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When I was a teaching pro, I loved having a go-to training aid that could serve multiple purposes for multiple players. 

I still look for tools like that for my own game. The Connector caught my attention as a unique and versatile aid. I really wanted to see how this works in the short game (chipping and pitching) but I was impressed with the all-around game benefits. This one may be worth looking into if you’re trying to become a better ball striker. 

What We Tried: The Connector 

A soft memory-foam wedge-shaped training aid designed to improve putting, chipping, pitching and full swings. The Connector is designed to promote better body-arm synchronization and improve consistency and power in the swing. 

Why Use This Type of Training Aid?

A training aid that improves how the arms and body work together can help generate more power. In addition, consistency in your movements will make your impact position cleaner. You’ll also compress the ball which maximizes precision, ball flight and distance. . 

Who Tried It?

Britt Olizarowicz, MyGolfSpy writer and scratch golfer. I love training aids that can help with more than one area of the game; The Connector advertises itself as being “The Most Versatile Training Aid in Golf” so I had to see if that’s true. 

Testers Wanted!

Yes, we have more golf balls for you to test! This Testers Wanted opportunity from Bridgestone has a bit of a twist with the inclusion of the official MyGolfSpy data partner, Shot Scope. Before we dive into that, let’s learn a little more about the new Mindset golf ball from Bridgestone.

About Bridgestone Mindset

Visual aids on golf balls are nothing new. Lines, hexagons, shapes and more have all been included on golf balls in one form or another. The Bridgestone Mindset takes it to a new level and works to help all golfers with a routine to put them in a better mindset (hence the name) to make their next shot.

The Mindset design consists of three colors and shapes that represent different stages in a simple three-stage process.

The outermost red circle and arrow are meant alignment and identifying your target.

The yellow middle circle is for visualizing the shot path, encouraging a clear idea of what and where you want the golf ball to go.

“Comfort. Connection. Power.”

These are the three words Lamkin Golf features when you check out the Sonar+ Black grips. Lamkin’s Genesis material using Fingerprint Technology produces a surprisingly simple and classic-looking black grip, with minimal silver highlights.  This refined texture and unique Genesis material create a long-lasting grip with “enhanced feel and strong connection that truly feels like no other.”

Does the Lamkin Sonar+ Black grip take comfort, connection and power to the next level? Read on to see what our testers discovered. 

Selection Process

Our Forum staff handpicked four testers for the Sonar+ Black grips. Testers selected the size they preferred and received a full set of Sonar+ Black Grips from Lamkin.  

Would these grips stand up to their current gamers?

It's time for the 2024 Valspar Championship! Will Taylor Moore defend his title? Check out how to watch the action on ESPN+ now.

The Olympics is reportedly set to add a team event in 2028. We approve, but here's a way to make Olympic golf better still.

The post Mixed-team Olympic golf sounds great. Now take it 1 step further appeared first on Golf.

Jon Rahm spoke with the media to dish on his Masters Champions Dinner menu, the difficulties he's faced since leaving the PGA Tour and more.

The post Jon Rahm reveals ‘difficult’ part of leaving PGA Tour for LIV Golf appeared first on Golf.

Want to dial in your putting stroke without breaking the bank? The Perfect Putting Gates are a great option.

The post Use this inexpensive training aid to improve your putting stroke appeared first on Golf.

Instructor Nick Kumpis shows a clever trick that uses two tees to help find the low point of the swing and improve contact.

The post Using 2 tees is a clever way to find the low point. Here’s how appeared first on Golf.

On Wednesday, a Korean news outlet reported that Topgolf Callaway's major shareholders want to sell Callaway. Here's what Callaway said.

The post Callaway Golf on the selling block? Manufacturer responds to report appeared first on Golf.

In today's edition of Play Smart, Top 100 Teacher Jon Tattersall explains why committing to your process is the key to shooting lower scores.

The post This pre-shot trick is the key to shooting lower scores, says Top 100 Teacher appeared first on Golf.

What's more important for lowering your golf scores, greens in regulation or fairways hit? Data from Lou Stagner provides the answer.

The post What’s more important: Greens in regulation or fairways hit? Data tells us appeared first on Golf.

ESPN announced Laura Rutledge and Jeff Darlington will join its Masters broadcast team. Here's how they'll be included in the coverage plan.

The post ESPN announces 2 new additions to Masters broadcast team appeared first on Golf.

A South Korean newspaper is reporting today that golf’s biggest company, Topgolf Callaway, may be up for sale.

That’ll put a jolt in your Wednesday, won’t it?

The Chosun Daily is reporting that Topgolf Callaway’s three largest investors are joining together to sell their ownership stakes and management rights. Those major shareholders include BlackRock Advisors LLC, Providence Equity Partners LLC and Thomas Dundon. Together they own over 33 percent of Topgolf Callaway shares.

The paper also reports that the plan is to spin off the Topgolf business and sell the Callaway golf and apparel business for approximately $3 billion.

A South Korean investment company is said to be the leading candidate to land the Callaway business.

Olympics organizers are close to agreeing on a new Olympics mixed-team golf event involving men and women, according to the AP.

The post Report: Olympics could add mixed-team golf event for LA games appeared first on Golf.

There is a lot of cool gear in the golf equipment world that doesn’t always fit neatly into Most Wanted Tests or Buyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it works as advertised. 

What We Tried:

The PAYNTR X 001 Trainer. The new training shoe is the Oregon-based brand’s first foray into something other than golf. The brand’s push into fitness is headlined by long-drive champ Martin Borgmeier. If they’re good enough for that mountain of man, they’re good enough for me, right?

