Golfing News & Blog Articles

We’ve finally made it. The Masters is here.

For the first time since last July, we have the best players in the world convening in one place. And while ratings for both the PGA Tour and LIV have been struggling mightily, the Masters has long been immune to that kind of apathy.

People who watch only once or twice per year will tune in this week. The aura around Augusta National has only increased along with the growing importance of golf’s four majors.

We all want to know who will win. I’ve studied it from every angle and am confident the Masters winner will come out of these 10 players. Who isn’t on this list—Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay and others—might be just as surprising as who is on it.

Will I be right? Please come back on Monday to mercilessly mock me if I’m not.

We want to talk about protecting the most temperamental club in the bag: your putter. If you doubt its proclivity for chaos, just ask Scottie Scheffler. With that in mind, we decided to round up the best putter covers you can buy. A putter can be an investment on par with a driver so you might want to think about what you’re using to keep it in pristine condition.

It’s imperative that you keep your putter safe from dings, scuffs and the general wear and tear that comes with sidling up alongside a bunch of irons and wedges which, of course, don’t know they should be respecting your putter’s precious personal space. Plus, who among us isn’t guilty of taking the putter cover off after the first hole and leaving it in the cart until we wrap up 18? Get a putter cover, for the love of Tiger.

These days, just about any putter cover provides protection and security, with the only real variable being the closure, which will either be Velcro or magnetic. The fun part, then, is deciding what kind of impression you want your cover to make. Your favorite sports team, your alma mater, a callback to your other favorite hobby—the options are endless. When in doubt, you can always just rock a cover made by the brand that makes your putter — there are some especially good ones for PINGheads.

We dropped some of our favorites below but there are so many more than we can cover here. Let us know who we missed in the comments (especially if you have a secret Etsy shop we need to know about).

The Best Putter Covers

CMC Design Headcover

The college logo putter cover is a mainstay for blade and mallet users. Peruse through the Golf Galaxy or PGA Tour Superstore and you’ll be able to find a cover with just about any college logo or, at the very least, one from your favorite major university sports team. For this story’s purposes, we chose the Badgers because of their proximity to Wisconsin’s stellar courses but you obviously can choose whichever school you love most. 

Perhaps one of the most underrated iron companies in golf, Wilson has a long and successful history of making irons which have been in the bags of many major winners in the past. Their Wilson lineup of irons may not be as robust as others but they still have models to fit the needs of most, if not all, golfers. In this Model-by-Model review, we will highlight all the current models available from Wilson.

Wilson Release Cycle:

Wilson has a typically longer release cycle than other manufacturers. We do not see a new series of irons every year but typically between 24 to 36 months. To help with consistency, the family of irons will normally release in alternate years so there is not a large gap between their overall releases.

As a recent example, Wilson released their Dynapower range of irons in early 2023 and, in 2024, Wilsonreleased the Dynapower Forged and Wilson Staff models.

Key Technologies for Wilson:

Taking center stage is the Wilson Fit AI. Launched in December 2023, it is their new way to fit golfers into the proper shaft and model in only five swings. MyGolfSpy staff writer John Barba goes into full details here (a must-read) but the short version is this.

“The Wilson Fit AI kit features a special fitting club with a Blast Motion swing sensor built into the grip. When connected to the app, the sensor picks up 12,000 swing data points and compares those points to the 325 million swings in the Blast Motion library. All that information goes through Wilson’s proprietary AI system to fit you into a Wilson iron. It also recommends the best shaft for you as well as length and lie.”

Tiger Woods thinks Rory McIlroy still has what it takes to win the Masters.

Min Woo Lee said a "miraculously good" recovery will allow him to play in the Masters less than two weeks after he suffered a broken finger.

Jordan Spieth revealed Tuesday that he reinjured his left wrist at last week's Valero Texas Open.

You should be able to save more strokes when you have a higher lofted iron or putter in your hands. So why is it that you can’t hit it close for a 1-putt every time you are near the green? Of course, you need to read the green before every approach stroke, but you need to use the right club and practice to make more 1-putt greens.

