Cov-ver Hat: Back in the day, when men like Hogan and Sneed teed it up, they did so in wool hats and straw fedoras rather than caps made by Titleist or Ping. Now I admit that I am one of the 95% of golfers who only wears baseball caps, but recently I’ve been thinking about delving into other types of head wear.

Unfortunately, most golf stores only sell traditional hats, and being a person who rarely ventures into clothing stores, I struck out to the web to see what I could find. After a bit of research, I stumbled upon Cov-ver. While hats by Cov-ver are not exclusively made for golf, their “newsboy”, “fedora” and “Aussie” styles harken back to the golden age of golf. You will note that although the Cov-ver site does not directly sell any of their hats, you can find links to a bunch of re-sellers. To save you some time, Adventure Hats seems to carry nearly all of the hats that are most golf appropriate.

The two hats that we are going to review today are the Aussie Mesh hat and the Morris Corduroy Newsboy cap.

Morris Corduroy Newsboy Cap

Cov-ver Newsboy Hat Review by Adam: As my wife can attest to, I have been hunting for a non-baseball cap for the past year but have been stymied when I inevitably look like a dope in any one that I try on. I was therefore doubtful that the Cov-ver hat would be any different. To my delight, I instantly loved this hat and was relieved that it even got two thumbs up from my wife. As you can see, this hat is pretty low profile so it fits much like a baseball cap making it a nice baby step toward some of their more original styles. While very well made, the hat looks pre-warn without being worn out.  This way you avoid the whole “nice brand new hat” jokes. In short, this hat has instantly made it to my starting line-up.

Cov-ver Aussie Mesh Hat Review by Wade: This Aussie Soakable Golf Hat by Cov-ver has been a good find for me, and the chance to review it has been an honest pleasure. I’m of the fair-skinned variety of folks living the southeastern part of the US, and my doctor has kindly informed me that for people with my amount of freckles, it’s a matter of when, not if  I’ll be getting skin cancer removed. To that end, I’ve been experimenting with different sunblocks and hats over the past several years.

The Aussie Mesh Hat provided a great opportunity to try out a wider-brimmed hat that also had some really excellent cooling features.  As you can see in the photo, it has the look of the Australian cowboy hat that we’ve come to know from all of Greg Norman’s days on tour. This one is made of a mesh around your head, to allow breezes to cool your dome but with a solid top to block the sun directly overhead.  While, I have only worn the hat in moderate and cool weather, I did soak it to see if the “air-conditioning” function worked.  When wet, the hat clearly would help cool you off but also dried out well and back to its original shape.

Additionally, I was also interested in how it would stay on in the wind, because we all know that wind blows on the golf course, except on the hottest freaking days of summer when you need it most. For me, it stayed on my head great, and if I needed it, there is a small Velcro strap in the back that can be adjusted to make for a great fit, and added stability. Big thanks to Cov-ver Hat as this hat is absolutely a keeper.

You can see more photos in our Facebook Gallery.

Feherty Show:  Well folks, looks like televised golf has pretty much packed it in until next spring, unless of course you’re strange enough to enjoy watching European Tour events at 8 am on a Saturday morning while your 18 month-old throws remnants of breakfast at your head (guilty). No more legit tournaments, no more Tiger, and no reason to watch anything other than football on a Sunday. So now what?

European Tour recent camera upgrades

I’m not claiming television gold here just yet, but I would suggest giving “Feherty Show” a shot. Anyone who’s been within orbital distance of professional golf over the last 15 years is familiar with David Feherty – he’s the Irish guy who almost singlehandedly brought humor into televised golf (okay McCord, you too). So now he has his own show . . . I’ve always known the guy is TV worthy, but I wasn’t sure whether to expect just a longer version of the hot-shot King Cobra ads or some other type of zany “nothing actually happens” programming.

