A New Age golf gadget and other hot stuff
July 29, 2005
Ommmm.
One sometimes hears that sound from devotees of certain Eastern religions and/or some New Age types—often accompanied by burning incense, or crystals, or other metaphysical devices.
“Ommmm” is also the first thing I thought of when a public relations firm contacted me to see if I’d take a look at the Q-Link Pendant for this golf column.
The new Q-Link pendant.
I’m wearing one right now, in fact. Thus far, however, I haven’t experienced the kinds of reactions that the press packet describes.
The Pendant is a round copper ring about 1 inch in diameter, with the metal band itself about 1/8 inch thick. It’s encased in a clear plastic disc, surrounded by a triangular piece of white plastic about one and a half-inches in size—about the same as a Wheat Thin cracker. A brown string running through the top of the Pendant is long enough to make a necklace that reaches to my sternum.
There are no batteries, no lights, and no noise-producing elements. On the other hand, according to the ad copy they sent me, this is supposed to be a truly remarkable therapeutic gadget.
For example:
The Q-Link ™ is a stylish pendant that helps your biofield function at its optimum level which results in strengthening your resilience and resistance to the effects of stress.
Or this:
The Q-Link resonat[es] with, and strengthen[s] the life-enhancing information already present within the biofield. This biofield information is common to all life and continually supports well-being, working to enhance optimal life performance appropriate to our minute-to-minute needs.
Kewl.
They say that over 300 professional golfers use the Pendant, including Ernie Els, Bruce Fleisher, and Charles Howell. In addition, celebrities such as Deepak Chopra, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Madonna “have all been seen wearing Q-Link Pendants.”
To each his or her own, I guess. And with prices ranging from $129 through $839 for the fancy gold version, I’m sure there’s at least a financial incentive to believe in the power of the pendant.
It wouldn’t be the first time that money acted as a placebo for what ails—and besides, for some folks this might be just the thing to help their golf game.
For more information, check out www.qlinkgolf.com.
Hot enough for you?
Based on the blistering weather of the last week or so, any Cape Region golfer dumb enough to ask that question would deserve any beating they received from a hot, sweaty golfing partner, whether it was administered physically or by a torrent of obscenity.
I’ve been playing in the golf league at Shawnee Country Club on Tuesday evenings, and also playing 18 holes on the weekends. I can’t recall ever being subjected to such a long stretch of incredibly hot, humid golfing conditions.
I’ve been drenched in sweat after hitting only a small bag of golf balls on the range, well before I reach the first tee. I’m not alone in this reaction by any means.
A playing partner of mine, who admits to being just a tad compulsive when it comes to record-keeping, noted that he drank 80 ounces of water during a single 9-hole match. During the same round I drank two large Gatorades and a pint bottle of water. Most of it seemed to quickly run through my skin and into my shorts, shirt, socks, and other places.
Another golfer in our group last Tuesday had the right idea. He wore a pair of all-weather gloves designed for rainy weather. He said that sweat would pour into his hands as he set up for his swing, and these gloves were the best way to keep his grip dry enough.
I switched back and forth between two regular golf gloves for my left hand, and still had problems. I began holding on too tightly to keep the club from slipping, and my shots naturally started going to the right.
Of course, the notion that it might actually be too hot to play was never really a consideration. Mad dogs and Englishman are not the only ones to go out in the midday sun.
The weather is supposed to break soon. In the meantime, drink as much water as you can stand, and try to keep your grips as dry as possible.
Maybe that pendant will help.