Innholdsfortegnelse for September/October 2021 i Golf Magazine

THERE HAVE BEEN 42 RYDER CUPS staged since the event began in 1927, with two-time major winner Ted Ray captaining the Great Britain squad and 11-time major champ Walter Hagen marshaling the home team. (Trivia night FYI: Hagen captained the first six U.S. Ryder Cup squads.) Some 94 years later, as we approach the 43rd iteration of the transatlantic matches, the overall win tally still leans heavily toward the Americans, 27–15, thanks to a 22–3 start by Team U.S.A. Since 1985, however, the Euros (originally just Great Britain and, for a few years, Great Britain and Ireland) have owned us westerners, with 12 victories to our five. It stinks to lose, but, for my money, the evolution of a formidable opponent is what makes for great sport. If you don’t…

PERHAPS, LIKE ME, your most limber days are behind you. When it comes time to play, your muscles ache and your bones creak… and that’s just your warm-up! But trust me: A stiff body doesn’t mean you can’t rotate like a millennial. You—yes, you!—can turn your hips 45 degrees and your shoulders 90 degrees at the top, just like a Tour pro. Terabytes of data GOLFTEC has gathered over the years support this claim. Where most self-proclaimed or misdiagnosed “inflexible” golfers go wrong is in their “flex”—the extension that should be utilized from their ankles upward. There’s a long-standing golf myth predicated on “coiling like a spring” to magically turn more open on the downswing. That myth lacks scientific evidence and objective data. In truth, the more inflexible you think…

AT AN INHUMAN early Sunday-morning hour, my wife was awakened by intermittent yelling, perforated by random and, it must be admitted, rather cleverly combined bursts of obscenities. She headed to the eerily lit living room, where she was disturbed by what she encountered—a pajamas-clad lunatic keeping company with several empty beer bottles and a freshly opened one. “What is wrong with you?” said she to her favorite muttonhead. “You’re right,” said me. “I should be drinking champagne.” ” My response evoked a familiar glare of disgust, slow headshake and slower shuffle of retreat with purposeful backward glances. But here’s the thing: I was right. I should have been drinking champagne, because, in the scene just described, I was watching (and screaming at) zero-dark-thirty television coverage of the Ryder Cup, from…

Since the heyday of Michael Jordan and Mars Blackmon, Air Jordans have been flying off shelves—and not just to ballplayers. What started as a small division of Nike’s basketball business has grown into one of the most popular streetwear brands in the world. We’re talking strategic sneaker drops, insane resale values and sweet collaborations. But did you know that same streetstyle aesthetic has now morphed into a “traditional” golf style? Did ya know, did ya know, did ya know? Enter the Jordan ADG3 ($140; proshop. golf.com), a classic urban-inspired silhouette that still feels golf-y. The shoe is infused with proprietary golf tech for the cushion, responsiveness and support your feet require during a long day. The versatile spikeless sole allows them to be worn around town too. So, next time…

HOODIES ARE ALL THE RAGE. It’s not a matter of if you should wear a hoodie; it’s a matter of deciding which one you should. One answer is the new Radmor “Higgins” ($120; radmorgolf.com). Radmor is an upstart brand you’ll soon be seeing a lot more of both on and off the course. The company uses environmentally responsible fabrics and avoids synthetic materials in their apparel without sacrificing style or comfort. These are perfect for cool early-morning rounds and at firepit gatherings in the evening. This is the type of hoodie you grab immediately when the temperature calls it for—and get sad when it doesn’t. You’ll find Radmor gear and plenty more when you visit proshop.golf.com…

THE SIDE STAMP ON your ball serves a number of valuable purposes. The markings on the side let you know what model you’re playing. They can also act as an alignment aid when you’re attempting to zero in on the target. While the traditional side stamp is still used by every major ball manufacturer, some have started to up the level of creativity, Callaway included. The equipment manufacturer has continued to increase the footprint of its Triple Track Technology—a series of alternating blue and red lines on the side of the ball that utilize Vernier Hyper Acuity, a visual technology that helps improve alignment. Originally introduced on Callaway’s ERC Soft ball, the visual aid has turned into a boon for the brand’s premium Chrome Soft models as well. Phil Mickelson…

