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The post What pros demand from their putters, according to an expert putter fitter appeared first on Golf.

Ed. note: This is Part 4 of a special six-part fitting series from the minds of the world’s most skilled club-fitters.

Previous installments: How to find the perfect golf ball | How the pros get dialed for their drivers | Inside Xander Schauffele’s fairway wood fitting

***

In part four of our Tour fitting series, I tapped Cody Hale of Odyssey to take us through his putter-fitting strategy and what matters most to the best players in the world when it comes to what, in my opinion, is the piece of equipment to which players forge the strongest emotional attachment (the ball is a close second).

Putters are a hard club to fit, because sometimes the numbers don’t matter. Expert fitters will tell you players most desire from a putter (1) consistent aim, (2) efficient contact, and (3) whether they can trust what they feel and see.

The best putter fitters I see on Tour (like Cody) are typically the best listeners; they’re almost like therapists. Trying to achieve good statistical results and convince players that there is only one answer isn’t the answer. Cody is excellent at doing these two things: (1) Getting players back to a baseline that works, and (2) ensuring players are comfortable at all costs.

The stroke work is for the coaches; Cody’s job is matching the putter to enhance that work. It’s not as easy as it sounds, because you have a few masters to serve. Your player’s eyes, the conditions of the putting surfaces and the player’s feel and ultimately overall performance.

The best players in the world all have sensitive feels, and it’s Cody’s duty to ensure that a player’s feel and putter work in harmony. In simple terms, the putter should adjust to the player, and not the other way around.

So when looking for a putter, it’s important that you prioritize a few keys. For me, it’s:

1. Can I aim it?
2. Do I hit it out of the middle?
3. Does the ball roll over my line most of the time?
4. Am I comfortable with the putter?

Odyssey wins more putter counts on Tour than any other brand, and Cody is a huge part of that. I hope you enjoy his insights.

Odyssey Tour putter fitting strategy

by Cody Hale, Odyssey PGA Tour rep

Putter fittings at any level are highly individualized and unlock a wide range of possibilities. On Tour, our goal is to optimize a player’s putter setup to complement their stoke dynamics and hopefully help produce a more repeatable and transferable result in tournament conditions. 

At Tour events, our fitting process begins by establishing a baseline measurement using Quintic Ball Roll. Inside our Tour Truck, we are fortunate to have a putting green equipped with Quintic that allow us to analyze key parameters for how the putter and golf ball are performing. We can identify areas for improvement whether it’s refining aim and start line accuracy, launch conditions or selecting a different putter model and balance profile better suited for that player’s stoke mechanics. Face angle at impact is one of the most reviewed parameters as it’s a critical determinant for start line. We look at several factors when improving start line and it could be as simple as a slight aim adjustment (not all good putters aim it perfectly) or testing different hosel configurations and center of mass locations that may influence a players feel and stroke patterns.

Take, for instance, Chris Kirk, who tends to have a slight left aim that produces a push bias but still manages to square the face at impact quite well. During our testing with Chris, we have identified that he aims best with rounded mallet designs that have minimal to no alignment aid or that feature perpendicular alignment (i.e., Versa). These features tend to help reduce his left aim bias into a more manageable range.

Recently, Chris recently has worked with his coach on some setup adjustments, and alongside that we transitioned him into a Jailbird S2S with no sightline. The putter change improved his aim accuracy and reduced the delta between his aim and start line to less than 0.5 degrees. Not all Tour players aim a putter perfectly, so it’s important to determine the optimal ranges for each player and match a putter design that supports those tendencies.

Each player has a unique set of variables in his or her setup and stroke, and that’s the beauty and challenge of blending a shape, hosel configuration and balance profile to best suit a player’s stroke mechanics. A Tour player’s “feel” is paramount, and their feedback plays a major role in shaping our recommendations. When we can tighten the gap between what the player perceives and the results, their focus can shift from mechanics to refining consistent feels, rhythm and speed control. 

A notable example includes a current top five player in SG: Putting who made a putter change toward the end of last season. We measured his stroke several times last season and, despite good aim within 0.5° from 8-10 feet, his stroke path was extremely out-to-in, requiring signification compensation to match up the face. The putter design he was using featured a deeper center of mass with a slant neck design that decently suited those tendencies at the time. 

About midway through the season, alongside his coach, we decided to test another option that could create a more neutral environment for the path and face to work together. The recommendation was to stand in a mallet shape for alignment purposes but move the center of mass more forward with a shaft axis more through the center, which created less toe hang. The switch to a #7 Double Bend (Face Balanced) immediately yielded a path consistently under 2° left and more naturally increased his face awareness. Following several weeks of testing, the putter went into play, and he has emerged as statistically one of the best putters over the past 7 months, including a PGA Tour win last fall.  

