I’m once again dripping with excitement about announcing our 2nd Keurig giveaway at Qwowi Coffee.

Once again we’re partnering with K-Cup Challenge sponsor, Shoffee.com, to deliver one lucky reader a shiny new Keurig Special Edition Brewer (formerly known as the B60).  Last time around our friends at Shoffee provided our winner with a huge assortment of K-Cups as well.  And while I can’t promise you that will happen again, I can guarantee, that our next winner, whoever it may be, it going to love their new Keurig brewer.

Once again we’re making the entry process pretty freakin’ simple (don’t worry, it will get harder in the coming months).  Simply leave a comment at the end of this point and you’re entered.  Just like last time, if I find your comment amusing, I’ll give you a bonus entry.  I’m not done yet…Become a fan of Shoffee on Facebook AND write a post on Shoffee’s wall mentioning this giveaway, and I’ll give you another entry (you’ll also gain access to some pretty sweet deals from Shoffee.com).

Contest Rules

Giveaway is open to US residents age 18 & older, except where prohibited. Qwowi contributors and their immediate family members are also ineligible. Everyone else is free to have at it.

Contest ends Friday, July 17th at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Winner will be selected at random from all valid entries using BuzzMyBlog’s Contest Winner Picker. One lucky winner will be contacted via email, and will have 5 days to respond with a valid shipping address.  Limit one entry per person.   Leaving more than one comment will result in disqualification.  Don’t worry if your comment doesn’t immediately appear, I promise you, it will show up eventually.

About the Keurig Special Edition (B60) Brewer

The Special Edition Brewing System is our mid-luxury home brewing system that offers a blend of styling and convenient features. The Special Edition features chrome accents, a blue, back lit LCD display and three brew size options.

Programmable features include a Digital Clock, Adjustable Temperature and Auto On/Off. The 48 oz. removable water reservoir holds up to eight cups before refilling and for the removable drip tray allows for easy cleaning and the use of travel mugs.

B60 Key Features:

• Three brew sizes:
  • 5.25-oz. more intense cup
  • 7.25-oz. regular cup
  • 9.25-oz. travel mug
• Adjustable brew temperature
• Blue backlit LCD display and water reservoir
• Digital clock, Programmable on/off timer
• Ready to brew three minutes after turned on
• Descale indicator for long life
• Removable 48-oz. water reservoir
• Removable stainless steel drip tray
• Chrome handle and faceplate

It’s also worth mentioning that the capable B60 can brew all of the 200+ K-Cup varieties of coffee and tea.

As far as I’m concerned, unless you’re one of those hardcore coffee drinkers who roasts their own beans, and brews with a french press or a Vac Pot (like my buddy Ben), there simply is no easier way to brew a great cup of coffee than with a Keurig brewer. Thanks to Shoffee & Qwowi you have the chance to own your very own B60 for the low cost of a comment.

Shameless Plug

This giveaway is made possible by our outstanding sponsor Shoffee.com. If you already have a Keurig Brewer, or while you’re waiting to find out if you won this one, why don’t you head on over to Shoffee.com, the web’s favorite coffee shop, to check out all of the great coffee (and tea) available for the B60 and other Keurig Brewers. If you’re already convinced you’re going to win, I suggest you start reading our K-Cup Challenge reviews so you’ll know which K-Cup varieties to buy, and which to avoid.

Now I’ll grant you that black and white is often boring (there’s a reason why your TV’s got color), but this is PUMA we’re talking about, and as PUMA fans know, PUMA doesn’t do boring.  What PUMA tells me about the Special Edition Collection is that that each piece is “done up in premium fabrics, luxe finishes, and an attention to detail that’s second to none”.  Now once upon a time I thought spandex was a premium fabric (it’s so stretchy), and I still couldn’t tell you what a luxe finish is, but what I do know is that the Black & White collection from PUMA is hotter than Tiger Woods after a double bogey - and I want it - All of it.

Did you watch the US Open?  Did you see Geoff Ogilvy?  How about Johan Edfors?  Actually, if you did, you’ve seen some of cornerstone pieces of the SE collection. You’ve gotta love the new Invisibonding Polos (see Ogilvy & Edfors), the new Cut Out Belt, and of course, the Swing Crown GTX White (my personal favorite from the collection).  Also worth an immediate mention are a handbag for the ladies, and two seriously sexy golf bags (even if it they are $800).  Yeah…that’s right, I think golf bags are sexy.  Again, what’s it to you?

PUMA apparently thinks you can have too much of a good thing, so the Special Edition Collection is available in limited quantities and only from FairwayStyles.com (my new favorite golf apparel site), as well as in a select group of retailers nationwide, including Olympic Golf (Los Angeles, CA) and Golf Headquarters (Reno, NV).

I’ve attached the full press release below, but before you get to that, check out the PUMA Brigade in action at the US Open.  How do I get that job?

PUMA^® GOLF GOES FROM THE GREEN TO BLACK AND WHITE
Black Meets White On and Off the Green

Westford, Massachusetts – You’ve seen gold in 2007, you’ve seen chrome in 2008, and, in 2009, PUMA^® Golf is stepping it up again.  The 2009 Golf Special Edition Collection makes a bold statement in pearlized black and white.  Classic and simple, the collection has an “all or nothing” approach when it comes to style.  

A study in contrasts, the black and white details of each piece give the collection a luxurious touch.  Using premium fabrication and intricate detailing, PUMA Golf continues to produce the lightest and most versatile golf products for on and off the course.  With the mix of texture and surface finishes and matte and shine fabrications, each piece transitions easily from the clubhouse to the club.  

Key Highlights from the 2009 Special Edition Collection

Footwear
Power through the course with speed and edge.  The Swing Crown GTX White features all the benefits of the original Swing style – Smart Quill technology for ultimate traction, comfort and a more lightweight feel – but with an added advantage: the powercage.  This extra medial arch support will help shore up your swing; but with its sleek, minimalist design, you’ll barely know it’s there.  You can tell your competitors, it must be the magic feet!

Apparel
Play like a pro in the Golf SE Invisibonding Polo, available in styles for both men and women. Featuring PUMA’s innovative new seamless technology, the polo’s unique color contrast is sure to turn heads.  

Early morning tee time?  Don’t forget to grab the Golf Special Edition Sweater to ward off the chill.  The comfortable yet stylish cotton sweater is ideal for layering.  Never bulky or cumbersome, it’s ideal for layering with the PUMA Golf Polo. The sleek, stylish lightweight design allows for ease of movement.  Ribbing along the hem and cuffs and a PUMA Golf 18-hole graphic tee creates a relaxed but sophisticated look on or off the course.  

PUMA’s Golf SE Invisibonding Polo for women offers a longer length body form that creates a streamlined silhouette, allowing for increased comfort.  Pleated puff sleeves add a feminine touch, and the top’s bold color contrast will turn heads up and down the fairway.  

Accessories
Happy clubs equal a happy golfer.  With the bold SE Staff Bag, even the rustiest of nine irons gets a facelift.  This Special Edition collection centerpiece commands attention on the course, with a sharp black and white block print and exceptionally durable construction.  The bag features a 14-way, full-length divider system with a velvet lined top.  With the SE Staff Bag in tow, you’re sure to develop a reputation as a fashion-forward golf guru.

