The post What’s the most impressive part of Dustin Johnson’s game? Harry Higgs explains appeared first on Golf.

The post What’s the most impressive part of Dustin Johnson’s game? Harry Higgs explains appeared first on Golf.

Dustin Johnson’s resume speaks for itself.

Two major titles, 24 PGA Tour wins and nearly $75M in on-course earnings put him as one of the greatest talents of his generation. There aren’t many golfers over the past 15 years who’ve performed as well as Johnson.

He’s done it with an arsenal of skills that most players dream of. He hits the ball long and straight. He’s dialed in his wedges so well that it propelled him to one of the best runs in recent memory. And when his putter is hot, it’s tough to stop him.

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However, while Johnson’s physical attributes are impressive, it’s his mental game that separates him from his peers.

“He’s unbothered, man,” said Harry Higgs on a recent episode of Off Course with Claude Harmon. “DJ, no offense, but he hits some of the worst shots that I’ve ever seen a PGA Tour player hit. And he was unbothered.”

That ability to shake off even the ugliest swings is one of the reasons he’s been so successful during his storied career.

“He was just under-reacting to anything that happened,” Higgs said. “The man is a savant at what he does. It is so wildly impressive. Yes, he has been given and honed and worked probably the top three, five greatest physical attributes and skills that anybody has ever had in this game. But he has also honed — and I’ve heard Rory talk about this — the greatest way to approach high-level competitive golf. Dustin Johnson owns that.”

Check out the entire episode of Off Course below.

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The post Off Course with Claude Harmon: Harry Higgs explains the rationale behind his unique on-course look appeared first on Golf.

The post Off Course with Claude Harmon: Harry Higgs explains the rationale behind his unique on-course look appeared first on Golf.

On this week’s episode of Off Course with Claude Harmon, Harry Higgs explains the reasoning behind his distinctive look.

Thanks to our partners — 

Enjoy watching every round with golf’s signature sip, Elijah Craig Bourbon. Save $5 when you order a bottle on Drizly.com with code GOLFMAG5 

Cobra Golf’s new KING Forged TEC Irons are on the way and will be available for pre-order beginning April 29th. Find out more at cobragolf.com

Follow Claude to submit questions, enter giveaways and keep up with the latest Off Course updates on Instagram at @ClaudeHarmon3

The post Off Course with Claude Harmon: Harry Higgs explains the rationale behind his unique on-course look appeared first on Golf.

The post Off Course with Claude Harmon: Harry Higgs reveals the most impressive part of Dustin Johnson’s game appeared first on Golf.

The post Off Course with Claude Harmon: Harry Higgs reveals the most impressive part of Dustin Johnson’s game appeared first on Golf.

On this week’s episode of Off Course with Claude Harmon, Harry Higgs explained what stuck with him after playing practice rounds with DJ.

Thanks to our partners — 

Enjoy watching every round with golf’s signature sip, Elijah Craig Bourbon. Save $5 when you order a bottle on Drizly.com with code GOLFMAG5 

Cobra Golf’s new KING Forged TEC Irons are on the way and will be available for pre-order beginning April 29th. Find out more at cobragolf.com

Follow Claude to submit questions, enter giveaways and keep up with the latest Off Course updates on Instagram at @ClaudeHarmon3

The post Off Course with Claude Harmon: Harry Higgs reveals the most impressive part of Dustin Johnson’s game appeared first on Golf.

The post Off Course with Claude Harmon: What it was like playing college golf with Bryson DeChambeau appeared first on Golf.

The post Off Course with Claude Harmon: What it was like playing college golf with Bryson DeChambeau appeared first on Golf.

On this week’s episode of Off Course with Claude Harmon, Harry Higgs reveals what it was like to play alongside Bryson DeChambeau at SMU.

Thanks to our partners — 

Enjoy watching every round with golf’s signature sip, Elijah Craig Bourbon. Save $5 when you order a bottle on Drizly.com with code GOLFMAG5 

Cobra Golf’s new KING Forged TEC Irons are on the way and will be available for pre-order beginning April 29th. Find out more at cobragolf.com

Follow Claude to submit questions, enter giveaways and keep up with the latest Off Course updates on Instagram at @ClaudeHarmon3

The post Off Course with Claude Harmon: What it was like playing college golf with Bryson DeChambeau appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Is the Saudi golf league over before it even started? appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Is the Saudi golf league over before it even started? appeared first on Golf.

Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com. This week, we break down what’s next for the proposed Saudi Golf League, Phil Mickelson’s comments, the Genesis Invitational and more.   

1. While golf was played at an iconic course with a star-studded field this week, it was what happened away from the play at the Genesis Invitational that made the biggest waves. Player after player were asked their thoughts on a guaranteed-paycheck, upstart golf league funded by Saudi Arabian cash, then came a story from the Fire Pit Collective’s Alan Shipnuck, who wrote of a phone conversation that he had had with Phil Mickelson in which the six-time major champ described himself as a key architect in the league — and added that he hoped the plan would generate leverage in future negotiations with the PGA Tour. The news wasn’t over. On Sunday, both Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson, long rumored to be part of the Saudi league, pledged their loyalty to the Tour. Whew. Lots to unpack here, but we’ll start with this: With the announcements of DeChambeau and DJ, and what seems to be a strong majority of players sticking with the PGA Tour, is the Saudi league over before it even got started?

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Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): It’s not over, but this week was a haymaker. For how long this league had been discussed and planned and with everything else that went into it behind the scenes, it’s going to take a lot more for it to be truly buried. But, yeah, this was not a good week for the Super Golf League. And years from now, if it’s still not a thing, this week, and perhaps the domino effect caused by Phil Mickelson, will be the reason why. One thing that was evident this week — the players, whether premeditated or not, seemed to be more vocal in their criticism and more adamant in their allegiance to the PGA Tour. There was a shift.

Josh Sens, senior writer (@JoshSens): I think it’s too early to pronounce it dead. There’s too much money and ambition behind it. But to live up to what its promoters have promised, any rival league was always going to need a critical mass of big names onboard, and that momentum seems all but gone for now. That doesn’t mean some kind of alternate league won’t still take shape. The general concept has been like a cicada in recent decades, going dormant for long spells and then springing back to life.

Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): This week was a blow, no doubt, but it’s not over. I see one of two things happening — either the Asian Tour gets a larger investment, or they pause plans on the league. Or both really. They’ve shown the Asian Tour concept works — the field was strong at the Saudi International, and the PGA Tour, though irritated, let it happen — and I could see more big-purse events. As for the other Tour, that has to be slowed. The Mickelson comment, at the moment, is too much to wash away, pun intended. They’ll regroup, up the money offered and try again. 

Michael Bamberger, senior writer: Saudi wealth among its ruling class is almost limitless. It’s not dead. But it’s easy to imagine it in some form, for the 40-and-over crowd, from all over the world.

2. Saudi League question two. After everything that Mickelson has said over the Tour over the past two weeks — don’t forget the “obnoxious greed” comment earlier this month — how much will his commentary impact his legacy?

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Berhow: Short term, it will be significant. Long term, less so. People have short memories, but it also depends a lot on what Mickelson does with the next decade or so.

Bamberger: I agree with that completely, Josh. Hold it, what are we talking about again? 

Sens: Mickelson has always been a polarizing figure. In my random polls of fellow golfers over the years, the votes seemed to fall about 60-40, Phil worshippers over Phil detractors.  I suspect if I took another of those surveys tomorrow, the down-on-Phil crowd would win in a landslide. Josh is right about short memories, but the incident will get mentioned in Mickelson’s obit. Not everyone will forget.

Piastowski: Sadly, the comments may be forgotten over time. They shouldn’t be. If you think otherwise, go read that quote again on the Fire Pit Collective website. 

3. Saudi League question three! Or this is more of a PGA Tour question. While no doubt a win for the Tour with the re-commitments of Johnson and DeChambeau, along with a host of others, where does the Tour go from here? Multiple outlets were reporting that there was discussion this week of experimenting with different formats during fall tournaments. Do you see more experimentation like this to appease players?

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Berhow: Yes. Many players, including Phil, have been right in the fact that this has forced the Tour to open its eyes and make more changes to appease the players. We’ve already seen some of that happen with the PIP and Players purse increase, for example, but more still needs to happen. More team events, mix in LPGA stars — 72-hole stroke-play events, 48 weeks a year, is numbing.

Sens: Boy, is it tiring to think about what needs to be done to appease some of the most privileged people on earth. But I get it. It’s the marketplace. In my dream of dreams, we’d go back to the old days when golf took a breather. Scrap the wrap-around season. Give it a rest. Do we really need a bunch of contrived formats and watered-down events to get us through an offseason? Shut it down for a bit, and it will be all the more exciting when it starts back up again. The Groucho Marx rule is a good one here — you can love your cigar and still take it out of your mouth now and then.

