Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2024 i Golf Magazine

Chrome Tour $55 per dozen Stamping “Tour” on a product doesn't mean you need a PGA Tour card to use it. It's important to point this out, because the most obvious change golfers will notice when they pick up Callaway's all-new Chrome ball is the addition of one word: Tour. Yes, Chrome Tour and Chrome Tour X will be joining Chrome Soft in the company's flagship lineup. The name comes with a multitude of changes to key components, including the core, inner and outer mantles, cover and aerodynamics. At the center of the design is a proprietary core system, featuring a new rubber and base polymer, and reformulated urethane cover that allowed Callaway's ball team the ability to push the limits in short-game spin without negatively affecting long-game performance. During…

Clubhouse Gimme Scan this code to visit Fairway Jockey, where you'll find an enormous collection of apparel and accessories. NO MATTER WHAT the weather app says, every day is and always will be a great day for golf. It's even better when you're properly prepared for all conditions. The Adidas Rain.RDY golf collection (adidas.com) has got you, ahem, covered. Its three-layer construction is waterproof yet also breathable. The solid recycled material is soft and quiet to keep your focus sharp. The Rain.RDY Golf Pants ($180) and Rain.RDY Full-Zip Jacket ($280) come equipped with multiple waterproof zippered pockets to keep your balls, scorecard, tees and phone safe and moisture-free. Playing golf in the rain can be a challenge, but less so if you're comfortable and dry. Once that tee time is booked,…

Let's cut right to the chase: New clubs can be expensive, but if you break down the process of getting fit into steps, it can help reduce cost and reduce club turnover if you piece out parts of your set as you need them. Struggling with fairway woods? Start there. Losing a lot of shots around the greens? It might be time for new wedges, and so on. Sticking to this plan helps prevent the big one-time investment, and, in some cases, the new clubs might result in not needing other ones down the line, making it a win-win. Also, as an experienced clubfitter myself: When going into a clubfitting, make sure to communicate your budget with the fitter before you start. This information can help the fitter find what…

Drivers PING DRIVERS: OUR TAKE The newest PING G430 Max 10K driver brings together design elements and technology from multiple G430 drivers to create something that is completely unique in PING's driver line. By expanding the profile shape and utilizing their Carbonfly Wrap multimaterial construction in the crown, PING engineers have created a driver that pushes the limit on forgiveness and MOI (a combined 10k g-cm2) while also delivering low-spin performance not seen in a higher MOI style driver. It also includes their trajectory tuning 2.0 hosel to fine-tune lie and loft for control off the tee. Fairway Woods PING DRIVERS: FITTING NOTES With a massive assist from PING master fitter James Lee III, I was able to see what a properly fit driver could do for my game. The…

Drivers XXIO DRIVERS: OUR TAKE XXIO has built a reputation on lightweight and easy to swing golf clubs that provide moderate swing speed golfers more distance, and that continues with the newest XXIO 13. Key technologies that help boost distance off the tee include a newly redesigned rebound frame that allows more of the head to flex at impact and act like a trampoline to increase ball speed consistency around the face. Another component of the 13 line that helps with control and speed is weight plus counterweight to deliver more control through the swing. XXIO DRIVERS: FITTING NOTES I've put my XXIOs to use in several rounds and multiple practice sessions, and though I wouldn't say that I suddenly feel 20 years younger, I have gained about eight yards…

G: You recently played in your first celebrity pro-am: the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, in Orlando. Did you prepare for it as if it were a World Cup match? LD: Probably more so! When you play a sport for a long time, you know how to do it. This was unknown territory—and I wanted to be invited back. G: Is there anything from your soccer career that has helped your golf game? LD: It sounds stupid but just watching the golf ball through the whole swing. When I had trouble scoring goals or my technique was off, I'd just visualize kicking the ball all the way through and not pulling my head up, because when your body comes up other things go awry. G: Did you play much golf while you were…

From the Editor Not that I'm a candidate for a reality TV series, but I do tend to hoard. Call me a saver, My college textbooks: still in the garage (and I graduated in 1991). Any magazine I've had a hand in publishing (all 300-plus): in a bookcase in the home office. And, of course, just about every club I've swung in my four decades as a golfer is boxed up with the rest of the stuff that, while unnecessary, drips with just enough nostalgia that letting go is impossible. The goal was always to relearn what I torgot In my school days. Or to cite past stories I'd written. Or, in the case of the clubs, to build a working golf shop, a la Arnold Palmer-you know, shafts, grips,…