Who Tried It:

Connor. Director of Soft Goods Testing and resident sneakerhead. For the past few months, I’ve been extremely consistent in the gym. As such, I’m always looking for an excuse to get a new pair of trainers. My wife thinks I have too many. I think I need a new pair for every day of the week.

Why Training?

If you haven’t noticed, it’s clear that the intersection between golf and fitness is growing stronger. Evidenced by FootJoy’s recent release of the Flex TR, the golf shoe industry is just starting to take note of the growing demand for training gear.

Big name brands like NIKE, Under Armour and PUMA already have this area covered. But smaller brands like PAYNTR have a lot to offer to the crowded training space. Can the budding golf brand create a training shoe that rivals the big boys like the NIKE Metcon or Under Armour Slipspeed?

Who doesn’t enjoy traveling for golf? Getting the opportunity to explore new golf courses, take part in new experiences and create  memories that will last a lifetime. As much fun as the trip and experience can be, there are potential hiccups along the way that can derail that journey. In this Amazon Finds, we will explore a critical piece of travel equipment—the travel bag. It’s a key piece of equipment to protect your beloved gear and ensure you can enjoy your travel experience to the fullest extent.

The Problem

We have seen the videos and heard the nightmare stories about golfers traveling and their clubs not arriving but what is worse is when the golf clubs do arrive and are in pieces. Of course, there are common tips and tricks to help protect golf clubs in a travel bag but it can still happen. Having a quality travel bag is essential for any golfer but can the more affordable golf travel bag from OutdoorMaster be the best combination of price and protection?

The Solution

The OutdoorMaster Golf Travel Bag aims to be the solution for golfers who want to spend less than $75 and still get a quality bag that will protect their clubs and bag. It has all the basic features and comes in several different colors. It is Amazon’s Choice Top Overall Pick for golf travel bags. Finally, the OutdoorMaster travel bag has received high praise from other users with a star rating of 4.6 out of 5 from over 2,400 reviews.

How I Found It

With an upcoming trip and an older, well-worn travel bag that has seen a lot of miles put on it, it was time to look for a replacement. As I wasn’t sure how much travel I would be doing after this next trip, spending a fortune on a travel bag was out of the picture. So, off to Amazon to see what options there were. It was pretty clear that this OutdoorMaster Travel Bag was the go-to option on their site. I had to wait just a few days before its arrival.

How It Works (Or Doesn’t)

My main big trip isn’t until the end of May but I had a couple of small trips where I put the bag to good use. The packaging it came in was alarmingly small. I was concerned it wouldn’t hold everything I wanted it to or have the padding I would look for in a golf travel bag. 

Callaway is continually striving to make advancements and push technological limits. This applies not only to their drivers and fairways but also their irons. Callaway has several families of irons that suit a vast array of golfers. In this model-by-model series, we will showcase the current Callaway offerings, whom they are for, their various options and their technology story.

Callaway Release Cycle:

Callaway continues a trend of having separate release cycles for their different iron families. By this, we mean Callaway has a yearly launch that coincides with its driver and fairway release. The name of this iron is usually the same and is aimed more towards the game-improvement category. Callaway also has secondary families that usually release every 24 months. These releases sit on either side of the game-improvement category, being the Tour-inspired Apex series or the super game-improvement Big Bertha series. 

Callaway often continues to keep their previous yearly model as a current model within their lineup. In this case, the Paradym is still considered a current model, even though the new Paradym Ai-Smoke has been released.

Key Technologies for Callaway:

It is difficult to discuss Callaway golf irons and offerings without the inclusion of AI technology. Of all the brands, it could be argued that Callaway has leaned the most heavily into this technology. While the main story is often focused on their drivers, their AI technology is highly integrated into their irons as well.

Urethane Microspheres: A material used inside hollow-bodied irons to help reduce vibrations and improve sound and feel. This technology is used extensively within the Callaway lineup of irons.Face Cup Technology: This has been used in various iterations over the years by Callaway and is a core feature to improve ball speed and help golfers gain more distance.

 Callaway Irons: Model-by-Model Overview

Callaway Apex MB Irons

Release Date: Aug. 18, 2023

You asked us what are the telltale signs of a sandbagger? We all know that one golfer. They show up with a 15 handicap, haven’t posted scores in months and shoot 74. Whether it’s a club event or a friendly round, sandbaggers have plagued the game forever. How can you avoid being their next victim?.

Watch for these signs to help you figure out if you’re being duped or if this person is really having that career round. We’ll also look at some shady sandbagging strategies.

What is Sandbagging?

The word “sandbagger” did not originate on the golf course but comes from 19th-Century gangs. Their weapon of choice was a sock filled with sand.

What makes a sandbagger different from an obvious cheater who may reposition their ball, doesn’t take a deserved penalty stroke or takes “gimme” putts that are anything but is that they take a more subtle approach to their manipulation of the rules of golf. They may work to protect their current handicap, keeping it artificially high. They may only post their worst scores or may post scores all too infrequently. At their core, however, a sandbagger is nothing more than a cheat.

No Consistent Score Posting

One of the first things to look for is how consistently and how recently they have posted a score. The handicap system allows golfers to upload their own scores from their cell phone. Gone are the days when a publicly posted signed and attested scorecard was required. This gives sandbaggers the ability to avoid posting their best scores. Then to only post scores they know will not drop their handicap.

Full 2024 Valspar Championship tee times for Thursday's first round at Innisbrook, featuring Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth and more.

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