The range and short game area are complimented by two large putting greens.  While the range itself is a bit of a disappointment, the short game and putting areas more than make up for it.

Layout

Like other courses in the Ocean City area, in my opinion anyway, Baywood Greens plays as two different courses.  The front 9 is much more deserving of the “Augusta of the North” (boy, am I getting tired of typing that) designation.  For lack of a better description, it’s much more Augusta-like – at least from what I can tell on TV.  It’s more wooded, perhaps a bit parkland in style.  Compared the more links-like back 9, the front 9 definitely has more of an Augusta feel; although the back is not entirely unworthy of the Augusta comparison.

With that said, I must confess that I got more enjoyment out of the back 9.  The back features the island green (#11), the split island fairway (#14), an absolute bear of a challenging par 5 (#16), and #18; about as fine of a finishing hole as you’re likely to find.  Water is much more prevalent on the back, as evidence by the disappearance of my lostgolfballs, which are now, I guess, re-lostgolfballs.  The B330-RX were great while they lasted.

The island par 3 11th is the kind of hole every golfer looks forward to playing.

The grounds feature numerous environmentally protected areas, which, in a few places anyway, resemble unkept bunkers.  I lost balls in a couple of them, and had to play another just of the edge of one in full view of a basking snake, which is the excuse I use for the poor shot that followed.

Conditions

In a word; immaculate.  I really don’t have the superlatives to describe the conditions at Baywood Greens.  Clearly the staff works extremely hard to keep the course in outstanding shape, and the results of their efforts are on display on each and every hole.  You won’t find many other public courses that offer such superb conditions.

The greens didn’t play overly fast (once again I would attribute this to the early spring season).  That said, like the rest of the course, the greens were in outstanding conditions, and rolled true.  While to say I didn’t putt well would be an understatement, I don’t think it would be fair to blame the greens.  The 3 putts were on me.

Be forewarned, the rough is lush and deep.  As with most courses, you’ll find that Baywood Greens is kinder to the golfer that plays from the fairway.  The smart play from the rough is very often a short iron back to the fairway.  Gambling from the rough is a surefire way to make a big score – as I found out time and time again.

Pace of Play

Unfortunately, the pace of play at Baywood Greens is exactly the opposite of the conditions; deplorable.  Our 18 hole round lasted a hair under 6 hours, which is unacceptable in any scenario, but throw in the fact that we still had a long drive back to upstate New York, and well, it’s downright offensive.

With all the staff out and about on the course, you’d think there would have been a ranger amongst the crowd to encourage the pace.  Unfortunately we didn’t lay eyes on a ranger until well into the back 9, and by then it was way too late.

Perhaps no single event better illustrates the pace of play problem than the 15 minute wait we had to endure while waiting to tee off on the par 3, 6th.  Not only did we have to wait for the group in front of us to tee off, but we also got to watch the group in front of them hit their tee shots as well.  To be two full groups behind by the 6th illustrates a serious problem.  I’m certainly not the first to make this observation, as other reviews I’ve read also make reference to what is clearly a systemic pace of play problem at Baywood.

The long wait killed the par 3 6th for me. Besides, what kind of sadistic clown builds a bunker around a pine tree?

What I found most frustrating (apart from a 6 hour round), is that we sat in one place so long that the electronic scorecard on the golf cart reset itself.  Driving towards the green after our tee shots, we were again asked if we’d like to use the cart to keep score.  Our scores for the first 5 holes had been lost.  As most golfers will attest, long waits between shots can absoultely spoil your golf game, and sadly by time we teed off on 6, any feel for my swing I might have developed was long gone.

The Staff

Despite the absence of a ranger, the staff at Baywood was very good.  The bag attendants who greated us made us feel welcome, and let us know where we could check in and eat breakfast.  The starter who led us to the first tee was also exceptionally friendly and gave us a great overview of the course, and an explanation of local rules, most of which pertained to those environmentally protected areas I mentioned before, as well as instructions for playing (or not playing) out of the mulched planting areas.

Favorite Hole

One of the things I liked most about Baywood Greens is the tremendous variety of truly enjoyable holes.  I’m hard pressed to pick one as my favorite.  I could make a case for the Par 3, 6th (although I didn’t enjoy being stuck behind the large pine growing in the center of the bunker).  The 10th, with it’s downhill approach over a massive horseshoe shaped bunker is not without its charms.

The well-bunkered island green of the 11th is also a lot of fun, and despite being an island, doesn’t play like a novelty hole.  The par 4, 14th, which features a split fairway is probably the single most interesting hole on the course.  Golfers are given the choice between playing right to a large fairway that plays as a dogleg left, or gambling on an island portion of the fairway.  A precisely struck tee shot that finds the island will leave you with a wedge to the green.  Playing to the safety of the right fairway will leave you a mid to long iron into the green.

Gambler that I am, I played to the island (the decision was make easier when one of my partners offered me $400 if I could carry the 260 over the island and into the water).  The prospect of $400 caused me to overswing, resulting in a hook that caught the edge of the wooden bridge leading to the green.  The ricochet left me dropping at the edge of the water.  Without the hook I’d have been $400 richer, instead of one B330-RX poorer.  My partners both played the safe route to the right.  By the time they reached the green I had long since finished my double-bogey.

The par 4, 14th, featuring 2 choices off the tee, is one of the more interesting holes I've ever played.

I also enjoyed the water-heavy 18th.  You must carry water off the tee.  On your second you’ll face water down the entire right side of the hole (which I found), as well as water beyond the bunkers on the back side of the green.  While not my favorite on the course, it’s a finishing hole I’d be happy to play every day.

After much thought, I’ve decided that my favorite hole on the Baywood course is the par 5, 16th.  Once again the tee shot requires a carry over water.  That same water runs the length of the left side of the hole, and is in play on 3 sides of the peninsular green.  The 16th is among the most interesting and challenging holes I’ve ever played.  Because of the contours of the fairway, it’s extremely difficult to see the water that protects the front of the green.  Thank God for the on-cart GPS.

The par 5 16th offers a challenge I'd never tire of.

On the day we played, we were fortunate to have a front right pin position, which took the prospects of an approach over water largely out of play.  After a fairly long tee shots, I decided to take my chances at hitting the green with my 3-wood.  With an advantageous pin position, I elected to try and draw the ball into the green.  I aimed well right on the assumption that a miss right would leave a relatively easy chip onto the green, whereas a miss left would lead to another re-lostgolfball, and another lost stroke.  I didn’t quite catch the ball flush (I haven’t been hitting my 3-wood well all season).  I didn’t get much of the draw I had hoped for and ended up in the rough on the right side of the fairway.  I chipped down and two putted for par.

A par is always nice, but I can’t imagine there’s an easier pin position than the one we faced.  I’d love to play the hole agian, and see how a back left position changes the nature of the hole.

Overall Experience

For the time of year we played Baywood Greens, the published weekday rate for 18 holes was $105.  If not for the pace of play, it would have been worth every penny.  I’m all for getting my money’s worth, but once you cross the 5 hour mark you’re really looking at diminishing returns as the time spent golfing cuts into the other things you need to get done (like drive 6 hours back home).  Diminishing also describes the number of balls in my golf bags.  I definitely lost more than I would have liked, but no doubt I’ll be ordering more Bridgestone B330-RX balls from LostGolfBalls.com.  What a truly amazing ball for the average player.

If Baywood Greens was dropped into the heart of Saratoga, NY, I’d definitely play it again – and pace of play wasn’t an issue, I’d play it again, and again, and again.  As I’ve said, the conditions are stellar, and the layout is fun, interesting, and one hell of a challenge ta’ boot. The layout is definitely an A.  For value…let’s call it a B+.  Baywood definitely offers resort quality golf, unfortunately it took us far too long to get through it.

If you’re in the Ocean City area, I’d definitely add Baywood Greens to the list, but my recommendation is to play it on your way into town.  Get there early, but plan to stay late, as from what I gather, 5+ hour rounds are pretty much the norm at Baywood Greens.

The SUMI-G Headcover opens wide to accept most conventionally shaped clubs.

I keep my headcovers on because I don’t want to risk angering my clubs.  I mean, I have enough trouble hitting the ball straight without having to worry about whether or not my driver is vexed because I couldn’t be bothered to put the cover back on.  It might sound superstitious, but a covered club is a happy club.  At least that’s what I believe.