Every player is unique, but our goal remains the same: fine tune their equipment in a way that builds trust, consistency and performance when it matters most.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2025? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post What pros demand from their putters, according to an expert putter fitter appeared first on Golf.

The post The important lesson you should learn from Camilo Villegas’ unusual bag setup appeared first on Golf.

The post The important lesson you should learn from Camilo Villegas’ unusual bag setup appeared first on Golf.

Let’s face it: Tour players have bag setups we can learn a great deal from in terms of strategy, set up and optimization.

But you have to have a trained eye. After all, they’re Tour players, which means their weaknesses are … less obvious than yours or mine. You often can’t look at a bag at first glance and identify exactly what that player struggles with or is trying to mitigate. Deeper dives are usually needed to get the full picture.

But there is a bag that tells a pretty obvious story from the moment you see it. It’s not often that you see the set-up of a Tour winner know immediately it’s built around one main thing: getting the ball in the air and keeping it there.

Sound familiar? You and Camilo Villegas have more in common than you think.

Villegas has always been a player who does whatever it takes to perform, whether it’s in the gym, on the mental side, or, in this case, with his equipment. But the 5-time PGA Tour winner does live on an island when it comes to his bag set-up. Bags like his you would see more on the Champions Tour or your local country club than on the PGA Tour.

Here’s his bag set-up:

Titleist GT3 Custom Driver

GT3 – Speed-Tuned Distance & Control GT3 offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization. With a speed-tuned design that allows you to precisely match performance to your most frequent contact location, you can make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping. For players with a relatively consistent impact location, GT3 offers a precisely adjustable CG Track to max out distance and directional control. Seamless Thermoform Crown A reimagined ultra-lightweight design, born from a new Proprietary Matrix Polymer. The tunable acoustic properties of this unique composite allow Titleist engineers to realize new material gains while maintaining our signature sound and feel. All wrapped in a clean look that inspires total confidence. Split Mass Construction A breakthrough in internal weighting unlocks longer drives and enhanced directional control in GT3. The Adjustable CG Track now sits closer to the face for more dynamic CG control, while additional discretionary mass is pushed to the back of the club to maintain optimal stability through impact. Advanced Aerodynamics GT3 features a new raised tail contour that represents a dramatic shift in driver aerodynamics. Previously impossible to execute due to design constraints, this advanced shaping results in a driver that swings faster while still providing optimal CG control.

$649.00 $449.99 from Fairway Jockey

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TaylorMade Qi35 Custom Fairway Wood

$349.99 $299.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Titleist GT2 Custom Hybrid

$329.00 from Fairway Jockey

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Srixon ZXi5 Custom Irons

$199.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Titleist Vokey SM10 Raw Custom Wedge

For every shot, every lie, every course, there’s a grind fit for your swing. Finding the right grind to match your swing and playing conditions will give you the best turf interaction, contact and shot performance. Master Craftsman Bob Vokey has spent decades crafting, developing and improving his tour proven grinds to fit players of all levels.Anyone can manufacture a wedge, but it takes a master to turn a piece of high-performance technology into an instrument of creative control. Bob’s six tour-proven grinds are designed to offer maximum creativity, versatility and consistency, all meticulously developed through years of working with the best players in the world. PROGRESSIVE CENTER OF GRAVITY SM9 features a progressive center of gravity (CG) throughout the lofts, which optimizes ball flight, accuracy and forgiveness. Using tapered top lines and varied hosel lengths, the Vokey R&D team has raised the height of the CG in the higher lofts, which promotes a lower, more controlled flight.The CG is also forward of the face, resulting in increased MOI, exceptional feel and a club face that simply wants to square up at impact. SPIN MILLED GROOVES SM9’s patented Spin Milled grooves are meticulously engineered through a new cutting process to maximize spin and durability. The process starts by cutting the face perfectly flat with a high-speed saw. Then every groove is individually cut based on loft and finish; low lofts (46°-54°) are designed with narrower, deeper grooves, while higher lofts (56°-62°) have wider, shallower grooves.Micro-grooves are individually cut in between grooves, which maximize spin on partial shots. A proprietary heat treatment is applied to the impact area which doubles the durability of the groove without impacting feel, making it the most durable groove in golf. The process is only complete when every Vokey wedge is 100% inspected for utmost quality and performance.

$225.00 from Fairway Jockey

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What’s going on

Villegas really leans the shaft at impact and has always launched the ball low. Couple that with the fact that he doesn’t have crazy speed (170.6 mph average), and suddenly you see why Villegas needs to focus his attention on getting the ball in the air.

