USGA Announces Five U.S. Open Championships at Pinehurst No. 2, Plans for Golf House Pinehurst, and Strategic Shift for Future U.S. Open Venues

In an effort to expand its impact in golf and extend its mission to champion and advance the game, the USGA will establish “Golf House Pinehurst” in North Carolina, to include a new equipment-testing facility, innovation hub, museum/visitor center and offices by 2023, and host five U.S. Open Championships in the golf-rich state by 2047.

The announcement adds four U.S. Open Championships to be contested on the famed Pinehurst No. 2 course – in 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047 – to the already scheduled 2024 event. The decision accelerates the USGA’s strategy to stage its premier golf championship at America’s most iconic venues with greater frequency. By doing so, Pinehurst Resort & Country Club will serve as the USGA’s first anchor site for the U.S. Open.

Scotty Cameron Special Select Squareback 2 Putter Review

The new Scotty Cameron Special Select Squareback 2 gives you an ideal blend of feel and forgiveness on putts from any distance.

‪I tested this hitting multiple putts from various distances and performance is off the charts.

Cleveland Golf RTX ZipCore Wedges Review

When you already design some of the best wedges in golf, there isn’t much room for creativity.  But Cleveland has succeeded in making the new RTX ZipCore their best performing wedges to date.

 

‪ZipCore have slightly less offset, and a more rounded lead edge than RTX 4.  Full and half swings came out lower, but stopped just as fast if not faster.  Shots from tight lies felt equally crisp.

New Titleist Drivers to Debut on PGA and European Tours

This week at both the PGA Tour’s Safeway Open and European Tour’s Portugal Masters, tour players will get their first opportunity to put the new Titleist TSi drivers in competition.

The tour debut of the new TSi drivers – in advance of next week’s U.S. Open Championship at Winged Foot – marks the start of Titleist’s tour seeding and validation process. Gathering feedback from the game’s best players throughout the R&D process and then earning their final validation are critical elements in the development of all high-performance Titleist golf equipment.

Titleist Golf Ball Fitting Experts Now Available For Virtual Consultations

 Golfers trying to find the best golf ball for their game can begin the fitting process by booking a one-on-one video call with an expert Titleist golf ball fitter.

Titleist Virtual Golf Ball Consultations – now available Monday-Friday through the Golf Ball Fitting page on Titleist.com – allow golfers who aren’t able to attend an in-person Titleist Golf Ball Fitting event the opportunity to speak directly to one of the same fitters they would meet on site.

Sea Pines Resort Offering Best Values of the Season with Great Coastal Getaway Packages

In an island destination that offers an abundance of outdoor, fresh air activities, The Sea Pines Resort is offering its best values of the season, during the most favorable weather of the year.  The Sea Pines Resort’s Getaway Package wraps together great lodging and access to the many activities for which Hilton Head Island is famous.

The Getaway Package (available now through February 27, 2021) includes activities options from tennis to biking, golf for all ages, dinners, and food discounts, as well as a family portrait session on the beach.

Streamsong Resort to Re-Open Blue and Red Courses October 1 with Revolutionary New Mach 1 Greens

Streamsong Resort is proud to announce the reopening of Streamsong Blue and Streamsong Red on October 1. Both courses have been closed for play as they undergo regrassing with a revolutionary new ultradwarf bermudagrass, Mach 1. Once complete, Streamsong will become the first golf destination in the world to showcase Mach 1 on a 36-hole layout. The two courses will re-join Streamsong Black, which has remained open and available to the public during this time.

Mach 1 was developed by renowned golf course superintendent Rodney Lingle and is distributed by Modern Turf. It has been recognized as one of the cleanest and purest turfs in the industry with a super fine texture and smoothness that creates a high-quality putting surface. Through extensive testing, Mach 1 has been proven to provide smoother ball roll, more uniformed growth patterns in warm weather climates and more stability and longevity. It is a genetically strong, high-end performing turfgrass that is both heat and drought tolerant, which is ideal for Florida’s seasonal environment.

PGA Tour Announces 2020-2021 Super Season Schedule Featuring 50 Tournaments

The PGA TOUR 2020-21 Season kicks off this week, featuring 50 official FedExCup tournaments – including 14 tournaments that were postponed or canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic – culminating with the crowning of the FedExCup champion Labor Day weekend in 2021.

The schedule, which reflects a net increase of one tournament over the original 2019-20 schedule, features the most tournaments in a season since 1975 (51). Three events postponed in 2020 – U.S. Open, Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship and Masters Tournament – will be played in the fall portion of the 2020-21 season and again in their traditional dates during the 2021 calendar year, along with 11 tournaments that were canceled and not rescheduled as a result of the pandemic, including THE PLAYERS Championship. In addition, with the postponement of the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020, the men’s Olympic Golf competition will take place July 26-August 1, 2021, as a standalone event for the first time.

Mitsubishi and Aldila Continue Dominant Run on PGA and European Tours

Mitsubishi and Aldila Golf shafts have a fever.  And the only prescription is more trophies.

