Golfing News & Blog Articles

Continental Europe, led by Francesco Molinari raised aloft the Hero Cup as they beat Great Britain and Ireland in the inaugural competition on Sunday.

Hayden Buckley started and ended the back nine at Waialae with eagles on Saturday for a second straight 6-under 64, giving him a two-shot lead and creating some separation going into the final round of the Sony Open in Honolulu.

Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira of Argentina had a record day at Grand Reserve to build a 4-shot lead Saturday at the Latin America Amateur Championship, leaving him one round away from a spot in the Masters and U.S. Open.

Continental Europe will take a two-point lead into the final day of the Hero Cup after extending its advantage over Britain & Ireland in the afternoon foursomes on Saturday.

Chris Kirk leads the Sony Open after a strange Friday that saw Jordan Spieth start the day with a share of the lead, only to walk off the 18th green in a minor state of shock after missing the cut.

Luis Carrera of Mexico took the Latin America Amateur lead after a second straight 5-under 67, while 18-hole leader Mateo Fuenmayor fell nine back after a 77.

Adam Scott is among 16 players appointed to the Player Advisory Council for 2023.

Jordan Spieth opened with a 6-under 64 on Thursday, grabbing a share of the lead with Chris Kirk and Taylor Montgomery at the Sony Open.

Mateo Fuenmayor, a junior at Oregon State, made seven birdies and shot a first-round 66 to take a 1-shot lead in the Latin America Amateur.

Sleeker new head profileThree adjustable sole weightsH.O.T. face technology with ST-118 face materialTargeted at advanced players

From a bean counter’s desk, maybe it is more practical to prioritize budget and resources to build products for recreational golfers—by far the largest percentage of the world’s golf population—over a much smaller consumer segment comprised of highly skilled players.

For the majority of golf OEMs, that kind of logic simply doesn’t fly. Here’s why: Zero to 15-handicap players are entrenched consumers. Sure, the “better player” numbers are much smaller. But they play more frequently, spend more to do it and pay closer attention to industry trends and innovation.

That’s for whom COBRA built the new KING TEC hybrid. The premium-level, adjustable hybrid complements COBRA’S new family of better player irons (KING Tour, KING CB and KING MB) and affords elite ball strikers a multi-purpose option from a variety of lies and situations.

About Face

Like it did for with AEROJET irons, the engineers at COBRA applied H.O.T. Face technology to the KING TEC hybrid with one added wrinkle to the PWRSHELL insert: a new forged ST-118 steel face material. The highly flexible forged ST-118 creates a larger zone for higher launch and faster ball speeds on off-center strikes.

Every KING Wears a Crown

The KING TEC hybrid also comes with a four-gram carbon-fiber crown. Use of the lightweight material helps push weight lower and further back in the clubhead resulting in lower CG, improved launch and just a hint of forgiveness.

Three new models: KING Tour, KING CB and KING MBFive-step forging process, not industry-standard fourIntricate shape and design consistency clubhead to clubheadKING Tec Utility features COBRA metalwood face technologies

The late Tom Crow, COBRA Golf’s founder, believed that innovation, when it’s done right, can make a difficult game easier for anyone. The Australian lived it, too.

Products like the sole-railed Baffler, golf’s first larger iron, KING Cobra Oversize, the 46-inch Long Tom driver and Trusty Rusty wedges (designed by PGA TOUR player Phil Rodgers) provide evidence of Crow’s innovative deviation from golf’s traditional path with gear.

They also epitomize COBRA’s current “Doing Things Differently” slogan. That said, Crow surely would appreciate how COBRA “forged” (literally) a path to its latest KING Tour, KING CB, KING MB irons and the new KING Tec Utility.

Forged Consistency

Usually, forging irons is a four-step process. You know the drill. Carbon steel billets are heated to a temperature of 1,200-degrees Celsius before undergoing rough forging, where metal is bent and rough-shaped to look like an iron head—not once but three times.

Step Four is 1,200 tons of pressure applied to the rough clubhead at 800 degrees Celsius. That turns it into a more refined and detailed shape. When cooled down completely, the forged clubheads get ground down, buffed, polished and paint-filled to a finished consumer product.

Callaway has announced the 2023 version of its three-piece ERC Soft golf ball.Increased speed is provided by a new HyperElastic SoftFast Core.A GRIP Urethane coating over the ionomer cover provides more spin.Retail price is $39.99.

It is the stated goal of Callaway Golf’s ball division to make the best-performing product in each segment and at each price point.

Overlooking for the moment that the company doesn’t offer a true Titleist Pro V1 competitor (and my personal feeling that there are market segments and price points at which no golf ball should exist), the launch of the new ERC Soft is both unexpectedly and unusually compelling.

That’s right. Much to my own surprise, I find myself intrigued by an ionomer-covered ball.

What makes this Callaway ERC Soft better (and more interesting) than the last boils down to two key technologies.

Detailing this week's top storylines in professional golf as the PGA Tour heads to Honolulu for the Sony Open.

Easier said than done. How does your mind slow down your backswing and execute the rhythm to add power to your swing? We have the ideal solution to blank-out extra thoughts and add the proper tempo to your swing. Avoiding a Wandering Mind and adding Backswing Actions are the keys to the future success for consistency in your swing.

I realized that I was on the right track when I started my new season of winter golf in Florida. I read a simple golf tip by Sean Zak a senior writer for the Golf.com blog who referred to the “Hideki-esque” move. Hideki Matsuyama has changed his swing from an actual pause at the top to a slow transition. Most golfers lose their tempo when they jerk or rush the transition. All of the power in your swing comes from the down swing so there is no need to rush your backswing up to the top!

