Golfing News & Blog Articles

It’s April and spring has officially sprung. Flowers are blooming, the grass is getting greener and, yes, your mind is correct for wandering to Georgia—it’s time for the Masters! 

We love this time of year as much as the next golfer but, as the saying goes, “April showers bring the best months of the year for golf.” (That’s how it goes … right?) Not only is this to wear your waterproof golf gear at home but it’s also time to start thinking about this summer’s big golf trip for you and your pals. 

When planning a golf getaway, the first place you need to go is Golfbreaks. The site can set you up on the golf vacation of your dreams, with everything from green fees to hotel costs and resort fees included in one price, no “guesstimation” required. You can visit the UK or Ireland, the Caribbean or Mexico and just about any U.S. state you could possibly visit. They can secure tee times at the most prestigious courses and can plan trips around major events like the Masters. 

While they have comprehensive packages to take you on just about any golf trip you can imagine, we know that spending a fortune isn’t an option for most of us. That’s why we are highlighting the best budget trips you can plan this spring from ultra-affordable trips to American golf havens like Palm Springs and Scottsdale to more adventurous excursions in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

Budget Trips at a Glance

In the Lower 48

Woohoo! It’s golf season again! (Unless you’re lucky enough to live somewhere where you can play year-round. Then it’s always golf season.)

Time to tee it up, perhaps with new clubs. Maybe you’ll bring an improved swing and cash in on all that offseason work. But one big question must be answered: Where are you going to play? 

Golf might be simple recreation and a chance for some zen for you. For others, golf is a mountain to climb in a dedicated pursuit of a lower handicap. Either way, the whole event of getting out on the course can go downhill quickly if you pick the wrong track. In many cases, that decision starts with one basic start-of-the-season question: public golf versus private.

Course Conditions

There are lots of very nice public courses with talented maintenance staff that keep them in excellent condition. Courses that charge a higher rate can usually be counted on to be committed to maintaining the place. Semi-private courses (open to the public but with a limited membership with preferred access to the tee sheet) can rival the best private tracks. That said, it’s generally safe to say that a private golf club is likely to be superior in quality to the public courses in the surrounding area. Revenue at a private course is also constant no matter how many rounds are played in a given month, so the maintenance budget is basically fixed. Not so at a public course where a dip in rounds played could lead to a need to trim expenses, possibly by cutting corners or relaxing standards on the course itself.

Pace of Play

All it takes is one group, maybe even one player, to move like molasses and golfers will start stacking up behind them. Nothing kills the momentum and fun of a good round like slow play and it can happen at any public or private course.

Akshay Bhatia nearly celebrated too soon Sunday, hurting his left shoulder while pumping his arms on a 12-foot birdie to force a playoff. He recovered to make birdie on the first extra hole and win the Texas Open over hard-luck Denny McCarthy.

Nelly Korda won the T-Mobile Match Play on Sunday became the first LPGA Tour player in 16 years to win four straight starts, taking four of the first seven holes and going on to beat Leona Maguire 4 and 3 at Shadow Creek.

Dean Burmester of South Africa won for the first time on the LIV Golf League by closing with a 4-under 68 and beating Sergio Garcia in a playoff Sunday when the Spaniard hit into the water on the second extra hole at LIV Golf Miami.

It's time for the 2024 Masters! Will Jon Rahm successfully defend his title? Check out how to watch the Augusta action on ESPN now.

Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are among Masters winners throughout golf history. Check out the rest of the list.

Three LIV Golf players finished in the top five of last year's Masters tournament. Is this the year one ends up winning it all?

In the most recent MyGolfSpy testing for stand bags, the Ghost Golf Anyday bag was named Best Premium Golf Bag. It was a great showing for a newer company that their founder, Anand Nalia, says is simply  “a humble towel company.”

Who is Ghost Golf?

Founded in 2022, Ghost Golf actually did start as a “humble towel company.” Their first innovation was a magnet that made the towel significantly more user-friendly. They then branched into other areas such as belts, clothing, bags and other accessories. With an ever-expanding lineup, Ghost Golf looks to make a significant impact by providing premium quality products that have an elite level of attention to detail. Their prices may be high but so is the quality of their products.

What Is Being Tested?

For this testing opportunity, we will be selecting four golfers to test, review and keep their choice of a Ghost Golf Anyday golf bag. The Anyday golf bag is available in five colors and boasts a host of features.

Symmetrical design7- or 14-way topFull-length and fully enclosed dividersLarge putter wellDual strapsRain hoodCarbon fiber legsAnd a whole lot more! 

We want to know how these premium golf bags work in a day-in-day-out situation. How they work for those golfers walking and for those in carts. What makes these golf bags stand out from the rest?

Do you want to give an open and honest review of the GHOST Golf ANYDAY golf bag?

SIGN UP HERE!

*Registration closes April 11.

Akshay Bhatia birdied his last two holes at the TPC San Antonio for a 4-under 68, taking a four-shot lead over Denny McCarthy into the final round as he tries to get the last spot in the Masters.