Jon Rahm won the BMW Championship today last week using an Aldila Tour Green 75 shaft in his Taylormade driver, and an Aldila Tour Green 85 in his Taylormade 3 wood. Rahm averaged over 313 yards off the tee at difficult Olympia Fields, while also hitting almost 79-percent of the fairways. 

Srixon Introduces the Latest Soft Feel Golf Balls

SRIXON®, a global leader in golf ball performance, announces the launch of the next generation of SOFT FEEL and SOFT FEEL LADY golf balls. Building upon Srixon’s continued success in the golf ball market – with more than 30% growth in market share year-to-date versus last year* – the new SOFT FEEL and SOFT FEEL LADY golf balls are now available in North America.

“This is our 12th generation SOFT FEEL golf ball, putting us at the forefront of the low-compression distance ball category,” said Brian Schielke, Marketing Director at Srixon. “With this new model, we’re excited to give golfers our longest SOFT FEEL to date, in a ball that maintains the signature feel golfers expect from a SOFT FEEL.” 

6 Players Added to 120th U.S. Open Championship Field at Winged Foot Golf Club

The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced that 16 additional players have earned exemptions into the 120th U.S. Open Championship, which will be contested at Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course), in Mamaroneck, N.Y., on Sept. 17-20, 2020. The 144-player field for the championship will be entirely made up of exempt players due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Five players earned entry based on the three-event 2020 Korn Ferry Tour Series, which began with the Albertsons Boise Open and ended with the Tour Championship on Aug. 30. Exemptions also went to 11 players, who were not otherwise exempt, based on Week 34 of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), as of Aug. 23. 

83-Percent of Players at the BMW Championship Trusted Golf Pride Grips in Second Round of FedExCup Playoffs

Golf Pride®, a division of power management company Eaton and an industry leader in grip innovation, today announced that it was the leading grip brand in play during the second round of the 2020 FedEx Cup Playoffs, with 83% of the 69-player field trusting Golf Pride grips.

8 players who finished in the Top 10 chose Golf Pride swing grips at Olympian Fields, including both the Champion and sudden death playoff runner-up. In addition, 8 of the top 10 seeded players at the upcoming 3rd and final round – The Tour Championship at East Lake – will trust Golf Pride as they vie for the coveted FedEx Cup. The winner’s grip of choice at the BMW Championship was the Golf Pride MCC and the victory marks the 5th of his career.  Players trusting Golf Pride have now won 5 FedEx Playoff events in a row, dating back to last year – 2 wins for the Golf Pride MCC and 3 wins for the Tour Velvet family. 

SIK Golf Announces Partnership with Club Champion

SIK, The Fastest Growing Putter Company in Golf, announced today that they’ve partnered with Club Champion to offer custom fitting of a SIK Putter in all Club Champion fitting studios nationwide.

 

Established in 2010, Club Champion is the #1 golf club fitter, builder and retailer in the country and is headquartered in Willowbrook, IL. There are currently 74 fitting studios in major markets across the country with further expansion planned. The studios offer all top golf club, shaft and grip manufacturers in the industry, which are used to build trial clubs in real-time. 

Tour Edge Exotics Earns Two Runner-Up Finishes in Five Days, Including Impressive Performance from Staffer Tim Petrovic

Tour Edge had a big week on the PGA Tour Champions at the weeklong, two-event Charles Schwab Series swing that concluded Wednesday in Branson, Missouri.

The surging brand out of the Chicago area is reporting a record number of clubs in play and two runner-up finishes with Exotics drivers in a five-day time span.  

USGA and LPGA Announce 2021 Senior Major Championship Schedule

The United States Golf Association (USGA) along with the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) announced today the dates for the 2021 senior major championships. Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield, Conn., will host the 3rd U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship from Aug. 19-22, with French Lick Resort in French Lick, Ind., hosting the 4th Senior LPGA Championship presented by Old National Bank the following week, Aug. 23-29.

The U.S. Senior Women’s Open is the final addition to the 2021 USGA championship schedule. The Senior LPGA Championship and the U.S. Senior Women’s Open were both postponed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Callaway Golf Releasing New Big Bertha B-21 Family of Woods and Irons

Callaway Golf Company (NYSE: ELY), an industry leader in golf equipment and innovation, announced its new Big Bertha B-21 lineup of drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons. 

These products are engineered with premium technologies and legendary Big Bertha design features, for distance any way you swing it.

Golf Pride Grips Trusted by 84-Percent of Field at The Northern Trust

Golf Pride, a division of power management company Eaton and an industry leader in grip innovation, today announced that it was the leading grip brand in play during the first round of the 2020 FedEx Cup Playoffs, with 84% of the 122-player field trusting Golf Pride grips.

100% of players who finished in the Top 10 chose Golf Pride at TPC Boston. The Tour Velvet not only was trusted to victory, but it was also the choice for the record-setting 59 during the week. 

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.