The post This game-changing golf ball gave Tiger Woods an incredible edge appeared first on Golf.

The post This game-changing golf ball gave Tiger Woods an incredible edge appeared first on Golf.

Tiger Woods’ 2000 season will go down as one of the greatest in the history of the sport. Three consecutive major wins. Nine worldwide victories. An astounding 17 top 10 finishes in 20 starts. A scoring average that was nearly three shots better than the Tour average. And the list goes on and on.

Woods was in a class by himself that year.

What’s even more impressive is that Woods completely rewrote the record books with a three-piece, solid construction ball with a molded rubber core injected and urethane cover that was markedly different from what his peers were playing at the time. Up until that point in his career, a liquid-filled core and wound construction was the preference for a majority of pros, Woods included.

Tiger didn’t need an equipment edge to dominate the competition, but his decision to put Nike’s Tour Accuracy in play that spring at the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open in Hamburg proved to be a turning point for not only the 15-time major winner, but the equipment industry as a whole. By the time Woods closed out the Tiger Slam at the 2001 Masters, all but four players in the field used a solid-construction ball.

Steve Williams, Woods’ former caddie, had a front row seat for the equipment change. During the latest episode of the Chasing Majors podcast — a show he co-hosts with golf journalist Evin Priest — Williams detailed the evolution of Woods’ golf ball change and the impact it had on the sport.

“This golf ball didn’t come by accident,” Williams said on Chasing Majors. “When Tiger signed with Nike, [the ball] was one of the projects. It didn’t happen overnight. It was a couple years of engineering that went into developing the ball and getting it exactly right. And it wasn’t going to be put into play until such time that it was exactly how he wanted it.”

Balls

Up until that point in his career, Woods appeared to be in total control of his game as Williams assumed the caddie job in 1999, but even the Aussie noticed some massive improvements as his boss started to put the Nike ball through its paces during early testing.

“Tiger had a couple hundred balls in his practice bag — obviously all the balls he wasn’t using at the moment — and he’d go through the same array of shots, but there was an ease for him to do exactly what he wanted to do [with the Tour Accuracy],” Williams said on the podcast. “When he was trying to hit that stinger shot, he’d really have to concentrate on hitting it low and all the mechanics that went with it. But this ball, because it was designed so well, for specifically what he wanted to do, he’d hit the shots he needed with more ease and more confidence. Heading into the 2000 season, this ball was going to be a big factor, I felt.”

Pressed by Priest to offer a shots-per-round advantage the solid-construction ball gave Woods in competition, Williams didn’t hesitate.

“Every time you have a golf ball reacting to the way you want to hit it, I think that just frees you up and gives you confidence,” he said. “You’d have to say it was worth one or two shots per round, for sure.”

One or two shots per round. Considering Woods was already head and shoulders above his peers, an extra one or two shots would’ve made keeping up with the then-24-year-old almost impossible. His results on the course back up the fact that Woods was, indeed, practically unbeatable on the course with the new ball in play.

Williams was quick to note Woods’ near-immediate success with the Nike ball was the polar opposite of what happened to Greg Norman — Williams caddied for Norman from 1982 to 1989 — during the 1980s when he switched to a high-spin Spalding ball.

“When Tiger went to that Nike ball, it absolutely suited him,” Williams said. “But way back in the 1980s, Greg Norman played Spalding and went to the Tour Distance ball — he was obviously paid a lot of money to play Spalding and this new golf ball — and that ball was so detrimental to his career. It was the worst thing he ever did. That ball would’ve cost him two shots a round.

“If he would’ve ended up playing a different ball at Augusta, he would’ve won the tournament. I have absolutely no qualms in saying that. The Tour Distance spun more than any other ball — and Greg liked that. But it spun too much. Back in those days, he didn’t have the advantage of having all of this technology like TrackMan to be able to tell you how far the ball was going. You just thought this ball spins good. That’s the exact opposite of what Tiger did here.”