Ladies, get ready to look good on and off the course and push style to the limit with the Golf Handbag SE. This versatile and inclusive design features a two-way zip opening into a main compartment, slip-in pocket and mobile-phone pocket inside.  The traditional silhouette is constructed from soft leather in black and white contrasting colors.   It’s the perfect accessory for going from the clubhouse to the club.

The bad economy has been good for golfers with money to spend, and for those of you who still have a little something left in your pockets, the deals keep coming.  Take, for example, Cleveland Golf, who has just announced the latest offer to qualify as the best damn golf deal I’ve ever seen.  Simply buy a set of Cleveland irons, play those irons for up to the next two and half years or so (you don’t have to wait that long if you don’t want to).  When a new Cleveland model catches your eye (or when your game has improved to jump from the Tour Launchers to the CG Tour irons), simply mail Cleveland your old set and they’ll mail you a brand new set.  Oh, that new set…yeah, there’s no charge for that.  You don’t have to deal with all that trade-in value crap.  You’re old irons get you new irons.  How awesome is that?

As with any good deal, there is a little bit of fine print, although I must admit, I’m impressed by how simple and straightforward Cleveland has made all of this.  First, you have to buy a qualifying set (which is pretty much every iron - both men’s and women’s - that Cleveland makes).  The deal starts now and runs through December of this year, so you have some time.  Second, that set has to consist of at least 7, in-line (contiguous) club.  Third, you have to register your clubs online, and provide Cleveland with a proof of purchase.  Cleveland will send you a confirmation number, which you’re going to want to hold on to.  All of this seems reasonable enough to me.

As far as getting your new set is concerned, that process is pretty simple too.  When you’re ready for some new clubs, give Cleveland a call, tell them your confirmation number, and provide them with the specs for your new set.  They’ll send you a box for your old irons, along with a pre-paid shipping label.  Once you’ve got the box, mail your clubs off to Cleveland for verification and inspection.  Assuming everything checks out, you’ll have your new clubs in 5 to 7 business days.

The redemption period starts 1/1/10 and runs through 12/31/11.  The offer is good only once, so don’t expect to swap out your clubs every six months.  Nevertheless, this is an awesome deal, and I wish more manufacturers would offer something similar.

In my day job as an IT professional I find myself constantly purchasing software and hardware assurance contracts.  Costs run about 20% of the original purchase price annually, but our agreements entitle us to “free” upgrades every time a new version is released.  I’ve always thought it would be cool if the golf industry offered something similar.  Would you be willing to spend an extra $300 on a set of irons if it meant you could trade in your old set after two years for a new set at no additional charge?  Just thinking out loud, I guess.

Cleveland has become the latest golf equipment manufacturer to offer up an almost too good to pass up deal.  If I didn’t have a new set of Mizuno MP-52 irons in my immediate future, I’d be all over this deal.  More information and specifics can be found on the Cleveland Golf website.

Having already established what I know or don’t know about Nick Faldo, let me share with you some of my history with wine.  Back in college I was a regular connoisseur of fine wine, and by that I mean I drank a lot of Gallo out of gallon-sized jugs.  Sometimes I didn’t even use a glass - so you also know I have class.  Because I thought it was important to diversify my interest in wine, I would bring home the occasional box of Franzia (the square box fit easily in my tiny fridge…what do you want from me)?

Over the years I’d like to think my tastes have grown more sophisticated.  I enjoy a nice Merlot with a tender rare steak, or a fruity Riesling with a light chicken dish.  Still, by no means am I a wine expert.  That said, I did take a wine tasting class on my Alaskan cruise last summer (my Twitter profile pic was actually taken at that tasting).  Of course, I tasted a lot of wine that night, so I don’t really remember much of it.

In my defense, I was honest about my general lack of wine knowledge with the people who sent me the wine, so it’s not like they’re expecting an expert review or anything.  Besides, although I’m neither wine expert, nor Faldo expert, I can assure you, I do know a thing or two about getting drunk.

The Wine

Region: Coonawarra, South Australia
Composition: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Here’s what Nick Faldo has to say about it:

Classic golf courses and classic wine are defined by a common ingredient - soil.  When designing a golf course, the nature of the soil substantially determines the character of the course.  It was the ‘red dirt’ of Coonawarra, the famous terra rossa soil, that gained my attention when I first visited this renowned region.  The wines selected for the Nick Faldo Selection - all under the guiding eye of respected Cooonawarraa winemaker Wayne Stehbens - are well balanced with generous fruit flavours and great structure.  Enjoy!

And here are the winemaker’s notes:

Appearance: Deep plum reds with purple tinged edges

Nose: A rich combination of ripe dark berries with subtle sweet oak maturation flavors.  Plums and dusty mulberry fruit with hints of mint are well balanced with light vanilla oak characters.

Palate: Ripe dark berry fruits with sweet oak flavors that are smoothly balanced.  A generous fruit palate of plums and blackberry with hints of vanilla oak flavors.  Soft assertive tannins add to the palate and compliment the long flavors.

The Test

When you get right down to it, tasting wine isn’t a whole lot different than testing a golf club. Sure, you’re not going to hit a golf ball with a wine bottle, and you’re probably not going to taste your new driver, but when all the testing is complete, the final verdict is going to be largely subjective.  While the simple approach would be to simply state that I drank Nick Faldo’s wine and I like Nick Faldo’s wine, within the best of my ability, I attempted to give the wine a thorough tasting.

It’s actually pretty handy that Faldo’s people include some tasting notes on the bottle, since, if nothing else, it turns the wine drinking into a game of let’s see if I can taste…  Fortunately I have literally minutes of formal wine tasting training, so I was able to delve a little deeper than the average golf course schmo.  As most tasters do, I started by observing the color of the wine.  I’d agree that deep plum reds are a fair description of the color, as is that bit about purple tinged edges.  A tip of the glass reveals very little in the way of transparency suggesting a wine with some body to it.  Just like they do on TV, I gave my glass a few swirls revealing the “legs”.  Again, what I observed suggests body.

With eyes as keen like Nick Faldo's, I gave my first glass of Cabernet Sauvignon a thorough examination.

As far as the aromas are concerned…yeah, the dark berries, and plum aromatics were present.  The same holds true for the sweet oak, and that touch of mint they talk about.  I didn’t really get any sense of vanilla (maybe my nose just isn’t ready for that type of subtlety).  This of course leaves us with just the mulberry unaccounted for, and since I honestly couldn’t begin to tell you what a mulberry tastes like (I also have no idea what it looks like either, and wouldn’t stand a chance trying to pick it out of a fruit lineup), I can’t say whether the aromas are there or not.  Mulberry, huh?

So with the swirling and the sniffing mostly out of the way I decided it was high time I actually drink some of Nick Faldo’s Cab.  Again, I deferred to the tasting notes to see if I could actually taste what the bottle says I should (never, I mean never ague with a bottle of wine).  It should come as no surprise that the dark berry aromas carry over to the taste.  The oak carries as over as well, but it subtle-enough and doesn’t overpower the other flavors.  It’s oaky, but doesn’t taste like you’re sucking on a board that’s been dunked in grape juice.  I’ll concede the plums and blackberries too, but still no luck with the vanilla.  As with many reds (at least in my experience), tannins play heavily in the finish, although I found they mellowed a bit as the wine rested.

