Golfing News & Blog Articles

Titleist TSi Driver – Key Takeaways

Two Titleist TSi drivers (TSi2 and TSi3) have hit the USGA Conforming ListThe TSi3 features an updated track weighting systemReplacements for the TS1 and TS4 are not listed at this time

The surprisingly good TS2 and TS3 did plenty to shake Titleist’s reputation as a company that makes spinny drivers. With the new for 2020 TSi Drivers (TSi2 and TSi3), it seems reasonable that Titleist will look to build on that to further make the case that it belongs in the same conversation with Callaway and TaylorMade when golfers are deciding which clubs to take into the hitting bay.

The Tsi2 and Tsi3 are hitting the PGA and European Tours this week. The official story is that the Titleist TSi drivers are undergoing their final validation before average golfers will get a crack at them.

Hopefully, everything goes well. I’d hate for reality to ruin a good story, but final validation or not, the TSi drivers well past being done. There’s no doubt the factory is already hard at work cranking them out in the numbers necessary to be ready for launch day.

And speaking of, this isn’t going to be a PING situation where the driver hits tour now, but golfers will have to wait until 2021 to get their hands on it. There was certainly plenty of COVID-related should we go, or should we wait at Titleist, but ultimately the company appears to have decided to launch. I can’t give you an exact date, but I don’t think we’ll have to wait long for the TSi drivers to hit retail.

John Catlin became the first American since Tiger Woods to win at Valderrama on Sunday and denied Martin Kaymer another chance to end a six-year drought.

The first par-5 reduced to a par-4 in 2006 returns to its three-shotter roots for the 2020 U.S. Open.

However, due to the influx of brussel-sprout based dieting and more players incorporating standing one-arm preacher curls into their workouts, a driving hitting the fairway should set up a long iron into the green.

The putting surface shape and contouring here is masterful, with the wide front gradually shrinking as the green goes. A simple looking green has so much going on with seemingly random contours and bumps, meaning even with its reachability, it should serve as a much better short par-5 this time around.

No. 9 at Winged Foot is a straightaway, 565-yard par 5 that played as the longest par 4 in #USOpen history to that point in 2006. Its greenside bunkers will pose a challenge for players attempting to reach the green in two.

In collaboration with @DeloitteUS. pic.twitter.com/FlvkEKZjO9

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) September 4, 2020

Golfweek.com’s Adam Schupak reports on the Sanford International (September 11-13) becoming the first COVID-19 era event to welcome back the paying public.

Played at Sioux Falls, South Dakota’s Minnehaha Country Club the event is sponsored by the PGA Tour’s official COVID-19 testing partner and while typically well-attended, will be playing it extra things carefully knowing they are the first.

Schupak spoke to tournament director Hollis Cavner and writes:

All spectators are encouraged to take their own temperature before heading to the tournament. Upon arrival, FDA approved non-contact wrist thermometers will be utilized at each parking lot prior to spectators getting on a shuttle bus. Temperature checks will also take place at the main entrance for those that arrive without taking a shuttle. Anyone with a temperature of 100 degrees or higher will be turned away and asked to seek medical attention.

Fans will be given free masks, if needed, as well as gloves, if requested. The golf course has been roped so fans won’t be able to get as close to the players as usual. Stationary hand sanitizer units will be placed at entrances to public bleachers, hospitality structures, and the clubhouse. Portolets and restroom trailers will each be equipped with sanitizer pumps and handwashing stations as well. For the safety of the players and gallery members alike, autographs will be prohibited.

“We’re on 250 acres. Spacing people on 250 acres is like 12 people inside a Super Wal-Mart,” Cavner said. “We’re the guinea pig for bringing people back to golf with live crowds, so we’ve gone overboard to make sure we don’t have any issues.”

Not likely to be welcome at the tournament: retired company founder T. Denny Sanford, who is currently under investigation.

He's not in the Masters field, despite being sixth in FedEx Cup points and 13th in the world. His people reached out, and the folks at Augusta National didn't say yes to a special exemption -- but they didn't say no, either.

Dustin Johnson didn't have a great day, but it still led to an even-par 70 and a 1-shot lead over Sungjae Im after the second round of the Tour Championship on Saturday.

American golfer John Catlin takes a two-shot lead into Sunday's final round of the Andalucia Masters.

Originally 413 yards in A.W. Tillinghast’s 1922 plan, the 8th is up to 490 yards for the 2020 U.S. Open. A distinctive left-to-right shape and overhanging trees forces an obvious shot shape. We might even see more than 8-iron hit into a par-4!

Another fantastic green complex restoration is on display, highlighted by the mid-right area jutting out into the bunkers and supported by slope. It’s not pinnable, but just adds one more fun feature that gives a player something to work a ball off of, but also a more pronounced penalty should they miss right.

No. 8 at Winged Foot is a dogleg-right, 490-yard par 4. The angle of the fairway will require precision in choosing and executing the line of play.

In collaboration with @DeloitteUS. pic.twitter.com/odK0S9H0kX

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) September 3, 2020

Jon Rahm shot a 65 on Friday to end the first round of the Tour Championship tied with Dustin Johnson, who began the event with a 2-stroke lead.

American golfer John Catlin will take a two-stroke lead into the weekend at the Andalucia Masters after being the only player in the field to have carded two under-par rounds at Valderrama.

The great start to the Tour Championship was nice and all. But he arrived with no expectations, given the biggest part of the week, the birth of his and wife Erica's first child, a daughter, had already happened.

