Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2019 i Golf Magazine

Wow! The newly designed February 2019 issue of GOLF is outstanding! My issue is worn out already, and I still have some unread articles. Usually, I’ll pick and choose what I read in a magazine, maybe ending up with one or two relevant articles before tossing it into the recycling bin. Not this time! I mean, Donald Ross’s digs, tips from DJ, Hogan’s swing, fantastic piece about Lanny Wiles, “Lessons,” flagstick in or out, how to choose hybrid vs. iron vs. fairway wood…and I still have to finish the rest of the magazine. A keeper! Thanks for your fine, reimagined work. It feels good and looks good. —Dave Gangemi, Camillus, N.Y. I love the new magazine format. I have been a subscriber for some time and will continue to be…

Comfortable Shoes. You’ll be walking a lot, and possibly through wet grass and mud. Your footwear needs to withstand both the miles and the elements. Sun Protection. Bring a hat and sunglasses to beat the heat and add style to your look. Clear Gear. If you’re bringing a bag or a purse, make sure it’s transparent to make getting through the gates a breeze. Do Some Research. Spend time looking at pictures from past events to get a sense of what other people are wearing. You’ll see a lot of traditional golf garb at the Masters, but party clothes are often the norm everywhere else.…

JON TATTERSALL is comfortable. It’s an hour into my first lesson. He’s now fairly certain I’m not going to destroy any of the expensive equipment in his training facility. So he finally lets me touch a club. We are at Fusion ATL, in a room with tarps hanging on every wall and dozens of cameras surrounding us, none of which are visible to me. And it’s time to see what will actually happen when I take a swing. That terminology—“take a swing”—is my first worry. “Take a swing” is something baseball players say, not golfers. I’ve played hardly any golf in my life, but I have played a lot of baseball. And I’ve always been under the impression that a baseball swing—level and taken at an object moving rapidly toward…

This month in 1953: Ben Hogan almost smiles after holing an 8-iron approach, then quickly shakes off such unnecessary frivolity and continues to methodically destroy everyone. This month in 1976: After Lee Trevino says “Even God can’t hit a 1-iron,” Jack Nicklaus reveals he once beat God 4 & 3 in match play—and His short game could use some work, too. This month in 2012: Roger Maltbie reaches a personal milestone when he says “That’s right, Johnny” for the 10,000th time in his career. It happens off-air, at an Applebee’s, when Miller says, “I think we should get the mozzarella sticks. Huh, Rog?” This month: Jim Nantz once again silently hopes for Jason Day to win the Masters, because he’s been saving the line “It’s Jason’s Day!” for about seven…

MATT KOSKENMAKI, 41 Composer/Musician Los Angeles, Calif. Handicap: 15.1 ROBERT “MACK” MCDOUGALL, 51 Graphic Designer Gig Harbor, Washington Handicap: 11.6 Where did the two of you meet? Matt (left): In a neighborhood bar in Boston 20 years ago, playing pool. Mack: Matt was finishing up at Berklee. I don’t even know why I was there. How often do you get together to play golf? Mack: Every few months. We travel all over, but Bandon Dunes is a good halfway spot for us. Matt: Have you tried the meatloaf at McKee’s? It’s fantastic. Is there anything different about your game? Matt: Well, at times we implement a “tackle-truce” on the first tee box. We’ve been known to wrestle on the course, especially in the sand traps. Mack: The truce part—it’s just…

Putters QUEEN B 5 $400 Lofts: 1˚-5˚; Lies: 67˚-72˚ Lengths: 33”, 33.5”, 34”, 34.5”, 35” Style: Classic heel-toe Bettinardi is known for its use of very high-quality materials and exacting milling processes, both of which help define the new Queen B 5. Built at Bettinardi’s facility in Chicago, this eye-catching putter (three Queen B models are available in all) features the company’s time-proven Micro Honeycomb face-milling pattern for a smoother roll and enhanced feel, as well as their popular and durable PVD champagne-silver finish. Nuanced shape changes to Bettinardi’s typical heel-toe blade design include tighter lines, softer bumpers and an overall more refined profile and look. Fitter comments: The degree of toe hang and minimal forgiveness make this a good choice for better players with a slightly arcing putting stroke.…

