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I recently read an article that described Tiger Woods’ past problems hitting poor drives on the first tee in many tournaments. I did not realize that it was a problem for Tiger but I certainly know that I, like many others, generate poor drives on the first tee for any round of golf. We all practice for that first tee shot but I did some research to understand first tee jitters and how best to fix them.

Chemical Release That You Need to Overcome
Nervous tension on the first tee automatically triggers the release of dopamine and serotonin as well as the hormones: adrenalin and cortisol. They affect the mental way that you react and the physical way that your body moves. You have no choice but to deal with these mental and physical limitations.

Dopamine speeds up your heart rate and serotonin affects your emotions. They get your excited and may be the reason why you are speeding up your swing on the first tee (or any tee for that matter). Adrenalin gives you an energy boost and Cortisol increases your stress level. They are the reason why you shorten your backswing and hit shots off the toe of your open faced club.

Set a Plan to Overcome your First Tee Emotions
Just knowing that you have to deal with your chemical and hormone release will give you a new advantage over your nervous body and mind.
1/ Calm Down: Take a few deep breaths as you select your club and setup for your shot.

2/ Keep Moving: Take a practice swing by shifting your weight from your leading to your trailing foot as you rotate your hips and generate a FULL backswing with your shoulders and arms.

A big prize is in store for The Players Championship this year. Here's what to look forward to in Florida this week.

FootJoy is introducing two limited-edition styles in collaboration with street-fashion icon Jon Buscemi to celebrate THE PLAYERS Championship.

“FJ by Jon Buscemi” consists of two golf shoes: the Premiere Series Field and Premiere Series Wilcox. Both silhouettes have been elevated by Buscemi’s sense of style and each boasts a luxurious feel while staying true to their traditional roots.

FJ by Jon Buscemi Release Details

Limited Edition Premier Series FieldLimited Edition Premier Series WilcoxAvailable beginning March 9 at FootJoyRetail is $370

Elevated Style

If you’re unfamiliar with Jon Buscemi, you’re not alone. It’s not very often that the worlds of luxury sneakers and streetwear collide with golf. But, when they do, the results are enticing.

“The Field and Wilcox offer two totally different canvases in terms of their esthetics so I was really up for the challenge creating something unique for each one,” says Buscemi. “I loved getting the opportunity to add to the energy and vibe of the current Premiere Series collection.”

It’s important to note that this isn’t Buscemi’s first foray into golf. The luxury footwear designer teamed up with FootJoy last year for a similar collaboration. This year’s FJ by Jon Buscemi collection plays off of a similar color palate, highlighted by a host of gold accents that are sure to keep your eyes (and the players’) on the prize.

ASICS GEL-Preshot Shoes – Key Takeaways

New spikeless entry from ASICS and Dunlop Sports AmericasThree colorways, priced at $119.99Available this springASICS also updating colorways for GEL-Kayano Ace and GEL-Course Glide models

The new ASICS GEL-Preshot golf shoes come as a bit of a surprise.

In the new product announcement, Dunlop Sports Americas—the official new corporate entity for Srixon-Cleveland-XXIO—led with new colorways for two existing spikeless shoes. The GEL-Preshot was presented as an afterthought.

That might be a mistake.

In fact, the GEL-Preshot might be the best spikeless shoe ASICS has brought to North America. And while “affordable” is a relative term, the $119.99 price might just get your attention.

ASICS GEL-Preshot – ASICS Best Shot?

“ASICS” is an acronym. The name stems from the Latin anima sana in corpore sana, meaning “a sound mind in a sound body.” The company dates back to 1949 when Kihachiro Onitsuka started an athletic footwear company making basketball shoes in his living room in Kobe, Japan.

MyGolfSpy Ball Lab is where we quantify the quality and consistency of golf balls. Today, we’re reviewing the 2022 Titleist Velocity. To learn more about our test process, click here.

Before we dig into our Velocity Lab, some quick housekeeping: We know you’re all looking forward to seeing the 2023 balls tested. To get a broader sample of what you’re likely to find at retail, we space out our orders, which means it takes six to eight weeks or more from start to finish. That process is  underway and we hope to start sharing our findings in the next few weeks. In the meantime, we’ve still got a little 2022 inventory to work through.

About the Titleist Velocity

The Titleist Velocity golf ball is designed with a singular purpose. At $29.99 per dozen, it’s one of two Titleist balls with a sub-$30 price point (TruFeel being the other). It’s classified as a high-launch, low-spin ball which is common for two-piece models.

