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Editor’s Letter

The Right Choice Let the Hot List do the heavy lifting on your equipment by max adler

cut my teeth at Golf Digest working on the Hot List. Thanks to those years plus continued osmosis from our astute equipment editors, Mike Stachura and E. Michael Johnson—a.k.a. The Mikes—during any given golf season I’m confident the clubs in my bag are the right ones. I’m a lucky guy whose office is perpetually littered with the latest gear and smart people to tell me about it. It’s when I dabble in other sports that I’m reminded how confusing shopping for new equipment can be. During the winter I play indoor tennis once a week. Forgive this utterance of a lesser game, but when New York golf courses freeze over, life-size Ping Pong becomes my substitute for zoning in (out?) on the speed and spin of a small ball and the stroke that sends ’er. Kind of like golf, I maintain the glimmer of hope, however thin, that I might still improve even as career, family

4 golf digest | issue 2 . 2020

and aging rally against it. I buy new rackets about every three years. With almost any sport, the moment you stop being curious about new equipment marks a sad one in the relationship. You’ve given up. Lord knows it’s easy to do. My tennis buddies are more knowledgeable than me and get new rackets once a year, sometimes twice. When they bring demos to the court, they don’t call them by their make or model but by the top players who use them. “The Federer is too handleheavy for you,” one tells me. “Try The Wawrinka. It should play stiffer and with more plow-through than The Djokovic, but with similar balance as The Nadal.” Golfers don’t do this. Maybe we’d all gain yards if we started referring to our drivers as The Rory and The Brooks. (Probably not.) These same buddies say the design of tennis rackets is every bit as sophisticated as golf clubs. They seem to parrot marketing-speak, and as often as I think they’re full of it, I have sources in high places, too. Jim Courier, fourtime Grand Slam winner and former world No. 1, happens to also be a really good golfer and told me over a round this fall, “Technology has changed the angles in tennis. Players can now hit winners from corners where they never could before.” That sure sounds like what we see in pro golf. And I want me some of that. With testing a racket, the type of string and tension at which it’s strung add haunting layers of complexity, to say

nothing of the fluctuations of your stroke or the human’s on the other side of the net. Suddenly your forehand starts clicking, and you’re ripping balls cross-court with nice topspin, but what variable is clicking, exactly? Everyday civilians can’t get custom-fit for tennis rackets like they can for golf clubs. I’m biased, but I checked tennis magazines and searched online and found nothing that compares to the process and presentation of the Golf Digest Hot List. And because I merely like tennis— and don’t love it like I do golf—I won’t devote sufficient time to methodically finding what’s right for me. Ultimately, I tried three rackets in 15 minutes, and goaded by my buddies, bought the third. Perhaps it’s with this same impetuousness that you shop for golf clubs, perhaps not. When we’re overloaded with complicated or unreliable information, it can be human nature to revert to gut instinct. The content of this issue should help you avoid that. During a recent pang of buyer’s remorse, I took out my former racket on a crossover. It was unhittable. Weak and flimsy like an oversize toothpick. I thought, How could I have ever played with this junk? When we upgrade, the physical sensation of how we experience the game changes. I’ve found no amount of conscious thought about technique equals the productive jolt of a new weapon. Perhaps it’s the placebo effect, but modern medicine is discovering more and more that placebos work. If you’re uncertain about whether to try new clubs, I suggest fetching from your attic or garage whatever you played before your current gamer. As bad as it feels is how good something else might.

Morsa IMages/getty IMages

How to find the magical upgrade? I want me some of that.

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Tee Sheet

▶ public treasures The North (above) and South courses at Torrey Pines host the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open.

Issue/2

how to play. what to play. where to play.

4 Editor’s Letter Shopping for new equipment is confusing in any sport.

20 Butch Harmon Why you miss putts when you stare at the cup for too long. 22 Undercover Caddie When tour pros consider competing overseas for appearance fees.

40 Furyk Contemplates 50 On the verge of eligibility for the senior circuit, golf’s third all-time leading money winner takes stock of a career few ever gave a chance.

with joel beall

by john feinstein

by max adler

Play 14 Golfers We Like Musician Ben Rector plays the greatest game almost as well as he does piano and guitar. by peter finch

Features

24 My Slappy Cut Learn how to hit this sure shot that finds the fairway. by tiger woods

26 Gimme One Thing Impossible bunker shots. by mario guerra

29 The Loop Dark thoughts on how to make virtual-reality golf worse. by coleman bentley

32 Swing Sequence Jessica Korda’s moves for more consistency off the tee. with keely levins

16 Stick Your Short Irons I won my first PGA Tour event last year by not wasting my best drives. Here are three keys to help you do the same.

34 70th Anniversary Why is Clifford Roberts smiling in this old photo?

by c.t. pan

36 David Leadbetter A secret to a powerful swing is in the knees.

18 The Ethicist A messy situation among a club, a member and the poor waiter who spilled the wine. by matthew rudy

by guy yocom

38 Jim Nantz The par 3s in Del Monte Forest are about to get better.

the hot list 48 Our Guide To What’s Good We considered 248 products in our 17th annual review of the game’s most meaningful new equipment. We winnowed that down to 131 clubs, and our next step is to help you find what’s perfect for you. Plus, lessons from Michael Breed through the bag. by mike stachura

mark degnan

52 Drivers 58 Fairway Woods 68 Hybrids 74 Game Improvement Irons 82 Super Game Improvement Irons 86 Players Distance Irons 90 Players Irons 96 Wedges 102 Mallet Putters 110 Blade Putters

Cover illustration by Eddie Guy

116 Last Shot Who knew that two exemplars of humility, Arnold Palmer and Mister Rogers, went to the same high school? by jerry tarde

issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

FOLLOW THE ACTION FEBRUARY 13-16 RIVIERA COUNTRY CLUB | PACIFIC PALISADES, CA

edited by claire rogers

YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT WE’RE DOING BEYOND THE PAGES

equipment Build Your Own Virtual Bag Your search for new clubs starts with this Hot List issue. Need more guidance? Go to golfdigest.com/go/ hotlist and take our diagnostic quiz to further narrow your choices.

instruction

FROM TOP: MaRk hOOPeR • j.d. Cuban • naThaniel welCh

Get a lesson from Butch Harmon Where else can you get a personal lesson from the No. 1 teacher in America? In our new video series at golfdigest.com/ schools, Butch breaks down the full swing and short game to fix common faults.

2020 schedule The Year Ahead From golf’s major championships to the Olympics to the Ryder Cup, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about the golf season at golfdigest.com.

to have

Photograph by Eric Ryan Anderson

Play A Singer With Range Ben Rector brings his clubs on tour—and it shows f you envy professional musicians and the independence their careers afford them, you might want to stop reading here. Ben Rector is a Nashvillebased singer-songwriter who appeared at No. 49 on our ranking of the best musician golfers back in 2014. His handicap was 13. Since then he has whittled it down to as low as 4. Rector’s secret? About three years ago he got home from a tour and, as often happens, found himself buzzing with energy. “I was bouncing off the walls,” he says. His wife, Hillary, suggested he find a hobby, so he joined the Golf Club of Tennessee, a Tom Fazio-designed course just outside Nashville. Once just an occasional golfer, Rector was suddenly into it. “Before, I was playing with my father-in-law’s clubs and would go months at a time without golf,” recalls Rector, 33. Now he’s a once-a-week player when he’s at home with Hillary and their daughter, Jane, and “I take my clubs on tour with me and usually play a whole bunch on the road.” Scroll through Rector’s Instagram account (@ben_ rector) and you’ll see photos and videos from a few of the

courses he played while touring the United States last year: Pinehurst, Shadow Creek, Chambers Bay, Bandon Dunes. He gets a lot of invitations to private clubs, too, including Augusta National, which he has played twice. Touring the West Coast in 2019, one epic four-day stretch brought him to Los Angeles Country Club, Cypress Point and San Francisco Golf Club before ending up at Bandon. “It truly was insane,” he says. Raised in Tulsa, where he played high school football and baseball and ran crosscountry, Rector began to get serious about a music career while attending the University of Arkansas. He has since released nine albums of keyboard-infused pop. The two most recent studio albums, “Brand New” and “Magic,” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Folk chart and No. 2 on the Indie chart. “I just feel super lucky to have an interesting job that is engaging and that I like,” he says. “And I’m so lucky to have stumbled into golf—to have a hobby that ends up dovetailing into my job the way it does.” Anybody in music he hasn’t played with but wants to? That’s easy. “Huey Lewis,” Rector says. “I freaking love that guy.” —peter finch issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

Play Tour Technique c.t. pan 28 / 5-6 145 pounds Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) pga tour One victory (2019 RBC Heritage). Joined in 2017. world golf ranking 69th best statistic (2019) Scrambling inside 10 yards (93 percent, fifth on tour)

by c.t. pan n pro-ams, my partners often ask what they can do to improve. My stock answer: Take advantage of your good drives. The funny thing is, I wasn’t doing a good job of listening to my own advice. ▶ Despite good results with my irons in 2018, ranking fifth on the PGA Tour in greens-in-regulation percentage (71.2), I was blowing many easy opportunities to get it close. From 125 yards to 150 yards, I ranked 111th on tour in approach proximity. I don’t care if it’s the PGA Tour or your Thursday-night league, you can’t miss from short range and be successful. That’s why I spend a great deal of my practice time working on short-iron shots—and it has paid off. At my breakthrough win at the RBC Heritage last year, I averaged a tournament-best 13-foot leave distance on my approach shots from that range. And for the year, my leave distance was 2½-feet closer than the previous season. It’s a big reason I was able to make the International team for the Presidents Cup in December. ▶ That’s why I still give the same advice at pro-ams; it matters. Here’s what I did to improve. —with joel beall

16 golf digest | issue 2 . 2020

“The hips, shoulders and arm move as one unit.” make a compact swing ▶ A good starting point for better short-iron shots is to make three-quarter backswings. It’s also a good checkpoint (photo, left) to make sure you’re not swinging the club too far inside or outside the target line. Do that, and you’ll have to re-route the club on the downswing to hit an accurate shot. Another great thing about a short backswing is that it develops good rhythm. Most amateurs swing short irons too far back, and they get out of sync. The shorter the swing, the less that can go wrong. And while you’re at it, match your effort to your backswing length. Swing at 75 percent of your max speed.

proximity to the hole

(125-150 yards)

stay committed ▶ I have a tendency to lose my posture right before impact. It partially stems from my childhood, when I was in a hurry to see my shot, I’d lift up, and my contact wouldn’t be as good. That’s where the old advice to keep your head down is helpful. You don’t want it locked down, but you should feel like your posture stayed the same until the ball is long gone. It also improves balance and weight shift.

2018

22’11’’

111th on the pga tour

2019

focus on hip rotation ▶ So many missed short-iron shots are a result of making an armsy swing with little body rotation, particularly no hip turn. To get the hips going where they need to go, here’s a drill: Without a club, stick your right arm straight out, like you’re about to shake someone’s hand. From there, rotate your arm and hips like you’re making a throughswing while keeping your left leg planted (right). Get a feel for how the hips, shoulders and arm move as one unit, and remember it the next time you’ve got a short iron in your hands. Your chance of sticking that shot will go way up.

20’5’’

9th on the pga tour

Photographs by Dom Furore

Play The Ethicist

The Big Spill A club and a member spar over a ruined handbag

18 golf digest | issue 2 . 2020

t’s fair to say that if Mrs. Ethicist has heard a bad story about your private club in a non-adjacent state by listening to Howard Stern, you’re doing the whole managing-of-your-professionalreputation thing wrong. ▶ Where to begin? Like many bad dates, it started with dinner. ▶ Maryana Beyder and her husband, Igor, were just another couple of members having a meal at Alpine Country Club—a New Jersey country club in the New York City suburbs known for its fine dining. Beyder, a New Jersey real-estate agent who specializes in luxury properties, carried with her to dinner her own display of ostentatious luxury—a $30,000 Hermès Kelly handbag her husband had given her for her 30th birthday. ▶ And, like your new (and similarly priced) Toyota Camry seems to instantly attract stray shopping carts and door dings in the grocery-store parking lot, so too did Beyder’s vintage pink purse become a magnet for trouble in the dining room. In a turn of events that must have played out in slow motion for everyone involved, a waiter spilled a glass of red wine on Beyder’s unobtanium purse, leaving it with a dark stain. Unlike, say, the Camry, five-figure handbags don’t carry collision insurance. So when the bag wasn’t able to be cleaned, things got even messier than California cabernet on French calfskin.

Play Tee to Green by Butch Harmon

“Imagine the center of the hole shifted toward the high side.” When Dustin Johnson threeputted the last green and failed to force a playoff at the 2015 U.S. Open, people asked me if he’d get over it. I never had a doubt, because DJ has what most great athletes have: a short memory. Think of defensive backs in the NFL. They get burned all the time but have to come back ready for the next play. Dustin has that, and he proved it when he told the world after that round he did everything right, played great, just missed the putt. And I can tell you, he was already up for the next one. The following year, DJ went to Oakmont and won the Open, but he’d put the three-putt behind him 12 months earlier.”

Hold That Line On putts that break, forget the hole f your breaking putts tend to miss on the low side, I’d bet your problem is how you look at the putt from over the ball. Most golfers spend too much time staring at the hole, and then putt toward it— after all, that’s where you want to end up. But you have to discipline yourself to focus on the route to the hole, not the hole itself. Try this routine: Read the green from behind the ball, and imagine the first six inches of the putt as a trough aimed where you want to start the ball. When you step in, you can trace your eyes along the line, but make

20 golf digest | issue 2 . 2020

Last tip: On breaking putts, imagine the

—with peter morrice is a Golf Digest

Photograph by J.D. Cuban

andrew redington/getty images

dustin’s rebound

Play On Tour

olf, compared to other professional sports, is mostly a controversy-free game. There are rules disputes, and slow play can really get on people’s nerves, but it’s nothing to get that worked up over. But this Saudi Arabia tournament the past two years sure has gotten people going, hasn’t it? I don’t usually follow player commitments—I have a hard enough time keeping track of my schedule— but whenever I see a big name sign up for the Saudi International, I think, Here we go. A quick glance of

Undercover Caddie Politics vs. money? Money wins

22 golf digest | issue 2 . 2020

ross kinnaird/getty images • headshot: jochen conrad/eyeem/getty images

One item grabs players’ attention, and that’s safety. Twitter proves that premonition right, with fans ripping the decision to shreds. And, without fail, the first comment is along the lines of, “Why would he possibly participate?” Really? You don’t know why? Come on, brother. Yes, playing for a regime with human-rights issues is not a good look, especially after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, but here’s the answer that explains why anyone does anything in this life: It’s all about the money. Growing the game, traveling to new spots, intrigued by the competition . . . all baloney. These guys are making the trip to pad their bank accounts— anywhere from $300,000 to $3 million for an appearance—and, perhaps, meet new sponsors. That players are given the finest accommodations, and their wives are pampered like princesses, doesn’t hurt. Any other justification of why they’re playing is a facade. I hear you: Do players need the money? Don’t they realize the PR risk far outweighs the payday? Listen, I don’t care how financially secure you are, let’s see you turn down six figures, minimum, to play golf for four days. Easier said than done. And aside from the week on social media, I didn’t see Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose or any of the stars who were in the Saudi field last year become less popular with fans in the United States. The “drama” is certainly not a factor when we’re on site. In truth, most players don’t care about the social or societal issues of a foreign country. Rory McIlroy said he turned down a Saudi invitation out of principle; good for him. Paul Casey did something similar. By no means am I saying anyone who doesn’t speak out is morally bankrupt; it’s just that the majority of players aren’t concerned with geopolitics. A good chunk of players are so isolated in what they do they couldn’t tell you what the fuss is about. There’s a reason Rose’s “I’m a golfer, not a politician” line became a refrain. I understand why some fans are upset. I do. But they could be agitated anytime we leave the country. It’s not a perfect place out there, or even here, for that matter. Yet not once, out of all the players I’ve caddied for, has there been a discussion of skipping an

overseas event, and the guaranteed check that comes with it, because of the complicated tapestry of foreign relations. However, there is one item that grabs players’ attention, and that’s the safety of themselves and their families. Two or three times a year, there’s a conversation about a host city’s security and infrastructure, and we’ve passed on a dozen opportunities because we felt like it would be a hostile environment. Just a few years ago, a fellow caddie was shaken down by a Mexican police officer outside a tour stop. I believe the trumped-up charge was a seatbelt violation, and the cop threatened to take our boy to jail if he didn’t hand over his wallet. On another trip, to Morocco, we were “greeted” by state militia, brandishing machine guns, at the airport, and they never left our side the entire week. We were told the soldiers were there for protection, but it was unclear who or what they were exactly protecting. No sum is worth that anxiety. Now, when we do travel abroad, you better believe you are being watched. Your phone calls are being monitored, every lighthearted talk scrutinized. Lots of countries block what you can pull up on your computer. And it’s an unspoken agreement that you’re going to be on your best behavior, because you’re an extension of the tour, and to a greater degree, your country. Though the catalyst for these international appearances is money, I do think good can come of it. Be it Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the fans are thrilled to see American tour players. Honestly, the crowds are more appreciative and kinder than they can be in the States. I’m not going to hit you over the head with a “grow the game” rallying cry, but at a basic level, I think we can agree we’d all like to see a bit more peace around the world. If golf can help build some bridges to that endgame, why not make these visits, right? Especially since we’re not paying for the plane ticket. — with joel beall

Play TW

by tiger woods

ack in my 20s, and even well into my 30s, I was one of the longest players on the PGA Tour. That’s no longer the case—I’ve had four back surgeries, and I’m only six years away from being eligible for the senior tour—so it’s more important than ever for me to put my drives in the fairway. My go-to tee shot is a slappy cut. It doesn’t go very far; I can hit my 3-wood farther. But I can count on it whenever I really need to find the short grass. You should definitely develop a fairway finder with your driver, one you can trust on that nervous first tee

24 golf digest | issue 2 . 2020

shot or on scary holes with trouble everywhere. In fact, it should become your stock driver swing. I reach back for a little extra distance only when there’s more room in the fairway, or if I need to carry a bunker or get to a par 5 in two. You should do the same. Groove a consistent tee shot and swing hard only when there’s no big risk in airing one out. Cuts, when the ball moves left to right for right-handed players, are easier to control than draws. If you want to go with my slappy cut, here’s how I hit it. First, I set up with my shoulders a bit open to the target. That

means they’re aligned a little left of where I want the ball to end up. But I keep my feet relatively square to the target, because that helps me turn my hips on the backswing without putting too much stress on my lower back. Don’t worry so much about the feet. It’s the shoulders that matter. The next thing is the clubface. The big mistake is having the face square or even open to the target at address when trying to hit a cut. This leads to that weak slice that starts at the target and fades well to the right. At address, your clubface needs to point left of the target—like your shoulPhotographs by J.D. Cuban

IN 2005, WHEN TIGER HAD HIS BEST AVERAGE FOR DRIVING DISTANCE (316.1 YARDS, SECOND ON TOUR), HIS DRIVING ACCURACY WAS 54.6%. IN 2019, TIGER AVERAGED 296.8 YARDS OFF THE TEE, AND HIS DRIVING ACCURACY WAS 65.8%.

