Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2019 i Golf Digest

“When’s the last time you moved something 130, 140, 150 miles per hour?” This month’s Editor’s Letter is my annual Q&A with Golf Digest equipment editors Mike Stachura and Mike Johnson, who just turned in their 16th edition of the Hot List: YOU’VE SAID AROUND THE HALLWAYS, “THIS IS THE YEAR TO BUY A DRIVER.” WHAT MAKES 2019 DIFFERENT? Stachura: More levels of adjustability fit more golfers’ preferences than ever, and there’s no compromise on looks. Every driver today looks like a race car and feels like it goes that fast, because it does—when’s the last time you moved something 130, 140, 150 miles per hour? Also, manufacturing of drivers is getting right to the edge of being too hot for the rules. EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT THE FOUR-YARD DISTANCE GAIN…

BENJAMIN BURKE is telling me about piano lessons. “We had to sing, but I’m not that kind of person,” he says. His parents and I laugh, but he isn’t making a joke. In a way that’s quite matter-of-fact, he knows himself, and he knows what he is and isn’t about. It sounds a little crazy to talk about a 10-year-old like that, but sometimes Benjamin comes across older. Three years of treatments for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia will do that. Just three more months of treatments remain. He’ll get them at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, one of 170 Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. Barbara and Jack Nicklaus, in their continued support of children’s health care, are leading a new campaign to raise $100 million to benefit…

CALLAWAY APEX (2019) $270 VERDICT Don’t let the compact shape fool you. This hybrid has plenty of ball-speed technology, such as the high-strength steel face that wraps around the perimeter to increase flexibility over a larger area. Plus, the company’s “jailbreak” technology has two internal bars that join the crown and sole to support even more face flexing. Still, this hybrid allows better players to shape shots with a flatter trajectory and a mid-level spin to hold greens. COMMENTS (L) Muted whack at impact. Hard to hook, which is good for better players. (M) Hitting it pure makes you feel like a player. (H) An old-school feel with modern technology. CALLAWAY BIG BERTHA (2019) $270 VERDICT Callaway’s most ambitious hybrid design starts with a high-strength steel alloy in a wraparound…

That 3-iron that goes the same distance as your 4-iron. Or the 8-degree loft gap between pitching and sand wedge. That 6-iron you borrowed from an old set after you chucked the original into a pond. We get it. Your set of clubs has a hole or two in it when it comes to evenly spacing the distances through the bag. Well, you’re not alone. According to data from Cobra, whose Cobra Connect GPS sensors track player statistics in conjunction with the Arccos Caddie app, 42 percent of golfers have one gapping problem in their set makeup. (Cobra defined a gapping issue as two adjacent clubs within two yards in distance.) Information collected from Cobra Connect, which is offered as a free option on certain Cobra iron sets, paints an…

I’M ONE OF VERY FEW guys over age 45 who plays a full PGA Tour schedule. Other than Phil Mickelson, who’s an absolute marvel at 48, most golf fans would have a difficult time naming the rest of us. When I first got a tour card, any given week the field had at least a dozen real veterans, guys who’d played with golfers I’d only seen in photographs. Nowadays, 36 or 37 feels old out here. Instead of three or four generations of players, it’s like we have two. It’s no secret that players are better younger. The way our sport has developed at the junior and collegiate levels means rookies are arriving to the pros more seasoned from elite tournament experience. And obviously, physical fitness and technology have put…

"Hold off your finish like this on these half-wedge shots." Driving and approach shots are the strengths of my game, which is why I spend a lot of practice time on shorter shots—especially in that 40-to-60-yard range. Although it’s the middle of winter, you can really get good at these shots this time of year without worrying about frostbite. Let me explain. One thing I see a lot from amateurs when hitting these shorter shots is too much effort. Not only is it unnecessary to create a lot of swing speed to get the ball to the hole from these distances, it also makes it tougher to hit a good shot. Remember, these are shorter-than-normal swings. If you throw extra speed into them, there’s virtually no time to recover from…

