Month: February 2019

Categories
Cobe Life Cup COBE LIFE CUP

The Ontario Cobe Life Cup Golf Tour

I’ve had a few people ask me if the Cobe Life Cup is right for them. I’ve realized that the easiest way to answer this question is by asking them to answer a few questions first. Their answers would determine if the Cobe Life Cup is right for them.

These are the questions I would ask.

1 – Do you play golf at least once a month between the months of May and September?

2 – Do you usually play golf with at least one other person?

3 – Do you usually keep track of your score so you know if you’re improving?

4 – Are you interested in winning Golf Equipment?

5 – Are you interested in knowing how your game compares to others of a similar handicap?

If you answered Yes more times than No? Then the Cobe Life Cup is probably right for you.

The only thing I would add is that the four Major Tournaments are held at courses in Michigan, Ohio, New York, and Ontario, Canada. So if you are really interested in getting the most out of this competition. It would benefit you to live in one of those areas, or close by.

What are the benefits of the Cobe Life Cup as compared to other Amateur Golf Tours?

I specifically designed the Cobe Life Cup to be an easy, accessible, and fun Tour that anyone could participate in. The events aren’t scheduled on any particular day. Once a week you can play against another Registered Player or Players, and post the results. Lets say that you and a friend from work are both Registered Players. If you celebrate the end of the work week with a twilight 9 Hole Round. Then you could use the Match Play Rules and Post the result. Your Tournament record and Cobe Life Cup Ranking will be updated by the next Monday. If you would like to organize a Foursome, you could post a Round challenge for a couple additional Players to join you. The beauty of it is, is that it’s entirely up to you.
As long as you post one tournament Round of Golf per month you qualify for the Monthly giveaways. For those of you that love to Win stuff here’s the best part! The only people that are eligible to win are Registered Players. This being the first Season of the Cobe Life Cup, there won’t be a lot of Players. Your chances of winning a Driver, or Putter are very good. We have all signed up to win a Driver through Social Media from Accounts that have thousands of Subscribers. The majority of those contests aren’t even open to Canadians. You can see why I wanted to start something that’s includes Canadians.

I have even made the four Majors as easy to attend as possible. Instead of holding it on a particular day. The final 7 days of the month will have a specific course that you can play to Post your score. You pick which day, at whatever time suits you to play against at least one other Registered Player and then Post your score as normal. The following week the full results will be revealed.

It should be obvious at this point that you don’t have to be a Scratch Golfer to be competitive in the Cobe Life Cup. A High Handicapper has just as much opportunity to be at the top of the Rankings as somebody in the single digits. Just do your best to beat your buddies. Especially if they have a lower Handicap than you. With the bonus Mulligan system you could find yourself winning more often than you expected.

Before you know it, this fun competition will not only motivate you to play more. It will slowly but surely help you improve your game, and ultimately lower your handicap.

In the end that’s what the Cobe Life Cup is all about.

REGISTRATION FEE

$65 per person : To Register Subscribe to this website then use the contact us page to send us your Name, Handicap, Course you play most often, and preferred contact email. If you would like to register multiple players then send us everyone’s information. Four Players get the Foursome Registration price of $200. You will receive a bill payable through PayPal shortly after.


HAVING FUN
IMPROVING YOUR GAME
GROWING THE GOLF COMMUNITY
WINNING PRIZES

Categories
FANTASY

THE AFC EAST CONSPIRACY

Sure it’s a sport, but it’s also a business

So another NFL Season is in the books, and to no one’s surprise the New England Patriots have won the Superbowl… Again. Chants of them being the greatest dynasty ever, Belichick a coaching genius, and Brady as the goat can be heard in every sports bar. Seems like the second you begin to doubt their dominance, they suddenly get that much better. The truth of the matter is that the sudden performance increase has nothing to do with the Patriots themselves. It has everything to do with their competition.

