Tiger Woods WITB What's In The Bag: The Golf Equipment Woods Used to Win the 2019 Zozo Championship

History.  Tiger Woods incredible career reached a new milestone in Japan this week when he won the Zozo Championship and his 82nd career PGA Tour victory, tying him with Sam Snead for the all-time lead. 

 

The 43-year old Woods took less time than Snead to achieve this feat, who was 52 when he won for the final time.  Woods return to Japan also marked his return from another knee surgery, which the 15-time major champion called the most challenging surgical comeback of his career. 

Tiger Trusts Bridgestone Golf Engineering On Journey To Most Ever Career PGA Tour Wins

Tiger Woods authored another page in the annals of golf history this weekend, as he used his Bridgestone TOUR B XS ball to earn his 82nd PGA TOUR victory, tying him with Sam Snead for the most all-time, at the TOUR's first ever official event to be contested in Japan.  

 

Remarkably, Woods' win at the Zozo Championship means he's achieved his 82 wins in 66 fewer starts than it took Snead.  Woods' first win of the new season also gives Bridgestone its first of the 2019-20 wraparound schedule, as Bridgestone looks to continue the incredible success and momentum it achieved last season. 

Mitsubishi Golf Continues Winning Ways on PGA and European Tour

If you follow along with my weekly PGA Tour winner's WITB, you'll notice Mistubishi and Aldila shafts have been on a victory streak that pretty much is complete domination.  But there's even more to be impressed about this than meets the eye. 

 

First, of course is that Mitsubishi and Aldila are winning so frequently and consistently.  It's almost freakish.  Second, these players are not endorsed by Mitsubishi or Aldila, they're choosing to play these shafts without any monetary incentive.  And finally, and maybe most significant, Mitsubishi and Aldila shafts actually play a significant role in the outcome of events. 

SkyCaddie SX400 Handheld GPS Rangefinder Preview: Powerful Features in More Compact Size

SkyGolf has released the new SkyCaddie SX400, designed to give golfers the same great features found in their popular SX500 model in a more compact size.  With a full high-definition 4-inch touch screen driven by an ultra-fast multi-core processor, the SkyCaddie SX400 joins the SX500 to deliver the most powerful way to measure yardage while providing the very "best view" in golf. 

 

Last year, SkyGolf introduced the 20th anniversary limited edition SX500, with the fastest processor, best battery life and the largest and most vivid display in the industry.  And some players on the European Seniors Staysure Tour said they no longer needed their laser or even yardage books as the SX500 provides all the information they need in a faster and easier way so they can focus on playing their best golf. 

Callaway Golf Super Hybrid Preview: The Power of a Fairway Wood Now Lives in a Hybrid

Callaway Golf has set a performance milestone in the hybrid category of clubs by designing a new Super Hybrid that delivers the power of a fairway wood. 

 

To achieve this kind of power, Callaway designed the Super Hybrid with an all titanium body instead of steel used in many hybrids. 

Aerotech Golf Gener8 Graphite Iron Shafts Preview: A New Level of Consistency in Lightweight Shafts

Aerotech Golf is releasing new graphite irons shafts named Gener8, which are specifically designed for mid-to-high handicappers looking for longer, higher, and more consistent ball flights. 

 

Featuring a unique Seamless Filament Wound (SFW) Core Technology with a higher elastic composite micro-fiber outer veil, Gener8 graphite iron shafts deliver maximum distance and ultimate control. 

Adidas Golf Tour360 XT Primeknit Shoes Review: King of the Course in Lightweight Comfort and Performance

Knit golf shoes are growing in popularity, but questions naturally arise about their performance in wet weather and stability compared to traditional leather shoes. 

 

I've played multiple rounds now in the new Adidas Golf Tour 360 XT Primeknit shoes, probably walking a good 25,000 yards in them.  And these are indisputably the best in their class, even rivaling performance in a non-knit golf shoe. 

SIK Golf Captures 7th PGA Tour Victory in Last Two Years

SIK Golf captured its seventh victory on the PGA Tour this past weekend at the Houston Open when Lanto Griffin broke through for his first career Tour win. 

 

Using a SIK Flo putter, Griffin dropped a 33-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th hole to grab a one stroke lead, and then sank a clutch six-foot putt on the final hole for the win, making it seven victories on Tour for SIK in the last two years. 

Golf's Sweet Spot is Generation G: The Most Vital Age Group for the Golf Industry

Are you familiar with Generation G?  If you work in the golf business, you should be. 

 

Some in the golf industry look at the wave of retiring Baby Boomers as an economic windfall, while others expect a sharp falloff in business after they're gone.  Millennials have garnered plenty of attention too, and many of the industry's development programs are focused on juniors.  But the real sweet spot for golf businesses?  That's the Golf Generation, or Gen G. 

National Golf Foundation Reports More than 7.5 Million U.S. Golfers Bought at Least One New Club Last Year: How Old Are Your Golf Clubs?

Equipment manufacturers release their newest lines of clubs almost every year, from from drivers and putters to iron sets and wedges. 

 

And the National Golf Foundation reported that almost one-third of the approximately 24 million U.S. golfers bought at least one brand new club in the past year. 