Piastowski: Yep. While many of the players came out in support of the Tour, there were still a few grumblings of the status quo. This is the perfect opportunity to strike while the iron’s hot and keep the players happy. Shoot, steal ideas from the Saudi and Premier Golf Leagues. If you rest on this, PGA Tour, we’ll be talking about this again very, very soon. 

Bamberger: It’s not really a question of appeasing the players. The Tour exists FOR the players. The players ultimately want what the golf-watching public wants, because it is the golf-watching public that pays the bills. We do want more team play, more mixed play, more match play, more transparency. The PGA Tour does amazing things in the name of charity, but it is also a big business. It’s hanging on to its not-for-profit status by a hair. It needs more transparency in every way. 

4. On to the golf! Joaquin Niemann played Riviera at a near-record-setting clip on his way to a win at the Genesis, holding off a star-studded field in the process. Your biggest on-course takeaway from the week, as the Tour heads to the Florida swing. 

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Berhow: Collin Morikawa played once during this West Coast swing, and that was his T2 at the Genesis. The guy is going to go on a tear this year. Three or four wins, easy.

Sens: As 2021 wound down, Jon Rahm seemed primed to win every time he teed it up. He’s hardly been a slouch in 2022, but his game has just been just the slightest of margins off. His driver at Torrey. His putter this week. A reminder of the razor’s edge between winning and everything else. I’m with you on Morikawa though, Josh. That was the quietest T2 I think I’ve even seen. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Piastowski: Do Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler do anything but top-10? Toss in Jon Rahm, and that’s about as good a bet as any for your four major winners this year. 

Bamberger: I’d like to see Riviera in the third week in June. Fast and hard, it could be an incredible U.S. Open course.

Piastowski: Good point, Michael. The 2026 U.S. Women’s Open there should be fantastic. 

5. Twice at the Genesis, Tiger Woods, the tournament host, provided updates on his recovery, nearly one year since his car crash. On Saturday, on CBS, he notably said: “I don’t want to come out here and just play. That’s how I am. I need to feel that I’m confident that I can beat these guys, and I got to do the legwork at home. It’s on me.” Was there anything that Woods said, or anything that you saw, that suggested he will play sometime this year?

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Berhow: A few reports on site said he was walking pretty well, which is a good sign, but I don’t think Tiger comes back until he’s 100 percent confident he won’t have any hiccups walking 72 holes. Like he said, he won’t rush it. That said, I think he will definitely play this year. He likes to keep his decisions close to his chest, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Tiger, well, surprises us. It wasn’t that long ago we had a few years of will he/won’t he, last-minute Masters decisions. I expect that this year, and even though it’s a long shot, you never know. I’ve learned to stop doubting him.

Sens: I’ve also learned to stop predicting anything. That said, I’ve got my calendar circled for the British Open at St. Andrews. A fan can hope.

Bamberger: That’s my feeling, too — and only if the weather forecast is fair.

Piastowski: I hate to say it, but the quote in the question above told me a lot. He’s not coming back to tie for 55th somewhere. It’s going to be a while before we see him. Let’s go with next year’s Masters. And this year’s PNC, of course. 

6. Golf Channel reported that Harry Higgs and Joel Dahmen might be fined by the Tour for their shirt-lifting episode at last week’s WM Phoenix Open. Notably, the Tour itself promoted the scene on its social media channels. Do you agree with the fine? Or should players be allowed to loosen up a bit?

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Berhow: Rules are rules — regardless if they are good — so if there’s something about personal conduct in the book that states what they did is grounds for a fine (I’m sure there is), then you can’t argue with it. But to fine them AFTER using this all over their social media channels? That’s a brutal, brutal look. In my opinion, no one knows how to act during Phoenix week, to be honest. Fans think they have to be crazier than usual, players think they have to be more engaging than usual, and, in turn, the PGA Tour thinks it needs to turn its hat backward and lighten up as well. That’s OK, but if promoting WM Phoenix Open craziness is their plan, they can’t have it both ways and dish out fines.

Sens: Ridiculous fines. The Tour goes out of its way to promote a wild and crazy party atmosphere and then pretends to clutch its pearls when a pudgy bares his chest? If they have to pay anything, make it be to a counseling service for those of us who might need help un-seeing that sight.

