The Electric Trolley Movement – Key Takeaways

Use of electric trolleys is growing in the U.S.Usage still small compared to Europe.U.S. golfers prefer remote-control units.7,000 golfers in eight countries surveyed by Motocaddy

We’ve written about it plenty but the electric trolley movement isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. In fact, it’s just the opposite.

Currently, the global market for electric trolleys (or electric caddies, if you will) stands just north of $130 million. By the end of the decade, that figure is expected to reach $200 million.

Industry leader Motocaddy has just released the results of a global survey of 7,000 golfers across the world’s top eight golf markets. The results are simultaneously surprising and about what you’d expect. And since it was Motocaddy that commissioned the study, it’s reasonable to take the results with a wee grain of salt.

But the results do put the U.S. market into its proper perspective compared to the rest of our big round ball. And the study does substantiate a mostly anecdotal observation:

The electric trolley movement is, in fact, a movement.

A vehicle carrying members of the University of the Southwest golf team collided head-on with a pickup truck in West Texas, killing multiple people, authorities said.

Here’s the letter Greg Norman and LIV Golf Investments sent to a number of PGA Tour players today.

“You should know that we are launching….we will not stop.” pic.twitter.com/wy2UrQKP3I

— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) March 16, 2022

Sounding a tad humbled but as ageist and delusional as ever, Greg Norman is branding his Saudi Arabia-backed concept as a “start-up” with March 16 plans to unveil a schedule.

Oh that Shark is such an incubator!

SI.com’s Bob Harig was the first to report on Norman’s letter here.

GolfDigest.com’s Daniel Rapaport Tweeted the letter (above) sent to some players preparing them for news of a schedule encouraging them to play both the LIV league and the PGA Tour. This move was telegraphed by Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch as an attempt to eventually take the PGA Tour to court for blocking releases.

PING Glide 4.0 Wedges – Key Takeaways

PING updates its standard wedge line.New material: 8620 soft carbon steel4 grinds, 46- to 60-degree lofts$217.50 steel, $232.50 graphite. Pre-sale and fitting start today.

The new PING Glide 4.0 wedges make one thing abundantly clear.

When PING changes/updates/upgrades its wedges, it doesn’t mess around.

And for what it’s worth, it’s been a while since PING updated the standard Glide line. The original Glide debuted in early 2015. Glide 2.0 showed up two years later. One year later, PING gave us a quasi-updated Glide 2.0 Stealth (MyGolfSpy’s 2018 Most Wanted Wedge). It wasn’t until the summer of 2019 that we saw Glide 3.0.

Nearly three years later, we get Glide 4.0. So what gives? Did PING let the Glide slide?

Not hardly.

The 2023 Ryder Cup selection process took way longer than normal. But the press conferences should be fun and some of the other man drama over future buggy driving roles will liven the build-up for Rome…564 days away.

My Quadrilateral take.

Henrik Stenson has been named as captain for Europe's Ryder Cup team for the 2023 competition which will be held in Rome, Italy.

Wilson D9 Forged Irons – Key Takeaways

Update to the 2020 MGS Most Wanted Player’s Distance ironUpdated looks, AI-generated thin forged face, lower CG$1,099.99 steel, $1,499.99 graphiteAvailable April 4

Before we dig too deeply into the new Wilson D9 Forged irons, I need to say something. I know at MyGolfSpy our aim is to be both dispassionate and #datacratic. We’ve repeatedly said, and the data repeatedly proves, that looks and feel matter neither a jot nor a tittle when it comes to performance. Many folks don’t like hearing that but it’s the simple truth.

So, with all that plainly stated, I need to get this off my chest or my fingers simply won’t cooperate in writing the rest of this Wilson D9 Forged story:

Sweet leapin’ Moses! These are some sexy irons!

There. I feel better now.

Visually, the new Wilson D9 Forged irons are more than worthy successors to MyGolfSpy’s 2020 Most Wanted Player’s Distance iron, the D7 Forged. Obviously, Wilson has made cosmetic changes but as we’ll see it’s the tech updates that should put the D9 Forged on your must-demo list this spring.

Coming into the final round with a one-shot lead, Lahiri fell short of the trophy by a stroke.

Cameron Smith won the biggest payday in golf, the weather caused all kinds of issue and luck meant more than usual at the Players.

Cameron Smith made his record-tying 10th birdie of the round on the 17th hole, helping power his one-shot victory at The Players Championship on Monday.

 

The post Renee Powell Wins Inaugural Charlie Sifford Award appeared first on Northern California Golf Association.

ASICS GEL-KAYANO Ace Golf Shoes – Key Takeaways

New spikeless shoe from ASICS/Srixon allianceUpdated waterproof upper and ankle paddingFour colorways$169.99. Available April 1

The new ASICS GEL-KAYANO Ace golf shoes are the third wave of offerings from the new North American ASICS/Srixon footwear alliance. The two companies have a long history of sympatico relations in Asia and, in the last two years, have established a golf shoe foothold in the northern half of this hemisphere.

ASICS and Srixon joined the North American golf shoe fray in December of 2019 with two models: the spiked GEL-COURSE Duo BOA and the spikeless GEL-COURSE Glide. The spikeless GEL-COURSE Ace was added to the lineup last year.

ASICS clearly knows what it’s doing with athletic shoes in general. And all three shoes have been top-half performers in our recent spiked and spikeless shoe Buyer’s Guides. And if first looks tell us anything, the new GEL-KAYANO Ace should continue that trend.

ASICS: For Body and Soul

The ASICS story dates back to post-war Japan. It started as the ONITSUKA Company in 1949 with the simple goal of making athletic shoes for Japan’s youth. ONITSUKA’s first offering was a Chuck Taylor-inspired high-top basketball shoe in 1950. The company released its first golf shoe in 1955.

Over the years, ONITSUKA expanded into all types of athletic shoes for everything including running, wrestling, soccer, baseball, fencing, even ski-jumping. By 1977, ONITSUKA merged with two other like-minded companies to form ASICS. And if you’re ever on a game show, it might be helpful to know that ASICS comes from the Latin phrase Anima Sana in Corpore Sano which means “pray for a sound mind in a sound body.”

OUR JOB IS YOUR GAME

The most comprehensive mallet putter test of 2022 is complete.

At MyGolfSpy, our job is to provide independent, unbiased and objective testing so you can make more confident purchasing decisions. Our 2022 Most Wanted Mallet test is an indispensable guide for the off-the-rack buyer or for anyone looking for insight before their next fitting.

Let’s take a look at the best mallet putters for 2022.

MOST WANTED SCORING

We have reformulated our 2022 Most Wanted results to a 100-point scoring system. This new system will allow you to better identify golf clubs to potentially help you shoot lower scores.