Golfing News & Blog Articles

The Masters was first played in March 1934, a shade over 90 years ago. Next week will be the 88th playing of the event (the 1943-1945 editions were canceled due to World War II but the tournament has otherwise been contested every year). 

I thought it would be interesting to look at how scoring has evolved in that time. 

In this piece, I evaluate the trend of winning scores, how changes to the course have influenced scoring, field scoring average and how each hole has ranked historically. 

Winning Scores By Decade and Course Length

Despite the course getting longer—especially in the past 20 years—winning scores have been lower than ever. 

We are on a run of six consecutive Masters champions posting a total of 278 (10-under) or better, the first time that has happened. The previous longest run of such low scoring from winners came in the 1974-1978 stretch. 

Practicing putting is essential for improving your golf game, and incorporating drills into your practice routine can help you develop consistency, accuracy, and confidence on the greens. Here are some effective putting drills to try:

1. Gate Drill: Set up two tees or alignment rods a few inches apart on the putting green, creating a "gate" through which your ball must pass. Practice stroking putts through the gate, focusing on keeping your putter face square at impact and maintaining a smooth, consistent stroke.

2. Clock Drill: Place several tees or markers around the hole, spaced at different distances like the numbers on a clock (e.g., 3 feet, 6 feet, 9 feet, 12 feet). Start at one marker and putt to the hole, then move to the next marker and repeat. This drill helps you develop feel and distance control for putts of varying lengths.

3. One-Handed Putting: Practice putting with only your trail hand (the right hand for right-handed golfers, left hand for left-handed golfers). This drill helps you focus on your hand and wrist control, as well as your ability to square the putter face at impact.

4. Eyes-Closed Putting: Close your eyes and putt to the hole, relying on feel and muscle memory to judge distance and direction. This drill helps you develop trust in your stroke and improve your ability to visualize the line and pace of your putts.

In a stunning move that comes the week before the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Justin Thomas announced Wednesday that he has parted ways with Jim "Bones" Mackay, who is regarded as one of the best caddies in the sport.

Wondering how to fix your golf swing quickly? GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jon Tattersall shares the three most effective changes to do so.

The post The 3 quickest ways to fix your golf swing (that you can do today!) appeared first on Golf.

Phil Mickelson explained some of the nuances of Augusta National for left-handed players vs. right-handed players.

The post ‘It’s different for myself’: Phil Mickelson dishes fascinating Augusta National analysis appeared first on Golf.

Justin Thomas, just days before the 2024 Masters, announced he has "parted ways" with caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay.

The post Justin Thomas announces surprising caddie split ahead of Masters appeared first on Golf.

Recreational players tend to struggle with alignment. Four-time LPGA winner Hannah Green has a tried-and-true fix.

The post Hannah Green: Your alignment is all wrong. Do this instead appeared first on Golf.

Robot testing can highlight more than ball speed and off-center forgiveness. A new insight report details another all-important attribute.

The post Robot testing confirms these 2024 irons are exceptional in 2 areas appeared first on Golf.

If you've never built or regripped a putter before, consider this your complete how-to guide when building a putter from start to finish.

The post How to build a putter from start to finish | The Build Shop appeared first on Golf.

With the Masters just around the corner, we asked our expert course raters to dish on their favorite holes at Augusta National.

The post Masters 2024: What’s the best (and least best!) hole at Augusta National? appeared first on Golf.

We asked our expert teachers to give us the toughest thing for Masters' first-timers to figure out. Here's what they told us.

The post Masters poll: What’s the toughest thing for first-timers to figure out? appeared first on Golf.

The concept used in the movie, Money Ball, should be applied to your golf game. In that movie, Brad Pitt used a new set of statistics for baseball by counting a walk as equivalent to a single. Getting a runner on base is the only way to score runs. It’s the same in golf. Getting your ball in play or on the green is the best way to minimize bogeys or to get pars or birdies.

DECADE GOLF is a course-management system, founded by Scott Fawcett, which uses a statistical approach to course management to lower your scores. He offered Tiger Woods’ personal rules to for scoring.

Par-5s are prime scoring holes: Most golfers will have an opportunity to hit a short scoring club into the greens so it’s important to take advantage of par-5s. His goal was to avoiding bogey. Don’t feel like you need to make birdie on these holes, just focus on eliminating bogeys instead.Avoid Double Bogeys: Making a double bogey can kill your game. If you find yourself in the trees, punch out and play for bogey. Don’t try the hero shot and bring a huge number into play. Eliminate doubles and you’ll see your scores come down in a hurry.Avoid 3-putts: Three-putting add up quickly on the scorecard. To become a great golfer, you need to become a good lag putter. If you can dial in your touch from distance, you’ll have a much easier time keeping three-putts off the card.Make Your Scoring Clubs Count: Your higher lofted clubs are your scoring clubs. When you have these clubs in your hands, you simply cannot make bogey. Play smart, hit for the fat part of the green and take your 2-putts. When you start to do this consistently, you can go for the pin and eliminate bogeys and possibly make a few birdies.Eliminate Double Chips: As a recreational player, you should use a chipping technique to eliminate double chips. When you’re around the green, your first priority should be to leave yourself with a putt on the next stroke. You may want to try gripping down on your scoring clubs and chip with a putting stroke to guarantee that you next shot will be a putt.

