Golfing News & Blog Articles

From Nick Menta’s review of a big return to golf gaming with a fun design touch:

As someone who’s been playing PGA Tour video games since 1999, this was the one thing I always wanted from EA Sports: the ability to create my own courses or to recreate courses that EA simply couldn’t license. Once I got that from HB Studios in "The Golf Club," I found myself pining for what I had with EA: Tour branding, Tour pros, Tour courses.

This game, finally, has both.

It’s been awhile since users could design their own or, thinking out loud here, a design of merit that could not be licensed. As someone totally oblivious to this world, I’m eager to hear what ways this addition potentially influences interest in the game and course design.

MorningRead.com’s Gary Van Sickle looks at all of the distance forces in play and not to be a spoiler, but there is money involved. And a lot of people who will take the cash over supporting what might be the right thing for golf’s sustainability and interest.

I was pleased to see he mentioned a slightly larger ball, though I’m not sure from some informal Callaway Magna testing that the distance fallout would be as great for hacks as Van Sickle thinks:

The laws of friction will reduce its flight. That’s been done before. The British “small ball” was used in the United Kingdom until late in the 20th century, and it went farther than the slightly larger American model. Another bump on ball size could do the trick, although amateurs would protest vehemently.

Another option would be to limit ball dimples and their shapes, in hopes of taking another percentage point or two off ball flight and by giving golf balls more curve than today’s forgiving models. We’re in a golden age of golf-ball technology. The old balls, when mis-hit, curved way off-line. Not anymore. More spin would bring more skill back.

Golf.com’s Dylan Dethier tracked down Alex Fernandez, whose son was recently paired with Charlie Woods and his caddie, Tiger. While I’m never comfortable with the viral photos shared of Woods’ children just being kids, unless shared by Tiger, Dethier does a nice job addressing what it’s like to be at a U.S. Kids event where one of the two best to ever play the game is a looper.

It’s a long story about how things played out, including how young Fernandez had his instructor on the bag. But it’s a fun read and doesn’t feel intrusive. There is also this point that was largely all I could think about:

Better yet, Jonah had acquitted himself well. “I was so proud of him because he just played so well,” Payne said. “I don’t mean like, scores, I’m not going to talk about that. But I can’t imagine being 11 and trying to play golf in front of Tiger Woods. It was awesome.”

Harris English made four straight birdies on his way to a 7-under 64 and a four-way tie for the lead in The Northern Trust.

Shane Bertsch shot his second straight 7-under 64 on Thursday to take a four-stroke lead into the final round of the Charles Schwab Series at Bass Pro Shops Big Cedar Lodge.

Bubba Watson, who opened with a 6-under 65 on Thursday at the Northern Trust, said after his round that he has been working more on his mind than his game the past year.

Sam Horsfield shot 2-over 73 in the first round of the Wales Open, leaving him seven strokes off the lead held by Jordan Smith and Connor Syme.

At Oasis in Death Valley, California, golfers brave temperatures that have reached 130 degrees in the past week.

American Amy Olson carded a four-under-par 67 to take a three-shot lead in the women's British Open as several players struggled to come to grips with the unforgiving conditions at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland.

Tiger Woods says his last-minute decision to go back to the shorter Scotty Cameron putter came from "stubbornness," but it worked out, as Woods shot a 3-under 68 in the first round of the Northern Trust.

2020 BALL RETRIEVER BUYER’S GUIDE

MyGolfSpy is consumer first. We tell you which drivers work for your swing speed, the best irons to take your game to the next level and the best balls on the market. So if you’ve dialed in your game, why would we be content to let any of that equipment sit at the bottom of the lake or in some questionable rough? Protect your investment! Get yourself a ball retriever. They might have a stigma equivalent to being the pocket protectors of golf but you’ll be saving money.

Whether you’re in the market for a new model or just curious how many variations of golf ball retrievers exist, this guide is for you.

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FEATURES THAT MATTER

Ball Security: You can’t retrieve it if you can’t secure it. Scoop designs work best for soft mud but the ball can fall out if the retriever turns upside down. Well-designed options like the I Gotcha excel at securing the ball but can struggle with softer ground.

Jessica Korda, one of the top U.S. hopes at the Women's British Open, withdrew from the first major of the year because of medical reasons before the first round started Thursday.

A question I’ve gotten and seen asked a far amount with this week’s AIG Women’s Open and two men’s majors to go: why didn’t they reschedule The Open for the fall?

Given that events seem to be able to play without horrible travel restrictions and other constraints, it’s a fair question. But the R&A had pandemic insurance and this, in Ewan Murray’s Guardian story quoting Chief Executive Martin Slumbers suggests the R&A only recently saw an opportunity to play this week at Royal Troon:

“But if I’m really honest, it was probably only a month or so ago that we were really comfortable that we could get this away. It has been an enormous effort by an enormous number of people, and our thanks go to not just our partners but the government both in Westminster and Scotland who have been tireless in helping us try and make a statement of putting this championship on.”

As the AIG Women’s Open Championship kicks off at historic and legendary Royal Troon, one of England’s great hopes admitted she’s not fan of links golf.

Ewan Murray reports for The Guardian from Troon on Charley Hull’s forthright assessment of links golf:

The prospect of Charley Hull ending her wait for a major title this weekend at Royal Troon has diminished after the 24-year-old admitted her indifference towards links golf. Hull risked offending those immersed in the ancient form of the sport by admitting she will visualise holes at the famous Ayrshire venue lined with trees during the Women’s Open when it begins on Thursday.