Piastowski: Please don’t go the way of no end zone celebrations. The Tour doesn’t want stifling the fun to be one of the reasons players are looking at alternative leagues. If it becomes a regular thing and winners start ripping off shirts like Hulk Hogan, then put the hammer down. But this was an in-the-moment, fun move. No fine!  

Bamberger: The whole point of the Phoenix stop is that golf etiquette as we know it is passe. Shirts-on-courses are, too. Let it go. Joel Dahmen deserves all the attention he can get.

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The post Did Harry Higgs legend grow? Pro chips in — as fan taunts him with drink, he says appeared first on Golf.

The post Did Harry Higgs legend grow? Pro chips in — as fan taunts him with drink, he says appeared first on Golf.

A Harry Higgs fan, this fan was not. 

How could they be? If they truly knew the nearly universally loved pro, there’s no way they would have tried to distract him with what Higgs said was a cocktail as he chipped to the right of the 13th green at Riviera. Yes, it was rude. But it was also unwise. To the pro who just last week lifted his shirt and bared everything that was below it in front of 20,000 sauced-up supporters at the WM Phoenix Open, swirling a drink in a cup was but a drop-in-the-bucket bother.       

A few seconds later, the legend of Harry Higgs only grew. He flopped a wedge just onto the fringe, his ball rolled about 15 feet, and he raised his right hand one rotation of the golf ball before it dropped into the cup for a birdie three. That same hand then pointed behind him, and Higgs gave a thumb, ‘yerrr out’ motion as if he were a bartender at last call.   

There maaay have been an obscenity, too. 

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“Yeah, I did not hit a great wedge here, and my man behind me was swishing around his cocktail, and it took a while for me to be able to play the shot, but I had it killed in the fringe there and just watch it trickle, trickle, trickle,” Higgs said afterward on Golf Channel in an interview with Kira K. Dixon. “Fortunately it got there again. That was a nice little bonus. 

“I told him to drink his drink so he would stop making noise.” 

“Cheers to you there,” Dixon said. 

Indeed. And cheers to this, too. After a double bogey on the par-3 4th, where he missed the green right and needed four shots to cover 25 yards, Higgs was five-over during Friday’s second round of the Genesis Invitational, and a handful of players from the bottom. After a par on 18, he was even and had 36 holes ahead. 

In between? A seven-hole stretch where he played five-under golf. On the par-5 11th, he rolled in a 35-footer for eagle. Then came the birdie on 13. Finally, on the par-5 17th, from a tricky lie in a left greenside bunker, Higgs flopped his ball about 30 feet short of the hole, watched it release, then watched it drop for a second eagle. 

“Another weird one,” Higgs said on Golf Channel. “It just felt like a big splash. As soon as I hit it, I knew it was in. And fortunately it went right in the middle of the hole. It was difficult to settle myself to play 18 and then be able to make par there to have a weekend here, and I was fortunate to do just that.”

And now comes Saturday, where he’ll begin 16 shots behind leader Joaquin Niemann, but just six strokes out of the top 10. And how would Higgs unwind ahead of time? The Higgs believers know. 

So this is more for those who aren’t.  

“I’m relieved because I’ve had some not-so-good golf, but it’s better than I’ve been giving myself credit for,” Higgs said on Golf Channel. “And I’m super excited to play this place for two more days. I absolutely love it here. And I just got two more days to get better and go hit a few good shots and take that into next week. I’m really pleased with the finish. Probably go back and have a drink to wind down and then just go to sleep and get ready to hopefully make some more eagles tomorrow.” 

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The post Harry Higgs says his shirtless celebration will ‘never happen again’ appeared first on Golf.

The post Harry Higgs says his shirtless celebration will ‘never happen again’ appeared first on Golf.

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — No one was more popular at Riviera Country Club on Tuesday than Harry Higgs. Fresh off his viral, half-naked celebration on Sunday, Higgs was the main attraction when he stepped on property for this week’s Genesis Invitational — at least among fellow Tour pros.

The 30-year-old spent much of a blustery day at Riv’ grinding on the range in preparation for his second career start here, but he waded through plenty of interruptions. Everyone from swing instructors to gear reps approached Higgs to chat about his antics in the desert. And even some fellow pros got in on the action.

As defending Masters champ Hideki Matsuyama readied to hit balls next to Higgs, he turned and lifted his shirt in jest.

