Golfing News & Blog Articles

NCGA Member Scores Elusive Albatross

November 16, 2021

NCGA Member Debra Baker had one of golfs rare accomplishments recently at the Plantation Golf Course at Kapalua, Maui. She scored an Albatross on the 7th hole, a 460-yard downhill par 5, which was also down wind. This scoring term, which represents three strokes under par on a single hole, is extremely difficult to achieve.

The Albatross is a more elusive accomplishment than a Hole in One! We’ve seen reports of the odds of such an accomplishment set between 1 and 6 million to 1.

So, we asked Debra how she did it.  “I hit my driver to the middle of the fairway and had 160 yards to the pin. I hit my 6 iron, just clearing the fairway bunkers. The ball trundled down toward the front right of the green where the pin was placed, rolled onto the green and, in what seemed slow motion, rolled into the hole for an albatross! Everyone just stood there for a moment (I was in shock) and then the yelling and jumping around started. Luckily, no one got hurt!  The other good news was that the after-round bar bill was not too bad for Mai Tai’s and appetizers for my new best friends. It was a great and memorable day”.

Memorable indeed – congratulations Debra!!!

U.S. Presidents Cup captain Davis Love III said he'd let Tiger Woods' role be "whatever his role wants to be" -- as an assistant or otherwise -- for the event in Charlotte in 2022.

Spirit of the Game: Yang Yong-Eun’s Big Win at the PGA Championship

November 16, 2021

The U.S. PGA Championship has thrown up some surprise winners and produced some stunning upsets over the ages but few can match the drama of 2009.

For some players, such as David Toms, Rich Beem and Wayne Grady, the PGA Championship was their lone major title. But for others, including John Daly and Vijay Singh, it served as a launchpad to greater success.

If South Korea’s Yang Yong-eun never wins another major, he will be hard-pressed topping the drama and significance of his win in 2009.

Not only did the 37-year-old claim his first major, he became the first Asian-born male to win one of golf’s big four titles. He did it in a way no other professional had before, coming from behind in the final round to beat the seemingly-invincible Tiger Woods in a head-to-head battle.

Dr. Condoleezza Rice to be Named 2022 Ambassador of Golf

November 16, 2021

 

Dr. Condoleezza Rice, the 66th U.S. Secretary of State who’s now a professor at Stanford University, will be named the 2022 recipient of the Ambassador of Golf Award presented by FirstEnergy Foundation.

Secretary Rice will be recognized July 7 at the 2022 Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship at Firestone Country Club. The Ambassador of Golf Award honors a person who has fostered the ideals of the game on an international level and whose concerns for others extends beyond the golf course.

“Condoleezza Rice’s service to our country is well-documented, as is the leadership and character she has displayed throughout her decorated career,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Needless to say, we are fortunate and grateful to have someone of such standing show a continued passion for and dedication to growing the game we all love.”

Mom’s life lessons were always pretty simple: Eat your greens, save for a rainy day, never judge a book by its cover—or a golf club by its appearance.

Like Honma BERES.

The optics on this ultra-premium product from the Japanese OEM … Well, they’re pretty glitzy. In-your-face, shades-on glitzy. We’re talking 24K-gold, platinum-rich, bling-infused metalwoods and irons with a price tag ceiling close to $60,000 a set. That’s not a typo. Sixty big ones. For well-heeled types, playing BERES is a mark of distinction comparable to driving a Ferrari or wearing a Rolex Submariner. It’s a luxury play steeped in elegance.

But what about performance? If you take away all the gold and precious metal detailing, does BERES actually help golfers have more fun and hit better shots? Cue the bottom line: Is there substance to go with all that style?

Calling On History

Building golf clubs at Honma is an art form. That has been a bedrock principle of the company since the Honma brothers formed the brand in 1959. Guiding that vision back then, like it does today, is the Japanese art of crafting a katana for the samurai. A painstaking, time-sensitive process that involves heating, folding and hammering of a katana blade.

Justin Thomas shed some light on Tiger Woods and the possibility the 15-time major champion might return to competitive golf. But even his comments left room for interpretation.

If you want the ball to get moving you’ve got to get your body moving and this very simple exercise is a little gem that we all should be practicing on a regular basis. I find it be an excellent reminder of the tilts, turns and stretches we need to incorporate into the golf swing. Watch…

A few checkpoint to keep in mind when doing the exercise:

Hold a club across your shoulders by crossing your arms across your chest

Position the handle of the club on the lead/target side of your body

In the backswing get the handle to point at the ball or where the ball would be

A few weeks ago, we asked you—more specifically, our female readers—to take our women’s golf survey. Our goal was to learn more about our female readers, their experience with fitting and how they perceive the options (or lack thereof) available to them. We were also looking for some insight into how we might do a better job providing information to the fastest-growing segment of golfers.

Our standard surveys receive upwards of 10,000 responses. This survey received 778 responses of which 147 of those were disqualified because the respondent wasn’t a woman. If nothing else, we learned there is opportunity.

Before we dive into the charts, here are a few notes from the demographic section.

The highest female participation group by age includes golfers between 55 and 64 followed by 25 to 34. Between 35 and 54, participation drops by a few percentage points.Women were significantly less likely to answer the annual household income question than men. Nearly 25 percent preferred not to answer.Nearly 25 percent of respondents don’t maintain a handicap index. Among those who do, the highest percentage have indexes between 15.1 and 20 followed by the 25.1 and higher group.The highest percentage (23 percent) plays 11 to 25 rounds per year. Nearly 13 percent play more than 100.

Women are often cited as the fastest-growing segment in golf and, with a COVID-driven uptick in participation, we wanted to see what that looks like.

Phil Mickelson birdied three of the final holes Sunday to win the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship, and Bernhard Langer held on to win his sixth PGA Tour Champions season points title.

Right when it looked as though Nelly Korda had thrown away her chance to win, she recovered to win a four-way playoff.

Jason Kokrak rallied to win the Houston Open on Sunday after making four straight birdies for a 5-under 65.

Denmark's Joachim B. Hansen hit a 4-under 68 to win by one stroke at the Dubai Championship on Sunday.

Jon Rahm has pulled out of the DP World Tour Championship, despite having a chance to win the Race to Dubai for the second time in three years.

Scottie Scheffler pitched in from 55 feet for birdie on the 14th hole, holed a 10-foot birdie on the next hole and avoided mistakes down the closing stretch to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Houston Open.

Jim Furyk shot a 6-under 65 on Saturday to take the third-round lead in the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, putting him in position to win the PGA Tour Champions season points title.

Nelly Korda started with two birdies and finished the same way Saturday en route to a 7-under 63 that gave her a share of the lead with Lexi Thompson on another low-scoring day at Pelican Golf Club.

Mizuki Hashimoto of Japan holed out from the fairway for eagle that sent her to a 4-under 68, allowing her to make up a 3-shot deficit and win the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific on Saturday to earn spots in two majors.

Underdogs Joachim B. Hansen and Francesco Laporta share the lead heading into the final round of the Dubai Championship.

Kirk Triplett shot a 7-under 64 to move into the lead Friday while Jim Furyk remained in contention for the season title with a 67 in the second round of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Martin Trainer was in rare territory Friday. Not only did he play well enough to stick around for the weekend, he found himself leading the Houston Open.