Golf Digest - October 2021 by Motivate Media Group

Tee Sheet 10/21

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

▶ anna nordqvist is p r i m e d f o r r oya l g r e e n s

Features cover 20 Saudi Ladies International Reigning Women’s British Open champion Anna Nordqvist is headed to Royal Greens GCC with an inspirational message. 28 Ryder Cup Recap How Team USA won at Whistling Straits and why Europe should fret. 34 Controlled Aggression I shoot 65 or lower about every six rounds. Let me show you how to play out of your mind. BY PATRICK CANTLAY

6 Editor’s Letter A tsunami of Ryder Cup hurt has arrived on European shores.

BY KENT GRAY

Play 12 Stairway to Success Why spine balance in the takeaway is so important. BY EUAN BOWDEN

BY ERIKA LARKIN

56 Golf Ball Hot List We tested 85 balls in our most extensive golf ball test ever, and 28 entries received our highest marks.

The Starter 8 Smooth Move Bring your best lag putting touch to the fully renovated Majlis greens at Emirates G.C.

47 Get Your Swing Back Replace quick fixes with long-term solutions.

BY MIKE STACHURA AND E. MICHAEL JOHNSON

14 Yas Acres A sneak peek at the latest addition to Abu Dhabi’s collection of world-class courses. BY KENT GRAY

18 Summer School MENA Tour winner Josh Hill reflects on a challenging summer in the UK.

16 Ocktoberfest Tourney We’re holding a wee shindig at The Els Club, Dubai and you’re invited.

54 Tour Technique Ten putting tips from the Olympic Gold Medallist.

4 golfdigestme.com | october 2021

WITH KENT GRAY

BY XANDER SCHAUFFELE

Cover photograph by Golf Saudi

nordqvist: golf saudi • yas acres: troon abu dhabi • cantl ay: jensen l arson • golf ball: ben walton

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Editor’s Letter

Roll on Rome KENT GRAY kent.gray@motivate.ae • Twitter: @KentGrayGolf / @GolfDigestME

HE TEARS WILL BE replaced with lasting resolve and the ugly post-mortem handled with dignity where it should be – behind firmly fastened doors at the continent’s Wentworth war bunker. Still, an awful realisation confronted Padraig Harrington and his humbled European troops as they retreated from Whistling Straits, the victims of a record Ryder Cup trouncing. What next? What if all the forward planning is shrewd, the inevitable young reinforcements carefully picked and perfectly paired, the on-course strategy cunning and Marco Simone Golf & Country Club tricked up to suit the home side. And what if it’s still not good enough the September after next?

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There is no hiding from the historically lopsided 19-9 defeat in Wisconsin. This wasn’t so much a tide change as a scary sounding of a once in a generation alarm. A tsunami of Ryder Cup hurt, courtesy of this young bunch of ridiculously talented and supremely self-assured Americans, is already onshore. Traditional European fight versus newfound U.S. might, if you will. It’s a sobering prospect for even the most optimistic European fan. It should be remembered that the boys from the Old World Tour have written a rich modern era legacy by throwing plucky passion at a perceived talent divide to win seven of the previous nine matches before Whistling Straits. Forget not, either, that this is golf,

the most predictably unpredictable game ever invented. All the major titles, FedEx Cups, Olympic gold medals and ranking points in the world count for nothing in the Ryder Cup cauldron if those superstars suffer an off week. That could easily happen in Rome but it didn’t in Wisconsin. Steve Stricker had eight of the world’s top 10 at his disposal and they played well to a man. This was the youngest ever U.S. team with eight of the 12 in their 20s and only 5-0 Dustin Johnson older than 32. Imagine being the elder statesman at age 37. The six rookie Yanks combined for 15 ½ of the 19 points, Europe’s three first-timers just two. There is no guarantee the victorious Americans will all make it to Italy, nor that those who do land in Rome will be in such a rich vein of form. But hey, why fret when Patrick Reed will be back and whippersnappers like Will Zalatoris, Sam Burns and Matthew Wolff are itching to join the revolution alongside Captain America. By contrast, many of the battled-hardened Europeans looked battle-weary,

“It’s a sobering prospect for even the most optimistic European fan.”

editor-in- chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer managing partner & group editor Ian Fairservice editor Kent Gray art director Clarkwin Cruz editorial assistant Londresa Flores instruction editors Luke Tidmarsh, Euan Bowden, Tom Ogilvie, Matthew Brookes, Alex Riggs chief commercial officer Anthony Milne publisher David Burke gener al manager - production S. Sunil Kumar assistant production manager Binu Purandaran t h e g o l f d i g e s t p u b l i c at i o n s editor-in- chief Jerry Tarde director, business development & partnerships Greg Chatzinoff international editor Ju Kuang Tan golf digest usa editor-in- chief Jerry Tarde gener al manager Chris Reynolds editorial director Max Adler executive editor Peter Morrice art director Chloe Galkin managing editors Alan P. Pittman, Ryan Herrington (News) chief pl aying editor Tiger Woods pl aying editors Phil Mickelson, Francesco Molinari, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Tom Watson

sadly past their used-by date. Four of the beaten dozen were north of 40 and it smarts that this could be the playing swansong for heroic servants Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood. Robert MacIntyre, Guido Migliozzi and the brothers Hojgaard wait in the wings but as one American observer put it, the potential European debutants look “the equivalent of adding more muskets to a front line facing a wave of F-15s”. Europe no doubt has an awful lot of questions to answer in the next 23 and a bit months, not least if Harrington deserves another shot as captain (he does) and what has happened to the real Rory McIlroy who contributed a sole singles point and a tearful apology to his teammates afterwards. In addition to McIlroy firing, you fancy the likes of Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and Matthew Fitzpatrick will have to go from potential to proven major champions as well to really give Europe belief for Rome. Jon Rahm can’t go on doing all the heavy lifting,

especially with his Spanish side-kick Sergio Garcia set to be near 44 by the time Rome rolls around. Like Poulter, Westwood and Paul Casey, the winningest Ryder Cup player of all-time will have to answer to Father Time at some stage. Perhaps the one bright (albeit bittersweet) takeaway from the biggest whooping since Europe replaced Great Britain in the biennial matches in 1979 is the realisation that reigns never last. The trick is not to be caught in a long, cold winter because discontent and division almost always follows. And that’s the last thing the struggling European Tour needs in this uncertain and disruptive COVID-19 era. The next two years will reveal where the strategic alliance between the European and PGA Tours truly stands as the battle lines of the global professional game are redrawn. It will be utterly fascinating but perhaps not quite as intriguing as European’s retort to the worry from Wisconsin. Roll on Rome 2023.

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The Starter Majlis Makeover

BACK TO THE

FUTURE The five-month rebuild of the Majlis greens is set to test your lag putting touch by kent gray

Photographs courtesy of Emirates Golf Club

“Members and guests will notice very subtle changes in movement and slope on the greens.” mirates golf club has gone right back to the beginning to secure the future of the most recognisable greens in the Middle East. ▶ Members began putting the Majlis’ fully renovated greens on September 30 with October 17 slated as the day that the green fee paying public can experience the new surfaces for the first time.

All 18 greens and the practice surface beneath the club’s iconic Majlis clubhouse have been fully renovated to USGA specification. They’ve all been brought back as close as possible to the original shape and size specified by designer Karl Litten when the region’s first grass course was built in 1988. That means members and visitors will have their lag putting tested with the greens increasing in size by an average of 40 percent. Originally built as ‘push up’ greens and subject to the region’s high-stress climatic conditions, the greens had come to the end of their natural 20-25 year lifespan. Aptly-named American Terry Baller, who has significant global experience with many top design companies, was brought in as design consultant and Tifeagle Bermuda grasses flown into the UAE in refrigerated containers from Atlas Turf in Georgia in the U.S. Dubai Golf took advantage of the fivemonth course closure/rebuild to add drainage to each of the Majlis’ greenside bunkers and level out teeing grounds. A major tree trimming programme was also undertaken, bringing much needed light and air circulation to areas where grass growth has proven problematic. “The team have done a tremendous job under the guidance of [superintendent] Matthew Perry to return the Majlis to the condition and standards expected of such an important course,” said Dubai Golf CEO Chris May. “On bringing the greens back to the sub base by removing 60- 70cm of the previous greens, the original shape size and contours of the Karl Litten design was evident, so members and guests playing the Majlis will notice very subtle changes in movement and slope on the greens as they have been

▶ bunker drainage The Majlis bunkers previously didn’t have built-in drainage, impacting playability throughout the day as greens were irrigated and water filtered into the sand. Every greenside bunker was renovated alongside the greens overhaul, a process impressively achieved in-house in just two weeks. october 2021 | golfdigestme.com

The Starter Majlis Makeover

BEFORE

AFTER

(sprigged, june 13th)

(sept 12)

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1. The 11th green on the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club highlights the rapid progress of the renovation. 2. The 1st green in similar before and after photos. 3. All the tee complexes were flattered, including the picturesque 7th, one of he best par 3s in the region. 4. The 5th green comes at you after one of the Majlis’ trickiest drive-approach combos. 5. The green on the par-4 12th hole in all its newly grown glory.

5 returned to their original design.” The upgrade was timed to allow nearly four months of bed-in time before Emirates G.C. hosts the 33rd Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, itself enhanced to $8 million Rolex Series status in 2022. Perry is confident of a smooth return for the European Tour’s finest after last year’s Desert Classic, won by Ryder Cupper Paul Casey, was decided on highly stressed surfaces sadly showing their age to global TV audiences. “The thing to expect over the coming months is that the greens will get quite hard as we want them to develop and build

organic matter,” Perry told members in a recent edition of Club Life, Emirates G.C.s newsletter. “We won’t be needle tining as it will loosen the surface too much. The ball roll will be good. There may be the odd jump here and there, which would simply be down to some areas of the greens that is still settling. “It is very important to make sure we repair pitch marks as it is young grass [which] needs to be given a good amount of time to recover… not fixing these pitch marks straight away will prevent that.” Baller is likewise pleased with the outcome of the renovation.

“Due to the nature of construction and corresponding disturbance to each green complex, we wanted to maximise enhancement opportunities that maintained the original design intent and strategy,” said the American. “We were able to identify green surfaces that can benefit from enlargement while simultaneously enhancing bunker/green surface relationships, reducing severely sloped areas to promote playability and increase pinnable areas, and improving the overall drainage of green surfaces and areas surrounding the green perimeter by tying into the existing grade more suitably.” october 2021 | golfdigestme.com

Play Swing Sequencing with Euan Bowden

“Imagine a spiral staircase...think of the body rotating in the backswing, around and up.” Stairway to Success Want increased power and accuracy? Align the balance points in your backswing to promote the correct takeaway rotation. t the peter cowen golf academy at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club we promote, teach and hone golf swings controlled by the body. It is important to rotate the body - the catalyst of the entire movement - well in order to unwind in a free flowing manner through the ball. Over the summer, we have installed a brand new swing studio, equipped with Trackman and new Ground Reaction Force Plates from Swing Catalyst, to highlight the correct sequencing of the golf swing. The fluid and powerful sequencing of the swing is often best achieved through correct rotation of the body in the backswing. Here’s how to picture that rotation. Imagine a spiral staircase, the type that typically goes around and up. That is how we want to think of the body rotating in the backswing, around and up. When you do this it is crucial to keep your balance points (top and bottom of your spine) aligned on top of each other through the rotation, to remain centred. As you do this, you want your pressure to favour your right side throughout the movement of the backswing to set you well to move forward and through the shot from there. If you misalign these balance points and do not rotate well in the backswing, your body will react in the downswing which can often jeopardise your club path and strike through impact. Typically, this ‘reaction’ in the downswing will lead to the sequence of the downswing being mistimed and not allow you to maximise your ground reaction forces. By not utilising your ground reaction forces you are missing out on the distance that your body is naturally able to generate. Aligning the balance points by rotating well and loading pressure into your trail side in the backswing, you are then well set to unload into a free flow through the ball with little manipulation. This will help you maximise your ground reaction forces, allowing you to create distance as well as controlling the club path and strike through impact. Visit the Peter Cowen Golf Academy at for checkup in our Swing Catalyst. A session with one of our Swing Catalyst Certified Instructors will make sure you are getting the most out of your swing and ensure your body is allowing you to maximise the forces available to you.

