— Brice Garnett returned to the course of his lone PGA Tour victory and played a clean round in a steady wind for a 6-under 66 and a share of the lead Thursday with Ben Martin in the Corales Puntacana Championship.

The longest drive ever recorded in a professional golf competition is 515 yards (471 meters) by Mike Austin in the 1974 U.S. National Senior Open. However, it's worth noting that this distance was not officially recognized by the PGA Tour, as it was not measured by a standard distance-tracking device.

In terms of the longest drive ever recorded with a standard distance-tracking device, the record is 475 yards (434 meters) by Davis Love III at the 2004 Mercedes Championships.

 

Today, PUMA Golf announced the newest collaboration with lifestyle brand Palm Tree Crew (PTC) and let me be the first to say the vibes are immaculate.

Together, the two brands have a history of eye-popping designs but the newest PUMA Golf x Palm Tree Crew Collection is nothing short of bold. I’ll let you be the judge but this one has Rickie Fowler’s name all over it.

The Details

Available online March 23 at PUMA and PTCExclusive access at PUMA’s flagship NYC store on April 3Highlighted by 11 apparel items, three accessory items and one pair of golf shoesCOBRA AEROJET x Palm Tree Crew driver ($599) and a COBRA AEROJET LS x Palm Tree Crew driver ($599) also available

Behind the Collection

The PUMA Golf X Palm Tree Crew Collection is the brainchild of one of golf’s most stylish players and the world’s most iconic DJs. Fowler’s flair and KYGO’s creative passion served as the foundation for the artfully crafted collection. Said to be inspired by “the art and music of golf”, the PUMA Golf x PTC Collection embodies the neon retro-tropical vibes of Miami Beach.

“Working with PUMA Golf to continue developing the collaboration with KYGO and PTC keeps me creative,” says Fowler. “Golf and music both have tempo and rhythm, bringing the art of them together through a fashion lens is unique. The Puma x PTC collection gives me confidence in my personal style that I can rock on the course. It’s cool.”

It’s noteworthy that the past PUMA Golf x PTC collections have taken on a more muted navy and gold color scheme. This newest iteration is a total departure from tradition in that regard.

You likely don’t hit the center of the club face nearly as often as you think you do. That’s the philosophical underpinning that drives much of the performance story in the new PXG 0311 GEN6 fairway woods and hybrids.

A bump in ball speed on a perfect strike is a clear benefit. However, it’s one that likely goes largely unrealized by amateur golfers. It’s somewhere between theoretical and marginally practical. Put differently: even the most accomplished golfers on the planet understand that forgiveness is an integral performance characteristic for any fairway wood or hybrid.

PXG 0311 GEN6 Models

As with the PXG 0311 GEN6 drivers, the fairway woods and hybrids come in two models with two distinct player profiles. The standard PXG 0311 GEN6 fairway wood and hybrid is a “one size fits most” proposition whereas the 0311 GEN6 XF targets golfers who can benefit from xtreme forgiveness.

Moreover, what’s true for the PXG 0311 GEN6 fairway woods is also true for the hybrids: materials, design specs, aesthetics. Yep, all of it. If you want to call the  0311 GEN6 hybrid a scrunched version of the GEN6 fairway wood, I suppose that works. The point is that, beyond the clear difference in footprint between a fairway wood and hybrid, the blueprints are the same.

It’s been one hell of a ride for PXG of late.

In the parlance of the stock market, it basically shorted COVID-19, staked a strong inventory position and fundamentally changed its business, shifting from a premium-priced brand to a high-volume, low-price model that changed perceptions of the brand both inside and outside of the equipment industry.

While the result what likely a net positive—the company has more (and more vocal) supporters than ever—PXG appears to have hit a few bumps.

Being the most nimble brand in golf isn’t all upside. The company just had a round of layoffs (at least partially the result of its direct-to-consumer model and transitioning its brick-and-mortar locations to five-day work weeks). Given the volatility in its pricing model (which might be described as chaotic), golfers have come to expect that, even if a PXG product doesn’t launch at a discount price, it will get there pretty quickly.

Given all of that, it’s reasonable to expect some misguided takes (“PXG is going out of business!”) and a reasonable cohort of golfers who will respond to this story with, “I’ll just wait until they’re $200.”

