U.S. Golf Market Enjoys Best Ever Monthly Equipment Sales in July 2020

Golf Datatech, LLC, the golf industry’s leading independent market research firm for retail sales, consumer and trade trends, has announced that U.S. golf equipment sales reached the all-time greatest single month retail sales total since the Company started tracking data in 1997. 

July’s total on and off course equipment sales of $388.6 million bested the next two all-time highest sales months ever (June 2007 of $368.1 million and June 2006 of $364.0 million). Four equipment categories, balls, irons, wedges and gloves also set all-time monthly sales records. 

PUMA Golf Introduces New Collection that Pays Homage to the Three Iconic Host Cities of the FedEx Cup Playoffs

PUMA Golf has unveiled a Limited-Edition collection of products paying homage to each of the three host cities of this season’s FedExCup Playoff events.  

The new collection is comprised of 6 caps, 3 pairs of shoes and 1 crewneck that borrow from various characteristics associated with these three great American cities: Boston, Chicago and Atlanta. 

Honma TR20B Irons Offer Next Level Feel, Precision, and Feedback

Honma, one of golf’s most prestigious and enduring equipment brands, proudly announces one of its most anticipated iron sets, the TR20B, is now available to the consumer market. Once only accessible to professionals, TR20B is designed for accomplished golfers who prefer the sleek look and precision responsiveness of a blade iron and appreciate expert craftsmanship.

As other driver and iron models in Honma’s TR20 (“Tour Release 2020”) line, like the TR20V and TR20P iron sets, which satisfy the players, and players distance market, continue to turn heads in the North American market, the TR20B brings better players an exciting option that delivers consistent performance and unsurpassed feel and feedback on every shot. 

Tyler Strafaci Adds to Family Legacy in U.S. Amateur Championship Victory Over Charles Osborne at Bandon Dunes

Eighty-five years after Frank Strafaci Sr. won the 1935 U.S. Amateur Public Links, his grandson, Tyler Strafaci, 22, of Davie, Fla., captured the U.S. Amateur Championship in dramatic fashion at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. The fifth-year Georgia Tech senior rallied from an early 5-down deficit to defeat Southern Methodist University rising junior Charles “Ollie” Osborne, 20, of Reno, Nev., 1 up, in the 36-hole championship match.

It was Strafaci’s fourth consecutive match to be decided on the final hole. This time, he laced a 4-iron from 245 yards to 25 feet to set up a two-putt birdie, the 25th of the match between the two finalists. When Osborne, who pushed his 5-iron second from 212 yards to the right of the green, failed to convert his birdie from 18 feet, the match was over.

120th U.S. Amateur Championship - Meet the Quarterfinalists

The bid to win the most prestigious amateur title in golf is now down to eight players. 

Meet the 2020 U.S. Amateur Quarterfinalists.

Three USGA Champions Among Quarterfinalists in 120th U.S. Amateur Championship

Only one player in the game’s history has managed to win both a U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Amateur title, and it’s a household name: Tiger Woods. Two recent U.S. Junior Amateur champions put themselves in position to become the second player to accomplish the feat by winning a pair of matches on Thursday at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.

Michael Thorbjornsen, 18, of Wellesley, Mass., the 2018 Junior Am champion, and 2015 winner Philip Barbaree, 22, of Shreveport, La., are among the eight quarterfinalists in the 120th U.S. Amateur.

Titleist Introduces T-Series T100•S and T200 Player’s Distance Irons in Limited Black Finish

 The striking long-range performance of the Titleist T-Series T100•S and T200 player’s irons – powered by breakthrough technology for explosive distance in a player-preferred shape – can now be experienced in a stealthy all-black setup.

Available Aug. 28 for a limited time, the new T-Series T100•S and T200 Black irons are finished with a sleek High Polish Black PVD coating continually requested by tour players and members of #TeamTitleist. Each model is complemented by a glare-reducing matte black shaft – DG Onyx AMT Black (T100•S) or Project X LZ Onyx (T200) – and an all-black Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grip.

