Monday, August 23, 2021

Inside the Numbers: 66th U.S. Senior Amateur Championship

The Country Club of Detroit, site of two previous U.S. Amateur Championships will host the 66th U.S. Senior Amateur Championship August 28th to September 2nd.

The course will be set up at 6,901 yards and will play to a par of 36-36–72. Based on this setup, the USGA Course Rating™ is 73.8 and the Slope Rating® is 136.

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Cleveland Golf Introduces Launcher XL HALO Irons

Cleveland Golf is proud to announce the all-new Launcher XL HALO Irons, hybrid-style super game improvement irons designed to make the game of golf more fun. The Launcher XL HALO Irons officially launch in North America on Aug. 20, 2021 for graphite irons and Sept. 17, 2021 for steel irons.

“From head to grip, Launcher XL HALO Irons just make golf easier and more fun,” said Brian Schielke, General Manager at Cleveland Golf. “Most of us don’t have much confidence standing 170 yards out with a long iron in hand, and needing to carry a bunker to make the green. But with Launcher XL HALO, you’ll swing easier, feel confident, and be shocked at how forgiving they are. These irons will become your go-to clubs.”

Jim Furyk Joins Club Champion Team

Jim Furyk is joining the Club Champion team as a brand ambassador! The Ryder Cup vice-captain, Major winner, 17-time PGA Tour winner, 3-time Champions Tour winner, FedEx Cup Champion, and “Mr. 58” himself will partner with the top custom fitting brand in a multi-year partnership.

Furyk brings more than a laundry list of golf successes to the Club Champion ambassador team — he also brings a vast knowledge of golf equipment and understands the benefits of custom fit golf clubs for every level of golfer.

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Mizuno Golf Teases New ST-G 220 Driver

Mizuno Golf dropped some juicy photos of their new ST-G 220 driver on their social media channels today.

And in case you didn't see them, it's worth another look, or two, or three.

Mitsubishi Golf Announces New Diamana PD Shafts

The next DIAMANA™ 5th Generation release has arrived with DIAMANA™ PD from Mitsubishi Chemical. Expanding on the range of options provided by DIAMANA TB™, the new DIAMANA™ PD shafts allow players to explore a lower-launching profile while enjoying the same seamless fitting experience through Consistent Feel Design™. 

“Like TB shafts, DIAMANA PD™ are designed to maximize the modern dedicated fitting,” says Mark Gunther, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for MCA GOLF. “Players can now see what a lower launching profile could add to their game while eliminating any distracting change in feel as they shift among weights and flexes.”

Callaway Golf Announces New Epic Super Hybrid

A hybrid with the DNA and technology of a driver?  That's the new Epic Super Hybrid, better known as the most technologically advanced hybrid Callaway Golf has ever made.

Epic Super Hybrid borrows key design and construction elements from Callaway's award-winning Epic drivers, including a proven and powerful foundation of an all-titanium A.I. designed Flash Face, titanium body, and triaxial carbon crown.

Monday, August 16, 2021

Adidas Golf Announces No-Dye Collection Footwear

Adidas latest footwear collection offers a new take on color: you don’t always need it.

The new No-Dye Collection features an upper made entirely with the material’s natural colorway.  This no dye technology works with a material’s natural color to cut out the water thirsty part of the process (the pre-treatment phase of conventional dye techniques).

Sunday, August 15, 2021

Piot Rallies to Defeat Greaser and Capture 121st U.S. Amateur at Oakmont

James Piot, 22, of Canton, Mich., rallied from a three-hole deficit with the help of three birdies over the final eight holes on Sunday to capture the 121st U.S. Amateur Championship at demanding Oakmont Country Club with a 2-and-1 victory over Austin Greaser, of Vandalia, Ohio.

Greaser, 20, assumed a 3-up lead with a par on the par-4 ninth hole at Oakmont, the 27th of the match. But Piot began his winning comeback on the next hole, the 474-yard, par-4 10th, a hole that the fifth-year Michigan State senior owned this week: he won it in all five of his previous matches, and twice more in the championship match vs. Greaser, a junior at the University of North Carolina.

