Golfing News & Blog Articles

South Africa's Richard Sterne got off to a good start at the Dubai Desert Classic carding a 64 in the first round to finish at eight under for a one-shot lead.

According to TheGrint founder Jose Torbay, the purpose of the phone-based application is “to make it easier to carry and maintain a handicap.”

I call it a handicap service with benefits.

Regardless, it started as most solid entrepreneurial pursuits do: a solution to a problem. It wasn’t the kind of solution that radically changed an industry or turned into a proprietary noun (e.g., Kleenex, ChapStick).

But it did result in more than one nasty gram from the USGA.

“TheGrint.” Say What?

After a one-year hiatus, the USGA on Wednesday announced that 109 local sites across 43 states and Canada will conduct 18-hole U.S. Open qualifiers from April 26 to May 18.

We love the game of golf because it’s a challenge for our minds and bodies to duplicate those EFFORTLESS swings that we see the pros make on TV. Striping a ball straight up the center of a fairway seems to be so easy when we watch so many professional golfers consistently making miraculous shots. I’ve done it myself but I just can’t maintain the consistency from the driving range to the course. Fortunately I learned that weekend warriors need more time in our back-swing to rotate my hips and shoulders as we create lag with my wrists.

We all know that a consistent rhythm or cadence in our swing gives us time to setup our bodies for the perfect transition, impact and balanced pose. When we are mentally and physically relaxed our backswing and downswing become effortless. Our minds and bodies are in sync. But what happens when our minds start to focus on the importance of the drive off the first tee or a shot along the side of a pond or over a mass of bushes. We tense up and our swing pattern changes.

The Problem
I discovered the problem for more consistent swings while watching recreational golfers execute the perfect practice swing and then destroy their swing when they move forward to hit a ball. We all pause to gather our thoughts before we execute our swing. We are actually building up TENSION in our minds and our bodies. We then speed up our backswing to hopefully create more power. BIG MISTAKE! Power comes from the speed of our downswing NOT OUR BACK-SWING.

When we execute a swing, we tend to speed up our back-swing with our arms but we lose the timing to allow the pressure to shift from our back foot to initiate the downswing. A rushed back swing results in swinging OFF OUR BACK FOOT. If we don’t give ourselves time to transfer our weight during the transition at the top of our swing we tend to fall back at the start of our downswing. That results in mishits where the ball squirts off the toe of our club face.

The Solution
Slow down and take more time in your back swing. Intentionally practice the same speed of backswing that you plan to use when you are swinging at the ball. Use that extra time to start the transfer of your weight to your leading foot as your hip bumps forward to start your downswing from the ground up. [The pros don’t need the extra time as they make all the right moves at high speed.] Give yourself that extra time to start your forward press with your weight shift before your hip rotation starts your downswing.

The PGA Tour heads to Torrey Pines this week for the Farmers Insurance Open. Our experts offer their best bets for the event.

First Look: ASICS GEL-Course ACE

Key Takeaways

Srixon/ASICS introduces the ASICS GEL-Course ACE golf shoe.Lightweight shock absorbersAvailable for men and women starting Jan. 27

“This shoe will provide the legendary performance of ASICS running shoes and the waterproof protection you need when conditions on the course aren’t perfect.” Mike Powell, President of Sales and Marketing, Srixon/Cleveland Golf/XXIO

Did you know ASICS makes golf shoes? For many years, ASICS has produced and engineered top-quality running shoes, and still do, for those who love to run. I’m not one of those people. Not because of the shoe but because I hate running. PERIOD! However, golf … that I like.

Let’s see what makes the ASICS GEL-Course ACE shoe tick.

What’s to Know About ASICS

ASICS was founded in 1949 in Kobe, Japan, with just four employees. Their first shoe was for basketball, not golf or running. At the time, the basketball shoe was the hardest shoe to manufacture but the company’s founder, Mr. Onitsuka felt that “if he can overcome a high hurdle at the start, he will be able to continue overcoming other hurdles as well.” Today, the more than 9,000 employees adhere to the same mentality.

Key Takeways

What makes the BirdieBall putting mat roll like a real green? Aerated polymers.BirdieBall putting mat is the only mat out there with grain, to simulate putting with or against the grain on a real green.Over half a million BirdieBall putting mats sold, with a less than one percent return rate.300 percent sales growth over the past year has BirdieBall looking for a new facility.

The secret that makes BirdieBall the king of putting mats is something you’ve probably never heard of: aerated polymers.

