/ Geoff Shackelford
It was a lively Saturday at Pebble Beach but with most of the amateurs sent home Sunday should make for a fun finish. I hope we get to see a good pin on the 11th hole, an unfairly maligned par-4 in my view.
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Overnight leader Harold Varner III eagled the par-5 18th by sinking a long putt to overtake clubhouse leader Bubba Watson and win the Saudi International in dramatic fashion.
Jordan Spieth put himself into the mix Saturday, shooting a 9-under 63 -- a career low at Pebble Beach. He also took a shot near the edge of a 60-foot cliff.
Leona Maguire had seven birdies and two bogeys for a 67 to capture the Drive On Championship, becoming the first Irish winner in LPGA Tour history.
After withdrawing from the Saudi International after just one round of play, Bryson DeChambeau took to social media to urge all those concerned with his body's health to "chill."
Nicolai Hojgaard shot an 8-under 64 on Saturday to take a three-stroke lead into the final round of the Ras al Khaimah Championship.
Harold Varner III birdied the par-5 18th hole to take a one-stroke lead over Adri Arnaus into the final round of the Saudi International.
Seamus Power shot another 8-under 64 to build a 5-shot lead in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and break the 36-hole tournament record at 16-under 128.
Leona Maguire and Marina Alex shared the lead Friday in the LPGA Drive On Championship after another windy round at Crown Colony.
Defending champion Dustin Johnson's 1-over 71 on Friday has him 6 shots behind co-leaders Harold Varner III and Adri Arnaus at the Saudi International after two rounds of play.
David Law matched the lowest round of his DP World Tour career as he opened up a two-shot lead heading into the weekend at the 2022 Ras Al Khaimah Championship on Friday.
We know you have questions. In our Ask MyGolfSpy series, we answer questions from our readers. This week we’re tackling golf balls. For your next opportunity to Ask MyGolfSpy, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Ask MyGolfSpy – Golf Balls
What’s the best golf balls for various handicaps?
I don’t think there’s a performance attribute that directly correlates with your handicap. Across all ranges, you’ll find golfers who need to hit it higher or lower and with more or less spin. In that sense, the correlation with handicap is probably price-driven. If you’re losing a lot of balls, premium options can be cost-prohibitive, but that’s where value brands and even quality used options can help bridge the gap.
Is compression still a factor? What is the compression of some common brands?
First, that’s not one question it’s two. Feels like cheating. Anyway…
Yes, compression is still a factor. Compression is strongly correlated with both speed and feel. Higher compression balls are faster off the tee, while lower compression balls offer softer feel and will often be longer off the irons.
The nature of low compression design means they also tend to be among the lowest spinning.
Most brands offer a range of compression offerings, though it’s worth mentioning that the softer options exist to satisfy a feel preference and won’t offer the complete performance of mid to high compression balls.
From a fitting perspective, slower swing speed players will often fit into a firmer golf ball, however, higher swing speed players will often over-compress a softer ball and lose speed and distance because of it.
There’s a reason why every ball played on the PGA Tour is above 80-compression and most are closer to 90 and above.
Does the ball matter to anyone over a 10 handicap?
The ball matters to anyone who is trying to shoot lower scores. While most of us don’t have the consistency of a Tour pro, we’re all capable of hitting good (even great) shots. I’m in agreement with Titleist that your best shots should be rewarded. Playing a high-performance, high-quality ball can help ensure they are.
How can a ball be low spin off long clubs and high spin in the short game?
Spin is the result of hardness differences between a golf ball’s layers paired with how deep into the ball energy is transferred during the strike.
At higher speeds like you get with a driver and longer clubs, you’re getting all the way to the core, so spin properties are primarily driven by the relationship between the inner and outer core, or the core and the inner mantle layer. That’s typically a hard over soft relationship, which is the recipe for low(er) spin.
On shorter shots, particularly as you get closer to the green with higher lofted clubs, the interaction is almost entirely between the soft cover and a firmer mantle layer that acts as a backstop for the cover to pinch against. Soft over hard is the recipe for increased spin, and the greater the hardness difference, the more spin you’ll get.
Arccos and TaylorMade have announced an expanded multi-year partnership. Called the “Track Better. Play Better” program, the new arraignment marks the first time Arccos sensors will be available as part of a TaylorMade golf club purchase.
