Golfing News & Blog Articles

Starting in January, updates to the World Handicap System will more accurately reflect the way that golf is played today.

The post How your handicap will change in 2024 appeared first on Golf.

As we look back on 2023, there were plenty of golf stories that made us think. Maybe even more stories made us mad, but hey, that’s life. But in this post-Christmas/pre-New Year’s lull, let’s take a break from thinking and controversy.

Let’s just feel good.

So in that spirit, here are some of the stories from the past year that made us smile and, we hope, put us in a feel-good mode as we get ready for 2024.

The Return of “Lost Brands”

There’s a reason, friends, that a mid-’70s sitcom set in the ‘50s was called Happy Days. Nostalgia makes us feel good.

In January, we saw the return of legendary golf brands we thought were lost forever. Simon Millington’s Golf Brands Ltd. led the charge by bringing back Ram, Zebra and the brand once known as The Greatest Name in Golf, MacGregor.

You’re on an emerald green fairway by the edge of a craggy cliff in Scotland’s Northwest Highlands. Glancing at the majestic Caledonian pines in the distance, you ponder pressing on the next hole in your $5 nassau against your playing partner Alastair.

As you’re about to begin your backswing, the warble of a starling harshes your mellow. Suddenly, the Braveheart countryside dematerializes and you’re back in Poughkeepsie alone in your man cave golf simulator. The bird call was your ringtone. It’s your wife reminding you to pick up the dry cleaning.

The fizz of the metaverse, that next iteration of the internet where mere websites give way to immersive and highly interactive digital environments (per our hypothetical example), has temporarily gone flat. But virtual playgrounds are still being developed as the technology plays catch-up to the early hype.

Hyperscapes Golf Club CEO Gabor Tankovics has teamed with Nicklaus Design to build Rocabarra Cliffs, what they call the first members-only virtual golf club crafted by real-world golf course architects.

Rather than conjure an otherworldly fantasy setting—routing a course through the trendiest arrondissements of Paris or plopping a links on the moon—they’ve meticulously rendered a square-mile Scottish peninsula abutting Loch Shieldaig as it would have looked 6,000 years ago.

Need more distance in your life? Our most-read gear story offers some sage advice on how to make it happen.

The post This was our most-read golf equipment story of 2023 appeared first on Golf.

After covering more than two dozen PGA Tour events in 2023, here are some of the top golf equipment takeaways to help your game.

The post The best golf gear advice I learned from the pros in 2023 appeared first on Golf.

Here are the 18 most controversial golf moments in 2023. Included among them are the dealings between LIV, the Saudis and the PGA Tour.

The post The 18 most controversial moments in golf in 2023: LIV, Saudis and rules  appeared first on Golf.

Our most-read putting tip in 2023 came courtesy of a ball-position breakdown from Top 100 Teacher Jim Murphy.

The post This was our most-read putting tip in 2023 (hint: ball position!) appeared first on Golf.

Golf is a straightforward game, but you can save a lot more strokes if you make more smart shots. Of course, you would like to make every shot count but if you are a mid-handicap player you should apply odds on the shots that you may or may not make. That’s right, take the risk out of risky shots and make more shots count.

Every approach shot may result in 3 types of problems or any combination of DISTANCE, DIRECTION and DISTRUCTION. Of course, you try to select the prefect club for distance which may land long or short of the green. It is also easy to push or pull your shot wide of the green depending on the lie of your ball or the wind that will affect your ball flight. And you never know when that dreaded mishit will decide to happen. Only you are somewhat aware of your personal odds of success on each of your shots.

You can definitely improve your success if you consider these proven approaches:
1/ Distance Control: Select a club that you know will reach your target without hitting the perfect shot at 90 to 100% of you strength. Learn to swing at 80% to control your distance and direction.

2/ Hit to Your BINGO Distance: A single digit handicap golfer told me his success. He was not the longest driver so he always planned to layup to 100 yards on par-5 holes or on par 4 holes where he made a poor drive. He had perfected his 100 yard shots with a specific wedge so that he could land his shot within 10 feet of the hole. He also sank a lot of those short putts. We should all perfect our BINGO shot. Practice with your favorite club and distance. You will gain confidence and make more great shots when you layup to your preferred BINGO DISTANCE.

According to the 2023 results recorded by Arccos Golf Sensors, a 20-handicap golfer only hits 20% of their greens in regulation and they average 36 feet from the cup. That gives them a lot of room for an easy improvement in their scores with more practice using their BINGO club.

2023 was a landmark year for golf media across the board. Here, we break down the 10 stories that defined the year.

The post Trevor Immelman, LIV TV ratings and the top 10 golf media stories of 2023 appeared first on Golf.

I’m all about finding you the best deals in golf. And man, this pair of Under Armour golf shoes might take the cake.

Right now you can pick up the UA HOVR Fade 2 Spikeless golf shoes for just $46.98 (before tax and shipping). That’s over 50% off the retail price of $110.

Why Buy the Under Armour HOVR Fade 2

This deep New Year’s discount applies to other Under Armour outlet items, too. Shop now with code NEWYEAR and save big on shoes, polos, shorts and more. This sale ends 1/2.

The post These Lightweight Under Armour Golf Shoes Are Now Less than $47 appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

The popular game show Family Feud is one of my favorites. The idea is simple: poll people on various topics and parse the data for the top answers.