“It’s all about rotating through on the downswing.” der alignment. Aim it where you want the ball to start, not where you want it to finish. As for the swing, take the club all the way back—don’t get short—and swing down on a path that matches your open shoulder alignment. After that, it’s all about rotating through on the downswing. By the time the club reaches the ball, you should feel like your hips and chest have turned quite a bit toward the target. Don’t be afraid to release the clubhead on the through-swing,

either—this is how you get the ball starting left and cutting toward the target, rather than starting at the target and cutting away. I hit down on the ball a few degrees for this shot. I’m not suggesting you do the same, but you should feel like you’re driving the ball forward more than hitting up on it. It might take a little time for you to get the feel down for this shot, but when you do, you’ll thank me when you start splitting fairways. —with daniel rapaport

the lowdown ▶ Open your shoulders ▶ Close the clubface ▶ Swing down along your shoulder line ▶ Release the clubhead (don’t hold on)

Play Gimme One Thing

“If you can keep your balance, you can hit this shot.”

ask golf digest Q How do you play a greenside bunker with little or no sand to blast out? I use low-bounce wedges, but sometimes it still bounces off the hard clay and zings off to the next tee. steve purlyn scottsdale

by mario guerra

26 golf digest | issue 2 . 2020

f all the tough lies you can get in a greenside bunker, perhaps the worst is when your ball comes to rest so close to the edge, you can’t stand with both feet in the sand. It’s a tough shot, but not impossible. First, take a deep breath. I want you stand over the ball feeling confident. There’s no reason you can’t look like a tour pro and execute a good shot from this lie. Next, as you contemplate the shot, remember these two words that start with “s”—stable and short. You’ve got to do whatever you can to take a stance that keeps your body stable as you attempt the shot. Also, make a short backswing. I wouldn’t take the club any farther back than when your lead arm is parallel to the ground, because

if you lose your balance trying to make a longer swing, you’re dead. As far as technique, make sure the club strikes the sand about an inch or two behind the ball. Being so close to the edge, you’ll probably have to grip down on the club and make a steeper downswing, so open the face of the club at address and try to finish the swing. You need to do both to get some height on the shot so it carries over the edge. Stable body, short backswing. You got this. —with ron kaspriske mario guerra is a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher.

A You’re right to use a low-bounce short iron, such as a pitching wedge. Make a shorter, steeper swing than your standard greenside effort, and bring the club down closer to the ball than normal. It should pop out and release once it lands. ▶ submit your questions here: ask@GolfDigest .com or on Twitter @GolfDigest using the hashtag #AskGolfDigest ron barrett

One Foot Out Remember ‘double-s’ for bunker shots near the edge

Illustration by John Ritter

New for 2020

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MY GAME:

Like never before, Tiger shares his approach to the game—his philosophies and routines, his favorite shots and physical ﬁtness, the keys to his dominance. Watch Tiger demonstrate his incomparable skills, on the range and on the course. Hear him speak straight to camera about his successes and career highlights. Don’t miss this exclusive, 12-part video series from golf’s iconic star.

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The Loop

edited by coleman bentley

Play

Winter is nature’s way of saying, ‘Up yours.’ —Robert Byrne

blue fl ag: Jeff SwenSen/Stringer/getty imageS • yellow fl ag: mint imageS/getty imageS • Venn: John ritter/eVerett collection/getty imageS

math we don’t hate notable 2018-’19 snowfall totals

h a z e lt i n e n at ion a l

oa k h i l l c oun t ry club

whistling str aits

c h i c ag o golf club

tpc s aw g r a s s

77.1”

63.5”

56.6”

49.5”

0.0”

▶▶▶ issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

@GOTOTHELOOP

▶ Can’t play actual golf? Try The Loop’s new VR golf experience, now with less virtual and more reality! • tr affic simul ator on the way to the course

your forecast

your neighbor’s golf vacation forecast

39˚ / Sleet

83˚ / Sunny

81˚ / Partly cloudy

77˚ / Breezy

curl up & pray for spring

remember the sunscreen

frozen mojitos, anyone?

pack a sweater

• re al green fees • life-like mosquitos • re al-time sunburn monitor • 4k divot-repl acement engine • combat mode for when the group behind won’t stop hitting into you

the 1st (and last) golf movie oscars

• actual snickering from the cart girl when you shank one into the trees

best action choreography in a golf movie

• re al coffee stains after you stop short in the golf cart

▶ Bob Barker vs.

Happy Gilmore

• te x ts from the spouse saying: “you were supposed to be home an hour ago”

Happy Gilmore

best supporting caddie

▶ Cheech Marin

Tin Cup

9 STAGES OF WINTER-GOLF WITHDRAWAL 1 “It’s the holidays, I’m too busy to play anyway.” 2 “Eh, temp greens aren’t even worth it.” 3 “Hey, this carpet breaks left to right.”

30 golf digest | issue 2 . 2020

4 “Only 99 days, 43 minutes and 12 seconds until the Masters!” 5 “Does that snowbank look like the 14th green at Pebble to you?” 6 “Ya know, Florida gets a bad rap, but I could live there year ’round.”

7 “Sir, it’s 3 a.m. This Topgolf is closed.” 8 “Not now, I’m watching ‘Morning Drive.’ ” 9 “37 tomorrow and no wind! Who’s in?”

best actor who is only famous for playing that character ▶ Christopher

McDonald (Shooter McGavin) Happy Gilmore

best use of will smith as a golf angel The Legend of Bagger Vance

best sequel if you temporarily lose your vision and hearing Caddyshack II

oScar, hat, club: bill eppridge/abadonian/ wabeno/getty imageS • weather: turgay malikli/getty imageS • winter golf: zohar l azar • Vr: weStend61/getty imageS

the loop’s too-muchreality golf vr experience

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Play Swing Sequence essica korda has been “working on the same thing with my driver for years,” she says. When she started with swing coach David Whelan, in 2015, she was coming off a season when she averaged 256 yards off the tee and ranked 135th on the LPGA

Tour in driving accuracy. In 2019, she was 15 yards longer and ranked 55th in accuracy. “The last six months of the season, her driving was the best part of her game,” Whelan says. It certainly helped Korda win 3½ points at the Solheim Cup in September and finish in the top

Jessica Korda How the five-time LPGA Tour winner got longer and straighter 32 golf digest | issue 2 . 2020

20 nine times since the end of May. Korda’s best finish in 2019 was runner-up at the Buick LPGA Shanghai. “We’ve been working on fundamentals with the goal of creating more consistency with her driver,” Whelan says. “Everything we do is about se-

quencing, a certain order her body should move—while staying in balance and in control.” “I use the same two-piece swing throughout the bag,” Korda says. “The longer the club, the less it’s forgiving. So if something is off with my swing, my driver will let me know.” —keely levins

ELBOW ROOM

PLAYING CATCH-UP

ON-TIME ARRIVAL

▶ Jessica Korda’s elbows can hyperextend, which is a problem, says coach David Whelan. To compensate for the extra supination in her left forearm, they’ve strengthened the position of her left hand on the grip (she can see more knuckles). It puts her arms in a more neutral position.

▶ As Korda starts back with the club, her forearms rotate away from the target before she hinges her wrists up, Whelan says. “And while this is happening, Korda keeps her strong lower body stable to create resistance against her upper body.” This is where she begins to store energy, he says.

▶ When Whelan speaks of good sequencing, he wants Korda to get her body, arms and club to end the backswing at the same time. The shoulders are fully rotated as the club’s shaft gets to parallel with the ground. “And her swing has great width, which means more power,” he says.

“If something is off with my swing, my driver will let me know.”

STACK FOR ATTACK

PUSHING OFF

SQUARED UP

IN BALANCE

▶ She’s loaded into her right side, but not swaying, Whelan says. “I like to see her right ankle, knee and hip in the same line at the top. That means she’s stacked over that leg.” When your upper body drifts farther away from the target than the trail leg, you start to lose the power you just created.

▶ Her transition was grooved through a drill: “I put a tennis ball under her right foot and she compresses it as she starts down with the club, working inward and transferring weight to her left side,” Whelan says. “If you keep the right side moving toward the target, you can put a lot more into the hit.”

▶ Her tee shots have become a lot straighter, because she keeps the clubface square to her target longer, Whelan says. “Although the ball’s been struck, she hasn’t released the square position of the clubface just yet. That’s controlled by quiet hands and wrists—a key to accuracy.”

▶ “Through her sequencing and lowerbody strength, she doesn’t have to come up on her toes to generate power,” Whelan says. “It’s a stronger, more consistent move. Also impressive is that she’s stayed in balance til the end. It means everything was released in the proper order.”

jessica korda 26 / 5-11 Bradenton, Fla. driver Callaway GBB Epic (10.5 degrees) average drive 271.4 yards driving accuracy 73.6 percent

Photographs by J.D. Cuban

Play The Archive

ugusta national golf club, Sunday, April 8, 1956. At center amid the sea of jubilant faces is Jack Burke Jr., the new Masters champion, dispatching a kiss to his wife, Ielene. The lack of self-consciousness by the Burkes is understandable. Moments earlier, Jackie had come from eight shots behind to beat then-amateur Ken Venturi by one and 1955 winner Cary Middlecoff (right of Jackie) by two. To Ielene’s right is ANGC chairman Clifford Roberts, his usually taciturn countenance suddenly beaming. Whatever was said must have been hilarious. Even the Pinkerton security agents are smiling.

34 golf digest | issue 2 . 2020

Burke, at 97 the oldest living Masters champion, today is thriving at Champions Golf Club, the famed club in Houston he cofounded with Jimmy Demaret a year after Burke donned his green jacket. “The wind was blowing so hard that last day, I was just trying to survive,” he says. “My 71 was tied for low round, and I passed guys like they were standing still. On the [par-3] fourth, I needed a driver and then a pretty good wedge to get to the green.” What about that kiss, Jackie? “I’d have kissed my caddie at that point,” he says. “I couldn’t believe I won. You just have no idea what winning the Masters can mean to a guy.” — guy yocom ▶ golf digest is celebrating 70 years with a look back through its archive.

golf digest

Sealed with a Kiss A Masters ending worthy of Hollywood

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Play BioGolf by David Leadbetter

“This is the way to create a more powerfully loaded backswing.”

ask golf digest Q My friend hit his ball into the rough. It landed behind a tree and settled on its roots. He said he could take relief with no penalty, but I said it would cost a stroke. The course’s pro sided with my friend. Was he right? jim fetsch, st. louis

ook at old photos or videos of the best swings of yesteryear, and you’ll likely see the golfer’s lead knee move toward the ball during the backswing. At the same time, the lead leg’s foot would roll inward and the heel would come of the ground. For the most part, it’s become a thing of the past. With more emphasis now on fitness and strength and swinging the club from a solid base, the best players really stabilize their lead knee (left for right-handers). They use it as an anchor to wind against as they load into their trail side. Even for amateur golfers of limited

36 golf digest | issue 2 . 2020

physical ability, consistency and power immediately improve when that knee is relatively still during the backswing. My associate J.J. Rivet, one of the world’s leading biomechanists, says his testing has shown that the lead knee of a modern tour player moves toward the ball no more than 8 degrees. In many cases it barely shifts. Amateurs, however, let the knee move as much as 35 degrees during the backswing. You can’t coil prop-

erly with a power bleed like that. A drill to train better stabilization of this knee is to make onehanded rehearsal backswings while preventing the knee from moving with your other hand (above). You should feel pressure in the toes of your lead leg and the heel of your trail leg as you reach the top of the swing. It’s perfectly acceptable for the lead heel to raise as long as the knee moves slightly toward the target, not inward.

A The USGA says a course may have a Local Rule treating tree roots in the fairway as ground under repair, allowing free relief. Normally this doesn’t apply in the rough. Unless the course you played had posted this as a Local Rule, we’d say the pro was mistaken.

—with ron kaspriske david leadbetter is a Golf Digest Teaching Professional.

Photograph by Dom Furore

ronald barrett

Brace for Impact Less knee movement leads to more power

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Play The View from Pebble Beach

Tiger’s den might alter my ranking of the best par 3s in the Del Monte Forest.

nside the del monte Forest you will find seven splendid golf courses, each of them special and several ranking among the best layouts in the world. Particularly outstanding— and often overlooked—is the sum quality of the par 3s on these courses. As a resident of Pebble Beach and frequent visitor to all the courses here, I’ve argued that a traveling golfer could spend a week playing only the par 3s and leave for home not only satisfied but reeling, the senses overwhelmed as though they’d fulfilled some long-cherished bucket list. The seven courses are Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, Spyglass Hill, Spanish Bay, Poppy Hills and two courses at Monterey Peninsula. Together they embrace 29 short holes, all within three miles of one another. Nowhere on the planet will you find as dense a collection of legendary oneshotters. The elements that make a group of par-3 holes memorable— challenge, setting, variety and historical significance—all are embodied here. The group is about to get even better. In December 2019, the Pebble Beach Company, home to the PURE Insurance Championship that benefits The First Tee, announced yet another commitment to grow the game and make it more accessible to all golfers. The par-3 layout known since 1957 as Peter Hay Golf Course will be rebuilt in 2020 under the direction of designer Tiger Woods. By year’s end it will provide the area with a transformative short course inviting to everyone—juniors, beginners, neighborhood residents, timecrunched families, budget-minded golfers and even guests at Pebble

38 golf digest | issue 2 . 2020

looking to add a quick nine before dinner. Just as Pinehurst’s The Cradle Short Course enriched the sandhills of North Carolina with a new and idyllic version of the game, so will the short course at Pebble add dimensions here. Tiger’s den is well-suited for the initiative. The late Peter Hay was Pebble’s head pro during the 1940s and ’50s and was a big promoter of junior golf. With the support of Pebble’s founder, Samuel F.B. Morse, Hay built the par-3 course to give adults a place to play a warm-up round before tackling Pebble, and kids a place to tee it up anytime. For years the course thrived, but in recent times it was perhaps being underutilized. In recent years it was even being used as a staging area during the big events at Pebble. It seemed to be begging for a more dignified purpose and project like this to come along. With Tiger’s keen eye for detail, you know it’s going to be special. To say the locals are excited is an understatement. The new course promises to add a populist dimension to the world-class resorts here. Just as The First Tee serves as a charitable outreach to kids and helps assure happy futures, so will the course serve to develop the game going forward. It’s all being done on eight sloping acres with gorgeous views of Carmel Bay, within steps of The Lodge and the Pebble Beach Practice Facility. With Tiger at the helm, I have a hunch one or two holes at Pebble’s short course might find their way onto my ranking of the best par 3s in the Del Monte Forest. Right now that countdown looks like this: 10 spanish bay , no. 8 An all-carry tee shot over marshland with the symphony of the ocean surf just steps away. 9 monterey peninsula (dunes), no. 10

Breathtaking views. Are we in Ireland or California? 8 spyglass hill , no. 3 When the winds are up, one of the most daunting short-iron shots in golf. 7 cypress point , no. 7 The bowl-shape green built out of the dunes signals the start of Cypress’ Amen Corner.

6 monterey peninsula (shore), no. 11

The elevated tee shot from a rock outcropping delivers expansive views of four of America’s 100 Greatest Courses, as ranked by Golf Digest. 5 pebble beach , no. 17 Is there a par 3 in the world with more history? Nicklaus’ 1-iron. Watson’s chip-in. Woodland’s brilliant up-and-down. 4 monterey peninsula (dunes), no. 14

Some say this coastal hole belongs closer to the top. 3 cypress point , no. 15 The opener to the greatest back-to-back par 3s in golf. 2 pebble beach , no. 7 It measures 106 yards from the tips, and with all due respect to Troon’s Postage Stamp eighth hole, this is the greatest short 3 ever created. 1 cypress point , no. 16 Carry distance to the center of the green is 238 yards over indescribable cliffs. The greatest hole in the world, irrespective of par. Many will quibble with these rankings, but when Tiger’s masterpiece comes to fruition, nine more holes will merit serious consideration. Not just for the architecture, but for their impact on the game.

▶ Tennis pro John Gardiner preps the Peter Hay course for a contest in January 1962.

ask golf digest Q Recently, one of the players in our foursome hit the wrong ball. It was apparently left behind by a player in a previous group. Is there a penalty for this? al sarnessian, the villages, fla. A There is. See Rule 6.3c (1). In stroke play, it’s a two-stroke penalty, and you have to replay the correct ball. In match play, you lose the hole. An odd exception: If the ball is in the water and moving, you’re allowed to hit it by mistake

PhotograPh: Pebble beach comPany • IllustratIon: ronald barrett

Jim Nantz Pebble getting another boost

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Photographs by Eric Larson

FURYK MPLATES FIFTY Looking back + looking ahead by John Feinstein ▶ There really isn’t anyone who doesn’t have some kind of story about playing golf for the first time with Jim Furyk. After all, how could you not remember that swing, the one David Feherty once described as looking like “an octopus falling out of a tree.” ▶ “I remember thinking, Boy, they teach the golf swing a lot differently in Pennsylvania than they do down here,” says Justin Leonard, who was 15 the first time he played with Furyk—a few days before an American Junior Golf

Association event in Texas in 1988. Leonard laughs. “Then I noticed something else: He got everything up and down and made it look pretty easy.” ▶ Bill Calfee had played on the tour for 10 years in the ’70s and ’80s and had gone to work for the tour in the early ’90s. During the 1993 mandatory orientation session for rookies who had survived PGA Tour Qualifying School, he took two young players— Furyk and Pete Jordan—out to play nine holes at TPC Sawgrass after the day’s seminars were over.

