Arccos Golf Signs 2014 FedExCup Champion Billy Horschel as Brand Ambassador

PGA Tour Superstar Endorses Golf’s Only GPS + Live Stat Tracking + Tour Analytics System

(STAMFORD, CT) – Arccos Golf – maker of the first club-to-cloud system offering GPS + live stat tracking + Tour analytics – announces the signing of 2014 FedExCup Champion Billy Horschel as brand ambassador.

Currently No. 13 on the Official World Golf Ranking, Horschel is one of America’s most popular and recognizable young stars. A three-time winner on the PGA Tour, the 28-year-old uses the ARCCOS system during his practice rounds, which will now be showcased across the company’s digital and social media channels. Horschel will also feature prominently in Arccos’ marketing initiatives, including point of sale materials and a series of commercials to air on Golf Channel.

“Using statistics to understand my game has been a real key to my success,” says Horschel. “Arccos is helping me take that knowledge to a whole new level. It’s super easy to use and instantly provides data for every shot I hit during my practice rounds. Post round, it helps me analyze my performance like I’ve never before been able to do.”

Requiring no alterations to pre-shot routines, additional devices, tapping or other hindrances to enjoyment and improvement, ARCCOS ($399) features a set of 14 virtually weightless sensors. Easily attached to the end of a club grip, each is paired just once via Bluetooth to the company’s free iPhone app.

Along with GPS for more than 16,000 courses in North America, ARCCOS captures critical data for your game, instantly delivering information on distances hit, club averages, driving accuracy, greens in regulation, sand saves, putts and more. This helps golfers identify patterns and refine tactics before, during and after each round.

“Billy’s an Ambassador for Arccos in the truest sense of the word,” says Sal Syed, the company’s CEO and Co-Founder. “He’s using our system and sharing his data week after week for fans, golfers and PGA Professionals to understand how one of the world’s best players prepares to compete.”

Essential to the ARRCOS system is its proprietary Tour Analytics platform developed in conjunction with golf’s most renowned statistician, Peter Sanders. Drawing from Sanders’ work with PGA Tour star Zach Johnson and many others, it automatically breaks down a players’ handicap into five key components – driving, approach, chipping, sand game and putting. This allows players to:
* Gain insight into what every shot means
* Understand exactly how each part of their game contributes to scoring
* Explore comparative data in each of the five components from golfers with the same handicap
* Evaluate patterns across their entire golf history, supporting refinement of on-course tactics

Now available at Apple Stores, select golf retailers and pro shops nationwide, and online at Amazon.com, ARCCOS is more than just a great tool for the individual users. Top instructors rely on the system to help their students recognize and correct faults, such as club distance gaps, noticeable shot dispersion patterns and other problem areas.

Led by a team of Ivy League engineers, rocket scientists, PhD’s and designers, Arccos Golf is named after a function of advanced mathematics.

For more information or to view a demo video: arccosgolf.com.

Lamkin Grips Signs Miguel Angel Jimenez as Brand Ambassador

(SAN DIEGO, CA) – Lamkin Corporation – the original manufacturer of premium golf grips – announces the signing of Miguel Angel Jimenez as its newest brand ambassador, he joins an impressive list of top-ranked Tour players who endorse the company’s technologically superior grips.

One of the game’s most popular and engaging figures, Jimenez is currently No. 40 on the Official World Golf Ranking. A 21-time winner on the European Tour, he uses the traditional Perma-Wrap grip – made with a synthetic rubber that is highly regarded for its consistent feel and incredible durability. For more than a decade, Jimenez has relied on a Lamkin wrap-style grip to fuel his performance.

“Miguel is one of those rare athletes who has truly captured the attention of fans based on his incredible play as well as his larger than life personality,” says Bob Lamkin, President and CEO of Lamkin Grips. “He is very discerning about the equipment he uses and has long preferred the performance, style and feel of Lamkin grips.”

As part of the multi-year agreement, the 51-year-old Spaniard will be showcased in Lamkin’s global marketing initiatives and provide player testing and product development feedback. In early 2015, Lamkin Grips will also include the Perma-Wrap grip built to the exact specifications currently used by Jimenez in its “Tour Van” line, available exclusively at LamkinGrips.com.

Offering the widest assortment of performance-enhancing golf grips, Lamkin has been an industry leader for nearly 90 years. The company’s famed products are preferred by PGA Tour superstars Justin Rose, Keegan Bradley and Brandt Snedeker, as well as the legendary Arnold Palmer and many others.

Lamkin grips are unrivaled in quality thanks to world-class engineering, premium materials and handcrafted, repeatable production techniques. Among the popular lines offered by the company are UT, Wrap-Tech, Crossline and R.E.L ACE, among others.

More information: www.LamkinGrips.com or 800-642-7755. Get social: @LamkinGrips.

