Golfing News & Blog Articles

No matter what perspective you have on the division within professional golf, most agree that the Official World Golf Ranking is no longer accurate. 

As is the case with a lot of issues within the game, it’s simple—and complicated. 

The simple part is that LIV Golf does not qualify for ranking points. Because of that, that league’s best players are plummeting in the rankings. In many cases, their standing in the OWGR is not reflective of their overall standing in the game. 

Joaquin Niemann is No. 80 in the OWGR. Data Golf—a popular ranking that includes LIV performance—has Niemann at ninth in the world. 

Bryson DeChambeau is No. 189 in the OWGR but 17th in Data Golf. 

Lamkin Golf says its UTX Green and Blue Grips are the fastest-growing grip in their lineup on the PGA Tour.  They categorize the grip as “Ultra Tack with Cord” and believe it is an “industry-first” grip that gives golfers the confidence of a secure connection with the club. Lamkin says the Tri-Layer Technology results in “the same traction, moisture control and enhanced feel trusted by tour pros around the world.”

The Tri-Layer Technology “blends three unique materials to create the perfect-feeling grip.”  The outer layer features firm ACE material to provide “superior torsion control and vibration dampening.” Next is a middle layer of full-cord fabric weave to enhance moisture-wicking properties and increase grip traction. Last is the soft inner layer of ACE foundation for enhanced comfort and feel.

Is this the ultimate combination for a grip with tack and the benefits of a corded grip?  Read on to see what our testers discovered. 

Selection Process

Our Forum staff handpicked four testers for the  UTX Green and Blue Grips. Testers selected their preferred color and size and received a full set of UTX grips from Lamkin. 

Insights from Testers

Initial Impressions and First Look

Overall initial impressions were solid. Testers noted how great the coloring of the grips looked and that they felt great in-hand.

Rory McIlroy carded a 7-under 65 at the Players Championship on Thursday despite some controversy following his tee shot on the seventh hole, which found the water, and the ensuing drop.

Tom Kim, No. 18 in the Official World Golf Rankings, withdrew from The Players Championship eight holes into his opening round on Thursday with an unspecified illness.

Rory McIlroy had an intriguing explanation after his brilliant opening round at the Players was complicated by two awkward rules exchanges.

The post Why Rory McIlroy invoked ‘karma’ and ‘conscience’ after 2 awkward drops appeared first on Golf.

Making a swing change is a grind, but GOLF Top 100 Teacher E.A. Tischler shares the steps this college player used to do it successfully.

The post This college player went from a 1.9 index to a +4 by making these changes appeared first on Golf.

Rory McIlroy's much-debated drops at the Players Championship get to the root of what makes golf unique from virtually every other sport.

The post Rory McIlroy rules-policing makes for tense theater at Players Championship   appeared first on Golf.

Rory McIlroy was the center of a rules decision at the Players Championship. He explained it to the media after, but his partners did not.

The post Rory McIlroy defends himself after ‘blind spot’ ruling appeared first on Golf.

Adam Hadwin’s ball finished in the water on the 18th hole at the Players Championship. Something else then joined it in an epic meltdown.

The post Pro’s ball finishes in water at Players. Something else then joined it in epic meltdown appeared first on Golf.

Pro Ryan Fox aced the famed island-green 17th during the Players Championship. Here’s why the hole in one was different from every other one.

The post Pro makes Players hole in one. But it was different from every other one appeared first on Golf.

Need another option off the tee that packs plenty of pop? These 3-woods produced an abundance of speed during our robotic testing.

The post These new 3-woods recorded the fastest ball speeds during robot testing appeared first on Golf.

In this vintage clip of Tiger Woods, the 15-time major champ explains the mistake he sees amateurs often make when hitting their driver.

The post This vintage Tiger Woods driving tip will have you rethinking your hand position appeared first on Golf.

The popular Blue Tees Golf Series 3 Max Rangefinder comes in three colors and is already an affordable option. Now it's on sale.

The post This affordable, popular rangefinder is on sale for an additional $70 off appeared first on Golf.

Good shots should be rewarded. Bad shots should be punished. On the island-green 17th at TPC Sawgrass, a lot comes down to mowing heights

The post Fair or unfair? In Sawgrass 17th-hole setup, difference can be inches appeared first on Golf.

With The Players Championship taking place at TPC Sawgrass this week, we thought we would take a look at how amateurs fare when we tackle the infamous island green.

Arguably one of golf’s most iconic holes, the par-3 17th typically plays 120 to 130 yards (give or take). Every year, we see the good, the bad and the ugly on a seemingly innocuous hole where often the tournament is won or lost.

What about amateur golfers? How do the rest of us do?

Can #17 really be that hard?

To answer that question, the team at Shot Scope has pulled stats from their database of more than 350 million shots to give us insight into how average joes fare in their quest to hit and stick on the island green.

Firstly, we look at the chances of hitting the green from 125 yards.