Club house GOLF.COM / SMART GOLF STARTS HERE / MARCH 2024 AT THE BILTMORE GC DRIVING RANGE IN MIAMI, FILMING AN EPISODE OF GOLF.COM'S ‘WARMING UP' Dylan Dethier: On the range, what club do you start with? Brooks Koepka: I always start with 56 [degree wedge]. DD: What areyou thinking about when you re standing over those first shots? BK: You re not going to like this answer, but I don't think about anything. Like, every golfer knows you can have the worst warm-up of your career and go and play great. Last year at the PGA, Saturday and Sunday were the worst warmups I've had in a long time. But it really doesn't matter. It's just a warm-up session. Shouldn't be an issue. » DD: What club next? BK: I'm an odds…

Clubhouse Worth a Shot EVERYTHING IN golf takes focus, especially putting. But nobody ever trains for it. Here's a drill to build up the endurance you need to concentrate on getting the ball in the hole, one I've used with every Tour player I've ever worked with. It's simple. Find, say, a 30-foot putt. Place a water bottle about halfway from the ball to the hole. As you settle into your address, visualize the ball rolling on the line you've chosen, past the bottle and, eventually, into or near the cup (1). Once you have it, turn your gaze to the ball, keeping your visual intact. Now putt. Here's the trick: Keep your focus where the ball was even after you make the strike, until the point where your mind tells…

Drivers CLEVELAND DRIVERS: OUR TAKE The Launcher XL2 and XL2 Draw drivers offer a larger overall face profile and footprint to boost MOI (a measurement of forgiveness) and help create more consistent spin rates on mishits, especially for shots hit lower on the face. Not to mention the shape is also extremely confidence-inspiring behind the ball. Both options offer counterbalance and adjustable loft technology to make it easier to control the clubface through the swing and reduce dispersion by being able to dial into a precise loft and face angle to match a golfer's swing and impact dynamics. CLEVELAND DRIVERS: FITTING NOTES The game is a lot easier when you don't have to worry so much about hitting it right off the center. The generous profile on Launcher XL2 was…

TAYLORMADE DRIVERS: OUR TAKE With three different models to choose from, and greater separation between models than ever before, the new Qi10 series of drivers from TaylorMade is their most complete line to date. The Qi10 LS offers the smallest profile from address, the most adjustability and is the lowest spinning option in the line. The standard core model offers expanded forgiveness with hosel adjustability, while the Qi10 Max offers the largest footprint TaylorMade has ever engineered into a driver to boost total MOI past the 10K threshold for maximum forgiveness and reduced dispersion. All three models feature an infinity carbon composite crown to save weight by covering 97 percent of the total crown area of the driver. This allowed designers to place discretionary mass where it's needed most in…

I can't tell you anything specific about your clubs, but what I can say is that newer golf clubs offer greater forgiveness than ever before. Even if your clubs are just a few years old, you should take the time to go through a fitting or set assessment to see where improvements can eventually be made. This type of fitting is less about finding new clubs and more about getting a better understanding of where your golf clubs are helping versus hurting you and the steps you could take down the line as your game progresses. Think of it as a tune-up lesson but without swing advice and an easy way to learn more about your golf game, tendencies and common misses. We want all golfers to play better, and…

ROTATING AND “LOADING” UP during your backswing is, well, the point of your backswing. Problem is, some golfers tend to overdo it and sway off the ball to the point where their weight shifts over the far side of their back foot (above left). That's a recipe for too many problems to describe here. Great ball strikers indeed rotate and load, but they do so by keeping their back foot grounded and in as much contact with the turf as possible as they swing to the top (middle). As you can see above, I'm using a training aid called the Rock Shot to help me do things correctly. It's a pad with a cambered sole that 1) exaggerates the error of swaying off the ball and 2) trains you to…

Spotlight Scan this code to visit Fairway Jockey, where you'll find a fine collection of footwear and a wide selection of apparel and accessories. After Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick won the 2022 U.S. Open at Brookline, one of the first things he did was bring the championship trophy back home to Bramell Lane, where his beloved Sheffield United football club plays its matches. A raucous 32,000 fellow Blades fans roared as he paraded his hardware around the pitch. We're assuming Matty Fitz rocked his Skechers that day, but he definitely is sporting the GO GOLF Blade GF Slipins ($165; skechers.com) on Tour, as it's his official footwear. “The Blade is a good-looking golf shoe,” Fitzpatrick said. “What's great is my feet aren't sore at the end of a round, which makes…

THE ARNOLD PALMER Invitational celebrates 45 years on the PGA Tour schedule this month, and the Bay Hill–based tournament is one of The King's most enduring legacies. Even more enduring is his eponymous beverage, which Arnie once revealed dates back to the late 1960s. The Arnold Palmer—a refreshing mix of iced tea and lemonade—has been enjoyed for decades on patios and pavilions the world over. It's been available commercially in a branded can since 2001, thanks to AriZona Beverages. Now, a partnership between Michigan-based brand Good Boy Vodka and golf's favorite party starter John Daly has resulted in the creation of a vodkainfused version of the popular potable. Daly now competes on the PGA Tour Champions and is arguably more popular than ever. According to Good Boy Vodka founder and…