One of Camilo’s fitters told me the challenge of Villegas’ bag is keeping his driver launch at least 9 degrees. For context, typical launch on Tour is 11-13 degrees. Rory McIlroy lives around 12-14 degrees. Villegas also needs spin, which explains his ProV1X ball choice and very lofted wood and iron set-up.

Villegas’ shaft selection is where things get really interesting. His HZURDUS Black and PX are both lower launch/lower spin profiles, but Villegas opts for a softer flex (6.0 flex instead of 6.5 in his woods, and 6.5 at 115G in the irons) to keep spin and launch from overcooking the other way. This is the hinge point of his gear setup: While he needs as much launch and spin as possible, he also needs a lever somewhere to bring it all together. In this case, his shaft profiles play a critical role.

Loft Everywhere

Loft is where Villegas’ gear setup gets interesting. Let’s break down his set by loft:

Driver: 11 degrees set at 10.25 with weight back
3-wood: 16.5 degrees with weight back
7-wood: 21 degrees with weight back
5-hybrid: 23.25 degrees
4-iron: 25 degrees
5-iron: 28 degrees
6-iron: 32 degrees
7-iron: 36 degrees
8-iron: 40 degrees
9-iron: 44 degrees
PW: 48 degrees

For the Gen X players among us, those lofts look like something we would have played when balata balls were a thing. As the ball changed to lower spin and higher launch, lofts went down to something about 2-3 degrees stronger than that.

What you can learn

There are ways to optimize your setup if you learn your swing’s non-negotiables. In Villegas’ case, he makes sure his set has a ton of loft and plenty of spin to navigate his swing’s more de-lofted tendencies. It’s called hedging your bets. You never want to play with clubs that live on the razor’s edge of perfect and disaster. Villegas opts for a surplus of loft and spin to give himself a margin for error.

Is your bag set up to weather any storm? If the answer is yes, great! If the answer is no and you’re a player who hits it low, check out Villegas’ setup for some cues on how to fix it.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2025? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post The important lesson you should learn from Camilo Villegas’ unusual bag setup appeared first on Golf.

The post How to find the perfect golf ball for your game, according to a Tour fitter appeared first on Golf.

The post How to find the perfect golf ball for your game, according to a Tour fitter appeared first on Golf.

The absolute best thing about my time on Tour is being a fly on the wall whilst the best fitters in the world dial in the best players in the world.

The job itself is a far cry from what you might see at your local fitting spot. What I mean by that is that all of these players hit the middle of the face almost every shot and their shot patterns stay pretty consistent.

In my experience, the overall the needs of the Tour player and the strategy to optimize them can really help you as well. How? Well, put simply, the tactics of all these fitters are around consistency, efficiency and risk mitigation — never hitting it further. In all my time on the trucks I have never heard a player ask to gain distance. On Tour its all start line, launch and spin.

The other great thing about my time on Tour is the friendships I’ve made with OEM reps like Kellen Watson (Callaway), Adrian Rietveld (Taylormade), Kenton Oates (Ping), Aaron Dill (Vokey), Cody Hale (Odyssey) and Ben Schomin (Cobra). All are masters at their craft and all have very distinct relationship styles with their players.

The best Tour fitters are good at the art of saying “no.” Yes, there are players that will sort out bad play via changing clubs well to week. It rarely works, and only the unicorns K.J Choi can do it at will and still win. Good reps know when to say no to a player and let the technique evolve with the proper gear.

This six part series addresses each part of the bag as we’re going to ask the reps on Tour their best secrets to help you. Today, we are starting with TaylorMade’s Adrian Rietveld.

In part one, he walks us through the importance of the golf ball and how he gets that part of the bag dialed for the likes of Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, Colin Morikawa and a bunch others. He’s a master of his craft and I’m sure you’ll learn a lot. Enjoy.

The Ball

Adrian Rietveld, Sr. Manager TaylorMade Tour

TaylorMade TP5 Golf Balls

The all-new 2024 TaylorMade TP5 Golf Balls are the softest 5-layer Tour ball, delivering a notably softer feel and enhanced spin around the green with lower driver spin than previous generations. TOUR SPIN WITH NEW SPEED WRAPPED CORE The TP5, the softest 5-layer Tour ball, delivers a notably softer feel and enhanced spin around the green with lower driver spin than previous generations. It is engineered with a new Speed Wrapped Core that delivers a softer sound while promoting a faster, more responsive overall design. For golfers who prioritize touch and feel in their short game, the TP5 provides precision greenside performance. TP5 YELLOW WITH ENHANCED VISIBILITY & DURABILITY While many high-visibility golf balls rely solely on a painted finish, we doubled down for added durability. An enriched yellow urethane cover means that your golf ball stays brighter for longer with no chipped paint and better color retention.

