Make way for the VIP of the course.

• Position: Golf equipment - WHAT'S NEW?

Just about everybody, at least in our circle of friends and business associates, loves sports--as fans. Fall weekends are spent watching college and pro football. Come winter, basketball and hockey heat up before the annual rites of spring (and summer): baseball viewing. In between, of course, for us lucky enough to have kids, is a bevy of youth sports activity, from lacrosse to Little League to soccer to roller and dek hockey ... well, you get the idea, but again, as spectators, albeit enthusiastic ones. Yet, one sport stands out in that it is watched year round and played--seemingly by everyone--whenever weather permits. Welcome to the wonderful world of golf, Tiger's transgressions aside.

Now, we openly admit to our status as absolute hackers who litter the fairway (er, rough) with colossal misplays that have to be seen to be believed, while using our father's passed-down set of used (and mismatched) clubs. Still, we have no trouble getting into foursomes since we play quickly, if poorly. Come springtime, we like to indulge ourselves in a new piece of equipment: perhaps a pair of shoes, or the latest putter, or maybe a super-duper golf bag, or even something as simple as a visor or hand towel. This year, though, as a reward for all the extra shoveling we did over the winter, we went double-dipping and got a pro-caliber wedge along with high-end balls, as we've learned the hard way that the quickest way to ensure disapproving nods come tee time is to pull out a ball marked XXX.

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The source of our newfound riches was MacGregor Golf, Austin...