Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2021 i Golf Magazine

I must admit, your cover feature on Matthew Wolff (“The Kid’s Alright,” January-February) made me feel old. I realized that I’ve been a subscriber to your magazine longer (25 years) than the young man has been alive (21)! That said, I’m ever amazed at the poise and talent these young guys have brought to the Tour in recent years. I’m not sure if it’s advances in teaching or better equipment or what, but today’s young players just seem to be better prepared for success right out of the gate. Wolff epitomizes the confidence, tenacity and dedication it takes to excel at the highest level and it’s fun to watch. —Russell Flannery, Chicago, Ill. Fore Country There are so many in golf doing good things for other people. Alan Shipnuck’s column…

THE LURE OF PIN-HUNTING is strong. I get it—there’s nothing better in this game than cozying an approach shot next to the hole for a tap-in birdie. But be honest: How many times does that actually happen during a round? A better question: How many times has taking dead aim at the pin resulted in a missed green (and dropped strokes)? Since opening our doors in 1995, GOLFTEC has measured the swings of tens of thousands of golfers of every skill level. Our massive database grows every day as we continue to help find solutions for our students’ games. While technology has made improving swings and scores easier than ever, it’s the decisions that you make between shots that continue to be a critical barometer of success. Over the years…

The Gamer SAMANTHA PERROTTA, the reigning Women’s Player of the Year in the New Jersey State Golf Association, plays at the Old York Country Club, about 20 minutes south of Trenton. That is, 20 minutes by car, in normal traffic. Those two details are for Sam. She likes precision. She tends to be literal. That quality presents challenges in her everyday life but it’s oddly helpful to her golf. Her unpretentious club has ample parking, a rentable banquet hall and a grass driving range, where Sam will sometimes hit 1,000 balls in a day. Sam works occasionally in the club’s pro shop. She has her name on a parking space, as the reigning women’s club champion. The reserved spot means nothing to her. Status symbols mean nothing to her. What…

So many people walk around in dated clothes because, they swear, “I’m going to start a diet soon.” They’d shop in theory for the body they want but won’t in reality for the body they have. I face this kind of thing all the time. “I’m not ready for a fitting because first I want to work on my swing… take a few lessons… hit the range… play more golf.” Here’s the thing: The way your body moves, the motor patterns you have ingrained, are essentially your sequences—your golf DNA. When you play equipment that doesn’t complement the angles you create and your natural movement patterns, your swing becomes one built around compensations. That means anybody can benefit right now from having a fitting pro look through their bag. Among…

Fact: 87 percent of all golfers fitted for new clubs reduce their handicap by at least 10 percent. Among the many things that stat says is that fitting solves many problems for many different types of golfers. While even the best fitting won’t necessarily “fix” swing flaws, custom-fit clubs absolutely offer better feel and better feedback. This derives from finding the right shaft and head combination and, in turn, helps the player square the clubface more often. The upshot: a tighter dispersion and less curvature, i.e., better misses and fewer lost balls. Fitting also gives you a better grip… on your real distances. Going through the process and figuring out how far each club carries (on average, not just the occasional one you hit dead solid perfect) is invaluable where…

Most people go crazy brushing and flossing the day before a dental appointment. It’s silly and maybe counterproductive—just like taking lessons or banging 1,000 balls at the range before a clubfitting. Instead, first, focus your energy on identifying your game’s strengths and weaknesses in the lead-up to a fitting. It’s incredibly useful to have clients who can articulate what they’re looking for, how their current clubs are underperforming and/or what they want to see different. What clubs do you have confidence in? What don’t you like about a certain club? Which misses are left, right, heavy, thin—it helps us so much to know what’s lacking in your game. Take notes! Second, do your homework on potential fitters. Do they have a launch monitor? Are they brand agnostic? How many brands…

Guarantees and hyperbole love to ham-and-egg it. Nothing is guaranteed in life. The only guarantees in life are death and taxes. It’s a bit much. There are reasonable guarantees a well-trained clubfitter can make and, while it’s not impossible, You’ll hit every club 20 yards farther! isn’t one of them. Fitting is meant to be an educational environment. We’re looking to provide clients with access to a Rolodex of information so that they can grasp the whys. I can guarantee that you’re going to leave my fitting with a better understanding of why your current equipment does what it does. You will learn some of the basic laws of ballflight and how equipment can affect it. As another old saying goes, We’re not just giving you a fish, we’re teaching…

“Drive for show, putt for dough.” You wouldn’t know it from how golfers go about clubfitting. At True Spec Golf, we do four to five driver fittings for every one putter fitting—and fewer wedge fittings than putter fittings. Short-game fitting is the most underutilized tool out there. Golfers are generally distance-driven—even though wedge shots and putting account for at least half your shots on course. If your short game isn’t a strong suit, there’s so much value to be gained via fitting. Players tend to obsess about a putter’s feel to the exclusion of all else. A putter fitting brings in tons of other important information—the club’s dynamics, weight, weighting (toe hang versus face balanced), shape, color, optics and so on, on top of your stroke’s characteristics. All these components…

