South Florida Golf Magazine February 2016

YEAR 6 NO. 30 FEBRUARY 2016 MONTHLY

VOL 30 FEBRUARY 2016

REVIEWS COBRA KING LTD DRIVER SRIXON Z355 DRIVER

NEW

PAUL GOYDOS DEFENDING CHAMPION AT THE ALLIANZ CHAMPIONSHIP

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BEST GOLF COURSES IN MIAMI

TRAVEL MY FIRST VISIT TO BAY HILL

OUR COVER PAGE PAUL GOYDOS – PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

STAFF SFG VOL 30 YEAR 6 FEBRUARY 2016

Born and raised in Long Beach California, Paul played (2) seasons on the Nationwide Tour 1991 and 1992, earning one victory at the 1992 Ben Hogan Yuma Open. He earned his PGA Tour card for 1993 by going through Qualifying School.

Goydos has won two PGA Tour events – The 1996 Bay Hill Invitational and the 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii. He has amassed more than 40 top-10 finishes and has more than $10 million in career earnings. His best finish in a major was a T-12 at the 1999 U.S. Open Last year he became a winner on the PGA Tour Champions at the Allianz Championship in Boca Raton, FL About The Allianz Championship For the past 15 years, Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life) has been the title sponsor of the Allianz Championship. The company also sponsors golfers Tom Lehman of the PGA and Champions Tour and John Harris of the Champions Tour.

In 2015, Allianz Life will be joined by Allianz Global Investors and Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty as the title sponsors of the Allianz Championship. Allianz has been providing financial services through its affiliated companies in the United States since 1896. We offer world class expertise across a wide range of financial services, from active asset management to insurance for the majority of Hollywood films to innovative solutions to

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EDITORS • MANUEL CONTRERAS • MICHAEL BERENGER • LUIS LUACES • AMANDA HIRSH CONTRIBUTING WRITERS • ALAN PRICE @PRICEGOLF • RYAN HEIMAN @IGOLFREVIEWS • STEPHEN ZINGER @SPYZINGER • MATT SATERNUS @PLUGGEDINGOLF • JASON BRUNO @LINKSNATION • JANE MCNEILLE @JANEMILBRANDT • STACY SOLOMON @GOLF4BEGINNERS SOUTH FLORIDA GOLF MAGAZINE 1244 NW 89 DR | SUITE 101 CORAL SPRINGS, FL 33071 www.southfloridagolfmagazine.com The South Florida Golf Magazine is a publication of Young Morris Digital Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this magazine can be reproduced or duplicated without the previous consent of the Publisher. Views and opinions expressed in this publication are strictly those of the writers, photographers and contributors and are not necessarily those of South Florida Golf Magazine or his Publisher.

Every effort has been taken to ensure correctness and accuracy in the material presented in this magazine. The South Florida Golf Magazine reserves the right to edit, rewrite or refuse editorial material and assumes no responsibility for accuracy, errors or omissions or any consequence arising from it

FEATURED OUR COVER PAGE GREG NORMAN – PGA TOUR

Image courtesy Red Bull

EQUIPMENT COBRA KING LTD DRIVER REVIEW BY RYAN HEIMAN @IGOLFREVIEWS Everyone says their driver is longer, straighter, and more forgiving; but we've all heard those claims over the last 10 years and it would seem that everyone should be hitting 400 yard drives by now. So is there any real tech left for a driver? In the sense of dead center hits on a perfectly fit driver, probably not. But for all the other shots hit (which are the majority) there is still room to reach maximum potential. The science behind CG and how it impacts the driver is very real. So when Cobra offers a Zero CG driver head there is reason to take notice. I believe that the whole Zero CG stuff is for real.

It also has the smart pad sole with adjustable hosel and a forged E9 face with the Speed Channel. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think Cobra has the best face tech on the market. The shaft is an Aldila Rogue Black 95 shaft at 60grams. It is a mid/high launch shafts with smooth feel and tight dispersion. While it isn't as low or as tight as the silver, it seemed like a really nice combo with this head. It is topped with a Lamkin UTX grip which is a firmer version of a tour velvet type grip. My one complaint is the awful headcover that comes with this club. I know it is supposed to be like the old King Cobra headcover, but the zipper binds and I hate any zipper near the crown of my driver. I tried to use this cover for a round and I was super frustrated. Thankfully I never use OEM headcovers anyway, but if you normally do, you are going to hate this headcover, I suggest getting some other Cobra headcover if you really want to show off their logo.

