Golfing News & Blog Articles

Coming off an emotional win at Wentworth and a long trip from London across eight time zones, Tyrrell Hatton tied the course record of 7-under 65 for a one-shot lead Thursday at the CJ Cup.

Unless Jack Nicklaus comes out of retirement and shocks everyone by forcing a playoff with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy, I’m pretty sure no one wants 2020-labeled gear. Even from The Masters.

But as reported previously, the club confirmed that those with ticket privileges lost due to the pandemic will still be able buy Masters merchandise online. From Brian Wacker’s GolfDigest.com story:

“Patrons will have the ability to shop,” a club spokesperson said via email, noting that means specifically ticket holders of record.

So those who were fortunate enough to have purchased tickets for the 2020 tournament through Augusta National will still be able to get their hands on this year’s merchandise. More details will be sent to ticket holders via email. There is also a limit of two orders per person, though it’s unclear if there is a limit to the number of items per order.

This will be fascinating as both an e-commerce story and on an eBay sales watch front.

With Phil Mickelson the lone professional and Peyton Manning expected to return, it sounds like the pro will take on the amateurs this day-after-Thanksgiving. Charles Barkley and Steph Curry step in to The Match 3, report Anthony Crupi and Scott Soshnick for Sportico.

The event is again expected to be played the day after Thanksgiving. The Match 2, one of the first post-pandemic live sports events, was the most watched golf telecast in cable history.

I don’t believe that will happen this time around. Just saying. Only the boldest predictions can be found here.

Paulsen looks at the declines in 2020 sports ratings and golf enjoys a split decision, with a big win for CBS Sports.

CBS’s “return” events are among the few sports up in the ratings, as was the PGA Championship (though I’d argue a surprising mere 3% given the fantastic finish and west coast prime time slot).

The U.S. Open’s move back to NBC/Golf Channel/Peacock and from Father’s Day to September proved deadly in the ratings department. Although comparable to other declines in the NBA and NHL.

Paulsen does not include NBC’s other playoff events, but they were flat to down.

The updated chart: pic.twitter.com/fJXFanuKOQ

— Sports Media Watch (@paulsen_smw) October 16, 2020

Grayhawk lost the 2020 NCAA men’s and women’s golf championships due to the pandemic. But the coaches committees ratified a new deal that awarded the 2023 NCAA’s to the Scottsdale course and then moves the event to Carlsbad’s La Costa resort.

Adam Woodward at Golfweek with the news and noble effort to get the championships in prime time and where thunderstorms are not a part of daily life, both very good things.

Golf Australia has aborted plans to reschedule the summer's premier three events, reluctantly cancelling the Australian PGA Championship, Australian Open and Women's Australian Open.

 

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Titleist TSi Drivers – Key Takeaways

Titleist has launched the new TSi series of drivers.The TSi2 offers higher launch and more forgiveness.The TSi3 offers a compact shape and adjustable weighting.Retail price is $549.

The new TSi driver lineup is the follow-up to Titleist’s surprising TS series. TS offered proof the company was capable of making something other than a high-spin driver and in doing so, reestablished Titleist as a serious player in the metalwoods market. It may even have helped shake the perception of Titleist as a golf ball company that also makes clubs.

That said, when designs shift as significantly as they did between 917 and TS, it’s reasonable to expect only modest changes from the next design.

You can’t fault me for thinking the i in TSi might be for iteration.

I was wrong.

Titleist TSi Fairway Woods – Key Takeaways

Titleist TSi fairway woods will be available in two models.The TSi2 features higher launch and greater forgiveness.The TSi3 offers a penetrating flight and movable weight technology.The retail price is $299.

As is typically the case, the Titleist TSi fairway woods won’t receive the same amount of attention as the TSi drivers but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a story worth telling.

Titleist’s TSi fairway lineup will again include two models. Unfortunately for those looking for even more ATI 425, I’ve got nothing for you. TSi fairway woods feature 465 stainless steel faces. It’s not particularly exotic but it gets the job done.

Both the TSi2 and TSi3 are 175cc, so the visual distinction is again one of shape, not size. As was the case with TS, it’s important to understand that golfers who fit into the TSi3 driver may not fit into the TSi3 fairway. There’s little if any correlation between the two, which is why I’m going to fall back on one of my go-tos…

If at all possible, work with a fitter to determine whether TSi2, TSi3 or a pairing of the two is the right solution for your bag.

I’ve called this article “The Art of Putting”, because if you want to get better at it, it’s important that you become more of an artist and less of a technician on the greens.

In this week’s lesson, I’d like to show you how you can become a great putter by engaging more of the intuitive, “athletic mind” and less of the analytical, critical, ego-driven mind.

This is a key skill for putting well under pressure and lowering scores.

SWITCHING ON THE “ATHLETIC MIND”

The ball being stationary in golf can be both a positive and a negative. It’s a positive in the sense that you get time to consider the situation in front of you and figure out the best shot, but it can be a negative in the sense that it can open up a window of time for you to think before and during your stroke. Athletic motion is optimal when the mind is quiet – you’re not thinking – you’re using your senses to connect directly with your environment and using your “mind’s eye” to see (and feel) what you intend to happen. You are deeply focused and at one with your target and your intention.

Making the right length and speed of stroke and squaring the face to your intended start line (once you’ve set up and aligned correctly) requires you to have your “athletic mind” switched on and your “thinking brain” switched off. This is something that takes practice.

