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2020 Golf Tee Test

Is there really such thing as a better golf tee?

Tee companies have been telling golfers for years that they can add distance and accuracy to your game. So, to see if there is anything to these bold claims, we put them to the test. We put 4 tees to a head-to-head test. We tested the 4 Yards More, FlightPath, Martini and the standard wooden tee.

For the better part of a century, the fundamental design of the golf tee has remained largely unchanged. A peg, a platform and, well, that’s basically it. A hundred years of history suggests that simple as it may be, it works pretty well.

As with any other piece of golf equipment, however, there are challengers. Wood gave rise to plastic, which spawned eco-friendly alternatives, and other alternative designs with fresh (and sometimes unusual) takes how on to best support a golf ball before you whack it.

Many of these revolutionary designs claim quantifiable performance benefits over their wooden counterparts: Higher launch, lower spin, more distance and straighter drives … if you’re willing to pay a moderate upcharge. But, do they actually work?

CBS Moneywatch’s Megan Cerullo doesn’t tell us much we haven’t already read about golf in the pandemic. Still, after years of stories about the decline of the sport’s participation numbers, it’s worth noting pieces like this one, if nothing else to highlight that a resurgence in the game had nothing to do with the opportunity to spend $600 for ten more yards off the tee.

In August, consumers spent a record $331 million on clubs, balls, gloves and other gear — that was up 32% over the year-ago period and topped the previous sales record for that month in 2006, according to Golf Datatech. 

For the first 10 months of 2020, golf equipment sales were up nearly 30% compared to the same period last year, Matt Powell, an analyst with market research firm NPD Group, told CBS MoneyWatch. Training tools, such as hitting screens, swing aids and putting matts are up 75% as enthusiasts practice their technique away from the golf course.

And this is a nice reminder that all that well-intentioned capital devoted to nine-hole ad campaigns could never be as effective as having more people work from home.

The millions of Americans now working from home because of the virus is also boosting golf, with more people sneaking away from their desks to play a quick nine holes. 

Yahoo’s Shalise Manza Young points out that a 51% decline in Masters ratings was in line with other drops in major sports, placing it as the fourth-worst on the list of significant events after the Stanley Cup, Preakness and the U.S. Open final round 56% drop.

Since almost no golfers partook in social justice causes this year, golf did not suffer a backlash cited as the cause of overall ratings drops:

There have been acknowledgements of the renewed call for racial reckoning that began with George Floyd’s killing in late May, with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan releasing a statement 10 days after Floyd’s death that followed other corporations who made nebulous commitments to increasing diversity in their ranks, and senior tour player Kirk Triplett played with a BLM sticker on his bag.

But other than a few players participating in the performative #BlackoutTuesday on Instagram in June, there hasn’t exactly been a groundswell of public support for the movement in golf.

So save the “It’s those damn social justice warriors, I just want to watch my sports!” B.S.

I can’t say from the parts I watched that we’ll be talking about 2020’s RSM Classic years or even days from now. But Robert Streb did pull off a couple of minor miracles, starting with an out-of-nowhere week, as documented by Golfweek’s Adam Schupak:

Streb hasn’t finished in the top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings in each of the past three seasons, and his recent form didn’t suggest he’d earn his first title in six years. He had shot in the 60s only three times in his last 12 rounds entering this week, but posted four straight rounds in the 60s, including a 63 on Friday and closed with a 2-under 68 to finish with a 72-hole aggregate of 19-under 263.

“I felt like things were starting to get a little better and I wasn’t quite getting the results, but wasn’t expecting this, either,” he admitted.

Streb’s approach on the second playoff hole was spectacular:

WHAT A SHOT. 😱@therealstrebber nailed his approach on the second playoff hole to win @TheRSMClassic. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/sAmFE6otjR

The European Tour kicked off three weeks in South Africa with a bang that got plenty of attention on social media: Wilco Nienaber’s 439-yard drive during the Joburg Open’s first round.

The huge number took on added interest Sunday when Nienaber contended, ultimately finishing second to Joachim Hansen.

But the 20-year-old and his prodigious length—a 337-yard European Tour average in limited starts—has been mentioned by South Africans who witnessed his victory in the 2019 South African Amateur.

Like America’s Cameron Champ, it’s the effortlessness of his swing that might be more shocking (aided by those fairway heights, as a few remaining desperadoes like to claim.)

That’s Tony Johnstone and Alison Whitacker on the call from Randpark, elevation 5000 feet:

Sei Young Kim won the Pelican Women's Championship on Sunday for her second straight victory, closing with an even-par 70 for a 3-stroke victory over Ally McDonald.

Robert Streb got his first PGA Tour victory in six years by outlasting Kevin Kisner to win the RSM Classic on the second playoff hole.

Charles Barkley was minding his own business in advance of his match with Phil Mickelson against Steph Curry and Peyton Manning. That didn't stop Curry and Mickelson.

Joachim B. Hansen of Denmark overturned a three-shot deficit with nine holes remaining to win his first European Tour title at the Joburg Open on Sunday.

Sei Young Kim reeled off four straight birdies to shoot a 6-under 64 and increase her lead at the LPGA Tour's Pelican Women's Championship to 5 strokes.

Robert Streb increased his lead at the RSM Classic to three strokes after shooting a 67 on Saturday. Zach Johnson and Bronson Burgoon are tied for second.

Second-ranked Sei Young Kim shot a 5-under 65 Friday in the Pelican Women's Championship to take a one-stroke lead over Ally McDonald into the weekend

After hitting the cart path with his tee shot, Robert Streb made a 12-foot putt on the 18th hole for an eagle and a 9-under 63. He leads Camilo Villegas by 2 strokes at the RSM Classic.

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Championship Page 

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Results 

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