Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2018 i Golf Magazine

HOW IT WORKS Invisible watermarks on select photos act as gateways to bonus videos. With the Digimarc app, your smartphone or tablet recognizes the watermarks and automatically delivers the content to your device. 1 Download and open the Digimarc Discover app on your smartphone or camera capable tablet. The app is free and is available at the iTunes store for Apple devices and at the Google Play market for Android devices. 2 Position the phone four to seven inches above any photo bearing the yellow SCAN THIS PHOTO label (example, right), as if you were taking a picture (flash optional). If you have access to a Wi-Fi connection, downloads will be faster. 3 Hold the camera steady. The app will click and buzz when it recognizes the image and then…

WHICH DECEMBER STORIES AND COLUMNS DREW THE MOST LETTERS? Best Shots of 2017 37% Alan Shipnuck 26% Henrik Stenson 19% Other 18% CORRECTION: In the January issue, we mistakenly reported that Justin Thomas’s grandfather, Paul, had passed. In fact, he’s alive and doing well. We apologize for the error. POULTS PERFECT I loved Ryan Asselta’s article on Ian Poulter (“Still Grinding,” December 2017) especially the picture on page 24 (right). The positions of his left-hand and the club are exactly what every golfer strives for on every shot. I practice this every time I go to the range by hitting little wedge shots. It feels so good when you can duplicate it on the course! BOB KNORR, THE VILLAGES, FLA. DREAM TEAMS As I read Alan Shipnuck’s article about the…

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Follow Mark Broadie on Twitter@MarkBroadie STANDING ON THE TEE with driver in hand, we can’t always hit the fairway. But we can learn from the pros about how to minimize the damage from our big misses. Using Shot Link data from the past season, I looked at the results of all tee shot son par-4 and par-5 holes. Pros hit the fairway or first cut (or, in rare cases, the green) 65 percent of the time. The average gain was 0.13 strokes per fairway hit. What’s really interesting is to investigate the types of fairway misses in the other 35 percent of shots. We know hazards are score killers, but how much do pros avoid them? I grouped fair way misses in to three mutually exclusive groups: rough and sand,…

Follow Joe Passov on Twitter @JoePassov HOT TRACKS Rio Secco Henderson, Nev. 7,313 yards, par 72 Architect: Rees Jones (1997) riosecco.net Tucked away in the southeastern suburbs of Las Vegas, 21-year-old Rio Secco is now old enough to enter Sin City’s glittering casinos. Twenty-one is also a great age to reinvent yourself. After a summer shutdown, Rio Secco reopened in late 2017, the beneficiary of a $2 million touch-up by original architect Rees Jones. With input from legendary instructor Butch Harmon, who hosts his School of Golf at the course, Jones injected more playability into the layout by adding forward tees on five holes; eliminating six bunkers and reconfiguring others to make them smaller and more strategically positioned; and trimming back overgrown trees and bushes. All greens—five of which were…

1 Is it my setup? You’re catching shots low on the clubface, which means the ball is probably too far back in your stance. This invites thin contact and makes you steep. Not good. HOW TO CHECK Set up. Ask a friend to run an alignment stick from the ball straight toward your stance. Is the stick more than two inches behind your left heel? YES FIX NO. 1 Slide the ball forward in your stance until it’s even with your front heel. It may feel strange, especially if you flare that foot at address. Regardless, it’s the fix you need to shallow out your angle of attack. 2 Is it my takeaway? It’s common for high hand icappers to lift their chest and head at the start of the…

Not shaving comes naturally to Graham DeLaet, the frequently furry-faced Canadian-born Tour pro. In Saskatchewan, where he grew up playing hockey, growing a beard was just something you did in seasonal sync with the NHL. “I’m sure I grew my first beard in high school,” he says. “But looking back, it probably wasn’t much of one.” That golf, with its prim customs, lends itself less freely to the Wolfman look doesn’t mean DeLaet has changed his grooming habits. Every year, as the FedEx Cup playoffs crescendo, DeLaet’s chin goes the way of a ChiaPet. To say he grows a beard means he grows a beard; DeLaet’s not having any of this Frank Nobilo fashionstubble stuff. “A month of growth is when I consider a beard to have just started,” he…

in January 2017 at Ko Olina G.C. in Kapolei, Hawaii ON JUST IN SHIRT, BELT & PANTS POLO GOLF Justin Thomas is no stranger to putting a modern spin on classic golf looks—“millennial” pink pants paired with a plain white polo at last year’s U.S. Open, a skinny tie and cardigan complemented with classic chinos a month later at the British. JT has mastered the art of embracing tradition while extending it by way of statement pieces. His look here is the perfect juxtaposition of a classically trendy short-sleeved polo (an iconic wardrobe staple) and an edgy, alligator-skin belt (an accessory sure to turn heads). He completes the look with sand-colored plants in a subtle, houndstooth print, again striking a balance between traditional and contemporary. Like the look? Start with…

