Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2024 i Golf Magazine

From the Editor It's Open season. Come June 13, the USGA will present the 124th iteration of our national championship. Couldn't be more excited. With apologies to the game's oldest major, the Open Championship, and its coolest, the Masters, this is the one—a legit open on our turf, which takes all comers and takes pride in pushing all who make it to their physical and mental limits. The best part? It's almost always surprising. Tell me you put your hard-earned clams on Wyndham Clark last year and I'll call you a liar. Same for Gary Woodland in 2019. Steve Jones in ’96. Johnny Goodman in ’33 (says granddad). It's a grind-your-teeth-and-hitch-up-your-britches trial by fire that crowns unknowns and legends in equal amounts. It's often called unfair. That's life. The first…

8AM Happenings The third annual 8AM Golf Invitational, presented by Justin Timberlake at Wynn Las Vegas, was April's hottest show on The Strip. A star-studded field of athletes and entertainers competed in a two-person scramble for various charities. Timberlake's partner in crime, Jimmy Fallon, was named event MVP for the 48 straight hours of unmatched energy and entertainment he provided on and off the course. Firsttime participants Blake Griffin and Chandler Parsons teamed up to win the 8AM championship hardware and put a bow on the event by closing out the festivities with their performance of Shaggy's “Angel” at Saturday night's karaoke party. A TRIP TO BOUNTY Bounty Club is 8AM Golf's latest golf course development project—a members’ only club designed by King-Collins that sits on 464 acres just seven…

10,052 Entries in this year's U.S. Open qualifying for Pinehurst No. 2. It's the third time in history the prospective field has eclipsed 10,000—10,187 at LACC (2023); 10,127 at Pinehurst (2014). 128 YEARS IT TOOK FOR A U.S. OPEN COMPETITOR TO SHOOT A 62. RICKIE FOWLER DID SO IN THE FIRST ROUND LAST YEAR AT LACC. XANDER SCHAUFFELE ADDED A SECOND 62 JUST 20 MINUTES LATER. Consecutive U.S. Open champions for whom the tournament was their first major victory. Brooks Koepka was the last previous major champion to win the U.S. Open when he defended his title in 2018 at Shinnecock. 1,163 NUMBER OF PLAYERS BEATEN BY SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER AND NELLY KORDA OVER THEIR LAST 10 COMBINED STARTS ENDING APRIL 22, 2024. ONLY ONE PLAYER (STEPHEN JAEGER) BEAT ONE OF THEM…

“Golf is played on a five-and-a-half-inch course … the space between your ears.” —Bobby Jones IF A WAYWARD DRIVE on the home hole has the ability to ruin your weekend round, just imagine what a similar shot does to a Tour pro's blood pressure. Well, at least that's what we think happens. It's logical: Those who play golf for paychecks surely must care more about shots and scores than recreational players. In fact—and this may come as a surprise—professional golfers actually care less in some ways. Turns out, card-carrying members of the PGA Tour aren't just better than you and me at splitting fairways and sticking approach shots; they're also far superior at separating their swings from their scores. It's a legitimate superpower that's as valuable as any other in the…

GEAR GOLF.COM THE BEST STUFF IN THE GAME WHEN YOU'RE OUT for a nice meal, choosing an appetizer, main course and dessert holds no particular fear. Any idiot can navigate a menu. The wine list—that's another story. Wedges are the wine of golf. They're complex creatures. Vino's body, balance and terroir (never mind legs, chewiness and other mumbo jumbo) have nothing on wedges’ bounce, grind and leading edge. The wine must pair with the meal; the wedges need to pair with each other and with the rest of the set. What's more, a Bordeaux isn't also occasionally asked to pull double duty as a Beaujolais or a Riesling, but a gap wedge might be opened or shut to function as a sand wedge or pitching wedge if the situation requires.…

GEAR…

GEAR WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE about a golf brand with such an irreverently positive motto? (See above.) Huntington Beach–based Palm Golf Co. carries their laid-back, Surf City vibe from the sand to the sand traps with every product they make, and what started out as a high-quality glove company has branched out into headwear, apparel and accessories. One of the more recent—and coolest— additions to the family is the Palm Golf Utility Bag ($40; palmgolfco.com). This waterproof, clippable case is designed to hold your rangefinder along with your cell phone and valuables. Lined with zippers and Velcro for security, and padded for protection, the ruggedly stylish Utility puts your important possessions right at your fingertips, and that's something you can smile about. —J.L.…