If you’re interested in where PXG is as a business today, I touched on that a bit in my story on the 0311 GEN6 driver family. (No need to copy and paste. You guys know how links work.)

For the 0311 GEN6 iron family, I’m going to go light on the introduction (for once) and jump right into the products.

PXG 0311 GEN6 Irons – The Basics

With the 0311 GEN6 iron family, PXG is streamlining things a touch. While the familiar P and XP models carry on, the 0311 T model is gone from the lineup.

Boo! Boo!

I’m not thrilled about that and we’ll dig into it later.

2023 Golf Glove Buyer’s Guide

If you could lower your scores simply by changing an inexpensive piece of gear in your golf bag, would you do it?

The best golf gloves cost less than a dozen golf balls and finding the right fit can have a major impact on your game. We already know that wearing a golf glove offers some performance benefits but just wearing a glove isn’t enough. Like any item in your bag, it’s important to find a glove that helps, not hinders, your performance.

Is your golf glove hurting your game? Is it helping?

Whether you know the answer to that question or are unsure, we’re here to walk you through the process … “hand in hand,” so to speak.

GOLFSTR Swing Tip blogs are all based on articles written about solutions recommended by professional golfers and trainers. I present their thoughts in a simplified version because I’m always looking for the magic that will set your game (and my game) on fire. In a recent tip by GOLFPASS I discovered a tip that solved a problem for one of my physical limitations and realized every golfer who can’t swing like a pro may be faced with similar problems.

Whether you know it or not, we all have physical deficits caused by historic injuries or wear and tear on our bodies. Every time you recover from a broken bone or a torn muscle or cartilage, other parts of your body adjust to accommodate repetitive motions. That’s also a reason why you have a difficult time trying to change your posture or your golf swing.

In a GOLFPASS on-line lesson I discovered my upper body limitation and a solution to overcome my rotation limitation to improve my swing power and driving distance. When I asked other aging golfers about this limitation, I found that this may be a common problem for most golfers over 50 years of age.

Adding lag in your backswing is a key component which allows you to add power in every swing. Your arm rotation allows you to add lag. The trainer suggested that we should:
1/ extend your trailing arm (right arm for right handed golfers) horizontally from our side
2/ bend it forward (horizontally) from your elbow
3/ and rotate your bent arm (elbow to your hand) vertically and beyond vertical if you can.

My deficit (like many aging golfers) is that I can only rotate my arm upward about 80 degrees. Scratch golfers can rotation their upper arm about 20% beyond vertical. That’s 30 degrees beyond my ability. So that gives them a 30 degrees advantage to add more lag (and power) in their backswing.

Keegan Bradley remained winless in 16 matches over 11 years in the Dell Technologies Match Play but said he was "excited" after rallying to scratch out a halve against Denny McCarthy in the opening round Wednesday.

What’s the first word that comes to mind when you think of ECCO Golf?

Of all the words used to describe ECCO, “traditional” surely isn’t at the top of that list.

For years, ECCO has been at the forefront of golf shoe innovation with their fancy BOA-ridden silhouettes and Gore-Tex waterproofing. But in a classic “back to the future” move, the Danish footwear giant has released an all-new, old-school spikeless golf shoe—the ECCO Classic Hybrid.

The Details

Available March 22White and brown color optionsRetail $220

A Closer Look

Highlighted by ultra-premium construction, the ECCO Classic Hybrid spikeless golf shoe lives up to its namesake with a classic dress shoe fit and finish. Unlike the golf shoes of old, the Classic Hybrid is fully up to speed in the performance category.

Beneath the leather exterior and classy façade, the ECCO Classic Hybrid features the brand’s FLUIDFORM Direct Comfort Technology. This refers to the process in which ECCO forms the midsoles for some of their shoes across a bunch of different categories, golf included. It’s basically a fancy way of saying the midsoles are molded in a way to fit the human foot, rather than just a flat board.

Rory McIlroy told the "No Laying Up" podcast this week that he supports the proposals to limit the distance golf balls travel when struck by elite players.

There are many great par 3 golf courses around the world, but here are some that are widely considered among the best:

1. Pebble Beach Golf Links (Par 3, 106 yards) - Located in California, USA, this iconic par 3 sits on the edge of the Pacific Ocean and requires a shot over the water to a small green.