Following Woods’ dominant 2000 season, Titleist released the Pro V1 during the second week of October and watched as forty-seven Tour players immediately put it in play, making it the largest pluralistic shift of equipment at one event in golf history. Thanks to Tiger, we all get to reap the benefits of a ball construction that’s superior to its predecessor.

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.

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The post Wall-to-Wall Equipment: Scottie Scheffler bids goodbye to a club he’s used since high school appeared first on Golf.

The post Wall-to-Wall Equipment: Scottie Scheffler bids goodbye to a club he’s used since high school appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Wall-to-Wall Equipment, the Monday morning gear wrap-up in which GOLF equipment editor Jonathan Wall takes you through the latest trends, rumors and breaking news. 

Making the best of it

It’s every golfer’s worst nightmare: You’re preparing for a big tournament when the face on your favorite driver, fairway wood or hybrid suddenly caves in. A feeling of dread washes over you as you come to the realization that you’ll need to find a replacement. For the average golfer, it might be as simple as going to the local golf shop or digging through the garage for a successor.

Most tour pros have cracked the face on a club and lived to tell about it, too. There’s Jordan Spieth at the 2016 Masters, or Henrik Stenson at the 2013 Tour Championship — the list goes on and on.

But what happens when the face caves and you don’t have an identical backup? Scottie Scheffler was forced to figure out this exact conundrum when his Nike VR Pro Ltd 3-wood finally cracked on the range during a practice session that occurred just days before he was supposed to depart for the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

Unlike most of his colleagues, Scheffler didn’t have the luxury of going home and picking up a backup. With Nike no longer in the hard-goods business, Scheffler couldn’t call up a Swoosh rep and get a replacement. Not to mention the club was initially introduced a decade ago.

For Scheffler, an equipment free agent, the VR Pro Ltd is a club that dates all the way back to his time as a member of the Highland Park High School golf team. You read that right — high school.

“I put it away for a couple years in college, but I’ve used it the whole time I turned pro, most of my senior year, and pretty much all of high school,” Scheffler said. “I only wasn’t using it for two or three years in there.

“[I]t was really clean, not a lot of loft so I was able to flight it down pretty easily and it was softer than the new 3-woods and for me that’s important. And when I wanted to hit it far, I just teed it up a little higher, hit it higher on the face. I got to know the club really well and for me I knew exactly what I needed to do with it each time.”

Without an identical build at home, Scheffler reached out to his wife who promptly brought 10 potential 3-woods to Royal Oaks Country Club. After putting each fairway through the wringer, Scheffler settled on a 13-degree Callaway Mavrik.

If there was a silver lining to Scheffler’s predicament, it was the fact he’d been readying himself for this day for months.

During last year’s Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, Callaway Tour rep Kellen Watson built Scheffler a Mavrik for testing purposes with a lie angle that matched up to the flat setup (around 59.5 degrees) on his Nike fairway.

The club wound up being the eventual winner as Scheffler made the trip to Maui with the Callaway in tow. Sometimes it pays to prepare for a worst-case scenario.

Welcome to the show

Callaway’s yet-to-be-released Epic driver landed on the USGA conforming list at the beginning of the week and was immediately put in play by new signee Jon Rahm (10.5-degree Triple Diamond Prototype) and Xander Schauffele (9-degree Triple Diamond Prototype). Few driver details are available, but Callaway Tour rep Jacob Davidson confirmed a number of players were impressed by the tighter dispersion, during a recent interview on GOLF’s Fully Equipped podcast.

Let ‘er rip

Justin Thomas chose to break in a new driver at the Sentry Tournament of Champions after seeing an uptick in ball speed with Titleist’s TSi3. Working with Titleist Tour rep J.J. Van Weezenbeeck, Thomas found the combination of a 9-degree TSi3 head and Fujikura Ventus Red 6X helped push ball speeds from 176 mph to 179 mph, and drop spin from 23000 RPMs to 2100 RPMs.

