Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2017 i Golf Magazine

OUR CORE MISSION at GOLF? To help you play better and have more fun. That's why we remain committed to ClubTest, our annual, four-issue celebration of the latest, greatest sticks in the game. It's a fairly ambitious undertaking that involves 40 testers, 130 clubs and literally thousands of swings, all spanning two weeks at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla. (I tip my visor to our research partner, Hot Stix Golf.) This month, ClubTest 2017 kicks off with reviews of 19 new drivers. Today's weapons are more customizable than ever; you can adjust them for launch, spin, trajectory and shot shape. Whether you're a bomber, a bunter, or somewhere in between, these high-tech toys will make you longer and straighter. There's never been a better time to buy…

You're one of the 2017 Tour rookies creating a lot of buzz. But after turning pro in 2012, it took you four years to earn your card. What was the biggest challenge? Not knowing week to week if you're getting a paycheck. I got married right out out of [college], so I had bills to pay. It never weighed on me when I pegged it in the ground, but when I got home from a tournament—maybe I made the cut and finished 20th, which means, after expenses, I ended up with a couple hundred bucks more than I started with. So I worried about paying the rent. That was discouraging, but it was also my No. 1 motivator. It's what got me up early and kept me out late practicing.…

At 26, the hard-hitting Brooks Koepka embodies the modern "young gun." This new wave of player does two things very well: hits bombs off the tee and drains plenty of putts (Koepka cracked the top 20 on Tour last season in driving distance and putting average). He drives and putts for dough, which is why he's already earned nearly $9 million in Tour winnings in his career. Koepka's swing is a near-perfect blend of technique and strength. There's lots to copy, but buyer beware: Brooks is a world-class athlete who hits the gym every day. Most weekend players won't be able to emulate his every move. Your takeaway? Power hitters don't look the same at setup and impact, and neither should you. Compare frames 1 and 12 above—not much in…

SOME SHOTS ARE downright scary. What turns your knuckles as white as your golf glove? My guess is that you fear shots that force you to clear greenside obstacles and carry the ball onto the putting surface—say, a flop shot over water or a chip over a bunker. Those two intimidating shots were near the top of a "least-wanted" list I created a few years back after I surveyed hundreds of golfers for my book Golf Without Fear. I get it—one small mistake leads to double-bogey. Fear not. To complete the book, I developed a technique to tame every terror. As it turns out, the easiest way to navigate short shots over trouble is to make the same swing you'd use for a 15-yard pitch. In most cases, this motion…

1 PULL DOWN Guess what: Your hands are just as fast as a Tour pro's. And turning that velocity into clubhead speed is a big secret to hitting pure irons. The first step is to get your hands to their lowest point in your swing, with your wrists hinged but loose (photo, above). This low point occurs not at impact but when your hands reach your right thigh. 2 PULL UP If your hands reach their low point pre-impact, the only direction they can go is up! Good players pull up on the handle through impact. It's physics—as your hands move up, the clubhead whips down, and your swing speed goes off the charts. You want to feel like you're forcing the grip toward your belly once your hands reach…

[The following text appears within a chart. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual chart.] 10 secs 1 HINGE IT UP Stand with a slight forward bend and your feet in their normal address position. Hinge the club up in front of you (photo, top right), then rest the shaft on your right shoulder. [The following text appears within a chart. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual chart.] 20 secs 2 TAKE YOUR TURN Make a mock backswing, rotating your body to the right as far as your flexibility allows. Keep the shaft on your right shoulder. [The following text appears within a chart. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual chart.] 30 secs 3 HOLD "EM HIGH Lift your arms and hands as high as they can go…

CALLAWAY GBB EPIC $500; GOLF.com/callaway WE TESTED: 9° (adjusts 8° to 11°), 10.5° (9.5° to 12.5°), 13.5° (12.5° to 15.5°) with Aldila Rogue Max 65 and 75, Fujikura Pro Green 62, Project X HZRDUS Green 55, and Mitsubishi Diamana Green Board 40 graphite shafts PROS \\ DISTANCE: Callaway added an extra gear to the Epic—some testers reach new parts of the course; next-level stuff, way longer than what many guys play; high-launch, low-spin haymakers are the new norm, with no ballooning and ample rollout; noticeably longer than last year's model. \\ ACCURACY/FORGIVENESS: Big sweet spot helps capture yards on misses; dead-on accurate for players with slow or smooth swings; shots tend to stay straight and between the trees. \\ FEEL: Better than the composite drivers of old, but much more…

