Golfing News & Blog Articles

Stay up-to-date on golfing news, products, and trends from around the world.

Meanwhile...In Other Sovereign Wealth Fund News DP World Running Up Pension Find Deficit

I attribute the insane arrogance of the later Roman emperors almost entirely to the fact that, never having played golf, they never knew that strange chastening humility which is engendered by a topped chip-shot. If Cleopatra had been outed in the First Round of the Ladies’ Singles, we should have heard a lot less of her proud imperiousness. P.G. WODEHOUSE

COBRA Limited Edition Black Drivers and Wedges

COBRA Limited Edition Black Drivers and Wedges

New limited black finish for LTDx drivers and KING Cobra wedgesDrivers get an all-black color scheme with a white LIN-Q aftermarket shaftFull KING COBRA wedge line gets stain black QPQ finishDrivers $599; wedges $149Available starting today

Today’s release of the new COBRA Limited Edition Black drivers and wedges is simultaneously intriguing and predictable.

It’s predictable in that the KING COBRA wedges have been out for a full year now. And OEMs love giving their gear – particularly wedges – a second-year boost with a new look. The new COBRA Limited Edition Black wedges certainly check that box.

What’s intriguing is that kind of an admittedly gimmicky boost is unusual for a driver that’s been out for only about two months. If it was anyone other than COBRA it’d be eyebrow-raising curious. But since it is COBRA, who has been known to drop Limited Edition colored drivers like Ted Lasso drops colorful colloquialisms, we can say it’s business as usual.

COBRA Limited Edition Black LTDx Drivers

COBRA is giving the entire LTDx driver family the new blacked-out color scheme. Looking down on the driver, the frame, carbon fiber crown and face are still the same black they’ve been for the past two months. But the white and orange striping on the sides is now gray.

The difference is noticeable once you turn the club over. The traditionally loud orange and white sole accents and orange sole weights are now all black and gray. Now, this is what you call Stealth.

COBRA Black Limited Edition
COBRA Black Limited Edition
COBRA Black Limited Edition

COBRA Black Limited Edition







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Arccos 2021 Distance Report

On Wednesday, March 16th golf’s governing bodies (USGA and R&A) sent an official notice to equipment manufacturers regarding “changes that address the long-term cycle of consistent hitting increases in hitting distances.”

The specifics of that memo provide plenty of fodder for future debate, but the entire topic is predicated on a single premise.

Golfers are hitting the ball too far.

Or are they?

Leveraging the Arccos database, which includes 516,000,000+ tracked shots, the data tells a compelling, if not contradictory, story.









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TaylorMade Tour Response and Tour Response Stripe Golf Balls

The TaylorMade Tour Response is a three-piece golf ball designed for slow to moderate swing speeds.A new striped version offers a radical take on alignment technology.Retail price is $39.99.A new Soft Response ball is also available ($29.99).

The headline is new version of TaylorMade Tour Response but the subhead should prove far more interesting.

A brief recap: The 2022 Tour Response represents the second generation of what was once Project a. What was true with Project a remains true for Tour Response. It’s a three-piece urethane-covered golf ball designed for everyday golfers. That is to say, golfers with moderate swing speeds or who are otherwise “force limited.”

Basically, Tour Response is best suited for slow to mid swing speed golfers.

Where Tour Response Fits

From a competitive standpoint, TaylorMade looks at Tour Response a couple of different ways.

a photo of the TaylorMade Tour Response Stripe golf ball



The TaylorMade Tour Response offers a "Stripe Show"
A closeup of the digitally printed pattern on the TaylorMade Tour Response Stripe golf ball.


ah image of TaylorMade Tour Response golf balls




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Burns tied for lead in title defense at Valspar

Sam Burns has a share of the Thursday lead along with Adam Hadwin, David Lipsky and Jhonattan Vegas in the Valspar Championship.

NTSB: Boy, 13, drove truck in crash that killed 9

A 13-year-old was driving the pickup truck that struck a van in West Texas in a fiery collision that killed nine people, including six New Mexico college students and a golf coach, the NTSB said Thursday.

