Golfing News & Blog Articles

The new BB line features four familiar Bettinardi designs.The previously “hexperimental” Inovai 8.0 will be offered at retail shops.The Inovai 6.0 makes a surprise return with a new profile and Roll Control Face Milling.

Staying true to their two-year release cycle, Bettinardi Golf has unveiled their 2022 BB and Inovai putters. OK, so maybe there was also a new Inovai last year but the last batch of BB putters for sure came out in 2020.

Consumers will find the BB putter line evokes feelings of both met expectations and surprise. You’ll find the things you expect to find in a Bettinardi BB putter but you’ll also find some unexpected alterations. That’s not too shabby for a batch of just four putters.

I was able to ask Sam Bettinardi a few questions about the new lines and the status of Bettinardi Golf. Although I was asking him about 2022, the following query best sets the stage for Bettinardi at the end of 2021 as well.

Do you see 2022 being a breakout year for Bettinardi Golf?

“We have broken out in 2021! Our products are now sold in over 45 countries around the world, in all major big box stores in America, specialty club fitters and over 60 of the top 100 golf courses in the U.S. We are going to keep the pedal down with making the best product in the world, all produced in our own shop just outside of Chicago. I am so proud of what our team has accomplished the last few years and where we are headed.”

Rory McIlroy made a fast start at the World Tour Championships as he shot a first-round 65 to take a two-shot lead in Dubai.

Golf is a very personalized game. Every shot that you make depends on your absolute focus to apply YOUR BEST knowledge for success. You have to block out any external interference from your environment and your foursome. It really comes down to your personal skill in making a prefect shot every time you swing a club.

Don’t kid yourself: Consistent hitting with every club is NOT easy. You should study your swing for every club and take lessons to correct your swing. You need to understand what’s wrong with YOUR swing BEFORE you can develop consistency. Then use these tips to achieve the success you want on the course.

Play the Tees for your Age and Strength: If you can’t reach the green on in 2 strokes on par 4’s with 50% of your attempts then more to forward tees.Weather Can Be your Friend or Your Enemy: Don’t expect your low rounds on a windy or rainy day. They will be more challenging and frustrating.Avoid Blow-up Holes: If you make a poor shot by mishitting or landing in a hazard, accept your mistake and work on performing the best recover shot to a safe location. Don’t compound your error by trying to make a hero shot and ending up with a SNOWMAN 8.Believe in your Skills for Every Shot: When you prepare for every shot remember the great shots that you have made when you relax with a full backswing and a balanced finish. Think positive words like “I’m calm and I can do this.” It’s only 18 holes and if you can par 1 hole you can par them all.Play with Partners who can Inspire You: Play with friends who play at your speed. Who can relax your mind and take your mind off the low score that you are shooting.Luck Helps: If you make a bad shot don’t start stewing over it until your find your ball. Focus on knowing your ball location and finding your ball, then sort out a positive solution. More often than not, you get a lucky break so that you can salvage a bogey. Find the positive and make the best of it.Don’t Focus on a Low Target Number: Don’t focus on your end result. You can’t afford to be thinking about your chances to make a birdie or the glory if you break 90 or 80. Block those thoughts out. Make your prefect practice swing with the right cadence and a balanced finish. Then repeat that swing to execute the shot. Staying totally focused on the shot that you are making is your best way to make a final winning score.

Pros who lose their focus and start thinking about the glory of finishing with a win, never win. That’s why pros often have an emotional breakdown when they finally realize their accomplishment after their final winning putt. They can’t afford to start thinking about victory celebrations or they will they will lose that calm balanced finish on every swing. The same principals apply to you.

Practice with your GOLFSTR+ to control the 6 key components of your swings. Building confidence and consistency will help you reach more milestones in your game and solve the Golf Truism below. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Golf Truism #84: Golf is the only sport where the most feared opponent is YOU.

Justin Thomas was just trying to show the world he was putting in some time in the gym this offseason. That didn't stop Bryson DeChambeau, Michelle Wie West and others from giving him a hard time.

These are our first-ever Ball Lab awards, though we certainly plan to make this an annual event. The idea was to distill more than two years of Ball Lab efforts to highlight the highest-quality, most consistent golf balls on the market.

Please note these awards are based on total Ball Lab scores of current models. Only urethane models were considered and a minimum of two balls models were required to qualify for brand quality awards.

The Winners

Best Brand Quality

While we’re only considering urethane-covered options for the Ball Lab awards, it’s notable that seven of the current top 10 and eight of the current top 15 models in the Ball Lab database are made by Titleist. The company’s current urethane offerings set the standard with an average quality score of 89.6. Sure, Titleist offers more models than anyone else but with that comes greater opportunity for average quality to be derailed by a sub-par offering. However, every Titleist urethane ball we’ve tested to date has been above average and all but one of those models scored in the mid-80s or better. It’s a case of getting what you pay for. In 2021, Titleist is the most consistent golf ball brand.

Best DTC Brand Quality

NCGA Member Scores Elusive Albatross

November 16, 2021

NCGA Member Debra Baker had one of golfs rare accomplishments recently at the Plantation Golf Course at Kapalua, Maui. She scored an Albatross on the 7th hole, a 460-yard downhill par 5, which was also down wind. This scoring term, which represents three strokes under par on a single hole, is extremely difficult to achieve.

The Albatross is a more elusive accomplishment than a Hole in One! We’ve seen reports of the odds of such an accomplishment set between 1 and 6 million to 1.

