Virginian Evan Beck Finds Redemption By Winning 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur at Kinloch for Elusive USGA Title

The USGA redemption tour for Evan Beck is officially complete. In dominating fashion, the 34-year-old from Virginia Beach, Va., finally put his name on a USGA trophy with a 9-and-8 victory over Bobby Massa in Thursday’s 36-hole U.S. Mid-Amateur championship match at Kinloch Golf Club.

A two-time USGA runner-up, including last year’s 3-and-2 defeat to Stewart Hagestad at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, in Scarborough, N.Y., and a 2008 shellacking (10 and 8) from Cameron Peck in the U.S. Junior Amateur final at Shoal Creek, in Alabama, Beck became the first Virginian to hoist the Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Trophy, and the first from the Commonwealth to capture any USGA title since Lauren Greenlief’s triumph in the 2015 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur.

Gole Fulfilled: Aussie Claims U.S. Senior Women's Am

In a field full of some of the game’s most established amateur legends, Nadene Gole may not have been the obvious favorite to win the 62nd U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, held this week at Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle, Wash.  But when you look at her resume, well, maybe she should have been. 

Currently ranked No. 116 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking®, far and away the highest-ranked female senior in the world, Gole defeated 2022 champion Shelly Stouffer, of Canada, 3 and 2 to win her first USGA title in just her second USGA championship appearance. 

Bobby Massa and Evan Beck Advance to Championship Match at 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur

Rain returned to Kinloch Golf Club on Wednesday for the quarterfinal and semifinal matches of the 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. But not even Hurricane Helene that is barreling its way into Florida and drenching the South could have cooled down Bobby Massa.

How about a scorching 6-under-par-29, first-nine performance in the semifinals that included five birdies, an eagle-2 and a bogey? 

Stouffer and Gole to Face Off in Finals

A field of 132 players from 492 entries began the week at the 2024 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, and after two rounds of stroke play and four rounds of match play just two remain for Tuesday’s final match at Seattle’s Broadmoor Golf Club.

Stroke-play medalist Shelly Stouffer will take on the No. 3 seed, Nadene Gole, in the 18-hole final match after the pair won both their quarterfinal and semifinal matches on Monday. Stouffer won the 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur while Gole is competing in just her second U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur after she reached the quarterfinals in 2023.

John Fought Returns to Utah to Design State-of-the-Art Practice Facility, Spearhead Partial Renovation of Acclaimed Private Golf Course

Golf course architect John Fought, an All-American collegiate player at Brigham Young University, is returning to Utah to design a state-of-the-art practice facility and renovate some of the existing holes at Alpine Country Club, a private course in the booming area of Highland, 30 miles south of Salt Lake City.

The $6.8 million project, part of a three-phase, 10-year plan at the Club, is scheduled to begin in July 2025 and be completed in Fall 2027.

NEWTON GOLF Introduces New Gravity Putter Line, Building on Momentum from Recent Rebranding

NEWTON GOLF, a technology-forward golf company with a growing portfolio of golf products, including putters, golf shafts, golf grips, and other golf-related accessories, builds on its recent rebranding with the launch of three new putter models and two redesigned classics in its newly formed Gravity Premium Series (“Gravity”) of putters. 

Formerly known as Sacks Parente Golf putters, the putter linehas been redesigned and rebranded as Gravity under the NEWTON GOLF umbrella, ushering in a new era with a fresh, modern aesthetic. Featuring striking red and black colors and a premium ceramic coating finish  previously reserved for Tour-level putters, these models embody NEWTON GOLF’s core design principles, including the brand’s signature patented Ultra’Low Balance Point (ULBP) and Center of Gravity (CG)technology.

Club Champion Adds MyAccount to Enhance User Experience

Club Champion, the globe’s top custom golf club fitter and builder, announced that they have created MyAccount to enhance the fitter-customer relationship and evolve the existing user experience.

In the brand’s new MyAccount platform, customers can access their fitting history, Trackman results, purchase history, referral codes, and more. Additionally, users can track current orders in real-time and view their P.A.R. Program rewards. 