Always get the emotion and any anger out of your next shot and make a smart shot. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to improve every shot with a straight leading arm and a flat wrist. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Brandel Chamblee took to X Tuesday night to call out many of the PGA Tour's best players for their poor performance heading into the Masters.

The post ‘Cake walk for Scottie Scheffler’: Brandel Chamblee critiques Tour stars’ poor form ahead of Masters appeared first on Golf.

The new Shot Scope V5 golf watch does everything the Shot Scope X5 golf watch does.

Almost.

You have a fully functional GPS golf watch.

You have a fully functional GPS golf watch with full-hole mapping.

You have a fully functional GPS golf watch with full hole mapping that also does automatic shot tracking (Shot Scope’s specialty).

There is a lot of cool gear in the golf equipment world that doesn’t always fit neatly into Most Wanted Tests or Buyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it works as advertised. 

What We Tried:

The Duca Del Cosma Bernardo. A premium leather spiked shoe from the Italian luxury golf shoe manufacturer.

Who Tried It:

Connor. Director of Soft Goods Testing and resident sneakerhead. Another pair of white golf shoes? Don’t mind if I do. While I typically stay away from “traditional” golf shoes, the Bernardo is just different enough that I couldn’t say no. My wife, however, was not on board. Guess who’s sleeping outside with Duca Del Cosmas for a pillow?

The Good

You know I’ll give it to you straight. The Duca Del Cosma Bernardo is not the best golf shoe I’ve ever tested. No, it’s probably more in the “average” range when it comes to performance. Even still, there are a few good things to point out.

Fashion Forward

First and foremost, the looks. The thing I love about these “We Tried It” pieces is it gives me an opportunity to comment on looks whereas my Most Wanted shoe testing relies solely on performance characteristics.

Hello, Friends.

That’s right! No article about The Masters is complete without acknowledging Mr. Nantz’s signature line, even one as simple as one about where to get your fix of all things televised. So, without further ado, let’s throw it over to my alter-ego who’s standing by at Butler Cabin with a full rundown of where to watch! 

Televised Coverage

Whether you’re tuning in to catch the drama of Sunday afternoon or the beauty of the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday (I mean, the kids are there! Some of them are wearing caddie uniforms! Stop being such a grump and smile a little—it’s adorable!), here’s everything you need to know about how to see what you want to see.

Wednesday

Dating back more than 60 years, the Par 3 Contest features both tournament contestants as well as noncompeting past champions.

Fun fact: Sam Snead won the inaugural event (1960), and last year’s winner was Tom Hoge. Not-so-fun fact for the winner: no winner of the Par 3 Contest has ever gone on to win the Green Jacket. So if you see your favorite player “accidentally” hit it into the water on No. 9… they’re just hedging their bets.

The Par 3 Challenge begins on Wednesday, April 10, at 12 p.m. EST, with live coverage starting at 2 p.m. on Masters.com. In my opinion, this has become a must-watch, if only to see the contestants actually smiling, having fun and taking it easy mere hours before the first major of the year begins. 

Titleist has a strong Tour presence but also finds its way into the bags of many weekend warriors. In this Titleist Irons: Model By Model overview, we will describe what type of golfer is suited for each iron as well as the technology story behind them.

Titleist Release Cycle:

Unlike other companies that have a yearly release of irons, Titleist has a longer release cycle for their products, including their irons. A typical release cycle will be two years with different models being on opposing years. This means there is normally a new iron release each season but its predecessor will be two years old. There are also some models within the Titleist iron lineup that have a much longer lifespan if they could not be significantly improved upon. They will remain in the current stable of Titleist irons.

Key Technologies for Titleist

Titleist, in general, keeps things a bit simpler with their technologies. By this, I do not mean the technology is not complex but that the branding of this technology is more straightforward.

Blending of Irons: This, while not a technology, is a key focus and feature for Titleist. It refers to having each iron purpose-built so ball flight and distances are optimized.Sole Design: This has been highlighted extensively in their newest irons. Titleist has worked with Vokey (their wedge branch) to optimize the sole progressively for each iron to improve turf interaction.Multi-Material Designs: As with many other brands, a lot of Titleist irons that have multiple materials used to enhance and improve CG placement as well as forgiveness characteristics. This is normally done by using tungsten placed in specific areas of the clubhead.

Titleist Irons: Model-by-Model Overview

Titleist T100 Irons

Release Date: Aug. 25, 2023

Meant For: Golfers with excellent ball-striking skills. Those looking for precision, feel and workability first with forgiveness being secondary.

Don't have Masters tickets but know someone who does? Then check out this list of goodies and ask them to buy you something from it.

The post 11 affordable Masters things to have someone buy you this year at Augusta National appeared first on Golf.