Yeah, I know. From the looks of it, you’d think it’s plain old foam, right? But according to John Breaker—BirdieBall’s owner, inventor and wannabe Elon Musk—you’d be wrong.

“We have this bias in our culture about foam being cheap and readily available,” says Breaker. “Our BirdieBall mat is quite the contrary. We go to great lengths to create a foam that functions like a real green. And there’s nothing cheap about it.”

In fact, “foam” is disdained as just another four-letter word at BirdieBall. The appropriate term is “aerated polymer.”

As you’ll discover, aerated polymers are at the root (pardon the pun) of BirdieBall’s putting mats.

MyGolfSpy Ball Lab is where we quantify the quality and consistency of the golf balls on the market to help you find the best ball for your money. Today, we’re taking a look at the Vice Pro. An overview of the equipment we use can be found here. To learn more about our test process, how we define “bad” balls and our True Price metric, check out our About MyGolfSpy Ball Lab page.

Given the nature of direct-to-consumer business, we can’t be absolutely sure but it stands to reason that Vice is among the most popular brands in its segment. It’s fair to say its balls have been among the most requested for Ball Lab.

You asked for this one.

As it turns out, we bought our samples of the original Vice Pro just before the new models came out. Rather than publish data on an out-of-date model, we decided to wait until we could get the new models for comparison. With COVID messing with the supply chain, it took us a while.

Kamaiu Johnson's hopes of making his first PGA Tour start this week at the Farmers Insurance Open ended with a positive COVID-19 result. Making matters worse, his mother has been hospitalized in Florida due to the virus.

USGA Announces 2021 U.S. Women’s Open Qualifying

2021 Event at Olympic Club

January 26, 2021

The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced qualifying dates and sites for the 76th U.S. Women’s Open Championship, which will be contested June 3-6, 2021, at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif.

Conducted over 36 holes, qualifying will be held at 22 courses between April 26 and May 13. The championship is open to female professionals and amateurs with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 2.4. Online entry applications open on Wednesday, Feb. 17 and continues through April 14 at champs.usga.org.

The return to qualifying comes after an unprecedented year in which the signature play-in opportunities were canceled due to COVID-19 health and safety concerns. A determination on the feasibility of international qualifying given the ongoing effects of the pandemic will be made in coming weeks. Since debuting in 2014, U.S. Women’s Open international qualifying has typically been held in England, Japan, China and Korea.

“Last year was a difficult one in many respects and the decision to cancel qualifying did not come easily,” said John Bodenhamer, senior managing director, Championships. “We are thankful to be able to safely bring back qualifying and the openness that embodies all our championships in 2021.”

Callaway is releasing two balls in the Supersoft familyThe standard Supersoft is designed for golfers who place a premium on iron distanceThe Supersoft MAX is an oversized golf ball designed to be easier to hit in the airRetail price for both models is $22.99

Last week we introduced you to the Callaway ERC Soft, the company’s offering at the premium end of the ionomer category. This time around it’s the Callaway Supersoft and Callaway Supersoft MAX, both of which fall closer to the other end of the category.

Callaway Supersoft Golf Ball

Priced at just $22.99 per dozen, I don’t think anyone would describe the two-piece Callaway Supersoft as premium, but, nevertheless, it remains a needle-mover for the company. It’s a top-5 dollar generator and solid No. 3 in the market. You could also make a case that the success of Supersoft is what led Callaway down the path of soft throughout its ball lineup.

Your primary Supersoft selling points: it is soft and it is cheap.

Callaway Supersoft – Who It’s For

Callaway says the Supersoft is for the mature player segment. That could mean experienced or just old. Perhaps it’s a bit of both. In any case, we’re talking about a moderate swing speed player who places a premium on iron distance.

Davis Love III will be the captain of the U.S. Presidents Cup team for the event that was postponed until 2022, facing off against an International squad captained by Trevor Immelman of South Africa.

Rory McIlroy nearly got a win in Abu Dhabi. That he didn't shows there is still something missing. Plus, the Ryder Cup captaincy plan and Tony Finau's own search for that next win.

The PGA Championship is headed back to Southern Hills next year, as the Oklahoma course will host the major championship in place of Trump Bedminster, which was dropped by the PGA of America earlier this month.

Citi announced Monday that it will keep its sponsorship of Justin Thomas, condemning the anti-gay slur he muttered and requiring him to donate a "meaningful portion" of his deal as part of an active role in LGBTQ causes.