“It’s just so fast,” Van Weezenbeeck said of Thomas’ TSi3. “His ball speeds were up at least a couple miles per hour versus his TS3, and with the new shaft we were able to dial in his launch and spin and get him that ball flight that he loves to see and gives him the most confidence.”

Thomas gave TSi3 a shot late last year but didn’t feel comfortable enough with the setup to proceed at the time. The speed was there, but so was a left bias that was eliminated after additional testing was conducted with Van Weezenbeeck.

“I loved it as soon as I hit it,” Thomas said. “I just, I couldn’t find something that reacted the same as mine. I think that it’s faster, it looks better, it feels better, everything about it is better. I just didn’t hit it better than my gamer. And that was the hardest part is I never really had long enough time off to kind of give it two, whatever, a week, two, three weeks of testing and hitting, going out and playing a bunch of rounds in different winds in different conditions, to try it.

“I used it for a couple days in Las Vegas and it was a little bit too left bias for what my driver, my gamer was, and I feel like I finally got it to where when I make the swing that I want, when I look up, it’s doing the ball flight that I feel like it should.”

Scotty goes to work

Adam Scott worked on two clubs during the brief offseason — the most notable change being the putter. Scott went away from the broomstick and tried out a Scotty Cameron Select Tour Fastback with an arm-lock grip to see if it could help improve his putting. The mallet head is the same one he used in 2019 when he nearly won Torrey Pines (runner-up) and finished T7 at Riviera.

Scott also replaced his 16.5 Titleist TS2 3-wood with a 15-degree TSi2 that allowed him to fill the wider carry gap that had been created by his newfound distance gains with the TSi4 driver. In addition to the 3-wood, Scott now carries a 21-degree TSi2 7-wood.

Quick to change

Callaway’s Epic wasn’t the only new driver to make an appearance at Kapalua. Dustin Johnson (10.5 degrees) and Collin Morikawa (9 degrees) made the immediate jump to TaylorMade’s SIM2 and SIM2 Max. Morikawa chose to overhaul a few other pieces of gear in the bag, including the 3-wood (SIM2), putter (Spider FCG) and golf ball (new TP5). Sergio Garcia followed Morikawa’s lead and added the new TP5X as well.

Bulking up

Tony Finau was busy adding weight during the winter break. More specifically, swing weight to his entire set of Ping Blueprint irons. Struggling to corral a left miss, Finau found that roughly 2.5 swing weight points was enough to straighten out the issue. Finau’s set went from D3 to D5.5, a noticeable uptick when you consider how spec-specific some players can be.

Quick-hitters: Marc Leishman was seen using a Tour-only Odyssey White Hot OG 1WS putter with a candy apple red Stroke Lab shaft. Leishman reported back to Odyssey Tour rep Joe Toulon that he loved the feel of the insert. … Xander Schauffele switched to a Graphite Design AD DI 7TX shaft in his Callaway 3-wood. … Patrick Reed is no longer on staff with Nike for apparel, so he wore a Titleist hat for one week. … Jon Rahm was unveiled as a Callaway staffer. … Joaquin Niemann added a Ping G425 LST driver (10.5 degrees; Graphite Design Tour AD DI 6 shaft) to the bag and nearly won his first week out. … Lanto Griffin had a 9-degree Titleist TSi2 driver built with a 46-inch Project X HZRDUS Black 65 6.5 shaft. … Hideki Matsuyama transitioned from Graphite Design’s Tour AD DI 8 TX shaft into a Tour AD MD 8X XX in his Srixon ZX5 driver (9.5 degrees). … Cameron Champ showed up with a Ping G425 LST driver featuring Project X’s HZRDUS Smoke Green 6.5 70TX shaft. … Scottie Scheffler and Tony Finau put the new Titleist Pro V1 ball in play.

