Golfing News & Blog Articles

In the competitive golf equipment industry, bold new designs typically appear and disappear like seasonal apparel collections. True innovation – the kind that fundamentally changes how clubs are made or perform – is rare. But for COBRA Golf, innovation hasn’t just been a marketing buzzword; it’s been the backbone of a company that’s spent decades challenging the status quo.

What the hell is innovation, anyway?

“Innovation” is one of those words that gets banged around more than a range ball at a municipal course. It typically means whatever the person using it wants it to mean. So perhaps it’s worth understanding what “innovation” actually means to COBRA Golf.

“Innovation is coming up with something that didn’t exist before,” says Mike Yagley, VP of Innovation at COBRA Golf. “It could be something that really benefits a consumer in terms of feel, distance, speed, spin, trajectory control. Or it could literally be, ‘Hey, we figured out a way to make this a little bit easier.’ What we focus on is the consumer. What’s not working for them? What’s broken? How can we fix that?”

I know what you’re thinking. That sounds like pretty standard corporate-speak. But here’s the thing – COBRA backs it up.

From parking lot demos to industry disruptor

COBRA’s innovative spirit traces back to its founder, Tom Crow, who in 1975 introduced the original Baffler utility wood, designed to help golfers escape difficult lies. To show the effectiveness of his unique design, Crow would visit local pro shops, drop balls in the parking lot and ask the employees to hit balls into the Carlsbad hills.

We’ve reached the third major of the year.

There will be no surprises in terms of difficulty this week at Oakmont. The course is an absolute brute—among the toughest in the country—and a winning score of even par or worse is a possibility, although modern technology tends to make U.S. Open massacres a little less bloody.

The rough? It’s at least five inches thick.

The greens? They are running above 14 on the Stimpmeter.

The bunkers? They can be nasty, especially if your ball kneels for a prayer in the church pews.

We’ve all been there—standing on the first tee, watching our playing partners hit it straight down the middle while we’re already planning our search party for the woods. Sound familiar?

Most golfers are so focused on crushing the ball 300 yards that they forget the most important part: keeping it in play. You can’t score from the trees, no matter how far you hit it.

The good news? Driving accuracy isn’t some mystical art form. It’s achievable, and you don’t need to sacrifice distance. When you start hitting more fairways, you’ll often hit it farther, too.

Swing smooth

That extra 10 percent effort you’re putting into your swing is probably costing you 20 yards of accuracy. A smooth 85-percent swing will almost always beat a violent 110-percent effort. Your muscles work better without tension and your timing stays consistent when you’re not trying to kill the ball. Think “smooth” instead of “smash.”

Keep your head behind the ball

This is huge and the most common mistake I see. When you slide your head forward during the downswing, you move the bottom of your swing arc forward, too. This leads to inconsistent contact and pushes or pulls. Feel like your head stays behind the ball through impact—you should actually hit slightly up on the ball with your driver.

When it comes to product collaborations surrounding majors, the only one that comes close to the Masters is the U.S. Open.

Before you start accusing me of xenophobia, let me say that Open Championship collabs are this close to U.S. Open collabs. However, when you combine golf and a red, white and blue color scheme with beer, I’m sorry, the rest of the world looks up at you.

Bridgestone Golf is the king of golf ball collabs. No one does it better and only a few (particularly Vice, if you’re thinking of accusing me of xenophobia again) are even close. We knew Bridgestone would come out with something cool for the U.S. Open but this new collab with old friend Pabst Blue Ribbon beer is an all-American bolt of lightning.

Bridgestone Golf x Pabst Blue Ribbon: A U.S. Open grand slam

 Bridgestone first collaborated with Pabst Blue Ribbon last fall to celebrate Pabst’s 180th anniversary. They’re joining forces again, this time to commemorate this week’s 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont.

“We’re excited to launch another collection with Pabst Blue Ribbon,” says Bridgestone President Dan Murphy. “After last year’s drop sold out so quickly, our consumers asked for more and we stepped up and delivered.”

When I was younger, I watched the group ahead of me head straight to the back tees. At my local course, they were called the “pro tees.” Naturally, I assumed anyone playing from the pro tees had to be, well, a pro.

It didn’t take long to learn otherwise. A six-hour round later, I realized those tees weren’t reserved for pros. Instead, they were often chosen by average joes, most of whom didn’t have the game to belong there.

If you’re heading to the back tees to make you look like a good golfer, it might be time to rethink it. Here are five signs you’re not ready for the back tees.

You’re hitting hybrids or fairway woods into every par-4

If you’re reaching for a hybrid or fairway wood on nearly every approach shot, you’re playing a course that’s too long for your game.

According to the USGA’s “Best Tees” initiative, golfers should be hitting 6-iron or shorter into most par-4s.

Rain stays away for most of the day as players practice and crowds take in wet Oakmont. Plus, Matt Vogt returns to the place where he caddied, Quotables and several course perspectives.