When you’re standing on the tee box, you have to be thinking hit the fairway more than anything else. I’m one of the longest hitters on the LPGA Tour, but I don’t prioritize length—and it’s partly because of my distance. The longer the ball flies, the worse your misses can be. A big key to accuracy is tempo, and I don’t mean having a pretty swing. Rather, I mean having a swing that has speed in the right place. The fastest part of your downswing should be from hip to hip. When my hands drop to the height of my right hip, that’s when I want my driver to start moving its fastest. And then as my hands rise past my left hip in the through-swing, that’s when the club…

With an abundance of young stars, a tasty collection of major-championship venues and, yes, Tiger in full prowl mode again, it’s great to be a golf fan in 2019. But it’s even better considering the unprecedented amount you’ll be able to watch—especially if you’re willing to open your wallet. PGA Tour Live, the tour’s subscription video service that launched in 2015, has found new homes in NBC Sports Gold and starting in January on Amazon Prime, available on both for $10 a month or $65 annually. Also, the first 60-90 minutes of morning coverage for all four rounds will stream for free on Twitter. All together, this means a substantial increase in golf you can watch, with PGA Tour Live expanding from early Thursday-Friday coverage to include weekends from…

During a recent Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, the PGA Tour event CBS televised for many years, I drove an hour or so over to Hot Springs, Va., and stopped by the burial site of the great Sam Snead. It’s on the Snead family property, a beautiful piece of land in the heart of the Allegheny Mountains. After parking on the roadside, I made the short walk over to the twin gravestones of Sam and his wife, Audrey. As I lingered there, I reflected on his many contributions to the game and the way his legend continues to live. Especially this year. As immortal as Sam seems, his record of 82 PGA Tour victories, which for so long seemed as invincible as Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak, is in serious…

I’ve been on Webb Simpson’s bag for eight years now. Last May was a career highlight when we won the Players Championship. In doing so, we had to survive the famous island-green 17th. After birdieing 16 on Sunday, our lead was six, but it wasn’t time to exhale yet. We saw two days earlier what can happen on 17: In a tricky wind, Webb backed off his tee shot twice before clanking one off the bulkhead and into the water. We were able to sneak off with a double bogey—on a day when we were an incredible 11 under through 16 holes! Making the walk to 17 tee on Sunday, my goal was to make sure Webb got a mental break. I had a plan. I call it “premeditated sports…

BRIDGESTONE TOUR B JGR HF1 $850** VERDICT Some irons in this category attempt to hide their size or characteristics. There’s no such caginess here. These clubs have longer shafts, strong lofts (the 7-iron is 26 degrees, or about what some 5-irons check in at) and soles wide enough to serve cocktails. The company also makes no apologies for the fact this player likely needs fewer than eight irons: The standard set makeup here is six clubs, including two pitching wedges of 38 and 44 degrees. COMMENTS (M) The ball takes off on a beautiful trajectory with a pillow-soft landing. (H) Incredibly easy to hit. You have to swing really bad to not hit it straight. CALLAWAY BIG BERTHA (2019) $1,200 VERDICT When it comes to assisting golfers, Callaway has always…

CALLAWAY MACK DADDY 4 $150 VERDICT Spin technology is abundant here. To help you induce shot-stopping spin on all swings, there are two types of milled grooves, depending on the loft. Callaway also uses a new process for increasing surface roughness between grooves. Milled ridges provide more than 80 contact points for grabbing the ball’s cover for maximum spin, especially on those touch shots. The line’s 21 options, including nine lofts and four sole grinds, are the company’s most ever. COMMENTS (L) The ball comes off the face soft with trajectory control. The choice of grinds really lets you dial in. (M) The most precise wedges I’ve played. I could play every shot I wanted. CLEVELAND CBX $130 VERDICT Cleveland designed the CBX to fit a variety of forgiveness needs…

BETTINARDI QUEEN B 10 (2019) $400 VERDICT Bettinardi putters are famously known for their soft curves and clean lines, and the Queen B 10 is more of the same. The putter is milled from soft carbon steel, and Bettinardi’s signature “micro-honeycomb” milled face provides a firm feel for optimal feedback. The 362-gram head provides good heft and offers plenty of stability on off-center strikes. The crescent milled neck matches the toe-hang feel tour players prefer. COMMENTS (L) Gorgeous putter. Easy to align, and the ball comes off smooth. (M) The weighting takes away any issues of getting the ball to the hole. (H) This is a smooth operator. Heavy, in a good way. ODYSSEY EXO (WITH STROKE LAB) $350 VERDICT The use of multiple materials raises the stability and reduces…

