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On the last day of this year’s golf ball test, we had a little bit of extra time to run a few smaller experiments. Near the top of our list was mud balls. We wanted to find out what happens, or at least what you should expect to happen, when mud finds its way onto your golf ball.

It also seemed like the perfect opportunity to try and answer another question we get asked all the time: Does cover damage, whether that’s from the cart path, a crisp bunker shot, a tree or anything else that leaves a mark, impact the performance of the golf ball?

The original plan was for two separate articles but it turns out that the severity of the real-world implications is driven by the extent of the damage or disruption. In general, whether it’s mud on the cover or some sort of other disruption or damage to the cover, the resulting ball flight is basically the same. Not good, but the same.

So, with that said, let’s look at what we found.

Key Takeaways

It doesn’t take much damage to have an impact

It turns out that even the kind of thing most of us would overlook can cause performance issues. Anything that alters the prescribed shape and depth of the dimples, whether that comes from filling them with mud or scraping bits of them away with a crisp wedge shot out of a bunker (or a not-so-crisp drive that hits a cart path or tree), can be problematic. When you mess with the golf ball’s aerodynamic structures (dimples), bad things can, and often will, happen.

Bryson DeChambeau hinted at it during the Ryder Cup, and now it is going to happen: a golf match between DeChambeau and adversary Brooks Koepka. The 12-hole match between the two golfers who feuded for much of 2021 will take place Nov. 26 in Las Vegas.

The LPGA Tour announced Tuesday that Chevron is taking over as title sponsor of the year's first major starting in 2023 with plans to move it from the California desert to company headquarters in Houston.

Introducing the AXIS GOLF Z2 MBI – A lower center of gravity blade with a beautiful shape and adjustable weighting.    Not many have heard of the brand AXIS GOLF.  Perhaps you have heard of the brand HARRY TAYLOR?  The two brands have one thing in common,  the grinder who manufactures their clubs Kazuyuki Ogoshi.   Kazuyuki Ogoshi has been working on the Japan tour as club support for more than 20 years.  He has worked in Japan at some of the big OEM’s as a grinder for top men’s professionals and after 2 decades of grinding and servicing tour players he founded AXIS GOLF.

These are Japan Forged with a milled back cavity and adjustable weighting. The bounce angles are on the higher side with a 3-cut rounded sole and the mass positioned low to make these blades easier to hit more consistently.  The 6 screws allow for finer adjustments to swing weights.

The beautiful hairline polishing on the top bump with milling lines below the step creates a unique look that combines handcrafting style with modern manufacturing technology.

 

The lofts are slightly strong with the PW coming in a 46*. so about 1* stronger than usual.  The offset is extremely minimal and the shape is stunning.  I consider this a more forgiving blade as the sole is wider,  heel to toe its a bit longer, and a lot of mass is positioned deep and low compared to most other blades on the market today.

The GC3 is now available, Foresights newest member of their launch monitor family. Can it provide the same accuracy as the Quad at less than half the price?

0:22 – MGS returns from Mental Health Week2:27 – Foresight’s new GC3 and its cousin, the Bushnell Launch Pro7:34 – Have we reached a peak in PLMs?10:45 – Why are Foresight & Bushnell teaming up?12:58 – Does the GC3’s accuracy live up to its predecessors?21:28 – MAILBAG!: Why do Editor’s Choice picks sometimes differ from Most Wanted results?32:26 – Survivor: Golf Company Edition

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The European Tour added the AVIV Dubai Championship to its 2021 schedule, with the $1.5 million event returning for a second straight season and replacing the cancelled Nedbank Golf Challenge Hosted by Gary Player in South Africa.

The Asian Tour is set to return from an 18-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic after the golf circuit said on Tuesday it will stage two tournaments in Thailand before the end of the year.

If I was to ask you what “thinking” is, you might refer to it as activating your brain to solve a problem or to “think through” something. However, as much as we like to think we have control over our thinking, most of it is automatic or “subconscious”. How we think and feel in certain situations is mostly predetermined by our “thinking patterns” and recent memories.
In fact, neuroscientists say that up to 95% of our mental and physiological processes happen without us being aware of them happening.

This is actually a good thing. As I’m sure you’ve experienced, your best golf is when you are playing with little thought – you are playing subconscious golf. However, playing subconscious golf is not much good if what’s in your subconscious is negative and creates feelings of fear and worry.

In this article, I’m going to share some powerful techniques for “priming” your subconscious daily and during your rounds to create a feeling of confidence and give you access to your best skills under pressure.

