I started traveling for golf in 2013. And ever since that time there’s a course that’s been on my personal bucket list: New South Wales Golf Club in Sydney, Australia. I mean, an Alister MacKenzie design set within a national park on the Australian coast? If that’s not a recipe for a memorable golf course, I’m not sure what is. Well in an unexpected turn of events, my dream finally came true last week. Every 5 years my wife gets a 6 week sabbatical from work. She’s forced to take the time off, so we always try and make the…
Author: Sean Ogle
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.
Updated March 2023 to reflect new product updates and new pricing. If you’ve been trying to find the best golf launch monitor under $500, there are probably two names that keep popping up: the Flightscope Mevo and the Rapsodo MLM. There’s a reason for this. When it comes to launch monitors at the $500 price point, these two are the very best we’ve seen. They’re the most full-featured, enjoyable to use, and accurate. I’ve used both the Rapsodo and Mevo extensively, and honestly? They’re both great. So if you’re worried about investing in the wrong one, let me put your…
Updated in February 2023 to include most recent pricing. There are few golf resorts in the world, if any, that are as renowned as Pebble Beach. Whether it’s the history of the PGA Tour, the incredible setting right on the Monterey Peninsula, or the phenomenal golf – there’s no denying there’s an incredible allure about the place. Pebble Beach Golf Links is obviously one of the most famous golf courses in the world, so it’s no surprise that the other courses at the resort can tend to be overlooked. Widely regarded as the “next best” course at Pebble is Spyglass…
While it’s been out for longer, the first time I learned about the Rapsodo MLM Launch Monitor was at the PGA Show a few years ago. Frankly, it was one of the items that excited me the most. I mean, to have a portable launch monitor that connects to your phone, and fits easily in your golf bag? If it works, that’s a pretty cool piece of tech that has the potential to have a real impact on your game. It’s especially appealing considering it comes in around $500, making it a fraction of a traditional Trackman, or even less…
It’s kind of wild to me that I’ve been blogging here on Breaking Eighty for over a decade now, and I’ve never done any kind of annual review. No updates about what’s going on, no yearly recap, nothing highlighting what’s going well and what isn’t. Sure maybe that’s not the point of this site. Most of you just want to read my golf product reviews and course recaps. But considering 2022 was objectively the best year Breaking Eighty has ever had, I feel like doing a bit of a recap and also a look forward is time well spent. So…
The Garmin R10 and FlightScope Mevo+ are both fantastic. But which one is right for you?
So you may have noticed here at Breaking Eighty, we don’t cover a lot of products specifically for women. Why? Because since I’m generally the only one reviewing products on the site, it would be pretty difficult for me to accurately review how products made specifically for women perform. But luckily for today’s review, I solved that problem. I enlisted my friend Sophie, who is a wonderful golfer and photographer in her own right, to help me out! Over the last couple months, she’s put the Ecco Biom G5 through the paces and been kind enough to share her thoughts…
I’ve played with a lot of golf bags over the years, but there’s one brand that consistently gets more attention than any other. It’s not a big name brand like Sun Mountain or Callaway. And it’s not one of the trendy super-premium brands like Vessel or Stitch. It’s Jones Golf Bags. It feels like every course I go to, I hear people talking about Jones. Literally, I showed up at Pebble Beach, and this was the lineup from our foursome: I’ve played with my original Utility Trouper for a couple of years now, and it’s been fantastic. Through years of travel,…
Until recently, the only Park Hyatt that I’ve stayed in was the iconic Park Hyatt Tokyo. We almost stayed at the Shanghai property, but opted for the Banyan Tree instead. Typically I’ll visit New York City a couple times a year. But between having a newborn and a pandemic, I hadn’t made it back to the Big Apple since late 2019. But with plans to host an Eighty Club event at Oak Hill in Rochester, it only made sense to stop by the City for a few days. Not to mention the fact, I was able to get a round in on…
Right now, today, in early 2023, it’s easier than ever to build a business or a brand in golf – or any other industry that you’re passionate about. It’s pretty remarkable, really. Between the internet, social media, and access to information, literally anyone can teach themselves the things they need to know to grow a brand, and with enough of a work ethic – be successful. When I started Breaking Eighty in 2012, it gained a bit of an audience largely because there really weren’t many other good golf blogs out there. At least there were very few that I…