Vokey Design Introduces Limited Jet Black SM8 Wedges

The unrivaled craftsmanship, performance and technology of Titleist Vokey Design SM8 wedges – the overwhelmingly most played wedges on the PGA Tour – will now be available in a tour-inspired all-black configuration.

This limited release features SM8’s Jet Black raw finish enhanced with black paint fill in the logos and graphics, complemented by a Dynamic Gold S200 Black Onyx shaft and exclusive Golf Pride New Decade Multi Compound Black/Gray grip with BV Wings.

SkyGolf Launches New Skycaddie LX5 GPS Smart Watch with Ceramic Bezel

SkyGolf®, maker of SkyCaddie®, the most-trusted rangefinders in Golf, announces the new SkyCaddie LX5 with ceramic bezel Smart Watch and the industry’s largest and most-brilliant color touch screen at 1.39 inches. Now available for order, this handsome new model includes all the same next generation technology as the original LX5 Smart Watch.

“The timing of this launch is perfect as we have sold out of the original SkyCaddie LX5 Smart Watch and are now on back order,” said Jacqui Surman, SkyGolf Senior VP and COO. “We have been blown away with how busy golf has been and really excited to see the LX5 flying off the shelf, especially during these uncertain times. The new LX5  with ceramic bezel offers a very stylish and classy look, making it a very handsome watch to wear on and off the course. Both models of the  LX5 include most of the dynamic features that golfers rave about in our award-winning SX500 and SX400 handhelds, giving you the most accurate information conveniently located on your wrist.”

SIK Golf Conratulates Bryson DeChambeau on his Top-5 Finish at the 102nd PGA Championship

SIK Golf, (S)TUDY (I)N (K)INEMATICS, would like to congratulate PGA Tour Staff Professional, Bryson DeChambeau, on his Top 5 Finish at the 102nd PGA Championship held at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, CA this past weekend.

DeChambeau recorded rounds of 68, 70, 66 and 66 to finish at 10 under par and capture a T-4th Place Finish.

Firestone Country Club Unveils Non Member Stay and Play Packages

Firestone Country Club, renowned as one of North America’s most historic venues for championship golf, is now allowing an exclusive opportunity for non-members to reserve a limited number of stay-and-play packages and experience its celebrated on- and off-course offerings.

Since the 1950s, the club and its famed South Course has annually hosted the biggest names in professional golf. In addition to being site of three PGA Championships, Firestone was the long-time venue for the PGA TOUR’s World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and its predecessor, the World Series of Golf. It currently hosts the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship, being held this week and televised on Golf Channel.

Led by the PGA Champion, Golf Pride® Grips Are Trusted By 86% of the Field

 Golf Pride® a division of power management company Eaton and an industry leader in grip innovation, today announced that it was the leading swing and putter grip brand in play at the 2020 PGA Championship, with 86% of the field trusting Golf Pride grips.

Nine players who finished in the Top 10 and ties, including the champion, chose Golf Pride at the demanding TPC Harding Park. The winner trusted Golf Pride’s Z Grip Cord en route to capturing his breakthrough career major.  In addition to touring professionals, 17 out of the 20 PGA Professionals who qualified to compete in the 2020 PGA Championship trusted their games to Golf Pride. 

Cleveland Golf Introduces Two Additional Putter Lines

 Cleveland Golf® is proud to announce the new Huntington Beach SOFT Premier putters, to go along with an array of new Huntington Beach SOFT models. Discover a new, premium putting experience and the confidence to sink more putts with the new Huntington Beach SOFT Premier, officially launching on Friday, Aug. 21, 2020. 

 

“The Huntington Beach SOFT Premier builds upon the success of our current putter lineup,” said Brian Schielke, Marketing Director at Cleveland Golf. “With new head shapes, sleek designs, and a fitting system for every stroke type, we have a putter that will help any golfer improve their performance on the greens.” 

Mizuno Golf Releases ES21 Wedges with Perfectly Centered Sweet Spot

Mizuno, founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1906, has long held an enviable industry and tour-wide reputation for crafting the very finest wedges in the game, offering golfers the ultimate blend of looks, feel, control and consistency around the green and on shorter approach shots. 

