Golfing News & Blog Articles

Tom Lehman and Shane Bertsch shared the first-round lead Wednesday in the Charles Schwab Series at Bass Pro Shops Big Cedar Lodge.

Tiger Woods has entered next week's BMW Championship, the second of three FedEx Cup playoff events, potentially meaning that he would play four events in five weeks, including the U.S. Open.

Slow play is a focus as the women turn up at Royal Troon for a major and, other than Laura Davies going out first to set the pace, the forecast calls major gusts by 9 am. So how long golf can be played remains to be seen.

From Beth Ann Nichols story on Davies, playing in her 40th Open, also working this week for Sky’s broadcast team.

“I played 18 holes yesterday morning at 7:30, basically on my own, in two hours and 15 minutes,” said Davies, “played every hole properly, chipped and putted on quite a few. I’m not saying we can get ’round in two hours and 15 minutes, but we should be ’round in under four, as long as the weather is not crazy. If the weather is crazy then obviously you get up on those holes around the turn, anything can happen. You can spend half an hour on the tee if you’re unlucky.”

The weather on Thursday doesn’t look promising, with wind gusts of up to 55 to 60 mph predicted around 9 a.m. Tournament Troon will look nothing like what they’ve faced in the practice rounds thanks to what they’re calling, “Storm Ellen.”

Martin Dempster points out how the R&A is preparing for delay scenarios, including shortening of the tournament or a 36-hole Sunday. A Monday finish is not in the cards.

The R&A has lined up some incredible future hosts for the AIG Women’s Open, including surprise of all surprises, Muirfield in 2022. The home of the Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers is not currently penciled in for a men’s Open but is still in the rota after relenting and agreeing to admit female members.

Also of note: all but Walton Heath can be classified as a links, steering the championship to primarily links courses after a mix or predominant number of inland courses. Wales will also be hosting its first Women’s major with Porthcawl’s berth.

The full press release:

WORLD-CLASS VENUES ANNOUNCED FOR THE AIG WOMEN’S OPEN THROUGH TO 2025

19 August 2020, Troon, Scotland: The R&A has underlined its commitment to enhancing the AIG Women’s Open’s status as a leading major sporting event by announcing five world-class venues for championships being played from 2021 to 2025.
The future championship venues for the AIG Women’s Open are:

2021 – Carnoustie

The Women's British Open will be held in two years at Muirfield for the first time as part of a strong rotation that includes a return to Carnoustie and St. Andrews.

Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the Northern Trust at TPC-Boston over a lingering knee issue, ending his 2019-20 season and putting his status in doubt for the U.S. Open.

The FedExCup playoffs begin at TPC Boston, where Tiger Woods will be back in the field. Is he worth a wager? Here are our experts' best bets.

Arccos Caddie Strokes Gained Analytics is a significant upgrade to the Arccos platform.Strokes Gained data will replace the Arccos Handicap system. (Handicap metrics will remain available.)Compare your performance to golfers of any ability level.Golfers can drill down for more granular insights than before.The upgrade is free (included in the next app update).

While the recently released Arccos Caddie Link represents a step forward for Arccos on the hardware side, Arccos Caddie Strokes Gained Analytics is nothing less than the company’s most significant advancement since it screwed its first sensor into the butt-end of a grip.

Arccos 101

If you haven’t used Arccos, here’s what you need to know. The previous versions took your shot data and turned it into a handicap for each of five facets of your game; driving, approach, chipping, sand and putting.

It provided a scoring breakdown (percentage of birdies, pars, etc.), tracked personal bests (longest drive, lowest score, that sort of thing), all with the intent of providing insight into what you needed to work on if you want lower scores.

The platform was reasonably intuitive and inarguably advanced for its time. However, as Strokes Gained took over the golf stats world, the analytics side of the Arccos platform started to feel a little basic. The data was OK but it wasn’t overly specific and didn’t provide nearly the detailed insights that some golfers (me) crave. That lack of detail often made targeting specific opportunities for improvement challenging.

That’s the question I can’t get past after reading John Hawkins’ Morning Read rant about the $60 million “playoffs” forging ahead this week with the same purse and winner’s total ($15 million).