Final Thoughts

Overall I found Faldo Cabernet Sauvignon to be an enjoyably sweet and fruity (although not light) red.  I figure I must really have enjoyed it because before I knew it half the bottle was gone, and I was the only drinking (not that I’m proud or anything).  I’ve also used the wine as an ingredient in a marinade I threw together for a Saturday night BBQ.  It worked really well on the flank steak I was soaking it in.

Granted, Faldo Cabernet Sauvignon (or any wine for that matter) is a bit of a departure from what we normally review, but give it just a little thought and you can see how a nice bottle of wine is the perfect post round compliment.  Play well; celebrate.  Play poorly; drink until you forget (not that I necessarily recommend that).  Either way, Faldo Cabernet Sauvignon is a great way to relax after a grueling 18, or pretty much any other occasion where a good bottle of wine is warranted.  I’ll definitely be checking out some of the other wines in the Faldo collection.

Faldo Cabernet Sauvignon can be found for around $16 at a wine shop near you.

In my review of Columbia’s Straight Shooter Polo I gave you a quick introduction to the company’s new Titanium Performance Golf Gear lineup.  I don’t want to rehash that too much here except to say that Columbia, a company better known for its hiking and outdoor gear, has entered the golf game.  I’ve also talked a lot about the weather of the Pacific Northwest being the impetus for the golf gear.  For those of you unfamiliar with the Pacific Northwest patterns, let me put it like this…

Have you ever left your house on a beautiful sunny day only to realize 2 minutes later that you forgot something.  So you turn around, go back to the house, and run in to grab whatever you forgot (with my wife, it’s always her water bottle for the gym).  So you’re inside for all of 15 seconds, head back outside and discover that your beautiful sunny day has been replaced by rain and 30 MPH winds.  What can you do?  You simply have to suck it up and adapt to the changing conditions, and that’s exactly what Columbia’s Titanium Golf Gear is designed to do.

Before I share my thoughts, let’s see what Columbia says about the Windcheater (again, shamelessly lifted from the Columbia web site)

Features

• Shell: 100% Water Beater™ polyester ripstop
• Super water and wind resistant
• Zip closed pockets Titanium™ Skin Cancer Foundation UPF 50 +

Titanium™
Columbia Sportswear’s premier product line, Titanium, offers advanced fabrics and technologies for all-weather performance and protection during demanding outdoor action.

Skin Cancer Foundation
The Skin Cancer Foundation has endorsed our sun protection products with a minimum UPF 30 rating, making Columbia Sportswear the first global clothing company to earn their coveted seal of recommendation.

UPF 50
Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) is a measure of the percentage of ultraviolet sunlight that reaches your skin. Omni-Shade clothing protects you by blocking harmful sun exposure. Your safety increases with the UPF. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends a rating of UPF 30 or higher. Columbia Sportswear was the first global apparel producer to earn the organization’s seal of recommendation.

First Impressions

When I unboxed (unbagged actually) the Windcheater, my first thought was “damn!  this is lightweight”.    I own a few different pieces of rain gear; including one of those popular pullover style rain jackets.  The Columbia is far and away the lightest of them all.  A closer inspection leads me to believe that most of that weight is tied up in thread.  Although it’s not something I would probably check if I was buying off the rack, as a reviewer I figured it might make some sense to check out the stitching.  Seams are double, if not triple-stitched in places.  It’s very clear that Columbia has put a ton of effort into making the Windcheater durable.  I’m fairly certain it’s not the kind of jacket that’s going to tear on you if you happen to have a little too much of it hanging past your butt when you plop yourself into the golf cart.

Esthetically, we’re basically talking about a black jacket (although it’s also available in Navy and Hot Pepper (Orange)).  There’s very little flair, and not a trace of bling.  With the exception of Columbia Logos on the chest and back, and the Titanium logo on the left sleeve, there’s absolutely nothing to visually distinguish the Windcheater from 500 or so other jackets on the market today.  Truthfully, this suites me just fine.  Once it starts raining, I’m really only concerned with staying dry.  That’s not to say the Windcheater is ugly.  It’s not.  I’m simply saying that it’s a jacket, a relatively ordinary looking jacket.  If you want to stay dry…well, more on that in a bit, but if you’re looking to make a fashion statement, this probably isn’t the right way to go.

Getting back to the weight…while I was fairly certain the Columbia Windcheater wouldn’t be the least bit cumbersome on the golf course, the ultra-lightweight design did raise some immediate concerns about the jacket’s ability to displace wind, and more importantly water. I actually emailed my contact at Columbia and basically told him that I didn’t think it could possibly do what Columbia says it does.

The Fit

Based on the information on the Columbia web site, I ordered my Windcheater in large (I’m about 5′ 11″ and weight somewhere between 205 and 210).  I find the fit to be just about perfect.  It’s big enough to not restrict movement in the least, but small enough - and has enough shaping built into the design - that it doesn’t fit like a hefty bag.  By comparison, the rain jacket I’ve been carrying for the past several seasons, has a much boxier cut, and at times feels like it hangs off the body more than I would like.  The Columbia is definitely the more functionally comfortable of the two.  What I mean by that is that if I’m hanging out eating a slice of pizza I don’t much care if my jacket is a little baggy - baggy is comfortable, but if that same jacket is dangling while I’m trying to swing a golf club, then it’s not so comfortable.

I was actually on the fence about wearing a lightweight, sleeved rain jacket.  My current rain jacket is sleeveless; a decision I made largely because of concerns that sleeves might impact my ability to shank hit the golf ball consistently.  In that respect, I’ve been very happy with my sleeveless jacket.  My arms have never felt restricted.   Of course, my arms have never stayed dry when it rains either, so let’s call it mixed feelings about not having sleeves.

With the Windcheater, Columbia has done an excellent job of providing enough room in the sleeves so that my arms don’t feel restricted, but again, they’re not so roomy as to be flapping all over the place while I’m trying to swing a golf club.  It should go without saying that my arms also stay dryer in the rain.

Columbia has provided a couple ways to adjust the fit of the Windcheater to adapt to your current conditions.  First, the Windcheater features Velcro closures at the cuffs.  With a quick little flip of the strap, I can secure the sleeves just above my hands (which keeps the cuffs from creeping over my palms).  When swinging the club isn’t an issue (like when I’m having a beer in the clubhouse, or driving home), it’s just as easy to release them and let the sleeves be sleeves.  Yeah, Columbia could have gone with elastic cuffs (which are fairly common in rain gear), but Veclro is a bit more functional, and oddly enough, makes the jacket a bit more fashionable off the course (who wears elastic?).  Fashionable Velcro?  Yeah, I said it.  We’re not talking about grandpa’s sneakers here.

Second, there are a couple of cinch straps on the bottoms sides of the jacket.  They’re tucked away on the inside, so they’ll never get in the way.  What they do is allow you to tighten the jacket around your waste when the need arises.  Most of the time I let the jacket hang fairly loose around my waist, but when the wind picks up, it’s nice to be able to tighten things up a bit to keep from flapping around.  If only my stomach had a similar feature.

