Golfing News & Blog Articles

The 2021 KYOEI KCM Heritage Blade – For those unfamiliar with the brand, KYOEI is a factory located in Ichikawa Japan (HIMEJI).  It is known today as Japan’s original golf club foundry and factory.  Many industry masters have honed their skills within their walls,  even old man Miura was an employee there and openly praises KYOEI as the job where he learned about forging techniques and perfected his grinding.  He is not the only one though,  countless industry masters have learned during extended and sometimes even short visits.

KYOEI is still today the only factory in all of Japan to do forging, grinding, finishing and polishing,  they stock hundreds of heavy molds to produce some of the worlds most famous one piece forgings.

The KCM is the name of a mold,  one of the most famous molds they have produced in the modern era of golf.  It has won countless victories on multiple tours in the hands of players across more than a few brands.  The heritage series pays homage to the factory and the KCM mold itself and to name a specific model based on the mold is unheard of as most brand try their best to hide mold names from the public.  At TSG we not only sell these new KCM heritage irons but we also offer the raw molds to experienced crafters who want to produce their own irons.  We thank KYOEI for allowing this to happen.

The predecessor of this iron was known KYOEI was the KK MB.  In 2021 KYOEI has updated the shape and design.   In this blog post, we highlight what is known as (ARAKENMA) grain,  which is this cool raw grain effect on the heads resembling a deep brushed look.  (KUROZOME) finish,  this is the black dye applied over the grain-finished head,  this finish allows the player to feel the purest form of Japan forged S25C steel because it is not a plating and does not influence the vibrations or feel at impact when the ball is struck.

This finish will eventually wear but beautifully if taken care of.  First, the sole and impact zones where contact is made turns silver,  we suggest a quick dry wipe at the end of each round and if you want to really enhance the look of these a quick blast of oil or wd40 every month or so.  You do not want to keep these wet and especially with sale water or they will rust,  although some people go for that look.  In the end the look is stunning as is the feel of these irons.  Pure Japan Forged!

Starting with the 3M Open, players will no longer need to produce a negative test to compete, regardless of vaccination status.

Srixon Q-STAR TOUR DIVIDE – Key Takeaways

Srixon’s Q-START TOUR DIVIDE is now available in two new color optionsYellow/Blue is available starting today; Yellow/Orange will be available July 30th$32.99/dozen

Are you the type of golfer who likes a splash of color in his game? If so, the new additions to the multi-color Srixon Q-STAR TOUR DIVIDE golf ball line might be right up your alley. We’re talking Technicolor, Kodachrome and Crayola 64 all rolled into one.

If, however, you’re a traditionalist and think optic yellow screams driving range and is an affront to the game’s sacred traditions, you might want to skip this article. It won’t make you happy.

Srixon introduced its dual-color Q-STAR TOUR DIVIDE last April. At the time, the company promised some new colorways later in the year. Welp, buckle up folks, Srixon is about to go all Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds on you.

Tangerine Trees, Marmalade Skies

The first Q-STAR TOUR DIVIDE arrived in a fishing bobber-esque red and yellow and brought back memories of the legendary PING Eye 2 balls from the 80s. The two new entries round out Srixon’s tribute to primary colors, and raise a glass to the secondary ones, too.

First off, if you’re a fan of LA’s pro football teams, the Red Sox recent City Connect uniforms or the Cub Scouts, you’ll love the Yellow/Blue Q-STAR DIVIDE. And if you’re fond of adult male Western Tanagers or Lutino Fischer’s Love Birds, then you’ll enjoy the new Yellow/Orange Q-STAR TOUR DIVIDE.

A Timeless Classic Versus 2021’s Most Wanted Blade Putter

Tests of “Old Versus New” never fail to generate buzz, curiosity and usually controversy. Given how far drivers have come from when your “old” is made from wood, finding the answer to the “is newer really better?” question is basically a gimme. But what about the putter space? Sure, there’s been plenty of evolution but how much has really changed?

Let’s find out.

The Old

Scotty Cameron Bullseye- A major winner. Depending on your perspective, it’s either a timeless design or a nostalgic relic. Chances are you’ve rolled a few putts with a Bullseye over the years.

The New

Odyssey White Hot OG #1 Stroke Lab Putter- Our 2021 Most Wanted Blade Putter. Sure, it’s still an Anser shape but it’s also an embodiment of putter evolution.

Can one of golf’s most iconic putters compete with the best blade we tested this year?

Harris English birdied the eighth hole of sudden death to win the Travelers Championship on Sunday, beating Kramer Hickok after both birdied the final hole of regulation to force the playoff.

Stricker's victory at Firestone on Sunday is his second this year.

Nelly Korda powered her way to her first major championship Sunday with a performance worthy of her new status as the No. 1 player in women's golf.

Viktor Hovland holds off Martin Kaymer to win the BMW International Open and become the first Norwegian player to earn a victory on the European Tour.

