Scratch Golf Wedges - 8620 milled golf wedge

I purchased a Scratch Golf Wedge from {aclc id=39} when they had them in stock and selling for $99.  I didn't pay $99 though, because they had a "Name you price" option for these excellent wedges.  Read more about the great deal on Scratch Golf Wedges for under $75 - New Factory Sealed.  I ended up paying $72 for the wedge and added a Fiz Golf - Club and Ball Cleaner to bring my total over $75 to receive free shipping.

I bought a 56 degree Scratch Driver/Slider  8620 milled wedge.  I used the Scratch Golf Fitting tool to determine which wedge was proper for my golf swing.  You can read about the fitting process at Scratch Golf.  Basically they make different sole grinds on their wedges to help different types of swings.  So it is important to buy the correct sole grind.  

Scratch Golf makes golf wedges, but also full iron sets.  They are known for their high quality irons, especially the wedges.  If you have not tried a Scratch Golf wedge yet, you really need to try them out.  They are great to hit and very consistent.  Because the grinds are made to match your swing type, it translates into more consistent and quality wedge shots.

Again, I ordered the Scratch wedge from Rock Bottom Golf and I was very happy to see the following box on my front door steps a couple of days later.

I opened the box and my Fiz Golf club cleaner and Scratch wedge were there waiting for me use as soon as I could get to the driving range.  I've included a lot of images below to show how great looking this wedge really is.  You notice that Scratch logo imprinted on the back of the club head and the beautiful chrome finish.  I was able to try the wedge out on the short game area, and on the range.  Unfortunately their was a very strong wind that day, which isn't unusual in the Dallas area in the spring time.

Short game

I hit many balls from different distances to see how the Scratch wedge performed.  I was immediately impressed with the club, as the grind was perfect for my type of swing and I was consistently hitting the ball.  Each shot was going the same distance with a small amount of variability.  This is important to create confidence in your chipping/short game.  The face of the wedge is great, because the grooves invoke plenty of spin.  I was hitting solid chips that had plenty of spin to control the distance and have the ball stop where I wanted it to.

Full Shots

My initial tests were directly into a very strong wind, so it wasn't the best conditions to try out the wedge, but I just couldn't wait to try it out.  Again, the sole grind was perfect for my swing, and I was consistently hitting the ball where I wanted.  I did notice that I was still hitting the ball a good distance, even into the wind.  This is because I was making good, clean contact with the ball allowing the ball to travel through the wind.  A strong wind will really punish poorly hit shots, so I was impressed with shots I was hitting giving me confidence with the wedge.

From the Manufacturer

 

8620 Milled

Each 8620 wedge is CNC milled to exact specs using one of our six standard sole grinds. Each grind is specifically designed to fit one of the 3 swing types: Digger/Driver, Driver/Slider, and Slider/Sweeper. Playing the correct grind for your swing promotes more consistent contact as the club works with your swing instead of against it.

HEADS

Scratch 8620 wedges are milled from the same 8620 mild carbon steel as the other leading wedges on the market. 8620’s are CNC milled to ensure a perfectly flat face. The milling creates additional spin due to the textured surface on the face.

GROOVES

8620 wedges feature Scratch’s proprietary ABC groove technology. ABC stands for “all bite no chew” and these grooves deliver just that. Our machined grooves are maximum width and depth for maximum spin but the edges are slightly rounded to reduce chewing your golf ball. The face is milled to assure a perfectly flat surface.

HEADSHAPE

The headshape of the 8620 is a classic teardrop head, with a high toe and a slightly rounded leading edge. The headshape design was based on feedback from our JLM lide as well as Tour Pros around the globe.

FINISH

The 8620 wedges feature Scratch’s Brushed Satin finish. This finish provides the durability of chrome with a duller surface to help eliminate glare. The minimal stampings of the 8620 wedges provide a very clean look unique to the Scratch Golf brand and allow for personal stampings to be added to the wedge.

SHAFTS

Scratch 8620 wedges feature a wedge flex KBS Tour shaft that is unique to Scratch Golf. We worked with legendary shaft designed Kim Braley for more than a year to create the ultimate wedge shaft. This shaft has a tighter dispersion and increased playability on less than full shots. Other custom shafts are also available.

ADDITIONAL OPTIONS

All Scratch 8620 wedges ordered online offer the following custom options at no additional charge: custom ferrule, up to three letters stamped on the club, choice of paintfill on the lettering. True Temper Dynamic Gold shafts are also available at no additional charge. Scratch also offers a variety of custom shafts and custom grips for an additional charge. SST shaft puring is also available for an additional charge.