PREVIEW Sixty-five years ago, American missiles flew over Whistling Straits. Not the golf kind—nothing like what Dustin Johnson will launch during the Ryder Cup in September. We’re talking the military kind, because Whistling Straits was not Whistling Straits in the late ’50s. Nowhere close. The tract of land was known as Camp Haven, an antiaircraft training ground for the United States Army. Team U.S.A.’s uniforms looked quite a bit different back then. Camp Haven is a distant but apt reminder that big-time golf is still a new delicacy in the Dairy (and Badger) State. Even 30 years ago, the idea of Wisconsin becoming one of the golfiest states in the union was just an improbable dream of plumbing magnate Herb Kohler. Now, after a yearlong postponement due to Covid, we’ll…

WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS GUY? Other players in plaid—Arnold Palmer in his day, Darren Clarke in his, Rodney Dangerfield for 100 minutes—it works. It’s cool. Ian Poulter in plaid is annoying. Ian Poulter in anything is annoying. It’s a backdoor compliment. Here’s the starting point: He’s been a constant in our golf-watching lives for about 20 years now, at all our sparkly events, most especially the Ryder Cup. If he weren’t good, would we care so much about him? We would not. He’s spectacularly English. The working Englishman who made it. He’s as Jaguar C-Type as Pat Reed is Ford F-150. We don’t do Jaguars, here in these United States. Ian Poulter don’t care. Poulter earned his PGA Tour playing privileges by making the 2004 European Ryder Cup team. (He’s…

TOMORROW’S STARS ARE PLAYING JUNIOR, AMATEUR AND COLLEGIATE GOLF TODAY, AND THE BATTLE TO FORGE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THESE YOUNG TALENTS CONTINUES TO HEAT UP. TAYLORMADE HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY MIXING IT UP IN THESE TRENCHES FOR YEARS. (WITNESS ITS ALREADY LONG-STANDING BOND WITH COLLIN MORIKAWA.) DAVID ABELES, TM’S PRESIDENT AND CEO, EXPLAINS WHY THE COMPANY FEELS THAT DOING SO IS MISSION CRITICAL. What internal and external systems does TaylorMade use to identify young talent? The entire organization is always embracing new talent, but functionally we have a designated group—the sports marketing group—whose purpose is to identify talent. We also work very closely with the American Junior Golf Association. As the AJGA’s title sponsor, we engage in these relationships very early in the junior’s development process and make sure we’re close to…

In golf, as in real estate, you always aspire to a better neighborhood. Movin’ on up—aka improving your handicap—requires many things, and one of them is money. The cliché that you can’t buy a better game? Nonsense. Spend wisely and you’ll be primed to ascend the leaderboard this season. What follows are three sample plans—based on skill level—for a $5,000 budget to get you thinking clearly about how to use your golf cash more wisely on the fairways and in the pro shop. High handicap $200-an-hour instructor, 20-lesson package: $3,000* • Work on the basics, create a routine • Develop a game plan and a practice schedule • Emphasize short-game basics—chipping, pitching, bunker play • On-course sessions to improve strategic understanding *Many pros, like me, will offer package discounts to…

In order to hit the ball longer, you need a bigger backswing. And to do that, you need to rotate more than you’re used to. But that can be a problem because many golfers have limited hip mobility. A good immediate solution that GOLF Top 100 Teacher Nick Clearwater suggests is flaring both of your feet. “Turning your toes out about 20 degrees—maybe even more—effectively makes you more flexible,” Clearwater says. “It creates greater range of motion in your hips, which produces a distance boost in very short order.”…

The ability to turn your torso while keeping your lower body stable is very important, especially on shots around the green. Here’s how to get better at it. Hold a club out in front of you and step out with your left leg into a lunge position. Slowly rotate your upper body in the direction of your front knee (1). Maintain balance and keep your front knee from moving with your torso. Hold for two seconds and return to front. Repeat this move 15 times. Now, lunge with your right leg and rotate across your front knee (2). Hold and repeat. This exercise will help your consistency on short shots (and on full swings too).…

LIFE IS PRETTY SWEET for LPGA superstar Nelly Korda. The Bradenton, Fla., native has already won three times this season, including her first major and an Olympic gold medal! Nelly, 23, drives it far and hits greens, and though her accuracy percentage of 73.4 ranks in the 60s on the ladies’ circuit, she’d place second on the PGA Tour list. The entire Korda family is blessed with athletic genes (parents Petr and Regina were successful tennis players, brother Sebastian is now a top-50 player and big sis Jessica is competing in her 10th season on tour), but Nelly’s mechanics are off the charts. We’ve been working on a few things, some of which are on full display in the photo at right. Copy them to launch your tee shots farther—and…