“You know it’s bad when Hideki comes up to you on the range and lifts his shirt,” Higgs said. It was that kind of day at the course for the hefty cult hero, but as we found out, Higgs’ celebration is bound to be a one and done.

Zephyr Melton: What’s been your favorite moment on the PGA Tour so far?

Harry Higgs: That’s a good question. I’ve had probably five or six chances to win over the past three years, and those are always the best. That’s why we practice so hard.

ZM: What’s the biggest difference between a pro and an elite amateur?

HH: That’s a great question. I would say consistency. I know that’s a vague answer, but I think they have a lack of consistency because they don’t have as much certainty and as many plays in their playbook to call when things aren’t going well.

Then I would say belief in your ability. I think the glaring difference between us and somebody that’s trying to get here is that they don’t play enough good “bad” golf. That kind of boils down to belief. And it comes back to the number of plays in your playbook. If you keep missing it left on every shot and you show up on 16 and there’s water left, how are you not going to hit it in that water.

ZM: How did you start believing in yourself?

HH: I wish I had a better answer for that, but I just kinda did. I just looked up at the guys I was playing mini tour and development tour golf with and at some point I said, “No offense to those guys, but I’m better than them. I believe that I’m better and I’m gonna work and think and do everything I can to be better than them, so I can show myself that I was correct there. I am better.”

ZM: What’s it take to win out here? I know you haven’t gotten there yet, but what will it take?

HH: It takes 27 to 36 holes of good “bad” golf, even if you win a 72-hole event, almost half of it is gonna be a little scrappy. And then it takes nine, 12, 15 holes of no thought, you hit it right where you’re looking every time and you hole a couple putts. And then you just manage all the hoopla. You keep your thoughts as present as you can, which is impossible, but you do your best to stay as present as you can. You’re there for a reason. Keep hitting good golf shots and add them up at the end.

ZM: I saw you reached out to Nelly [Korda] there as she was walking past. What do you admire about her and her game?

HH: She’s really good at what she does, and it seems like she does a good job of keeping things simple and believing in herself and her abilities. She’s obviously had a great last couple years and I’m a big fan. She’s the best at what she does and I’d like to be the best at what I do. Never a bad thing to acknowledge someone who’s great at what they do.

ZM: Did you expect all your fellow players to be talking about your little celebration so much?

HH: Yeah, definitely. There’s a lot of regret in what I did for that exact reason. But I can use it as a motivating factor. If I play good golf this week and the next few weeks, people will hopefully forget — I know they won’t, but hopefully they will.

ZM: So, safe to say never again with that celebration?

HH: That will never ever happen again. It shouldn’t have happened in the first place, but it certainly will never happen again.

The post Harry Higgs says his shirtless celebration will ‘never happen again’ appeared first on Golf.

The post The shirts Harry Higgs and Joel Dahmen *didn’t* wear at the WM Phoenix Open appeared first on Golf.

The post The shirts Harry Higgs and Joel Dahmen *didn’t* wear at the WM Phoenix Open appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Spotted on Tour, where we’ll highlight buzzy apparel, gear, gadgets and more that caught our eye over the weekend. Better yet, we’ll help you get your hands on your own.

They were the chests seen ’round the world, largely because they weren’t supposed to be.

Golfers don’t often lose their shirts in the course of competition. More rarely do they lose their shirts *intentionally*. But that was what happened on Sunday at the WM Phoenix Open, when Harry Higgs and Joel Dahmen removed their upper layers in celebration of the raucous, frat-party atmosphere inside the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale.

What followed was a symphony of delirious fans. As the players pranced around the green, the 20,000 or so above hollered with delight, launching from the bleachers beer cans and cocktails — and every notion of what some people believe golf to be.

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It was ridiculous. Insane. Unhinged. Decidedly unprofessional.

Oh, and also wholeheartedly awesome.

Higgs and Dahmen are among those rumored to be involved with the PGA Tour’s upcoming Netflix series, whose producers aim to present golf’s personalities in a radical new light. Though shooting has already begun for the show, the WM Phoenix Open is said to be the show’s first true event. If that is the case, then there’s likely a happy crew of filmmakers somewhere outside of Scottsdale on Monday afternoon, because the two pros have already provided them with one of the flashpoint moments of the 2022 season.

There are also likely two happy shirt sponsors on Monday afternoon, because Higgs and Dahmen’s antics brought two players who finished T49 and T62, respectively, into the center of the golf consciousness on the largest advertising day of the year (Super Bowl Sunday).

