The Best & Worst New Golf Products for 2008

It's that time of year... The 2008 PGA Expo was last week and many new products, brands, and gizmos were introduced to the market. Here are some highlights compiled by the Golf For Women magazine on some of the best and worst new products coming on the market. Enjoy!
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Ah, the PGA Merchandise Show. For 55 years, this trade show has showcased the latest and greatest that golf has to offer, featuring more than 500,000-square-feet of toys and gizmos. I tell everyone it's my personal playground. While some golf gadgets are genius, others are, to say it nicely, bizarre. So I've created a list of products that are great and others that are, um. Not. So. Great. I call it Thanks...But No Thanks.

Thanks...
Shaft Skinz: You may have seen plastic sheets on Fore Inventors Only. Blow-dry them onto your shafts to spruce up your clubs in under 10 minutes. With more than 75 designs and colors, you're bound to find some you like. And don't worry, they're easy to take off.

Stackable Luggage: Club Glove is coming out with a line of stackable luggage (meaning you can pull three or four bags with just one hand) that have internal bags and compartments, making organization and travel easy. So go ahead and pack those cute shoes "just in case."

My Sports Alarm Clock: The only way to turn off this golf ball-shaped alarm clock is by throwing it. Now you can finally get back at that annoying buzzer!

Chill Cooling Sport Towel: Pull this cotton towel, made primarily with water and alcohol, out of its bag and it'll stay cool for three hours. Need I say more?

Club Count Technology: Though it has never happened to me, my sister has lost way too many golf clubs. I should get her this Cleveland Bag, which has a system of built-in electronic sensors that know how many clubs are in your bag. It chirps and lights up when you don't put a club back in your bag, which means my chirping days are over. Score.

K-Vest: This training device deserves a full article, but I'm so excited about it I won't be able to sleep right if I don't include it on my list. It works best if you have your teacher (or anyone else you trust) put it on you and calibrate it to recognize your correct swing positions. Afterward, swing normally. If you nail those correct swing positions you're rewarded with music. It's instant audio feedback you can rock to all day.

Daphne's Headcovers: Okay, so these have been around for 25 years. But every time I see the cute headcovers in pro shops the selection is severely limited. So I got excited when I found out I can order any (or all) of their headcovers online. Now comes the hard part: should I order the Maltese headcover, or the camel? Or the deer, the peacock, the rose, the clown fish or the pig? Or the trash can?

Never Bend Putter Grips: Slip these on your putter (above, right) and you'll never have to bend down to grab your ball. The suction cup attached to the end of this grip does all the work for you.

...But No Thanks
Green Novelties Putters: Want to learn the definition of sleazy? Check out these putters (left), which feature stickers of women in bathing suits saying things like, "Hit it...hard!" and "Wanna Play?!" The company claims the "sexy adult golfing girl putters will improve any golfer’s game." Yeah. Enough said.
The Caesar Dimpleless Golf Ball: I thought dimples were sorta essential to the golf ball. Was I wrong? Could someone really think dimples were aesthetic and nothing more? Apparently Cayman Golf, a Georgia-based company, did. They created Caesar, golf's first-ever dimpleless golf ball (left). The company claims that even golfers with incorrect swing paths cannot impart sidespin on the Caesar, meaning players will never hook or slice it. Sure they won't; without dimples the ball will never travel far in the air, whether it be left, right or straight.
Ashdon Golf Putter: The putter (right), which just came on the market, is hideous. But I didn't judge it by its appearance, so I tried it out (even though it's important to like the way your putter looks). Putting with it didn't convince me. So I asked Ashley, the daughter of the man who invented this putter, what it was all about. The first thing she said? It's the only putter that's toe is connected to the heel. Um, I think the toe of every putter face is connected to the heel. The second thing? That Rankmark rated it the number one putter in the country. She then gave me a printed version of an e-mail Rankmark sent to Ashdon Golf that listed the top nine putters, showing Ashdon was listed first above Odyssey, Nike and others. The only problem? The list is in alphabetical order.

Granted, I've only hit the tip of the iceberg here. I'll post more info about the latest trends (hint: colors are going to be huge) and how golf will be more women-friendly this year than ever before.

-Ashley Mayo
Golf For Women Magazine