The new Toulon Golf Small Batch putters honor Texan golf legends.The sole of the putter has “puzzle” symbols representing the honored Texans.Available March 14 at ToulonGolf.com with a MSRP of $1,800.

Last month, Toulon Golf released their 2024 First Run putters. That line features enough chocolaty mallet and blade goodies to keep even the most gluttonous golfer putter-sated for a while.

Personally, I am finding my First Run Madison delicious. At some point, we will chat about its Diamana P105 putter shaft. Icing on the cake.

For some putter companies, the completion of such a significant putter line launch would justify taking a bit of a break. Not Team Toulon. If we know anything about Sean Toulon, we know he is bad at retiring and committed to producing interesting limited-edition putters.

Don’t for a second think that just because Toulon launched a whole line of putters in February does not mean they will not be rolling out a new Small Batch putter in March.

Previous Small Batch models were all named after cities. This time, Toulon expanded the scope of their naming to the whole state of Texas.

Here is a mind-bending stat that keeps me up at night:

In 2023, Scottie Scheffler gained 2.98 strokes per round tee-to-green. It was the second-best year of ballstriking in the Strokes Gained era, only behind Tiger Woods in 2006. 

Comparisons to Tiger are usually unfair, but this is a straight-up statistical fact: Scheffler’s ballstriking is so sublime that it rivals the greatest tee-to-green golf we’ve seen in the past 20-plus years.  

A few months into 2024, Scheffler is threatening to do it again. 

He is No. 1 on the PGA Tour in these categories: scoring average (69.5), birdie average (5.48), greens in regulation (78 percent) and Strokes Gained tee-to-green (2.57). He is second in approach (1.19) and seventh off-the-tee (0.82). 

Approaching the first tee at the Arnold Palmer Invitational Pro-Am—technically No. 10 since we started on the back nine—a man in a suit walked up.

Holding a piece of paper, he introduced himself and asked how to pronounce my last name. Appreciating his due diligence, I explained that my last name, LoRé, rhymes with “hurray” and “Bublé.”

He informed me I would be second to tee off in our group, sandwiched between PGA Tour pro Adam Svensson and former MLB pitcher CC Sabathia.

“Are you sure CC shouldn’t go next?” I asked nervously. “He’s the celebrity.”

Sabathia, whose jovial nature and smile are as large as his 6-foot-6 frame, laughed and kindly instructed that we follow the predetermined order. After Svensson, the 2022 RSM Classic winner, effortlessly bombed his drive down the fairway from the furthest back tees, it was my turn to get my pro-am debut off to a flying start from the gold tees we amateurs were playing. 

A chip shot is a low, short approach shot in which the golf ball briefly goes into the air and then rolls towards the hole. A pitch shot goes higher and doesn’t have as much roll. In this article, I’ll give you some tips on the benefits of using a sand wedge versus a lob wedge for chipping and a few ways to make your short game more accurate. 

Sand Wedge Versus Lob Wedge: Which To Use for Chipping? 

When comparing the sand and lob wedges, the sand wedge is the better club for chipping. Sand wedges have a little less loft than the lob wedge so you can lower the ball’s flight and get more roll toward the pin.  It’s also easier to keep the shot a bit more controlled. 

Lower-lofted clubs such as a gap wedge, pitching wedge and 9-iron are also good for chipping. The lower loft allows for a more compact swing with fewer moving parts.

Sand Wedge Versus Lob Wedge: Which To Use for Pitching? 

The sand wedge and the lob wedge are great for higher-lofted pitch shots. The lob wedge should be used when going over a hazard to ensure enough height. In addition, lob wedges can help when trying to precisely land a shot. 

The lob wedge has more spin and a greater angle of descent. The ball will stop quicker because of it. 

If you don’t hear that whoosh of your club as it impacts your ball, you are loosing 25% of your club head’s release speed. Of course, that also means that you are losing power and distance. Most golfers, including myself, are afraid to whip their club through the impact zone as they may lose direction control. When you follow the simple steps in this blog you will be amazed at how simple it is to gain control and power for every club in your bag.

1/ Straight Leading Arm: Ideally you need to keep your leading arm straight during your backswing and your downswing to maintain the consistent distance from your nose to your ball throughout your swing. That’s why I developed GOLFSTR+, a training aid to remind you to keep your leading arm straight throughout your swing to impact.

2/ Light Grip: Your upper hand needs to do 90% of the work during your swing. That’s why you need to keep your upper hand grip pressure at about 5 out of 10. Your lower hand can destroy your direction control and your power with a tight grip. It should be gripping with a pressure of about 2 out of 10 just to help you guide your club and your shoulders through your swing.

3/ Point Your Leading Elbow: It is critical to rotate your leading elbow during your setup to point up your target line. That rotation also helps you lock your straight leading arm.

4/ High Backswing to Shallow Downswing: Your takeaway should be directly back for the first 12 inches as you rotated your shoulders & hips as you lift your arms to a high backswing. Flatten or slightly bow your leading wrist during your transition in order to shallow your club during your downswing (to avoid an over-the-top swing causing a slice).