Golfing News & Blog Articles

Derek Lawrenson explains how new LA resident—don’t get used to this blissful traffic Franky—Francesco Molinari is finally resurfacing this week.

The 2017 Open Champion is the last recent major winner to dust off the clubs and return during the COVID-19 era, teeing up at the Shriner’s over the European Tour’s BMW PGA. He hasn’t reached Anthony Kim levels of intrigue given the sheer absurdity of 2020, but it’s still remarkable how long Molinari has sat out. He has failed to register a top ten since the 2019 Masters.

Because they aren’t hitting it long enough and the air isn’t thin enough to make 400 yards an expected thing, new Titleist’s are turning up at their favorite testing grounds: TPC Summerlin.

Twenty years after the first Pro V’s showed up in Vegas and instantly turned most Titleist staffers into decathletes, it’s that time of year. Sources close to absolutely no one predict the new new Pro V1’s and Pro V1x’s will be longer and, wait for it, I swear, really, like, really straighter.

Golfweek’s David Dusek reviews and previews the Pro V’s history at the Shriner’s and what can be expected as the conforming ball is put into play.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the release of the first Titleist Pro V1 at the 2000 Invensys Classic. That week, 47 players in the field switched into the new multi-layer, urethane-covered ball, including Billy Andrade, who went on to win.

Historically, Titleist brings prototypes of the three-piece Pro V1 and the four-piece Pro V1x balls to Las Vegas to get feedback from players, then makes the balls available to consumers in late January of the following year.

The company is not providing any details regarding modifications it has made to the balls at this time, but it is likely that the balls are receiving refinements instead of significant overhauls. Why? According to Titleist, about 73 percent of all the players on the PGA Tour last season used either a Pro V1 or a Pro V1x. That number jumps to 75 percent on the European Tour and 83 percent on the LPGA Tour.

Which means, when we take 12 dimples off it and make it a few millimeters larger, it’ll still be the most popular! Right Wally?

Given the continued onslaught of daily positive COVID-19’s reported in the United States, including a shocking White House outbreak, it’s a bit of a miracle that Tony Finau is the only PGA Tour player known to have tested positive since two cases at the U.S. Open. Before that, the Tour had enjoyed a six-week run of virus-free events.

Finau’s announced the bad news taking him out of this week’s Shriner’s Hospital Classic In Las Vegas:

Earlier today, I received a positive result for Covid-19 under PGA TOUR on-site testing protocols and have begun a period of self-quarantine to protect others around me. I am feeling well, and am otherwise in good spirits.

— Tony Finau Golf (@tonyfinaugolf) October 6, 2020

From Bob Harig’s ESPN.com story on Finau becoming one of the highest profile players to test positive.

Finau is just the 14th player to test positive for the coronavirus since the PGA Tour's return from a 13-week break at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial in May. Two players tested positive at the U.S. Open, but prior to that, the tour was on a six-week run of no positive cases.

Tony Finau has withdrawn from this week's Shriners Hospitals for Children Open after testing positive for COVID-19.

In a MorningRead.com exclusive, Bradley Klein catches up with Eric Trump, overseer of Trump Golf properties, who says the “golf business has never been better” for the company and predicts their best year ever. Though it may not look that way on tax returns that reportedly show huge losses.

“The portfolio isn’t losing money,” said Trump, referring to the firm’s golf holdings. “You can make an operating profit, and that’s not the same as a tax loss based on depreciation, on legitimate write-offs on a schedule. That’s how real estate works.”

Klein focuses on the loss of tournaments from Trump branded properties, with only the 2022 PGA currently scheduled at Trump Bedminster. This, after Trump properties hosted 30 significant events across multiple tours from 2001 to 2017.

In typically upbeat tones, Eric Trump said he anticipates getting back to holding major events beyond the 2022 PGA, though he did not assign a time frame to the goal.

“When he gets out of politics,” Trump said of his father, “we’ll do a million tournaments.”

Charlotte Thomas will begin a 14-day quarantine after she was in close contact with her caddie, who has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Latin America Amateur Championship, which was scheduled to be played in January 2021 and carries an automatic invite to The Masters and The Open, among other events, has been canceled due to the pandemic.

Noteworthy and unfortunately for multiple reasons, including—I believe—as the first significant 2021 tournament cancelled due to the pandemic. (Here is a list of 2020 events cancelled courtesy of GolfDigest.com’s Ryan Herrington.)

