News

Putting Aid Presents for Christmas

Published

17 years ago

Dec 15, 2008

‘Tis the season of goodwill and and bad presents. When someone finds out that you are a golfer, you can almost see the little light go on in their head as they think ‘I know just what to get him for Christmas’. This of course means grinning fixedly at the boxes of cheap balls, spare 6 irons and ill-fitting and bizarrely patterned jumpers that your nearest and dearest will inflict on you.

Bag Chatter has had a dig through some of the putting aids for some ideas of what you might want to find in your stocking on Christmas morning

Triangulator

This little device looks at your alignment and can be used two ways. Firstly, you can set yourself up for a straight putt and then align the Triangulator to see if you are aiming in the right direction and secondly you can line the aid up prior to set up and get used to aiming directly at the hole. The Triangulator also has a piece of nylon cord attached so that if you are having difficulty lining up the device you can stretch out the cord and make exactly sure of your alignment.

Misalignment is one of the most common mistakes, especially for higher handicappers and a simple aid like this allows you to make sure that you are aiming your putts where you think you are.

For more info, see www.seemore.com or www.seemoreputter.co.uk

Absolute Reader

Green reading is a bugbear for almost every golfer. Informal studies show that amateurs golfers regularly underestimate the amout of break by about 50%. The Absolute Reader allows you to putt a ball on a repeatable line allowing you to match the amount of break to the slope. Setting this up on a slope not only allows you to see how much break a particular putt but also the importance of speed. Faster putts take less break and go high while slower putts take more break and go low. All very simple but a mistake almost all of us make and practising it can be difficult as putting on a repeatable line without any sort of guide is almost impossible as your body subconsciously tries to help you get the ball in the hole.

The Absolute Reader is very easy to use and you only need to be able to putt the ball down the slotted piece of aluminum. The ‘walls’ of the reader are low at the putting area minimising any chance of you damaging your expensive flatstick, and they slowly rise and tighten which forces the ball out of the Reader and on a consistant path. Practise with this aid is actually very fun, especially on sharply breaking greens, and putting competitions with others on the green are faily common as you set up the Reader so that the ball must die in the hole to go in. Because of its ease of use, the Absolute Reader is suitable for any age.

For more info, see www.esotericgolf.com

Pure Ball Striker

You might wonder why something that was designed to improve your full swing can help your putting stroke. Unlike the other aids here, the Pure Ball Striker is not designed to help the technical side of your stroke but the feel side. What the PBS does is make you more aware of the feedback during any golf stroke.

The PBS is a small hemisphere of orange rubber that fits on the bottom end of the grip thanks to a channel cut into the underside. It sits underneath the trigger finger of the bottom hand (with a standard grip) and the enhanced feedback allows you to become aware of how smooth or jabby your stroke is and at what pace you accelerate and decelerate during your stroke. While it sounds simple (and it is incredibly simple) the PBS is surprisingly effective at highlighting any tendency to jab or poke at the ball and instead make you focus on making the sort of smooth and positive putting stoke that gives the ball the least amount of backspin to produce the straightest and most consistent putts. With a good putt, you don’t even notice it but break the wrists or decelerate and you feel as though you are holding a small rock in your hand.

For more info, see www.pureballstriker.com

Path Finder

This is a training device that allows you to groove a repeatable putting stroke and hopefully one that is straighter and more consistent. It consists of a flat base plate on which you can stick 6 small carbon fibre posts via magnets at various locations on the base plate. These 6 posts create 3 gates which the putter has to pass through and are variable enough be able to use virtually any putter. The location of the posts can be altered to let you swing either straight back straight through or on a gated stroke and the width is wide enough for beginners to use. The better you get, the closer you can set the pins and the more demanding the aid becomes. The base plate also has a small mirrored section so that you can check where your eye-line is in relation to the ball. It also comes with a useful (if slightly cheesy) DVD and a booklet that features the lessons from the DVD as well as a smaller version of an alignment device called the Square Triangle.

While the Path Finder is a bit fiddly, it makes you think about your stroke more than any other putting aid I’ve tried and regular practice with this will see you reap rewards on the green.

For more info, see www.yesgolf.co.uk and www.esotericgolf.com

News

Most birdies without breaking par – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

53 mins ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user is wondering how many birdies other players have had in a round while still failing to break par. @Lalan45, unfortunately, asked the question after a unique experience of their own.

They wrote:

“Today I managed 8 birdies but still shot even par, could have been a round to remember! What’s the most birdies you’ve made in a round and still didn’t break par?”

Our members in the forum shared their own experiences with successful rounds that still resulted in a score over par. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

kwcsports: “I’ve had 5 a few times, still shot 80+ haha.”
jda: “I played a course for the first time, had 8 birdies, 9 doubles and an eagle. The infamous no-par round. I kept the scorecard. Every shot had a creek that I did not know about, or I was within 8-10 feet for a birdie look. To this day, I have no idea if I should be really jacked up or mad about that performance.”
jvincent: “I think my record is either 5 or 6. Probably shot 75.”
Instron4204: “3 birdies and shot a 92…man I suck!”