Sure, using the latest, greatest gear to hit shots in the Florida sun is a good time. But detecting and articulating the nuanced differences of these high-tech weapons isn't easy. Our ClubTesters, however, were up to the task. That's because each of our 40 panelists is a true gearhead who loves exploring the inner workings of equipment. So get to know our testers and learn about their current driver specs, with stats courtesy of Hot Stix Golf. It's all designed to help you find the best driver for your game. CHRIS KLAMKIN HANDICAP INDEX 1.7 AGE 32 HEIGHT 5'10" WEIGHT 210 LBS. OCCUPATION ENTREPRENEUR RESIDENCE DETROIT, MICH. CURRENT DRIVER: BALL FLIGHT HIGH DRAW BALL SPEED (MPH) 156 LAUNCH ANGLE (DEG.) 8.1 SPIN RATE (RPM) 2,552 TOTAL DISTANCE (YARDS) 277 RANDY…

Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller Talk about a power watch: No less than Tiger Woods, Jason Day and Adam Scott favor this timepiece, which sells in the $9,000–$12,000 range. Frequent diver Woods tweeted last March, "Great day with #Rolex. Fantastic watches. Only watch for me. #Deepsea." The updated Deepsea Sea-Dweller, with the D-Blue Dial, will run you $12,000–$14,000. rolex.com Breitling Els for Autism Limited Edition Chronograph In 2013, Breitling partnered with the Els for Autism Foundation to produce a limited series of 88 watches (one in 88 children has autism). This special version of the company's Chronomat 44 ($12,000 and up) features the Els for Autism logo etched on the caseback. Ernie Els himself continues to wear his watch in support of the cause, which was aided considerably by Rickie Fowler's $1…

TIGER WOODS knows how to smile for the camera. He's one of the most famous people in the world, and all manner of fans—Dubai pro-am partners, AJGA golfers, Nike factory workers, European Ryder Cup opponents, U.S. presidents—want to share a frame with him. A nanosecond with a shelf life of forever. On the morning of May 20, 2013, at 9:26:48, a high school senior named Marcus Edwards, an after-school regular at a Tiger Woods Foundation learning center in Washington, D.C., posed with Tiger for the picture on this page. It was part of a professional shoot, organized by the foundation. Two dazzling, matching smiles, right? And a confident-looking kid. The neatly folded sleeves and the fresh haircut. The earring, with its hint of urban cool, and the extra-credit glasses. As…

IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR THANK YOU FOR your wonderful cover story on Dustin Johnson, honoring him as GOLF's 2016 Player of the Year. Having served as Dustin's agent for his entire career, I've had the privilege of knowing him "up close and personal" for many years. It was a very special year in Dustin's inner circle, as we all knew it was only a matter of time before he became a major champion. It has been gratifying to see Dustin recognized for the player and man he has become. Prior to his victory at the U.S. Open, some questioned his ability to close the deal at a major championship and even suggested the possibility of "scar tissue" developing. Ironically, his near-misses only served to reinforce his quiet belief…

I KNEW I'D gone too far when I showed up at Bayonet Golf Course and every golfer there was giving me side-eye. I guess folks aren't used to seeing a dude carrying a bag stuffed with nine drivers and their colorful head covers. But in the search for the perfect driver, you gotta go big. I had borrowed most of the clubs from Golf Mart, my local house of worship, in Seaside, Calif. Waiting for me on the range was a TrackMan and an even more finely calibrated piece of equipment: Joe Kwok's brain. Kwok is a San Francisco–based clubfitter with a cult following on GolfWRX. He has a mystical, Mr. Miyagi–like way of imparting wisdom. Fanned out in front of him today were a wide selection of shafts to…

Rules Guy: Playing an early-season round in Michigan, I hit a shot into a trap that still had melting snow in it, and my ball landed atop the snow. Is the white stuff considered casual water, permitting me a free drop? Or must I play it as it lies? —PAUL REVAR, VIA E-MAIL Paul, as this golf season kicks off, I hope this is as close as you come to encountering a "Snowman" on the course. Your situation, like thawing turf, is slippery. Snow can be treated either as casual water (like a puddle) or as a loose impediment (like twigs). It's your option. Here, you wouldn't want to go the loose impediment route because you can't touch or remove said impediments in a bunker. If you treat the snow…

Follow Joe Passov on Twitter @JoePassov CUP O' JOE TIGER'S SMALL WONDER Tiger Woods the designer unveiled his Oasis Short Course in December at Diamante in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, site of his first completed championship design, in 2014. The new layout can be played as 12 par 3s or as a three-hole regulation course (par 3, par 4 and par 5). The Oasis is special, Woods told me, because "there's tremendous variety from hole to hole…and friends and family can come together and finish in about an hour." SIZZLING SIBLING Copperhead grabs the glory at Innisbrook this month, thanks to its Top 100 You Can Play status and role as respected Tour host. But don't overlook its sibling, the Island, which hosted the 1990 NCAA Championships, when no player…