G: There’s a photograph on Instagram of you and Tiger Woods in a golf cart. Do you play together often? DS: No. I got a lesson from him the day before his car accident. This was at Rolling Hills in Palos Verde. I told him, “Well, I don’t think I can get any better, but I’m always up for a lesson.” It was sort of nerve-racking. We got to drive around in the same cart even though it was still Covid-y out. He putted a little bit with me, gave me some reads and then we went out and played a few holes. G: Did you caddie as a kid? DS: I grew up in Scottsdale, and there’s courses everywhere. I had a bad neck, so I never caddied, but…

GOLF Magazine: On the Money! In my experience as a “golfer” (I started playing in 1997), I don’t ever remember a magazine predicting a cover subject as the next major winner and that player actually winning the next major, as Jon Rahm did at Torrey Pines at the U.S. Open following his appearance on your June issue front page. If Viktor Hovland, the cover subject on your July-August issue, continues to play well, I’ll forever subscribe to your tarot-card book for its 20/20 (…er 20/21) vision! —Ayo Gomih, via e-mail Come Join the Party! I thoroughly enjoyed Paul Sullivan’s article on pro-ams in the July-August Money Game column (“Kings for a Day”). However, I was surprised that he excluded the pro-am at the LPGA ShopRite Classic, held at Seaview GC…

GOLF.COM / THE BEST STUFF IN THE GAME 3 New putters from Cobra—all created by a 3D printer! 3 Lines on every Callaway ball to help you roll it like a Tour pro 17 Shot-stopping wedges from TaylorMade 47.9 Length, in inches, of Phil Mickelson’s PGA-winning Callaway driver 25 Mph more ball speed bomber Tony Finau could generate if he wanted to “The i59 encompasses that ‘impact experience’ high-caliber players expect. The PING iBlade was good; the i59 is great.” THE iBLADE ENJOYED an unprecedented five-year run in PING’s iron rotation. Five years. If you know anything about yearly product cycles, that’s some serious staying power. A mainstay on Tour and a popular option for a wide range of handicaps—due to its playable profile and perimeter weighting—there really wasn’t a…

THERE’S A GOOD CHANCE you can’t zip the ball back with a wedge like the pros you see on TV do. Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa and Rory McIlroy spend hours on end refining their short game to generate the right amount of spin—but you don’t have that kind of time. This is where TaylorMade’s raised micro-ribs come in handy on the new MG3 wedges ($180; 17 lofts across four different sole grinds, including two in a Tiger Woods model). A new addition to TM’s top-end scoring tools, the ribs are situated between the full grooves to add texture to the face. (FYI, increasing texture ramps up spin around the green.) It’s the perfect addition if you’re zip-deficient, especially when paired with TaylorMade’s raw face. The grooves also displace water to…

PREVIEW When Samuel Ryder turned 50, he didn’t join the senior tour because there was no senior tour, or any other organized professional tour, this being 1908. No, the Englishman picked up golf in middle age not for a long-repressed passion for the sport but rather for his health, to get some fresh air and exercise, as his friend, a preacher and golf enthusiast, had suggested. Financing his new hobby wasn’t a problem. Though Ryder grew up without great means, he’d found his way into prosperity. One of eight children of a gardener father and a dressmaker mother, he was on course to become a teacher—he’d even taught Sunday school as a youth—but ill health led him to drop out of college before graduating. This proved fortuitous, at least financially,…

PREVIEW Remarkably, the 1969 Ryder Cup matches at Birkdale were the first for Jack Nicklaus (by then a seven-time major winner) due to a PGA of America rule that mandated a five-year “apprenticeship” before Ryder Cup points could be earned. After a seven-year wait, U.S. captain Sam Snead initially decided not to play the Golden Bear in the first day’s foursomes (“I’m going to hold my big boys in reserve,” said Snead)—but called on Nicklaus and Dan Sikes for an afternoon point when the U.S. trailed by three after the a.m. matches. In the format of the time, Nicklaus faced Tony Jacklin twice in final-day singles. Jacklin won 4 and 3 in the morning, and Nicklaus conceded what would have been a nerve-racking three-footer to halve their afternoon match—and the…

“You’ve got to spend money to make money.” Golf’s top pros live by that maxim. Sure, they rake in the cash… just like you would if you could fly it 320 and hole left-to-right knee-knockers with everything on the line. But they also have to part with major coin to keep up with the Bobby Joneses. GOLF asked an industry veteran with intimate knowledge of a top-30-ranked Tour player’s finances to give us an inside look at the debit side of the ledger. It’s clear that the outward half of the money game is steep enough to put serious stress on the inward half. Add up all the expenditures and the cost of doing business for a superstar player ranges well into seven figures, approaching $2 million per year. Better…