Record. Analyse. Improve. Swing Catalyst is the most powerful video analysis software in golf.

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WATCH THE VIDEO ▶ Scan the QR Code to watch Euan bring this lesson to life.

Euan Bowden is PGA teaching professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai.

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TECHNOLOGY

Majlis Course, Emirates Golf Club*

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The best courses, the best rates Earn up to 10% back in Viya points to spend on future golf bookings and across the Viya network of hotels, golf clubs, gyms, pools and spas across Dubai. *The Majlis Course opens for public play from 17th October 2021

Play New 9

Coming Soon… The latest addition to Abu Dhabi’s cluster of world class golf has been unveiled and we’re officially giddy with anticipation enerous landing areas off the tee, the sumptuous, shadow-enhanced fairway ripples that are a trademark of her big sister, sizeable greens and plenty of water to keep you honest. Those are the initial takeaways from the first images from Yas Acres, the long-anticipated sister course to Yas Links Abu Dhabi. Details, including official opening dates, are being kept close to the club’s chest but know that the images here are sneak peeks of the 1st and 9th holes, the latter captured under lights. Both are par 5s, 544 and 535 yards from the black championship tees respectively, and likewise rated stroke index 2 and 1. There are five tee grounds for each hole at Yas Acres with the 1st playing as short as 399 yards and the 9th 383 yards. Stay tuned for further details of the Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design which stretches from 2554 yards at its shortest to a challenging 3700 yards.

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▶ (clockwise from bottom) A wet penalty awaits any approach long and left on the opening hole. A view from the 1st tee; Looking back down the 1st fairway; Night golf is coming to Yas Island!

Stay tuned for more details of the Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design...

Photograph by Troon Abu Dhabi

irdi

Beers

s t a r

Celebrate Oktoberfest at The Els Club, Dubai Win a Pro-Am spot in this month’s LET Dubai Moonlight Classic at Golf Digest Middle East's Oktoberfest Tournament! S THERE ANYTHING more pleasurable than a cleansing hops or two after a round on one of the UAE’s premier golf courses? This October 14, there most certainly will be – and you won’t have to wait until postplay to enjoy a tasty brew – or three. At Golf Digest Middle East, we’re channelling our inner German to celebrate Oktoberfest with a tournament like no other at The Els Club, Dubai. Proudly sponsored by African + Eastern, Birkenstock, Adidas and Baker’s Kitchen, this is a golfing shindig you won’t want to miss. For just AED 595, you’ll secure a start in the individual stableford event where a pair of German brews and a cheeky shot will greet each entrant in their golf cart on arrival. There’ll be a taste of Germany on the way round with a free Bratwurst and traditional pretzel, plus on-course competitions to add to your prized stash. The customary nearest the pin challenge? You bet ... there's even a swish Adidas men's and ladies cart bag on the line.** Throw in an on-course activation from global lifestyle brand Birkenstock (think stylish, comfy footwear) and a prize presentation with more shots and tempting offers on the brew of the day, and, well, what’s not to love. But wait, there’s even more. If you play well you could even score a place in the 18-hole Dubai Moonlight Classic Pro-Am, the €260,000 Ladies European Tour event scheduled for The Faldo course at Emirates Golf Club from

ails t e D What: Golf Digest Middle East Oktoberfest Tournament Where: The Els Club, Dubai When: Thursday, October 14, 2021 Price:

AED595

Individual stableford tournament, 1pm shotgun. (Div. A 0-12 Handicaps, Div. B 13-24 max + Best Gross) Check-in from 11am. Free use of practice facilities from 11am October 27-29. The winners of each division (Div. A 0-12, Div. B 13-24 max + Best Gross) will snare these prized invites, plus additional prizes on offer from our sponsors. (**To be eligible for any of the prizes, an official EGF handicap/ recognised handicap is required.) So, what are you waiting for? Round up the troops and sign up for our October 14 Oktoberfest tournament at The Els Club, Dubai. We’ll sort the brews, brats and pristine golf course, you take care of the birdies and banter.

Visit golfdigestme.com/oktoberfest to enter sp onsors

october 2021 | golfdigestme.com

josh hill (eng) mena tour age 17 owgr/wagr 1599/197 lives dubai, uae

Photograph by Oliver Hardt/R&A/Getty Images

5-mintues with…

Play

“This summer taught me a lot about grinding which is a great asset to have in my locker.”

Josh Hill

The Dubai-based MENA Tour winner reflects on a UK summer campaign that saw him called up to the U-18 Great Britain & Ireland team for the prestigious Jacques Léglise Trophy and then the full England amateur men’s team for the Home Internationals If I had to give my summer a mark out of 10, I think it was a five overall as there were some solid results but I never felt that I played my best golf. I learnt a lot though which I can take away and use to improve my game going forward.

results and scores which is a valuable lesson and a great asset to have in my locker. I’m really happy that although I didn’t have my ’A’ game I still managed to dig deep, find consistency and get some good results.

●●●

The standout tournament for me was playing and winning for England in the Boys’ and Girls’ Home Internationals. It’s always great to represent your country but coming out with a win is even better and I really enjoyed the experience.

I am very appreciative that I had the opportunity to travel for five months and play some great tournaments but it is really good to get back home, have a rest and see my friends. I’m looking forward to getting back into training and working on my game using all the lessons that I have learnt from the summer.

●●●

St Andrews is always a great week and experience. It was great to get into contention [at the St Andrews Links Trophy where Hill missed out on a playoff by one stroke] and give myself a chance to win but coming up just short hurt a lot! ●●●

It was an honour to be selected to play for GB&I in the Jacques Leglise Trophy in Sweden. Although it wasn’t the result that the team had hoped for, it was an amazing experience and I’m thankful to the R&A and EGA for making it happen with all the COVID-19 travel restrictions. ●●●

To be selected for the Men’s Home Internationals was, once again, a great honour. Having played against many of the English men throughout the season it was great to come together as a team and try and win for your country. ●●●

I never felt that I played to my full potential during the summer but it taught me a lot about grinding out

●●●

The first few months [travelling in the COVID era] were fine and I was lucky enough to be staying at a friend’s house in between tournaments which I can’t thank them enough for. The last month was quite challenging staying in hotels but I kept focused and concentrated on my golf. It was a shame that some tournaments were cancelled early in the season due to COVID-19 but for those that went ahead they were very well organised and as long as you stuck to the protocols, everything was fine. ●●●

I think U.S. college is a great pathway to pro golf and I am in discussions with a few colleges as we speak. As you’ll be aware, the amateur sponsorship status will be changing in January so with regard to 2022 planning, my first objective in the next three months is to raise some sponsorship money. This will hopefully give me opportunities to travel to the top worldwide amateur events. —with kent gray october 2021 | golfdigestme.com

ARAMCO SAUDI LADIES INTERNATIONAL

SWEDEN’S Greens' Queen reigning women’s british open champion Anna Nordqvist is determined to make her ambassadorial role for Golf Saudi count, in the kingdom and beyond

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ARAMCO SAUDI LADIES INTERNATIONAL

Anna Nordqvist BURST ONTO THE PRO SCENE BY WINNING THE 2009 LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP IN WHAT WAS JUST HER FIFTH LPGA TOUR START- AND MAIDEN MAJOR.

Since then the Swedish star has shone consistently and has occupied the top 50 of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings for large portions of her career, including several spells in the top 10. Notching a further six LPGA wins in the meantime, it wasn’t until 2017 when Nordqvist added a second major to her tally by winning the Evian Championship. Her impressive career includes seven Solheim Cups with a winning record that places her among Europe’s all-time elite, a position reinforced by a third major title secured at the AIG Women’s British Open just days before a fourth Solheim Cup victory was achieved with Team Europe. The 34-year-old returns to the Middle East in November where she will be in action competing in the Aramco Saudi Ladies International (November 4-12) and Aramco Team Series – Jeddah (November 10-12) at the prestigious Royal Greens G&CC, Saudi Arabia. We caught up with the Arizona-based Swede ahead of the Ladies European Tour double-header in King Abdullah Economic City and started by returning to her glorious week at the British Open.

●●●

GD: Reflecting on your AIG Women’s British Open victory, what stands out from that week? AN: It still feels unreal that I won the British Open at Carnoustie, and as a European, there’s nothing bigger to win. To do it at such a historic venue and being so close to friends and family of both my husband – who grew up 20 minutes away – and caddie, who all came to watch and support, I can’t see it getting any better. ●●●

Where does it sit among all your professional achievements? It’s definitely the biggest victory of my career. I’m extremely proud of the achievement and of all the hard work that I’ve put in over the last couple of years, especially when I haven’t seen that hard work pay off in my results. I’m extremely happy and I think when this season ends, I’ll have more time to process it, but I’m very proud. ●●●

What does it mean to be part of the European Solheim Cup Team? For me, Solheim Cups have been the

biggest events I’ve played in my career. I remember going down to Barsebäck [Golf & Country Club, Sweden,] in 2003 and watching it with my family. I’d played golf for just three years at that time and could only dream of playing in an atmosphere like that. When I think of that girl now, having played in seven… that really blows my professional goals out of the park.

