Golfing News & Blog Articles

Do recent sponsorship shake-ups signal a sea change in the golf apparel industry? We think the underdogs have staying power.

We’re only a few tournaments into the new season but we’ve already seen some unexpected shake-ups when it comes to apparel sponsorships. After many years of dominance by the biggest brands on the planet—think adidas, NIKE, PUMA—a paradigm shift is underway in the world of professional golf. The world’s best players are no longer defaulting to the major brands. Instead, they’re considering signing with smaller brands, making waves one pair of tailored trousers at a time.

Who is on the move?

Jason Day to Malbon

Jason Day left NIKE to sign on with SoCal brand Malbon as their first PGA Tour pro. His first few outfits have garnered mixed reviews but we think people will quickly get used to seeing him in Malbon’s roomier duds.

Xander Schauffele to Descente

Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele departed his longtime sponsor adidas in favor of outdoor-focused sportswear brand Descente. He joins Danny Willett at the brand. Descente also sponsored LPGA star Nelly Korda back in the day, so they’re no strangers to the pro tours.

Min Woo Lee to lululemon

Min Woo Lee has been cooking on the course and sponsors have taken notice. He signed on as lululemon’s latest ambassador earlier this year, sporting polos with a unique contrast logo perfect for television—just don’t try to get his exact gear for yourself (you can’t).

Collin Morikawa came close last season. Painfully so. Multiple times. Leading by six shots after 54 holes at The Sentry and bogey-free through 67 holes, Morikawa coughed up three straight bogeys to wind up second, tying the PGA Tour record for squandering the largest 54-hole lead.

After a roller-coaster season where he finished T10 at the Masters but missed the cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Morikawa was in prime position for his first victory in more than two years at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last July but lost in a playoff to Rickie Fowler, who ended his own four-year winless drought on Tour.

Ultimately, the third time would prove to be the charm as Morikawa shot a final-round 7-under 63 to win the 2023 Zozo Championship by six strokes in October, ending a string of close-but-no-cigar results with his first Tour victory in 27 months.

“It wasn’t a matter of if I was going to win, it was just a question of when,” Morikawa said. “It’s nice to get that out of the way because this is a year I feel like the game’s in a great spot, the head’s in the right spot, life’s in a great spot and I’m not trying to worry about too many things other than going out and trying to have a great time and kind of enjoying playing golf and trying to win again.”

Winning certainly cures all. And it’s given Morikawa his swagger back.

The Testing Opportunity

Sub 70 has a large following on the MyGolfSpy Forum so there was a lot of hype when we released the Forum Member Review opportunity for Sub 70 putters. 

Since their last member test, they have released new models, a new multi-material putter shaft and several grip options which have also been reviewed on the Forum. The Sycamore 005 Wide Blade putter with the new graphite/steel shaft finished third in our 2023 Most Wanted blade putter testing.

Direct From Sub 70

Here is what Sub 70 says about their putters: “Every Sub 70 putter is milled from a billet of 1045 carbon steel which leaves no welds, castings or inconsistencies in the head. This is the best way to make a putter head and you will not find a more solid, great feeling putter. Aesthetically each of the Sub 70 putters offers a clean, classic black and white color scheme with traditional alignment lines. We have purposefully made the heads slightly heavier than the industry standard as we feel it allows a more natural pendulum like putting stroke.“

For this testing opportunity, our Forum staff selected four testers to review and keep a Sub 70 putter of their choosing with multiple options for shafts, grips and length and loft customization.

About the Testers

Our four testers had handicaps that ranged from 8 to over 30. They had used a variety of other putters but none had ever used a Sub 70. Two of our testers recognized putting as being the weakest part of their game and one felt it was his biggest strength. All were casual or weekend golfers who don’t normally play in competitions.

What does Ping's G430 Max 10K driver do well? The swing robot offered up key insights during the latest round of robotic testing.

The post Ping’s G430 Max 10K driver shined in 3 areas during robot testing appeared first on Golf.

Full 2024 Genesis Invitational tee times for Round 1 on Thursday at Riviera, featuring Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and more.

The post 2024 Genesis Invitational Thursday tee times: Round 1 groupings appeared first on Golf.

Tour pros are meticulous in their practice routines. Here's how Tommy Fleetwood practices his putting before a big tournament.

The post How a Tour pro practices putting before a big tournament appeared first on Golf.

From Layna Finau pretending to sell her husband's clubs to Tiger's Sun Day Red event and a putting contest at Riviera, get caught up.

The post Inside Tiger’s exclusive event, Valentine’s prank, Tour putting contest | Rogers Report appeared first on Golf.

Tiger Woods made his first appearance of the week Tuesday at Riviera. Here's how his swing looked in his return to action.

The post Tiger Woods is back, but is his swing? We asked a Top 100 Teacher appeared first on Golf.

Thanks to GOLF Top 100 Teacher Brech Spradley, you can create the perfect golf swing by using these building blocks during practice.

The post Follow these 5 building blocks to create the perfect golf swing appeared first on Golf.

