USGA Launches Deacon: An Innovative Green Section Solution to Help Courses Deliver a Better Golfer Experience

The United States Golf Association (USGA) has reached a key milestone in its efforts to support the long-term health of golf courses with the launch of Deacon, an innovative golf course management tool created to help operators improve the golfer experience by delivering better playing conditions while optimizing and prioritizing critical resource consumption.

Developed by the USGA’s Green Section and backed by its 100 years of hands-on industry experience, Deacon was designed to address two universal problems faced by golf courses: a gradual decline in participation due to a lack of satisfaction and rising maintenance costs. The digital tool is accessible online and available in both iOS and Android app stores.

Titleist and FootJoy Named Presenting Partners of National High School Golf Association

The National High School Golf Association announced that Acushnet Company brands Titleist and FootJoy have been named Presenting Partners for the NHSGA and its annual High School Golf National Invitational.

Acushnet is the global leader in the design, development, manufacturing and distribution of performance-driven golf products, which are widely recognized for their quality excellence. Titleist, the #1 ball in golf and one of its leading performance equipment brands, and FootJoy, the #1 shoe in golf and one of golf’s top performance wear brands, will bring their support to high school golfers, their parents and coaches.

Titleist Introduces Vokey Design SM8 Wedges in Slate Blue Finish

The overwhelming most played and best performing wedges in the game – Vokey Design SM8 –are now available in an ultra-premium Slate Blue finish.

Master Wedge Craftsman Bob Vokey has always stressed the importance of players having confidence in their wedge at address – and finish plays a key role.

ORCA Golf Bags Release First Retail Bag Line

Five years ago when Deborah and Erica Bennett started to design and build customized golf bags for large corporate tournaments, charities and individuals, they were comfortable in their niche and thrilled with the response they received about their unique products.  During those years they were often asked by golfers and passersby if they could buy ORCA golf bags at retail.  Starting today, ORCA Golf Bags can now proudly answer, “yes,” as the company launches its first line of golf bags available for individual purchase.

The new line of ORCA bags includes six styles, each with ORCA Golf Bags’ unique styling to separate it from the crowd of mass produced bags.  To further underscore the point of ORCA bags being unique, the name of each bag is related to the ORCA narrative.  For the Bennetts, the ORCA is symbolic of being strong, powerful and unique, especially in an ocean of so many types of animals.

Galvin Green Attracting Growing Number of Younger Golfers

Leading high-performance golf clothing brand Galvin Green has seen a surge of interest from younger golfers amongst its customer profile over the past year.

The largest percentage of purchasers of its award-winning Multi-layer garments are now golfers aged between 25-34 years old, which is also the fastest-growing age range for the brand. While the number of younger golfers aged 18-25 buying Galvin Green between 2019 and last year almost doubled.

PUMA Golf Announces IGNITE FASTEN8 Golf Shoes

PUMA Golf introduced the newest addition to its popular spikeless franchise, the IGNITE FASTEN8, continuing to deliver premium comfort, top-notch performance and versatile style that golfers of all levels will appreciate.

The IGNITE FASTEN8 ($120) family provides wearers added stability with a new, exacting fit, in multiple sleek designs, featuring both a traditional lace up style and PUMA’s proprietary DISC technology, and also a PRO version with a microfiber upper. The FASTEN8 lace version is also available in several eye-catching colorways for women ($100).

Tour Edge Signs PGA Tour Champions Player Ken Duke to Professional Staff

Tour Edge announced that they have signed PGA TOUR winner Ken Duke to their professional tour staff.

Duke played a Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 driver, fairway, hybrid and an Exotics utility iron for the entire 2020 season.

Shot Scope PRO L1 Laser Rangefinder Review

The new PRO L1 laser rangefinder excels in accuracy, speed, distance range, and ease of use.  It even incorporates some high-tech pin seeking features like slope measurement. 

And for a price less than $200, you'll be hard pressed to find a quality rangefinder at a better value.

Titleist Reveals New TSi2 and TSi3 Hybrids

Titleist has consistently promoted hybrids as scoring clubs – as opposed to rescue clubs - and the new TSi2 and TSi3 hybrids represent a new standard within the category. Engineered for golfers seeking long iron replacements, these new hybrids offer two distinct looks and performance options, including improved adjustability, sound and feel.

The new hybrids complete the popular TSi metals line, complementing the TSi2 and TSi3 drivers and fairway metals, which have gained considerable momentum across the worldwide professional tours and in the marketplace since their November introduction. Both models feature Carpenter 455 forged faces.

Titleist Announces New TSi4 Driver

The introduction of the new Titleist TSi4 driver provides golfers seeking ultra-low spin performance with the advanced speed and distance gains that have made Titleist TSi2 and TSi3 the most played driver models this season on the PGA Tour.

The new TSi4, the driver choice of Adam Scott, Russell Henley and Richy Werenski, among others on the PGA Tour, is engineered to be a high-speed, ultra-low spin design – challenging the notion that a driver designed for extreme spin reduction can’t produce that level of ball speed.