▶ “I’d never met Jim before,” Calfee says. “Very nice guy. Very quiet. But when I watched him swing the golf club, I thought, Poor guy’s got no chance. I said that to Pete when we finished. He agreed. I laugh now when I think about it, because look how it turned out.” ▶ The way it has turned out is this: The guy with no chance, with the swing people didn’t know whether to laugh or cry about, will turn 50 in May and has done the following since making it to the tour at the start of 1994: ▶ issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

▶ Won a U.S. Open. ▶ Won 17 times on the PGA Tour. ▶ Played on nine Ryder Cup teams. ▶ Captained a Ryder Cup team. ▶ Earned more than $71 million, ranking third on golf’s all-time money list. ▶ Broken 60 on tour twice (shooting 59 at the BMW Championship in 2013 and then becoming the first player to shoot 58 in a tournament, at The Travelers Championship in 2016). The money-list stat is deceiving because it doesn’t take into account the remarkable spike in prize money since Sam Snead won 82 times and earned a total of $712,972. Still, when the only two people ahead of you on any list are Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, that’s pretty impressive. “I think I’ve had a good career,” Furyk says, relaxing in the locker room after a pro-am last November. “I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished.” He pauses and smiles. “But I tend to think more about the ones that got away than the ones I won. I’m thrilled that I won at Olympia Fields [2003 U.S. Open], of course. But I could have won the [U.S.] Open a couple other times, too. I could have won the Masters in ’98, the Open [Championship at Royal Birkdale] that same year.” Almost as if he’s picturing it in his mind again, Furyk adds, “Never hit the ball better in my life than that last day at Birkdale. I just couldn’t make anything.”

an individual swing, but a team player

42 golf digest | issue 2 . 2020

uryk has heard all the jokes about his swing but has never been bothered by them. He heard them growing up, he heard them as a young pro, and he hears them now. He has had one swing coach his entire life— his dad. Mike Furyk, who was once a teaching pro, realized the swing came naturally to his son and was getting the job done. The same is true of Furyk’s cross-handed putting grip. “I never thought about trying to change his swing,” Mike says. “I’m from Western Pennsylvania. Arnold Palmer was my hero growing up, and he had that whirlybird finish to his swing. Jack Nicklaus had a flying right elbow. Lee Trevino’s swing was unorthodox. I could go down the list forever. I always looked at results. He always got results.” When Jim was being recruited as a high school senior, Mike and his wife, Linda, went to dinner with one college coach who said, “I can’t wait to get Jim to school and start remaking that swing.” Mike laughed at the

comment and said, “Coach, thanks. Now you’ve made it easy for me to take you off our list.” It was Arizona coach Rick LaRose who said to the father about the son: “I don’t recruit swings, I recruit athletes.” After that, even though Jim visited Stanford and Northwestern, among others, he was pretty much destined to play for LaRose. Even now, unlike most pros, Furyk has never been tempted to change or even tweak the swing. “You walk up and down ranges for as many years as I have and, inevitably, you see guys fiddling with their swing,” Jay Haas says. “They’ll ask someone to take a look at them—another player, a teacher who is on the range—someone, anyone. If there’s one guy I know has never done that, it’s Jim. He’s completely comfortable with his swing. I think that’s one of the reasons he’s been so consistent. He may have ups and downs like we all do, but he never loses confidence in what he’s doing.” Mike Furyk says that sort of self-confidence goes way back to when Jim was the starting point guard at Manheim Township High School. “They were playing a state playoff game against Lebanon Catholic. Kerry Collins [the former Tennessee Titans and New York Giants quarterback] was their point guard. With 12 seconds left, Manheim was down one and [coach] Pat Mowrey called time. He told Jim to get into the lane and find someone open. As they left the huddle, Jim said, ‘Coach, what if I’m open— should I shoot?’ At first, Pat said no but then said, ‘OK, but only if you’re open.’ “Jim took the ball, got

triple-teamed and shot anyway. It went in, and they won. Later, after Pat told me what happened, I said to Jim, ‘Why’d you shoot when you weren’t open?’ And he said, ‘Because I knew I was the only guy on the team who could deal with missing it.’ He was a high school junior. I remember thinking, I’ve got something pretty special here.” That willingness to take responsibility for a loss doesn’t mean Furyk never questions himself. In fact, he’s about as introspective as anyone on tour, constantly figuring out ways to play better; always questioning himself first when something goes wrong. He rarely answers a question quickly. He will sit for long stretches and think about what he wants to say. When the subject of his 2018 Ryder Cup captaincy comes up, he sits and thinks for a couple of minutes before answering any question. He talks about the honor of being the captain; the enjoyment he and his wife, Tabitha, got from preparing for the event; the pride he takes in all the work he put into it. When he’s asked how he feels about the outcome—a 17½-10½ European rout—the pre-answer pause is even longer than usual. “I’ll never say that being captain was a bad experience,” he finally says. “It wasn’t. But it’s been over for a year now, well over a year and it’s still . . . ” A long silence . . . “Painful. No, I don’t want to say that. It hurts. Stings. It still stings, and it will for a long, long time.” He’s on a roll now, because—as usual—he’s thought about this failure a lot. “It kind of amazes me the number of people, some of them really close friends, who

have said to me, ‘Would you do anything different if you had it to do over again?’ I don’t want to say that’s a stupid question, but of course I would do things differently. If I did everything the same, the result would be the same. You have to be an arrogant ass to work that hard to make something work, have it not work and say, ‘I wouldn’t change a thing.’ ” He won’t criticize anyone—not Patrick Reed, who complained about not being paired with Jordan Spieth; not Tiger Woods, who went 0-4; and not Phil Mickelson, who went 0-2. Furyk will only question himself: “I should have played Webb Simpson [2-1] more. He was playing great, and the golf course fit him better than some of our other guys. It pisses me off that I didn’t recognize that.” Mike Furyk probably understands better than anyone how much the loss hurt his son. “I could see the pain in his face when it was over,” he says. “But I think he’s at peace with it now because he knows he did everything possible to try to win. Sometimes, the other guy is just better.” Furyk will be one of Steve Stricker’s Ryder Cup vice captains this year and will almost certainly be asked to play that role again. “If I’m ever named captain, Jim would be my first phone call,” Leonard says. “I’d lean on him from Day 1.”

second at the Players [shooting 67 on the last day to finish one shot behind Rory McIlroy], and all of a sudden, I was in the majors, which I hadn’t expected, and the World Golf Championship events. That was a nice bonus, but the best thing was finding out I could still play out here.” Furyk intends to stick to the PGA Tour even after he turns 50 on May 12, and then assess where he is at season’s end.

“Regardless, I’ll probably play some senior events in the fall after the regular tour season’s over,” he says, “if only to get a feel for what it’s like out there.” There is a general consensus that Furyk should do very well playing against the over-50 set. He’s never been a long hitter and is even less so now. His success has been built on hitting the ball straight, a great short game and an often hot putter. Unlike some players of his caliber who have fought the notion of playing with the older guys, Furyk’s fine with the idea. “I can definitely see myself playing on that tour,” he says,

‘I REMEMBER THINKING, “I’VE GOT SOMETHING PRETTY SPECIAL HERE.” ’ MIKE FURYK (FAT H E R )

a surprising resurgence

ow, after dealing with injuries for most of three years, Furyk is just happy to be healthy as he closes in on 50. “I went into last year thinking, Let’s see what I can do healthy, because it had been awhile,” he says. “I was surprised that I played as well as I did as soon as I did. I finished ninth at Honda in my third tournament and got into the Players. Then I finished issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

‘I WON’T BE OUT THERE WHEN I’M 70—OR MAYBE 60.’ JIM FURYK

then smiles. “It would be nice to not have to hit 5-woods and 4-irons into greens all the time. That said, I know there are plenty of guys out there who can still play, and, if you want to win, it’s a sprint to 20 under almost every week. Someone said to me a couple years ago that the courses

44 golf digest | issue 2 . 2020

aren’t as short as you might think they are, that a lot of them are 7,000 yards. This was right after we’d played Medinah [2012 Ryder Cup]. I said, ‘Well, 7,000 might not be that short, but I’ll certainly take it after playing at 7,650.’ ”

making adjustments

uryk lives his life the same way he plays golf: deliberately. He studies things from every possible angle before making a decision. He’s inclined not to go the route that guys like Davis Love III and Vijay Singh have taken—bouncing back and forth between the two tours. Once Furyk makes the decision to go to what the tour now calls PGA Tour Champions, he’ll probably stay there except for an

occasional foray to some of the regular tour’s smaller ballparks. “You put him on any course that isn’t super-sized, and he can still win,” Leonard says. “The courses that play 7,500 yards plus, that’s going to be tough for him at this point. But he can still win at TPC Sawgrass, Hilton Head, places like that, where the game’s about more than power.” Furyk finished the 2019 season ranked 48th in the world—he was 55th at year’s end, one spot ahead of his longtime friend and rival Phil Mickelson. Furyk’s last official tournament of the 2018-’19 season was a bummer. Needing a high finish at the BMW Championship to get into the Tour Championship, he started the week with a sixunder-par 66 at Medinah. But he shot 72-75-72 the last three days and dropped from 48th in the FedEx Cup standings to 51st. “That was disappointing,” he says. “I haven’t made Atlanta in a few years [2014], and I thought I had a legitimate chance to do it. I just didn’t make anything. Didn’t get it done.” Furyk was a lock to make Atlanta in 2015 after winning at Hilton Head in April, but he hurt his wrist the week of the BMW—two years after shooting 59 in the event—and had to have surgery, costing him six months. He came back to play remarkably well after his long layoff, finishing T-2 in the U.S. Open at Oakmont and almost making the Ryder Cup team. Love had asked Furyk to be a vice captain, but after Furyk’s performance at Oakmont and a solid summer, he began to think that Furyk, with his calm and experience, might be a good captain’s pick for a young American team. It was Furyk who told Love not to pick him.

“Typical Jim,” Love says. “We had a bunch of guys up to Hazeltine the week before the Cup started, and I played with Jim. I still had one pick to make. The golf course was wet and playing long. I was staying over, so I drove Jim back to the airport. On the way he said, ‘You can’t risk the course coming up wet with me on the team. It’ll be too long for me. You need to pick someone else.’ ” Ironically, Love ended up picking Ryan Moore, whose game is similar to Furyk’s, and Moore played extremely well—including coming from behind to beat Lee Westwood in singles on Sunday for the clinching point. That story defines the way most players feel about Furyk. Ask them to tell you a funny Jim Furyk story, and you will almost always get a long pause, a shake of the head and “Let me think about that one” as an answer. Charles Howell III, another Furyk friend, does have a story that he thinks sums Furyk up pretty well. “In 2007 at Riviera, we played late Sunday, maybe second-to-last group,” Howell says. “We both had a chance to win. By the back nine, Jim was pretty much out of it. I wasn’t. The last few holes, he was encouraging me, pushing me, telling me to hang in—sort of a cheerleader and coach all at once. When I made a birdie at 18 to get into a playoff, he gave me a hug and said, ‘Now go win this thing.’ That’s Jim Furyk.” Howell won the playoff— beating Mickelson—but he remembers Furyk, who finished three shots back, pushing him to the finish line almost as much as he remembers the win. Zach Johnson likes to imitate Furyk’s laugh,

46 golf digest | issue 2 . 2020

which comes out in bursts when he thinks something is truly funny. Johnson also remembers being paired with him the first two days at Hartford in 2016. “He really struggled the first day,” Johnson says. “The next day it was hot, and there was plenty of reason for him to just pack it in. He came to the ninth hole, our last of the day, and had to get it up and down for par to make the cut. He really grinded over that bunker shot. Got up and down, made the cut on the number, and we all know what happened on Sunday. Classic Jim.” On Sunday, Furyk became the first—and still the only— player to shoot 58 in an official PGA Tour round. Love actually does have a funny Furyk story. He and Furyk were teamed against Love’s son, Dru, and Tom Lovelady in an off-day match with about five presses going on the 18th hole. It was old guys versus young guys—Dru Love and Lovelady are both 26 and prodigious long hitters. “The 18th hole was a dogleg left with a hazard at the corner of the dogleg,” Love says now, laughing at the memory. “Dru and Tom just bombed their drives over the hazard and around the corner. We both had to play out to the right. I think Jim hit 4-iron. The shot just covered the flag. When the ball was in the air, I heard him say, ‘This is really going to piss Dru Love off.’ ” The ball settled five feet from the flag, Furyk made the putt to win all the presses. “Yeah, that was fun,” Furyk says, his laugh coming in Johnson-like bursts. The wrist injury that cost Furyk both a spot in the Tour Championship and on the Presidents Cup team in 2015 was the first of several that caused him to miss

‘ACTUALLY, I’M NOT GOING TO TURN 50. I’M BOYCOTTING IT.’ JIM FURYK

time and to play hurt for three years as often as not. He had moments—notably at Oakmont in the 2016 U.S. Open—but wasn’t close to the Furyk who had cranked out top-10 finishes. Before the wrist injury in 2015, Furyk had a win and seven top 10s in 19 starts. During the next three years, he played 47 times and had a total of six top 10s. “It was frustrating, no doubt,” he says. “It was tough to tee it up against Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy knowing I wasn’t 100 percent and didn’t have much chance. In a way though, 2011 was worse, when I was completely healthy and played badly.” That was the year after Furyk won three times, including the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup and was voted player of the year by his peers—an accomplishment second in his mind only to his U.S. Open win. “When I was a kid, I was like anyone who plays—I dreamed of winning a major. But I never once thought about being voted the best player for an entire year. Then, I heard Tom Lehman’s speech when he won [1996], and it really impacted me. He didn’t make the tour for years, and then he was the best player for an entire year. To actually have that happen to me was a big deal.” A year later, after changing his equipment and the golf ball he was playing—“I was trying to hit it higher and longer and with less spin,” he says—he had (for him) a terrible year, finishing 36th on the FedEx Cup list. “It was all on me,” he says. “I chose the equipment. I wasn’t terrible statistically, but every week it seems I hit one or two foul balls—completely

out of play—and it would ruin a round or the week.” The turnaround came at the Presidents Cup when he was paired with Mickelson in foursomes. Mickelson was experimenting with a new ball that had less spin. Furyk liked the ball so much he switched to it, went back to his old equipment and became Jim Furyk again in 2012. He didn’t win, but he had two runnerup finishes—including at the U.S. Open at Olympic Club, where he led until late on Sunday—a third and eight top 10s. Now, as 50 looms in May, he feels confident he’ll continue to play well. “Actually, I’m not going to turn 50,” he says, laughing. “I’m boycotting it. . . . I don’t know how much longer I’ll play, but I won’t be out there when I’m 70—or maybe 60. I’ll play it by ear year by year.” Which is what he’s always done, sitting down with his dad to make goals and talk about making adjustments in his game at the end of every year. The one thing that will never change? The swing. And when he’s done, how does he want to be remembered? As a U.S. Open champion? Player of the year? Perennial Ryder Cupper? Strangest looking swing of any Hall of Famer? The usual long pause. A smile. And then: “I’ll be very happy if people just remember me as someone who did things the right way—as a dad, as a husband, as a friend, as a golfer. That’s plenty for me.” There shouldn’t be any problem with achieving that goal.

The

HOT LIST

2O2O

▶ w e c o n s i d e r e d 2 4 8 p r o d u c t s f o r t h e 2 0 2 0 h o t l i s t. the 1 31 you see here c omprise the most diverse collection of new clubs we’ve ever seen.

he right club is out there. We’re not talking about one perfect club that works for everybody. No, the 2020 Hot List, Golf Digest’s 17th annual review of the game’s most meaningful new equipment, reflects an effort among manufacturers to optimize equipment not merely for the scientific pursuit of perfection, but for your pursuit of lower scores. Increasingly, the most compelling clubs are designed to serve the needs of individual players by complementing strengths and mitigating weaknesses. The Hot List is your personal guide for the clubs that will bring out your better golfing self. In the pages ahead are dozens of dynamic new metalwoods, irons, wedges and putters that can provide your game with the distance, accuracy, control, feel and touch you didn’t know was possible. Also, this year we expand our advice at golfdigest.com with our first online club-selection tool that will help you further refine what’s best for you. The 2020 Hot List is the result of months of discussion, debate and evaluations by players of all abilities, including a two-week testing session at the CasaBlanca Resort in Mesquite, Nev. Here we detail the features and benefits of the 131 most exceptional clubs in the game, with advice from tour pros and six equipment-related instruction tips from Golf Digest Chief Digital Instructor Michael Breed. Want to imagine how much better you can be? Let the Hot List be your inspiration. ▶ issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

The

PROCESS

▶ hot list ju d ge s

▶ c ri t e r ia

our judges, listed at right, cast the only votes in the Hot List, but they gather insight from three independent panels. The Scientists advise us on Innovation. Retailers assess Demand. Players just like you evaluate Performance and Look/Sound/Feel. A product’s score is based on its weighted average in these four criteria, with Performance, Innovation and Look/Sound/Feel largely determining the total score. All scoring is relative to the current field of entries in the category. performance

45%

look • sound • feel

MIKE STACHURA

2O%

Senior Editor of Equipment

E. MICHAEL JOHNSON

Using input from the player panelists, our judges evaluated the relative excellence of the visual, auditory and tactile experience of using a particular club. The more the club resonates with our understanding of what a golf club should be, the higher the grade it receives. In short, this is a grade of what the player experiences when viewing, holding, swinging and hitting the club.

Equipment Editor

KEELY LEVINS Associate Editor/Hot List Coordinator

JOEL BEALL Staff Writer

▶ scie ntists MARTIN BROUILLET TE, PH.D. Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Sherbrooke

demand

Based on interviews with our player panelists, player-testing data and other sources, the judges assess the utility of each product. In other words, this is a grade of what happens to the ball when a player hits it. (Note: Foresight Sports GCQuad Launch monitors are used at every hitting station.) i n n o vat i o n

3O%

DAVID LEE, PH.D. Chair, Department of Physics, Gordon College

An assessment of the reputation, interest, intrigue and excitement about a particular product, considering market presence, tour use, relative value and consumer satisfaction through consulting research from Golf Datatech, other published resources and a panel of leading retailers.

TOM MASE, PH.D. Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo JOHN MCPHEE Professor, Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo DICK RUGGE Senior Technical Director (retired), USGA

All judging is based on a 100-point scale.

GEORGE SPRINGER

In consultation with our technical panel and based on interviews and our review of company technical documents, this grade reflects how a particular technology advances the category in all aspects, to what degree the commitment to fitting the vast majority of golfers is executed, and how that technology is explained to the public and to our editors.

Products earned a score of 88 to 92.99.

97-100 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

70-87 ★ ★ ★

88-96 ★ ★ ★ ★

Illustrations by Eddie Guy

Paul Piggott Professor of Engineering (emeritus), Stanford University

gold

Products earned a score of 93 to 100.

s i lv e r

51-69 ★ ★

≤50 ★

HOT LIST

▶ o u r j u d g e s c a s t t h e o n ly v o t e s o n t h e h o t l i s t, b u t t h e y g a t h e r i n s i g h t f r o m t h r e e p a n e l s : s c i e n t i s t s , r e t a i l e r s a n d p l ay e r s l i k e y o u .

▶ p l ay e rs

▶ t e ac h e rs

GARY ABBOT T • 32

JASON GUSS

Waterloo, Ontario • Handicap: 11

Director of Instruction, Jason Guss Golf Academy at Hawk Hollow

EVAN ALBERT • 26 ALANA SWAIN

Baltimore • Handicap: 17

Instructor, PGA Tour Performance Center at TPC Sawgrass

THOMAS B. ALLEN • 55 Middletown, Ohio • Handicap: 7

▶ f i t te r

THOMAS BREEN • 67 Mesquite, Nev. • Handicap: 21 SHANON HOY T RICKY BROWN • 41

PGA Professional, Golf Galaxy-Galleria,

Fort Worth • Handicap: 0

Houston

SEAN HARPER • 48

▶ r e ta ile rs

Delaware, Ohio • Handicap: 10 PAUL IANNIELLO • 58

LEIGH BADER

Whitefish, Mont. • Handicap: 5

General Manager, Joe & Leigh’s Discount

clubs we rate We review the current marketplace with a key stipulation: Only products still at their full price will be considered.

Golf Pro Shop, South Easton, Mass. JERRY JORGENSEN • 66 Mesquite, Nev. • Handicap: 20

BUDDY CHRISTENSEN

RYAN KROLL • 44

McLean, Va.

Owner/President, Golfdom, Chanhassen, Minn. • Handicap: 12 JASON FRYIA STEVE LACHMAN • 62

Owner/General Manager, Golf Exchange,

Prescott Valley, Ariz. • Handicap: 8

Cincinnati

PETER LEE • 52

CHRIS MARCHINI

Danville, Calif. • Handicap: 9

General Manager, Golf Galaxy, Pittsburgh

WEI MAO • 49 Sacramento • Handicap: 12

KEN MORTON JR.

