The Best Mallet Putters of 2021, plus what’s in Chris’ bag, and a look at the potential future of retail club fitting/sales.

0:46 – The Best Mallet Putters of 202114:08 –What’s in Chris Nickel’s Bag?15:34 – Driver17:18 – Fairway Woods23:07 – Irons29:16 – Wedges36:16 – Putter(s)38:32 – Ball42:25 – Try while you buy? Dollar Driver Club’s business model might sound familiar.

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The post Most Wanted Mallets of 2021 | NPG 76 appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

The Rocket Mortgage Classic is launching "The John Shippen," a four-day event in late June. It starts with a 36-hole tournament for the top Black golfers and concludes with a two-day sports business summit.

The Hay: Pebble’s Reimagined Par-3 Course Designed by Tiger Woods to Open April 16

March 22, 2021

Honma T//World GS Irons – Key Takeaways:

Honma’s upgrade for its XP-1 game improvement ironsDistance technology in the long irons includes an L-Cup Face, Flip Slot and low/deep tungsten weighting.$1,224.99 in steel, $1,294.99 in graphiteAvailable now on Honma’s website

The new Honma T//World GS irons is Honma’s second collaboration between its U.S.-based and Japanese design teams. Joining forces, Honma theorized, would create golf clubs that would appeal to North American tastes while maintaining Japanese heritage.

The first collaboration—the Honma TR series of irons and metalwoods—proved to be a standup triple. The second joint venture is the Honma T//World GS irons. They, too, may very well add to Honma’s slugging percentage. But since the U.S. design team apparently has been disbanded, we may not see a third venture anytime soon.

All that aside, let’s focus on what’s in front of us. The Honma T//World GS is a game improvement iron and it looks like a game improvement iron. Is that a bad thing? It depends.

Honma T//World GS Irons: Game Improvement Galore

“The GS line was designed in tandem between our offices in Sakata, Japan, and here in Carlsbad,” says Preston Toulon, Product Director for Honma. “The Japan team even came up with the name, abbreviating GS for Gain Speed.”

Better players tend to turn up their noses at game improvement irons. The lofts are too jacked, the heads are too big, they won’t fix your crappy swing, blah, blah, blah. Look, golf is hard enough as it is. The “Get Lessons” Mafia can shout all it wants but an awful lot of people who love to play golf also have kids, jobs and lives. Believe it or not, they play golf for fun.  Eighteen holes on the weekend might be all they can manage.

The Honma T//World GS fairway and hybridKey technologies include draw-biased weighting, Flip Sole and game-improvement graphics.Retail prices start at $249.

The Honma T//World GS series is arguably the most important component of its mainline offerings designed to cater to the North American golfer.

The reasoning is simple. Most golfers are, by definition, average. And if you want to maximize your reach, making sure you have something for your most plentiful customer is probably a sound idea.

Equipment manufacturers tend to politely call this segment of equipment “game-improvement” or “game-enhancement.” Golf can be a painfully difficult (if not seemingly impossible at times) game. And most of us who play it need equipment that helps mitigate our mistakes, rather than expose them.

T//World GS

Many golfers likely still associate Honma with its gold-plated, blingy and arguably ostentatious Beres line. At $4,500a club, it tends to make an impression. And if not “Beres” (and I’m sure Honma would prefer it not be the case), the next answer is likely “Justin Rose.”

The Honma T//World GS driver is for golfers seeking more speed and greater forgiveness.Key technologies include a Keel Sole, Flip Slot and Radial Face Technology.Retail prices start at $499.

Before we dig into the requisite details of the new Honma T//World GS driver, a quick refresher on the brand couldn’t hurt.

The Beres line is positioned as “super premium.” The focus is on what Honma describes as “legendary craftsmanship and prestige with unparalleled beauty.” Beres models are based on a star system. 2-Star irons start at $350 a stick. 5-Star irons feature real 24k gold accents and inlays and will set you back $4,500. That’s per iron.

Despite the aspirational (or foolish … perspective is everything here) sticker price, Beres is Honma’s best-selling line worldwide.

KABOOM that! PXG got nuthin’ on Honma.

Brooks Koepka suffered a "right knee cap dislocation and ligament damage" and underwent surgery on the knee last week, he told Golfweek.

Matt Jones won the Honda Classic by 5 shots Sunday, a final round of 2-under 68 good enough to finish the week at 12-under 268 at PGA National, matching the largest margin in tournament history. The win also got him back to the Masters.

Justin Harding produced a flawless final round of five-under-par 66 at the Kenya Open on Sunday to seal a two-shot victory over Kurt Kitayama and his second European Tour title.

Matt Jones took advantage of Aaron Wise's struggles Saturday, shooting a 1-under 69 to take a three-shot lead in the Honda Classic.

Justin Harding will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the European Tour's Kenya Open after a 7-under 64 on Saturday.

