Nike’s Nike Golf 360 iPhone App Review

I have to say, when I first heard about this Nike Golf 360 iPhone app, I didn’t think anything of it. In fact, I forgot about it. It was early on in the development stage when I heard rumors of it around the web. Had to do some random digging in my school research to find it. Now we flash to last week, unexpected, @JeffPeart linked me a tweet from @HeidiBurget announcing its release. Awesome, right? Well, that’s have right. There’s definitely a lot to do with this app, and I don’t think people are taking fully advantage of. Did you know you can compare swings with Charl Schwartzel? There is certainly an abundance of opportunities for any level of golfer. Getting use out of this app is as easy as 1..2..3! I had no idea what sort of app this would be, but with the ability to seamlessly go from your iPhone app to the web app and see the same features is hugely key in the growing success.Charl Schwartzel's swing compared

This app is definitely on the verge of being a gigantic hit. From being able to upload your swings, give tips on others, and even upload your scorecard to match your skills with friends and kind strangely across the NG360 community. (Oh wait! There’s more) Yeah it’s great that I can compare swings with my new golf pal Charl, but I can also mark my swing videos with a description and tag it as “lacks distance” or “slice” and so forth. This allows other users to go ahead and see what problems I’m having from this swing, and perhaps they can help me fix it, or even see someone else with similar problems.

That particular feature I think is the most intriguing. Now surely, you’ll have to do some working with it, and if you go ahead and watch any video on my account, then compare it to anybody else you will certainly have a timing miscue. It’s not such a horrible thing. It’s awesome that you get to see it side by side, and for a south paw like myself, I’m able to look at a right-handed swing such as Charl Schwartzel’s and try to either mirror or come as close to when I’m practicing now.

I’m actually incredibly grateful for this app now that I’ve used it for a bit. You really have to explore and look at the scorecard portion of the app. It’s amazing to see the tracked stats from missing the fairways on 3, 4,8, and 11 all the way to having X amount of putts per round. Now go back to that course and better your score. You’re building your own caddy book and you don’t even know it. I recommend making notes where you can. At my usual course, I know that I miss the fairway on all of the downhill courses because I try to power it down as close to the green as possible. Knowing that, from golfing there the last several years, I know I should ease up, not just grip it and rip it. Now that I have this app, I’m free to go back, look at my scores from last round and either remember what I did wrong, or check my notes on my phone. Track as many rounds as you can, record it all, and see your improvements and even further than that! (More after the break)

NG360 Web Dashboard

As I’m sure we’re all aware, practicing is certainly one way to get better, but that’s not the only part of the gameplan that Nike address with NG360. Nike wants you to use this app as your central hub for all things golf. From your swing, to the clubs you use, and all the way down to how you train. You can download quick little exercises that are helpful for golfers to better themselves. From forward lunges to increase flexibility all the way over to weight training, Nike address every aspect that a training golfer should be addressing. It’s one thing to say you’re good at golf, but to maintain that skill over time can take a toll on one’s body. Nike has you covered for that bit, including workouts to better your:

  • Flexibility
  • Power
  • Endurance
  • Strength
  • Resilience
  • Balance

All of these aspects of your game can be worked on giving you the complete package. Combine all of the swing advice you’ll get from your friends and all of the workouts you can try thanks to the kind folks at Nike and you’ll be well on your way to becoming the best golfer you can possibly be. In keeping up with my golf tips from beginners for beginners segments, I’d highly recommend giving this FREE  NG360 app a whirl. I’ll certainly be using it as much as I can. And it’s a great thing to get on top of now while the summer is just getting here.

Nike truly has a grasp on the 360 degree aspect of golf; swing analysis, comparison & tips, workouts, and a great growing community. You should certainly grab the app as soon as you can and you’ll be outdriving your friends in no time!

Once you set up your profile, be sure to tweet me your profile links so that we can connect on NG360! — @heychrissmith

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by Chris Smith on May 29, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Chris Smith on May 29, 2012

http://heychrissmith.com/2012/05/29/nikes-nike-golf-360-iphone-app-review/

Should Ryan Tannehill Start Week 1?

I’m not entirely sure if this is a bigger debate than “Is RG3 the best QB ever for the Redskins?” or whatever other debates are going around with the new 2012 NFL rookie quarterbacks. Andrew Luck seems very calm with his new team in spite of the fact that he can’t fully be with them until he graduates from Stanford in a few weeks.