Erin Hills to Host Five USGA Amateur Championships From 2027 to 2039

The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced that Erin Hills, in Erin, Wis., one of America's premier daily-fee golf courses, has been selected to host five USGA amateur championships over the next 15 years.

These championships come in addition to the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally, which will be held May 28-June 1. 

Club Champion Putter Fitting Review (Owings Mills, Maryland) - PGAPappas Winner Guest Review

A Club Champion fitting is truly unlike anything else you'll ever experience.  It will help you play better golf no matter what your goals are or what your game is like.  And in the process it's going to make days on the golf course more fun.  I recently had a Club Champion putter fitting that was one of the best fitting experiences I could have possibly had.

The winner of my recent Club Champion putter fitting giveaway also had an awesome all-around day.  It was educational.  It was eye-opening.  And bottom line it was triumphant.  Nick (@AllTruth16) on X/Twitter was fit at Club Champion - Owings Mills, and says "I learned a lot about my stroke and alignment and actually trust my stroke now."

Defending Champion Hagestad and Co-Medalists Beck and Oliva Pinto Advance at 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur

Stewart Hagestad has a chance to make some U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship history this week at Kinloch Golf Club. Becoming a four-time champion to join Nathan Smith in that exclusive club might subconsciously be in the Southern Californian’s mind, but the veteran of now 31 USGA championships knows he can’t be focused on such trivialities.

Not against this stellar field and the gauntlet one must run through to hoist the Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Trophy.

Now that match play has begun, however, Hagestad, 33, of Newport Beach, can take a vastly different approach into each round. He can narrow his mindset to just himself, the course and opponent. Everything else is just white noise.

Three-time USGA Champion Tennant Grinds to Round of 32

Two 18-hole qualifying rounds of stroke play weren’t enough at the 62nd U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur as eight players competed for the final six spots to advance to the Round of 64 on Monday, the first round of match play at Seattle’s Broadmoor Golf Club.

After just one playoff hole, the bracket was set for a first round of matches that featured a handful of bouts that could’ve easily come in the quarterfinals or later, few more notable than three-time Senior Women’s Amateur champion Lara Tennant pitted against three-time Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Sarah LeBrun Ingram.

Fujikura Announces the All New 2024 PRO Series Shafts

Fujikura, the leader in performance golf shafts, is proud to announce the all-new 2024 PRO Series of wood shafts that will be available at charter detailers from September 23rd.

The new PRO Series features Advanced Bend Profile Design (ABP) – A technology led by fitter feedbackand proven through ongoing enso® analytics. ABP targets specific locations within a section of the shaft to substantially alter stiffness, independent of that section’s overall bend profile.

King & Bear Golf Course Set to Re-Open after Extensive Restoration

After undergoing a comprehensive agronomic restoration, the King & Bear Golf Course at World Golf Village will officially reopen on October 4, 2024, welcoming both members and public guests to experience enhanced playing conditions and revitalized turf across the course.

This five-month, $2.5 million dollar restoration, led by MacCurrach Golf of Jacksonville, Florida, focused on improving the course’s playability while preserving its original character. A key highlight of the project involved resurfacing all 18 greens, as well as the putting and chipping areas, with TifEagle Bermuda grass. This premium grass was selected to provide smoother, more consistent putting surfaces. Additionally, the practice areas were upgraded with new Bermuda grass, ensuring lush, healthy turf year-round.

Nicklaus Design Chosen to Design Holes for TGL Presented by SoFi

Nicklaus Design—the world’s acknowledged leader in golf course design — is pleased to announce that they have been chosen to design a selection of holes that will be used for TGL presented by SoFi, the new tech-infused, team golf league founded by Tiger Woods’ and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports.

TGL presented by SoFi features six teams of the world’s top PGA TOUR talent competing in a season-long, fast-paced competition that brings golf to a prime time stage. TGL’s home will be the custom-built SoFi Center, a 250,000 square foot, tech-infused venue on the campus of Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. TGL’s inaugural season begins Tuesday, Jan. 7 in prime time on ESPN and ESPN+ in the U.S. and other prominent media partners around the globe.

