Innehållsförteckning för May 2017 från Golf Digest

Waves of populism and disruptive change are flowing through our world today, and there’s no better evidence than the radical simplification of The Rules of Golf being proposed by the USGA and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (see page 94). The PGA of America will allow pros to wear shorts during practice rounds of the PGA Championship this year, and it sounds like the tour schedule might flip, with the PGA moving from August to May and the Players Championship from May to March (page 62). The Ladies’ Golf Union merged with the R&A in January, and maybe even crusty old Muirfield will take in women members now. The European Tour is experimenting with varied tournament formats, and the PGA Tour is rattling the Golf Channel…

The fairway bunker shot I’m playing here took place on the South Course at Torrey Pines in the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open in February. I remember it well because the view is so beautiful—and it turned out great with the ball ending up on the green, about 20 feet below the hole. This shot, on the par-4 fourth, is longer than it looks—a full 170 yards—but it’s easier to play than you might think. You can see I have a good lie, the lip isn’t too high, and the sand is nice and firm. I played it almost like a normal shot from the fairway, but with a couple of adjustments. When you have a shot like this, here’s what to do: First, take at least one…

Negative thoughts might not vanish, but their power should. FIVE PAYOFFS FOR GOLFERS 1. NOTICE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS without being run by them. I gag over bunker shots might be a thought that never leaves you, but its power over you should. 2. DELAY REACTION TO STRESS. “Think of road rage,” says tour pro Luke Donald, who has worked with psychologist Michael Gervais and George Mumford, author of The Mindful Athlete. “Something happens. You react. There are moments like that in golf. The idea is to extend the gap between feeling and reaction. Give the urge to react time to dissipate.” 3. STOP FIGHTING WHAT YOU FEEL. “It’s not about feeling good. It’s about feeling what you feel, and not running from it,” says Dan Harris, author of 10% Happier. 4.…

Big-time professional golf, anchored by the PGA Tour, is an intricately constructed mosaic designed to bring the best players to the best courses for the right tournaments without upending the international circuits that produce an increasing supply of the world’s elite. It’s a marvel of coordination, painstakingly fine-tuned. Somehow, it usually works. But not perfectly, which is why the whole megillah is under constant assessment and adjustment. Over the years, some of the biggest tweaks have included the all-exempt tour in 1983, the Official World Golf Ranking in 1986, the World Golf Championships in 1999, the FedEx Cup in 2007 and the wraparound season in 2013-’14. But for all the improvements, there’s an underlying consensus that the golf season is too long, too crowded, too much the same from event…

▸ A lot goes into a good golf swing. Everything from posture to grip pressure to rhythm to swing speed—they all matter. But one thing that’s often overlooked is the path the club takes down to the ball. In other words, the direction of the swing. That’s what I want to discuss. ▸ You might be able to get away with a grip that’s a little too tight or posture that’s a little too hunched over, but if you want to hit solid shots and get the ball going in the right direction, the correct path really matters. ▸ Here I’m going to work my way through the bag from driver to wedges to get you on the right path to better golf. Let this serve as incentive to participate…

Rickie Fowler is honing in on greatness. When he linked up with coach Butch Harmon, part of their project was to make his swing less flat for consistency. “Now I’ll sometimes get too steep, and I have to go back to feeling a laid-off position,” Fowler says. “Not that I want to be there, but that’s what I have to feel to get on plane.” Be it style, social media or swing changes, the four-time PGA Tour winner isn’t afraid to try new things. A drawer of the golf ball since childhood, he recently started playing a fade off the tee to find more fairways. To set up his win at the Honda Classic in February, he lopped an inch off his driver shaft and used the 43.5-inch model to…

Barry Gibbons dropped by the driving range at the beginning of this year, thinking he’d hit a few balls. He was in for a shock. “It was like I hit a brick wall,” Gibbons says. “I didn’t realize how much damage I’d done to my body.” ? There were the deeply bruised feet. The sore ribs. The torn rotator cuff. Everything hurt. ? Not that you should feel too bad for him. For the previous 12 months, Gibbons didn’t just play golf, he completely gave himself to it. He walked an astonishing 878 rounds in 2016, shattering the previous World Record Academy mark of 611. And he carried his bag for each round. His epic 2016 also broke the Guinness World Record for rounds in a year (812), a record…

