Golfing News & Blog Articles

TaylorMade P790 Phantom Black Irons – Key Takeaways

Flagship player’s distance iron offered in black PVD finishBlacked-out KBS Tour Lite shaft, Golf Pride Z-Grip 360 standard$1,499.99 for a seven-piece set, available now

The TaylorMade P790 Phantom Black irons cry out for golf to create a new category.

 OEMs offering black versions of their flagship irons during the off-year used to be a fad. Then it became a trend.

I’m not sure what comes after “trend” but this is starting to feel like standard operating procedure.

The short story here is that the TaylorMade P790 Phantom Black irons are exactly the same as the chrome P790 iron set that came out in September of 2021. Except, of course, they’re black PVD. Name any OEM and they’re doing the same thing. The idea, obviously, is to give an iron set a mid-life cycle kick in the trousers and help sales as the new versions are being readied.

Call it a cash grab, a marketing ploy or even a “limited edition.” Whatever you want to call it, mid-life cycle blacked-out irons are officially in the playbook.

The current U.S. Open champion holds off Jordan Spieth while Grace Kim wins in just her third LPGA event to get into the Chevron. Plus, a post-Masters round-up and an unusual moment from the Lotte.

Matt Fitzpatrick defeated defending champion Jordan Spieth on the third playoff hole at the RBC Heritage on Sunday.

Reactions at the Masters to the current distance proposal should encourage Augusta National and the governing bodies to so as much as possible now.

Australian rookie Grace Kim won the LOTTE Championship on Saturday at breezy Hoakalei for her first LPGA Tour title.

U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick shot his best round on the PGA Tour with a 63 Saturday for a one-shot lead over Patrick Cantlay through three rounds at the RBC Heritage.

Yu Jin Sung shot a 1-under 71 on Saturday at windy Hoakalei Country Club to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the LOTTE Championship.

Jimmy Walker shot a second straight 6-under 65 on Friday to lead the RBC Heritage by 3 shots, while Masters champion Jon Rahm recovered from his opening-round 1-over 72 with a 64 to move to 6-under.

Rory McIlroy has been docked $3 million after missing his second "designated event" of the PGA Tour season without a specified reason, according to multiple reports.

Tiger Woods' 2019 Masters title came 11 years after his last major win. He's not the only elite athlete to have a long wait between championships.

Welcome back to another edition of #AskMyGolfSpy where readers like you submit your top questions to our experts here at MGS. You can pass along your questions to the team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or right here in the comments section below!

If the USGA and R&A have a set of testing protocols for drivers to be conforming (distance) and a majority of drivers meet those protocols, why would I buy a new 2024 driver? – @SlowMoSwing

You should only buy a new driver in 2024 if it’s measurably better than what you have now, although I will accept “because I wanted to” as a valid reason for buying a new club.

For all intents and purposes, USGA regulations are limited to volume, length, moment of inertia (MOI) and Characteristic of Time (CT). 

As we’ve discussed, there’s some wiggle room between CT and the old COR limit that does allow drivers to get slightly faster. Off-center performance continues to improve with each new release and, while the benefits are largely limited to faster players, there’s no cap on aerodynamic efficiency. 

Titleist has introduced their 2023 lineup of golf stand bags. The new Players StaDry 4, Players 4 and Players 5 were designed with a focus on functionality. The goal? Make your walk more enjoyable.

Release Details

Available now at golf retail shops and online Players 4 StaDry, Players 4 and Players 5Retail of $295 for Players 4 StaDry, $265 for Players 4 & 5, respectively

What’s New for 2023?

Titleist Players 4 StaDry

The 2023 Titleist Players 4 StaDry golf stand bag features waterproof construction without sacrificing function. The Players 4 StaDry features plentiful storage, including a full-length apparel pocket. It weighs just under four pounds. Lightweight design is a key feature for any good golf stand bag.

Waterproof construction, including seam-sealed zippersSix pockets and dual carry strapsFour-way club dividerFull-length apparel pocket and external drink sleeve

Titleist Players 4

The 2023 Titleist Players 4 golf stand bag features premium materials and lightweight construction to make your walk more enjoyable. Between the dual carry strap and ample storage, the new Players 4 should be a suitable carry companion.