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Daily Deal Golf Site - GroupGolfer.com

With the recent rise of Groupon and Living Social, I've started to notice specific golf related daily deal sites.  I previously discussed iDealGolfer.com and now I would like to discuss GroupGolfer.com.  iDealGolfer.com has basically focused on the Dallas-Ft. Worth TX area, and is now expanding into the Austin, TX.  GroupGolfer seems to have started in Michigan, and is trying to expand to other markets.  I'm from the Dallas, TX area, so when I went to sign up for GroupGolfer, there were no daily deals going on.  It appears that they are trying to gain subscribers in particular areas to expand their customers before they launch into other markets.

I changed my area to Michigan so that I could see what they have going on in that market.  Michigan is by far their most busy market as they have had many previous deals.  Unlike iDealGolfer.com, GroupGolfer seems to have golf equipment and other types of daily deals, not just green fees.  I'll cover some of the golf equipment daily deal sites in the future, but there are sites exclusively dedicated to golf equipment.  California is another state where they have started to do daily deals.  The other states seem to be idle at this moment.

How it works

GroupGolfer is similar to other daily deal sites.  The first step is to be aware of the current daily deal.  You can visit the website to review the deal, or through your subscription, you will receive an email as new deals are started.  This is a nice feature, that all sites do, so you don't have to visit the website everyday to see the new deals.

The second step is to click the buy button when you see a deal that is interesting to you.  For the deal to go through, enough people have to buy the deal, so it makes it necessary to share the deal with your friends and family.  GroupGolfer makes this very easy by providing the capability to easily share the deal through your Facebook account.  This benefits both yourself by locking in the deal, but also benefits the company putting on the deal.  This is great advertising for the company even if people do not purchase the deal.  Their name and information is virally spread through the Internet and Facebook.

The last step, is when enough people buy the deal, the deal is locked and you will be able to print off the coupon from within the GroupGolfer website through your account.  Some of the deals have limitations and expiration dates, so make sure you check on these before you click buy.

The above image is an example of the current daily deal going on for GroupGolfer Michigan.

On the deal page, a graphic shows if the deal is on or off, and how many people have currently purchased the deal.  If the deal is off, and you really want it to lock in, then you are more than likely to spread the word and get your friends to buy.

How it benefits Golf Companies

GroupGolfer provides a platform that provides a golf course, golf equipment company, or golf instruction company the ability to increase their brand awareness, gain new customers and generate immediate revenue.  Even if someone does not buy the particular deal, the company will have exclusive exposure during the deal time for all of GroupGolfer's subscribers.  This can pay off in the long run by increasing awareness about your brand and lead to more customers.

In the short term, each deal will bring in immediate revenue and customers.  The goal is to turn those immediate customers into repeat customers.

GroupGolfer's Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide our clients and our vendors with a friendly environment that helps establish a mutually beneficial relationship. In doing so, we believe we can not only provide a first-rate experience to our customers, but also tangible benefits to our businesses as well — all the while serving to nurture and grow the wonderful game of golf.

Visit GroupGolfer.com today and start to save money on your golf addiction!

iDealGolfer

iDealGolfer.com is a website that provides daily deals for rounds of golf.  Are you familiar with Groupon or Living Social?  Well, iDealGolfer is just like a Groupon for Golf Courses.  I must admit, with all the hype of Groupon and the tremendous growth that the site has gone through, I had the idea of doing some kind of daily deal golf site.  Well, the folks from Avid Golfer are one step ahead of me and started iDealGolfer.  I think this is a great idea, the model works out well for both golfers and golf courses.

Golf Courses are always competing to fill all of their tee times, especially with the growing number of golf courses being built.  iDealGolfer can provide a golf course a lot of golfers and awareness with golfers.  The golf course will have to provide a pretty large discount, say 30-50% off a standard green fee, but they will be promoted in front of thousands of golfers.  For each person who buys a deal, that golfer will play the golf course.  The goal of the golf course is to turn that golfer into a repeat customer.  In addition to people who buy the deal, iDealGolfer will be promoting each deal, so the golf course will receive quite a bit of advertising for their deal.

Each deal is different, as some of the deals have certain blackout dates and/or times.  Deals also expire, so make sure when you are going to buy a deal that you can actually use the deal without it expiring.

iDealGolfer has integrated well with Facebook to help promote their deals.  They have a fan page setup, with over 850+ people liking the page.  It appears from the past deals that anywhere from 200 to 600+ people buy each deal.  Each deal can also be liked on Facebook, emailed to a friend, or send to Google Buzz.  It's interesting that they do not have some kind of Twitter integration for the ongoing deal?  There are twitter buttons on the past deals, which is kind of interesting.