With Tiger Woods returning to the PGA Tour this week, now feels like a good time to take an up-close look at his Scotty Cameron putter.

The post Tiger Woods’ legendary putter as you’ve never seen it before appeared first on Golf.

One-time major champion Bryson DeChambeau teaches a junior golfer the keys to repeatable golf practice, which could help improve your game, too.

The post Bryson DeChambeau’s 4 keys to building repeatable golf practice appeared first on Golf.

On Tuesday, the LPGA announced a new big-time title sponsor for the upcoming LPGA tournament in Arizona: Ford Motor Company.

The post LPGA lands new big-time title sponsor for Arizona tournament appeared first on Golf.

Days after the WM Phoenix Open closed its gates to fans and stopped selling alcohol, a tournament organizer said changes are coming.

The post Change coming to WM Phoenix Open after mayhem, safety concerns appeared first on Golf.

The swing robotic confirmed Cleveland's Launcher XL2 driver is a great option — if you struggle in these areas.

The post Cleveland Launcher XL2 excelled in 3 areas during robotic driver testing appeared first on Golf.

Based on the success of the PLD putter line, Ping is adding 5 new Tour-proven models in 2024 along with new customization options.

The post Ping launches 5 new PLD putter designs: Everything you need to know appeared first on Golf.

With the help of AI, Wilson has reimagined its popular Dynapower Forged irons to offer players' distance performance without losing feel.

The post Wilson Dynapower Forged irons for 2024 offer feel and powerful distance appeared first on Golf.

Are you confusing your driver swing with your iron swing? As I watched Nick Taylor come from behind to win the Waste Management Phoenix Open, I noticed that his head seemed to stay in the exact same position from setup to impact. He never rushed his setup, and his body was just rotating (not swaying). Of course, the TV cameras were focused on his drives and hitting a drive is totally different than hitting an iron shot. That may be the solution for YOUR game too.

Don’t be confused between a teed up driver swing and all other club swings which are off the deck.

There are so many products, promotions and blogs about the swing with a driver and the swing with fairway woods, hybrids and irons. Unfortunately our brains seem to love the driver swing and tend to mess-up the swing for all other clubs. You can’t afford to make this mistake. The setups and swings are quite different.

One similarity is that you should be setting up your leading arm by rotating your elbow to face directly up your target line. Yes, you can actually grip your club with your leading arm and rotate your elbow. You will see all pro golfers do this automatically. It’s second nature for them but we rarely see anyone highlight this very important component for every setup. By the way, your trailing elbow should be pointing down away from your trailing side so that it can easily be bent during your backswing.

Driver Swing: The driver is designed with very little loft because you have the opportunity to swing up on your teed up ball for driver shots. Always setup with your teed up ball off your leading heel. Tilt your trailing shoulder down and point your shaft up your leading arm and shoulder. You may want to also setup with your club resting on the ground about 4 inches back from your ball as that is the low point in the arc of your swing. Impact the ball in the center of your club face.

Ping's all-new S159 wedges offer something for every golfer, including Ping's most comprehensive-ever selection of bounce and grind options.

The post Ping S159 wedges for 2024: Why these are Ping’s most versatile wedges yet appeared first on Golf.

Shortly after finishing a 27-year run of wearing NIKE gear, Tiger Woods has decided on his next apparel landing spot.

Woods has announced an expanded partnership with TaylorMade, a brand set to make its first meaningful entrance into the apparel space. The 15-time major champion has played TaylorMade clubs dating back to 2017—now he will be the face of its new Sun Day Red apparel line. 

The line will launch on May 1.

“It’s the right time in my life,” Woods said Monday at an unveiling party. “It’s transitional. I’m not a kid any more. I want to have a brand I’m proud of going forward.”

According to TaylorMade CEO David Abeles, the new brand is a separate vertical within TaylorMade’s holding company. It is based in San Clemente, California, rather than TaylorMade’s Carlsbad headquarters, and will have its own staff.

PING PLD Milled line gets a refresh.All PLD Milled putters are milled from steel, aluminum or both.Two blades and three malletsPING has also launched their PLD Milled Plus online customization tool.MSRP $485 PLD Milled and $585 PLD Milled Plus

One of the things I love about PING is their seemingly blase response when they release new clubs. Compared to the marketing fanfare that accompanies other companies’ releases, PING’s approach to releasing gear is far less in your face. Writing press release copy for PING seems like an easy job. Here is how I would write up a typical release if I worked for PING:

“Here’s some new PING equipment. We think it’s pretty good.”

For PING, that type of statement is full-court press marketing, typically reserved for a big ticket item like the new G430 MAX 10K. For a smaller release, like putters, the release often feels more like, “Oh, and there are some new putters over there by the couch as well.”

It’s not that PING thinks their gear is sub-par, or even average. It’s actually the opposite. They know their gear is amazing and they let it do the talking. The fisherman who knows he has the biggest lure doesn’t need to validate that fact by flashing his flasher in front of every other angler.

Just whip that lure out into the water. The fish will take notice.