Uniqlo Golf

When it comes to fashion on the course, there are three categories, loud! couldn't care less and classy.

This is 2 time major winner, John Daly, well known for his loud! fashion sense (amongst other things)

Then there's 2013 Masters Champion, Adam Scott. It wasn't until the Masters in 2013 that I realized Adam Scott was signed on as Uniqlo's to brand ambassador. 

They couldn't have picked a better individual. He's talented and is always immaculately dressed on the course. Check out the Adam Scott range here.

I have always liked Uniqlo. From t-shirts to formal wear, they have clothing for kids, adults, male and female that feature modern and comfortable designs at affordable prices.

I was liking the polo shorts and pants that Adam Scott had been hearing and so set out to find them which was surprisingly difficult. I checked Uniqlo stores in Kl, Singapore and even Thailand and had no luck. For some reason that particular store did not carry that range of clothing.  

During my last trip to K.L in December, I checked out the Uniqlo store at the KLCC mall and was stoked to see the Dry-Ex polo shirts in stock, at a promo price of RM49.90 (RRP RM79.90) too! Pity though they didn't carry the Men Dry Stretch Pants. (why don't you have these in all your stores Uniqlo?!)

There are a number of colours / designs available and needless to say I bought a couple. They were a steal at that price to be honest. Only difference with the ones Adam Scott wears is that there isn't a Uniqlo badge on the left chest.

Uniqlo describe the Dry Ex Polo shirt as such :

"This high-tech men's polo is made with our revolutionary new DRY-EX material, so it dries sweat amazingly quickly to keep you feeling smooth, dry, and comfortable."

But how would they perform in our hot and humid weather? The last thing I wanted was to be sweat soaked the entire  round. It's icky and uncomfortable.

I was liking it from the start. Nice design and cutting made it very comfortable to wear. The material was smooth and light and I had no trouble moving around. 

To quote Adam Scott from an interview, "It's admirable how they're able to produce such high-quality clothing at such an affordable price."

It was a very hot and sunny Saturday morning that day, so it was perfect conditions for testing. 

You know what? They weren't kidding when they said it dries sweat amazingly quickly. Although I was sweating, it stayed generally dry and light throughout and I was pretty impressed. 

If you're wondering why I am raving / reviewing a shirt, try playing in a sweat soaked shirt and you will know why it's important.

Uniqlo has sinced opened up two stores here in Kuching. (Not sure if they carry this range and I would be very surprised if they did) But if you're in Malaysia and there isn't a Uniqlo near you? Shop at the online store here. 

Delivery is free for purchases over RM150.00 and I recently purchased a pair of their Dry Stretch Pants for RM120.00 (RRP RM149.90) during the boxing day sale. Very comfy as well. 

Don't get me wrong, there are other brands out there that are just as good and just as nice but you would be hard pressed to find a better shirt for less then RM100.00.

So while you may not play like Adam Scott, you can at least dress like him now. 

Mark your golf balls with Marki!

When it comes to marking golf balls, Sharpie usually spring to mind. While the black markers are fine, the coloured markers (Green & Sky Blue for instance) don't last as long and aren't as prominent. 

Thanks to my mate Chris, I have been introduced to another brand of ball markers, Marki. 

Marki markers come in 8 colours and are made specifically to mark golf balls. Got the blue and black to try out and put them to the test!

The two dots on top were made with the Marki while the bottom two dots were made with Sharpie markers.

The blues aren't the same so I won't compare them. 

However, the Marki markers are definitely 'darker' and prominent. If you look at the black dot for instance, the Marki dot is darker / blacker then the Sharpie Dot.

If I recall correctly a Sharpie Marker costs a bit more then a Marki marker too so that's also worth considering. Although, I am hoping the good folks at Marki come up with a 'mini' marker just so it's easier to keep in the golf bag. 

So if you are in the market for a marker that's darker and more prominent, give Markis ago. If you don't mark your balls.. then start too!

Oh, as a matter of interest, noticed that both Lydia Ko and Danielle Kang both use Marki markers too when they were signing autographs.

