Golfing News & Blog Articles

Golf Architecture’s Adam Lawrence confirms what his Instagram followers have known for some time: Zac Blair’s Buck Club dream will be realized near Aiken, South Carolina.

The PGA Tour member and well known architecture aficionado had dreamed of his native Utah but the collaboration with King-Collins Design will be in on a sandy 407 acres currently occupied by a tree farm.

The site has around 60-70 feet of elevation change, and Collins said the Coore & Crenshaw restoration of Pinehurst No. 2 had provided a lot of inspiration for the design thinking on the Buck Club.

Blair’s original plan, to build the course in his home state of Utah had to be abandoned, as land and construction costs made it impractical to complete the project. The player-developer is currently raising funds to support the development, and Collins confirmed there is no rush to break ground.

“We will leave the construction schedule to Zac – it will go ahead when he is ready,” he concluded.

The International Federation of PGA Tours on Wednesday canceled the HSBC Champions World Golf Championships event in China.

Francesco Molinari took to Twitter on Tuesday to explain that a family move to California is responsible for keeping him away from competitive golf.

Welshpool

Rankings have become redundant, or worse, the last profit centers for some publications. The sheen is all but gone from most listings, though Golf is sticking to a small panel of experts and now, three lists that will only hopefully inspire more non-18-hole, non-elitist recognition of what matters: fun places to play.

Ran Morrissett sets up this new “top 100” this way:

The earliest tracks were 5-, 6-, 7-, 9- and 12-hole affairs. The locals looked for land that drained well, with interesting natural obstacles. If the property only supported six holes, so be it. The sport wasn’t meant to soak up half the day. Work beckoned. The Industrial Age eventually created the chance for more of the population to pursue leisure activities, and golf expanded. Move the clock forward 150-odd years and courses of all shapes and sizes now exist.

The top 50 nine-hole courses features so many nifty places you’d love to play, leading off with Tom Dunn’s Royal Worlington and Newmarket, dating to 1895. While I love everything about the Winter Park 9, seeing it next to Musselburgh was a bit strange. The Cradle of Golf it is not. But we’ll let that slide for the overall grandeur of this stellar list.

West Virginia offers a lot of scenic beauty to anyone visiting or passing through. And the natural surroundings have offered golf course architects some terrific opportunities to create stunning layouts that test golfers of every handicap. While the best golf courses in West Virginia may not have the same name recognition as other states, the […]

The post Best Golf Courses in West Virginia appeared first on Golf Blog, Golf Articles | GolfNow Blog.

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Buoyed by a strong finish spilling into the prime time window, the 2020 BMW championship was up 10% from 2019’s playing, drawing a 2.3 and 3.4 million average viewers on NBC. Jon Rahm defeated Dustin Johnson after both made unbelievable 18th green putts, one in regulation (Johnson) and the latter in the sudden death (Rahm).

The 2020 BMW was played a week later than last year and without NFL preseason competition.

The 2.23 final round rating almost won the sports weekend, falling just short of NASCAR’s Saturday race but easily outdrawing several NBA playoff games on cable.

The 2020 BMW weekend lead-in coverage on Golf Channel was essentially flat from last year (.54/.73 in 2019 vs. .64/.68 in 2020).

adidas is launching limited-edition ZX 8000 GolfAvailable for purchase September 4th

If you’ve been paying attention to the MGS Buyers Guide Shoe Testing as of late, you know that adidas has stomped on the competition. The CodeChaos might be one of the best shoes golf has ever seen. Recently consumers were able to purchase a golf version of the classic SuperStar. On September 4th, adidas is releasing another limited edition, this time bringing the ZX 8000 out of the vault and modifying it for golf.

Where The adidas ZX 8000 Golf Begun

The ZX series was developed in 1984 as a solution to the idea that runners need variety in footwear depending the type of run or surface they were taking on. The ZX 8000 is the first ZX model ever specified for golf. Adidas is adapting the classic silhouette to provide golfers with a stylish performance based shoe.

