Hack for the Holidays

by Hack Alexander

Life(style)savers For On and Off The Course

Life goes on when the round is over, so we’ve tracked down a few standout products to help that life keep finding the short grass, so to speak — plus a few that make the game in progress a little more manageable, as well.

CONTIGO Autoseal Travel Mug

$15-$20 | Available at Target or Costco

We hackin’ coffee addicts have all done it: Ordered a joe to go, set it in the cart’s cupholder, got to the first tee, taken and sip and promptly spilled half of its boiling contents on our brand-new shirt. This nifty travel mug takes such a burnin’ situation out of the morning repertoire with its Autoseal design. The sip side is automatically sealed until the drinker presses a small button on the lid’s opposite side. Knock it over to your heart’s content, turn it upside down in the cartwell, let it tumble into a bunker. Who cares? Its precious caffeinated contents are safe, and what’s more, they’ll stay hot up to four hours (12 hours for cold drinks). We prefer the fancier stainless steel model, which is pretty much indestructible.

G-CLIP Mini Compact Golf Tool

$12 | www.gclip.com

Golfers know how time consuming and frustrating it is trying to keep track of the two items used on every hole — a ball marker and golf glove.  The G-Clip MINI provides an attractive and convenient solution to the problem of a lost ball marker or misplaced glove by combining a ball marker and golf glove grip on a simple but rugged die-cast alloy frame that also has a sturdy dual-purpose spring clip. Simply fasten the G-Clip MINI to your belt, waistband or pocket and never have to again fumble finding a ball marker or discover your glove was left lying back on the tee. The clip can also be used as an attractive and stylish money clip for quick cash access on or off the course.

LOC8TOR

$99 | www.loc8tor.com

At FG we often lose things, including our minds at deadline. At least with this cool little gadget, we won’t lose our keys, iPhones, whatever, or leave them behind in the cart after an afternoon of double bogeys and three-jacks. Find whatever you can’t seem to keep track of, and do it fast, with Loc8tor, the most sophisticated tracking device of its kind.

Loc8tor’s directional capabilities with on-screen visuals guide you to lost valuables, providing peace of mind.  Loc8tor Plus’ Alert and Panic feature warns if children or pets go beyond pre-determined boundaries—up to 600 feet.

Unfortunately, it won’t work on that golf ball you’ve just blasted O.B. You’ll need Radar Golf’s system, available in the Shop section at www.fgmagazine.com, for that.

BREAKMASTER

$80 | www.exelys.com

Having trouble reading the greens? Figuring out the break? BreakMaster is currently being used by hundreds of Tour Pros and caddies on the PGA, Champions, LPGA, Nationwide, Canadian and European tours. Both Vijay Singh and Camilo Villegas are proponents of the BreakMaster. It’s is far more compact than the much larger “digital levels” used to set pin placements in the past. BreakMaster measures green slope in all directions, whereas the digital levels measure only one slope at a time. For the putting perfectionist, it’s truly useful tool and a great stocking stuffer.

SKLZ Pure-Strike

$30 | www.sklz.com

Just in time for winter, here’s a simple and affordable practice aid that gives immediate feedback on where you’re hitting the ball on the clubface, throughout the bag. Endorsed by former Phil Mickelson swing coach Rick Smith, the Pure-Strike consists of a hitting mat with three rubber tees of varying lengths, two soft foam balls outfitted with T-shaped Velcro strips, and three removable Velcro strips to attach to a driver, iron or hybrid and a putter. If your ceiling is high enough and there’s no furniture in danger, you can take full swings at the practice ball and it’ll stick on the face without fail, showing your contact tendencies. Or take the mat outside and whale away. Smith himself helps you decipher this low-tech but very effective feedback in an accompanying 40-minute DVD.