Golfing News & Blog Articles

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TPC finally closes Round 1; Fleetwood, Hoge lead

The first round of the Players Championship finally ended late Saturday afternoon, 54 hours and 16 minutes after the opening tee shot Thursday morning, and Tommy Fleetwood, who shot 66, shared the lead with Tom Hoge.

Zach Johnson with his worst practice-swing fail yet at The Players

An old problem resurfaced for Zach Johnson at The Players. The problem, oddly enough, is this habit he has of accidentally hitting the ball with a practice swing.

Players suspended again by rain; to resume Sat.

Play was suspended again because of heavy rain at the Players Championship on Friday and won't resume until at least 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, the PGA Tour announced.

On The Mark Podcast Talking Golf Course Design and Better Course Management

People have the idea I’m in love with island greens. Well, I’ve designed two in 50 years. Once you’re stereotyped, it’s almost impossible to lose it. PETE DYE

/ Geoff Shackelford

Game improvement talk is very difficult to do on a podcast but Mark Immelman does a superb job with his show, On the Mark. The instructor, broadcaster and overall keen observer of the game had me on to talk golf course design and things golfers can do to read a course.

Plus we discussed the best holes on the PGA Tour and what I love about one in play this week at TPC Sawgrass, the 16th.

The Google podcasts link along with the Apple and Spotify options:

Oh eagles final hole to share LPGA Thailand lead

Oh Su eagled her final hole to grab a share of the lead alongside Nasa Hataoko after the second round of the LPGA Thailand on Friday.

"Woods closes out one chapter, will he write another?"

People have the idea I’m in love with island greens. Well, I’ve designed two in 50 years. Once you’re stereotyped, it’s almost impossible to lose it. PETE DYE

/ Geoff Shackelford

Strong stuff here from AP’s Jim Litke on Tiger Woods going into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

The best ones have the hardest time letting go. Woods wouldn’t be the first G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All-Time) to push the envelope.

“One day you might look up and see me playing the game at 50,” is how Michael Jordan ended his Hall of Fame induction speech. Knowing laughs erupted on every side of him.

“Oh don’t laugh,” he said. “Never say never.”


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PGA Tour Becomes The First And (Hopefully) Last Organization To Incorporate Mixed Reality Into A Broadcast

Execs from NBC working out of PGA Tour headquarters are making stellar use of the synergy by working with a creative agency to come up with their next expensive abomination.

The big unveiling came during rain-delayed round one coverage of the 2022 Players. With, warning, more to come in the coming days.

One of the most trusted voices and best broadcasters in sports history was relegated to introducing the “mixed reality” intrusion…

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Players: Fleetwood, Hoge lead but weather rules

Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge share the first-round lead at The Players Championship, where weather wreaked havoc Thursday. The suspended first round is scheduled to resume Friday at 7:15 a.m.

NEW RELEASE: FootJoy Pro SL and Pro SL Carbon

Introducing FootJoy’s Pro SL and Pro SL Carbon

Both styles will continue to feature the Infinity Outsole configuration. The 189 points of traction provide more contact with the turf, locking you in longer on every swing. FootJoy says this traction system continues on the Pro SL to be the No. 1 performance spikeless shoe on the PGA TOUR. That’s a pretty good endorsement.

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FootJoy Pro SL

FEATURES AND BENEFITS 

Performance Leather: ChromoSkin leather, developed by Pittards® of England, is soft, lightweight, durable and waterproof.

Lightweight Midsole Cushioning: StratoFoam is a proprietary foam compound tuned specifically for golf that maximizes comfort.

Footjoy Pro SL




™




Footjoy Pro|SL




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BEST SPIKELESS GOLF SHOE OF 2022

INDEPENDENT & UNBIASED

All products featured on MyGolfSpy are independently selected and tested by our staff. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

27

Hours
Researched

2

Experts
Interviewed

45

Products
Considered

75m

Readers

2022 Spikeless Shoe Buyer’s Guide

The trend continues. Spikeless shoes are taking over the market.

In 2022, we tested 39 different pairs of spikeless shoes compared to 15 in the spiked category. The numbers speak for themselves.

We have seen a lot of options within the category: tennis shoe look, knit material, everyday look, classic style … You name it, we tested it.

Many professional golfers have transitioned from spiked to spikeless, seeking the comfort of walking 18 holes a day without losing traction. The tough part with the number of shoes on the market is knowing which ones are the best for you. Any of our top 15 shoes are well worth your consideration.






MOST STABLE SHOE - adidas TOUR360 22
MOST COMFORTABLE SHOE - PAYNTR 002X




























































































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Matsuyama withdraws from TPC due to back

Reigning Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama withdrew from the Players Championship on Thursday because of a lingering back injury and will be replaced in the field by Patrick Rodgers.

