Golfing News & Blog Articles

Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, saying he "will take all the necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of others," has withdrawn from the Rocket Mortgage Classic after testing positive for COVID-19.

Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, who split with caddie Tim Tucker prior to the start of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, is at 1-under 143 through two rounds and is likely to miss the cut.

There is a lot of cool gear in the golf equipment world that doesn’t always fit neatly into Most Wanted Tests or Buyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it works as advertised.

WHAT WE TRIED

Edel Golf’s EAS (Edel Alignment System) Putter Fitting– The comprehensive fitting system associated with Edel Golf’s new EAS putter line.

YOUR TEST SUBJECT

Dave Wolfe – MyGolfSpy writer and putter fanatic. I’ve tested hundreds (maybe thousands) of flatsticks.

NOT ALL PUTTERS ARE THE SAME

Unfortunately, some of you still think all putters are the same. Some of you believe changing the putter will not influence your putting. Essentially, you believe a golfer will score the same regardless of the putter you play.

Honestly, how can you think this? Is there any sport where changes in equipment don’t produce changes in performance? Would someone’s three-pointer make percentage change if a basketball was a pound heavier? Does an archer score equal numbers of bullseyes with a standard versus a compound bow? Would an amateur golfer shoot the same score if they switched from super-game improvement irons to blades?

Phil Mickelson entered the Rocket Mortgage Classic this week for the first time in the event's three-year history, but he said on Thursday it will be his last appearance.

In the field on a sponsor's exemption, Davis Thompson leads the Rocket Mortgage Classic by 2 shots over Brandon Hagy, Tom Lewis and Joaquin Niemann. The suspended first round will resume Friday morning.

The 2021 ESPYS will be held July 10. Between now and then, your votes for the best athletes, best moments, best plays and best teams will help decide the stars of the show.

A pair of top-15 women and two men who ooze green and gold will lead Australia's charge for a maiden Olympic golf medal in Japan.

Jin Young Ko has a one-stroke lead in the Volunteers of America Classic after losing her No. 1 ranking on Sunday.

The TaylorMade 300 Mini is the company’s latest “mini driver” offering.At 307cc, it’s a bit larger than previous mini offerings.Retail price is $399.99 and will be available July 15.

The TaylorMade 300 Mini is the company’s latest one-off in the mini driver category. For the moment, it’s a one-of-a-kind offering in the marketplace. If MyGolfSpy did a Most Wanted Mini Driver test, we’d be limited to two products: the new TaylorMade 300 Mini and the legendary GX-7. That second one would be just to make things interesting … and I’m not sure it would.

A Not-So-Long History of Mini Drivers

Since TaylorMade’s first mini driver of the 460cc era, the SLDR Mini, TaylorMade has all but had the category to itself. PING was one and done with 13° Rapture. At just 219cc, it was more of a biggie fairway than a mini driver, anyway.

Callaway also fired a single shot within the little driver category with the Big Bertha Mini 1.5. That one launched just in time to compete with TaylorMade’s less than memorable Aeroburner Mini. Suffice it to say that neither company should claim victory in that particular battle.

I digress.

“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” – John Wooden, UCLA Basketball Coach

Over the years that I’ve been coaching the mental game of golf to all levels of golfer, I’ve concluded that one of the biggest factors in a junior golfer’s long term development is how their parents and coaches define their success.

For most golfers (and athletes in general), the measure of success is simple – it’s the end result, their score, place in the tournament, and for some, how others perceive them. Vince Lombardi summed this perspective up best with his famous line: “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing”.

But is this really the best way to measure success to improve long-term performance and what we should teach our kids?

Our junior golfers are constantly seeking our approval and trying to impress us. They are heavily influenced and shaped by what they hear from us and how we respond to them.

Rule of the Month: Dropping

July 1, 2021

Topic Overview:

When taking relief, whether with penalty or without, you must drop a ball. The ball must be dropped straight down from knee height, must be dropped by you (or your partner), must first strike the ground within your relief area, and must remain within that relief area. Your caddie is not allowed to drop your ball.

The relief area is always measured from a reference point. The reference point for an unplayable ball is simply the spot where the ball lies. For a ball in a penalty area, it is the spot where the ball crossed the edge of the penalty area. When taking relief from things like temporary water, ground under repair, cart paths, and sprinkler heads (abnormal course conditions), the reference point is called the nearest point of complete relief. This is the spot on the course nearest to where your ball lies, but not nearer the hole, where you could play your next stroke with no interference from the condition you’re taking relief from. Click here for more information on the nearest point of complete relief.

The size of the relief area is measured from the reference point and is determined by the type of relief you are taking (one club-length for things like cart paths and ground under repair, or two club-lengths for lateral relief for an unplayable ball or a ball in a red penalty area). If the ball doesn’t stay in the relief area after dropping it, simply drop it again. If it again doesn’t stay in the relief area, place a ball on the spot where it struck the ground on the second drop.

When taking relief, a club-length is always the length of the longest club in your bag (excluding your putter). For most players, this will be their driver. You may leave the headcover on when measuring, but the extra length doesn’t count – the club-length is still simply the length of the driver itself.

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy has fallen eight shots behind the leader in the first round of the Irish Open on the European tour.