How has your role within the team changed since your first Solheim Cup? In my first team, as a rookie in 2009, I was fortunate to compete alongside so many golfers I admired growing up. I played with Laura Davies, Suzann Pettersen, Helen Alfredsson, Sophie Gustafson, Maria Hjorth, basically all the women I grew up watching. That experience was very special but obviously now having played in quite a

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solheim cup (left): getty images

●●●

few myself, I’m one of the more experienced players and help look after the rookies. It’s surreal when I think about it. I’m extremely proud and honoured to have had an opportunity to represent Europe and be part of so many amazing teams, with so many other players. ●●●

You’ve won in Europe twice and the U.S. twice. Does winning on home or away soil feel better and why? I just love the Solheim Cup wherever it is; there’s something very special about it. The atmosphere, walking up to the first tee, hitting the first tee shot – something I was charged with at this last Solheim Cup – these are moments I live for. I just love it. Winning is always special. It doesn’t compare with anything else. It’s perhaps a little more special to win on U.S. soil, probably because we’re underdogs and have the majority of the

crowd against you. That said, in 2019 at Gleneagles, my whole family were there cheering me on, screaming, shouting and dressing up. It’s such a big week for my family and those are the few weeks in my career when they all come to watch me play and we all get such a fun week out of it, so they’re all special but 2019 was maybe the most special because of just how much I could share it with my family. ●●●

You played in the Aramco Saudi Ladies International in 2020, which, as you know was a watershed moment for Saudi Arabia as it was one of the first professional female sports events in the Kingdom. Why do you think it’s good for golf to be played at an elite level in new and emerging destinations? To have been part of the first women’s professional golf event in Saudi Arabia

▶ global impact The Aramco Team Series will have visited London, Sotogrande, Spain and New York by the time it reaches King Abdullah Economic City for the season finale

last year is very cool. Meeting young girls there and women who’ve excelled in the Middle East has been awesome. It’s important to play all over the world to show this is a sport without limits, without borders and that as a professional golfer it’s great to travel the world, not only to show you can compete anywhere but also to experience different cultures. I have always loved my time in Saudi Arabia. On my first trip I met a lot of amazing people from all walks of life and it’s inspirational to see how other people have accomplished their dreams. I’m looking forward to coming back this year and I know there are plans in place to make the event even october 2021 | golfdigestme.com

ARAMCO SAUDI LADIES INTERNATIONAL

▶ focused Nordqvist finished in a share of 11th place at last year's Aramco Saudi Ladies International

better this year. There was a young girl I met last year in the Pro-Am, and I’m looking forward to seeing her again and understanding how she’s been getting on in pursuing her own goals and ambitions. ●●●

The Ladies First Club was launched at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International and welcomed 1,000 Saudi women who signed up to free access to golf. What do you think of initiatives like this? I know not everyone is fortunate enough to have access to golf courses and equipment, but for 1,000 women to be provided with free access to the sport in a safe and comfortable environment is remarkable. I know those spots filled up very quickly, so there’s clearly an interest and I’m looking forward to seeing how it’s been going for those women in the last year.

IF I HELP SOMEONE TAKE UP THE GAME, OR BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES, OR BE PROUD OF BEING A YOUNG GIRL WITH BIG DREAMS,

I think we’re on a good track. ●●●

Besides your playing experiences in the region, you now have strong ties with the Middle East through your ambassadorial roles with Golf Saudi and the Aramco Team Series. What made you want to be an ambassador for those brands? Initiatives like the Ladies First Club and seeing how Aramco and Golf Saudi are looking to grow the women’s game was what touched me most and made

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me want to be an ambassador. What I’m most passionate about is creating opportunities for women, especially young girls, to be able to pick up golf. I’m very proud to be an ambassador for Golf Saudi and the Aramco Team Series because they are trying to grow the game in places where we can’t really take women’s golf, or even women’s sports, for granted.

Aramco and Golf Saudi’s initiative to sponsor five tournaments has made a massive difference to the [Ladies] European Tour and women’s golf in general. By coming up with new, fun ways of including women and amateur golfers like they do in the Aramco Team Series, and broadcasting around the world really helps demonstrate how many great personalities there are on the LET.

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Is being a role model or ambassador important to you? I think it’s very important to be an ambassador for the game of golf and especially for young girls all over the world. I always said to, ‘be the change you wish to see’ and I think if I didn’t have amazing role models growing up like Annika [Sörenstam] and other players from Sweden playing at the highest level, it would have been hard for me to make the same dreams. Sharing experiences and seeing first-hand what it’s like you can see the potential, and I feel that by being an ambassador, if I help someone take up the game, or believe in themselves, or be proud of being a young girl with big dreams, I think we’re on a good track. I think it’s very important to use your voice as a professional golfer and be an ambassador and role model for young girls to pursue their dreams. It doesn’t necessarily have to be golf. Travelling around the world and playing in lots of different countries enables us to be role models to young people and help them dream maybe a little bigger.

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The innovative format for 2020’s Aramco Saudi Ladies Team International has been adopted and reenergised as the Aramco Team Series, which is played four times per year in four global cities. What do you like about the Aramco Team Series? I can honestly say it’s a fun tournament I really look forward to. It’s something different from what we normally do every week. Getting to pick a teammate is nice, but then having another pro randomly paired with you also gives you the opportunity to meet other girls on tour you might not meet otherwise. It’s really great to have the amateurs playing too, and it’s so much fun when they contribute to the team, or just make a good shot, but we also give them advice through the tournament and when they have success following giving them advice – that’s really rewarding. It’s also just lovely to get to know other people from around the world that I might not otherwise spend time with. It’s a great week where you can enjoy the team atmosphere and probably relax a little more than usual weeks. It’s fun to see how well received it’s been from both amateurs and pros.

GLOBAL Game Changer the inaugural aramco saudi ladies international marked a new dawn for women’s golf in the kingdom last year. that success has led to 'get into golf' initiatives being replicated globally.

ollowing its successful inauguration in 2020, the Aramco Saudi Ladies International (ASLI) returns to Royal Greens G&CC in King Abdullah Economic City from November 4-7. Won last year by Dane Emily Kristine Pedersen (pictured above), the European Solheim Cup star’s victory helped her claim the 2020 Race to Costa del Sol, the Ladies European Tour’s season long competition to crown Europe’s No.1 player. Sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour (LET), the event offers a prize fund of $1M, which – now alongside the new Aramco Team Series – makes Aramco the single most significant supporter of the LET. As part of ‘Vision 2030’ – Saudi Arabia’s transformative economic and social reform blueprint opening up the Kingdom to the world – the Quality of Life Program endeavours to expand the horizons of many sectors that directly impact citizens, including sports, culture and entertainment. High profile golf events are a feature for Saudi Arabia’s golf strategy; designed to inspire next generations and showcase the natural beauty of the nation. LADIES FIRST CLUB Within just four days of its launch by Golf Saudi in 2020, a phenomenal 1000 women and girls signed-up to play and receive regular lessons via the Ladies First Club. With the goal of getting more females playing golf, the Ladies First Club is a hands-on, experience-led initiative that helps get women and girls with club in hand and learning more about golf and getting a better taste of the game. Thanks to its success in Saudi Arabia, the Ladies First Club initiative has gone international with help from the Aramco Team Series, which has sought to replicate its impact at every venue the innovative tournament series is played. october 2021 | golfdigestme.com

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The royal From golf clubs to perfume to movie production, president You have a rich career history that includes engineering, golfing, and of The Royal Lifestyle Corp, acting. How did this path prepare you to form The Royal Lifestyle Jack Charles, explains whyCorp? I went to college and played golf, ran on he’s bringing histhemultifaceted track team, and studied engineering and drama. I also played in several company to the stage UAE plays while in college and had fun creating characters different then myself.

You have a rich career history that in- I was through the surface of the were bearing – like interested how things cludes engineering, golfing, and acthitting a nailcollege with a hammer. made, and after I worked in ing. How did this path prepare you to I named of clubs after ait.movie engineering forthis fourline years and loved form The Royal Lifestyle Corp? I wrote called John Jumano, and our drivWhile working as an engineer, I played I went to college and played golf, ran on er in this line of clubs – named The Only golf before and after work and at the the track team, and studied engineering One – is fast getting a reputation as one weekend, this helped keep my golf game and drama. I also played in several stage of the world’s longest hitting golf clubs. in very good shape. plays while in college and had fun creatI eventually tired working ing characters different then myself. Why havegot you setofyour sights on the indoors allwith the these time and decided to try busiI was interested how things were UAE clubs and other professional golf.What This was fun,it but I just made, and after college I worked in enginess lines? makes such an apgot tired of living outfor of a suitcase so neering for four years and loved it. While pealing market your company? decided to try to become actor,towriter working as an engineer, I played golf beI have made four or fian ve trips the UAE fore and after work and at the weekend, and haveSo been each to time and producer. I setimpressed off to Hollywood this helped keep my golf game in very see what would happen. good shape. Because of my golfing and acting I eventually got tired of working inability, I wrote and hosted several doors all the time and decided to try TV commercials for various auto professional golf. This was fun, but I just companies, and was invited to played got tired of living out of a suitcase so deas a celebrity, in charity golf tournaments cided to try to become an actor, writer all over the US. and producer. So I set off to Hollywood to see what would happen. Among your business ventures, you Because of my golfing and acting abilhave designed and launched a range ity, I wrote and hosted several TV comof golf clubs. What makes your clubs mercials for various auto companies, different to those already on the and was invited to played as a celebrity, in charity golf tournaments all over the US. market?

I would love to expand here in the UAE, not just with the golf clubs, but also the movies I have written. The If you are an actor,has you had better UAE some of have something else to do, because you are not goingbest to work all the time. the filming So I decided to design a line of golf studios in the world and I would love to produce the films here in the UAE

Among your business ventures, you have designed and launched a range of golf clubs. What makes your clubs different to those already on the market? If you are an actor, you had better have 44 / F E B . 2 0 1 9 something else to do, because you are not going to work all the time. So I decided to design a line of golf clubs, using the ball-bearing as the main selling point. I remembered from my engineering days that energy is magnified as it comes out

26 golfdigestme.com | october 2021

– this place is just amazing. The golf courses are the best, the hotels are the best, and the people are just the best. I would love to expand here in the UAE, not just with the golf clubs, but also the movies I have written. The UAE has some of the best filming studios in the world and I would love to produce the films here in the UAE.

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What are your ambitions for The Royal Lifestyle Corp? What is your growth strategy for the coming months I would love to expand and years? clubs, using the in the UAE, not just wit My wife is a Roman Countess, Donatella ball-bearing Blunt. She has developed super but also the golf aclubs, asPecci the main perfume fragrance called Diable Au Corps, written. selling point. I movies I have which will be very popular here in the remembered from UAE has some of the be UAE. As well as being ready to go in this my engineering filming studios part of the world, the TV commercials are in the w days that energy and I would produced to run in Europe, and the US. love to pro is magnified as it I would like very much to makehere The in the UA the films comes through Royalout Lifestyle a super profitable comthe surface of no debts, all the products pany. We have the bearing – like hitting nail with athey With are developed and testeda to ensure hammer. and our are items people love. I named clubsscripts after a being keen to As wellthis as line the of movie readyI to go into production, the golf club movie wrote called John Jumano, investor commercials all produced and broadand our driver are in this line of clubs – Lifestyle cast ready. WithOne our promotion abilities, named The Only – is fast getting a would li this product should be one of the top in reputation as one of the world’s longest staying the world the next year or two. hitting golf in clubs. Dubai fr With all the major work being done, and our offerings all ready to go, I am keen to speak with potential partners and investors to really help take The Royal Lifestyle to the next level. For those who would like to meet with me, I will be staying at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Dubai from February 6-16.

