Author: Sean Ogle

As the Founder of Breaking Eighty Sean has spent the last 10+ years reviewing the best golf products and golf courses in the world. He prides himself on only writing about products and courses he's experienced first hand, and helping others find exactly what they need to enhance their enjoyment of the game we all love so much.

There’s no question Garmin makes some of the best golf watches on the market. Overall, when we’re talking about a complete line of products, nobody’s got the golf watch sector covered like Garmin. It’s really not even particularly close. But with so many models, so many features, and price tags that range from $200 to more than $2,000, well, it can get overwhelming fast. Each of these Garmin watches is good in its own way. That’s the problem. It becomes really easy to overpay for features you’ll never use. Or to miss out on something that would actually help your…

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There’s something about the ultra-remote golf club. You know the ones: Bandon Dunes. Silvies Valley Ranch. Barnbougle. When you go to these places, you really go. They’re not “on the way” to anywhere. Every single person made the trek on purpose, which means one thing: they’re just as golf-crazy as you are. There’s an unspoken bond you get at spots like this. Strangers become fast friends. Everyone’s chasing the same thing: pure golf, in a special place, with nothing else pulling at you. But then there’s a level above even that: the private remote golf club. These are places you…

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Let’s start with a baseline. I think the FlightScope Mevo+ is the best golf launch monitor value for most people. For the price, it’s really tough to beat. And one of the things that makes the Mevo+ so remarkable is that it delivers some pro-level features at more of a prosumer price. And the reason behind that is the Mevo+’s larger, more expensive, more robust sibling, the FlightScope X3C. In essence, the Mevo+ is a stripped-down version of the X3C. Except for the fact that it’s not that actually stripped down. Keep reading. You can buy a Mevo+ and add…

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Recently, my wife and daughter spent three nights at the wonderful Brasada Ranch in Central Oregon. The Brasada Canyons course is one of the friendlier (and more scenic) central Oregon golf courses for newer players, so it felt like the perfect place to actually take my wife and 4-year-old out for a round. My wife plays golf occasionally but has been using a decade-old set of ill-fitting Nike Slingshot clubs. So for our two rounds on the course, I set her up with the new Stix × Nicklaus women’s set, and was excited to see how they performed for her.…

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There’s something deeply satisfying about hitting a pure iron shot. The kind that launches on a rope, climbs with intent, and comes down like a dart. I got that feeling often during the 6 years I gamed the Mizuno JPX-900s. Those irons were lethal when I was on my game. Not the most forgiving clubs I’ve ever used, but when I was swinging confidently, they felt like an extension of my body. Fast forward to today, and I’ve been testing something entirely different: the brand new Mizuno Pro S-1 irons. These are not game improvement clubs. They’re not even “player’s…

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Let me start with this: I didn’t expect to find one of the most memorable rounds of golf I’ve played in the last five years in Vietnam. But here we are. Hoiana Shores Golf Club is tucked away on the coast just outside of Hoi An—a ridiculously charming town that looks like it was pulled straight out of a travel magazine spread. Think lantern-lit streets, banh mi that puts every sandwich you’ve ever had to shame, and the kind of beachy, laid-back energy that makes you want to forget you ever had inboxes to clear. But we’re here to talk…

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Over the past few months, there hasn’t been a single product that more people have requested for me to review than the Square Golf Launch Monitor. Everybody, it seems, wants to know: Can a $699 launch monitor and simulator actually be any good? Well, finally, I’ve had my chance to put this device to the test, and I’ve definitely got thoughts to share. It’s no mystery as to why the Square has been generating so much buzz. It’s the only optical golf launch monitor under $1,000 that I know of. That’s a very big deal when you consider that all…

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The putter is golf’s great equalizer. For all of the intimidation of a brutally long hole, a forced carry over water into the wind, or a short-sided chip shot, more often than not it’s the final few feet on the putting green that have the biggest impact on a golfer’s scorecard. An otherwise skilled player can be rendered entirely noncompetitive if they can’t putt. And conversely, a golfer who plods around the course hitting nothing but duffs and wormburners but who regularly catches fire with the flatstick can score far better than the eye test would ever predict. There’s a…

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