Kathy Whitworth lives in a ranch house on a big property (five acres), near a big lake (Grapevine), on the outskirts of Big D (Dallas). She lives with her partner, their two rescue dogs and a handful of trophies from her ridiculously long and wildly underappreciated career. Most of her hardware—she won a record 88 LPGA events—is nearby, on display in Whit’s 88, a pub at the Trophy Club, where one course is named for Ben Hogan and the other for Kathy Whitworth her own self. Some one-two punch. So fitting. For years, Kathy Whitworth would drive five hours to Houston for a golf dinner like you bop down to your 7-Eleven for a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. She’d drive to Austin for a lesson, to El Paso for…

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU transformed himself into a bomber, and with a little practice you can too. With the help of our friends at SuperSpeed Golf, GOLF developed a 30-day ball-speed-boosting practice challenge designed to improve your speed and contact. This program guarantees a 5 mph minimum increase in swing speed. Heel-Toe Drill Spray your driver’s clubface with Strike Spray ($30; strikespray.com). Hit one drive off the toe area of the clubface, one off the heel and one off the center (checking the face after each). Repeat three times. SuperSpeed Swings Make three hard swings with each SuperSpeed Stick ($200; fairwayjockey.com) from both the right side and the left. Repeat with your feet together. Then, three more swings while stepping into the ball on your downswing. Max Out Day! Using your own…

The clubface sends it and the path bends it. It’s a simple phrase that you’d do well to keep in mind, because it helps diagnose the issues facing your game. All you need to know is your club path (which is the direction your club is traveling into impact) and your face angle (the direction your face is pointing at impact). The way those two elements combine determines the type of shot you’ll hit. Straight: When the club path is traveling down the target line and your face angle is zero at impact, the ball will go straight. Ideal combo. Push/Pull: A push or pull happens when your clubface is square to your path, but your path is moving either left or right to your target. So a pull is…

THE WAY MAGAZINE PRODUCTION goes, any issue you hold in your hands prints roughly four weeks before you receive it. In the four weeks leading up to that date, editors, writers and designers are busy putting together the pages that comprise each edition. In the case of GOLF’s March issue, traditionally earmarked to cover the new season’s gear offerings, that means staff and our 40-golfer-strong cadre of club raters are busy swinging, investigating, researching—you name it—over such noteworthy dates as Thanksgiving, the December holidays and New Year’s. And it’s been that way at GOLF going back 30 calendar years, when the title first introduced its ClubTest franchise in the March 1992 issue. So allow me to heap B-52–sized praise on equipment editors Jonathan Wall and Andrew Tursky for managing the…

You Had Me at “Hello” UNLESS YOU WERE AN obsessive golf fan, the arrival of Brian and Kimberly Gay onto the PGA Tour at the turn of the century was easy to miss. Yes, he’d been everybody’s All-American at Florida and she was, to borrow Brian’s favorite phrase, “a tornado with lipstick.” But for most of the 2000s, Brian struggled to find his place on Tour, just barely getting by with a magical short game. He was one of the anonymous journeymen that the camera rarely finds. Meanwhile, Kimberly threw herself into raising two daughters and, at times, a Tour pro. “Brian is a very quiet, laid-back, introverted guy who’s happy to be on the couch watching football,” says Gay’s longtime swing coach, Joe Mayo. “Kimberly has a take-charge kind…

Why I use graphite shafts throughout the bag Like all golfers, I go graphite in the driver—but not for the reason you may think. People think that you don’t have to be precise with a driver because the fairways are 25 to 30 yards wide. Wrong. Precision is part of the reason everybody uses graphite in drivers. A good graphite driver shaft should be just as stable and repeatable, or even more so, than steel. I use an LA Golf Partners (LAGP) shaft in my driver. I’ve always been blown away at how stable it is considering how fast I swing, so I eventually thought I’d try one in my putter (where a different kind of stability is important). It really worked well! I’ve won a lot of tournaments with…

Like buying a bespoke suit, those not in the know about custom clubfitting can potentially find the whole notion intimidating or opaque. There’s the fear of being judged as not good enough, or not serious enough, or not whatever enough. Then there’s all those tools, technology and jargon: lie machines and Trackman and ball speed, oh my! So please hear me: Clubfitting is for you, regardless of your skill level. You’re a beginner? Great. Welcome. The clubfitting experience will help you navigate your bag much more assuredly than otherwise. You’ll understand that each club we recommend for you has a specific purpose. It’s possible that you’ll wind up with a partial (aka transitional) set to get you started, with gaps filled in later as your game develops. You’ll be making…