The specifics work like this – beginning today, anybody who purchases a TaylorMade Stealth driver, Stealth irons, or any current P-series offering (P790, P770, P7MC andP7MB), can visit the TaylorMade Arccos portal, enter some basic info, and receive a free set of sensors along with a 45-day trial of the Arccos Caddie Platform. The same holds true for anyone who has previously purchased a qualifying TaylorMade product, so even if you bought P790 irons last fall or pre-ordered a Stealth Driver, you can still get the sensors.
Shipping is free, so there’s nothing to lose.
For Arccos and TaylorMade the arraignment is mutually beneficial. It gives Arccos another opportunity to turn golfers into customers and expand its database which already includes more than 9 million rounds and 500 million shots struck across 194 countries.
Sebastian Heisele and Scott Jamieson shared a one-shot lead after the first round of the Ras Al Khaimah Championship on Thursday.
Bryson DeChambeau withdrew from the Saudi International before the second round Friday because of left hand and left hip injuries.
Pebble Beach in 80-degree weather with no wind howling off the Farallons, no clouds scudding in low and gray, no foaming surf crashing over the greens and fairways is like Samson shorn, Man o’ War limping, Muhammad Ali hanging on the ropes and bleeding. I can’t look. It’s enough to make you gnash your teeth when you see players hitting 4- and 5-irons to No. 17, to see them teeing off with 3-woods on 18 and in general insulting the course as if it were some pitch-and-putt in Chillicothe. It’s like seeing the USS Missouri aground, the Titanic hanging off an iceberg. Golf at Pebble Beach was never meant to be a walk in the park, a dance with your sister, a trip to the moon on gossamer wings. JIM MURRAY
Phil Mickelson’s “obnoxious greed” claims have not gone over well in a variety of ways, namely that he’s in Saudi Arabia collecting a hefty appearance fee from some pretty shady characters.
His comments were posted on Golf Digest’s Instagram account and earned this reply from Brooks Koepka:
DK if I’d be using the word greedy if I’m Phil…�”
The Daily Mail offered this headline to Derek Lawrenson’s story, which ran for some time on its home sports page.
After his opening 67 in the PIFSIPSIA, Mickelson was sort of asked about his comments to Golf Digest.
Q. There's a lot of buzz this week; is the sport itself the true nature, the competition, something to lose, to gain?
It’s fun to see the pros who are leading tournaments on TV, consistently hitting every shot close to their target. If they can do it, why can’t YOU make consistent shots when YOU golf with minimal pressure? On the other hand, if you are an average golfer, you may hit 60% to 90% of your shots with reasonable success. So why are you missing 10% to 40% of your shots?
Why Do We Miss-Hit SOME Shots?
During every round of golf, we try to duplicate our perfect swing for every club. Unfortunately, each swing must be CREATED for the club that we select; the slope of the ground that we are standing on; the weather conditions and for the target that we have selected. Those variables are all eliminated when you practice your skills on the DRIVING RANGE.
There is even less pressure to execute a shot with any club on the DRIVING RANGE. If you are miss-hitting shots on the driving range, you will definitely make more miss-hits during a round of golf where the conditions are constantly changing. What do we all need to do to perfect our swing on the driving range so that we can take those skills to the course?
1/ Identify the Weakness in Your Swing: I was watching a friend slice balls on the driving range and immediately noticed that his leading wrist was drastically cupped in his backswing. He was not aware of this fault and had a real difficulty in changing to a flat leading wrist. After many practice swings with a flat wrist on a shallow plane, he hit a perfect, straight shot on his first swing at the ball. Take lessons from a pro to identify the right way to make a golf swing with every club.
2/ Practice for Perfection: Don’t try to swing at 100% of your physical capability. Practice at 80% to control the direction and distance with every club. Make 5 (or more) perfect shots with 1 club and then change to another club. Build confidence in your swing and take it to the course.
3/ Understand Why You are Miss-Hitting: When you miss-hit shots on the range after hitting a series of perfect shots, sort out the reason. In most cases you will realize that you just tried to add more speed into your swing. A faster backswing will tend to minimize the time for your completed shoulder & waist rotation, your wrist lag and starting your weight shift to your leading foot at the top of your backswing. ALL 3 will reduce the power and distance in your shot.
4/ SOLUTION: Golf is a Mental Game: If your mind is focused on the perfect swing for a result that you have achieved in the past then why can’t you repeat the same hit every time???? Your problem is that your mind is drifting. The great golfers like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods place their mind in a focused trance. Jack visualized his shot and only feels 100% of that memory during his swing.
Learn the correct swing for your physical strength and flexibility to hit perfect shots with each type of club. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to learn to control your arms and wrists for 6 swing fixes. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com.