Wedges MACK DADDY 4 $150 Lofts: 46°, 48°, 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58°, 60°, 64°; Grinds: S (versatile), W (bunker/rough), C (shotmaking), X (steep swingers) The new line of Mack Daddy 4 wedges from Callaway are the company’s grooviest clubs to date. We mean that literally—each wedge has Groove-In-Groove Tech, meaning smaller grooves are sandwiched between the larger, more traditionally shaped grooves for better spin and control (the nipper groove down at the leading edge is a nice touch, too). The Mack Daddy 4 comes in four sole grinds to match any type of player/conditions, including Callaway’s new X-Grind, which has a narrow, high-bounce crescent sole with the low point near the front. (The C-Grind is still our favorite, though, making it a cinch to hit open-faced lob shots.) The…

Wedges KING MIM $139 Lofts: 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58°, 60°; Grind: Tour Wedge Grind For years, equipment manufacturers have used a metal injection molding (MIM) process to create finely shaped products or weights that fit inside confined spaces. The new Cobra MIM wedges are built entirely that way, using 304 stainless steel that cooks in a mold and is robotically finished and polished. Grooves on the face are CNC-milled, and the whole process is built with no human interference. Other features include a Rickie Fowler–approved Tour grind for enhanced versatility, progressive groove shapes to optimize performance depending on loft, and COBRA CONNECT, powered by Arccos, to use in conjunction with your smartphone to track stats. Fitter comments: Classic shape with lots of loft options can fit a wide variety…

Wedges GLIDE FORGED $199 Lofts: 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58°, 60° Grinds: Versatile with rounded leading edge The forged construction and shaping of the Glide Forged wedges are PING’s most Tour-inspired to date. The wheel-cut grooves deliver optimized spin rates, while the rounded leading edge and heel-toe camber allow for more shotmaking prowess. The 8620 carbon steel construction is paired with a tungsten toe weight to lend a feel and balance that make it easy to hit flop shots and low, spinning chips with the same wedge. Lastly, these wedges are very customizable, with four different graphic designs to choose from and custom-stamp and paint-fill options on the heel, center or toe. We’re thrilled to see the Mr. PING artwork making a comeback, too. Fitter comments: Traditionalists who also want…

The thinking behind TaylorMade’s decision to make the toe section of its HI-TOE wedges appear, well, high isn’t as strange as you might expect. As we’ve seen in other wedge designs (the original PING Eye 2 comes to mind), building up the toe section of the club provides, among other things, a larger hitting area when the clubface is opened wide. Moreover, when you open the HI-TOE for a high-lofted shot, you can actually use the toe area to strike the ball and create more shot-stopping spin. That’s why there are scoring lines across the entire face. Simple.…

There’s a good reason why SM7 wedges are so overwhelmingly popular with Tour pros and better players around the world, and it’s not because they come in a bunch of cool finishes (which we fully appreciate anyway). It’s because they’re made with as comprehensive a selection of loft/bounce and sole-grind combos as anyone could want—enough to fit any swing in any playing condition. It’s understandable if you’re confused by the massive number of options, but there’s an easy way around that: get fitted by a qualified professional. Your scorecard will thank you.…

It’s a sun-drenched Tuesday morning, two days before the start of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, and Justin Rose, tall and polite English golf professional, is on the driving range of a nearby five-star resort, testing clubs and noting flight patterns. Ten people are watching, all, to varying degrees, members of Rose’s team. His swing coach, his mental coach, his fill-in caddie. One of his chiropractors. Three executives from his new club manufacturer, Honma. A Honma club designer from Japan. A product manager. A specs guy. Rose’s morning work is a clinic, close to perfection. In five days, he will win the old San Diego event. But this long club-test Tuesday ends at a second driving range, at Torrey Pines. With the sun getting low, and out of…

Hanging in Bill King’s bedroom closet, there are some reds. Two or three oranges. A pink, even. And a lot of blues. But at a glance, there are no greens. Only after unzipping a garment bag does the hunter green jacket you’ve been looking for finally dazzle your eye. And your hands. The wool is heavy. On an inside label, you’ll find the name of its long-ago tailor, John Alfieri. But it’s the logo stitched into the breast pocket that gives it away as the rarest of rarities. The original Augusta National Golf Club insignia dates the jacket to the 1940s. Bill King’s coat isn’t just old, it might be the only jacket of its kind in existence, and right now—tucked away on the second floor of his modest brick…

