Golfing News & Blog Articles

It would be easy to dismiss the original BirdieBall as another crackpot inventor’s attempt to develop a golf training aid. There’s a section of the PGA Merchandise Show the MyGolfSpy crew calls “Desperation Row.” It’s the low-rent section and it’s where you’ll find booth after booth manned by entrepreneurs. They’ve cashed in their 401k’s to follow their dream of inventing golf’s next must-have training aid and they’re letting it all ride on one spin of the golf industry’s roulette wheel.

Sadly, the house almost always wins.

But John Breaker, BirdieBall founder, bwana, guiding spirit, chief cook and bottle washer found a way to buck the odds and beat the house.

The Original BirdieBall—It’s All Tiger’s Fault

“It was 1999 and my Dad and I were watching the Masters,” Breaker recalls. “Tiger was just bombing the ball. And one of the announcers said they’re going to have to ‘Tiger-proof’ this golf course.”

That’s just what Augusta tried to do but the Breaker father-and-son duo had a different idea. They felt they could come up with a Tour-level limited-flight golf ball.

Defending champion Bernd Wiesberger was two shots clear of fellow Austrian golfer Matthias Schwab on top of the second round leaderboard at the Made in HimmerLand on Friday.

Jordan Spieth was bogey-free again Friday, with a 4-under 66 to take the lead after the second round of the Colonial, where Phil Mickelson missed the cut just days after winning the PGA at age 50.

Mike Weir opened a 4-stroke lead Friday in the Senior PGA Championship with a 5-under 65 on a tough Southern Hills layout that baffled most players.

Danielle Kang had Lizette Salas over to the house Thursday night to watch "Friends: The Reunion," then sent her packing Friday in the LPGA Match Play.

NCGA Mourns the Loss of Former President Robert Foster

May 28, 2021

Former NCGA President Robert “Bob” Maurice Foster died Sunday, May 23rd, 2021.

Bob’s life began on March 1st, 1935 in Oakdale, CA. He grew up with his loving parents, Maurice and Helen Foster, and his sisters Maurine and Judy. Along the way, he managed to accrue an ever-growing family, including Karen, his wife of 47 years, five children, Karen, Jim, Calvin, Courtney, & Kelly, as well as his many grand and great grandchildren.

Bob lived a very active life. He served his country in the United States Air Force between the ages of 18-22. He moved to Chico in 1969 to open his first supermarket, Shop ‘n Save, a store which he ultimately grew into a chain of five stores across Northern California.

Edel might not be the first brand you think of when it comes to top-end putters. But the reason isn’t lack of performance.

In 202o, the revamped EAS 2.0 was one of the highest ranked putters in Most Wanted testing. Moreover, the EAS line differentiated itself primarily on putts of 10 feet or less.

Founder David Edel uses a proprietary fitting system that accounts for the influence of shapes and lines on perceived alignment. For example, did you know that lines in the cavity of a putter tend to shift aim to the left?

Because every golfer is different, Edel believes the ideal combination of head shape, lines, length, weight and grip size is unique to every golfer.

With that said, we’d like to get some feedback from MyGolfSpy readers.

Danielle Kang and Lizette Salas each won their first two matches at Shadow Creek to set up the duel for a spot in the final 16 in the LPGA Match Play.

Phil Mickelson, only four days after becoming the oldest winner of a golf major, was 10 strokes back after a 73, while Jordan Spieth and Sergio Garcia were tied for the lead after bogey-free rounds of 63.

Three weeks after beating Steve Stricker in a playoff in the Regions Tradition for his first major title, Alex Cejka got off to a solid start in his pursuit of a second.

Tiger Woods says rehab from his February car crash is "more painful than anything I have ever experienced."

2021 ELECTRIC CART BUYER’S GUIDE

Do you want a caddie but can’t afford the luxury? Me, too. However, you can get the next best thing by using what our testing has determined is the best electric cart of 2021 for your next round.

During COVID, more golfers are walking instead of riding. Often, this was the only way you could play golf but the trend is still obvious. Many different companies make electric carts but, according to Motocaddy, they’re No. 1 in unit sales globally. This is an impressive achievement considering the U.S. is still a relatively untapped market.

Our 2021 test included electric carts that are manual, ones with a remote and others that follow your every step. No matter which one you prefer, you should read on to see which one is best for you.

Whether you’re looking to buy a new electric cart today, looking for some buying advice or just want a closer look at what’s on the market, this guide will help you find the right cart to fit your needs.

Winner: Motocaddy M7 Remote

If you want the best electric cart, go for the Motocaddy M7 Remote. It comes with a remote providing you the caddie effect. Its slim sleek design doesn’t take up much room for storage and fits neatly in your trunk. It comes with a kickback wheel ensuring the cart never topples over on steep uphill lies. Throw in USB charging port along with a two-year warranty and you have the winner of the 2021 Most Wanted Electric Cart Test.