The organization’s previously cancelled the Asia Pacific Amateur scheduled for this fall.

For Immediate Release:

2021 LATIN AMERICA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Future championship plans to be announced at a later date

LIMA, Peru – The 2021 Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) has been canceled due
to complications presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The LAAC, conducted by the USGA, The R&A and the Masters Tournament, was scheduled to
be played January 14-17, 2021, at Lima Golf Club in Lima, Peru. Future championship plans will
be announced at a later date.

Founded in 2014 by the Masters Tournament, The R&A and the USGA, the LAAC was established to further develop amateur golf in South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. The event annually moves to top courses throughout Latin America and showcases the sport’s rising talent in the region.

Notable alumni of the championship include 2018 LAAC champion Joaquin Niemann of Chile,
Sebastian Munoz of Colombia and 2019 champion Alvaro Ortiz of Mexico.

Niemann competed on the 2019 Presidents Cup International team and became the first Chilean to win a PGA Tour event with his victory at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier in September 2019. After winning the PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship in 2019, Munoz finished in a tie for eighth in the 2020 PGA Tour playoffs. Last year, Ortiz became the first player from Mexico to compete in the Masters since 1979, finishing as the Low Amateur Runner-Up.

The champion of the LAAC receives an invitation to compete in the Masters Tournament, The
Open, The Amateur Championship, the U.S. Amateur Championship and any other USGA
amateur championship for which he is eligible. The champion and runner(s)-up also receive an
exemption into final qualifying for the U.S. Open.

Charlotte Thomas will begin a 14-day quarantine after she was in close contact with her caddie, who has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Since we apparently can’t roll back athleticism or change equipment rules to maintain the relevancy of tournament courses, cockamamie ideas surface from time to time in the name of protecting imaginary bottom lines.

Though I have to say, in twenty years of hearing what efforts golf courses must go to not to act, this falls into the extra-kooky category. Not reptiles-in-the-rough-crazy, but close.

From Rex Hoggard, reporting on a Golf Central podcast conversation with Mike Schy, Bryson DeChambeau’s longtime swing-coach, when asked how you Bryson-proof a course.

“I’ve thought through this and I think I have the answer,” Schy explained on this week’s Golf Central Podcast. “I believe the rough should be scaled so that the closer you get to the green the thicker the rough becomes. Let’s say 60 yards out the rough is 7 inches deep and as you go back [toward the tee] the rough is scaled [shorter].

So, an inch lower every 20 yards? Do you paint a line at each stage, maybe go all grid-like?

Tour Edge Hot Launch 521 E and C Fairways and Hybrids – Key Takeaways

New Hot Launch companion fairway metals and hybrids for the new E and C series.E521 fairways and hybrids feature Houdini Sole for turf interaction plus a center of gravity that’s lower and farther backC521 options use Tour Edge Diamond Face tech for more ball speed.You’ll appreciate the pricing.

You know what it’s like when all that Amazon stuff you drunk-purchased one Saturday night shows up at the same time? Yeah, that’s what this week is like with Tour Edge. You’ve no doubt already read about the new Hot Launch 521 series drivers and irons. In this piece, we’re taking a deep dive into the Hot Launch 521 fairway woods and hybrids.

Tour Edge is carving out its own nice little sweet spot in the price-value matrix. The EXS Pro and EXS 220 lines give better players options outside of the Big Five. But if you’re a super game improvement golfer with a keen eye on your yards-per-dollar ratio, the Hot Launch line is an attention-getter. And today’s Hot Launch mega-launch is Tour Edge’s way of grabbing you by the shirt and saying look at me.

There’s an awful lot to sift through here, so you may want to grab another cup of coffee before jumping in.

Hot Launch 521 – Extreme Competition

Tour Edge is breaking up its value-priced super game improvement line into two distinct offerings. The Hot Launch E521 is Extreme Game Improvement while the Hot Launch C521 is Competition Spec Game Improvement. Think Super-Duper Game Improvement and regular old Super Game Improvement.

If you’ve been a Bazooka/Hot Launch HL player in the past, the E-series clubs are the logical next generation. The entire lineup screams easy. Tour Edge says the E series features super-low CGs, super-shallow faces, offset designs and lightweight shafts.

Tour Edge Hot Launch 521 E and C Series Irons – Key Takeaways

Tour Edge has released two new game-improvement irons – Hot Launch E521 and C521.The Hot Launch E521 irons are designed to offer extreme launch and forgiveness.The Hot Launch C521 irons are designed around competition specifications.Retail price for the E521 is $89.99 per club . C521 is $69.99 per club.

