With sights set on becoming the No. 1 player in the world, Collin Morikawa raced away from a 20-man field Saturday in the Hero World Challenge with an 8-under 64, building a five-shot lead with one round left
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Thanks pal: Jazz owner Smith caddying for Finau
Jazz owner Ryan Smith typically would be in Utah for a home game against the Celtics. But he took a part-time job for the week. Smith is at the Hero World Challenge as the caddie for Tony Finau.
Bryson leads; Koepka, Morikawa, Finau trail by 1
Bryson DeChambeau made five birdies in a six-hole stretch and overcame a late double bogey to shoot 8-under 64 and lead the Hero World Challenge by 1 stroke over Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa and Tony Finau.
Architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr. Visits Poppy Hills For Refinements Project
Architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr. Visits Poppy Hills For Refinements Project
December 3, 2021
Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach had a special visitor earlier this week.
Architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr., who originally designed Poppy Hills when it first opened in 1986, was there to review progress on a current refinements project.
The project primarily involves modifying the greens on the par-3 2nd and par-4 7th holes and the installation of a new practice green. Some modest teeing ground enhancements are also being implemented.
The course is owned and operated by the Northern California Golf Association, whose headquarters are located at Poppy Hills.
USGA adds event for golfers with disabilities
The U.S. Golf Association is providing a national championship for players with disabilities that will start next year on the No. 6 course at Pinehurst.
USGA Unveils New National Championship for Disabled Players
USGA Unveils New National Championship for Disabled Players
December 3, 2021
The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced the U.S. Adaptive Open Championship, a new national championship that will showcase the world’s best golfers with disabilities. The inaugural competition will be conducted on Course No. 6 at historic Pinehurst Resort & Country Club on July 18-20, 2022. The 2nd U.S. Adaptive Open will also be held on Pinehurst No. 6, and will be conducted from July 17-19, 2023.
The U.S. Adaptive Open Championship will serve as the association’s 15th national championship, joining such iconic events as the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur. Champions of this new event will see their names recorded in the annals of golf history alongside many of the game’s storied figures.
The announcement of the championship follows through on a 2017 pledge by the USGA to establish this championship for the adaptive golf community.
“Since 1895, our championships have provided the world’s best players with an opportunity to showcase their skills on a global stage, compete for a national championship and achieve their dreams,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “After years of planning and delays caused by the global pandemic, we are proud to bring that same opportunity to the adaptive golf community through this championship, and to do so at Pinehurst, our second home. We believe this effort will spur participation for golfers with disabilities and hope it inspires others in the industry to make the game and its competitions more welcoming to all.”
UPDATE: FlightScope Mevo+ Pro Package
FlightScope releases update to Mevo+FlightScope Mevo+ Pro package is a one-time fee upgradeThe upgrade is $1,000
FlightScope has been making moves in the personal launch monitor space for a while but now, they have upgraded their Mevo+ device for a one-time fee.
We have seen the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Bubba Watson use the FlightScope brand when practicing before a PGA TOUR event. But the Mevo+ isn’t just an outdoor launch monitor. It can be used inside as well with a couple of small adjustments.
Like many companies, they have targeted the personal launch monitor space as more and more golfers are seeking personal swing data. But it is hard to put a price on accuracy.
We have seen PLMs in the $500 to $2,000 space and, believe me, they’re not all created equal. The FlightScope Mevo+ on the other hand holds its own and is one of the more consistent PLMs on the market.
The Technical Details
Here are the juicy details.
Rory (66) continues fine form, shares lead at Hero
Rory McIlroy's opening-round 6-under 66 at the Hero World Challenge was good for a share of the lead with Daniel Berger and Abraham Ancer.
FIRST LOOK: Precision Pro ACE Smart Speaker
The new Precision Pro ACE Smart Speaker retails for $149.99.The ACE plays music plus relays yardages at a touch of a button.The Bluetooth speaker offers multiple features.
Music on the golf course seems to divide the golfing population. Nevertheless, more and more companies are designing Bluetooth speakers to fit their products. So welcome the ACE Smart Speaker.
