When Joe Vacek asked me to meet him at Golf Galaxy in Plymouth on January 2—to look at the newest equipment for the coming season—I was a little surprised that the store was even open. After all, many retail businesses were closed in observance of New Year’s Day, which had fallen on a Sunday.
So, it was not surprising that Vacek, who is the store’s general sales manager, and his coworkers were the only ones around when I showed up. But we’d barely begun talking about “this year’s driver”—an updated version of the TaylorMade r7—before Vacek became distracted, glancing repeatedly at two men who’d come in and started putting on the store’s practice green.
“That’s Tim Herron,” Vacek explained, nodding his head in the direction of the unassuming figure knocking ball after ball at the hole under the close scrutiny of his instructor. Herron, a Minneapolis native, is a top performer on the PGA of America tour.
The fact that Herron, who earned more than $2 million on the PGA tour last year and has won more than $12 million since turning pro in 1993, was getting putting pointers from his instructor Gerald McCullagh on a day when most people were taking a day off, is testament to how hard even the best golfers work to shave a couple of strokes off their score.
None of the new equipment is guaranteed to lower your score, of course. But even once-a-week hackers are buying into the benefits of better tools. More golfers are serious about improving their skills, which means they no longer simply buy what Tiger uses and hope for a fraction of the results.
“People are doing their research before they come in and try things out,” Vacek says. “They realize there are more choices than ever in terms of equipment, but they’re intent on spending their money on that new-and-improved thing that will truly improve their game.”
Fancy Footwork
Golfers focus so much on the clubs they’re swinging that they forget what they’re standing on all day, Vacek says. What’s more, a golfer’s swing depends on the stability of the lower half of the body. The Adidas Tour 360 golf shoe has sold extremely well since it was released last fall. It features a combination of technologies that provide stability and support. Independent forefoot and heel elements help keep the foot centered with the shoe, ensuring a solid hitting platform and enhanced stability. (Suggested retail price: $180.)
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