The oldest average club(s) in a golfer's bag are their irons (5 years), followed by their putter (4.5 years), and then driver (4 years).  Did you buy a new club in the past year?  And what's the oldest club(s) in your bag?

National Golf Foundation Reports 4 Million U.S. Golfers Took Lessons Last Year: Representing Almost 17 Percent of the Overall Participation Base

The positives of an improving golfer are plentiful .  Most notably, they express increased comfort and confidence, while playing more frequently and spending more money on the game. 

 

And according to a report by the National Golf Foundation, the quest to get better led more than four million golfers to take lessons last year in the U.S., a figure that represents almost 17-percent of the overall participation base. 

Golf Datatech Reports August 2019 Rounds of Golf Played Up Compared to Last Year

The National Golf Foundation and Datatech Golf have reported that rounds of golf for August 2019 were up 3.5-percent compared to the same period last year, although the increase is attributable at least in part to more favorable weather conditions than a year ago. 

 

While the August increase brought the year-to-date rounds-played total up, it's now flat compared to the first three quarters of 2018, which overall was a down year.  The total rounds-played number dipped to 434 million last year after hovering around 460 million the previous five years, a decline caused in part by the third-wettest year for the continental U.S. dating back to 1895. 

COBRA Golf T-RAIL Iron Hybrid Preview: Baffler Rail Technology Used to Design COBRA's First All Hollow Iron-Hybrid Set

Cobra Golf is releasing their first all-hollow iron-hybrid set called T-RAIL (Transitional Rail) to take super game improvement clubs to the next level.  T-RAIL combines the forgiveness of a COBRA Baffler hybrid with the precision of an iron in a one-of-a-kind set of clubs that are designed for anyone looking for a better game. 

 

The COBRA T-RAIL irons fuse a hollow, hybrid shape with an iron face and topline, creating an iron-hybrid design that delivers the perfect blend of distance, forgiveness and accuracy.  A hollow body construction creates a lower, deeper CG than traditional cavity-back iron designs allow and makes getting the ball airborne and on the desired target line easier than ever before. 

Next Gen COBRA Golf KING Forged Tec Irons Preview: A Powerful Combination of Accuracy, Feel, Distance, and Forgiveness

COBRA Golf is releasing its next generation 2020 KING Forged TEC irons featuring a traditional muscle-back shape with a hollow design for softer feel and improved power. 

 

Available in a variable or ONE Length set make-up, the new gen KING Forged Tex irons fuse a classic look with modern, cutting-edge face, finish and feel technologies, to provide golfers with the ideal balance of precision and distance. 

Mitsubishi and Aldila Shafts Pick Up Two More Victories on the PGA and European Tours

Mitsubishi and Aldila golf shafts picked up two victories on the PGA Tour and European Tour this weekend when Lanto Griffin won the Houston Open, and Bernd Wiesberger won the Italian Open. 

Griffin's maiden victory on Tour moved him to number 1 in the FedExCup Playoffs and Wiesberger's win moved him to number 1 in the Race to Dubai. 

 

The driver was instrumental in both Griffin's and Wiesberger's victories.  Griffin used a Mitsubishi Kuro Kage TiNi 70 X shaft in his driver to average 324.5 yards off the tee on the Tournament Course at the Golf Club of Houston, and found 78.6-percent of the fairways. 

Lanto Griffin WITB What's In The Bag: The Golf Equipment Griffin Used to Win the 2019 Houston Open

Lanto Griffin has toiled on various mini-tours for most of his career, broke on to the PGA Tour in 2017 only to lose his card the following year, and overcome the life-shattering loss of his father to brain cancer. 

 

So when Griffin won his first professional Tour win Sunday at the Houston Open, emotions poured out.  Griffin's fought and clawed his entire life for this moment.  And persistence is in his DNA. 

Wynn Golf Club Returns with Championship Course Designed by Tom Fazio

The only resort golf course on the Las Vegas Strip returned to Wynn Las Vegas this weekend with the grand reopening of the Wynn Golf Club. 

 

The original 18-hole championship course established in 2005 has been reimagined by legendary golf course architect Tom Fazio to give players a new golf experience from the first drive to the last putt. 

Detroit Golf Club Named 2019 Michigan Golf Course of the Year

Founded in 1899, Detroit Golf Club has evolved for over a century into a graceful, challenging and picturesque property with history and pedigree at every turn. 

 

Accolades have been many and the latest is its selection as the 2019 Michigan Golf Course of the Year by the Michigan Golf Course Association (MGCA). 

Troon and True Spec Golf Enter Partnership

Troon, the leader in club management, development, and marketing, has entered into a strategic partnership with True Spec Golf, the worldwide leader in custom club fitting and building, with more than 20 studios located around the world. 

 

Through the partnership, Troon will collaborate with True Spec Golf to expand their Mobile Fit program and studios at Troon locations around the country.  True Spec Golf will offer Troon customers and members special rates and exclusive offers for club fitting and building services. 

Tour Edge Golf Launches New Bazooka 370 and Bazooka 470 Black Complete Sets

Tour Edge Golf has released their new Bazooka 370 and Bazooka 470 Black complete sets, designed as part of their "Get in the Game" products designed to be the highest quality complete sets in the game. 

 

Their purpose is to make it easier for new golfers and golfers coming back to the game to get new high-performance, game-improvement technology that will make the game easier to play.