Golfing News & Blog Articles

Callaway has announced the Paradym fairway wood and hybrid lineup.Callaway promises better down-range distance and dispersion.Retail price is $349.99 (fairway) and $299.99 (hybrid)Pre-sale for the Callaway Paradym driver lineup begins 1/13. Full retail availability starts on 2/24.

The 2023 calendar suggests that Callaway’s Epic franchise is due for a refresh.

But it’s not. The Epic clock has struck zero. 

It’s Callaway Paradym time. If this launch had a theme song, it would have to be You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) by Dead Or Alive. It just makes sense. But don’t think about it too hard. 

Regardless, Epic lurid green is gone and, for at least another year, we won’t be talking about Rogue, either. It’s an entirely new Callaway family, though the guts of the fairway woods and hybrids build off a good bit of the 2022 Rogue ST architecture. 

If you’re reading this on Jan. 4, I’m likely hitting the Paradym right now at Topgolf in El Segundo, Calif. (Damn, where’s my wallet?) I only mention that to corroborate Tony Covey’s last known location, should that be important at some point. 

Callaway has announced the Paradym driver lineup.The new models feature an innovative 360-degree carbon chassis.Callaway says Paradym drivers offer better down-range distance and dispersion.Retail price is $600. Availability begins 2/24 (Pre-sale starts 1/13).

The teaser for Callaway’s 2023 launch event billed what we now know is the new Paradym driver as a 360° Shift in Performance. It’s a compelling, perhaps even exciting, proposition—so long as you don’t think too hard about it.

Who sees it?

Shifting paradigms isn’t new to Callaway. It was said that Epic was a paradigm shift. Epic Flash shifted that paradigm, too. So, with the launch of the Paradym driver family, I suppose our original paradigm is now thrice-shifted though, this time around, Callaway has also shifted the generally accepted paradigms of spelling as well.

It does feel a bit like we’re going in circles.

Will Zalatoris said his swing is now more efficient, and he hasn't lost any of his speed after spending time while retsing his ailing back on understanding the pressures of his golf and working to improve it.

Srixon ZX Mk II Drivers – Key Takeaways

Three new driver models, including a low-spin optionNew QuickFit retail fitting program$499.99, available at retail Jan. 20

The new-for-2023 Srixon ZX Mk II drivers are, in many ways, a perfect reflection of Srixon itself.

If you’re looking for claims of groundbreaking technology or to be wowed by new face materials or sexy marketing campaigns, let me save you some time. You won’t find it here. But if you’re looking for solid performance, incremental technology upgrades that actually make a difference and surprisingly good value, then by all means, dear reader, read on.

What you’ll find are some rather fascinating changes in driver technology, plus a welcome newcomer.

None of them, however, will wow you. That’s not Srixon’s style. But will any of it get your attention in the hitting bay? That, my friends, is the million-dollar question.

Srixon ZX Mk II Drivers

Srixon released the ZX family of clubs in 2021 after a decade of regular old Z. ZX Mk II, as Srixon tells us, stands for Mark II of the ZX line, the second generation. It’s a mouthful, I know.

Srixon ZX Mk II Fairways and Hybrids – Key Takeaways

Invisible engineering tweaks to 2021’s Most Wanted Fairway WoodCG and shaping updates for hybrids, designed for a skilled player’s eyeFairways $279.99; hybrids $249.99Available at retail Jan 20

The new Srixon ZX Mk II Fairways and hybrids follow two fundamental rules of modern golf club design. If you have a winner of a club that’s due for an update, the first rule is simple: Do no harm. And the second? If you have a meh performer, find a way to make it fly higher and, hopefully, longer.

Rule One applies to Srixon’s high-performing fairways woods while Rule Two sits squarely on the company’s surprisingly underwhelming hybrids. Can Srixon do no harm to the fairways while giving its hybrids a boost? Let’s take a look.

Srixon ZX Mk Fairways and Hybrids

Srixon’s last two fairway wood iterations were winners, literally. The 2019 ZF85 was the longest fairway wood tested in that year’s Most Wanted shootout. It also had the highest ball speed of any fairway club tested and was second in forgiveness.

In 2021, the updated ZX fairway copped top overall Most Wanted honors. It was still the distance champion and testers loved the looks.

The hybrids? Both the 2021 ZX and the 2019 ZH85 were bottom-third performers in Most Wanted. That’s surprising as hybrids from corporate stablemates Cleveland and XXIO were both top-half performers.

Good Good Golf – the princes of YouTube golf and a budding apparel company – have officially joined forces with Callaway.