Well . . . “Feherty” is basically an interview show, with our host going out to visit his guests at their location of choice, usually the guest’s house or ranch or whatever else the ludicrously rich people like to call home. You’ll chuckle at the little snippets of Feherty trying to ride a horse with his usual running commentary, or you might feel a slight cringe when you watch him do his somewhat contrived standup routine to a room of 7 – 9 weirded out “friends”, but the bulk of the show is a one-on-one interview with his guests.

To that end, what I have seen so far is a fantastic look into the personalities of notable golfers, caddies, and other celebrities, as well as some great insight into the goings-on of the Tours themselves. Amidst the cloud of self-deprecation that Feherty has surrounded himself with over the last decade, the fact remains that he was a world-class golfer with a Ryder Cup and some big wins to his name. And this might be what makes his show stand out the most – a true peer with a true sense of humor (sorry Nick and Johnny) going at it with some of golf’s greatest. A quickdirty list of guests would include Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Ian Poulter (who is incidentally way cooler than you might think), Charles Barkley, Fluff and Bones (also my grandfather’s nickname), Don Cheadle, and Darren Clarke. Each of the above mentioned episodes brings something to the table that golf spectators have either deserved for a long time or will really want to see. Highlights include:

–Feherty explaining the yips to Charles Barkley in the most simple, down-to-earth way I’ve heard yet. And yes, I’ve researched the yips. I just like to know about stuff. Whatever.

–Feherty revealing that he was pulled out of his alcoholic rock-bottom by Tom Watson extending an invite to come sober up at his ranch – this offer was made during an interview Feherty conducted of Watson and Nicklaus, in which Jack simply exclaimed “David, you look like sh-t!”. Bonus tidbit- Tom Watson was once an alcoholic (I’m not reveling in that fact, I just never would have known it).

–Fluff and Bones talking about . . . ANYTHING! I’d watch a 45 minute special on a caddie cleaning his garage if he promised to tell me at least one story about what happens inside the ropes. They’ve got to be the least “asked” people on the planet as compared to how valuable their stories are.

–Darren Clarke and Feherty hanging out and unintentionally exposing how truly tight the Irish crew is.

-Witnessing billionaire Greg Norman acknowledge that he had just smelled one of Feherty’s famous dragbunts, stating that he now had to “wipe it off of his teeth”. I’ve yet to see Donald Trump get down and dirty like that.

Woops, spoiler alert I suppose. Sorry about that, I guess I like “Feherty” even more than I thought. I’d say if you are devoid of a social life and have a jones for all things golf like the Three Guys, this show comes highly recommended.

Tattoo Golf Review: In 1981 a little band called the Rolling Stones released Tattoo You which included over-played hits like “Start Me Up” and “Hang Fire”. Fortunately, it also included two of my favorite Stones tunes, “Heaven” and “Waiting on a Friend”, which by the way, may be the best low rent video ever. Beyond the music, Tattoo You remains one of the most recognizable album covers of all time.

While tattoos are no longer just for bikers and punks, they still are reserved for those who prefer to draw outside the lines.

Until recently, golf fashion rarely ventured outside of the lines. Yes, guys like Ian Poulter and Ricky Fowler are bringing a sense of color to the course, but where is the swagger? Where is the bad-ass? I am here to tell you Tattoo Golf has got your swagger and more. 

Three Guys Take: Wow! That is the first thing that came to mind when I opened the box.  These are not your fathers golf shirts. Now if you are thinking “whoa, that stuff is too crazy for me” then you should probably stick to Khakis, blue shirt and Footjoys. But if you like your wings hot, music loud and cars fast then Tattoo Golf may be right for you!

The shirt is made from dry-fit material and is super light. Two things to note:  1) because of the style, many of the shirts are not meant to be tucked in since the artwork goes all the way to the bottom (just more attitude in case no one noticed the huge skulls),  2) Compared to the current industry sizes, I would say they run just a bit small. Typically I buy medium shirts, but I found the medium Tattoo Golf shirt just a touch small.

The hats are flex-fit which helps with sizing. I have what I would call a medium head but I would go with the large rather than medium.  Quality wise, the Tartan plaid hat almost feels like wool even though it is made from polyester and rayon. For me, this is a great looking winter hat and is a nice change from the typical big brand hat.

