Video: Nike staffers talk confidence and the Nike Method putter

Here's a short video from Nike Golf that addresses the relationship Nike staffers have with their Method putters, and how their confidence on the greens has been enhanced.

Dig Paul Casey (giving us a bit of a 2012 apparel preview?) in Nike's flat bill cap, old school Nike wordmarked shirt, and Nike Dunk NG shoes.

At the end of the round, it's all about SCORGolf

Based on the early days here in the equipment section, you may get the impression that Chapeau Noir favors the stylish flair of well played short irons, pitches, and chips over 300 yard bombs off the tee. Though the searing hiss of of a forcefully struck driver has its merits, true scorecard impact is usually found from 140 yards in.

The SCOR4161 system from SCOR GolfAnd that's where SCORGolf comes in. SCORGolf is a small company touting what they call a revolutionary product line in the SCOR4161, which erases the divide between short irons and wedges, making them all finely-tuned scoring tools.

Chapeau Noir is likely a typical example of what SCORGolf is referring to hear, employing a traditional iron set with a separate set of wedges -- though the difference in loft between my pitching wedge and gap wedge, along with its matching sand and lob wedges are dialed in at regular intervals, the design logic of the SCOR4161 product line takes that concept to another level.

Terry Koehler, the founder of SCORGolf, is a seasoned golf equipment veteran, having spent his early career at the Ben Hogan Company, Reid Lockhart and Ray Cook Putter Company. As you might well expect, Terry is a golf tech junkie, maintaining an informative blog that is more about educating than it is about selling -- refreshing yes?

One of the first things you'll notice about the SCOR4161 solution is the wide range of lofts from which to choose -- as the name of the product line reflects -- from 41 to 61 degrees and everything in between. Next comes the always tricky issue of bounce, a concept many of us still struggle to truly understand. SCOR Golf simplifies the vagaries bounce with something it calls its V-SOLE, which combines a high and low bounce into the sole of each and every SCOR4161 wedge and short iron.

SCOR4161 has all the lofts.Now I'm sure you've all seen online golf club configuration / fitting tools in the past, but this one called SCORFit seems a bit more involved. Because Koehler contends that no scoring club should look like your six iron, SCORFit and the SCOR4161 product line can provide a set of up to five wedges custom built to flow into your existing set -- something you can do using the aforementioned SCORFit online configuration tool.

Chapeau Noir plugged in his 2008 Titleist AP1 irons into the tool, along with the associated specs, and the SCORFit tool refreshed to provide the a wedge solution to match. Very cool. The AP1 9 iron at 41 degrees loft would be replaced, as would the AP1 pitching wedge, and the gap wedge as well.

In their place, the SCORFit systems recommends the following:

• SCOR4161 41^° - 139-143 Yards
• SCOR4161 45^° - 126-130 Yards
• SCOR4161 49^° - 115-119 Yards
• SCOR4161 53^° - 104-108 Yards
• SCOR4161 57^° - 95-99 Yards

Based on my input, SCORFit recommends regular flex KBS Tour 120 Gram shafts, something I found interesting as my current wedge solution employs a one shaft fits all philosophy (The theory being that short shafted irons aren't as prone to torque? Chapeau Noir would be happy to learn more.)

After the season Chapeau Noir endured in 2011 that saw his index rise rather than fall, any solution that promises to result in lower scores will garner attention. That said, the SCORGolf story is intriguing, and worth further investigation. After all, you have nothing to lose but fewer strokes. And we all want that.

Introducing: James Patrick Golf

This is a blog is about golf and style, and in Chapeau Noir's world, you can't have one without the other, at least on some level. Even if you have never given pause to consider your mix of stripes with checks, you will certainly agree that there is nothing more stylish than hitting a perfect pitch from 60 yards. Or 30, 44, 53, 68. It's the one from the distance you need to hit it.