BUILT TO LAST sunday at whistling str aits was as much about the record 43rd ryder cup romp as it was about the ones still to come by daniel r apaport

43rd Ryder Cup urope needed a miracle; they got a massacre. A new crop of Americans, armed with breathtaking golf games and a ravenous appetite for European humiliation, never considered taking their foot off the gas on Sunday at Whistling Straits—which, of course, they could have, seeing as they entered Sunday’s singles session with a Medinahproof lead of 11-5. They could’ve gone through the motions like a college kid who shows up to Friday afternoon class but really just wants to start drinking already. But for these 12 young men, simply winning back the Ryder Cup wasn’t enough. They wanted to deliver a generational blow and sow existential dread in their opponents, just as the Europeans did seven long years ago. “I woke up this morning and I was trying to tell the guys, let’s get to 20 points,” said Patrick Cantlay. This was the team’s goal from the beginning of the day: Break the record for biggest blowout in the modern Ryder Cup. Why? “Because this is going to be the next era of Ryder Cup teams for the U.S. side. We’ve got a lot of young guys and I think they’ll be on teams for a long time. I wanted to send a message.” Cantlay did his part, fending off a highly emotional Shane Lowry for a comfortable 4&2 victory. So did fellow 20-something Justin Thomas. And Scottie Scheffler. And Bryson DeChambeau. And Jordan Spieth. And Collin Morikawa, who clinched the victory before 4 p.m. local time. The essence of this team can be summarised by the last match of the day, which wrapped up a good hour later. During the dead time between clinching putt and celebratory swigs, Xander Schauffele wanted to know who was still on the course. “Berger is last,” Cantlay told him as he raised his eyebrows, lamenting the absence of the fun-loving Berger—known by “Boog” to his teammates—who tends to be the life of the party. Surely he would lay an egg against Matt Fitzpatrick, who was desperate to win his first point in his second Ryder Cup appearance—especially after Fitzpatrick won the 15th to go one up. A gentler soul may have. But this United States team harbours a ruthlessness that the preceding generation of Ryder Cup losers didn’t. Twenty was no longer feasible but a record point total of 19 still was. So Berger locked in, knowing the ensuing party would run deep into the Wisconsin night, and scratched out a 1 up victory to polish off the most lopsided Ryder Cup since continental Europe joined the party in 1979. An 8-4 thumping in singles brought the final tally to a hard-to-believe 19-9. Yep, you could call that a message.

▶ happiness is Team USA and their significant others celebrates after the 19-9 defeat of Europe

“It was a special week all the way around, said captain Steve Stricker, whose laid back leadership style—“put us in position but stay out of the way,” as Jordan Spieth put it—meshed perfectly with his team of alpha males. “I don’t know what else to say, and I’ve said it a number of times all week long and how these guys came together, and how they started two weeks ago when they showed up for the practice round. I could see the camaraderie then,” Stricker said. “I could see the willingness to prepare and get ready for this event prior to us even arriving. So a lot of these guys have played a lot of golf with each other….these guys are young, they want it, they’re motivated. They came here determined to win. I could see it in their eyes.” This—playing against the strongest American side ever, with an average world ranking just above 8—was always going to be a huge ask for an ageing European team that entered in scratchy form. But the U.S. has held the talent advantage in quite a Photographs by Getty Images

few of these shindigs and left almost all of them without a trophy. Past Ryder Cups have made one thing clear: talent only goes so far without passion, and this group is overflowing with that. The other side noticed. “I think the most important thing for the U.S. team is a lot of young guys that are great players have bought into the Ryder Cup,” said Rory McIlroy, who salvaged a brutal week with a singles victory over Schauffele. “I think that was probably missing in previous generations.” Enter six rookies, four of which were captain’s picks. Stricker, then, deserves heaps of praise for eschewing experience and entrusting the kids. They wasted zero time taking this competition by the throat with a dominant 3-1 win in foursomes, which the Europeans have historically dominated, and matched it with a 3-1 victory in the Friday afternoon session, which the Europeans have historically dominated. Through Saturday morning’s foursomes, the only Europeans who had won a match were Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia. “And I had to play [expletive] amazing just to get to 17 in all my matches,” Rahm said. A half-hearted rally flickered out on Saturday afternoon, rendering Sunday’s festivities a mere formality. The Europeans knew they were going to lose and they had time to chew on it. It struck a note with the core group of 40-somethings that carried their side to seven Ryder Cup victories in nine tries. “It was a 25-minute drive into the golf course this morning,” said 45-year-old Ian Poulter, “and

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▶ young Eight of the 12 Team USA players were in their 20s including Collin Morikawa, Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler. It was a tough week for Ian Poulter (below)

I had (son) Luke in the car, (wife) Kate in the car, and there was not a lot of conversation. Your mind starts wandering: is it going to be my last match in a Ryder Cup outfit?” Poulter preserved his undefeated singles record but lost both his foursomes matches alongside McIlroy and admitted the odds of him playing another one of these are not in his favour. Paul Casey, 44, and Lee Westwood, 48, face the same setting sun. “They’ve had their changing of the guard—Tiger’s not in and Phil’s got a radio in his ear,” Poul-

WE HAD A LOT OF YOUNG GUYS...THEY DIDN'T PLAY LIKE THEY WERE ROOKIES. THEY STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE. THE ONE THING WE ALL HAVE IN COMMON IS WE ALL HATE TO LOSE. ter said. “They’ve handed the baton over. In the team room last night and there were a couple emotional people speaking. You just wish you were 20 years old again. It’s hard. When you’ve played so many and been part of so many successful teams, it’s hard when you get old and you know there’s not many left. The best years of those Ryder Cups are behind you.” The Americans have no such issue. The average age of this team was 29.4, practically diapers in the golf world. And yet the oldest player on the squad, Dustin Johnson, was the only one to play all five matches. He won all of them in a legacyboosting performance. “This week—yes, we had a lot of young guys, they are rookies in the Ryder Cup, but it didn’t feel like they were just because they have all played

▶ clutch Dustin Johnson became just the 5th American all-time to go 5-0... not bad for the oldest player on the 2021 U.S. roster at age 37

well in such big moments and big tournaments that it didn’t feel like they were rookies,” Johnson said. “And they didn’t play like they were rookies. They stepped up to the plate and they all wanted it. And like all of us have said all week, the one thing we all have in common is we all hate to lose. And so that’s how we came together.” Even Brooks and Bryson, who hugged it out after the winning team’s press conference. With, of course, an assist from Mr. Bubbly. “I’ll tell you, winning the Ryder Cup, this is possibly way better than any tournament I’ve won in my entire life,” DeChambeau said after an electric week that featured a 417-yard-bomb, an eagle on the par-4 first on Sunday and a whole buncha love from fans. “The group of people, the collective game of golf, it’s so much bigger than just a singular tournament. It’s about people coming together and doing something special for the game of golf. And I couldn’t be more proud of Captain Strick and everybody putting their hearts out and making it the coolest experience I’ve ever had in my golf career.” After Morikawa made it official, Cantlay trudged up the hill short of the 18th fairway to watch the rest of his teammates finish their matches. Phil Mickelson zoomed by on the back of a golf cart with his wife by his side. “You know, I would offer you a spot seeing as you played so well and all that,” Lefty said, “but that’s just not how I roll.” The party had begun, and the Americans wasted little time grabbing drinks to sip on and a few more for later. Remember, Justin Thomas and Daniel Berger shotgunned beers at noon on Saturday; this team clearly feels comfortable celebrating early. Their attitude screams if you don’t like it, then beat us. The U.S. team that heads to Rome in two years will include many of the same young men who so thoroughly dominated this week. The European side will almost certainly feature a host of fresh new faces that’ll be keen to protect home field. This whipping surely sent a shiver down the spine of European golf fans, but the true mark of Ryder Cup dominance comes only with a road victory. Americans of yesteryear have learned this the hard way, hardened by six consecutive losses overseas. This group, however, holds no such scar tissue. They are unburdened by past failures, focused instead on the opportunies that lie ahead. “This is unfinished business,” says Jordan Spieth, who is somehow still just 28 years old. “I think this was one of those first wins—we needed to win this one and I think it was a massive stepping stone for this team. “It’s one thing to win it over here, and it is a lot easier to do so and it is harder to win over there. If we play like we did this week, the score will look the same over there in a couple years. And that’s what we’re here for.” october 2021 | golfdigestme.com

I REPLEN SH

OR REPEAT europe’s day of reckoning arrives as lopsided loss hints dramatic changes are in order by dave shedloski

ADDLED WITH the weak-

est European team in decades, captain Padraig Harrington had few strings that he could pull that would have changed the outcome appreciably in the 43rd Ryder Cup. Not that he had a string he could pull. His lineup was threadbare. And it was facing a United States team dressed to kill. Younger, deeper, highly motivated and more battle-tested than recognised due to its participation in the Presidents Cup, the American dozen came together like no team in the modern era of the Ryder Cup with its 19-9 triumph at Whistling Straits, a record margin since players from continental Europe bolstered Great Britain & Ireland in 1979. That is a core group poised to become every bit as formidable as Europe’s juggernaut of yore: Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Ian Woosnam, Bernhard Langer, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sandy Lyle. That’s a problem Europe can’t do much about. The task for the Old World

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is replenishing the cupboard, reassessing its qualifying process and using its off year more effectively. A three-time major winner and a stalwart of European teams after its Big Six moved on, Harrington won’t escape criticism entirely. A few of his moves were head-scratchers, but only a few. Questioning them is too convenient. Different decisions would not have yielded a different outcome. Only a slightly closer one. “This is going to be bad because Paddy is going to be questioned, and that is not fair,” said Ian Poulter, one of Harrington’s three captain’s picks. Europe’s primary weakness this week was fielding as many forty-somethings as players in their 20s—four each. Two were wild card picks: Poulter, 45, and Sergio Garcia, 41, the latter who was a terrific complement to Jon Rahm, the world No. 1, who went 4-0 before running out of gas and magic and guts and falling to Scottie Scheffler in singles. Scheffler is 25, but played two fewer matches than the robust, rock-solid Spaniard.

Automatic qualifiers Paul Casey and Lee Westwood are 44 and 48, respectively, and Europe would be well-served if they made their last appearances or channelled Ponce de Leon. Same for Poulter. Not that the loss falls on their shoulders, but the Ryder Cup, we have maintained repeatedly while watching America err continuously on the side of experience, is a young-man’s event. It is four days of anticipation and building tension followed by three days of constant motion and intense, almost ineffably high pressure. There’s a reason Dustin Johnson this week became just the third man to go 5-0 since the 28-point format was instituted in ’79, joining Larry Nelson and Francesco Molinari. Players expend incalculable energy during the Ryder Cup, even when not competing. They have to keep their games sharp. They are on the course walking alongside and supporting their teammates. And they do all of this amid sleep deprivation and altered eating habits. All 24 players are invested in the five sessions that could go as many as 504 holes combined over some 30 hours of a 72-hour period. So Europe has to get younger. It can do that immediately by changing its qualifying process to give its future captains more picks and fewer automatic qualifiers. Harrington had three captains picks at his disposal, which he used on Shane Lowry, Garcia and Poulter. Stricker, meanwhile, because of the pandemic, had six stockpiled, and the American skipper used them wisely. Especially important were the selections of Spieth, a natural partner with close friend Thomas, and Scheffler, chosen expressly to accompany his quirky fellow Texan DeChambeau. Had Harrington had just one additional pick, Westwood likely would not have made his team as last man in on the World Points List. (Then the question becomes, would Harrington have picked him?)

