Golfing News & Blog Articles

Monday’s final round of the Tour Championship on NBC drew a 2.4 rating, essentially the same as the previous week’s BMW (2.23). However, that event finished later in the day and on a Sunday. It also featured arguably the most spectacular late dramatics since Tiger’s 2019 Masters win.

But the Tour Championship is also supposed to be the culmination of the PLAYOFFS(C) and now features an easier-to-follow, if flawed, format. Drawing a number consistent with other “Return to Golf” events might be disappointing to the event backers.

Also, TV folks say Labor Day Monday is generally tougher for ratings in normal times. Yet with fewer people traveling, not as many kids returning to school and absolutely no significant sports competition that day, this year’s edition seemed primed for a large audience.

The rating could be seen as a positive given that a fan-free East Lake was even more mojo-free than normal and the event lacked certain ratings draws.

Ratings positives courtesy of NBC and Golf Channel:

Heard someone place 45k on me to win the open at 75-1 (pays 3.3 mil)
Hoping for both of us I have a 3 shot lead on 18 tee.

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) September 12, 2020

You have to love Lefty’s sense of humor as the U.S. Open returns to Winged Foot where he had a strong chance to win in 2006, on of six (!) runner-up finishes in the national championship.

He replied to the news that someone has faith in his abilities next week, as reported by William Hill where the wager was placed.

Whoa! Someone dropped $45k Thursday on Phil to win @usopengolf at #WingedFoot for a potential return of $3.375 million with @WilliamHillUS in Vegas.

Guy may or may not have been wearing aviators and lost a lot of weight recently.

— Robert Lusetich (@RobertLusetich) September 11, 2020

With the 14th, the mid-back nine closing stretch is where Winged Foot West gets a little less memorable in my view. While this 452-yarder features a beautiful uphill, obstructed view tee shot. I’ll be curious to see if the tight, bending fairway contour forces 3-woods off the tee. Even then it’ll still be a short iron in for today’s jocks.

That said, the 14th is a hole to keep an eye on. The green sets up for a right-to-left bending shot but lacks a greenside bunker that players from 2006 will not see. Instead, deceptive cross bunkers are its main defense in addition to the usual Tillinghast contours.

Dan Hicks, NBC’s lead voice on the broadcast and a Winged Foot member, shared this about the 14th when talking about the course this week:

But there are so many that are, they're all good and I think probably the hole that probably looks, it will look the most different from all of them is 14. It's got that little cloverleaf bunker over the teeing area as you go out to the fairway. They brought a bunker in that's going to, that could cause some problems on the approach. But the biggest difference is the tree removal. That 14th green looks totally different from the fairway because as you look up it has this infinity look to it, it's absolutely gorgeous. They took away that bunker short left of the green, so I think that hole will look the most different of all of them.

Here’s the flyover in advance of next week’s tournament courtesy of the USGA and Deloitte:

Sam Burns made nine birdies in a 7-under 65 to get to 15 under at Silverado Resort, with Harry Higgs two strokes back after closing with an albatross.

Miguel Angel Jimenez's bogey on the par-4 18th put him in a three-way tie for the lead with David Toms and Dicky Pride at the PGA Tour Champions' inaugural Sanford International in rain-soaked South Dakota.

Nelly Korda had five birdies and a clean card for a 5-under 67 to build an early two-shot lead Friday in the ANA Inspiration.

In golf architecture we have seen Mother Nature’s natural features accepted no matter how annoying. While design elements created by humans are typically met with derision.

Then we have unnatural objects accepted as part of a tournament setup: grandstands, temporary boundaries and other infrastructure. In recent years, grandstanding has become a thing at recent PGA Tour stops in Austin and Detroit, where players intentionally using unnatural objects to get a good bounce or drop.

And now, the ultimate backstopping at this week’s ANA Inspiration. The reachable par-5 18th, normally backed by a small stand for humans, features a blue tarp wall with sponsors promoted. However without fans, such an option was unnecessary and is not only stopping balls from entering the water long, but getting used as a backboard by those mulling a go at the green in two.

Ryan Lavner reports for GolfChannel.com on the player’s “surprise” at seeing the blue wall.

“I was actually thinking about what 18 would be like without the bleachers, because visually, that is just a protector for most of us,” said Madelene Sagstrom, who shot 67. “I know there’s water behind it, and I don’t think that would visually be a very nice shot to go for in two. I don’t really know the reasoning for the thing, but I’m kind of happy it’s there if I want to go for it in two, to be honest.”