ON DUSTIN SUIT PRADA WATCH HUBLOT WHAT’S THE ONE THING YOU SHOULD NEVER WEAR ON THE COURSE? “I’m not big on bright colors. I don’t like yellow or orange. I keep it pretty tame. I travel with probably 12 shirts. I like all shades of blue.” DOES PAULINA EVER WEIGH IN ON WHAT YOU WEAR? “I think I do well enough where she doesn’t have to. Besides, I wear the same thing pretty much all the time.” YOUR FAVORITE ACCESSORY IS...? “Shoes. I travel with seven or eight pairs of sneakers and four pairs of golf shoes. I love all the Adidas shoes: the golf shoes, the NMDs. I like the new Adicross for chilling, like when I’m home practicing.” TUXEDO OR SWEATS? “I think I’m very stylish, but most…

ON SERGIO SHIRT & PANTS ADIDAS ADICROSS COLLECTION WATCH OMEGA on August 15, 2017, at TPC Piper Glen in Charlotte, N.C. “I LIKE TIGHTER-FITTING JEANS AND SHIRTS. IF IT LOOKS GOOD AND FEELS COMFORTABLE, THAT'S THE BEST.” HIS MOST UNFORGETTABLE (AND GLOBALLY TELEVISED) FASHION FAUX PAS “Obviously, the all-yellow outfit at the 2006 British Open. For that year, I was wearing yellow shirts and red pants, for Spanish colors, but it wasn’t really that popular, so I decided to go all yellow. It’s fine, though. We did it, and it got talked about, so at least we got something out of it!”…

Jason Day’s basket ball inspired footwear at the British Open: the best or worst shoes to debut this year? “Those are hideous.” —Ricky, “Perhaps it looks good in person? If it’s comfortable for him, then who cares.” —Arthur, “Don’t hate them, but I’m a millennial so what do I know?” —Nick, Shorts made their major debut in August at the PGA Championship. Some fans cheered, but not everyone was on board. “Shorts all the time! No television viewer cares. I surely don’t play in long pants. Get with the times! At least they don’t have to wear suits anymore.” —Bill, “Ok in practice, but not in tourney. Hogan, Snead and Arnie would turn over in their graves. For the millions they make, the pros can look professional.” —Jim, “Why not…

You’re the reigning NCAA player of the year, but you decided to leave LSU after only two years to go pro. Was there a particular moment when you thought playing professionally was a feasible future? For me, it was about consistency over time. I felt if I could play consistently good golf, that would be good enough to allow me to play as a professional. Over the last year or year and a half, I think I’ve played consistently pretty well, for the most part. So I felt like that gave me some confidence going forward. You played last summer’s Barbasol Championship and ended up tying for sixth. But there was one problem: You retained your amateur status, so you had to forgo a check for more than $113,000. That…

You can watch video rulings featuring Rules Guy himself! Go to GOLF.com I was playing alone early one morning and struck a nice approach near the flag. By the time I’d reached the green, the groundskeeper had dug another hole, far from my ball, and put the pin in it. Instead of a close birdie putt, I was lucky to make a long two-putt par. Could I have putted to the original, yet-unfilled hole? —DAVE TONGE, ELGIN, ILL. Congratulations, Dave: You have stumped the rules, which don’t contemplate this situation. But you have not stumped Rules Guy, who points you toward the committee in charge of the competition or course. In such situations, you can play two balls (here, one to each hole) and record the scores, then request a…

Of the Tour’s top 50 players (measured by strokes-gained total), the 2017 leaders in “penalty avoidance” on tee shots on par-4 and par-5 holes were: 1. Kyle Stanley (0.2%) 2. Patrick Cantlay (0.3%) 3. Charley Hoffman (0.5%) The “penalty rate” is the fraction of tee shots on par-4 and par-5 holes hit into penalties. In 2017 the highest ranked course by penalty rate was the Golf Club of Houston (3.7%), while the lowest ranked was Firestone Country Club South (0.05%). ON PAR-3 HOLES The course with the highest penalty rate following tee shots on par-3 holes was the Stadium Course at PGA West (7.0%).…