Hataoka part of 3-way tie atop LPGA Thailand

Nasa Hataoka, Esther Henseleit and Su Oh each shot 63 on Thursday and shared the first-round lead at the Honda LPGA Thailand.

Quadrilateral: Major(s) News And Notes, March 10th, 2022

This week’s free Thursday edition features a Golf Hall Of Fame wrap and links. Tiger and Susie Maxwell Berning stole the show with their speeches, while Judy Rankin and Sam Woods delivered fantastic intros.

Plus, is Augusta getting widened? The 150th ticket exchange goes live, Peacock will make money despite a high churn rate that will likely be mimicked by golf fans this summer and a neat bit of Brookline history. Oh and some links to good reading as well.

You can read more about The Quadrilateral here.

You can subscribe here.

Video: Tiger Woods' World Golf Hall Of Fame Induction Speech

My inspiration comes from the golfers themselves, who in spite of kicking and cursing, find that a trip around a Pete Dye golf course is always memorable. Golf has given me a life that is rich in experience, personal achievement and friendship, but I find the greatest satisfaction in believing that I have somehow contributed to making the game I love a more exciting one to play.  PETE DYE

Tiger celebrates road to HOF in induction speech

An emotional Tiger Woods reflected on his career and thanked his family and friends as he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Wednesday, saying, "I didn't get here alone."

Sink More Down-Hill Putts

Every golfer is faced with this decision in every round of golf. Knowing the correct direction your putts will break could save 1 or 2 strokes, especially for DOWN-HILL PUTTS. This problem occurs when you can see your downhill putt but you can’t determine which way your soft, 3 to 6 foot putt will break. Plumb-Bobbing is a great solution for all putts (down-hill, side-hill or up-hill) when the break is so minor that you need some help to read it. BUT DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME PLUMB-BOBBING IF YOU CAN SEE AN OBVIOUS BREAK.

SOLUTION: Using your putter as a Plumb-Bob, you can determine the correct break but it won’t tell you the actual amount of break which is based on the speed of your putt. FIRST: You need to build confidence in Plumb-Bobbing by practicing with your “CALIBRATED” putter and SECOND: You need to practice a variety of down-hill putts to estimate the AMOUNT OF brake that you can expect.

Plumb-Bobbing Only Works For These Conditions
1/ Consistent Slope of the Green: It only tells you the break of the green exactly on the ground where your feet are standing. So it will only be useful if you can see that the green extending from your feet, past the hole and up to your ball are all on the same plane [as a double break is impossible to read from one point when Plumb-Bobbing].
2/ Using a Calibrated Putter: You need to line up one side of the shaft of your putter with a door frame and rotate the putter until a known side of the shaft lines up exactly with the door frame. Your putter shaft is tapered so the correct side of your putter shaft makes a difference [ie for my calibrated putter, I close one eye to line up the (1) left side of my putter shaft when the (2) face of my putter is pointing directly at my target line. [Every putter will line up with a door frame differently as the putter head for every putter has a different weight.]
3/ Stand Above or Below the Hole with your ball Beyond the Hole: Your ball will break the most as it slows down near the hole. Your Plumb-Bob reading is ONLY measuring the slope on the green where your feet are planted (because you are only measuring the angle that GRAVITY applies to your putter exactly where you are standing).

How to Plumb-Bob
A/ Stand about 4 to 6 feet away from the hole and line the hole up with your ball (using one eye while closing the other eye).
B/ Now without changing standing position, hold your putter with 2 fingers in front of you and line up the calibrated side of the shaft and putter orientation with the center of the hole (using the same eye).
C/ If the upper end of your putter shaft lines up with the exact center of the hole and the center of your ball on the calibrated side of your putter shaft, then your putt should be a straight putt. If the handle end of your putter shaft lines up on the left or right side of the ball, then that side is the HIGH SIDE OF THE GREEN. Your ball will break from the high side back to the hole. So line you putt up on the high side of the slope.

You will build confidence in Plumb-Bobbing if you place 3 balls on a line across a slope above a hole (as in the image below). Plumb-Bob the break for all 3 balls and then putt those balls to prove to yourself that Plumb-Bobbing really works. Of course you also need to practice with a flat leading wrist to putt exactly on your target line. GOLFSTR+ is a perfect training aid to make straight putts. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com


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USGA Names Nathan Smith, Mike McCoy Next Two Walker Cup Captains

Congrats to these two longtime competitors and keep them in your prayers as they captain at the Old Course and Cypress Point.

