From golfdigest.com: The Hawk won what’s now called the Dean & DeLuca Invitational five times, and there’s a statue of him by the clubhouse. But we thought of a more intimate way to feel him: by blowing the dust off a couple of his drivers and a Hogan model 1-iron, and putting the odd, old…
The Right-Side Swing
Gary Edwin (pictured) is the originator of the right-side-swing. Notice the “reverse-K” setup with additional weight on the left-side. I first learned about the right-side swing in 2004-2005. I’m always looking for new ideas about the golf swing. Basically, there isn’t a swing theory I won’t evaluate because you never know where great ideas are…
Groove Wear
“Fresh grooves, we have to have them. Our tour pins are tucked in tight spots, so you have to be able to hit it low and hit it high with the right amount of spin. If the grooves are not fresh, you’re going to get inconsistency.” — Jordan Spieth Amateur golfers may not have the…
Taking Your Range Game to the Course
A question I often hear from students is, “Why is it so difficult to take my range game to the course?” One of the reasons why it’s challenging to perform at the same level on the golf course as on the practice range is that a shot doesn’t mean anything on the range. There is…
The Mini Driver
If you’re thinking about using a shorter length driver, you’ll want to weigh several options. For example, how far do you currently hit a 45-inch driver and how much distance will you lose? Consider that both Jimmy Walker and Rickie Fowler — who are using shorter length shafts in their drivers now — can move…
Riviera: Hogan’s Alley
I worked at Rivera Country Club and Bel-Aire Country Club for a total of five years when I lived in Los Angeles in the 1990’s. They are two of my favorite golf courses anywhere. Both are very unique. They were designed by the team of George C. Thomas, Jr. and William Bell. Billy Bell was…
Improving Your Short Game Practice
When a golfer pulls off a really difficult shot around the green, I believe this reveals how the power of belief can overcome the difficulty of a particular shot; or even a player’s mechanical limitations. Making one of those shots once might be a fluke. But doing it more than once indicates that there’s something…
Ben Hogan’s Lighter Side
Much has been made of Ben Hogan’s steely-eyed, silent demeanor when playing in competition. But the lighter aspect of his personality is often revealed by close friends such as LPGA pro, Kris Tschetter. From Mr. Hogan, The Man I Knew… I closed with a one over par round of 72, but I still didn’t feel…
ShotLink
At every Tour stop, ShotLink sets up a command center armed with a network of computers, 36 lasers strategically placed on tripods throughout the course, and walking volunteer scorers who manually input the number of strokes and the type of lies (fairway, green, bunker, rough) into a handheld device. Now, instead of five or six…
2017 Brings Endorsement / Equipment Changes
“We knew contracts were going to come up at the end of last year and we were just hoping to do the best we could. We did our due diligence and looked around but when Nike came in they were like – just give us five days…” — Jason Day Some of the most recognizable…
Donald Ross
“His stamp as an architect was naturalness.” — Jack Nicklaus Donald Ross was a professional golfer and golf course designer who was born in Dornoch, Scotland, but who became a citizen of (and spent most of his adult life in) the United States. He was involved in designing or redesigning approximately 400 golf courses from…
Rory, Adam and The Numbers
“Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are pliable.” — Mark Twain Looking over the 2016 PGA Tour statistics, something jumped out at me. Statistically, Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott enjoyed outstanding years in 2016. Rory finished 5th in scoring average and 11th in greens in regulation. Adam Scott was even better: 4th in scoring average…
Beef Johnston & John Daly: The Beer and Golf Challenge
From ESPN.com: Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston has made quite the impression after bursting onto the PGA Tour in 2016 — and his Happy Gilmore antics are just getting started. Alongside 1991 PGA Championship winner John Daly, Johnston is set to contest a ‘birdie, beer and beef triathlon’ in 2017 after being challenged by Australian Steven Bowditch….
Tiger’s Comeback: What’s At Stake?
There is a great deal riding on Tiger Woods’ return to competitive golf this week. Although Tiger most certainly feels this way, the stakes are actually much higher for a number of other parties: the TV networks, advertisers and the PGA tour. When Tiger retreated from competitive golf, the Tour went into a tailspin. It…
Tiger Returns This Week
From ESPN.com: “Not being able to get out of bed, not being able to move, how can I expect to come out here and swing a golf club at 120 miles an hour and be ballistic when I can’t even get out of bed? So, yeah, there was a lot of trepidation and times where…
Titleist Files for IPO
Acushnet Holdings Corp., the golf products company that owns the Titleist and Pinnacle brands, has filed for an initial public offering in the U.S. to allow shareholders to cash out part of their stakes. The company could fetch a valuation of about $2 billion, people familiar with the matter said last year. Acushnet is owned…
John Daly’s Close Call
“My life changed in four days,’’ [following the PGA victory] he recalled. “I wasn’t ready for the aftermath of it. All this money started coming and all these hands were out and I didn’t know how to deal with it. I was like, ‘Screw this, I’m just going to go to a bar and get…
Tiger: “I’m Going to Get More” (than 18 Majors)
Tiger Woods’ recent interview with Charlie Rose (Oct 20, 2016):
Jim Nantz Honors Arnold Palmer
Jim Nantz’ eulogy for his friend Arnold Palmer…very special:
The New, Improved US Ryder Cup Presence: Mickelson’s Legacy?
Phil Mickelson’s comments following the US Ryder Cup team’s defeat at Gleneagles, Scotland (September 28, 2014): “We had a great formula in ’08. I don’t know why we strayed. I don’t know why we don’t go back. What Zinger did was great. There were two things that allow us to play our best I think…