Golf Review: Neoprene Golf Iron Head Covers- 6/20/08

Review: When I first got into golf I started noticing on my sets of irons that they were getting scratched up and dinged, and not just from hitting the ground during my horrible play!

Carrying your irons around in your bag during a typical day of play or even dragging it out to the driving range does cause the clanging of the clubs to happen at they batter themselves in your bag.

I decided then to try and keep my irons in nice condition as long as I can since I don't apply to the terms that certain golfers have in the thought that having scuffs and scrapes on your irons is a normal part of the game and a good "game scar" to show. Well, this can be applied to you car as well, it gets dings and bumps as well during normal use and if I see a horrible dent in it then I would get an auto body shop to fix that big dent on my car, that why I try and keep my car in a garage or not parked in tight spaces... I like keeping my things in good condition.

Still, not wanting to spend too much money I decided on neoprene covers. They're low-priced, easy to put on, and light. I got these shown in the photo from Walmart for less than $10.00. They had labels from 4-SW. I do wish they had eliminated the 4 or had one blank or "x" since I would have liked to use on on my lob wedge, so instead I place the 4 on it.

My other friends have variations on the materials for the head covers, some expensive like the Club Glove version and some with the old-school hard plastic material. These have kept my irons in good condition, though I do take them off completely during games since I do not like spending extra time putting them on and off during course of play as well as the possibility of losing them moving around the fairways.

I recommend getting them for as low-priced as possible around $10 since the more expensive versions you can instead get extra golf balls. Mine have started to rip a bit after almost 2 years of play, but only a little. Check out your local Walmart, Target, Big 5 or Sports Authority store for them locally.

Score: 3 out of 5

Movie Review: The Happening (2008)- 6/19/08

Review: Another new hyped film by M. Night Shyamalan. The reviews haven't been kind and I'd have to agree. I liked the Sixth Sense and Signs (except the water deus ex machina), flat on Unbreakable, haven't seen The Village fully (kinda boring in the parts I've seen on cable), and don't want to watch Lady in the Water (read the spoiler and plot and it was ridiculous).

The premise to The Happening seemed interesting. People killing themselves from out of the blue and the rest of the populace trying to figure it it out and running outta the way. Well if you've see the recent horror film The Ruins, there's the plot twist inserted into this movie. The acting and actors were flat and the premise ridiculous when halfway through the movie a side character brings out his theory on why people are dying.

The studio keeps bragging on how this is the first R rated movie from M. Night and the scenes that should be enacted on screen to showcase the horror of the deaths are all shown IN THE TV COMMERCIALS. That's right, if you watch the trailer then 90% of the "gruesome" deaths are already shown to you.

The ending is a big let down with after 3 months post-mini apocalypse everyone seems all honky-dory and then another outbreak appears elsewhere. Beejezus! My main problem was how characters who seemed smart make really bad decisions: Leaving a Hummer behind when running away, not stying together or letting each other know they're moving, and the most problematic for me was escaping the root of the menace by closing door and windows...when the toxic "thing" should already be part of the oxygen based on where it's coming from. Beejezus Part II!

Score: 1.5 out of 5

In honor of M. Night's movies and the twists he put on them, here's a link from Yahoo! exposing the Top 20 movie plot twists!

Golf Review: Spalding Leather Golf Cart Bag- 6/18/08

Review: I was able to pick up this Spalding Golf Cart Leather Bag at a thrift store for cheap, less than $10.00. The only problem at the time was that it was in bad shape, gum/tar marks, dirt, and regular wear. But seeing that it was a nice retro-looking bag and made of genuine leather, I wanted to give it a try since I did like the red with white trim look. After using cleaning agents to remove the gunk and a lot of elbow grease to remove all the dirt and such I was able to get this in pretty pristine shape.

This Spalding cart bag has four pockets. Two pockets in the front and one large side pocket and one small valuables pocket in the other side. The bag has three dividers and the strap is still in good shape.

All in all it is now in good shape and I bring it out on courses where I do not need a stand bag such as when the courses we play are cart-only. It's fun coming to courses having this old school bag in play.

Score. 3.5 out of 5. High rating since I bought it at such a low price.

Golf Review: Golf Digest Pull Cart- 6/17/08

Review: Picked up this Golf Digest brand pull cart from Target and have had this in use for just under two years and it's holding up well. I paid $30.00 for it though it's sometimes on sale at the store for $25.00 when their golf clearance happens.