SUZY WHALEY IS ONE of the most powerful—and knowledgeable—people in golf. She’s also one of the busiest. The director of instruction at the Country Club at Mirasol in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., doubles as the first female president of the PGA of America and, starting this year, is the latest addition to GOLF’s Top 100 Teachers list (p. 122). Whaley, 52, is the rare breed with a 360-degree take on golf’s present and future. Trust us: When Suzy talks, people listen. GOLF: First things first. How’s life in the new role at Mirasol? SUZY WHALEY: Busy! Though, of course, everyone’s busy. I settled in the Palm Beach area because I noticed my ability to coach and teach exclusively up north [Whaley has spent the bulk of her playing and teaching career…

MISS A GREEN ON TOUR and you’re likely to find your ball in some pretty hairy rough. The trick here is to not overpower your next swing, or you risk flying the ball into worse trouble on the opposite side of the putting surface. Try this: Hold your arms out to your sides as I’m doing in the photo above. Then let them fall straight down—just allow gravity to do its thing. Now keep in mind that your arms weigh about eight pounds, and if you were to drop an eight-pound weight on your foot, you’d probably break a few bones. That’s my point: For short shots like these, you don’t need to any add any extra force on your downswing. There’s plenty there. Simply swing the club back and…

8:38 a.m. Arrives on putting green, signs autograph. 8:39 a.m. Marks 12 balls, drawing one black line on each. 8:42 a.m. Rolls two 12-footers; moves to six feet, rolls five putts using his right hand only. 8:44 a.m. Sets up gate putting drill, continues putting one-handed. 8:45 a.m. Switches to two hands, rolls putts six at a time. 8:49 a.m. Removes the putting gate. Moves to 10 feet, rolls two putts. 8:50 a.m. Rolls two from 30 feet. 8:51 a.m. Chats with Henrik Stenson. Putts to hole 60 feet away, leaving two five-footers, putts out. 8:52 a.m. Hits six putts from eight feet, makes four. 8:54 a.m. Hits two downhill 40-footers, lags both to a few inches, taps in, leaves putting green. 9:48 a.m. Returns to green from driving range.…

You may think you can control everything that’s happening around you on the course, but you can’t. Not even the Dalai Lama can pull it off. The only thing you can regulate is your game. The rest is just noise. Things like the wind, bad bounces, the Queensrÿche blaring from the cart two fairways over (wait, that literally is noise)—you can’t let them bother you. Here’s how to tune out till you’re all the way in the clubhouse. 1. FOCUS ON THINE SELF You can’t control much. Fine, but you can monitor your intent, your reactions, and your overall perception of your game. The sharper you focus on those things, the less you’ll be bothered by outside forces. 2. TURN THE DIAL It’s up to you to choose the soundtrack…

* Former PGA or LPGA National Teacher of the Year SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1991, GOLF’s Top 100 Teachers in America franchise has established itself as the industry standard for recognizing excellence in coaching. We hold ourselves to a rigorous process in a quest to highlight the most innovative, committed and accomplished teachers in the country. 2019 is a historic year for the reimagined GOLF brand. We’re delighted to mark the occasion by welcoming 16 new teachers to our esteemed list, while also inducting five new teachers into our Hall of Fame, including our long-time columnist and world-renowned short-game expert, Dave Pelz. Each instructor comes to us from a diversity of backgrounds and with their own unique viewpoint on golf instruction. Among our new additions is Suzy Whaley, who last…

The Perfect Putter ($299) doesn’t look like an ordinary training aid. In fact, it doesn’t even look like a training aid at all. But you’ll find it scattered around the practice green at practically every PGA Tour event. The Perfect Putter is a collapsible, metal ramp that looks like a stimpmeter. Find a putt you like, then roll balls down the ramp until you find the best line and speed to begin practicing. There are various add-ons you can apply: a laser ($149) to double-check the line, a path trainer ($49), and an alignment aid ($39). It’s not a traditional training aid, because you don’t hit balls using it, but it’s helpful nonetheless. If you’re struggling with reading greens or understanding how the speed can alter the line, the Perfect…

GOLF IS AN OUTDOOR GAME. It’s played in the elements. Courses are situated at both altitude and at sea level. These facts beg the question: How do these atmospheric conditions affect ball flight? Parts of the answer are intuitive. Others, as I’ve recently found while taking part in a year-long (and ongoing) study with Trackman, are sublime. My role in this research? Taking the Trackman system to as many different courses and climes as possible and recording swings under a massive variety of playing conditions. We lugged the machines to dozens of Tour events on both sides of the Mississippi, to the WGC event in Mexico City (more than 7,000 feet above sea level) and all the way to Calamity Corner, the par-3 14th at Royal Portrush outside Belfast, host…

