Five Players Poised to Break Out on the PGA Tour in 2019

Over the course of a professional golfer’s career, few achievements are so unique and rewarding as the moment it all comes together.  It’s the breakout, and it’s a sacred moment.  Not just improvement, but absolute revelation.  Sometimes it’s a breakout tournament.  Other times it’s a breakout round, or even a breakout shot.  It’s living proof of what a player might become, and the hint that someday they could be a superstar. 

 

It’s Jordan Spieth holing out from a greenside bunker at the 2013 John Deere Classic to force a playoff.  It’s Rory McIlroy dominating in 2009 at Dubai to win his first professional victory.  These breakouts happen every year, and sometimes when we least expect them.  Here are five players to watch this season who could take a giant leap towards super-stardom in 2019. 

TaylorMade M5 and M6 Drivers, Fairway Woods, and Hybrids Preview - Speed Injection: A New Twist on Twist Face

It's not exactly like Popeye eating a bunch of spinach, but TaylorMade's new M5 and M6 drivers, fairway woods, and rescue clubs are speed injected with new technologies that promise to deliver maximum allowable speeds at impact. 

 

Last year TaylorMade engineers developed Twist Face technology to counteract the high-toe miss (a hook) and low-heel miss (a slice), and help straighten ball flight for both.  This year they've taken Twist Face to the next level with the introduction of Injected Twist Face technology, exposing the false narrative that speed limits have been reached in a metalwood. 

A Perfect Match: Wilson Golf Signs Gary Woodland to 10 Club Endorsement Deal

Whether you like it or not, whether you want to admit it or not, Tour validation is brand validation.  And so when Wilson Golf officially announced it signed Gary Woodland to a 10 club endorsement deal today, that immediately shot Wilson's reputation skyrocketing into another stratosphere of greatness. 

 

Now this is not to say Wilson didn't make great clubs before.  You already know my opinion about their equipment.  From their irons (FG Tour V2, FG Tour 100, and C300 irons) to their wedges (FG Tour and PMP) and drivers (FG Tour F5 and C300), I think Wilson has made some of the best equipment in the industry for every skill level for many years. 

Bump N' Grind - Bob Vokey Launches New HandGround Program for Vokey Wedges

Master Craftsman Bob Vokey is now offering the tour grinding experience to all golfers through the introduction of the new HandGround program on Vokey.com.  For golfers seeking tour-level customizations such as additional heel relief, a squared up leading edge, or Bob's popular tour grind, the HandGround program is the answer. 

 

For the last year Bob has personally trained two grinders on all of the performance and profile adjustments that have resulted from his more than two decades of work with the world's best players.  Bob's passion for building relationships with individual players is the essence of the Vokey brand. 

Kevin Na Joins Callaway Golf - Puts Epic Flash in Play at Sentry Tournament of Champions

Kevin Na is a good guy with a great personality.  And now he's also officially a Callaway Golf staff player. 

 

On New Years eve Na announced on Instagram that he signed an endorsement deal with Callaway.  And with new sticks in hand, Na looks ready to contend at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and maybe happier than he's ever been before in his career. 

PXG GEN2 Drivers, Fairway Woods, and Hybrids Preview: Second Generation Superstars?

Gentlemen, start your engines!  PXG is releasing GEN2 drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids that feature Hot Rod technology inspired by American muscle cars, and promise to unlock more yards and find more fairways.  And PXG's billionaire owner Bob Parsons hopes a new pricing structure will further increase their customer base in an equipment market that grows more competitive every year. 

 

PXG's new GEN2 drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids all feature updated carbon fiber crowns and new adjustable weight systems with movable tungsten and titanium weights.  The new technologies are significant improvements over their GEN1 counterparts,  but it's the price reduction that's most likely to bring in new golfers. 

Justin Rose Signs with Honma Golf - Endorsement Deal is for 10 Clubs

While most of the world was celebrating the arrival of 2019, Honma Golf was celebrating the arrival of their newest and biggest staff member - World No. 2 Justin Rose. 

