Sticks n Stuff: I-Play Golfspan Video

$5/month | www.golfspan.com | www.iplay.com

Lessons on the Fly: Normally we’d frown on taking the ol’ phone out on the links, but in this case we may allow it … well, on the range, at least. How can we say no to Top 100 instructors like Hank Haney, Jimmy Ballard or Pebble Beach’s Laird Small? Each teacher puts on a one- to two-minute mini-clinic, in full color, streamed right into your Verizon, Cingular or Sprint phone via “I-player,” a proprietary, downloadable Java player application. The clips are also available by subscription at golfspan.com, but if you’re on the road and need a tuneup, this system works beautifully. And the lessons FG sampled — from grip pressure to alignment to more esoteric ideas like the “X-factor” — are easy to follow and amazingly detailed.

Keep ’Em Coming: Once you subscribe to GolfSpan through your wireless carrier, lessons are delivered in a series of bi-weekly issues. The issues build over time to form a full instructional library of clips. Each video clip is available through simple, easy-to-use navigation options that allow for instant accessibility via both browsing and search options.

Final Verdict: As long as you’ve got a good signal and don’t mind gazing into your phone between (or during) practice sessions, you’ve also got the expertise of a stable of big-bucks teachers at your fingertips. We like that idea.