The post Jason Kelce outslugs Travis as new king of the long drive appeared first on Golf.

The post Jason Kelce outslugs Travis as new king of the long drive appeared first on Golf.

The stars were out in Lake Tahoe for the Korbel Celebrity Long Drive Competition at the American Century Classic. The GOLF Team has been on-site for the last four, and this was the biggest and best one yet. GOLF’s SubPar podcast hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz were given free rein on the microphones to emcee the event as celebrities stepped up one by one to the Full Swing launch monitor (Save $500 by using golfdotcom at checkout) to show us what they’re made of.

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Last year’s winner Travis Kelce wasn’t able to defend his title — but his brother Jason Kelce put his hat in the ring for the first time. Big names such as Aaron Rodgers, Alex Rodriguez, Josh Allen, Charles Barkley, Blake Griffin, AJ Hawk, Miles Teller, and more walked through the Korbel Thunderdome Tent and onto the 16th tee box to entertain the masses.  

From long drives to karaoke performances, these are the moments that had us making our Korbel glasses go “clink clink” all day long.

Jason Kelce Steals The Show

Full Disclosure: I hate Philadelphia’s sports teams.

Jason Kelce has gained worldwide popularity due to his All-Pro play for the Eagles, revealing documentary, and chart-topping podcast, New Heights, which he hosts with his brother Travis. Nonetheless, I kept my fan hat on entering the day and was skeptical about whether I could ever soften up to Jason.

But when he walked up to the tee box, all of my fan hatred quickly vanished. There’s a gentle-giant aura about Jason you sense from the moment he’s in your presence. You can see and hear him coming — Jason’s open shirt, boisterousness and infectious laugh are tough to miss — but his is a welcome presence. He’s the type of guy you want to have a beer, or bottle of Korbel Champagne, with. Hell, I was ready to have a drink with him by the end of his 15 minutes on the tee box.

While Jason certainly doesn’t play much golf, he possesses a brute strength that is hard to teach. His swing speed can’t match what Travis has in the bag, but he didn’t need to without him in the competition. Jason’s 322-yard drive was enough to take the title, and my (unneeded) respect, home to Philadelphia.

Now, I hate Kelce for making me like a Philadelphia athlete.

How about a Kelce Brother grudge match next year? Yes, please…

Roger Clemens has pipes

The Rocket brought the heat in a new way. Unprovoked, Roger grabbed the microphone and requested Toby Keith’s “Dream Walking” to honor the late country music star. It was the most unexpected moment of the day until I learned Clemens has a karaoke room in his house. Clemens is certainly making good use of that room.

Gary Sheffield has the best waggle in sports

If you’re a baseball fan like me who grew up in the 90s, there is still no batting stance more fun to imitate than Sheffield’s. His patent waggle was the most intimidating sight in a batter’s box in his heyday. To see Sheffield step up to the Long Drive and give us some of that waggle in his swing brought the biggest smile to my face.

An A-Bomb from A-Rod

Alex Rodriguez hit 696 home runs in his career. Nine of those were walk-off home runs.

Anyone in attendance got to witness the 10th walk-off of A-Rod’s career. He didn’t hesitate to start walking after his 300+ yard drive.

Charles Barkley is… good at golf?

Barkley finished in 58th place at the American Century Classic. If you don’t find that to be impressive, then you don’t know where Chuck’s game used to be just a few years ago. It is a relief for all to see Barkley enjoying himself on the course after agony that no golfer should ever have to suffer through.

He takes a few moments to talk to everyone in his presence and he’s as authentic as they come. What you see on TV is what you get. Barkley is friendly and unfiltered, and I love him for it.

Barkley is never going to win the Korbel Long Drive, but he’s always a fan favorite upon arrival.  

AJ Hawk doesn’t get cheated

Nobody swings harder than Hawk. I don’t care what the swing-speed data says. I was in awe by the absolute laser Hawk hit no more than 20 feet in the air and looked like it was never going to touch the ground.

If nothing else, Hawk took home the prize for putting everything he’s got into his swing.

Ain’t no party like a Korbel Party

This was the 20th year that Korbel sponsored the American Century Classic, and it proved to be the biggest one yet. Korbel launched its new “Clink, Clink” campaign to redefine what a champagne occasion be. From weddings to brunches to birdie putts to solo cup tailgates, we’ll “clink, clink” to that.

It was hard to miss the loud and proud Korbel tent on the 16th tee box this year. Activations could be found throughout the course and most notably down the famed stretch by holes 16 and the par-3 17th that runs along Lake Tahoe. And if you’ve never been before, you’re missing out on a must-stop experience for golf fans and fans of a good time.

