The new Precision Pro ACE Smart Speaker  retails for $149.99.The ACE plays music plus relays yardages at a touch of a button.The Bluetooth speaker offers multiple features.

Music on the golf course seems to divide the golfing population. Nevertheless, more and more companies are designing Bluetooth speakers to fit their products. So welcome the ACE Smart Speaker.

Sure, there are lots of Bluetooth speakers that play high-quality music but the ACE has a couple of tricks up its sleeve. The speaker links with the Precision Pro app and gets you dialed in while listening to your favorite tunes.

Precision Pro ACE Smart Speaker

If you’re a golfer who wants all the bells and whistles, listen up!

Precision Pro says the ACE Smart speaker is “groundbreaking.” That might be reaching just a touch as a version of this speaker has already been accomplished by Bushnell. However, the MYSLOPE technology that ACE has linked to their app is very advanced and pushes the industry forward.

“ACE” stands for “Audio Caddie Experience” which keeps you dialed in on every shot without the need to check your phone. Instead, data is pulled from the Precision Pro Golf app (IOS and Android) via Bluetooth which is adjusted for slope based on your own personal swing data, altitude, wind and weather. The ACE will also display and announce yardages to the front, middle and back of the green which can be customizable over the music, podcasts or any other platforms you might vibe to.

The best way to lower your scores is to land on more fairways, hit more greens in regulation and make more putts. That’s easier said than done. The most important shots in golf which hold mid- and high-handicappers back are hitting more greens in regulation. That’s the key to getting more two-putt pars and the occasional birdie. If you are missing greens you are faced with bunker shots, short sided chips out of the ruff and bladed or chunked chips which really boost your scores.

In a recent issue of GOLF Magazine, using data from ARCCOS Caddie Link, they shared how many greens in regulation their users are hitting. [NOTE: ARCCOS is a system that records your golf statistics for every shot on every round your play.] Five handicap golfers average 8 greens in regulation per round, while ten handicap golfers average 6 GIR per round and fifteen handicap golfers average over 4 per round.

Cameron Smith is the current PGA Tour leader of greens in regulation (GIR) by hitting 80.56 %, and the Tour average is 68.20 %, which is about 12.5 greens in regulation per round (based on 18 holes, including the par 3’s). Those two numbers are not too realistic for weekend warriors.

The following chart lists the handicap (in the white circles) and corresponding GIR percentage for golfers

who use the ARCCOS data recording system

Based on my personal experience with Greens Hit In Regulation, these percentages seem to be lower than they should be. This chart shows that 15 Handicap golfers are hitting Greens In Regulation a little over 4 times every time they play. [That seems to be surprisingly low.] To hold a 15 handicap those golfers must be chipping and 2 putting on 14 holes for about 14 bogies. I suspect that these golfers are taking a lot of gimmes.

Rule of the Month: Loose Impediments and Movable Obstructions

December 1, 2021

Loose impediments and movable obstructions are two categories of items that the Rules do not consider part of the challenge of playing the game, and therefore they can be moved. Loose impediments are unattached natural objects such as sticks, leaves, twigs, and blades of grass so long as they are not fixed or growing, solidly embedded in the ground, or sticking to the ball. Movable obstructions are artificial objects that can be moved with reasonable effort such as a water bottle, scorecard, broken tee, trash can, bench, etc. Click here to learn more about movable obstructions.

Loose impediments and movable obstructions can be moved anywhere on the golf course, including in bunkers and penalty areas, even when your ball also lies in the bunker or penalty area. If your ball moves when moving a movable obstruction, there is not penalty and you simply replace the ball. However, you will need to be careful when moving loose impediments because if that causes your ball to move, you will get a one-stroke penalty and must replace your ball. The only time a penalty does not apply is if your ball lay on the putting green when moving a loose impediment caused it to move.

FAQs:

The post Rule of the Month: Loose Impediments and Movable Obstructions appeared first on Northern California Golf Association.

On the last day of this year’s golf ball test, we had a little extra time to run a few smaller experiments. As a curiosity, we wanted to see how temperature changes can affect golf ball performance.

To see how an increase in temperature can impact performance, we left a portion of our test sample exposed to the Arizona heat.

To understand the impact of extreme cold on a golf ball, we stuck a portion of our sample in a freezer for the better part of a day.

We (well, the robot) hit both the hot and cold balls along with a sample of balls that had been kept inside, out of the sun and at room temperature. The test was conducted with a nine-degree driver and a swing speed of 100 mph.