Bettinardi Golf teams up with Miller Lite to produce co-branded products.Products include putters, head covers, clothing and koozies.Gear releases Tuesday, June 29, at 11 a.m. EST.

In what seems to be their 2021 plan, Bettinardi Golf has announced another new partnership, this time with Miller Lite. This makes the third such partnership this season, adding to the previous collaborations with Malbon Golf and Big League Chew. Obviously, beer and golf have been in a relationship for a while. Still, why did Bettinardi decide to make theirs official with Miller Lite?

Miller Lite has been part of many great memories for my father and I on the golf course. The marriage between Bettinardi Golf and Miller Lite was a home run in our eyes, bringing two great American Midwest brands together for all golfers to enjoy fun, premium products when they play golf with their friends. Miller Lite crafting their beer in the U.S.A. and our golf products being made in the U.S.A. has brought a shared mission of bringing truly premium golf products to life with this limited-edition release, just in time for the 4th of July and summer golf rounds. It’s exciting for fans of both of our companies!

Sam Bettinardi, Vice-President of Bettinardi Golf

Seriously, Who Puts Golf and Beer Together?

Sounds like Sam and Bob Bettinardi have enjoyed a Miller Lite on the golf course before. Have any of you? (Raises hand.) Again, the pairing of a fine malt beverage and golf may not be outside-the-box thinking, yet it might be so obvious a pairing that golf companies have overlooked it. Beer-branded bags are common but products overtly coupling golf companies and brewers are not. As it turns out, this midwestern manufacturing marriage requires no shotgun.

Steve Stricker watched his eight-shot lead shrink to four after missing greens and missing putts on the back nine Saturday at the Senior Players Championship at Firestone.

Three-time Travelers champion Bubba Watson picked up three strokes on Kramer Hickok over the final two holes, shooting a 2-under 68 on Saturday at TPC River Highlands to pull into a tie for the lead with the minor league tour regular at 10-under par.

Lizette Salas used a nearly flawless performance on the front nine to position herself in the lead at the Women's PGA Championship alongside Nelly Korda.

Viktor Hovland is a round away from becoming the European Tour's first Norwegian winner after he opened up a three-shot lead in the third round of the BMW International Open on Saturday.

For a company like BirdieBall, the pandemic created an unexpected surge in demand for at-home golf practice gear. With many courses closed, plenty of golfers looked for opportunities to transform a garage, backyard or living room into a makeshift short-game practice area. Now that the industry is back to some semblance of normalcy, golfers haven’t abandoned this concept. In fact, it might have lit the type of fuse that results in conversations that start like: “Hey,  honey, you know that addition you always wanted to put on the house?”

I’m not suggesting you go that exact route. But a quick Google search reveals the market isn’t suffering from a shortage of manufacturers. In short, if enough people are willing to buy something, someone will figure out a way to produce it.

It doesn’t take a Ph.D. in economics to understand that BirdieBall is in a complex—yet potentially lucrative—situation.

In order to take full advantage of the unforeseen and perhaps temporary circumstances, it is in BirdieBall’s best interest to extend the product line where it believes the opportunity exists to gain new customers.

BIRDIEBALL OUTDOOR PUTTING GREEN

We know that BirdieBall produces class-leading indoor putting mats. Its secret sauce is a polymer that allows the indoor green to roll precisely like the manicured surfaces pros putt on every week. If there’s a downside, it’s that the indoor version looks more like a foam pad than a conventional putting green. Then again, a good bit of BirdieBall’s success is rooted in its purposely non-traditional approach.

Nelly Korda tied the Women's PGA Championship record on Friday with a 9-under 63 to give her a 1-shot lead going into the weekend.

Bubba Watson recovered after snapping his driver to make birdie at No. 2 on his way to a second straight 66 that left him at 8 under, one stroke behind 36-hole leader Jason Day, at the Travelers.

Steve Stricker increased his lead to five strokes Friday in the Senior Players Championship, following an opening 7-under 63 with a 68 at breezy Firestone.

Irish golfer Niall Kearney took a two-shot lead after the second round of the BMW International Open on Friday.

It’s our duty to you to tell you when we uncover industry secrets. Sometimes that means calling out companies for misleading advertising. This time it means we’re bringing attention to a company that is putting performance first.

We love telling you when we come across something that just gets it right. adidas golf shoes get it right.

adidas might not be a small name, in fact we concede that it’s a regular househould name. adidas destroys competition in almost all soccer equipment and has considerable sports apparel market share. But in the golf world, adidas is a perceived relative underdog. That is until, you evaluate their golf shoes based on performance. Then, adidas is a giant.

An Invisible Revolution

adidas golf shoes didn’t start at the top. Early renditions were notoriously narrow, and didn’t fit enough of the golfing population to surge in popularity.

We like to make the distinction between revolutionary and evolutionary. Revolutionary of course is a drastic departure from the norm while evolutionary advancement happens in consecutive small increments.

Players will not be allowed to share accommodations or visit restaurants, pubs or grocery stores during The Open next week in England.