He’s toured with Bob Dylan, produced Elvis Costello and won 13 Grammys and an Oscar. And yet, the one thing T Bone Burnett, 71, can’t do is tell you how he got his indelible nickname. It’s a Fort Worth thing. In his Texas hometown, an eight-year-old Burnett watched local legend Ben Hogan practice, igniting a passion for the sport that’s a close second to his love of music. Burnett’s first album in 11 years, The Invisible Light: Acoustic Space (Verve), comes out this month. What was it like to watch Hogan play? He used to send a shag boy out maybe 175 yards, and he had a 5-iron and he’d start hitting toward the kid’s bag. And two or three times a session, he’d slam-dunk one right into it. He…

I GET INTO EVERY MAJOR. I mean, really get into it. It’s during those four special weeks when I’m at my golf nerdiest, when even what’s unfolding early on the second day of Open Championship practice rounds holds more importance than whatever needs the wife is throwing my way. By far, my excitement peaks early in major season, at the Masters. For seven days in spring, when all eyes are fixed on Augusta, Ga., the passion transcends mere fandom. It blossoms into a full-blown celebration, where I (as I’m sure you do) fete the dawn of a new golf season, the quirky Masters traditions and a course that’s nothing short of a national treasure (I know this and I haven’t even played it). Back in my single days, around the…

I HAVE NEVER LET the fact that I am mediocre at something stop me from doing it. For instance, golf. Right now, it is winter where I live, but a part of me cannot wait until the snow retreats from the local fairways. This is odd: I’m an adrenaline-sports guy, not a golf guy. Except for the fact that, to my surprise, I kind of love it. Finally. It runs in the family. My great-grandfather painted his golf balls red so he could play through the Chicago winters. A cousin had been an LPGA pro in the 1950s. And my father grew up caddying and playing at a small-town country club outside Chicago. He must have had some talent, because he won the Illinois state high school championship as a…

Wedge EQUALIZER $100 Lofts: 48°, 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58°, 60°, 62° Grind: Proprietary V-Sole Hogan Equalizer wedges are forged from soft carbon steel, which helps deliver enhanced feel at impact. They also deliver pinpoint control, thanks to strategically positioned CG locations designed to optimize performance by loft. In this lineup, the lower-lofted wedges feature CGs positioned higher in the clubhead, delivering a more penetrating flight; higher-lofted models have lower CGs for softer landings. U-shaped machined grooves and 100 percent CNC milled clubfaces add to the overall quality and control of these attractive and surprisingly affordable wedges, while V-Sole technology reduces digging for improved turf interaction. Fitter comments: A solid choice for those who place a high value on smooth turf interaction and a soft feel.…

Take a peek inside the bags of some of the best golfers in the world and you’ll notice a growing wedge trend. More than ever before, players like Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas are stamping their wedges with song lyrics and collegiate logos to showcase their personality on the course. For years, the stamping process was reserved for those with a Tour résumé. But that’s no longer the case for a number of manufacturers who’ve opened up Tour-level wedge programs for the consumer, including Vokey WedgeWorks and Callaway Customs. For around $200 per wedge, it’s possible to choose from custom hand-stamping options—hammers, dollar signs and skulls are just a few of the offerings—and a multitude of paint-fill options that can be added to the head. (It’s even possible to customize…

There are a lot of ways to help players hole out more often, but EXO is aimed at creating exceptionally high MOI, stability and consistency via multi-material construction and extreme perimeter weighting. The technique involves utilizing lightweight milled aluminum in the center of the putterhead and much heavier stainless steel on the perimeter. This arrangement creates putters with impressive forgiveness on off-center hits, minimizing the difference between a solid strike and a poor one. Any Odyssey model with EXO tech is worth a serious look.…

Wedge KG 2.0 $295 Lofts: 52°, 54°, 56°, 58°, 60° Ginds: Proprietary K Grind The KG 2.0 (K Grind) is designed to provide maximum stability in just about any on-course situation. Based loosely on the 1957 K-Grind, the new model is built with “knuckles” in the sole to not only improve performance, but also help the clubface stay square through impact by reducing the amount of twisting as the clubhead passes through the turf. The clubface and grooves are also milled for enhanced spin rates and improved consistency. As you might expect, the new KG 2.0 wedge is hand-forged from soft carbon steel utilizing Miura’s 14-step process, which provides nothing less than legendary feel and quality. A durable nickel-chrome finish comes as a bonus. Fitter comments: Great for those who…