Sure, there are lots of Bluetooth speakers that play high-quality music but the ACE has a couple of tricks up its sleeve. The speaker links with the Precision Pro app and gets you dialed in while listening to your favorite tunes.
Precision Pro ACE Smart Speaker
If you’re a golfer who wants all the bells and whistles, listen up!
Precision Pro says the ACE Smart speaker is “groundbreaking.” That might be reaching just a touch as a version of this speaker has already been accomplished by Bushnell. However, the MYSLOPE technology that ACE has linked to their app is very advanced and pushes the industry forward.
“ACE” stands for “Audio Caddie Experience” which keeps you dialed in on every shot without the need to check your phone. Instead, data is pulled from the Precision Pro Golf app (IOS and Android) via Bluetooth which is adjusted for slope based on your own personal swing data, altitude, wind and weather. The ACE will also display and announce yardages to the front, middle and back of the green which can be customizable over the music, podcasts or any other platforms you might vibe to.
Plan to Hit More Greens in Regulation
The best way to lower your scores is to land on more fairways, hit more greens in regulation and make more putts. That’s easier said than done. The most important shots in golf which hold mid- and high-handicappers back are hitting more greens in regulation. That’s the key to getting more two-putt pars and the occasional birdie. If you are missing greens you are faced with bunker shots, short sided chips out of the ruff and bladed or chunked chips which really boost your scores.
In a recent issue of GOLF Magazine, using data from ARCCOS Caddie Link, they shared how many greens in regulation their users are hitting. [NOTE: ARCCOS is a system that records your golf statistics for every shot on every round your play.] Five handicap golfers average 8 greens in regulation per round, while ten handicap golfers average 6 GIR per round and fifteen handicap golfers average over 4 per round.
Cameron Smith is the current PGA Tour leader of greens in regulation (GIR) by hitting 80.56 %, and the Tour average is 68.20 %, which is about 12.5 greens in regulation per round (based on 18 holes, including the par 3’s). Those two numbers are not too realistic for weekend warriors.
The following chart lists the handicap (in the white circles) and corresponding GIR percentage for golfers
who use the ARCCOS data recording system
Based on my personal experience with Greens Hit In Regulation, these percentages seem to be lower than they should be. This chart shows that 15 Handicap golfers are hitting Greens In Regulation a little over 4 times every time they play. [That seems to be surprisingly low.] To hold a 15 handicap those golfers must be chipping and 2 putting on 14 holes for about 14 bogies. I suspect that these golfers are taking a lot of gimmes.
Rule of the Month: Loose Impediments and Movable Obstructions
Rule of the Month: Loose Impediments and Movable Obstructions
December 1, 2021
Loose impediments and movable obstructions are two categories of items that the Rules do not consider part of the challenge of playing the game, and therefore they can be moved. Loose impediments are unattached natural objects such as sticks, leaves, twigs, and blades of grass so long as they are not fixed or growing, solidly embedded in the ground, or sticking to the ball. Movable obstructions are artificial objects that can be moved with reasonable effort such as a water bottle, scorecard, broken tee, trash can, bench, etc. Click here to learn more about movable obstructions.
Loose impediments and movable obstructions can be moved anywhere on the golf course, including in bunkers and penalty areas, even when your ball also lies in the bunker or penalty area. If your ball moves when moving a movable obstruction, there is not penalty and you simply replace the ball. However, you will need to be careful when moving loose impediments because if that causes your ball to move, you will get a one-stroke penalty and must replace your ball. The only time a penalty does not apply is if your ball lay on the putting green when moving a loose impediment caused it to move.
FAQs:
May I remove stones in bunkers?May I remove a loose natural object (loose impediment) in a bunker? What about an artificial object?May I remove loose natural objects in a penalty area?May I remove sand and/or loose soil on the putting green?
The post Rule of the Month: Loose Impediments and Movable Obstructions appeared first on Northern California Golf Association.
