MyGolfSpy Ball Lab is where we quantify the quality and consistency of the golf balls on the market to help you find the best ball for your money. An overview of the equipment we use can be found here. To learn more about our test process, how we define “bad” balls and our True Price metric, check out our About MyGolfSpy Ball Lab page.

 

As the “No. 1 ball in golf,” the Titleist Pro V1 arguably needs no introduction. It’s a ball that nearly every golfer has played, if only because they’re so popular you can find them – often in bulk – on just about any golf course in the world.

In this report, we’ll give you the rundown on what we learned about the 2019 Titleist Pro V1 in the Ball Lab and let you know how it stacks up against other golf balls on the market. Finally, we’ll give you the True Price – how much it costs to get a dozen good golf balls.

CBS Sports President Sean McManus previewed the NFL season and Sunday, November 15th came up—aka rescheduled 2020 Masters week.

The final round sounds as if it’ll have a similar setup to the 2019 Masters when tee times were moved up to get play in before inclement weather. This time, however, the expedited start will be making room for a mash up of mediocrity between 2019’s 5-11 Miami Dolphins against the 7-9 New York Jets.

What Clifford Roberts might have said to member/NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on that news? Maybe a passive-aggressive Heidi reference? Or a reminder that the Masters only happens once a year? Or…if you’d like to keep wearing that green jacket you’ll move this massive meeting of mediocrity?

Anyway, a 7:30-9 am or so setup, featuring threesomes off split tees, will be used again to accommodate the NFL on CBS based on the below Tweet and confirmation I received of the general window from CBS:

CBS sports chairman Sean McManus says Masters final round will end by 2:30 or so on Nov. 15 to make way for 3 NFL games at 4:05,including Fins-Jets.Also, in this ongoing call with writers,Romo explained to me why he likes how Dolphins are doing this rebuild.(More on this shortly)

We were delighted to welcome former Open champion Paul Lawrie to officially open our new 7th hole on the Championship Course 😊 Taking time out from this week's @tartanprotour event, Paul even made birdie at the first attempt! Look out for the footage soon... 👌 📸 @johnpaulfoto . . . #royaldornochlinks #friendsofroyaldornoch #lawrie #theopen #scottishhighlands #seventh #scenic #instagolf #golflife #linksgolf #photography #film

It’s not often that a nearly perfect golf course to get just a bit more perfect, so this a salute to Royal Dornoch for hosting the Lawrie Series/Tartan Pro Golf and unveiling a revamped 7th.

If you’ve had the privilege or dream of some day getting there, you likely know the walk from 6 to 7 at Royal Dornoch is one of the best in golf and while the view is elite, the revamp allows you to keep enjoying that scenery while playing a better-positioned version of the old hole.

As for the Tartan event, Chris Maclean subsequently won with rounds of 66-69. That’s some fine play.

The epic view looking down on the sixth and tenth before turning to the new seventh (you may need to click on the image and hit play to see the video):

I couldn’t help but scratch my head reading Laura Douglas’ excellent Pilot story on the forthcoming marriage of the USGA and Pinehurst, complete with more majors, more USGA jobs and more exposure for golf lovers to the organization’s collection.

The downside? Some will not be thrilled at all of the tax breaks given to a for-profit resort and a tax-exempt 501(c)3 which specifically mentions such charitable organizations are forbidden from attempting “to influence legislation”:

County leaders unanimously approved a 10-year incentive grant for the project primarily in the form of tax breaks calculated as 90 percent of the total property taxes paid above and beyond the current property tax value — provided the USGA meets job creation and capital investment goals. Funding would be paid from new tax revenues collected as a result of the organization’s investment.

More disconcerting for those who believe the USGA is to govern the game is the suggestion of trying to create a new golf manufacturing and business community in Pinehurst. These are the folks in charge of regulating such matters, yet seem to be in the business of trying to be part of growing the overall golf business in North Carolina.

From Douglas in the Pilot:

Charley Hull of England has withdrawn from the ANA Inspiration after testing positive for the coronavirus.

John Dell reports for the Winston-Salem Journal on the USGA moving its museum, Arnold Palmer Golf History Center, Green Section and ball testing from the recent multi-million dollar renovated Golf House to Pinehurst. The move comes less than a week after North Carolina’s legislature voted on a bill to subsidize a significant chunk of the cost for new facilities with the USGA on the hook for at least $5 million worth.

”Project Woodpecker” requires the creation of 35 new local jobs and a staff of 50 for ten years, along with multiple championships and a corporate hospitality tent for local politicos.

From Dell’s report:

The moves of the museum, the ball-testing facility and the agronomy department from headquarters in Liberty Corner, N.J., were confirmed Tuesday by a source who did not want to be identified. A news conference at the Pinehurst Resort to make a formal announcement is expected Wednesday morning.

