Golfing News & Blog Articles

Miguel Angel Jimenez's bogey on the par-4 18th put him in a three-way tie for the lead with David Toms and Dicky Pride at the PGA Tour Champions' inaugural Sanford International in rain-soaked South Dakota.

Nelly Korda had five birdies and a clean card for a 5-under 67 to build an early two-shot lead Friday in the ANA Inspiration.

In golf architecture we have seen Mother Nature’s natural features accepted no matter how annoying. While design elements created by humans are typically met with derision.

Then we have unnatural objects accepted as part of a tournament setup: grandstands, temporary boundaries and other infrastructure. In recent years, grandstanding has become a thing at recent PGA Tour stops in Austin and Detroit, where players intentionally using unnatural objects to get a good bounce or drop.

And now, the ultimate backstopping at this week’s ANA Inspiration. The reachable par-5 18th, normally backed by a small stand for humans, features a blue tarp wall with sponsors promoted. However without fans, such an option was unnecessary and is not only stopping balls from entering the water long, but getting used as a backboard by those mulling a go at the green in two.

Ryan Lavner reports for GolfChannel.com on the player’s “surprise” at seeing the blue wall.

“I was actually thinking about what 18 would be like without the bleachers, because visually, that is just a protector for most of us,” said Madelene Sagstrom, who shot 67. “I know there’s water behind it, and I don’t think that would visually be a very nice shot to go for in two. I don’t really know the reasoning for the thing, but I’m kind of happy it’s there if I want to go for it in two, to be honest.”

First-round leader Nelly Korda said that fellow competitor Megan Khang threw a ball underneath the structure and it still rolled into the water behind the green.

“Honestly, I wish they didn’t have that wall there, because I think it would play really cool as an island green,” Korda said. “It’s, like, really close to the green this year. Usually the palm trees, you have to play around them or they come into play, but this year it’s very close to the green.”

North Carolina’s John Locke Foundation “believes in free markets, limited constitutional government, and personal responsibility” and clearly holds no affinity for the state’s governor, Roy Cooper. The organization’s founder Art Pope, was the budget director for former Republican governor Pat McCrory, who lost to Cooper.

Some political stuff to keep in mind in Kari Travis’s story talking to two of their researchers charged with monitoring the state’s government and no fans of the legislative deal to bring more USGA to the Tar Heel State.

In a nutshell: they are not fans of deal re-written legislation passed and hastily signed this week securing 35 $80k+ USGA jobs, the move of various departments from Far Hills, and future majors for North Carolina.

“I’m so tired of these things, I can’t even work up fire for it,” Joe Coletti, JLF’s senior fellow for fiscal and tax policy, said after the USGA announcement. “This is the state helping Pinehurst Resort with something that was probably gonna happen anyway.”

Coletti has spent countless hours tracking North Carolina’s economic struggle through the governor’s COVID-19 shutdown. In short, he’s exhausted. And now, despite the state’s significant tax losses and slumping economy, the legislature managed to scrape together enough money for a golf deal. 

As with many states in the COVID era, North Carolina’s hospitality industry is in trouble and Colletti takes issue with the lack of any immediate effort to help the sector.

The project will yield $2 billion for North Carolina’s economy over 25 years, USGA estimates. 

“None of these numbers are real, except for what’s being paid out by the state,” Coletti said. 

Feel is inherently subjective. And while it’s often part of the club buying decision, we don’t all experience it the same way. One golfer’s soft is another’s mushy. What one golfer describes as firm may be harsh to another.

For those firmly in the firm camp…yes that was intentional, the PING Heppler putter may be for you. Offered in the same models as the flagship Sigma line, Heppler offers a solid flat machined face that provides a firmer feel at impact. It’s bundled with a stunning black and copper finish that provide effective alignment cues.

Testers Wanted

We’re looking for four golfers who are motivated, detail-oriented, and committed to providing a thorough review of the PING Heppler putters and sharing your thoughts and grades with the MyGolfSpy forum community.

Testing is open to golfers in the US, Canada and UK.

Russell Knox had seven birdies and eagled the par-5 fifth to shoot a 9-under 63 on Thursday, good for a one-shot lead after the first round of the Safeway Open.

John Daly, the two-time major champion and longtime fan favorite, says he has bladder cancer.

The last time Winged Foot hosted, Geoff Ogilvy won with an incredible up-and-down at 18 to edge a host of players, including Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie. (Geoff joins Andy Johnson on the Fried Egg podcast to discuss that and other topics, as always a great listen.)

At GolfDigest.com, Joel Beall makes a reasonable case that Phil Mickelson cost himself that U.S. Open with plenty of other shots. But let’s be real, it’s the 18th hole still being discussed 14 years later.