The headcover is just like you would expect from Tattoo Golf- bold and brash. There will be no hunting for the driver with this headcover. It is big, black and solid. My only issue is that it is a bit harder to get on and off due to the length of the cover but you can rest assured no harm will come to your club when it is in the holster.

Summary:  I was definitely a bit nervous about wearing the Tattoo Golf shirt as it demands attention.  I mean, you kinda feel like you need to back up the shirt with some game. Now I am not making promises but the 1st round I played in the Bones shirt was one of my better rounds quite a while. Coincidence?

More photos of Tattoo Golf are in our Facebook Gallery.

Three Guys Golf Blog talks Haney / Cowher: So I caught the Hank Haney/Bill Cowher special the other night and I must say, Hank does a great job of making a show that is both instructional and very watchable (even my wife who cares nothing about golf watches the show).  Aside from enjoying seeing one of  my favorite coaches (I am from Pittsburgh) play a track just down the road from me (I now live in NC), I picked up 3 tips from the show.

1) Go ahead and swing hard:  Hank wanted Bill to really try and mash the ball.  Even at 50 or so, Cowher is seriously athletic but was not leveraging his strength and coordination.  I know personally, when I try to be conservative with my driver I just end up not finishing my swing which just leads to a weak fade.

2) Consider a modified claw grip:  This is something I have done a number of times with pretty good success but Hank explained why it works.  Haney says, the claw grip will fix a yip in your right hand.  I am not sure why but I know I have benefited from this style although there is no way I will ever admit I have a yip in my stroke-see my I am a really good putter post.  ps-big props to Bill for refusing to go to a long putter!

3) Three keys to reducing your score:  Hank enumerated what I have always believed to be the keys to scoring.  1) Don’t go OB, 2) Don’t three putt and 3) Never miss the green when you chip.  The first two tips are easier said than done, but #3 is more in our control.  I wrote a post about “stop making doubles or worse” which is centered around the fact that amateurs are really bad chippers but fairly good putters. Hence, any chip on the green is a good chip since we actually 2 putt most of time but rarely get up and down.  By simply getting on the green with your first chip you are much better off than trying to get it close and not reaching the green.

So thats it, a little winter time lesson from Hank.  Note to Bill Cowher – if you ever need a fourth, I can be at the club house with just 30 minutes notice – call me!

Just4Golf Headcovers: Until recently, there were few options when it came to headcovers. There was your standard “came with the club” cover or the “oversized animal” cover but not much more. Fortunately, there are a number of new companies coming out with other styles to choose from. One of the more popular styles that is popping up is the knit sock throwbacks. Derived from a day when wool and cotton were the material of choice and argyle and stripes were in vogue , these new headcovers add a splash of color to your bag.

At the high end of this market, you have companies like Rocket Tour who make a pretty sweet headcover, but at $35 a pop it can be tough to justify for my used 4 wood. Fortunately, there are some more affordable alternatives with similar styling and quality.

Just 4 Golf headcovers is one of the companies making this style of headcover and they were nice enough to send us a few samples to check out. While the Just 4 Golf headcovers may not have quite the cache of Rocket Tour, they are up to 50%  less per cover so they are definitely worth considering especially if you want to get 3-5 of them.

Background: Just4Golf Accessories headcovers come in ten styles and include putter covers for both mallet and blade putters.  From a style standpoint, they have a nice selection of argyle, stripes and old school looks.  Moreover, I would say 1/3 of their selections skew to women so it is a great shop for the ladies as well as the guys.

Three Guys Take:  Overall, I was quite pleased with all of the Just4Golf headcovers. I thought the styles were unique and the construction solid.  As a test, I tugged on all of the pom poms and each one showed to be securely fastened. In terms of functionality, all of the covers we tried easily fit on my clubs including a Ping G10 driver.  NOTE: These head covers are NOT one size fits all which is really a good feature because it means the covers  fit better and are more snug.  Therefore, make sure you check the description to note if it is sized for a driver, fairway wood or hybrid.  I did find that the fairway woods and hybrids are pretty close in size but you will definitely need the driver size for your drivers.