So if you’re one of those guys who drives around with a bag full of naked clubheads, well, this review isn’t for you.  If you’re like me, at least in the sense that you can appreciate a well designed headcover, by all means, read on.

While I was recovering from an unfortunate run-in with a tick, I received some product samples (I’m come to think of it as a care package) from a company called SUMI-G.  SUMI-G is relatively new to the golf scene, but their collection of high end golf accessories (which debuted at the PGA Merchandise show last January), has already earned the company a devoted following of style-conscious golfers.  In addition to the headcovers, the SUMI-G lineup features a variety of on-course accessories including a divot tool, money clip, club brush, towel, hats, totes, and a couple of really sweet belts (review coming soon).  Today though, I’m focusing on the headcovers.

Before we get into the details, here’s a quick rundown of the SUMI-G headcover features, which, as I so often do, I shamlessly lifted from the company website:

• Unique mechanical closure
• Convenient one-handed operation
• Rigid exoskeleton protects both club and shaft
• Easy to pick up from ground with club
• Fits right-handed clubs only
• Fits 460cc drivers (not all square clubs)

Before SUMI-G, like most golfers, my bag featured a hodgepodge of unattractive, and largely ineffective headcovers.

Here’s a clear case of where a little bit of research could have saved me a ton of trouble.  I spent a good bit of time trying to track down both left-handed, and square clubs to see if the headcover would fit, and all along the info was right on the SUMI-G page.  I swear, sometimes I’m a complete hack off the golf course as well.  Anyway…

SUMI-G sent me one each of their driver, fairway, and hybrid (a bit of a rarity in the aftermarket world) covers.  The three are functionally identical with size being the only distinguishing characteristic between them.  The covers are different from most others in that they don’t rely on foam or stuffing to protect the club.  Instead, they use a rigid, yet ever-so-slightly-plush material to protect the face and sole.  It’s good design because, not only does it effectively protect the clubhead, but it also reduces unnecessary bulk in the bag.  The same mechanical closure that makes the cover so easy to pop on further protects the crown of the club.  The exoskeleton provides additional support and protection while functioning as the mechanism to allow the cover to snap securely to the shaft.  It’s also worth mentioning that the covers themselves look really, really good in my golf bag (no reason I can’t look good, even while playing poorly).

Ahh...that's better.

What I find really cool about the design is that the exoskeleton provides an appendage which extends long enough into your bag to keep the headcover firmly planted in the divider you just pulled your club out of.  It’s a minor thing, but at upwards of $40 for the cover, you won’t have to worry about losing your SUMI-G cover because your playing partner decided to take your cart off-roading.

Perhaps it's a small thing, but I really like the way the SUMI-G headcover sits down in my bag when the club it protects is in use.

Minor Gripes

As SUMI-G plainly states in their feature list, their headcovers won’t fit left-handed clubs.  This isn’t a problem for me since I’m right-handed.  Besides, lefties completely freak me out.  It’s like they’re swinging backwards.  When I see one on the fairway in front of me, I always think he’s hitting at me.  Quite frankly, I don’t think left-handed clubs should even exist.  They also don’t fit square clubs, which I found out for myself while trying to squeeze my SUMI-G cover on to one of those 460cc panini makers Nike is passing off as a driver.  Again, not a problem for me since I don’t play square clubs.  In fact, I don’t think any respectable golfer should either (I’m going to get hate mail…).

The headcover has a pair of fabric covered clips which won't damage the shaft while holding the headcover securely in place.

For me the biggest potential issue is the fact that there is absolutely no identifying mark on the cover.  No tag for 3, or 4, or 5, or even X.  There’s absolutely no way to distinguish one club from another without looking at the club.  I carry two fairway woods.  Some people carry two hybrids. I could definitely see where the lack of a tag or any other sort of identification could cause some annoyance.

One other thing…the SUMI-G headcover is too pretty.  The SUMI-G headcovers are the end product of a complete devotion to craftsmanship, but that causes its own set of issues.  Yeah, as they claim, and as Tony over at HookedOnGolfBlog has illustrated, it’s easy to pick the headcover off the ground with your club, but in my mind, tossing a SUMI-G headcover to the turf is an act of blasphemy.  It’s something no deserving owner would ever consider doing.  I’m not alone in my thinking either.   I showed the covers to my buddy Wee Mike (I call him “Wee Mike” because he’s small…he’s actually not all that small…he’s like 5’8″, but he’s skinny, and something about him projects the illusion that he’s only about 4’9″, but I digress).  Mike took a look, said that he thought they were really nice, and then asked if the headcovers came with covers.  Seriously, headcovers so nice they ought to have a cover of their own…and I’m supposed to toss them on the ground?

Final Thoughts

My feeling is that when you spend $400 on a club…heck, even $200, is should come with a nice headcover.  The problem is, they never do.  In the relatively short time I’ve been playing I’ve owned 4 drivers, 4 fairway woods, and 2 hybrids.  All of them came with headcovers.  None of those covers were worth a damn.  Don’t even get me started about putters (the headcover on my Bettinardi BC-1 popped off.  Mizuno wants $35 to replace it.  The irony is that if the cover weren’t complete crap to begin with, I wouldn’t be in a position of having to buy another nugget of the same).  The covers that have come with my clubs have been a mix of the ugly, the poorly constructed, the too difficult to put on, and the too hard to get off.  Thankfully, SUMI-G headcovers are none of those things.  They look great, and I can all but guarantee they over better protection for your new club than the garbage headcover that came with your new FT-9 (not that I’m singling anyone out – there’s plenty of blame to go around).

SUMI-G Headcovers retail for $38 (driver), $32 (fairway), and $28 (hybrid).  For more information, or to place your order, visit www.sumi-g.com.

Having already established what I know or don’t know about Nick Faldo, let me share with you some of my history with wine.  Back in college I was a regular connoisseur of fine wine, and by that I mean I drank a lot of Gallo out of gallon-sized jugs.  Sometimes I didn’t even use a glass – so you also know I have class.  Because I thought it was important to diversify my interest in wine, I would bring home the occasional box of Franzia (the square box fit easily in my tiny fridge…what do you want from me)?

Over the years I’d like to think my tastes have grown more sophisticated.  I enjoy a nice Merlot with a tender rare steak, or a fruity Riesling with a light chicken dish.  Still, by no means am I a wine expert.  That said, I did take a wine tasting class on my Alaskan cruise last summer (my Twitter profile pic was actually taken at that tasting).  Of course, I tasted a lot of wine that night, so I don’t really remember much of it.

In my defense, I was honest about my general lack of wine knowledge with the people who sent me the wine, so it’s not like they’re expecting an expert review or anything.  Besides, although I’m neither wine expert, nor Faldo expert, I can assure you, I do know a thing or two about getting drunk.

The Wine

Region: Coonawarra, South Australia
Composition: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Here’s what Nick Faldo has to say about it:

Classic golf courses and classic wine are defined by a common ingredient – soil.  When designing a golf course, the nature of the soil substantially determines the character of the course.  It was the ‘red dirt’ of Coonawarra, the famous terra rossa soil, that gained my attention when I first visited this renowned region.  The wines selected for the Nick Faldo Selection – all under the guiding eye of respected Cooonawarraa winemaker Wayne Stehbens – are well balanced with generous fruit flavours and great structure.  Enjoy!

And here are the winemaker’s notes:

Appearance: Deep plum reds with purple tinged edges

Nose: A rich combination of ripe dark berries with subtle sweet oak maturation flavors.  Plums and dusty mulberry fruit with hints of mint are well balanced with light vanilla oak characters.

Palate: Ripe dark berry fruits with sweet oak flavors that are smoothly balanced.  A generous fruit palate of plums and blackberry with hints of vanilla oak flavors.  Soft assertive tannins add to the palate and compliment the long flavors.

The Test

When you get right down to it, tasting wine isn’t a whole lot different than testing a golf club. Sure, you’re not going to hit a golf ball with a wine bottle, and you’re probably not going to taste your new driver, but when all the testing is complete, the final verdict is going to be largely subjective.  While the simple approach would be to simply state that I drank Nick Faldo’s wine and I like Nick Faldo’s wine, within the best of my ability, I attempted to give the wine a thorough tasting.