$54.99 $44.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Philosophy: Enhancing strengths, addressing weaknesses 

My philosophy in fitting a golf ball for a Tour player centers on selecting a ball that enhances a player’s strengths while addressing their weaknesses, all while minimizing performance tradeoffs. For instance, if a player struggles with generating sufficient spin, I prioritize a golf ball with flight characteristics that promote higher spin rates, targeting middle-ground numbers that optimize control without sacrificing distance. In essence, the goal is to fit a ball that compensates for a player’s limitations, enabling them to perform at their peak. A golf bag can be divided into distinct areas — driver, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges and putter — and my aim is to find the best ball to maximize overall performance across these segments with as little compromise as possible.

Process: A systematic approach from extremes to the core  

My fitting process begins at the ends of the bag — the top end (driver and fairway woods) and the bottom end (wedges for short-game shots like pitching and chipping) — before addressing the middle (mid-irons, long irons, hybrids and 5- and 7-woods). I conclude with putting, which is heavily influenced by feel. This sequence is deliberate. At the top and bottom of the bag, the variables for optimizing launch characteristics are limited due to club design and shot demands. For example, with drivers, the focus is on ball speed, launch angle and spin rates for distance, while wedges require spin and control for precision. By dialing in these areas first, I establish a foundation for the golf ball’s performance.

Once the top and bottom are optimized, I move to the middle of the bag. Here, club geometry and loft offer more flexibility to fine-tune performance through equipment adjustments, making it easier to complement the chosen golf ball. This contrasts with the top and bottom, where the ball itself is the primary driver of performance optimization. By working from the extremes inward, I ensure the ball supports the player’s game holistically.

Consistency: The ultimate validator 

Consistency is king in golf-ball fitting. A high-quality golf ball delivers reliable launch characteristics — ball speed, spin and trajectory — shot after shot. The proof of a successful fitting lies in the consistency of these numbers, which builds the player’s trust in their equipment. When a player knows exactly how the ball will perform, they can swing with confidence, knowing the outcome is predictable.

The overlooked factor: Cover and aerodynamics  

One often-overlooked aspect of golf ball performance is the cover and dimple pattern, which significantly influence aerodynamics. Players with different swing speeds and launch profiles have unique needs. For instance, some players, particularly those with lower swing speeds, benefit from a ball that helps get the ball airborne or sustain lift. Conversely, high-speed players often need a ball that reduces drag to prevent excessive height and maintain consistent flight. Selecting a ball with the right dimple pattern and cover design is critical to optimizing flight consistency and tailoring performance to the player’s specific needs.

Conclusion  

Fitting a golf ball to a Tour player is both an art and a science, blending data-driven analysis with an understanding of the player’s unique game. By focusing on their weaknesses, systematically addressing each area of the bag, prioritizing consistency, and fine-tuning aerodynamic details, I aim to provide a ball that unlocks the player’s full potential. The result is a setup that inspires confidence and delivers performance under the pressures of professional.

What to learn

Go into the fitting process with an open mind. We all have our eyes on a certain golf ball for whatever reason. Yes, some are long, some spin a bunch, some go low, high etc. The trick is finding the balance of it all for your game. It all comes down to being honest on what you have vs. what you lack. The golf ball can solve a ton of problems if fit properly. When a new player signs with a company, the biggest hurdle to jump is always the ball because it’s so personal to that player. It’s a trust thing you don’t find as much with other parts of the bag.

Whether it’s a TP5, Pro V1, Chrome Tour, or a Kirkland, put your energy into getting this part right. If you have to lose a yard or two to become efficient, so be it. In many cases you will get longer and more efficient if you know what to look for.

Happy hunting.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2025? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post How to find the perfect golf ball for your game, according to a Tour fitter appeared first on Golf.

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One of my great missions in life — beyond being a good dad and a golfer I can be proud of again — is finding a bag setup that maximizes what I do. Yes, that’s always the goal with any fitting, but what is the metric to really identify if that new driver actually levels you up?

There is a really fun stat on PGATour.com that represents exactly that. It’s called Total Driving Efficiency. TDE is the combination of two key metrics:

Carry Efficiency: “The ratio of a player’s average carry distance and his average swing speed when measured by the radar device (Average Carry Distance / Average Swing Speed). This creates a ratio of yards per miles per hour.” — via the PGA Tour

Distance Efficiency: “The ratio of a player’s average total distance and his average swing speed when measured by the radar device (Average Total Distance / Average Swing Speed). This creates a ratio of yards per miles per hour.” — via the PGA Tour

Add these rankings up and you get a number that is Total Driving Efficiency.

Why does Total Driving Efficiency matter?