Clubhouse Watch & Learn LEADING MAN–WORTHY LOOKS and outside-the-box fashion sense—coupled with six PGA Tour wins—have made Rickie Fowler one of pro golf's biggest stars. Even after dropping to a career low 185th in the OWGR in mid-2022, Fowler remained a fan favorite. Reuniting with his former coach, GOLF Top 100 1 Address Fowler positions the last three fingers of his gloved hand near perpendicular to the shaft. Most rec players tilt these digits down too much, reducing the angle between their lead arm and the club—a potential power robber 2 Takeaway Rickie's longtime bugaboo was a hands in, clubhead out takeaway, which forced his laid-off position at the top. Now, he tends to keep his hands and club in more of a straight line—a good move for any golfer. 3…

Drivers CALLAWAY DRIVERS: OUR TAKE With the Paradym Ai Smoke driver series, Callaway has delivered on offering more forgiveness by continuing to refine the process they use to create products with the help of artificial intelligence. Thanks to access to more fitting data than ever before, Callaway engineers were able to not only model where on the face certain golfers tend to miss but also how they miss by factoring in swing path and attack angle. This information is why Callaway offers four distinct driver options to choose from, which makes it easier than ever before for golfers to find their best fit and more distance. CALLAWAY DRIVERS: FITTING NOTES When it was time to put a Paradym Ai Smoke Max in my hands, I thought, What's the point of…

We hear this from a lot of golfers who are either nervous about going through a fitting or just don't think they have the skill set to see improvement with the help of equipment. However, it is the less-skilled golfers who often see the most benefit, and here's why. Better players can usually adjust on the fly to see the ballflight they want, whereas less-skilled players have a much harder time discerning how a club might feel or perform. Examples can include manipulating the loft to see a particular launch window or changing body position to get the club into the right position based on any number of factors, nincluding lie angle. As the old saying goes, “You might not be accurate, but you are consistent,” and every golfer has…

Irons TITLEIST IRONS: OUR TAKE With the new T-Series irons, Titleist put a renewed focus on improving the little things so they added up to big gains, including the addition of two new models. Overall, there are still four models to choose from (the T100, a new T150, the T200 and a new T350) to help golfers find the right performance fit based on Titleist's 3D fittings principles: distance control, dispersion and descent. These three principles ensure that all golfers have the ability to get the most from their iron approach game while also having what is known as a playable trajectory to help stop shots closer to the target. Scan this code to read more in-depth reviews and ratings of all Titleist clubs on GOLF.com. TITLEIST IRONS: FITTING NOTES…

THINK / PLAY / LIVE: THE ENLIGHTENED GAME POWER PLAY Lessons WE ALL KNOW CREATING WIDTH in the backswing is a bona fide power booster. Most rec players, however, try to get it by keeping both arms as straight as possible as they start back. Sounds like a good idea, but that kind of forced width is impossible to maintain; you'll end up collapsing as you reach the top, which is where you really want that powerproducing width to take place. Try this: Set up as normal, then take your lead hand and grip your trail arm four inches above your trail wrist (1). Swing back, using your lead hand to restrict your back arm from naturally folding (2). Now you're feeling true width at the top. Re-create the sensation with both…

When sloth-like playing partners shift into superslow-mo, keep up your own breezy business. Walk briskly ahead, out of their line of fire but within their field of vision. If you're lucky, they'll notice and scurry to catch up. Yeah, we know. They probably won't. So what then? Try using your words. “Ready golf ” is an especially handy phrase, all the more so when you couple it with action. You might, for instance, hit out of turn intentionally and then say: “Sorry about that. But it's all about ready golf ”—ready golf being code for “Hurry your a-- up!” Final remedy? A guilt trip, as in “Looks like we're holding up the group behind us.” Note the use of we. By assuming some of the responsibility, you'll avoid a dustup.…

STROKE SHAVERS You are in the woods. (We all end up there one time or another.) Finding yourself in a trouble spot (like I am here), however, shouldn't automatically mean taking a penalty for an unplayable lie. The backhanded jab—if you're game enough—can work wonders and even impress your playing partners. Maybe you've tried it before, with or without success. Here's the easy way. Take your address to the side of the ball with your back facing where you want the ball to go. Stand with your feet together. (Your lie may dictate you doing this anyway.) Here's the trick most people don't know about: Grip down on the handle with whatever hand makes sense and then— important!—set the grip against the back of your forearm. This gives you the…