Saturday, August 14, 2021

Austin Greaser and James Piot to Square Off in 121st U.S. Amateur Championship Match at Oakmont

Austin Greaser, of Vandalia, Ohio, and James Piot, of Canton, Mich., posted convincing semifinal victories on Saturday to move into Sunday’s 36-hole final of the 121st U.S. Amateur Championship at Oakmont Country Club.

Greaser, 20, a junior at the University of North Carolina and the No. 24 seed, won four consecutive holes starting at No. 11 to take a 3-up lead in his match against No. 4 seed Travis Vick, 21, of Houston, Texas. A couple of errant shots by Greaser led to losses on Nos. 15 and 16 to solid pars by Vick, but after Vick missed his par putt on No. 17, he conceded his opponent’s short birdie putt and the match, 2 and 1.

Friday, August 13, 2021

Greaser, Vick, Piot and Gabrelcik Advance to Semifinal Round in 121st U.S. Amateur Championship

Travis Vick, 21, of Houston, Texas, was among four players to win two matches on Friday at Oakmont Country Club to advance to the semifinal round of the 121st U.S. Amateur Championship.

At No. 4, Vick is the highest-seeded player remaining in the championship. The junior at the University of Texas also has the most USGA championship experience among those who made the quarterfinal round – this is his fifth U.S. Amateur, among eight starts in USGA events, and his best match-play showing. Vick defeated Jose Islas, 3 and 2, in the morning, then held on to oust No. 5 seed Brian Stark, 1 up, on Friday afternoon after Stark birdied Nos. 16 and 17 to push the match to No. 18.

121st U.S. Amateur Championship - Meet the Semifinalists

Semifinal Saturday in the 121st U.S. Amateur Championship is set, and the pressure might be the highest of any day of the championship.

Both finalists will earn exemptions into the 2022 U.S. Open as well a likely invitation into the 2022 Masters.  Let's take a deeper look at this years four semifinalists.

Titleist Sweeps Major Equipment Counts at U.S. Amateur Championship

At the 2021 U.S. Amateur Championship, more of the game’s top amateur golfers trusted their performance to Titleist than any other brand.

Of the 312 players that competed this week at Oakmont Country Club, Titleist was the top choice across every major equipment category: golf balls, drivers, fairway metals, hybrids, utility irons, iron sets, wedges and putters.

Thursday, August 12, 2021

Four Players Advance to Round of 16 as Weather Again ​​​​​​​Halts Play in 121st U.S. Amateur Championship

Competing in his third U.S. Amateur Championship, Van Holmgren, 22, of Plymouth, Minn., earned two match-play victories on Thursday at Oakmont Country Club to reach the Round of 16 for the first time. Oakmont is hosting the championship’s 121st edition – its 17th USGA championship overall and record-tying sixth U.S. Amateur.

Holmgren, a recent graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University who earned the No. 7 seed in stroke play, defeated Maxwell Moldovan, 3 and 2, in the Round of 64, then ousted Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira, of Argentina, 4 and 3, on Thursday afternoon. Holmgren, who learned the game at The First Tee program in the Three Rivers Park District in Plymouth, squandered a 3-up lead against Moldovan before rallying to capture three consecutive holes and close out the Ohio State sophomore. In the afternoon, he never lost a hole and closed out de Oliveira, a University of Arkansas junior, on the 15th hole of the match.

Ben Hogan Day Giveaway

As the game of golf continues to surge in popularity around the world, the sport pauses each year on August 13th to commemorate the day the greatest swing in golf was born … #BenHoganDay.

In 2021, to honor the nine-time Major Champion’s iconic swing — on what would have been his 109th birthday — Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company, one of the game’s premier equipment brands that was founded by Ben Hogan in 1953, has launched the “Play Like An Icon” Giveaway, a promotion that will run from August 13th through August 31st and award a lucky golfer with a prize package valued at over $6,800.  Interested consumers can enter to win at https://benhogangolf.com/pages/play-like-an-icon.