Let's be honest, the looks of a driver are actually pretty important to golfers. No one really likes the ugly club, even if it does work. The Cobra King LTD is super cool looking. From the top, it is almost all black with just a hint of the TeXtreme速 carbon fiber crown showing through the paint. It looks mean and down to business. The sole is black and orange with a "space-port" It is a 16gram weight that is also see-through so that you can look at the finished inside of the driver head. While all of those feature may not be necessary, they sure are cool. It is finished with a black face for sleek and stealthy looks. It hides its 460cc size well.

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February 2016

On the course, this club is a beast. I was pounding it out to spots of my longest drives. I eagled a hole I'd never hit on in 2 before because of a monster drive. Fairways were easy to find with this club too. All that stuff they talk about with low spin, higher launch and straight drives, I found it all to be true. Getting the CG to the neutral axis is for real. So many straight and long drives with this club, even in really cold temperatures. I was impressed hitting this thing in 38* weather and still carrying my normal distances. Between cold golf balls, soft ground and extra layers I expected to be short, but it surprised me with excellent distance.

Besides the excellent performance Cobra dialed in the sound and feel to be just right. It is a muted pop that feels very hot. The carbon fiber/titanium mix is just loud enough to know you hit it, but muted enough to not annoy. It had great feel all over the face too as I missed the center of the face from time to time. There was very little harshness, unless it was barely on the face.

Cobra has been impressive over the last couple years and the King takes the crown. The Zero CG tech is for real and the sleek and stealthy looks are appealing to a wide range of golfers. If you are looking for one of the best drivers of the new year and one that delivers on its promises, the Cobra King LTD is for real.

For more information: www.cobragolf.com

Cobra King LTD Driver Spin: 1976 rpms Launch Angle: 13.3* Dispersion: 7.1 yds Club Head Speed: 102.8 mph Ball Speed: 153.1 mph Total Distance: 280.6 yds Carry Distance: 263.9 yds

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February 2016

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EQUIPMENT SRIXON Z355 DRIVER REVIEW BY RYAN HEIMAN @IGOLFREVIEWS For 8 summers I worked construction and I learned a lot over the years about hammers. At first you think they are all the same, until you grab someone else's hammer and realize how different it is. Upon further investigation you realize there are many different head weights, different handles, different balances and that they all really hurt when they hit your thumb. One thing they don't have is a way of fixing a miss hit. It usually means damaged wood, a bent nail or an injured figure. The new Srixon Z355 reminds me of a hammer. The heavy head really smashes the ball and it has a little auto-correct feature when you miss hit it.

The D8 swingweight and lightweight shaft are noticeable right out of the box. This club feels head heavy and the shaft has a pretty good "whip" to it. My expectation was that I was going to struggle finding the fairway. The whippiness had me thinking it would be very inconsistent. But it wasn't. I found the majority of fairways I played with this driver in the bag. The "whip" into the ball resulted in consistently solid, long and straight drives. Even when I felt like it wasn't going to go straight it still did. The feel of the face is just like hitting a nail with a big hammer. It is solid and feels like it is just crushing the ball.

Srixon's new driver is different from just about every other driver on the market. It has a substantially heavier head at 211grams, paired with a very light counter balanced shaft and swing weights at D8. For me on paper it isn't a recipe for consistency. I've struggled with both lightweight shafts and counter-balanced clubs. But for some reason, this one works. I was really surprised at how well it works. It feels like it just hammers the ball and even when it felt like a bad swing, a ball that feels like it is going to be lost right, comes back and finds the middle.

I'm impressed by this "game-improvement" driver that accomplished the goal of hitting the ball straight without goofy looks. This is a clean looking, easy to hit club. While some might not like the D8 swingweight as it feels very head heavy, or they might not like the light weight shaft with a pretty good "whippy" feel. And yes, the better golfer might not like the auto-correct feature of this head either; I have to say, I was surprised and impressed. Since the static weight is still light, I didn't feel fatigued either after hitting it for 18 holes.

If you want to hammer drivers that go straight, this is a driver you should check out. It is pretty straight forward and different. If you've tried everything else with little success, this might be the answer with its Action Mass heavy head, light-weight counterbalanced Miyazaki Jinsoku shaft, and great looks. Many other game improvement drivers go straight left for me, but this one went straight down the middle. It feels like a hammer and offers a little auto-correct on those miss hits.

Srixon Z355 Driver

Let's talk the head; it is heavy by design. While MOI isn't the big talk anymore, heavier heads have more MOI which translates into more forgiveness. Secondly the weight is distributed at an angle on the sole in away that an over-the-top move allows the Action Mass to go straight into the ball sending it down the fairway. And yet for a game-improvement design, it looks very traditional with no alignment aid, a clean black crown, a silver face and a good shape that doesn't appear closed or offset..