In the Wind

As I’ve already said, the Windcheater is exceptionally lightweight.  With that in mind, it shouldn’t come as any real surprise that it’s not a particularly warm jacket.  If you’re facing a cold wind, expect to be cold.  If you’re looking for a jacket to warmth is your biggest concern, Columbia has other PGG for that.  The Windcheater does do a pretty good job of deflecting the wind, and keeping it off of your skin, and I think that’s what it’s designed to do.  It can’t make the wind stop, but it will certainly make you more comfortable when playing in windy conditions.

In the Rain

I’m actually starting to believe that the Windcheater’s greatest feature is that it can actually prevent it from raining.  Seriously, I’ve been out on the golf course no less than 5 times this year on days when it was supposed to rain.  One of the days I was in Ocean City, the forecast called for an 80% chance of rain - all day long.  I was fully prepared to play in the worst conditions of my life.  Instead, I got nothing, hardly a drop.  The Windcheater is so effective that rain is actually afraid of it.

Now just because I haven’t been able to make it rain on me while on the golf course, I have had a few opportunities to “test” the Windcheater out against actual rain (I’ve also worn it several times on a windy course).  The first of those opportunities came as we were leaving the Ruth’s Chris Steak House at Glen Riddle in Ocean City.  While we didn’t get rained on while on the course that day, during dinner we did get nailed with some of the heaviest rain I’ve ever seen in my life (the streets of Ocean City were flooded).  None of us wanted to walk across the parking lot to the car, so the decision was made that one of us would have to go get it.  As it turns out, when you’re the guy that’s been running off at the mouth for 3 days about your awesome rain gear; when it comes time to man up, you don’t really draw the short straw so much as it’s handed to you.  And so off I ran, in a monsoon no less, to get the car.

What the Windcheater lacks in warmth it more than makes up for in wet conditions.  What impresses me most about the Windcheater is that it doesn’t so much create a barrier between you and the weather, as it actually repels rain.  With my other rain jacket, what happens when the water hits the jacket is that it disperses into the fabric.  It has never soaked through on me, but the jacket most definitely absorbs some water.  The Windcheater reacts much differently.  When water hits the Windcheater it beads, and then rolls right off.  If rain drops were bullets, the Windcheater would make you Superman.  I’m feeling mighty right about now.

After my mad dash to the car, my torso was completely dry.  Unfortunately, my Old Navy Khakis don’t offer any sort of water resistance, so everything south of the border was completely soaked.

Since I haven’t yet found away to get wet on the golf course, I’ve been wearing the Windcheater to work (it’s been raining all week).  While not quite as dramatic as the conditions I faced on my parking lot dash in Ocean City, the Columbia Windcheater has done its job, albeit less dramatically.

Minor Gripes

I really can’t complain about what the Windcheater is.  I can only whine about what it isn’t.  I suppose it would be nice if it came with a fold away hood, or if it was part of Columbia’s Interchange system, but again, the Windcheater is designed to be an ultra-lightweight jacket (which it absolutely is), so it’s not surprising that some features were left out, presumably to keep the weight down.  Besides, as I’ve said a few times now between my two Columbia reviews; if you’re looking for something interchange compatible and/or that has a hood, Columbia most definitely has a jacket in the PGG lineup to meet your advanced needs.

Final Thoughts

For everything I like about the Windcheater (weight and water resistance being the biggest two features), what I really love about the Windcheater is how easy it is to forget that you’re wearing it.  Yes, it keeps you dry.  Yes, it keeps the wind off of you.  Most importantly to a golfer, however; it doesn’t get in your way.  Apart from securing the cuffs, I haven’t had to hitch, yank, pull, or twist the jacket to get it into a place where it won’t interfere with my golf swing. It fits like it was actually designed to be worn on a golf course.  Go figure.

The ultra-lightweight, wind and water resistant Columbia Men’s Windcheater Full Zip Jacket is available from Altrec Outdoors for $69.99 (which is a lot less than some lesser performing rain jackets).

Back in the footwear section of my 2009 Golf Gear Guide, I talked about Cleatskins‘ entry into the golf market. Cleatskins, which have been around for a while now for sports like football, soccer, and baseball, are basically slippers for your spiked shoes.  Now it may sound silly to put your feet inside a pair of socks, into a pair of shoes, and then into a pair of rubber slippers, but give me minute and I’ll explain why this all makes sense.  For now, just know that; made of  a durable rubber compound, Cleatskins Golf easily slip on over your golf spikes, creating a barrier between your shoes and the ground.

So Why Cleatskins Golf?

Now you may be wondering, “why the hell would I want something between my golf shoe and the ground”?  I’m glad you asked (if you didn’t, just play along).  There are several reasons why you might want to keep a pair of Cleatskins on your golf shoes whenever you’re not actually on the golf course.   Let’s start with the golf course itself.  As it happens, despite being lush and green, golf courses are actually pretty nasty places.  They’re full of sand, mud, pesticides, and other unmentionables that some disrespectful goose might have left behind.  Golf courses are filthy places, and even if you don’t care; there’s a safe bet there’s someone in your life who doesn’t appreciate it when all that golf gunk gets tracked into your car, or worse yet, into your house.

If cleanliness alone doesn’t sell you on Cleatskins, how about durability?  Cleatskins can help improve the lifespan of your cleats.  Since Cleatskins eliminate direct ground contact with hard surfaces (like the parking lot at the golf course), they can help to extend the life of your spikes.  Although I’ve been lackadaisical about it at times, since I’ve switched to the PUMA Swing Crown GTX shoes (which don’t have replaceable spikes), I’ve been a little more religious about having the Cleatskins on my shoes any time I’m not on grass.  I’ve also found that Cleatskins make the Swing Crown much more comfortable over hard surfaces.

I’ll be perfectly honest with you.  When it comes to playing golf, I’m both lazy and impatient.  I don’t like “wasting time” in the parking lot taking off my regular shoes and putting on my golf shoes.  I want to play golf as quickly as possible.  Even if it’s just getting out to the putting green, or the range, I want to get started the second I pull into the parking lot - hell, I’d like to roll out of my car while it’s still moving if possible.  Admittedly, I may be in the minority here, but I absolutely hate traveling with two pairs of shoes.  With Cleatskins, I can wear my golf shoes to the course, even if I’m the one driving.  And since Cleatskins are slip resistant, I’m not risking anyone’s life by doing it.

Once I’m at the course, I walk right across the parking lot and into the pro shop.  When I’m checked in, settled up, and on grass, the Cleatskins get peeled off and tossed into my golf bag.  It takes all of 5 seconds before I’m ready to go.

Now maybe you don’t care about tracking golf course goop wherever you go.  Maybe you don’t care about getting a little bit more life out of your golf spikes.  And maybe you don’t care about changing your shoes in the parking lot.  Even if that’s all true, there is one more reason why you might want to consider a pair of Cleatskins Golf…

I won’t pretend to know how your brain works.  For all I know your mind is tack sharp.  It’s quite possible you’ve never left the house without everything you need for a round of golf.  You very well may never have forgotten a thing in your life.  Me (and I highly doubt I’m alone here), between grabbing my clubs, water, snacks, rangefinder, GPS, and whatever else I might be bringing to the course on a given day, I have a tendency to forget something.  On more than one occasion, that something has been my golf shoes.  For some, playing in sneakers isn’t a problem (some guys do it all the time).  Me, I think it sucks.  That’s where Cleatskins Golf come in.  If I’m wearing my golf shoes to the course, there really isn’t any chance I’m going to forget them.  I mean…I may have forgotten my golf shoes, but I’ve never showed up to the course barefoot.