Four-way club dividerFull-length apparel pocket and external drink sleeveHigh-grade aluminum legsYKK zippers

Titleist Players 5

The Titleist Players 5 golf stand bag is the biggest and most robust of the new 2023 collection of Titleist stand bags. It features a five-way club divider for better organization and even more storage for the golfer who needs an a few extra balls (or boxes).

Dual carry strapSeven storage pocketsFive-way club dividerVelcro glove patches

Give It To Me Straight

Let’s be real. The upgrades to the Titleist lineup of golf stand bags are marginal. Similar to the upgrades in clubs, you aren’t going to see an insane jump in performance. That said, if there’s anyone who understands the benefits of premium zippers and well-thought-out pockets, it’s me.

Natthakritta Vongtaveelap shot a 2-under 70 to hold onto a share of the lead at Hoakalei Country Club, while Frida Kinhult shot a 76 to fall six shots back.

Viktor Hovland's round of 7-under 64 at the rain-delayed RBC Heritage on Thursday gave him a first-round lead for a second straight week while Masters champion Jon Rahm was eight shots behind.

Cobra Limited Edition 50th Anniversary AEROJET Drivers – Key Takeaways

·       Special AEROJET and AEROJET LS models to celebrate COBRA’s 50th anniversary.

·       Black and gold color scheme with 50th anniversary graphics and head cover

·       $599 each, available starting today

The new COBRA Limited Edition 50th Anniversary AEROJET drivers couldn’t come at a better time. Not only do these new drivers celebrate COBRA’s first half-century as a corporate entity but they also break the Special/Limited Edition release gap that’s lasted all of 22 days.

Sure, it’s black paint and gold accents on regular AEROJET drivers. But c’mon, 50 years in business is worthy of celebration. And if you’re a COBRA fan, it just might be a collectible you just might want to, uhhh, collect.

Well, we thought this might happen.

The new PXG 0317 CB is here but it’s more than just PXG’s latest iron release.

It likely marks the end of the “0311 T” model which combined a thin-face architecture with player-preferred aesthetics (less offset, thin topline, compact footprint).  But what the PXG 0317 CB seems to suggest is that the 0311 T wasn’t the ideal fit for the target golfer.

So let’s collectively pour one out for arguably the second most famous Model T.

That’s a reach. But, whatever.

2023's big winners, losers and somewhere in-betweens from another memorable week in Augusta.

The Quadrilateral’s traditional post-Masters roundup of the week.

Natthakritta Vongtaveelap and Frida Kinhult each shot a 6-under 66 to share the first-round lead Wednesday in the LPGA Tour's LOTTE Championship.

New Masters champion Jon Rahm is back in action at RBC Heritage this week, but he's not the only one. Here's everything to look forward to in the PGA, LPGA and LIV.

Watching The Masters is a great opportunity to learn from the MASTERS of GOLF. Augusta put the leading golfers from throughout the world to the ultimate test. Unfortunately, the TV coverage is focused mainly on the leaders’ performance on each day of the tournament. On the Sunday coverage we saw Jon Rahm at his best, Brooks Koepka struggling and Phil Mickelson (with very little TV coverage) plodding along to end up tied with Brooks for second place. You can definitely learn from these master golfers.

They all get into the same problems as we do but they often recovered with intelligent shots.

Attitude: Jon Rahm started his final day 4 shots behind Brooks Koepka and finished the day 4 shots ahead. He placed most of his drives in the fairway and kept his cool when he made poor chips or putts. His patience paid off. After making up 2 strokes on the first hole played on Sunday he reminded his caddy that he had a lot of holes ahead of them.

Luck (“Rub of the Green”): Jon was 4 strokes ahead on the final hole when he duck-hooked his tee shot into the trees. The TV camera followed his shot deep into the forest, but his ball landed short and in the middle of the fairway. He parred the hole.

Cool Head: Brooks Koepka lost his lead with a few weak chips and a number of errant tee shots in spite of some miraculous golf shots. On the tee shot to start his 4th round he landed about 75 yards offline in the next fairway but his recovery shot to the green allowed him to make par. On the 10th hole dogleg left, he hit the dreaded straight shot behind a pine tree. He avoided a risky shot under that tree and hit safely to the fairway. That was followed by a perfect shot to the green and a putt for par.