LARRY MCCOY • 55

Haggin Oaks, Sacramento

Director of Retail and Marketing, Greenwich, Conn. • Handicap: 5 ANAND MUDALIAR • 37 Philadelphia • Handicap: 9 CRAIG NORSETH • 64 St. George, Utah • Handicap: 16 ALEX REINHART • 35 Milwaukee • Handicap: 13

golf digest

JOANNE SMITH • 61 Mesquite, Nev. • Handicap: 18 BK SUHR • 36 Orlando • Handicap: 0

▶ the hot list is our review of the best clubs on the market, but you might find a few well-known and well-received products not on the following pages. Those noteworthy clubs include the g410 family of woods and irons from ping, including the G410 Plus, G410 SFT and G410 LST drivers and fairway woods; the G410 hybrid and the G410 game-improvement iron. Also, you won’t see the cleveland rtx-4 wedge. Although these clubs are available and all of them earned Gold medals in their respective categories in the 2019 Hot List, they fail to meet one key stipulation for our annual review of the game’s current equipment. Under Hot List rules, only “new” equipment is considered. “New” is not specifically a reference to how long a product has been in the marketplace. In fact, more than a fourth of products on this year’s Hot List also were on last year’s list. However, in the context of the Hot List, “new” means a product’s current price has not been permanently reduced from its introductory price. The Ping G410 clubs and the Cleveland wedge all reduced their price late last year, and thus we removed them from consideration in our Hot List judging. If you’re looking to gauge the performance of clubs currently at retail that have been reduced in price, please search the archive of the Hot List on our website at golfdigest.com/go/hotlist. —the editors issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

HOT LIST

DRIVERS

▶ drivers in 2 0 2 0 get specific, meet your needs, address your fl aws and enhance your skill s . w e c o n s i d e r e d 2 7 m o d e l s . n i n e m a d e t h e l i s t.

c a l l away

mavrik • sub zero • max

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

look • sound • feel

★★★★½

$500

ve rdict Callaway’s new three-driver family builds on the artificial-intelligence platform of last year’s Epic Flash. Those previously unimaginable variablethickness face contours have been improved to bolster distance for three head styles and player types. The standard Mavrik—Callaway’s most ambitious aerodynamic design—has a raised rear skirt to enhance swing speed, and the face and deep center of gravity work together to produce consistency in distance. The beefier, low-spin Sub Zero and the draw-biased Max come with two movable weights.

demand

★★★★★

co m me n t

“It has a powerful thud at impact and doesn’t take much effort to get the ball out there. The best part was the ball dispersion. My shots were consistently on line.”

clevel and

launcher hb turbo • draw

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★ look • sound • feel

★★★★

$350

ve rdict Cleveland’s focus on the needs of Joes over pros in recent years is evident in this model. It doesn’t have adjustability features because, well, a lot of you don’t use them, and building adjustability into a driver wastes weight that can be used to make it more forgiving or to give it a draw bias. In other words, the kind of features you might need. By forgoing adjustability, Cleveland saved 35 grams that were placed in the rear of the clubhead to increase stability on off-center strikes. Cleveland also saved weight by engineering a lighter, more flexible wraparound cupface.

demand

★★★

co mm e nt

“Draw bias? More like straight bias. Even when I cut across the ball, my shots traveled high, long and stayed in the fairway. I love the robust sound, too.” listed alphabetically

issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

DRIVERS

cobra

$450

king speedzone • xtreme

look • sound • feel

ve rdict The King Speedzone is the standard version and features movable weights. The Xtreme has extra forgiveness. Both drivers focus on small details for big performance. For example, by computer milling the face and extending it to the perimeter, each curve and thickness is more tightly controlled for optimal flexing, higher launch and straighter off-center hits. The carbonfiber crown wraps around the top of the driver into two lobes, so now half of the clubhead area is weight-saving composite when it used to be barely a third.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★½

“I love the cushioned, quiet feel. It almost gave the impression the ball wasn’t hit super hard, but the launch-monitor numbers say otherwise. My shots have a controlled trajectory that didn’t balloon.”

mizuno

st200 • g • x

$400/$500

ve rdict The ST200 line is a follow-up to last year’s

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

look • sound • feel

★★★★★

hot-face ST190 family, which included the first Mizuno driver to win a PGA Tour event in two decades. This line uses a beta-titanium alloy from racing-bike gears that’s stronger than last year’s face material. The result is a thinner and more flexible variable-thickness face that provides extra ball speed and distance. The family includes the standard ST200 (wide body and forgiving), the ST200G (two sliding weights in the sole) and the ST200X (ultralight, anti-slice weighting). All benefit from a lightweight carbon-composite crown.

demand

★★½

co mm e nt

“Feels techy but not overly so. I could swing aggressively without losing control. My shots had a boring, flat-ish trajectory with a little more rollout.”

pxg

0811 x gen2 • xf gen2

$575

ve rdict The titanium face gets a lot of the attention,

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

look • sound • feel

★★★★½

but it’s the nonmetal pieces inside and outside these drivers that merit highlighting. First, the carboncomposite crown saves weight to increase adjustability options on the 0811 X and forgiveness on the 0811 XF. But the crown is also thicker and raised slightly to provide a stiffer area around the face to concentrate more rebound into the ball. Second, there’s a layer of soft elastomer in a honeycomb pattern lining the sole to control vibration and improve sound. The sole weights switch around so you can adjust spin, trajectory and direction.

demand

★★★

co m me nt

“The muted finish and carbon-weave pattern make squaring the club at address easy. Weight is well-balanced. Even hits high on the face went far. It masks my misses.”

HOT LIST

tay l o r m a d e

sim • max • max d

$550/$500

ve rdict The problem with aerodynamic features is

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

look • sound • feel

★★★★½

that although they make a driver move through the air faster, they generally make impact less effective. The main reason is how an aerodynamic design typically pushes up the center of gravity (CG), raising spin and reducing forgiveness. These wind-tunnel-developed drivers—including one with a sliding weight (SIM) and one that’s designed to combat a slice (Max D)—solve the CG problem with a back-weighted keel in the sole. It’s angled to improve air flow as the club rotates on the downswing, just when it’s moving the fastest.

demand

★★★★★

co m me n t

“The sole weight provides some substance behind the shot with one soaring launch after another. You can really go after it, and the spin rate stays down.”

titleist

ts1 • ts2 • ts3 • ts4

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

look • sound • feel

★★★★★

$500

ve rdict Last year Titleist reinvigorated its driver line with the fast, thin-face designs behind the forgiving TS2 and adjustable-weight TS3. This year Titleist added two new models to reach a wider audience: the TS1, Titleist’s lightest driver ever, and the ultra-low-spin TS4. Boasting 40-gram shaft options and a slight draw bias, the TS1 serves the moderate swing-speed crowd who haven’t always considered Titleist an option. All four drivers in the family feature the company’s lightest and thinnest crown, plus ultra-thin faces that are 100-percent inspected for maximum flex.

demand

★★★★½

co mm e nt

“Confidence-inspiring at address, and the purity of the sound and feel are unmatched. I love how they blend all the elements on the sole, but on top it’s all classic.”

honma tr20

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

look • sound • feel

★★★★

$650

ve rdict You might think of Honma for its craftsmanship or use of gold in its pursuit of moderate swing-speed-player aesthetics. But the TR20 is the most complex of modern drivers that’s built to appeal to better-player muscle. The face has been thinned on the inside by the use of vertical grooves, and the body is made mostly from carbon fiber. There are three sole weights that allow you to specify less spin, extra forgiveness or a stronger draw bias. The compact 440-cubic-centimeter version is built to Justin Rose’s performance and visual requirements.

demand

★★

co m me n t

“I like the classic, glossy black, and the tight, penetrating draws I hit. Impact was clean and muted, and the feel was the right kind of heavy where I could feel the clubhead.” Photographs by Dom Furore and Ben Walton

DRIVERS

s r i xo n

z 785 • z 585

$500/$400

look • sound • feel

ve rdict These two drivers meet the needs of the two primary player types in golf. The Z 785 is a low-spin model with a hosel that allows the loft to be adjusted 1 degree in either direction so you can set your preferred ball flight. The highly forgiving Z 585 doesn’t adjust, but it’s designed to produce a high ball flight. Both drivers feature a weight-saving, carbon-fiber crown and a cupface made of an exclusive titanium alloy that wraps around the perimeter for improved rebound at impact across the entire face.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★½

“Looks nice and stealthy with a pleasing sensation at impact. The 785 is stable on mis-hits, but I could work the ball, too. The 585 has a great combination of low spin and carry, and my shots had little to no curve.”

t o u r ta lk : d ri v e rs

test your clubs like a pro

▶ knowledge is power. That’s literally true when it comes to your adjustable driver, says Charles Howell III. “One thing I’ve learned to do with the adjustable drivers is try them in every possible setting, even ones I know I’ll never end up using,” Howell says. “I want to see what it does. I purposely run through the whole gamut because you might find a setting that can be useful at some point. “I do it on the range, as well as on the course,” he says. “I’ve learned in my career that the range is not golf. It’s practice or mechanics building, but it’s not the game of golf. So I start there, and then I try them on the course. I do that to understand and trust what the head is doing at impact and during the swing—especially when the target is 30 yards wide, not 300.” Howell’s point is useful for average golfers. A proper clubfitting will help you determine your ideal driver settings, and some time on the range and course will help confirm them. —emj

streeter lecka/getty images

Why Charles Howell III tries all the settings on his adjustable driver

HOT LIST

Swing the driver to the top with your right arm forming an “L” position and the elbow pointing down.

driver / power up

nathaniel welch

Set your right arm at the top for booming tee shots

▶ you can fix a lot of your driving problems by getting the club set correctly at the top. To accomplish this, you need the correct blend of width and depth in the backswing. Width means how far you extend your hands away from your chest. Depth means how far to the inside you move the club. You can monitor both by focusing on the position of your right forearm (for righties). For good width, swing to the top so your right arm folds into an “L” (above). If you go past the “L” position, you’ve lost your width. For depth, get your right elbow pointing down at the top (left). If the elbow juts out and points behind you, your hands are too far inside. Getting your right forearm roughly perpendicular to the ground from both angles will give you the perfect mix of width and depth. Then you can be an athlete and just rip it. —with peter morrice

fairway

HOT LIST

WOODS

▶ t h e b e s t f a i r w ay w o o d s c o m b i n e h o t f a c e s a n d u lt r a - l o w w e i g h t i n g t o m a x i m i z e d i s ta n c e . w e c o n s i d e r e d 2 8 m o d e l s ; 1 3 m a d e t h e l i s t. c a l l away

mavrik • sub zero • max

$300

ve rdict The right fairway wood isn’t one size fits all. That’s why

look • sound • feel

Callaway offers 16 fairway woods accounting for multiple lofts across three head styles. The Mavrik’s low-spin and maximum-forgiveness models differ not only in loft and shape, but in intended ball flight, forgiveness and spin. That individual attention extends to the face design, which has variable-thickness conceived through artificial intelligence and contoured for each head style and loft.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★

“It was easy to get it up in the air—even when I hit it off the toe. Awesome driver alternative.” clevel and

$230

launcher hb turbo ve rdict Cleveland focuses on what average golfers need in a performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

fairway wood: help launching the ball. The stepdown crown lowers the center of gravity so shots launch higher with less spin. The cupface design offers more rebound across a wider area of the face to improve mis-hits, and the counterbalanced shafts are designed to help you swing faster, with more weight in the hands for control.

look • sound • feel

★★★★

co mm e nt

demand

★★★

“Easy to frame the ball at address. It felt quick through the ball with plenty of weight underneath. Giant sweet spot. Good results from my mis-hits.” cobra

king speedzone • tour • big tour

$280

ve rdict Cobra’s distinctive rails are multifaceted. Externally,

look • sound • feel

they help the sole move through the turf across a variety of lies, but internally, the front part of the rails is hollow. This reduces stiffness in the sole for better flex in the lower part of the face. The back section of the rails is solid, so there’s more weight toward the rear to increase forgiveness. A compact Tour model and low-lofted Big Tour feature front-weighting for low spin.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★

listed alphabetically

“The carbon fiber and colors give off a cool, aggressive vibe. Those split rails power through anything.” issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

FAIRWAY WOODS

mizuno

st200 • ts

$250/$300

ve rdict Materials drive the pursuit of more distance and higher

look • sound • feel

launch, crucial to what you want a fairway wood to do. Used previously in Formula One race-car engines, the high-strength steel alloy in the face produces better flex in a new variable-thickness insert. Meanwhile, the carbon crown is thinner and lighter than past versions to lower the center of gravity. The two versions include a more compact TS model that adjusts from 13 to 17 degrees.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★

“Lively face, boring trajectory, satisfying sound— everything you want in a good fairway wood.” pxg

0341 x gen2

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

$425

ve rdict For some golfers, the challenge isn’t launching a fairway wood, it’s reducing spin so the ball spends more energy going forward than up. These models use mass saved from a carboncomposite crown in an internal weight pad closer to the face to produce a low center of gravity for less spin. The movable weights in the sole let you add forgiveness or dial in a draw or fade.

look • sound • feel

★★★★½

co mm e nt

demand

★★½

“Compact, but I don’t have to muscle it to make it go. It also had more forgiveness than I expected, and I liked the versatility in ball flight.” tay l o r m a d e sim

$400

look • sound • feel

ve rdict This fairway wood features a titanium body that’s 40-percent lighter than the typical steel fairway wood, a carboncomposite crown that weighs less than a nickel, and an alloy for the face that’s 20-percent stronger than the titanium used in a driver. This combination generates better speed off the face and saves enough weight for an 80-gram sole plate that lowers the center of gravity for improved spin and launch.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★★

“Confidence-inspiring. You can feel the weight low. I had a good sense of where the club always was.” tay l o r m a d e sim max • max d

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

ve rdict Forgiveness comes in multiple forms. First, the sole’s V-shape and rounded leading edge limit friction with the turf. That means you’ll lose less clubhead speed coming into the ball. Second, the face’s asymmetrical curvatures help off-center strikes curve back to the target. Finally, with their larger size, there’s ample perimeter weighting to manage misses. The Max D is designed to combat slices.

look • sound • feel

★★★★★

co mm e nt

demand

★★★★★

$300

“The sound and feel are pure and forceful. It’s soft yet powerful. The spin rate is low, which translates into a nice mid trajectory with no ballooning.”

If it’s not Tour-quality, it’s not worth it.

TOUR FIT

TOUR BUILD

B E T T E R R E S U LT S

Custom fitting for every golfer All fitters are not equal. If you are going to invest in your game, get fitted by the best. Club Champion is America’s leading club fitter and builder providing the most effective, detail-oriented, personalized service with single-minded focus. Every customer who walks through our doors experiences a Tour-level fitting using our 35,000+ head and shaft combinations.

Custom-built clubs that deliver results Unlike most other fitters, we build your clubs in-house so every detail matches that of your fitting. The result — only Club Champion gives you an additional 22 yards off the tee and takes three strokes off your score on average. Schedule your fitting by calling (888) 340-7820 or visiting clubchampiongolf.com.

FAIRWAY WOODS

titleist ts2 • ts3

$300

ve rdict Like the TS drivers, these woods are thinner in the crown, performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

so there’s more weight low to help launch shots higher and farther. A thin, high-strength steel face insert reduces weight and provides flex upfront. Titleist repositions that mass for forgiveness in the TS2 and adjustability in the TS3’s sole cartridge. A deeper channel cut through the sole amps up ball speed.

look • sound • feel

★★★★★ demand

★★★★½

co mm e nt

“It’s simple, elegant and has a crisp crack at impact. Very satisfying club to hit. The distance was there, and it went high without ballooning.” tour edge

EXOTICS EXS 220

$250

look • sound • feel

ve rdict What makes a face work is the technology inside. The backside of this face is cross-hatched with rows of diamondshape thick-and-thin sections. Think of it as 44 mini-trampolines. This design allows for better flexing on off-center locations and reduces the weight of the face by 14 percent. Carbon-fiber panels in the heel and toe of the sole help push weight to the rear for higher stability and better speed on mis-hits.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★½

“Simple but beautiful crown—glossy and reflective. The sole rails help: My fat shots aren’t punished.” cobra

f-max airspeed

$220

ve rdict Designed for the moderate-swing-speed player, this wood

look • sound • feel

family achieves the neat trick of reducing weight without sacrificing forgiveness and easy launch. The club’s lighter weight (20 grams less than its predecessor) offers slower swings more potential to swing faster, but the carbon-composite crown lowers the center of gravity and pushes weight to the perimeter for more stability on mis-hits. The offset hosel adds height and helps combat a slice.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★½ ★★★★ ★★★

“Gave me a repeatable right-to-left ball flight. Would probably be a dream for a slicer.” s r i xo n z f85

$250

look • sound • feel

ve rdict This straightforward look will likely appeal to better players, but it’s full of technological tweaks that make these heads more powerful than simple. The two 3-woods have a weight-saving carbon-composite crown and high-strength steel cupface that gets as thin as a penny. The result is more distance and discretionary weight to reposition for forgiveness. On all the lofts, the crown steps down for a lower center of gravity and less spin.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★ ★★★★ ★★½

“Easy to hit off the tee and off the deck. I love how square the compact head sits. Sleek-looking, too.”

HOT LIST

Swing the clubhead from out to in through impact to avoid thin shots and drop-kicks.

3-wood flush it off the deck

NATHANIEL WELCH

Make a fade swing to ensure ball-first contact

▶ i know the long shaft and lack of loft on a 3-wood can freak you out. The typical issues are hitting the ground before the ball or catching it thin. But sometimes you need the horsepower of that club. To hit it solid, just tweak how you swing. The swing’s low point should come after impact, and the best way to achieve that is to cut across the ball from out to in. The more you swing to the left through impact (right-handers), the more you move that low point forward. Don’t worry about slicing; this technique will give you a power fade. Make your normal backswing (top, left), then on the way down, push your hands out and away from you (top, right) and swing through to the left of your target line (left). This cut-type swing will help you hit the ball, then the ground, resulting in a perfect 3-wood strike.

FAIRWAY WOODS

sub 70

$150

pro

look • sound • feel

ve rdict Like a bespoke tailor, this website’s direct-to-consumer offering focuses on experienced consumers who know what they want. Don’t go looking for any anti-slice 11-woods in this collection. This is all muscle in a compact shape for the player who wants to work the ball. The switchable front and rear weights (nine and two grams) let you tweak trajectory and feel. The high-strength-steel cupface is specially heat-treated for extra flex.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★½

★★★★½ ★

“Easy through the turf with a piercing ball flight. The no-frills look of the crown inspires confidence.” x xio

$400

x (2020)

ve rdict These slightly lighter fairway woods feel more substantial performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

because extra weight in the grip end gives you more control, especially at the top of your backswing. Inside the head, the internal weight pad is forward and angled up to help you launch the ball. It allows for the larger cupface to wrap deeper into the crown and sole so there’s more flex on mis-hits.

look • sound • feel

★★★½

co m me nt

demand

★★

“Effortless to hit. Consistent and good ball speed. Has a really loud crack at impact. Good feel back to your hands. Just make your swing and pound it.”

t o u r ta lk : fa irway w o o d s shoot for the sky

▶ if you think fairway woods with more loft are for weaker players, tell that to Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott or Tony Finau. Fact is, about 15 percent of PGA Tour players have their strongest-lofted fairway wood at 16 degrees or higher. Although tour players don’t have an issue elevating the ball, some believe the higher loft provides more height and produces a better distance gap between their fairway wood and hybrid or longest iron—something all players should be mindful of. Plus, it’s still an effective club off the tee. Says Finau of his 17.5-degree Ping G410 fairway wood: “Anytime I feel like I need to put it in play, I can still get it down there. There are more tee marks than dirt on this club.” —emj

mArk ruNNACLEs/gETTy ImAgEs

Higher-lofted fairway woods are an effective weapon

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*Excludes holidays and subject to availability; club credit for promotional purposes only. Real estate and other amenities are owned by Oconee Land Development Company LLC and/or other subsidiaries and affiliates of MetLife, Inc. (collectively, “OLDC” or “Sponsor”) and by unrelated third parties. Reynolds Lake Oconee Properties, LLC (“RLOP”) is the exclusive listing agent for OLDC-owned properties in Reynolds Lake Oconee. RLOP also represents buyers and sellers of properties in Reynolds Lake Oconee which OLDC does not own (“Resale Properties”). OLDC is not involved in the marketing or sale of Resale Properties. This is not intended to be an offer to sell nor a solicitation of offers to buy OLDC-owned real estate in Reynolds Lake Oconee by residents of HI, ID, OR, or any other jurisdiction where prohibited by law. As to such states, any offer to sell or solicitation of offers to buy applies only to Resale Properties. Access and rights to recreational amenities may be subject to fees, membership dues, or other limitations. Information provided is believed accurate as of the date printed but may be subject to change from time to time. The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee is a private commercial enterprise and use of the facilities is subject to the applicable fees and policies of the operator. For OLDC properties, obtain the Property Report required by Federal law and read it before signing anything. No Federal agency

has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property. Void where prohibited by law. WARNING: THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF REAL ESTATE HAS NOT INSPECTED, EXAMINED, OR DISQUALIFIED THIS OFFERING. An offering statement has been filed with the Iowa Real Estate Commission and a copy of such statement is available from OLDC upon request. OLDC properties have been registered with the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salesmen at 1000 Washington Street, Suite 710, Boston, Massachusetts 02118-6100 and the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection at 1700 G Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20552. Certain OLDC properties are registered with the Department of Law of the State of New York. THE COMPLETE OFFERING TERMS ARE IN AN OFFERING PLAN AVAILABLE FROM SPONSOR. FILE NO. H14-0001. Notice to New York Residents: The developer of Reynolds Lake Oconee and its principals are not incorporated in, located in, or resident in the state of New York. No offering is being made in or directed to any person or entity in the state of New York or to New York residents by or on behalf of the developer/offeror or anyone acting with the developer/offeror’s knowledge. No such offering, or purchase or sale of real estate by or to residents of the state of New York, shall take place until all registration and filing requirements under the Martin Act and the Attorney General’s regulations are complied with, a written exemption is obtained pursuant to an application is granted pursuant to and in accordance with Cooperative Policy Statements #1 or #7, or a “No-Action” request is granted.