My actual golf shoe with the Cleatskin on. Rest assured Cleatskins fit as snuggly as they do in the marketing photos. Maybe I should have got them in white. By the way, how sweet are those PUMAs?

Minor Grips

There are a couple of things you should probably know about Cleatskins Golf before you go out and buy a pair.  First, and of less consequence, they’re not easy to put on when you’re not wearing the shoe.  It’s not a big deal, but just know going in, it’s much, much easier to slip them on your shoes when your shoes are already on your feet.  Like I said, it’s not a big deal.

Second, Cleatskins are made of heavy duty rubber.  The trade off for durability is weight.  While they’re not quite like wearing cement shoes, Cleatskins will definitely add some bulk.  Since they’re designed to come off once you’re at the course, the weight most definitely won’t impact play.

Final Thoughts

I’ve been wearing Cleatskins Golf for most of this golf season.  At a minimum, they’ve saved me a few trips up the stairs with the ShopVac to clean out my trunk.  I’ll admit to not conducting any sort of scientific durability experiments, but it stands to reason that, if you can cut back on the contact between your spikes and abrasive surfaces, those spikes will last a bit longer - but honestly I can’t swear to it.  That said, since my new shoes don’t have replaceable spikes (when they’re done, they’re done), I’m certainly going to make every effort I can to increase their lifespan, which means the Cleatskins will be on them until it’s time to tee off.  It also doesn’t hurt that the rubber makes walking over hard surfaces a bit more comfortable (not to mention less like skating).  I love that I can wear my shoes right to the golf course, and I love that Cleatskins totally eliminate the possibility that I’m going to show up for my round without my golf shoes.

For less than$36, Cleatskins Golf are the best way I know of to prolong the life of golf shoes (and keep your house and car a little cleaner).  They’re available in a variety of colors in both men’s and women’s sizes.  Unless you’re going to be at Doral Resort anytime soon, your best bet it to buy directly through the Cleatskins Store.

As I mentioned on one (or more) of my previous Ocean City golf posts, the courses in Ocean City have more or less banded together to form what you could call golf conglomerates.  Basically, each course is affiliated with a few other courses, which allows everyone to offer some pretty sweet pricing to golfers who play 3 or more of these “linked” courses.  As I also mentioned, we went with one of the cheaper packages, which meant went the two Glen Riddle courses, or any of the others in the Ruark Golf family (which also includes the acclaimed Links at Lighthouse Sound, as well as Rum Pointe) weren’t part of our package deal.

The 2nd at Man O' War

Since I was the guy tasked with making the arrangements and trying to get the entire trip to fit into everyone’s budget, I was able to essentially force the other guys to agree to a single course upgrade.  I pretty quickly narrowed it down to a choice between Lighthouse Sound and the Man O’ War course at Glen Riddle.  It was a tough decision as I weighed the opportunity to play a top 100 public course (Lighthouse) against the chance to play a true links style course complete with mounds, pot bunkers, and all the other nastiness that goes along with it.  Let’s face it, most of us don’t have access to true links style golf; instead what we get our courses where they chopped down all the trees and decided to call it links.  It’s of course not the same thing, but it sure sounds better than “farmland style”.  As you can tell from the title (and no doubt your search query), I chose the Man O’ War course.

Some Background

Man O’ War, along with the newer War Admiral course, are built on the land that was once the famed Glen Riddle thoroughbred farm.  The farm was home to Triple Crown champions Man O’ War and War Admiral (hence the course names).  Elements of the old grounds, including some of the original training track have been incorporated into the design of the course.  As a huge fan of thoroughbred racing; the opportunity to golf in the foot hoofsteps of two of the greatest racehorses of all time was more than I could pass up.  Yeah, I’m sure I would have loved Lighthouse, but Glen Riddle offered this Saratoga boy something that nowhere else could.

Course Information

• Man O’ War at Glen Riddle (www.glenriddlegolf.com)
• Par 72
• Yardage: 5019-7163 (we played the blues - 6556 yards)

Description (From the Website)

The Man O’War Course occupies the westerly portion of GlenRiddle. The course features pure, windswept links golf. The golfer faces challenges often found in the British Isles including large greens, double fairways, pot bunkers, sand dunes, and the ever-present eastern shore winds. The historic racetrack used to train champion thoroughbreds is utilized as a strategic cross hazard on three holes. The Man O’War Course plays 7,163 yards and a par of 72 from the rear tees.

Practice Facility

We arrived about 15 minutes early for our tee time.  Rain was steady, the carts were covered, and none of us were particularly keen to go warm up in the rain.  That said, I did take note of the very well maintained practice range that borders the 10th hole.  A word of caution, however; the range is exceptionally close to the 10th.  If you’re playing from the right side of the fairway, you are most certainly in the line of fire.  There were plenty of balls waiting for us to hit, but it was our prerogative not to do so.

Layout

I’m inclined to defer to the description here.  Pure windswept golf about covers it.  Several dozen rolling mounds come into play.  Landing on the wrong side of them is, to say the least, penal (I bounced either OB or into a hazard twice as a result of hitting the wrong side of a mound).  Bunkers are strewn throughout and are found along the fairways almost as often as they are around the greens. Water comes into play on a handful of holes as well.  The wide open nature of links play makes it difficult (but certainly not impossible) to lose a ball.

Similar to the other courses we played in Ocean City, the back 9 does feature a fair amount of wetlands (particularly over the last handful of holes).  Be advised that some of the carry distances are upwards of 200 yards.  While I was able to safely maneuver my way past, some of the less experience golfers in my group didn’t fare as well.  Again, perhaps a different set of tees would have been more appropriate.

We played the blue tees which extend the course to about 6600 yards.  The long par 5s are contrasted by two short par 4s, both of which are drivable (you’ll need to cut the corner on #8, but I think it can be done).  We probably would have been better served playing from the silver tees, but I have no regrets about playing 1 set shy of the tips.

Glen Riddle is a golf community.  While the layout is outstanding, there are a few holes where I found myself a little too aware of the neighborhoods bordering the course.  By no means do the houses intrude on to the golf course, but there’s definitely something lost by their proximity.

Apparently there wasn’t an intelligent golfer among us, as none in our group were able to properly decipher through the fog which patch of grass was the 1st’s fairway (welcome to links golf).  It wasn’t until all four of us had driven our balls onto the 10th fairway did the group behind us (members) share with us that we had all done it wrong (thanks guys).  I still made par, so I was happy.  And lest I leave feeling like I missed something, I hooked my drive on 10 onto the 9th fairway, and played back - so at least I got to see the entire course.

Conditions

Even for very early spring, the course was in phenomenal condition.  Apart from fairways being in outstanding shape, my only thoughts revolved around how differently the course would play later in the season once the rough has a chance to grow in.  I played well-enough in April.  Realistically, I would expect to be 5 strokes worse later in the season.