In exchange for up to $43 million in incentives from N.C. lawmakers to the USGA, golf fans in the state can expect to see more USGA events, including its most high-profile, played more often in North Carolina. Legislation requires the USGA to host a major men's championship at least once every five to seven years and one major women's championship at least every 10 years.

Scotty Cameron Inspired by Justin Thomas – Key Takeaways

Scotty Cameron announces the release of the Inspired By Justin Thomas Phantom X 5.5 Prototype PutterThis putter features unique Justin Thomas themed aesthetics and same build as played by the pro2,020 will be available on 09/22/2020 for $850

Today, Scotty Cameron has announced the release of the Inspired By Justin Thomas Phantom X 5.5 putter. The timing for this release is almost storybook, as Mr. Thomas nearly won his second FedEx Cup last weekend. DJ refused to give up his lead, but JT made him earn the victory.

For those of you not familiar with the Scotty Cameron’s Inspired By limited putters, these are putters that, as the name suggests, are Inspired By the putters that tour players use. Unlike Scotty’s annual Holiday and My Girl releases, the Inspired By putters don’t follow a set release cycle. This makes their release a bit more noteworthy and boosts their collectability.

I believe that the Inspired By Justin Thomas putter is only the ninth Inspired By release since 1999. If you are looking to collect a set of Cameron putters, this one may be the most fiscally accessible.

Let’s take a look at what separates the Inspired By Justin Thomas Phantom X 5.5 from the retail Phantom X version found at your local shop.

The best player of the year award for my money is free of politics and top secret votes. Unfortunately, it lands well before 2020’s schedule has played out. With two majors to go, the PGA of America has opted to acknowledge the PGA Tour’s wraparound schedule pandemic push that centered around the FedExCup holding its dates, followed by a “new” season this week in Napa.

In return, the system used to determine winner failed to acknowledge the FedExCup champ in the top 4 spots despite an incredible run by Dustin Johnson, putting the playoff’s place in a surprising historical context given the shortened season placing even more emphasis on those events (theoretically at least).

PGA Tour players and the Golf Writers Association of America will award POY winners in September and December, respectively.

For Immediate Release:

JUSTIN THOMAS CAPTURES SECOND CAREER PGA OF AMERICA PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Webb Simpson wins his first Vardon Trophy

The PGA Tour was one of the first sports back in mid-June. With that return came questions. The biggest was this: Would it finish what it started? Aside from a hiccup here and there, the PGA Tour season concluded Monday. Here's how it did it.

2020 BLUETOOTH SPEAKER BUYER’S GUIDE

What’s your favorite band? The Beatles? Queen? Red Hot Chili Peppers? No matter what music you’re into, you can listen to it  (at a reasonable volume) on the golf course with a Bluetooth speaker.

This year’s test had speakers with clips that attach to your golf bag, magnetic strips that secure to the cart and speakers that can relay GPS distances to the green.

During testing, some models stood out for their sound quality and robust features. No matter your budget, you can buy a speaker to keep you swinging to the beat.

With an ever-increasing number of options, finding the right Bluetooth speaker to fit your needs can be a bit overwhelming. That’s where we come in. We put the top speaker devices on the market to the test to ensure you have the best information available when it comes time to buy.

Whether you’re looking to buy a Bluetooth speaker today, some buying advice to get started or just want a closer look at what’s on the market, this guide will help you find the right speaker to fit your needs.

Mike Dougherty of the Rockland/Westchester Journal News stopped in at Winged Foot where the rescheduled U.S. Open is set to start next week.

The focus appears to be on winning scores and rough, which is too bad since such projections rarely end well.

There is plenty of good stuff about the agronomic shift the club had to make due to the pandemic and the tournament’s new mid-September playing.

Speaking to superintendent Steve Rabideau about the hoped for outcome of preparations, it seems a high winning score would be gratifying.

As he reached into the rough to retrieve the golf ball Tuesday, Rabideau quietly offered a familiar refrain.

“Plus-8. Plus-8. Plus 8. … That would cap a very difficult summer,” he said. “And my guys know that’s what I’ve been thinking.”

Several of them were applying fertilizer to the rough nearby.

While it’s hardly a surprise that September in the greater Palm Springs area is dangerously hot, seeing the forecast for this week’s rescheduled ANA Inspiration still elicits the obvious question: why?

Obviously television and other tournament needs somehow left this date to the women for 2020’s second major championship.

Still, the Desert Sun’s Larry Bohannan tackles the very legitimate question: how hot is too hot?

The LPGA decided last week to allow caddies to use carts.