What A Change In Golf Ball Testing Might Do For Top Players

In order to preserve the balance between power and the length of holes and in order to retain the special features of the game, the power of the ball should be limited.
R&A RULES OF GOLF COMMITTEE, 1919

/ Geoff Shackelford

GolfDigest.com’s Mike Stachura assesses the R&A/USGA joing announcement of specific “areas of interest” for future possible changes in testing. The item covers a lot, but a change from 120 to 125 m.p.h. change might mean exceeding the “Overall Distance Standard” and render many current golf balls non-conforming.

John Spitzer, the USGA’s managing director of equipment standards, said the 125-mile-per-hour number isn’t based on any biomechanical theory of human limitations with the golf swing. It’s based on the eye test.

“We don’t know if it’s enough, but we do have a little bit of a crystal ball in the long drive competition. So the question of whether [this kind of speed] is physically possible is answered based on what we’ve seen from those folks.”

As for the number of current balls that such a rule change might make nonconforming, Spitzer said it wouldn’t be all. “There’s a substantial number of balls that wouldn’t run afoul or would require only very minor tweaks,” he said. But when asked specifically whether it would be almost all of the balls played on tour, which based on current sales from Golf Datatech account for 35-40 percent of the market, he said, “Yes. It would be a much higher percentage but not all because there are certain players that fall in love with a ball that might be three generations back.”

THE BEST SPIKED GOLF SHOES OF 2022

INDEPENDENT & UNBIASED

All products featured on MyGolfSpy are independently selected and tested by our staff. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

23

Hours
Researched

2

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Interviewed

30

Products
Considered

75m

Readers

BEST SPIKED GOLF SHOES OF 2022

Want the most traction possible? If so, you must consider our picks for the Best Spiked Golf Shoe of 2022.

Even though the category of the spiked golf shoe is shrinking because the industry is trending towards spikeless, there are still golfers who live and die by the spike. These test results are for you.

If the kicks in our top five don’t suit you, there’s no doubt our research can help you refine your choices for new spiked golf shoes this year.

WINNER – FOOTJOY TOUR ALPHA

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When it comes to overall performance, the FootJoy Tour Alpha put on quite a show. This spiked shoe was consistent across multiple key metrics, making it the undisputed winner of the 2022 Most Wanted Spiked Shoe Test. Full results are in the table below but this is how the Tour Alpha performed in each category.







MOST COMFORTABLE SHOE - FootJoy HyperFlex BOA


















MOST STABLE SHOE - SQAIRZ Speed
™





























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How to watch the PGA Tour's Valspar Championship on ESPN+

The PGA Tour stays in Florida with the Valspar Championship. Here is how to watch it all on ESPN+

Quadrilateral: Major(s) News & Notes, March 17th, 2022

In order to preserve the balance between power and the length of holes and in order to retain the special features of the game, the power of the ball should be limited.
R&A RULES OF GOLF COMMITTEE, 1919

/ Geoff Shackelford

A crazy week of news and starts with a short commentary on why players need to embrace proposed equipment rule changes first, worry about the silly Saudi money later. I know, I know.

Plus, Korda, Masters on Seatgeek, Corrections, Reads, Listens and Tweets.

And just a reminder that as the Masters nears there wiill be plenty more Quads as the major season heats up. So sign up. You can write it off, too. Or at least read up on the whole newsletter thing here.

Also a housekeeping note: iPhone users can now read Substack newsletters in their new free app. I’ve been enjoying it for a few days now and the reading experience is way, way better. The notifications come eerily fast. While email will always be an option, the Substack app should cut down on posts getting lost in spam filters and makes the comment experience better. As with the email edition, you can scroll text without somehow opening up an ad or trying to close out a pop-up video.


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How To Help University Of The Southwest Golf Team Victims

My feeling is that the USGA and the R&A someday are going to have to separate the amateur player and the professional. They do that in other sports like baseball, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, they play in these great stadiums but if they had aluminum bats every stadium would be obsolete.
PETE DYE

Is Sugar Boost Destroying Your Game?