U.S. OPEN PREVIEW 2024 Wyndham Clark photographed at Troon North's Monument Course in Scottsdale, Ariz., on March 20, 2024. U.S. OPEN PREVIEW 2024 WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? These days, that's the question Wyndham Clark gets asked most often. How'd he go from being just another Tour talent to being among its very best? How'd he go from outside the top 300 in the world to inside the top three—in less than two years? How, at age 30, has he developed the ability to contend at golf's biggest events? How'd he go from that guy to this guy? What's the difference? Clark's résumé is sparklier these days. His schedule is busier. He's the No. 3-ranked player in the world. He's No. 2 in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup standings. He's a star of…

In Phil Studies, students speak of the Four Stages of Phil: Prodigy Phil, Aw-Shucks Phil, Bad-Ass Phil—and his current stage. Prodigy Phil was all dimples and promise. This Phil was a mega-talent, the low amateur in the 1990 and 1991 U.S. Opens and the winner of the ’90 U.S. Amateur in between them. Old hands at the USGA had never seen anything like him, all that California charm and left-handed, flop-shot magic. He was a USGA darling. As a pro, he morphed into Aw-Shucks Phil. Phil at the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, when he was the runner-up to Payne Stewart, with Phil and Amy on baby watch. Phil at the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage, when he was the runner-up to Tiger, in a period when pretty much nobody…

G: What is it that draws you to the game of golf? MA: Well, first of all, it's the drive to improve, to get better. I'm always striving for consistency, which, for me, is almost an impossibility. [Laughs.] G: That's pretty much the same for everybody. MA: And then from a social standpoint, it's just the best game for fathers and sons or brothers or friends to be able to enjoy spending time together, walking and talking and challenging each other. And it's a phenomenal opportunity to enter into and develop relationships because you have four hours to do so. G: Right, and that's hard to do on the football field. MA: Yeah, my job was to run away from people! G: What's your theory on why kickers and quarterbacks…

In Case You Missed It… U.S. OPEN PREVIEW 2024 Among its fairways and greens, its sand and trees, Pinehurst No. 2 is unquestionably an original, a showcase of character. Fitting, then, have been the four U.S. Open outcomes on the Donald Ross masterpiece. They've not been cookie-cutter, though each has been as delicious as North Carolina barbecue. There was ’99, and Payne Stewart and Phil Mickelson—and shots. Stewart's bomb on 16. Stewart's and Mickelson's darts on 17. Stewart's winner on 18, punctuated by a right-leg-up-and-right-arm-forward celebration now immortalized in a statue on the grounds. There was ’05, and Michael Campbell—and steadfastness. Retief Goosen, the 54-hole leader, fired a Sunday 81. Another contender shot 84. Campbell? He only held off Tiger Woods to win. Then there was the unprecedented ’14 doubleheader. Up…

Clubhouse HANDLING TRICKY BUNKER LIES, even those in rake marks and footprints, is hard for a lot of rec players. My simple advice is to get uncomfortably close to the ball. With a funky lie, snuggle. Then hinge the club straight up in your backswing, which will increase your ability to create a lot of steepness on the way back down to the ball. Steepness is your best option to get out of most bunker lie predicaments. After you create this steepness, your goal is for the club to enter the sand a few inches behind the ball. That's critical. Your follow-through? Not so much—you don't need to do too much with your swing after the ball gets air-borne. Open the clubface at address to match how much green you've…

Gimme Some of the most popular franchises we have at GOLF are our Top 100 Courses lists. Meticulously compiled by architecture editor Ran Morrissett and our esteemed ratings panel, the Top 100s are the definitive ranking of golf courses near and far. Maybe you've been lucky enough to have played some of them? Now you can keep track of your progress with the GOLF Pegboard ($275). Two versions are available: the Top 100 Courses in the World and Top 100 in the U.S. The walnut board comes with pins to mark each course you've tackled. Search “course board” at retailer fairwayjockey.com.…

THE 2024 PING PUTTERS offer the ideal combination of feel and forgiveness by combining trusted designs with proven technologies to give golfers options ranging from classic blades with milled faces to high MOI mallets with inserts to provide a softer feel at impact. Beyond options to fit for feel and stroke type, focus has also been placed on alignment to offer a variety of choices to fit player preference. These include single alignment lines, multiple lines and geometric shaping depending on the model. To further enhance appearance, PING putters (starting at $229) also come in two distinct finishes: a glare-reducing raw blast and a durable black PVD to create a more striking contrast when addressing the ball. The 2024 putter models include the Anser 2, Anser D, B60 and Tyne…