Blue Hill Country Club Retaliates Against Golf Writer And Member
Veteran New England golf writer and publisher Tom Gorman was banned from Massachusetts’ Blue Hill Country Club where he was a member. It appears a fairly innocuous story in August covering a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling against Blue Hill for violating the “Tips Act” was the problem.
What’s most troubling: Gorman wrote about the decision and considered potential ramifications for all courses in the region. The club lost but apparently took issue with this:
The SJC decision could have wide-ranging ramifications on other private clubs, hotels and spas in Massachusetts that have engaged in the practice of clipping their help of hard-earned income, as Blue Hill CC has done. Also, of note, Holtzman said all the defendants are personally liable even though most no longer work at the club.
“This Supreme Judicial Court decision is important confirmation that Massachusetts law provides clear protection against workers having their tips taken from them,” said Holtzman in a telephone interview August 24. “This is a reaffirmation of the fundamental principle that workers are entitled to the proceeds from all service charges on events they’ve worked, including the frontline workers who’ve been continuing to deliver service throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“It’s gratifying that this victory means these workers will now receive not only their back wages and tips, but also the mandatory treble damages designed to deter future violations. It is also an important reminder of the broad scope of the Tips Act protecting workers at hotels, spas, hair and nail salons, restaurants, catering halls and country clubs – anyone in an occupation in which employees customarily receive tips.”
Hot vs. Cold Golf Balls
On the last day of this year’s golf ball test, we had a little extra time to run a few smaller experiments. As a curiosity, we wanted to see how temperature changes can affect golf ball performance.
To see how an increase in temperature can impact performance, we left a portion of our test sample exposed to the Arizona heat.
To understand the impact of extreme cold on a golf ball, we stuck a portion of our sample in a freezer for the better part of a day.
We (well, the robot) hit both the hot and cold balls along with a sample of balls that had been kept inside, out of the sun and at room temperature. The test was conducted with a nine-degree driver and a swing speed of 100 mph.
As a follow-up to the preliminary data, we ran some tests inside the Ball Lab. We measured compression changes after placing balls under a 115-degree heat lamp for an hour and after six hours in a freezer.
The questions Tiger Woods answered and the questions that still don't have answers
Tiger Woods seemed at peace in front of reporters for the first time since his February car accident. He said he will likely try to come back and play again -- when and where and how often is still up in the air.
Tiger Talks About His Future, St Andrews, Featheries, Saudis And Refers Accident Questions To Sheriff's Report
A day after an interview by his partners at Golf Digest/Discovery that saw Tiger Woods open up on several topics, he faced questions from assembled scribes in the Bahamas to kick off Hero World Challenge week. As is fairly typical of , Woods avoided any details of his car accident and referred everyone to the police report that was eventually posted by TMZ.
He was again clear about his ability to play at a high level being very much up in the air.
I'll put it to you this way: As far as playing at the Tour level, I don't know when that's going to happen. Now, I'll play a round here or there, a little hit and giggle, I can do something like that. I certainly like -- you know, the USGA suggested Play It Forward. I really like that idea now. I don't like the tees on the back. I like Play It Forward. Come on, let's move it up, let's move it up. To see some of my shots fall out of the sky a lot shorter than they used to is a little eye-opening, but at least I'm able to do it again. That's something that for a while there it didn't look like I was going to. Now I'm able to participate in the sport of golf, now to what level, I do not know that. I'll keep you abreast, all of you abreast as progress continues to go on, whether I'll be out here and at what level and when.
Actually it was Tee it Forward and I believe that one’s ten years old and about 14 slogans ago. Excuse me, brand campaigns. But we get the point.
Q. Tiger, I'm wondering what you remember of the accident. Obviously we all saw the result and it looked so horrifying and scary, and I have a follow up to that.
Tiger says he's 'lucky to be alive,' still have limb
Tiger Woods said Tuesday that he's hopeful he can play some limited golf in the future but said the road back from his February crash has been "a lot of hard work" and he's "lucky to be alive and still have a limb."
Discover La Reserva Club Sotogrande
Home to some of Europe’s most revered golf courses, luxurious villas and apartments, and a brand new 5* hotel, Sotogrande in southern Spain is one of the most prestigious leisure developments in Europe.
