Golfing News & Blog Articles

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

David Cannon To Receive PGA Lifetime Achievement Award In Photojournalism

Congrats to the man who's covered some of the great golf images in the modern era.

Bill Fields, the PGA of America’s lifetime achievement award winner in journalism, saluted David Cannon at The Albatross. And Brian Wacker profiled Cannon a few years ago and it’s worth checking out.

For Immediate Release:

DAVID CANNON TO RECEIVE PGA OF AMERICA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IN PHOTOJOURNALISM
Cannon’s career to be celebrated on May 18 at PGA Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (Feb. 8, 2022) — The PGA of America today named David Cannon of Sussex, England as the second recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in Photojournalism. Cannon and his work will be celebrated on May 18 in the leadup to the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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"For Mickelson, actions will speak louder than words"

Tour pros would rather go through an IRS audit than play in a pro-am. Publicly they say they love meeting interesting people and how great the pro-ams are. In truth, they loathe them. They're out there for six hours, see countless bad shots and hear the same stale jokes. If Tim Finchem announced next Monday that pro-ams were henceforth eliminated, he'd find 200 cases of champagne on his porch Tuesday morning. TOM WEISKOPF

Pressure Practice For Golf

On the golf course and in tournaments:

Every shot counts and has a consequenceEvery shot is a unique challengeThere are several minutes between shots for possible “thinking” timeYour heart rate is higher

Although most golfers know this to be true, they spend very little time practicing in a way that will help them to adapt to the changing (external and internal) conditions between practice and play. Instead, they over-practice the technical and don’t train their “performance skills” such as focus, dealing with consequences and internal state management.

Although the golf course is the best place to practice (after all, that’s where we play the game), most of us have more frequent access to driving ranges and practice facilities. For this reason, it’s important to find ways to simulate what we experience on the golf course and in tournament play, so we can improve our performance skills and become better at executing our best technical skills on the course.

I should clarify that I’m not implying that a golfer shouldn’t practice technique for golf – of course we need to work on technical skill development. But if you are to become a player who performs well under pressure, you’ll need to allocate time in every practice session to develop your mental game of golf by doing Pressure Practice For Golf.

Pressure Practice For Golf, trains you to:

Get yourself into the competitive mindsetAdapt quickly to challenges (instead of repetitions of the same shot)Think clearly in difficult situationsBe more comfortable being uncomfortableStick to your “Process”Deal with nerves in golf and higher arousal levels

I have plenty of pressure practice for golf drills and ways to create a competitive environment in the Golf State of Mind Practice book. In addition to the challenges in the book, your imagination is a very helpful tool in simulating the pressure of the real thing.

Before you go to your session, think about different situations which would change your internal state to be ready to use them in practice. Create vivid representations of them in your mind i.e. who you are playing with, the tournament, the golf course, the colors, the weather, etc.

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2022 AT&T Ratings Down, Continuing A Trend For The Event

More length and innumerable bunkers do not prevent powerful players from making golf courses look silly. TOM SIMPSON

/ Geoff Shackelford

In a new date one week earlier than normal, the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach took a ratings hit.

According to Showbuzzdaily.com, the 1.87/3.1 million average viewership was down from the Waste Management Open’s 2.10 on the same weekend last year.

Over the last four years, the AT&T’s final round numbers:

2022 1.87/3.1 million
2021 2.55/4.2 million (no pro-am)
2020 2.27/3.5 million
2019 2.39/3.7 million


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Tour Edge E722 and C722 Drivers

The new Tour Edge 722 series features two driver models.The E722 is for players seeking maximum forgiveness.The C722 is a compact, low-spin offering.Retail price is $399 and $429 respectively.

With the release of its 722 series drivers, Tour Edge is again asking, “Are you an E or a C?”

Is that a personal question? Probably not.

The “E or C” thing speaks to the two families within the Exotics 722 line. On one hand, we can say each of the new Exotics models is designed for a different type of golfer. On the other, we would point out that it’s not much different than anybody else’s story.

Most of the industry prefers suffixes (LS, MAX, etc.) while Tour Edge uses a single-letter prefix to convey the same information.