As a follow-up to the preliminary data, we ran some tests inside the Ball Lab. We measured compression changes after placing balls under a 115-degree heat lamp for an hour and after six hours in a freezer.

Tiger Woods seemed at peace in front of reporters for the first time since his February car accident. He said he will likely try to come back and play again -- when and where and how often is still up in the air.

Tiger Woods said Tuesday that he's hopeful he can play some limited golf in the future but said the road back from his February crash has been "a lot of hard work" and he's "lucky to be alive and still have a limb."

Blades Versus Mallets—A Performance Analysis

With technology constantly changing, two simple constructions are staying constant: blade and mallet putters. Over the years, we’ve seen some astonishing designs in both categories. There are classic, well-known ones such as Odyssey 2-Ball, PING Anser, Scotty Cameron Newport … the list goes on and on. But there are some head scratchers too: PING’s Doc 17, Odyssey’s 2-Ball Blade, Axis1 and Taylormade’s Truss.

But let’s face it: looks and feel don’t always equal performance. Is there a significant statistical performance difference between blades and mallets? Is the differential minimal? Let’s take a look.

Most Wanted Putter Testing

During our Most Wanted testing season, we test both blade and mallet putters. Through these tests, we gain insightful performance data. The data collected and utilized in this article is from 18 testers who participated in both our Most Wanted Blade and Most Wanted Mallet tests.

Putter Technology

Through the years, technology has been the focal point of putter innovation.

For blade putters, a timeless design blends with a focus on feel and precision. Over time, peripheral, heel-toe weighting became relevant, which brought forth enhancements in consistency and forgiveness. Nowadays, face technology is at the forefront. In 2021, there was a plethora of face innovations. Odyssey’s White Hot Face was reborn. Sik implements Descending Loft Technology. Tommy Armour features a CNC milled 6061 aluminum face insert. Face technology has many different forms.

With the anticipated flurry of 2022 releases still a few weeks off, we wanted to use the break as an opportunity to tackle our most comprehensive What’s In the Bag survey ever. While we certainly want to know what brands you’re playing, our goal is to go deeper into your bag makeup.

For example, is your set composition fairly straightforward or do you have carry something a bit out of the mainstream like a 9-wood or a 64-degree wedge?

Our objective is to obtain a clearer picture of what our readers are playing.

Take the Survey

The survey should take less than 10 minutes. Because of the level of detail, you may be asked for details about a club type you don’t carry. If that happens, simply select the None option (it should be listed first).

Click here to take the survey.

The post 2021 What’s In the Bag Survey appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

In his first extensive interview since his February car crash, Tiger Woods said his hope is to return to competitive golf, but that he never expects to compete again at the highest level, "and I understand it, and I accept it."

Lee Elder, the first Black player to compete in the Masters and a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, has died at age 87.

Spirit of the Game: Remembering Lee Elder

Nov. 29, 2021

The USGA contributed to this report

In 2019, during the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links, the USGA honored Lee Elder with its highest honor, the Bob Jones Award.

Elder, who passed away this past evening at the age of 87, was the first African-American to receive the prestigious award, which recognizes an individual who demonstrates the spirit, personal character and respect for the game exhibited by Jones, winner of nine USGA championships.

Suzann Pettersen, who won the Solheim Cup for Europe in 2019 with the last shot of her career, will captain the team four years later for its second straight title defense.

The Best Cyber Monday Golf Deals 2021

Historically Black Friday was primarily in store offers, while Cyber Monday was focused on online sales. The last few years, especially since Covid, online sales have been bleeding into Black Friday and even earlier, as more and more retailers are trying to get ahead of the curve by offering pre-Black Friday sales. Nevertheless, there are still some great deals reserved for Cyber Monday, and we’ve selected some of the highlights below.

Golf Clubs:

Sub70: 10% Off New Equipment or 20% Off Pre-Owned

Sub70 Golf is offering 10% off all new equipment, apparel and accessories, and 20% off all pre-owned equipment. The discount will be auto applied at checkout and shipping is free on orders $99+. For example you can get our Best Value utility iron winner of this year, the Sub 70 699 Pro for $89.10.

$99.99 / $89.10 (10% OFF)

BUY NOW

Callaway Golf Preowned: 20% Off Used Clubs

Callaway Golf pre-owned is offering 20% off sitewide. An example deal you can get is the Callaway Epic MAX LS Driver (our 2021 Most Wanted winner) for $325 in very good condition.