You can enjoy the benefits of a Hideki-esque transition as long as you control your mind AND execute a critical windup sequence.

1/ Eliminate a Wondering Mind
I have covered this in many previous blogs but you will improve your tempo and focus if you mentally repeat the following words during your backswing: “1 annnd 2”. If you say these words in your mind you will not be able to say or think any other thoughts. Buy saying these words you will slow down the tempo of your backswing.
-Say “1” to start your WIDE takeaway as your hips and shoulders rotate.
-Say “annnd” as you flatten your leading wrist and add lag at the top of your swing.
-Say “2” as you accelerate your downswing.

2/ Take Your Time to Build your Backswing Actions.
Hank Haney often points out that you need to impact your ball with a square face to eliminate slice. The critical motion is to take a wide backswing (without swaying your head or body) and add a shallowing loop at the top of your swing. This is just a natural motion when you flatten your leading wrist and add lag to your club by cocking your wrist 90 degrees.

The next event on the PGA Tour is the Sony Open at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii. Here's how you can watch all of the action.

Srixon ZX Mk II Irons – Key Takeaways

Updates to ZX7, ZX5 and ZX4 models and utility ironsDesigned for combo sets—all toplines the same widthNew Z-Forged blades also part of the release$1,199 for a 7-piece set; Utility irons $239.99Available Jan 20; blades April 19

The new Srixon ZX Mk II irons, at first glance, follow Srixon’s well-documented Kaizen philosophy of incremental improvement. Sure, there are technical updates and improvements but nothing that grabs you by the shirt and says, “Notice me!”

However, a mere cursory look at the Srixon ZX Mk II would be a mistake.

Srixon irons have long been an underground favorite for MyGolfSpy readers. In our recent WITB Survey, Srixon irons sold on par with PING and PXG. That’s a rate that’s roughly double Srixon’s overall irons market share.

Make no mistake. Srixon is going after big dogs Callaway, TaylorMade and Titleist. From all outward appearances, we think Srixon has Mizuno in its crosshairs and wants to be the player’s choice.

And from what we can tell, the new ZX Mk II irons—and the companion utility irons—are a healthy opening salvo.

PING has announced the G430 fairway wood and hybrid family in the U.S.A.The lineup includes two fairway woods (G430 MAX, G430 SFT) and a single G430 hybrid.MSRP price is $385 (fairway), $335 (hybrid). Pre-sale begins today.

From the G400 line forward, PING drivers have been excellent, if not category-leading. But the manufacturer doesn’t have the same track record of success with its fairway woods and hybrids as it does with drivers.  Where the drivers are often been exceptional, the fairway woods and hybrids, while reasonably consistent, haven’t exhibited the same top-of-class performance.

With the PING G430 line, the manufacturer believes it’s addressed several shortcomings as evidenced by John K. Sohlheim’s (PING CEO and President) assertion, “The combined distance gains throughout the entire G430 family are like nothing we’ve seen from one generation of clubs to the next.” And if you’ve followed PING for any length of time, you’ll concede that this is a different tenor and one that PING loyalists likely welcome.

PING G430 Overview

The G430 line of fairway woods and hybrids feature the expected iterative, small tweaks alongside several major changes, one of which we’ll revisit sometime this summer.

For right now, PING is releasing two fairway wood models, G430 MAX and G430 SFT, in addition to an updated G430 hybrid. The two fairway woods contain the same basic technology suite. That said, the MAX should fit the widest range of golfers whereas the slightly larger and lighter SFT is designed to help golfers who need some assistance squaring the face at impact.

PING G430 – Key Takeaways

Built for ball speed, distance and gappingARCCOS data factors into design$170/stick in steel; $185 graphitePre-sale/fittings start today. At retail Jan. 26

 

The new PING G430 irons are an anomaly. PING is adding in some badly needed distance while still focusing on playability and forgiveness. And there’s also a new emphasis on gapping.

Playability, forgiveness and proper gapping make for better golf. But distance is the thing that gets us all giddy in the hitting bay. And don’t think for a minute that PING doesn’t get that.

Want proof? The lofts on the new PING G430 are stronger across the board by as much as 2.5 degrees. But before you break out the riot gear and head to the streets, take a breath or two. There’s distance and then there’s playable distance. And there’s more to playable distance than simple loft-jacking.

And given its history, PING knows this better than anyone.

PING has announced the G430 driver family in the U.S.A.The lineup includes the G430 MAX, LST and SFT.The new models offer more speed without sacrificing forgiveness.Retail price is $550. Pre-sale begins today.

If you’ve followed PING at all for the last several years, the basics of the G430 driver lineup will be familiar. With the G430 driver family, PING will again offer three basic models. There’s some nuance here as a not-so-secret menu offering provides a new option that actually gets us to four, though it would be a stretch to suggest it’s a unique model.

As has been the case going back to the G30, the G430 LST (Low Spin Technology) primarily targets the faster swinger looking for spin reduction. The G430 SFT (Straight Flight Technology) services the golfer who needs a good amount of draw bias baked in. The other one, which became the MAX when the G425 launched, is a relatively neutral and extremely forgiving option designed with a healthy percentage of golfers in mind.

As far as your performance headline goes, PING says the G430 lineup brings the biggest performance gains in G history. That’s saying something, especially when you consider the jump from the G to the G400 and the legendary (in my world anyway) G400 LST Driver.