First-round leader Nelly Korda said that fellow competitor Megan Khang threw a ball underneath the structure and it still rolled into the water behind the green.

“Honestly, I wish they didn’t have that wall there, because I think it would play really cool as an island green,” Korda said. “It’s, like, really close to the green this year. Usually the palm trees, you have to play around them or they come into play, but this year it’s very close to the green.”

North Carolina’s John Locke Foundation “believes in free markets, limited constitutional government, and personal responsibility” and clearly holds no affinity for the state’s governor, Roy Cooper. The organization’s founder Art Pope, was the budget director for former Republican governor Pat McCrory, who lost to Cooper.

Some political stuff to keep in mind in Kari Travis’s story talking to two of their researchers charged with monitoring the state’s government and no fans of the legislative deal to bring more USGA to the Tar Heel State.

In a nutshell: they are not fans of deal re-written legislation passed and hastily signed this week securing 35 $80k+ USGA jobs, the move of various departments from Far Hills, and future majors for North Carolina.

“I’m so tired of these things, I can’t even work up fire for it,” Joe Coletti, JLF’s senior fellow for fiscal and tax policy, said after the USGA announcement. “This is the state helping Pinehurst Resort with something that was probably gonna happen anyway.”

Coletti has spent countless hours tracking North Carolina’s economic struggle through the governor’s COVID-19 shutdown. In short, he’s exhausted. And now, despite the state’s significant tax losses and slumping economy, the legislature managed to scrape together enough money for a golf deal. 

As with many states in the COVID era, North Carolina’s hospitality industry is in trouble and Colletti takes issue with the lack of any immediate effort to help the sector.

The project will yield $2 billion for North Carolina’s economy over 25 years, USGA estimates. 

“None of these numbers are real, except for what’s being paid out by the state,” Coletti said. 

Feel is inherently subjective. And while it’s often part of the club buying decision, we don’t all experience it the same way. One golfer’s soft is another’s mushy. What one golfer describes as firm may be harsh to another.

For those firmly in the firm camp…yes that was intentional, the PING Heppler putter may be for you. Offered in the same models as the flagship Sigma line, Heppler offers a solid flat machined face that provides a firmer feel at impact. It’s bundled with a stunning black and copper finish that provide effective alignment cues.

Testers Wanted

We’re looking for four golfers who are motivated, detail-oriented, and committed to providing a thorough review of the PING Heppler putters and sharing your thoughts and grades with the MyGolfSpy forum community.

Testing is open to golfers in the US, Canada and UK.

Russell Knox had seven birdies and eagled the par-5 fifth to shoot a 9-under 63 on Thursday, good for a one-shot lead after the first round of the Safeway Open.

John Daly, the two-time major champion and longtime fan favorite, says he has bladder cancer.

The last time Winged Foot hosted, Geoff Ogilvy won with an incredible up-and-down at 18 to edge a host of players, including Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie. (Geoff joins Andy Johnson on the Fried Egg podcast to discuss that and other topics, as always a great listen.)

At GolfDigest.com, Joel Beall makes a reasonable case that Phil Mickelson cost himself that U.S. Open with plenty of other shots. But let’s be real, it’s the 18th hole still being discussed 14 years later.

This week on an NBC conference call to discuss next week’s tournament, Roger Maltbie offered this about the moment he witnessed firsthand as on-course commentator:

Well, certainly for some period of time it was as talked about as anything that I've ever witnessed, whether it was Tiger's putt two years later in 2008 that Danny called so well at Torrey Pines or -- good or bad, the question that I received over and over again and I obviously have no answer for is, what was he thinking? I don't know. I don't know. Phil carries that bravado and aggressive style of play with him all the time, but there is a real line there as to what is aggressive, what is bold, and what is foolhardy. And I think he ventured on to the side of foolhardy and tried a shot that, hey, it was not the right decision to make and he paid the price, a big price.

And this from Dan Hicks, who helmed the broadcast alongside Johnny Miller and will do so again this year. He’s also a member at Winged Foot and will bring that extra bit of insight to the proceedings:

Golfers and manufacturers talk about superior feel of forged clubs, but does forged actually perform better?

2:25  – Does a putter have to be expensive to work?30:08  – Most Wanted: The Best Players Distance Irons of 2020

Watch Now

Also available on:

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and all major podcast apps.

 

The post CAST vs FORGED | #NoPuttsGiven 49 appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

We cover a host of new releases including Mizuno’s ES21 Wedge and Taylormade’s P770 line of irons. Is it spring again?