While we can all snicker at forced talk of seedings and birdie putts that move someone up five spots, on Thursday, with a stroke play reset before East Lake, I’m struggling to see how even the most rabid capitalist feels good watching players compete before the full $60 million with pandemic-induced 10% unemployment.

Shoot, the money wasn’t even enthralling fans when times were good. And that’s why Morning Read’s John Hawkins wonders out loud and in great detail if this year’s FedExCup playoffs—starting Thursday—will hurt the Tour’s mostly successful “return”.

Public perception is important, but it doesn’t pay the bills and it sure as hell doesn’t cover the $1.35 million awarded to Daniel Berger for his victory at Colonial.

Call them money-grubbers. Question their collective conscience. But don’t ever forget that the folks who run the most powerful organization in pro golf are overseeing a mighty empire at which the top priority is to serve its players. Always has been, always will be. That’s not going to change just because Aunt Gladys is now pumping her gas with a facial covering.

Perhaps, but hopefully money talk will be emphasized and at the minimum, some players pledge to do offer some of their winnings to a noble cause or two. We’re glad to have the game showing it can function in these bizarre times, up to a point.

Knowing how heartbroken so many with the European Tour must be, I can only say that Kate Wright was one of the great friends to golf media members and players. Maybe you weren’t so sure upon meeting her but in time you quickly appreciated Kate’s wit, brains and efficiency at running what is, essentially an adult day care center. AKA a media center.

Her tragic passing at 36 from cancer was noted in this lovely European Tour write-up, and while nothing about losing such a young, valued member of the golf world and planet earth can be spun in a positive light, I did get a nice smile imaging her getting coaching from Poulter. What a scene that must have been:

As the Tour’s Media Relations Co-ordinator for the past 12 years, Kate was a hugely popular figure amongst staff and players, but also amongst the journalists and broadcasters she worked with in media centres around the world.

Known affectionately as ‘Wrighty’, Kate was an accomplished golfer at Leighton Buzzard Golf Club, in Bedfordshire, England, where she was coached as a youngster by future Ryder Cup legend Ian Poulter.

After graduating from Staffordshire University with a BA Hons in Journalism, Kate initially worked in cricket, another sport she had a passion for, taking the role of Media Relations Assistant for England & Wales Cricket Board in 2006 before joining the European Tour’s Media Department in January 2008.

She quickly became a familiar and popular face in Media Centres as the main point of contact for all accredited international media and broadcasters and, through her role, helping to co-ordinate European Tour press conferences.

Kate passed away at her family home in Great Brickhill with parents Brian and Sue and her cat Frankie at her side.

She will be missed in so many ways and for those visiting from afar, the European Tour will never be quite the same without Kate. From her boss and friend, Scott Crockett:

The signature hole at #RoyalTroon and one of the most famous names in golf, the 'Postage Stamp' 8th is set for this year's @aigwomensopen

The AIG Women’s British Open weather forecast positively stinks and I’m well aware the masochists will adore that. And while a links hosting a major should get some Mother Nature support, I also hope the players also get to display their skill at Royal Troon hosts its first women’s Open.

Players have been posting their enthusiasm even as August feels like January so far this week.

Morgan Pressel did what most golfers would do, posted her first crack at the Postage Stamp which has pushed back at most of the all-time great male golfers. And now, it takes on the best of women’s golf.

Sending you a postcard from the (cold and rainy) postage stamp! 📬

I believe that Justin Thomas was booked on CNBC to hype the playoffs and instead the appearance turned into a Winged Foot preview discussion. I’m sure the folks in Ponte Vedra Beach won’t mind a little lunch time talk around the U.S. Open, oh wait, they will.

He did, however, compliment the effort and suggest that golfers are just happy to have the opportunity to be playing safely. For that grasp of reality, he should get some extra FedExCup points on his reset. Or is it off?

Anyway, the world No. 2 reports that he had never been to Winged Foot, found it “very difficult” and already says its “one of my favorite courses”. Thomas said it’s an “old school design”, “not a lot of trees out there”, “holes have defined-definition” (!), “extremely severe greens” and will be a “true U.S. Open test” this September. So if you’re eyeing him for a second major win, take note, he liked the place.

The full segment:

The schedule offers no release for a tired Justin Thomas, getting ready for a stretch of FedEx Cup playoffs and the U.S. Open.