We have all heard that it is better to putt when you are near the green but in most cases, this is hogwash.

Why not make a putting-chip?
1/ On any given round of golf you have hit many putts, and you know the speed of the green. Your mind is tuned in to that speed for your putter. Unfortunately, you can’t get that feel out of your head. I have seen too many rounds of professional golf on TV where a pro makes a SHORT putt from off the green.
2/ You can’t trust the fringe or the ruff grass just off the green as the bent grass will push your putt off course every time. You need an easy way to lift your ball over the ruff so that it can roll out to the hole.

Solution
Putt with an Iron or Hybrid: That’s right, just make a putting stroke with any of your lofted clubs to lift your ball over the ruff and let it rollout on the green up to the hole. This may seem revolutionary but what could be easier with clubs that are already in your bag.
1/ You don’t need to make this adjustment with a heavier new club that take a lot more time to learn the feel. You are already familiar with the feel of your clubs for a full swing.
2/ The only thing you need to learn is how much backswing is needed for the hit that you want to make. We are not talking about a full backswing. A putting stroke is easier to make than any chip shot.
3/ It’s so much easier to let the weight of your club control your swing for a putting-chip that will only travel up to 30 yards.
4/ The simplicity of this shot is all in the ease of swinging your club head directly under your eyes like a putter. Grip down on your chosen club so that the shaft is almost vertical and your club head is only touching the ground at the TOE to minimize turf contact (NOT THE FULL LEADING EDGE ). Just hold the face of your club so that the flat is perpendicular to the direction that you are hitting.

Of course you can practice with your GOLFSTR+ to keep your leading wrist flat for your putting-chip stroke. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Tiger Woods is facing the inevitable fight that none of us likes to face. He talked about it Tuesday ahead of his play at the Masters.

The post On Tiger Woods, and the fight that none of us likes to face    appeared first on Golf.

There's an exclusive Masters beer that we know is brewed for just one week of the year. But virtually everything else about it is secret.

The post The Masters has a ‘mystery beer.’ We tried to find its origin appeared first on Golf.

After his Tuesday practice round at the Masters, Fred Couples was asked if his stance on LIV Golf has changed. Here's what he said.

The post Fred Couples’ latest LIV Golf take? At the Masters, he opened up again    appeared first on Golf.

Norway's Viktor Hovland spent a good portion of Tuesday's pre-Masters new conference detailing the work he has put in to improve his golf swing.

From sushi and wagyu beef to chicken and macaroni and cheese, the Masters Champions Dinner has had a pretty diverse menu. Here's Jon Rahm's selection and more from dinners past.

Rory McIlroy needs to win the Masters to complete the career grand slam. Tiger Woods was asked about his chances.

The post Tiger Woods’ surprisingly assertive view on Rory McIlroy’s Masters chances appeared first on Golf.

Thinking about betting on the Masters? Dive into these historical trends to help determine who your pick should be this year.

The post Betting on the Masters? These historical trends are a fun way to make your pick appeared first on Golf.

The 2024 Masters gets underway Thursday. Here are nine picks our betting expert loves (and why he thinks you should too).

The post Masters betting guide: 9 picks our gambling expert loves this week appeared first on Golf.

PGA Golf Professional Brendon R. Elliott gives his tips for navigating sloped greens like the ones players will face at Augusta this week.

The post How to navigate extremely sloped greens like at Augusta National appeared first on Golf.

With golfers increasing distance by adding speed, we talk with an expert club fitter to find out how new clubs should be adjusted.

The post Do I need new clubs if my swing speed goes up? | Firsthand with a Fitter appeared first on Golf.

Up until two weeks ago, Koepka had a particular look and feel he preferred on the greens. Then everything changed.

The post Is Brooks Koepka’s Masters gear shakeup a cause for concern? appeared first on Golf.

Read our complete 2024 Masters viewer's guide, including Masters tee times, TV schedules and streaming info to watch the action from Augusta.

The post 2024 Masters viewer’s guide: Tee times for rounds 1 and 2, TV schedule, streaming appeared first on Golf.