There have been rumblings online about a major announcement coming from Good Good. Speculation has ranged from a simple sponsorship deal with an OEM to an actual acquisition. But in a video released earlier today, the Good Good crew says the partnership goes beyond just a club deal, which they’ve had with various OEMs in the past.

“This ain’t that,” the group said in their video.

It’s not an outright acquisition. But the Good Good guys are calling it a “partnership and collaboration” which will include Callaway golf clubs with Good Good labeling.

Who Is Good Good?

Good Good is a group of five young guys who play golf and make YouTube videos. It launched its first YouTube video in September of 2020 and has since grown to more than 1.1 million subscribers. Good Good also has 462,000 Instagram subscribers and a Subreddit with over 22,000 members. Good Good has also expanded into premium apparel which reflects its youthful “golf is fun” style.

 

The post Rule of the Month: Starting the Hole (Teeing Area) appeared first on Northern California Golf Association.

Kirkland Signature 4 irons have appeared on the USGA conforming list.The iron is manufactured for Costco by Indi Golf.Details are few but the iron is forged and may be a hollow game-improvement iron.

Who cares if Costco makes irons?

You’ve likely seen the photo of the Kirkland Signature 4 iron that has popped up on the USGA conforming list and all over social media. If you have not seen it yet, here you go.

So another company is making a new set of irons. What’s the big deal? Lots of companies make new iron sets. We will likely see 50 new sets of irons unveiled this month. What makes Costco’s Kirkland Signature branded set of irons something that we should take note of?

For starters, let’s see what we can glean from the photo.

TaylorMade’s Carbonwood era appears to be on the verge of a sequel.

With the PGA TOUR ready for action again at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the USGA’s first conforming driver list of 2023 indicates a number of the company’s Tour staff could be brandishing updated big sticks at Kapalua this week.

Three versions of a new TaylorMade driver under the names Stealth 2, Stealth 2 Plus and Stealth 2 HD appeared on the list Monday without product or performance information.

Part II

However, we can assume a few things about the new models from the USGA images and accompanying identification markings.

The most obvious bit of conjecture falls under construction materials.

The Masters sent an invitation to the 2023 tournament to the wrong Scott Stallings, mailing it to an amateur golfer in Georgia, instead of the PGA Tour pro.

The 2023 season is spooling up but, before we get totally immersed in all the new releases, the MyGolfSpy staff took some time to reflect on 2022 and imagine what’s ahead for the coming year in all things golf.

Before you read on, go ahead and drop your 2023 golf predictions in the comments. We’re curious!

Starting With “Most Wanted” …

Our hard-goods expert, Jon Howard, predicts COBRA will struggle to place in the top five in any Most Wanted test in 2023.Phillip Bishop is betting all three of Titleist’s latest TSR drivers will place within the top 10 for Most Wanted Driver of 2023. He thinks one of them will take the top spot.Bennett Green’s confidence in L.A.B. putters this year is unmatched. It took a little convincing but she thinks they’re pushing the envelope just enough for her. Mallet putters beware.Phillip Lien believes the PING i230 irons have a strong chance to win Most Wanted testing.

On the TOUR …

“Rory completes the career Grand Slam at Augusta,” says John Barba, “which will only further piss off Greg Norman.” Barba goes on to predict 2023 will bring in Norman’s rumored replacement as CEO of LIV. “The new LIV CEO will be able to facilitate peace talks with PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan.”Another confident vote for Rory winning the Masters comes from Tony Covey and concers on the disappearance of Norman.Phillip Lien is all-in on Patrick Cantlay taking the 2023 FedEx Cup.Along with yet another nod to Rory winning the green jacket, Bishop is positive Rickie Fowler will join LIV.Barba predicts OEMs will begin to pull their sponsorships from LIV players, citing technicalities in contracts that require PGA TOUR appearances. The Official World Golf Rankings will stretch out a little longer than anyone intends as well.Howard predicts LIV players will be included in OWGR rankings by mid-2023.Note: Five staff members are on board for Rory taking Augusta!

Moving on to Equipment Companies …

Barba believes Callaway has something in the pipeline—footwear.The personal launch monitor market will continue to expand.Covey is convinced TopGolf Callaway Golf Company will make yet another acquisition. “Impact not on the scale of Topgolf but probably bigger than Jack Wolfskin, which is admittedly a super-low bar.”If you’re looking for emerging brands, Canadians support their own so it’s no surprise Rick Young predicts you’ll hear more from Blacksmith Putters this year.Putter connoisseur Dave Wolfe believes Odyssey-Toulon will cut into Scotty Cameron’s milled putter market share.As the game moves indoors and to other condensed formats, you should expect to hear more from LinksDAO, Puttery and the Tiger Woods-backed Popstroke.