Have you ever wondered why your game has its ups and downs? Occasionally you play brilliant rounds of golf but more often than not, your score is well above your handicap. Why is it that you never know who is showing up to play super golfer or loser golfer? A few years ago, I started to pay attention to my sugar intake on the course when a PGA caddy mentioned in an interview that the pros are extremely careful about their fluid and sugar intake during a round of golf.


Recently I noticed that I have been scoring well in spurts followed by dry spells. That woke me up to pay attention to my fluid and sugar intake. When I realized that my game dropped off after eating an energy bar, I started paying attention to the eating and drinking habits of my playing partners. This was not a very scientific approach, but I did notice that anyone who ate an energy or protein bar immediately suffered a change in their game for the worse.


We all need a reasonable level of energy to play a round of golf. Unfortunately when your body is hit with an overload of sugar it must be adding a jolt your energy. You become invincible and tend to swing faster. Big mistake. Playing with 80% power is ideal. An overload of power just kills your swing. When your swing brakes down so does your game and and that crushes your mental attitude.


In summary, a sugar boost will overload your power causing mishits and resulting in a reaction to play more aggressively. Unfortunately your game will go down the drain.

Cameron Smith only made 1 poor drive during his final 18 holes to win the Players Championship. He did it with moderate sugar intake and ignored all the comments about his mullet.


Action Plan to Level your Energy while Golfing
1/ If you are going to eat an energy or chocolate bar just do it in moderation. Eat it slowly over a number of holes. Savor it and minimize your energy output.
2/ 1 beer may relax your swing but don’t get carried away. You know what multiple beers will do to your game and that will be the same result when you load up on sweats and energy bars.
3/ Plan on taking fruit or Gatorade to add electrolytes and energy in moderation.
4/ Stay hydrated with water as playing golf without water will zap your energy.
5/ Don’t get too excited when you birdie a hole as that boost in adrenaline will also destroy your mental balance. The success or lack of success on you next drive will tell you how wired you are.

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Saudi-funded golf series: 8 events totaling $255M

The LIV Golf Invitational Series will consist of eight events, including four in the United States. The series begins in June in London. Total prize money will be $255 million, and all but one of the events conflicts with an existing PGA Tour event.

LIV Releases Schedule, $250 Million In Purse Money And A Return Visit To The Magical Royal Greens

Greg Norman and friends rolled out a schedule for eight events beginning in June offering big money and venues that scream “not quite good enough” for big time tournaments. The league does not yet have a television partner though in the era of streaming they have more options than a few years ago. The bigger issue will be attracting players after the last few weeks of bad news and inability of the Kingdom to stay out of the news.

From Bob Harig’s SI.com story where Greg Norman says the PGA Tour forced a change in plans and also the chances of a lawsuit:

“We had to react,’’ Norman said. “No question the PGA Tour’s reaction to where we were positioned at that time was very strong. They put down a tree in their road to put another obstacle in our way. But no matter what obstacle they put forth we work our way around it. And that’s why we are here today. It’s up to the players.

“We are going to give them opportunities to play where they want to play and choose. We are not going away. We are here for the long haul.’’

The LIV Golf Invitational (oh what a name!) 2022 schedule would allow a player to use their three waivers per season if allowed to play these without a full commitment (thanks to the wraparound schedule putting the first three events against the 2021-22 schedule and the last four against the 2022-23 schedule):

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The Electric Trolley Movement: How Does the U.S. Compare?

The Electric Trolley Movement – Key Takeaways

Use of electric trolleys is growing in the U.S.Usage still small compared to Europe.U.S. golfers prefer remote-control units.7,000 golfers in eight countries surveyed by Motocaddy

We’ve written about it plenty but the electric trolley movement isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. In fact, it’s just the opposite.

Currently, the global market for electric trolleys (or electric caddies, if you will) stands just north of $130 million. By the end of the decade, that figure is expected to reach $200 million.

Industry leader Motocaddy has just released the results of a global survey of 7,000 golfers across the world’s top eight golf markets. The results are simultaneously surprising and about what you’d expect. And since it was Motocaddy that commissioned the study, it’s reasonable to take the results with a wee grain of salt.