It is no secret that L.A.B. Golf has taken off because of multiple wins on the PGA Tour and a greater professional presence overall. Its success in MyGolfSpy testing and the hype around the newly released L.A.B. DF3 has only increased its notoriety. 

What Is L.A.B.? 

L.A.B. stands for Lie Angle Balance. These putters, unlike other putters, are not toe-hang or face balanced. They are balanced to point at the target, meaning no twisting, no struggling to keep the face directed at the target—the putter does this naturally. 

As each golfer is unique in their putting stance and stroke, the fitting process for L.A.B. is crucial. L.A.B. has made this easy by way of their online submission. A simple step-by-step process is sent to L.A.B. and they use this video to dial in your specifications. 

L.A.B. is best known for their big and unique-looking DF 2.1, a putter that may not appeal to everyone due to its size. This is where the DF3 comes in. 

What Is Being Tested 

The DF3 is the toned-down version of the bigger DF 2.1. This is what L.A.B. has to say about it: “We took a chisel to the original Lie Angle Balanced putter to make DF3 smaller and sleeker while honoring the shape of the putter that started it all for us. DF3 still does everything golfers love about the original. It stays square by itself. It’s still irrationally forgiving on mishits. But there’s a lot less to think about.” 

In celebration of next week’s Masters, Bridgestone is dropping their Limited Edition Spring Break Georgia 2024 capsule today.

The capsule, which centers around a nostalgic feel of the 90s, includes the following:

One custom lunch boxA dozen custom logoed TOUR B X golf balls (as played by Tiger and Jason Day) with Spring Break Georgia ’24 logoOne Spring Break ‘24 hatOne 3.5” floppy disc ball markerOne postcard from Georgia from one of Bridgestone’s staff members (could be Tiger Woods, Fred Couples or Jason Day)

In three of the purchased capsules, Bridgestone is including a golden ticket of sorts: a Tiger Woods-signed postcard. It’s an authentic autograph slipped into three random capsules.

The Limited Edition capsule is available on BridgestoneGolf.com today with a price of $99.99. 

Good luck!

On the one hand, with the Masters and the challenge presented by Augusta National right around the corner, we’ve come to expect the requisite mix of azalea-themed gear and niche, though typically purpose-built, performance offerings to saturate the market.

With that, the release of the latest iteration of TaylorMade’s Mini driver franchise – the BRNR Mini Copper Driver is, if you’ll excuse the pun, par for the course.

Why Mini?

While there is perhaps a bit more utility to a mini driver than a full-sized driver. In practice, the idea is to provide a bit more shot-shaping capability for those shots where the benefit of precise placement (at least to the extent that’s humanly possible) outweighs or mitigates the risk of a full send with the driver off the tee.

On the other hand, it’s perhaps surprising that the new BRNR Mini Driver Copper doesn’t appear to offer much that’s new.

BRNR Mini Copper – A New BRNR?

Notably absent are any specific performance enhancements or even claims from TaylorMade. Spec for spec, the BRNR Mini Copper matches the BRNR Mini that hit the market last April.

The Masters was first played in March 1934, a shade over 90 years ago. Next week will be the 88th playing of the event (the 1943-1945 editions were canceled due to World War II but the tournament has otherwise been contested every year). 

I thought it would be interesting to look at how scoring has evolved in that time. 

In this piece, I evaluate the trend of winning scores, how changes to the course have influenced scoring, field scoring average and how each hole has ranked historically. 

Winning Scores By Decade and Course Length

Despite the course getting longer—especially in the past 20 years—winning scores have been lower than ever. 

We are on a run of six consecutive Masters champions posting a total of 278 (10-under) or better, the first time that has happened. The previous longest run of such low scoring from winners came in the 1974-1978 stretch. 

Practicing putting is essential for improving your golf game, and incorporating drills into your practice routine can help you develop consistency, accuracy, and confidence on the greens. Here are some effective putting drills to try:

1. Gate Drill: Set up two tees or alignment rods a few inches apart on the putting green, creating a "gate" through which your ball must pass. Practice stroking putts through the gate, focusing on keeping your putter face square at impact and maintaining a smooth, consistent stroke.

2. Clock Drill: Place several tees or markers around the hole, spaced at different distances like the numbers on a clock (e.g., 3 feet, 6 feet, 9 feet, 12 feet). Start at one marker and putt to the hole, then move to the next marker and repeat. This drill helps you develop feel and distance control for putts of varying lengths.

3. One-Handed Putting: Practice putting with only your trail hand (the right hand for right-handed golfers, left hand for left-handed golfers). This drill helps you focus on your hand and wrist control, as well as your ability to square the putter face at impact.

4. Eyes-Closed Putting: Close your eyes and putt to the hole, relying on feel and muscle memory to judge distance and direction. This drill helps you develop trust in your stroke and improve your ability to visualize the line and pace of your putts.

In a stunning move that comes the week before the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Justin Thomas announced Wednesday that he has parted ways with Jim "Bones" Mackay, who is regarded as one of the best caddies in the sport.