It’s actually pretty handy that Faldo’s people include some tasting notes on the bottle, since, if nothing else, it turns the wine drinking into a game of let’s see if I can taste…  Fortunately I have literally minutes of formal wine tasting training, so I was able to delve a little deeper than the average golf course schmo.  As most tasters do, I started by observing the color of the wine.  I’d agree that deep plum reds are a fair description of the color, as is that bit about purple tinged edges.  A tip of the glass reveals very little in the way of transparency suggesting a wine with some body to it.  Just like they do on TV, I gave my glass a few swirls revealing the “legs”.  Again, what I observed suggests body.

With eyes as keen like Nick Faldo's, I gave my first glass of Cabernet Sauvignon a thorough examination.

As far as the aromas are concerned…yeah, the dark berries, and plum aromatics were present.  The same holds true for the sweet oak, and that touch of mint they talk about.  I didn’t really get any sense of vanilla (maybe my nose just isn’t ready for that type of subtlety).  This of course leaves us with just the mulberry unaccounted for, and since I honestly couldn’t begin to tell you what a mulberry tastes like (I also have no idea what it looks like either, and wouldn’t stand a chance trying to pick it out of a fruit lineup), I can’t say whether the aromas are there or not.  Mulberry, huh?

So with the swirling and the sniffing mostly out of the way I decided it was high time I actually drink some of Nick Faldo’s Cab.  Again, I deferred to the tasting notes to see if I could actually taste what the bottle says I should (never, I mean never ague with a bottle of wine).  It should come as no surprise that the dark berry aromas carry over to the taste.  The oak carries as over as well, but it subtle-enough and doesn’t overpower the other flavors.  It’s oaky, but doesn’t taste like you’re sucking on a board that’s been dunked in grape juice.  I’ll concede the plums and blackberries too, but still no luck with the vanilla.  As with many reds (at least in my experience), tannins play heavily in the finish, although I found they mellowed a bit as the wine rested.

Final Thoughts

Overall I found Faldo Cabernet Sauvignon to be an enjoyably sweet and fruity (although not light) red.  I figure I must really have enjoyed it because before I knew it half the bottle was gone, and I was the only drinking (not that I’m proud or anything).  I’ve also used the wine as an ingredient in a marinade I threw together for a Saturday night BBQ.  It worked really well on the flank steak I was soaking it in.

Granted, Faldo Cabernet Sauvignon (or any wine for that matter) is a bit of a departure from what we normally review, but give it just a little thought and you can see how a nice bottle of wine is the perfect post round compliment.  Play well; celebrate.  Play poorly; drink until you forget (not that I necessarily recommend that).  Either way, Faldo Cabernet Sauvignon is a great way to relax after a grueling 18, or pretty much any other occasion where a good bottle of wine is warranted.  I’ll definitely be checking out some of the other wines in the Faldo collection.

Faldo Cabernet Sauvignon can be found for around $16 at a wine shop near you.

In my review of Columbia’s Straight Shooter Polo I gave you a quick introduction to the company’s new Titanium Performance Golf Gear lineup.  I don’t want to rehash that too much here except to say that Columbia, a company better known for its hiking and outdoor gear, has entered the golf game.  I’ve also talked a lot about the weather of the Pacific Northwest being the impetus for the golf gear.  For those of you unfamiliar with the Pacific Northwest patterns, let me put it like this…

Have you ever left your house on a beautiful sunny day only to realize 2 minutes later that you forgot something.  So you turn around, go back to the house, and run in to grab whatever you forgot (with my wife, it’s always her water bottle for the gym).  So you’re inside for all of 15 seconds, head back outside and discover that your beautiful sunny day has been replaced by rain and 30 MPH winds.  What can you do?  You simply have to suck it up and adapt to the changing conditions, and that’s exactly what Columbia’s Titanium Golf Gear is designed to do.

Before I share my thoughts, let’s see what Columbia says about the Windcheater (again, shamelessly lifted from the Columbia web site)

Features

• Shell: 100% Water Beater™ polyester ripstop
• Super water and wind resistant
• Zip closed pockets Titanium™ Skin Cancer Foundation UPF 50 +

Titanium™
Columbia Sportswear’s premier product line, Titanium, offers advanced fabrics and technologies for all-weather performance and protection during demanding outdoor action.

Skin Cancer Foundation
The Skin Cancer Foundation has endorsed our sun protection products with a minimum UPF 30 rating, making Columbia Sportswear the first global clothing company to earn their coveted seal of recommendation.

UPF 50
Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) is a measure of the percentage of ultraviolet sunlight that reaches your skin. Omni-Shade clothing protects you by blocking harmful sun exposure. Your safety increases with the UPF. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends a rating of UPF 30 or higher. Columbia Sportswear was the first global apparel producer to earn the organization’s seal of recommendation.

First Impressions

When I unboxed (unbagged actually) the Windcheater, my first thought was “damn!  this is lightweight”.    I own a few different pieces of rain gear; including one of those popular pullover style rain jackets.  The Columbia is far and away the lightest of them all.  A closer inspection leads me to believe that most of that weight is tied up in thread.  Although it’s not something I would probably check if I was buying off the rack, as a reviewer I figured it might make some sense to check out the stitching.  Seams are double, if not triple-stitched in places.  It’s very clear that Columbia has put a ton of effort into making the Windcheater durable.  I’m fairly certain it’s not the kind of jacket that’s going to tear on you if you happen to have a little too much of it hanging past your butt when you plop yourself into the golf cart.

Esthetically, we’re basically talking about a black jacket (although it’s also available in Navy and Hot Pepper (Orange)).  There’s very little flair, and not a trace of bling.  With the exception of Columbia Logos on the chest and back, and the Titanium logo on the left sleeve, there’s absolutely nothing to visually distinguish the Windcheater from 500 or so other jackets on the market today.  Truthfully, this suites me just fine.  Once it starts raining, I’m really only concerned with staying dry.  That’s not to say the Windcheater is ugly.  It’s not.  I’m simply saying that it’s a jacket, a relatively ordinary looking jacket.  If you want to stay dry…well, more on that in a bit, but if you’re looking to make a fashion statement, this probably isn’t the right way to go.

Getting back to the weight…while I was fairly certain the Columbia Windcheater wouldn’t be the least bit cumbersome on the golf course, the ultra-lightweight design did raise some immediate concerns about the jacket’s ability to displace wind, and more importantly water. I actually emailed my contact at Columbia and basically told him that I didn’t think it could possibly do what Columbia says it does.

The Fit

Based on the information on the Columbia web site, I ordered my Windcheater in large (I’m about 5′ 11″ and weight somewhere between 205 and 210).  I find the fit to be just about perfect.  It’s big enough to not restrict movement in the least, but small enough – and has enough shaping built into the design – that it doesn’t fit like a hefty bag.  By comparison, the rain jacket I’ve been carrying for the past several seasons, has a much boxier cut, and at times feels like it hangs off the body more than I would like.  The Columbia is definitely the more functionally comfortable of the two.  What I mean by that is that if I’m hanging out eating a slice of pizza I don’t much care if my jacket is a little baggy – baggy is comfortable, but if that same jacket is dangling while I’m trying to swing a golf club, then it’s not so comfortable.

I was actually on the fence about wearing a lightweight, sleeved rain jacket.  My current rain jacket is sleeveless; a decision I made largely because of concerns that sleeves might impact my ability to shank hit the golf ball consistently.  In that respect, I’ve been very happy with my sleeveless jacket.  My arms have never felt restricted.   Of course, my arms have never stayed dry when it rains either, so let’s call it mixed feelings about not having sleeves.

With the Windcheater, Columbia has done an excellent job of providing enough room in the sleeves so that my arms don’t feel restricted, but again, they’re not so roomy as to be flapping all over the place while I’m trying to swing a golf club.  It should go without saying that my arms also stay dryer in the rain.