Most popular Tour stats live around carry distance, ball speed and accuracy. But what stat out there speaks to the perfect fit of a golf club? That’s TDE.

Simply put, it speaks to how well the driver (for this discussion) in hand harmonizes with a particular player. Have you ever had a “unicorn” golf club? That one club you hit outta the middle, went a mile, went straight, all the time? Well that’s what this stat references — and it’s not talked about enough.

Think of it in terms of optimization. Let’s use Tour leader Greyson Sigg as our example. Sigg is 175th in swing speed at 109.56 mph but he also averages 296 yards off the tee. Granted that’s carry plus rollout, but that is a big number for that swing speed. According to TrackMan optimization, which is a chart that shows the perfect numbers at specific swing speeds and launch conditions, Sigg is at the tip of the spear. That means that beyond swinging it faster, his driver numbers can’t get any better. That’s called maxed out, people, and it’s a beautiful thing.

European Ryder Cupper Sepp Straka is another one that checks off this box. He swings it at just shy of 112 mph and averages 295 yards off the tee, ranking him third on Tour.

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke TD Max Driver

$399.99 from Fairway Jockey

AlSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Callaway

This performance is a Tour fitter’s badge of honor because what they have accomplished is two-fold:

1. They put the perfect head in harmony with the perfect shaft into the player’s hands.

2. They legitimately took a player that may live speed-wise in one category but allowed them to compete in another because the club worked so well.

When a fitter and a product can provide that much value to a player, it’s crucial. Yes, technique is a huge part of this, but it’s not often that things come together at this level. It’s a very hard thing to pull off at a Tour level. So when it does happen, there’s a ton to learn.

So for all of you out there that want to know who is the most dialed? Follow the Top 50 on Total Driving Efficiency.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2025? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post This is a sleeper stat on Tour we need to pay attention to appeared first on Golf.

The post A PGA Tour pro, and a gear-nerd friendship that started in my DMs appeared first on Golf.

The post A PGA Tour pro, and a gear-nerd friendship that started in my DMs appeared first on Golf.

It started almost four years ago — on April 12th, 2021, at 11:13 p.m. ET, to be exact. I was a month into my new gig as Tour Content Manager for Callaway and had posted my first ‘what’s in the bag’ with the new gear on my Instagram account.

This post to be exact:

At that point, from my days working at WRX, it wasn’t uncommon for a Tour player to reach out for an unbiased opinion, but in this case, it was from a young Callaway staffer on the Korn Ferry Tour fighting for his professional career. Max Greyserman at that time was a relative unknown amongst the general golfing public, but for those of us who follow Tour golf closely, there was a promise of greatness that was VERY close to becoming fulfilled.

His message was this — actually, there was no question, just a statement.

“Currently in a Titleist T grind, Trying to get the boys to make me a similar grind, they took a Jaw T grind and shaved some off.”

In that same conversation, I discussed an Artisan wedge I had just got (that I couldn’t use because I was a Callaway guy now), shared the pictures and right on queue he said, “Speaking of Artisan, I got a wedge fitting with them on Monday afternoon…got some freedom in my bag for wedges but I’m a Callaway loyalist.” “BTW I’m a gear junkie too, love your stuff, keep it up.”

That’s where it started.

And from that day forward, Max became a DM buddy who came in handy when I was waiting for my kids to fall asleep. We’ve talked about wedge grinds, 5-wood strategy, iron bounce, mini-drivers, ball testing and any other gear dork category you can think of.

Not all Tour players are “gear dorks,” of course. In my travels, most of them know what their equipment does but don’t have that deep curiosity of what else is out there. Chris Kirk is one who comes to mind, he has a Ph.D in what works for Chris Kirk. How sensitive is he? Well, he can hit a 5-iron that’s maybe .25 too flat (negligible) and tell it’s flat because the ball starts 2 feet to the right of his desired window and doesn’t start drawing back to the center line in time to satisfy. Give Chris a Trackman and he is looking at seven or eight tiles down the data screen to get his info. That’s where all the nerdy numbers are — dynamic loft, face to path, spin loft, etc.

Rahmbo is another one who knows his equipment VERY well, but he’s more of a ball-in-the-air kind of guy. Without any measurement tools, he knows that if he makes a certain swing, the ball has to fly out of a very specific window and finish in another. That’s his checkpoint. I’ve seen him test new drivers multiple times, and in most cases, he can pick out a gamer in like six swings.

Back to the dorks.

The real ones I can count on one hand — Greyserman, Charles Howell III, Akshay Bhatia, Tommy Fleetwood and, of course, Bryson.

