Golfing News & Blog Articles

The PGA Tour will begin to expand access to tournament events, beginning with next week's WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

There aren’t many guaranties in life, are there? Risk is constantly lurking and buyer’s remorse – even if it’s only fleeting – always checks in to see how you’re doing.

That set of universal truths is why we think this week’s announcement by the Edison Wedge company is sorta-kinda newsworthy. The Edison Wedge guaranty is as risk-free of a demo program as you’ll find in golf.  

In essence, Edison’s Terry Koehler is channeling his inner Don Corleone and is making you an offer you can’t refuse.  

Play Until You Know 

Edison is Koehler’s newest venture. Over the past 30 years, with stints at Reid Lockhart and his own companies at Eidelon, Score and Ben Hogan, Koehler has become known as the “Wedge Guy.” Edison launched its forged wedges earlier this year and to get the enterprise moving, Koehler is keeping the Edison Wedge guaranty simple: Order a set of Edison wedges custom-built to your specs and try them at your home club for as long as it takes.* If you like ‘em, keep ‘em. If you don’t, send them back for a full refund.  

What’s the catch?

New mom Michelle Wie West has been appointed to be one of Pat Hurst's assistant captains for Team USA at the Solheim Cup next year in Ohio.

You don’t need to be a golf savant to understand that hitting the ball farther leads to lower scores. It’s a simple reality at every level of the game.

And if you want to increase distance, you have to find a way to swing the club faster.

SuperSpeed Golf believes its OverSpeed training system has benefits for any level of golfer because it isn’t geared toward any specific demographic. The basic premise is that every player can access more speed than he/she is currently because of how our brain receives and communicates certain information.

The more scientific explanation deals with overspeed training and how this works to change the way your brain and muscles receive information. Specifically, the SuperSpeed system generates a neurological reset and trains your brain and muscles into believing you can swing the club faster. It makes the body move faster than normal during training to permanently increase the neuromuscular reaction speed of the body.

In plain English: swinging a training stick faster than normal causes your brain to remember this faster speed, and even start expecting it.

That’s the question Bob Harig asks at ESPN.com with the Tradition Unlike Any Other slated for a COVID-19 detour November 12-15th and an increasingly likelihood that spectators will be a tall task. Particularly to a club made up of CEO’s in industries or sports where they could be exposed to criticism for endorsing the Masters played one way, while conducting their businesses differently.

Harig concludes with this:

A Masters without spectators would be a huge disappointment. Ultimately, if it comes to that, it would seem Augusta National still wants a 2020 Masters. There are still enormous worldwide television rights fees to collect. A November Masters without spectators would still be compelling to a worldwide television audience. And if the PGA Championship can be played without fans, so can the Masters. Then you hope for the best in April.

But don't try to argue that it doesn't matter. The atmosphere at Augusta National helps make the tournament. Just imagine Tiger Woods winning last year ... in virtual silence.

Trump Turnberry

Peter Baker reports on the Presidential COVID-19 briefing that also included a question about yesterday’s New York Times story regarding Trump Turnberry, The Open and Ambassador Woody Johnson.

“No, I never spoke to Woody Johnson about that, about Turnberry,” Mr. Trump said. “Turnberry’s a highly respected course, as you know, one of the best in the world. I read a story about it today, and I never spoke to Woody Johnson about doing that, no.”

Johnson took to Twitter to fend off allegations from another story, but it’s not clear if he was referring to Trump Turnberry here:

I have followed the ethical rules and requirements of my office at all times. These false claims of insensitive remarks about race and gender are totally inconsistent with my longstanding record and values.

There are too many layers to go into with this PGATour.com (unlabeled) sponsored content, or give-back, or whatever it is. I’ll start by having your top writer take out the trash as just one thing that comes to mind.

But there is actual comedy in a story looking at how pros paid to play the Callaway Mavrik driver (I know, what a scoop!). Given that exactly one year ago Xander Schauffele and Callaway were in the hot seat over an illegal driver, and that we’re seeing some freakish driving distances of late, you’d think this might be a good time to lay low.

SponCon here we come:

Henrik Stenson, the 2013 FedExCup champ and six-time winner on the PGA TOUR, noted in the July-August 2020 issue of Golf magazine that “the ball speeds off of MAVRIK are really high, and I noticed that almost immediately when I first tried it. If I hit it dead center or if I miss the sweet spot, I still know that I’m going to get the speed and distance I’m looking for.”

Having that confidence that a non-center strike can still be an effective shot is a huge advantage for any players, particularly those at the top level. And particularly on fairway woods, which can often be a pesky club to figure out – and a club that many weekend amateurs try to avoid as much as possible.

76er Matisse Thybulle has been posting warts-and-all videos from the NBA bubble in Orlando. Thanks to reader BB for highlighting volume 4 that shows how NBA quarantine golf looks. In a nutshell: you’ll feel very good about your game seeing what’s taking place down there—albeit with clubs not made for some of the best and tallest athletes in the world.

I’ve embedded a version that starts at the golf portion, but if you are one of those plot zealots who just has to see their reality shows from the start, you can go here.

The PGA Tour said Grayson Murray was the only player to test positive for the coronavirus ahead of the 3M Championship.

Now, call me crazy, but the PGA Tour is back. It’s working.

Even with fields too absurdly big that in weeks like this one at the 3M, where you half expect to see a Mexican Mini Tour great like Club Pro Guy turning up, the PGA Tour is functioning. (For those counting at home, it’s a 197 from a record 803 strength-of-field drop this week).

Yes, there have been the inevitable hiccups, new rules on the fly, tweaks to COVID-19 guidelines and other madness that comes with a pandemic. But CBS and Golf Channel ratings keep getting better by the week at a time of year they always go down, and in spite of having no fan energy.

