Innehållsförteckning för Issue 3, 2021 från Golf Digest

You see Dustin Johnson coming from a mile away. His shoulders slice through the air, rhythmically bobbing side to side, almost a shimmy. The arms flop with blissful disregard while his head stays completely still in a bubble of tranquility. The word “walk” doesn’t do it justice; it’s more aerodynamic. “Strut” comes to mind, but that word implies performance, and DJ does not care who is watching. He is an imposing figure—all of 6-foot-4, sinewy and lithe, full beard, pinch of dip. When the golf world is blessed with such an athlete, there’s a compulsive desire to place him in another sport. He looks like an NFL line backer. Got a torso like a swimmer. Johnson, however, has the perfect body for golf. These extraordinary physical gifts are a huge reason…

When Augusta National purchased several acres behind its 13th tee from neighboring Augusta Country Club in 2017, there was little mystery as to why. The tantalizing par 5, playing 510 yards, has been relegated to a drive and short-iron approach and no longer puts Masters contestants in those heart-in-the-throat second-shot scenarios it was meant to. Extending the tee at the 13th, something projected to happen any year, is the logical way to reestablish the hole’s integrity. Such a substantial alteration to one of golf’s most famous holes, potentially lengthening it as much as 80 yards, might seem like a drastic move. But drastic moves are in character with Augusta National’s heritage, and it would be just the latest impactful adaptation the club has made during the past 40 years—and particularly…

One might expect a past Masters champion, one who became eligible to play against the old guys last May, to feel pretty good about things. But in the 18 years since Mike Weir became a major winner—and an iconic hero in Canada—his life has been fraught with setbacks: divorce, injuries, loss of playing privileges, loss of confidence in himself as a player and moments of real sadness, especially during his divorce. “There were times I just cried like a baby,” he said recently. “I mean, just flat out crying uncontrollably.” Michelle Money, his girlfriend for the past five years, played a major role in helping him get through some of his lowest moments. She remembers feeling as if Weir “was often in a dark place” when they first started dating.…

CONSISTENTLY CREATING solid contact with irons and wedges is one of the most important parts of the game. I hit 18 greens in my final round at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in January, including one that led to a birdie on the first playoff hole for my sixth LPGA Tour win. That wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t puring it. I’ll often use this drill to keep my contact sharp—it’s good for chipping and iron play. If you’re a righty, grip the club with your right hand, take your stance, and then put your left hand on your left thigh (near photo, right). Whether you’re chipping with a wedge or making a half-swing with a longer iron, hit one-handed shots while keeping your left hand from moving on…

THE RELATIONSHIP between a player and caddie is intricate, thrilling, messy, all over the emotional spectrum. It’s basically marriage without sex. So winning a major is, well, as close as we get to having fun in the bedroom. ▶ A lot of caddies grew up as players. If you’ve held a club in your hand, at some point you’ve dreamed of putting on the green jacket or raising the claret jug. Though we’re no longer the ones hitting the shots, those dreams remain. So when it comes to fruition, forget the money or the competition high; success is a validation of everything we’ve done to get to this moment. That is an experience you cannot buy. ▶ OK, we don’t forget about the money. That’s a pretty damn big part…

GOLF AS REFUGE—my favorite subject. Now the challenge isn’t a pandemic, but politics. As we return to our courses this spring, I’m concerned that the divisiveness in the country might spill over into golf. Do we simply check our politics at the clubhouse door and avoid all conversation about the news, or does the civility among golfing friends make us more open to seeing the good in those who hold an opposing point of view? My ulterior motive is to find the best priest and rabbi joke that makes the point. So I went to Marc Gellman, the Long Island rabbi who—like most old golfers I know—retired to Florida, where there are no income taxes but plenty of tee times. “Politics is ridiculous,” he says to me. “Friendships are more…

