Golfing News & Blog Articles

A batch of British and Irish golfers withdrew from the Joburg Open before Friday's second round after the U.K. government announced it was banning flights from South Africa to counter the spread of a new COVID-19 variant.

South African sport faced a shutdown on Friday due to the detection of a new coronavirus variant, with British rugby teams scrambling to leave before travel restrictions are imposed, and the first event of golf's new-look DP World Tour under threat.

Two-time major winner Martin Kaymer is taking three months off for the birth of his first child, he told a German golf magazine Thursday.

South Africa's Thriston Lawrence and Spain's Angel Hidalgo had a share of the lead at 6 under par in the first round of the DP World Tour's Joburg Open.

It’s that time of year again. Hopefully your home is already starting to smell of mom or grandma’s famous turkey and stuffing…and hopefully dad hasn’t gotten in too much trouble for drive-by turkey tastings before the table is set. If you’re frying your bird, Godspeed. Whatever your family’s tradition, we know that every Thanksgiving table has its staple trimmings.

At MyGolfSpy our table looks a little different. Enjoy an inside look at who’s invited to our feast and who’s being served as dessert.

The Main Attraction

Turkey – The center of attention. And deservedly so. It’s the staple product and consumers are attracted to both its light (remember R11?) and dark (mostly everything else) meat…or drivers. You can’t have Thanksgiving…or a metalwood revolution without it – TaylorMade

The Primary Starch

Mashed potatoes – At first glance, they might not look like much. But, you should never judge a book, potato or golf club by its cover. The monochromatic simplistic exterior obfuscates the dense, buttery, fluffiness of the interior that holds the entire meal together. Substance first, style a close second – PING

 

Every shot in golf is important but if you can’t hit your greens in regulation, you better be a good chipper. Golf Magazine feels that chipping is the quickest way to lower your scores. You don’t need strength to make this shot so anyone can become an excellent chipper. That’s the primary reason why so many aging golfers can often beat those younger long ball hitters. A skilled chipper can hit it close for a one-putt green. Young or old, we can all learn to be great chippers if we just spend more time honing our skill with a number of different lofted clubs.

A chip shot is a short-game stroke where the ball rolls more than it carries in the air. The stroke is directly related to putting, and actually looks a lot like a putting stroke when executed properly. Because the chipping stroke is short, it’s also very simple to execute.

The proper setup for chipping will lead to consistent contact and also make distance control simple. Because a chipping stroke is a weaker motion than a full golf swing, you only need to adjust your setup to allow for a shorter backswing and follow through up your target line.

Chipping Setup
• Slide your hands down to the bottom of grip (forcing you to bend more at your waist).
• Your stance should be 6 inches apart at your heels to limit the power in your swing.
• Your weight and sternum should be forward relative to the golf ball throughout the entire stroke. Drop your leading shoulder and allow the shaft of your club to lean slightly forward. This position helps you finish your swing up your target line without releasing your wrists.
• The loft of the club will do all of the lifting so you need to choose a lofted club that will allow your ball to clear the rough or the fringe and roll out to the hole.

Why should I get fitted for a golf ball?

It’s a fair question and one most golfers likely don’t spend enough time pondering. The myriad answers start to get at what is a very simple and, at times, nuanced situation.

The most basic and applicable thinking is that the ball is the only piece of equipment you use on every shot.

More detailed fittings might involve specific-use cases, such as 7-iron peak height, player-preferred spin around the greens, long-iron descent angle … Those sorts of situations.

Moreover, the decision point between two balls with relatively equal performance is highly individualized and often has less to do with driver distance.

It hasn't been a good run for Brooks Koepka. At times his body has been out of sorts. At times his swing has been out of sorts. Can a 12-hole match with his rival be just what he needs?

Well, 2021 has been far from boring for Bryson DeChambeau. He's had some good moments and some not-so-good moments. We look back at the best and worst.

Thank you for being one of our GOLFSTR Swing Tips subscribers. You may also be using our GOLFSTR+ Training Aid which gives you 6 swing solutions.

