Bottom of the Bag

by Victor Williams

The ALINE BFAST System

This time we’re going eye-to-toe, or vice-versa. We’re gonna get in balance and zero in our target. We’re gonna get right with the golf gods, and get rid of that back pain in the process. Sound good? Dig this….

The ALINE BFAST System
$59  |  www.aline.com
Feet First: OK, you’ve gone out and spent at least a C-note on that new set of spikes, and the fit like a dream, but your golf game still sucks and your back aches. Could be a congenital problem with your move — consult a professional — but then again, the problem could rest right there on the soles of your feet. Most people don’t have the scratch to wear custom-made shoes, so we slog around with fallen arches and horrible ankle-to-knee alignment, which leads to all kinds of balance issues and restricted or sloppy motion during the golf swing. That’s where the good folks at ALINE come in. They’ve developed an orthotic device that will instantly put your feet in line with the rest of your skeletal structure, and trust us, you’ll feel the difference right away when you take your stance over the ball and take a few swings. After a 10-minute in-store fitting session using a laser-equpped devided that looks pretty much like a shoe store’s measuring gauge, ALINE’s technicians will dial in the amount of offset between the middle of your ankle and knee (I was found to be slightly collapsed in the arches). They’ll then fit you with the properly adjusted, hard rubber orthotic  device that slips into any pair of rigid-sole shoes after you remove the flimsy, worn-out foam or leather liner that came with them (which you should immediately chuck in the garbage). They’re a revelation for any athlete — ALINE has developed models for mountain climbers and Olympians — but for golfers they’re amazingly comfortable and stabilizing. I now feel so steady over the ball and experienced such a market improvement in every department — straighter irons and drives, better balance through the bag — that I’m consistently shooting in the low 80s after struggling in the upper 80s to low 90s. This is a simple biomechanical juggernaut that will change your life. If golf is a game of inches, the ALINE system proves that it’s also a question of millimeters, and when it come to lower body aligment, every one counts.

Bushnell Medalist
$299 | www.bushnell.com
Basically a lighter, stripped-down version of previous Bushnell PinSeeker gadgets, The Medalist is a compact measuring device for golfers that makes gauging distance to the flag easier (and more affordable) than ever. Like its predecessor, the PinSeeker 1500, which is currently the number one rangefinder on the PGA Tour (according to the Darrell Survey), it combines pinpoint accuracy and consistency enabling the user to range up to 300 yards +/- one yard to the flag. FG testing on several golf courses of varying leveles of elevation change showed the Medlist to perform very, very well. And the nifty “flag” setting allows you to hone in on the flag itself instead of trying to pick the pin out of a busy background — no more phony yardages to that sapling behind the green. That’s a godsend on a risk-reward par 5 when you’ve got a hankering to go for it, or on a windy day when that normally stead hand leaves you. And think about it: If you’re playing a cart path-only track, how much does that fancy GPS system really do you when you’re clear across the fairway? With this baby you can nail that yardage on the fly, then let ’er rip with confidence. The Medalist comes with a carry case that you can clip on the side of your golf bag or cart, plus a strap.

The Golfer’s Footprint
$32.50 | www.golfersfootprint.com
I scoped this simple, straightforward, user-friendly traning aid at the Haggin Oaks Golf Expo in Sacramento, and loved the way it shows swing paths in relation to your target line. Just line the club up on this plastic “practice station” when you’re on the range and follow the big red arrow to straighter shots. Give it time and its visual feedback will sink into your swing, allowing you to work the ball on demand, with confidence.