Putters PLATINUM M5 HT $350 Lengths: 30”-39” Type: Mallet (eight other Platinum models available) The new Platinum mallet is SeeMore’s largest, and it comes in a new offset version (shown) that helps players who like to have their hands in front during the stroke. A deep milled clubface enhances contact and roll for more consistency, while SeeMore’s patented RST (RifleScope Technology) alignment system helps ensure accuracy. The new mallet is completely milled from aircraft-grade aluminum for better feel and quality control and topped off with a classy yet durable platinum finish. Fitter comments: The offset option makes SeeMore a viable option for all players. PLATINUM M7 TOUR $350 Lengths: 30”-39” Type: Heel-toe blade (eight other Platinum models available) Aimed at players looking for the look and feel of a blade…

After conducting what can simply be referred to as “a ton” of research on typical putting errors, the folks at TaylorMade found that from about twelve feet, most golfers (close to 70 percent) strike the ball toward the toe. And while some players intentionally do this for more hook spin, most, admittedly, do so by mistake. The result, obviously, are putts that don’t hold the line as well and don’t retain speed and distance like those struck in the middle of the face. To help remedy the problem, the R&D gurus at TaylorMade researched methods to improve aim and focus on the center of the putter, eventually developing True Path Alignment, which incorporates a wider alignment aid on the crown of each Spider X putter, along with a thin center…

Since the 1990s, when Scotty Cameron first signed on with Titleist, his topnotch putters have mostly been associated with milled blades that provide the feel and feedback preferred by the most accomplished players in the world. However, the SoCal native has also been producing extremely high-quality and high-performance multi-material mallets for some time now, with the new Phantom X line representing the most advanced and most forgiving to date. The key to Phantom X Technology is a multi-material design that features a face milled from lightweight aircraft aluminum that extends through the sole of the clubhead, and an outer body made from heavier stainless steel. New flange designs aimed at maxing out MOI further contribute to overall stability, while length-specific sole weights enhance feel and inertial properties. According to the…

When Rosie signed a multiyear deal with Honma Golf in January, many assumed he was parting ways with TaylorMade, after 20 years, for more money. But there was more to it than simply dollars and cents. Rose wanted the opportunity to be an integral part of the design process—something he’s embraced since joining Honma. Their “Rose Proto” irons and wedges were designed with his direct input, down to the shaping and sole grind. It also didn’t hurt that Rose found an almost unheard of 3-4 mph increase in ball speed with a combination of Honma’s TW 747 driver and Taylor-Made’s TP5x ball—numbers that have allowed him, at age 38, to keep up with the Tour’s young bombers. Throw in an Axis1 putter made specifically for Rose, and it’s easy to…

Beyond the par-4 fifth hole at Augusta National—right of the fairway, west of the property—sits Berckmans Place, an uber-exclusive retreat at the holy grail of golf tournaments. That’s where Condoleezza Rice greeted patrons on Masters Monday in 2013. She was there by 8 a.m., 72 hours before the first tee shots were struck, smiling and shaking hands and taking photos. Rice, the former Secretary of State, along with businesswoman and philanthropist Darla Moore, became the male-only club’s first female members the year before, making 2013 their inaugural Masters as green jacket owners. Much had changed in the decade since then-chairman Hootie Johnson, responding to increased pressure to admit female members, famously said, “There may well come a day when women are invited to join our membership, but that timetable will…

1. What’s the best hole at Augusta? …AND ANOTHER THING “No. 10. It has such a cool view as you turn the corner.” 2. What’s the worst hole at Augusta? …AND ANOTHER THING “No. 10. Only because it’s so hard.” 3. Will Tiger Woods win another green jacket? …AND ANOTHER THING “Don’t bet against the GOAT!” 4. And if so, how many? 5. Should Tiger have withdrawn from the 2013 Masters after his incorrect drop on No. 15? …AND ANOTHER THING “Any other player would have been DQ’d.” 6. What’s the scariest shot at Augusta? TEE SHOT ON 12 38%/2ND SHOT ON 11 17%/2ND SHOT ON 15 15%/OTHER 30% 7. Would you rather win one Masters or 10 Tour events? …AND ANOTHER THING “That’s an interesting question. I wonder what…