“I’m not the biggest fan of links golf,” said Hull. “I like playing with my friends and stuff as a bit of fun but I find it hard to score around sometimes. I like parkland golf courses and American-style.”

“I just try to picture the fairways being tree-lined because I like really, really tight golf courses. I like to feel like tunnel vision, where this is kind of open and flat and it’s hard to pick your lines because it’s hard to pick out the fairways sometimes. So you’ve just got to be really focused.”

Well then, we’ll be looking elsewhere with out investment strategies this week.

AP’s Doug Ferguson looks back at Collin Morikawa’s 2020 PGA Championship win at Harding Park and tries to pin down the winner on where various artifacts are headed. The caddy gets the loathsome Giants-themed bag no lifelong Dodgers fan would want, but the shoes and the world famous driver? Morikawa isn’t sure.

“The driver, who knows when TaylorMade is going to come out with a new one and I’ve got to switch,” Morikawa said. “I’ll probably just mark it with a little ‘PGA Championship,’ maybe a Sharpie on the head to remember it.”

And then?

“Probably just stick in my other bags at home when I start collecting them and they start piling up,” he said. “I really don’t know.”

I bet there will be plenty of prominent places happy to display that one when it gets loses a place in the rotation.

With two majors looming, Brooks Koepka might still get well in time for his favorite events, but in withdrawing from this week’s Northern Trust at TPC Boston, the gym-rat and major-slayer is also giving us a peak into the future of “athletes” in golf.

From Ryan Lavner’s bleak assessment of Koepka’s physical health and WD from the Boston stop which means no more 2019-20 playoff events:

The 3 1/2-month coronavirus shutdown should have come at a perfect time. Gifted a total reset, he could rest and rehab his body. He could sort out his swing. But other than a sterling final round at the RBC Heritage, he wasn’t a factor until his title defense at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, where he chased Justin Thomas down the stretch before a water ball on the 72nd hole. The following week, at the PGA, he was two shots off the lead heading into the final round before fading badly on Sunday. He’ll end this lost season with only two top-25s in 13 starts.

The good news? The season restarts in September with a schedule featuring a U.S. Open and a Masters, so the man now synonymous with majors has plenty to get well for. Assuming he does not need the assistance of a surgeon’s scalpel.

This week, the LPGA Tour tees it up at Royal Troon in Scotland for the Women's British Open, the first women's major of the 2020 season.

Rex Hoggard looks at the “hosted experiences” apparent at last week’s Wyndham and does so through the eyes of Tournament Director Mark Brazil, a way to get some sponsors on site and commence what will be a slow, strange process in keeping sponsors happy and eventually welcoming spectators back to tournaments.

“It’s better than nothing and it allowed us to give a special thank you to Wyndham and all the key sponsors who stayed with us,” said Mark Brazil, the Wyndham Championship tournament director. “It wasn’t the 5,000 we planned on a day but I think the Tour has made the right call as far as fans go.”

Brazil built three hospitality-style tents adjacent to the 18th green to accommodate what the Tour has dubbed a “hosted experience.” What that means varies wildly from market to market depending on local and state COVID-19 regulations, but at the Wyndham it meant that 25 guests were allowed to gather outside and 10 were allowed inside the tents.

It seems, at least based on what we know now about COVID-19 spread, that the golf course and even hospitality areas will generally be safe if spaced and mostly outdoors. It’s getting to the site—without a long shuttle bus ride—that will be the long term issue for many tournaments.

Oh, and we’ll need some form of rapid testing or a system to confirm one is asymptomatic and eventually, inoculated against the virus. No problema!

If golf wasn’t so bloody difficult, we could all be scratch golfers. Each facet of the game forces you to examine so many setups for the condition of the lie of your ball and the target that you are trying to hit. No wonder why this game drives us all crazy. Your analysis and your execution is the reason why we love this game so much. Most of us play for personal self-satisfaction. To enjoy this game, you really need to narrow your focus for each shot to get all of that clutter out of your brain.

Mentally we all set an outcome that we want for every round. Why not set an easy objective to take the pressure off: Break 100, 90 or 80. Success in Golf really comes down to a few decisions. Start with a mental goal, appraise the hole that you are on, plan the right shot and setup to execute the right shot.

A beginner just wants to hit the ball but recreational players with a reasonable skill level know that they can work back from the hole to decide where they want to land their ball on their first shot. If they don’t hit their target, they just rework their plan to layup or go for the center of the green. All of this is obvious for a golfer but it does come down to the club you select, the setup that you need and the swing that you plan to execute.

Ernie Els is the perfect golfer image to keep in your mind to help you swing with controlled tempo. It allows you to finish your backswing and to hold your lag in the downswing.

The Moment of Truth: Your Swing Thought Sequence
Each club demands a unique swing thought so choose wisely by testing out your focused thought during your practice swing. What is your primary thought?
–A mental image of the shape of your shot to hit your target
–Using a waggle to loosen up your body or as a reminder to start you backswing with the rotation of your hips (followed by your shoulders and then your arms)
–Keep your wrist flat at the top of your backswing
–Start shifting your weight to your leading foot during your transition
–Count “1, 2“ during your backswing to add time to cock your wrists at the top
–Shallow your swing to ensure that you swing from the slot to the outside
–Keep your head and eyes focused on the ball location until after impact
–Finish your swing balanced on your leading foot as you marvel at your shot

[The text in red are my 2 key thoughts.]

Tom Lehman and Shane Bertsch shared the first-round lead Wednesday in the Charles Schwab Series at Bass Pro Shops Big Cedar Lodge.