Last Season the sudden increase in performance began in Week 12 after their Bye Week. The final six weeks of the Season they would face AFC East rivals 4 times. They would go on to win three of those games, and lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but beat the Minnesota Vikings. This would prove to be just enough to earn them the Bye going into the playoffs. If you are at all like me, you might be wondering how the New England Patriots have easily defeated their division rivals for a decade? This has always puzzled me. How can an NFL franchise be so inept at developing a team that’s competitive for ten years? A friend of mine, and I were discussing this the other day, and he had an interesting theory.

Maybe the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets have accepted that the cost to build a team that can challenge the Belichick/Brady combination is just too costly. Why spend the money to acquire quality free agents, or sign your star players to long lucrative contracts. If all you will get back in return is a slim chance to make it into the playoffs as a Wild Card team. Probably the most obvious attempt to have a losing Season came when the Buffalo Bills didn’t keep Tyrod Taylor as their starting Quarterback. The Player who stepped up, and practically willed his team into the Playoffs. In the end it’s possible The Buffalo Bills saw that as an unfortunate loss of Draft capital.

Remember this is just a theory

There have been other Teams, or individuals that have had to deal with this same conundrum. Imagine how F1 Drivers for Williams felt when Michael Schumacher was driving for Ferrari. How do you think Ernie Els felt when Tiger Woods was at the top of his game? Imagine being a Player for the Utah Jazz during Michael Jordan’s run? Would you have spent millions of dollars to marginally improve an individual or teams chances to defeat any of them? The answer is probably not. What’s even more difficult when it comes to the situation in the NFL AFC East, is that in order to unseat the Patriots as favourites. You would have to not only improve your own team, but expect the other teams in the Division to do so as well. It doesn’t help to split your Season series with the New England Patriots if they can just steam roll the other two teams for four wins.

So what is a Franchise Owner to do?

The answer might be to play the long game. How many more years will The Patriots have their Star Power? Will Brady play three more years? Maybe, but I honestly doubt it. What does he have left to play for? He now owns more Superbowl rings than any other Player in NFL history. He is a multiple winner of the League MVP award. He’s over 40, and although the league keeps making it safer for Quarterbacks it only takes one awkward hit to get seriously injured. One of Tom Brady’s favourite targets won’t be around much longer. If Gronkowski doesn’t call it quits this Season, he probably won’t be around for the next one. Who’s willing to bet that if Brady retires, then Belichick will call it quits right after. I’ll make that bet right now. Lets assume that all three are gone in three Seasons. If that’s the case then drafting Quarterbacks that require a bit of coaching up like say Josh Allen, and Sam Darnold seems like a great idea. While they are developing you probably won’t post too many winning Seasons, and you can build a strong group of skill Players around them through the Draft. If they don’t pan out in time, then you should have a lot of Cap space to go out and get a Playoff ready Quarterback in Free Agency.

The point is that when the time comes you’ll be ready, and you won’t have wasted too much money getting there. For fans of these three storied Franchises that can remember what it was like to have Powerhouse teams lead by the likes of Joe Namath, Dan Marino, and Jim Kelly it can’t be easy watching them lose year after year. All I can say to them is that there is light at the end of the tunnel. For the first time in a long time you can begin to see it.

OF COURSE THIS IS JUST A THEORY

Categories
COBE LIFE CUP GOLF

Cobe Life Cup F.A.Q.

How long is the Season?

The season runs from May 1rst until the end of September. The Tour Championship will be held in October.

Do you have to play specific golf courses?

No, you can play the courses you regularly play. All you need to play a Cobe Life Cup tournament Round of Golf is another Registered opponent.

Do you need to play Full length 18 hole courses?

No, you can play a 9 hole Match Play against another Registered opponent. You can use any of the scoring systems on any 18 hole golf course. Even Par 3 only Executive Courses.

What if I don’t know my Handicap?

Not a problem. You will need to provide us with your best score from last year, and which course you shot it on. We will send you a starting Handicap from that information, and also a few suggestions on how to calculate your Handicap from then on.