Stand closer to the ball with your hands high for a flatter stroke, the secret to a low flight. Think "low hands" when hitting a high pitch, and allow your wrists to hinge. No hinge, "brush" stroke. LET IT RUN WHEN… …there's nothing standing between you and the pin, or the lie is extra-tight. Here's how to hit a low shot that "runs" to the hole: Stance: Feet close together. Ball position: Middle, with your weight over your front foot. Posture: Tall. Stand closer to the ball (photo above). You should feel like your hands sit "high." Swing: With your hands high, it's harder to hinge. That's good. Now hit this shot like a putt. More hinge for more loft. LET IT FLY WHEN… …there's an obstacle in your path…

your short game One good pitch shot is all you'll ever need I always start practice with the short game—it's the only area in which I didn't net a positive Strokes Gained rating in 2016. (That in itself is a lesson: Attack your weak spots first.) You don't need to hit dozens of shots. Me? I practice one stock pitch. I use the same club (my lob wedge) and make the same overall motion, which gives me consistent height, trajectory and spin. The only variable I tinker with is landing area. For, say, a 20-yard pitch, I pick a spot six yards from the hole—that's where I want the ball to land. I let roll do the rest. If I'm 30 yards out, I'll land the ball eight yards from…

BRIDGESTONE TOUR B XD-5 $400; GOLF.com/bridgestone WE TESTED: 9.5° (adjusts 1° open to closed face angle) with Aldila Rogue Silver, Fujikura Speeder Pro, Mitsubishi Diamana BF and Kuro Kage XT graphite shafts PROS \\ DISTANCE: One of the higher-rated models; once you get it dialed in, it's as good or better than most; plenty of zip, with crushing drives from time to time. \\ ACCURACY/FORGIVENESS: Hits a whole lot of fairways; the XD-5 does a good job of correcting directional misses, which breeds confidence standing over the ball; consistent flight—little mistakes aren't punished. \\ FEEL: One of the best at impact—sensational, powerful feel, and you can almost feel the ball compress; crisp pop lets you know you nailed it; stable with plenty of weight throughout the swing. \\ PLAYABILITY: As…

Like most technologically advanced products, the game's newest balls offer an array of options. The trick is finding the model that best meets your tee-to-green needs. Here's everything you want to know about the latest offerings, so you can get off to a hot start this season. Just turn the page—and have a ball in 2017! BRIDGESTONE GOLF.com/bridgestone e6 Soft $29/dozen THE BASICS Straight flight with soft feel. YOU NEED TO KNOW "Through our data, we saw a chance to better fit a wider range of players with our new e6 balls," says Elliot Mellow, marketing manager of ball fitting. "Only 10 percent [of players using e Series balls] were in the e5 and e7 models, which have been replaced with the two new e6s." The e6 Soft is similar…

• I fly just shy of a hundred thousand miles a year. My favorite seat is 2A. The front row is overrated because you can't stretch out your legs. A window seat keeps me from being woken up or interrupted by someone needing to get up. • I never travel without my backpack. It's heavy, full of books, magazines, notepads—lots of notepads—pens, highlighters and my laptop. • I'm a movie, book and magazine guy. I usually fall asleep before the plane takes off, wake up an hour into the flight, work for two hours and then read for an hour. I'm always looking for some data or stat that no one else would know or find, which isn't easy in this metric-centric world. A "top 100 writers of all time"…

DRIVER 1) PXG 0811, 9°, Mitsubishi Kuro Kage Silver TiNi 60 shaft, X-flex, 45.25", 290 yards; $700 FAIRWAY WOODS 2) PXG 0341x prototype, 15°, 250 yards (carry), price n/a; Callaway XR 16 Pro, 18°, 235 yards (carry), $250. Both with Project X HZRDUS Yellow 75 shafts, X-flex HYRBIDS 3) PXG 0317, 19°, 220 yards and 22°, 210 yards, Matrix Ozik HM3 Black Tie 85 shafts, X-flex; $400 IRONS 4) PXG 0311T, 5-PW, True Temper Dynamic Gold Lite X100 shafts; $2,400 for set of 8 5-iron: 195 yards 6-iron: 180 yards 7-iron: 170 yards 8-iron: 160 yards 9-iron: 150 yards PW: 135 yards PUTTER 5) Odyssey White Hot RX V-Line Fang; $160 BALL Titleist Pro V1x; $48/dozen WEDGES 6) PXG 0311T, 54°, 110 yards and 60°, 90 yards. Both with True…