Want to overhaul your own bag for 2021? Visit the expert fitters at our sister company, True Spec Golf. For more on the latest gear news, check out our latest Fully Equipped podcast below.

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The post How to take advantage of this Black Friday-Cyber Monday deal in GOLF’s Pro Shop appeared first on Golf.

The post How to take advantage of this Black Friday-Cyber Monday deal in GOLF’s Pro Shop appeared first on Golf.

How best to spend — or splurge! — your golf dollars? Whether you have $50 or $500, check out GOLF.com’s new How to Spend… series, in which our own staffers take a designated amount of play money and go shopping in GOLF’s new Pro Shop. The goal here is to not only tell you about the products we love, but also to help golfers find items they might like — no matter their budget. You can visit GOLF’s Pro Shop here.

The holiday season is upon us, and with that comes holiday shopping. We’re getting festive this year with all sorts of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals in GOLF’s Pro Shop. On top of that, if you spend $100 on select apparel, we’ll give you $20 when you check out! This will be active from 11/25-11/30. In honor of that, I’m going to share how I plan on taking advantage of the promotions currently underway.

The key is to spend over $100, duh. But you also want to make sure you get the most bang for your buck. I’m not looking to splurge on one item to get me over the threshold. I’m ready to bargain shop and fill my cart. With deals running on Nike, Bonobos, Linksoul, Dunning and more brands in GOLF’s Pro Shop, there’s no shortage of ways to snag a free $20.

Linksoul “The Hawk” Shirt

I’m a jeans and t-shirt guy at heart. Once I’m off the course I can’t get a comfortable shirt on fast enough. If I can rep the game I love on my shirt it’s a win-win. Linksoul’s The Hawk t-shirt is arguably the coolest piece of apparel in the Pro Shop. I already planned to pick this up at some point. At 30% off, it’s now a must-buy for me.

Nike Dry Victory SP20

My style is simplistic when I’m on the course. I don’t like to wear anything too fancy. Nike’s Dry Victory SP20 is right up my alley. Solid color options with the performance material that I love. 25% off? Yes, please!

TravisMathew “The Patch” Hat

I have a hat obsession. My collection has already reached the point of no return. Frankly, I don’t even know where to put them at this point. With that said, I can’t help myself but to pick up this TravisMathew “Patch” cap. I own plenty of TM hats already, and I’m eager for more. It’s the perfect hat for all occasions.

Callaway Tour Authentic 19 Glove

Now that I’m getting close to $100, it’s time to find the perfect items to get me over the finish line. I recently cleared out my bag now that golf season is winding down in the northeast. I threw out a handful of gloves and hey, why not start stocking up now for next season? Callaway’s Tour Authentic 19 is exactly what I’m looking for at a marked-down price of $21.99.

My cart now sits at $117.69. With the $20 off promo applied, I’m down to $97.69. That’s how it’s done! Oh, did I forget to mention the free year-long subscription to GOLF Magazine? Yeah, that comes for free with any order over $30 when you checkout. That means I just walked away with a new go-to shirt, a reliable polo, versatile cap, a fresh glove and a year’s worth of the best golf magazine around, if I do say so myself.

Prettttty, pretttty good!

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The post Here are the 5 best Nike Black Friday golf deals appeared first on Golf.

The post Here are the 5 best Nike Black Friday golf deals appeared first on Golf.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year … and no, we’re not talking about The Match III (not yet, at least). It’s Black Friday, which means it’s high time for the shopping deals we’ve waited all year to take advantage of.

For those of us north of the Mason-Dixon coming to terms with the end of another playing season, the week is even more welcome. Black Friday means the opportunity to turn the offseason into a sneak peek of next year, and to begin thinking of the fits that we’ll rock to the links next spring.

But irrespective of where you are, everyone can agree that Black Friday is an opportunity to shop the brands you like for prices you love. Speaking of brands you like at prices you love, Nike is launching its Black Friday sale early, offering 25 percent off select golf apparel. For golf fans, you can find our favorite Nike items for sale below.