This week on an NBC conference call to discuss next week’s tournament, Roger Maltbie offered this about the moment he witnessed firsthand as on-course commentator:

Well, certainly for some period of time it was as talked about as anything that I've ever witnessed, whether it was Tiger's putt two years later in 2008 that Danny called so well at Torrey Pines or -- good or bad, the question that I received over and over again and I obviously have no answer for is, what was he thinking? I don't know. I don't know. Phil carries that bravado and aggressive style of play with him all the time, but there is a real line there as to what is aggressive, what is bold, and what is foolhardy. And I think he ventured on to the side of foolhardy and tried a shot that, hey, it was not the right decision to make and he paid the price, a big price.

And this from Dan Hicks, who helmed the broadcast alongside Johnny Miller and will do so again this year. He’s also a member at Winged Foot and will bring that extra bit of insight to the proceedings:

Golfers and manufacturers talk about superior feel of forged clubs, but does forged actually perform better?

2:25  – Does a putter have to be expensive to work?30:08  – Most Wanted: The Best Players Distance Irons of 2020

Watch Now

Also available on:

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and all major podcast apps.

 

The post CAST vs FORGED | #NoPuttsGiven 49 appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

We cover a host of new releases including Mizuno’s ES21 Wedge and Taylormade’s P770 line of irons. Is it spring again?

1:18 – No Patrons at this year’s Masters2:15 –  Taylormade’s best looking irons yet?7:48 –  Did Mizuno invent a new wedge category?13:10 – Should you play the MG2 TW Wedge?18:34 – Did Taylormade make a mallet that feels like a blade?23:38 – Black or Chrome irons?30:26 – Taylormade or Mizuno irons?

Watch Now

Also available on:

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and all major podcast apps.

 

The post Taylormade or Mizuno? | NPG 53 appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

Can PING’s new G425 Driver reach an even higher peak? Also, Adams Golf is making a comeback (on Twitter), how to attack a par 3, and are at-home launch monitors worth it?

0:36 – Things Miranda didn’t know.2:38 –  PING’s new G425 Driver: New AND Improved?7:41 –  How to attack a par 3 featuring ShotScope13:08 – Are at-home Launch Monitors worth it?21:26 – Is Adams Golf making a comeback?26:43 – Harry’s English Phrase of the Week

Watch Now

Also available on:

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and all major podcast apps.

 

The post Ping’s New G425 Driver: New AND Improved? appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

The thirteenth is a solid par-3 and a fine test of skill, but this one just doesn’t capture hearts and minds like the tenth. It could be the location or the distance or the more seemingly generous opening to the green.

That relative simplicity of the left-to-right favoring look is offset by the pitch, contours and all but impossible back hole locations. Just a tough par-3.

Winged Foot's 13th is a 212-yard par 3 that puts a premium on distance control. The front two-thirds of the green slope significantly from back to front, so landing on the wrong level will result in a very challenging two-putt.

In collaboration with @DeloitteUS. pic.twitter.com/6f23EC2Nr5

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) September 8, 2020

After much anticipation we’ve released our first Ball Lab covering the 2020 Callaway Chrome Soft review. Also, are virtual fittings the way of the future, and how does one improve on the Most Wanted Umbrella?

1:23 – Extracurricular activities of our youth3:39 –  Are Virtual Ball Fittings the way of the future?11:50 –  How does one improve on the Most Wanted Umbrella?20:27 – Ball Lab One: The 2020 Callaway Chrome Soft30:31 – Harry’s English Phrase of the Week31:52 – HOTSEAT: Is it just “The Open”?

Watch Now

Also available on:

iTunesSoundcloud

and all major podcast apps.

 

The post What’s the Actual Cost of a Chrome Soft? | NPG 56 appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

Danielle Kang beat the desert heat Thursday morning with birdies on all the par 5s and a 5-iron that was inches away from an ace, giving her a 4-under 68 and a share of the early lead in the ANA Inspiration.

Liam Johnston shot the lowest round of his European Tour career to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the Portugal Masters on Thursday.

Nippon Zelos Story: Steel For Life Lite Key Takeaways

Lightweight steel can match lightweight graphite virtually gram for gramNippon Zelos is the lightest constant-weight steel shaft in golf – light like graphite but plays like steelProprietary steel and unique heat treatment makes Zelos both light and durable

Since its inception in 1959, the Nippon Shaft mantra has been Steel For Life. In 1999, Nippon added “light” to the steel equation with the 950 GH. It was the industry’s very first sub 100-gram constant-weight steel shaft. Since then, Nippon has released more light hits than Air Supply. That light quest culminated in 2013 with the Nippon Zelos line – the lightest steel shafts you can buy.