WE HAVE TO LOOK AT SYSTEMIC CHANGES BEHIND THE SCENES. THERE'S A CHANGING OF THE GUARD IN EUROPE, AND A LOT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT

getty images

Warning signs blared on the first hole of Westwood’s foursomes match with English compatriot Matt Fitzpatrick Friday morning when the veteran of 10 previous Ryder Cups was set up with a six-footer to win the opening hole against Berger and four-time major champion Brooks Koepka. Westwood didn’t hit the hole, and he and Fitzpatrick lost the next two holes and never recovered. Instead of Westwood, who surely will be a future captain, Harrington, with an additional pick, could have added Victor Perez of France, Robert McIntyre of Scotland or Guido Migliozzi of Italy, the next three names on the European Points List and 29, 25 and 24 years old, respectively. “We have to look at systemic changes behind the scenes,” Harrington allowed. “There’s a changing of the guard in Europe, and a lot we have to look at.” Finally, Europe has been adversely affected by the loss of the Seve Trophy, which ended in 2013, and the Eurasia Cup, played from 2014-18. Harrington called the loss of both off-year team

▶ sobering After winning seven of the nine matches before Whistling Straits, Europe are confronting a harsh new reality

match-play events, “a big miss” because it gave the Europeans an opportunity to test partnerships and provide their players a taste of competing as part of a team rather than solely as individuals. For years, as Europe has dominated the Ryder Cup, it was thought that America suffered from its Presidents Cup responsibilities. But while Schauffele, Cantlay and Daniel Berger were Ryder Cup rookies, they had been members of past U.S. Presidents Cup teams – winning teams, it should be pointed out. And the successful Cantlay-Schauffele pairing that won twice in foursomes here was battle-tested at the 2019 Presidents Cup in Australia. Europe lost Sunday for just the fourth time in the last 13 matches, an astounding run of success, and since 1979 it owns an 11-9-1 edge. So blowing up its system, its culture, its strong use of analytics, would be foolhardy. Before Sunday, it twice beat its American rivals by nine points.

But for the first time since 1983, the United States owns consecutive wins on its home soil and is loaded and hungry, with the likes of Patrick Reed hankering to get back in the action and promising players like Sam Burns, Max Homa and Will Zalatoris pining for a shot. Europe’s nucleus of Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood, plus perhaps the return of Molinari – whose absence this week was another blow – is solid. Harrington said as much: “There’s plenty of guys here. … We’ll draw lessons from this week, but most of these guys were winning in Paris, so there’s still quite a winning mentality there going forward.” Indeed, but chances are high that preventing America from winning abroad for the first time since 1993 when the Ryder Cup goes to Rome in 2023 will be no less of a challenge than what they faced this week. That has to be a sobering thought. The Euros will have to adapt. And quickly. Because their long reign of domination is in peril. october 2021 | golfdigestme.com

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00 golf digest | issue x . 2021

Photograph by First Lastname

CONTROLLED LET ME SHOW YOU HOW TO PLAY OUT OF YOUR MIND

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BY PATRICK

WITH MIKE STACHURA Photograph by First Lastname

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JENSEN LARSON issue x . 2021 | golf digest

You might not think it right away because I’m kind of quiet and a little under-the-radar out there, but I post a lot of low numbers. I once got around in 60 at the Travelers Championship—when I was a 19-year-old amateur. I’ve finished tournaments at 20 under or better half a dozen times, and in the past three years, I’ve shot 65 or lower about once every six rounds. In other words, I know how to go low. I might not be widely known for these hot streaks, but I do have a reputation for my stoic approach to the game. Although I average more than 300 yards off the tee, I’d say my reputation among players is more of a thinker than a bomber. My natural disposition is largely unemotional, so I’m pretty deadpan a lot, but that’s not necessarily a reflection of how I feel on the inside. In general, I feel like myself the most when I’m locked in mentally and in work mode. Maybe that’s because everybody knows I like to read a lot of books. Whether it’s the behavioral economics of Daniel Kahneman in Thinking Fast and Slow or a biography of Paul Newman, I’m only reading things because they interest me. I’m sure I could put together a pretty compelling summer reading list for you from Marcus Aurelius to Ayn Rand, from Lord of the Rings to When Giants Walked the Earth, but no book helped me shoot 61 at The American Express in January or make nine birdies in the final round to win the ZOZO Championship. Understanding Richard Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene (another one of my favorites) won’t win you the member-guest, either. That said, I do believe these books challenge me to think critically about preconceptions. Understanding how you think helps you understand how to play your best golf more often. Sure, there are fundamentals of the swing you need to

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LOAD UP WHEN SWINGING THE DRIVER Many times going low starts with an aggressive drive, but that doesn’t mean making a reckless swing. Just utilise the feels you practice that trigger a good full swing. One of the things my coach, Jamie Mulligan, emphasises to hit an aggressive tee ball is the idea of loading up—to feel a full turn behind the ball, like I’m gathering the energy for a powerful swing and storing it in my right hip (right). Jamie sometimes will stand to the side of me and hold the butt end of a club on that right hip as I rotate against it. That resistance prompts a better turn. Even when all I want is to find the fairway with my driver, I’m still loading into that hip; I just make a quieter, more efficient move. I tee it down a little and make a three-quarter length swing with less body action. Jamie says Ken Venturi used to call this drive his “fitter” because you’re just trying to fit the shot into the fairway. I like that because in many cases, the best spot to go low from is the middle of the fairway. Don’t feel like you always have to try to drive the green.

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work on, and I’ve included here a few of my keys to hitting the shots you need to maximise your scoring potential. I’ve learned that playing to your potential is about consistent, controlled aggression. My teacher, Jamie Mulligan, with whom I’ve worked since I was in elementary school, likes to say that I’m really good at seeing what I want to do, whether that is understanding what is physically necessary to make my best swings or what is the smart, purposeful approach to getting the most out of every round. Jamie is a fan of Formula 1 champion driver Lewis Hamilton, and he says Hamilton always drives where he’s supposed to and never where he shouldn’t. That is the fastest way around the track. I want to take the fastest way around my track, too. In my experience, the fastest way also happens to be the smartest way, even if you aren’t making perfect swings. Playing your best golf doesn’t always mean shooting 60, either. When I won The Memorial in June, I shot 71 on Sunday, and it was a grind. But just as if I was making birdies in bunches, I approached every shot as a singular moment. With the unusual circumstance of going from six shots behind Jon Rahm after the third round to tied for the lead the next morning because of his unfortunate withdrawl, it would have been very easy to get caught up in thinking about how unsettling the situation was and that I needed to approach the day differently mentally. Instead, I went right

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Photograph by First Lastname

issue x . 2021 | golf digest

to work Saturday night getting prepared to hit the shots and make the putts necessary to compete. It was all about taking the new paradigm I was faced with and running with it. When Sunday came, I was committed to investing completely in each shot. It was a real back-and-forth battle, but in the moment, that shouldn’t matter—just like it shouldn’t matter that you’ve just played your best front nine ever. I’d lost this tournament before by trying to force birdies. I won this time by staying patient, being confident and consistent in the work I’d done and the process I have for every shot. You have to stay completely in the present. Jamie likes to remind me that golf is a simple game if you remember it’s all about hitting shots to spots. One other thing: You can be focused without gritting your teeth all the time. When I won at Memorial, it was intense and maybe I wasn’t smiling every minute, but what I really tried to do on Sunday was to be my own best friend, and the smiles came at the end when it really mattered. The tips and thoughts on these pages are a foundation for making sure your best golf continues when you’re hitting it well and maybe even when you aren’t making good swings. Some of these are technique ideas that I work on with Jamie to get my swing in a place where the feelings are so ingrained, I don’t have to think much about them when I’m playing. Others are thoughts about the best ways to execute the controlled aggression that leads to lower scores. When I shot 61 at The American Express or came back in my next competitive round and tied the course record at Pebble Beach with a 62, I remember saying at the end of the day, “That’s as good as I can play.” What I also remember is never saying that, or even thinking that, at any moment during those rounds. No one legitimately thinks, Let’s go shoot 61 today. Playing as good as you can play is not a strategy; it’s a result. Of course, it’s my job to play the best I can play as often as I can, but if I really think about it, I’m not ever really trying to do that. Ideally, I’m focusing only on hitting the shot that’s required at each moment. Every shot in every great round— or any round—is its own self-contained event. It’s rarely the case that the circumstances should change your thinking or

FREE YOURSELF UP ON APPROACHES There are two points I want to make about approach shots. First, you have to be very knowledgeable about how far you hit each club and how that distance changes depending on shot shape. For instance, I know a draw is going to carry a little farther and a hold-off fade is going to go a little shorter than my stock iron shot. That means there’s three distances I can hit each club. The upshot is that I want to avoid being in between clubs. When I can swing without wondering how far the ball will go, that frees up my aim and attitude, and I can hit shots to spots, just like I do on the range. The second point is about technique. I want to feel my hips unwinding on the downswing toward the target, and not down toward the ball. When I do that, it allows the club to work more on plane. If you were to compare my swing plane from address to impact when I’m hitting it well, you would see very little change. And knowing I’m on plane lets me be more aggressive with my play into greens.

‘PLAYING YOUR BEST GOLF SHOULD BE AS UNCOMPLICATED AS YOU CAN MAKE IT.’

attitude in the middle of a round. Even then, it’s always the case that gathering yourself before every shot is the most effective way to get the best results. Playing your best golf should be as uncomplicated as you can make it. You’re not activating some special gear or power to suddenly shoot your lowest round. You’ve done the work with your swing and your short game—and probably most importantly your mind—so that when you get to those moments, you’re just executing what you already know. Maybe that seems obvious, but I’m sure whether you’re a great player trying to win a big tournament or you’re just out for a round with your buddies and you’ve just parred a few holes in a row for the first time in your life, you’re going to experience the pressure that comes in the middle of a good round. All the mental-game experts like to talk about not forcing shots or just letting it happen. That’s useful advice, but it’s not easy. Our thoughts like to get in the way of what the body is trying to do—that’s not just me talking; there’s a lot of research that confirms it. One of my favorite books is Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow. Its premise has to do with how we make decisions, how we have two internal systems, one being reactive and almost automatic, and the other being deliberate and contemplative. When the two get mixed up, we make decisions that in retrospect get in the way of our success. A perfect example comes in golf when we try to hit a hero shot from a bad position, which only leads to compounding the error. This is not exclusively a physical mistake. It’s a physical mistake brought about by a much larger mental miscalculation. We make an emotional decision because it’s easier, and because it’s easier, we convince ourselves it’s the right one. Kahneman likes to point to what he calls “biases of intuition,” and he writes, “We are often confident even when we are wrong.” What Kahneman’s book showed me isn’t just that our intuitions aren’t always right, it’s that we need to be aware of how that internal process is happening, because then we can control it and use it to produce the best results. It is not easy to manage the two thinking systems Kahneman writes about, especially under stress when we want a fast answer in a situation that requires slow thought. Even worse, he writes, “we can be blind to the obvious, and we are also blind to our blindness.” The goal is to be disciplined, at least selectively. Maybe something as simple as walking slowly but purposefully will help keep your mind from racing into bad thinking. As he writes, “learn to recognise situations in which mistakes are likely and try harder to avoid significant mistakes when the stakes are high.” In golf, this means there are “good bogeys.” october 2021 | golfdigestme.com

STAY FOCUSED EVEN ON PUNCH-OUTS

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Even the best golfers don’t hit every shot great during a round, no matter how well they’re playing. When you do hit one off-line and in trouble after a stretch of good golf, a lot of times you have to resist the temptation to do too much with your next swing. Odds are you’re not going to manufacture some kind of hero shot and get it to the green— especially if you haven’t practiced that shot a lot, if ever. But not attempting a hero shot doesn’t mean you’re giving up. Instead, be just as aggressive and target-focused with your punch-out as you would be if you had a perfect lie. First, find the half of the fairway that gives you the best angle into the green after you recover. Then play the ball a little back in your stance to help make sure you make clean contact with it. Finally, swing with purpose. A recovery shot isn’t merely a lash back into play. Instead be as focused as if you’re staring at a straight-in four-footer for birdie. The best golfers know that going low sometimes requires playing safe and saving the riskier shots for another time.

