THE STARTER SHACK
F-Bombs and Long Bombs were part and parcel of this past weekend's golf. And we're not talking about our golf.
👨🦳 Old Man Chitlan drops the F-Bomb in celebration interview
🏆 Another 6 man playoff...and it started off horribly
📈 Are you hitting the ball too far these days? The R&A/USGA can help with that
⛳️ Do drivers lose their "pop"
PGA TOUR
Hands Off My Balls
Excess distance is not a problem area with our game, nor is it likely an issue most everyday golfer’s deal with.
Do you have any of these aspects attached to your game:
- hit the ball 300+ yards on a frozen rope?
- concerns about what iron to hit into a par 5 from 245 yards?
- play most par 4’s with a driver and a half wedge?
Like the world’s best, we have worn out wedges, though more so from us hitting off cart paths, tree roots, and other course hazards not intended to house golf balls.
The R&A/USGA, however, seems to think jaw-dropping driving distance is an issue...for everybody. There is newfound zeal to try and reign in equipment, and especially rolling back the golf ball.
Distance gains are only an issue at golf’s highest levels. This isn’t a serious issue like folks using iron covers or spending an hour of their round fishing for golf balls.
Yes, the world’s best are obsoleting some classic courses, however, this isn’t the same as us hacks being one club shorter on a par 4 (that we’ll still hosel rocket into the greenside trap...or air mail the green).
- Average professional golfer drive - 296 yards
- Average male amateur drive - 220 yards
- Average female amateur drive - 150 yards
Further complicating matters is R&A/USGA state that they don’t want to bifurcate the rules….(we’ll wait for you to check out dictionary.com). Simply put, folks competing in the US Open or the Bushwood “Hit ‘n’ Giggle” will have the same equipment standards.
If the professional ranks want to be treated like NASCAR where the equipment is the same for everybody, no problem, please do so without stripping away the thrill of longer tee shots and other odd flashes of joy for us mere mortals.
Who among us wouldn’t love another 20 yards on our drives, moving up to hitting an iron, an actual #$#%#%# iron into a par 4, rather than our trusty, tired, oh so very tired, fairway wood for an approach shot? Also, who among us also doesn’t relish the extra spin on an approach from an “illegally” grooved wedge?
The only folks grinning like a teenage boy at a stripclub in all of this will be the lawyers lining up to litigate both sides of the manufacturers vs. USGA/R&A debate. Gives new meaning to rolling back balls, doesn’t it?
GIMME
- Do drivers lose their "pop": let's answer another question first...did your driver ever come with pop. If so, how much pop did it have, how much did it cost, and where can we get one? But to answer the first question, Golf Digest had editors (not doctors or scientists) provide the answers here.
- Only person in Canada qualified to caddie for Vijay: is a back shop kid from Calgary who almost shat his pants when told he'd be carrying the Fijian's bag. And when asked how the whole experience was going...well, he wasn't jumping for joy in this video.
- 11 Years! 11 Years!: that is how long it took for Ryan O'Toole to capture her first LPGA Tour win. Monday to Friday feels like an eternity...in hell...during a drought...on a volcano, we can't imagine what Ryan must've been feeling for those 4,000+ days without a win. Also, she was harboring thoughts of retirement...she's probably pretty happy she's a procrastinator.
- 6 Men and a Trophy: there was another big playoff this week that included 6 grown men, only two of which hit the green in the first playoff hole. BUT what separates us from them (besides their private jets and champagne baths) is their shortgames. Holy hell if there weren't some amazing up and downs on that first playoff hole to send it to one more. Watch every shot right here.
- Miss a Cut make a Million: that's exactly what Matthew Wolff did over the weekend. Not sure why he gets the million, we've been missing cuts for years now and haven't seen a penny. Wolff won a season-long challenge that didn't require a reservation in the final group on the weekend.
- Golf pros are too honest: and it cost this mini-tour pro 23K...because of a silly button on his rangefinder that switched it to SLOPE. Technology is out to ruin this beautiful game that is full of tradition and integrity...just don't take away my foot wedge or my molitor golf ball. Byyyye.
PIC OF THE DAY
You see Seve Ballesteros, a professional golfer...we see one twisted ankle and a knee that requires surgery...once we sober up.
WITB
This is very much a What's NOT in The Bag after 10,000 counterfeit clubswere seized in China. Brands that were being knocked off included: XXIO, Titleist, TaylorMade, PXG, Callaway and Ping. Does this mean our VaylorPade wedges aren't coming? Hello? Hello?
INSIDE THE ROPES
We like a guy who just says it as he sees it, even if it makes ol' grandma's mouth pucker up a little. Let's be honest, her mouth has looked like it's been puckered up for a few decades now.
GOLF GEAR
Adeedas or Adi-das or Adidas...however you say it.
Is coming out with a no-dye golf shoe whereby they use the material's natural color. We're hoping that cutting this pre-treatment phase of shoemaking makes these things affordable...but we'll have to wait until August 20th to find out.
*not a sponsored post
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Today's email was brought to you by: Nolan Filipenko & Colby Johannson