LONG? GONE. 51-year-old PGA Tour Champions player David Toms told me he’s striking the ball as well as ever, but said there are only three courses on the regular PGA Tour where he still feels he could win: Colonial, TPC Sawgrass and Harbour Town. “The others are too long for me. Those three courses reward shotmakers.” FOR PETE’S SAKE Toms has never won the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town, but if he’d like to learn more about Hilton Head Island’s legendary Lowcountry layout, he should check out the Pete Dye Room in the Harbour Town Clubhouse. Slated to open this month, the multimedia exhibit celebrates Dye’s design achievements with an array of videos, interactive models and displays. seapines.com/golf SHORTS-GAME TIP It’s Bermuda—you gotta play in shorts, right? At the Fairmont…

1 Make a swing, stopping halfway down (about where I am in the photo above). Even with your left wrist fairly flat, you still need to rotate the shaft 20 degrees to square the face for impact. 2 To achieve those 20 degrees, you need to put in some serious wrist work. How much? Stand erect and bring the club in front of you (above). Set your right wrist flat and cup your left—the slicer’s look at the top of the backswing. 3 Now rotate your wrists clockwise in front of you, so that your left wrist bows and your right wrist cups (above). There’s your 20 degrees—and a dead straight shot. Twist as soon as you start down from the top. Trust me: you can’t make this move soon…

FROM ITS EARL IEST DAYS, golf has been a fashionable game. It’s true, there have been embarrassments along the way (WWJDD—What wouldn’t John Daly do?), and long, dark periods of polyester pandemonium. But today, perhaps more then ever, the men of the PGA and women of the LPGA tours take ferocious pride in the way they emerge from the clubhouse. And the way they step out, too—their off-course fashion bag is just as important to them as their competitive gear. Awaiting you at the (page) turn is a new way to see golf’s A-list players—and loads of tips about accessories, grooming and how you can look major, too. Dressed, as it were, to a T...…

BRANDEL: My style? Probably too young for me. BAILEY: I’d call mine “eclectic.” B: I think you mean “expensive.” [Laughs] B: I’ll often come out of the bedroom—you know, when he’s pickin’ me up for date night—and he’ll laugh! B: You have so many looks—one day it’s hippie chic and the next day it’s glam. Like you said, eclectic. B: He’s the one with all the clothes. But I like his looks— very sophisticated, very suave. Very James Bond. Clearly, it works for me. [Laughs] I find it attractive. B: Likewise. You know, Bailey is beautiful. She’s elegant and looks good in everything. Anytime we’re shopping and she tries something on it’s like, “How can we not get that? You look fabulous!” B: Before we started dating, your pants didn’t…

ONPAULA DRESS STELLA MCCARTNEY COAT KENSIE BOOTS JOIE JEWELRY OKIDANOKH “I LOVE FASHION. I ALWAYS HAVE. WATCHING MY MOM WHEN I GREW UP, SHE ALWAYS HAD HER DIFFERENT OUTFITS FOR SPRING, FOR SUMMER, FOR WINTER—HER BOOTS AND HER JACKETS. I WAS ALWAYS FASCINATED WITH HOW, OUT OF HER CLOSET, SHE’D COME UP WITH ALL THESE OUTFITS—AND I WANTED TO DO THAT AS I GOT OLDER. NOW, I FEEL I HAVE MY OWN STYLE. I’M CLASSIC BUT VERY EDGY AT THE SAME TIME.” on October 17, 2017, at the Alfond Inn in Winter Park, Fla.…

“I’VE PLAYED MORE ROUNDS of golf in bad weather than I care to think about.” Unfortunately, thinking about golf in funky climes is exactly what we’ve asked Gordon Dalgleish to do. But nudge the cheerful, chatty president of PerryGolf—the UK–based company that sends thousands of people every year on the golf journeys of their dreams—and he’ll get windy. GUST NO. 1 “I grew up when waterproof golf clothes were more like plastic bags,” says Dalgleish. “You could hear somebody walking in them from half a mile away!” GUST NO. 2 “There’s nothing worse than getting to the sixth tee and your socks are wet.” GUST NO. 3 “Packing rain gloves is almost an insurance policy for sunshine.” Not unexpectedly for someone raised up the River Clyde from stormy Turnberry and…

on October 12, 2017, at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in Del Mar, Calif. ON AMANDA SWEATER ZARA JEANS BLANK NYC BOOTS VIA SPIGA MY MOST UNFORGETTABLE FASHION FAUX-PAS “When I started with pgatour.com in 2011, it was the first time I ever really had to style myself and do my own hair and makeup. Rugby shirts were really in then, and I had this thick, wraparound rugby polo. I wore it on camera one time, and my mom called me. It’s the only time she’s ever done this. She said, ‘Donate that shirt. I never want to see it on you again.’ I went back and looked at it and thought, Oh yeah, that was bad.”…