Oooh back to school, back to school. To prove to Dad that I’m not a fool. Got my lunch packed up, my shoes tied tight. Hope I don’t get in a fight. Ohhhh! Back to school….

Little Billy might not be waiting at the bus stop this fall, but the kids are headed back to school and you’re the teacher. You’re probably brushing up on your 5th grade math and middle school history lessons, but don’t forget that the kiddos need some physical education too. So whip out your track pants and your whistle, coach. These backyard golf games (or some golf inspired games) are a great way to help your little golfers practice their skills and have fun learning all the rules of the course. And there’s no reason you can’t make use of these too!

The 11 Best Backyard Golf Activities

1. Set of Junior Clubs

Isn’t it every golf parent’s dream to eventually be able to play a round of 18 with your kids? If you’re hoping to use the extra time at home to build your kids into little golfers, a set of junior clubs is a great way to start. Not to mention, this particular set is a crazy deal.

$499.99 / $119.99 (76% OFF)

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There’s a lot of sound recap info from Brian Wacker at GolfDigest.com explaining how the PGA Tour has made it to the 2020 Tour Championship in a pandemic. With a large, often unwieldy band of egomaniacs to coral, it’s hard to imagine a better outcome for pro golf’s return after June’s inevitable rocky restart.

Yet in reading the piece, it’s also quite easy to imagine how the PGA Tour needs to remain vigilant both with safety practices, scheduling and welcoming back fans. The early wake up call is a good reminder of how things evolved:

Having a plan helped. And while it wasn’t without its holes, continued adjustments made a difference. One such change included an update during the Travelers that a player would not be eligible for the tour’s $100,000 stipend if he tested positive after not following the outlined safety protocols. Monahan emphasized that the onus was on everyone involved and said, “We need you to do your part.”

It was a wake-up call, indeed. And, for the most part, the players, caddies and all involved got the message.

As Wacker notes, the lack of a positive test in some time might also be a result of players taking the at-home tests before boarding a plane.

While some unidentified players, according to multiple sources, have tested positive at home in recent weeks and as a result did no play again until returning a negative result, no one has tested positive on site at a tournament in nearly a month. The tour hasn’t canceled any more tournaments, and earlier this week, Monahan unveiled a robust 50-tournament schedule for its 2020-’21 season that will begin next week in California.

The 162-yard par-3 seventh at Winged Foot is the shortest of the one-shotters and if the green is hit in regulation, a solid birdie chance.

But this Tillinghast original is not “right in front of you”, with the elevated green likely making club selection of a nine iron or wedge to tricky for today’s under-par living Adonis’s.

The USGA flyover thanks to Deloitte:

The 162-yard, par-3 7th is Winged Foot’s shortest hole. Its challenging greenside bunkers sit 7 feet below the putting surface.

In collaboration with @DeloitteUS. pic.twitter.com/lr6ZOg0d61

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) September 2, 2020

Well he’s certainly not wrong.

Kevin Kisner, as quoted by Rex Hoggard at GolfChannel.com on the eve of the $45 million Tour Championship.

“We need the fans back. Without the fans, the tournaments aren't the same. The revenues aren't the same,” said Kevin Kisner, one of four player directors on the Tour’s policy board. “We need them back.”

As a player director he’s privy to more numbers than the rest of us, so there is no reason to doubt him. Still, the Tour’s commissioner outlined a robust charitable outlay vision yesterday while holding firm on purses while others cut back. It’s hard to imagine ticket sales will aid as much as taking a million off a purse here and there. But it’s nice to see Kisner misses fans, as do most players and TV audiences.

One identifying characteristic of woodpeckers: they repeatedly slam their heads against a hard surface, often with little discernible progress.

Given how this mirrors the USGA’s approach to distance gains in the game over the last 20 years, maybe it’s fitting that North Carolina’s “Project Woodpecker” is rolling out the red carpet for a United States Golf Association move.

As Richard Craver reported for the Winston Salem Journal, the North Carolina state Senate—and subsequently the state House on Thursday—approved a bill offering up to $42.4 million in performance-based incentives to an unidentified group.

The nonprofit would have to create at least 35 new jobs and have an overall workforce of 50. The average annual salary could be $80,000. The project is projected to produce an $800 million economic benefit over 10 years.

Bill sponsors said during Wednesday's Senate Commerce and Insurance Committee that an announcement on the project could be made as soon as next week.

The Pilot of Southern Pines reported Friday that Pinehurst and Moore County elected officials will discuss in separate hearings Tuesday a $25 million business development project in Pinehurst that is expected to generate 50 jobs.

Both groups will vote on providing performance-based incentives to an unidentified organization that intends to build a new facility within Pinehurst’s village limits.

The Pilot said local officials have been tight-lipped about “Project Woodpecker” since early March.

The most recent version of House Bill 807 provides an obvious clue about the sports organization in question:

With temperatures expected to range between 105 and 115 degrees at next week's ANA Inspiration, the LPGA is letting caddies use carts during the tournament.

Connor Syme birdied his last three holes to shoot a 2-under 69 Thursday and join a four-way tie for the lead after the first round of the Andalucia Masters.

The PGA Tour, which hasn't had any spectators at 14 events over the past 13 weeks, hopes to have them back on the course in early 2021, policy board member Kevin Kisner said.

Rory McIlroy is the last of 30 players to arrive at the Tour Championship and couldn't be more thrilled. His wife gave birth to their first child.