Nancy Lopez Golf Adventures Promotes 'Play Happy' Golf Day at Sabel Trace in North Port, Florida

Improve your game and support the Women & Girls' Cancer Alliance

What: Half Day Golf Program
When: Feb. 22
Where: Sabal Trace Golf & Country Club, North Port, FL

The Nancy Lopez Golf Adventures hand-picked instruction team headlined by Teresa Zamboni and Sue Powers, LPGA National Teachers of the Year, will team up with LPGA Professional Peggy Kirsch for the day to teach the Play Happy Philosophies that led LPGA Hall of Fame Member Nancy Lopez to 48 wins on the LPGA tour.

"Everything we teach at the clinic and on course is influenced by the playing philosophies used by Nancy Lopez," says Sue Powers. "Our program focuses on Swing FUNdamentals, "Play Happy" Mental Thoughts and Course Management strategies to provide you the tools necessary to play your best and enjoy the game like Nancy".

The 1/2 Day Program will include Clinic Stations to Learn  Nancy's "How to Be Your Own Cheerleader" Play Happy Philosophy and Golf Swing FUNdamentals, On- Course Play Happy Strategies with the Professionals, and a Happy Hour Immediately Following Golf.

50/50 Drawing for $10 per ticket - Proceeds benefit Women & Girls' Cancer Alliance.

Go to: www.nancylopezgolfadventures.com for event details, to register and to check out our complete schedule of events.

Bridgestone Unveils J715 Driver for Unparalleled Distance and Accuracy off the Tee

Bridgestone J715 460 Driver Utilizes Cutting-Edge Technologies to Deliver Optimal Spin and Launch Performance

(Covington, Ga.) — Bridgestone Golf, the #1 ball-fitter in golf and a recognized industry innovator, will unveil its new J715 460 Driver at the 2015 PGA Merchandise Show.  J715, the company’s first driver in 4 years, relies on a combination of 4 innovative technologies to maximize distance and accuracy off the tee.

“At Bridgestone we don’t release new products just to release new products.  Our philosophy is to wait until we truly have something innovative and unique that will benefit golfers’ games,” said Josh Kinchen, Golf Clubs and Accessories Marketing Manager, Bridgestone Golf, Inc.  “We haven’t put out a new driver in several years because we don’t believe a new color offering or some other less impactful technology is really worth asking consumers to part with their hard-earned dollars for.  We want consumers to know that when we introduce a new club, it will always offer real tangible performance benefits.  The J715 is without question the best driver we’ve ever made and we know that golfers who try it will see the difference it makes.”

The increased distance and accuracy that the J715 Driver delivers is achieved through 4 key technologies:
1. F.A.S.T Crown
    · The Flex Action Speed Technology (F.A.S.T.) crown is extremely thin near the clubface and progressively thickens towards the club head rear to enable the crown to slightly flex at impact creating higher launch and increased repulsion.
2. Power Milled Face
    · Patented face milling pattern works to reduce the common ball slippage at impact problem that drivers today encounter.  Maintaining the ball’s position of impact leads to increased quality compression time that results in reduced spin (200-300 RPMs based on robot testing) for straighter and longer drives.
3. Spin Flight Control Technology
    · Movable weights on multiple axes in the heel and center of the clubhead allow users to customize the center of gravity for desired spin and trajectory.
4. Variable Adjust System
    · J715 is completely Face and Lie angle adjustable, offering face angle adjustments of up to 1° (closed and opened) and lie angle settings of standard, 1° upright and 2° upright.

The J715 Driver is available in 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and 12-degrees of loft and will be the first Bridgestone driver in the U.S. available in both left and right hand versions (Left hand available in 9.5 and 10.5 lofts only*).  The J715 driver comes standard with the Mitsubishi Fubuki ZT shaft and custom yellow Golf Pride Tour Velvet grip.

The J715 Driver will be available at retail February 1, 2015 and will have a street price of $399 each.

*Left Hand available April 1, 2015.

Visit www.bridgestonegolf.com to learn more about Bridgestone Golf’s 2015 plans and to view the comprehensive lineup of new products as they are released.

915 Momentum Continues on Worldwide Tours

An important part of the Titleist golf club go-to-market process is player seeding and validation on the worldwide professional tours, with success defined by the number of players trusting the new product in competition.

"If you want to make the best product in the world, you've got to prove yourself with the best players in the world," said Chris McGinley, vice president of Titleist golf club marketing.

Tour seeding and validation for the new family of Titleist 915 metals began earlier this year during the PGA Tour's Quicken Loans National at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. Since then, over 100 players have put 915 metals in play, recording 11 wins across six worldwide tours.