Bushnell Neo XS GPS watch : Review

"Bushnell has been the industry leader in high-performance sports optics for more than 65 years. Our guiding principle is to provide the highest quality, most reliable and affordable sports optics products on the market. And, our commitment to outstanding customer service and strong retailer partnerships is unmatched."

- Bushnell Golf 

Suffice to say, when it comes to sport optics, you really can't go wrong with Bushnell. When it comes to Golf, the good people at Bushnell offer a pretty impressive line up of laser range finders, GPS range finders and watches. 

Today, I am going to review the Bushnell Neo XS GPS watch, which I un-boxed earlier.

It's standard now for golf gps devices to tell the distance to the green (front, center, back).  

So when it comes to choosing a GPS watch, there are a few other factors such as design, ease of use, features and battery life to consider. 

One of the features that makes the Neo XS stand out is that it provides up to 4 hazard/layup distances per hole. More on this later.

Key Features of the Neo - XS

• Pre-loaded with 33,000+ courses in more than 30 countries
• Long battery life - Over 3 rounds between charges
• Auto course recognition
• Auto hole advance
• Easy-to-read front/center/back distances
• Hazard/Layup distances (up to 4 per hole)
• Comfortable sports band
• Round odometer
• Shot distance calculator
• USB charging/sync cable included
• No membership or download fees

Everything else you need to know here.

1. Design
 

The first thing I liked about the Neo - XS was the design. For starters, it wasn't overly big or bulky. 

The strap too was a soft, sturdy rubber so it was very comfortable to wear during play. In addition, the 'chrome' ring around the face was matte so it wasn't too flashy either.

The face of the watch was big and the display was very easy to read, even under bright sun light.


2. Ease of use. 

If you have worn a digital watch and own a smartphone, chances are you won't have a problem with the Neo-XS. It's really straightforward and easy to use. 

For all things golf, click the "golf" button, select "play golf" and the GPS will automatically search for nearby courses. Pick the course you are playing and wait for the GPS to lock in and then you're ready to go. (Make sure the course is available in the database though). 

Once a course is selected, the watch will automatically detect which hole you are on and will immediately give you the distances you need.

You have the option of setting up the distance in meters or yards. I have mine set in meters. 

The 571m here shows the distance to the middle of the green. 554, to the front and 590 to the back of the green. It will also tell you which hole you are on and what Par it is.

In the event the watch detects a wrong hole, all you have to do is select the right one by clicking up or down (top and bottom buttons on the right) and then press the middle button to select.

Requesting a course:

It's very possible that your home course or a course you want to play on won't be in the 33,000 preloaded courses. But fear not because all you have to do is signup for a free igolf account at www.bushnell.igolf.com and request for a course to be mapped. 

Just fill up a pdf. form, submit it and wait for the good folks at igolf to update you. For instance, I had requested for two courses in Bandung, Indonesia (Mountain View and Dago Indah) to be mapped and it only took 2 days for them to do it. Now, that's customer service!

Then, once mapped, all you have to do is connect your watch to your computer and download the course from the igolf site. 

I especially liked how you didn't have to install a separate software or download manager so all you need is a pc/laptop with a usb port and online connection. Certainly makes things alot easier, especially if you're on the road.

3. Features

The Neo-XS has a round odometer to tell you how far you have walked. Frankly, I am not really bothered with how far I walk a course so I haven't actually made use of these feature. 

What I do like is the shot calculator, which helps you measure how far you hit your shot. For instance, if you hit a cracking drive and want to know how far you hit it. Just press the "Golf" button from where you are standing and it will switch to a measuring mode. When you reach your ball, it will tell you just how far (or near) you hit it and it's a simple press of the button again, to get back to GPS mode. 

What I liked even better was the hazard/layup distance feature. This is an awesome feature. 

So you are standing over your second shot and there's a water hazard in the middle of the fairway in front of you. How far is it to the hazard? or how far do you have to hit it clear the hazard?

Click the select button (middle button on the right) and it will tell you just that.