DUSTIN JOHNSON HAS BEEN among the PGA Tour’s elite since his first full season in 2008. A victory in every year of his career is testament to that. But closer inspection of his game reveals that D.J. has gotten better in recent years—a lot better—because of his ability to fade the ball, a consensus of experts say. “Dustin can make the ball do whatever he wants, but the reality is, he almost exclusively plays a fade,” says his coach, Claude Harmon III, citing Johnson’s perennial top-10 presence in the PGA Tour’s strokes gained/tee-to-green stat as evidence that shaping the ball left to right has helped him win majors and become the top player in the world. Adds Johnson, “I used to draw it all the time, but about six years…

Trey Coleman’s FRIENDS AND FAMILY THOUGHT THE WHOLE THING SEEMED A BIT … STRANGE. “YOU’RE GOING TO BE A CADDIE?” THEY ASKED. “AT AUGUSTA NATIONAL?” Coleman already had a full-time job at Bank of America in Augusta, Ga., where he was a vice president in commercial lending. But he couldn’t shake the thought of looping at Augusta National, which at the time was hiring caddies, so he submitted his application, and it was approved. He would continue working at Bank of America during the week, trading his jacket and tie for a caddie’s white jumper on weekends and holidays. Coleman, then in his 30s, felt a special connection to the club. He had grown up just blocks from Magnolia Lane and had helped operate one of the Masters leader boards…

For over 30 years, I’ve been a journal keeper. Each night, I recount the day’s events in a faux leather-bound executive planner. It contains all kinds of minutiae, such as details of a Dec. 10, 2005, visit to Byron Nelson at his ranch in Roanoke, Texas. On that day I noted, “Peggy served Byron’s favorite lunch: A half a hot dog with pickle chips.” I don’t know where that might fit in a future memoir, but there it is. ▶ The 2020 Masters was unique in many ways. I could tell the story in a narrative form but thought my journal entries would be just as revealing. So here are some of my notes starting on the Friday before the Masters. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6 5 a.m. (Pacific Time). Zoom call…

DRIVER SPECS TaylorMade SIM2, 10.5°, Fujikura Ventus Black proto 6X shaft, 45.75 inches. ▶ I sometimes switch drivers for no other reason than a change of pace, but the new SIM2 will be my gamer. It takes me time to make a change because I like to see a lot of loft, but the head needs to sit square. If I don’t see enough loft, I instinctively hang back to try and get the ball up in the air. FAIRWAY WOODS SPECS TaylorMade SIM Max, 16°, Project X HZRDUS Black 95 shaft; TaylorMade SIM Max, 20°, Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 100 shaft. ▶ My 3-wood and 7-wood each go a specific distance. I want my 3-wood to consistently go in that 285-yard range. The 7-wood gives me a little…

THE GOLF TERM “releasing the club” doesn’t mean helicoptering it into a pond after hitting a drive out-of-bounds (although you might be tempted). Rather, it’s a way of describing the widening of the angle created by your arms and club in the downswing—and if your timing is right, this release will allow you to tap into a great source of power. If you hinge the club skyward with your hands and wrists as your upper body rotates away from the target in the backswing, you will create a noticeable V-or L-shaped angle between your lead arm and the shaft of the club. Now I want you to maintain that shape as you start the downswing (below, left), waiting a beat before releasing the club into the ball. As your body…

GOLFERS USUALLY are a curious bunch. Entice them with an opportunity to improve their games, and they will probably take a look. If this sounds like you, well, you might want to carve out a little extra time in your schedule because we have plenty of “enticements” you’ll be curious about. Our annual Editors’ Choice package offers an assortment of products that can help golfers play better, smarter and healthier in 2021. From training aids to game analyzers, fitness equipment to golf apparel and accessories, our honorees provide you with the tools to become a better golfer. The following products provide a glimpse at some of the 220-plus award winners from across 30-plus categories that can be found at GolfDigest.com starting in late March. RYPSTICK $190 ▶ Tour pros all…