I have my own unique back and forth with many of them (some way more than others). For me, coming from where I did before I got into this business, it’s quite surreal. Howell and Fleetwood were gods to me — for years. CH3 especially — I’ve been following him since his AJGA days. To call him one of my dearest golf friends and to have him be the guy I nerd-out on equipment with is wild. We could start a gear podcast on the phone calls we have once or twice a week. Not a bad idea actually.

The Max Greyserman relationship is definitely unique, though. This young man is just starting his PGA Tour career and the conversations we have take on a different form, especially when I still had a Callaway hat on. I was not his Tour rep, but an idea guy on the inside to either confirm or deny what he was feeling. The Callaway Tour team had/has him dialed, and I learned a lot about Tour fitting based on the work they did with Max and the eventual conversations we would have after the fact.

There is something about what this game does to us all, though, especially those with passion for gear. A Max text would/still does come in, and all I can do is smile because I know a deep-dive, nerd download is about to go down.

What’s the favorite part of my job?

That.

I asked Max to comment on our relationship to gear, and this is what he had to say:

JW: I am comfortable labeling you a gear dork like me. When did your passion for equipment start? Was there a certain player or website you followed to get your info? 

MG: Honestly, I can’t pinpoint an exact time, but when I started to get free clubs in high school, the door opened wide. Look up something on GolfWRX and then ask for it!

It was an opportunity to try different things and I’ve always wanted to try to be a little bit better everywhere and then I’d realize I could potentially do that through equipment. And then you play on different surfaces in different conditions. Some grinds are good for this surface, certain shafts launch and spin different, which are better in wind or no wind, etc. Do you wanna get lower launch, higher launch? I just kind of went down this rabbit hole because golf is unlike any sport. Week to week could be wildly different conditions. Firm bent to sandy, grainy Bermuda requires different shot making. It’s very unique where you’re playing on such different surfaces every single day. I think in college I started getting on Twitter and then I found the gear sites and I think I was just curious — like what are the best players in the world playing? Should I be playing what they are playing? Maybe there’s something to certain heads or weighting or wedge grinds so I just started looking through. I’d look up WITB pics every week.  

JW: Although you’re not afraid to test anything once, you still remain quite diligent in the “gamers.” Was that different when you were younger? Were you someone who swapped clubs in and out all the time? If so, when, and why did that change? 

MG: I would always look for the next best thing with equipment so I was trying out everything, and then I’d hang around Tour pros when I graduated college and look what they were using. Used to tinker so much because I thought I could play anything. As I progressed, I started to find what works for me and my impact conditions. Different swings and deliveries require different equipment access the board. Went from a kid in a candy store trying everything to dialing in my gamers. I still test but always go back to my gamers because you need full faith and trust executing dangerous difficult shots on Tour. My coach hates when I tinker and he thinks I’m the biggest tinkerer on Tour. Definitely up there. LOL!  

JW: Even though you are climbing up the world rankings, do you still find enjoyment in testing new gear just for fun to see what’s going on, or do you only test when something in the bag is going south?

MG: I used to feel the need to change when things weren’t going well, but as I get older, that’s not the best route. Things can get out whack with the swing day to day with timing, but that doesn’t mean you need to change. If you notice a trend in the data, that’s when you need to make an adjustment — not a panic move. Gotten a lot better at that over the years. Using an older club and knowing your misses better is important, which is why guys keep the same club for a while. If it’s a new year and new clubs, guys will try to match the same characteristics in woods as much as possible. Callaway does a great job of helping me try to match the woods as closely as possible to previous years if I find comfort in older heads. If you find something that works well for an extended period of time, take note why! 

JW: All-time Callaway set-up?

MG: Putter: 38-inch length Mini Jailbird Triple Track White Hot Insert (unicorn alert!)

60: Bent to 61; PM grind 

56: Jaws Raw 10s

50 bent to 51: Jaws Raw 10s

PW-5-iron: Apex TCB 20201 Front Edge Relief 

Or 

Gear

PW-5-iron: 2019 Apex Pro Dot Front Edge Relief 

Or Apex MB Japan

4-iron: 2024 Apex Pro 

2-iron: 2014 Apex UT

Or

5-wood: 2022 Apex Uw (unicorn alert!)

3-wood: Mini Driver AI Smoke 13.5 * (unicorn alert!) 

Driver: Epic Speed Max LS 

Or

AI Smoke Triple Diamond Max 

Or 

GBB Epic 2016 (the start of Callaway driver dominance)

Nuggets:

— My variation of the putter is made famous by Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark.  

— Phil Mickelson’s wedge was cheating greenside — I just couldn’t adjust to a full swing with it.

— Apex Pro Dot 2019 is criminally underrated. 

— My 4-iron loft is almost identical to my 5-iron but launches even higher than my 5-iron. A common trend on Tour is getting a high-launch 4-iron. 