As you might expect from a links course, the greens are generously sized, and there is quite a bit of undulation.  From a conditioning standpoint; I simply don’t have the superlatives.  The greens at Man O’ War are very much among the best I’ve ever played.  Even though the rain mostly left us alone, they greens were damp all day, so it’s hard for me to say how fast the greens would roll under normal conditions.  What I do know with certainty is that they are very smooth, and roll true; which is all any golfer can ask for.  In truth, my opinion does come with some bias.  I’ve never in my life had a better “feel” for greens.  It didn’t matter how long the putt was, I was able to put it within a couple of feet almost every time.  I didn’t count my putts on the round, but my guess is the tally was sub-30.

Pace of Play

When you’re the first ones out in the morning, it’s hard to complain about anything.  Obviously I can’t speak to the pace on a sunny day with a mid-morning tee time.  It sure was nice not to have anyone in front of us.  We did a good job staying ahead of the group behind us as well.

The Staff

My only interaction with the staff was at the proshop.  We got checked in, then had to have the cart attendant double check whether or not we were cart path only (we weren’t).  And we were on our way.  We didn’t see any staff the rest of the day.  After the round I stopped back in the proshop to buy a hat.  I made sure to let the guy at the counter know that playing Man O’ War was the most fun I’ve ever had on a golf course.   He thought I was joking, and seemed almost shocked when I told him I was being completely serious.

Favorite Hole

I’m hard pressed to pick just one.  The course is just such a treat, and offers such variety it’s difficult to nail down just one.  I will say I didn’t particularly enjoy the par 3, 15th.  It’s a beautiful hole, featuring a well protected green.  Unfortunately, I found one of those bunkers off the tee, and then hit the ball on the screws coming out and ended up in the woods.  I think I carded a 9 and it basically blew up my round.  Nice looking hole though.

I did really enjoy the par 5, 14th, however.  The 536 yard hole features a generous amount of fairway sand, and a large, heavily sloped green.  My enjoyment came from the fact that I left myself about 8 inches to the cup after chipping from just off the highest point of the green down to the flag at the lowest.  It’s one of the best shots I’ve ever hit, and no doubt the primary reason why I’m a fan of the hole.

One of the great things about Man O' War is you can walk off the 18th green and right in to Ruth's Chris for dinner.

Overall Experience

I’ve played a handful of really nice public courses over the last couple of years; including the Shenendoah course at Turning Stone, and the Roger Rulewich designed Saratoga National.  For my money ($99 weekday rate), Man O’ War is on par with those courses in terms of layout and condition.  As far as the overall experience is concerned, Man O’ War offered me the best time I’ve ever had on a golf course, and there really isn’t much more to say beyond that.

So yeah, if Man O’ War was dropped into the heart of Saratoga, not only would I pay the $99 weekday rate again (and again, and again), I’d probably find a way to become a member.   Not only will I play the course again if return to Ocean City, Man O’ War may very well be the reason why I visit Ocean City again.  No doubt that next trip will also include War Admiral and the Links at Lighthouse sound as well.

For layout and conditions, I’ll happily give Glen Riddle’s Man O’ War an A.  I’ll also give it an A for overall value.  Yes, $100 is a fairly expensive round of golf, but I’ve paid more and gotten less.  Finally, all also throw in a grade of A+ for intangibles/enjoyment factor.  I’ve the 3 Ocean City courses I’ve reviewed so far, Man O’ War is the first to rate as an absolute must play.

Check back often as new stuff will be added every few days.  I’ve gone out of my way to make sure there’s a good mix of the affordable (under $20), the high-end ($300) and some stuff in between.  Keep in mind, this isn’t some quick little list full of marketing garbage information.  I’ve personally thoroughly tested (although you’ll see the word “tested” does leave some room for interpretation) all of the items in this guide, and they wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think they were good enough for dad.

PUMA Swing Crown GTX

What: High-performance, ultra-light, turf grabbing spikes with classic PUMA style.  Seriously sexy golf shoes.

Why: The lightest, most comfortable golf shoe I’ve worn; EVER!  Doesn’t dad deserve the ultimate in comfort and style?  Hell yeah he does!

Read the Full Review

Cleatskins Golf Shoe Protectors

What: Slip-on protection for your golf spikes.

Why: Dad will never forget his shoes if they’re already on his feet.  Golfskins can also increase the life of your spikes and help keep grass, dirt, and other golf course ingredients out of your car and home.

Read the Full Review

Columbia Windcheater Full Zip Jacket

What: Super lightweight and comfortable wind & rain jacket.

Why: Help dad stay dry on the golf course.  The Columbia Windcheater is remarkably lightweight, but even more remarkable is the way water beads and rolls off the jacket.

Read the Full Review

A Bottle of Faldo Wine

What: A bottle of wine from the Australian winery of famed Brittish golfer, Nick Flado

Why: Your golfing dad will love the link between one of his favorite drinks and one of golf’s all-time greats.  Faldo wine is the perfect way to celebrate a great round, or to help forget a bad one.

Read the Full Review

Yeah, me and Geoff, we’re practically the same guy, which is I why I wasn’t surprised when I found out that Geoff Ogilvy is wearing the very same Swing Crown GTX golf shoes that PUMA just sent me.  Is it just my delusional imagination, or is Geoff Ogilvy my total doppelganger?

There are countless (zero) eery similarities between myself and Geoff Ogilvy, but even though our games, and in many (by many I mean probably none) respects we lead parallel lives, it’s clearly the PUMA Swing Crown GTX that makes us practically the same guy.

First Impressions

Normally the soles aren’t the first part of a shoe I look at, or even care about.  That’s a bit like starting your search for a new car by looking at tires, but since PUMA is talking up their Smart Quills something fierce, I figured it was probably important that I take a look.  For those of you not yet in the know on the Swing Crown sole design, here’s what PUMA has to say about their Smart Quill Technology:

It all started when we set out to design the first tour-grade shoe with non-replaceable cleats.  We wanted to create on that performs like the styles from back in the day.  The kind with nails that were all about traction.  At the same time, we wanted to bring a more modern look and feel to golf - with comfort, style, and lightweight materials.

And what did we come up with?  Smart Quill technology.

Here, ultimate traction meets modern style.  Multi-directional Quills are unique positioned for traction throughout your swing, while also creating a spike system that is comfortable and lighter in weight.

If I didn't know better, I'd swear some guy at PUMA attached the Smart Quills at random.

Before the Swing Crowns arrived, I had looked at several pictures but didn’t have any hands on experience.  I half expected the quill patterns to be mirror opposites, but in fact the placement looks accidental, almost random.   Traction doesn’t happen by accident, however; so my guess is somebody at PUMA spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out exactly where to place the individual Smart Quills.

Moving to the top of the shoe, it’s hard not to notice the large microfiber upper, and relatively small vamp which help to give the Swing Crown its distinctive looks.  With only 4 pair of eyelets for lacing (my current shoes have 7); if not for the sliver PUMA stripe, and PUMA logo on the back, the Swing Crown’s could pass for a pair of stylish white dress shoes.  Unless you’re a real trend setter,  you probably won’t get away with wearing the Swing Crown’s to your next black tie event, but it’s hard to image you won’t have the freshest kicks on the course.

Only 4 loops...now that's just crazy.

