Golfing News & Blog Articles

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Rule of the Month: The Ball

Oct. 1, 2021

Generally, you will hole out with the same ball you play from the teeing area. You can always use a new ball when starting a hole. You can also substitute a different ball any time you are taking relief, including both free and penalty relief. Unless the one-ball Local Rule is in effect, the substituted ball could be any brand. On the putting green however, when you mark and lift your ball, you must replace that same ball to finish out the hole.

When your ball is lifted, you can almost always clean it (except for a few specific circumstances). If you happen to run out of balls, you can borrow one from any other player, including a practice or X-Out ball (which are generally conforming balls).

If you play a wrong ball, you lose the hole in match play or get a two-stroke penalty in stroke play. In stroke play, you must correct your mistake by playing the right ball or otherwise playing under the Rules (for example, by playing under stroke and distance if your ball is lost).

Tyrrell Hatton shook off the disappointment of Europe's heavy loss at the Ryder Cup last week as he took a share of the first-round lead at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Thursday.

DISTANCE + STRAIGHTNESS  = The eRook II Driver! The new eRook II is definitely a driver worth considering for a wide range of players.  Let’s start with the basics.  It is 450cc’s,  this is an adjustable driver face angle, loft, lie, head weight, weight bias.  In the neutral setting, the face angle sits at 0.5* open.  The standard head weight is approx 200g.

JIGEN the actual brand of the new eRook II driver is driver design-focused and this is their second product to hit market.  The first model the eRook RK55z was a hit in Japan,  known as a very straight low spin club with excellent distance now the eRook II is completely redesigned from the ground up and it shows.

The center of gravity distance, depth, and height along with gravity angle was intentionally designed to give the player equal to better performance than many of the most well-known golf brands drivers.  This is a 3 piece structure (excluding the hosel adapter and weights.)  The eRook II is made of the well-known (Body) Ti811 titanium that is wax precision cast while the (FACE) is made of Ti-180 which is pressed into the structure, finally the large encompassing crown/body is thermal pressure molded Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic or (CFRP).

Does that mean anything to you?  well a lot of R&D as gone into this driver compared to many other boutique brands which is why the new eRook II really performs.  The symmetry wing rib arranged inside of the sole does two big things,  it transmits repulsive energy to the ball with extremely low loss and how they achieve this is by controlling rigidity and vibration for a stronger straightness.

The massive CFRP carbon-encompassing crown gives this head a surplus of weight to take advantage of, which for a driver designer is a luxury.  In this case, the designers at JIGEN redistributed the weight savings mostly to the sole and combined with the extra weight adjustment screws on the exterior of the club head further lowered the CG while maintaining their ideal characteristics so that the eRook II fit the wides range of player possible.

Foresight and Bushnell have launched GC3 and Launch Pro launch monitors.The GC3 is a pay one-time option while the Launch Pro is largely subscription-based.Prices range from $2,999 to $6,995.

It’s an exciting time for Foresight sports, which means it’s an exciting time for golfers. The company recently was acquired by Vista Outdoors for $474 million. That brings Foresight under the same corporate umbrella as Bushnell Golf. The timing couldn’t be better as Foresight and Bushnell are partnering on the release of two … well, one, but kinda two … new compelling offerings in the personal launch monitor category.

Launching simultaneously are the Foresight GC3 and Bushnell Launch Pro launch monitors.

Foresight GC3 / Bushnell Launch Pro – Technical Details

Let’s get the technical bits out of the way. Both the GC3 and Launch Pro are manufactured by Foresight Sports. The San Diego-based company recently expanded its headquarters where the new launch monitors are assembled. It now has the capability to produce well over 200 units a day to help keep up with the anticipated demand.

Both the GC3 and Launch Pro are photometric (i.e, camera-based) systems. As you might surmise from the name, three cameras give the devices the ability to accurately capture both ball and clubhead data. While that’s not quite a GC Quad, the new device is more powerful than Foresight’s prior-generation GC2. Not bad for what’s being loosely billed as consumer-grade, or at least prosumer-grade, equipment.

The final 32 of the Professional Long Drivers of America World Championships will include PGA Tour star Bryson DeChambeau, who finished second in his group Wednesday in Nevada.