It isn’t only at courses where the stereotype of golf as mainly old and male is going by the wayside—it’s in the clubfitting studios too. It’s so encouraging to see the game growing increasingly family-oriented as more women and kids come on board. Women and juniors have been trending way up over the last 18 months, and especially the past nine months, partly due to the pandemic, as new and returning golfers decide to get customized equipment. As a result, companies like True Spec Golf have had to devote time, thought and resources into stocking components to best fit these players. That means, for example, needing more higher-lofted woods and hybrids and lightweight, shorter shafts—stuff that’s easy to swing and launch the ball higher for slower or intermediate clubhead speeds.…

Back in business Ben Hogan Icon Our take: If you’ve seen Ben Hogan irons before, you won’t be surprised by the Icon’s look; if you’ve ever played Hogan irons, you’ll recognize that their design hasn’t changed much either over the years. “It’s classic Hogan through and through,” one tester said. “Old-school look with a validating feel at impact. Could play these all day.” These clean-cut muscle-backs are designed to bridge the gap between gorgeous design and top-tier performance—a better player’s iron for sure. The details: If you were to search the dictionary for the definition of “forged blade,” you just might find a photo of the Icon. Progressive weighting keeps the CG low in long irons (for control) and high in the scoring irons (for maximum precision). With minimal offset,…

Let’s say you’re getting ready for a first date. (Married folk, remember the old days, for better or for worse.) You don’t just grab whatever is nearest in the closet—you carefully pull together a sharp outfit for the occasion. You get your hair just so, maybe use a dab of cologne or a spray of perfume. You do everything you can think of to feel confident, to give yourself the best chance to put your best foot forward. Golf’s the same way. There’s a reason Dr. Bob Rotella’s book, Golf Is a Game of Confidence, is so popular—namely, it’s true. With ill-fitting equipment that doesn’t complement the angles your body naturally wants to create, you’re making a series of subconscious compensations. Conversely, when you know your equipment is dialed in,…

MODERN SWING RESEARCH has been a boon to instruction. Science now tells us what works and why. Yet sometimes it’s worth looking at ways players got things done before all this data began piling up, or how they “felt” their way to perfection. Here’s what to copy. 1. Sam Snead’s Sequencing All great drivers follow a sequence using what I call the “dance move.” Sam Snead may have done it best. Make a big turn on the backswing, plant yourself on the ground, then rotate hard with very little lateral movement. As part of this transition, your right knee will kick in, your right heel will begin to lift and your lead hip will stay well inside your lead heel—just like The Slammer. Boom! LOOK FOR THE DOTS: Each tip…

G: When did you first pick up a club? MS: In 1996. I kept being asked to play and I didn’t really want to, but I thought it might be a good way to meet people. I got hooked immediately. G: How decent are you? MS: I don’t embarrass myself. My average is 81, but I’ll shoot in the 70s. G: Do you bet? MS: Every time. But it’s not about the money; I can wager a buck a hole. It’s more about the competition. I just want something to hold over your head at the end. G: What’s the most money you’ve ever bet on a round? MS: Probably about three grand. I don’t want to make it to the point where anyone’s shaking to death over a one-foot…

“When I grow up, I want a bed made of these shoes!”Rafa Cabrera-Bello When you’ve dominated golf footwear for the better part of a century, there’s a lot to live up to. Not necessarily to the industry or to the fans—you’re already proven there. But when you’re the icon—the G.O.A.T.—the challenge is to live up to your own expectations. Just like any athlete at the top of their game, FootJoy has to outthink, outhustle and outwork its competition in order to stay on top. It probably won’t surprise you to hear that FJ has done just that with not one but two new shoes in ’21. Developed with input from pros like Adam Scott, the Premiere Series ($220; left) is a modern classic with too much style and craftsmanship to…

59 The score recorded by World No. 2 Jon Rahm in his first practice round with his new Callaway club setup. 500,000 The projected jump in total junior golfers in 2020, a coronavirus-driven bump of nearly 20 percent over 2019. (SOURCE: NATIONAL GOLF FOUNDATION) 1.04 The drop in strokes gained of Tiger Woods’ final-round playing partners from their career Sunday averages (2004–2020). In other words, the Tiger Effect costs his nervous opponents more than one stroke per round. (SOURCE: LOU STAGNER) 40 Consecutive years Honda has been the title sponsor of Palm Beach County’s Honda Classic, the longest-running event partnership on Tour. 7 Driving distance yards, on average, needed for Bryson DeChambeau to reach 330 yards per drive, which would make him the first golfer ever to cross that plateau.…