The Fit

When talking sizing with my contact at PUMA, I was originally concerned by the lack of a wide option in the Swing Crown GTX.  I’ve got pudgy feet, and have never had much success finding a pair of comfortable standard width golf shoes (the 3 pair of golf shoes I’ve owned have all been wide).  Of course, the only other pair of PUMA shoes I’ve ever owned (a pair of cleats I’ve played softball in for the last 4 years) have fit comfortably from day 1, and they’re not wide either, so I was hopeful the Swing Crowns wouldn’t bind my feet tighter than a Han dynasty concubine (channeling my inner Dennis Miller).

Sure enough, the Swing Crowns fit great.  There’s plenty of room for my chubby little feet, with plenty of wiggle room for the Vienna sausages that pass for my toes.  Bottom line, if I were reviewing the PUMA Swing Crown GTX for Zappos, I’d say they fit true to size.

The Accidental Indoor Traction Test

While trying the Swing Crown on in my living room, I got an unexpected introduction to the gripping power of the Smart Quills.  Now how valid of a test this really is, I can’t say because as general rule, I don’t wear my golf shoes in the living room very often (much to my wife’s dismay,  it does occasionally happen).  What I can say with certainty is that the Swing Crowns are the first shoes (golf or otherwise) I’ve ever had grab on to my Berber carpeting.

Freeing the shoe from the carpet was a bit like pulling a kitten off a sweater, minus all the screeching.   All that gripping got me wondering if my old shoes have the same ability to rip up my rugs.  So like any thorough product reviewer with too much free time on his hands would do, I quickly put a brand new set of spikes on my current shoes and set up a simple and admittedly unscientific grip test.

First with the Swing Crowns, I planted my left foot firmly on one of the floor mats in our entry way, and tried to twist it free (my front foot has a tendency to twist open during my golf swing).  The Swing Crown barely budged, although I think I heard some fibers tearing lose from the rug.  Rather that risk ripping the mat at apart (and a subsequent lecture from the wife about what constitutes proper indoor behavior - and in a more general sense, what I giant ass I am), I took off the Swing Crown and tried the same test with my regular golf shoes.   While the shoes I’ve been wearing did grip a little, they certainly don’t have the claws of the PUMAs.

Granted, a floor mat isn’t a fairway (not that I have much experience playing from fairways), but my little test did provide the first indication that the Swing Crown could actually deliver on its promise of superior traction.  In truth, I probably would have felt a little weird about intentionally dragging my foot across a rug to test the traction of a golf shoe, but I’m pretty sure Geoff Ogilvy did the same thing when he got his Swing Crowns (lest there be any doubt, I just made that up).

The Golf Test

It’s either a confident man or a complete idiot who endeavors to play 27 holes of golf in a pair of untested shoes.  On course with the Swing Crown GTXs, the two questions I set out to answer were 1). How comfortable are the Swing Crowns, and 2). Does this traction thing PUMA is talking about really hold up.  Over the course of 54 holes (I’m either extremely confident, or I’m an idiot of epic proportions), I answered both of those questions and plenty more.

Comfort

First, let’s talk about comfort, because, I don’t care how much traction a shoe can offer, it it rubs your feet down to the bone, what good is it?  The first time out on the course withe the Swing Crowns, I did in fact play 27 holes.  Granted, I took a cart, but even when I ride, I tend to do a lot of walking (I have a nasty habit of hitting balls where carts can’t go).  By the end of day1, I did start to experience some light rubbing on the outside of my right heel.  I never developed a blister, however; and by the time I got home and conducted a thorough and complete foot inspection, I wasn’t able to find any sort of identifying mark on my foot.  The next day I went out and played 27 more.  This time around I didn’t experience any sort of rubbing.  No blisters, no soreness, nothing.  In fact, when the round was over, my feet felt great.  I wish I could say the same about my shoulder, and my pride.

What I think that all means is that there is a breaking in period for the PUMA Swing Crown GTX, but it certainly doesn’t take long, and there’s a good chance you’ll get through it blister free.  My other shoes still can give me the occasional toe blister, so I’m actually pretty satisfied with how my feet came out of the weekend.

If there’s an instance when I don’t like the feel of the Swing Crown GTX it’s when walking over pavement or a hard-packed cart path.  The Smart Quills and the TPU Studs (those red knobby things in the picture) are noticeably firmer than your average golf spike.  As a result, there isn’t a lot of give over hard surfaces.  If you’ve ever worn soccer or baseball cleats while walking through a parking lot, you know the feeling.  Obviously it’s not a big deal since golf is largely played on grass (or in my case in sand), but don’t expect to enjoy your walk to and from the parking lot.

Traction

I’ve already told you how well the Swing Crown’s grip my carpeting and floor mats, but how does that translate the golf course?  It turns out it translates perfectly.  I didn’t go out of my way to try to force myself to lose my footing, instead my plan was to get out, play my game, and make a note of any slips.  Over the course of 54 holes, my front foot came out on me exactly once.  It happened on a very dry tee box (we had just finished discussing whether or not we should try and find threaded tees), and I had to swing like a drunken lumberjack to make it happen.  The bottom line is that, when it comes to traction, from what I could tell anyway, the Swing Crown GTX with its Smart Quills out performs my current old shoe.

One of the other tidbits to come out of PUMA’s marketing literature is that the design of the Swing Crown helps keep the spikes from getting plastered with mud and other golf course gunk.  Conditions were mostly dry when I played, but I did manage to find time for a couple of hikes through the woods.  Normally I have to clean the mud and pieces of dead leaves off my shoes when I come out, the Swing Crown’s, however, remained mostly debris free (nothing that required any real cleaning).  I also didn’t have any need to clang my shoes together in the parking lot at the end of the day - straight off the course they were clean enough to just toss in the trunk.  I’ll reserve final judgment until after I’ve played in soggier conditions, but there does seem to be some validity to the “stays cleaner” talk.

The Smart Quills without a doubt provide an amazingly stable platform.  Now I’m certainly open to the possibility that I was just having a good…actually great driving weekend and the shoes had nothing to do with it, but over the course of those 54 holes, I hit substantially more fairways than I normally do (and even my misses were playable).  Overall distance was up too; culminating with a drive on the 343 yard 4th at Kingswood (my home course) that stopped a mere 10 yards short of the green.  Like I said, it could all be coincidence, and I’m certainly not going to tell you that wearing the PUMA Swing Crown GTX will increase your accuracy and distance, but since it happened, I figured I’d include it.   Also, I look for any excuse to brag about my monster tee shots.  I like to think the Swing Crown’s give me the confidence to swing out of my shoes, without actually doing it.

Weight

PUMA’s marketing literature also contains several references to the weight (or lack thereof) of the Swing Crown GTX.  They discuss how things like the microfiber upper, and the non-replaceable Smart Quills, make the Swing Crown GTX an exceptionally light golf shoe.  Even before I got out on the course, I tried to compare the weight of my current shoes to the Swing Crowns.  I dangled both off my fingers to see if there was any measurable difference between the two.  I came away thinking the Swing Crown GTX might be ever-so-slightly lighter, but since the shoe I’d been wearing previously is also billed as being lightweight, I wasn’t surprised to find that the difference was less than night and day.