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The way our minds like to complicate things is one of the great challenges of golf. Unlike a lot of other sports, it’s not reactive. There is no opponent. That also means you can have control of how you approach every shot. I’ve always thought that all the prep you do before a tournament or before a round is more important and defines how you’re going to approach that shot and make that swing. Just showing up and somehow switching it on isn’t really my style, and I don’t think it breeds consistent success. If there’s a reason that I don’t get outwardly excited all the time, it might be because I believe I’ve done the work I needed to do, so positive results are expected. Your best golf starts well before you get to the first tee and obviously well before the point where you’ve played a good front nine. All the actions that led you to that point are just as important as the point itself.

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KEEP YOUR SHORT GAME SIMPLE Narrowing your focus is essential to staying in a good round, especially around the greens. As often as possible, I hit only two types of shortgame shots: high and low. When I decide which is best for the situation I’m in, I keep my technique as simple as possible. If I chose a low shot, I might even putter from off the green if that’s my best chance to get the ball close. I’ll talk to you in a moment about how I hit short chips high or low, but first know that my focus is on how much energy I need to put into the ball to get it where it needs to go. I’ve learned how each type of swing produces a certain energy that gets the ball to react the way I need it to. When you’re relying largely on only two shots, you increase your chance of consistency without needing tons of practice.

It’s why I wanted to learn what the good players Jamie worked with at my home course in Southern California, Virginia Country Club, were doing to be good—even when I was 10. Long before I read The Selfish Gene, I understood that your best is kind of preordained—inextricably tied to your genetic makeup, sure, but only optimised if you put in the right work. You play great because of who you are, what experiences you have and what you decide to do with all that in the moment. It’s why golfers are much better now than they were 50 years ago, or probably even 10 years ago. The process of improvement increases exponentially. The starting points are so much more advanced. That’s why I have to believe that the trendline is for me to continue to get better, at least up to a certain physical, chronological point. It’s like what Dawkins talks about with genes in his writings about evolutionary biology. We all are carrying

SKIM THE GRASS NO MATTER THE CHIP In terms of short-game technique, my ball position stays the same, off the heel of my right foot for either a high or low shot. My stance will be noticeably wider on a high shot (small photo, previous page). That puts the ball more forward of the buttons on my shirt. On a low shot, the ball is behind them. In both cases, I want to feel my weight forward throughout the swing. I keep the clubface more open on the high shot through impact, and my weight moves even more off of the right foot (large photo, previous page). On the low shot, I keep the clubhead not much above knee height and my feet planted (large photo, below). One other thing: See how I’ve barely clipped the grass on both shots? Copy these shallow, skimming approaches along the turf to hit every chip nice and crisp.

october 2021 | golfdigestme.com

the best genes forward to the next generation, and he calls us “survival machines.” I think it’s more like we’re big “gene preservation machines,” but the point is the same. The natural direction of everything is toward improvement. Dawkins’ book helped me realise that it’s not accidental or random. It is directly attributable to specific developments. It’s why I can feel comfortable going for a par 5 in two, hitting a fairway-finder tee shot or clipping a chip shot off a tight lie. I know I’ve done it before; I know I’ve made that swing; I know I’ve accurately assessed that situation. I don’t just think I can, because just thinking it is a wish. If you’ve done the work, you know the shot, and the shot is its own event that you’ve hit already. Dawkins once wrote about how he thought differently about the early theories on evolution, that it wasn’t this series of random occurrences that led to a survival of the fittest species. “Chance,” he wrote, “is just a word expressing ignorance. ‘It means, determined by some as yet unknown, or unspecified, means.’ ” If you understand and analyse why things happen in a round of golf, to me it’s not about bad breaks and good breaks. Everything can be explained. When you have those analytics as a foundation, you understand that the work you do to get ready to play your best golf, the physical and the mental, is precisely how you play your best golf. The more consistent your approach to that work, the more often your best golf will be the result. There is a logic to it, and not only that, there’s a compounding effect. Your best golf breeds more confidence and more familiarity with what it feels like to be playing your best golf, which in turn leads to more of your best golf. Your experience tells you that you’re not going to play perfect all the time, so you have to continue to work hard and not get overwhelmed by frustration when things aren’t going your way—even though you feel like you are putting good work and time in. When things go your way, be open to it, and do not let the bad results mess with your approach. It’s obvious that you can hit great shots and make bogeys. I’ve had a number of weeks where I played better and lost than when I’ve won (I shot 126 on the weekend at The American Express and lost; I shot 22 under at Medinah in the BMW Championship and lost by three shots.) For me, you have to maintain a certain level of confidence to make sure you’re able to capitalise on opportunities when they present themselves. Experience is just as much a contributor to success as is practicing bunker shots. That’s why I think hitting a bunker shot in an actual round probably helps you play better the next time. So practice with a purpose, for sure, but play with purpose, as well. That experience of making good swings should be prominent in your mind when the internal pressure starts to mount as you come down the last few holes with a chance at your lowest score ever.

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There shouldn’t be anything spooky about that moment. I want you to feel like you should hit good shots because that self-knowledge gets exponentially stronger with each example of supporting evidence. In the end, playing your best and shooting a low round is about everything you’ve done leading to that moment. What you do, how you do it and most importantly how you process it all—the successes and the failures—set up what happens in that moment. That comfort is where controlled aggression comes from. I said at the beginning of this that no one realistically goes into a round thinking about setting the course record or posting a personal best. I see that in the great biographies I’ve read, like General Patton’s or Winston Churchill’s or even Paul Newman’s. He didn’t decide one day that he was going to be the most famous actor in the world or an elite race-car driver or the head of a $500-million food company or an epic philanthropist. He learned throughout his life to be in complete control of his direction, his attitude and his progress toward improvement. He learned not to waste time with things that didn’t benefit that direction. I admire his resolve. A biography I read called it like this: “He made decisions about what movies to make and how to present himself to the world in the same way he made decisions about his performances and race cars and salad-dressing recipes: studying, mulling, checking his instincts, and, finally, paying careful attention to his gut. There was serendipity to his career—luck, coincidence, happy fortune—but there was also hard application and righteous effort.” All that is definitely true about playing your best golf in one round or all the rounds you have left. I also remember what I learned from another self-made superstar of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. Mr. Nicklaus told me a few days before my 64 in the final round to win The Memorial in 2019 that I needed to enjoy the experience of playing great golf more. He said, “You need to go out there, have a good time. Look around when you’re out there. Look at all the people having a great time. And then you need to have a great time and realise that’s why you’re there— relax and go have fun.” That might be the best advice of all. He should write another book. I’d read it.

AUTOMATIC PUTTING: REACT AND ROLL You might start to think that putts mean more when you’re playing well—they don’t. One stroke is one stroke, and it’s always less than two strokes and especially less than three. So don’t change your process no matter the putt, and don’t ever change how aggressively you roll the ball. I like to survey a putt from all sides before I set up, and I try not to take any more time reading the green whether it’s the first hole, the 13th or the 72nd (and whether it’s for a 72 or a 61). You might notice that I shuffle my feet as I’m settling in at address. I started doing that to take some pressure off my back, but I think it also keeps me feeling active and prevents me from getting locked up and too mechanical with my stroke. That’s the last thing you want. All you need to do each time is see the line, react to it, and roll it. Uncomplicate things and let your natural tendencies take over. When you look up, the ball should be tracking toward the hole.

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‘YOUR EXPERIENCE TELLS YOU THAT YOU’RE NOT GOING TO PLAY PERFECT ALL THE TIME.’

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GET YOUR SWING STRIP AWAY THOSE ADJUSTMENTS YOU MAKE IN DESPERATE MOMENTS AND BUILD SOMETHING THAT’S RELIABLE ON A LONG-TERM BASIS

•••

BY ERIKA LARKIN

GOLF DIGEST TEACHING PROFESSIONAL WITH MADELINE MACCLURG PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN LOOMIS

BACK

DRIVING SLICE AND HOOK ISSUES ARE OFTEN EXACERBATED BY THE DESIRE FOR IMMEDIATE IMPROVEMENT. HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES.

If your driver shots are curving uncontrollably or you’re making poor contact with your irons, do you try to put a band-aid on it mid-round and hope the problem goes away, or do you get to the practice tee some time after the round and address the root of the problem? If you’re like most golfers, I know your answer. It’s understandable to want a quick fix to your ball-striking issues to simply enjoy the day, but the compensations you choose often make things worse in the long run. Rather than survive another round with some makeshift adjustments, you’ll be much better off stripping those manipulations from your swing and instead making some quality changes that take care of your issues over a whole season, not just the back nine. In this article, I’m going to identify the four most common problems I help golfers correct—slices and hooks with a driver off the tee and chunks and thins with irons off the turf—and explain why the quick-fix approach is hurting more than helping and what to do instead. If you get to the range and work on my keys and drills to improve your path, body rotation and contact, you’ll be making quality improvements to your game. larkin, Golf Digest’s No. 1 teacher, is at the Club at Creighton Farms in Aldie. She became a Golf Digest Teaching Professional in 2021.

SLICE FIX SET UP SO YOU SWEEP IT

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Slicers usually swing down too steeply on an out-to-in path, so they tee the ball low. That’s a classic band-aid fix just so they can make decent contact—but they still slice. To make good contact and correct the slice, what they should do is tee it higher—half the ball above the driver. This encourages an in-to-out swing path and allows you to hit up on the ball—two key ingredients to driving it straighter, or even drawing it. Also, to help ensure you catch the ball just as the driver begins to ascend, address it so it’s aligned with your lead heel (right).

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SLICE FIX

STAY WIDE AND CONNECTED Another misguided slice fix that almost always leads to poor contact is to try to steer the clubhead into the ball as straight as possible, which typically causes the lead arm’s elbow to bend through impact— the classic chicken-wing look. Squaring the clubface at impact is important, but it needs to be the result of a swing with good body rotation and no collapse of the lead arm. To get a feel for it, tuck a glove under the lead armpit and make a few swings without dropping it. You should feel like your arms are more connected to your body and moving in sync with its rotation. This will help square the clubface without having to steer it. Use your through-swing as a checkpoint. As you’re turning through your shot, ensure that the butt of your club is pointing back at your belly button (left).

HOOK FIX

HOOK FIX LEAD WITH YOUR HEEL PAD

LET THE BODY WIN THE RACE

Golfers who hit hooks often aim way right of their target hoping to get the ball to curve back into the fairway. Instead, they should aim straighter and reduce their hook by quieting overactive hands. The heel pad of your trail hand should lead the fingers through impact (above) to prevent the clubface from shutting. As you practice this, note how that palm seems to mirror your clubface. You want them both facing the target at impact.

Just like slicers who try to steer their way to straighter shots, hookers do it, too. But an armsy swing will promote a shut clubface, not prevent it. Instead, think of your body as your engine and the arms as followers. Don’t let your engine stall. Keep your core turning through impact, and feel your upper body guiding your arms and club down the target line (above). When the arms follow, the path and clubface will be more neutral.

october 2021 | golfdigestme.com

IRONS POOR CONTACT WITH IRONS IS ALMOST ALWAYS THE RESULT OF TRYING TO HIT THE BALL INSTEAD OF SWINGING THROUGH IT.