Despite all the diagnostic tools available in clubfitting today, the most effective might be the simplest: a yardstick to measure the proper length for your putter. Exclusive research by national fitting chain and Golf Digest 100 Best Clubfitter Club Champion revealed that most golfers don’t fit into the standard-length putter of 35 inches. The Club Champion study of recent putter fittings revealed that only 33 percent of golfers ended up being custom-fit to a 35-inch putter, meaning nearly seven out of 10 golfers didn’t end up as standard. Though most players were within half an inch of standard (45 percent were 34½ to 35½ inches), nearly as many—44 percent—required a putter 34 inches or less. It’s documented that we’re getting taller as a species, but only 11 percent of golfers…

YOU PROBABLY FEEL PRETTY GOOD when you’re at the perfect yardage for the club in your hands. But what about those annoying yardages, like when a full 7-iron is going to be too much, and a full 8-iron might not get there? Or when you’re 45 yards from the green and your full lob wedge flies 60? I’ve seen many golfers struggle in these situations because they swing too hard or decelerate the club to try to control distance, and neither really works. If you want to hit more shots pin-high, give the methods I’ve used on the PGA Tour a try. ▶ Let’s start with in-between yardages. Here I’m swinging a 7-iron. I normally hit it 185 yards, so if I have 175 to the pin, I stand slightly…

“If you use an aiming point, make sure it’s beyond the hole.” You’re looking over a long, breaking putt, and in your mind you start drawing a picture of the ball snaking its way to the hole. What’s wrong with that image? Nothing, as long as you don’t forget about speed. Speed is the biggest factor in putting. Good speed with a bad line almost always puts you closer to the hole than bad speed with a good line. Think about that. What you need is a way of combining those two elements. You probably already pick an aiming spot on long putts. For a lot of golfers, that spot is the high point of the break, which might be halfway down your line. If that’s what you do, don’t…

I STARTED WORKING WITH GREG NORMAN in 1991, shortly after he lost his No. 1 ranking to Nick Faldo. Greg had developed a flaw in his swing. He’d slide his hips so hard toward the target on the downswing that the club would drop behind him, sometimes causing a fatal block to the right. I knew we had to get him to rotate his hips earlier coming down to take away some of that slide. Greg is the most focused person I’ve ever been around. When he wants something, he’s relentless, and he committed to making the change. It was grueling at times, but two years later, he got back to No. 1. The lesson for me was, great players can physically do whatever you ask them to do—it’s a…

WE'RE JUST LIKE YOU. We've never been more jacked up about the game’s latest equipment. We can't wait to blast every driver, flush every iron, roll every putter. So that’s what we did. We considered 222 candidates for the 2019 Hot List; 129 made our cut. The clubs featured on these pages, the ones that made it through our rigorous scrutiny, are the only sticks worth your time, energy and dollars this year. That means trying before you buy, certainly, but whether you're revamping your whole bag or just replacing a wedge, we urge you to include a qualified fitter in your process. Each of these clubs can be a game-changer for you. We know it. We tried them. WE'RE JUST LIKE YOU.…

CALLAWAY EPIC FLASH • EPIC FLASH SUB ZERO $300 VERDICT Callaway has spent the past few years outfitting its fairway woods with driver features, including its “jailbreak” technology for more face flex. Now Callaway borrows the artificial intelligence that fueled its new driver face and modified it for a fairway wood: The variable-thickness face’s unique, thicker perimeter ring creates more flexing, even low on the face. Ten adjustable heads in two styles (one for low spin) with lofts into the mid-20s mean there’s a fit for everyone. COMMENTS (L) Hard to miss it: Even bad ones were good. (M) Not sure how they pulled off forgiveness and speed, but they did. (H) Subtle, aggressive sound. Powerful without being obnoxious. COBRA KING F9 SPEEDBACK • 103:298 VERDICT There’s flashy technology like…