Set in the glorious Andalusian hills and close to the beaches of the Costa del Sol, Sotogrande is within easy reach of Gibraltar Airport and just over an hour from Malaga Airport. It’s a chic, exclusive lifestyle community spanning over 2500 hectares.
One of Europe’s finest, private residential clubs – La Reserva Club, with elite amenities including a luxurious inland beach club with a magnificent freshwater sandy lagoon, a dazzling variety of water sports, a racquet club, two excellent restaurants.
SO/Sotogrande Hotel
Luxury brand SO/ Hotels & Resorts opened SO/ Sotogrande in Andalusia this summer, promising a new one-of-a-kind 5* resort. Based on the traditional cortijo, the historic rural dwellings of southern Spain, SO/ Sotogrande brilliantly merges together the history and feel of its Andalusian heritage with the high-fashion and contemporary lifestyle-led approach of the SO/ brand.
Guests can choose from 152 stunningly-styled rooms and suites, all featuring terraces or balconies, located around beautifully landscaped gardens in the form of cottages and lofts. There’s four high-level restaurants serving Andalusian and international cuisine, and guests can enjoy meals on the outdoor terraces or relax with a drink in one of two stylish bars.
Blades Versus Mallets
Blades Versus Mallets—A Performance Analysis
With technology constantly changing, two simple constructions are staying constant: blade and mallet putters. Over the years, we’ve seen some astonishing designs in both categories. There are classic, well-known ones such as Odyssey 2-Ball, PING Anser, Scotty Cameron Newport … the list goes on and on. But there are some head scratchers too: PING’s Doc 17, Odyssey’s 2-Ball Blade, Axis1 and Taylormade’s Truss.
But let’s face it: looks and feel don’t always equal performance. Is there a significant statistical performance difference between blades and mallets? Is the differential minimal? Let’s take a look.
Most Wanted Putter Testing
During our Most Wanted testing season, we test both blade and mallet putters. Through these tests, we gain insightful performance data. The data collected and utilized in this article is from 18 testers who participated in both our Most Wanted Blade and Most Wanted Mallet tests.
Putter Technology
Through the years, technology has been the focal point of putter innovation.
For blade putters, a timeless design blends with a focus on feel and precision. Over time, peripheral, heel-toe weighting became relevant, which brought forth enhancements in consistency and forgiveness. Nowadays, face technology is at the forefront. In 2021, there was a plethora of face innovations. Odyssey’s White Hot Face was reborn. Sik implements Descending Loft Technology. Tommy Armour features a CNC milled 6061 aluminum face insert. Face technology has many different forms.
2021 What’s In the Bag Survey
With the anticipated flurry of 2022 releases still a few weeks off, we wanted to use the break as an opportunity to tackle our most comprehensive What’s In the Bag survey ever. While we certainly want to know what brands you’re playing, our goal is to go deeper into your bag makeup.
For example, is your set composition fairly straightforward or do you have carry something a bit out of the mainstream like a 9-wood or a 64-degree wedge?
Our objective is to obtain a clearer picture of what our readers are playing.
Take the Survey
The survey should take less than 10 minutes. Because of the level of detail, you may be asked for details about a club type you don’t carry. If that happens, simply select the None option (it should be listed first).
Click here to take the survey.
The post 2021 What’s In the Bag Survey appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
R.I.P. Lee Elder
The Associated Press story on the passing of Lee Elder led this way:
Lee Elder, who broke down racial barriers as the first Black golfer to play in the Masters and paved the way for Tiger Woods and others to follow, has died at the age of 87.
No immediate details were available about the cause of death but Elder had been experiencing respiratory difficulties. Arthur Johnson, a Jacksonville resident and a friend of Elder’s for more than 50 years, said Elder died Sunday during a visit with his wife Sharon to his step-daughter Dory’s home in San Diego.
“I talked to him on Thanksgiving and he sounded really strong, in good spirits,” Johnson said. “This is really difficult. He was like a big brother to me. … we were the best of friends.”