CHUNK FIX GET BACK TO THE BALL WITH GOOD POSTURE When golfers dig behind the ball with their irons, they start standing taller at address as a quick fix. Unfortunately, a posture that’s too upright brings the feet closer to the ball, encouraging a steeper swing plane and even more fat shots. To get into good posture that lets you swing in balance and not crash the club down behind the ball, use this drill: Grab a club in your lead hand and stand tall with your knees slightly bent. Hinge at your hips and let your trail hand slide down the trail leg until it reaches the knee (above). Now take your grip; you’re in good address posture.

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CHUNK FIX

STAY IN BALANCE Golfers who chunk their irons often try sitting back into their heels to avoid lunging at the ball. The only way to hit the ball from that position, though, is to lunge toward the ball through impact, and then you’re right back to digging. The proper weight distribution for cleaner contact can be trained by putting alignment rods under the balls of your feet (left). The rods will give you awareness of where your weight is, and how to maintain a sense of balance between the toes and heels. You’ll also notice that I’m hitting my iron off a high tee here. This is another drill to help cure digging by helping you manage the low point in your swing. By hitting off a high tee, you have to shallow your swing to the level of the ball or you will swing right underneath it.

THIN FIX

FEEL MORE ON TOP OF THE BALL

DRIVE DOWN AND THROUGH FOR BETTER CONTACT

Players who skull the ball often slide away from the target in the backswing, which causes them to try to find an unorthodox way to get the ball airborne while swinging from the back foot. Instead, set your weight more on your front foot and keep it there throughout the swing. This allows you to feel more on top of the ball, so you can compress it and take a good divot. Imagine the target side of your body is against a wall, so you form a straight line with that shoulder, hip, knee and ankle. Then hit shots rotating around your lead side, keeping it pressed on the wall (above).

Many players who thin it start to move the ball back in their stance to make better contact—and that might work briefly, but the shots fly too low. Over time, the golfer will then try to scoop the ball up to raise the trajectory, and then it’s back to the skulls. Instead, let’s do the opposite. To help your contact, practice hitting shots with the ball off your lead heel at address. You’ll soon realize you have to shift your weight forward and drive down and through to hit crisp irons (above). Practice this way, but play the ball in a more centred position after you groove this move.

october 2021 | golfdigestme.com

DRILLS HERE ARE THREE OF MY FAVOURITE WAYS TO PRACTICE BALL-STRIKING, NO MATTER IF YOU SLICE, HOOK, CHUNK OR THIN YOUR SHOTS.

CHECK YOUR PATH AND ADJUST IF IT IS CAUSING THE CURVE Along with the orientation of the clubface, the path your driver takes through impact greatly influences how much the golf ball curves. That’s why I love this drill. It not only tests your current path to see if it’s too out to in or in to out in relation to the target, it also improves it over time, getting it a lot closer to neutral if you keep doing it. After teeing up a ball, use a handful of other tees to create guideposts—a neutral swing arc—about a clubhead inside your target line. Note how the tees are arcing (left and above). Your goal is to miss the tees as you swing the club and hit drives at your target. If you do hit the tees, you’ll receive immediate feedback on your swing path. If you strike the tees ahead of your ball, you’ll know it’s because you were swinging out to in. If you strike the tees behind the ball, you’ll know you’re coming too far from inside the target line. The club should travel on a slight arc.

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USE YOUR BODY TO SEQUENCE A QUALITY THROUGH-SWING For better rotation and sequencing in the through-swing, create an extension of your club’s shaft with an alignment rod tucked under your lead arm at address and then start a half-speed swing (above, left). Keep swinging—all the way down into the ball. If your body stops rotating or your swing is out of sync, the rod will bump your ribs around impact. If you keep rotating, feeling like the arms and club trail the rod (above, right), you won’t get struck. That feedback should help you remember to keep turning through the ball when you are out on the course.

GET THE BOTTOM OF THE ARC IN FRONT OF THE BALL Using two alignment rods, form a small gate about six inches wide to swing your club through as you hit shots, making sure the rods are in line with your ball (above, left). After you strike it (above, right), note where your club bruised the grass or started a divot hole. That spot is the low point of your swing, and it should be in front of the alignment rods or you’re not getting the most out of your iron shots. Good iron players hit the ball first, and the club continues to move downward a few more inches after impact. If you can routinely do that, you’ll become a great ball-striker.

october 2021 | golfdigestme.com

Play Tour Technique

Rattle the Bottom My top 10 tips to help you hole more putts BY XANDER SCHAUFFELE

STILL THINK arm-lock putting is like cheating. Yes, I tried it in competition (resting the shaft against my left forearm) before going back to my old grip at the Olympics in Tokyo. I might even try it again, but this story is not about how you hold the putter. It’s about the simple things anyone can do to really increase the chance of holing out. My putting coach, Derek Uyeda, and I compiled these 10 tips to help you when you practice and play. Give them a shot. — WITH RON KASPRISKE

schauffele, the gold-medal winner at the Olympics, is eighth in total putting on the PGA Tour in 2021.

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1. If you only read putts right behind the ball, you might not be in the best position to see the break. Farther back often reveals more detail about the putt. 2. A good way to start to get the read is to ask yourself, If I hit this putt right at the hole, where would it end up? That distance from the hole is the amount of break you need to play on the opposite side. 3. Whether your stroke arcs, cuts across the ball, or is fairly straight back and through, what matters most is that the putterface is square to your line at impact. 4. I putt left-hand low, so it looks like my shoulders are a hair closed in relation to my putting line, but they’re really parallel with it. Squaring up is something to keep checking. Calibrate for consistency. 5. You might have been told to set your eyes directly over the ball at address, but I see the line better with my eyes over a spot nearly an inch inside of it. If you’re missing short ones, give it a try. 6. Feel like you move the putter with your midsection, not your shoulders or your hands. It makes your stroke a lot easier to repeat. 7. Hit up on the ball ever so slightly to get the best roll. 8. No matter the putt, one constant in my through-stroke is acceleration—it’s light. There’s no big collison with the ball. 9. Your practice stroke is almost always better than your real stroke. The lesson? Make your real stroke like the ball isn’t there. 10. Your last look? Don’t just picture the ball going in before you putt—picture where it goes in and at what speed. Now you’re ready to pull the trigger. Photograph by J.D. Cuban

deep d i ve finding your perfect ball starts with our 2021 golf ball hot list

by mike stachura & e. michael johnson

illustration by justin metz

photographs by ben walton

atching a golfer to the right golf ball, as much as we would like to help, is largely your responsibility. Working with a qualified fitter is a good place to start: Launch-monitor data can reveal differences here and there with a driver, iron and wedge. However, the most airtight way to identify the ball that complements your game best is out on a golf course, or better yet, at a short-game practice area where you can figure out if a performance feature resonates with you. That is precisely what tour players do, and it is primarily what we do in determining the golf ball Hot List, our guide to the balls that you should focus on when starting the buying process.

We considered 85 balls for this year’s Hot List, and the 28 entries that earned our highest marks (which includes a combined total of 45 balls) show that plenty of golf balls work exceptionally well. The best one for you, though, goes beyond our recommendations and rests squarely in your hands. “We believe golf balls should be fit by the customer’s spin needs within 150 yards,” says Bo Hodnett of Golf Tech, a Golf Digest Best Clubfitter in Plano, Texas. “It’s not uncommon for us to send a customer out to test golf balls within 150 yards, and then we might re-fit the driver based on that ball.” Still, there is no doubt that launchmonitor numbers provide direction. Those numbers have shown us that there is a distinct difference between two kinds of golf-ball designs. That’s why this year, we’re separating our list into two categories: Urethane Cover and NonUrethane Cover. Our data from players and robot testing by Golf Laboratories using the Foresight GC Quad launch monitor indicates that with short-wedge shots, urethane-cover balls, which are the construction played exclusively by tour players, have an advantage in spin. Will average golfers notice those differences? Our research in that area is less clear. This is why we believe you should find the ball that appeals to you the most on short shots (assuming there

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is one) and then make sure it doesn’t compromise any other shots from tee to green. In the end, it’s the shot that matters most to you—off the tee and into, around and on the green—that should dictate which is the right ball for you. As always, let our Hot List help you start that process. One other change this year: Our star ratings now reflect three scores that comprise the total evaluation of each entry. Performance accounts for 65 percent of the score and is based on player evaluations of golf balls (with all identifying marks blacked out) and an analysis of robot testing by Golf Laboratories using Foresight GC Quad launch monitors. Innovation, representing 30 percent of the score, is our assessment of each ball’s technology, manufacturing rigor and sophistication, as well as the company’s commitment to ballfitting. Demand, based on our review of market success and consumer enthusiasm, accounts for 5 percent of the score. Each star rating is relative to the ball category. For example, a five-star rating in Non-Urethane Cover balls does not equal a five-star rating in Urethane Cover balls. In reality, all scores were consistently higher in the Urethane Cover ball category. Finally, this year, we have a Feel assessment, which is not a grade but a description of the relative softness or firmness of each ball on the list.

URETHANE

bridgestone tour b x/xs/rx/rxs $45 ▶ What makes a multilayer golf ball fast is not the urethane cover. The grabby urethane polymer is actually more essential to helping short shots spin than helping the ball go far. But Bridgestone, which has access to more than 900 engineers (a helpful asset when you’re designing balls for Bryson DeChambeau and Tiger Woods, two of pro golf’s more discerning minds), developed a new element to add to its urethane cover. The substance, called Reactiv, uses a mixture of what are called impact modifiers. The urethane in these balls is designed to behave differently depending on the force of contact. So on high-speed full shots, it helps the urethane lose less energy. But on the slower impacts like chip shots, it’s a shock absorber, which enhances spin. The four models target two swing-speed classes with two feel options for each. Faster swings get a softer (XS) and firmer choice (X), and those at less than 105 miles per hour (including, for perspective, Fred Couples) can choose the firmer RX or the softer RXS. perfo rm a n ce

★★★★★

i n n ovat i o n

★★★★★

d em a n d

★★½

feel rating (soft to firm) to u r b x to u r b xs to u r b rx to u r b rxs

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srixon q-star tour

callaway chrome soft chrome soft/x/x-ls $48 ▶ Most families of multilayer balls with urethane covers are similar, with minor tweaks to thickness or firmness. But to Callaway, different players need fundamentally different designs. That’s why the guts of Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X are as different from each other as balls from two different brands. The Chrome Soft is for the vast majority of swing types and speeds and has a dual core in which two rubber formulas of differing firmness and size make up an inner and outer core. Overall it maintains a softer compression for more forgiveness on mis-hits. But the Chrome Soft X targets higher swing speeds and has a significantly larger single core (for better energy transfer) and two mantle layers to control spin through the bag. The new X-LS model adopts the same construction as the X ball but targets consistent ball-strikers who want even less spin with higher launch on all their long clubs. A new, thinner urethane cover on each model leaves more volume to the energetic core and mantle layers. p e r fo r ma n c e

★★★★★

i nn ovat i o n

★★★★★

de m a n d

★★★

$33 ▶ Don’t let the name fool you. This ball isn’t for tour players. It’s for you. Although you’re not on tour, you want a ball with the same short-game spin control that tour players have. This ball adopts many of those spinenhancing technologies from Srixon’s line of tour balls (including a thin, thermoplastic urethane cover) and adds a softer feeling construction to better align with average-golfer swing speeds. The extra-large core’s transition from a very soft centre to a progressively firmer outer region combines with a spin-reducing mantle layer to promote distance off the driver and full-swing clubs. Those cover technologies include the same special coating developed for the tour models. Called “slide ring material,” it’s designed to improve the molecular bonds in the urethane cover to help it better engage with a wedge for more spin on short shots. The new core design is larger, too, which means more energy potential for golfers with slower swing speeds who need the most help with distance. Even more assistance comes with the new Divide version. Its cover is evenly split into two colors (the pigment is not painted but infused into the urethane), offering an alignment guide but also setting a visual cue that shows whether the ball is spinning and rolling optimally. pe rform ance