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HYBRIDS

▶ the best hybrids erase the fear of hitting low-lofted, long-shafted clubs off the ground. w e c o n s i d e r e d 3 2 h y b r i d s ; 1 2 m a d e t h e l i s t. c a l l away epic flash

$300

ve rdict These clubheads don’t mess around when it comes

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

to a low center of gravity. The lightweight carbon-fiber crown accommodates a metal-injection molding piece of heavy tungsten low in the sole that weighs nearly as much as the rest of the head. This helps elevate shots with less spin for more distance. Even more yards come from the vertical “jailbreak” bars inside the clubhead that stabilize the body and concentrate flexing in the face.

look • sound • feel

★★★★½

co m me nt

demand

★★★½

“Quiet but powerful, like the parent who doesn’t have to raise her voice to let you know she means business.” c a l l away

mavrik • max • pro

$250

ve rdict Using artificial intelligence to design the faces in this

look • sound • feel

three-hybrid family isn’t just about inputting numbers into a computer blender and hoping a fully formed clubhead emerges. Rather, A.I. is used to vary the thicknesses for each specific loft to control spin. This requires the type of analytical muscle found in mapping the human genome. Models include the high-launching Max and the flatter-lie, mini-fairway-wood Pro.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★

“Shows me the face without feeling like shots will sky. No excess climb—good, boring trajectory.” cobra

king speedzone • one length

$230

ve rdict A lot of hybrids use innovative features on the inside of

look • sound • feel

the head, but these models do their magic on the outside first. That includes the company’s decades-long tradition of rails on the sole to more easily move the bottom of the club through the turf, and a rear tungsten weight that further lowers the center of gravity. There’s also a neat trick inside the head. The rails are hollow up front, which allows the lower part of the face to flex better.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★½

listed alphabetically

“High cool factor with the matte finish. The rails make it universally playable. Compact but not intimidating.”

HOT LIST

mizuno

clk (2020)

$250

look • sound • feel

ve rdict Mizuno hits the hybrid checklist pretty completely here. The flatter crown and wider body help lower the center of gravity and increase forgiveness. Then, a thinner face made from a highstrength steel used in race-car engines adds flex for speed. To improve performance on those slightly thin shots, the sole’s wave structure gives more at impact for better rebound. Finally, the four adjustable heads create lofts from 14 to 27 degrees.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★½

“Perfect dimensions at address. A timeless design. A deeper crack at impact with a piercing trajectory.” pxg

0317 x gen2

$375

look • sound • feel

ve rdict Distance is lovely, but the right hybrid gets you a specific yardage to attack the pin. The low, forward center of gravity helps to reduce spin so shots launch with efficient power. The multiple levels of adjustability dial in distance and direction better than Waze. A rotating hosel tweaks loft by 1.5 degrees in either direction, and the mix of eight sole weights (light titanium and heavy tungsten) can add forgiveness, reduce spin or add draw or fade bias.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★★ ★★½

“Looks like Kevlar and feels bulletproof when you’re swinging it. Authoritative thud at impact.” tay l o r m a d e sim max

$250

ve rdict Giving hybrids driver-like face technology is nifty, but it

look • sound • feel

shouldn’t come at the expense of making a club that works smoothly through a variety of turf conditions. The Sim Max’s V-shape sole plate features recessed heel and toe sections that reduce drag regardless of the conditions. Less friction means more speed is directed into the ball—speed that’s enhanced by a high-strength steel face and a wider sole slot to provide more rebound.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★

“Has a modern feel to it. This is definitely your friend on a long par 3, parachuting onto the green.” titleist ts2 • ts3

$280

ve rdict If you’re looking to improve a hybrid, making the face flex

look • sound • feel

faster, lowering the center of gravity and stabilizing off-center hits are good places to start. That’s just what the TS hybrids did, building on the increased ball-speed philosophy of the TS drivers and fairway woods by having the thinnest hybrid face in company history. The two options cover those with sweeping swings seeking forgiveness (TS2) and those who hit hybrids like irons and need less spin (TS3).

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★

“Has that clean, tight, players look. It’s a shotmaker’s club, but you can also bash it down the fairway.”

HYBRIDS

c a l l away apex

$270

ve rdict Some hybrids fight ineptitude and others enhance skill.

look • sound • feel

Firmly place Apex in the latter category. Its compact shape will appeal to better players looking to provide a hint of forgiveness to their long-iron games. This doesn’t mean there isn’t speed here. The internal vertical “jailbreak” bars focus more flexing in the face to boost your distance, and the flatter, low-spin trajectory make this a hybrid that better players won’t see ballooning into the wind.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★★

“Muted sound and feel. You can shape it, knock it down or shoot it high—and it still feels powerful.” c a l l away big bertha

$270

look • sound • feel

ve rdict Hybrids need special engineering so that the small face and head can be flexible and forgiving. Big Bertha solves those challenges by concentrating more flexing in its wraparound cupface through the vertical “jailbreak” bars that join the crown and sole internally. Shortening the adjustable hosel and making it lighter saves weight that’s used to lower the center of gravity—precisely where it would be if the hosel weren’t adjustable.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★★★

“Slightly larger, but gives you confidence. Powerful sound. Launch is high, and mis-hits are forgiven.” clevel and

launcher halo

$200

look • sound • feel

ve rdict Seems simple: Rails on the sole of a hybrid lower the center of gravity and help turf interaction. Designing them correctly? Not so simple. Cleveland’s engineers used extensive computer simulations to determine the ideal number, size and spacing of its rails. Crucial is the way the leading edge forgives fat shots, allowing for 25 percent less loss of speed coming into the ball versus past models. A thin, high-strength steel face rewards all that saved speed.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★★

“The squared toe is comforting at address. The rails slice through the turf and launch the ball high.” cobra

f-max airspeed

$200

ve rdict Sometimes to really help golfers with moderate swing

look • sound • feel

speeds, you do things better players don’t need. That’s why these hybrids are ultralight (six swingweight points lighter than many hybrids on our list). It’s also why they’re slightly offset. It helps slower swingers get the face back to square and increase launch. The high-strength steel in the face also helps in two ways: There’s better flex for more ball speed and less weight so you can swing it faster.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★

“The offset helped me take the right side out of play. I actually hit some high draws.”

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HYBRIDS

tour edge

$200

exotics exs 220

ve rdict Tour Edge reminds us that we need hybrids because we

look • sound • feel

frequently mis-hit longer-shafted, lower-lofted clubs that we play off the ground. So our hybrids should be forgiving first. The longer front-to-back size coupled with a rear weight make this Tour Edge’s most stable hybrid ever. We also need forgiveness through the turf, so wider channels line the bottom of this club. Those combine with heel and toe indents for an easier move through any lie.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★

“The proportions on top were like the golden ratio, and the rails let me hit baby draws from anywhere.”

t o u r ta lk : h y b rid s

game changer

▶ about 85 percent of LPGA Tour players use a hybrid. Because they swing at similar speeds as amateurs, maybe you should consider hybrids, too. Whether it’s hitting long shots from the fairway, blasting out of the rough or even saving shots around the green, hybrids are an important component of many players’ bags. “It’s my favorite club,” says Jennifer Kupcho, who famously used a 17.6-degree hybrid to set up the eagle that led to her victory in the first Augusta National Women’s Amateur. “There’s more versatility with the hybrid, and it comes in higher and softer from those longer yardages than the 3-iron,” she says. “I don’t know why, but in competition, I hit it 215. When I hit it in practice, it just goes 200 yards. My other clubs aren’t like that. But with the adrenaline or something, it just makes it go.” Although a hybrid should fit into a specific yardage gap, it might perform so well that it creates different yardage gaps in your set. Just like it’s a good idea to get a wedge fitting with your next set of irons, it’s just as valuable to understand how your hybrids might influence what and how many irons you play. —ms

Andy Lyons/Getty ImAGes

Hybrids do a lot more than boost your distance

HOT LIST

hybrids no lie too tough The right setup is the key to getting out of trouble

nAthAnIeL weLch

▶ it’s true that hybrids are great out of the rough. The wide sole can handle the heavy grass without getting stuck. But understand that you need to make a steeper swing. Just like with fairway woods, a descending strike is the way to go. A few adjustments at address will set up the impact you want. First, open the clubface and grip down about an inch (left). Shortening the club gives you more control, and the open face counteracts the tendency for the grass to twist the clubhead at impact. Next, stand a little closer to the ball, which pre-sets a steeper swing plane. Finally, play the ball an inch farther back to increase your chance of catching the ball clean (below). Get the setup right, and your only swing thought is to cut across the ball a little. With this setup, you’ll take advantage of these amazing clubs.

To blast it out of the rough, grip down, open the clubface, and play the ball back for a steeper swing.

issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

game—improvement

HOT LIST

IRONS

▶ packed with forgivenes s and p ower, t h e s e c l u b s w i l l h a v e y o u p l ay i n g b e t t e r i n n o t i m e . w e c o n s i d e r e d 1 9 m o d e l s ; 1 3 m a d e t h e l i s t. c a l l away epic forged

per iron :

$300

ve rdict The Epic Forged was designed to deliver distance in

look • sound • feel

new ways using an old-school material—stainless steel. But even without the use of multiple materials, these irons have more than enough technology to justify the price. For the first time in a Callaway forged iron, the cupface design extends through the pitching wedge. Completing the distance-driven package is the stock shaft, Aerotech’s Steelfiber FC.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★½

“They hide the stuff going on behind the head nicely. A half-club longer than what I play. Hits high bombs.” c a l l away

$115

mavrik

ve rdict The objectives are speed and launch in the long irons;

look • sound • feel

speed and spin in the middle irons; and spin and launch in the short irons. To achieve this, the company relied on artificial intelligence to produce a new cupface that has different face designs for each iron. The use of tungsten encased in microsphere-filled urethane allows for center-of-gravity positions that help you launch the ball high despite strikingly strong lofts.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★★★

“Feels like an explosion in your hands. Clean at address with enough offset to frame the ball.” cobra

king speedzone • one length

look • sound • feel

ve rdict Cobra took design cues from fast automobiles and focused on five properties: weight, stability, power, feel and spin. Perhaps most notable is the unusual step of removing three grams of weight from the topline in the 4- through 7-iron. That leaves a channel in which two thin strips of carbon fiber are placed to keep the structural integrity of the topline intact and the removed weight is repositioned low to help ball speed and launch angle.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★½

listed alphabetically

$115

“High ball flight and long. Great numbers on the launch monitor. Super forgiveness.” issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

GAME—IMPROVEMENT IRONS

mizuno

jpx919 hot metal

$125

look • sound • feel

ve rdict A combination of unique materials and design has led to a forgiving, powerful iron in an attractive package. Helping achieve this is a complicated one-piece casting of Chromoly 4140M—a highstrength steel alloy—that allows for a face with plenty of rebound for more distance. The sweet spot was positioned half a millimeter lower than the JPX 900. Doing this allowed for stronger lofts in the 4- through 7-iron for more velocity with a similar launch angle.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★★ ★★★★

“Control on all shots. A good iron for the aspiring player without being too difficult to hit.” ping g710

$163

ve rdict Ping used modal analysis to identify undesirable

look • sound • feel

frequencies, then applied an epoxy behind the face to damp them. The maraging-steel face creates a metalwood-like face flex, and tungsten in the toe and shaft boosts the moment of inertia to mitigate the loss of speed on mis-hits by more than 5 percent compared to the G700. The Golf Pride grips come with Arrcos shottracking sensors. The black color is modern-age cool.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★★★

“The two-tone face frames the ball nicely, and the black disguises the length from heel to toe.” pxg

0311 xp gen3

$425

look • sound • feel

ve rdict PXG hasn’t been shy about creating irons with distinct characteristics. The 0311 XP is its latest example. Perhaps the most technologically ambitious club in its line, a dual polymer core addresses two needs: A high-strength outer polymer provides support for the thin, flexible face, and a softer, high-rebound inner core increases face loading at impact. The generous sole provides more effective bounce to prevent digging.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★★

“The feel is like a players iron, but they’re so stable on mis-hits. It’s like autocorrect for golf shots.” tay l o r m a d e p790 ti

$350

ve rdict Building off its P790, the company went with an all-

look • sound • feel

titanium construction that includes a 9-1-1 titanium-alloy body and a machined 6-4 titanium face insert backed by a urethane foam that allows the face to flex. The lighter titanium structure enhances ball speed and allows for the use of massive amounts of tungsten. That lowers the center of gravity by as much as two millimeters compared to the P790, allowing for stronger lofts to produce more yards.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★½

“These look really sharp. The feel is light, and it’s an easy swing through impact.”

GAME—IMPROVEMENT IRONS

tay l o r m a d e sim max

$113

ve rdict Producing ball speed with a towering launch in an

look • sound • feel

iron that feels good and looks great is fairly complicated. To increase ball speed, the “speed bridge” structure in the back cavity accommodates a flexible through-slot, and a thinner face than the M6 has more flex and saves up to six grams. A vibration damping system runs from heel to toe—substantially larger than on the M6— and channels provide flexibility throughout the damper.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★★★

“The sound is muted in the perfect way. It’s not a cannon explosion, but there’s feedback.” titleist t300

$125

ve rdict Having a beautiful face design is, well, great. But it does

look • sound • feel

little good if typical players can’t get results. The T300 iron zeroed in on that dilemma. That meant producing a high moment of inertia iron (which mitigates the loss of ball speed on mis-hits) with a face structure built for speed. To accomplish this, a larger cavity-back design was used with a silicone-polymer core backing the center of the face. That returns more energy to the ball on off-center shots.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★★½

“Super easy to hit the long irons. Turf interaction is never grabby. It’s as if the sole has Teflon.” clevel and

launcher uhx

$115

ve rdict Everyday players have a hard time getting on speaking

look • sound • feel

terms with Mr. Green in Regulation. These irons narrow that gap by providing an easy-to-use structure. The set uses two constructions: a hollow, utility-iron design in the long irons (4- through 7-iron) and a more traditional cavity-back design in the 8-iron through gap wedge. The hollow irons not only are uber-forgiving but also use a variable-thickness cupface to provide additional yards.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★½ ★★★

“I have a hard time creating enough spin with my long irons. These irons gave me a lot of help with that.” honma xp-1

$175

ve rdict A brand well known in Asia, Honma is making an effort

look • sound • feel

to break into the U.S. market. Seeking the appropriate combo of power and precision, the XP-1 uses traditional looks with meaningful game-improvement tech. The combination set includes hollow irons in the 4- through 7-irons with tungsten weighting low toward the sole for higher flight. The rest of the set, up to a 48-degree 11-iron (yes, an 11-iron), are traditional cavity-back designs.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★

“A satisfying feel. Familiar, but powerful. Long irons easy to hit. The ball gets up in a hurry.”

HOT LIST

When the left shoulder moves down and forward, the club drops into position to deliver the strike.

irons / the key to solid contact

nathaniel welch

Drive your lead shoulder to put more zip on the ball

▶ great iron players talk about compression—the feeling of hitting the ball with a downward strike. To create that dynamic on your iron shots, focus on the start of the downswing. Feel like you’re moving your left shoulder (for righties) down and toward the target as the first move from the top (left). That simple action puts the club on the correct path and angle of attack and moves the low point forward for ball-first contact. Many golfers move the left shoulder up or around too soon because their weight is falling back. When the shoulder goes down and forward, your lower body reacts, and you can push against the ground for power. So drive the shoulder to start the downswing, then let it go around to the left. That sequence will get you hitting killer irons.

GAME—IMPROVEMENT IRONS

tommy armour

$63

845

ve rdict The Tommy Armour 845 name still has cachet, making

look • sound • feel

this a welcome revival. Cast from 431 stainless steel with a thin L-shape face insert (to assist shots struck low), steel weighting with tungsten powder is placed low to make it easier to get shots in the air. The sole’s pre-worn leading edge assists turf interaction. The standard set makeup is 5-iron through gap wedge, a smart idea because most players don’t want or can’t hit a 4-iron.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★

“Tasteful design. I felt in charge of this club. There’s an ability to shape it while staying in control.” tour edge

$110

exs 220

ve rdict When distance is your priority, there’s no reason to disguise

look • sound • feel

it. The EXS 220 irons don’t even try. A hollow-cavity construction is used in the 4- through 7-irons. Those irons also use a forged cupface with a web-shape, variable-thickness design that enhances the sweet spot in every direction from the center of the face. The EXS 220 borrows the ramped sole design of its EXS predecessor in which a raised middle section helps the club move through the turf.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★½ ★★

“The middle irons had a mid ball flight, and shorter irons were an appropriate high trajectory.”

t o u r ta lk : g i iro n s mixed marriage

▶ iron sets on the PGA Tour are seeing more breakups than a divorce attorney. The majority of tour players now have sets that feature two or more models of irons. This includes replacing long irons with a utility iron, and the practice of playing iron sets that can be easily interchanged depending on the playing conditions or course setup. At times Phil Mickelson has used four models in his iron set. The takeaway for everyday players is that the majority of tour pros believe getting the most out of their iron game means using more than one type of iron, and perhaps you should, too. Like relief pitchers and nickel defenses, the iron set in golf is one of specialization. —emj

matthew lewis/getty images

Tour players are splitting iron sets with frequency. Should you?

super-game—improvement

IRONS

▶ these irons make the game easier and more fun. a n d i s n ’ t t h a t t h e p o i n t o f p l ay i n g ? w e c o n s i d e r e d 1 7 m o d e l s ; 1 2 m a d e t h e l i s t. c a l l away big bertha

per iron :

$163

ve rdict A longtime darling of higher-handicappers, Bertha, with

look • sound • feel

its oversize clubhead, thick topline and generous sole, continues to perform well in an increasingly competitive category. Despite the venerable name, this iron has the modern power of a wraparound cupface that provides a distance boost for players who often need one. Tungsten weighting positioned low in the cavity lowers the center of gravity, making it easier to get shots airborne.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★★★

“Overall proportions of the head are nicely balanced. Distance is impressive and consistent.” c a l l away

$115

mavrik max

ve rdict Technologies found in drivers eventually make their way

look • sound • feel

into irons. In this case, that meant using artificial intelligence and the “flash face” cupface idea from the company’s Epic Flash and Mavrik drivers for this set of irons. That led to unique face designs for each iron that produce flex in just the right spot. The use of tungsten suspended within urethane infused with tiny air bubbles delivers the feel players of any ability can appreciate.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★★ ★★★★★

“Compared to other clubs, this hides the technology well. The face feels soft on all kinds of hits.” clevel and

launcher hb turbo

$128

ve rdict When a study shows average golfers hit the green from 150

look • sound • feel

to 200 yards one-fifth of the time, it’s an indication those players need help. Cleveland’s solution is a full hybrid-like set designed for high launch and forgiveness. Though the irons don’t lack for speed— thanks to a high-strength steel face—distance wasn’t the main goal. Instead, the focus was on ease of use through a center of gravity that’s six millimeters lower than a typical cavity-back iron.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★

listed alphabetically

“Good ball flight and trajectory. The sensation off the face was complete with a flush feel.”