Columbia has provided a couple ways to adjust the fit of the Windcheater to adapt to your current conditions.  First, the Windcheater features Velcro closures at the cuffs.  With a quick little flip of the strap, I can secure the sleeves just above my hands (which keeps the cuffs from creeping over my palms).  When swinging the club isn’t an issue (like when I’m having a beer in the clubhouse, or driving home), it’s just as easy to release them and let the sleeves be sleeves.  Yeah, Columbia could have gone with elastic cuffs (which are fairly common in rain gear), but Veclro is a bit more functional, and oddly enough, makes the jacket a bit more fashionable off the course (who wears elastic?).  Fashionable Velcro?  Yeah, I said it.  We’re not talking about grandpa’s sneakers here.

Second, there are a couple of cinch straps on the bottoms sides of the jacket.  They’re tucked away on the inside, so they’ll never get in the way.  What they do is allow you to tighten the jacket around your waste when the need arises.  Most of the time I let the jacket hang fairly loose around my waist, but when the wind picks up, it’s nice to be able to tighten things up a bit to keep from flapping around.  If only my stomach had a similar feature.

In the Wind

As I’ve already said, the Windcheater is exceptionally lightweight.  With that in mind, it shouldn’t come as any real surprise that it’s not a particularly warm jacket.  If you’re facing a cold wind, expect to be cold.  If you’re looking for a jacket to warmth is your biggest concern, Columbia has other PGG for that.  The Windcheater does do a pretty good job of deflecting the wind, and keeping it off of your skin, and I think that’s what it’s designed to do.  It can’t make the wind stop, but it will certainly make you more comfortable when playing in windy conditions.

In the Rain

I’m actually starting to believe that the Windcheater’s greatest feature is that it can actually prevent it from raining.  Seriously, I’ve been out on the golf course no less than 5 times this year on days when it was supposed to rain.  One of the days I was in Ocean City, the forecast called for an 80% chance of rain – all day long.  I was fully prepared to play in the worst conditions of my life.  Instead, I got nothing, hardly a drop.  The Windcheater is so effective that rain is actually afraid of it.

Now just because I haven’t been able to make it rain on me while on the golf course, I have had a few opportunities to “test” the Windcheater out against actual rain (I’ve also worn it several times on a windy course).  The first of those opportunities came as we were leaving the Ruth’s Chris Steak House at Glen Riddle in Ocean City.  While we didn’t get rained on while on the course that day, during dinner we did get nailed with some of the heaviest rain I’ve ever seen in my life (the streets of Ocean City were flooded).  None of us wanted to walk across the parking lot to the car, so the decision was made that one of us would have to go get it.  As it turns out, when you’re the guy that’s been running off at the mouth for 3 days about your awesome rain gear; when it comes time to man up, you don’t really draw the short straw so much as it’s handed to you.  And so off I ran, in a monsoon no less, to get the car.

What the Windcheater lacks in warmth it more than makes up for in wet conditions.  What impresses me most about the Windcheater is that it doesn’t so much create a barrier between you and the weather, as it actually repels rain.  With my other rain jacket, what happens when the water hits the jacket is that it disperses into the fabric.  It has never soaked through on me, but the jacket most definitely absorbs some water.  The Windcheater reacts much differently.  When water hits the Windcheater it beads, and then rolls right off.  If rain drops were bullets, the Windcheater would make you Superman.  I’m feeling mighty right about now.

After my mad dash to the car, my torso was completely dry.  Unfortunately, my Old Navy Khakis don’t offer any sort of water resistance, so everything south of the border was completely soaked.

Since I haven’t yet found away to get wet on the golf course, I’ve been wearing the Windcheater to work (it’s been raining all week).  While not quite as dramatic as the conditions I faced on my parking lot dash in Ocean City, the Columbia Windcheater has done its job, albeit less dramatically.

Minor Gripes

I really can’t complain about what the Windcheater is.  I can only whine about what it isn’t.  I suppose it would be nice if it came with a fold away hood, or if it was part of Columbia’s Interchange system, but again, the Windcheater is designed to be an ultra-lightweight jacket (which it absolutely is), so it’s not surprising that some features were left out, presumably to keep the weight down.  Besides, as I’ve said a few times now between my two Columbia reviews; if you’re looking for something interchange compatible and/or that has a hood, Columbia most definitely has a jacket in the PGG lineup to meet your advanced needs.

Final Thoughts

For everything I like about the Windcheater (weight and water resistance being the biggest two features), what I really love about the Windcheater is how easy it is to forget that you’re wearing it.  Yes, it keeps you dry.  Yes, it keeps the wind off of you.  Most importantly to a golfer, however; it doesn’t get in your way.  Apart from securing the cuffs, I haven’t had to hitch, yank, pull, or twist the jacket to get it into a place where it won’t interfere with my golf swing. It fits like it was actually designed to be worn on a golf course.  Go figure.

The ultra-lightweight, wind and water resistant Columbia Men’s Windcheater Full Zip Jacket is available from Altrec Outdoors for $69.99 (which is a lot less than some lesser performing rain jackets).

Back in the footwear section of my 2009 Golf Gear Guide, I talked about Cleatskins‘ entry into the golf market. Cleatskins, which have been around for a while now for sports like football, soccer, and baseball, are basically slippers for your spiked shoes.  Now it may sound silly to put your feet inside a pair of socks, into a pair of shoes, and then into a pair of rubber slippers, but give me minute and I’ll explain why this all makes sense.  For now, just know that; made of  a durable rubber compound, Cleatskins Golf easily slip on over your golf spikes, creating a barrier between your shoes and the ground.

So Why Cleatskins Golf?

Now you may be wondering, “why the hell would I want something between my golf shoe and the ground”?  I’m glad you asked (if you didn’t, just play along).  There are several reasons why you might want to keep a pair of Cleatskins on your golf shoes whenever you’re not actually on the golf course.   Let’s start with the golf course itself.  As it happens, despite being lush and green, golf courses are actually pretty nasty places.  They’re full of sand, mud, pesticides, and other unmentionables that some disrespectful goose might have left behind.  Golf courses are filthy places, and even if you don’t care; there’s a safe bet there’s someone in your life who doesn’t appreciate it when all that golf gunk gets tracked into your car, or worse yet, into your house.

If cleanliness alone doesn’t sell you on Cleatskins, how about durability?  Cleatskins can help improve the lifespan of your cleats.  Since Cleatskins eliminate direct ground contact with hard surfaces (like the parking lot at the golf course), they can help to extend the life of your spikes.  Although I’ve been lackadaisical about it at times, since I’ve switched to the PUMA Swing Crown GTX shoes (which don’t have replaceable spikes), I’ve been a little more religious about having the Cleatskins on my shoes any time I’m not on grass.  I’ve also found that Cleatskins make the Swing Crown much more comfortable over hard surfaces.

I’ll be perfectly honest with you.  When it comes to playing golf, I’m both lazy and impatient.  I don’t like “wasting time” in the parking lot taking off my regular shoes and putting on my golf shoes.  I want to play golf as quickly as possible.  Even if it’s just getting out to the putting green, or the range, I want to get started the second I pull into the parking lot – hell, I’d like to roll out of my car while it’s still moving if possible.  Admittedly, I may be in the minority here, but I absolutely hate traveling with two pairs of shoes.  With Cleatskins, I can wear my golf shoes to the course, even if I’m the one driving.  And since Cleatskins are slip resistant, I’m not risking anyone’s life by doing it.

Once I’m at the course, I walk right across the parking lot and into the pro shop.  When I’m checked in, settled up, and on grass, the Cleatskins get peeled off and tossed into my golf bag.  It takes all of 5 seconds before I’m ready to go.

Now maybe you don’t care about tracking golf course goop wherever you go.  Maybe you don’t care about getting a little bit more life out of your golf spikes.  And maybe you don’t care about changing your shoes in the parking lot.  Even if that’s all true, there is one more reason why you might want to consider a pair of Cleatskins Golf…

I won’t pretend to know how your brain works.  For all I know your mind is tack sharp.  It’s quite possible you’ve never left the house without everything you need for a round of golf.  You very well may never have forgotten a thing in your life.  Me (and I highly doubt I’m alone here), between grabbing my clubs, water, snacks, rangefinder, GPS, and whatever else I might be bringing to the course on a given day, I have a tendency to forget something.  On more than one occasion, that something has been my golf shoes.  For some, playing in sneakers isn’t a problem (some guys do it all the time).  Me, I think it sucks.  That’s where Cleatskins Golf come in.  If I’m wearing my golf shoes to the course, there really isn’t any chance I’m going to forget them.  I mean…I may have forgotten my golf shoes, but I’ve never showed up to the course barefoot.