Locations

Currently, iDealGolfer seems to be most active in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.  Luckily for me, that's where I currently live.  They just started doing deals in the Hill Country.  For those of you not in Texas, that is the Austin, TX area.  They also have listed Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and St. Louis, however, it doesn't appear to have much activity for deals.  I'm sure those areas will be the next cities they are going to grow into.

How It Works

The website is pretty intuitive, and easy to figure out.  When you see a deal that you like, you click on the deal to "buy" it.  You'll have to create an account, so that when the deal is done you can print the coupon and be able to redeem it.

Each deal has a time limit that you can buy it.  The time limit is usually several days.  Once the deal time limit has expired, you will have the chance to log in and get the coupon to use.

• CHECK THE DEAL. Once they begin you will get an email daily showing the discounted deal of the day.
• BUY. If your interest peaks, then click BUY NOW!
• SHARE. Then share your findings with friends, family, coworkers and even that golf buddy that still owes you for losing the last round!
• REDEEM. Print your coupon and present it at the golf course or business featured by the expiration date.

I will be watching iDealGolfer over the next year to see how this idea progresses.  I think this will be very successful because it is good for the golfer, and for the golf course.  I wish I would have acted on my idea before iDealGolfer made its debut.

If anyone has used this site, I would be interested in hearing about your experience with the process.  Just leave a comment.

GolfLogix iPhone App review

You may be aware of the company GolfLogix which makes the GolfLogix golf gps devices. Up until recently, the golf gps craze involvedt dedicated gps devices for golf. The devices were only used for golfing and came in many different flavors. With the explosion of sales of the iPhone and iPhone applications, many developers started to create golf GPS apps for the iPhone. The iPhone includes a GPS and 3G data connection which is ideal for creating a golf GPS app. GolfLogix is one of the first golf gps companies to create an iPhone application version.

I downloaded the GolfLogix iPhone app and took the application for a spin for a recent round to give it a try. The GolfLogix app is a “free” application download, however, the Champion membership is free for 24 hrs which allows you to try it out once. After the 24 hr period, you must upgrade to a paid membership to gain access to the champion membership. Otherwise you will stay club member. Not to worry though, most all functionality that you will need is available as a club member! More on the memberships below.

The GolfLogix application has all of the functionality that you need in a golf GPS. The application will select the correct course based upon your current location when starting your round, and the app will also auto-advance to the next hole based upon your location. This is an ease of use feature that some of the other golf GPS units have and is a great feature in my opinion. You can measure the distance of any shot by clicking on the shot measurement button at the spot of your shot, and move to the finish point to read the distance. The greenview is pretty limiting, and basically provides just the distance to the front, center and back of the green. The screen is hard to see, and doesn’t provide much detail in regards to the shape and contour of the green on approach. The app does provide distances to hazards and targets which is beneficial. Once the hole is complete, and you start to move towards the next tee, the application will ask for your score, along with number of putts, chips, sand shots, and penalties.

Membership Levels

Club Member

As a club member, which is free, provides many features that make the application a great download.

• FREE unlimited use of the 25,000 course scorecards worldwide
• Full digital scorecard for up to 4 players
• Aerial image of every hole
• Track stats like fairways hit, green in regulations, putting and more
• Your own club member webpage in the GolfLogix clubhouse

Champion Member

For $39.95 per year, you can become a Champion member and receive the following additional benefits and features such as more precise distances to targets and greens and more stats.

Once you are done with your round, you can synch the stats and scores to the GolfLogix website, where you can log in through a PC and view and review all of your stats and rounds.Battery Life

Because the application uses the GPS constantly, the application will drain the battery quite fast. GolfLogix suggests starting with a full battery and changing the backlight brightness to 50% or lower along with turning off auto-brightness. These can be managed through settings->brightness.I started my round with a full battery and followed GolfLogix’s suggestions and was able to barely complete my round when I received the low battery warning from the iPhone (20% battery remaining).It might be wise to buy and use a battery extender.

Other smartphones supported

In addition to the iPhone, GolfLogix can be downloaded to more than a dozen GPS-enabled phones including the BlackBerry Curve™, BlackBerry Bold™, BlackBerry Tour™ and BlackBerry Storm™, Storm 2™, Motorola DROID, HTC Touch Pro™ and more.

Conclusion

I was quite impressed with the GolfLogix golf gps iPhone application. As a free application, it is extremely valuable and can save you a lot of money from purchasing a dedicated golf gps device. If you have an iPhone or one of the other supported devices, I highly recommend downloading the application and giving it a try.

Get the FREE GolfLogix iPhone app now!

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