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Topgolf Entertainment Inks 10-Year Exclusive Partnership with St. Andrews

Topgolf Entertainment Group (TEG), a technology-enabled global sports and entertainment leader, has entered into a 10-year partnership with St Andrews Links. Through this strategic partnership, TEG will become the exclusive golf entertainment partner for the “Home of Golf,” along with Toptracer as the official range technology of St Andrews Links.

World-renowned St Andrews Links is a beacon for global golf travel with scores of avid golfers descending on the grounds every year. Together, TEG and St Andrews Links will collaborate on unique initiatives and activations designed to offer even more ways for golfers everywhere to experience St Andrews Links through TEG’s respective brands Topgolf, World Golf Tour (WGT) online game and Toptracer technology. The partnership will provide players of all ages and ability levels—from all over the world—access to one of the most esteemed venues in golf through virtual gaming, global tournaments and more.

121st U.S. Amateur Championship Plagued by Rain as ​​​​​​​Local Player Mark Goetz Earns Medalist Honors

Mark Goetz of nearby Greensburg, Pa., completed 36 holes of stroke play at 8-under-par 132 at Oakmont Country Club and stroke play co-host the Longue Vue Club to earn medalist honors in the rain-delayed 121st U.S. Amateur Championship on Wednesday.

No. 1 seed Goetz opened match play on Wednesday evening and was tied with David Nyfjall, of Sweden,  through four holes when play was suspended at 7:50 p.m. EDT. Nyfjall earned the final spot in the Round of 64 in a 12-for-1 playoff late Wednesday afternoon. Ricky Castillo, a 2021 USA Walker Cup Team member and the No. 33 seed, won the lone match to finish on Wednesday evening, bolting to a 4-up lead after five holes on the way to a 5-and-4 victory over fellow Californian and No. 32 seed Donald Kay.

USGA Announces Long Term Relationship with Oakmont Country Club and Merion Golf Club

As part of its commitment to stage golf’s greatest championships at the nation’s most iconic venues, the USGA has awarded five more U.S. Open Championships and four U.S. Women’s Open Championships to two of the country’s most storied golf courses, Oakmont Country Club and Merion Golf Club, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

As part of the announcement, the USGA has also committed to bring its national championships to the Keystone State with greater frequency, beyond the now 18 championships scheduled to be played in the commonwealth between now and 2050.

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

U.S. Amateur Championship Hampered by Rain; Brad Reeves is Clubhouse Leader at 5 Under

The U.S. Amateur, the USGA’s oldest championship, is known as a test of fortitude, and the patience and resilience factors for the 312-player field were ramped up on Tuesday afternoon when play in the championship’s 121st edition was halted for nearly four hours by storms in the area.

The morning wave of players on both Oakmont Country Club – which is hosting the championship for a record-tying sixth time – and stroke-play co-host the Longue Vue Club, in nearby Verona, Pa., were able to complete 36 holes of stroke play. However, the 156 afternoon starters in the field will have to complete Round 2 on Wednesday, starting at 7:30 a.m. EDT, after which the 64-player bracket for match play will be decided, likely in the early afternoon. The Round of 64 will begin after a playoff, if necessary, to decide the final spots in the bracket.

Shot Scope Introduces Lay Up Points Feature for V3 GPS Smart Watches

Shot Scope (www.shotscope.com), a leading international manufacturer of GPS-based game tracking and distance measuring smart watches, as well as laser rangefinders, today introduced Lay-Up Points, a feature for the award-winning V3 watch that offers distances from the center of the fairway at 100, 150 and 200 yards to the middle of the green.

The newest enhancement from Shot Scope, which is offered at no additional cost to customers, gives golfers the knowledge to lay up with confidence on long holes or understand what to hit off the tee on shorter par 4s.

True Spec Golf Fitting Review - Columbus Studio

Last month I chose one of my followers to get fit at True Spec Golf for a new driver, and I tagged along with the winner to document and report on his day.  You saw some of it on twitter and Instagram, and now we're going to dive a little deeper into Rick's fitting.

I'm going to let Rick tell you about his day in his own words below, but first will give you some of my own impressions as I observed the process.  And then will wrap it up with some final thoughts, and also let you know how Rick's driver game stacks up now since he received and put his new driver in play.