My actual golf shoe with the Cleatskin on. Rest assured Cleatskins fit as snuggly as they do in the marketing photos. Maybe I should have got them in white. By the way, how sweet are those PUMAs?

Minor Grips

There are a couple of things you should probably know about Cleatskins Golf before you go out and buy a pair.  First, and of less consequence, they’re not easy to put on when you’re not wearing the shoe.  It’s not a big deal, but just know going in, it’s much, much easier to slip them on your shoes when your shoes are already on your feet.  Like I said, it’s not a big deal.

Second, Cleatskins are made of heavy duty rubber.  The trade off for durability is weight.  While they’re not quite like wearing cement shoes, Cleatskins will definitely add some bulk.  Since they’re designed to come off once you’re at the course, the weight most definitely won’t impact play.

Final Thoughts

I’ve been wearing Cleatskins Golf for most of this golf season.  At a minimum, they’ve saved me a few trips up the stairs with the ShopVac to clean out my trunk.  I’ll admit to not conducting any sort of scientific durability experiments, but it stands to reason that, if you can cut back on the contact between your spikes and abrasive surfaces, those spikes will last a bit longer – but honestly I can’t swear to it.  That said, since my new shoes don’t have replaceable spikes (when they’re done, they’re done), I’m certainly going to make every effort I can to increase their lifespan, which means the Cleatskins will be on them until it’s time to tee off.  It also doesn’t hurt that the rubber makes walking over hard surfaces a bit more comfortable (not to mention less like skating).  I love that I can wear my shoes right to the golf course, and I love that Cleatskins totally eliminate the possibility that I’m going to show up for my round without my golf shoes.

For less than$36, Cleatskins Golf are the best way I know of to prolong the life of golf shoes (and keep your house and car a little cleaner).  They’re available in a variety of colors in both men’s and women’s sizes.  Unless you’re going to be at Doral Resort anytime soon, your best bet it to buy directly through the Cleatskins Store.

As I mentioned on one (or more) of my previous Ocean City golf posts, the courses in Ocean City have more or less banded together to form what you could call golf conglomerates.  Basically, each course is affiliated with a few other courses, which allows everyone to offer some pretty sweet pricing to golfers who play 3 or more of these “linked” courses.  As I also mentioned, we went with one of the cheaper packages, which meant went the two Glen Riddle courses, or any of the others in the Ruark Golf family (which also includes the acclaimed Links at Lighthouse Sound, as well as Rum Pointe) weren’t part of our package deal.

The 2nd at Man O' War

Since I was the guy tasked with making the arrangements and trying to get the entire trip to fit into everyone’s budget, I was able to essentially force the other guys to agree to a single course upgrade.  I pretty quickly narrowed it down to a choice between Lighthouse Sound and the Man O’ War course at Glen Riddle.  It was a tough decision as I weighed the opportunity to play a top 100 public course (Lighthouse) against the chance to play a true links style course complete with mounds, pot bunkers, and all the other nastiness that goes along with it.  Let’s face it, most of us don’t have access to true links style golf; instead what we get our courses where they chopped down all the trees and decided to call it links.  It’s of course not the same thing, but it sure sounds better than “farmland style”.  As you can tell from the title (and no doubt your search query), I chose the Man O’ War course.

Some Background

Man O’ War, along with the newer War Admiral course, are built on the land that was once the famed Glen Riddle thoroughbred farm.  The farm was home to Triple Crown champions Man O’ War and War Admiral (hence the course names).  Elements of the old grounds, including some of the original training track have been incorporated into the design of the course.  As a huge fan of thoroughbred racing; the opportunity to golf in the foot hoofsteps of two of the greatest racehorses of all time was more than I could pass up.  Yeah, I’m sure I would have loved Lighthouse, but Glen Riddle offered this Saratoga boy something that nowhere else could.

Course Information

• Man O’ War at Glen Riddle (www.glenriddlegolf.com)
• Par 72
• Yardage: 5019-7163 (we played the blues – 6556 yards)

Description (From the Website)

The Man O’War Course occupies the westerly portion of GlenRiddle. The course features pure, windswept links golf. The golfer faces challenges often found in the British Isles including large greens, double fairways, pot bunkers, sand dunes, and the ever-present eastern shore winds. The historic racetrack used to train champion thoroughbreds is utilized as a strategic cross hazard on three holes. The Man O’War Course plays 7,163 yards and a par of 72 from the rear tees.

Practice Facility

We arrived about 15 minutes early for our tee time.  Rain was steady, the carts were covered, and none of us were particularly keen to go warm up in the rain.  That said, I did take note of the very well maintained practice range that borders the 10th hole.  A word of caution, however; the range is exceptionally close to the 10th.  If you’re playing from the right side of the fairway, you are most certainly in the line of fire.  There were plenty of balls waiting for us to hit, but it was our prerogative not to do so.

Layout

I’m inclined to defer to the description here.  Pure windswept golf about covers it.  Several dozen rolling mounds come into play.  Landing on the wrong side of them is, to say the least, penal (I bounced either OB or into a hazard twice as a result of hitting the wrong side of a mound).  Bunkers are strewn throughout and are found along the fairways almost as often as they are around the greens. Water comes into play on a handful of holes as well.  The wide open nature of links play makes it difficult (but certainly not impossible) to lose a ball.

Similar to the other courses we played in Ocean City, the back 9 does feature a fair amount of wetlands (particularly over the last handful of holes).  Be advised that some of the carry distances are upwards of 200 yards.  While I was able to safely maneuver my way past, some of the less experience golfers in my group didn’t fare as well.  Again, perhaps a different set of tees would have been more appropriate.

We played the blue tees which extend the course to about 6600 yards.  The long par 5s are contrasted by two short par 4s, both of which are drivable (you’ll need to cut the corner on #8, but I think it can be done).  We probably would have been better served playing from the silver tees, but I have no regrets about playing 1 set shy of the tips.

Glen Riddle is a golf community.  While the layout is outstanding, there are a few holes where I found myself a little too aware of the neighborhoods bordering the course.  By no means do the houses intrude on to the golf course, but there’s definitely something lost by their proximity.

Apparently there wasn’t an intelligent golfer among us, as none in our group were able to properly decipher through the fog which patch of grass was the 1st’s fairway (welcome to links golf).  It wasn’t until all four of us had driven our balls onto the 10th fairway did the group behind us (members) share with us that we had all done it wrong (thanks guys).  I still made par, so I was happy.  And lest I leave feeling like I missed something, I hooked my drive on 10 onto the 9th fairway, and played back – so at least I got to see the entire course.

Conditions

Even for very early spring, the course was in phenomenal condition.  Apart from fairways being in outstanding shape, my only thoughts revolved around how differently the course would play later in the season once the rough has a chance to grow in.  I played well-enough in April.  Realistically, I would expect to be 5 strokes worse later in the season.

As you might expect from a links course, the greens are generously sized, and there is quite a bit of undulation.  From a conditioning standpoint; I simply don’t have the superlatives.  The greens at Man O’ War are very much among the best I’ve ever played.  Even though the rain mostly left us alone, they greens were damp all day, so it’s hard for me to say how fast the greens would roll under normal conditions.  What I do know with certainty is that they are very smooth, and roll true; which is all any golfer can ask for.  In truth, my opinion does come with some bias.  I’ve never in my life had a better “feel” for greens.  It didn’t matter how long the putt was, I was able to put it within a couple of feet almost every time.  I didn’t count my putts on the round, but my guess is the tally was sub-30.

Pace of Play

When you’re the first ones out in the morning, it’s hard to complain about anything.  Obviously I can’t speak to the pace on a sunny day with a mid-morning tee time.  It sure was nice not to have anyone in front of us.  We did a good job staying ahead of the group behind us as well.

The Staff

My only interaction with the staff was at the proshop.  We got checked in, then had to have the cart attendant double check whether or not we were cart path only (we weren’t).  And we were on our way.  We didn’t see any staff the rest of the day.  After the round I stopped back in the proshop to buy a hat.  I made sure to let the guy at the counter know that playing Man O’ War was the most fun I’ve ever had on a golf course.   He thought I was joking, and seemed almost shocked when I told him I was being completely serious.