Ballflight: Your Best Shot Shape WHEN GOLFERS TALK about ballflight, they rarely speak about the ball itself. I always thought that was strange because a simpler—and better—way for golfers to understand why the ball flies the way it does on certain swings (hook, slice, etc.) is to understand where you’re applying force to the ball at impact. First, we need to understand your contact point on the golf ball. Contacting on the outside will start the ball left; inside will start it right; square will send it straight. Where you’re striking the ball—and crucially, from which direction you apply force—determines the direction. So ask yourself: Where and how are you striking the ball? On the left, right or center? Both your clubhead and the ball have a distinct center of…

HITTING A SUCCESSFUL fairway bunker shot boils down to solid contact. The following will help. First, choose a club with enough loft to carry the lip in front of you. Next, dig your feet into the sand and—important!—choke down on the grip a corresponding amount. Swing back just as you would on any iron shot (above), focusing on balance. Overswinging in a fairway bunker can lead to disaster. The real key, however, is to make sure your swing bottoms out after the ball, so you take but a modicum of sand. Do this by shifting pressure to your front leg early in your downswing. As you near the strike zone, push up through your front leg while rotating your trail knee toward the front one and keep your chest moving.…

WHEN IT COMES to improving your putting, you need to practice with a plan. Here’s something I’ve used with a number of students, including Justin Thomas and Nelly Korda. Start by finding an eight-foot putt on the practice green with a small amount of break (1). Using a tape measure (or stepping it off yourself), place tees at four, five, six, seven and eight feet from the hole (2). (You’re going to do this in each of the four directions around the cup, which means you’ll need 20 tees total.) Begin hitting putts, moving around the hole so you never putt in the same direction twice in a row (3). If you make a putt, push the tee into the ground. If you miss it to the left, tilt the…

When you buy something from a limited-edition, onlysold-here collection, it’s like joining a private club. You feel good knowing that an exclusive piece—which likely has a cool backstory—will be enjoyed by a select few. Enter GOLF’s Chainlink Collection. We worked with a variety of manufacturers to design a cap ($30), bucket hat ($40), scorecard holder ($45), T-shirt ($35), water bottle ($30) and towel ($30). All feature the same distinct logo that succinctly encapsulates what golf means to us. Just as a link, by definition, is an entity that connects one thing to another, golf links many things—it connects us with people, with nature and with ourselves. By sporting one of these pieces, you’re supporting this metaphoric definition of the game and all but ensuring you’ll be the only person in…

There’s data behind every swing. We crunch it so you don’t have to. First-time major winners in the last five years 4 Total number of Tiffany & Co. “master engravers,” the only people on earth entrusted to etch the winner’s name onto the massive, sterling-silver-and-titanium FedEx Cup trophy 50 Total number of golf courses in Chile, home to Olympians Joaquin Niemann and Mito Pereira. That’s six fewer than in the state of Rhode Island, despite having 250 times its landmass. 1,281 Total number of courses in Florida, the most of any state in the U.S.…

My 2020–’21 major report card It seems like an eternity ago now, but when the original 2020 PGA Championship was canceled in March of that year, I didn’t know what was going to happen with the majors—or with anything at all. In some ways, though, the break was a blessing. It allowed me to work harder than I ever had in my life and transform my body to perform better in golf ’s biggest events. That’s what the top players in the world do—and I want to be a top player. When the majors came back online, I placed T-4 at the PGA and won the U.S. Open. I haven’t fully cracked the major code yet, but I’m making progress. As I look back over the past 12 months, there’s…

USHERING IN A NEW AGE of putter construction, Cobra has officially released a new family of 3D-printed putters to retail. To help craft its 2021 King 3D Printed putters (SuperNova, Agera and Grand-Sport35 models; $349), Cobra partnered with Hewlett Packard (HP) and putter manufacturer SIK Golf, the company that makes Bryson DeChambeau’s gamer. Using HP’s Multi Jet Fusion 3D-printing process, Cobra developed lightweight nylon cartridges that sit in the center of the head, sandwiched between heavier pieces of steel, aluminum and tungsten. The nylon cartridges help spread weight to the perimeter of the head, thus boosting forgiveness on off-center hits, and they work to dampen vibrations for better sound and feel. The high-tech King 3D Printed putters also use SIK Golf’s Descending Loft Technology (DLT). Made of 6061 aluminum, Cobra’s…

