THE STARTER SHACK
Two takeaways from today's newsletter: Johnny Miller hit his 4-iron 140 yards (he was a tremendous ballstriker), Bryson DeChambeau hits his 8-iron 190 yards (he's a tremendous slouch). The golfer on top of the Ryder Cup isn't just any old golfer.
👴🏻 Hair that flows like the salmon of Capistrano
🧐 Pro uses iron covers
📏 Driver fitting without swinging
⛳️ Origins of the Ryder Cup
PGA TOUR
He's Old But Not Dead
Bernhard ist gut, sehr gut.
The best individual campaigns ever on the Champions Tour were ranked in a Golf Magazine article. One thing is for certain; these guys were good and remained good. Like a great bottle of scotch and unlike month old expired milk.
We noticed that there were the usual cast of characters, with a common refrain. Folks like Bruce Fleischer, Gil Morgan and Lee Trevino appear as does the Senior Circuit’s first truly dominant player, Hale Irwin.
Bringing in the silver medal on this list was Bernhard Langer:
- Member of the World Golf Hall of Fame (2002)
- One of five golfers who have won professional golf events on all six continents
- First player ever ranked #1 on the World Golf Ranking in 1985
- Two time Masters winner (‘85, ‘93), 117 worldwide wins (!)
- Hair that flows like the salmon of Capistrano
After a Hall of Fame career playing with the flat bellies, Langer arrived on the Champions Tour like us at a beer drinking contest...salivating.
- has won a record 11 senior major championships
- Winner of 41 Champions Tour events (and surely counting)
- achieved the career Senior Grand Slam (winning each of the five major championships)
Perhaps one of the most amazing pieces of information we came across was Langer making the cut at the Masters in 2020 at age 63.
The oldest ever. Legend.
Perhaps even better was he was paired with Bryson DeChambeau in the final round and beat him head-to-head even though he was hitting his mashie and niblick into greens.
Not bad for a guy who has battled the putting yips for his whole career.
GIMME
- ALERT all Gear Heads: here is a Q&A on the new Mitsubishi TENSEI 1k Pro White Shafts. We're not sure what we just wrote there. We believe but cannot confirm that this is about a golf club shaft and not the gear shaft of a Mitsubishi Outlander. One costs $500 the other $25,000.
- Sam "Ryder" Cup: we were today year's old when we found out the Ryder Cup was named after a man named Sam Ryder who looks like a non-cowboy version of Sam Elliot (see pic of the day). Mr. Ryder's golf instructor is the little golfer on top of the Ryder Cup itself. Listen, we could state a bunch of fluff here but the story of the origins of the Ryder Cup is beautifully written here. Fun fact: the Brits won the first Cup 13-1.
- Big Ryder Cup Moments: Golf Digest put together the 15 most consequential moments in Ryder Cup history. Our 15 most consequential moments on the golf course usually come in a 15 pack of Keystone Light from Walmart for $8.98.
- Pro uses iron covers: and the story is pretty is heartfelt. His family didn't come from money so his dad put iron covers on a new set he bought his son to protect them...now he's a pro and continues the tradition. Our friend Travis uses headcovers too...TaylorMade ones with a little window to see what club hides under the neoprene...Travis rides in a cart by himself, where he belongs.
- David beats Dick: David Toms beat Dicky Pride to win PGA Tour Champion's Ascension Charity Classic. We're not linking to an article, we just wanted to type that in bold letters. If you're new here...welcome to the sh!t show.
- Get fitted for a driver: without swinging a club. MyGolfSpy has led us to believe that they can fit you for a driver through their TRUEGolfFit Technology. This is based on 3.14 million golf shots, a 45k swing database that has a 92.7% swing match accuracy. Go for it, it's only $9 if it doesn't work. And let's be honest, you've pounded more than $9 into the bush on the first tee...this year alone.
- Big Cedar Lodge: is doing what no other golf resort is doing...sustainability and conservation to the highest standard. All five of their golf courses have been given Audubon International Signature Sanctuary certifications. If you're planning a trip of a lifetime... check out this gorgeous place.
PIC OF THE DAY
Hello world, I'm Sam Ryder.
I purchased the 17-inch gold "Ryder Cup" in 1927 from Mappin & Webb at a cost of $250 ($21,000 in today's world).
WITB
Johnny Miller 1973 WITB (this is supposedly from a Golf.com article...we couldn't find the link)
“It was the oldest set of clubs [in relation] to the year it was played on Tour in the history of golf.” -- Johnny Miller
DRIVER: 270 yards
1961 MacGregor Velocitized Tourney
“I had to have everything just right, so I refinished my clubs and refaced them. In ’73, they used persimmon that wasn’t the hard wood. I wanted the heavier blocks that had a real tight grain. I wanted a little bit of movement, which means [wood] from the knotty area of the tree.”
3-WOOD: 235-240 yards
1945 MacGregor Tommy Armour
4-WOOD: 225 yards
1941 MacGregor Tommy Armour
IRONS
1945 MacGregor Tommy Armour 915T (2-7) and 1972 MacGregor Tourney Custom (8-PW)
2-iron: 210 yards
3-iron: 200 yards
4-iron: 185 yards
5-iron: 175 yards
6-iron: 160 yards
7-iron: 150 yards
8-iron: 140 yards
9-iron: 125 yards
PW (10-iron): 115 yard
“I cut the irons and reground the bottoms [soles] and the top. You didn’t have much club left, so they had to have a lot of lead tape to bring them up [to proper swingweight numbers]. An extra wrap on the right hand made the grip not so V-shaped.”
SAND WEDGE: 85 yards
1959 Wilson Dyna-Power, 58°
PUTTER
1952 Acushnet Bullseye Old Standard
“No putter ever made feels better than a Bullseye. It’s so soft. The ones before the late ’60s had a heavier brass alloy, which kept them from getting dinged up all over.”
BALL
MacGregor Tourney
“In ’73, I switched to the Tourney ball that Jack [Nicklaus] was using. It was a heck of a ball. It was so hard [101 compression] that it wouldn’t spin and back up quite as much as the softer balata balls. When I switched, my scoring definitely improved.”
140 yard 8-iron? Yeah, yardages haven't changed one bit at the pro level. Compare that to Bryson's 190 yard 8-iron.
INSIDE THE ROPES
Kevin Na, knocking in putts with a cane and then walking off putts with a cane.
GOLF GEAR
Adidas + Wisconsin (insert moo joke here)
Holy cow, Adidas has created a shoe that looks like a cow. Question...is the microfiber leather upper made from a cow that is then made to look like a cow? How meta would that be? Regardless if they made a shoe from a cow to look like a cow, you can buy them here for $120.
I guess we should also state that these are Ryder Cup Limited Edition shoes...Whistling Straits. Wisconsin. Ryder Cup. You get it.
*not a sponsored post
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We thank you in advance!
Today's email was brought to you by: Nolan Filipenko & Colby Johannson