Favorite Hole

I’m hard pressed to pick just one.  The course is just such a treat, and offers such variety it’s difficult to nail down just one.  I will say I didn’t particularly enjoy the par 3, 15th.  It’s a beautiful hole, featuring a well protected green.  Unfortunately, I found one of those bunkers off the tee, and then hit the ball on the screws coming out and ended up in the woods.  I think I carded a 9 and it basically blew up my round.  Nice looking hole though.

I did really enjoy the par 5, 14th, however.  The 536 yard hole features a generous amount of fairway sand, and a large, heavily sloped green.  My enjoyment came from the fact that I left myself about 8 inches to the cup after chipping from just off the highest point of the green down to the flag at the lowest.  It’s one of the best shots I’ve ever hit, and no doubt the primary reason why I’m a fan of the hole.

One of the great things about Man O' War is you can walk off the 18th green and right in to Ruth's Chris for dinner.

Overall Experience

I’ve played a handful of really nice public courses over the last couple of years; including the Shenendoah course at Turning Stone, and the Roger Rulewich designed Saratoga National.  For my money ($99 weekday rate), Man O’ War is on par with those courses in terms of layout and condition.  As far as the overall experience is concerned, Man O’ War offered me the best time I’ve ever had on a golf course, and there really isn’t much more to say beyond that.

So yeah, if Man O’ War was dropped into the heart of Saratoga, not only would I pay the $99 weekday rate again (and again, and again), I’d probably find a way to become a member.   Not only will I play the course again if return to Ocean City, Man O’ War may very well be the reason why I visit Ocean City again.  No doubt that next trip will also include War Admiral and the Links at Lighthouse sound as well.

For layout and conditions, I’ll happily give Glen Riddle’s Man O’ War an A.  I’ll also give it an A for overall value.  Yes, $100 is a fairly expensive round of golf, but I’ve paid more and gotten less.  Finally, all also throw in a grade of A+ for intangibles/enjoyment factor.  I’ve the 3 Ocean City courses I’ve reviewed so far, Man O’ War is the first to rate as an absolute must play.

Yeah, me and Geoff, we’re practically the same guy, which is I why I wasn’t surprised when I found out that Geoff Ogilvy is wearing the very same Swing Crown GTX golf shoes that PUMA just sent me.  Is it just my delusional imagination, or is Geoff Ogilvy my total doppelganger?

There are countless (zero) eery similarities between myself and Geoff Ogilvy, but even though our games, and in many (by many I mean probably none) respects we lead parallel lives, it’s clearly the PUMA Swing Crown GTX that makes us practically the same guy.

First Impressions

Normally the soles aren’t the first part of a shoe I look at, or even care about.  That’s a bit like starting your search for a new car by looking at tires, but since PUMA is talking up their Smart Quills something fierce, I figured it was probably important that I take a look.  For those of you not yet in the know on the Swing Crown sole design, here’s what PUMA has to say about their Smart Quill Technology:

It all started when we set out to design the first tour-grade shoe with non-replaceable cleats.  We wanted to create on that performs like the styles from back in the day.  The kind with nails that were all about traction.  At the same time, we wanted to bring a more modern look and feel to golf – with comfort, style, and lightweight materials.

And what did we come up with?  Smart Quill technology.

Here, ultimate traction meets modern style.  Multi-directional Quills are unique positioned for traction throughout your swing, while also creating a spike system that is comfortable and lighter in weight.

If I didn't know better, I'd swear some guy at PUMA attached the Smart Quills at random.

Before the Swing Crowns arrived, I had looked at several pictures but didn’t have any hands on experience.  I half expected the quill patterns to be mirror opposites, but in fact the placement looks accidental, almost random.   Traction doesn’t happen by accident, however; so my guess is somebody at PUMA spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out exactly where to place the individual Smart Quills.

Moving to the top of the shoe, it’s hard not to notice the large microfiber upper, and relatively small vamp which help to give the Swing Crown its distinctive looks.  With only 4 pair of eyelets for lacing (my current shoes have 7); if not for the sliver PUMA stripe, and PUMA logo on the back, the Swing Crown’s could pass for a pair of stylish white dress shoes.  Unless you’re a real trend setter,  you probably won’t get away with wearing the Swing Crown’s to your next black tie event, but it’s hard to image you won’t have the freshest kicks on the course.

Only 4 loops...now that's just crazy.

The Fit

When talking sizing with my contact at PUMA, I was originally concerned by the lack of a wide option in the Swing Crown GTX.  I’ve got pudgy feet, and have never had much success finding a pair of comfortable standard width golf shoes (the 3 pair of golf shoes I’ve owned have all been wide).  Of course, the only other pair of PUMA shoes I’ve ever owned (a pair of cleats I’ve played softball in for the last 4 years) have fit comfortably from day 1, and they’re not wide either, so I was hopeful the Swing Crowns wouldn’t bind my feet tighter than a Han dynasty concubine (channeling my inner Dennis Miller).

Sure enough, the Swing Crowns fit great.  There’s plenty of room for my chubby little feet, with plenty of wiggle room for the Vienna sausages that pass for my toes.  Bottom line, if I were reviewing the PUMA Swing Crown GTX for Zappos, I’d say they fit true to size.

The Accidental Indoor Traction Test

While trying the Swing Crown on in my living room, I got an unexpected introduction to the gripping power of the Smart Quills.  Now how valid of a test this really is, I can’t say because as general rule, I don’t wear my golf shoes in the living room very often (much to my wife’s dismay,  it does occasionally happen).  What I can say with certainty is that the Swing Crowns are the first shoes (golf or otherwise) I’ve ever had grab on to my Berber carpeting.

Freeing the shoe from the carpet was a bit like pulling a kitten off a sweater, minus all the screeching.   All that gripping got me wondering if my old shoes have the same ability to rip up my rugs.  So like any thorough product reviewer with too much free time on his hands would do, I quickly put a brand new set of spikes on my current shoes and set up a simple and admittedly unscientific grip test.

First with the Swing Crowns, I planted my left foot firmly on one of the floor mats in our entry way, and tried to twist it free (my front foot has a tendency to twist open during my golf swing).  The Swing Crown barely budged, although I think I heard some fibers tearing lose from the rug.  Rather that risk ripping the mat at apart (and a subsequent lecture from the wife about what constitutes proper indoor behavior – and in a more general sense, what I giant ass I am), I took off the Swing Crown and tried the same test with my regular golf shoes.   While the shoes I’ve been wearing did grip a little, they certainly don’t have the claws of the PUMAs.

Granted, a floor mat isn’t a fairway (not that I have much experience playing from fairways), but my little test did provide the first indication that the Swing Crown could actually deliver on its promise of superior traction.  In truth, I probably would have felt a little weird about intentionally dragging my foot across a rug to test the traction of a golf shoe, but I’m pretty sure Geoff Ogilvy did the same thing when he got his Swing Crowns (lest there be any doubt, I just made that up).

The Golf Test

It’s either a confident man or a complete idiot who endeavors to play 27 holes of golf in a pair of untested shoes.  On course with the Swing Crown GTXs, the two questions I set out to answer were 1). How comfortable are the Swing Crowns, and 2). Does this traction thing PUMA is talking about really hold up.  Over the course of 54 holes (I’m either extremely confident, or I’m an idiot of epic proportions), I answered both of those questions and plenty more.

Comfort

First, let’s talk about comfort, because, I don’t care how much traction a shoe can offer, it it rubs your feet down to the bone, what good is it?  The first time out on the course withe the Swing Crowns, I did in fact play 27 holes.  Granted, I took a cart, but even when I ride, I tend to do a lot of walking (I have a nasty habit of hitting balls where carts can’t go).  By the end of day1, I did start to experience some light rubbing on the outside of my right heel.  I never developed a blister, however; and by the time I got home and conducted a thorough and complete foot inspection, I wasn’t able to find any sort of identifying mark on my foot.  The next day I went out and played 27 more.  This time around I didn’t experience any sort of rubbing.  No blisters, no soreness, nothing.  In fact, when the round was over, my feet felt great.  I wish I could say the same about my shoulder, and my pride.