Titleist Velocity Construction

The Titleist Velocity is a two-piece golf ball with an ionomer cover.

Rory McIlroy fired back at James Hahn for skipping Tuesday's player meeting after Hahn made critical remarks about the PGA Tour's new format of play announced for 2024.

Cameron Smith's absence at this week's Players Championship has been noted by multiple PGA Tour stars, including Rory McIlory and Jon Rahm.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said the changes on the PGA Tour, including events with fields of 70 to 80 players with no 36-hole cuts, does not mean the circuit is similar to LIV Golf.

With defending champion Cam Smith having defected to LIV Golf, there's room for a new champ this week at the Players Championship. We assess the favorites, contenders and long shots ahead of the "fifth major."

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

TaylorMade MyStealth 2 Plus Custom Driver Designer

Dave Wolfe – The ever-curious MyGolfSpy writer and putter fanatic. When it comes to golf products, I believe that impulse control is something to be controlled.

TaylorMade MyStealth 2 Plus: From Most Wanted to Mine

The caddie on your wrist just got a whole lot smarter.

Arccos, the self-proclaimed pioneer of artificial intelligence in golf, has announced a long-awaited update to its Arccos Caddie Apple Watch application. Among the headlining changes are updates to the UX and the ability to start an Arccos Caddie round directly from the watch itself.

The application itself isn’t new. It was first released to the masses in July 2021. Arccos hopes this major update will overhaul the entire user experience in a positive way.

“From a product standpoint, we have completely redeveloped the Arccos Caddie app for Apple Watch architecture from the ground up,” said Dave LeDonne, Vice-President of Product. “With well over half a million rounds played by Arccos members on Apple Watch last year alone, this redesign makes the experience dramatically better.”

So what did Arccos learn from the half a million rounds played on Apple Watch? Let’s dive into some of the major updates and how they can potentially help your game.

MyGolfSpy has confirmed that PXG has laid off 125 employees, a bit more than 10% of its workforce. Employees were notified over a Zoom call earlier today.

60 of the impacted employees worked out of PXG retail locations.

According to PXG Founder and CEO, Bob Parsons most of the company’s brick and mortar business is by appointment. With business light on Sundays and Mondays, PXG made the decision to shift to a five-day week.

Parsons previously made a similar switch in his power sports division with positive results.

Our Job Is Your Game

The most comprehensive review of the best mallet putters of 2023 is here.

Here at MyGolfSpy, we are committed to providing data-driven product reviews. For this Most Wanted Test, 20 testers each hit eight putts from five, 10 and 20 feet with each participating mallet putter model.

Use this review to help guide you with your next putter purchase. It is indispensable.

Best Mallet Putter 2023: Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K Rossie S

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Bottom Line

Odyssey mallet putters continue to perform well in our Most Wanted Mallet tests. The Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K Rossie S dominates the field to claim the title of Best Mallet Putter 2023. It excels from 10 and 20 feet so it’s no wonder it earned the top spot.

Pros

Putting from 10 and 20 feet is where this mallet shines. Ultimately, these are the distances that lead to its massive victory.

It's one month from Masters week. Tiger and Phil are expected. What changes have been made to Augusta National? Who's in? Who's outside looking in? We break it all down.

Notes on Kurt Kitayama's API win and why Arnie's place is a Masters bellwether. Plus, Jin Young Ko wins "Asia's Major" and reactions to NBC's upgrade attempts.

David Toms got up-and-down for his third bogey of the week on the par-4 18th hole at Tucson National on Sunday to beat Robert Karlsson by one stroke in the Cologuard Classic on the PGA Tour Champions.

Kurt Kitayama let an All-Star cast of contenders back into the tournament with a triple-bogey, only to beat them all with a clutch birdie and the best lag putt of his life to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday.

Colombian rookie Nico Echavarria seized control Sunday with two straight birdies on the back nine and closed with a 4-under 68 for a 2-shot victory in the Puerto Rico Open for his first PGA Tour title.

Defending champion Jin Young Ko of South Korea shot a final-round 69 on Sunday to score a two-stroke victory in the LPGA's Women's World Championship.

Continuing the Quadrilateral countdown to the 2023 U.S. Open with everything to know about a difficult par-4 and the historic real estate surrounding one of George Thomas and Billy Bell's most innovative design touches.

The fifth at LACC North, with a touch of Norma Desmond for good measure.