Growing the game of golf has seemingly always been a challenge, yet it continues to be the sports number one priority. Topgolf Entertainment Group (TEG) has made its mission and worked tirelessly to make the game of golf more accessible and entertaining through meaningful, tech-driven golf experiences.
To further its cause of growing the game, TGE created a first-of-its-kind competition known as the “9-Shot Challenge” global tournament, which kicks off this Saturday, February 6th.
The USGA and The R&A are re-engaging with the golf industry on the Distance Insights project, which aims to help achieve a more sustainable long-term future for golf.
The governing bodies are issuing specific Areas of Interest to help mitigate continuing distance increases and three proposed changes to the Equipment Rules to ensure their effectiveness in relation to distance limits.
SRIXON®, a global leader in golf ball technology and innovation, is proud to announce the launch of the seventh generation Z-STAR Series golf ball. Srixon’s Z-STAR and Z-STAR XV are available in Pure White™ and Tour Yellow™ and officially launch in North America on February 26, 2021.
The seventh-generation Z-STAR features a 0.6mm cover that is thicker than previous generations for enhanced spin and control around the greens. When paired with the revolutionary FastLayer Core that dramatically increases ball speed to deliver maximum distance, the new generation offers unparalleled feel.
New Balance Golf introduces the Fresh Foam PaceSL BOA to its performance footwear collection for 2021.
The combination of a new Fresh Foam midsole and BOA Fit System delivers the ultimate walking shoe for golfers by providing a secure fit, perimeter stability, and comfort in every step.
The National Golf Foundation’s Graffis Report, a holistic overview of an unprecedented year in the golf industry, is now available for NGF members. The Graffis Report compiles many of the game’s key 2020 data points on the business of golf and the health of the game in a single publication: golf participation, engagement, rounds-played, golf course supply and development, golf equipment sales, retail supply and the game’s reach.
The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced local qualifying sites for the 121st U.S. Open Championship. The U.S. Open will be contested at Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course), in San Diego, Calif., for the second time from June 17-20, 2021. Local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes at 109 sites in 43 U.S. states and Canada, will take place between April 26-May 18.
“Professional and amateur golfers worldwide have a pathway to emerge from the thousands who will attempt to earn a place in this year’s U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course by competing in this two-stage qualifying process that was established in 1959,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “Allied Golf Associations and Golf Canada, with the cooperation of the USGA’s five regional offices, are joined in this collaborative effort for both stages. We appreciate their diligence in overcoming the challenging times we confront each day.”
Titleist, Golf’s Symbol of Excellence, introduces six new golf bag models across two distinct categories – stand and hybrid – for the 2021 season.
TITLEIST PLAYERS COLLECTION
The new Titleist Players Collection stand bags – Players 4 Plus StaDry, Players 4 StaDry, Players 4 Plusand Players 4 – offer feature-rich designs for dedicated golfers seeking a lightweight stand bag without sacrificing storage or durability.
SIK Golf, creator of patented Descending Loft Technology, and Cobra Golf, a leader in golf club innovation, today announce a long-term partnership which will see the brands working together on technology that was used in the first 3D Printed commercial putter, launched by Cobra in 2020. The two companies plan to continue working together on future products currently slated for launch in Summer 2021.
This partnership, the genesis of which was SIK Golf partner and long-time Cobra Golf ambassador Bryson DeChambeau, has the common goal of bringing superior putting performance to the masses through SIK’s patented Descending Loft Technology (DLT).
XXIO®, a global leader in premium lightweight golf equipment, introduces the all-new XXIO Prime, the ultimate symbol of excellence and performance. The new XXIO Prime officially launches in North America on February 12, 2021.
“It’s safe to say that the new XXIO Prime Woods and Irons are the most advanced set of clubs ever developed for moderate-to-slow swing-speed players,” said Jeff Brunski, Vice President of Research and Development. “From the exotic materials and construction to the ultra-lightweight shafts featuring our Weight Plus counter-weighting technology, every detail in the new XXIO Prime has been engineered to add distance and accuracy – specifically for players who have lost some yards over the years. XXIO Prime is truly different and special.”
SRIXON®/ASICS® a worldwide leader in golf equipment design and manufacturing, is proud to introduce a new golf footwear model in partnership with ASICS North America – the GEL-Course ACETM.
“The Srixon/ASICS partnership has been tremendous for both our brands,” said Mike Powell, President of Sales and Marketing at Srixon/Cleveland Golf/XXIO. “ASICS is a huge global sports brand and widely recognized as the leader in performance footwear. We’re excited to launch the new GEL-Course ACETM. This shoe will provide the legendary performance of ASICS running shoes and the waterproof protection you need when conditions on the course aren’t perfect.”
Today, Tour Edge officially announced the extension of the Exotics EXS Pro Series that was one of the fastest rising models in drivers, fairways, hybrids, irons and wedges on the PGA Tour Champions in 2020.
Launched in June of 2020 and out on tour in late July, these popular tour-inspired clubs that were dubbed “straight from the tour van” were only ordered in limited small batch quantities.
