Sports Product Review

OK, so, just like everyone else, you’ve got the office practice putting system. Maybe it’s nothing more than a coffee cup on that flat commercial carpet that so accurately simulates a real golf green. Maybe you’ve got the full, electric ball retrieval Astroturf green with the little plastic flag above the hole. But be honest, aren’t you just a little tired of simply putting every day? What about working your short game? Sure, you say, “I’m not going to practice my chip, pitch and flop shots with a wiffle ball,” right? “That’s about the same as practicing my basketball shot with a foam ball.” And obviously you can’t get out your irons and launch real balls around the conference room.

The folks at The Floppy, (www.thefloppy.com), must have been frustrated floppers too. They designed the world’s first indoor golf ball that feels, spins and reacts like a real ball, without the bothersome drywall damage and concussions to Jan in the mailroom. The Floppy combines a specially engineered liner and proprietary fill, (sort of beanbag-esque), with a woven cover to give the ball real feedback and bounce, only on a smaller, safer scale.

Hitting The Floppy is fun. Now there’s no excuse not to work on your short game, even while you’re working. Chip into trash cans. See if you put one up over the coffee machine and onto the break table. And best of all, enjoy the looks you get from your co-workers tomorrow when you walk into the office carrying your wedges.

Source: The Floppy

Does that four foot putt for birdie make your knees quake and palms sweat? We haven’t found anything for the shaky knees yet, but now there’s a solution for the sweaty palms. Tite Grip, (www.handssweatnomore.com) is an amazing solution that brings dryness where you need it most: Your grip.

Apply a small amount of Tite Grip to your hands, rub them together, and instantly moisture will be drawn away. After a brief period when they feel a little sticky, your hands will become dry and stay dry. Ever put gymnast chalk or talcum powder on your hands? Tite Grip gives your hands the same sensation, without the powdery mess.

Whether you play golf, baseball, tennis, or any other sport where dry hands mean a better grip and more success, or you just want to shake the boss’s hand without watching him wipe it on his trousers, keep a tube of Tite Grip handy and victory will never slip through your grasp.

Source: Tite Grip

In 2007, Little League Baseball made one of the most fundamental changes in history to their rules when they implemented the new pitch count regulations. Prior to last year, league rules stipulated that pitchers in Little League could pitch a maximum of six innings per week. Issues of concern for players’ safety arose when, within those six innings, kids would sometimes reach pitch counts of 100 pitches or more. Little League looked at the situation and determined that it would make more sense to limit the number of pitches a child could throw in a given day, rather than the number of innings. Thus the new pitch count rule went into effect, limiting pitchers ages 11-12 to a maximum of 85 pitches on one game. Days rest requirements were also added at 20, 40 and 60 pitches in a game.

So the obvious consequence of this rule change involves tracking each player’s pitches. Coaches need to know not only their own player’s pitch count, but the opponent’s as well. There have traditionally been several options available for this tracking. Many leagues ask a volunteer to act alongside the “Official Scorer” and keep track of both teams’ pitches with pencil and paper. While this has been somewhat successful in the first year of the new rule, there are downsides. Often, getting enough people to volunteer is a challenge. If a volunteer is found, both managers must then rely on this person to be accurate and diligent. In a community recreational baseball game it is very easy to get distracted by children, pets, neighbors coming by to say hello, and other diversions. It is not uncommon for the pitch count to be imprecise and inadvertently cause coaches to make player-personnel decisions based on faulty information. Plus, with this method, coaches must constantly stop the game and ask for a pitch count to determine how many more pitches a player has left.

Also available are manual, hand-held tally counters. While these are inexpensive, coaches must hold these counters in their hands, and must have two – one for their pitcher and for the opponent’s. Hand-held digital counters that track two distinct numbers are on the market, but again, must be held in the hand, which is cumbersome and means they are frequently lost or forgotten at home.

Now, there is a solution that everyone involved with baseball – and any sport where points are scored – will love. The PitchCount Watch (www.pitchcountwatch.com) combines a digital, dual tally-counter with a timepiece, a stopwatch and date/time/alarm function within a convenient and attractive sports watch, all for about the same price as the one-trick digital tally counters. Because this is a good-looking watch that you’d be happy to wear year-round, you won’t ever again show up at your game and realize you’ve forgotten or misplaced your pitch counting device. Because it chimes at 20, 40, 60 and 85, you’ll never risk passing an important rules threshold with your pitcher.

The PitchCount Watch is designed to be easy to use. Unlike many watches that offer confusing buttons and demand intricate sequences to maneuver, the PitchCount Watch was made so that the top two buttons, (corresponding with the pitch counts for Home and Visitor) are independent in their function of advancing or resetting the tally. Because the watch offers a stopwatch, a coach can use the watch at practice as well. And don’t just think of it for baseball. Anyone wishing to carry a mini-scoreboard on their wrist for basketball, soccer, golf or other sports will love the device.

Whether you’ve got a vested interest in keeping tabs on your player’s (or your opponent’s players) pitches, or just want a way to keep tabs on your partner’s shots on the links, the PitchCount watch is a handy tool to ensure that no matter where you go or what you do, you’ll always know what time it is and you’ll always know the score.

Source: PitchCount Watch

If you’ve been around long enough to remember The Six Million Dollar Man from the ‘70’s, you can imagine how far Colonel Steve Austin could have hit a golf ball with that bionic arm. But even sporting that cyborg appendage, chances are, if he could have, Col. Austin would have slipped on a Bionic Glove (www.bionicgloves.com) before teeing off.

The Bionic Glove is unlike any glove on the market because it incorporates the science of anatomy and ergonomics. While hand position and grip are essential components to the golfer’s swing, the anatomical nature of the hand causes a variety of problems that interfere with performance. The bony peaks of the hand create an uneven surface when gripping the club. Golfers tend to naturally grip the club harder to even out the surface, fatiguing the hand and causing inconsistent shot and inaccuracy. The strategically placed relief zone padding instantly evens the surface, resulting in a custom fit that maximizes comfort, dexterity and performance by helping regain club control.

Bionic technology provides better accuracy with each shot. Greater grip strength, custom fit for natural movement, enhanced club control, less hand fatigue and superior resistance to seasonal wear and tear all add long-term value to this glove. It is even USGA sanctioned for players with arthritis of the hands.

If you strive to find the best that technology has to offer in your clubs, bring that same state-of-the-art science to your glove. You may not be able to hit it as far as Steve Austin, but any improvement might feel like six million bucks.

Source: Bionic Gloves

If you’re looking for a long-term solution to your short game, look no further than Tour Links putting greens from Ready Golfer, (www.readygolfer.net). Because 40% of your strokes are on the green and those knee-buckling 4-footers are the ones that keep you up at night, you need every advantage you can get. Your own backyard or basement putting green is a big advantage.

Affordably priced and built to adhere to the contour of your landscape for natural slopes and breaks, Ready Golfer greens combine the realistic look of a professional green with multiple length putts, resulting in a home practice facility that will satisfy the needs of any true golfer.

Next time all the money’s on the line and that short putt is the only thing standing between you and true happiness, (and $5), you’ll say a little prayer. But this time it won’t be a prayer asking for help. It will be a prayer of thanks. Thanks that you’d already made this putt a thousand times before, at home, on your Tour Links green.

Source: Ready Golfer