HOT LIST

cobra

$100

f-max airspeed

ve rdict The players using irons in this category typically swing a

look • sound • feel

little slower than average. That makes generating speed imperative. The F-Max irons address that through a lighter overall club weight (including a lighter midsize grip) that’s designed to make shots fly faster, farther and higher. An undercut cavity puts the iron’s weight low and wide across the sole, assisting launch in the long irons. Higher lofts throughout further help get the ball up.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★★ ★★★½

“The clubhead appears in alignment when looking down on it. Less weight lets you swing really fast.” cobra

$128

t-rail

ve rdict Cobra has a tradition of producing helpful equipment for

look • sound • feel

those who need it most. The company builds on that legacy in a meaningful fashion by using one of its most proven design features: The Baffler rails on the sole assist launch while plowing through the turf. The 4-iron is a conventional hybrid design, and the 5-iron through pitching wedge use a hollow, hybrid-like body with a forged face insert made from a springy 455 steel.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★

“The rails and proportion of the club make it one that works in any lie. The face felt taut like a trampoline.” tay l o r m a d e

$125

sim max os

look • sound • feel

ve rdict This iron is proof you can offer higher-handicappers plenty of help while avoiding a club that looks like it belongs in a carpenter’s toolbox. Though the head is oversize and the sole is wide, the overall shape is pleasing. TaylorMade continues its use of a sole slot to boost ball speed on shots hit low on the face, but the neat feature is the “speed bridge” structure supporting the topline of the iron, providing needed stability for the fast-flexing face.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★★ ★★★★★

“The sole slot is a stand-out feature. It will entice players who don’t want a clunky club to try it.” tour edge

$85

hl4 triple combo

ve rdict Golfers using irons in this category often have a single

look • sound • feel

requirement: Get the ball in the air. Tour Edge’s Triple Combo set addresses that need. The set starts with the 4- and 5-iron slots filled with matching HL4 hybrids, the 6- and 7-iron are HL4 ironwoods and the 8-iron through pitching wedge are cavity-back HL4 irons. For those who have a second requirement, such as cost, the company’s focus on affordability is appealing.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★½

“The distinct different designs through the set get you the right amount of help for the job.” issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

SUPER-GAME—IMPROVEMENT IRONS

wilson

$115

launch pad

ve rdict User error is a common problem among high-

look • sound • feel

handicappers, and Wilson makes a strong effort here to mitigate that and build some player confidence. To do that, the hollow, hybrid-like irons focus on the bottom of the club. Specifically, a progressively wide sole is designed to make turf interaction feel like hitting off a mat, thus reducing the number of chunked shots. A slightly raised leading edge also helps you from hitting shots fat.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★ ★★★★ ★★½

“The clubhead wanted to get down and stay down through the shot. As such, turf interaction was great.” x xio

eleven

$200

ve rdict Most sets in this category tout reduced weight, this one

look • sound • feel

talks about adding it—or at least redistributing it. Though the overall club weight doesn’t increase, engineers reduced the weight of the shaft by four grams and moved it to the butt end. Doing so raises the balance point of the shaft, bringing it closer to the hands. This is to help the hands get in the proper position at the top of the backswing, promoting a more efficient swing.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★½

“It’s explosive off the face. Not completely effortless, but noticeably lighter and easy to swing.” tour edge

exotics exs 220h

$130

ve rdict Hybrid-like iron sets are Tour Edge’s specialty, and

look • sound • feel

the company plays to its strengths here. The completely hollowbody-construction set is made from 17-4 steel. It’s built for max forgiveness with a high moment of inertia and low, deep center of gravity thanks to significant perimeter weighting and a wide sole that also helps improve turf interaction. It’s a set that can turn a super chopper into a serviceable member-member partner.

demand

co m me nt

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

★★★½ ★★

“Looks and performs like a beast. Long, straight and easy to hit. The sound is like a low growl.” wilson d7

$100

ve rdict Eschewing hybrids for all irons, Wilson produced a set

look • sound • feel

that can help the high-handicapper and the player trending toward a sub-20-handicapper. The company’s “power holes”—slots with polymer that promote face flex—remain, but some were removed from the topline to improve aesthetics and a third row was added on the 4- through 7-irons. The thinnest face ever on a Wilson supergame-improvement iron provides extra pop.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★ ★★★★ ★★

“A good, firm feel to the face. The progressive offset provided confidence at address.”

warren little/r&a via getty images

performance

HOT LIST

x xio

$200

x (2020)

look • sound • feel

ve rdict Primarily known as a premium brand, XXIO also excels at producing clubs that help the less skilled. In this instance, it does so by using a springy, high-strength steel face insert. That insert goes all the way to the lower portion of the face to provide more punch where most iron impacts occur. A channel around the inner perimeter of the face fosters additional flex. A feathery 59-gram graphite shaft helps golfers who need more clubhead speed.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★

“Like the shape and finish—classy. It has the muted sound of a more traditional blade.”

t o u r ta lk : s gi iro n s

webb simpson’s pro-am lessons Less shaft weight, larger heads can improve your results, he says

▶ webb simpson plays a lot of golf with everyday golfers in proams. When asked what he believes is the biggest mistake amateurs routinely make, Simpson doesn’t hesitate. “They use clubs that are too heavy,” he says. “It’s not that they’re weak, but most don’t have the proper golf muscles to swing the clubs they’re using.” The folks at Cobra Golf agree. In conducting some tests to guide the design of its latest lightweight super-game-improvement irons, Cobra found that by reducing the graphite shaft weight from 60 grams to 55 grams, players swung the clubs about one mile per hour faster, which equates to a distance gain of roughly two yards. In addition to lighter shafts, Simpson is in favor of everyday players using larger clubheads. “I see a lot of mid- to high-handicappers using very small-headed irons,” he says. “They need to realize they’re going to miss a lot more shots than those hit solid. I mean, there are plenty of days I’m missing shots, too.” —emj issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

players—distance

IRONS

▶ i f y o u ’ r e a b e t t e r p l ay e r i n n e e d o f a ya r d a g e b o o s t, t h i s i s y o u r c a t e g o r y. w e c o n s i d e r e d 2 2 m o d e l s ; 1 5 m a d e t h e l i s t. c a l l away apex 19

per iron :

$175

ve rdict The original Apex iron enjoyed a three-year run as a top

look • sound • feel

seller. Given the enhancements, expect a similar run with this club. The body is forged from 1025 carbon steel and expands the 17-4 stainless-steel cupface—where the face wraps around the top and bottom of the club to create more flex—up to the 8-iron. The cupface brings a distance benefit to a wider portion of the face with more consistency, especially on shots struck low.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★

“Impact felt like a trampoline. Soft and responsive. Incredible forgiveness. Love the looks, too.” c a l l away mavrik pro

$128

ve rdict The Mavrik name goes to the heart of company

look • sound • feel

founder Ely Callaway’s innovative thinking. This club brings a fresh approach to iron design, starting with the use of artificial intelligence to create a unique cupface for each iron throughout the set. The purpose is to bring the kind of distance golfers in this category want. Further helping that endeavor is the use of strong lofts, including a 43-degree pitching wedge.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★

“Gosh, that was easy. Turf interaction was exceptional. Distance was off the charts. Great launch.” cobra

king forged tec

$157

ve rdict The changes from its predecessor are subtle, yet

look • sound • feel

noticeable. The muscle-back shape hides the fact the head has a hollow construction for extra ball speed. A metal-injected tungsten toe weight allows the center of gravity to be in line with the center of the face to boost distance. A One Length option and the Cobra Connect grip sensors that provide player analytics through the Arccos round-tracking system remain.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★½

listed alphabetically

“That flushed sound and soft feel at impact is terrific. You can tell shots would land soft and hold greens.”

HOT LIST

mizuno

$163

jpx919 forged

look • sound • feel

ve rdict Details matter to players using irons in this category. An example is Mizuno infusing boron into carbon steel to make the steel more durable, thus allowing for a thinner face and better weight distribution to assist shots hit off center. A cut-through slot in the sole (covered by a welded strip of steel) creates more flex over a larger area of the face. It also allows for a deeper undercut cavity that creates a lower center of gravity to help boost height on shots.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

★★★★★ ★★★

“A reassuring look at address. This is like a road grader in turf interaction. It’s in charge of the ground.” mizuno

$175

mp-20 hmb

ve rdict The MP-20 HMB mixes two kinds of iron designs within

look • sound • feel

the set: hollow, two-piece clubs in the long and middle irons (through the 8-iron) and a partially hollow construction for the 9-iron and pitching wedge. The secret sauce in terms of feel is a chrome-plating technique used in a 1987 set of blades developed for Tommy Nakajima in which an underlayer of copper is used to enhance the usual double-nickel chrome plating.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★★

“The back doesn’t have much cavity, but it’s easy to get in the air. As easy to shape as any blade.” ping

$163

I500

ve rdict Iron technology for today’s better players deftly balances

look • sound • feel

two pressing needs: precision and power. The good news is that Ping has a solution that addresses both in one iron. A hollow body and high-strength, maraging-steel face allows for five times the face flex at impact compared to a standard cast iron. That leads to distance increases, because not only does the ball launch faster off the face, but the face bends in a way that launches shots higher.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★★½

“You can feel the forgiveness. Has a consistent sound at impact on mis-hits as well as pure strikes.” pxg

$425

0311 p gen3

look • sound • feel

ve rdict The company’s Gen2 irons were super cool, but the polymer inside the clubhead, although it produced a nice feel, dissipated energy at impact. PXG solved that issue with a new formulation that’s firmer on the outside and softer on the inside. The result is a face that deflects as much as two times more than the Gen2 model, and more flex means more yards. Those nifty weights in the back are still there to assist center-of-gravity location.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★★ ★★★

“The club feels appropriately weighted, not too light. It’s easy to swing and keep on path.” issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

PLAYERS—DISTANCE IRONS

tay l o r m a d e p790 (2019)

$175

ve rdict A surprise hit two years ago, the goal with this update is to

look • sound • feel

boost performance without sacrificing feel or the aspirational look. It starts with a thin, forged, steel L-shape face insert (1.6 millimeters thick) for more face deflection. The use of tungsten also changed the design from a disc low and toward the toe to an internal bar situated low and stretching from heel to toe across the impact area, helping get the ball in the air, especially with the long irons.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★

“The epitome of this category. The feel of a players iron with controllable distance and good feedback.” titleist t200

$175

look • sound • feel

ve rdict Titleist’s 718 AP3 was its first foray into the playersdistance category. This is an admirable follow-up. A high-strength steel L-shape face provides plenty of pop, particularly on shots struck low on the face. The real hero, however, is the “max impact” spherical structure. Made from a lightweight silicone polymer and situated directly behind the impact area, the structure supports a thin, flexing face across a broad area.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★ ★★★★★

★★★★½

“Easy to hit it high or keep it low. Maneuverability is so strong. A winner in all areas.” ben hogan ptx pro

$110

ve rdict When you put the Ben Hogan name on an iron called

look • sound • feel

Pro, you’d better deliver. Hoganites need not worry. The long and middle irons are hollow with a high-strength, maraging-steel-alloy face insert, and the short irons are a solid construction of co-forged 1025 carbon steel with titanium cores of various sizes. The idea is to selectively replace the steel with lighter titanium to shift the center of gravity upward on the short irons.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★

“They look like classic Hogans but have that sizzle off the face you want. A soft feel, too.” honma tr20p

$175

look • sound • feel

ve rdict This iron is targeted at serious golfers in the scratch to 12-handicap range, and it should find interested players among that audience. The pocket cavity with tungsten creates a lower center of gravity, making it easier to launch the ball. Stronger lofts combine with a soft forged L-shape cupface to produce force with feel. A visually pleasing package features a shorter blade length from heel to toe than the TW747P iron it’s replacing.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★½ ★

“You can feel the face flex at impact, but it doesn’t give the harsh feel you sometimes get with that.”

HOT LIST

mizuno

$125

jpx919 hot metal pro

look • sound • feel

ve rdict It used to be that Mizuno had to overcome a couple of perceptions when it came to its irons: that its clubs were strictly for low-handicap players and that those clubs, while great for shotmaking, lacked power. The creation of the Hot Metal Pro model changed that. A high-strength steel alloy creates a thin, fast-flexing face for the kind of distance normally found in irons with a cupface or sole slot. A perception-changer indeed.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★ ★★★★

★★★½

“I like that the help is visible. A lot of weight behind the sweet spot produces an incredible feel.” s r i xo n

$143

z 585

look • sound • feel

ve rdict Don’t let the sleek exterior fool you. This is more than enough golf club to keep up with your buddies. A high-strength steel face insert provides plenty of zip at impact, aided by an interior channel that acts as a slot around the entire face. Not to be overlooked is the revised V-shape sole, which features a higher bounce angle toward the leading edge that tapers to less bounce on the trailing edge—good for those with a steeper angle of attack.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★

“The sole grind powers through the ball aggressively. Could hit climbing draws with long and middle irons.” titleist

$500

cncpt cp-01

ve rdict If you’re going to charge $4,000 for a set of irons, you’d

look • sound • feel

better push the boundaries of materials and performance. That starts with a hollow-body design with an ultra-thin face using an unnamed steel never before used in golf. High-density tungsten— up to 50 percent of the club’s overall weight in the long irons—is placed in the heel and toe to improve forgiveness and stability on off-center hits and to help shots launch higher with less spin.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★ ★★★½ ★

“The ball really jumps off the face; maybe on the futuristic side, but I like the new look.” tommy armour

$125

845 forged

ve rdict “It’s a serious fact that players who need every bit of help

look • sound • feel

in scoring often are hopelessly handicapped by their clubs.” Tommy Armour said this, so it’s fitting that the Armour brand would make an iron that doesn’t fall into that description. A players shape with a thin topline and a little offset belies the power created by a highstrength steel L-shape cupface. Forty grams of tungsten in the toe enhance stability on off-center strikes.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★½ ★★

“There is effortless power in these. The loud crack at impact makes you feel good about your swing.” issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

players

IRONS

▶ looks, feel, work ability and performance are e s s e n t i a l t o a g r e a t p l ay e r s i r o n . t h e s e d e l i v e r . w e c o n s i d e r e d 2 3 m o d e l s ; 1 4 m a d e t h e l i s t. c a l l away apex pro 19

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

per iron :

$175

ve rdict The key story behind the Apex Pro is the addition of a cupface to a forged 1025 carbon-steel frame (the previous Apex was a single-piece forging). The cupface design, in which the iron’s face plate wraps around the sole and topline, is used in the long and middle irons (through the 7-iron) to enhance springlike effect across a larger area of the face. The result: more ball speed.

look • sound • feel

★★★★½

co mm e nt

demand

★★★★

“Effortless power. The secret must be the little biceps in the back of the club so you don’t need to use yours to get the ball moving.” cobra

king tour

$171

look • sound • feel

ve rdict Improvements in materials and manufacturing allow clubmakers to go beyond what they’ve done before. This iron is proof of that. The King Tour irons are made from a blend of 17-4 stainless steel and 304 stainless steel to provide a softer feel while maintaining durability. That material is then manufactured using an ultra-precise metal-injection-molding (MIM) process, marking the first time a full set of irons has been made this way.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★★ ★★

“The turf interaction was perfection. I could hit a low or high shot without even thinking about it.” mizuno

jpx919 tour

$150

ve rdict Iron design hinges on metallurgy and manufacturing,

look • sound • feel

but at some point the engineering has to match the aesthetic. With an increase in tour use in recent years, Mizuno has used player feedback to drive the design of this iron. That meant a thinner topline with a slight bevel. This allows more weight to be added in the toe and the sole, providing more forgiveness than a typical players iron—something golfers of all levels can appreciate.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★

listed alphabetically

“An ideal head shape: The topline is thin without being intimidating. Center hits had a luscious feel.”

HOT LIST

mizuno

$175

mp-20 mmc

ve rdict The company’s “grain flow” forging process produces

look • sound • feel

some of the best-feeling irons in the game. This model uses another Mizuno technology in which titanium is forged into the back cavity. In this case, two pieces provide a smooth center-of-gravity progression throughout the set. Also, a lighter titanium muscle in the long and middle irons combines with tungsten low and toward the toe to provide stability on off-center hits.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★★ ★★★½

“The look says you’re a player. The weight in the sole makes it simple to get height on shots.” ping

$125

i210

ve rdict Ping has long pursued meaningful forgiveness in players

look • sound • feel

irons, so anyone wanting to jump-start their game might consider the i210. A large, wide port for the elastomer in the back provides perimeter weighting to help your mis-hits. That elastomer also helps absorb vibration. The 431 stainless-steel casting (a softer steel than traditional 17-4) includes milled grooves that change throughout the set to create more consistent spin in a players-friendly shape.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★★

“The hat trick: The long irons have punch, the middle irons stay up and the short irons are scoring magic.” ping

$150

iblade

look • sound • feel

ve rdict The ultra-thin face provides a powerful strike, but better players demand more, specifically feel and forgiveness. The former is addressed by using soft 431 stainless steel for the clubhead and adding an elastomer insert that runs from heel to toe in the back cavity. Stability gets a boost from a tungsten block in the low toe. How significant is this iron? It’s the first in the history of the Hot List to earn a gold medal four consecutive years.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★

“Very sharp. No-frills look. Gets through the turf well and even works with my semi-competent swing.” pxg

$425

0311 t gen3

look • sound • feel

ve rdict PXG is a company that caters to one of golf’s most exclusive market segments, but golfers willing to pay a premium for their irons demand uncompromising performance. Key to achieving that in this iron is the addition of a new interior design in which a soft polymer inside reduces unwanted vibrations while transferring more energy into the ball. The face has a channel around the internal perimeter to create more rebound.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★★ ★★★½

“The looks have a certain cool factor. Emits a thump at impact and rockets toward the green.” issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

PLAYERS IRONS

tay l o r m a d e

$175

p760

look • sound • feel

ve rdict Better players often find the right combo of looks, feel and forgiveness by mixing their iron set with two or more models. TaylorMade hopes to eliminate that need with the P760. The 3-iron through 7-iron are a hollow, multiple-piece design with a forged 1025 carbon-steel body and a thin steel face insert with foam inside to support the face. The short irons are single-piece forgings made of 1025 carbon steel that maintain the compact shape.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★★★

“The turf interaction was exceptional, but what I liked most was the consistency from club to club.” titleist

cncpt cp-02

$500

ve rdict For the past decade, Titleist has put a lot of effort into

look • sound • feel

making irons for better players. This one even further distinguishes itself. The face is forged, and its L-shape is similar to the company’s T-MB and AP3 irons. But the CP-02 gets additional power from an extremely thin face made from a unique steel alloy the company refers to as “super metal.” The hollow-construction irons also use generous amounts of tungsten to improve off-center hits.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★

“Love the new-age design to the back. When you hit it pure, it delivers a lower, powerful trajectory.” titleist T100

$175

look • sound • feel

ve rdict The forged T100 replaces the popular AP2 irons, so it was logical the company would rely on the input of players such as Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth for this makeover. The result is a new shape that includes reduced offset and a thinner topline. The T100 still features plenty of heat thanks to a thin face design (just 1.8 millimeters thick on the 3- through 6-iron) and loads of tungsten in the middle and long irons to promote a higher launch.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★★ ★★★★★

“I like how it cradles the ball at address. The feel is so smooth. Hardly felt like I was making contact.” honma tr20v

$175

look • sound • feel

ve rdict An effective mix of classic craftsmanship and modernplayer desires. The blade length for this one-piece body with a cavity-back design is slightly shorter than the TR20P model. The topline and sole, however, are modestly wider, offering a comforting look at address and extra help when you take too much turf. Not to be overlooked is Golf Pride’s +2 grip, where the bottom portion is larger to reduce tension in the lower hand.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★½ ★★★★ ★

“These are hot. Trajectory penetrates the wind. My mis-hits weren’t penalized too badly, either.”