**Spend $100 on select apparel in GOLF’s Pro Shop and get $20 off your order from 11/25-11/30**

5 best Nike Black Friday deals

The best Tiger-like shirt

Classic pants, modern tech

A price friendly performance polo

A versatile spikeless shoe

Spectacular shorts

The post Here are the 5 best Nike Black Friday golf deals appeared first on Golf.

The post How our editor winter-proofed her wardrobe with $200 appeared first on Golf.

The post How our editor winter-proofed her wardrobe with $200 appeared first on Golf.

How best to spend — or splurge! — your golf dollars? Whether you have $50 or $500, check out GOLF.com’s new How to Spend… series, in which our own staffers take a designated amount of play money and go shopping in GOLF’s new Pro Shop. The goal here is to not only tell you about the products we love, but also to help golfers find items they might like — no matter their budget. You can visit GOLF’s Pro Shop here.

The dog days of summer are gone, and what’s left is windy, wet, and chilly weather on the East Coast. Golf is my summer hobby, emphasis on the summer. But with a goal to really work on my game this winter and earn a spot in one of the coveted GOLF.com tee times, my skorts, shorts, tank tops and polos just won’t cut it.  

With my wardrobe severely lacking in this department, I need to pick up some fall and winter golf essentials so I won’t freeze on those cold mornings and windy days. With $200 burning a hole in my pocket, here’s what I’m buying to stay warm this season.

Nike Flex UV Victory pants (Black)

A pair of black pants serves as the perfect base for building a cute but functional fall outfit. These pants will go with everything I already own and will add a touch of warmth with their extra coverage.

Puma 1/2 Zip Wind Jacket (Navy)

Navy is making a huge comeback this season, so this jacket is fashion forward and functional. It’s also roomy enough to layer a sweater, or (gasp!) a hoodie, underneath for extra warmth. The pockets are a great detail to keep my hands warm. For an added bonus, it’s on sale! 

Adidas Statement Beanie (Black)

I have a small hat obsession, but in the winter I need something that provides a little more warmth. That’s where this neutral, but cute, beanie comes in. It’s neutral enough to wear with any outfit, on or off the course. And since I believe in the dollar-cost-average outlook on fashion purchases and I know this beanie will get a lot of wear, I’m adding it to my cart without regret. 

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The post 6 must-have pieces of fall wear spotted at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot appeared first on Golf.

The post 6 must-have pieces of fall wear spotted at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot appeared first on Golf.

There’s a chill in the air at the U.S. Open, and it’s not because of the diabolical rough at Winged Foot.

The highly-publicized postponement of this year’s U.S. Open from its typical spot on Father’s Day weekend to the third week in September presented a whole host of changes for the world of golf. Perhaps the least publicized of those changes is the climate in Mamaroneck, N.Y., which should prove to be significantly cooler for U.S. Open week than its originally slated calendar date.

While temperatures in the 50s and 60s are hardly game-changers, they do present a unique adjustment in the styles we see on the course. Suddenly, we’ve entered the fine line between sweater-weather, vest season, and traditional PGA Tour wear.

When it comes to playing in the fall (irrespective of whether you’re making a national championship appearance or simply teeing it up with your buddies), it’s critically important to have the right gear. Comfort and feel are everything when you’re trying to score low, and you shouldn’t have to sacrifice either to keep yourself warm when the temperature drops.

Here are six of the best pieces of fall gear we spotted during the opening two days at Winged Foot, from Bryson’s Q-zip to Xander’s pullover, Cam Champ’s sweater, and plenty more.

Still hungry for more U.S. Open swag? Check out our collaboration with Asher — three unique gloves and an annual subscription to the reimagined GOLF Magazine — below.

Asher x GOLF limited-edition box

Buy Now from www.ashergolf.com

View Product

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The post Attention U.S. Open fans: You’ll love Nike’s new Winged Foot-themed hat appeared first on Golf.

