Golfing News & Blog Articles

The previously mallet-free Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K line now includes mallets.Specifically, the iconic Seven and Rossie designs have received the Tri-Hot 5K treatment.Available for preorder now, and in shops in February (MSRP: $399.99 USD)

Did the PGA Merchandise Show fill your belly with new release treats last week? Don’t push back from the table yet.

Odyssey has one more wafer-thin dessert mint.

You may remember Odyssey’s Tri-Hot 5K putter line from 2022. These were the multi-material putters that featured moment-of-inertia (MOI) values above 5,000. This may not seem significant as there are other mallet putters in your local shop above 5,000. The “gotcha” with the Tri-Hot 5K line was that all the high MOI putters were blades.

This year, Odyssey is adding mallets to the Tri-Hot 5K mix.

Yes, it is time for Seven and Rossie players to join the Tri-Hot 5K crew. Additionally, the Double Wide and Triple Wide models, which were arguably mallets anyway, gain new neck options this year. Not a huge line upgrade but one that should be welcome for many mallet players.

Rory McIlroy overcame a final-round charge from Patrick Reed to win the Dubai Desert Classic in a tense Monday duel between players who were involved in a pre-tournament spat.

Patrick Reed was embroiled in a controversy Sunday when his tee shot on the 17th hole of the third round of the Dubai Desert Classic became lodged in a palm tree.

Rory McIlroy delivered an exhibition of short iron play to shoot 7-under 65 in his third round and build a three-stroke lead at the Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday.

Southern California native Max Homa came from five shots off the lead to win the Farmers Insurance Open by two strokes over Keegan Bradley on Saturday at Torrey Pines.

Top-ranked Rory McIlroy and rival Patrick Reed were two shots off the lead at the halfway point of the Dubai Desert Classic on Saturday.

Jon Rahm made an impressive charge up the leaderboard on his favorite course with a 6-under 66 on Friday to pull within two shots of leader Sam Ryder after the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open.

Sam Ryder extended his lead to three shots in the Farmers Insurance Open on Thursday while Jon Rahm had an eagle and three straight birdies late to get under the cut line.

Patrick Reed fared better than Rory McIlroy after some pre-tournament friction as the Dubai Desert Classic got off to a wet start on Thursday, with only 11 players managing to finish their first rounds.

Jon Rahm made a double bogey on the par-4 seventh hole during a 1-over 73 that left him 9 shots behind leaders Sam Ryder, Aaron Rai and Brent Grant after Round 1 of the Farmers Insurance Open.

There are lots of ways to create mishit shots, but you should learn the 3 basic tricks to eliminate at least 50% of YOUR mishits.  If you are falling back when you swing or taking a divot before impact with the ball, your swing arc is bottoming out too early.  Using the following “tricks” will help you learn the correct impact position to avoid mishits and should help you reform your swing.

Mental Preparation

Before you start to use these swing “tricks”, calm your mind and stop trying to knock the skin off your ball.  Your last great shot or your last missed shot may be motivating you to swing harder.  Get that out of your mind. Setup and make the exact practice swing that you plan to make before you hit your next shot.  Learn from that swing by watching where you skim the ground or take any divot.  Adjust your setup and make the practice swing that you want to execute.

Use the following “tricks” when you find that you are rushing your swing on a windy day, hitting from a bad lie in the rough or when you are planning to hit a miracle shot.  A proper swing will allow you to transfer your weight to your leading foot during your transition and allow your swing-arc to bottom-out at the correct point for your driver, irons and wedges. 

1/ Driver Trick: [Error to avoid: bottoming out under your ball and causing pop-ups]

Odyssey White Hot OG continues in 2023 with a new design and price point.Odyssey is bringing back the popular Versa alignment scheme.2023 White Hot OG (MSRP: $199) and White Hot Versa (MSRP: $249) both at retail on Feb. 3.

All that’s old is new again at Odyssey Golf in 2023 and some of you are going to be real happy about that.

Yes, the No. 1 putter on the PGA TOUR (three for three for Odyssey-using winners in January so far) is acting like it’s 2013 instead of 2023. Odyssey is not afraid of looking backward to move forward. Why wouldn’t they with their solid track record full of positive designs?