MARCH 10-15

T P C SAWG R ASS PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL T IC K ETS AN D TR AV EL I NFOR MAT IO N AVA IL ABL E AT TH EPL AY ER S.COM /TR AV EL

PLAYERS IRONS

miura cb-301

$280

ve rdict Miura doesn’t change an iron design for the sake of an

look • sound • feel

update. That’s why this is its first forged cavity-back iron in eight years. The company’s legendary workmanship remains, but in a more forgiving, higher-launching package despite marginally stronger lofts. That’s made possible by tweaking the weight inside. Mass has been moved to a section in the bottom of the club, creating a lower center of gravity to get shots higher.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★½

★★★★½ ★

“A shotmaker’s club. You can hook and fade these. If you want feel and workability, these are for you.” s r i xo n z 785

$143

ve rdict The company is well-regarded for its ability to produce

look • sound • feel

sweet-feeling, one-piece forgings, and this club continues on that path. Made from soft 1020 carbon steel, additional mass is located behind the center of the face for better energy transfer at impact. The shape of the clubhead is more compact in the short irons, and the sole features a higher bounce angle toward the leading edge that tapers to less bounce on the trailing edge.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★

“The sole is so good you almost can’t chunk the shot. Catch it a little thin, and it still delivers a nice strike.” titleist 620 cb

$175

ve rdict The 600 series dates back two decades, but enhancements

look • sound • feel

borrowed from the 718 CB, while mostly subtle, are meaningful to better players. It starts with a refined sole that’s designed to improve turf interaction through a pre-worn leading edge. The guts of the clubhead include co-forged high-density tungsten in the heel and toe of the 3- and 4-irons to help players get shots airborne with those hard-to-hit clubs.

demand

co m me nt

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

★★★★½ ★★½

t o u r ta lk : pl ay e rs iro n s

“Best part was the feel. Baby soft. Everything felt like it stayed on the face, then it would launch high.”

accept all the help you can get Henrik Stenson’s irons assist his superb ball-striking

▶ some people have an issue asking for help. Everyday golfers should not be among them. Just ask Henrik Stenson. The talented Swede has used Callaway’s Legacy Black irons since 2013 and knows the benefits of forgiveness, even in a players shape. “At address, it looks like a traditional blade, but it’s thicker on the bottom with a bit more forgiveness,” he says. “You don’t need to make the game harder than it is. Pros make it look easy at times, but it’s a game of small margins, and if the technology helps you save a few yards on your miss, it’s worth it.” —emj

Christian Petersen/Getty imaGes

performance

HELLO FRIENDS! WE’VE ARRIVED.

THE JIM NANTZ BY VINEYARD VINES STORE JUST OFF THE PUTTING GREEN AT THE LODGE AT PEBBLE BEACH™

NOW OPEN

Pebble Beach ® and its respective underlying distinctive images and hole designs are trademarks, service marks and trade dress of Pebble Beach Company. Used by permission.

WEDGES

HOT LIST

▶ you’ve lost 2 ,5 0 0 rpm of spin if your wedge i s f r o m 2 0 1 7. g e t i t b a c k a n d m o r e w i t h 2 0 2 0 ’ s b e s t. w e c o n s i d e r e d 2 6 m o d e l s ; 1 2 m a d e t h e l i s t. c a l l away

$160

jaws md5

ve rdict The MD5’s primary objective is providing more spin on the

look • sound • feel

partial shots as you get closer to the green. Rather than traditional vertical-groove walls, the grooves on the higher lofts feature walls that angle away from the base, exposing the edges for better grab. Milled ridges between the grooves also help with spin. A new lowbounce version added to the company’s W-grind (wide sole) provides heel relief for the higher-lofted wedges.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★★

“I could check it or roll it greenside. In the sand or thick rough, the ball comes out effortlessly.” clevel and

$140

cbx2 • full face ve rdict On this everyman wedge, the cavity-back and hidden,

look • sound • feel

hollowed-out areas in the hosel and heel nudge the sweet spot toward the toe where Cleveland says average golfers hit it. The soles vary in width throughout the set to match average-player needs. This regular Joe wedge has a tour-pro face with milled and laseretched surface roughness and grooves. High-loft options with larger faces and grooves that stretch across the face are available.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★

“Awesome divot action. A lot of effort went into designing that sole. I liked the softness, too.” cobra

$150

king mim

ve rdict Cobra uses a metal-injection molding process to construct

look • sound • feel

the head rather than the usual forging or casting. This method, which includes a custom blend of two kinds of steel, reduces hand polishing, leading to a softer metal and keeping the integrity of the sole shaping and weighting. The face’s spiral-milling pattern provides surface roughness on square- and open-face shots. New for 2020: twice as many loft-sole options.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★

listed alphabetically

“The gunmetal is glare-free. The leading edge sits clean; perfect turf interaction and good spin.” issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

WEDGES

mizuno t20

$150

ve rdict When designing the face of its new T20, Mizuno looked

look • sound • feel

at tire treads for inspiration. The texture of the face aims to increase friction in dry conditions and channel moisture upward and away from the face when it’s wet. Mizuno’s loft-specific design—narrow and deep in the stronger lofts; wider and shallow in the weaker lofts—matches groove shape to the typical shots played by each loft. There’s also an extra groove low for better grab on partial shots.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★

“Nearly impossible to chunk. Perfect, shallow little divots. Easy to use the bounce how ever you want.” ping

glide 3.0

$150

ve rdict To enhance feel and forgiveness, the Glide 3.0 combines

look • sound • feel

a stainless-steel head with a large elastomer insert in the rear cavity. “Wheel-cut” grooves, which feature two profiles based on loft, produce a sharper-edge radius to create more friction and spin. The higher lofts even add half a groove low on the face for better spin off the tightest lies. Finally, there’s an updated, bunker-friendly Eye2 look among the four sole grinds.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★

“The club’s weight goes fully through impact. With any contact, the ball went where I wanted.” tay l o r m a d e

milled grind 2.0 • hi-toe

$170

ve rdict The distinctive Hi-Toe look receives attention, but the

look • sound • feel

update to the classic-looking Milled Grind might catch your eye even more, thanks to its raw, un-plated face. The idea is that eliminating the chrome layer allows for a cleaner, sharper groove. The new raw face and groove construction—a narrow, deep shape based on Tiger Woods’ specs—offer twice the friction of a plated face for dramatic improvements when there’s moisture.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★★

“One of the best in terms of feel. Consistent on a variety of shots, and the trajectory was spot-on.” titleist

vokey design sm8

$160

ve rdict Past Vokey versions have focused on perfecting a

look • sound • feel

progressive center of gravity where the CG is higher as loft increases to control spin and trajectory. That philosophy continues here, but this club also pushes the CG forward by lengthening the hosel and adding tungsten to the toe. This minimizes dynamic loft at impact for a consistently stable feel, particularly in half-wedge shots. As before, there are two groove shapes based on loft to optimize spin.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★

“An OK wedge if you’re into perfection. Answered every ask. Modern update but still classic looks.”

HOT LIST

fourteen

$240

dj-4

ve rdict The game-improvement appearance might cause you to

look • sound • feel

overlook the subtleties of this players wedge. Notable is the versatile sole, which uses its leading-edge angle to facilitate clean contact on full swings from the fairway. It also relies on its width and ample bounce to power through deep rough and bunkers. The cavity-back provides forgiveness, and the thicker top of the blade raises the center of gravity for better spin and trajectory control.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★ ★★★★ ★

“Plows through the sand. Plenty of spin whenever you need it. The weighting just feels right.” miura

tour wedge • hb • k-grind 2.0

$300

ve rdict Miura’s heralded forging process is the foundation of these

look • sound • feel

shapes, both classic and unique. The variable thickness on the back of the blade has more mass on the upper half for a higher center of gravity to flatten trajectory. The distinctive “K Grind 2.0” features knuckle-size channels on the back of the sole to reduce resistance when in the bunker. For the first time in company history, the grooves are computer-milled for maximum volume and consistency.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★ ★★★★ ★

“Those notches cut through everything smoothly. Its stability on a variety of shots was apparent.” ping

$200

glide forged

ve rdict Compared to most wedges, the more compact shape and

look • sound • feel

sole width fuels workability for skilled players and reduces turf resistance. A tapered, offset hosel harkens to Ping’s famous Eye2 wedge and helps the club skim through taller grass and sand. This also helps the face stay on its intended path so shots launch high and land softly. A “wheel-cut” precision-milled process results in sharp groove edges for increased friction.

demand

co m me nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

★★★★½ ★★

“Easy to open the face. The ball checks up beautifully and was smooth out of the sand.” pxg

$300

0311 forged ve rdict Hiding the weight redistribution was a neat trick. The

look • sound • feel

slightly thicker toe section draws the center of gravity higher and toward the center of the clubhead for better transfer of energy and spin consistency. This weighting helps the playability on open-face shots and chips as well. The triple-forging process refines the head’s angles and curves, and the computer-milled face helps the grooves push the USGA limits on size and edge radius for better spin.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★ ★★★★ ★★

“Powerful feel with good distance control. A nice rounded look with a sweet satin finish.” issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

WEDGES

wilson

$130

staff model • ht

ve rdict A higher-density groove pattern means tighter spacing.

look • sound • feel

This allows the ball to engage more grooves (and more groove edges) at impact, creating spin and control, particularly on mid-range shots that don’t compress the ball as much. Constructed out of 8620 carbon steel for a softer feel, the Staff Model features a high-toe, wide-sole option with grooves that stretch across the face for more versatility and forgiveness around the greens.

demand

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

★★★★½ ★★

“The low-profile is so clean, it’s hard not to have a soft touch. Great backspin. Easy to flight low.”

t o u r ta lk : w e d ge s

consistency is key in your wedges

▶ it’s a question not nearly enough players ask themselves: When purchasing wedges, should I stick with standard “wedge” shafts or use the same type of shafts I have in my irons? If Jordan Spieth’s clubs offer any insight, the answer is both. According to Titleist, the 46and 52-degree Titleist Vokey SM7 wedges that Spieth uses have Project X 6.5 shafts—the same shafts Spieth has in his irons. But his 56- and 60-degree wedges have a sub-flex shaft, which can add feel. The reason: Lower-lofted wedges are used more as fullswing clubs that benefit from the same shafts as in his irons, and the sub-flex shafts help on shorter shots around the green. Another takeaway from Spieth’s wedge setup is that he extends his wedge model down to the pitching wedge, meaning all four of his wedges are the same model club as opposed to having the pitching wedge from his iron set. Although the majority of everyday players use a set wedge, it’s an idea that merits consideration. After all, when having your scoring clubs in your hands, why wouldn’t you want them to feel familiar? —emj

Andy Lyons/Getty ImAGes

Jordan Spieth has some advice for wedge shafts and matching clubheads

HOT LIST

To dial in distance on wedge shots, choose swing length or swing speed.

wedges / stick it from anywhere

nAthAnIeL weLch

You first have to decide how to control distance

▶ the secret to great wedge play is being able to produce any distance on command and that comes from knowing how to control speed at impact. There are two leading methods: Vary the length of the backswing and accelerate through, or make whatever backswing you want and just feel out the right speed at impact. Think of a car that has to hit a checkpoint at 50 miles an hour—it can be speeding up or slowing down. If accelerating makes more sense to you, set the length of your backswing so that normal acceleration gives you the distance you want (right). If you’re more of a feel player, you can swing back to any length and focus on putting in the right speed—even if that means decelerating into the ball. There are terrific wedge players on both sides. Experiment to see which feels better to you.

mallet

PUTTERS

HOT LIST

▶ s i x o f t h e t o p - 1 0 p l ay e r s i n t h e w o r l d u s e a m a l l e t. s o t h i n k w h a t o n e m i g h t d o f o r y o u . w e c o n s i d e r e d 2 8 m o d e l s ; 1 4 m a d e t h e l i s t. clevel and

$200

frontline

i n n o vat i o n

ve rdict Most companies push weight toward the back or edges of the putter to make it more stable, but Cleveland believes that can make mis-hits go offline. This is why the Frontline’s weight is, well, concentrated in the front, placing the center of gravity near the face, which helps reduce sidespin and keeps the putter square. An S-shape groove pattern regulates ball speed across the face, with a high-contrast sightline on the topline for alignment.

look • sound • feel

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½ ★★★★★

★★★★½ demand

★★½

“No guesswork. Easy to line up. Starts on line with a velvety soft roll. Total control on long putts.” o dy s s e y

stroke lab black • silver

$300/$250

i n n o vat i o n

ve rdict The new Black models in the stroke-smoothing family emphasize forgiveness and alignment with a firmer insert. The Ten has heel and toe wings that extend from a framed central mass with a center alignment line, and the Bird of Prey (left) uses similar alignment features around a triangular shape. The distinctive Stroke Lab shaft—mostly graphite with steel near the head—seeks to even your tempo by putting the balance point closer to your hands.

look • sound • feel

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½ ★★★★★

★★★★½ demand

★★★★★

“The size frames the ball nicely. Great alignment. Soft but firm consistency on every putt.” o dy s s e y

$450

toulon design

ve rdict These classic mallet shapes emphasize a compact

i n n o vat i o n

footprint and various hosel and toe-hang choices. The 303 stainlesssteel heads are milled with a diamond-shape pattern on the face in which crosshatched grooves channel vibration to promote solid feel, satisfying sound and better roll. Unlike past Toulon designs, the pattern extends across the face to improve consistency. The Stroke Lab shaft adds control by placing more weight in your hands.

look • sound • feel

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½ ★★★★

★★★★½ demand

★★½ listed alphabetically

“The compact head makes me feel more connected. It has a nice soft click.” issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

103

MALLET PUTTERS

o dy s s e y

$250

triple track

ve rdict The club’s selling point lies in its name. Three sightlines—

i n n o vat i o n

two thin blue lines, one thick red—sit on white circles on a black clubhead to help alignment. Compared to a blank clubhead, Callaway says the sightlines equate to a 20 percent more consistent strike. Coupled with the company’s ERC balls (which have the same lines), center contact is improved even more. Also comes standard with the tempo-smoothing Stroke Lab shaft.

look • sound • feel

co m me nt

performance

★★★★½ ★★★★★ ★★★★ demand

★★★★

“Love the contrast with the alignment lines. You know where the ball is going when it comes off the face.” ping

$250

heppler series

ve rdict The stainless-steel and soft-aluminum (about a third

i n n o vat i o n

the density of steel) construction allows more mass to be placed in the back of the putter for better perimeter weighting and stability on off-center hits. A hidden mechanism inside the grip on these putters lets you adjust the length from 32 to 36 inches. Available in five models, each steel face is free of any grooves or patterns, an alternative for those seeking firm sound and feel.

look • sound • feel

co m me nt

performance

★★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★★★ demand

★★★★

“Nicely balanced. Sets up true behind the ball. Consistent. Everywhere you hit it, it’s solid.” ping

sigma 2

$200/$220

ve rdict Most golfers haven’t been fit for a putter, which means

i n n o vat i o n

they’re likely playing with the wrong length. The Sigma 2 comes to the rescue with a mechanism hidden in the shaft under the grip that lets you adjust the length from 32 to 36 inches. The five mallets in the line include the ball-picking Fetch and the heavier-head, armlock Valor 400. All feature a dual-layer face insert to provide a soft feel on short putts and firm control on longer leaves.

look • sound • feel

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★★ ★★★★★

★★★★½ demand

★★★★½

“Look, feel, function—it all just works. Even on mis-hits, my putts went where I wanted them to.” tay l o r m a d e tp patina

$250

i n n o vat i o n

ve rdict A new model—the angular DuPage—joins this lineup of modern takes on classic compact shapes. Full mallets mix with those featuring cutout shapes, center sightlines or framing lines to provide optional looks against a black copper/nickel finish. A lightweight aluminum insert uses downward facing grooves that reduce backspin to improve the roll off initial contact. Heel and toe sole weights allow the headweights to be customized.

look • sound • feel

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½ ★★★★

★★★★½ demand

★★★

“It gets the ball hugging the green instantly, and the little bit of dull copper prevents glare.”

MALLET PUTTERS

tay l o r m a d e

spider x • spider s

$350

ve rdict The X model has a deep center of gravity to make it more

i n n o vat i o n

stable in a more compact package. By using a carbon-composite center section, almost three-quarters of the head’s weight lies in the heel and toe. Meanwhile, the S (left) features a 55-gram tungsten weight bar, plus tungsten sole weights for extreme rear weighting and stability. Both have downward facing grooves that reduce backspin to improve the roll off impact.

look • sound • feel

co mm e nt

demand

“You’re never not square. Heel, toe and center hits all feel consistent. So easy to use, off the rack and go.”

performance

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★

★★★★½

titleist

scotty cameron phantom x

$430

ve rdict This oversize, multimaterial putter uses 6061 aluminum

i n n o vat i o n

for the face and core of the body, then incorporates heavier 303 stainless steel in perimeter wings and heel-toe weights to create an unabashed commitment to stability on off-center hits. An anodized black finish reduces glare at address, and the grip has a larger, lesstapered right-hand area to create balance and consistency in the way your hands hold the putter and make the stroke.

look • sound • feel

co m me nt

performance

★★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★★★ demand

★★★★

“The weight is ideal. You can feel a good putt instead of hearing it. So soft.” titleist

scotty cameron special select

$400

ve rdict The Special Select features a mid-bend shaft to get a face-

i n n o vat i o n

balanced feel for strokes that like to work straight back and straight through. The aircraft-grade aluminum plates on the sole free up weight to be redistributed to the perimeter for better off-center hit performance. The stainless-steel inlay of past Select models has been replaced by a solid milled face, which Cameron says helps achieve a pure, consistent feel no matter the strike.

look • sound • feel

co m me nt

performance

★★★★★ ★★★½

★★★★★ demand

★★★½

“You’re getting the sound and feel of a blade putter, but the consistency and help of a mallet shape.” bettinardi inovai 6.0

$400

ve rdict Bettinardi is famous for its classic milled putters, and

i n n o vat i o n

this series shows its techy side with the use of multiple materials. A platinum-finished 303 stainless-steel face pairs with an aluminum body anodized blue for a two-tone look designed to guide alignment and frame the ball. On the face, a milling process removes 55 percent of material to provide a soft, consistent sound and feel at impact. Finally, the stiffer shaft provides extra stability in your stroke.

look • sound • feel

co m me nt

performance

★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ demand

★★

“Good response and feedback off the face, almost like a tennis-racket feel. No skidding.”