Wouldn’t it be nice to start your takeaway with a move that will guarantee a perfect swing with all of your irons? Well bless your stars because this is your lucky day. I have been working on using a flat wrist swing with lag that will power every shot directly up my target line. I have actually done this for years but I could not find consistency to do this with all of my clubs. 10% to 20% of my shots have often been miss-hits. I finally stumbled over a simple trick to create consistency using a wrist move at the start of my takeaway.

Many pros have used a forward arm “press” to start their backswing. Even Phil Michelson and Jordan Spieth use it for the start of their putting stroke. I have also noticed that a Pete Styles a PGA instructor on the Golf-Info-Guide training videos adds a forward press with a slight shift of his hands at the start of his backswing. No one has explained how this affects their performance.

Flatten Your Wrist to Start Your Takeaway
I have been trying to incorporate a flat wrist in my backswing before I reach the top of my swing where I also add wrist lag (with a 90 degree angle from my forearm to my shaft). Somehow I have not been able to capture these 2 moves consistently so I decided to copy Dustin Johnson.

Dustin Johnson must be doing something right with his swing. In addition to being the #1 golfer on tour, he just won 5 points for the USA Ryder Cup Team. He starts bowing his wrist (forming a bump on the back of his wrist) and gradually adding lag from the start of his takeaway. I don’t have his power so I decided to just STRAIGHTEN my wrist at the start of my backswing (instead of BOWING my wrist). This is my eureka move that creates consistent hits with better direction control.

I noticed that the leading wrist on every golfer during setup has a slight cup shape when you setup for any of your clubs (especially for your driver where you setup with the ball further forward in your stance). Only Bryson DeChambeau sets up with a flat leading wrist for his driver and all of his driving clubs.

Adams Tight Lies fairway woods and hybrids are available now.The value-priced clubs ($179 fairways/$149 hybrids) are available now.Golfers can save even more through combo pricing options.

Adams Golf, which somewhat quietly relaunched last October with all-new Tight Lies fairway woods, has decided to try and make just a little bit more noise with the addition of the Adams Tight Lies hybrids (also all-new) to the collection.

Sorry, guys. Still no irons.

Timing is Everything

The reemergence and now expansion of the brand that, not all that long ago, seemed destined for the scrapheap is just one of the things that makes sense in a world where COVID has created a massive influx of both new and returning golfers. I’d wager a significant percentage of these new golfers fall somewhere in the game- and super game-improvement space and, like many golfers, they’re not particularly interested in spending $350+ on a fairway wood and $250+ for a hybrid.

“The only constant in life is change”  Greek philosopher Heraclitus

“Time may change me but I can’t trace time”  British rocker Bowie

Honma Golf has had one constant in North America: Change.

For the past three years, it seems Honma has turned to face the strange and put itself through enough ch-ch-changes in strategy and corporate leadership to make both Bowie and Heraclitus proud.

Since 2018, Honma Golf leadership has morphed more times than a Power Ranger—from “strategic advisor” Mark King to former TaylorMade executive John Kawaja and then former Titleist executive Chris McGinley. This past summer, Honma named former Bridgestone Golf executive Janeann Lanning as its new North American chief.

Bryson DeChambeau's five longest drives out of 30 attempts were 412, 408, 407, 403 and 401 yards, which was good enough to advance to the final 64 of the Professional Long Drivers Association World Championships.

The Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines will start a day earlier and finish on Sunday, Jan. 29, a day ahead of the NFC and AFC title games.

The Baldo Corsa Hybrid is all about more distance in a driving iron.  The face is made of forged DAT55 which is what you would usually see on a driver.  Imagine hitting the 18* 230 yards!  The body is made of full 8-1-1Tititanium and internally there is almost 100g positioned on the sole.  On paper, this is a tiny driver,  DAT55 + Titanium + internal weighting is the recipe for many drivers on the market today but never in any driving irons.

Oh and I almost forgot,  Adjustable weights on the sole.  Standard it comes with dual 8g weights but you can also buy 2,4,6,8,10,12 and 14 grams.  Big selection.  Left-handed is also available :).