Titleist Introduces New Ultra Lightweight TSi1 Metals

Building upon the overwhelming momentum and immediate success of the popular TSi2 and TSi3 metals, Titleist introduces the new, comprehensive TSi1 family, engineered for the moderate (less than 90 mph) swing speed player seeking increased club and ball speed with control off the tee and from the fairway. The moderate swing speed player represents approximately 30 percent of all golfers making the TSi1 metals an important offering to maximize their performance potential.

The new TSi1 drivers, fairway metals and hybrids will be available for fittings beginning February 17 and in golf shops on February 26.

USGA Names Mike Whan as CEO

The USGA announced today that Mike Whan will join the organization this summer as CEO, and will become the eighth top executive in USGA history.

Last month, Whan announced his intention to step down as LPGA Commissioner in 2021, after his organization completes a search for the next Commissioner. His transition follows an impressive 11 years at the helm of the LPGA, during which the organization experienced historic growth in virtually every aspect of the business.

Tour Edge Announces Two New 721 Irons Featuring Vibrcor

Tour Edge, the pound-for-pound industry leader in performance and innovation, today announced the all-new Exotics 721 Series irons: the C721 iron and the E721 iron.

These ultra-premium irons provide all new design concepts and ground-breaking technology from Tour Edge that takes the Exotics 721 Series to an entirely new level of performance.

New Odyssey 10 Putters Announced

When Odyssey introduced the Ten shape a few years ago, it immediately became a popular choice on Tour and with golfers who wanted to putt with more confidence. This proven head design puts an emphasis on alignment and high MOI, and they improved on those two key performance features dramatically.

The new Odyssey Ten lineup showcases exceptional alignment systems, including 2-Ball and Triple Track in a head construction that’s sleeker and more forgiving. In fact, this is the best 2-Ball that Odyssey has ever made, with a profile that allows you to frame the ball at address like never before.

Bridgestone Golf to Increase Ball Manufacturing by 30% to Meet Demand for Tour B and New e12 Contact

Bridgestone Golf, the #1 Ball-Fitter in Golf, announced today the company’s manufacturing facility in Covington, GA, has increased production capacity by 30% to help satisfy the strong consumer demand for TOUR B golf balls as well as the new e12 CONTACT. Additionally, Bridgestone Golf has also increased its production staff by approximately 20%, the majority of which is drawn from the local community.

“According to the NGF, rounds in 2020 were up over 13%, but our sales were up approximately 19%, so we were significantly ahead of the pace,” said Bridgestone Golf CEO and President, Dan Murphy. “We simply can’t meet consumer demand at our standard manufacturing rate so a major increase in our capacity was necessary. We’re very pleased to increase production while also adding a significant number of new employees.”

Miura Golf Announces PI-401 Irons

Miura Golf has announced the new PI-401, the first player improvement iron in the distinguished Japanese manufacturer's history.

The PI-401 makes it possible for golfers of all levels to experience the renowned sound, feel and performance of a Miura iron.  The forged face and cast body meld the latest performance enhancing technology with six decades of clubmaking craftsmanship to produce maximal distance and forgiveness.

Club Champion Golf Now Has 79 Fitting Stores

Custom club fitter Club Champion announces the opening of three new fitting studios this month, located in Des Moine, IA; Tacoma, WA; and Livingston, NJ. The stores are open and accepting fitting appointments. This brings the brand’s nationwide footprint to 79 stores, with four more planned in the near future.

Club Champion fits, sells and builds custom golf clubs using brands like Callaway, TaylorMade, Titleist, Cobra, Fujikura, Golf Pride and many more. The company delivers a Tour-quality fitting that produces longer, more accurate shots with a nearly 100% satisfaction rate for golfers of any ability level.

Sink More Putts with Additional Frontline Models from Cleveland Golf

Golfers who enjoy straight putting will be excited to try Frontline from Cleveland Golf. Weights in the face have been shifted forward resulting in straighter putts, even when the sweet spot is missed. These golfers also enjoy better aim, more consistent distance, and a superior fit.

With an expanded lineup of designs and models to choose from, Frontline delivers a putter to fit any putting stroke and any player preference.

Galvin Green Unveils GameDay Collection for 2021

The degree of preparation behind a serious golfer’s most enjoyable GameDay experience and a quest for even greater product sustainability are at the heart of the Part One 2021 range from leading apparel brand Galvin Green available from today.

More than 30 years of playability expertise and a true passion for the game ensures that tangible performance benefits are built into every detail of the new lightweight, high performance garments that deliver compatible layers designed to enable golfers to perform at their best even in the most extreme playing conditions.

Titleist Launches Virtual Tour of Pro V1 Manufacturing Process

The manufacturing process for the new Titleist 2021 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls – encompassing over 200,000 square feet of engineering innovation – is now on display for golfers around the world through the Titleist Ball Plant 3 Virtual Tour on Titleist.com.

The virtual tour follows the same journey around the manufacturing floor that golfers take when they make the trip to Massachusetts to visit Ball Plant 3 (BP3) in person – exhibiting how each layer of a Pro V1 and Pro V1x comes together to deliver the best performing, most consistent and highest quality golf balls in the game.