Golfing News & Blog Articles

Golf season is here for many of us which means it’s finally time to cash in on all that offseason work you’ve been doing. If you’ve already gotten that maiden round of the year in, chances are you noticed a bit of rust has accumulated on your short game. The Pocket Bunker is a golf training aid that offers to help you do that, specifically for your sand game.

The Problem:

Let’s be honest: Regardless of the time of year, you probably don’t practice your bunker game enough, if at all.  For many of us, practice time is limited. When we do get to the range or practice facility, getting in a bunker to work out of the sand is pretty low on the priority list. That’s assuming a well-maintained practice bunker is available, which often isn’t the case.

The Solution: 

For $21.99, Amazon will ship you the Pocket Bunker to solve that problem. Golf training aids come in all shapes and sizes and the Pocket Bunker is certainly an example of that. Take a golf ball-like sphere, add what looks like plastic octopus appendages to the bottom half and, voila!,  the Pocket Bunker. It weighs reasonably close to a normal ball but the texture of the golf ball portion is more rubbery. Imagine the feel of a bouncy ball mixed with a cheap ionomer-covered golf ball and you’ll have an idea of what the Pocket Bunker feels like. 

Those octopus-like appendages are a firm but flexible rubber and that’s how the Pocket Bunker attempts to mimic bunker play. Strike those legs too high and you’ll get a thin shot. Too low, a fat shot. In the middle … just right. Or at least that’s what the Pocket Bunker website says.

How I Found It: 

If you’re like me, you wouldn’t normally think of training aid solutions for bunker play. Amazon agrees. I entered “golf training aids” in their search menu, scrolled … scrolled … and scrolled some more. (Yes, these are the confessions of a training-aid sucker.) Finally, after a seemingly endless stream of full-swing aids and their knockoffs, I found the Pocket Bunker.

The Masters returns to Augusta as Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and more of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf's finest compete for a green jacket. Here are all the event details.

Futures betting odds to win the 2024 Masters Tournament.

The Masters Tournament seemingly always provides incredible drama. Here are some of the most epic shots and moments from the modern tournament.

Bernard Langer, who had planned for this to be his final Masters as a competitor, has instead delayed his farewell until 2025 as he recovers from a torn Achilles.

Masters champion Jon Rahm has called for LIV Golf to move to the traditional 72-hole tournament format used on the PGA Tour, as the two circuits continue to compete against each other.

Can Jon Rahm repeat? Will Rory McIlroy finally complete his career Grand Slam? Can anyone stop Scottie Scheffler? We break down the Masters field.

He stands 6-8, his ball travels 200 mph and lands some 320 yards away. Meet Christo Lamprecht.

Barring a setback, five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods is likely to make his 26th appearance at Augusta National this week.

Imagine a world where real golf professionals design real golf training aids.

Born from a need to help real golfers. 

Well, thanks to Rypstick, that’s the world we now live in.

The early days of the pandemic, when at-home training was at the top of many golfers’ minds, spurred the creation of Rypstick. The company’s goal was to revolutionize golf training, transforming players’ games with scientifically backed, speed-enhancing technology. But they wanted to do more than just increase speed.

How It All Started

Golf Digest recognized Luke Benoit as Best Young Teacher and Best in State from 2012 to 2022. Benoit is the Director of Instruction at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn. He’s coached state champions, professionals, college players, new golfers and plenty of amateurs.

The Masters has an outstanding tradition of having past champions donate a club used during their victory. 

Every winner dating back to the inaugural 1934 Masters has given a club, and the collection is on display inside the Augusta National clubhouse. 

The display was recently missing a club from one past winner—Fred Couples, the 1992 victor—who didn’t realize his mistake until 2021 when he brought the MacGregor Eye 85 persimmon driver he used to capture the green jacket. 

“There were a few guys laughing,” Couples said at the time, comparing the clubhead size to the microphone at his press conference. “I think they were laughing because I think maybe they thought I won in 1970 instead of 1992.” 

As Couples can attest, golf gear has evolved in countless ways over the past 90 years since the Masters started—but the clubs used still hold a special place in tournament lore. 

It’s April and spring has officially sprung. Flowers are blooming, the grass is getting greener and, yes, your mind is correct for wandering to Georgia—it’s time for the Masters! 

We love this time of year as much as the next golfer but, as the saying goes, “April showers bring the best months of the year for golf.” (That’s how it goes … right?) Not only is this to wear your waterproof golf gear at home but it’s also time to start thinking about this summer’s big golf trip for you and your pals. 

When planning a golf getaway, the first place you need to go is Golfbreaks. The site can set you up on the golf vacation of your dreams, with everything from green fees to hotel costs and resort fees included in one price, no “guesstimation” required. You can visit the UK or Ireland, the Caribbean or Mexico and just about any U.S. state you could possibly visit. They can secure tee times at the most prestigious courses and can plan trips around major events like the Masters. 

While they have comprehensive packages to take you on just about any golf trip you can imagine, we know that spending a fortune isn’t an option for most of us. That’s why we are highlighting the best budget trips you can plan this spring from ultra-affordable trips to American golf havens like Palm Springs and Scottsdale to more adventurous excursions in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

Budget Trips at a Glance

In the Lower 48

Woohoo! It’s golf season again! (Unless you’re lucky enough to live somewhere where you can play year-round. Then it’s always golf season.)

Time to tee it up, perhaps with new clubs. Maybe you’ll bring an improved swing and cash in on all that offseason work. But one big question must be answered: Where are you going to play? 

Golf might be simple recreation and a chance for some zen for you. For others, golf is a mountain to climb in a dedicated pursuit of a lower handicap. Either way, the whole event of getting out on the course can go downhill quickly if you pick the wrong track. In many cases, that decision starts with one basic start-of-the-season question: public golf versus private.

Course Conditions

There are lots of very nice public courses with talented maintenance staff that keep them in excellent condition. Courses that charge a higher rate can usually be counted on to be committed to maintaining the place. Semi-private courses (open to the public but with a limited membership with preferred access to the tee sheet) can rival the best private tracks. That said, it’s generally safe to say that a private golf club is likely to be superior in quality to the public courses in the surrounding area. Revenue at a private course is also constant no matter how many rounds are played in a given month, so the maintenance budget is basically fixed. Not so at a public course where a dip in rounds played could lead to a need to trim expenses, possibly by cutting corners or relaxing standards on the course itself.

Pace of Play

All it takes is one group, maybe even one player, to move like molasses and golfers will start stacking up behind them. Nothing kills the momentum and fun of a good round like slow play and it can happen at any public or private course.

Akshay Bhatia nearly celebrated too soon Sunday, hurting his left shoulder while pumping his arms on a 12-foot birdie to force a playoff. He recovered to make birdie on the first extra hole and win the Texas Open over hard-luck Denny McCarthy.

Nelly Korda won the T-Mobile Match Play on Sunday became the first LPGA Tour player in 16 years to win four straight starts, taking four of the first seven holes and going on to beat Leona Maguire 4 and 3 at Shadow Creek.

Dean Burmester of South Africa won for the first time on the LIV Golf League by closing with a 4-under 68 and beating Sergio Garcia in a playoff Sunday when the Spaniard hit into the water on the second extra hole at LIV Golf Miami.

It's time for the 2024 Masters! Will Jon Rahm successfully defend his title? Check out how to watch the Augusta action on ESPN now.

Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are among Masters winners throughout golf history. Check out the rest of the list.

Three LIV Golf players finished in the top five of last year's Masters tournament. Is this the year one ends up winning it all?