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How has the ZX evolved

Today’s technology advances allow golfers to have it all at their fingertips (or on their feet). Many of the innovations and characteristics that set the ZX apart more than 35 years ago have been modernized for this limited-edition model made for golf. adidas inserted their patented Torsion System for added stability as well as the responsive BOOST midsole. The unmistakable vibrant colorways (clear aqua/shock yellow with pops of purple) are modern, but still an ode to the original design. The ZX 8000 Golf is also water resistant on the upper portion.

adidas is also conscious of the growing trend of spikeless golf footwear. The ZX 8000 began as a running shoe, so it’s only appropriate that the golf version is spikeless. The ZX 8000 Golf is built upon their original grip pattern with longer, golf-specific secondary lugs, and a more aggressive tread pattern to ensure grip and stability in every swing.

adidas made sure the golf rendition of the ZX would standout from the original version by including subtle tweaks. For example, adidas added a lace jewel with the words “ZX GOLF” at the bottom of the eyestay and a leather toecap. There’s also a unique adidas Golf logo added to the heel and sockliner.

Thank you to all of you who have reached out to let me know how much you’ve gained from the insights I’ve been sharing with my students lately. It truly does make me happy to know how many people can benefit from someone else’s golf lesson. With that in mind, here’s another!

I recently got together with Scott who I started teaching 18 months ago. As a relative beginner when we first met, Scott has really worked hard and made tremendous strides - firing an all time best score of 82 recently. At the onset of our most recent lesson I could see that he had continued to make progress.

In an effort to keep my information simple, accurate and actionable I summarized the talking points for our time together into:

Alignment was too far right which led to misses that finished well right of target

2. Driver was crashing into the ground which led to pop-ups off the tee

Winged Foot’s 467-yard 4th features fairway bunkers 300 off the tee that will only come into play for those who have elected not to hit the gym regularly. With a nice right to left bend that’ll fit the eye of most, the 4th ought to be a drive and short-iron. The extraordinary green complex has seen a huge restoration effort mirroring A.W. Tillinghast’s original.

Here is the flyover from the U.S. Open Twitter account, which is currently flooded with a lot of retweeted drivel and sad attempts to seem young and cool. You’ll thank me some day for this embed and sparing you of the unraveling U.S. Open social media account:

No. 4 at Winged Foot is a slight dogleg left measuring 467 yards, with bookend bunkers in the drive zone. The approach plays slightly downhill to a squared-off green that was expanded during the 2016 restoration by Gil Hanse.

In collaboration with @DeloitteUS. pic.twitter.com/jq0WQtQlPt

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) August 30, 2020

I wouldn’t dare say old since they’re both in great shape but after Tiger’s four days in the 2020 BMW Championship he offered this about his back:

Q. How have you felt?

TIGER WOODS: Felt?

Q. Body-wise, physical-wise.

TIGER WOODS: It aches every day.

Q. Has it hurt you at all, just your back or your health in general?

TIGER WOODS: Well, my back is what it is. It's always going to ache and it's always going to be stiff. That's just -- when you have a fusion, that's just part of the deal. I'll have my good days, and as I've told you guys before, I'll have my good days and bad days.

Then there was this from Phil Mickelson regarding his Monday-Wednesday Champions Tour debut and win. He’s liking that cart!

Lefty seal of approval. pic.twitter.com/HyzXLqXqfw

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) August 31, 2020

Club Pro Guy also offered an alternate take on this bit of social insight sounding more like a young Phil.

The Zozo Championship is moving from Japan to California this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the anchor of a West Coast Swing in the fall portion of the schedule that is certain to attract strong fields.

After two weeks in Las Vegas, the PGA Tour will now move to old friend Sherwood Country Club just two weeks prior to the Masters. The “ZOZO Championship @ Sherwood” will not only give players a decent test prior to the Masters, the use of the @ symbol will resonate with the coveted 18-34 year-olds. Win-win!

Tiger Woods won last year’s inaugural ZOZO in Japan but due to COVID-19, the 2020 version of the PGA Tour’s fall Asian swing is getting replaced by a western United States series.

Sherwood hosted ten Shark Shootouts, 13 World Challenges, one prime time match and most recently, three Champions Tour events.

For Immediate Release:

PGA TOUR and ZOZO Inc. announce ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP will move to Sherwood Country Club in California in October

Sept. 1, 2020

Rule of the Month: Order of Play/Ready Golf

Topic Overview:

When starting a hole, generally the player with the lowest score on the previous hole plays first. After starting a hole, the ball farthest from the hole is usually played first. However, the Rules encourage “ready golf” to help improve pace of play as long as it is done in a safe and responsible manner.