AT AN AVERAGE of 560 yards, par-5 holes on the PGA Tour are brutes. The longest one—No. 16 on Firestone Country Club's South course—clocks in at 667 yards. Despite the length, Tour pros average 0.3 strokes under par on par-5 holes (compared with an average slightly over par on par 3s and 4s), and the top pros go even lower than that. Who are the Tour's fiercest par-5 slayers? And what contributes most to their success? To answer the first question, I ranked players by their scoring advantage relative to the field (taking into account that some courses are stocked with tough par 5s while others have easier ones). In 2016, Rory McIlroy gained an incredible 0.26 strokes per par 5 versus the field. The next best players, in order…

It's early so we're just drinking water this morning—but I know you'd prefer it to be a Coors Light. I do enjoy Coors Light. It's refreshing after a day on the golf course. Your social media posts make it seem like you're out having more fun than other pros. I like to have fun. I realize I'm 23, and although I take my time off the course very seriously—I need to get in the best state to perform my best—I also need to enjoy my off time and be relaxed. You're buddies with other young stars, like Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler, but also with older guys, like Jason Dufner. Is Jason a mentor of yours? Duf is always jabbing at me. I don't think I could have a real…

1 LINE "EM UP Norén's eyes and ears run parallel to the ground. That's because he maintains his spine tilt from address through impact. It's hard not to catch it squarely from this position. 2 MAKE IT SNAPPY Because he keeps his chest pointed toward the ground, Norén's arms can "snap" straight down as his right shoulder moves under his chin. This pushes the club "through" the ball for explosive impact. 3 PUSH & ROLL Like all power hitters, Norén pushes off with his right foot through impact. Notice the tilt in his ankle—he's pushing both up and toward the target. This combo of lateral and vertical forces creates maximum energy transfer. 4 BUILD A WALL Norén straightens his left leg to accept the force that pushing off with his…

The GOLF TOP 100 Teachers in America 25TH ANNIVERSARY It takes blood, sweat and tees to become a Top 100 Teacher, one of the most coveted titles in instruction. Each of these 15 slice-busting, swing-fixing pros have the right stuff. Let's welcome the new class to golf's longest-running list of elite teachers (25 years and counting). For you, lower scores are just an e-mail, tweet or private lesson away. DALE ABRAHAM Bighorn G.C., Palm Desert, Calif. daleabraham.com I've been teaching for 20 years During which I was named 2013 PGA Teacher of the Year (Southwest) and 2008 PGA Teacher of the Year (SoCal.) A lesson with me costs $250/hr. Over the years I've helped Anthony Kim, Thongchai Jaidee, Ryann O'Toole (LPGA) and Nicole Smith (LPGA) You want credentials? I spent…

We're having a party, and you're invited: ClubTest turns 25 this year. Once again, our annual ballstriking extravaganza lets savvy, everyday golfers just like you rate the latest gear. Our four-part series begins with detailed reviews of 19 red-hot drivers. Today's drivers are mighty complex, with multimaterial designs packed with movable weights and adjustable settings. Finding the right one for you may seem daunting, but we can help. Our 40 ClubTesters hit thousands of shots on the range and on the course at the World Golf Village Resort in St. Augustine, Fla. Our research partner, Hot Stix Golf, custom-fit each tester and used TrackMan to record valuable info. We took this mountain of analysis and data and drilled down to the essentials, funneling our findings into three driver groupings: Better…

CALLAWAY BIG BERTHA FUSION $400; GOLF.com/callaway WE TESTED: 9° (adjusts 8° to 11°), 10.5° (adjusts 9.5° to 12.5°), 13.5° (adjusts 12.5° to 15.5°) with UST Mamiya Recoil ES 440 and ES 450, and Mitsubishi Diamana Red M+ 60 graphite shafts PROS \\ DISTANCE: Top marks—this one is a TrackMan darling; balls seem to find a higher gear while in the air and then hit the ground running; it beats what many guys have in the bag; testers notice more gains with the 45.5" shaft than with the 44.5". \\ ACCURACY/FORGIVENESS: Remarkably easy to produce consistent results—even the worst misses try to curve back into play; the shorter shaft gives players even more control over their swings, but dispersion is tight across the board. \\ FEEL: Despite the lighter head, testers…

FOR MORE INSTRUCTION THAT FITS YOUR GAME, GO TO GOLF.COM SENIOR PLAYER You've lost some flexibility and power but still know how to score. THE SECRET TO THE PERFECT PITCH Many golfers have trouble pitching the ball the right distance around the green, regardless of pin location. To improve your feel on these shots, try tossing the ball underhand to various targets around the green. Start with a target that's close, then one in the middle of the green, and then one in the back. You'll probably be surprised by how close you can get the ball to each target. The reason for this accuracy? Your body is good at responding to what your eyes tell it. If the pin is tight and you have to bring the ball in…