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Where do you play golf most often? Private courses or the local tracks?

As the number suggests, golf is, at its core, still a game played by recreational golfers on public courses. According to the National Golf Foundation, in 2020, there were roughly 16,100 courses at 14,100 facilities in the U.S. Of that total, 75 percent are open to the public: 2,500 municipal and 7,900 daily-fee. That leaves approximately 4,025 courses labeled as private.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Municipal courses are owned by a city or other municipality. In general, so-called “munis” tend to be the most economically efficient option though costs can vary based on your official address of residence. Some noteworthy examples: Bethpage State Park in New York (Black Course) and Torrey Pines (San Diego).

Daily-fee courses accept public play but are generally privately owned. So long as you’re willing to pay the fee and can claim a spot on the tee sheet, you’re in like Flynn. Notable examples: Bandon Dunes, Pebble Beach.

Private courses require a membership which often includes an up-front initiation fee and monthly/annual dues. If you don’t belong to a private course, members can typically invite guests, though more exclusive courses tend to limit access to non-members. Notable examples: Augusta National, Pine Valley and the really nice country club you’re trying to justify joining this year.

I have seen and reported on many techniques to escape sand traps, but I really believe that this approach is the best of them all. If you are in a sand trap next to the green, you want to get your ball over the lip and to settle on the green. This blog gives you the easy way to avoid 2 or 3 extra strokes wasted in the bunker.

I have shared some recommendations by Danny Maude in the past but this time he has come up with a very SIMPLE solution. The closer your get down to your ball the easier it is to make a consistent swing to lift it out of the sand. The closer your hands are to the ball the easier it is to guide your club through the sand at the right spot and to swing on a level plane through the ball.

This method is for sand shots out of soft sand
1/ Slide your hands down to the bottom of your grip and take a wider stance with bent knees so that your hands are much closer to the ball than your normal bunker stance.
2/ Use your normal grip with the ball forward of center in your stance and the club face wide open to use the bounce on the leading edge of your sand wedge.
3/ Take a 3/4 swing on a more horizontal than vertical swing with a good club speed so that your club will enter the sand 2-3 inches before the ball and exit 2-3 inches after the ball position and lift you ball on a carpet of sand.
4/ Finish your swing by swinging freely and throwing your ball and a spray of sand on the green.

For hard packed bunkers
1/ Select a club with less bounce than a sand wedge and grip down on your club (similar to the soft sand setup above). Practice with different clubs to understand the impact and rollout on the ball.
2/ Stand with the ball slightly behind the center of your stance and your weight forward on you leading leg.
3/ Take a full pitch swing. Practice with GOLFSTR+ on your trailing wrist to limit wrist lag and take less sand than you would in a soft sand trap.

In both cases you are playing with a shorter club grip for better control to take sand with your shot and avoid fat or thin shots to at least get your ball up and on the green. These are not flop shots so you should be practicing with GOLFSTR+ on your trailing wrist to minimize your trailing wrist bend. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

XXIO Rebound Drive golf Balls – Key Takeaways

Soft, three-layer ball for XXIO target golfersRebound Drive alternates soft and firm layersUnique “pearlescent” finish, three color options plus a four-color combo pack$49.99 a dozen, available Feb. 11

Pretty much everything we’re going to share with you today about the new XXIO Rebound Drive golf balls needs to be viewed through a specific lens. If you’re not in XXIO’s target demographic, there’s no reason to consider the XXIO Rebound Drive.

If you plan on aging, however, you’ll eventually get there. Father Time will see to that. But not now.

If you are in the 75- to maybe 95-mph swing speed range, well, XXIO designed this ball for you. How its performance stacks up against the usual suspects is still an open question. But the least we can do is give you enough information today so you can determine if Rebound Drive goes on your shortlist.

XXIO Rebound Drive: What Is It?

Have you ever played a XXIO golf ball? Like the rest of the XXIO lineup, prices have been eye-opening with some models going for as much as $80 a dozen. The last few iterations, however, have been in the Pro V1 price neighborhood.

The new XXIO Rebound Drive golf balls follow the same principle as XXIO clubs: they’re designed for a specific golfer with a moderate swing speed.

XXIO Metalwoods – Key Takeaways

Second-generation XXIO X, designed for aging better playersMetalwoods feature ActivWing and Rebound Frame technologyDriver $699.99, fairways $399.99, hybrids $299.99Available Feb. 11

The new XXIO X metalwoods are designed for golfers on life’s back nine who still have some game left. The lightweight XXIO 12, which debuted last week, and the ultra-lightweight XXIO Prime are for low to moderate swing-speed golfers. However, if you’re in your early 50s to early 60s and don’t consider yourself low to moderate, you might find a friend in XXIO X.

And, not for nothing, that demographic is very, very large.

XXIO X debuted two years ago. It was XXIO’s first effort to carve out a niche with those of us approaching life’s Red Zone. And, as always, the new generation promises to be longer, straighter and more forgiving.

XXIO X: Changes and Upgrades

Aging players losing the war against Father Time have very specific needs, especially if we still have some game. We may not swing it quite like we used to but we’re not ready to go all lightweight super game improvement. We still want to hit stiff shafts but a little voice keeps telling us this piece of rebar isn’t working for us anymore.

We want help without it looking like we want help.

XXIO X Irons – Key Takeaways

Second-generation XXIO X ironsDesigned for better players looking for lightweight help$199.99 per club in steel, $249.99 per club in graphiteAvailable at retail Feb. 11

The new XXIO X irons are completely, totally and utterly different from the rest of the XXIO line. The recently announced XXIO 12 is a super-lightweight iron set designed for the moderate swing-speed, or aging, golfer. The XXIO Prime line is a super-duper lightweight iron set designed for the slow-swing speed—or really aging—golfer. If you have the cabbage to pay the freight.

The second generation of the XXIO X, however, is merely a lightweight iron set designed for the on-the-verge-of-aging golfer who has some game and swing speed left.

And the cabbage. Never forget the cabbage.

OK, so maybe XXIO X isn’t that different. But it’s different enough. Today, XXIO is giving us an X refresh of its on-the-verge-of-aging-player lineup. How does it stack up? Let’s take a look.

XXIO X Irons: A Touch of Grey

Any self-respecting Dead Head can tell you aging is one of the ABCs we all must face. XXIO X is different from its stablemates in that it’s specifically designed for golfers who still have some swing speed. The target golfer isn’t over the hill yet or even near the crest of it. But he can see it coming.

PGA Tour action continues on ESPN+ this week with the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club. Here's how to watch.

Is Bryson DeChambeau headed for a fall? Can Jon Rahm rattle off multiple majors? We gather our experts to break it down.

The PGA Tour heads to Honolulu this week for the Sony Open. Here are our best bets for the event.

The DP World Tour -- formerly known as the European Tour -- strengthened its links with the PGA Tour of Australasia by announcing Wednesday an extension of their partnership through 2026.

Tim Rosaforte, whose career as a golf writer and broadcaster spanned more than 40 years, has died at the age of 66 after a battle with Alzheimer's disease. In 2020, he became just the 12th person to be appointed a PGA honorary member.