Cheers to many more!

The Miz is Electric

No one can introduce The Miz better than The Miz. Need proof? Watch the video below.

Took the words right out of Colt’s mouth.

Big Cat’s Power Stance

Dan “Big Cat” Katz took a celebrity shot, during a celebrity competition, while caddying for Blake Griffin. Big Cat stepped up to the tee and used his unique stance to show us where his power comes from. It’s a bit that doesn’t get old and left Colt and Drew wondering who the best golfer at Barstool Sports is…

Special Report: Bret Baier can rap

You probably know Baier best for his calm demeanor behind the news desk on Fox News. In a world of TV personalities insisting on being the loudest person in the room, Baier has a more traditional presence. That seems to change once he steps outside the studio. Baier, who is no stranger to having a microphone in his hands, delivered a special rendition of “Rapper’s Delight” to the crowd. Chalk that up to things I didn’t see coming.

Baier would go on to hook his ball off to the left. “You usually avoid the left,” said emcee Drew Stoltz. Well played…  

Interested in your launch monitor numbers? You can save $500 on Full Swing Simulators by using the code: ‘golfdotcom’ at checkout.

The post Jason Kelce outslugs Travis as new king of the long drive appeared first on Golf.

The post Bills star QB Josh Allen on his dream golf match, what he shot at Augusta National and more appeared first on Golf.

The post Bills star QB Josh Allen on his dream golf match, what he shot at Augusta National and more appeared first on Golf.

Finally, it’s arrived. No, not golf’s next major (we have a long ways to go there), but the start of the NFL season.

The Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams kick off the NFL regular season at 8:20 p.m. ET on Thursday on NBC. The Bills are led by star quarterback Josh Allen, who we’ve also seen plenty of on the golf course over the last year. Allen teamed with Patrick Mahomes to take on Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers in the latest edition of The Match in June, and he also played in the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe in July.

We caught up with Allen, an avid golfer and golf gifter, in Lake Tahoe to chat about the state of his (golf) game. For starters, his longest recorded drive is about 360 yards (“wind at the back, obviously elevation helps,” he says) and his best golf tip is wise advice we could all learn from: “No one cares as much as you care. Go out there and have a good time.”

Allen was also asked to name his partner and opposing twosome for a dream edition of The Match.

“Obviously I’d want to be with Tiger,” he said. “Big Tiger Woods fan. Who would I want to compete against? Steph Curry and Michael Jordan on the other side. I think that would be a good matchup.”

We agree. He also broke down his round at Augusta National, which came a day after the tournament ended and with Sunday pins. He shot 90 playing most holes from the tips and called it “something I’ll cherish forever.”

For more on his round at Augusta National, how he compares playing in pro-ams to playing in playoff games and more, check out the full video above.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2022? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf. For more on the latest gear news and information, check out our latest Fully Equipped podcast below.

The post Bills star QB Josh Allen on his dream golf match, what he shot at Augusta National and more appeared first on Golf.

The post Josh Allen talks how golf impacts him on the field, reveals his dream match appeared first on Golf.

The post Josh Allen talks how golf impacts him on the field, reveals his dream match appeared first on Golf.

Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen recently joined GOLF.com to break down his golf game and reveal who would be pick for his dream match.

The post Josh Allen talks how golf impacts him on the field, reveals his dream match appeared first on Golf.

The post Tee to Green with The Miz appeared first on Golf.

The post Tee to Green with The Miz appeared first on Golf.

Take a walk with WWE superstar The Miz as he plays a hole alongside GOLF.com at the 2022 American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe. Find out how wrestling helps his golf game and what he’s learned so far from his golf lessons.

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The post Which celeb golfer is the longest of them all? Curry, Kelce … Barkley?! appeared first on Golf.

The post Which celeb golfer is the longest of them all? Curry, Kelce … Barkley?! appeared first on Golf.

At the American Century Championship on the shores of beautiful Lake Tahoe last month, active and retired athletes, artists, and personalities teed it up for 54 holes, with Tony Romo prevailing the third time after carding a three-under 69 in the final round.

Others found more luck at the long-drive competition hosted by GOLF’s Subpar co-host Drew Stoltz.

In this contest within the contest, eight competitors recorded carries of more than 300 yards. (Sir Charles Barkley was not among them, but he was much closer than you may think.) 

The NFL showed up in a big way with six of the top 10 making the longest drive leaderboard, but the winner was an MLB pitcher. 