Now if you are wondering what LFW and LGB stand for? they mean distance to the Left Fairway Water and Left Green Bunker, respectively. 

The hazards are identified by acronyms are listed out in the manual. May seem complicated at first but you will figure it out after a round or two.

Takes the guess work out of play and makes it a whole lot easier to course manage especially if you're playing on an unfamiliar course. This is a BRILLIANT feature.

If there's one thing about the watch though is that I am not too accustomed with the 'back light' feature. Pressing any button on the watch outside golf mode, will activate the back light which will stay lit for 10 seconds. 

With the Neo - XS, its the digits that light up as oppose to the 'back ground' if you know what I mean, so it's kind of hard to read when it's slightly dark. 

It works perfectly in the dark though. But again, this wasn't a big issue and didn't affect play on the course at all.

4. Battery Life

The battery life on the Neo-XS was surprisingly good. I have used it for almost three months now and have consistently been able to use it for 2 rounds (36 holes) in two weeks on a single charge. Pretty impressive if you ask me.

So in summary:-

What I liked:-

1. Nice design

2. Comfortable to wear

3. Easy to use

4. Requesting for course mapping was a hassle free

5. Setting up the watch is easy (no need for separate installation of software)

6. Can't rave enough about the hazard/layup distances.

7. Fantastic battery life.

What I didn't like:-

1. The backlight (I am nitpicking).

2. Would have liked maybe a touchscreen or score card feature which allows you to download your scores.

3. Not the cheapest option around.

4. As far as I am aware, the Neo-XS isn't readily available in Malaysia.

Final Verdict:

If you don't have a GPS watch, buy it! Hunt around online and you could probably find it within the $120.00 - $150.00 range. Not that our plummeting ringgit helps.

Though, if you decide to buy it online, bear in mine the warranty issues that may arise in future. 

To follow:

1. Voice caddie T1 and Neo-XS compared!

2. Why would you need the Neo-XS and a Bushnell V3 laser range finder?   

It's finally time for the weekend and if you're headed out to the course on the weekend, have a good one!

Bushnell Neo XS GPS watch unboxing and introduction.

I will be posting about the Bushnell Neo XS GPS watch in three posts. 

1. The unboxing

2. On course review

3. Comparison with the Voice Caddie T1 Hybrid GPS watch.

Let's get started!

So why did I get another GPS watch? 

If you have been following the blog you would have come across this post about the Voice Caddie T1 Hybrid watch and since then I have had several rounds with it and I can honestly say that even though it serves it's purpose, I am not entirely satisfied by it.

So, apart from the fact that I am a gadget junkie, I decided to check out other options. 

Step in, the Bushnell Neo XS GPS watch. Bushnell has a market leader in sport optics equipment and have been around for years. Full range of their products here. Known for it's high quality products, reliability and accuracy, Bushnell have also ventured into the Golf arena with their laser range finders and GPS watches.

So this is what you get out of the box.

The watch (which is also available in charcoal and black).

Inside the box are the manuals and charging cable. I checked online and it seems I was missing a brush (to brush the charging connector points) but no issue.

Don't mind the blur face. It's just a sticker which I didn't peel after switching the watch on. First impressions were good and the design, very appealing. But more on that to come.

In the meantime, the PGM MNRB Sarawak Championship begins on Wednesday (13th May) at the Kelab Golf Sarawak and will see a healthy field of 112 players from the Asian Development Tour, our Malaysian tour and even a few fellow Kuching amateurs competing in the RM200,000.00 event. 

It's not everyday we get quality tournaments in town so I am excited am hoping to catch at least some of the action this week.

Met up with my friend Chris who's caddying for ADT Pro Nick Pugh and caught him in action on the range. It's always cool getting to see the pros in action, so if you happen to be in Kuching, make your way to KGS in the next few days.

Christmas come early.

I know Christmas has come and gone, but I can never resist getting / fiddling with new golf gear. 

