USGA Announces 26 Qualifying Sites for the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica

The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced the 26 qualifying sites for the 77th U.S. Women’s Open Championship Presented by ProMedica, which will be contested June 2-5 at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C.

Qualifying will be conducted over 36 holes at locations in 17 U.S. states plus three international sites between April 19-May 16. The championship is open to female professionals and amateurs with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 2.4. Online entry applications open on Wednesday, Feb. 16 and continue through Wednesday, April 6 at 5 p.m. EDT at champs.usga.org.

Club Champion Unlocks Exclusive Products with The Vault

Exclusive products from golf’s top brands will soon be available via The Vault, a new e-commerce platform from club fitter, Club Champion. This new space combines Club Champion’s mission for better golf with an exclusivity and style that appeal to the discerning golfer. The intention is to partner with golf’s innovators to offer unique, attractive, and limited-edition items to a wide range of golfers.

“This is just another way to truly customize the game of golf for our customers,” said VP of Marketing, Pat Duncan. “The OEM partners we have lined up for these collaborations are bringing incredible creativity to the table and we’re thrilled to have the freedom to create the products we’ve always wanted to see.”

USGA Announces Qualifying Sites for 122nd U.S. Open Championship at The Country Club

The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced local and final qualifying sites for the 122nd U.S. Open Championship. The U.S. Open will be contested at The Country Club (Championship Course), in Brookline, Mass., for the fourth time from June 16-19, 2022.

Local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes at 109 sites in 44 U.S. states and Canada, will take place between April 25-May 23. Those players who advance out of local qualifying will join a group of locally exempt players in final qualifying, which will be conducted over 36 holes. The final stage will be held in Japan and Canada as well as nine U.S. sites on May 23 and June 6.

New Balance Golf Introduces Fresh Foam X Defender

New Balance Golf introduces the Fresh Foam X Defender and Fresh Foam X Defender SL to its 2022 Spring Collection.

The Fresh Foam X Defender is built for on-course performance with a waterproof FantomFit® upper, a new Fresh Foam X® midsole, and a TPU outsole. This combination provides golfers with a secure fit, perimeter stability, and comfort in every step.

Four Championship Golf Courses Await as Walt Disney World Resort Turns 50

Walt Disney World Resort, a business founded by Walt Disney in Orlando in April 1971 that features theme parks, hotel lodging, cruises, timeshare, guided tours, travel packages and licensing, is celebrating its first 50 years with “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” – where visitors can celebrate its past, present, and future!

While developing the original Walt Disney World Resort concept, Walt Disney sketched a plan for his vision for EPCOT – an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. On the first drawing – to the right of the property’s central hub with space devoted to the Magic Kingdom Park, resort hotels, convention facilities, and man-made lakes – Disney identified a large area designated for “golf.”

LA Golf Launches Innovative New Putter with Larger Sweet Spot

LA Golf has announced its first putter, solving the three most common problems typical golfers have: 1. Missing the sweet spot, 2. Inconsistent launch angles, and 3. Wiggle in the head.

The LA Golf Putter is the most technologically advanced putter in decades showcasing an all-carbon head, large diameter anti-vibration shaft, stainless steel hosel, and Descending Loft Face Technology. To add to the excitement of the performance advantages, the putter is already creating buzz with its sexy design.

Go Deep with Club Champion Super Bowl Giveaway: Driver Fitting and Custom Driver of Your Choice

This is a giant week for sports.  We have the Super Bowl.  We have one of the PGA Tour's most popular events, the Waste Management Phoenix Open.  And this year to make it all absolutely bananas we also have my PGAPappas Go Deep with Club Champion Giveaway.

The Rams and Bengals will be going deep at SoFi Stadium.  The best players in the world will be going deep at The Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale.  And one of you will be going deep from the tee box this year as I'm hooking someone up with a free driver fitting at Club Champion and custom driver of your choice!