2. Augusta National Golf Club (Hole 12, Par 3, 155 yards) - Home of The Masters, this par 3 is known as "Golden Bell" and requires a precise shot over water to a small green guarded by bunkers.

3. Cypress Point Club (Hole 15, Par 3, 231 yards) - Another California course, Cypress Point's par 3 15th requires a long shot over the ocean to a green surrounded by cliffs and rocky outcroppings.

4. Royal Troon Golf Club (Hole 8, Par 3, 123 yards) - Located in Scotland, Royal Troon's famous "Postage Stamp" hole is the shortest par 3 on the Open Championship rota but is notoriously difficult due to its small green and surrounding bunkers.

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

About the Mizuno RB Tour X

The RB Tour X is one of two premium urethane offerings from Mizuno. At $43 per dozen, it doesn’t strike quite the same value proposition of many direct-to-consumer offerings, but it is $5-$10 less than competitive offerings from the industry leaders.

Mizuno says the 2023 RB Tour golf ball lineup is a significant upgrade over the prior generation. It has stepped up the quality while changing the performance specs. Both the previous RB Tour and RB Tour X were what we would classify as excessively high-spin balls. Mizuno says the new balls don’t spin nearly as much and, while the RB Tour X is the higher-spinning off the two, Mizuno classifies it mid-spin (the RB Tour is classified as low-spin).

Mizuno RB Tour X Construction

With the new RB Tour X golf ball, Mizuno has moved away from four-piece, dual-core construction. Suffice it to say we found some issues with the prior generation, so it’s not particularly surprising that Mizuno, like others in the industry, has moved away from dual-core construction entirely.

XXIO Prime and XXIO Prime Royal Edition – Key Takeaways

Updates for XXIO’s ultra-lightweight lineDesigned for “moderate” swing speed golfersXXIO Prime Royal Edition, upscale even for XXIOAvailable at retail and online April 14

 

There are few guarantees in this world but the new XXIO Prime and XXIO Prime Royal Edition golf clubs deliver on several.

First, if you have a moderate (slow) swing speed, you will like the XXIO Prime and XXIO Prime Royal Edition.

Second, if the word “premium” does have meaning and value to you, you’ll like the XXIO Prime and XXIO Prime Royal Edition.

And, third, if you want to howl about the price of clubs, you’ll love the XXIO Prime and XXIO Prime Royal Edition.

When news broke of the Bridgestone Golf and St. Andre partnership, a couple of questions immediately crossed my mind.

The first: “Who—or what—is St. Andre?”

The second: “What did this Andre guy do to qualify for beatification, let alone canonization?”

Sunday School jokes aside, the Bridgestone Golf partnership with St. Andre may feel like another OEM-social media influencer partnership. In many ways it is. But when compared to the Good Good/Callaway and No Laying Up/Titleist partnerships, this one’s very different.

This one is strictly for fun.

With the PGA Tour changing its format in 2024, this week will be the last time, seemingly at least for the next couple of years, that a match-play event will be part of the regular season. Here's what to expect.

1. TaylorMade SIM2 Max Driver
2. Callaway Epic Max Driver
3. Titleist TSi3 Driver
4. Ping G425 Max Driver
5. Cobra RADSPEED Driver
6. Mizuno ST-Z Driver
7. Honma TR20 460 Driver
8. Srixon ZX5 Driver
9. Wilson Staff D9 Driver
10. PXG 0211 Driver

Callaway Jaws Raw Wedge Line Extension – Key Takeaways

Updates, refreshes and additions to the Jaws Raw wedge lineNew High Toe modelsMore full-face groove, sole grind and LH options$179.99. Available April 7

There’s much to like about the new Callaway Jaws Raw wedge line extension, not the least of which is how Callaway is describing the release: “a line extension.”

No fancy names, no updates, upgrades or enhancements. Callaway is simply saying it is what it is.

A line extension.

Don’t know about you but I kinda like that.

No matter the industry, a line extension is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it gives an OEM more stuff to sell and it gives consumers more choices. The downside is that the OEM has more stuff it has to sell and consumers have more choices to make.