Kiko Francisco Coelho and Leopoldo Herrera III won the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball championship Wednesday, birdieing the first extra hole to beat Brendan MacDougall and Sam Meek.

Ole Miss overwhelmed Oklahoma State 4-1 to win the NCAA women's golf championship on Wednesday, the Rebels' first national title in women's sports.

Las Vegas area residents Danielle Kang and Inbee Park made themselves right at home at Shadow Creek in the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play on Wednesday.

Phil Mickelson said Wednesday that his win in the PGA Championship alone does not warrant a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team and that he expects he'll need to play at a high level consistently over the next few months to show he can be an asset.

Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau continue to trade barbs Wednesday, with both golfers trying to one up the other on social media. Said DeChambeau to Koepka: "It's nice to be living rent free in your head."

Spectrum of NCGA Clubs—LPGA Amateur Golf Association

May 26, 2021

The LPGA Amateur Golf Association exists to connect women to learn, play and enjoy golf for business and for fun.  Since its inception in 1991, the LPGA Amateur Golf Association (formerly EWGA) has served as a portal to golf and touched the lives of thousands of women. LPGA Amateur Golf Association has Chapters throughout the United States, along with international Chapters in Canada, South Africa, Bermuda, Ireland and Italy.

The LPGA Amateur Golf Association Sacramento Chapter was established in 1993 and is your best place to get involved, get connected and to have fun with the game of golf.

The LPGA Amateur Golf Association Sacramento Chapter membership reflects a cross-section of working women in various industries in the Greater Sacramento area, including: financial services, legal, real estate, media and publishing, advertising, healthcare, information technology, accounting, retail, government and education. Many of our members are business owners, corporate executives, professionals, or entrepreneurs. And we do have a number of retired women as well!  However, all of us share a common link – GOLF.

Our Board is comprised of a diverse group of energetic women leaders including our President and Directors, and fantastic supporting Committee Chairs and enthusiastic committee volunteers.

Every pro that we see on TV has an amazing straight leading arm during their backswing and downswing. They depend on their straight arm for consistency and added power. So why is it that we also see some recreational golfers who consistently bend their leading arm and still play a pretty good game of golf?

I have been working on a straight leading arm swing for years. That’s why I developed GOLFSTR+. I needed a training aid that I could use during my practice rounds of golf as a constant reminder to keep my leading arm straight in the backswing.

Realizing that I had limited spine and shoulder rotation, I started using one of the Golf-Info-Guide exercises to train my body to rotate. I use my trailing arm to pull the elbow of my straight leading arm across my chest as I rotate my spine. It’s just a great stretching exercise. I still have limited overall rotation (due to age and upper body injuries) but my straight arm swing is crutial for consistent drives and fairway shots. It forces me to coil my upper body for a more powerful swing release.

My wife has a much worse problem with spine rotation as a result of a major auto accident. She almost wraps her leading arm around her neck and releases her arm with tremendous power for her driver. I have never tried to change her swing as her neck is fused and her drives are very consistent as she is able to straighten out her leading arm before impact with the ball.

Unfortunately she has lost the ability to straighten out her leading arm for her iron shots. Her lighter irons don’t extend her leading arm as easily as her driver so she is either hitting off her trailing leg (as she does not shift her weight to her leading leg) or she tips the ball off the toe of her club with her shortened bent leading arm.

Patriot Golf Day Moves to Memorial Day Weekend

May 26, 2021

For the first time in its 15-year history, Patriot Golf Days will be held over Memorial Day weekend (May 28-31) as a way to further honor our nation’s heroes.

PGA REACH, the 501(c)3 charitable foundation of the PGA of America, and Folds of Honor, a nonprofit that provides educational scholarships to spouses and children of fallen or disabled service members, will jointly host the nationwide annual fundraiser. This marks the second year the two organizations have come together to expand and grow fundraising efforts for both PGA HOPE and Folds of Honor through the game of golf.

PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) introduces golf to Veterans with disabilities to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being. The program includes a six-to-eight-week developmental curriculum taught by PGA Professionals trained in adaptive golf and military cultural competency. In 2019, PGA HOPE programming impacted 2,500 Veterans nationwide.

“We’re using golf as a form of dedicated rehabilitation and therapy for our Veterans, and we couldn’t be more proud of the vital work PGA HOPE does,” said Corp. (Ret.) Chris Nowak, PGA HOPE Military and Veteran Liaison. “Our partnership with Folds of Honor to expand the reach of Patriot Golf Days means we can impact more families of the men and women we serve. And to be able to have it during Memorial Day weekend is a perfect way to continue living our mission of supporting our nation’s heroes.”