Golfing News & Blog Articles

AskMyGolfSpy is an opportunity to submit questions to our experts here at MGS. You can pass along your questions to the team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or right here in the comments section below! 

Q: What is something categorically you really want to test but haven’t yet? Not a specific brand or anything, but like One Length irons vs traditional, or grip size vs hand size type thing. – DaBrunsMan 

We actually did test One Length versus traditional irons shortly after COBRA launched its first offering. As far as what I’d like to test? I like the niche stuff—the gear that’s not for everybody but has a loyal following. 

With that, I’d love to do a mini-driver test. I suppose we could (and maybe should) test against drivers and fairways. I’d love to see a handful of options on the market for us to put head-to-head.  

Unfortunately, I don’t think that last part is going to happen any time soon.  

Q: Strokes Gained. Explain it to me like I’m 10. 

Strokes Gained sounds simple but it can be a bit confusing.  

Brooks Koepka, British Open champion Cam Smith and Sergio Garcia were among those tied for the first-round lead at 5-under when storms suspended play at the LIV Singapore tournament at Sentosa Golf Club on Friday.

Linnea Johansson shot a 7-under 64 to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the JM Eagle LA Championship on Thursday at Wilshire Country Club.

Austin Smotherman holds a 1-shot lead at the Mexico Open, where a swarm of bees briefly interrupted play and had the group of Erik Van Rooyen, Chez Reavie and Francesco Molinari running for cover.,

Talor Gooch will not be able to play in the 2023 U.S. Open because of a rule that states that players needed to have qualified and been eligible for the 2022 Tour Championship, from which Gooch was banned when he joined LIV last June.

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: Red Rooster “Subscribe and Save” Service

Who Tried It: Chris Nickel – Director of Business Development for MyGolfSpy and constant critical consumer of information. I’m always up for anything that legitimately can save me time and money.

Another Subscription? Really?

“Monthly subscription” might as well be a four-letter word. Typically, we think of a subscription-based product or service like a timeshare in Boca Raton: the pitch sounded too good to be true (it was) and the deeper you get in, the harder it is to get out … early termination fees, minimum contract lengths and enough red tape to wrap the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.

Well, Red Rooster’s “Subscribe and Save” is the antithesis of the timeshare trap. In fact, maybe we should replace “subscription” with something else—how about “a flexible plan with recurring shipments that saves you time and money”? Let’s call it “Rooster Flex.”

Antoine Rozner shot a 9-under 63 to lead the Korea Championship by four strokes after the first round of the European tour event.

Live, Laugh and Love what you are doing. It just happens that golf is a great game where you can extend your life with exercise in the wonderful outdoors. Enjoy laughter with new friends who have a common bond with the love of golf. Your success depends on your interest in improving your game. But are your EMOTIONS getting in the way?

We all get inspired by the winners and leaders in the major golf tournaments. Jon Rahm may not have been your favorite to win The Masters but you had to be impressed by his ability to keep his emotions under control. The wind, rain and cold weather were all affecting the performance of every player, but Jon survived it all. SO WHY IS IT THAT JON AND MANY OF THE OTHER TOP PERFORMERS WERE CLOSE TO THE CUT LINE IN THE RBC HERITAGE TOURNAMENT at the end of the first day of play?

Controlling EMOTION AND CONFIDENCE ARE THE KEYS FOR SUCCESS
Every professional golfer saw the $20,000,000 prize money at the RBC Heritage, so they all had the motivation to succeed. All pros also have goals to win their first professional golf tournament or to be the top golfer of the year in order to earn major endorsement contracts.

As a recreational golfer without the pressure to win the big bucks, you still want to improve your performance and possibly win a friendly match for a few dollars. The thrill of improving your game and victory are still the driving forces that bring you back to play your next game. So what should you be doing to control your emotions and to build confidence?

1/ Practice: Get professional assistance and practice at the range. Know what your weaknesses are and focus on the best solutions to improve your next round of golf.
2/ First Tee Jitters: Arrive at the course early and spend time hitting balls with different clubs and putting. Get comfortable with your practice shots and sort out the swing that works for you. I find that a 3 foot takeaway waggle gets my body rotating correctly for my actual swing.
3/ Avoid Mishits: You will make better contact with your ball if you take a practice swing at the same speed that you want for your planned shot. Don’t lose the feeling of that practice swing. Just step up and hit your ball at the same speed.
4/ Hitting from the Rough: Use an iron. The deeper the rough the more you need a lofted club to escape. Don’t hit for a long distance escape. Just get your ball back into the fairway.
5/ Missing Short Putts: Pros average sinking only 30% of their putts between 10 and 15 feet. Lag your putts within 4 feet of the hole. Practice MORE short putts to avoid 3 putt greens.
6/ Missing Long Putts: Lag them close and DON’T EXPECT TO SINK THEM. Take iron lessons to get your approach shots and chips closer to the hole.

MyGolfSpy Ball Lab is where we quantify the quality and consistency of golf balls. Today, we’re reviewing the 2023 Maxfli Tour. To learn more about our test process, click here.

About the Maxfli Tour

The Maxfli Tour now is one of three urethane-covered golf balls in the DICK’s Sporting Goods house brand Maxfli lineup. You could say it between the softer Tour S and the firmer four-piece Tour X.

In recent years, it’s become a popular choice among value-conscious golfers who aren’t willing to sacrifice performance. With a retail price of $39.99, it’s not quite the value it once was but it’s worth pointing out that DICK’S (and Golf Galaxy) frequently run specials and bulk promotions.

Maxfli Tour Construction

With the 2023 version, the Maxfli Tour remains a three-piece ball with a 318-dimple urethane cover. It’s the same dimple pattern found on many golf balls produced in Taiwan by Foremost.