LONG BEFORE Bryson DeChambeau was golf’s distance king, he was golf’s data king. The 2020 U.S. Open champ didn’t thrust himself to the center of golf’s distance debate because he wanted to. He did so because the numbers told him to. But the “numbers” is an abstract term. For DeChambeau’s sake, let’s talk in his language: absolutes. DeChambeau began his makeover because his Foresight Sports GCQuad launch monitor ($14,000 to $18,000) told him if he added weight, he would add ball speed. If he added ball speed, he would add distance. And if he added distance, it would be easier to score better. The GCQuad doesn’t look all that revolutionary, but that’s okay because it does something revolutionary. It speaks in absolutes. Absolutes like pinpoint data about the swing, the…

Striking a balance Callaway Big Bertha B21 Our take: This eye-catching, draw-biased driver is perfect for correcting a pesky slice, but it’s the feel at impact that left a number of our testers asking if they could immediately take the BB B21 home: “Can I give it a triple love? I love the feel, launches high and it’s extra forgiving. This was my favorite by far.” The details: To achieve the perfect balance of spin and speed, Callaway chose to freshen up the usual driver recipe, positioning the CG low and forward to drop spin. The thought here is that reducing overall spin will negate the sidespin that causes wayward shots to go out of play. The end result is a spin-killer that doesn’t skimp on consistency and forgiveness. It’s…

So long, slice Callaway Big Bertha B21 Our take: Testers found it easy to work the ball in both directions with the Big Bertha B21. “I’m hitting a draw on command,” said one tester. “I can’t tell you when I even considered using the other side of the course with a fairway wood.” The details: The Big Bertha B21 fairway woods are made to reduce a slice, with additional technology to help golfers get the ball off the turf more easily. The shallower face and increased offset promote high launch and draw spin. Callaway’s Flash Face and Jailbreak technology ensure you’ll generate more than enough speed. 15˚, 18˚, 21˚, 24˚; $300 Worthy options Callaway Epic Our take: It’s good to have options. With Callaway’s new-look Epic Max and Epic Speed,…

Quietly brilliant Ben Hogan VKTR Our take: Hogan’s VKTR hybrids have been on the market for nearly a half-decade now, and while the manufacturer has made major strides to increase forgiveness and playability they’ve managed to do so while remaining true to their initial goal: versatility. The newest VKTR (a new design reimagined for 2021) was an absolute favorite in the hybrids category during ClubTest, particularly for its design. “Doesn’t feel like a hybrid, just a bigger iron,” said one tester. “Nice thin look. Surprisingly amazing!” In a lot of ways, the VKTR hybrid is a perfect metaphor for Hogan himself: quietly brilliant. The details: The VKTR hybrid is built from two pieces of steel with minimal offset and a slightly larger clubhead size for added forgiveness. A bulge club-face…

Just like there are lots of golf clubs, shafts and grips in the world, there are lots of clubfitters around, too, with more and more seeming to pop up daily. And just like a deviously designed drivable par 4 or risk-reward par 5, choice can sow the seeds of doubt in your mind. To simplify things a bit, remember that in clubfitting and most things in life, you generally get what you pay for. Going to see your buddy who builds clubs in his garage as a hobby? As dangerous as a visit to a shade-tree mechanic to check the brakes on the family wagon. A poor fitting can do at least as much damage as a poor lesson. A demo day at a club or driving range has its…

Tour looks and spin for the masses Callaway MD5 Jaws Our take: Roger Cleveland’s latest wedge creation for Callaway was a massive hit with testers who admitted to normally having trouble producing enough spin on short-game shots. “I sometimes ‘skid’ shots into the green, but these wedges make me feel like I’m a competent player again. Even when I didn’t catch it perfectly clean, I still saw the ball check and settle.” Testers also gave high marks to the low-bounce W grind and its ability to help the club glide through the turf. The details: Callaway’s MD5 Jaws remains one of the most popular wedges in the professional and recreational ranks. With a multitude of loft and bounce combinations, three finishes (including a raw offering) and five grinds, the family…

20 Reasons to Love 1 PLAYING GOLF IS POPULAR AGAIN The game boomed in the second half of 2020. According to the National Golf Foundation, the coronavirus shutdown cost the industry 20 million rounds last spring. When the clouds finally lifted in June, golf exploded as a recreational activity for everyone who’d been stuck indoors, even nongolfers. Year-over-year play increased steadily each month, reaching 57% in November! Now you have more golf friends than you did last year. It’s a beautiful silver lining. The 12th hole at the Jack Nicklaus–designed Punta Espada proves there’s magic in the air these days in all things golf. 2 AND IT’S COOL TOO! Change is happening in golf apparel. Tyrrell Hatton wore an Adidas hoodie when he won the BMW PGA in the UK,…