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Spin: 2631 rpms Launch Angle: 15.6* Dispersion: 7.0 yds Club Head Speed: 102.1 mph Ball Speed: 150.9 mph Total Distance: 265.4 yds Carry Distance: 255.9 yds .

For more information: www.srixon.com February 2016

TITLEIST 915 D3 DRIVER REVIEW BY RYAN HEIMAN @IGOLFREVIEWS

TRAVEL MY FIRST VISIT TO BAY HILL REVIEW BY STEVEN ZINGER - @SPYZINGER

It’s rare in professional sports that the average everyday fan can play on or in the same venue where their favorite team plays. When the opportunity arises to play not only a private club, but one that hosts a PGA Tour stop, it’s a pretty special day for me. But this isn’t just any tournament, and the host isn’t just any host. This is the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

Arriving on the first tee, you can’t help but replay the history of tournaments past, and the legends that have started their round in much of the same way I started my round. It’s a bucket list course rich in history. You assume the mindset that today, score doesn’t really matter. It’s more about the experience as well as the opportunity to play one of the most recognized stops on the PGA Tour.

This past month, I had the rare opportunity to play Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill, in Orlando, FL. When I pulled into the facility, I quickly realized that I was not at a country club. This is a golf club.

The tee boxes, locations from the fairway, and tight pin positions you see on T.V. will become your reality for the day. In many ways, it will be as close as anyone will ever come to playing a PGA Tour event. The playing conditions, as expected, are next to perfect.

The clubhouse and adjacent lodge is understated. Where Bay Hill shines and separates itself from the Orlando pack is it’s focus on how they treat their guests. As an average everyday hack, the staff at Bay Hill treated me like the most important person they would encounter that day.

The quality of the actual golf doesn’t start in the parking lot, but the atmosphere and tone for the day is. Much like Disney down the road, Bay Hill is doing things right in the way they welcome their members and guests of the lodge.

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February 2016

EQUIPMENT

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Spring 2015 Edition South Florida Golf Magazine

MY FIRST VISIT TO BAY HILL (CONT PAGE 10) REVIEW BY STEVEN ZINGER - @SPYZINGER

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February 2016

TRAVEL MY FIRST VISIT TO BAY HILL REVIEW BY STEVEN ZINGER - @SPYZINGER

One of the surprises coming off the 18th at Bay Hill was how fair the course is for the average guy. Yes, it’s long, and there is a definite emphasis on shotmaking. However, there is a lot of green grass outside the fairways making it easy to recover from errant tee shots. Other than landing at the bottom of a pond, it’s difficult to lose a ball at Bay Hill.

their signature wool headcovers into hand-forged metal accessories, sunglasses, and more, but they’ve managed to maintain a unified feel to their whole line. CRU Golf has maintained an old-school, high quality vibe to their offerings as they’ve expanded into the lifestyle category as well. Finally, Rose & Fire is doing head covers with a variety of materials that no one else can

Walking into the clubhouse after the round to grab a sandwich, I stopped dead in my tracks with a moment of starstruck. Arnold Palmer, the man himself, was sitting there having himself some lunch right among the rest of us. But, I hear that is par for the course for Palmer. He often drives his cart right up on the practice range to talk to his members, or watches them come in on 18. The man loves the game, and it’s in that spirit that the Bay Hill Club and Lodge operate. They love the game, and they have a passion for ensuring you do as well. .

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Spring 2015 Edition South Florida Golf

LOCAL BEST GOLF COURSES YOU CAN PLAY REVIEW BY FERNANDO SOLORZANO - @SOFLAGOLF

February 2016

*Rankings are by actual playing condition as of January 2016 Miami-Dade County Public Courses

Broward County Public Courses

South Palm Bch County Public Courses

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Miami Beach Golf Club Miami Shores Country Club Miami International Links Normandy Shores Golf Miccosukee Golf & Country Club

Jacaranda Golf Club Deer Creek Golf Club Plantation Preserve Golf Pembroke Lakes Golf Emerald Hills Golf

Osprey Point Golf Course The Links at Boynton Beach Park Ridge Golf Course Boca Raton Municipal Polo Trace Golf Club

Miami-Dade County Resort Courses

Broward County Resort Courses

South Palm Bch County Resort Courses

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Trump National Blue Course Turnberry Isle Soffer Course Trump National Golden Palm The Biltmore Golf Course Trump National Red Tiger

Diplomat Golf Resort Grand Palms Hotel & Resort

Boca Raton Resort The Breakers Palm Beach PGA National Resort

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