UNLESS YOU’RE CONSISTENTLY the longest hitter in your foursome, odds are that your driver swing is too steep for its own good. You know you’re steep when you sense that the clubhead is still descending as it strikes the ball. A high-low path like this robs you of a ton of ball speed and typically adds unnecessary spin, which causes the ball to float instead of launch. A shallower path—one that allows the clubhead to slightly rise before impact—produces a squarer impact and, as a result, a heavy dose of additional yardage. To get one, try this easy drill. Start by placing an empty sleeve of balls on its long side about a foot in front of the tee and along your target line (photo below). Your goal is to…

If you want to go far in the game, you’ve got to love doing it. I love playing golf. That’s what drives me, that’s what motivates me. If it’s work for you, it’s probably not going to be something you’re going to go a long way with. Golf is a fun game, and I encourage my boys and other junior golfers to enjoy it as much as you can. And listen to your mom and dad. When your kids are young, they look up to you like you’re Superman. Kind of like you’re their hero, and when it doesn’t work out, and you aren’t the hero holding the trophy, it’s saddening. Golf can be a very, very humbling game, and it’s amazing the lessons you learn. It’s interesting to see…

A lot of golfers start out with a neutral grip, but if you look around on Tour, you’ll find elite-level golfers using every kind of hold under the sun. Pros know how important it is to match your grip to your swing, or how different holds either exacerbate or mute errors. Try this: Look down at your left hand at address. How many knuckles do you see? The answer is step one toward finding the perfect grip. NO KNUCKLES If you don’t see any knuckles, your lead-hand grip is very weak. Jordan Spieth grips it like this (so did Johnny Miller) to encourage more left-hand rotation through impact. TWO KNUCKLES If you see two knuckles, like Adam Scott or Jason Day do, you have a neutral left-hand grip. It’s the…

The biennial process is powered by the Top 100 Teachers Credentials Committee, and is the only national golf instructor search that combines outside academic and PGA peer review. Candidates are screened against 15 baseline criteria, including their teaching experience and accomplishments, student portfolio and peer ratings, along with their overall commitment to the growth of the game, both through volunteerism and their ability to use digital platforms. In addition to a public application, candidates are nominated by the PGA, LPGA and United States Golf Teachers Federation, among others. The committee reviews 250 applications, on average, before selecting the new members. Jason Baile, PGA@JasonBailePGABelfair Plantation,Bluffton, S.C.Top 100 since: 2019 Studied under fellow GOLF Top 100 Teachers Todd Anderson, Mike Shannon and newly inducted Hall-of-Fame member Jack Lumpkin. Tim Cusick, PGAtimcusickgolf.comFour Seasons…

WHAT WE’RE READING The Green, by Troon McAllister. A fictional book about the Ryder Cup and how the U.S. team captain brought on a golf hustler to help carry the team to victory against Europe. A must-read for golf fans who want to learn more about the pressures of the biennial event. —Pat Ralph WHAT WE’RE EATING Spam musubi. The world’s greatest golf course snack. I make it at home and bring it with me when I play. Puts a hot dog and a bag of Doritos to shame. —Josh Sens WHO WE’RE FOLLOWING Max Homa (@maxhoma23) on Twitter. He’s the most refreshing pro on social media. He has a wit about him that has made his account a must-follow. —Tim Reilly WHAT WE’RE PLAYING The newly transformed Phoenician Golf…

LAST MARCH, WHEN I mentioned on Twitter that I would be attending the 2018 Masters, I was flooded with comments saying the experience would exceed my wildest expectations. However, when I arrived at the course, I was surprised that my first reaction was to feel…uncomfortable. It felt as though I had just snuck into an exclusive club where I’d never felt good enough to belong. But then, after a few moments of taking everything in, I realized I was being as closed-minded as many of the people in my social-media comments section. It was my own insecurities that made me feel like an outcast. Once I recognized that, I was able to let it go and embrace all the things that make the Masters so special and revered. The Masters…

WINNING AT AUGUSTA, getting draped in that green jacket, is a glorious thing, of course. But it can’t compete with the poignancy of coming close. After all, what’s more poignant than unrequited love? Four giants of Twentieth-Century American Golf are (were) experts on the subject: Tom Weiskopf, Greg Norman, Ken Venturi (RIP)—and Johnny Miller, who had three second-place finishes there. Miller used to dis the Masters. He’d call it the Augusta National Annual Spring Putting Championship. He fooled nobody. Check out the ’71 and ’83 Masters, and most especially the ’75 tournament. No wonder Miller was so good at calling all those Phil Mickelson second-place finishes in U.S. Opens. It takes insight to be a good TV golf analyst, but empathy, too. Miller closed the book on his playing career…