For 2020, Mizuno has unveiled the ES21 range of wedges, engineered to help players generate the consistent spin rates needed for a more effective short game. 

Mizuno Golf Unveils New JPX 921 Iron Series

Mizuno, founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1906, has long held an enviable industry and tour-wide reputation for crafting the very finest irons in the game, offering golfers the ultimate blend of looks, feel and workability. 

 

The JPX Series irons led a resurgence for Mizuno, starting with the JPX 900 Tour and more recently the JPX 919 Tour, residing in the bag of the back-to-back 2017/2018 US Open and 2018/2019 PGA champion. Now Mizuno has unveiled the next evolution of JPX – the JPX 921 Series, a highly engineered family of irons that has been developed alongside Mizuno's comprehensive custom-fitting program to deliver exceptional performance and help all golfers get the very most from their games. 

Titleist Introduces the New Tour Speed Golf Ball

Following years of rigorous product development, the introduction of the new Titleist Tour Speed – a high performance, multilayer golf ball with a proprietary thermoplastic urethane cover – provides golfers with the fastest, best performing golf ball in its category. Proven through extensive testing with amateur players, the breakthrough performance of Tour Speed is further enhanced by the superior quality and consistency of Titleist’s precision manufacturing process. 

 

Available in U.S. golf shops beginning Aug. 7 at a retail price of $39.99. Tour Speed offers a distinct and compelling performance option in the Titleist golf ball family through its innovative three-piece design, delivering a unique combination of exceptional distance in the long game and precise short game scoring control. 

Duca del Cosma Signs Swedish Tour Player to Wear Latest Shoes

Leading Italian golf fashion brand Duca del Cosma has added Swedish Symetra Tour rookie Michaela Finn to the growing portfolio of professional players wearing its distinctive shoes. Working hard to fulfill her ambition of playing on the LPGA Tour, Michaela is set to compete in the Symetra Tour’s return event in Michigan later this month wearing her favorite Duca del Cosma shoes. 

 

“I'm looking forward to being back out on the Symetra Tour turning heads with my footwear and my game," said Michaela. "Duca del Cosma shoes are very comfortable and I love how the design is so thought through - every detail is there for a reason and just completes the look. 

Srixon Introduces the Second-Generation Soft Feel BRITE Golf Balls

SRIXON®, a global leader in golf ball technology and innovation, has announced the launch of the second-generation Soft Feel BRITE. The Srixon Soft Feel BRITE golf balls are available in BRITE Orange™, BRITE Red™, and BRITE Green™ and are now available in North America. 

 

“Soft Feel BRITE delivers all the benefits of the Soft Feel golf ball with additional matte color offerings,” said Brian Schielke, Marketing Director at Srixon. “With the addition of the FastLayer Core, Soft Feel BRITE provides the total package of enhanced distance, feel and visibility.” 

PUMA Unveils Player Scripts for the 2020 PGA Championship

Rickie Fowler, Bryson DeChambeau and Gary Woodland will be rocking pieces from PUMA Golf’s newest collection of apparel, footwear and accessories as they tee it up at San Francisco’s TPC Harding Park, for the first major of the year thanks to the revised schedule, the PGA Championship. 

 

Fittingly, throughout the week, each of them will wear pieces from the Love/Haight Collection that PUMA recently launched. The colorful assortment celebrates the nostalgia of Tie Dye, inspired by the iconic Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco, the heart of free-spirited bohemian culture, and the unofficial birthplace of tie dye. The Collection features unique, hand-tie-dyed polos, sweater, shoes and caps. 

Tour Edge Sets New Record for Clubs on PGA Tour with Over 40 Exotics in Play

Tour Edge set a new personal best for the number of clubs in play in a PGA Tour event last week at the Ally Challenge on the PGA Tour Champions with 41 total Exotics clubs in play. 

 

The previous mark of 29 clubs in play was set at the 2020 Hoag Classic, the last event played before the PGA Tour Champions had to pause their season.