Build Shop GOLFERS ARE constantly focused on feel. Whether it is based on sound, grip style or even club weight, there are always techniques to find the combination that works best for you.…

THINK/PLAY/LIVE You've probably been told to keep your arms connected to your body when you swing. Good tip—if you're around the green. On the tee box, however, staying too connected can actually rob you of power. Here, it's more than okay to disconnect. Not only will it give you needed width, but it will help you finish your backswing with plenty of space to generate maximum speed in your downswing. DO THIS: To get a feel for disconnecting your arms from your body when swinging a driver, wedge a headcover into the armpit of your trail arm. Set up like normal and swing. Your goal is to turn your body while simultaneously lifting your arms and getting your hands as far away from your head as possible. If you do…

Bryson DeChambeau It's a given that the 2020 U.S. Open champ and tee-ball punisher thinks differently about golf. But does that really include playing from the reds? Dylan Dethier: [Peeking into DeChambeau's bag] You've got a bunch of clubs in here, and only some of them have numbers. But I'm hoping you can walk us through your warm-up, like it's Sunday of a major championship. First, what have you done before you get to the driving range? Bryson DeChambeau: I woke up. I really don't do much before a round. I work out after I play, like 6 or 7 p.m. Before a round, I just do active motion, so essentially I'm warming up my body as I go. I'll start with little chip shots. DD: Are you thinking about anything at this…

Clubhouse READERS OF A CERTAIN age will remember the days when bar tops were consistently stocked with complimentary salty snacks—pretzels, peanuts, popcorn—in seemingly bottomless portions. The more you noshed, the more libations you ordered—a great deal for all involved. Though communal snacks are increasingly hard to find in our post-Covid world, the allure of nut mixes endures. So we tapped social media star Chance Cozby, whose food-focused Instagram and TikTok accounts (@3piecesofpecan) boast a combined following of more than 1.3 million, to create a showstopping snack-mix recipe that you'll want to re-create in bulk. “In my mind, trail mix is the perfect snack,” Cozby says. “You get some protein with the peanuts and the pecans, and a little sugar with the chocolate and raisins. It's a much healthier option than…

This Just In ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE is making the world more efficient, and with the help of A.I., the Callaway Ai Smoke series irons are helping golfers be more efficient on every swing too. Callaway engineers achieve this with the Ai Smoke series irons by having artificial intelligence dive deep into golfer data. Rather than lumping players into large segments, it breaks down swing and face contact profiles to design unique clubface topography. Beyond that, there are three separate models to choose from for each iron: the standard Ai Smoke for overall forgiveness, the HL for more launch and stopping power and the Max Fast, which is built lighter to add speed and spin for more moderate swing speed golfers. So, whether you're looking for overall performance and forgiveness, more height…

EVEN IF YOU DON'T manage to make it to Pinehurst this summer for the U.S. Open, you can still celebrate the national championship with a seemingly endless collection of merchandise brought to you by the USGA. Pictured below are four handsome polos from official outfitter Peter Millar, but the association has paired up with more than a dozen of golf's top brands from FootJoy to Ralph Lauren to Nike on products ranging from bucket hats to baby gear to bag tags. Most items feature the Pinehurst Lad logo to celebrate the 124th playing of the championship, and it all ships right to your door.…

Source: USGA The Leader in the Clubhouse Now in its fourth iteration, Dewar's latest 19-year-old “The Champions Edition” blend is the brand's highestrated yet, receiving a score of 93 from WhiskyCast's Mark Gillespie. While last year's blend was aged in redwine casks from Napa Valley to honor ’23 U.S. Open host LACC, the ’24 edition was finished in rye casks in homage to Pinehurst. Flavor highlights include notes of pear, honey and cinnamon with a long finish.…

Seventy yards: That's all between you and the pin—whether it's your second shot into a par 4 or your third on a par 5. It's a common distance for a lot of rec players, the majority of whom will try to muscle a full sand wedge to get this one tight. That's really not the way to go about it. From this range, it's important to control trajectory and spin, not necessarily to impress your buddies with how hard you can lay into a sand iron. The smart play here is to grab your gap wedge, choke down a solid three inches and hit the shot with a controlled motion that—despite what you've read or been told—uses body action and hardly any hands. Here's the trick, which works for any…