What I think that all means is that there is a breaking in period for the PUMA Swing Crown GTX, but it certainly doesn’t take long, and there’s a good chance you’ll get through it blister free.  My other shoes still can give me the occasional toe blister, so I’m actually pretty satisfied with how my feet came out of the weekend.

If there’s an instance when I don’t like the feel of the Swing Crown GTX it’s when walking over pavement or a hard-packed cart path.  The Smart Quills and the TPU Studs (those red knobby things in the picture) are noticeably firmer than your average golf spike.  As a result, there isn’t a lot of give over hard surfaces.  If you’ve ever worn soccer or baseball cleats while walking through a parking lot, you know the feeling.  Obviously it’s not a big deal since golf is largely played on grass (or in my case in sand), but don’t expect to enjoy your walk to and from the parking lot.

Traction

I’ve already told you how well the Swing Crown’s grip my carpeting and floor mats, but how does that translate the golf course?  It turns out it translates perfectly.  I didn’t go out of my way to try to force myself to lose my footing, instead my plan was to get out, play my game, and make a note of any slips.  Over the course of 54 holes, my front foot came out on me exactly once.  It happened on a very dry tee box (we had just finished discussing whether or not we should try and find threaded tees), and I had to swing like a drunken lumberjack to make it happen.  The bottom line is that, when it comes to traction, from what I could tell anyway, the Swing Crown GTX with its Smart Quills out performs my current old shoe.

One of the other tidbits to come out of PUMA’s marketing literature is that the design of the Swing Crown helps keep the spikes from getting plastered with mud and other golf course gunk.  Conditions were mostly dry when I played, but I did manage to find time for a couple of hikes through the woods.  Normally I have to clean the mud and pieces of dead leaves off my shoes when I come out, the Swing Crown’s, however, remained mostly debris free (nothing that required any real cleaning).  I also didn’t have any need to clang my shoes together in the parking lot at the end of the day – straight off the course they were clean enough to just toss in the trunk.  I’ll reserve final judgment until after I’ve played in soggier conditions, but there does seem to be some validity to the “stays cleaner” talk.

The Smart Quills without a doubt provide an amazingly stable platform.  Now I’m certainly open to the possibility that I was just having a good…actually great driving weekend and the shoes had nothing to do with it, but over the course of those 54 holes, I hit substantially more fairways than I normally do (and even my misses were playable).  Overall distance was up too; culminating with a drive on the 343 yard 4th at Kingswood (my home course) that stopped a mere 10 yards short of the green.  Like I said, it could all be coincidence, and I’m certainly not going to tell you that wearing the PUMA Swing Crown GTX will increase your accuracy and distance, but since it happened, I figured I’d include it.   Also, I look for any excuse to brag about my monster tee shots.  I like to think the Swing Crown’s give me the confidence to swing out of my shoes, without actually doing it.

Weight

PUMA’s marketing literature also contains several references to the weight (or lack thereof) of the Swing Crown GTX.  They discuss how things like the microfiber upper, and the non-replaceable Smart Quills, make the Swing Crown GTX an exceptionally light golf shoe.  Even before I got out on the course, I tried to compare the weight of my current shoes to the Swing Crowns.  I dangled both off my fingers to see if there was any measurable difference between the two.  I came away thinking the Swing Crown GTX might be ever-so-slightly lighter, but since the shoe I’d been wearing previously is also billed as being lightweight, I wasn’t surprised to find that the difference was less than night and day.

Here’s the thing though, as I was walking back from returning my cart after my 2nd 27 of the weekend, I noticed my feet.  Actually, what I noticed is that I barely noticed my feet at all.  It turns out that a few ounces may not mean much when your twirling shoes from your finger tips, but after a long weekend of golf you might grow to appreciate the difference.  That said, I’ve never felt bogged down by my current (or any other golf shoe I’ve ever warn – although they have felt heavy after a long day of golf), so in practice, if you only play 18 at a time, and only do that every so often, it really won’t matter that much – and weight alone certainly isn’t reason enough to buy a pair of Swing Crown GTX shoes.

Cleanup

Let me just say this: Real men don’t clean their golf shoes.  Having said that, I thought maybe some of you would be curious as to how easy it would to get your Swing Crowns back to their out of the box shiny white selves after caking on a few rounds worth of mud, grass, and whatever else you happen to step in.  Again, not that men clean their shoes.

The microfiber upper, and pretty much every other part of the shoe north of the outsole cleans up very easily.  For the upper I’d recommend using warm water and a non-abrasive sponge.  For the most part I didn’t need any sort of detergent, although something mild probably wont hurt.

After 54 holes and a little soap and water, the Swing Crowns are almost as good as new.

The foam outsole provided a bit more of a challenge.  I managed to stain mine with  a fair amount of reddish-brown mud, and was worried that the foam might stay a light rust color forever.  Warm water and sponge didn’t get much of it off.  Using some dish detergent and a mildly abrasive sponge, however; I was able to get the foam looking almost as good as new.   Of course, having completed my test work, I’ll probably never clean them again, because, as I said, men don’t clean their golf shoes.

Minor Gripes

As much as I love the PUMA Swing Crown GTX, there are a few things that PUMA could conceivably change that would make me love them a little bit more:

• Color Selection – unlike last year’s Swing GTX, the Swing Crown is currently available in white/silver, or white/silver, or, well you get it.  Last year PUMA offered us a choice of white, black, or the über-stylish white/green.  For a company known for its bold style, the lack of color options is both disappointing and puzzling.
  
  

  Ordinary guys like you and me are (for now anyway) limited to the white & silver. When you're Geoff Ogilvy, however, PUMA let's you rock these sweet looking black & whites.
• No wide sizes – As I said, the Swing Crown GTX is not available in chubby.  My personal experience is that they fit my fat feet just fine, but I suspect some others won’t take the chance and will simply look elsewhere.
• Non-replaceable spikes – PUMA says that durability isn’t an issue, and that utilizing non-replaceable spikes helps reduce weight.  Obviously it’s too soon for me to talk about long-term durability, but I have no reason to believe it will be a problem (it’s hard to explain by the design of the spike is such that the edges are largely protected).  That said, my recommendation is to limit contact with hard surfaces as much as humanly possible.  I’d further recommend you keep a pair of Golfskins on your Swing Crowns anytime you’re not walking on grass.  Golfskins are relatively inexpensive and easily slip on and off just about any golf shoe.  Whatever the lifespan of the Swing Crown spikes ultimately turns out to be, Cleatskins Golf protectors should help to extend it substantially.
• Cost – The retail price of the Swing Crown GTX is $275.  I’ve received more than a few winces when I’ve told people what they sell for.  Of course, these are guys wearing $60 golf shoes so…well…you know.  Still, while most definitely not the most expensive golf shoe on the planet, at $275 the Swing Crown GTX is priced a big higher than tour quality shoes from Nike, Adidas, and Footjoy.

Final Thoughts

Let’s be honest here, wearing a pair of PUMA Swing Crown GTX golf shoes won’t make you Geoff Ogilvy.  You won’t gain legions of adoring fans.  And even though you probably won’t win the US Open, you’d look damn good competing in the PUMA Open, and that’s something.  While the superior traction that comes from Smart Quill Technology almost certainly won’t get you your tour card, what a pair of PUMA Swing Crown GTXs can offer is an exceptionally lightweight, and more importantly, comfortable golf shoe, with way more style than you’d ever find in a traditional saddleback.

Listen man, you’re not your grandfather.  You don’t pull your black socks up to your knees. You don’t drive a Chrysler (or a Buick), and you don’t spend your afternoons screaming at whippersnappers and ruffians to get off your damn lawn.  You’re not your grandfather, so why would you wear his golf shoes?  Stay Fresh, kid!

The PUMA Swing Crown GTX golf shoe, and a ton of other stylish, high performance golf gear is available at the PUMA Golf Store.  For the latest happening on all things PUMA Golf, check out the PUMA Golf Blog.

Unfortunately the forecast called for rain (it never did), but I left the camera in the car to be safe.  My apologies for the lack of photo documentation.

Course Information:

• Ocean City Golf  Club – Newport Bay (http://www.oceancitygolfclub.com)

• Par: 72

• Yardage: 5205 – 6657 yards (we played the white tees – 6307 yards)

Description (from the website):

None – No wonder I wasn’t overly excited.