Before you put your head in your hands, wondering how these celebs who play golf as their second (or third) sport hit the ball so much further than you, remember where the event was played! The elevation at Edgewood Tahoe is more than 6,000 feet above sea level — and, according to Andrew Rice’s research, for every 1,000 feet of elevation, your tee shots will carry an additional 2.5 yards.

To see Stephen Curry, Travis Kelce, Sir Charles and other celebrities hit some blasts, check out the video above.

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The post Which celeb golfer is the longest of them all? Curry, Kelce … Barkley?! appeared first on Golf.

The post Rogers Report: American Century Championship Day Two appeared first on Golf.

The post Rogers Report: American Century Championship Day Two appeared first on Golf.

Follow GOLF’s Claire Rogers for a day in a life on site at a golf tournament as she greets players and hangs out at the long drive contest on the 16th hole at the 2022 American Century Championship.

The post Rogers Report: American Century Championship Day Two appeared first on Golf.

The post How a major league bullpen can help you … on the driving range  appeared first on Golf.

The post How a major league bullpen can help you … on the driving range  appeared first on Golf.

Earlier this week on the driving range at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, in advance of the American Century Championship, former left-handed pitcher David Wells had just completed golf’s version of a bullpen session.

“In baseball, I was blessed,” Wells said. “I could hit a gnat’s ass from 60 feet, 6 inches nine times out of 10.”

If only hitting greens were as easy as painting corners.

“I get so frustrated out here sometimes,” he said. “This game will drive you crazy.”

Still, he added, his long tenure on the diamond has taught him lessons about practice that transferred nicely to the driving range. Here are four.

Reverse psychology

During his 21-year-career, Wells was often wary of spot-on bullpen sessions. 

Lifestyle

“I’d get nervous,” he said. “To me, it meant I was going to have a bad game.” 

A lot of superstitious golfers can relate: Hitting pure shots during warm-ups somehow seems like a bad sign. The solution, Wells said, is reverse psychology. 

“I would tell myself that I’d sucked in the bullpen so that I could have a good game,” he said. “Even if my coaches were telling me how good I’d looked, I’d tell them I’d been terrible. It was just a way I had of getting into the right mindset.” 

Nowadays, when he pures his irons and driver during practice, he plays the same game on himself.

Remain in the moment

In baseball, Wells found, future-tripping was a good way of getting shelled. Dwelling on past pitches was unproductive, too. 

“I was an emotional player,” Wells said. “I had to work hard on not getting too far ahead of myself, and not beating myself up for stuff that already happened.” 

Lifestyle

In the bullpen, he worked on staying in the moment, which helped keep him level-headed. One pitch at a time. One shot at a time. 

“You know you’re going to have some good ones and some bad ones,” he said. “All you can do is focus on the one you face right now.”

Work briskly

Everything came naturally to Wells in baseball. Golf requires a lot more work.

“Whenever I’m standing over the ball too long, I know I’m in trouble,” he said. “That’s when I start getting lost in swing thoughts.” 

On the range, he tries to channel his inner ace from baseball. Pick the target. Set up. And go.

Stay loose

In baseball, as in golf, tension is the enemy of speed, power and precision.

“When you choke a change-up with your grip, you’re going to spike it,” Wells said. “If you choke a fastball, you’re going to throw it four or five mph slower.” 

On the mound, Wells knew that he had to stay loose. He tries to do the same when he’s on the range.

The post How a major league bullpen can help you … on the driving range  appeared first on Golf.

The post Justin Timberlake on music, Augusta National, exclusive Jordans and more appeared first on Golf.

The post Justin Timberlake on music, Augusta National, exclusive Jordans and more appeared first on Golf.

Justin Timberlake talks golf, music, and more as he plays the par-3 17th hole at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course with Ashley Mayo at the 2022 American Century Championship.

The post Justin Timberlake on music, Augusta National, exclusive Jordans and more appeared first on Golf.

The post A day in the life of caddying for NBA Champion Alex Caruso appeared first on Golf.

The post A day in the life of caddying for NBA Champion Alex Caruso appeared first on Golf.

Making his rookie debut at the American Century Championship, Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso enlists some caddying advice from Subpar’s one and only Drew Stoltz.

The post A day in the life of caddying for NBA Champion Alex Caruso appeared first on Golf.

The post Rogers Report: American Century Championship Day One appeared first on Golf.

The post Rogers Report: American Century Championship Day One appeared first on Golf.

Follow GOLF’s Claire Rogers for a day in a life on site at a golf tournament as she greets players and gets an exclusive tour of the Travis Mathew activation at the American Century Championship.

The post Rogers Report: American Century Championship Day One appeared first on Golf.