Baldo considers this the most distance-oriented driving hybrid in the world.  It works particularly well for those with faster swings who strike down on the ball yet it is extremely accommodating to slower swingers as well thanks to its high trajectory and low CG.  The head itself is made of some very light materials while the majority of the mass is positioned internally near the sole.   Accurate,  high launching with plenty of distance.  The longest and possibly easiest driving iron in the game today.

We can offer the Baldo Corsa Hybrid driving iron head only or shafted with any JDM shaft,  I would suggest Fujikura MCH, Modus 3 Hybrid,  Loop Hybrid, Bassara Hybrid, Tour AD HY or the NS Pro Zelos 7 Hybrid shaft just to name a few.

Baldo Corsa Hybrid 2020 Specification

Pairings/Results 

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CAN YOU CREATE BADASS VIDEOS LIKE THIS?

Do you want to work for a company that values innovation and gives you the creative space to bring your vision to life?

Then you’ve come to the right place. MyGolfSpy is searching the globe for the right person to help take our content team to the next level.

JOB EXPECTATIONS

We want a new team member with vision and the ambition to turn a vision into reality.

We’re a collaborative group with lots of ideas, so our new videographer will have to be a team player and team leader. As MyGolfSpy grows, so does our content output. The right videographer and editor will bring an idea from the discussion table to our reader’s screens.

You will lead brainstorming meetings and create storyboards. You have the freedom to design shoots and sets in a way that you think best tells our story and gives life to what we want to portray. You’ll also operate the camera, lighting and microphone equipment (we can talk about the equipment we have in-house when you apply). Then you’ll weave everything together in your preferred editing program. (We use Adobe CC for now, but we’re always open to better)

Asterisk Talley, Jaden Dumdumaya of JTNC Headed for Augusta

Sept. 27, 2021

Eight area golfers, including Junior Tour of Northern California regulars Asterisk Talley and Jaden Dumdumaya, were crowned as National Finalists and earned an invitation to compete in the eighth Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals on Sunday, April 3, 2022, prior to the start of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

Conducted in partnership with the USGA, Masters Tournament and PGA of America, Drive, Chip and Putt is a free, nationwide youth golf development program open to boys and girls, ages 7-15, in four age divisions. The three-pronged competition tests the skills essential to playing the game – accuracy in driving, chipping and putting.

The regional competition held at Pebble Beach Golf Links – site of 13 USGA championships, including six U.S. Opens; the future site of the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open and 2027 U.S. Open; and host of the 1977 PGA Championship – on Sunday, Sept. 26, was one of 10 qualifying events across the United States to determine the field of 80 young golfers who will advance to the National Finals.

Tens of thousands seized the opportunity to participate in Drive, Chip and Putt this year, which began with local qualifying at hundreds of courses throughout the country this summer. These qualifiers are open each year to young golfers of all skill and experience levels. The top finishers from each local qualifier advanced to subregionals in August followed by regional competitions in September and October.

The United States dominated this Ryder Cup. Now, though, there are questions. Can the Americans keep it going? Is this home-course advantage getting out of hand. And, oh, about Tiger and Phil ...

Our annual Most Wanted tests continue to be our gold standard for 100-percent objective, data-driven performance evaluations. That said, we know there are a multitude of other considerations that go into buying new gear and some of them are inarguably subjective.

That’s not a bad thing.

Our annual Editor’s Choice awards honor those products, technologies and companies based on the opinions of the MyGolfSpy staff, player feedback and, in some cases, our belief in how a product will impact the industry landscape in the future. Ultimately, it’s an opportunity for us to venture beyond the data and share some of our favorite products of 2021.

The reality is we are in an era where advancements are seldom monumental and often incremental at best. That said, there will always be innovators, difference makers and needle movers. This season, we found a number of excellent products, a few missed opportunities and, as always, several categories where nothing much grabbed our attention.

Here are this season’s award winners.

K.J. Choi's two-shot victory Sunday at the PURE Insurance Championship gave him his first PGA Tour Champions win.

Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka were all smiles with each other after they both contributed to a dominant U.S. victory in the Ryder Cup.

It is likely the last Ryder Cup for some of Europe's aging stars. Does the next group of players -- or some who weren't here this time -- have what it takes to keep up with these Americans?