Before Bryson DeChambeau teed off for the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Thursday, he said he and caddie Tim Tucker have decided to take a break, the golfer told ESPN.

The winner of The Open this month will earn more than $2 million for the first time as part of a total prize fund of $11.5 million.

Strokes Gained sits on the shelf of golf terms labeled often-used, rarely defined. You hear it on TV broadcasts, in golf media and increasingly in manufacturers’ marketing literature.

But what does it mean? It’s a question we get fairly often at MyGolfSpy so let’s flesh it out a bit. Considering the two words absent any context, “strokes” and “gained” seem innocuous enough.

It’s not like we’re talking about axiomatic systems or oblate spheroids. But ask your regular foursome to define “Strokes Gained” and I’ll wager a steak dinner you’re more likely to get blank stares rather than a correct answer.

WELL, WE’RE WAITING …

Strokes Gained is the brainchild of Columbia business professor Mark Broadie. It’s the definitive performance statistic in the field, a welcome replacement for silo statistics such as putts-per-round and percentage of fairways hit.

A lawyer representing Phil Mickelson is taking issue with a Detroit News report that linked the golfer to an alleged mob bookie in a 2007 trial.

I have always wondered why I occasionally shoot 10 strokes below my handicap index. Why can’t I just bottle that feeling and shoot under 80 in every round that I play. I finally discovered the reason while playing from the 5,400 yard tees instead of the 6,000 yard tees. As I age with less flexibility I should accept the fact that I just can’t generate the club head speed to keep up with the young bucks.

In a GOLF Blog written about Omar Uresti, a veteran PGA player, it stated that the biggest mistake golfers make as they age is that they try to compensate by swinging faster. Aging golfers lose distance as they lose their flexibility with every club in their bag. You need to accept that fact and age gracefully. When you try to compensate for your lack of flexibility and strength, you will tend to swing faster and lose control of your swing. Unfortunately the faster you try to swing the more slices and hooks you will create.

YOUR Mental Balance = Better Distance and Direction Control
I have also learned that there is a significant mental side to the equation for better golf. By selecting a club that you know can reach your target you can put your mind in a calm and relaxed state of mind that allows your body to swing with a relaxed backswing and downswing. Don’t try to fool yourself into believing that you can hit the same distance with each club that you planned to hit 10 or 20 years ago.

Change Your Mental Outlook to Avoid Over-swinging

Choose a club that you know will easily reach your target.Make a CONTROLLED practice swing with every club and grip down for shorter distances.If you land in the rough, take your medicine and get out safely with a lofted iron.Slowdown your backswing for time to cock your wrist and press forward over your ball.Let your hips and shoulders rotate in your backswing to the limit of your straight leading arm.Enjoy a smooth release through your ball to a balanced finish. Think of Ernie Els swing.Realize that most poor shots are caused by over-swinging or not accounting for sloped ground.For pitch shots within 100 yards open your stance and put more pressure on your leading foot to ensure that you impact the ball before the ground.Choose your target line for every putt and learn from your last missed putt.Putt confidently to pass the hole by up to 2 feet with less break. Short putts never go in.

Build Confidence As You Play
Ignore powerful younger players. If you swing within your physical capability you will hit more fairways and greens in regulation. As your confidence grows, your shots will be more consistent and you will chip better and sink more putts. A positive mental attitude breeds success in golf. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to learn to swing every club within your limitations. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Bryson DeChambeau will look to defend his title at Detroit Golf Club. Here are our best bets for the event.

Normally we hear the term “JDM” (Japanese Domestic Market) discussing the automotive space. True golf gearheads, however, will also know that it also applies to Japanese golf clubs. Japan is the second-largest golf market in the world. As such, Japan is home to many brands we don’t hear much about, but it’s not due to lack of performance.

In Japan, the first place golfers look for new equipment is GOLF Partner. GOLF Partner is not only the largest golf retail chain in Japan, but is the largest in the world. Through www.golfpartnerusa.com, GOLF Partner makes thousands of new and used JDM clubs easily available to global buyers. Let’s explore a few of these offerings with five great options for JDM irons that aren’t available in the USA.

#1 Mizuno EURUS G6

Mizuno is certainly no stranger to topping irons lists. After all, the brand thoroughly dominated 2021 MOST WANTED PLAYER’S DISTANCE IRON testing among others. Two persistent thoughts in the minds of golfers, however, is that Mizuno irons tend to be a bit pricey and target highly-skilled golfers. In Japan at least, Mizuno answers both of these thoughts with the EURUS line.

EURUS clubs are available from driver through to putter and offer high-quality clubs to newer golfers at a reasonable price. And affordable new clubs generally translate as very-affordable used clubs. With the EURUS line, GOLFPartner’s secondary market as full iron sets can be found for under $500. For this price, you obviously aren’t getting forged heads, but cast. The club features a deep cavity back and low CG to be forgiving and get the ball up into the air. Additionally, the clubs are only available in a lightweight (59.5 gram), graphite shaft to help slower swing speed golfers gain a few yards. If you want the Mizuno logo in your bag, but are worried about the dollars or swing required of US offerings, then the EURUS G6 irons might work for you.

BUY NOW

The Americans will have one extra player than they had for women's golf in the 2016 Olympics, as the United States and South Korea both received the maximum four entries for the Tokyo Games.