The Tour Edge 521 irons give golfers two choices in the ever-popular game-improvement segment of the market. Continuing the identity of its Hot Launch line, the defining characteristics are value and performance with just enough choice to satisfy the target clientele.

In that vein, Tour Edge believes not all game-improvement golfers are cut from the same cloth. Slower swing-speed players who need every last drop of technology to help increase launch to access more distance will be best served by the E Series extreme-spec E521 Iron-Wood model.

Conversely, the Tour Edge C-series C521 provides medium (or thereabouts) swing-speed players a more “traditional” looking iron. Tour Edge describes the C521 as classically shaped though it’s fair to suggest that self-appointed adjectives are subjective and relative to the product category. To be clear, the so-called conventional geometry of the Tour Edge C521 is a bit like describing a hot dog as the quintessential tube-steak.

It’s contextually accurate.

With that out of the way, let’s zoom in on some finer points of each offering.

Tour Edge has released two new Hot Launch 521 Series Drivers.The Hot Launch E521 is designed for slice correction.The Hot Launch C521 is designed for maximum performance.Retail price for both drivers is only $229.

With the release of Hot Launch 521 (E521 and C521) drivers, Tour Edge is once again giving us pause to consider how much a new driver should really cost.

As $500 became the norm, Tour Edge struck gold as a value brand with a reputation – and a good one at that. Once among the most expensive on the market, as the leading manufacturers cut lower-priced options out of their lineups, Tour Edge saw an opportunity to reposition its Exotics franchise as a high-tech brand for ballers on a budget.

In today’s market, $349 for a new model adjustable driver is a hell of a deal. Fifty bucks more gets you adjustable track weighting.

Hot Launch 521 Drivers – No-Frills Value

For golfers willing to forgo cutting-edge tech or what I guess we can call ballers with no budget, Tour Edge’s Hot Launch line provides an even more affordable no-frills option.

Picture a shady character opening up a trunk to reveal the loot. “I’ve got Sun Mountain, I’ve got Tour Trek, and I know a guy with some Stewart X9’s at cost.”

Yes, there is a lively second-hand market for push carts. Hello 2020!

Jonathan Wall at Golf.com reports on the end in sight for manufacturers who’ve been unable to meet the push cart demand that has led to sell-outs, silly second-hand prices and supply shortages:

Dynamic Brands, along with Hansen’s ProActive Sports Groups, the distributor of Clicgear and Rovic brands for USA and Mexico, have been in the same boat as nearly every other manufacturer in the golf equipment industry. Business has been good — really good. But a double-edged sword exists.

At the end of August, Golf Datatech, an independent market research firm, reported a record-breaking month for U.S. golf equipment sales in July, as total sales (on and off the course) soared to $388.6 million. It was the highest total since the company started tracking data in 1997.

Clicgear was already forecasting an increase in sales with the release of its Model 4.0 push-cart — its first new model in several years. What the company didn’t expect was how the pandemic would shape their business. With more golfers requesting push carts than ever before, Clicgear blew through its current supply of Model 4.0’s, along with the rest of its stock. They’ve been playing catch-up ever since with a deep backlog of orders.

A class action lawsuit joined last week by eleven Golf Channel employees has prompted the closing of the network’s Orlando headquarters. The campus is slated for permanent demise this December, with a small number of jobs moving to Stamford, Connecticut where NBC Sports is currently located.

In a late Friday email to staff shared by multiple sources, Golf Channel president Mike McCarley cited the lawsuit in announcing the need to investigate.

“In light of the allegations, we are thoroughly investigating the matter to ensure that our campus environment is safe,” McCarley wrote. “While we do so, out of an abundance of caution, we ask that you continue to work remotely as has been the case during the pandemic. Over the next few days, we will communicate with the limited number of employees currently allowed on-site to further limit access, involving moving our production off-site beginning Monday.”

Another sources says a traditional Monday email to staff offered no follow-up news but did highlight National Cyber Security Awareness Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and a reminder for staff to get flu shots.

The channel faces at least two known lawsuits but none directly related to the Lockheed Martin class-action suit announced last week and reported on by the Orlando Sentinel.

Given all the attention that Bryson Dechambeau has been getting of late, our show being no exception, is it a stretch to say he’s become the new face of golf?