We are now working in partnership with GOLF AVENUE offering you trade site for your old golf clubs for CASH or a CREDIT to buy new or used clubs.

Act now before December 31 for a 25% bonus on your the trade-in value for your old clubs. Use your credit for the purchase of new or used clubs.

Click here to see the complete offer and for access to the GOLF AVENUE website.

Approved by a board earlier this month, the PGA Tour has decided to raise purses even higher in five of its biggest events, with two FedEx Cup playoff events now offering $15 million.

NCGA Alum Brandon Harkins Wins TaylorMade Pebble Beach Invitational

Nov. 22, 2021

Lafayette native and Chico State alum Brandon Harkins can call himself a Pebble Beach champion.

On Sunday, the 35-year-old Harkins, who honed his game competing in NCGA tournaments and was profiled in the 2018 Fall issue of NCGA Golf Magazine, carded a final round 6-under 66 that included a back-nine 28 at Pebble Beach Golf Links to win the 50th annual TaylorMade Pebble Beach Invitational. The Invitational is the world’s only tournament that pits players from the PGA, LPGA, PGA Tour Champions and Korn Ferry Tours against each other.

Harkins would finish the 72-hole event, held at The Links at Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill and Pebble Beach, with a total of 21-under 267 to edge co-runners-up Harry Hall and Alex Cejka by two strokes.

NCGA alums Justin Suh, a former No.1-world ranked amateur, and Isaiah Salinda, the 2018 Pacific Coast Amateur champion, finished 4th and T-5, respectively.

The Tommy Armour 845 is the latest offering for the DICK’s house brand.The 845 MAX lineup offers forgiveness at a price well below the industry leaders.Available now

As the house brand of DICK’S Sporting Goods, Tommy Armour doesn’t give off quite the same lovable “little guy” vibes as direct-to-consumer brands like Sub 70 and New Level but its business model isn’t wildly different: Provide consumers with a good product at prices well below industry averages.

It’s that simple.

That’s been the case since DICK’S scooped up the Tommy Armour brand as part of its acquisition of Sports Authority.

The first iterations of the Tommy Armour brand under the DICK’s umbrella featured bold designs. The idea was to let you know that Tommy was back. As the line has matured and become more familiar to golfers, DICK’s doesn’t feel the need to scream quite as loudly. So, while perhaps a bit more understated than the TA1 or Atomic lines, a more refined and streamlined Tommy Armour 845 MAX shouldn’t suggest that performance has been compromised.

Tommy Armour 845 MAX Irons and Hybrids – Key Takeaways

Tommy Armour updates its SGI offeringIrons add forgiveness with a possible sacrifice in distanceFree lie, length, grip fittings at Dicks and Golf GalaxyValue priced: $499.99 for a 7-piece iron set; $179.99 per hybrid

The new Tommy Armour 845 MAX irons and hybrids may just force you to answer some uncomfortable questions. To wit:

Can DICK’S house brand really stand toe-to-toe with the big OEMs? (Hint: our Most Wanted Testing suggests it can.)As much as golfers complain about big OEM pricing, can you take a sub-$500 house-brand iron set seriously?And here’s the biggie: if you can’t see yourself gaming them, does it mean you’re hopelessly brandwashed?

For the record, this scribe answered Yes, Yes and Perhaps. That last one did require some painful introspection.

The new-age Tommy Armour line is a frontal assault on preconceived notions. We all remember the classic 845s irons. And we also all remember the decade-plus it spent as an embarrassingly low-end Sports Authority offering. But give DICK’S credit for upsetting the apple cart a bit by infusing an unexpected level of quality, performance and, most importantly, value into Tommy Armour.

And if you’re a Super Game Improvement golfer, the new Tommy Armour 845 MAX irons and hybrids might force you to do some soul searching before wallet-reaching.

Tommy Armour 845 MAX Irons

Let’s get this on the table right away: the new Tommy Armour 845 MAX irons list for $499.99 with steel shafts. It’s also $499.99 with graphite shafts. And right now, both DICK’S and Golf Galaxy have the 845 MAX irons on sale for $449.98.