A number of 'upgrades' are in store and for starters, I am finally replacing the big stick. Yeap, farewell trusty Callaway Razr Fit. (Sold off the 913 D2 driver head a while back. I have a feeling though that the Graphite Design BB6 shaft, which is for sale, wasn't right for me and thus I wasn't gelling with the Titleist).

So what's the new replacement? No pics for now but let's just say I am hoping it's going to help my game flyyyyyyyyy!

PGA Merchandise show : 2015

If you are an avid follower of golf related news on the social media, you would have come across the many pictures from the PGA Merchandise show happening right now in Orlando, Florida. 

What is the PGA Merchandise show?

As the name suggests, it's where everything new in golf (off the course) happens.

In a nutshell :-

"The PGA Merchandise Show plays host to the biggest week of golf business January 20 – 23, 2015—4 days of your Ultimate Golf Experience with:

• 1,100+ interactive exhibits by leading golf companies and brands
• Over 400,000 Square Feet of Exhibit Space
• More than 40,000 of the most important people in golf
• Representation from all 50 U.S. states and 74 countries
• LIVE Golf Channel Coverage

The Show serves as a global platform for PGA Professionals, General Managers, Superintendents, Owners, and Industry Leaders to form a dynamic community where they visit with current vendors, discover new products, make purchases for the year ahead, and network with industry peers. 

The PGA Merchandise Show is organized by PGA Worldwide Golf Exhibitions in partnership with The PGA of America, Experts in the Game and Business of Golf." 

The above excerpt copied from the show info here.

All you need to know about the PGA Merchandise show (1,100+ interactive exhibits spread across over 400,000 square feet of exhibition space) and the exhibitors here and here.

But before I get ahead of myself, the PGA Merchandise show isn't open to the public. So you need to be either a international PGA member, or golf industry professional (or an invited guest) amongst others to get in.

In case you are wondering, that's an indoor hitting bay.

For those of us who can't even buy a ticket to get in, head over to Golf Digest's live blog and coverage on what's new and going on , here. 

*SIGH!

For Sale : Brand New Pair of True Linkswear Vegas golf shoes (Size 10 : US)

So I am selling another pair of golf shoes (again?!) I guess 2015 is the year I try to recover from my golf shoe obsession. I kid and in seriousness, I have decided to let these go because they are a bit too snug unfortunately.

At the moment I am gaming a pair of True PHX and Puma Biofusion (both spikeless) and I have two other older pairs as spares, a pair of Footjoy and Puma (both with conventional spikes). Still in boxes are the True Lyt Dry and True Lyt Breathe. So I am pretty set in the golf shoe department (you don't say!)

Puma Biofusion / True PHX

So, up for sale are a BRAND New pair of True Linkswear Vegas golf shoes in size 10 : US. Still in box too.

They are white/black in colour and are spikeless.

Short FAQ:

Are they comfortable?

- True Linkswear shoes are very comfy. Like the PHX, Proto etc, the Vegas also has a wide mouth / end (which I like). Plus, I now prefer spikeless golf shoes. They are way better to walk in.

Do they provide enough support?

- Yes, they provide good traction on the course and I have never 'slipped' or lost my balance playing in them. That said, they can be slippery on wet smooth surfaces.

Should I get a pair of Trues?

- YES! Especially if you walk the course alot and like a fashionable / casual design. Plus, you can wear them off the course as well. Bias answer, but True (pardon the pun)

Last I checked a pair of Trues retail for RM300+ in Malaysia.  I am letting them go for a price of RM220.00 (inclusive of postage within Malaysia) I am fairly confident you won't find another pair of Trues selling at this price.

I have also posted an ad up on mudah here. 

So if anyone is interested, just drop me a line in the comments or sms me at 016 889 2897.  

The Voice Caddie T1 Hybrid Watch : On course review!

UPDATE : 

5th September 2014 - GPS no longer works - Unable to configure through PC (Please scroll to the end)

19th September 2014 - Successful reset and re-configuration of watch!

20th September 2014 - Golf GPS function works after reset.



Since I received the T1 Hybrid Watch, I have managed to test it 3 times now and I have to say I am very pleased.