So, for today’s Spotted on Tour, let’s take a deeper look at the two shirts Higgs and Dahmen *didn’t* wear on Saturday, y’know, just in case anybody missed it.

First up: Higgs, who is a Greyson man by heart. Harry wore Greyson’s Starling polo, a lightweight, stretch-friendly shirt featuring moisture-wicking technology and four buttons (in case you enjoy a breeze on your chest during play, like Higgs). The Starling polo, like everything Greyson, rests at the intersection of luxury and performance — a preferred choice of both serious players and fashion-forward golfers.

Then there’s Dahmen, who appeared to wear TravisMathew’s “Bamboo Fences” polo. Dahmen’s shirt fits squarely within TravisMathew’s target demographic of “lifestyle performance” — polos you’d feel equally comfortable wearing on the course and off of it. The polo features four-way stretch material, easy wash-and-wear (for those pesky beer stains), and wrinkle-resistant fabric; ensuring a clean, comfortable look, no matter how many times the shirt whips around your head.

To learn more about Dahmen and Higgs’ shirts, check out the links below.

Greyson Starling Polo

The Starling Polo features a sophisticated pattern that looks good both on and off the golf course. Lightweight and with plenty of stretch, this moisture-wicking polo will keep you cool and comfortable even on the longest days. Finished with a four-button placket and a solid contrast collar.

Buy Now

TravisMathew Bamboo Fences Golf Shirt

With an all-over, tropical-inspired palm leaf print, the BAMBOO FENCES polo will become an easy favorite whether you’re working, working on your game, or working the crowd.

Buy Now

The post The shirts Harry Higgs and Joel Dahmen *didn’t* wear at the WM Phoenix Open appeared first on Golf.

The post Shirtless PGA Tour pros?! Harry Higgs, Joel Dahmen go wild at 16 appeared first on Golf.

The post Shirtless PGA Tour pros?! Harry Higgs, Joel Dahmen go wild at 16 appeared first on Golf.

The latest, nakedest moment in the debaucherous desert get-together at TPC Scottsdale started with a tweet.

On Saturday night, Joel Dahmen posted his tee time notification for Sunday’s final round: 10:43 a.m. off No. 10 alongside his pal Harry Higgs.

Dahmen and Higgs weren’t exactly in contention; the two entered Sunday tied for 64th at the WM Phoenix Open. But Dahmen was invigorated by the chance to play alongside Higgs.

“Dreams do come true!” he wrote. “If we get enough retweets [Harry Higgs] will take his shirt off on 16 tomorrow!”

Dahmen’s caddie Geno Bonnalie shared his player’s enthusiasm.

Dahmen logged a significant number of retweets (some 7,000+) but Higgs played it cool.

“You funny,” he wrote by way of reply.

It wasn’t an outright denial, at least. Dahmen’s dream was alive.

Higgs is a cult hero on Tour known for his love of life, Tito’s and unbuttoned shirts. But popping his top on the wildest stage on the PGA Tour? That would be a new frontier even for the Big Rigg.

The two stepped to the 16th tee to raucous applause, but unlike Carlos Ortiz (or Sam Ryder, a day before) neither threatened an ace. Dahmen left himself a 17-footer for birdie, while Higgs sent his tee shot long and left and chipped to 11 feet.

When he rolled that putt in, the party was on.

It’s tough to describe exactly what happened next other than to say that pure instinct seemed to take over. Higgs lifted his shirt, flashing the crowd, knocking off his hat and sending the assembled onlookers into a frenzy.

The beer cans followed immediately; Higgs was dodging various half-filled recyclables before he even got his ball out of the hole.

Then Dahmen, never one to miss out on the action, joined his buddy, ripping off his shirt entirely (he’d just finished up a par putt of his own) and waving his light-blue Travis Mathew like a Terrible Towel. That invigorated Higgs, who charged across the green and leapt in some sort of Michael Jordan-inspired fist-pump leap as spike marks and beer marks built up on the green’s edge. It was outrageous. It was majestic. It was a lot of fun. It was unlike any scene I’ve seen in professional golf.

The magic didn’t last for long; Higgs hit his next shot in the water and Dahmen four-putted (yes, four-putted) the 17th green. It didn’t matter; neither was likely to crack the top 50. But fans got to see more — a whole lot more — of two of their favorites. Neither the tournament nor the game of golf seemed to split apart from the sight of skin nor jubilation.