The Two Minds

In his book “Thinking Fast and Slow”, psychologist and Nobel Prize winner (in Economics), Daniel Kahneman explains that most of our decisions are made using what he calls “System 1” the automatic, intuitive mind.

The logical and analytical mind, which he calls “System 2” is used very little in comparison. The reason that System 1 is used to do the majority of our “thinking” is about energy efficiency – it is faster and uses less energy to operate than System 2.

Callaway Apex UW targets better playersIt borrows design elements from fairway woods and hybridsMSRP – $299

What do you call a club that flies higher than a hybrid but has less spin than a 5-wood?

Callaway’s answer is the 2021 Apex UW. The UW stands for utility wood. It’s an uber-niche release geared toward better golfers spawned from Callaway tour staff feedback. Most notably, the ultimate tinkerer, Phil Mickelson.

The concept, for Callaway, is relatively simple. Take the best elements of hybrids coupled with several fairway wood features, and presto, it’s a Labradoodle … I mean utility wood.

For the record, I was hoping for Hybrid McHybrid. Oh, well. Maybe next time.

Salted Smart Insoles have updated their app.The new additions include a putting feature.Retail price is $229.99. Now $159.99

We stumbled on Salted Smart Insoles in October of 2020 and were blown away with their technology. The Smart Insoles provide a lot of data on weight pressure, distribution and how to use the ground effectively. This could be the golden ticket to shoot lower scores for every golfer on the market.

Who Remembers Smart Salted Insoles?

A year ago, we tested the Salted Smart Insoles which are “force plates” that fit inside your golf shoes. If you’re unfamiliar with force-plate technology, imagine a mat or platform loaded with sensors that, for golf purposes, measures how your weight shifts during a swing. In simple terms, during your swing, your body weight can shift from one foot to the other. These changes in weight can be measured in percentages and, when used in the right way, can teach you how to use the ground and transfer weight correctly.

Now Salted has gone one step further with a putting system and has updated their application (which was OK at best).

What’s New?

The putting section in the updated app allows you to see real-time weight distribution. It reveals if a narrow or wider stance can help you keep weight distribution centered throughout the stroke. It might not seem like much but it’s a great addition to an already excellent product.

Previously, the application that came with the insoles in 2020 left a lot to be desired. However, the new software update is a lot more user-friendly and laid out in an easier, more functional manner. You can compare your swing or putting stroke to a Tour professional which isn’t new but it’s a great way to learn and improve your own swing/stroke.

The LPGA Tour's Toto Japan Classic, scheduled for Nov. 4-7, has been canceled due to the pandemic.

Last month, we asked you take our Iron Satisfaction Survey. The questions were basically the same as our Driver Buying Survey because the objective was the same. We wanted to understand if buyers of some brands were more satisfied than those who bought others and, based on the results of the driver survey, what role fitting plays in satisfaction. Along the way, we found plenty of other interesting tidbits which we’re excited to share with you today.

In total, more than 10,000 (10,073 to be precise) of you took the survey. Here’s what you told us.

The Demo Experience

There are a few things of note in the results.

As was the case with drivers, golfers will most typically demo three iron models before buying.Nearly 15 percent of you bought irons without demoing anything. It’s a lower percentage than we saw with drivers but it’s still shocking (to me anyway).More than 15 percent of you tried more than five irons before buying. That’s kind of awesome.

Top Demoed Brands

With that in mind, here’s a breakdown of the brands you tried before buying.

Sam Burns played flawlessly on the back nine until it didn't matter anymore and shot a 5-under 67 to win the Sanderson Farms Championship on Sunday.

Celine Boutier began the day five shots behind but shot an 8-under 63 to win the ShopRite LPGA Classic as South Korea's two best players faltered down the stretch.

Danny Willett celebrated his 34th birthday by winning the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship by two strokes on Sunday.

Sahith Theegala is one round away from his first PGA Tour title in just his second start of his rookie season.

Inbee Park birdied three of her last five holes to match Jin Young Ko with a 6-under 65 for a share of the lead in the ShopRite LPGA.

Danny Willett carded 66 to claim a three-shot lead heading into the final day at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Bryson DeChambeau fell short in his quest for a long drivers world championship but said he's "definitely going to continue" competing in long-drive tournaments.

Will Zalatoris set a course record Friday with an 11-under 61 to share the lead with Nick Watney and Sahith Theegala in the Sanderson Farms Championship.