Tour Edge Develops New Exotics 722 Series Metals with Ridgeback, RyzerSole, and Diamond Face Technologies

Tour Edge has announced the all-new Exotics 722 Series metalwoods in their biggest Exotics launch in company history.

For the first time in an Exotics lineup, the 722 Series will offer two distinct ranges covering every product category in the series, the E722 and C722. This means there will be two separate drivers, fairways, hybrids, and iron designs. There is also a new Ti-Utility iron being launched on the C side of 722.

PING Golf Announces New i525 Irons

PING Golf has announced their new i525 irons, players distance irons designed to deliver distance gains and improved sound and feel.  Custom fittings are available beginning today, February 8th.

“What’s most satisfying in the i525 iron from an engineering standpoint is how our team has been able to maximize the flexing of the metal-wood-style face structure while creating a pleasing sound and feel,” said John K. Solheim, PING Golf president.

Style Meets Function with New Adidas REBELCROSS Footwear

In the past, it was assumed that golf shoes needed to look a certain way.  Adidas is continuing to challenge that mindset and has introduced REBELCROSS.  It’s yet another silhouette Adidas is adding to their adicross range meant to capture the cross-section between streetwear style and a pin-seeker attitude.

REBELCROSS is Adidas sleek and progressive design that subtly gives golfers the performance they would expect from a golf shoe.  Built on the comfortable YEEZY last, the rubber spikeless outsole features GRIPMORE in the forefoot so golfers get a great combination of wear-anywhere versatility and high-level performance.

Neurospeak Pro Unlocks Zone Like Performance with First of it's Kind Precision Breathing Training Device

Neuropeak Pro, a Precision Breathing, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and brain performance company that trains elite athletes to enhance performance under pressure, introduced today the first-of-its-kind mobile, real-time precision breathing training device and performance app designed to unlock optimum performance.

Wearable “trackers” are everywhere. Neuropeak Pro’s NTEL BELT is different. It’s a real-time training device designed to align diaphragm-based performance breathing and HRV. Each training session is scored, enabling users to track their performance gains through the App. The wearable Bluetooth device (MSRP $399) is positioned around the torso, while the app and instructional videos guide users through training sessions designed to optimize an individual’s ability to respond to stress and unlock “zone-like” performance potential.

The Home Course Will Host 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship

The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced that The Home Course, in DuPont, Wash., will host the 8th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship. The dates of the championship are May 13-17, 2023.

This will be the second USGA championship to be held at The Home Course, which hosted the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links. The course also served as the stroke-play co-host for the 2010 U.S. Amateur and 2021 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, each of which was contested at Chambers Bay. The U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship returns to the Pacific Northwest for the first time since the inaugural event was played in 2015 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, in Bandon, Ore.

Callaway Golf Renews Women's Golf Day Sponsorship

Callaway Golf has announced a three-year extension as the Official Golf Club Sponsor of Women’s Golf Day (WGD). The equipment manufacturer will support this year’s global initiative and Women’s Golf Day on June 7, 2022.

WGD and Callaway share a vision of empowering, supporting, and engaging with the diverse female golfer community across the world. As the Official Golf Club Sponsor since 2020, Callaway is demonstrating its commitment to elevating the women’s game and recognizing the important role that WGD plays in bringing together women who play or are interested in finding out more about golf.

Reynolds Lake Oconee to Host Top Men and Women Collegiate Golfers

Reynolds Lake Oconee will serve as the epicenter for top collegiate golfers during the next four weeks as it plays host to women’s and men’s intercollegiate golf tournaments, including the 17th annual Linger Longer Invitational (LLI) next month.

Hosted by Mercer University, the Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational — set for Friday, Feb. 18 to Sunday, Feb. 20 — will attract some of the country’s top women college players. Other highly ranked programs include East Tennessee State, defending champion North Florida, Chattanooga and Wisconsin.

Two Time Major Champion Stacy Lewis Rejoins Mizuno Golf

 Mizuno is delighted to confirm that two-time Major champion and former World Number One Stacy Lewis has rejoined Mizuno and will be playing Mizuno equipment on the 2022 LPGA Tour.

