Dan Brown, a 31-year-old English pro, just earned PGA Tour membership for 2026 — thanks to a LIV Golf move.

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It's a massive week for Australian golf, headlined by the long-awaited return of Rory McIlroy.

Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are among the finalists for PGA Tour Player of the Year, but Scheffler's resume will again be tough to beat.

The post Scheffler, McIlroy headline PGA Tour Player of the Year ballot appeared first on Golf.

Subpar podcast co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz make their favorite bets for the 2025 Hero World Challenge at Albany in the Bahamas.

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Sicily isn’t known for its golf courses, but the island that is synonymous with “The Godfather” does house a few hidden golfing treasures.  

The post For lovers of golf and ‘The Godfather,’ this bucket-list island has it all appeared first on Golf.

The 2025 Hero World Challenge begins on Thursday in the Bahamas. Here are two picks our expert loves — and why he thinks you should too.

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Creating any course is a complex endeavor that can easily run into the tens of millions of dollars. Here’s a quick primer on the process.

The post So you want to build a golf course? Here’s how — and what it will cost appeared first on Golf.

How to watch the 2025 Crown Australian Open this week at Royal Melbourne, including a full Australian Open TV schedule and streaming details.

The post 2025 Australian Open: TV schedule, streaming info, how to watch, tee times appeared first on Golf.

One of the unique (and enjoyable!) parts of golf is that skill can be identified with a number.

One of the frustrating parts of golf is how that number can be manipulated.

Handicaps, in theory, allow any two golfers to play against each other on equal footing. They provide a universal system for understanding how good someone is at golf, with variables like yardage and course difficulty taken into account. They give us parameters for tangible improvement (or lack thereof).

In a perfect world, there would be no debates about handicaps. Everyone would enter their scores and receive a number. There would be no sandbagging in tournaments or matches.

There would be no “vanity” handicaps—something Riggs of Barstool Sports is accused of having.

The golf ball is the only piece of equipment you use on every shot.

For the 2025 golf ball test, 44 models were tested at three swing speeds with drivers, 7-irons and wedges, including a 35-yard short-game test and a wet versus dry wedge comparison. Every ball was purchased at retail and hit by a robot to keep things unbiased and repeatable.

From that data set, here’s how the current Callaway lineup showed and which model is most likely to fit your game.

Callaway Chrome Tour X (Best Callaway ball for short-game and approach control)

Across the 2025 Ball Test, Chrome Tour X kept popping up whenever spin and control mattered.

It was a runner-up in the overall “Best Ball” category. It has strong speed and higher-spin tendencies in the iron and wedge portions of the test. That combination gave golfers a blend of distance and stopping power, especially helpful if you want more confidence into greens.

When most amateurs buy irons, they pick a model they like and order the complete set.

But if you look in better players’ bags, especially the pros’, that’s not what’s happening anymore. Titleist’s own fitters say roughly 80 percent of their tour staff now play blended sets, often with three different iron models in one bag.

I’m in that camp, too. I didn’t love my 5-iron. In my latest fitting, we dropped a more forgiving Titleist T350 in that spot and kept a more compact player’s distance head in the rest of the set. If you’ve thought about a blended iron set but need some direction, you’re in the right place.

What a blended iron set really is

A blended (or combo) iron set is simply:

Two or more iron models in one set, each chosen for a specific job.

Yes, club selection is about distance … but it’s also about trajectory, wind, lie, landing area, spin and what happens after the ball lands. The difference between good players and great ones is knowing which iron gives them the best chance of success for that specific shot.

Yardage is just the starting point

Most golfers have their distances memorized and pull the club that matches their rangefinder. But that 150-yard 7-iron distance assumes perfect conditions, a level lie, no wind and a flat landing area. A stock 7-iron that goes 150 yards on the range will come up 20 yards short in a 15-mph headwind. That’s not a mishit. It’s a mis-club.

Uphill and downhill lies change everything

An uphill lie adds effective loft to your club. A downhill lie takes it away. More loft means higher flight, less distance and softer landing. Less loft means lower flight, more distance and harder landing. If you’re hitting uphill and need a 150-yard shot, that 7-iron now plays like an 8-iron. You need a 6 to get your normal 7-iron flight and distance. It’s not just about getting the distance right. It’s about getting the landing angle right.