Q I was trying to get a read on my putt when my partner bladed his shot from off the green. His ball ricocheted off my putter and stopped about 15 feet from the hole. He made the putt for par, halving the hole. What’s the official ruling on that? KURTIS SMITH, WALBRIDGE, OHIO A Your partner needs to get his act together. He can’t be banging the ball off you and your equipment. That’s a one-stroke penalty under Rule 19-2. Things would have been different if your partner had struck your opponent’s putter. In that case, under Rule 19-3, there would have been no penalty. He could have replayed the shot or carried on from where it landed, whichever he preferred. (Note: Under the new proposed changes to The Rules of…

▸ Welcome to Year Two of the best things in golf. After introducing the Golf Digest Editors’ Choice Awards last May, we’re back with new recommendations in 38 categories. ▸We’ve got you covered for the latest in travel destinations, gear and gadgets, cool style and fitness products that will help you play your best. Then there’s the stuff that’s just fun: Whether you’re into drones, coolers, cigars, wine or the best in apps, Editors’ Choice is your go-to resource. ▸ THIS DIVOT-REPAIR TOOL DOES THE JOB FAST AND HELPS YOU DO IT RIGHT. BAGS ▸ Think of your golf bag as your caddie. It carries your clubs and houses the other things you need on the course. Carry bags have become more efficient with double straps that go on and…

what began in 2012 with small discussions from key members of golf’s governing bodies about what to do with a set of rules that many believed was unwieldy, undesirable and often unintelligible, has evolved into a large-scale attempt to revise the way the game is played. ? The most likely scenario is this: Starting in 2019, The Rules of Golf, jointly authored by the United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, and used by millions of golfers worldwide, will look very different than it does now. ▸ “There was a recognition on both sides of the pond to take a new look at it, to put everything on the table and do something good for the game,” says John Bodenhamer, senior managing director,…

Any ball that helps your short game should top your list. The 212 balls on sale at GolfGalaxy.com represent various constructions, feels and, of course, prices. But how do you decide what’s best for you? A good place to start are the 38 balls on the 2017 Hot List. Then consider adopting the three-part Hot List testing process we used at Marriott’s Grande Vista Resort in Orlando. (Blacking out the logos, like we did, is up to you.) ▸ The middle-iron test: This shot offers clues to how the ball launches, how far it travels and at what angle it lands. ▸ The 30-to-50-yard test: If the shot you typically play from this distance is a chip-and-run, spin might be less important to you than feel. But if you want…

Josh Donaldson’s contract with the Toronto Blue Jays will pay him $17 million this year, so you might think he needs a few hundred bucks on the line for a golf match to quicken his heart rate. But that’s not how Donaldson’s usual game works. At Lake Forest Country Club in Daphne, Ala., where the All-Star third baseman spends his off-season, Donaldson, 31, plays with a selection of retirees who are sometimes 40 years his senior. The stakes are low. The laugh count is high. Donaldson wouldn’t have it any other way. “These are retired old men. They don’t want to go out and lose all their cash,” he says with a chuckle. “We just go out there to enjoy golf. That’s what so great about it. You can have…

Looking to impress or just seeking something with versatility? The gold wristwatch never goes out of style, and with so many great-looking variations available, finding one that fits your personal taste has never been easier. But before investing in a quality timepiece, consider how you plan to wear it. Classic gold watches, like these from Audemars Piguet, Bulova, Citizen and Movado, are ideal for formal occasions. Want something with more versatility? The ones here from Bell & Ross, Breitling, Hublot and Tag Heuer use gold in more subtle ways and feature straps that can be paired with almost anything in your closet. It’s good to have options.…

I’VE FOUND MYSELF in plenty of tough spots on the course, but I seem to get myself out of trouble more often than not. Remember my hook shot around the trees on the 10th hole at Augusta to win the 2012 Masters? You’re welcome. When I don’t pull it off, it’s usually more about making a bad decision than bad execution. Like at last year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont. During the second round on the 619-yard fourth, I hit it just over the green in two. The lie was horrendous. And yet, at that moment, I thought, I can do this. So I went at the pin. Two chips and three putts later, I carded a 7. What I should have done was forget the flag, play sideways to the…

My dad used to say you can always tell great putters because all their putts have that “going in” look. I love that phrase, and it makes sense when you watch players who can really putt. They give their full effort every time, and they never talk themselves out of a putt. Look at it this way, there are only two things that can happen—you make it, or you miss it—and I can tell you, the best putters only think about one. ? There’s no reason the average golfer can’t become a great putter. It’s the simplest swing you make; there are no bunkers, no outof- bou it this way, there are only two things that can happen—you make it, or you miss it—and I can tell you, the best…