The post Attention U.S. Open fans: You’ll love Nike’s new Winged Foot-themed hat appeared first on Golf.

The 2020 U.S Open is just around the corner, and there has never been a better time to get decked out in some eye-popping gear. Enter the Nike AeroBill Classic99 U.S. Open-themed hat — new to GOLF.com’s Pro Shop — that’s perfect for on or off the course.

Not only is this hat sleek and stylish — it features the iconic Winged Foot logo (and lots of them) to commemorate the famed course hosting the 120th national championship later this month. It sports a curved bill to help block the sun and has stretch fabric for a snug and durable fit. The hat also includes absorbent terry sweatband with Nike AeroBill technology that combines breathable and moisture-wicking fabric to reduce any sweat build up.

The 2020 U.S. Open is Sept. 17-20 at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, N.Y. Make sure to get your hat in time for the opening round.

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The post Nike’s newest polo was inspired by a Brooks Koepka Twitter troll appeared first on Golf.

The post Nike’s newest polo was inspired by a Brooks Koepka Twitter troll appeared first on Golf.

Some people think Twitter trolls are harmless, and not worth listening to. Others, like Nike, turn Twitter trolls into t-shirts.

Remember last year, when Brooks Koepka famously dunked on one Twitter user who had questioned his form? Koepka tweeted a simple reply — “Brinks truck?” — referring to the incredible season he had and all the money that he won along the way. 

Well, Nike has taken that social media moment and made it into a polo. As they have done over the last 16 months, Nike has made special polos for its biggest golf athletes. The Brooks Polo, titled “Brooks Truck,” comes in a simple navy look with a big truck symbol on the chest. 

We’ll let BK finish telling the the story about it.

“You can’t out troll a troll,” Koepka said. And to be fair, Koepka loves trolling. Just last week he made fun of Bryson DeChambeau’s viral ruling by joking about ants near his golf ball. Ever since Koepka became a 4-major man, he’s made his mark off the course by telling it exactly how it is. Nike is now making the most of it.

The polo is available right now for Nike members only and is priced at $72. It joins a slew of other Nike golfer polos like Tiger Woods’ Frank polo, Rory McIlroy’s washing machine polo and Tony Finau’s ankle polo. Last April, Tiger Woods’ Frank polo sold out within hours.

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The post Backspin: Looking back at a classic Tiger Woods Nike commercial (with a special cameo!) appeared first on Golf.

The post Backspin: Looking back at a classic Tiger Woods Nike commercial (with a special cameo!) appeared first on Golf.

After Tiger Woods won the 2008 U.S. Open – essentially on one leg – he took a long break from professional golf to recover physically. This 2009 Nike Golf commercial depicts what the PGA Tour looked like in his absence, and then what it looked like during his return.

Tiger has been a part of some legendary commercials, but this one is special due to a few surprise cameos. I won’t ruin who the big name is before you watch the video, though, in case it’s your first time watching.

Being that this commercial is such a classic, we figured it was perfect for our new Backspin series, where equipment editors Jonathan Wall and Andrew Tursky (that’s me) watch old golf videos for the first time in years and provide our thoughts. If you missed them, we’ve already checked out the old Alien Wedge and Hammer X infomercials.

Enjoy our Backspin version of the classic Nike Golf commercial above, and stay tuned for more nostalgic videos next week!

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The post Backspin: Looking back at “The Good Life” before Tiger Woods’ 2009 return appeared first on Golf.

The post Backspin: Looking back at “The Good Life” before Tiger Woods’ 2009 return appeared first on Golf.

On each edition of Backspin, Jonathan Wall and Andrew Tursky take a look back at one of golf’s most memorable videos. This week they break down a Nike commercial that highlighted what life was like without Tiger Woods before his 2009 return to the PGA Tour.

The post Backspin: Looking back at “The Good Life” before Tiger Woods’ 2009 return appeared first on Golf.