CALLAWAY ROGUE $900 VERDICT The tendency for thin-face irons to sound clacky or tinny is a challenge for designers. Fillers behind the face or in the cavity damp sound but can come at the expense of ball speed. Callaway uses a urethane compound impregnated with millions of microscopic spheres of air. The material is positioned in the lower half of the iron where impacts occur, providing the necessary cushy feel but still allowing the face to flex. COMMENTS (L) Reminds me of the old Bertha irons. The tech makes it easy to get in the air. They launch really high. (M) Very forgiving. Mis-hit shots still go the distance you expect. CALLAWAY ROGUE X $900 VERDICT One might look at the stronger-than-usual lofts in this set and say, “Come on,…

CALLAWAY APEX (2019) $1,400 VERDICT We put the previous Apex on the Mount Rushmore of irons, and this is a worthy follow-up. The body is forged from soft carbon steel, and the cupface—where the face wraps around the sole and topline to create more rebound—extends to the 8-iron. Some refinement to the shaping on the pitching and gap wedges cleaned up our one nitpick from the previous Apex. True Temper’s Elevate 95 steel shaft completes a classy package. COMMENTS (L) Smooth and hot. They look a little more upscale than the last generation of Apexes. (M) The 4-iron is as easy to hit as the wedge. The ball seemed to keep going on a medium trajectory. CALLAWAY ROGUE PRO $1,000 VERDICT The Rogue Pro’s key attributes are mostly unseen, but…

CALLAWAY APEX PRO (2019) $1,400 VERDICT Callaway wanted a powerful iron with a more palatable look. The first step was adding a cupface through the 7-iron to help boost distance. The low and middle irons have internal tungsten encased in urethane with microscopic air bubbles for a lower center of gravity (CG) and just the right sound. About 25 grams of tungsten were positioned high on the 9-iron through gap wedge to bring the CG up for a more controlled flight. COMMENTS (L) They killed it with the look on these: The mix of chrome and gray looks very “tour.” (M) You can feel the ball compressing. It’s a powerful blow with soft feel. CALLAWAY X FORGED $1,300 VERDICT This version of the X Forged might strike knowledgeable golfers as…

A gap wedge (usually 50 to 52 degrees) can be important because it bridges the distance gap between your traditional pitching wedge and sand wedge. But should that gap wedge match your irons or your wedges? In our exclusive test with Club Champion, a national clubfitting chain and Golf Digest 100 Best Clubfitter, we found there was virtually no difference in carry distance, launch angle and dispersion between a gap wedge from a set of game-improvement irons and a blade-like specialty wedge with the same loft. There was a meaningful difference in spin between the two wedges, with the specialty gap wedge generating about 10 percent more spin than the game-improvement gap wedge. That spin meant the specialty wedge rolled only about five feet after landing, and the iron-like gap…

BETTINARDI QUEEN B (2019) $400 VERDICT These putters are known for their one-piece, milled, soft carbon-steel construction, but they also feature a proprietary milling pattern in a honeycomb shape. This is designed to provide a firmer feel for golfers who are speed-conscious. Among the new shapes for 2019 is the #6, a heel-toe-weighted blade with a sole wide enough to be a mallet but with a slight amount of toe hang. COMMENTS (L) Silky-smooth energy off the face. The ball got off fast but never bounced. (M) The blade size frames the ball well. The feel is well-balanced. (H) All the lines and angles work together. The weighting and firm feel make distance control very easy. BETTINARDI STUDIO STOCK $450 VERDICT For the first time, Bettinardi is using stainless steel…

HERE’S YOUR INVITATION to compete in the Masters. The Golf Digest Word Play Masters, that is. Participating in the revival of a defunct literary game probably isn’t a moment you’ve always dreamed of, but the GDWPM continues a tradition unlike any other. Started in 1998 by The Washington Post, and known for a period as The Mensa Invitational, the format challenges contestants “to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.” Our tournament allows only golf words, of course, and our editors have taken a first crack here. Submit your entries to wordplay@golfdigest.com. For the creation of especially funny words, the changing of two letters will be permitted at the judges’ discretion. Winners will be celebrated online for…