Do I need to be a high ranking Player to qualify for prizes?

No, just being registered qualifies you for the monthly giveaways. Of course if you want to win the Tour Championship Trophy you will have to win.

I’m a total Beginner, so is this Tournament right for me?  

Yes, you are exactly the type of golfer we are hoping will join. Playing with other golfers of better ability will help you learn the game faster. Also our Mulligan system will help eliminate the brutal Blow Up Holes that kill Beginner’s scores.

I live a few hours out of Toronto.  Is that too far?

Absolutely not. As long as there are Registered Opponents in your area to play against you are fine. In fact the Cobe Life Cup Tour Open Majors will be taking place in Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Southern Ontario. There will be one in the West, one in the North, one in the East, and one in the Greater Toronto area.

Will Rounds I play outside of Ontario count?

Yes, provided they are played against a Registered opponent. Have a trip planned to Myrtle Beach with a few friends and plan on playing a few Rounds of golf. As long as they are registered you can get in a Tour Round of Golf.

How will you prevent people from cheating?

Every Round of Golf you play towards the Tour Rankings must be against a Registered Opponent, and you keep each other’s scores during the Round. This Tour is really about having fun, building a strong golfing community in Southern Ontario, and the neighbouring states. Then seeing how you stack up against other golfers of your skill level. Cheating is basically pointless.

I don’t play very often.  How will I keep up?

You can only play a maximum of 5 Ranked Rounds of Golf per month. Registered Players are allowed to report one Round of Golf each week, and an additional Round of Golf the final week of each month. Remember that you can lose points with a loss so playing the maximum number of Rounds can work against you also. You gain additional points for beating a Player of a Higher Rank so it’s possible to catch up quickly if you defeat the right opponents.

Where will I be able to track my current Ranking?

Every Monday the Ranks will be fully updated and posted on this website, and on the Cobe Life Golf Facebook Page. If you shoot any videos of your Round, or take pictures. they can be shared at your request on both Forums.

I’m having trouble finding opponents?

If you are looking for an opponent you can use the Cobe Life Facebook Page to find one in your area. I will create a Opponent request Post for anyone to use each week.

REGISTRATION FEE

$65 per person : To Register Subscribe to this website then use the contact us page to send us your Name, Handicap, Course you play most often, and preferred contact email. If you would like to register multiple players then send us everyone’s information. Four or more registrants receive the group entry discount. You will receive a bill payable through PayPal shortly after.

Categories
GOLF

DO DRAW BIASED DRIVERS PREVENT BEGINNER GOLFERS FROM SLICING?

Why I decided to try a Draw Biased Driver

I’ve only been playing golf for just over 3 Canadian seasons. Which is to say that I’ve only played actual courses for about 25 months. I didn’t carry a Driver in my bag the first season. Total Beginners shouldn’t use a Driver their first season, but that’s another article. I rarely used my Driver my second season because I found it difficult to control. I hit an awful lot of slices, and sometimes topped the ball. It wasn’t until last season after spending a lot of time at the Range that I learned how to control it. I turned my slice into a controlled Fade. I’m using the term Fade a bit loosely here. As a Lefty I would aim at the right side of the Fairway, and the ball would “fade” an average of 20 or so yards back to the left. The shot had become so predictable that I increased my Fairway hit percentage to 65%. The Driver had become one of the most consistent clubs in my bag, but that shot shape seriously limited it’s use. Using it on a dogleg right meant that my second shot was always a long one. If the Tee box was tree lined on the right I couldn’t use it because it would prevent me from aiming far enough to the right. Any tight Fairways that had serious trouble on the left meant that I would have to proceed with extreme caution. If there was a pond, or deep bunker on the left in my landing area, the safe play was to switch to a 3 Hybrid so I would come up short. Again I’m looking at a very long second shot. Of course playing every Tee shot with the Driver as an extreme Fade meant miss hits that went high and straight ended up in no man’s land. I tried every trick in the book to straighten out my shot but nothing worked. Finally I decided it was time. It was time to try a truly Draw Biased Driver.