Thankfully, the Harrison Group website has a description:

The newly renovated Newport Bay course is a hit. It has quickly become one of the most requested courses in the area. The change in design leads you through some highly challenging wetland holes and if played in the afternoon you can enjoy a spectacular sunset while finishing on 18.

We arrived at the course about an hour before our tee time.  We grabbed breakfast at the restaurant.  I had the sausage egg and cheese, which tasted a bit like cardboard, cardboard, and cheese.  Yeah…not so impressed.

Practice Facility

I didn’t see a practice area.  According to their website they have one…although they really don’t tell you anything about it.  It was too early for practice anyway.

Layout

Not unlike Eagle’s Landing, OCGC’s Newport Bay course features of mix of parkland and oceanfront style holes.  Although some target golf is required, Newport Bay is much more of a bomber’s course than Eagle’s Landing.  As you might expect from a bayside course, water plays prominently on several holes, with the ocean often not far off the back of  several greens.  Marshlands are also prevalent throughout, but seldom bisect fairways.  The driver is almost always the right club of the tee.  I like that.

Conditions

Once again, some consideration must be given to the fact that I played Newport Bay in early Spring.  Of course, there’s a huge difference in my mind between not yet green, and bare – and parts of Newport Bay were as bald as Jesse Jane’s moneymaker.  Large bare spots littered several holes, most prevalently along the edges of the the numerous bunkers on the course.  Don’t get me wrong, the course was far (very far) from unplayable, but there was substantially more dirt at Newport Bay than at any of the 3 other courses we played in Ocean City.

Like Eagle’s Landing, the greens had been recently topdressed.  The sand hadn’t come close to filtering it’s way down,  which made for slow putts.  Further complicating things, and diminishing my overall level of enjoyment; the greens simply would not hold approach shots.  I hit an exceptionally high ball, and have never had trouble holding greens in my life (at least not in temperatures above 30°).  At Newport Bay I probably rolled off the back of 5 greens with shots that would have held any place I’ve played previously.  Slow greens that don’t hold shots…the worst of both worlds.  Not fun.  Not fun at all.

Pace of Play

I have absolutely no complaints about the pace.  The group in front of us moved along at a brisk pace.  Unfortunately, so did the group behind us.  From what I could tell, we were sandwiched between two groups of women, all of whom members, and all of whom could flat out play golf.  We struggled to keep pace with the group in front of us (I don’t think we were overly slow), and tried desperately not to hold the group behind us too much.  At the turn, we stopped to use the restroom, the ladies behind us, however, made an immediate turn for 10, at which point we waived them through, which brings me to the staff.

The Staff

Our waitress in the restaurant was very nice, and I certainly don’t fault her for a lousy sandwich.  The guys in the proshop said little more to me than “You’re all set”, but I’m fine with that.  There’s something to be said for efficiency.  The starters/bag attendants were very helpful.  They told us a bit about the course, and actually engaged the other Tony in conversation when he realized that Tony’s old Wilson wedge previously belonged to an old buddy of his from his playing days (the name was etched into the blade).  Small world right?  Anyway, I would have had no complaints about the staff, if not for a confounding conversation that apparently originated because we waived that group of women through while half of our foursome was in the restroom.

Our little break at the turn lasted all of maybe 5 minutes, but as I said, the group behind us was playing quickly, and they were ready to go on the 10 with 2 minutes of the 4 of us putting out on 9.  So I figured the right thing to do was to wave them through…which is what I did.  And away they went.  No big deal, right?  Wrong!

As we were walking off the 11th green, one of the rangers comes rolling up and asks me what has to be the most thought provoking questions I’ve ever faced the golf course; “how did you get here?”.

Clearly unprepared to answer a question of that magnitude, I struggled with the enormity of his query.  Here’s my best recollection of the entire conversation.

ORG (Old Ranger Guy): How did you get here?

Me: In what sense? (after all, the possibilities of the universe are limitless, I needed some clarification).

ORG: How did you get here?

Me: (Did he mean how did I come into being – my mother, how did I get to Ocean City – car, or perhaps how I got to this very spot – golf cart.  Really, I had no idea).  Finally I settled on: “I’m not sure I understand what it is you’re asking”.

ORG: How did you get on this hole?

Me: (fighting the impulse to answer “golf cart”).  We came from the last hole.

ORG: What do you mean? (great, now even he’s confused)

Me: We made our putts on the last hole, and then drove to this hole.

ORG: Are you sure you didn’t skip a hole?

Me: Yeah, I’m fairly certain we’re where we’re supposed to be.  We played 8, then 9, made the turn, played 10, and now we’re here.  Isn’t that how we’re supposed to do it?

ORG: Well those guys behind you want to know how you got in front of them.

Me: (So it’s about now that I’m finally piecing together what’s actually happening.  The guys behind us, who were looking at the backsides of the ladies behind us for the better part of 9 holes, and were now looking at our backsides, somehow got it their heads that we cut in front of them, and were concerned that we were holding them up).  “We let the group behind us through”.

ORG: You did what?

Me: We let the ladies through.

ORG: You can’t do that.

Me: Why not?

ORG: You can’t do that when it’s busy.  It slows things down.

Me: (Puzzled because not only did we let a group through in the hope that would avoid slow play, but now I’ve spent the better part of 3 minutes discussing god knows what with a cranky ranger, who for his trouble is apparently unaware of the fact that the exhaustive discussion he’s engaged me in is actually causing the slow play he’s trying so hard to prevent.  Ironic?)  “They came of the green at 9, while a couple of us were still in the bathroom, so rather than have them sit around and wait for us, I waived them through”.

ORG: Oh

Me: Yeah

ORG: That makes sense

Me: Yeah

ORG: Well those guys wanted to know.  I’ll tell them them you didn’t cut in front of them.

Me: Uh-huh.

That folks is 5 minutes of my life I’m never getting back.  Needless to say, I wasn’t blown away by my staff interaction at OCGC Newport Bay.  Worse yet, I got so wrapped up in the ridiculous conversation I forgot my wedge, and had to go back to the 11th green to get it.

Favorite Hole

The par 4, 18th requires a short carry over wetlands.  Water runs down the entire right side, with  large narrow bunker resting between the fairway and that water.  Water also comes into play beyond the green.  Simply put, I think it’s an absolutely great golf hole.  Of course, it didn’t hurt that I made par (fairway, just off the back of the green, chip and a putt).

Furthering my enjoyment on the 18th was watching my buddy learn one of those lessons that every new golfer eventually learns.  That lesson is, of course; you can’t throw a golf ball nearly as far as you think you can.  After duffing two balls into the wetlands, my buddy Norm decided he would just throw the ball over the marsh and on to the fairway.  As you can probably guess, he didn’t come close to making it over (he didn’t even reach the hazard), but he did nearly dislocate his elbow, which was nice.

Sadly, that moment, and my conversation with ORG were the only memorable moments of my day at Newport Bay.

Overall Experience

There wasn’t much I found enjoyable about the Ocean City Golf Club Newport Bay course.  Granted, I didn’t play particularly well (none of us did), which never helps.  Unfortunately some beautiful scenery and a couple of really interesting holes were largely wasted because of poorly conditioned greens, and my good friend the cranky ranger.

This brings me to the two fundamental questions of my golf course reviews:

If Newport Bay were dropped down in the middle of Saratoga, NY, is there any chance in the world I’d pay the $85 rack rate.  Nope…never.

Should I ever find myself in Ocean City, Maryland again, how likely would I be to play Newport Bay a second time?  Quite honestly, there isn’t a chance in the world.  Nothing turns me off a golf course faster than an unpleasant run in with a staff member.  I obey course rules, I don’t play slow, and I clean up after myself.  There’s no reason I should ever have an encounter like that.  It’s completely unwarranted.  Simply put, when next I’m in Ocean City, I’ll go out of my way to avoid playing at Newport Bay, and very likely the OCGC Seaside course too.

For layout and conditions, Newport Bay gets a C+ (good layout helps to balance sub-standard conditions).  For overall value, I’m begrudgingly giving Newport Bay a C-.  Overall, I wasn’t impressed, but admittedly, it could have been a whole lot worse.