Key Takeaways

Inesis—the golf brand of sporting goods giant Decathlon—wants to define “fair” pricing for the golfer.The company says its Tour 900 urethane golf ball costs the same to produce as the ProV1, TP5 and others.At $29.99 per dozen, the price difference comes from streamlined production and eliminating “useless” costs.

Inesis Golf isn’t the first company to offer the concept of “fair” pricing and it won’t be the last. But it is one of the few companies in golf that will tell you exactly what it means by fair pricing and how it gets there.

In 2021, that might be as transparent as you can get.

Inesis, as you’ve read on these pages before, is the golf-specific brand of $12-billion sporting goods giant Decathlon. Based in France, Decathlon has built a unique operation that’s as vertically integrated as a company can get in this day and age.

Decathlon’s goal? “To make sure the pleasure and benefits of enjoying sports are sustainable and accessible for as many people as possible.”

Whether it’s a Tour-level golf ball at $30 per dozen, a laser rangefinder for less than $200 or a set of irons for less than $500, Inesis is all about accessible. And when Inesis says accessible, it means affordable. It does not, however, mean cheap.

On a typical five-mile hike, would you rather:

A: Carry a 25-pound pack for all five miles
B: Push that 25-pound pack for all five miles
C: Just, you know, walk for all five miles

Take golf out of the equation and nearly all reasonably non-maniacal types would pick C.

According to staff writer, John Barba, “using the remote-control Motocaddy M7 is like having R2D2 as your caddie.”

With that said, we’d to get some feedback from MyGolfSpy readers.

American Wesley Bryan stripped down to his underwear to play his ball out of the mud on the sixth hole of the Honda Classic on Friday.

Scott Hend and Kalle Samooja shared a one-shot lead on Friday after two rounds of the European Tour's Kenya Open.

Aaron Wise shot the lowest 36-hole score at PGA National since the Honda Classic moved there 15 years ago to take a three-shot lead heading into the weekend.

Brooks Koepka and past finalist Gary Woodland were among five players from the top 64 in the world who will not be playing in the Match Play next week at Austin Country Club.

The opinionated, irascible and entertaining Frank Thomas has passed away at age 81 after a heart attack.
He is survived by Valerie Melvin, his wife and business partner, his children Joanne Thomas, Ginny Zimmerman, Will Thomas and grandchildren Colin and Jordan Zimmerman, Alli and Ryan White.

Defender of Tradition and Innovation

A fixture and a defining figure within the USGA from 1974 to 2000, he was a formidable defender of product compliance.

Thomas ruled on every club and golf ball developed during his 26 years at the USGA, walking the golf industry’s perilous tightrope like a Wallenda. The reams of equipment rules, many of which Thomas wrote, were intended to maintain traditional golf values but not stifle innovation and technology.

Principles, ethics and the fundamental sanctity of the game were his guiding lights. He resigned from the USGA when his views on thin-faced drivers diverged from those of his employer.

“All they were concerned about was the lawsuits,” said Thomas. “I told them, ‘Guys, we have to jump all over this. This is a problem.’ When they said ‘no’, I knew it was time for me to go.” Prior to joining the USGA, he designed the first graphite golf shaft while working for Shakespeare Sporting Goods, well known then only for fishing rods.

Key Takeaways

Sub 70 TAIII forged blades are co-designed by Sub 70 owner Jason Hiland and PGA TOUR pro Tommy Armour III.Armour will play the TAIII irons on the PGA TOUR Champions this season.4-PW $990; a la carte options are available. Check Sub 70’s website for details.

The new Sub 70 TAIII irons are the answer to a question you maybe never knew you had.

As in: “What happens when you cross an innovative club designer with a gear-head pro who held the PGA TOUR scoring record for 14 years and whose namesake grandfather won three majors and is in the World Golf Hall of Fame? And had his name on one of the top-selling irons of all time?”

Oh, and don’t forget big assists from Darren Clarke’s caddie and a former Purdue Boilermaker.

C’mon, aren’t you just the slightest bit intrigued?

The new Sub 70 TAIII irons are the progeny of Tommy Armour III and Sub 70’s Jason Hiland. And the story of what they are and how they came about might just be the highlight of your day.

2021 Women’s Spikeless Shoe Buyer’s Guide

Are you a woman golfer who wants the best-performing shoe to help your game? In 2021, we have tested the best shoes on the market to narrow down your choices and get you playing your best golf.

In past years, most OEMs focussed too much on making the shoe look feminine, leaving performance by the wayside. However, the penny seems to have dropped in 2021 with the OEMs starting to put a premium on performance.

No matter what your priorities are, this article will direct you to the best shoe for your game and hopefully make 2021 your best year yet.

WINNER – adidas EQT SL

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If you’re looking for a new spikeless golf shoe for the 2021 season, look no further than the adidas EQT SL. Its consistent overall performance across most categories earned it the No. 1 spot. Its Boost technology allows for great comfort and instant reaction to your swing.