0:25 – Is it the poor man’s Pro-V1? The Top-Flite Gamer ball makes a comeback.4:16 –  Snell’s MTB-X gets the Ball Lab treatment. How well does it stack up?7:36 –  HOT SEAT: Is Bryson the new face of golf?9:10 – If not, is he replacing Rickie Fowler as the new face of Cobra?11:40 – How about Bridgestone? Has Bryson topped the Tiger?15:16 – What’s the deal with small batch releases?19:45 – We name some of our favorite limited edition gear

Watch Now

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The post The New Face of Golf? | NPG 60 appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

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

TaylorMade MySpider X Custom putter interface – The online design interface that allows golfers to create customized versions of TaylorMade’s Spider X mallet.

YOUR CUSTOM BUILDER

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

BUILDING A MYSPIDER X

When it comes to custom putters, some companies follow traditional human-based design channels as I documented with Bettinardi’s custom putter program. Others have online customization interfaces with myriad options. The great thing about designing putters online is that you get to see a mock-up of your design right away. While it’s cool to see the computer rendering of the putter, I always wonder how that rendering will compare to the finished putter.

Last year, I explored the expectation versus reality story using the Toulon Garage online interface. Today, I’m going to put the TaylorMade MySpider X designer to the test.

South Coast Today’s Kiernan Dunlop reports on Acushnet’s need to make around 200 hires to handle the surge in golf thanks to distance. That’s…social distance, not actual distance increases. Go figure!

Dunlop writes:

The open houses will continue into October and the company plans to hire over 200 people when all is said and done, according to Laurie Herbert, director of talent acquisition.

Golf has been a positive activity for people to partake in during the coronavirus pandemic, Chief People Officer for Titleist Brendan Reidy said, since it’s outdoors and allows for social distancing.

“We continued to see incredible demand for our products as we came out of the heart of the initial part of the pandemic,” Reidy said, “It has really effectively forced us to look at how we respond to that demand.”

During a time where unemployment and layoffs are rampant, mass hirings by companies seem to be a rarity.

“We’re privileged to be in a position where our business has turned around where we can continue to make these investments,” Reidy said, “To see that Acushnet [Company] is doing well and has come through 2020 in a positive way has really left a positive mark on people.”

Just think Wally, all that money spent on patents and Global Golf Post propaganda pieces to lobby against distance when it was another form of distance that spurring demand.

Either way, love the investment in American jobs and in the company. What a refreshing contrast to so many golf organizations and businesses slashing and burning their way into the future.

The eyes-closed-while-putting component to Sergio Garcia’s Sanderson Farms Championship win is certainly amazing, but other factors added to his emotions.

From Adam Schupak’s thorough Golfweek story on Sergio’s first win since the 2017 Masters:

Afterwards, Garcia dedicated the victory to his father, Victor, who has lost two brothers, Paco and Angel, to COVID-19 back in his native Spain.

“It’s sad,” said Garcia, who now counts Tour wins in three different decades (2000s, 2010s, 2020s). “And I know that a lot of families have lost a lot more people, but you never want to lose anyone like that, and I wanted to win this for them.”

Schupak also details the struggle to find a presentable putting stroke, though the win was still done with trademark Garcia ballstriking and strokes gained leads for the week in driving and approach play.

Garcia now returns to the world top 50 and puts himself in the mix of pre-(November) Masters favorites.

Check out Rod Morri’s Golf Australia piece on what the distance debate is not about:

It’s not about players or athleticism or Trackman or modern coaching or ‘handcuffing’ the most talented individuals.

It’s not about which golfers might gain or lose the most in a rolled back world or whether the value of long hitting in relation to the field has changed over time.

It’s not about scoring or agronomy or making the game harder with stupid rough and penal minefields of bunkers in some futile bid to ‘protect par’. In fact, it’s not about score, full stop.
It’s not about any of those things because all of those things are about golfers and the distance debate isn’t about golfers, it’s about golf courses.

Bookmark this one for the next time you experience the inevitable hissy fit over the prospect of lost distance. Throw in Dr. MacKenzie’s quote about relativity of distance losses and you should be able to calm down the set fearful having their rights violated by increased regulation.

But be careful in your distance debates. The athleticism push of late has the marketeers now part of the discussion. They are trying to sell a product and could care less about the long term health of the sport. A surprising number have anointed themselves jocks because many of today’s top players hit the gym and fill out a shirt. Any suggestions of distance now are somehow a threat to their virility. Beware!