Just when you thought your Scottsdale golf vacay couldn’t any better, this happens: A wayward drive rolls through the fairway, into the desert, and nestles up against a cactus. It doesn’t matter if the barbed succulent in question is a prickly pear, saguaro or the Pilosocereus pictured here—this is a sticky (literally) situation at best. What’s the proper play? Three choices: A) Take your medicine, declare an unplayable and drop; B) Straddle the cactus and lash away, barbs be damned; or C) Flip the clubhead and hit it from a lefty stance. We know what we’d do. Turn the page. Option A? A drop? Not our style. B is a little dicey—gotta protect the package. C is the right call. Flip the club, reverse your grip and do your best…

BACK IN THE TIME OF KING ARTHUR and the first season of Game of Thrones, everyone walked around all day with nothing to do except drink wine from silver cups. Maybe they were chalices, but either way they drank a lot of wine, and you would too if you lived in a world without plumbing. Right around then, give or take a few centuries and dragons, the Open Championship was first played in Scotland, and the champion golfer of the year took home a red leather belt, like he’d just won the WWF title. Since some of those guys held their britches up with a piece of rope tied around the waist, a regular belt would have been a nice get, but the fancy one was useless and was eventually…

There are a lot of variables to consider when selecting wedges, but the most important are loft (for gapping) and sole design (for performance). When it comes to loft, the parameters are pretty simple: Fill the distance gap left after your pitching wedge with clubs in four- or five-degree increments. Deciding on sole configurations is a bit more complex. Our advice? Match bounce angle and sole grind to your swing and playing conditions. Steep swingers who take deep divots (or golfers who play mostly square-faced shots or in soft conditions) need wider soles and more bounce. If you’re a shallow swinger or tend to play in firmer conditions (or play lots of open-faced shots), go with less bounce and narrower soles. With this in mind—and the state-of-the-art wedge tech splashed…

Wedge TOUR B XW-1 $140 Lofts: 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58°, 60° Grinds: F Grind (flat sole), A Grind (forgiving), M Grind (multipurpose) Aimed at better players who want a traditional profile with a forged feel, the XW-1 is built with multiple sole grinds, depending on loft. Some models feature an F (flat) sole for better performance on full shots, while others feature an M (multipurpose) sole that works well for both full and short-game shots. The A sole is the most forgiving and allows the club to be used for open-faced shots very easily. Every Tour B XW-1 is constructed using Bridgestone’s biting rail milled-groove design, in which “teeth” positioned between each groove prevent the ball from sliding up the face at impact. The result is more spin on…

Wedges RTX4 $140 Lofts: 46°, 48°, 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58°, 60°, 62°, 64° Grinds: XLOW, LOW, MID, FULL We’re four iterations into Cleveland’s Rotex technology, and the latest model has proved to be its best version so far. The RTX 4 wedges feature a classic, Tour-inspired muscleback design and have Cleveland’s sharpest Tour Zip Grooves yet, precision-milled and laser-cut for maximum shotmaking control. Also, the wedges have a progressive design based on loft, easing the transition from irons to wedges. The center of gravity is different based on loft, too, making these wedges easier to control in terms of both spin and trajectory. Available in Black Satin, Tour Satin or with a Tour Raw finish (shown), and in 18 different loft-bounce configurations and four different grinds. Fitter comments: The…

JPX 919 $125 Lofts: 50°, 55°, 60° Grinds: Loft-specific Designed to blend in perfectly with the JPX 919 irons (of course, you don’t have to play those irons to reap the benefits here), the JPX 919 wedges employ Mizuno’s Harmonic Impact Technology for improved feel, and Quad Cut grooves that are tuned for specific lofts (lower lofts have wider grooves) for consistent control. The X30 stainless steel construction process makes these wedges not only feel and perform great, it makes them easy to bend for a customized fit. Comes in gap, sand and lob models, with grind-bounce configurations based on loft. Fitter comments: A standout as a wedge extension for the JPX 919 line, so good they’re worth a look even if you don’t play Mizuno irons. Wedges S18 $150…