But the results do put the U.S. market into its proper perspective compared to the rest of our big round ball. And the study does substantiate a mostly anecdotal observation:

The electric trolley movement is, in fact, a movement.

Motocaddy
Motocaddy electric cart



Motocaddy electric cart
Motocaddy electric cart

Motocaddy




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Multiple dead in crash involving NAIA golf team

A vehicle carrying members of the University of the Southwest golf team collided head-on with a pickup truck in West Texas, killing multiple people, authorities said.

R&A, USGA Release "Updated Areas Of Interest And Research Topics On Hitting Distance In Golf"

Lots and lots to chew on here for the next six months, but as I write at The Quadrilateral with exclusive comments from the R&A’s Chief Technology Officer Steve Otto, we may be on the cusp of reigning in the madness while opening new innovation doors for average players.

The “Areas of Interest.”

For Immediate Release from the R&A (the USGA also sent out the same release):

THE R&A AND USGA RELEASE UPDATED AREAS OF INTEREST AND RESEARCH TOPICS ON HITTING DISTANCE IN GOLF

16 March 2022, St Andrews, Scotland and Liberty Corner, N.J., USA: The R&A and USGA today released updated areas of interest and research topics on hitting distance in golf.

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Norman And LIV Golf Still Focused On Growing The Game, Schedule Coming For "Modest" Number Of Players

Here’s the letter Greg Norman and LIV Golf Investments sent to a number of PGA Tour players today.

“You should know that we are launching….we will not stop.” pic.twitter.com/wy2UrQKP3I

— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) March 16, 2022

Sounding a tad humbled but as ageist and delusional as ever, Greg Norman is branding his Saudi Arabia-backed concept as a “start-up” with March 16 plans to unveil a schedule.

Oh that Shark is such an incubator!

SI.com’s Bob Harig was the first to report on Norman’s letter here.

GolfDigest.com’s Daniel Rapaport Tweeted the letter (above) sent to some players preparing them for news of a schedule encouraging them to play both the LIV league and the PGA Tour. This move was telegraphed by Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch as an attempt to eventually take the PGA Tour to court for blocking releases.

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PGL's Updated Proposal: Co-Sanctioning, $460 Million Advance, For-Profit Model, No Crown Prince

Bob Harig at SI.com has details of the World Golf Group/Premier Golf League’s latest pitch to get a meeting with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and the PGA Tour Policy Board.

Set aside the silliness of the current 200 PGA Tour players getting $2 million each for being in the right place at the right time (Thanks Tiger!), and consider the specifics.

World Golf Group states it believes the PGL will generate $10 billion of equity value by 2030, which would equate to $20 million per PGA Tour voting member and $3 million per Korn Ferry member.

In addition, the proposal includes a cash advance on future equity value of $460 million. In simple terms, each of 200 voting members of the PGA Tour would receive $2 million upon the launch of the PGL, with 200 Korn Ferry members each getting $300,000.

Andy Gardiner, the CEO of the Premier Golf League, who was recently at the Players Championship, declined to comment.

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PING Glide 4.0 Wedges

PING Glide 4.0 Wedges – Key Takeaways

PING updates its standard wedge line.New material: 8620 soft carbon steel4 grinds, 46- to 60-degree lofts$217.50 steel, $232.50 graphite. Pre-sale and fitting start today.

The new PING Glide 4.0 wedges make one thing abundantly clear.

When PING changes/updates/upgrades its wedges, it doesn’t mess around.

And for what it’s worth, it’s been a while since PING updated the standard Glide line. The original Glide debuted in early 2015. Glide 2.0 showed up two years later. One year later, PING gave us a quasi-updated Glide 2.0 Stealth (MyGolfSpy’s 2018 Most Wanted Wedge). It wasn’t until the summer of 2019 that we saw Glide 3.0.

Nearly three years later, we get Glide 4.0. So what gives? Did PING let the Glide slide?

Not hardly.

PING Glide 4.0 wedges
PING Glide 4.0 wedges
PING Glide 4.0 wedges
PING Glide 4.0 wedges
™

PING Glide 4.0 wedges







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