Dustin Johnson will begin his defense of the Masters title Thursday at 10:30 a.m., while contenders Jordan Spieth and Bryson DeChambeau will have to wait until the afternoon to tee off.

Bryson DeChambeau said Tuesday that there is something in his bag this week at the Masters that is "very helpful" but would not go into specifics.

April Fools! Or at least it was when we discussed our Iron Headcover Buyer’s Guide. What were YOUR favorite pranks this year?

1:06 – Our favorite pranks from years past and current.7:22 – Reader reactions to our Iron Headcover Buyer’s Guide13:40 – Brief brand intro: Edel Golf16:18 – Will the 2021 Edel SMS change the game for wedges?28:21 – The importance of bounce (and wedge fitting in general)31:25 – BAG UPDATE: Tony reports a new club addition36:12 – Place your bets: our Masters predictions

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The post The BEST Iron Headcovers? | NPG 78 appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

The new Ben Hogan Edge EX irons are something of a unicorn in the game improvement arena.

There’s a growing trend in the GI category of calling an iron “forged” when, in fact, only the body is forged. The face, which actually hits the ball, is high-strength HT1770 steel or something similar. There’s a reason for that (which we’ll discuss later) but semantics are semantics. The new Hogan Edge EX, however, is bass-ackwards. The face and hosel is a single 1025 forging while the frame is investment-cast.

Whether that makes any difference to you is a good question.

Whether that, plus a price tag 40 percent lower than comparable sorta-forged game improvement irons, makes any difference to you is an even better one.

Ben Hogan Edge EX Irons – Facts and Figures

For any hardcore Hoganista, the new Edge EX branding, open cavity and iconic sunburst logo will make you want to party like it’s 1999.  Or maybe 2003. Either way, it brings back memories of Hogan’s Spalding era.

I started playing golf when I was 11. I’ve played the beautiful game ever since. But long before I was a golfer, I was a sneakerhead. I remember getting the Nike Air Trainer SC High’s when I was much younger. They were a bribe for going to a home decoration exhibition with my parents without causing a fuss. I currently own over 150 pairs of sneakers (or trainers as we say in good old Blighty).  Animal print. Fluorescent. Air bubbles. Boost. Swooshes. Stripes. You name it, I’ll have a pair in the collection. It’s like the new Limited Edition adidas Stan Smith Golf shoes were made just for me. 

MyGolfSpy recently tested the best spiked and best spikeless golf shoes on the market. These are not those. They aren’t meant to be. Some golfers aren’t looking for performance or the ultimate in traction. Stability is something other golfers need. They just want to look fly on the course. These are the golf shoes they’ll want to flex in this summer. 

An Icon

In the pantheon of all-time great sneakers, the adidas Stan Smith is right up there. Over 70 million pairs of Stan Smith’s have been sold. It’s one of their biggest ever success stories. Kanye West might be the adidas figure head, but it’s fair to say Stan Smith is as important to adidas as Michael Jordan has been to Nike.

The first leather tennis shoe from the iconic three stripes, they first launched in 1965 as the Haillet, named after French player of the era Robert Haillet, only becoming the Stan Smith in 1978 after adidas had identified they needed an American name to grow their appeal.

Stan Smith won two Grand Slams and is a former world Number #1. But his shoes have had a far more significant impact on history than he has. His book is even called Stan Smith: Some People Think I’m a Shoe! It would have been like Andy North becoming the face of the Callaway Big Bertha. the partnership worked though and his moustachioed face can be seen on nearly every pair of adidas Stan Smith’s to this day. The greatest marketing masterstroke though was ending production of the shoe in 2011. By the time they were brought back in 2014 anticipation was at a fever pitch, and they went on to become the biggest selling sneaker of the decade. 

With our annual “One Word” Survey, we get of sense of your perceptions of certain golfer brands. With our Golfers’ Choice survey, we get to find out if those perceptions carry over to your golf bag.

A WITB for Average Joes

What’s in the Bag (or WITB for short) on the PGA TOUR is a big conversation point but we’re more interested in what our readers—real golfers who are among the most avid anywhere—have in their bags. Presumably unencumbered by endorsement deals, what you choose to spend money on and ultimately put in your bag is far more telling than what the pros are paid to play.

We want to know if you’ve bought new clubs recently and what brands you’ve chosen to fill every spot in your bag.

And, just because we’re curious, we’ve thrown in a couple of questions along the way but, in five minutes or less, you can help us better understand what brands MyGolfSpy readers are choosing to play.

As always, we’ll share some of the more interesting results in a few weeks.

The defending Masters champion won't be burdened by trying to defend his green jacket. That's not how he's built. And with his brother on his bag at his family at his side, he's turned into a "soccer dad" who knows what's important.

Sunday's victory is changing the narrative about Jordan Spieth heading into the Masters.

The Best Drivers for Mid Swing Speeds

Today, we reveal our test results for the Best Drivers for Mid Swing Speeds (90 to 105 mph). If this applies to you, read on. If not, stay tuned. Test results for slow swing speeds are on the horizon.

Our mission is to understand and discover which piece of equipment best serves each individual golfer. Our 2021 Most Wanted Driver Test featured 38 different models—35 testers with 35 uniquely different swing characteristics. In the end, 18,000+ shots of data allow for a breakdown of the best drivers for three different swing speed categories: high, mid and slow.

The Best Driver for Mid Swing Speeds: Titleist TSi3

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The best driver for mid swing speeds is the Titleist TSi3. “Strokes gained” is the ultimate measurement of performance and this is where the TSi3 makes its mark.

1st in strokes gained4th in total distance17th in forgiveness

While its forgiveness performance is mediocre, the TSi3 excels in the metric that catches most golfers’ attention: distance. The combination of distance and the best strokes-gained score has this as a potential perennial performer.

He came with a plan of attack in November. It didn't work. But that's not going to cause him to change five months later. He's still going to try to overpower the place.

Patty Tavatanakit survived Lydia Ko's final-round charge Sunday to win the ANA Inspiration for her first LPGA Tour victory.

Jordan Spieth ended a slump that lasted nearly four years, closing with a 6-under 66 on Sunday to win the Valero Texas Open.

Brooks Koepka, 30, who had surgery on his right knee March 16, arrived in Augusta on Sunday, played a few holes in an afternoon practice session, and told reporters he intended to tee off in The Masters.

Ali Mulhall and Yana Wilson, best friends from Henderson, Nevada, both won the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National in their respective age groups.

Jon Rahm announced Sunday via Instagram that his son, Kepa, was born Saturday morning, ahead of this week's Masters.

Sometimes, nearly a football field is between his drives and those of big hitters like Bryson DeChambeau or Rory McIlroy. At 63, Bernhard Langer can still keep up with the young guys, especially at Augusta National.

After a quick, five-month break, the Masters is back. Our panel, in a strange twist, found some things to agree on, like the possibility that Jordan Spieth might be ready to break through, that the patrons will impact this tournament and more.

The PGA Tour said it would not move the Tour Championship out of Georgia but said this "should not be construed as indifference to the current conversation around voting rights."

Patty Tavatanakit all but crushed her challengers' hopes after opening a five-stroke lead in the ANA Inspiration on Saturday.

Jordan Spieth and Matt Wallace are tied for the lead at 12 under heading into the final round of the Valero Texas Open after both players birdied their final two holes of the day.