MILLED GRIND HI-TOE $170 Lofts: 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58°, 60°, 64° Grinds: Standard (all-purpose), 4-Way (cambered), ATV (channel-cut) Newly expanded to include more lofts, the HI-TOE wedges have full-face scoring lines (grooves) in the 56° to 64° models and standard scoring lines in the 50° to 54°, but each wedge has weight removed from the heel to allow for an expanded toe section—a great option for hitting shots around the green with varying degrees of open face. TaylorMade offers three grind options in the HI-TOE line: 1) Standard (50°, 52°, 54°) for both normal and soft turf conditions; 2) 4-Way (56°, 58°, 60°) to help players with slightly steeper swings, thanks to its blunted leading edge; and 3) ATV (58°, 60°, 64°), a popular grind for added versatility, especially…

Wedge VOKEY DESIGN SPIN MILLED 7 $150-$200 Lofts: 46°, 48°, 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58°, 60°, 62° Grinds: F, M, K, S, D, L Vokey-designed wedges have long been popular for their predictability, meaning you can expect top-shelf consistency and performance from every make and model. The key is choosing the right fit for your game, and with the new SM7 it’s easier than ever. The CG is progressively located based on loft, the Spin-Milled grooves yield Tour-level spin, and Vokey’s legendary sole grinds are finely shaped to meet the needs of a wide variety of players. New for this year is the Slate Blue Finish (shown), which is both striking and durable. Also comes in Brushed Steel, Jet Black and Raw finishes. Six grinds available (not all finishes and…

The phrase “Amen Corner,” coined by the legendary golf writer Herbert Warren Wind, was a nod to action-packed playing-field spots like baseball’s “hot corner” and football’s “coffin corner,” and it comes from a jazz song, “Shoutin’ in that Amen Corner.” Ike’s Pond isn’t just named after Dwight Eisenhower; as an ANGC club member, Ike took a walk through the woods located on the eastern end of the club grounds, where he found what he felt was an ideal spot to build a dam and create a fish pond. Club chairman Clifford Roberts agreed, and the three-acre pond was built in 1949. As a child, Martha Burk, whose 2002 crusade to get female members admitted to Augusta National made national headlines, was nicknamed “Hootie”—the same moniker as her ANGC foil in…

Don’t be fooled by the name—not everyone will be playing a competitive round at the home of the Masters. The first 36 holes of this 54-hole, stroke-play event will be competed at Champions Retreat, in nearby Evans, Ga. Only the top 30 finishers in the field of 72 will advance to the final round at Augusta National. But…everyone in the field will enjoy a practice round at Augusta the day before the final round. THE FIELD The top 30 U.S. players in the final 2018 Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking were invited, followed by the next 30 highest-ranked worldwide amateurs. Exemptions were also given to winners of various junior and amateur events. The remaining spots were filled by invitations courtesy of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship Committee. THE FORMAT…

Golf is a numbers game—there’s always a score to track or hunks of data to crunch. Author Bill Felber is a numbers guy. His latest book, The Hole Truth (University of Nebraska Press, $29.95), proves it. Over the course of 327 pages, Felber applies advanced Sabermetrics to, among other things, prove once and for all who is the greatest golfer of all time. This isn’t grill-room opinion, but a collection of quantifiable, hard data delivered with an easy-to-digest tone. THE BEST PART: Felber lobbies his take on the greatest debate in golf: Is Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus the all-time best? Felber determines mathematically that Tiger was the most dominant at his peak, but that the Golden Bear had the most dominant career. (Felber also argues that the only other…

Analysis by Top 100 Teacher Brady Riggs SQUEEZE HERE There are several important “connections” in your swing, none more critical than the one you establish between your left arm and your chest. As Thomas shows here, this “coming together” reaches its maximum squeeze at impact. Maintaining the connection ensures that you don’t drag the handle ahead of the clubhead through the strike—a distance killer. WAIT FOR THE TURN Thomas shifts laterally toward the target before he begins unwinding his body—the same sequence you’d use to throw a football or hit a baseball. Get it wrong and you can kiss both power and accuracy goodbye. You know you’ve done it correctly when, as Thomas shows here, your hips are more open than your shoulders at impact. GET UNHINGED It’s only natural…

EVERY GOLFER CAN STAND more consistency in their putting game. The first place to look is your setup, the only part of your technique you realistically have a chance of executing the same way on each and every putt. It’s the very definition of consistency, so own it. 1) Play the ball slightly forward in your stance (use your left ear as a reference). 2) Tilt the shaft slightly toward the target. If you prefer putters with less offset, like I’m using below, place your hands in a more neutral position, with the butt of the club pointing to the center of your sternum. 3) Allow your arms to hang from your shoulders in a relaxed, tension-free “V” position. Now your shoulders, chest, arms and hands can swing back and…