— The Apex UW is a unicorn — not sure why other companies don’t follow suit. Feels like a hybrid without the left bias. 

— Been asking Callaway for years for a mini-driver. Haven’t noticed a huge trend on Korn Ferry with mini-drivers and they have arrived. Callaway knocked this one out of the park. Convinced a few non-staffers to put this one in. 

— Epic Max LS, I think, was Callaway’s first counter effort to the Ping LST. A college roomate who plays professionally played this driver for eight straight years and hit it amazing.

— AI Smoke Triple Diamond Max doesn’t get enough credit. Piggybacks a little off the Max LS.

JW: Who are your favorite Tour bags to follow and how much of that information actually helps you at this point? 

MG: Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler, Denny McCarthy (probably the most companies of any player on Tour in his bag — six companies). 

Honestly great to be a gear head these days with equipment companies not sponsoring as many pros and pros going more corporate. You get to see what Mon staffers are trying and what they like. I still go on online to see what people have in their bags. Been doing it less as I age because I’m finding what works for me. Doesn’t mean I can’t look!

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The post Perfect your lag putting and eliminate 3-putts by…closing your eyes?! appeared first on Golf.

The post Perfect your lag putting and eliminate 3-putts by…closing your eyes?! appeared first on Golf.

When it comes to shaving strokes off your score, one of the best skills you can refine is lag putting. By developing your feel and distance control, you’ll leave your first putts inside a makeable distance, eliminate costly three-putts and even increase your chances of making those long birdie putts. 

There are many great ways to develop your feel on the greens, but Chris Como, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher, recently posted a drill from Xander Schauffele’s putting coach, Derek Uyeda, that I thought was worth sharing. 

Below is a condensed version of Uyeda’s “Eyes Closed Time Drill” from Como’s GolfPass series “Swing Expedition.” 

How Uyeda’s “Eyes Closed Time Drill” works

So let’s break it down. As Uyeda explains in the video, his drill is simple. Start by setting up to a 30-foot putt and hitting it with your eyes open to confirm that you’re making consistent center-face contact. According to Uyeda, this is a vital part of lag putting. 

“You’ve gotta hit the ball clean,” Uyeda says.

That’s because consistent center-face contact is necessary to produce the same amount of speed on every putt. 

Once you’ve established consistent contact, close your eyes and hit that same 30-footer. After you’ve hit the putt, try to predict when and where the ball will come to rest. You can check how close you are by having a playing partner watch your putts or by recording yourself with your phone.

Why does this drill work?

The eyes-closed technique works, Como explains, because it helps you understand how long your ball is going to be in motion depending on the length of your stroke. 

“This is important for feel because a big part of the speed of a putt is basically represented by how long it’s moving on the green,” Como says. 

Putting

The better you can get at knowing when your putts will stop, the better your chances are of leaving it within a few feet of the hole.

Como says this drill is also good for lag-putting because it calibrates your perception. 

“[This drill] is a great example of training feel, or our perception of things, versus real, the reality of what’s going on,” Como says.

Calibrating your perception before a round will help you trust your feel and stop guessing on long putts, resulting in a more confident stroke and a solid strike every time.

Next time you’re at the course, give this tour-trusted drill a try to become a better lag putter and make more two-putts — and maybe even one-putts.

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The post After year-low round, Viktor Hovland is finding himself again appeared first on Golf.

The post After year-low round, Viktor Hovland is finding himself again appeared first on Golf.

You don’t need to hear from Viktor Hovland to know it’s been a hard 2024.

A year ago, Hovland entered the PGA Tour postseason on the brink of a career-defining month. He’d battled into Sunday in contention at three of the four major championships, climbed into the top five of the Official World Golf Ranking, and now, with three playoff events on the horizon, Hovland was ready for the next step.

You know what happened next. Three playoff starts, two wins, and one FedEx Cup trophy. Hovland’s career ascension was complete with a dominant Ryder Cup performance the next month. Now, only one prize remained: major championship glory.

If this is the last you heard of Viktor Hovland, well, you’re not alone. Spare for an out-of-nowhere third-place finish at the PGA Championship in May, the 26-year-old pro fell off the map for much of the 2024 season. After a season with no missed cuts and top-10s in each of the four majors, Hovland missed three of four major cuts in ’24, and played the PGA Tour regular season following his Tour Championship win without a victory.

What went wrong? It’s golf, so the answers are both simple and endlessly complicated. But the easy answer, at least at this moment, is Hovland’s curious change in swing coaches after the best season of his life.

Now, with Hovland and longtime coach Joe Mayo back in action together, the game is coming back, too. On Friday at the FedEx St. Jude, Hovland shot his low round of the year, a seven-under 63 that vaulted him straight up the leaderboard and into a tie for seventh place. There’s still work to be done, Hovland says, but this vision of his golf game is finally starting to feel familiar again.