Wind doesn’t just add or subtract yards (It changes your entire strategy)

Into a headwind, the ball climbs higher and spins more. Taking two extra clubs into a strong headwind won’t help if you hit your normal high-spinning shot. The wind grabs it, the spin makes it climb and physics takes over. What you need is a lower, penetrating flight, maybe a three-quarter swing with even more club or a knockdown shot that stays under the wind. Downwind, the ball doesn’t climb as high, spins less and releases more when it lands. That’s not just extra distance in the air; it’s extra distance on the ground.

Firm greens and soft greens require different clubs

Soft greens grab the ball. You can fly it to the hole and expect it to stop quickly. But firm greens? The ball bounces and releases. On firm greens, think about where the ball will end up after it lands. That 150-yard shot into a firm green might need a 160-yard club if you’re landing it short and letting it release or a higher-lofted club that lands softer.

The 2025 Ball Test showed where the TaylorMade Tour Response fits among soft urethane balls and the broader field. It’s softer, lower-spin and flatter-flying than most premium urethane models yet it still holds onto more speed and distance than you’d expect from this category. Here’s what the data shows.

1. Surprisingly long with irons

In the high-speed iron test, Tour Response ranked among the three longest balls tested, right alongside Bridgestone TOUR B RXS and Maxfli Tour S. It also “separated itself” from other soft urethane models by keeping noticeably more iron speed.

2. Soft feel without the usual speed penalty

Tour Response is designed to be a soft-feeling urethane option. Testing found that it keeps more speed than most soft urethane balls. Speed loss is a trade-off that many golfers looking for a soft golf ball have to deal with.

If you prefer a softer feel but don’t want the ball to feel slow off the face, Tour Response works.

3. Lower spin and a flatter flight window

Across all three swing speeds, Tour Response consistently showed lower spin with driver and irons. At mid swing speed, it also produced a lower-flying driver trajectory compared to other urethane balls.

2025 Hero World Challenge tee times for Thursday's first round in the Bahamas, featuring Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth and more.

The post 2025 Hero World Challenge Thursday tee times: Round 1 pairings appeared first on Golf.

Australian golf fans love Rory McIlroy but the Irishman doesn't appear to love Royal Melbourne with the global superstar saying the famous course isn't even the best in the city.

As Tiger Woods was discussing the next stage of his career Tuesday, some of his middle-aged peers were doing the same.

The post Tiger Woods’ next start? The not knowing is the hardest part appeared first on Golf.

Former golf champions compete in a three-team competition at the 2025 World Champions Cup. Check out more information on this year's event now.

As the U.S., Europe and Internationals ready for the Skechers World Champions Cup, Team Europe is characteristically loose.

The post The Ryder Cup isn’t the only event at which Team Europe vibes are high appeared first on Golf.

Here's everything you need to know about this year's event at Royal Melbourne.

This document highlights several famous golf drivers that have made an impact on the sport.

Titleist 975D

Known for its classic pear shape and solid feel, the Titleist 975D was extremely popular with professional and amateur golfers alike in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It was the standard for many tour pros, offering a blend of workability and lower spin.

PING G Series

The PING G Series, particularly the PING G2 and G5, were instrumental in popularizing high Moment of Inertia (MOI) and forgiveness. They are famous for their large, perimeter-weighted heads and distinctive "turbulators" on the crown in later models, designed to improve aerodynamics.

Callaway Big Bertha

The original Callaway Big Bertha driver, released in the early 1990s, is famous for introducing a paradigm shift in driver technology. It was one of the first drivers to feature an oversized head, making it significantly more forgiving than its smaller, traditional rivals. This design concept fundamentally changed the golf equipment industry.

TaylorMade R7 Quad

The TaylorMade R7 Quad introduced the concept of movable weight technology to drivers. This innovation allowed golfers to adjust the center of gravity (CG) of the clubhead, offering customization for draw or fade bias. This technology set the stage for the adjustable drivers that dominate the market today.