Legacy Golf Course Ribbon Cutting to Mark Completion of Renovation

Legacy Golf Course at the 19 will host a ribbon cutting ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Friday, September 27th to mark the completion of a major renovation project undertaken in 2022.

The Legacy – formerly Mason City Country Club – is a 1915 Thomas Bendelow design. With the course history in mind, the renovation was directed at addressing major issues while enhancing the course’s unique golden age character. Significant updates include state-of-the-art computerized irrigation system addressing a major drainage issue, new ponds, new bunkers and improvements to current bunkers, realignment of all fairways, and the addition of forward tees to allow for all levels of players to enjoy the course. 

Canadian Stouffer Earns Medalist Honors at Broadmoor GC

So far so good for Canada’s Shelly Stouffer, looking for her second U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur title after winning the event two years ago in Alaska. The Vancouver Island resident shot a three-over 73 in the second round of the stroke play portion to complete 36 holes on four-over-par 144 and win medalist honors by a stroke over Australia’s Nadene Gole.

After a slightly nervy start during which she bogeyed two of her first three holes, Stouffer settled into a nice rhythm making just one bogey in the next 15, and finishing her round with nine straight pars.

Best Cities in America for a Golf Vacation

The study by luxury golf apparel brand Galvin Green analyzed the most populous U.S. cities against 11 metrics. These include the number of golf courses, including how many are municipal, public, and private. The research also looked at the number of restaurants. The average rating of golf courses and restaurants was also analyzed.

Furthermore, the average temperature and rainfall were recorded to find the warmest and driest places for golf vacations.

Costs were also taken into consideration, including average hotel prices, the cost of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and meals.

Segundo Oliva Pinto and Evan Beck Are Co-Medalists at 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship

Unlike so many hotshot golfers who come out of collegiate golf these days, Segundo Oliva Pinto chose to defer turning professional. In his words, the newly minted 25-year-old Argentinian – and 2021 Southeastern Conference individual champion from the University of Arkansas – wasn’t ready for the grind of the play-for-pay circuit.

None of the other 263 competitors in the 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship might agree with that assessment. Not after Oliva Pinto, who has became eligible for the competition on Sept. 1 and is the youngest player in the field, carded a 5-under-par 65 on Sunday at stroke-play co-host Independence Golf Club, in Midlothian, Va. Combined with Saturday’s 3-under 68 at Kinloch Golf Club, Oliva Pinto shared medalist honors with 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up Evan Beck at 8-under-par 133.That was two strokes off the championship record set in 2021 by Yaroslav Merkulov at Sankaty Head Golf Club and Miacomet Golf Course on Nantucket Island, in Massachusetts.

Comfort Comes in New Colorways in ECCO® GOLF’s Latest Collection for Fall and Winter

ECCO GOLF, leaders in golf footwear innovation, unveils its latest lineup for the fall and winter seasons featuring recently launched products as well as mainstays in a range of exciting and bold new colorways.

Designed for every occasion, on and off the course, the AW24 collection is headlined by the ECCO GOLF LT1, which was released earlier this year and returns in all new color options for men – PAVEMENT and STEEL – and women – GRAVEL and NIGHT SKY. Available in both laced and BOA options, the LT1 has set the standard for comfort and performance in a golf shoe with ECCO’s revolutionary LYTR Foam technology, which creates a flexible, cloud-like sensation for the wearer when combined with ECCO's ultra-soft PHORENE material in the midsole.

Jordan Spieth, Invited Host Inaugural “Crush It! Cup” and Raise $250,000 for Charity

Invited, the largest owner and operator of membership clubs, and Jordan Spieth, three-time major winner and Invited partner and brand ambassador, hosted the inaugural Crush It! Cup youth golf tournament and fundraiser at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas on September 16, 2024.

Crush It! Cup featured 36 top juniors from Invited Clubs nationwide who earned their spot in the tournament by participating in a three-month-long Golf Marathon Fundraiser to raise funds for the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation. Together with Invited, the athletes raised $250,000 for the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation. Hundreds of young athletes across all Invited golf clubs participated in the fundraiser.