Golfing News & Blog Articles

I hadn’t previously thought of the RSM Classic as one of the PGA TOUR’s seminal events but given that it coincides with the arrival (at least as far as the USGA is concerned) of new 2024 drivers from COBRA, PING, PXG and TaylorMade, it suddenly feels (to me, anyway) like the second biggest tournament of the year played in Georgia.

Here’s what hit the USGA conforming list.

COBRA

Apart from the typical Version 1, Version 2, stuff common to the list, COBRA has three new DARKSPEED models on the list. If you’ve kept up with COBRA at all over the past few seasons, what’s on the way shouldn’t come as any huge surprise.

COBRA DARKSPEED LS

You can bank on the “LS” denoting “Low Spin” as that’s become almost industry-standard nomenclature.

The USGA photo clearly shows an updated three-weight system which suggests COBRA is giving golfers seeking low spin a new option to increase forgiveness beyond what the AEROJET LS offered.

The Testing Opportunity

In 2023, MyGolfSpy’s Forum member testing program had seen its share of golf gear, from balls to gloves to clubs. However, one area remained largely unexplored: technology. That all changed when Garmin submitted the award-winning Approach S70 GPS watch for MyGolfSpy Forum testing.

The Garmin Approach S70 is no ordinary golf watch. It’s a premium GPS smartwatch designed for golfers, boasting an impressive array of features. With its vibrant 1.4-inch AMOLED touch display and pre-loaded access to 43,000 golf courses worldwide, it offers on-course functionalities such as “plays like” distance and a virtual caddie with green contour data. The Garmin S70 doubles as a comprehensive health and fitness tracker, making it a well-rounded smartwatch option.

Continue reading to discover what our testers had to say about the Garmin Approach S70 and whether its steeper-than-most $699.99 price tag makes it a worthwhile addition to your golf game and daily life.

What Our Testers Had to Say

Before we dive into our testers’ evaluations, let’s introduce them. We carefully selected four testers with handicaps ranging from 7.8 to 20, with two additional golfers of 10.6 and 13.4 sprinkled in. Their swing speeds varied from the low 90s to more than 111 mph. This testing pool includes both casual and competitive golfers. Those chosen as testers had previous experiences with Arccos, Shot Scope and various GPS apps to provide a comprehensive comparison to the Garmin S70 GPS watch.

First Impressions

Tester Josh Ross shared his initial impressions, noting the watch’s premier build quality. While he could do without the red accents, he loved its overall aesthetic. With the right band, he found the fit perfect and he liked the overall size of the watch face. The tactile buttons were easy to press and, even with a tempered glass protector, the touch screen remained highly responsive. Josh Ross also appreciated its sleep mode, which deactivated when he raised his arm to check the time.

Stitch, maker of premium golf goods, has announced an update to their flagship SL2 golf bag.

The new Stitch SL2 Air Walker is designed to be the ultimate carry bag. Both lighter and less expensive than some of the competition in the premium golf bag space, Stitch is hoping to position themselves in a favorable light in a market that’s growing ever more crowded.

Have they succeeded? Here’s what you need to know about this new(ish) release from Stitch.

SL2 Air Walker Tech Specs

Retails at $298 ($150 less than the new Stitch SL2)Just over four pounds50 percent more pockets than previous generationMagnetic ball pocketYKK zippers

Why?