“I feel like things are headed in the right direction,” he said. “At least now I can hit some shots where, okay, that’s the old stuff, that’s looking like — that looks like and feels like what it used to. So that’s very positive. Then other shots I revert back to some old habits. It’s just kind of continuing to work on the things that I’m working on, and hopefully I’ll see more of the good swings again.”

Hovland, for the uninitiated, is no stranger to hard work. He’s spoken often about his love and appreciation for “the grind” of pro golf, and he’s an unabashed swing nerd. Some of this obsession may explain why he elected to change coaches even in the aftermath of a historic season, but it also explains how Hovland has been able to get the train back on the tracks.

The bad news is that he made a mistake in his approach, the good news is that he had the humility to admit it and move on. In a sport that is so often punishing, the latter choice speaks volumes.

“Maybe there is something to having your back up against the wall and having to perform,” Hovland said Friday. “I feel like it kind of gives you a little bit of that sense of urgency of having to perform. Maybe I just squeeze a little bit more out of what I’ve normally got.”

There are still two long days ahead in Memphis for Hovland, which means any number of opportunities for the sort of “old habit” mistake that has undone many a round in the months since Mayo and Hovland got back together in May. But that means there’s still two long days for Hovland to turn his season around in kind.

It might not be the major championship glory he was hoping for when the season started, and it might not be after the season he would have wanted, but Hovland doesn’t need to say it to know a win would be massive for him.

Sometimes, the results speak for themselves.

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The post GOLF’s Subpar: Garrett Bradbury reveals his favorite professional golfers appeared first on Golf.

The post GOLF’s Subpar: Garrett Bradbury reveals his favorite professional golfers appeared first on Golf.

Subpar’s Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury who reveals his favorite professional golfers to root for.

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This week’s episode of Subpar is brought to you by Destination Kohler. Make sure to check out one of their great golf packages. For example, The Champions Trail golf package includes two-night accommodations, three 18-hole rounds per person, a round on The Baths short course, golf cart and caddie fees (gratuities not included), a 30-minute golf lesson and more. Visit www.destinationkohler.com/golf for more details.

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Step up to the tee and take a swing at betting the PGA TOUR with the Official Sportsbook of Subpar, FanDuel.

Go FanDuel.com/SUBPAR to get a NO SWEAT FIRST BET up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in BONUS BETS!

FanDuel, ​​Official Betting Operator of the PGA TOUR.
Disclaimer: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. $10 Deposit req. Refund issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See full terms at fanduel.com/sportsbook. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MI, NJ, OH, PA, IL, TN, VA), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), 1-800-522-4700 (WY), or visit www.1800gambler.net (WV).

The post GOLF’s Subpar: Garrett Bradbury reveals his favorite professional golfers appeared first on Golf.

The post Subpar’s FanDuel Picks of the Week for the Arnold Palmer Invitational appeared first on Golf.

The post Subpar’s FanDuel Picks of the Week for the Arnold Palmer Invitational appeared first on Golf.

On this edition of the FanDuel Picks of the Week, Subpar’s Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz share their favorites, and some long-shots, for this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational.

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Step up to the tee and take a swing at betting the PGA TOUR with the Official Sportsbook of Subpar, FanDuel.

Go FanDuel.com/SUBPAR to get a NO SWEAT FIRST BET up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in BONUS BETS!

FanDuel, ​​Official Betting Operator of the PGA TOUR.
Disclaimer: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. $10 Deposit req. Refund issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See full terms at fanduel.com/sportsbook. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MI, NJ, OH, PA, IL, TN, VA), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), 1-800-522-4700 (WY), or visit www.1800gambler.net (WV).

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The post GOLF’s Subpar: D.J. Trahan shares his first impression of Tiger Woods appeared first on Golf.

The post GOLF’s Subpar: D.J. Trahan shares his first impression of Tiger Woods appeared first on Golf.

Subpar’s Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by 2-time PGA Tour winner D.J. Trahan talks his first impressions of Tiger Woods and their Sunday pairing at the Memorial Tournament.

—

Step up to the tee and take a swing at betting the PGA TOUR with the Official Sportsbook of Subpar, FanDuel.

Go FanDuel.com/SUBPAR to get a NO SWEAT FIRST BET up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in BONUS BETS!

FanDuel, ​​Official Betting Operator of the PGA TOUR.
Disclaimer: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. $10 Deposit req. Refund issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See full terms at fanduel.com/sportsbook. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MI, NJ, OH, PA, IL, TN, VA), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), 1-800-522-4700 (WY), or visit www.1800gambler.net (WV).

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