My daily Tour Championship Mindfulness session started after the 15th hole and ended with Dustin Johnson in the 18th fairway. In between I had this strange dream that he announced he was donating a nice chunk to a Tour charity hit hard by the pandemic AND finally marry Paulina. That’s why they’re called dreams.

Anyway, the 2020 playing at East Lake was mildly interesting at times, but without fans and only two dangerous shots to a PGA Tour (as Paul Azinger noted…8th and 15th tees), this 2020 Tour Championship will elicit as many fond memories as the year it was played.

Year two of the staggered scoring system ultimately rewarded the best player in the playoffs, where Dustin Johnson was -45, well clear of next closest competitor Jon Rahm (-29). But due to the staggered start, Johnson had to work much harder than necessary given his playoff dominance. I point this out for those taking seriously the importance and excitement of the season long race and playoffs.

The twist: a legit scoring system would have been even less dramatic Sunday if the old format was in place, with Xander Schauffele winning a Tour Championship and Johnson the FedExCup.

As Brian Wacker reports for GolfDigest.com, this is Johnson’s 23rd PGA Tour win and installs him as the favorite at Winged Foot in just over a week. The FedExCup as a piece to his Hall of Fame puzzle was noted by Sean Martin at PGATour.com.

Dustin Johnson has had quite the run. He has earned some serious cash. But in this altered season, he's not done yet. The U.S. Open is coming soon. The Masters lurks two months from now. Can he keep it going?

Utilizing some critical putts late in the round, Dustin Johnson finally won the FedEx Cup on Monday, outlasting Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele in the Tour Championship.

The “3-iron into some guy’s bedroom” (Hogan) at 190 yards will play 214 this time around, so 3-irons are unlikely even with the added length to offset better absorption of Vitamin D fueling linebackers-turned-golfers.

What is so charming about Winged Foot’s 10th when, on paper, it’s seemingly pretty simple?

There is the aesthetic factor, for starters. As Tom Nieporte, the club’s long time pro once said, “it’s like a painted picture, every time you play it”.

The hole is undeniably beautiful, simple and crying out to be painted. Most of the best holes sit on a landscape in ways that are attractive to an artist.

There is also the 10th’s location in the round. Buried elsewhere on the West Course it would undoubtedly be a much-talked about par-3. But put it in front of the clubhouse and the 10th takes on a different majesty, particularly since so few clubhouses in the world are accented by views of a par-3.

Our Job is Your Game

Game improvement irons are a constant in the golf industry, promising ego-boosting distance mixed with forgiveness across the face. While blades are sexy, game improvement irons are the foundation of nearly every manufacturer’s lineup. Good, bad or ugly, they offer something for almost everyone.

We are here to help you navigate the “Wild, Wild, West” that is the game improvement market. The category is loaded with distance, forgiveness and, believe it or not, looks. This stagecoach has 18 different models on board so hop on, strap in and get ready for this wild ride.

If you are in the market for game improvement irons, the 2020 Most Wanted Game Improvement Iron test is for you.

Most Wanted: Titleist T300 and Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metal

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Performance Grades

Below is the Best Player’s Distance Iron 2020 broken down by performance grades for each iron length. The percentages displayed for each iron represent the frequency at which each was among the best performing irons for each tester across the test pool. For more information about how we arrive at these results, see our How We Test page.

2020 has been positive in one very small sense: it has spawned some spectacular, even unprecedented “playoff” naps. We’re talking circa 2012, 2014 level melatonin injections after mere minutes of tuning into the PGA Tour’s three season-ending non-thrill rides.

While I enjoyed some drool-inducers during Olympia Fields week, nothing has come close to Sunday’s third round siesta extraordinaire.

You know the kind: wake up to a golf telecast with no idea what day it is, what year it is, or what tournament is making that background noise.

The affairs at East Lake have been made worse by a random confluence of factors. There is the soul-crushing sight of watching the Johnson brothers reading greens, Feherty buttoning up in fear of a 904 party-pooper questioning his jokes, and the traditionally energy-light venue which somehow feels even more moribund than usual. I’m almost pining for the East Lake Cup college mascots to make a cameo. Almost.

Juxtapose this stagnant $45 million snoozer against compelling NBA games, NBC’s impressive Kentucky Derby coverage (where no controversy was ignored), and Sunday’s bizarro Djokovic U.S. Open antics, and the PGA Tour’s Super Bowl seems more unimaginably dull than normal.

He started this FedEx Cup out in front, giving him the benefit of a few shots on the field at the Tour Championship. Even though Xander Schauffele has played better so far in this FedEx Cup finale, it likely won't matter.

Dustin Johnson is now is one round away from capturing the FedEx Cup and its $15 million prize.