Justin Thomas knows it's far-fetched, but he still wondered aloud Monday what it would take to catch world no. 1 Scottie Scheffler.

Can anyone stop Scottie Scheffler? Will Rory McIlroy find his game? We break down the U.S. Open field at Oakmont from the clear favorites all the way to the players looking to make the cut.

When it comes to limited edition golf gear, most brands follow a predictable playbook: slap some stars and stripes on everything, throw in a few patriotic slogans, and call it a day. TaylorMade could have done exactly that for this year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont.

Instead, they’ve created something a bit more interesting.

The Heritage Collection manages to honor both the championship and TaylorMade’s own legacy in a way that feels authentic rather than forced. While red, white, and blue elements are present throughout the collection, they’re balanced with a deeper story that connects TaylorMade’s founding to the host venue.

The Pittsburgh connection

The star of the Heritage Collection isn’t just another flag-themed staff bag. It’s a love letter to TaylorMade’s origin story and the city that’s hosting this year’s championship.

In 1979, TaylorMade founder Gary Adams created the Pittsburgh Persimmon, a stainless steel driver that would fundamentally change the game. The name was a deliberate nod to industrial Pittsburgh, symbolizing a new age of metalwoods in golf.

Ryan Fox hit a towering approach on the fourth playoff hole to seal the RBC Canadian Open. Here's the 3-wood he used.

The post Here’s the 3-wood Ryan Fox used for shot of his life at RBC Canadian Open appeared first on Golf.

Phil Mickelson finished off his pre-U.S. Open LIV Golf event in style, holing an insane sideways flop shot Byrson DeChambeau called "magic."

The post ‘Pure genius!’ Phil Mickelson holes insane sideways flop ahead of U.S. Open appeared first on Golf.

Ryan Fox’s soaring 3-wood to close out his Canadian Open win was a stunner. Here’s how he pulled it off, and what you can take from it.

The post Ryan Fox called it ‘the best shot I’ve ever hit.’ Here’s what you can take from it appeared first on Golf.

The 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont was Dustin Johnson's major breakthrough, but a bizarre rules controversy loomed over Sunday's final round.

The post The U.S. Open rules controversy that rocked Oakmont: An oral history appeared first on Golf.

The 2025 U.S. Open is here. Here are the 156 players who will vie for the championship at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania.

The post 2025 U.S. Open field: Here’s who is playing at Oakmont appeared first on Golf.

Golf's best will descend upon Oakmont Country Club this week for the 2025 U.S. Open. But some notable faces will be missing.

The post 8 surprising players you won’t see at the U.S. Open appeared first on Golf.

The GOLF.com staff makes its sleeper selections for the U.S. Open at Oakmont following Bryson DeChambeau’s victory last year.

The post 2025 U.S. Open sleeper picks to watch: Who might break out at Oakmont appeared first on Golf.

The GOLF.com staff makes its picks to win for this week's U.S. Open at Oakmont following Bryson DeChambeau’s victory in 2024.

The post 2025 U.S. Open picks to win: Here’s who our staff is betting on at Oakmont  appeared first on Golf.

While Oakmont’s penalizing bunkers and diabolical greens are familiar to most, lesser known areas on property also showcase club history.

The post In Oakmont’s venerable clubhouse, history lives around every corner appeared first on Golf.

Six strokes off the lead with one round remaining, a voice in Johnny Miller's head provided a U.S. Open-winning tip.

The post ‘Open your stance way up’: Johnny Miller revisits divine tip that led to 1973 U.S. Open win at Oakmont appeared first on Golf.

In its quarter century of dominance, the Titleist Pro V1 has become the golf ball against which all others are measured. That’s not a particularly enlightened observation, but it is an important one. It’s the number one ball in golf on Tour and with consumers by, oh, I don’t know, at least a mile—maybe more.

Every challenger, be it a new offering from a mainstream competitor or an out-of-left-field Hail Mary from a direct-to-consumer brand you’ve never heard of, tries to call out the Pro V1 for a duel in the street at High Noon. Those challengers find out there are only two types of golf balls in the duel, the Quick and the Dead. And nobody outquicks the Pro V1.

For a brief shining moment back in 2016, the original Kirkland signature had its shot. Our own testing showed that very first K-Sig had what it took to challenge the Pro V1, particularly at $30 per double-dozen. Unfortunately for consumers, that original K-Sig was a unicorn.

Due more to manufacturing limitations than lawsuits, the original K-Sig was a brief shining moment in history that COSTCO simply couldn’t replicate. Its subsequent Performance Plus golf balls were, simply put, mediocre at best. They have lived a good life, living off the reputation of the 2016 ball, but testing showed them to be short, spinny and not terribly durable.

Kirkland Version 3.0: A new hope?

COSTCO launched Version 3.0 last year. MyGolfSpy’s Ball Lab rated well below average. Its compression was all over the place, as was its sizing. The Ball Lab score of 45 may have been generous.