So to put all of this in its proper context: the E in E722 is for Extreme. As you should be plenty aware of by now, that means higher MOI, increased forgiveness, that sort of thing.

an image showing Tour Edge C722and E722 drivers






an image showing the face of the Tour Edge C722 driver




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Tour Edge E722 and C722 Fairway Metals and Hybrids

The new Tour Edge 722 series features two fairway metal and two hybrid models.The E722 is for players seeking maximum forgiveness.The C722 is a compact, low-spin offering.Retail price is $229-$299 depending on model.

With the Exotics 722 fairway metals and hybrids, Tour Edge is sticking with its dichotomous “are you an E or a C?” query.

Put another way—when searching for fairway metals and hybrids, which pairing do you prefer? Shallow faces with more forgiveness or a compact footprint and adjustability? If it’s the former, Tour Edge will tell you to look at the E722 models. Conversely, the latter should lean toward the C722 offerings.

The tradeoffs are more nuanced than that but you get the gist. And I guess if you prefer to keep the analysis to a minimum, remember the “E” is for Extreme and “C” stands for Compact.

As members of the same family, the E722 and C722 fairway metals share several key pieces of technology. Likewise, each model features a couple of distinct attributes.










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PING i525 Irons

PING has introduced the i525.The i525 replaces the i500 as the company’s signature “player’s distance” offering.The irons promise more speed and greater consistency.MSRP starts at $205 per iron. Retail availability starts March 24.

PING i525 Irons

The PING i525 iron is emblematic of the company’s typical no-nonsense approach to design (and marketing, for that matter). With PING, there’s usually not much in the way of fanfare. Occasionally,  they give us something we can see—Turbulators and Hydropearl finish spring to mind—but more often than not, PING hides its best work under the hood and under the radar.

It’s the consequence of a Moneyball-like strategy that doesn’t rely on hitting a home run with each new release. Summed up by PING’s Director of Product Design Ryan Stokke, “We don’t find that one design attribute makes a great club.”

With that in mind, it won’t surprise you to learn that performance gains between the i500 and i525 irons weren’t made with a single leap but rather a series of small steps that touch on nearly every aspect of the design.

More Speed

Given that the PING i525 resides solidly in the “player’s distance” category, it makes sense that improving ball speed would be one of the design goals. That’s typically easy enough to accomplish given that the industry has no qualms about adding gaining distance via the bending machine. So the more nuanced part of the discussion is that PING was able to make the i525 iron longer than its predecessor without jacking lofts or sacrificing performance in other areas.

The extra speed comes by way of changes to the construction of the iron. With the i525, a forged maraging steel face is robotically plasma-welded to a 17-4 stainless steel body. The fundamentals of the construction aren’t uncommon in the player’s distance category or even the game-improvement space for that matter.





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Bamberger: "If Mickelson really wants to affect change..."

Golf.com’s Michael Bamberger assessed Phil Mickelson’s attack of the PGA Tour and majors making money off the player backs and suggests Lefty’s never talked better but also may be going about this the wrong way. In making his point, Bamberger also inadvertently hinted at another potential problem Mickelson created for himself.

The fellas playing MLB, in the NFL and in the NBA, have an appealing level of individuality, but they are union workers playing team sports. They have, really, a completely different mentality.

If Mickelson really wants to affect change the most effective thing he could do is get 150 or so Tour players to stage a sit-down strike on the eve of, say, the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Then get that group to agree on media rights, purse distribution, governance structure and a million other things.

Good luck with that.

There has been some talk about Phil getting Tony Romo money to talk golf on TV. He’d be good at that, but it would bore him. It’s easier to imagine him as the commissioner of a golf league. Which one is hard to say just now.

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Radio host Lye out at SiriusXM over WNBA digs

Former PGA Tour pro Mark Lye is out at SiriusXM after making several controversial comments during a radio show Saturday about women's basketball and the WNBA.

PUMA: 2022 Track Series! The Conservation Collection.

Do you like themed golf apparel?

Like it or not, this is the trend and perhaps no brand tailors its look to a given tournament better than PUMA.