Callaway Golf Company (NYSE: ELY), an industry leader in golf equipment and innovation, has officially introduced its new ERC Soft, Supersoft, and Supersoft MAX Golf Balls.
This new lineup will appeal to a wide range of golfers, and each offering promotes fast ball speeds, exceptional feel, and outstanding greenside control.
Shot Scope, the industry-leader in performance tracking technology, has announced a significant string of upgrades to its platform, allowing users to review ‘strokes gained’ data for all facets of their game on the mobile app.
Strokes gained is a way of analyzing where a player sits when comparing every aspect of their performance with players in the rest of a dataset. This approach to performance analysis will allow Shot Scope users to gain a greater understanding of which areas of their game they may need to work on in order to improve their overall scoring average. It will do this by isolating individual aspects of a player’s game and comparing it to the entire Shot Scope dataset to deliver efficient results.
Mizuno, the global specialty sporting goods company, announced the next generation of ST Series metal woods will be available starting February 2021, representing the culmination of the company’s 3-year, rapid-fire driver development project.
The new ST-Z and ST-X further deploy Mizuno’s high strength, Forged Beta SAT2041 Ti face and complex carbon construction to deliver potent ball speeds and a dense, satisfying sensation at impact. The Forged Beta SAT2041 TI maintains its characteristics and resists micro fractures for longer than the commonly used 6-4, Alpha Beta Ti.
Mizuno, the global specialty sporting goods company renowned for its industry-leading forged irons and technically advanced golf clubs, announced three new models in the premium M CRAFT line of putters, available starting February 4, 2021.
Previously available in three classic shapes, Mizuno’s M-CRAFT putters are forged from premium 1025 mild carbon steel then CNC milled to create the most precise shape and alignment. As a result of the hugely popular initial models, Mizuno designed and developed three new shapes to extend the M CRAFT line — M CRAFT IV, M CRAFT V and M CRAFT VI.
The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced qualifying dates and sites for the 76th U.S. Women’s Open Championship, which will be contested June 3-6, 2021, at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif.
Conducted over 36 holes, qualifying will be held at 22 courses between April 26 and May 13. The championship is open to female professionals and amateurs with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 2.4. Online entry applications open on Wednesday, Feb. 17 and continues through April 14 at champs.usga.org.
Golf Datatech, LLC, the golf industry’s leading independent market research firm for retail sales, consumer and trade trends, today unveiled the 2020 National Golf Performance Report, a first-of-its kind annual report analyzing rounds played and retail equipment sales in the U.S. Golf Datatech’s data indicates rounds soared by 14% and equipment sales increased by 10% over 2019.
The year-over-year surge in rounds and retail sales are a consequence of golf being positioned as a near ideal socially distanced activity. The 14% increase in rounds is the largest total year increase since Golf Datatech began collecting and projecting rounds played in 1998.
COBRA® Golf, a leader in golf club innovation, unveiled today its highly anticipated, limited-edition COBRA RF Proto Irons, a design collaboration with longtime COBRA ambassador and five-time PGA TOUR winner, Rickie Fowler. The RF Proto Irons are a replica of the head design that Fowler plays to provide golfers with an opportunity to experience what it feels like to play the same tour-caliber irons trusted weekly by one of game’s most popular players.
The design is the result of multiple shape and spec revisions that evolved over the span of 12 months to get the perfect iron. The process involved COBRA engineers and longtime Director of Tour Operations, Ben Schomin, working with Fowler every step of the way, applying his design direction, turf-interaction feedback and aesthetic preferences to the overall design, which underwent 32 iterations before arriving at the final version, hence the Rev33 stamp.
Bushnell Golf, #1 in Electronic Measuring Devices, unveiled the new ION EDGE. The ION EDGE has been designed to meet the ever-changing needs of golfers wanting wearable EMD’s. The ION EDGE features a new design with a touchscreen display and the Bushnell Golf app for automatic updates to the more than 38,000 preloaded courses worldwide. The ION EDGE is one of the industry’s easiest to use golf GPS watches with instant yardage measurements.
“Creating EMD’s that are both trusted on Tour and by the weekend golfer is extremely important to us,” said William Flood, Global Product Manager at Bushnell Golf. “The ION EDGE is user-friendly with industry-leading technology at an affordable price.”
Today’s golfers demand a lot from their shoes, and Adidas kept hearing that there was something missing. Whether it was one of their tour professionals or an everyday golfer, they all wanted the same thing: a high-performance spiked shoe that was lightweight and extremely comfortable. Adidas took that as a challenge to not only fill this void that players were looking for, but also create something exciting that would stand alone at the top and launch a new category of spiked footwear.
After nearly two years, multiple prototypes, configurations, and infusing our latest technologies to get everything right, Adidas is releasing a product that ushers in a new era of performance golf footwear for their brand: ZG21. It’s their latest offering that gives golfers of all skill levels a high-performance spiked shoe that’s lightweight with zero compromises.