August 18, 2020

Haggin Oaks Women’s Mentor League

by Dianna Stein

For the casual woman golfer, it can be intimidating to take the step from hitting balls and putting on the practice green to actually teeing off on the first tee.  As this pandemic continues to redefine what is the new normal in our daily lives, more women are turning to golf as a way to stay physically and mentally healthy through these challenging times.  To help transition them from the technical instruction part of the game, Linda Reid, Women’s Golf Ambassador at Haggin Oaks Golf Club, has created a program at the Sacramento-based complex that is nothing short of amazing.

I arrived early to see for myself what was attracting 60 women on a Wednesday morning for nine holes of golf.  Linda has recruited 17 volunteers that mentor these motivated ladies who want to improve their comfort level on the golf course.  She pairs them up with these experienced golfers who spend their time explaining to the students not how to swing the club, but the things that are just as important in the overall game of golf:  How to improve your pace of play, course management, where to mark your ball, why you NEVER walk in the line of another person’s putt, proper club selection, and that quiet means quiet when someone else is setting up their next shot.

The energy surrounding this early morning gathering is contagious.  The welcoming staff at Haggin Oaks, from the PGA Director of Golf Mike Woods, to the cart personnel, understand that this is a group to welcome and respect from a business standpoint as well as from a golfer’s viewpoint.  Not only does the Wednesday morning gathering fill up fast, Linda Reid has also created a Thursday evening “Business Women’s” program, with an energetic group of ladies steadily showing up every week to finish off their busy day relaxing and enjoying the camaraderie of each other’s company, while honing their golf game in the cool evenings of the Central Valley.

The vagaries of television ratings can sometimes be chalked up to who knows, who cares! And maybe it’s best we remain unaware of what makes Nielsen families click.

Take, for instance, the first mens major of 2020. ESPN saw healthy increases with Tiger Woods in their various broadcast windows. The final round on CBS, in eastern prime time, failed to draw a monster number given the alignment of stars and close finish. The so-so rating could be explained by not having Woods in contention as he was in the last August PGA Championship. And there is cordcutting, or summer viewing habits or, who knows. The PGA Championship’s final round rating certainly wasn’t the fault of too few shots shown or too little excitement.

So we move from that unforgettable final round with several stars in contention to last week’s Wyndham Championship, won in compelling fashion by Jim Herman over Billy Horschel. It was soggy, hot, with an ok field, but sports television offered plenty of competition: NASCAR, an NBA play-in game on ABC, NHL playoffs and MLB games across the country. Oh, and sports fans have lives, too, reportedly.

Yet the Wyndham held its own against the heavy competition. From ShowBuzzDaily.com’s roundup of sports ratings where you can see how the other sports fared:

The 1.62 edged out the Portland-Memphis NBA play-in game on ABC, which did draw a much younger audience, but just a 1.29. While this was not a true playoff game and the NBA/ABC combo is off 45% from 2012, this is still an eye-opening victory for pro golf. (The Athletic’s Ethan Strauss looks at the NBA’s falling ratings here.)

If you slice the golf ball, the Callaway Big Bertha B-21 driver is designed for you. I don’t slice so it probably isn’t for me but I’m not any less enthused about this release. It’s just one guy’s opinion but I think Callaway does some of its best work with its niche-focused, off-cycle fall releases. There’s no reason to think B-21 will be an exception.

Why?

In early spring, when nearly everyone is pumping out new product, the target audience for a new driver is basically every golfer. Sure, there’s some segmentation (there’s a reason why Callaway offers three Mavrik drivers), but playing to the fattest part of the Bell curve means coloring within the lines and, to no small degree, not taking chances.

 

The Callaway Big Bertha B-21 irons and B-21 hybrids target the highest-handicap golfers who are more dependent on advances in technology to find improved performance.The key technologies in the Big Bertha B-21 iron and hybrids sare: SS21 club faces created using AI (Artificial Intelligence), VTEC (Visible Tungsten Energy Core) and vibration dampening urethane microspheres.For the first time since the X-14 irons (2000), the company is using RCH graphite shafts as a stock option in both the Callaway Big Bertha B-21 irons and B-21 hybrids.Historically, “Big Bertha” denotes a “best of available technologies” product in Callaway’s line-up.