In a recent social media post, Callaway claimed its Chromesoft is more centered than a Titleist Pro-V1x. Do they have the data to back their claims?

1:45 – Most Wanted Putter Testing Commences3:19 – Callaway’s questionable golf ball claims23:34 – How is Titleist’s quality control so tough to compete with?30:27 – The new Pro-V1/Pro-V1x35:27 – The next gen of ERC-Soft with Triple Track37:14 – Can Mizuno ever hit #1 in Drivers?

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The post Crazy Claims from Callaway | NPG 69 appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

Bridgestone has launched the e12 Contact golf ball.A Contact Force Dimple offers more speed, and more spin around the green.The e12 Contact replaces both the e12 Soft and e12 Speed.Retail price is $29.99 a dozen.

A golf ball with the grip of a tire. It’s not a perfect analogy but it might help us understand the role of contact science in the design of the new Bridgestone e12 Contact golf ball.

On the tire side of the Bridgestone business, contact science is where the rubber literally meets the road. On the golf ball side, contact science is where the cover of the golf ball meets the clubface—also in the literal sense.

Bridgestone e12 Contact and Contact Science

The Bridgestone e12 Contact golf ball—more specifically, its cover—is the result of nearly five years of work in contact science. Before I jump too far ahead, I should probably mention that, in really basic terms, contact science applies to understanding and optimizing what happens when two things, like a tire and a road or a golf ball and a golf club, meet.

We wrote about Round 1 of Bridgestone’s foray into contact science about this time last year with the REACTIV cover on the Tour B Series. At the time, Bridgestone described REACTIV as an “Impact Modifier.” That means its properties vary based on the speed of impact. Firm for speed off the driver but soft for more spin when struck with a wedge. The lingo seems to have taken root industry-wide as Callaway used the same phrase to describe the PARALOID Hybrid cover on the new ERC Soft while Bridgestone is doubling down on “Impact Modifier” to describe the dimples on its new e12 Contact ball.

Key Takeaways

XXIO Prime is XXIO’s ultra-lightweight offering for sub-80 mph driver swing speed players.2021 XXI driver features Rebound Frame and a Super-TIX PLUS titanium face with a 200-percent larger sweet spot than the 2019 model.XXIO Prime irons feature the same titanium face and 110-percent larger sweet spot than 2019.XXIO Prime Royal Edition is a new offering: an ultra high-end luxury brand specifically for women.

Before we start discussing who should consider XXIO Prime, let’s first talk about who shouldn’t.

If your driver swing speed is above 100 mph, XXIO of any kind probably shouldn’t be on your radar. And if your driver swing speed is  80 to 95 mph, there may be a XXIO with your name on it. But it isn’t XXIO Prime.

And if the price of a 2021 TaylorMade, Callaway or PING makes you want to grab your torches and pitchforks and storm the castle, then XXIO Prime—and we can’t stress this enough—isn’t for you.

So, who is XXIO Prime for? Well, if you look in the mirror and see a sub-80 mph driver swing speed, you might just be a XXIO Prime golfer. And if you want clubs designed grip-to-tip specifically for a sub-80 mph driver swing speed, you might just be a XXIO Prime golfer.

And if you don’t mind paying the freight for either of the above, you might definitely be a XXIO Prime golfer.

Mizuno is launching two new ST-series drivers.The ST-X offers draw bias with some forgiveness.The ST-Z is a low- to mid-spin driver with higher MOI.Retail price is $400.

With the launch of the Mizuno ST-X and ST-Z drivers, the company hopes to build on the momentum from its previous ST releases while making its case that it belongs in the conversation with the top-selling driver brands in golf.

New Rules

In past Mizuno stories, we’ve discussed how and why the company’s drivers disappeared from the PGA TOUR. When its competitors began buying Tour counts, notoriously frugal Mizuno grew comfortable with its Tour ambassadors not playing its drivers. The approach was to give its staffers plenty of time to work their way into Mizuno driver. More often than not, they never did and the company never said much about it.

For more than a decade, the count of Mizuno drivers in play on the Tour held steady at zero.

Over the past couple of seasons, things have changed. The company has rolled out a fresh approach—a new rulebook of sorts. Like many of its competitors, Mizuno has become increasingly rigid about staffers bagging its drivers. Potential new Tour signings are advised to be absolutely sure the driver is going to work.

Si Woo Kim birdied two of the final three holes to finish a rock-solid, 8-under 64, coolly rallying past late-charging Patrick Cantlay by one shot to win The American Express on Sunday for his third PGA Tour victory.