Modes :

Apart from telling the time and being used as a Golf GPS, the T1 Hybrid Watch as it is aptly called is also Fitness watch. It uses the GPS to track your speed, distance and calories burned during your walk, run or cycle.  

So it's aimed to appeal to the fitness / golf masses. I have though, only tried out the Golf Mode and the Tempo mode (which is great for swing practice at the range).

Golf Mode: Set up

Once you are ready to play, walk to the tee box and press the menu button. From there select "Play Golf" and just wait for the GPS to set up. 

On the first occasion, I played 9 holes at the Kelab Golf Sarawak, which is a 36 hole course. On the tee box, it took only about 20 seconds for the GPS to set up.  

Once set up, it will ask you to "Move to Tee Box" and when you get on the tee box, the watch automatically detects which hole you are on (in this case the Siol 9 course) and immediately gives you the distances for that particular hole. Very neat.

Almost instantly, the magic numbers appear. On the left of the face, it tells you which hole you are on (Hole 1, Par 4). The numbers on the bottom indicate the distance to the front of the green. The middle, the distance to the middle of the green and the figures at the top, the distance to the back of the green.

Golf Mode : In Play

I don't usually wear a watch on my left wrist and thought it would take some getting used to. But to be honest, It didn't feel any different or bulky. Though that said, I did have to move the watch 'down' a little so that it didn't get in the way of slipping the glove on and off. I suppose that would happen if you wore any other watch too. You could wear it on your right wrist (for right handers) but I am used to wearing my watch on the left.

I compared the distance on the watch with the distance markers and it was really quite accurate. For instance, the distance markers at the Samarahan Country Club indicate the distance to the middle of the green and when compared, the numbers on the watch were either +/- 2-3 meters. Given that the course is mapped by Voice Caddie, a difference of a meter or two is to be expected. 

The display was big enough and the numbers weren't hard to see under the bright sun either, which was good.  In the event your ball strays away onto the next fairway and the watch switches holes (I tried it deliberately) you can easily select the correct hole manually and continue. 

Want to know how far you are actually hitting your driver? Easy. There's a measure your shot mode that helps you to track how far you are hitting your clubs.

Golf Mode : Did it help?

As I progressed along, I realised I was no longer looking at the distance markers and was really starting to appreciate the extra help. 

For instance, the distance markers are usually placed at the 200m, 150m and 100m mark. With the watch, I no longer had to do any guess work when I was between markers. 

All I had to do was walk to my ball and then take a quick glance at the watch to get the required distance. Easy-peasy. 

Personally, I felt the given distance was really helpful when it came to taking approach shots. Prior to wearing the watch, it never really occurred to me, just how big some greens are. So what I would usually do is look at the distance marker, then the colour of the flag and estimate the distance before making my club selection. 

It's fine if the flag was yellow and in the middle of the green, but what if the flag was in the front or back? more guess work to be done and unless you are aware of how big the green is, we are talking about a substantial difference of 20, 30 or more meters. 

For lower handicappers, this may not be a problem but I definitely found it helpful. Now I look at the colour of the flag and look at the watch to confirm the distance. I found comfort knowing that I had the right club and felt more confident attacking the pin. 

Although as a weekend high handicapper, I have to admit that there were also occasions where I would get say "150m" to the middle of the green, whip out my 6 iron and then chunk it a hundred meters and end up short of the green or hit the right distance but miss the green. 

You would probably earn a few chuckles from your flight mates, but I like to think that one's skill will improve gradually and there's certainly no harm having the right yardage at your finger tips.

There's also a feature that helps you keep score and also allows you to track your previous scores, but I didn't use the feature. It would have been cool though if there was a mode to download your scores onto the computer.

Overall, I was very impressed with the T1 Hybrid Watch and will be using it whenever I play golf (provided the course is in the database) in future.