The very existence of Zelos poses many questions. The first is obvious: If you want to go that light, why not just go graphite? But the deeper you dig, the more interesting the questions become. How will steel shafts in the 68- to 84-gram range feel and perform? How would they perform differently from a premium lightweight graphite shaft? And how the heck can you make a steel shaft that light that will actually stand up to repeated ball striking?

All fair questions. And we laid them right on Nippon’s doorstep. We think you’ll find the answers interesting.

Nippon: The Anti-Heavy Metal

The Nippon 950 GH was a true game-changer for Nippon when it arrived. As mentioned, it was the lightest constant-weight shaft on the market at the time, ranging from 104 grams in X-Flex to 94.5 grams in R-Flex. The 950 was so successful that it prompted Nippon to go lighter still with the 850 GH (87 grams in R-flex, 91 grams in X-flex) and ultimately the 750 GH (79 grams R-flex, 83 grams S-flex).

“Even though it’s a lightweight product, it doesn’t play like a lightweight shaft at all,” says Hiro Fukuda, Sales and Marketing Director for Nippon Shaft. “It’s quite firm feeling, actually.”

For the first time since June, fans will be invited back to golf. The PGA Tour isn't doing it just yet, but the PGA Tour Champions -- the over-50 circuit -- is opening the gates this week. Here's how -- and why -- it plans to try to pull it off.

Cristie Kerr, just five points shy of the LPGA Hall of Fame, has proven herself on the golf course. With her investment in Kerr Cellars, the 42-year-old also is mastering the art of winemaking.

Scoring in Relation to Par – Key Takeaways

For most golfers, Par 4s yield the highest average score relative to parFor most golfers, Par 5s yield the lowest average score relative to par

Improved Performance Through Data

Big data is a powerful tool. Not only does it allow golfers to assess individual parts of the game, but it provides an opportunity to examine performance from a variety of perspectives.

Golf stat-tracking and performance management companies like ShotScope help golfers better understand individual on-course performance. However, by aggregating data from golfers across the world, we get a more complete picture of the realities of amateur performance.

So, as we dive into a relatively straightforward topic, take a moment and think about where you find the most difficulty on the course. Does par make a difference in how you approach a hole?

Par 5 Scoring Average by Handicap

 

Observations

Par 5s are statistically the easiest holes on the course across all handicaps.Par 5s often give golfers the best chance to make a birdie (or better).

Par 4 Scoring Average by Handicap

Observations

Par 4s show the biggest variation between handicaps. Shot Scope’s data shows a difference of 1.24 shots between a 2 and 26 handicap.Higher handicap golfers, on average, have the most ability to improve on Par 4s.In 2018-19, 17 of the 20 most difficult holes on the PGA Tour were Par 4s.

Par 3 Scoring Average by Handicap

Observations

Par 3s generally only require one good shot to produce a score of par (or better).Par 3s provide every golfer with an opportunity for golf’s most iconic result – a hole in one!Check out a more in-depth Par 3 discussion in our previous Shot Scope case study.

How Do You Compare?

Do you score better or worse than the Shot Scope database averages?

First Look: BirdieBall PuttUp Key Takeaways

BirdieBall launches add-on for original putting matIt transforms the original mat from flat to inclinedSimulates up to an 18-foot putt on a 10-foot mat

BirdieBall is already No. 1 in MyGolfSpy’s Putting Mat Buyer’s Guide and is one of the best training aids on the market. Now they’re introducing a brand new feature that will not only improve your game but will have you addicted to practice almost overnight. BirdieBall PuttUp takes the classic BirdieBall mat design and dials it up. Literally.

BirdieBall offers many varieties of length, number of holes, green speeds and other customizable options. Not to mention you get a perfect roll on every … single … putt.

What is BirdieBall?

BirdieBall knows the game can be intimidating for beginners and wants to make golf fun and accessible. BirdieBall’s claim to fame is “BirdieBalls.” Visualize something more similar in looks to a napkin ring than a golf ball but when hit with a club, it simulates the same launch and spin as a regular ball but with a restricted flight of only 40 yards.

After BirdieBalls launched them to training-aid success, BirdieBall aimed for the next level, creating a putting mat that can be almost endlessly customized. While it’s a resounding success from a customization standpoint, is it any good? Hell, yes!

The putting greens feature authentic grain and Stimpmeter speeds to replicate a natural putting green. “But does this roll like a real green at my course?”, you ask. Absolutely. The ball stays on course when it slows down as long as the ground is level and remains perfectly straight from start to finish.