IF YOU WERE TO CREATE a list of the longest hitters on Tour, Tony Finau would most certainly make the cut. What’s interesting is that Finau doesn’t even go all-out with the driver—a sobering realization for most golfers. During a recent interview with GOLF’s “Fully Equipped” podcast, Finau discussed a myriad of topics, including leaving something in the tank on drives. Here are a few highlights: On swinging within himself: “If I can live around 180 mph ball speed, I’m good. I can get another 20 to 25 mph more, but I never really use that on the course. If I knew where it was going, I probably would. But I don’t have the accuracy with that kind of speed that’s required to play high-level golf.” On launch monitor usage:…

Play at the 2021 Masters is still a day away, but Patrick Mahomes is by the 16th green at Augusta, studying a delicate downhill chip. He crouches near the hole, sizing up contours, cupping his hands around his face to block the morning glare. “I’m thinking to scoot a bump-and-run way out to the left, bank it off the hill and hope it goes down toward the hole,” he says. No, we’re not at the Masters; not even the world’s best quarterback gets access to tee times at the National this week. This is Augusta Country Club, the Course Next Door, where Mahomes is being photographed for the cover of this magazine. It’s not even his chip; I’ve airmailed the green. The hole is meaningless. It’s a backdrop for photos and…

1. In 1968, appliance maker Amana launched the first hat sponsorship program on the PGA Tour. In addition to paying players $50 per week to wear its logo, what other benefit did the company provide? A A bonus pool B A 401(k) plan C Health insurance D A free refrigerator 2. According to the PGA Tour’s Player Endorsement Policy, the logo on one’s hat cannot exceed… A 2 inches x 2 inches B 3inches x 5 inches C 4 inches x 6 inches D The boundaries of the hat itself 3. Which company sponsors a $500,000 season-long bonus pool for PGA Tour caddies who wear its logo on their hat? A Valero B Valspar C Valvoline D Vaseline 4. Which professional tour, through its caddie association, recently created a program…

WHAT DO YOU GET when you pair a biomechanics professor with PING’s vice president of performance? Swing speed. Lots of swing speed. Dr. Sasho MacKenzie and PING’s Marty Jertson are two of the brightest minds in golf today. Thank them and their research for the distance gains realized from the Tour on down the past decade. If you’ve missed out, no problem. The pair teamed up to invent the Stack Speed System ($349; thestacksystem.com). This training club is designed to provide auditory feedback while five different weights (30 combinations in total) allow you to train at your own pace. Accompanying the club is an app, which uses a proprietary algorithm to guide you through personalized speed-training workouts, produce metrics and help you set goals. Put in the work and the…

YOU KNOW THE FEELING: You’ve arrived at a gorgeous par 3. You snap a photo. Marvel at the scenery. But then comes the tough part: actually playing the hole. Take the par-3 17th at Whistling Straits (Straits course), the host of this year’s Ryder Cup. With trouble lurking left, do you bail out right to safety or gun straight for the pin? As always, let’s strip things back to the very basics. 1. Pick a smart target No, you’re not going to aim directly at this flag, tucked near the left edge of the green. If you do, your margin for error suddenly becomes half as wide, because missing left could cost you two shots or more. Instead, pick a specific spot halfway between the left edge of “safe” and…

ALL GOLFERS LOVE high, towering iron shots. In an attempt to hit them, however, they end up hanging out on their back foot and scooping the ball in a desperate attempt to launch the ball into the air. The problem is it doesn’t work: At best you’ll get a high, weak shot with no penetration. At worst, you’ll get thins and chunks with no power or consistency. To get the most out of your iron game, you need to create a descending blow on the ball, which creates needed backspin to send the ball skyward. A simple visual cue I like to use with students who struggle with hanging back is to place an alignment rod or club a few inches inside their trail foot, perpendicular to the target line.…

1. Get narrow and open: Settle into a narrow stance, with your feet inside your shoulders. (A narrow stance reduces unnecessary lower body movement.)Next, pull your front foot a few inches behind you to “open” your stance. Finally, make sure about 60 percent of your weight is on your front foot. 2. Align your chest with your toes: Imagine you have a flashlight attached to your chest. To set up correctly, shine the light on a spot just in front of the ball. This positions the low point of your swing where you’re guaranteed ballfirst contact. 3. Stand close: Bend from your hips and lean out so your hands hang under your shoulders, with your eyes an inch or so inside the ball. Now the club can swing back straight…