Ryan Tannehill was drafted by the Dolphins with their first round #8 pick. Miami has put him in a position to lead. And certainly there’s a lot of pressure on him to succeed whether the fans (like me) and the media want to believe that. From the reports coming out of his first professional mini-camp there are great signs of hope. Signs that lead us all to believe that indeed Tannehill is our guy. Remember he played wide receiver at Texas A&M and succeeded at both the WR and QB position for what little time he played both. He’s a passionate player and stated that he just wanted to get on the field and compete.

Tannehill will be scrutinized throughout his first off-season workouts and with the knowledge of the playbook floating around in his noggin, he will certainly be in a position to win the starting job. This isn’t the case of him being named outright, he will have to earn the spot just like Matt Moore and David Garrard will have to do.

But the question at hand is not will he, rather it’s should he be the starter week 1? We saw the ‘learn on the fly’ gameplay of rookie QBs Cam Newton and Andy Dalton that led them to their Pro-Bowl appearances. Andrew Luck and RG3 will get that same opportunity to do so. RG3 is certainly set up the best to succeed with the weapons around him. Andrew Luck is facing a completely re-vamped Colts offense with only two starters returning from their last playoff run. Tannehill is coming in with a solid (and building) offensive line, a good running back core, but where we see trouble is in the receiving play. Anthony Fasano has not improved as well as we had liked, despite that breakout season a few years ago. With Michael Egnew coming in at tight end and an abundance of others including “Mad Dog” Mandich’s son, the play should be exciting and the competition exciting. The wide receivers are a different story. With the departure of Brandon Marshall, this leaves the Dolphins without a true number one receiver.

Davone Bess and Brian Hartline are great receivers, but don’t possess the skills to be a number one go to guy. With clean slates, they remain to be the only two solid position guys at receiver. Meaning moreso that their position on the final 53-man roster is set, everybody else will need to fight to stay on, and as well will fight to be the starters for the team. Jeff Fuller, Tannehill’s man from Texas A&M was signed as an undrafted free agent just before the rookie mini-camp and a lot of people believe that he could be a great steal. Third round draft pick Lamar Miller from the University of Miami could end up seeing some time at wide receiver. With the uncertainty at wide receiver, you have to question whether it’s wise to throw Tannehill out there.

An unsuccessful rookie season isn’t impossible to overcome, as we saw with Peyton Manning, but this begs to bring up the Blaine Gabbert situation in Jacksonville. Thrust in to the position when David Garrard was released, he didn’t really transition in to the NFL as well as others had hoped. Now he gets a number one in Justin Blackmon as well as a great number two in Laurent Robinson, paired with Maurice Jones-Drew in the backfield. The Jaguars have built weapons that should help Gabbert succeed. That is my worry. I’d rather see him come in to the game in the twilight of the season IF Miami has nothing left to play for. This will get his feet wet as well as give him some room to breathe in case it doesn’t go as planned.

Of course this is rather conservative. Like owner Stephen Ross, I want to win now. Matt Moore and David Garrard may not possess the skills to win the big games. Afterall Tannehill is the only quarterback to ever beat Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Texas in the same season. And he did it all in a six-game span. Now that’s what impresses, and with only 19 games under center in the NCAA, this is the counter to being conservative. Maybe this gives him the edge. He’s performed really well in big time games, and obviously is the “real deal” as Gil Brandt calls him.

The counter to being conservative is to just throw him in the mix.This is what coach Joe Philbin seems to be doing. Giving him the opportunity to lead the rookies now, and will be given the chance to gain the respect of the veterans when they get in to a full camp later in the summer.

So with all of this in mind, what do you think. Should Ryan Tannehill be the Miami Dolphins quarterback in week 1?

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by Chris Smith on May 7, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Chris Smith on May 7, 2012

http://heychrissmith.com/2012/05/07/should-ryan-tannehill-start-week-1/

NFL Teams We Don’t Want to See in Primetime

Today is “Schedule Day.” The NFL will be releasing the season schedule for all games in the 2012 season tonight at approximately 7:00PM EST. Which, as of this post is about three hours away. If you go on an browse NFL.com, you’ll notice that Gregg Rosenthal posted an article about the “Five teams we don’t want to see too much of.” Whether you like Gregg as a writer or not, he does bring up some valid points about said five teams. He lists these fives teams that we’d hate to see in primetime:

  • Jacksonville Jaguars: Truth, they haven’t done much this off-season besides overpay for a WR that was cut from the Rams just a year or so ago. So +1 to you there Gregg.
  • Cleveland Browns: Again, good shot. However, this comes with a big IF in my book. I don’t know about you, but give me a Monday or Thursday night game against the Steelers and that’d be fun. They rivalry games in this division always end up really well. Hopefully this year we won’t see Colt McCoy get knocked out.
  • Seattle Seahawks: As much as I love seeing Marshawn Lynch down a bag of Skittles after he enters beast mode, I’d prefer not to see them play at all. Their 12th man doesn’t deem a primetime slot just yet. Almost there.
  • Atlanta Falcons: I have to draw the line here, sir. I’m neither a Falcons fan, nor an NFC fan, but these guys can be exciting. They may not have been the loudest team in the off-season, nor are we expecting them to be in the draft. To me, this is the team that is on cusp of making a great playoff run. Matt Ryan will get the full off-season that he needs and I expect them to take advantage of an overly hyped division and will let the other teams filled with drama fight it out for second place.
  • Tampa Bay Bucaneers: Similarly to the Browns, I save the Bucs to a Monday or Thursday night primetime game. Put the Bucs and Falcons together, yeah I’d watch that. Put the Bucs together with any team aside from the 49ers and I’d watch that.

So while Mr. Rosenthal brings up good points, I suggest swopping out a pick or two here. Instead I’d rather not see these teams in a primetime schedule.

  • Oakland Raiders(swap with Cleveland): Sorry Carson, the “Just Win, baby” days are over and now it’s time to realize you’re in a poor makeup of a team. It’s exciting to see Run DMC go at it, but the team let go of too many components this off-season for me to even care at this point. I wish them luck, but I also hope not to see them in primetime.
  • Kansas City Chiefs (swap with Atlanta): Alright, alright, so you added Peyton Hillis to your depth and yes, Jamaal Charles is very exciting like Run DMC, but again, when the Chiefs are questioning Matt Cassel, I’m worried about the entire franchise. Give him some stable coaching and he’ll be aces.
  • Tennessee Titans (swap with Tampa Bay): Losing out on Manning really killed the Titans hopes of a revival. It would have been awesome to see the look on Jeff Fisher’s face if he had to face the Peyton Manning-led Titans agains his newly dawned St. Louis Rams. However, this is not the case, and they’d wallowing back in to mediocrity. Sorry guys, but you need to be exciting to be in primetime.

There are definitely a few teams that deserve an honorable mention I’m sure, but in this case let’s just stick to five teams. If you have any thoughts on who you’d hate to see in primetime, post in the comments below…. GO!

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by Chris Smith on April 17, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Chris Smith on April 17, 2012

http://heychrissmith.com/2012/04/17/nfl-teams-we-dont-want-to-see-in-primetime/

Golf Tips For Beginners From Beginners #2

I should probably call this the Don’t ‘Grip it and Rip it‘ rule. As that’s what I’m hear to tell you. Coming from someone who can he the ball consistently at about 250 yards, I try not to just rip it. Here’s why:

A. Swinging as hard as I can requires more mental strength, thus causing my back to turn oddly and/or my eyes to close & head move. So the harder I (or you) swing, the less control I (again, or you) will have.

B. Hitting with everything you have over an 18 hole course can be exhausting, use it when you need it.

C. Without the control of your swings, you put yourself in worse positions when it lands.

Off the tee it may be first in your mind to set the ball, grip it, and blast it down the fairway. But let’s be honest, not everybody is Bubba Watson or Tiger Woods, hitting 300+ on a regular basis. Hell, you might not even get the ball 250 or 200. So here’s the tip, hit where you’re comfortable. Golf is a game of mental fortitude, so become accustomed to how you’re physically able to play will help you improve instantly. Whether you’re a physically strong golfer or not so much, you need to know your place. 9/10 I’ll take a ball that is straight on the fairway than further off in the rough or elsewhere. If you could straighten your swing in addition to blasting it, that’d be ace, but  as a beginner, that’s not the chapter of the book that I’m on yet.

Bubba Watson at Torrey Pines

So let’s end your sleepless dreams of becoming the next Bubba Watson for now. You’re just Joe Public, golfing with your buddies. And that’s one way to get over the hump. I have dreams of getting that green jacket, just like any other person. For now, I’ll practice and work my butt off to get to a point that I can win any round of golf thrown at me.

So first things first, by now you’ve worked on keeping your head down, yeah? You’ve seen my first golf tip blog? We’ll let’s add to that. As I mentioned above, just ripping the ball loses focus and control (on my end at least). My weight shifts differently when I swing my heart out.