True, Odyssey already sort of did the retro thing in 2021 when they revived the original-recipe White Hot insert for the OG White Hot OG line. Odyssey did that because players continued to use their old White Hot putters rather than changing to new models. So Odyssey did the smart thing and gave the people the insert they wanted.

In 2023, they are taking a page from their own playbook and again resurrecting a popular Odyssey design. Continuing to give the people/customers what they want seems like a solid marketing plan to me. What has Odyssey returned to the clamoring public? In a word, Versa.

Black-White-Black is Back. All right!

Obviously, Odyssey can’t just rerelease their Versa putter designs from 2013. I guess they could but that would mean completely discounting the decade of putter performance progress Odyssey has made since the original Versa launch. Why not have both? Just like they did with the White Hot OG line, Odyssey is taking the core retro Versa elements loved by golfers and merging them with current design methodologies.

Bridgestone e6 Golf Balls – Key Takeaways

Update to Bridgestone’s best-selling, longest-running ballAvailable in Optic Yellow and White, $24.99/dozenBridgestone also updating and shrinking OTTO the ball-fitting robot

 

The new Bridgestone e6 golf ball is the company’s horse. It’s been in Bridgestone’s lineup the longest, and it’s Bridgestone’s best seller.

And it’s not even close.

“There’s definitely a following for e6,” says Bridgestone Golf Ball Marketing Manager Elliot Mellow. “It’s always been about soft, low compression and good feel.”

For 2023, none of the above has changed. But the new version is being reformulated to soften something you don’t often think about.

Attorneys representing the PGA Tour are seeking to add Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and the fund's governor, Yasir Othman Al-Rumayyan, as defendants in the tour's countersuit against LIV Golf.

Rory McIlroy was on the driving range Tuesday at the Dubai Desert Classic when he was approached by Patrick Reed, one of the high-profile players to have joined LIV Golf. McIlroy said he was busy practicing and didn't feel the need to acknowledge Reed.

Jon Rahm has won four of his last six starts worldwide, including the first two PGA Tour events of the season. "I don't take it for granted," he said.

Rahm won again and is going for the first three-peat on Tour since 2017. The PGA Tour heads to Torrey Pines and there was a Rory McIlroy sighting.

Cleveland Frontline Elite Putters – Key Takeaways

Eight new models in Cleveland’s Frontline seriesExtreme forward CG to reduce twisting on mishitsOptional ALL-IN carbon fiber/steel shaft offering$249.99 steel; $299.99 ALL-INAvailable Feb 22

The new Cleveland Frontline Elite putters are living proof that a certain age-old adage is, in fact, true: It’s what’s up front that counts.

In this case, what’s up front is a lot of tungsten and a center of gravity that’s so far forward that if it were any farther up front it would be in the next putter.

We’ve known since the Eisenhower Administration that perimeter weighting is very good for putters (thank you, Karsten). And we’ve known since the Spice Girls were a thing that a rear-weighted mallet drove putter MOI sky high.

But it’s only been in the last handful of years that putter companies, particularly Odyssey and Cleveland, have marketed the benefits of forward weighting.

Is a forward-weighted putter for you? Cleveland is giving you plenty of options to find out.

Scotty Cameron unveils his new Super Select milled putter line.The new line features new Dual-Milled faces, Plus models and the return of both Golo and Del Mar models.The first batch hits stores on March 17 with the second batch coming May 19 (MSRP: $449).

Milled metal maestro Scotty Cameron has unleashed his 2023 creations: the Scotty Cameron Super Select putter line. Yes, Cameron fans, Mr. Cameron’s Special Select putters are no longer “Special.” Now they are Super!

What does that mean? What does any of it mean, really? Why are we here? If fingers are so great, why do we only have 10 of them? Do we really need three different versions of the word to/too/two? Do you really get to make a wish if you can lick your elbow? Why do we get so excited about rolling a ball at a hole with a stick?

Sorry. Lost focus there for a moment. Let’s get back to these new putters and a question I can actually answer.

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What makes the Scotty Cameron Super Select putters “super”?