The other unique feature is the plastic toggle on some of the models that you can spin around to indicate what club it is (see photo gallery below). I actually preferred the models without this feature, but you can easily cut the tag off if you like.

Overall, I like the Just4Golf headcovers and they have a number styles which I would put in my bag.  I also found that you could mix and match the styles (you will note that I have a black headcover mixed with the argyle in the below photos).  Lastly, Just4Golf headcovers are incredibly affordable. Many of the covers are just $16.00 which is 1/2 the price of the big boys.

You can see more photos in our Facebook Gallery.

Three Guys Golf Blog: If you’ve read my last piece, you know that I’ve been working on standing taller, and not letting myself get too bent over, with my head stuck in my chest.  Part II of my work in this area has been related to spine angle, where I coil or turn into my right leg without dipping my left shoulder, and thus changing my spine angle.

An easy way to feel this is to take your stance facing a wall with your forehead an inch from touching the wall.  As you turn back to the top of your swing, if your forehead bangs against the wall, then you’ve changed your spine angle towards the ball, and forward.  That’s not the feeling we want.  You want to feel yourself turn back without moving towards the ball—or the wall, and then you want to feel your forward move start from the ground, off of your right toe, bumping your hips to your left side to move your weight to your left foot, and then the rotation of your hips that pulls your shoulders in your natural right-handed, underhand throwing motion—picture skipping a rock or throwing from short-stop to the second baseman for the double play. If you haven’t changed your spine angle, this should flow easily, again without pushing your forehead towards the wall.

 Stand tall-no head banging!

 Another great way to feel yourself turning back without changing your spine angle, is to put your left hand on top of your right shoulder at address, and then as you turn back, make sure your right shoulder doesn’t raise UP, but turns BACK away from the wall.  You’ll find yourself swinging much more balanced, with your swing path much more down the line, instead of out and across the line.

Three Guys Golf Blog: How many times have you stood on the 18th tee box and suddenly remembered a key swing thought and then proceeded to rip your first good drive of the day?  This is exactly what happened to me yesterday during a cold and hungover round of golf. Now I could blame the Jameson, the hangover or the 48 degree weather, but I am going to chalk up my 1st 17 miserable holes to forgetting a key swing thought.

How is it possible for us to make this mistake over and over again? My remedy for this problem is to take short notes that can help me when I get in trouble during a round. Unfortunately, my head was pounding that day and I needed another note to remind me to look at my notes.

Kidding aside, I have found keeping notes to be a valuable tool to use both during a round and at the range.  Not only can it help you get back on track, but it ends up chronicling your approach to the game.  For example, I have found it quite interesting to read what I used to think was important so I can then evaluate whether I feel the same way or whether I have made further adjustments.  I know it may sound stupid but I really believe that because golf is such an evolution of thoughts and mechanics, a journal can be one of the most valuable tools in your bag.

Three Guys Golf Blog: For most of the year, I am pretty lucky as I am able to play golf 1 to 2 times a week but for the past three weeks I have not hit a single ball. So, after a Saturday filled with yard work, I decided to take advantage of the 60 degree weather and get in a quick 9 holes. With nary a range ball hit, I was delighted when my tee shot went straight down the fairway.  I was even more pleased that my wedge put me to just outside 4 ft of the pin.  Despite the par, I was stuck with how easy the game seemed.  Maybe golf is like riding a bike? Over the 9 holes, I had 4 pars, 4 bogie’s and 1 double.  While a 42 is not my nine hole record, it is not a horrible score for me even in the heart of the season. 

This got me to thinking: can taking time away from  actually golf improve your game? Does time off help us forget all the bad swing thoughts?  Maybe the relaxation that comes with lowered expectations allows you us to tap into a free and easy swing which can be just as important as focusing on technique?