The Callaway Big Bertha B-21 irons and hybrids serve as the brand’s latest entry into the super-game improvement category of equipment.

It’s a no-bones-about-it release that reminds us there’s always a cost-benefit analysis in product design. In this case, the upside is Callaway packs in a lot of its flagship technology in a single offering. The downside? Well, if you’re looking for SGI performance in something that looks more playerish, this isn’t it.

I have to give credit to Callaway for it straightforward and unapologetic approach with Big Bertha B-21. This is a super-game improvement offering with all of the requisite SGI features. This means thicker toplines, mega-wide soles, larger clubheads and big offset.

The Callaway Big Bertha B-21 isn’t billed as anything other than what it appears to be: Equipment that targets golfers who are most likely to find better performance through technological advancements.

Callaway is launching a women’s brand platform, REVA.The first line of clubs (Big Bertha REVA) offers a driver, fairway wood, hybrid and irons.It is the first time Callaway has designed a line of clubs with women in mind from start to finish.Retail availability begins Oct. 15

 

Ask any female athlete and they’ll tell you about the realities of women in sports. We all know female professionals earn less than their male counterparts. But the inequalities extend far beyond professional sports into all facets of the game, especially equipment. I remember growing up as a competitive soccer player and refusing to wear cleats designed for women. It was a no-brainer. If you wanted authentic leather, real and innovative design, you wouldn’t find it in the cheaper women’s versions.

I’ve had one burning question since my Day 1 on this side of the golf industry. But the launch of the Callaway Big Bertha REVA (as in REV-A-LUTION – yeah, we know…trademarks) line, coupled with being a woman and a relative outsider to the vast world of golf equipment, allows me to finally ask the question …

“What the hell is the point of women’s clubs?”

"At some point somebody is going to have to do something. Why not now? What's holding everybody up?" Slessor adds.

Since another year will pass before the USGA and R&A decide to (maybe) address distance, I was glad to see Tom Pilcher’s piece on the topic and a reminder of my favorite solution: a larger ball. (Thanks to reader Tim for sending.)

That came from European Golf Design’s Jeremy Slessor. FYI, European Golf Design is a collaboration of the European Tour and IMG, so they deal with distance issues, oh, hourly.

"When I started in the design and construction industry in the mid-1980s, we were putting in fairway bunkers at about 230-240 yards. We're now putting them at 300-350 yards," said Slessor, whose company were behind Ryder Cup courses at Celtic Manor (2010), Le Golf National (2018) and Marco Simone (2023).

Slessor spoke highly of the Hong Kong Open, where the 6,700-yard course and its small greens are always a test for the game's best.

And…

"The simple thing is to make the ball bigger. The pros should play that ball, and the manufacturers can use all their research and development to make the longest-flying big ball."

The 'small' ball (1.62 inches in diameter) was barred from competition in 1990, replaced by the standard ball (1.68 inches in diameter).

"At some point somebody is going to have to do something. Why not now? What's holding everybody up?" Slessor adds.

Picturing a Masters going forward without fans has been challenging. But now that November’s playing is going that route and we’ve seen how good courses have looked without clutter, I’m feeling better after this exchange in the Golf.com weekly roundtable.

Alan Shipnuck, senior writer (@AlanShipnuck): By then we’ll have had five months of tournament golf without fans, including two majors, so it’ll be old hat. But there is an intimacy at the Masters that will be missed — think about those fans right behind the green at 7, or the tee at 12, or 16, or the amphitheater around 18 green. But it will be awesome to see Augusta National uncluttered. The course is going to look so pure.

Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): I think it will be extremely strange, even with all the experience we’ll have had by then with fan-free events. With the possible exception of the Ryder Cup, roars help define the Masters more than any other tournament. The sounds are so familiar that longtime viewers can tell a birdie roar from an eagle roar. And we’re all familiar with the TV experience of hearing a roar during the broadcast, then waiting at the edge of our seats to see the highlight of what brought it on. So yeah, very weird. Unbelievably great that the tournament is happening. But it will still be strange.

Michael Bamberger, senior writer: It’s just so fitting that this golf year will end in this way, completely the opposite of what millions experienced last year. BUT it will surely be a memorable Masters and therefore a good TV show.

Is it too early to ask for some live drone shots too?