In four-ball play, you and your partner can play in whatever order you think is best when it is your side’s turn to play.

FAQs:

Playing Out of Turn to Save Time

Q.Can I play out of turn to save time?

A.The answer depends on the form of play. In stroke play, you may play ready golf in a safe and reliable way. In match play, you and your opponent may agree that one of you will play out of turn for a particular stroke to save time (see Rule 5.6b(2)).

He won't be at the Tour Championship, not because he doesn't want to be there, but because he didn't qualify. So now what for Tiger Woods? A short break to attempt to figure out what's wrong with his game before the U.S. Open in two weeks.

2020 GOLF UMBRELLA BUYER’S GUIDE

The elements are always a factor on the golf course. Fortunately, there’s an abundance of equipment to combat them. Golf umbrellas are designed for all sorts of weather including sun, wind and, of course, rain.

This year, we tested the usual suspects along with offerings from some of the bigger OEMs, some of which outsource their umbrella manufacturing to experts in the category. That’s neither surprising nor uncommon; it just makes sense. There are zero reasons why club guys should also be umbrella guys. The logo doesn’t matter, though we’re here to tell you that not every umbrella is the same.

With all the options, finding the right umbrella can be a bit overwhelming. That’s where we come in. We put the top golf umbrellas on the market to the test to ensure you have the best information available when it comes time to buy.

Whether you’re looking to buy an umbrella today, seeking buying advice to get started or just want a closer look at what’s on the market, this guide will help you find the right golf umbrella to fit your needs.

Oh, and that amazing putt helped Rahm claim the BMW Championship in a thrilling finish over Dustin Johnson, who also made a doozy to send the tournament into overtime.

But I digress. Why focus on the BMW when the real story is next week’s Thursday leaderboard? While we’re in the midst of this playoff let’s send it down to Steve Sands for more. Will JT be four back or two back next Friday? Could Rahm cut into his deficit next week with a win this week? Inquiring minds do not need to know.

Fourteen years into this FedExCup, we’re still subjected to the hard sell. I realize there is a gargantuan sum of money at stake. And a season-long sponsor demanding full value for their investment even at the expense of other sponsors trying to have their moment. Yet once again, a compelling final round on a penalizing parkland course was mostly overshadowed by the effort to push FedExCup narratives that no sane individual cares about in the best of times. During a pandemic, it’s nails-on-the-chalkboard stuff. Especially with a fascinating final round featuring a better-than-most variety of characters.

As NBC’s Paul Azinger noted on Saturday, the FedExCup is a “pretty prestigious” competition. That was an apparently slight he mopped up after an 904 area code undoubtedly popped-up on someone’s screen. This overall demand to focus on the perennially lame “playoff’ race was more of a shame than normal. The NBC team really never got to go deep on any topic or even do something mildly in-depth on the difficult setup conditions. There were just too many non-BMW obligations to juggle.

Even Mackenzie Hughes’s putt to get into the Tour Championship, while dramatic, felt like NBC’s team turning it into Ouimet beating Vardon and Ray. The hard sell brings down genuinely great moments.

Dustin Johnson made a 45-foot birdie on the 18th to force a playoff. Jon Rahm answered with a 66-footer on the opening hole of that playoff, winning the BMW Championship. Johnson, though, stays at No. 1 in the FedEx Cup going to the Tour Championship.

Winged Foot’s 243-yard third is in that sour spot no one likes unless they’re standing on Cypress Point.

With a classic Tillinghast bunkering scheme, the steeply pitched green should welcome today’s 4 and 5-irons unless tournament tees are moved up. A particularly goyish house behind the green also highlights OB lurking, though such a costly outcome seems unlikely on a hole of this length.

No. 3 at Winged Foot is a long, demanding par 3 where players will be happy to take par and move on.

1959 #USOpen champion Billy Casper famously laid up, and made par, in all 4 rounds, choosing not to take on the narrow, well-bunkered green.

In collaboration with @DeloitteUS. pic.twitter.com/0TvqETe1S3

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) August 29, 2020

Austin Ernst shot a 63, rallying from four strokes back to edge out Anna Nordqvist to win the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

The full list of the 30 players in the season-ending Tour Championship. They are all chasing the $15 million prize that comes with winning the FedEx Cup.