Golfing News & Blog Articles

Callaway Apex UW targets better playersIt borrows design elements from fairway woods and hybridsMSRP – $299

What do you call a club that flies higher than a hybrid but has less spin than a 5-wood?

Callaway’s answer is the 2021 Apex UW. The UW stands for utility wood. It’s an uber-niche release geared toward better golfers spawned from Callaway tour staff feedback. Most notably, the ultimate tinkerer, Phil Mickelson.

The concept, for Callaway, is relatively simple. Take the best elements of hybrids coupled with several fairway wood features, and presto, it’s a Labradoodle … I mean utility wood.

For the record, I was hoping for Hybrid McHybrid. Oh, well. Maybe next time.

Salted Smart Insoles have updated their app.The new additions include a putting feature.Retail price is $229.99. Now $159.99

We stumbled on Salted Smart Insoles in October of 2020 and were blown away with their technology. The Smart Insoles provide a lot of data on weight pressure, distribution and how to use the ground effectively. This could be the golden ticket to shoot lower scores for every golfer on the market.

Who Remembers Smart Salted Insoles?

A year ago, we tested the Salted Smart Insoles which are “force plates” that fit inside your golf shoes. If you’re unfamiliar with force-plate technology, imagine a mat or platform loaded with sensors that, for golf purposes, measures how your weight shifts during a swing. In simple terms, during your swing, your body weight can shift from one foot to the other. These changes in weight can be measured in percentages and, when used in the right way, can teach you how to use the ground and transfer weight correctly.

Now Salted has gone one step further with a putting system and has updated their application (which was OK at best).

What’s New?

The putting section in the updated app allows you to see real-time weight distribution. It reveals if a narrow or wider stance can help you keep weight distribution centered throughout the stroke. It might not seem like much but it’s a great addition to an already excellent product.

Previously, the application that came with the insoles in 2020 left a lot to be desired. However, the new software update is a lot more user-friendly and laid out in an easier, more functional manner. You can compare your swing or putting stroke to a Tour professional which isn’t new but it’s a great way to learn and improve your own swing/stroke.

The LPGA Tour's Toto Japan Classic, scheduled for Nov. 4-7, has been canceled due to the pandemic.

Last month, we asked you take our Iron Satisfaction Survey. The questions were basically the same as our Driver Buying Survey because the objective was the same. We wanted to understand if buyers of some brands were more satisfied than those who bought others and, based on the results of the driver survey, what role fitting plays in satisfaction. Along the way, we found plenty of other interesting tidbits which we’re excited to share with you today.

In total, more than 10,000 (10,073 to be precise) of you took the survey. Here’s what you told us.

The Demo Experience

There are a few things of note in the results.

As was the case with drivers, golfers will most typically demo three iron models before buying.Nearly 15 percent of you bought irons without demoing anything. It’s a lower percentage than we saw with drivers but it’s still shocking (to me anyway).More than 15 percent of you tried more than five irons before buying. That’s kind of awesome.

Top Demoed Brands

With that in mind, here’s a breakdown of the brands you tried before buying.

Sam Burns played flawlessly on the back nine until it didn't matter anymore and shot a 5-under 67 to win the Sanderson Farms Championship on Sunday.

Celine Boutier began the day five shots behind but shot an 8-under 63 to win the ShopRite LPGA Classic as South Korea's two best players faltered down the stretch.

Danny Willett celebrated his 34th birthday by winning the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship by two strokes on Sunday.

Sahith Theegala is one round away from his first PGA Tour title in just his second start of his rookie season.

Inbee Park birdied three of her last five holes to match Jin Young Ko with a 6-under 65 for a share of the lead in the ShopRite LPGA.

Danny Willett carded 66 to claim a three-shot lead heading into the final day at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Bryson DeChambeau fell short in his quest for a long drivers world championship but said he's "definitely going to continue" competing in long-drive tournaments.

Will Zalatoris set a course record Friday with an 11-under 61 to share the lead with Nick Watney and Sahith Theegala in the Sanderson Farms Championship.

So Yeon Ryu and Jodi Ewart Shadoff left Friday with a share of the lead in the ShopRite LPGA.

Tyrrell Hatton overcame three bogeys on a frustrating back nine to card a two-under 70 and take a one-shot lead in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship second round on Friday.

Spirit of the Game: Joe Louis Barrow, Jr.

October 1, 2021

Joe Louis Barrow Jr. didn’t have to look far for inspiration.

His father, Joe Louis (pictured, above), isn’t just regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, but was one the first African Americans to have a cultural impact in the United States.

Even on the golf course. In 1952, Louis, who was as passionate about golf as he was about boxing, was invited to play as an amateur in the San Diego Open. He’d become the first African American to play in a PGA Tour event.

Following in the footsteps of his father, Joe Louis Barrow Jr. has also left an impact, parlaying a successful business career into his role as CEO of The First Tee, a positive youth development organization that introduces the game of golf and its values, such as honesty perseverance and sportsmanship, to young people.

Honma Beres is all about lightweight luxury designed for low- to medium-swing speed players with very deep pockets. Pricing for a Beres driver can range from a low end of $850 for a 2-Star driver all the way up to $4,500 for a 5-Star driver.

Though the 2-Star is ironically considered “entry-level” by Beres (it did finish third in this year’s Most Wanted Super Game Improvement Iron testing), the line goes up to 3-, 4- and 5-Star levels. Just so we’re clear, a full bag of 5-Star Honma Beres wares will set you back roughly $70,000.

With all of that said, we’d like to get feedback from MyGolfSpy readers.

TESTERS WANTED

We’re looking for two couples (four total testers) to try the Honma 2-Star driver and report back.

Bryson DeChambeau finished tied for fourth place on Thursday and will be part of the top 16 that will compete for the long drive world title.

PGA rookie Sahith Theegala carded an 8-under 64 on Thursday to grab a one-shot lead over Nick Watney and Harold Varner III in the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Longtime caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay will significantly cut back on his TV analyst duties to carry the bag full time for Justin Thomas, with whom he won a WGC event in Memphis in 2020.

 

The post AmateurGolf.com Winter Invitational appeared first on Northern California Golf Association.