If this is in fact the case, the lesson is to bring that loosness to your game even when you are in mid-season.  Easier said than done I know, but something to consider and put on your list of swing thoughts.

I’ve been re-working my swing over the past year to help deal with some back issues that I’ve had, and one of the keys for less pressure on my spine that has created more power and accuracy is this simple key.  It’s been something that several announcers have been harping on Tiger for, until this President’s Cup series, where he’s gotten more upright, and less bent over.  If you look back at pictures and video from his best golf, he was always more upright and swinging less around himself when he was hitting the ball consistently.

Since the ball is on the ground, it’s easy to get bent over, with my weight out over my toes, and from there, my head tends to go into my chest, and I tend to swing out and across the ball for the pull or the weak pull-slice.

I really like Jimmy Ballard’s idea that he got from Hogan of standing taller, with your butt more underneath you, so that your shoulders, knees and balls of your feet are more inline if you look at your stance from the side.  Butch Harmon worked on this a good bit with Adam Scott, and he shows it beautifully.

It’s also the heads-up linebacker position in football, so that with your head up, your spine can stay more aligned and steady through the swing, and you can rotate your shoulders with much less effort to get back and through the ball, with a tall finish on your left side.  And I also like the feel of having my body and chest feeling like it’s moving ‘up’ or tall to the finish, while my hand and arms are swinging through the impact zone feeling ‘down’ and through, then up to the finish—ironically, I feel like I move ‘up’ to hit ‘down’ through the ball.

“I putted much better today, I mean I putted well yesterday, they just did not go in”.  This is a close estimation of what Tiger Woods said after his final round at the Presidents Cup and just another example of the PGA players supreme confidence in their flat stick.

Your Daily Affirmation

Tiger’s sometimes unfounded self belief serves as a reminder that confidence is perhaps the most important element in putting.  I think we all know this to be true, but fooling yourself into actually believing you are a better putter than you really are is not an easy task especially when you are going through a bad stretch. We all know the dread of  standing over a 4 foot putt during a round in which it seems nothing will go in. The ability to forget all of your failures and replace them with successes is incredibly hard but perhaps the most important thing you can do to improve your chances of not lipping out yet another putt.

Unfortunately, I cannot tell you how to muster your confidence, but for me it is simply taking a page out of Tiger’s book.  No, not the little black book, but his book of never admitting he is anything other than awesome.  As dumb as it sounds, I try to never take the blame for a bad putt.  Instead I tell myself, it was a good read but a bad break or whatever it takes to not let my brain even consider that I am not a great putter.

So remember, you are good enough, you are smart enough and doggone it, you are a really good putter.

Three Guys Golf Blog talks Tiger’s Shoes: When Mars Blackmon said “It’s gotta be the shoes“, I am pretty sure he was not talking to Tiger Woods. Don’t get me wrong, I am as big a Tiger fan as there is as evidenced by my recent “The Original Tiger” post, but when El Tigre decided to trot out his new orthopedic kicks I had to pause. What in the world can he be thinking? Seriously, they must be the uglies shoes ever.  The only time those shoes are appropriate are for taking laps around the mall on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

Clearly, Tiger has never been one to lead the fashion parade but recently he has looked downright bad. I know Tiger is notoriously cheap, but you think he could spring for a tailor to get his pants to actually fit properly rather than just cinching up his belt to pull in the extra waist.

I am sure my fellow Three Guys bloggers will remind me that talking about golf fashion is a bit, how do you say? “not so cool”, but how much do you want to bet that Ian Poulter is currently pitching a new celebrity make-over show with Tiger as his first guest and the first question will be “what kind of shoes is Tiger wearing?”

Imagine if every day you backed out of the driveway with the full understanding that there was a decent chance you would plow through the hedge or mailbox?  Would you quit driving your car or practice more?  Chances are you would start taking the bus. Why is golf any different?  Why do we believe after shooting an 80 we will never ever ever honk a drive into the woods or chili-dip a wedge?  Seriously, how can we possibly shoot an 80 one day and then jack a 98 two weeks later?