jQuery( document ).ready( function( $ ) { var slides = $( '#mgs_gallery_65543126e3815 .mgs-gallery-images .mgs-gallery-image' ).length; if ( slides 6 ) { slides = 6; } $( '#mgs_gallery_65543126e3815 .mgs-gallery-images' ).slick( { slidesToShow: 1, slidesToScroll: 1, fade: true, prevArrow: '', nextArrow: '', asNavFor: '#mgs_gallery_65543126e3815 .mgs-gallery-thumbs', swipe: false, mobileFirst: true, } ); $( '#mgs_gallery_65543126e3815 .mgs-gallery-thumbs' ).slick( { slidesToShow: ( slides - 1 ), //less than number of slides, so it always shows infinite scroll (bugfix) slidesToScroll: 1, arrows: false, asNavFor: '#mgs_gallery_65543126e3815 .mgs-gallery-images', centerMode: true, focusOnSelect: true, infinite: true, mobileFirst: true, responsive: [ { breakpoint: 1023, settings: { slidesToShow: 3, }, }, { breakpoint: 600, settings: { slidesToShow: 1, }, }, ], } ); $( '#mgs_gallery_65543126e3815' ).magnificPopup( { delegate: '.mgs-gallery-trigger', type: 'image', gallery: { enabled: true, arrowMarkup: '', }, } ); } );

The Stitch SL2 Air Walker is something that the brand has been severely lacking. Their golf bag lineup has been missing a more budget-friendly (yes, it’s still pretty darned expensive) bag that still offers the same performance benefits of their mainline SL2 MIY.

But does the cost reduction come with tradeoffs?

Steven Alker had to get up-and-down for par on the last three holes for a 1-under 70 that allowed him to hang on and win the Charles Schwab Cup Championship on Sunday and a payoff of just over $1 million.

Lilia Vu earned her fourth LPGA Tour victory of the year, winning The Annika to reclaim the No. 1 spot in the race for player of the year.

Camilo Villegas ended a long and emotional drought when he came up with key birdies down the stretch Sunday for a 6-under 65 to win the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, his first victory since losing his 22-month-old daughter to cancer in 2020.

Rory McIlroy sealed the top place in the DP World Tour rankings without hitting a shot, as none of his closest challengers can now catch him following the penultimate event of the season at Sun City.

Max Homa shot a 6-under 66 to win the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa for his first international title.

Ben Campbell sank a 10-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole Sunday to win the Hong Kong Open by 1 shot over 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith.

Unsure about how to chip off tight lies around the green? GOLF Top 100 Teacher Kevin Sprecher shares 3 ways to master this type of shot.

The post ‘Shave off up to 10 shots’ by mastering chips from tight lies, says Top 100 Teacher appeared first on Golf.

Steven Alker, who began the day tied with Marco Dawson, fired a 6-under 65 to extend his lead to four shots heading into the final round of the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

2023 Bermuda Championship tee times for Round 4 at Port Royal Golf Course, featuring Alex Noren, Camilo Villegas, Stewart Cink and more.

The post 2023 Bermuda Championship tee times: Round 4 groupings for Sunday  appeared first on Golf.

Emily Kristine Pedersen had three birdies over the final five holes for a 6-under 64 that gave her a three-shot lead on Saturday at The Annika.

What is golf’s most annoying rule? We asked that question on our social media channels. And annoyed golfers had some TAKES.

The post What is golf’s most annoying rule? Annoyed golfers had some TAKES appeared first on Golf.

Alex Noren will go for his first PGA Tour victory and first worldwide win since the French Open in 2018 when he enters the final round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship with a one-shot lead.

Following Round 2 of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, Camilo Villegas got candid about having fear in golf, and how to best control it.

The post ‘There’s a lot of demons out here’. Pro gets honest about fear in golf appeared first on Golf.

American Max Homa enters the final round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa with a 1-shot lead as he looks for his first victory outside of the U.S.

GOLF Top 100 Teacher Kellie Stenzel provides 10 ways for players to understand how to hit the ball higher.

The post 10 ways to hit the ball higher, per a Top 100 Teacher appeared first on Golf.

One reason why Patrick Reed is playing this week’s Hong Kong Open? “To teach the kids about the morals and things that go along with golf.”

The post 1 reason Patrick Reed is playing in Hong Kong? ‘To teach kids about morals’ appeared first on Golf.

Complete 2023 Butterfield Bermuda Championship Saturday tee times for Round 3 in Bermuda, featuring Alex Noren, Camilo Villegas and more.

The post 2023 Butterfield Bermuda Championship Saturday tee times: Round 3 groupings appeared first on Golf.