ON PAIGE JACKET 3.1 PHILLIP LIM SHIRT VINCE PANTS RAG & BONE MY INSPIRATION “I remember growing up and seeing Natalie Gulb is play in the [2005] U.S. Women’s Open at Cherry Hills. I wasn’t even into golf yet. I was in the stands, and everyone was like, ‘Oh my gosh, she looks so good.’ She was wearing a cute little skirt, a blue top, and she had ribbon in her hair. And I wanted to be that. The next day, I went to the range not even knowing really what golf was, but I wanted to dress like Natalie. She’s been kind of an inspiration to me since, because she’s stuck to what she likes—no matter what anyone says, she’s going to wear what she wants to wear.” on…

“BUY A WATCH because you like it and will wear it,” says Hamilton Powell. If that sounds simple, well, that’s the point. Powell founded Crown & Caliber in 2012 as an online marketplace for pre-owned luxury watches. The goal: Take the skepticism out of the watch buying and selling process. With wrist bling, function dictates fashion, Powell says. “Will you be swimming with it? Will it be for dress occasions?” For turning heads from dining room to the driving range, Powell has some favorites. 1 Hublot “Big Bang” Stealth “There’s been a surge in demand for minimalistic black watches, and this one hits the mark. It’s beautifully made, with an open case back, which makes it easier to enjoy the internal engineering.” $4,900 2 Rolex Date just (16233) “When it…

FUNCTIONAL BOOMER STYLISH MILLENNIAL…

AS GOOD AS THEY GET IF YOU’RE AN ACCOMPLISHED golfer, you’ve hit the jackpot. In previewing the latest from the major manufacturers, it’s obvious that we’re entering a golden age of players’ irons. Start your search with models such as the TaylorMade P790, Titleist’s AP3 (and new AP2), Mizuno’s new MP 18 family, and a number of others, such as the already super-popular Callaway Apex CF16. Although each of these sets utilize unique designs, technologies and materials to create impressive performance, they all transform what was once a very basic, dead-faced design into clubs that can do it all. Better players aren’t the only ones destined to benefit from the 2018 class of new irons, as the game- improvement and max-game-improvement categories continue to swell with what we can only…

You’re a fairly good putter inside 15 feet, but you struggle with your touch from long range, which leads to more three-putts than you’re comfortable with. Those three-putts, after all, can mean the difference between a really solid round and shooting 3- or 4-over par! Here’s a great drill that can help you groove the proper length stroke from long distance and make those costly three jacks a thing of the past. DRILL Pace off a 50-foot putt on the practice green and lay your 5-iron down on the green parallel to the line you want the ball to start on. Set your ball down in the middle of the shaft and, using the 5-iron as a guide, swing the putter head to one end of the club on the…

YES, WE TOOK a Bubba-sized swing in this issue. At the center of it all is a 47-page celebration of style, fashion, accessories and grooming (p. 37). Our inaugural Style Issue is a bona fide, bone white (a hot color for belts and shoes, we’ve learned) departure from our norm. You won’t find swing tips from your favorite PGA and LPGA Tour players, as we normally publish. Instead, we’ll lend you their takes on how to smashingly match solids with patterns (among other runway-ready lessons) and why choosing the right tinted sunglass lens is almost as rewarding as shooting a five-under back-nine at a major. I can’t wait for the letters to roll in. My guess? Many of you will think we’re off our rockers (rockers with 1,000-thread-count supima cotton…

For much more from Alan, go to GOLF.com/shipnuck YOU CAN DEBATE which swing coach has the best ideas, but there is no question who has the cleverest Twitter handle: that honor belongs to Joe Mayo, who opines, scolds and cajoles under the moniker @TrackmanMaestro. “I thought, What’s the douchiest name I can come up with?” Mayo says. “I figured I’d have 26 followers and no one would notice. Now I’ve got almost 25,000. But it was meant to be a gag. Who calls themselves a maestro?” In fact, Mayo has helped reinvent modern golf swing theory with his mastery of TrackMan data. He serves as the director of instruction at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas and has helped numerous Tour pros, but Mayo’s influence has spread exponentially thanks to the…