Here’s the thing though, as I was walking back from returning my cart after my 2nd 27 of the weekend, I noticed my feet.  Actually, what I noticed is that I barely noticed my feet at all.  It turns out that a few ounces may not mean much when your twirling shoes from your finger tips, but after a long weekend of golf you might grow to appreciate the difference.  That said, I’ve never felt bogged down by my current (or any other golf shoe I’ve ever warn - although they have felt heavy after a long day of golf), so in practice, if you only play 18 at a time, and only do that every so often, it really won’t matter that much - and weight alone certainly isn’t reason enough to buy a pair of Swing Crown GTX shoes.

Cleanup

Let me just say this: Real men don’t clean their golf shoes.  Having said that, I thought maybe some of you would be curious as to how easy it would to get your Swing Crowns back to their out of the box shiny white selves after caking on a few rounds worth of mud, grass, and whatever else you happen to step in.  Again, not that men clean their shoes.

The microfiber upper, and pretty much every other part of the shoe north of the outsole cleans up very easily.  For the upper I’d recommend using warm water and a non-abrasive sponge.  For the most part I didn’t need any sort of detergent, although something mild probably wont hurt.

After 54 holes and a little soap and water, the Swing Crowns are almost as good as new.

The foam outsole provided a bit more of a challenge.  I managed to stain mine with  a fair amount of reddish-brown mud, and was worried that the foam might stay a light rust color forever.  Warm water and sponge didn’t get much of it off.  Using some dish detergent and a mildly abrasive sponge, however; I was able to get the foam looking almost as good as new.   Of course, having completed my test work, I’ll probably never clean them again, because, as I said, men don’t clean their golf shoes.

Minor Gripes

As much as I love the PUMA Swing Crown GTX, there are a few things that PUMA could conceivably change that would make me love them a little bit more:

• Color Selection - unlike last year’s Swing GTX, the Swing Crown is currently available in white/silver, or white/silver, or, well you get it.  Last year PUMA offered us a choice of white, black, or the über-stylish white/green.  For a company known for its bold style, the lack of color options is both disappointing and puzzling.
  
  

  Ordinary guys like you and me are (for now anyway) limited to the white & silver. When you're Geoff Ogilvy, however, PUMA let's you rock these sweet looking black & whites.
• No wide sizes - As I said, the Swing Crown GTX is not available in chubby.  My personal experience is that they fit my fat feet just fine, but I suspect some others won’t take the chance and will simply look elsewhere.
• Non-replaceable spikes - PUMA says that durability isn’t an issue, and that utilizing non-replaceable spikes helps reduce weight.  Obviously it’s too soon for me to talk about long-term durability, but I have no reason to believe it will be a problem (it’s hard to explain by the design of the spike is such that the edges are largely protected).  That said, my recommendation is to limit contact with hard surfaces as much as humanly possible.  I’d further recommend you keep a pair of Golfskins on your Swing Crowns anytime you’re not walking on grass.  Golfskins are relatively inexpensive and easily slip on and off just about any golf shoe.  Whatever the lifespan of the Swing Crown spikes ultimately turns out to be, Cleatskins Golf protectors should help to extend it substantially.
• Cost - The retail price of the Swing Crown GTX is $275.  I’ve received more than a few winces when I’ve told people what they sell for.  Of course, these are guys wearing $60 golf shoes so…well…you know.  Still, while most definitely not the most expensive golf shoe on the planet, at $275 the Swing Crown GTX is priced a big higher than tour quality shoes from Nike, Adidas, and Footjoy.

Final Thoughts

Let’s be honest here, wearing a pair of PUMA Swing Crown GTX golf shoes won’t make you Geoff Ogilvy.  You won’t gain legions of adoring fans.  And even though you probably won’t win the US Open, you’d look damn good competing in the PUMA Open, and that’s something.  While the superior traction that comes from Smart Quill Technology almost certainly won’t get you your tour card, what a pair of PUMA Swing Crown GTXs can offer is an exceptionally lightweight, and more importantly, comfortable golf shoe, with way more style than you’d ever find in a traditional saddleback.

Listen man, you’re not your grandfather.  You don’t pull your black socks up to your knees. You don’t drive a Chrysler (or a Buick), and you don’t spend your afternoons screaming at whippersnappers and ruffians to get off your damn lawn.  You’re not your grandfather, so why would you wear his golf shoes?  Stay Fresh, kid!

The PUMA Swing Crown GTX golf shoe, and a ton of other stylish, high performance golf gear is available at the PUMA Golf Store.  For the latest happening on all things PUMA Golf, check out the PUMA Golf Blog.

As is their tradition, my friends over at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters have announced two new Summer Seasonals for 2009.  Both Perfect Peach and Summer Safari Blend are available in Autodrop (ground) or K-Cups (which is why I’m excited).  

Here’s the Descriptions and Tasting Notes for both:

Fair Trade Summer Safari Blend

Description:

A spirited blend of South American and East African coffee. Destination Delicious.

Tasting Notes:

What do you get when you take the crisp, clean flavors of South American coffees and blend them with slightly wild East African beans? If you’re lucky — and you are — you get our Fair Trade Summer Safari ™ Blend, a spirited, slightly tropical take on summer.

Summer Safari is sweet-toned and light-bodied, refreshing and remarkably balanced. Enjoy it just-brewed, or over ice.

Fair Trade the Perfect Peach

Description:

Deliciously refreshing. Bursting with the flavors of a ripe, juicy peach.

Tasting Notes:

Folks said we were crazy when we introduced our Fair Trade Wild Mountain Blueberry™… and then insisted we offer it year ’round. People called us loony when we created Island Coconut™… now customers write us all winter long and ask when we’re going to offer it again. And now that we’re introducing our latest seasonal offering— The Perfect Peach ™ —now they say we’re nuts. We say, no… peaches are drupes. But that’s not the point. The point is… wow, this stuff’s good.

From its juicy aroma of fresh peach nectar to its surprisingly complex flavors of gorgeous, sun-drenched stone fruit, we think you’re gonna love this one — just-brewed, iced, sweetened if you care to. And maybe it goes without saying, but, peaches and cream? Divine.

The Perfect Peach — reason enough to fall in love with summer all over again. 

I haven’t tried either yet, but Green Mountain definitely has a history of doing these Summer Blends right.  They’re also one of  the few who’s figured out how to do flavored coffee without it turning into a total disaster.  I’m really looking forward to trying (and reviewing) both of the ‘09 Summer blends offerings.

Both Fair Trade the Perfect Peach and Fair Trade Summer Safari Blend are available for $13.95 per box (K-Cups) and $8.49 bagged from GreenMountainCoffee.com.

As is ALWAYS the case, Green Mountain’s Café EXPRESS subscribers will save $2 on each box of Green Mountain Coffee (including Perfect Peach & Summer Safari) you purchase through the Green Mountain Website.

Green Mountain also offers a Refer A Friend Program. If you refer a friend to Green Mountain and that friend buys a Keurig Brewer, you’ll both get two free regular variety samplers. Free coffee rules, it’s a fact.

Act quickly though;  Green Mountain Summer Blends will only be around until the leaves start to turn.

While you’re here, check out the growing list of K-Cup reviews in my K-Cup Challenge.