Mike McCoy in 2023 at St Andrews and Nathan Smith in 2025 at Cypress Point.

The full release:

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (March 9, 2022) – The USGA announced on Wednesday that Mike McCoy, of Des Moines, Iowa, will captain the USA Team for the 2023 Walker Cup Match on the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland and Nathan Smith, of Pittsburgh, Pa., will captain the USA Team for the 2025 Walker Cup Match at Cypress Point Club in Pebble Beach, Calif.

“Both Mike and Nathan have long, exceptional histories with the USGA and outstanding amateur golf resumes,” said Stu Francis, USGA president. “Given the historic nature of the next two matches being staged at St. Andrews and Cypress Point, we wanted to give both of them the time to enjoy this leadership opportunity and plan their next few years accordingly. We congratulate each of them on an honor well deserved and look forward to watching them lead two talented USA Teams.”

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Mike Tirico's Sitdown Interview With Jay Monahan

My inspiration comes from the golfers themselves, who in spite of kicking and cursing, find that a trip around a Pete Dye golf course is always memorable. Golf has given me a life that is rich in experience, personal achievement and friendship, but I find the greatest satisfaction in believing that I have somehow contributed to making the game I love a more exciting one to play.  PETE DYE

#ASKMYGOLFSPY – WEDGES

How often should I replace my wedges?

Titleist says you should think about replacing your wedges after 75 rounds. While that sounds exactly like what somebody trying to sell you a wedge would say, it is a reasonable estimate based on typical use.
The more you use your wedge, the more the grooves will wear. When that happens, you’ll start to lose friction which means launch angles, lower spin, and more roll out.
Things like hitting an abundance of sand shots, banging on beat-up hardcover range balls, or choosing to play an unplated (raw) wedge will accelerate groove wear. Softer, forged wedges will typically wear faster too.
Unless you play most of your golf inside, there’s an argument to be made that when it’s time to replace the grip, it’s time to replace the wedge.

How much does wedge weight matter?
As with any fitting question, the right answer is almost certainly “it depends”. The idea is that additional weight helps you create more momentum on shorter shots.

As a rule of thumb, your pitching wedge should be a few swing weight points heavier than your 9-iron. Your lob wedge a couple points heavier still.
It’s not uncommon for wedge swing weights to be as high as D5 or D6 and I have friends who play closer to D8. Some of that will be driven by the shaft. Stock shafts for aftermarket/specialty wedges tend to be closer to tour weight, so if you typically play light or even mid-weight shafts, it may be worth ordering custom (assuming you’re not going to get fitted).

What can rust do for my wedge shots around the green?

Nothing.
Rust doesn’t add spin. One more time for the guys in the back…
RUST DOESN’T ADD SPIN.
It is true that raw wedges can sometimes spin more (especially if the manufacturer hasn’t accounted for the finish in the groove spec), but that’s because of a lack of finish, not because of the rust.
I’m not a fan of anything in between the clubface and the ball and that’s exactly what rust is.

How do I determine the best bounce and grind for my game?
First, some quick definitions.

Bounce is the angle formed between the leading edge and the lowest point on the sole.
The grind is the shape of the sole. It encompasses things like width and camber as well as any relieved areas.
When it comes to finding the right wedges, I recommend every golfer get professionally fitted outdoors. If that’s not in the cards (and it probably isn’t), it comes down to a combination of your swing and the type of shots you play on the golf course.
The rule of thumb is that steeper swingers (guys who often take deep divots) benefit from wider (high bounce) soles, while the shallow pickers of the world do well with narrower (lower bounce) soles.
Things get more complex when we start talking about options for opening the face around the green or gliding through fluffy bunkers, or picking a ball of a bare dirt lie because your home course doesn’t have 100% grass coverage around the green.
The bottom line is that the course seldom cares about how you swing, so I’m a proponent of carrying a mix of high and low bounce options with enough versatility across grinds that you can manage whatever lie the course gives you.

Full Face Wedges – What difference do they make?
The practical benefit comes on open-face shots around the green where the extra groove area allows you to maintain spin when you’re intentionally make contact somewhere other than the primary hitting area. It’s the reason why full-face grooves are ubiquitous on high toe wedges.

There’s also a marketing angle at play. Full-face wedges are still kinda different, arguably kinda cool – and that can be tempting.
That said, on your stock, square face shots, there’s no added value whatsoever. And, for the life of me, I can’t find any reason why you’d need full-face grooves on anything longer than a sand wedge.

Various wedges







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How to watch the PGA Tour's The Players on ESPN+

The largest purse and winner's share in PGA Tour history is on the line at The Players. Here's how you can watch the action on ESPN+.


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