Follow Dave Pelz on Twitter@pelz_golf ONE OF THE things that separates Tour players from the rest of us is that the former are intimately familiar with their games. They know how different shots will unfold regardless of where the ball is sitting, especially around the green (where difficult lies abound). Not surprisingly, that’s where weekend players tend to cough up strokes. There are four parts to every short-game shot. Failing in any area will almost surely lead to a poor result. They are: 1. Judging the lie. 2. Selecting a club. 3. Predicting how the ball will react when it lands. 4. Executing the swing. This article addresses the first—and perhaps the most important—part of the shot equation. If you can’t pull off good shots from bad lies, you’ll never…

Follow Jessica Marksbury on Twitter@Jess_Marksbury We’re drinking Transfusions! Jay DeMarcus: You can recover with it, or start the party. They call it a “Confusion” here in Nashville. [Laughs] Drink a lot of them, and you’re going to be really confused. It’s grape juice, ginger ale, and vodka. They go down really easy, as you can tell. It is delicious. But let’s talk about your golf games. Two of the three of you are avid players. How did you get into the game? Joe Don Rooney: My dad introduced me to the game when I was nine or 10 years old. Then he taught me music. I’ve always felt that the two have a lot in common, especially when it comes to tempo and timing. Jay and I play a lot. But…

Let’s face it: most of us will probably never drive the ball or nail approach shots as well and as consistently as the guys on Tour—the talent difference and dedication levels are just too far apart. But one area in which you may be able to close the gap between the weekender (you) and the check-casher (them) is on the greens. How? Learn to putt with your eyes. Here’s what I mean. STEP 1 ZERO IN When Tour pros scan putts, they do it with laser like precision, focusing their gaze deliberately on the path the ball will travel to the cup (as well as the line from the hole to the ball). Weekend players, on the other hand, simply take a peek at the hole—a meaningless glance that fails…

FLAT ROOF: DRAW Tracing a less vertical swing plane on your backswing encourages more of an inside-out path coming down— ideal for creating a right-to-left ball flight. Keep everything else as you normally would, but swing “deeper” without lifting your left arm too much. You’ve gotten it right if the “roof” of your swing resembles the roof of a house (above). STEEP ROOF: FADE Fading the ball requires an out-to-in downswing path, which you can set up with a steeper backswing (or at least one with less depth). Build a roof that really slopes—picture a church or an A-frame (above). Raise your left arm more than you swing it around you. As long as you don’t shut the face, the ball will curve to the right. Mark Blackburn,Greystone C.C., Birmingham,…

“GO FOR DESIGNS AND FABRICS THAT ALLOW YOU TO FEEL COMFORTABLE IN YOUR OWN SKIN. IF YOU FORCE IT, IT’LL SHOW.” YOU’RE A MILLENNIAL YOU NEED A step up from your shabby college threads, now that your rounds involve entertaining work clients. EXPERTS SAY Stick with brands and fits with which you’re familiar—and that don’t compromise your still-youthful appearance—but assemble the pieces in a more polished fashion. The ensemble at right hits all the high points. “Ultimate shorts in golf, in a really nice print.” “Great color and fabrication." “For the street or the course.” “Sporty, pop of color, true to golf.” “A brand players trust, but in a more modern cut.” “Show them off to look great from head-to-toe.” “Core color, yet still trendy.” “STICK TO COLORS THAT ARE…

Some guys just have it, that hard to define but unmistakable cool factor that draws people to them. Arnold Palmer had it. Fred Couples has it. And so, too, does John Ashworth. At 58, Ashworth is ruggedly handsome and projects an appealing, surfer-dude mellowness, sprinkled with the karmic wisdom of a yogi. In fact, the surf culture has had a deep impact on this Southern California native, and it shows in the relaxed vibe of his new passion project, Linksoul. Having reinvented golf clothes in the late 1980s with his eponymous company, which featured higher-quality fabrics and more stylish cuts, Ashworth founded Linksoul in 2009 as an act of rebellion. As big sporting companies have made a bigger play in the golf sector and insisted on rebranding their endorsers as…