You know the one. The low checker. The one that obeys when you whisper 'sit'. The one on which you pull the string. The one that feels as though it lingers an extra millisecond on the clubface. The one that almost makes time stand still. The one that comes off so perfectly that you want to savour the sensation for as long as you can, holding your finish waist high, admiring the result of your deft touch. That one.

And that's where these come in -- custom wedges from a company called James Patrick Golf.

Drink in the design goodness of these short game implements -- forged at the Kyoei Forging House in Ichikawa, Japan -- and you quickly create a picture in your minds eye of the result, which conjures a confidence building sensation within that fortells of shot after shot struck with optimal precision and consistency, flighted at the finest arc, imparting spin that's nothing short of sublime.

Founded by James Harrington, a man who has worked with the likes of Aaron Baddeley, Ryan Moore, Matt Kuchar and Kevin Streelman, Harrington comes by his trade the old fashioned way -- through hard work, experience, and craftsmanship.

For each and every one of us who are looking for that extra performance edge, that extra bit of touch, feel, control and yes, that extra element of style, it's James Patrick Golf at your service.

New Stuff: The Nike Vapor X Golf Bag

For your consideration, Nike Golf's lightest golf bag ever, the Nike Vapor X.

What makes it so light? Nike has incorporated "Nike AIR" footwear concepts into the carry straps of the Vapor X, bringing this techie bag in at less than four pounds -- one pound less than the average carry bag.

Here's how they did it: Nike Golf curved the air bag within the strap to create a golf bag that more economically fits the shoulders. Complimenting the new strap system is the die-cut mesh back pad that provides a new, tighter pattern, allowing for better ventilation.

Combined, these two features combine to provide superior support and optimum comfort while walking 18 holes, all of which combine to give you "more stamina and less fatigue during their round through the benefit of carrying less weight."

The new Nike Vapor X golf bag drops on November 1, 2011 (msrp $200, $179 street) in the following colorways:

• Gym Red/Swan-Action Red
• Cool Grey/Action Green-Swan
• Storm Blue/Electrolime-Neptune Blue
• Black/University Red-Dark Drey
• Safety Orange-Soar Neutral Grey
• Granite/Electrolime-Smoke
• Pink Flash/Deep Night-Swan

Travel in style with this Monster from Ogio

Going places? Damn straight you are, The Monster travel bag from Ogio.and your clubs are going along for the ride, even if your trip is more business than pleasure. We won't tell the boss.

Thanks to the recent travel adventures of one Mr. Lee Janzen, we've learned that there is no real way to protect your clubs from airline baggage handlers, but it's still important to do whatever you can to help your prize possessions arrive at your destination safely, and in style.

To do so, Ogio is the way to go. Chapeau Noir favors the Ogio Monster travel bag in Griddle Red (MSRP $249) -- for a myriad of reasons.

You won't break a sweat hauling the Monster through O'Hare International thanks to Ogio's SLED™ (Structural Load Equalizing Deck) system, a setup that makes threading your way through the baggage check labyrinth akin to driving a BMW M5 though a tight series of mountain road switchbacks.

Get it? Yes, you should.

The Ogio Monster does everything possible to avoid the Lee Janzen this side of a hard shell travel case -- and who really wants to lug one of those around anyway? Painful.

Though it will fit a tour bag, you're not putting a tour bag in the Monster -- primarily because you're not on tour. Chapeau Noir is all for vanity, but a tour bag will make you look like a dork unless your airline of choice is NetJets.

Your cart or carry bag will benefit from the Monster's fully padded top compartment, that will take any punishment that comes its way on the trip from the luggage belt to the cargo hold. The Monster accommodates two pairs of golf shoes along with pretty much anything else you care to stuff in there.

But there's one more thing -- and it happens to be the best feature of the Monster, aside from how good it looks -- two internal cinch-down straps compliment three external compression straps, securing your golf bag in place so club heads aren't spinning and clicking away as they move from point A to point B.