So, we asked Debra how she did it.  “I hit my driver to the middle of the fairway and had 160 yards to the pin. I hit my 6 iron, just clearing the fairway bunkers. The ball trundled down toward the front right of the green where the pin was placed, rolled onto the green and, in what seemed slow motion, rolled into the hole for an albatross! Everyone just stood there for a moment (I was in shock) and then the yelling and jumping around started. Luckily, no one got hurt!  The other good news was that the after-round bar bill was not too bad for Mai Tai’s and appetizers for my new best friends. It was a great and memorable day”.

Memorable indeed – congratulations Debra!!!

U.S. Presidents Cup captain Davis Love III said he'd let Tiger Woods' role be "whatever his role wants to be" -- as an assistant or otherwise -- for the event in Charlotte in 2022.

Spirit of the Game: Yang Yong-Eun’s Big Win at the PGA Championship

November 16, 2021

The U.S. PGA Championship has thrown up some surprise winners and produced some stunning upsets over the ages but few can match the drama of 2009.

For some players, such as David Toms, Rich Beem and Wayne Grady, the PGA Championship was their lone major title. But for others, including John Daly and Vijay Singh, it served as a launchpad to greater success.

If South Korea’s Yang Yong-eun never wins another major, he will be hard-pressed topping the drama and significance of his win in 2009.

Not only did the 37-year-old claim his first major, he became the first Asian-born male to win one of golf’s big four titles. He did it in a way no other professional had before, coming from behind in the final round to beat the seemingly-invincible Tiger Woods in a head-to-head battle.

Dr. Condoleezza Rice to be Named 2022 Ambassador of Golf

November 16, 2021

 

Dr. Condoleezza Rice, the 66th U.S. Secretary of State who’s now a professor at Stanford University, will be named the 2022 recipient of the Ambassador of Golf Award presented by FirstEnergy Foundation.

Secretary Rice will be recognized July 7 at the 2022 Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship at Firestone Country Club. The Ambassador of Golf Award honors a person who has fostered the ideals of the game on an international level and whose concerns for others extends beyond the golf course.

“Condoleezza Rice’s service to our country is well-documented, as is the leadership and character she has displayed throughout her decorated career,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Needless to say, we are fortunate and grateful to have someone of such standing show a continued passion for and dedication to growing the game we all love.”

Mom’s life lessons were always pretty simple: Eat your greens, save for a rainy day, never judge a book by its cover—or a golf club by its appearance.

Like Honma BERES.

The optics on this ultra-premium product from the Japanese OEM … Well, they’re pretty glitzy. In-your-face, shades-on glitzy. We’re talking 24K-gold, platinum-rich, bling-infused metalwoods and irons with a price tag ceiling close to $60,000 a set. That’s not a typo. Sixty big ones. For well-heeled types, playing BERES is a mark of distinction comparable to driving a Ferrari or wearing a Rolex Submariner. It’s a luxury play steeped in elegance.

But what about performance? If you take away all the gold and precious metal detailing, does BERES actually help golfers have more fun and hit better shots? Cue the bottom line: Is there substance to go with all that style?

Calling On History

Building golf clubs at Honma is an art form. That has been a bedrock principle of the company since the Honma brothers formed the brand in 1959. Guiding that vision back then, like it does today, is the Japanese art of crafting a katana for the samurai. A painstaking, time-sensitive process that involves heating, folding and hammering of a katana blade.

Justin Thomas shed some light on Tiger Woods and the possibility the 15-time major champion might return to competitive golf. But even his comments left room for interpretation.

If you want the ball to get moving you’ve got to get your body moving and this very simple exercise is a little gem that we all should be practicing on a regular basis. I find it be an excellent reminder of the tilts, turns and stretches we need to incorporate into the golf swing. Watch…

A few checkpoint to keep in mind when doing the exercise:

Hold a club across your shoulders by crossing your arms across your chest

Position the handle of the club on the lead/target side of your body

In the backswing get the handle to point at the ball or where the ball would be

A few weeks ago, we asked you—more specifically, our female readers—to take our women’s golf survey. Our goal was to learn more about our female readers, their experience with fitting and how they perceive the options (or lack thereof) available to them. We were also looking for some insight into how we might do a better job providing information to the fastest-growing segment of golfers.

Our standard surveys receive upwards of 10,000 responses. This survey received 778 responses of which 147 of those were disqualified because the respondent wasn’t a woman. If nothing else, we learned there is opportunity.

Before we dive into the charts, here are a few notes from the demographic section.

The highest female participation group by age includes golfers between 55 and 64 followed by 25 to 34. Between 35 and 54, participation drops by a few percentage points.Women were significantly less likely to answer the annual household income question than men. Nearly 25 percent preferred not to answer.Nearly 25 percent of respondents don’t maintain a handicap index. Among those who do, the highest percentage have indexes between 15.1 and 20 followed by the 25.1 and higher group.The highest percentage (23 percent) plays 11 to 25 rounds per year. Nearly 13 percent play more than 100.

Women are often cited as the fastest-growing segment in golf and, with a COVID-driven uptick in participation, we wanted to see what that looks like.

Phil Mickelson birdied three of the final holes Sunday to win the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship, and Bernhard Langer held on to win his sixth PGA Tour Champions season points title.

Right when it looked as though Nelly Korda had thrown away her chance to win, she recovered to win a four-way playoff.

Jason Kokrak rallied to win the Houston Open on Sunday after making four straight birdies for a 5-under 65.