Increasingly, without locker rooms or droplet spewing contact to probably doom the return, along with Sanford providing on-site testing separate of local labs prioritizing sports leagues in other markets, PGA Tour golf is looking like one sport that can keep going pretty safely despite the ongoing pandemic.

So let’s see if we can screw that up!

The PGA of America still is deciding how it will handle instances of a player in the field testing positive for COVID-19 despite being 10 days removed from the onset of symptoms.

David Law of Scotland shot a 7-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead over Oliver Fisher, Garrick Porteous and Renato Paratore in the opening round of the British Masters at Close House Golf Course near Newcastle on Wednesday.

The PGA Tour Series-China season has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Beth Ann Nichols with news that the Women’s British Open is now the AIG Women’s Open, aligning the “branding” with the R&A’s Open Championship.

The event is set for August 20-23rd at Royal Troon and will be sponsored by AIG through 2025.

“AIG proudly stands as allies with these accomplished players, and with women in business and society,” said Peter Zaffino, President & Global Chief Operating Officer, AIG in a statement. “In the face of challenging global circumstances, we are pleased that our increased support of the AIG Women’s Open will enable these dedicated professionals to compete and break down barriers that will provide a lasting example for future generations.”

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said the new name reflects the championship’s growing stature and broadening international appeal.

The use of “British” in the title was inconsistent with the R&A’s other major professional championship and the push since 2014 to call the Open Championship, The Open.

It’s amazing to read the Monday morning reviews about the changing scores as both the Professional and Amateur tournaments wrap-up ever Sunday. Streaks of birdies or bogies and double bogies seem to happen for no explainable reason. The only way that we can explain these successes or failures is through rays of sunlight or dark clouds that pass over every golfer under pressure. Your brains controls all.

If only we could control our positive mental attitude, even after an unexpected double when we hit into the ruff, sand trap, water or a low hanging tree branch. It’s the unexpected shot that seems to cloud our next few holes, if not the rest of our game. We need to recognize and accept our failures and get back into a positive mental attitude. GET OVER IT!

When Should Our Alarm Bells Go Off  Pay attention to the problems that can throw your game off:
1/ Your playing partners start kidding you about the pressure on your next shot.
2/ You just hit an amazingly long drive on your last hole and expecting to hit even further on your next drive.
3/ The joy of making birdie affecting your next drive (PBSU: Post Birdie Screw-Up)
4/ Hitting the perfect shot only to nip a branch and lose 100 yards on the shot.
5/ When you have 3 other sets of eyes watching you prepare to make a 3 foot putt.

What Happens to Your Mind and Body
1/ Flashbacks of past failures
2/ Your heart and mind start to race so that you rush and limit your backswing
3/ Your muscles tighten up to limit your flexibility.

The R&A announced Wednesday that AIG, a New York-based finance and insurance group, has extended its title sponsorship of the women's major by two years through 2025.

You’ve heard about them, maybe seen them too. Everyday products are being hyped in your Twitter and Instagram feeds. They’re sometimes endorsed by pros, celebrities, and influencers alike. But do they live up to the hype? We take a closer look.

What are Golfers Talking About?

Devices. It’s not only golfers looking for the latest and greatest way to document, track and record our every move. Do you know anyone without a FitBit or an Apple Watch? Do you play with any golfers that don’t use some sort of shot tracking or game improvement gadget? Not on your nelly. (Translation: That’s British for NOPE)

So imagine then, a watch that combines it all. A virtual caddie (and then some) on your wrist that also has the ability to take care of all of your non-golf needs. You need to see your stress score and hydration level on your wrist while doing the laundry or sitting in the board room, right? Sounds perfect, sign me up.

The Garmin Marq Golfer watch can be yours for the extremely un-alarming price of $1,850.

Product Expert

Hi, I’m Harry, and I test a lot of things at MyGolfSpy. I play professionally when I’m not checking and comparing specs on gloves, rangefinders, bags.. ball retrievers.. etc. You can call me the Director of Soft Goods Testing here at MGS. You can also just call me Harry, that’s fine too.

The PGA Tour heads to Minnesota, where Matthew Wolff will defend his title at the 3M Open. Here are our experts' best bets.

As the PGA of America gets ready to host the first major of 2020 at TPC Harding Park, they will be following the PGA Tour’s guidelines with one key exception, ESPN.com’s Bob Harig reports: negative COVID-19 test results.

Family members, agents and managers will not be permitted at Harding Park, but up to two coaches as well as a physical trainer and an interpreter (if necessary) will be allowed, subject to COVID-19 testing. No one will be allowed onto the grounds prior to getting a negative result, and all of the testing will be done away from Harding Park, starting on Aug. 2.

In recent weeks, the PGA Tour has allowed players continuing to test positive after experiencing some symptoms to play, or, in the case of some players, who’ve experienced no symptoms (and may have received a false positive test result.)

The Scotsman’s Martin Dempster channels what most of us feel about these pandemic-era returns as the European Tour begins its reboot to 2020 with a six week UK-run of events, starting with the British Masters at Close House, a course renovated by host Lee Westwood with Scott Macpherson.

Regarding the European Tour’s efforts to return, Dempster writes:

The tour has spent £2 million plus in developing a health strategy for the rest of the year, and I have every faith that it will be a proper “bubble” compared to what the PGA Tour, at the start at least, had for its return last month.

Dr Andrew Murray, the circuit’s chief medical officer, has been one of Keith Pelley’s key advisors as he plotted these careful first steps and the Aberdonian will be ensuring that everything is carried out exactly how it needs to be at the moment.

“Although golf is back, as Keith Pelley has said, these will not – and should not – feel like normal golf tournaments,” said Murray. “It’s good that we are all back to work in a familiar environment, but things will be completely different with all the measures that we will be putting in place as part of our health strategy.”