The same method and model can be applied to golf as a way to understand the consensus on certain topics. At this scale and sample, it’s not fair of us to apply the results to the overall population. That said, it gives us an easy and quick assessment that can be indicative of results we might see on a larger scale.

Take, for example, Kirkland Golf Clubs. With the introduction of the Kirkland Signature Driver and Kirkland Signature Irons, I wanted an easy way to assess how golfers really feel about what Kirkland is doing.

As such, I conducted a survey and have parsed through the data to provide you with a succinct breakdown of what golfers feel and think about Kirkland golf clubs. Here’s what I found.

Demographics

Respondents to the survey (conducted via the MyGolfSpy Forum) ranged in handicap from 0 (scratch) to 28.5. The majority of respondents (50.3 percent) reported that they play golf several times per week, with 40.5 percent playing multiple times per month.

 Introduction

Home golf setups are becoming more accessible than ever. While the focus is often on the launch monitor or net, the hitting and putting mat plays a crucial role in enhancing the overall experience.

This Forum Member Review of the BirdieBall 2-in-1 Golf Mat cuts to the chase, because let’s face it amid a plethora of options, choosing the right mat can be challenging. Factors like space and budget come into play but what if there’s a dual-purpose mat that’s highly durable and claims to be an all-in-one solution?

Enter the BirdieBall 2-in-1 Putting Green/Hitting Turf, aiming to be the ultimate home golf setup solution. With 11 size options and a range of features including drop-in cups, flags, U-bumpers, hole plugs and slope inserts, this all-in-one mat provides everything a golfer needs for an ideal home setup.

The Testing Opportunity

For this testing opportunity, BirdieBall provided three testers with a 2-in-1 putting/hitting mat in the size of their choosing. Applicants submitted a photo of their current setup and shared their experiences over an eight-week period with the BirdieBall setup. When the testing concluded, the testers got to keep the mat and the accessories.

What Testers Said: Setup and First Impressions

The testers were selected, orders were placed and anticipation for the putting/hitting mats started to grow. Universally, when the testers received the packages from BirdieBall, their reactions were similar: “Wow, this thing is big! And heavy!”

The BirdieBall 2-in-1 putting/hitting mat came in two packages—one with the mat and bumpers and another with the remaining accessories. Here is what the testers said upon receiving the packages.

This past year in golf brought eye-popping purses, extravagant player contracts and a jump in greens fees at Shadow Creek.

The post The country’s most expensive course inspired our best-read travel story of 2023 appeared first on Golf.

Three-putting is a surefire way to halt momentum in your round. Here's a system from Dave Pelz to improve your touch on the greens.

The post Short-game guru’s system to improve distance control — and stop 3-putting appeared first on Golf.

Actress Vanessa Hudgens recently went on a golf getaway with her husband — and she rocked this fashionable sun hat.

The post Vanessa Hudgens took a newlywed golf trip — and rocked this must-have sun hat appeared first on Golf.

Controlling the low point in your swing is key if you want to get the perfect "splash" out of the greenside bunker.

The post How to get the perfect ‘splash’ out of the bunker every time appeared first on Golf.

In a recent podcast interview, Rising star Ludvig Aberg explained why he turned down a multi-million dollar offer from LIV Golf a year before his first PGA Tour win.

The post ‘A number of red flags’: Star Ryder Cup rookie explains why he rejected LIV’s advances appeared first on Golf.

Brooks Koepka's LIV Golf major triumph altered the chemistry of pro golf — and maybe even accelerated what came next.

The post Brooks Koepka’s LIV major championship triumph turned golf on its head appeared first on Golf.

For $499, why wouldn’t you play Costco’s newest hit, Kirkland Signature player’s irons?

They feature a stainless steel body, an injected urethane insert and an internal tungsten weight. All of these features are comparable to the top brand names—at about a third of the price!

First Impressions

First, and this one is circling the internet, Costco’s iron bears a striking resemblance to TaylorMade’s P790. This is a fair comparison—except it is a shiny chrome version. A “chromed-out” iron is hit or miss for most golfers. I am not a fan and I’d argue most of our testers aren’t either.

Second, feel and sound go hand in hand. For $499, the Kirkland Signature player’s irons feel damned good and their sound is appealing. To me, it is on the more muted side with a distinct thud, exactly what I like. Feel and sound are perceived and subjective. What I perceive might be different from what you perceive. But from my perspective, these Kirkland Signature irons are impressive.

$499 Worth of Data

Premature accolades aren’t our style. I want to see how the Kirkland Signature player’s irons perform in our testing before passing final judgment. In the meantime, let’s see how the Kirkland Signature iron stacks up against my current pitching wedge, 7-iron and 5-iron.

We won’t forget what happened in the golf world this year. 

Our expectation was for a long, drawn-out court battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. In the meantime, the tour’s designated events would get the best players together more often while LIV would go on quietly. 

But on one unforgettable day, everything we thought we knew about the pro game flipped upside down. It was so stunning that the date of June 6 requires no additional explanation. It was, without a doubt, the day everything changed. 

What happened between the PGA Tour and LIV was indicative of a dramatic year in golf. On more than a handful of occasions, something happened that few people had on their bingo cards. 

To remember the year that was, here are the seven most indelible moments the golf world witnessed in 2023.