Titleist Brand Ambassador Greg Chalmers (915D3, 915F) is the latest to step into the winner's circle with 915 metals, outlasting fellow brand ambassadors Adam Scott (915D3, 915F) and Wade Ormsby (915Fd) in a playoff to claim the Australian PGA Championship. Chalmers' win follows closely on the footsteps of Titleist Brand Ambassador Jordan Spieth's (915D2, 915F, 915Hd) record-breaking back-to-back victories at the Australian Open and Hero World Challenge. Titleist Brand Ambassadors Charley Hoffman (915D2, 915F), Brooks Koepka (915D2, 915F, 915Hd) and Nick Cullen (915D2) also trusted new 915 metals for recent wins on the PGA Tour, European Tour and Australasian Tour, respectively.

Since switching to the new 915D3, Chalmers comments that it is "the best I've driven it all year...the spray has come in on this driver for me. If I can stay out of trouble or just hit in the first cut of rough, that's okay...I [drive] it longer and straighter."

Spieth says his new 915D2 provides him with "faster ball speed, which helps me carry the ball quite a bit farther. Bunkers that were perfectly placed...now I don't think about. [And it's] definitely a straighter ball flight with the driver, which I like to play. It certainly helps...knowing that the ball, even if you miss it, is going to go really straight."

Jason Straka of Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design Joins Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Executive Committee

(DUBLIN, Ohio) - Jason Straka, a principal in Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design (www.frystraka.com), will join the Executive Committee of the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation (OTF) for a one-year term beginning in February. At the OTF Conference and Show, which took place Dec. 9-11, 2014, in Sandusky, Ohio, Straka, who currently serves on the board as Trustee, is a member of the Foundation's Education Committee and also chairs the Buckeyes for Environmental Sustainable Turfgrass Committee, was named treasurer-elect of the organization.

“I deeply believe in the cause of the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation and the members and green industry it serves,” Straka said. “I look forward to my term as treasurer of the OTF, where I will continue to strengthen the financial standing of the organization.”

The mission of the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation is to promote the turfgrass industry in Ohio; encourage the further study, research and education of turfgrass science; and speak on matters of policy affecting the turfgrass industry.

For more than 50 years, the Foundation has maintained its focus on providing resources to the turfgrass community. Nearly $5 million has been contributed to the industry in the form of research grants, gifts and student scholarships. These funds have benefited the industry by providing financial aid to more than 300 students, building and donating a state-of-the-art research facility at The Ohio State University, creating opportunities for leading educators and researchers within our state, and much, much more.

Ohio Turfgrass Foundation continuing education seminars, such as the annual Conference held each December, and Research Field Day in August, have provided countless professionals the tools required to be more efficient and effective at their facilities. OTF continues to be one of the largest organizations of its kind, with members and event attendees from all over the United States and the world.
About Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design

Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design is a partnership with worldwide reach in award-winning golf-course design. Golf course architects Dana Fry and Jason Straka, having worked together for nearly 20 years, continue to bring their collective design experience, talent and renowned client dedication to their venture.

Although the pair collaborates on all projects, it is not uncommon for the partners to be traveling on opposite sides of the world so they can serve their global clients with ease, efficiency and the utmost in professional dedication. In addition, the company has a diversified staff of associates - speaking a combined six languages - based in Lisbon, Portugal; Milan, Italy; Beijing, China; Porto Alegre, Brazil; and dispersed around the U.S. Thus Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design can service any job, anywhere in the world, with the highest of standards and a consummate commitment to excellence.
Last year, Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design was named the 2013 Golf Course Design Firm of the Year by The Boardroom Magazine, endorsed by the Club Managers Association of America, in its Excellence in Achievement Awards.

For more information, see www.frystraka.com.

Look Who's Wearing It: Nike Lunar Control 3

The golf shoe inspired by the game’s No. 1 player has quickly become an essential for many other top athletes — and now, the shoe is available to any player around the world. The Nike Lunar Control 3, the newest shoe to be unveiled by Nike Golf, is available Jan. 1 on nike.com and in stores across the globe in four colorways, including Black/Pure Platinum, Pure Platinum/Bright Crimson, White/Pure Platinum and White/Volt.

To create the newest iteration of the shoe, Nike designers incorporated feedback from Rory McIlroy, the No. 1 golfer in the world, and developed the ultimate lightweight performance golf shoe that is more stable and comfortable while maintaining lightweight control.

McIlroy first debuted the shoes at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Nov. 18.

Nike Lunar Control 3 is available Jan. 1

CURRENT ATHLETES WEARING THE NIKE LUNAR CONTROL 3:
Abe Ancer, Paul Casey, Kevin Chappell, Jeff Coston, Tommy Fleetwood, Oliver Fisher, Ross Fisher, Michael Hebert, Russell Henley, Brian Henninger, Scott Jamieson, Jamie Lovemark, Rory McIlroy, Seung-Yul Noh, Thorbjorn Olesen, Scott Pinckney, Patrick Rodgers, Kyle Stanley, Bob Tway, Kevin Tway, Nathan Tyler, Jhonattan Vegas, Lanny Wadkins, Nick Watney and Eugene Wong.