Compression

On our gauge, the Maxfli Tour has an average compression of 85. That’s effectively the same as the previous version and about seven points softer than the 2019 model. Balls with similar compression include the Bridgestone Tour B XS and the Wilson Triad.

Edel Golf is under new ownership. And it’s changing home addresses as well.

Former CoorsTek executive Doug Coors has acquired Edel Golf. In addition, to address and uptick in consumer demand, domestically and internationally, Coors moved Edel’s headquarters and primary assembly facility to Denver, Colo.

You’re likely picturing crisp, icy Rocky Mountain spring water, snow-capped mountains or a golden Banquet Beer logo. Yes, Doug is part of that Coors lineage. Beer and golf tend to go together like heat in the Sahara. But, in this case, the relationship is a bit more substantial.

In the mid-1960s, Coors Brewery Co. entered into a land swap agreement with the Board of Directors at what then was called Rolling Hills Country Club. In exchange for that land, Coors agreed to underwrite the cost of building a 18-hole Press Maxwell-designed championship course, clubhouse, pro shop, swimming pool and tennis courts. Then in 2018, the board purchased the land (and water rights) from Coors. Seven years prior, the membership voted to change the name to The Club at Rolling Hills. Doug and his family are long-standing members of the course but, ultimately, The Club at Rolling Hills likely doesn’t exist if not for Coors Brewery Co.

Back to Edel

Back to Edel Golf. Doug isn’t new to golf, golf equipment or the consumer experience. In fact, it might be the latter that provided the impetus to purchase Edel Golf.

The 2023 Chevron Championship winner and Fountain Valley native Lilia Vu discusses Sunday's major win and her early days in southern California golf.

Vu is playing this week’s JM Eagle LA Championship at Wilshire Country Club.

Nelly Korda is back at No. 1 and Chase Koepka inadvertently sparks a Twitter war. Here are the storylines to watch this week as the Mexico Open, JM Eagle LA Championship and LIV Golf Invitational Singapore get underway.

The tradition of the green jacket at the Masters Tournament, one of the most prestigious events in professional golf, dates back to 1937. The green jacket is awarded to the winner of the tournament and is one of the most coveted prizes in the sport.

The tradition began when members of Augusta National Golf Club, where the Masters is held each year, started wearing green jackets during the tournament to distinguish themselves as hosts. In 1949, the tradition was extended to the winner of the tournament, who was presented with a green jacket by the previous year's winner.

Since then, the green jacket has become an iconic symbol of the Masters and is closely associated with the tournament. The jacket is made of a lightweight, water-resistant fabric and features a single-breasted design with a buttoned front and slit pockets. The Masters logo is embroidered on the breast pocket.

The winner of the Masters is presented with a green jacket during a ceremony on the 18th green, where the previous year's winner helps to put the jacket on the new champion. The winner is allowed to keep the jacket for one year and is expected to return it to Augusta National Golf Club the following year.

The green jacket has become one of the most recognizable and prestigious symbols in all of sports, and the tradition of awarding it to the winner of the Masters is an important part of the tournament's rich history and tradition.

PGA Tour Canada and the PGA Tour Latinoamerica are merging to form one circuit that will be called PGA Tour Americas.

It’s shaping up to be a busy year for Costco’s golf division. (That’s one of the weirdest sentences I’ve ever written.)

Anyway, in addition to new wedges and new irons, it appears Version 3 of the Kirkland Signature Performance + Golf Ball (AKA: The K-Sig) is coming to market soon.

As is the case with its wedges, Costco’s website shows no inventory for the current Performance + V2 ball (or any other ball, for that matter) and recent entries on the USGA’s conforming ball list suggest that’s likely because a new Kirkland Signature golf ball model is on the way.

Kirkland Peformance + V3 – What We Know

What we know so far is that the new Kirkland ball is a three-piece offering that will be available in white and yellow.

I like having options so I suppose that last bit is cause for some degree of excitement.

Credit to Golf.com’s Ryan Barath for spotting this on the USGA’s conforming list. It appears that Version 2 of the Costco Kirkland Signature wedge is on the way. 

The same remains true for the yet-to-be-launched Kirkland Signature Irons. 

It could be an exciting summer for fans of Costco golf equipment.  

What a world. 

Costco is sold out of its original Signature wedges (though a few sets are still available on Amazon) and the only wedges it has in inventory are the member-only exclusive Bettinardi HLX 3.0s. Given the uproar over the putters, it’s a safe bet the wedges were obtained outside of Bettinardi’s normal and approved distribution channels. 

Some of you are bad putters.

Don’t get mad. You might as well face the fact that some of you are just not good on the greens. Facing that ugly reality may be the first step to becoming a better putter.

Don’t feel bad about the flatstick faltering frequently. Even the pros struggle with putting. Look at Justin Thomas for example.He was impressive tee to green at the Masters but putted himself out of the weekend.

Ben Hogan famously described full-swing golf and putting as two separate games. He hated putting. Yes, the person with the most emulated full swing on the planet struggled on the greens.

If those guys struggled with putting, how can we mere mortals stand a chance?

Buy a New Putter, Obviously

Naturally, the best solution to a bad round of putting is to buy a new putter. Anyone who has played the game knows that each putter only holds a certain number of made putts. Once you pass that threshold, you’ll need a new one. It’s basic math.

More than you ever wanted to know about the short par 4 and its surrounding neighborhood ahead of June's U.S. Open. This one will feature out last bit of celebrity home background info until the 14th hole but given the sixth hole’s placement amidst some of the world’s most expensive real estate, I couldn’t resist.

Nick Hardy and Davis Riley withdrew from the Mexico Open on Monday after winning the Zurich Classic the day before.