PUMA’s Conservation collection is launching this week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Aligned with PUMA’s Forever Better campaign, it call attention to the use of recycled materials as part of PUMA’s promise for a more sustainable future.

PUMA Golf’s 2022 Track Series kicks off with The Waste Management Open this week. this Thursday in Pheonix. It is their first of eight planned collections designed to highlight the best “tracks” played over the 2022 PGA Tour schedule. This theme is the Conservation Collection is tailored around Arizona’s native plans, and that means cacti and assorted spikey stuff found in the desert.

The PUMA Conservation Collection consists of polos shirts, and funky-looking hats to fit nearly ever style (that might be a stretch).

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Jordan On A Special Week At Pebble: "You don't want to leave."

It seems to me that a mad puppy threatens golfers. The gentility that wants its course called a “championship course”. I am not thinking of any particular course, but I hear this foolish phrase constantly used. Most courses are not fit for a championship, never will be fit for one, never will get one and nobody wants to see one there. Then, why in the name of goodness should we set up this nonsensical standard and then spoil our courses trying to live to it. BERNARD DARWIN

SiriusXM Moves Quickly To Can Mark Lye

It seems to me that a mad puppy threatens golfers. The gentility that wants its course called a “championship course”. I am not thinking of any particular course, but I hear this foolish phrase constantly used. Most courses are not fit for a championship, never will be fit for one, never will get one and nobody wants to see one there. Then, why in the name of goodness should we set up this nonsensical standard and then spoil our courses trying to live to it. BERNARD DARWIN

We Tried It: FootJoy Fuel

There is a lot of cool gear in the golf equipment world that doesn’t always fit neatly into Most Wanted Tests or Buyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it works as advertised.

WHAT WE TRIED

The FootJoy Fuel golf shoe.

THE TESTER

My name is Adam Beach, owner of MyGolfSpy. I have a passion for the golfer. If you are going to spend your hard-earned money on something, I want to test it for you. I don’t want you spending a dollar unless it improves on what you already own.

WHY ARE WE TRYING IT?

Because, dammit, they look good! But let’s find out if the performance matches up. The FootJoy Fuel is the first FJ shoe I have seen in a long time that I might actually wear.

WHAT IS THE FOOTJOY FUEL?

It’s FootJoy’s latest attempt to get more “modern” or, as the kids say, have that “drip.”





FootJoy Fuel




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PGA Tour Power Rankings: Some big moves and debuts

Jon Rahm is still on top. But Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland made moves, while Harold Varner III and Tom Hoge announced their arrivals.

Winners And Losers: The Clash With The Clambake

It seems to me that a mad puppy threatens golfers. The gentility that wants its course called a “championship course”. I am not thinking of any particular course, but I hear this foolish phrase constantly used. Most courses are not fit for a championship, never will be fit for one, never will get one and nobody wants to see one there. Then, why in the name of goodness should we set up this nonsensical standard and then spoil our courses trying to live to it. BERNARD DARWIN

'It's awesome': Hoge victorious at Pebble Beach

Tom Hoge, one of seven players who had at least a share of the lead headed into the final round, surged past Jordan Spieth en route to a win at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am Sunday, the first PGA Tour title for the 32-year-old who played collegiately at TCU.

Varner eagles final hole to take win over Watson

Overnight leader Harold Varner III eagled the par-5 18th by sinking a long putt to overtake clubhouse leader Bubba Watson and win the Saudi International in dramatic fashion.

In Appreciation Of Pebble Beach's 11th Hole

I’m frequently asked, by journalists and others, what event, achievement or success has been the most gratifying in my lifetime. Well, the answer is immediate. The golf tournament. BING CROSBY

/ Geoff Shackelford

It was a lively Saturday at Pebble Beach but with most of the amateurs sent home Sunday should make for a fun finish. I hope we get to see a good pin on the 11th hole, an unfairly maligned par-4 in my view.

I took to The Quadrilateral to detail how the hole was intended to play, its evolution and what we can look forward to in upcoming men’s and women’s U.S. Opens.



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