What I liked :

1. A watch, a golf GPS and other modes all in one nice            package.

2. Light enough that it doesn't interfere with your swing

3. Easy to set up and very convenient to use. 

4. GPS satellite is  fairly quick and accurate.

5. Very handy when it comes to attacking the pin. 

6. Measures your shots and tracks your swing tempo. Two features other existing watches do not have.

7. Good value for the price compared to other watches. 

[Edited] 

8. Good customer support when resolving issue with watch.

What I didn't Like:

1. Battery life only lasted two rounds for me (9 holes and 18 holes) Though I suspect the battery drained faster then usual as I was fiddling around with the watch on the first occasion.

2. Only useful when the course you're playing at is in the database. Thanks to me (hehe), Samarahan Country Club members can now use all voice caddie gps products.

3. Doesn't give you readings to hazards or lay up distances.

4. It would be even better if you could download your scores onto the computer for reference. 

[Edited]

5. Ran into problems in less then 2 months when Golf GPS didn't function.  

Final Verdict:

I say, buy it.  See Below.

Where to buy: 

The Voice Caddie T1 Hybrid Watch is available at most MST outlets in Malaysia and retails for RM629.00. Also comes in black. 

You could of course try your luck looking around ebay or online retailers and get it for much less. But there are of course warranty / return issues to consider if you take that route.

Saturday can't come quickly enough. Have a great golfing weekend everyone.

UPDATE : 5th September 2014

As mentioned above, I have had no issues and was very pleased with the T1. That though changed when I travelled to Kuala Lumpur on 4th September 2014. 

Prior to departure, I had made plans with my golf buddy to play two rounds of golf during my stay in K.L. We were going to play at the Sungai Long Golf and Country Club and the prestigious Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club. A quick browse of the course database showed that both courses were mapped and I happily loaded both into the watch. 

On the tee-box of hole 1 at Sungai Long on Friday afternoon, I activated the golf mode and to cut a long story short, the golf GPS did not work and it did not make for a fun afternoon. 

I mean the Golf was fantastic but I was left rather high and dry on the excitement of utilizing the watch on a new course. 

That night, I tried to reset the watch and run through the setup with the voice caddie manager but my efforts were in vain. Specifically, the first time, it detected an error on the watch and the second time, the watch couldn't be detected.

Apart from the Golf GPS, the other functions were working perfectly and no, "at least it still tells time" was not comforting at all. 

The next day, I gave it another shot at the KLGCC and it did not work as well. I was not a happy camper. 

I have, as of today, sent a number of emails to the Voice Caddie support and to be fair they are trying to help me out to see if the problem can be fixed. 

I have tried almost everything and have asked if there is a way to 'master reset' the watch back to factory settings (I have tried to reset it through the watch but it didn't seem to work) In any event, I am still waiting for Voice Caddie support to get back to me and fingers crossed, there will be a solution. But as it is, it's been less then two months and such problems shouldn't even occur. 

I can't say I am pleased. 

Will update again with good news, hopefully. 

UPDATE : 19th September 2014

Voice Caddie support got back to me this morning and provided me with some software to reset the watch. There was no longer any error when I connected the watch to the VC manager and it seems to be working fine. Will be taking it to the Course tomorrow to confirm that the GPS works. 

I am both relieved and thankful that Voice Caddie Support have come through. I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to see the 'error' message each time I tried to connect the watch. 

UPDATE : 20th September 2014

Glad to report that the watch works fine now. Had a round at Kelab Golf Sarawak and although it took longer then usual for the satellite to detect the course, there were no other issues.

I have to record my thanks to the Voice Caddie support team once more who patiently and promptly assisted me with the problems (and dealt with my frustration). 

I have though suggested that they make available for download the two softwares which I used to update and reset the watch

Edit 1.06.2015

Having tested the Bushnell Neo XS, I can safely say that it is a better golf gps watch then the Voice Caddie T1 (I especially like the distance to hazards/layup functions) Please see my post on the Bushnell Neo XS for more details. In that vein though, I should point out that the T1 is Voice Caddie's first golf gps watch. Bushnell on the other hand have produced earlier gps watches and are therefore 'experienced' players in the market.