Sure, you know how to tie a tie. But do you know more than one way to do it? Every man should know at least two of the three common knots. Ties come in all different shapes and sizes and the proper knot is crucial to complete an ensemble. The three most common knots are the Four In Hand, Half Windsor, and Full Windsor. If you don’t know them all, check out the site Animated Knots. And while your there, advance yourself a bit and learn some other basic knots like the bowline, sheet bend, and figure eight. You never know when you’ll need this stuff to save a damsel in distress.

Advice Postscript: Unless you are the incarnation of Gianni Versace, don’t ever wear the tie featured in the demo.

Gail force winds, horizontal rain, frigid temperatures and even the poor British dental system couldn’t deter Padraig Harrington from defending his Open crown. Some questioned whether Harrington really won the crown last year or was given it, but no one can take away from what he did this week at Royal Birkdale. Paddy now becomes the 24th man to ever win multiple Majors and the first European in over 100 years to defend an Open title. It seems that the best preparation for a Major this year is to hurt yourself right before. I wouldn’t be surprised to see half the field show up to the PGA Championship at Oakmont a little gimpy.

We should also pass along our thanks to Greg Norman who stepped into the spotlight this week injecting his charisma and flair, like he did when he was the #1 player in the world, and filled an obvious void created by Tiger’s absence. He provided the media frenzy experts were convinced would be lacking. Just shows you what they know.

[ Part 1: Attire | Part 2: Shoes | Part 3: Accessories ]

Look at the clothes you’re wearing. Are you put together well? Yes, you are. Now look at those shoes. Notice how they’re the same pair you wear whether it’s Saturday or Monday? That’s not a good thing. Take your work ensemble to the next level with a decent pair of work shoes. Proper shoes. Read on to find out what suits fit your job.
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Simply known as The Open. To be considered one of the all-time greats of the game capturing golf’s oldest trophy, the Claret Jug, is a must. Winning a Major Championship is career defining, to do it in the birthplace of golf is truly special. Read on for more of GP’s Salute to the British Open.
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By Ben Bowers - As I groggily took my place in line at unspeakably early Saturday morning hours, I questioned if all the hype was justified. My previous smart phone was 3G compatible and served me well over the last year. So what if it didn’t have a glossy back, touch screen, or a brand that let people know you stood for everything hip (overly?) in the world.

My doubts melted though the moment the sales attendant placed the gleaming white bar in my palm… right then and there I started drinking the iPhone koolaid…
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If you’ve ever tried to calculate your golf handicap index then you know it’s a lot like rocket surgery, yeah… rocket, surgery. Fortunately for you Gear Patrol has a few mad scientists on staff ready to tackle such a challenge. I won’t go into the details, but you should at least know the following:

• A handicap is the average of your best scores, not all of them.
• Each score is adjusted for the difficulty rating of that course.
• Final scores are adjusted based on a maximum number of strokes per hole given your current handicap.
• You use a different number of scores depending on the number of rounds you’ve played.
• You should never use more than your last 20 rounds.
• Don’t expect to beat your handicap often; it only happens about 20% of the time.

If you’re going to improve you need to track your handicap. Gear Patrol has created a handicap index for you to download, use and share with all your golf buddies - FREE OF CHARGE. It’s just the kind of guys we are. We’ve also include a space to track Greens in Regulation & Putts per Round, two stats that are crucial to becoming a better player. Detailed instructions are included with the calculator.

Download link after the jump.

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The team at Acquire have put together a great iPhone 3G Launch Guide. Definitely worth a read if you’re planning on waiting 12 hours in line to get the 3G iPhone, out today.

They’ve covered the new App store, Mobile Me, cases, bluetooth headsets, charging options and headphones. All you need to know.

Head on over there and have a read.

Most all of the Gear Patrol writers reside in large metropolitan areas. Manhattan anyone? So we know the pains of urban living. Outside Magazine published their annual 20 Best Towns in America feature in the recently circulated August issue. This editor hails from Tennessee, so he’s proud to see a sister city on the list. Here are 10 of Outside’s 20 Best Towns in America:
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[ Part 1: Attire | Part 2: Shoes | Part 3: Accessories ]

Over the next three Tuesdays, Gear Patrol plans to bring you ensembles for the workplace that are sharp, inexpensive and easy to find - starting with attire. 5 Jobs. 5 Ensembles. Real Prices.

We read the magazines too, so we know how irritating it is that a fashion director somewhere in New York thinks he (or worse, she) honestly believes you’re willing to purchase $1500 suits, $300 shirts, $150 ties, $300 shoes, $30 socks, $200 belts, $350 wallets, and still have money left over for rent. Sure, a few marquee pieces in your wardrobe are worthwhile and we’ll deliver those to you in time, but lets talk about real money in real life. Whether you earn $50k, $100k or $200k here are five simple ensembles, by job, that won’t incinerate your paycheck, unlike that last trip to Vegas. Read on.

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You may or may not be seeing a couple of the updates we’ve done to Gear Patrol, specifically the top of the site. Just to be sure, next time you visit Gear Patrol (er, now) refresh the page or do a “hard refresh” (PC: CTRL+F5 key or Mac: Command+Shift+R).

You should be seeing a header that looks like what you see here. You’ll notice we’ve made it easier for you to get right to Gear Patrol: Features, Guides, Protocol, Resources, Giveaways, and Editorials. Also, links that will take you right to the gear you want: Vehicles, Women, Style, Golf, Home, Sports & Fitness, Electronics, Entertainment, and Outdoor. So, get what you need. Faster.