 

After weeks of speculation that the reigning FedExCup champion would join Honma, the endorsement deal became official as the calendar flipped to 2019.  Rose's deal with Honma will include playing 10 clubs, including driver, using a Honma bag, and having Honma on both sides of his cap. 

Inspirational Golf Quotes to Help You Ring in the New Year

The New Year is a time for reflection, it’s a time for love, and it’s a time for hope.  And I wanted to share some of my favorite inspirational golf quotes from the game’s greatest figures to help you say goodbye to the old year and ring in the new. 

 

Some quotes will make you smile, others will make you think. Some muse on the beauty of our game, while others are among the wisest you might ever hear in your life.  I appreciate all of you, and wish you the best possible 2019.  Happy New Year! 

Miura Golf Now Offers Fully Assembled Custom Clubs Direct to Consumers

For the first time in its illustrious history, legendary club maker Miura Golf will sell fully assembled golf clubs directly from their website at miuragolf.com. 

 

Through an intuitive custom design interface, you can build an entire set of eight to ten handcrafted irons, wedges and putters that can be custom designed for dexterity, flexibility, and feel. 

Crazy Golf Rules You Won’t Believe Existed

When Bryson DeChambeau announced earlier this year he would take advantage of one of the new rules of golf and leave the flagstick in while putting, some traditionalists called the new rule sacrilegious.  Still others praised it for its practical, common sense approach. 

 

Whichever side you take, the modernized rules of golf have come a long way from the antiquated and rigid rules applications in the past.  And as you’re about to see, some of these rules were just absolute and unbridled madness (and by the way the rules below are spelled, capitalized, and written in their original form). 

TPT Golf Shaft Review - A Star is Born

TPT Golf had their "hello world" moment at the PGA Merchandise Show in 2017, when they first introduced their high performance shafts to market.  Since then, TPT shafts have won multiple times on every major professional Tour.  Justin Rose, Jason Day, and Bryson DeChambeau picked up big wins using TPT shafts.  And Masters champion Patrick Reed hit every fairway the first time he put his TPT shaft into play. 

 

In a very short period of time, TPT experienced significant worldwide success, and momentum was growing stronger.  So I scheduled a TPT fitting earlier this year at Club Champion to see for myself if these shafts can also deliver for amateur golfers like you and me.  And I discovered the answer is a resounding YES. 

Bridgestone Golf Returns to PGA Merchandise Show in 2019 after Winningest Year in Team History

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder.  And after time away from the PGA Merchandise Show, Bridgestone Golf is returning to Orlando in January on the heels of their winningest year in team history.  I'm saving all the details about their newest products for The Show, but can tell you now that Bridgestone will have you extremely intrigued and excited for 2019. 

 

Bridgestone's Tour team had more victories in 2018 than in any previous calendar year in company history.  They also had more wins per Tour team member than any other golf ball company.  This isn't hype, just fact.  And of the eight PGA Tour wins picked up by Bridgestone's four staff players, the most exciting may have been Tiger Woods return to the winner's circle at the season-ending TOUR Championship. 

Titleist Hybrid 5 Bag Review - PGAPappas 12 Days of Christmas Golf Giveaway

If you've never been excited about your golf bag, now is probably a great time to start.  Titleist's new Hybrid 5 bag is new for 2019, and as the name suggests, can be used as a stand bag, a carry bag, or a cart bag.  And no matter how you choose to use it, it's going to give you reliable and spectacular performance. 

 

All the official details about the new Hybrid 5 will probably be announced around the time of the PGA Merchandise Show in January.  But since I'm giving this bag away for the final day of my PGAPappas 12 Days of Christmas Golf Giveaway, I'm sharing some insights about the Hybrid 5 that I believe will make it not only one of Titleist's most popular bags of the season, but also maybe of all-time. 

Titleist TS2 Fairway Wood Review - PGAPappas 12 Days of Christmas Golf Giveaway

This one's easy for me to say.  The Titleist TS2 fairway wood is the longest, most accurate, and most forgiving wood I have ever played from Titleist.  Ever since putting it in my bag, the TS2 has been a distance machine that devours fairways with hulking power and speed. 