Here are some features:
• Lightweight pull cart has removable wheels
• Designed to fit any standard golf bag
• Lightweight, compact design for easy storage
• Convenient score card holder
• 20.47Hx30.7Wx45.6D"

This pull cart is pretty light and I'm able to carry it one handed up and down flights of stairs. The two golf ball and four tee holders are handy. More expensive carts have additional water bottle holders and larger score card holders, but then you pay for the price, if you do get the three-wheeled cart at least. The wheels, though plastic, have not had any significant problems or break-downs.

The downsides to this cart are as follows: 1. Having to tighten the wheels during the start of each game since they do loosen up throughout a game., 2. The pencil holder is hard to accommodate certain pencil sizes and ends up getting lost during a game. 3. Trying to keep the front of the bag facing forward does not work well since the bag tends to turn sideways throughout the game. I've had to either leave the bag facing sidewards (leaving one side of the bag and pockets inaccessible) or at times drilled holes and inserted screws into the top holder to keep the bag from turning.

For the price though at around $30.00, this is the lowest price pull cart you can find new. Sometimes Sports Authority has a three-wheeled version push cart on sale for $50.00 to $60.00 which is a good price. My golf buddies who have the more lavish Bag Boy three-wheeled push carts end up skipping on bringing them along since they take up a lot of trunk space while I am always able to take this version since it does fold easily into my car's trunk.

Score: 3 out of 5

Golf Review: Fila Sunday Golf Bag- 6/16/08

Review: Picked up this Fila Sunday Golf Bag to replace my previous Wilson Sunday Golf Bag. I was looking for a Sunday Bag that was weighted at the bottom so the bag did not tip over when loaded with golf clubs like the lighter-weight Wilson golf bag. The Fila golf bag has one front golf pocket, one side valuables pocket, a mesh pocket, a clip ring, and one large side pocket.

The top section of the bag is cloth-lined so there is no need to worry about scuffing the shafts of the golf clubs. The should pad holster is pretty padded and holds the bag up well. I like that the Fila logo plays throughout the bag and even the zippers have the logo molded into them. There is an internal frame skeleton within the bag to keep the structure sound, I don't know if it's just my bag but the frame in mine twists easily making it seem broken but I cannot find within the seems a broken rod.

Overall it's a nice light Sunday bag which you should be able to find low-priced in the secondary market.

Score: 3 out of 5

Movie Review: Shutter (2008)- 6/15/08

Review: If you've seen The Ring or The Grudge or the countless other asian remake films Hollywood has put out, then you've seen Shutter. If you'd like to see Pacey from the Dawson's Creek t.v. series get his due, then this is the movie for you. Standard fare for horror.

A newlywed couple move to Japan where the photographer husband is schedule to shoot. Strange appearances and ghostly images start to appear on film, windows, reflective things etc. so the wife starts to investigate. There's a small plot twist in the end that I saw a mile coming. There's maybe a couple jumps but nothing out of the ordinary.

There are tons of similarities to The Ring movie (which the American film I find the pinnacle of the u.s. remakes) with the dead girl, plot twist at the end, fly, appearing in media, etc. A good dvd rental or catch on HBO but nothing too spectacular or original.

Score: 2.95 out of 5

Goodwill Store: Color Tag Sale- Week of 6/14/08

Goodwill Color Tag Sale for the week of 6/14/08: Blue

Since I haven't seen posted on any other websites or even noted in the Southern California Goodwill stores, I will be posting what color tags are being used for the specials of the week.

For those of you who don't know, every week the Goodwill Stores here in Southern California place certain items on 50% discount. Items in the store usually have colored price tags on them such as green, blue, pink, and purple.

At the beginning of the week (Depending on how it changes, either Friday or Sunday) one of the colored tags are chose and any items displaying that color becoms 50% off the listed price.

Now the 50% off is good for some items that form some reason Goodwill marks pretty high. Some of the electronics such as t.v.s and stereos they actually mark higher than new flat screens at retail stores or even tagged new items from Target which are out-of-season or returns but are not used at all are sometimes priced at Goodwill higher than the actual store price tag!

As noted in postings, I check out Goodwill for golf items sometimes such as getting Nike One Platinum golf balls for a dollar each (they were new in sleeves but the boxes were dinged), or buying old putters and wooden clubs for fun.

So check it out, maybe you'll find something good. It's also for a good cause.