1:18 – No Patrons at this year’s Masters2:15 –  Taylormade’s best looking irons yet?7:48 –  Did Mizuno invent a new wedge category?13:10 – Should you play the MG2 TW Wedge?18:34 – Did Taylormade make a mallet that feels like a blade?23:38 – Black or Chrome irons?30:26 – Taylormade or Mizuno irons?

Watch Now

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and all major podcast apps.

 

The post Taylormade or Mizuno? | NPG 53 appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

Can PING’s new G425 Driver reach an even higher peak? Also, Adams Golf is making a comeback (on Twitter), how to attack a par 3, and are at-home launch monitors worth it?

0:36 – Things Miranda didn’t know.2:38 –  PING’s new G425 Driver: New AND Improved?7:41 –  How to attack a par 3 featuring ShotScope13:08 – Are at-home Launch Monitors worth it?21:26 – Is Adams Golf making a comeback?26:43 – Harry’s English Phrase of the Week

Watch Now

Also available on:

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and all major podcast apps.

 

The post Ping’s New G425 Driver: New AND Improved? appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

The thirteenth is a solid par-3 and a fine test of skill, but this one just doesn’t capture hearts and minds like the tenth. It could be the location or the distance or the more seemingly generous opening to the green.

That relative simplicity of the left-to-right favoring look is offset by the pitch, contours and all but impossible back hole locations. Just a tough par-3.

Winged Foot's 13th is a 212-yard par 3 that puts a premium on distance control. The front two-thirds of the green slope significantly from back to front, so landing on the wrong level will result in a very challenging two-putt.

In collaboration with @DeloitteUS. pic.twitter.com/6f23EC2Nr5

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) September 8, 2020

After much anticipation we’ve released our first Ball Lab covering the 2020 Callaway Chrome Soft review. Also, are virtual fittings the way of the future, and how does one improve on the Most Wanted Umbrella?

1:23 – Extracurricular activities of our youth3:39 –  Are Virtual Ball Fittings the way of the future?11:50 –  How does one improve on the Most Wanted Umbrella?20:27 – Ball Lab One: The 2020 Callaway Chrome Soft30:31 – Harry’s English Phrase of the Week31:52 – HOTSEAT: Is it just “The Open”?

Watch Now

Also available on:

iTunesSoundcloud

and all major podcast apps.

 

The post What’s the Actual Cost of a Chrome Soft? | NPG 56 appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

Danielle Kang beat the desert heat Thursday morning with birdies on all the par 5s and a 5-iron that was inches away from an ace, giving her a 4-under 68 and a share of the early lead in the ANA Inspiration.

Liam Johnston shot the lowest round of his European Tour career to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the Portugal Masters on Thursday.

Nippon Zelos Story: Steel For Life Lite Key Takeaways

Lightweight steel can match lightweight graphite virtually gram for gramNippon Zelos is the lightest constant-weight steel shaft in golf – light like graphite but plays like steelProprietary steel and unique heat treatment makes Zelos both light and durable

Since its inception in 1959, the Nippon Shaft mantra has been Steel For Life. In 1999, Nippon added “light” to the steel equation with the 950 GH. It was the industry’s very first sub 100-gram constant-weight steel shaft. Since then, Nippon has released more light hits than Air Supply. That light quest culminated in 2013 with the Nippon Zelos line – the lightest steel shafts you can buy.

The very existence of Zelos poses many questions. The first is obvious: If you want to go that light, why not just go graphite? But the deeper you dig, the more interesting the questions become. How will steel shafts in the 68- to 84-gram range feel and perform? How would they perform differently from a premium lightweight graphite shaft? And how the heck can you make a steel shaft that light that will actually stand up to repeated ball striking?

All fair questions. And we laid them right on Nippon’s doorstep. We think you’ll find the answers interesting.

Nippon: The Anti-Heavy Metal

The Nippon 950 GH was a true game-changer for Nippon when it arrived. As mentioned, it was the lightest constant-weight shaft on the market at the time, ranging from 104 grams in X-Flex to 94.5 grams in R-Flex. The 950 was so successful that it prompted Nippon to go lighter still with the 850 GH (87 grams in R-flex, 91 grams in X-flex) and ultimately the 750 GH (79 grams R-flex, 83 grams S-flex).

“Even though it’s a lightweight product, it doesn’t play like a lightweight shaft at all,” says Hiro Fukuda, Sales and Marketing Director for Nippon Shaft. “It’s quite firm feeling, actually.”