 

I haven't carried more than a couple Titleist clubs in my bag since the 913 D series (when I played the driver, fairway wood, and hybrids).  Titleist released some great equipment since, but I wasn't completely blown away by the new stuff or felt an upgrade would significantly improve my game.  The TS series changed all that, and the TS2 wood is phenomenal on multiple levels. 

Callaway Mack Daddy 4 Wedge Review - PGAPappas 12 Days of Christmas Golf Giveaway

Let's get something out of the way right off the bat.  You're never going to hit a full blooded flop shot like Phil Mickelson.  Mickelson wields the lob wedge like it's a magic wand, and those impossible floppers he hits are pretty much genius level stuff. 

 

The good news is you can use the same lob wedge Lefty uses, and the Callaway Mack Daddy 4 wedge will make just about anyone's short game formidable.  And if you have the imagination, it might even turn you into a mini maestro around the greens. 

Aldila Rogue Silver 130 MSI Shaft Review - PGAPappas 12 Days of Christmas Golf Giveaway

Looking for a shaft that tames your swing, wins your heart, and puts confidence back into game from the tee box?  The new Aldila Rogue Silver 130 MSI shaft will do that and more.  Club twirls are in its DNA. 

 

The Rogue line has been extremely popular on Tour for years now, and it's won multiple major championships and countless other tournaments.  So when Aldila announced earlier this year it was upgrading the Rogue, it got people's attention.  And I can tell you right away, the Rogue Silver 130 is a golf engineering gift to mankind. 

CRU Golf Classic GRAND Collection Headcover Review (in Hand Waxed Black Italian Leather) - PGAPappas 12 Days of Christmas Golf Giveaway

CRU Golf is a pioneering custom headcover manufacturer with a reputation for uncompromising perfection and quality.  From brilliant and traditional designs, to unpretentious, minimalist styles, CRU's handcrafted, unique leather headcovers are always attractive and highly prized.  And their Classic GRAND Collection is one of my favorites. 

 

The Classic GRAND Collection headcovers are the first styles CRU ever designed, and you can immediately see from the quality of these masterpieces that everything for CRU starts and ends with attention to detail.  You're not going to find more luxurious leather unless you travel to the world's most famous leather markets like Florence or Barcelona. 

Mitsubishi Diamana DF Shaft Review - PGAPappas 12 Days of Christmas Golf Giveaway

If you followed the PGA and European Tours this year you'll know that Mitsubishi golf shafts had a dominating season.  Mitsubishi won total driver counts, total shaft counts, first place finishes, and second place finishes week-in and week-out. 

 

It wasn't uncommon to see entire leaderboards filled with Mitsubishi shafts, and at some events almost half the field was playing one.  That's not just dominating, that's ridiculously dominating.  One of these Mitsubishi juggernauts was always a Diamana shaft, and the DF-Series might be the most deadly. 

Cleveland Golf RTX-4 Gap Wedge Review - PGAPappas 12 Days of Christmas Golf Giveaway

It's golfing gospel: The key to lower scores is a good short game.  Some 60 to 65 percent of all shots come from 120-yards and in, making your gap wedge the single most important club in your bag.  Cleveland Golf's RTX-4 is the culmination of 30 years of iconic wedge design, and as you might expect with that kind of pedigree, the RTX-4 are masterful in trajectory control, versatility, and feel. 

 

I already wrote a full review on the Cleveland RTX-4 wedges here, and you can read about all the specific reasons why I believe these wedges will make you downright dangerous when you're taking aim at pins.  I won't go into all the details here again, but will just say that the RTX-4 will conjure up some magical shots that leave your playing partners in awe. 

Callaway Golf Rogue Fairway Wood Review - PGAPappas 12 Days of Christmas Golf Giveaway

Here's the situation.  You're in the fairway on a dogleg par-5, and can hit your second shot with a wedge or mid-iron 125 to 150 yards to the right fairway.  You'll leave yourself with an easy, short approach to the green.  And probably give yourself a good look at birdie. 

 

Or?  You can pull your Callaway Rogue fairway wood from the bag and fire straight at the pin with nothing but water between you and the green for 200 yards.  Oh yeah, and the pin is tucked up front.  Guess what choice I made?  Grinning.  Nodding.  Yep, every time.