As for the fans at 16? They still had a couple hours to go before the leaders rolled through. But now there was plenty to talk about as they headed to the beer line, looking for refills.

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The post Harry Higgs speaks honestly on why he plays ‘game improvement’ irons appeared first on Golf.

The post Harry Higgs speaks honestly on why he plays ‘game improvement’ irons appeared first on Golf.

“I’m pretty sure that the endgame of all this is to shoot the lowest score possible, right?”  

Harry Higgs is a refreshingly honest PGA Tour player who recently finished T4 in his first major championship ever at the 2021 PGA Championship. The TaylorMade staffer also plays with a set of the company’s P-770 irons, which have hollow-bodied constructions that reduce mishits and assist with ball speed. Higgs, like most would, calls them “game improvement” irons.

Gear

While many pros these days are transitioning into split iron sets that combine small-bodied short irons with game-improvement long irons, Higgs uses TaylorMade P-770 irons throughout his entire setup. The P-770s aren’t the largest irons in TaylorMade’s lineup, but they’re decidedly more forgiving than the P-7TW, P-7MB and P-7MC irons that are popular among Tour players.

For top-tier ball strikers who don’t often miss the center of the face, the smaller blade-like irons are great for shaping shots and gaining the ultimate control. As Higgs readily admits, however, he doesn’t always hit the center of the face, and he wanted irons that would instill a bit more confidence at address.

Game-improvement style irons are often confidence inspiring due to their thicker toplines and larger profiles. They also help boost ball speed, launch the ball higher, and maintain speed on mishits. To put it simply, they’re just easier to hit.

The danger with tech-packed irons for faster speed players, however, is they’ll tend to not spin enough. If there isn’t enough spin on an approach shot, and the trajectory is too flat, the ball can go barreling over the green into trouble.

Knowing this, Higgs wanted to put the irons to the test with his launch monitor specialist Corey Lundberg before he put them into play.

Irons

Higgs is more of a feel player than someone who gets lost in launch monitor numbers, but he recalls seeing 2-3 mph more ball speed after hitting “four or five” P-770 6-irons. Added speed is always nice, but spin was the concern for Higgs. 

“Hey, Corey, do these spin enough?” Higgs asked his instructor.

“Yeah, almost even a little bit more,” Lundberg responded.

“OK, cool.”

To truly put the irons to the test, though, Higgs took his P-770s to the golf course where he could hit shots into the wind and out of the rough.

Higgs said on our Fully Equipped podcast that most of the time on PGA Tour courses, hitting the ball over the green leads to a bogey. Therefore, he wanted to make sure that the P-770 irons didn’t penetrate the wind too much, and that he wasn’t getting any huge jumpers out of the rough.

According to Higgs, his launch stayed high with all of his irons in various conditions, allowing him to hold the greens even on shots hit with long irons. He played his first event with the irons at the 2021 Honda Classic, and he’s had them in the bag since.

When asked if more amateurs should consider using game-improvement style irons over blades, Higgs’ answer was eye opening.

“I really don’t pay attention to what’s in other people’s bags to be quite honest with you, but there are [scratch players] that are so obsessed with having blade irons,” Higgs told Fully Equipped. “And they might be a great swinger of the club and skilled enough to use them, but if I’m over here using – I jokingly call them game improvement irons – why wouldn’t you? Usually that scratch player is like, ‘Oh I’ve hit blades forever.’ And it’s like a macho thing, right? ‘I’m the guy that hits blades at our club.’ It’s like, well, you might literally shoot lower scores if you don’t swing those irons. I’m pretty sure that the endgame of all this is to shoot the lowest score possible, right? So it may be, look, it might not work for everybody, but I think most people could…actually, if a PGA Tour pro is worried about his mishits and where they go, and how far they go, then everybody should be. So yes, it’s worth taking a look at maybe hitting something that’s a little bit easier to hit, and has a bit bigger sweetspot, and maybe is more forgiving. Because I can guarantee you we all hit bad shots, plenty throughout a day. Even days where we shoot six, seven, eight under, we’ve hit some bad shots.”

The takeaway here is that, even if you’re a better player, we all struggle to find the face of the club from time-to-time. If modern technology can help you reduce those mishits and play better golf, then they’re at least worth a testing session.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2021? 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 with Harry Higgs below!

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