If riding a bike were more like golf

If only golf were like riding a bike, learn once and you are good for life.  On the other hand, maybe this is why we are so obsessed with the game.  Maybe it is the constant heart-break sprinkled with flashes of brilliance that keeps us coming back for more.  Why else would we spend so much money, frustration and time away from the family?  Wait, maybe I am on to something with that last point..

Three Guys Golf Blog talk Taylormade Penta Golf balls: I don’t profess to be an expert on golf balls, but the way I see it, they fall into three categories:  rocks, average and professional.  Typical rocks are your Top Flight XL, Raw or anything you get at Walmart. While they may be cheap, I see no reason to ever play this type of ball unless you are planning on losing at least six per round.

The mid-range balls are anything in the $18 to $24 style.  One of my favorite mid-range balls is the Callaway Diablo.  While it is a two piece ball, I find it to be fairly soft with better than average distance. In fact, I believe it is very comparable to the Titlist NXT Tour which runs about $10 more per dozen.  This is my winter ball.

The top end obviously includes Titlist Pro V1.  Clearly a great ball but at $50 per dozen you don’t want to honk more than one per round into the woods or lake.  Plus, I find that playing a Pro V1 can add stress to any shot that includes water or other hazard.  Really, who needs that on top of the regular stress.  Recently, I found a great alternative to the Pro V1.  The Taylormade Penta.  A really nice ball and with the current buy 2 dozen get 1 free promotion, they are a steal.  Unless you are a scratch golfer I would dare you to tell the difference between the Penta and a Pro V.

Whatever your choice, I would recommend avoiding the rocks and play with a ball that says “I have game”.  Every little bit of extra confidence is worth a partial stroke so playing a ball that you are comfortable with is a must.  Also, try to find a ball you like and stick with it.  You would never switch out drivers every hole so why switch out a ball?

Three Guys Golf Blog: If you are anything like me, you know there is nothing worse than making the turn and being faced with the decision of whether to nurse the last two beers or pony up for a $25.00 six pack of Miller Lite.  It is exactly this type of extortion which has led me to become a golf course bootlegger.

It is a risk-reward situation so ask yourself “what would Al do?”

In the past, it was never much of an issue since I was not a big drinker on the course. Recently though, I have been playing with some buddies who prefer to tip a few during the round. And when I say a few, I mean a few twelve packs.  Realizing that I would be spending more on beer than greens fees, I have resorted to smuggling in the booze.  Key to this effort is a large cart bag.  Sure they are made to put extra clothes, shoes and apparel, but what they are really good for is hiding a 12 pack of Bud from the starter.

Now, I am not advocating breaking the “no outside beverages allowed” rule, but I can tell you that with a little bit of ingenuity and a hint of bravery, one can save a considerable sum of cash!

Three Guys Golf Blog:  

Fact: Professional golfers have more money and time than all weekend hackers combined. Fact: Despite the inherent advantage pros have, there are many habits we can copy with little additional time or money.  Fact:  We seldom take advantage of the opportunity to model our game from the pros. Conclusion: we are not very smart.

For example every pro uses alignment sticks on the range at least 75% of the time but we never do. Pros spend at least 50% practicing their short game-we blast a bucket of drivers. Pros play with the best equipment and $50 balls we play with 10 year old drivers and $7 balls.  How about we split the difference, get a decent used club (which can double as alignment stick) and pony up for a dozen $20 balls instead of something called “Raw” or anything that starts with the word “Top”.

Don’t Cheat, but definitely copy

Gimmicks aside, a very effective trait to emulate from the pros is patience.  Watching golf on TV, it is hard to get a sense of how long these guys take to hit a shot. Don’t get me wrong, I would never advocate slow play, but again lets split the difference.  How about we take a couple of practice swings, get a semblance of a pre-shot routine and maybe put down the smoke before we try to drain a 6 footer?

God knows, I am as guilty as the next guy, but I am convinced that if we just copy just a few simple and free habits from the Pros we can improve are game significantly.