As well as playing Mizuno equipment,  including the new ST-X 220 Driver and JPX921 Forged irons, Lewis will also become a mentor to Mizuno’s younger talent.

Arccos and TaylorMadeGolf Expand Partnership with Launch of Track Better Play Better Program

Arccos – the pioneer of big data and Artificial Intelligence for golf – today announced the expansion of its partnership with TaylorMade Golf, providing new club purchasers with the opportunity to receive a free set of Arccos Caddie Smart Sensors, free shipping and a 45-day trial membership to the award-winning platform by visiting taylormade.arccosgolf.com.

Golf’s first Artificial Intelligence platform, Arccos Caddie automatically tracks your shots while delivering in-round insights and personalized Strokes Gained analytics. The system is highlighted by an A.I.-powered rangefinder, smart club distances and caddie advice for every golf hole on earth. These innovations helped new Arccos Caddie members who played at least 10 rounds lowered their handicap index by an average of 5.78 strokes in 2021.

Titleist Introduces New TruFeel Golf Ball for 2022

Already the softest golf ball in the Titleist golf ball family, the new TruFeel has been re-designed for more distance than ever before in combination with even softer greenside feel. Now available in golf shops worldwide, Titleist Golf Ball R&D was able to deliver the enhancements by engineering a larger and faster core along with high-performance aerodynamics to deliver longer distance. A thinner, reformulated TruFlex cover provides the improved feel and control for shots around the green.

“The TruFeel golfer is primarily focused on long and soft, but also seeks overall performance,” said Frederick Waddell, Director of Golf Ball Product Management, Titleist. “That is where TruFeel stands out in its category, where the golfer doesn’t have to sacrifice performance and can trust the quality and consistency of Titleist.”

Titleist Introduces New Velocity Golf Ball for 2022

Power breeds confidence and the new Titleist Velocity golf ball is engineered to provide increased speed with high flight for golfers with one main objective – long distance. This is accomplished through a new higher compression core and reformulated cover combination that delivers the longest, best performing Velocity yet.

“This golf ball is fun for our team,” said Frederick Waddell, Director of Golf Ball Product Management, Titleist. “We‘re designing for a golfer looking for distance, and that allows us to be singularly focused on speed and overall distance through the bag. We were able to achieve the performance goals of longer driver and iron distance while maintaining its high flight and greenside playability through new and reformulated core and cover technology.”

Edel Golf Rolls Out Putter Fitting Systems to 130+ GOLFTEC Locations

Edel Golf and GOLFTEC are proud to announce the rollout of the Edel EAS Putter Fitting System to over 130 GOLFTEC locations. GOLFTEC, the world leader in golf improvement, is providing a platform for a significant leap in putter fitting to its current and future student base with the further rollout of the EAS Fitting Cart. After a successful year one, this next step highlights the success between the two companies and the commitment to improving the games of golfers everywhere.

“It’s really been a great relationship that has blossomed over the past year,” said Chris Koske, Edel VP of Sales and Marketing. “Edel Golf and GOLFTEC have very similar beliefs when it comes to improving the ability of every player it touches. GOLFTEC’s commitment to understanding, teaching and embracing such a thorough putter fitting process is incredibly impressive.  It’s fun to work with like minded strategic partners.”

Club Champion Experiences Record Growth in 2021 - Looks Upward and Onward for 2022

The game of golf requires a certain optimism — players keep coming back regardless of the challenges. The golf industry has seen the perseverance of that optimism in recent years, with 2021 being the biggest year on record for many golf brands. Club Champion, the nation’s top custom club fitter and builder, was no exception.

The fitter’s dynamic vision has led Golf Digest to include them in the bi-annual Top 100 Clubfitters ranking since the inception of the list. The company’s thorough processes and attention to detail have gained a strong recognition among golfers, leading to overall revenue growth of 58% year-over-year and over 90,000 fittings in 2021.