CARLY CUMMINS  Editor  Ladies Golf Today

Carly's blog - news and views on the world of ladies' golf
June 06, 2011

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Tried & tested: The 2Thumb Rotate putter grip
I spent a couple of hours on the putting green at the Senior Masters at Stapleford Park last week improving my stroke with the help of the new 2Thumb Rotate putter grip.

The inventor, putting coach Phil Gazeley, showed me how the traditional 2Thumb grip squares your shoulders up perfectly so that it is incredibly easy to line putts up and make a simple straight-back, straight-through stroke.

The new 2Thumb Rotate is designed for golfers who want to hold the putter in the traditional manner (left hand lower than the right), but with the added benefit of the wider 2Thumb Rotate grip keeping the stroke more solid. The putter grip is designed to rotate 90 degrees so that the wide part rests in the palms and lifelines of your hands, helping you make a very solid, wrist-free stroke.

Not surprisingly, numerous Tour professionals around the world have switched to the 2Thumb in the last couple of weeks. As they're not paid to officially endorse the product Gazeley can't mention their names, but if you watched the Wales Open on TV from Celtic Manor over the weekend you would have noticed Johan Edfors putting superbly with a 2Thumb grip in his hands, and out on the Ladies European Tour second place finisher Holly Aitchinson transformed her stroke with the new 2Thumb grip in her hands.

At just £17.99 a grip they're a cheap investment that could absolutely transform your putting stroke! For more information or to buy a 2Thumb putter grip visit www.2ThumbGrip.com

The Henderson Rookies 'Tips from the Tour'
Three lucky LET rookies have been sponsored by Henderson Global Investors this year. Starting this week recent LET winner and PowerPlay Golf Champion Caroline Hedwall gives you two simple tips for launching your drives long and straight…

Tip 1: Hover the club for a smooth takeaway
There are very few technical thoughts in my head when I make my golf swing but the one thing I always like to do is hover my driver an inch or two above the ground before I take the club away. This prevents a jerky move away from the ball and gives me a really smooth start to my swing. It encourages the arms and body to move together as one unit in the takeaway – one of the keys to a fluid swing.

Tip 2: Improve your coil
I do a lot of flexibility work, making sure that my golfing muscles are lose and I am able to make a full shoulder turn. Of course, the more upper body coil you can generate against a solid lower body, the greater your potential for the clubhead to unwind powerfully with speed into the ball – and that's where the power is achieved. One of the warm up drills I use on the driving range is to hold my driver across my shoulders and rehearse my shoulder turn. The goal is to turn my shoulders fully so that the butt end of the grip points to the ball in the backswing as I'm demonstrating here.

The electric trolley with va-va-voom!
The moment I clasped eyes on the new PowaKaddy Sport I wanted one! Not only does this trolley look great, it's packed full of innovative features that mean it will operate with ease.

The two things that always put me off using an electric trolley are the weight of lifting the thing (and the battery) in and out of the car boot, plus the awkward handling around the course. PowaKaddy have solved both these problems with the new Sport. A clever 3-way no-fuss folding mechanism means it collapses down into a compact shape that fits easily into even a small car boot, while a new soft handle has a built-in responsive 9-speed control roller that makes handling really smooth and simple.

Add to that modern features such as the LCD display screen that has a digital distance monitor, clock and a battery-life monitor, plus soft grip pads that keep any golf bag type in place and you really do have a super trolley.

You have the option of buying the PowaKaddy with the standard lead battery (£429) or the ultra-lightweight Lithium battery (£649) – for me the extra expense is absolutely worth going for the incredibly slim, light Lithium battery that slips effortlessly into the battery tray with no need for connecting cables. You can even fold the trolley away with the battery still in place.

For more information visit www.powakaddy.com

New fashion for the fairways
If you are into fashion like me you'll be excited to hear about a new ladies golf clothing brand called Rohnisch.

This Swedish company has a lovely collection of clothing and unlike its Scandinavian competitors you don't need to be ultra-skinny to wear it! That's thanks to the use of a FourWay Stretch fabric that is super stretchy and comfortable to wear, allowing it to fit all shapes and sizes.

There are pretty patterns galore and a mixture of styles from very classic golf clothes such as knitted argyle jumpers to a more sporty, modern look. And who would have thought you could actually look stylish in the rain? Well in this Rohnisch rain hat (£25) you can!

Check out the entire Rohnisch collection at www.rohnisch.com

The ultimate irons?
When it comes to quality you don't get much better than the new Yonex EZONE. Not only do they look fantastic, these irons are packed full of futuristic technology to justify the hefty £999 price tag.

For the last few years Yonex have been pioneers and leaders in Nano-technology – the same technology NASA use to built space crafts. What this means is the graphite shafts that fuel the performance of their irons are second-to-none.

The EZONE Composite iron is fitted with a new Nanopreme shaft – a high intensity, extremely elastic material that provides increased energy transfer and superior shaft stability. That means you'll generate more clubhead speed with the same swing and hit the ball further, while there will be less shaft deformation, giving you straighter shots and more control from the fairway.

Other features include a 20g Tungsten insert in the sole of the iron that lowers the club's centre of gravity making it far easier to get shots airborne, plus a Maraging Steel face which is thickest at the sweetspot and thinner around the perimeter helping generate greater repulsion and enlarging the ‘sweet zone' for effortless powerful performance.

The Yonex EZONE iron is available in a ladies graphite shaft and priced at £999 for 5-iron to SW.

For more information visit www.yonex.co.uk/golf

Wilson Staff's new woods get the thumbs up
I've been a fan of Wilson Staff's woods ever since I popped their innovative FYbrid into my golf bag a couple of seasons ago. This club has proved to be an invaluable scoring tool, helping me hit long shots even from those horrible lies when the ball nestles down in the rough. So I'm excited to see that Wilson has brought out a fantastic new range of DXi fairway woods and hybrids for ladies.

The styling of the DXi is spot-on, the clubs look great, and the main performance feature – a larger three-zone impact area - means that the woods have a wider sweet spot making them incredibly easy to use.

So if you're looking for a wood that it lightweight, forgiving and allows you to hit a variety of shots from the tee to the fairway, the Wilson Staff DXi looks like a smart option.

The fairway woods are available in 3-wood (17°) and 5-wood (20°) and retail at £149, and the hybrids come in a 22° and 25° option, both priced at £129.

For more information visit www.wilsonstaff.com

The perfect summer shoe
Whilst most golfers were moaning about their hot, sweaty feet while we were out enjoying the mini heat-wave over the weekend, I felt as though I was walking on air in a smart new pair of golf shoes from a company called Dawgs.

The Dawgs Golf Spirit shoe looks like something you'd wear to the beach to paddle in the sea, only with soft spikes underneath! It's a super-lightweight, ultra-comfortable shoe that you wear without socks with special ventilation holes to keep your feet cool and odour-free. It's easy to slip on and adjusts to fit with a simple Velcro strap.

The shoe has been specifically designed to support your foot during the swing and all the walking in between and has a thick cushioning heel that absorbs shock and impact, reducing foot, knee, hip and back pain and injuries. An intergrated moulded arch support adds to the comfort and a high stabilising heel cup helps stabilise your foot and ankle during the swing preventing injury and strains.

It was a refreshing change to actually feel my feet breath on the course and I have no doubt you'll be converted to this revolutionary shoe.

The Dawgs retail through www.brandfusionltd.co.uk for £39.99