The U.S. Open champion gave an interview on Sirius/XM and was asked again about last week’s “mockery” comments from Matthew Fitzpatrick. Like Einstein and Newton, Bryson’s approach will be better understood by future generations.

“You Look at Einstein, you look at Newton, you look at all these big-time names in the science field there’s been a lot of people that have been called crazy. Decades later they’re like, wow, that person was actually pretty interesting, he did a lot of amazing things. I’m not saying that’s what I’m going to do but, shoot, I hope so one day. That’d be fun.”

That would be fun.

If the governing bodies cared about this distance stuff and the amazing cascade of events we’ve witnessed this year, they’d be alarmed by other DeChambeau suggestions of “no end game” to the distance pursuit and this on long drivers:

”They’re still 25 mph faster than me. I mean, there’s so much room for improvement, I feel like.”

Those thirsting for the original links won’t quite get it at the Fairmont St Andrews, a Sam Torrance design that looks overshaped and, well, isn’t Crail, Elie or the Old Course. But it beats the silliness of Shadow Creek!

Brandon Tucker offers this preview in case you saw St. Andrews on your European Tour listing and got excited. The fall Dunhill Links this is not, but we’ll take something seaside with St Andrews in the title no matter what. Lee Westwood headlines the Scottish Championship Presented by AXA.

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Jerry Tarde’s “Last Call” column in the pre-November Masters issue makes a terrific case for what’s been lost with the end of true three-shot holes.

There’s something about the symphony of a par 5 that makes it greater than the sum of its shots. It requires more forward thinking, more self-restraint and sufferance, risk and reward at once. It can be cataclysmic like Sam Snead’s triple-bogey 8 when all he needed was a par on the last hole in the 1939 U.S. Open, or heroic like a 5 on the 18th at Pebble Beach any day of the week.

I was standing on the green of Pine Valley’s behemoth uphill 15th hole, measuring over 600 yards, about 15 years ago, when the second shot of the club’s pro, David Clark, bounded onto the putting surface, stopped and glacially rolled back off the fringe. David is a good player, but not Bryson DeChambeau. I remember thinking, Have I just witnessed the death of par 5s?

He eventually includes Tom Doak’s views on how to roll things back to restore relevancy and you’re feeling really good about the case Tarde’s making.

There used to be a list of what Tom Doak called in 1982 “the untouchables”—par 5s that had never been reached in two. In researching Golf Digest’s ranking of America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses today, we’ve found only one untouchable left—the 675-yard 16th at Olympic’s Lake Course.

**Blogger’s note because the fact checkers are gone: even that 675 tee is one, only used for the 2012 U.S. Open. Go on…

Your setup for every shot on a fairway may need adjustments. Every course is rated with a SLOPE. It is drastically affected by the rolling terrain of the fairways. Every time that you find your ball on side sloping ground or a forward or backward sloping surface, you need to make adjustments or your will lose control of your shot.

Find a FLAT Surface for Your Tee Shot
The simplest mistake that I notice is when recreational players don’t check out the slope on the tee. Premium courses ensure that the tee is flat but many club and public courses don’t pay enough attention to the flat surface on every tee. A side slope to the left will automatically force your ball to pull to the left and a slope to the right is just as dangerous. Find a flat surface to setup your tee shot to avoid pulls or pushes or slices.

Setup for any Shot
Clay at Top Speed Golf recently pointed out the importance of your body position for your setup:
1/ Ball position (forward or back in your stance) affects your angle of attack and shot shape. Practice and know what to expect from your swing.
2/ Let your arms hang to avoid stretching to reach your ball.
3/ Your stance width relates to your stability and power, You need a shoulder width stance for driver power, a narrower stance for irons and even narrower stance for gentle chip shots.
4/ Bend your back forward (don’t hunch forward) at your hips (and stick your butt out) for more power using any club.
5/ Shoulder tilt is so critical to ensure that your club path will add launch angle to your drives.

Hitting from a side hill lie can throw your ball 20 yards in the wrong direction. Adjust your direction based on the severity of the slope.

Adjust for Slope (side, up or down)
A. Your mind expects to make every swing on a flat surface. It is difficult for you mind to adjust for your swing on sloped surfaces. Adjusting for the 5 points listed above will all be affected. To help your mind adjust, make a full speed practice swing on the same slope where your ball is resting. You need to “customize and sensitize” your body and mind for the swing that you need to make. Then duplicate that exact swing without changing your swing speed.
B. You swing a golf club in an arc. Expect that a side slope to the left will pull your shot to the left. If the slope is to the right and you are standing above the ball, you are faced with more problems. You may have to bend your knees a little more (or widen your stance) to reach the ball and to keep your balance. Your club will not lie flat on a down side slope. A severe side slope can catch your hosel and twist your club before impact. Don’t expect a miracle shot. Prepare for the worst and take your medicine to reach a safe location for your next shot.
C. When you hit from any up or down slope, adjust your stance to ensure that you swing on the plane of your slope and your club will bottom out just after your ball. Use a higher lofted club for a down slope and a lower lofted club for an up slope to compensate for added or reduced angles.

Your clubs are designed to hit from flat surfaces. If you don’t adjust for sloped surfaces you can expect direction and distance control problems. GOLFSTR+ is a great training aid to help you learn the correct swing for every club in your bag. Golfing on sloped surfaces needs your special attention. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com