So let’s try these few tips that I’ve been practicing the last week or so. [Note: I use plastic balls in my small back yard]

1. Position yourself for the shot

2. Swing your hear out.

3. Now hold your pose and picture how goofy you look right now on that follow through.

4. Did the ball go straight? If yes, keep repeating 1-3 until you tire yourself out.

5. Keep setting up a shot, approaching the ball and slow your swing down until you get good contact with good distance.

6. Practice these shots until you find that comfortable zone in your swing.

I have a fluid motion that shifts my entire weight back and forth, and each shot has a different swing for me. My shot off the tee looks different than a shot out of the rough. So keep that in mind. Each shot will require different swings and different exertions of strength. However, with the proper swing, just hitting the ball will get you to where you need. Sure you might not post a par-72 every time you go out, hell you may just barely make 100. But just knowing that you’re an average golfer is on the right track. Honestly think about this.. how many golfers are terrible at the game because they don’t understand the mechanics of their swing? My swing is not perfect, but practice and getting feedback from your friends, reading blogs like this, and other tools will help you out tremendously.

My goal for the summer is to hit 250-275 consistently down the fairway with a margin of +/- 10 feet off the fairway. When you perfect the shot you’re comfortable at, you can of course increase your distance by picking out the right ball for your swing, lifting weights, and perhaps upgrading your golf clubs. I recommend those in that order. I know not everybody can afford top of the line clubs, so we do what we can with what we’ve got. I’ll be making a post in a few days as to what I have in my bag, so you can we what I’m working with, and it’s not all that fancy, trust me.

I’ll leave you with something my brother tells me at least ten times a round..

“Don’t swing out of your shoes.”

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by Chris Smith on April 16, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Chris Smith on April 16, 2012

http://heychrissmith.com/2012/04/16/golf-tips-for-beginners-from-beginners-2/

New Doctor Who Companion

It’s incredibly unclear as to how well the new Doctor Who companion will be until we get to see her on screen. Over the last few years since Who was rebooted, every new companion raised questions. Will they be as good as Rose? Martha? Donna? Now, will the new girl be as good as Amy and Rory? All speculation is left to the eye of the beholder, but one thing we can agree is that while companions may largely be popular, they never reach higher popularity until they are gone. I still, even today, have discussions where the desire to bring Rose back is high. Is it possible to bring David Tennant back?

To answer, no. I loved David and Rose and Martha and Donna. I’m a fanboy for Doctor Who. There’s no denying that. My Facebook timeline shows the inside of the TARDIS. (I’ve been messaged about what the hell it is muuahahhaha) But still, I’m more excited than skeptical. With the anniversary of Who being in line with series 7 this fall, I can expect big things coming out of Steven Moffat’s sleeve. I did not expect to hear about a new companion so soon, and I decided to wait a few weeks after hearing the news. Immediately, when asked who Jenna-Louise Coleman is.. “the one girl from Captain America that Bucky dated.” Alright well, I loved the movie, but still had to go back and get a look at her. She didn’t play a large part by any means. But she’s clear in that film, and it’s obviously that everyone in the Moffat camp love her. And as a fan, you kind of just have to deal with it. If they love her, then trust them.

I’m excited for the new series. You can see the Doctor Who series 7 teaser and then get excited. I’m excited for the “new girl” and am fully trusting Moffat and his team to bring her in strong. But until we see Coleman on screen, only speculation will swirl. I’ve grown accustomed to having Amy and Rory around. Learning more about their purpose, and their roles, you learn to love them. With rumors floating that it’ll be a very tragic season, we have the brightness to move forward to in Jenna-Louise Coleman. For now, I’ll leave you all with a picture of the new companion. Enjoy! And be sure to tweet me or post a comment below with your thoughts moving forward with the new companion.

[Photo Credit: BBC America on Tumblr]

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by Chris Smith on April 4, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Chris Smith on April 4, 2012

http://heychrissmith.com/2012/04/04/new-doctor-who-companion/

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    I'm a nerdy s.o.b., Apple fanboy first, Xbox nerd second. Though, I'm not your average dork as I'm somewhat of a huge sports dork. I love the Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Phillies, you'll no doubt see me blogging about both at some point. I'm a 2011 graduate from Full Sail University with a degree in Entertainment Business. In the fall I'll be entering a master's program for internet marketing. Fun stuff, eh?

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