“It’s man jewelry. If you’re going to wear a nice watch, you should wear a nice belt,” says Rusty Estes, former college golfer and now the head of business development for Atlanta-based belt maker House of Fleming. For more than a decade, Estes has slapped leather onto some of golf’s biggest stars, including Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter and Jason Dufner. He’s the guy who can tighten up your Tour look. IT STARTS WITH NAILING YOUR BELT WIDTH... “You need an inch-and-a-half American alligator belt. That’ll fit 90 percent of our golfers,” Estes says. “Everyone above 5’ 7” and under 6’ 7”. Outside those extremes, bump it up or down.” ...THEN COVERING YOUR COLOR BASICS... “Medium brown, dark brown and black. To take it next-level, go dark gray and dark blue.…

PAIR FORCE ONE NAFTA concerns aside, make a trade: chinos for charcoal. Gray trousers pair with everything, and that’s not fake news. Your best bet up top? The bolder hues that run rampant on Tour. Show up in this combo and we’ll believe you shot 73. STYLE: Stretch Lisle Tonal Stripe Self Collar ($72), Athletic Fit pants, ($88). footjoy.com THE POLL NUMBER Your approval rating among millennials has hit a wall, even as you build one. Kids these days, right? Curry favor with more youthful threads: two-toned tops or those with bold stripes. They’re so cool you can keep your khakis. That’s a back-channel deal we can live with. STYLE: Rudds polo ($85), Trifecta pants ($125). travismathew.com COMMANDER-IN-CHEESE You rocked the vote two Novembers ago. This number rocks the volts.…

{2010} By the end of his first full season, Rickie was as synonymous with orange as Cheez Doodles, traffic cones and Circus Peanuts. {2011 } Solid play in his sophomore year earned the Riddler some solid green—but not quite enough to afford a lid that fit. {2013} By ’13, Rickie had tightened up his slacks. Alas, his swing tightened up a bit, too. Here’s proof a guy can be a little down and in the pink. {2014} The ears appear! And old-fashioned firepower. In the run-up to his best year yet, Rickie rocked the knickerbockers. No Payne, no gain. {2017} A litte dull, right? Until you eyeball those...what exactly do you call those things on his feet? So bold. So daring. So Rickie!…

THE FUTURE IS NOW IF YOU DIG DRIVERS, 2018 is shaping up to be a banner year. Technologies designed to produce more distance will always continue to develop, but some of the models we know about for sure—and some that we’re expecting—offer a lot more than a handful of yards. The long-awaited M3 and M4 drivers from TaylorMade could possibly disrupt the driver market for years. Each features the company’s new “TwistFace” design, and believe me—few of us would have ever imagined such an innovation. The M3 and M4 clubfaces indeed twist, creating outside-the-box bulge and roll shapings in the low heel and high toe (where most off-center hits occur) to better correct ball flight. We’ll call it an engineering marvel. According to TaylorMade, TwistFace not only helps you hit…

FOR MORE INSTRUCTION THAT FITS YOUR GAME, GO TO GOLF.COM From inside 10 yards, most Tour players get their chip shots up and down 90 percent of the time. They’re virtually automatic. But they don’t miss too many greens. You do. Consider: The average golfer misses up to 12 greens per round. So you can imagine just how many strokes per round you’d save if you chipped at a pro’s success rate! With the following foolproof chipping technique, you can. First, make sure to chip with the right club—for close pins, take your sand wedge, and for longer chips go with a lesser-lofted club, such as a 7- or 8-iron. Set your weight slightly forward while playing the ball back in your stance, and stand close enough to the ball…

Many weekend golfers can rotate their shoulders 90 degrees or more on the backswing, but they often do so without turning their spine. In instruction parlance, this is often referred to as a “fake turn,” although it could just as easily be described as a “weak turn”—it’s hard to generate much coil or power if your shoulders are doing all the work. You need to turn your entire upper body—which includes your spine—behind the ball if you want to create as much potential energy in your backswing as possible. SET THE “T” AT ADDRESS To make the best backswing turn possible, set up with your spine tilted away from the target and your right shoulder lower than your left, so that your shoulders and spine form a tilted letter “T.”…

I WAS ALWAYS going to wear the pants, no question about that. For four or five years now, I’ve been buying Sansabelts (from the French sans, “without”) on a website devoted to the beltless slack. And now I was on my way to a showroom in the heart of New York City’s Garment District to see the man who makes them. Sansabelts, historically offered in colors plucked off a Froot Loops box, were a staple of the American golf scene in the 1970s, when I got trapped in the game’s web. Eventually, they were replaced by another look: baggy, pleated, belted chinos, in colors ranging from off-white to tan. The Sansabelt was endangered until Peter Schwadel, a second-generation New York garmento, brought the line back in 2013. I’ve been buying…