HOT LIST

putter free up your stroke Why staying still can actually make you miss

▶ golfers are commonly told to lock everything down and just rock their shoulders when they putt. The problem with that little gem of advice is, freezing any part of the body causes tension, which destroys feel. Let’s focus on the head. When you try to keep it still, you create tension in your neck and upper body, and your shoulders don’t work properly. The result: You flick at the ball with your hands and arms, which is wildly inconsistent. To add fluidity to your putting stroke, you need some fluidity in your body, particularly your head. Except on very short strokes, it’s OK to let your head move fractionally away from the target from setup (left) to follow-through (below). That freedom keeps the putterhead moving down the line with the face staying square. You’ll hit a lot of great putts that way.

nathaniel welch

For more feel, eliminate tension by letting your head move back as you stroke through.

issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

107

MALLET PUTTERS

pxg

milled series

$425

i n n o vat i o n

ve rdict A custom-fitting process with multiple head, hosel and weighting options is this line’s hallmark. With each head offering three hosels, an adjustable shaft used in the fitting process helps identify the ideal specs. Each club in the series has serious mass in the heel, toe and rear for high mis-hit stability. Variable-size pyramids on the face—increasing in size, decreasing in density as it moves from center—manages off-center-hit distance control.

look • sound • feel

co m me nt

performance

★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★½ demand

★★

“Feels like it’s all one piece—from handle to head to ball to initial roll, it’s all smooth and in sync.” seemore

platinum series

$380

ve rdict SeeMore is famous for its effective alignment story, and

i n n o vat i o n

that concept is expanded here thanks to three shaft orientations on the new M5HT (straight, double bend and plumber’s neck). Each shaft hides a red dot on the heel side of the clubhead to let players know they’re square to the target. The distinctive blue sightline also enhances alignment. In addition, there’s improved perimeter weighting, and a milled face provides a solid feel.

look • sound • feel

co m me nt

performance

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★★★ demand

★

“Feels modern and well made. It’s easy to commit to your line with this alignment system.” tay l o r m a d e truss

$300

i n n o vat i o n

ve rdict Truss is all about stability. Along with the natural ballast of a mallet head, a steel frame on the topline reinforces the connection between the club and shaft. This minimizes twisting, improving the consistency of energy transferred to the ball. The beam’s stiffness also lends to an improved sound and feel. The grooved polymer insert deflects at impact so the ball starts rolling end-over-end more quickly for better distance consistency.

look • sound • feel

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★½ demand

★★★

“You might think What the heck is this? But then you start playing with it, and you can’t miss.”

the mallet migration Many of the game’s best are going big on the greens

▶ during the past five years, PGA Tour players have continued to gravitate toward mallet putters. In 2014, about a third of the players on tour used one. Now it’s nearly 40 percent. It’s not just those at the bottom of the money list seeking the forgiveness benefits of mallets. Of the top 50 on the 2019 year-end World Ranking, 23 use a mallet. Five years ago there were just 19. Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy, both blade users in 2014, now carry mallets in their bags. —emj

Keyur Khamar/PGa tOur/Getty imaGes

t o u r ta lk : m a lle t s

blade

PUTTERS

▶ these blade putters mix old-school cool w ith ne x t- wav e tec hn o l o gy t o improv e yo u r ro ll . w e c o n s i d e r e d 2 6 m o d e l s ; 1 7 m a d e t h e l i s t. bettinardi

$300

bb series

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★½

look • sound • feel

★★★★★ demand

★★★

ve rdict Bettinardi putters are known for their classic shapes and American-made precision milling from solid blocks of carbon steel. But this latest line thinks beyond the head. Yes, the shapes are still traditional, with flatter, softer toplines and a glare-eliminating “glacier” black finish. But now a heavier, stiffer, tour-weight shaft adds stability to the stroke for consistent feel. The “super fly” face milling pattern is designed for a muted, crisp response. co mm e nt

“A classic sound to it—sharper and more distinctive than those modern exotic materials.” clevel and

$180

frontline

ve rdict The forgiveness of high moment of inertia (MOI) putters

i n n o vat i o n

might be good, but Cleveland’s point here is that the pursuit pushes the center of gravity (CG) too far back, making off-center hits start farther offline. Instead, the CG is closer to the face so that there’s less of a push on those toe hits, and you get a straighter roll. To further help mis-hits, an S-shape groove pattern replicates the benefits of, you guessed it, high-MOI putters.

look • sound • feel

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★★★ demand

★★

“A lot going on, but it all comes together. Consistent sound and feedback no matter where you hit it.” o dy s s e y

stroke lab black • silver

$300/$250

i n n o vat i o n

ve rdict Odyssey’s breakthrough Stroke Lab shaft—part graphite, part steel—returns, saving 40 grams compared to a standard shaftgrip setup. A slightly heavier head and more weight in the grip counters that weight savings to push the balance point closer to the hands for a more consistent stroke. The Silver is the softer insert, and the new Black models feature the similar microhinges in an insert without grooves for a firmer sound.

look • sound • feel

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★★ ★★★★★

★★★★½ demand

★★★★★

“The grip and the head match up in a unified feel. The subtle curve to the sole lets you set it up just right.”

HOT LIST

o dy s s e y

$450

toulon design

i n n o vat i o n

ve rdict These are classic, milled putters, but there’s more going on than aesthetics. The 303 stainless-steel head features a cross-hatched diamond-shape milling pattern that now extends across the face. These edges channel vibration for a more solid sound and enhance initial roll. Plus, there’s the standard graphitesteel Stroke Lab shaft that shifts the balance point toward the hands for better tempo control.

look • sound • feel

co m me nt

performance

★★★★½ ★★★★

★★★★½ demand

★★★

“It’s a sharp look. Easy to align. Milling feels cushy but firm. It makes a living from 10 feet and in.” o dy s s e y

$250

triple track

i n n o vat i o n

ve rdict Alignment might seem like an afterthought in a blade putter, but there’s real value when a serious commitment is made. This system of two blue lines framing a thicker red line is taken from the visual science known as vernier acuity, or the way the brain processes subtle differences in alignment detected by the eyes. In short, the lines let the golfer perceive straightness more clearly. The counterweighted Stroke Lab shaft aims to improve tempo.

look • sound • feel

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★★★ demand

★★★½

“It’s easy to frame the ball. Hard to not have good touch with this. The weighting is spot on.” ping

$230

heppler series

ve rdict These two classic Ping blade shapes (Anser 2, ZB3) have

i n n o vat i o n

been around for decades, but they take on new life through a multimaterial approach. Combining a soft, lightweight aluminum face with a heavier steel flange is a significant boost in off-center-hit stability. The adjustable shaft-length system features every length from 32 to 36 inches for a better fit, and the flat, ungrooved face provides a firmer sound and feel at impact.

look • sound • feel

co m me nt

performance

★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★★ demand

★★★★

“Forgiving but with instructive feedback on off-center hits. Rolls true. The stable head keeps it on path.” ping

$200

sigma 2

i n n o vat i o n

ve rdict The Sigma 2 features an adjustable shaft that lets you change the length from 32 to 36 inches. Ping says 80 percent of golfers require a different length shaft than the standard 35 inches. This year’s shaft is stiffer for better feel. A dual-layer polymer supports the multiple-groove-aluminum face insert. The softer outer layer provides extra feel for short putts, and the firmer inner layer provides more energy from long range.

look • sound • feel

co m me nt

performance

★★★★½ ★★★★★

★★★★½ demand

★★★★½ listed alphabetically

“The insert causes the ball to hug the green after it leaves the face. The roll stays true to your line.” issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

111

BLADE PUTTERS

pxg

milled series

$425

ve rdict With four blade models, all with variable weighting and

i n n o vat i o n

three hosel options, this is a line to have your preferences truly explored. An adjustable shaft enhances the fitting process, as does the ease of moving among heads and weights to find the right toe hang or head stability. Beyond the fitting, though, there’s roll control through a variable-size, pyramid face pattern that increases in size and decreases in density as it moves from center.

look • sound • feel

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★★ demand

★★

“The wide footprint inspires confidence. Sits square— you don’t have to manipulate your hands.” tay l o r m a d e tp patina

$250

ve rdict The distressed copper finish offers a classic contrast to

i n n o vat i o n

the updated face-insert technology. The lightweight aluminum insert still features downward facing grooves that reduce backspin to improve the roll during initial contact. But now that insert is thicker and is secured with screws to eliminate any voids for a more consistently solid feel. Sole weights customize the head weight to the shaft length and the golfer’s preference.

look • sound • feel

co m me nt

performance

★★★★★ ★★★★

★★★★½ demand

★★★½

“The copper look works. The head feels balanced and easy to lag. I like how it naturally sits square.” tay l o r m a d e truss

$300

ve rdict Blade putters aren’t known for their stability, but the steel-

i n n o vat i o n

frame topline support on this model looks to change that perception. This structure reduces twisting of the face at contact to improve the consistency of energy transfer while unifying the movement of the head throughout the stroke. The beam’s stiffness also lends to an improved sound and feel at impact. The grooved face insert reduces backspin for a quicker start to a smoother roll.

look • sound • feel

co m me nt

performance

★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★★ demand

★★★★

“It’s different, but you get used to it because of that pure roll. Feels stable. Great distance control.” titleist

scotty cameron 2020 special select

$400

i n n o vat i o n

blades in favor of a milled construction (now 100 percent made in California). It’s a switch made for pure, consistent feel across the face. The head shapes were redesigned for a sleeker look, and heavier heel-toe tungsten weights were used to enlarge the sweet spot and enhance stroke stability. A thicker, less-tapered low-hand section of the grip balances your hand action.

look • sound • feel

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★★ ★★★★

★★★★★ demand

★★★★★

“It sounds and feels so good, I almost don’t even care if it goes in. It’s just right—not too hard or soft.”

Keyur Khamar/PGa tOur

ve rdict Gone is the stainless-steel inlay seen in recent Cameron

HOT LIST

carbon

$420

bandit series

ve rdict Carbon’s hollow-point milling method removes mass from

i n n o vat i o n

the heel of the putter and replaces it with a brass-bullet casing, a process designed to move the center of gravity closer to the middle of the club. A clean topline and less mass behind the center of the club help produce a solid sound at impact. The weight of the head is on the lighter side for those seeking a tour-branded feel, and a sole drift is milled to keep the putter square at address.

look • sound • feel

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★ ★★★

★★★★½ demand

★

“I know pure can be overused, but that’s the word for this putter. Sits square and rolls beautifully.” clevel and

$130

huntington beach soft

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

look • sound • feel

★★★★ demand

★★★

ve rdict Thanks to a variable-milling pattern, grooves are tightly etched in the center of the face, becoming wider and deeper toward the heel and toe. This process, which Cleveland describes as “speed-optimized face technology,” ensures putts have a consistent speed and increased friction for a better roll, no matter where the impact location occurs. Each clubhead has its own tailored pattern to maximize stability on off-center strikes. co mm e nt

“Sweet feel. Excellent forward roll, even on bumpy greens. Soft and muted sound.”

t o u r ta lk : pu t te rs the move to toehang mallets Blade-putter fans now have another option

▶ what if you could putt with a mallet that behaves like a blade? Enter toe-hang mallets. If you’re not familiar with toe hang, put the shaft of a putter in the palm of your hand with the face turned skyward. If the toe of the head drops down, that’s toe hang. Toe hang matches up nicely for strokes with an arc, and face-balanced, where the face of the putter stays skyward, is for straight-back and straight-through strokes. That’s led blade users with an arcing stroke, including Tiger Woods, who briefly tried a TaylorMade Ardmore 3 toe-hang mallet in 2018, to give them a try. If you’re a blade user and your game on the greens isn’t what you want it to be, it’s an option to consider. —emj issue 2 . 2020 | golf digest

113

BLADE PUTTERS

edel e.a.s.

$500

ve rdict Like past Edel models, the E.A.S. removes weight from

i n n o vat i o n

underneath the toe, reducing torque—i.e., less resistance—to the way the putter opens and closes during the stroke. The idea is that the putter more easily stays square to the target. A milled face with hex patterns, large around the middle and small near the ends, maintains speed across the face. The E.A.S. has 10 alignment scenarios to dial in your ideal setup.

look • sound • feel

co mm e nt

demand

“The face is so soft. You get a good reaction off the face whether you killed it or hit it softly.”

performance

★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★

l.a.b. golf

blad.1 • blad.1s

$400

ve rdict The company’s “lie-angle-balancing” approach uses four

i n n o vat i o n

weight ports that are customized to match the balance point for each player’s specific setup and lie angle. The weighting is geared to keep the face angle square to the natural path of your stroke. The tilted grip sets the hands in a natural forward press to make it easier to feel the movement of the putter through the stroke. It’s offered in milled stainless steel or in a softer, milled-brass head.

look • sound • feel

co mm e nt

demand

“Great distance control and shockingly easy to align. Looks a little odd, but you get past it once you hit it.”

performance

★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★

mizuno

m craft

$300

ve rdict Mizuno returns to the putter category with, naturally,

i n n o vat i o n

a head forged from the same 1025 carbon steel it’s used in its irons. The head is milled to traditional shapes with a milled pattern on the face for a smooth feel at contact. The slightly heavier head encourages a more stable stroke. Dual, interchangeable weight ports on the sole range from three to 13 grams in a kit that comes standard with every head, which is available in three finishes.

look • sound • feel

co mm e nt

performance

★★★★½ ★★★½ ★★★★ demand

★★

“I love that little audible click it gives. Just the right amount of vibration in your hands. Beautiful roll.” seemore

platinum series

$380

ve rdict Seemore’s blades have won major championships dating

i n n o vat i o n

to the 1990s, and the fundamentals haven’t changed. It’s about simplifying your alignment process by setting up to the putter so you can’t see the red dot in the heel at address. Especially interesting is that the technology now works with three shaft orientations (straight, double bend and plumber’s neck). These models are milled from soft 303 stainless steel.

look • sound • feel

co m me nt

demand

“Love the red dot and how it keeps the putter at the ideal address position. Soft, with lots of rollout.”

performance

★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★

Last Shot

Arnie and Fred by jerry tarde Editor-in-Chief

red rogers—“Mister Rogers” to us—grew up in a house 3.9 miles from Latrobe Country Club, where he learned to play golf by taking lessons from Deacon Palmer at the same time as the pro’s son. Fred and Arnie both attended Latrobe High School, a year apart, and went on to achieve worldwide fame while always remaining close to their hometown in Western Pennsylvania (pop. 8,338). “It’s with me wherever I am,” Fred once said; Arnie never left. Each became defined by their humility, warmth and empathy for others. Tom Hanks played one of them in the movies, but he could have played both. LAY-trobe is the way the locals say it. Go into Arnie’s clubhouse and you’ve stepped back in time to his prime, the 1960s. It’s across the street from the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, where the best Italian restaurant in town, DeNunzio’s, is on the second floor of the airport terminal. Down the road is Saint Vincent College, where Arnie’s memorial was held in 2016 at the Benedictine basilica on the hill. I hadn’t made the connection between these two American heroes until I attended the reception at the Fred Rogers Center on campus. Inspired by Tom Hanks’ movie, I returned to look for Arnie among Fred’s archives at the center last fall and spent the day with their mutual friend, the Benedictine Archabbot Douglas Nowicki, who oversees the college. Nowicki used to consult on Rogers’ television show and was there in the New York City subway when a group of teenagers noticed Fred and spontaneously broke out singing his theme song, “Mister

116 golf digest | issue 2 . 2020

Rogers’ Neighborhood,” one of the real-life scenes depicted in the film. The archabbot, a nongolfer, recalled the time Palmer asked him to play golf. He demurred, but Arnie insisted. On the first hole, he took a huge clump of a divot and left the ball on the tee. “Maybe you better just drive the cart,” Arnie said. The archabbot was also with him when he died. Palmer had called that morning and asked, “Hey, Doug, don’t preachers come see their clients anymore?” They visited for an hour that day, said the Lord’s Prayer together, and 10 minutes later, Arnie was gone. Both Palmer and Rogers were Presbyterians, which I guess is only a club-length from Catholics. (I’m a Catholic, but my closest preacher is a rabbi—we all hedge our bets.) Fred’s father owned a couple of manufacturing companies, and his mother was a beloved philanthropist and socialite in town. They had a reputation for looking out for their employees and making loans they knew would never be ▶ signature sweaters Arnie’s back yard was in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

repaid. Fred was a victim of bullying as a child and suffered from asthma, spending summers indoors when his parents bought one of the first window air-conditioners. He studied music, married a concert pianist and came to believe that the Arts more than anything else spoke to humanity and gave access to our inner feelings. “He pioneered child psychology based on social emotional development as opposed to cognitive behavioral theory,” Nowicki said. “That’s ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ versus ‘Sesame Street.’ Fred taught that people are open to learning when they feel affirmed and loved.” Palmer’s parents came from the other end of the economic spectrum, forged in sports. Arnie learned to use the service entrance to the club until one day he owned it all. “Growing up, my father and Fred didn’t hang out together,” Amy Palmer Saunders said. “But as adults, they had a mutual respect and were family friends. When I was young, our families had gatherings at Christmas time.” On the same campus as the Fred Rogers Center is the

50-acre Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, disparate symbols of their two families. What they had in common was profound. Fred liked to recall advice he received from the old actor Gabby Hayes: “When I’m on the air, I see just one little buckaroo out there.” That was the sense Fred gave through the television set to generations of children. It was also the sense that Arnie gave to everyone in his gallery as we thought he was looking only at us. Rogers focused his life on children; Palmer founded two children’s hospitals that bear his family name. In the Rogers Center, among hundreds of boxes of Fred’s papers, the archivist Emily Uhrin showed me a handwritten speech about local people who inspired characters in his productions; he cited Deke Palmer for giving him “a feel of golf and was glad to be able to pass it on to the children of the next generation” (1976). There were also letters asking Arnie to be profiled on his show “Old Friends . . . New Friends” (1979)—but it never worked out—and later an elegantly penned note to Winnie and Arnie that was signed, “Love to you both, as always, Fred” (1992). Fred and Arnie shared this careful penmanship and a remarkable dedication for writing back to every fan who wrote them a letter— tens of thousands over their lifetimes. Fred once responded to a 10-year-old boy, whose father then wrote to thank Fred, who then wrote back to thank the father. Each back and forth a sign of respect. You can’t help but draw a larger message about Arnie and Fred in the turbulent times we live in. Two men from the same place, different as could be, found a common answer to today’s problems in the way they consistently treated people with kindness. One buckaroo at a time.

EvEning Standard/gEtty imagES

They always looked out for us, one buckaroo at a time.

WE’VE BUILT A NAME ON BOURBON AND A LEGACY ON RYE.