Entire Thread: “Most Birdies Without Breaking Par.”

News

Best current stock shaft 2026 – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

1 hour ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user is asking for thoughts on the best stock shafts offered in 2026. Stock shafts are the shafts included with a club when it’s purchased from retailers or OEMs.

@DTorres asked:

The last couple years has seen a lot of updates and additions to no upcharge stock shafts, which do you think is the best offering in 2026?

Im a bit of a shaft nerd and recently during my Members Testing with the Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond I found the updated Project X Denali Frost Black to be a fantastic stock shaft. I absolutely did not mesh well with the original Denali. Just curious what other people think are the current best Stock shaft offerings out with new models and stock Ventus options and LinQ options popping up here and there.

We were given the option for any stock shafts for our members review. I went with the 70g Black Frost 6.5 because it’s a shaft I don’t have, it’s an updated version of the original Denali and hear little about. I typically use a Diamana WB, GD VF or a HOF Raptor. I’m not saying it was neck and neck with any of those but it was a pleasant surprise I’m not accustomed to in stock shaft offerings.

Our members in the forum have been offering up their own thoughts on the best stock shafts available in 2026. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

rsballer10: “IMO – MCA Ka’ili White Darkwave, Tensei 1k Black/white, UST Lin-Q White. People are free to spend their money however they see fit, but for me personally the shaft catalogs these days have enough options that I don’t see the value of a $400 upcharge. I have never had a problem finding a no upcharge shaft that fits the bend profile and weight that I need. Whether the paint job is good enough or not is above my pay scale.”
bcflyguy1: “Project X Titan Black. I’ve had one in 60TX in my Quantum TD Max for several weeks now. Have to give Titlieist their flowers for finding a way to make it available as a featured option; very shrewd bit of business and one that I suspect will be duplicated by the other companies. TT/PX have a certified banger on their hands with Titan.”
CTG77: “Undoubtedly, it’s the Tensei 1K RIP shafts from Titleist. The Tensei line gives about 98% of the performance of a Ventus VeloCore+ shaft at a tiny fraction of the cost if you’re looking for a blue or red profile. The white is not an exact match for Ventus Black, but it’s closer to it than the non-VeloCore+ Ventus shafts that come from Callaway or formerly came from TaylorMade.”

Entire Thread: “Best current stock shaft 2026.”

News

GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

A reminder from your friends at GolfWRX: Father’s Day is June 21. And as we do every year, we’re rounding up the best gifts for dad.

As we say every year, there’s no better golf-related Father’s Day gift than a round of golf with pops. Be it a country club or your favorite muni, take the time to get together to play 18 if you can.

Let’s get to the gifts.

Ghost Golf Qualifier Diamond Polo

We like the new polos that Ghost is offering, as the fabric and fit are so good. These new Qualifier Collection polos breathe well, are lightweight, stretch with your swing, and of course look great. You can wear them on the course, in the office, or just out at a casual event and they will fit right in.

Buy here.

STR8-Strip Grip Tape Remover

If your dad is an equipment aficionado and tinkers with his clubs, this tool works wonders. Removing grip tape has never been easier, just put a little head on the tape and the STR8-Strip peals it right off the shaft without any damage.

Buy here.

Why Golf: Putting Thing

When it comes to practice, it is good to have a purpose. This “Putting Thing” sure does it. We know from personal experience how challenging it can be and how rewarding it is on the practice green. This also provides some competition for your kiddo to see who will unload the dishwasher or do the next chore around the house.

Buy here.

OluKai Lae‘ahi Men’s Breathable Slip-On Shoes

Riding to and from the course in style and comfort is always a good thing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a nice feature to slide into your shoes and get to the tee time. For the post-game shoe, at your locker or while putting your clubs away in the car. Nice to slide into a shoe that looks good anywhere. Pair that with meeting the family for dinner, no need to change!

Buy here.

Therabody Theragun Relief

A little wellness goes a long way. Keeping loose is a good way to go when it comes to the weekend game or treatment during the week. If there is a little ache or pain, the Theragun is there to help out. Help loosen up the back for a pre-game warm-up or cool-down.

Buy here.

World Cup golf apparel

Something for the soccer dads. Embrace the World Cup fever this summer on the course with custom gear to support the nation of your choice.

Buy here.

FootJoy Pro SL spikeless golf shoes

Give the old man a break and save his feet with the Footjoy Pro SL Men’s Spikeless Golf Shoes for some added comfort on the course.

Buy here.

Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS speaker

Combine all the hits as well as some game improvement with the Wingman 2 Golf GPS Speaker by getting audible distance readings from 38,000+ courses worldwide through the Wingman 2 remote or speaker.

Buy here.

Personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

The No. 1 ball in golf is a safe bet, and the Pro V1 fits the largest chunk of the bell curve if you don’t know what ball pops plays. Add personalization for a, well, personal touch!

Buy here.