First swings with the Ping G SFT

Whenever I make the decision to try something new. My first stop is always hours of research on the internet. After doing so I decided to give three specific Drivers a test. The Taylormade M2 D-Type, Cobra F-Max Offset, and the Ping G SFT. My next stop was Golf Town so I could actually see how these clubs feel and perform in the Simulator. Each club performed a little different from one another, but what had me excited was that all three significantly reduced my chance of a slice. In the end I realized that the best of the three for my swing was the Ping G SFT. I wasn’t hitting it the longest (Taylormade M2 ) or the with the most center face consistency (Cobra F-Max ) but of all three it was by far the one I was hitting the straightest. It was like hitting a slice was just impossible! I pictured myself on some of my favourite Tee boxes. The third hole at Cardinal Golf Club East Wing Course, or the 10th hole at Winchester Golf Club. Being able to pick a spot straight ahead, and have a reasonable chance of landing there. This was definitely the Driver for me. Now some of you might be wondering why I didn’t choose something a little more current? First of all Golf isn’t exactly an inexpensive sport, so I try to keep costs down. A Driver that was $500 in 2017 can now be purchased as clearance stock for half that price. Secondly Driver technology doesn’t advance nearly as fast as some of the big golf brands would like you to believe. A great example of this is the Taylormade M2. You can find comparison tests by a number of reliable YouTubers that will show there’s almost no discernible difference between it and and M4 or M6. The Ping G series has the same technology ( Turbulators, Dragonfly Technology, and Vortec Technology ) that the G400 has. In fact the Ping G SFT is actually a 460cc head while the G400 SFT is only a 445cc head. As a Beginner the larger more forgiving Driver head is far more appealing.

Ping G SFT vs Cobra Fly-Z Simulator results

  • CARRY:  Ping G SFT – 209yrds / Cobra Fly-Z – 201yrds
  • BACKSPIN: Ping G SFT – 3150rpm / Cobra Fly-Z – 2700rpm
  • SIDESPIN: Ping G SFT – 210rpm / Cobra Fly-Z – 1470rpm
  • OFFLINE: Ping G SFT – 9yrds / Cobra Fly-Z – 28yrds

To arrive at these averages I took 20 shots with each club and removed the worst 5. Both Drivers were set up similarly. The Ping G SFT was at 10.6 degrees of loft with the Alta 55 CB Stiff shaft in the standard 45.25 inch length. The Cobra Fly-Z was at 10.5 degrees in the Draw setting with the Graffaloy Rocket 55 Stiff shaft cut down to a 44 inch length. I prefer a slightly shorter length on my Driver, but have decided to test the Ping G SFT at the standard length before I decide how much shorter I should make it. As a result of the increased length and unfamiliarity with the club, my contact with the ball was all over the face. Shots that I expected would have potentially killed somebody on the next hole’s Fairway still traveled relatively straight. The numbers actually speak for themselves. I will be covering my progress with the Ping G SFT in my Ongoing Product Reviews for 2019 so if you are interested in Draw Biased Drivers be sure to follow me. I expect after some more practice, and having the length reduced I will get this Driver really dialed in.

EARLY CONCLUSION

iF YOU ARE LIKE ME AND ONLY TEND TO SLICE YOUR WOODS, THEN A DRAW BIASED DRIVER MIGHT BE THE ANSWER FOR YOU.

I don’t have too much trouble with swing path. I tend to hit my Irons and Wedges quite straight. My issue with the Driver, and Fairway Woods is squaring the face at impact. No matter how hard I try the face gets left open, and I end up slicing the ball. Not only was the Ping G SFT helping me square the face, but for the first time in my life I hit a few Draws. They were about 3 yard Draws, but still Draws. So if slicing is your issue I would suggest trying a Draw Biased Driver.