As for the Longshots …

Courses will begin offering six-hole rounds to fix slow play, says Wolfe. Will it fix the problem? Hardly, but it’s worth a shot.

What Do You Think?

What are your predictions for the world of golf in 2023?

 

 

If 2023 is going to be the year where you start compressing the golf ball with some sizzle and penetration off the club face then it’s time to get to work on that pesky little chicken wing you see at impact and beyond in your golf swing. It will take some time, but with a clear picture and a few solid practice sessions it can be done. Here’s how…

The two key areas are as follows:

The club face is invariably the culprit here and its almost always overly weak or open. Practice the “pump drill” demonstrated in the video where you really exaggerate how closed you’re getting the club face. Yes, you’ll hit a few shots to the draw/hook end of the spectrum, but just the same way you learned to hit it “straight” with an open face, is how you’ll learn to hit it straight with a more neutral face.

Let’s get DIRECT with this drill and make sure the lead arm stays extended. Keep in mind - face first and then the 9-3 drill demonstrated in the video. Use a 7 iron and keep the drill smaller than you might think. No need to hit it hard just yet. Please make sure that both arms are still extended as things come to a halt after the strike.

I know that if you commit to these two ideas you will not only improve the quality of your ball striking, but you’ll also get rid of the infamous golf swing chicken wing.

Former Ryder Cup player and five-time European Tour winner Barry Lane has died at the age of 62, the DP World Tour said in a statement on Sunday.

The 2023 Evnroll V-Series putter line expands by 15 new models.The new line includes redesigned favorites and Evnroll’s most customizable model to date.All new V-Series putter models available at retail mid-February 2023.

Baby New Year is not even swaddled and Evnroll has unveiled their new 2023 batch of V-Series putters. This batch of putters is no preemie. It’s a fully developed line of new models and designs. In 2023, Evnroll’s V-Series expands by a whopping 15 putters!

Admittedly, some of those putters are more configurations of models than new models. Still, the amount of metal that Evnroll is bringing to your shop next month is impressive. This small putter company is bringing a battleship’s worth of steel to your putter corral. Too much exaggeration? Well, it could be a small battleship.

Why should you care? First of all, all new putters should be welcomed and explored. In this case, these have the features we expect to see in Evnroll putters. These new models feature the hosel versatility of the current Evnroll V-Series putters as well as the Envroll’s lauded Sweet Face technology.

Are you unfamiliar with said versatility and Sweet Face technologies? Not a problem. Let’s take a moment to rehash some of the key features of the V-Series and Evnroll in putters general.

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Some birthdays seem made for athletic greatness. December 30 is one of them. Tiger Woods and LeBron James were born on the same day.

MyGolfSpy Experiences follows the one fundamental truth of the golf cosmos: The best bucket-list golf trip is the next one.

Always.

And of all the bucket list destinations in North America, the bucket-list-iest of them all is Pebble Beach. From first-class accommodations to world-class golf in an unforgettable setting, Pebble ranks with St Andrews as the place any golfer must visit before they die.

A fair warning: Pebble ain’t cheap. And you’re unlikely to find any deals. The resort is close to sold out for 2023. However, if you’re in the general area and have a flexible schedule, you can get on any of the four courses that make up the resort, including the iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Just bring your wallet.

Who made the biggest impact in professional golf this year? What's in store for these key players in 2023? We look back at the year's noteworthy names.

A couple of weeks ago, we asked you about the clubs in your bag. More than 4,000 of you responded. Thank you!

Your feedback provided a plethora of insights, not just about the clubs, but the type of clubs you have in your bag right now. Perhaps we’ll take a closer look at some of that down the road but today we’re focusing on the brands that golfers spent their money on this season.

Here’s a closer look at our readers’ top brands for every spot in the bag.

What’s in the Bag Survey Results

Titleist accounted for the most new driver purchases, beating Callaway and TaylorMade by the narrowest of margins. PING was just a few percentage points behind them.

Other Notables

COBRA and an apparently growing PXG each accounted for a little more than nine percent of recent purchases.While percentages are small, it’s notable that more respondents purchased Sub 70 drivers than more established brands like Cleveland and Wilson.While exceptionally strong in the iron category, Mizuno accounted for less than 2.5 percent of new purchases

More MyGolfSpy readers chose Callaway fairway woods than any other brand. TaylorMade was next, followed by Titleist.