★★★★½

innovation

★★★★½

de m and

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★½

srixon z-star z-star/xv $43 ▶ These two balls ask golfers to decide which shot on every hole is most important to them. The answer leads to a ball and a specific technology designed to enhance that shot. The XV model is built for high-speed distance thanks to a dual-core structure that receives a special heat treatment that allows the outer core to be more energetic without adding a harsher feel at impact. The standard Z-Star is designed for players who crave more spin around the greens. Its key is a slightly thicker (one-tenth of a millimeter) cover for a softer feel and more spin control on short irons and wedges. Still, for all those specific attributes, each ball accommodates the rest of your needs. The larger core on the Z-Star aids ball speed, and the ultra-thin cover on the XV features a spin-enhancing “super polymer” coating that creates the potential for more bite in the grooves of your wedges, even on shots from the rough. The updated dimple pattern targets better performance in windy conditions.

feel rating (soft to firm) cs cs x cs x-ls

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taylormade tour response $35 ▶ You don’t have to watch a lot of 330-yard drives to realise that tour players are different from you. But you also don’t have to be able to swing 130 miles per hour to hit a decent chip shot that checks instead of bounds off the green like a Superball springing down your driveway. That’s what a urethane cover can do (and, let’s face it, no ball is going to let you hit it 330). That’s the mission of the Tour Response: to give average golfers the same kind of cast urethanecover construction that TaylorMade’s big-bombing tour staff takes advantage of on their short shots. The difference is that the Tour Response’s softer compression feels better to the swing speeds of average golfers. The even bigger takeaway for average golfers is that the Tour Response’s threepiece construction provides the right mix of low-spin on long shots and high spin on short shots. It’s also more affordable to manufacture than the fivelayer construction of the company’s tour balls and therefore $13 cheaper. perfo rm a n ce

★★★★½

i n n ovat i o n

★★★★½

d em a n d pe rformance

★★★★★

feel rating (soft to firm)

innovation

★★★★★

z- sta r

de m and

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october 2021 | golfdigestme.com

URETHANE

titleist avx

taylormade tp5 tp5/x $48 ▶ Every ball that has ever been created tells a similar story: how its latest technology makes it so much faster than ever before. The TP5 family isn’t shying away from that claim, of course, but it’s also not afraid to talk about how much better it is at going slow. Specifically, the latest improvements to the aerodynamic dimple patterns of these balls seek to optimise the ball’s flight when its speed starts to slow down at its apex, and the ball begins its downward flight. The dimple’s flatter bottom reduces drag at the start of flight, and its large volume preserves lift as the ball is losing speed for more distance. These balls still are most notable for their five-layer construction. Three mantle layers surround the core to optimise the different impacts from driver to short irons. Tour staff input led to adding more speed to the softer TP5 through an enlarged core and enhancing short-game performance on the TP5x by softening the cover. The TP5 is still designed to fly a little lower with the highest wedge spin, and the TP5x flies higher with the driver and irons. p e r fo rma n c e

★★★★★

i nn ovat i o n

★★★★★

de m a n d

tp5x

pe rform ance

★★★★½

innovation

★★★★½

de mand

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★★

titleist pro v1 pro v1/v1x/—v1x $50 ▶ When approximately one-third of the golf balls sold at retail fall under this model line, fundamental technological changes do not come on a whim. The rigorous testing and retesting, recalibration and re-calculation from the company with the most U.S. golf-ball patents yielded new cover designs that could only be optimised as more progress was made with the core components of each ball. That’s why development on the new aerodynamic dimple patterns on the Pro V1 and Pro V1x started more than 10 years ago. Everything—from the number of dimples to the sizes, shapes and depths—was configured to yield a slightly flatter flight on the Pro V1 and a more efficient higher trajectory on the Pro V1x. Both balls benefit from the higher-flexing mantle layer that was developed for the “Left Dash” Pro V1x. That model was limited to just elite players, but it has taken up a spot at retail for high-swing-speed golfers looking for a firmer feeling ball that combines higher launch and lower spin. Still, approximately 95 percent of players will be better suited for the Pro V1 and Pro V1x models, both of which feature a new urethane cover formulation that is the softest ever used on either ball.

★★★

feel rating (soft to firm) tp5

$50 ▶ If ever there was a question whether golf balls are designed to serve distinctly different player types, the AVX stands as a definitive example that one ball does not fit all. This is not some hand-me-down urethane-cover model but a design aimed at players who want a softer feel, a lower trajectory and less spin. It’s a rare combination—and a unique set of demands—as plenty of alternatives might blend two of those characteristics but not all three. Enhancing those performance attributes is a new focus on extra ball speed through a larger core (but still soft-feeling) compared to the first AVX, along with a more resilient mantle layer between the core and cover. The dimple pattern optimises distance for a lower flight, something especially noticeable on shots with the middle and long irons. The urethane cover is thinner to allow for that larger core (and more potential distance), but its new formulation effectively works with the core and casing layer for better short-game spin than the original version. Still, it stands alone among Titleist premium balls as the softest feeling, lowest spinning and lowest launching offering.

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pe rform ance

★★★★★

feel rating (soft to firm)

innovation

★★★★★

de mand

★★★★★

v1x

60 golfdigestme.com | october 2021

—v 1 x

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titleist tour speed $40 ▶ Titleist engineers have long emphasised that its flagship Pro V1 family of golf balls benefits from a superior and proprietary cast urethane cover, but this ball is the company’s first effort to market a ball with a thermoplastic urethane (TPU) cover. Why go with a manufacturing process they previously found inferior? One, it’s a more affordable process that results in a $10 lower price. Two, Titleist’s team realised that there might be a different way to approach a TPU cover that could satisfy player needs better than its most famous ball— specifically, more distance with the greenside benefits of a urethane-cover ball. The Tour Speed combines the TPU cover design’s distance benefits and a mantle layer that features the most resilient ionomer in the company’s line. The mantle works with the soft but resilient core to produce ball speed and lower spin, particularly on shots with the longest clubs. This provides the distance benefit average golfers would find in a distance ball with a Surlyn cover. But in this case, they’re also getting the greenside spin of a urethane cover. perfo rm a n ce

★★★★½

i n n ovat i o n

★★★★½

d em a n d

★★

feel rating (soft to firm)

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COVER STORY : URETHANE BALLS HELP MAKE GREENSIDE SHOTS MORE PRECISE ▶ The biggest difference we have found in golf-ball performance is in short-game spin. Multilayer balls with a urethane cover spin noticeably more than balls with an ionomer or Surlyn cover construction. Routinely thought of as distance balls, some of these non-urethane-cover models are getting closer. However, looking at the average of the balls that made the Hot List in these two categories, the urethane-cover balls spin close to 70 percent more than non-urethane-cover balls on the half-wedge shot. The numbers are based on robot testing by Golf Laboratories using a Foresight Sports GC Quad launch monitor. That means more check and more consistency for that type of shot. How much? Well, there is a range, but our research reveals the same half-wedge shot with a urethanecover ball will carry a little shorter and stop much quicker than a non-urethane-cover ball. The urethane-cover ball flies three yards shorter and rolls out only six yards, and the nonurethane-cover ball rolls out 11 yards after landing. That resulted in shots that finished four feet from the hole for a urethane ball, but 27 feet from the hole with a non-urethane

ball. In other words, urethane-cover balls offer more precision for the shots that require the most precision. Presuming, of course, you have that kind of precision. Our player survey of average golfers and the two kinds of balls (see sidebar on page 64) suggests many golfers don’t display that kind of skill and awareness. We did find that nonurethane balls launch consistently higher on these types of shots, which might be helpful to some golfers. But the differences weren’t as great on full swings with longer clubs. In fact, the latest urethane-cover balls have improved carry for lowerlofted clubs through the use of new aerodynamic dimple patterns. (Not only that, the standard deviation in the performance of the best urethane balls was more than 50 percent tighter compared with the non-urethane balls because the slicker cover of the non-urethane balls led to inconsistent launch and spin.) Precision comes at a price, however. Urethane balls cost 50 to 100 percent more than non-urethane balls. If you’re losing two sleeves a round, maybe sacrificing spin on a 40-yard wedge shot isn’t what’s most important to you.

lower

launch angle

higher

40-YARD WEDGE

lower

higher spin

urethane

• bridgestone tour b x • bridgestone tour b xs • bridgestone tour b rx • bridgestone tour b rxs • callaway chrome soft • callaway chrome soft x • callaway chrome soft x-ls • maxfli tour cg • maxfli tour x cg • mizuno rb tour • mizuno rb tour x • snell mtb black • snell mtb-x

• • • • • • • • • • • •

•

non-urethane srixon z-star

vice pro soft

bridgestone e12 contact

srixon z-star xv

vice pro zero

callaway erc soft

srixon q-star tour

wilson duo professional

callaway supersoft

taylormade tp5

wilson staff model

callaway supersoft max

taylormade tp5x

wilson staff model r

taylormade tour response

maxfli softfli rzn distance

titleist pro v1

snell get sum

titleist pro v1x

srixon q-star

titleist—pro v1x

srixon soft feel

titleist avx

taylormade soft response

titleist tour speed

titleist tour soft

vice pro

titleist velocity

vice pro plus

wilson duo soft +

october 2021 | golfdigestme.com

URETHANE

mizuno rb tour rb tour/x

maxfli tour tour/x $35 ▶ These two models provide a familiar duo in the multilayer, urethane-cover ball space: One is built to accommodate faster swing speeds, and the other is for the rest of us. The two go about those performance characteristics with fairly standard practices. The Tour is a three-piece design with a large, softer core and a stiff mantle layer for distance-enhancing lower spin off the long clubs. The X uses two mantle layers to better optimise longgame speed and spin. Both balls feature improvements in core and mantle resilience and in the urethane cover’s shortgame spin compared with the previous models. Maxfli’s team, however, made an additional technological commitment that’s rarely considered by the average consumer. In the manufacturing process, the ball’s centre of gravity is more explicitly defined, and the side stamp is applied to match that position. This lets golfers better align that centre of gravity on tee shots and putts. The ultimate benefit should be a truer flight and a cleaner roll on putts. p e r fo rma n c e i n n ovat i o n demand

★★★★ ★★★★½ ★

$35 ▶ Mizuno waited some 113 years to establish its golf-ball business to the United States, so you can imagine the thinking process went beyond just doing what everyone else is doing. Of course, this two-ball line does adopt the industry standards of a multilayer construction and a urethane cover, including a dual core on both models. Like other balls, those attributes combine to provide distance and low spin off fullswing shots with high spin on short-game shots. However, the Mizuno engineering team, which benefits from a global sporting-goods focus, took advantage of its in-house aerodynamics studies to rethink the dimple patterns on these balls. The 12-year study produced a new design, a cone-shape C-Dimple, which creates more trigger points to keep fast flowing air close to the ball’s surface during the initial launch when the ball is moving its fastest. That reduces aerodynamic drag and makes for a more consistent, penetrating flight. Adding to the inventiveness, the choice of which model to play isn’t left to a scattering of chip shots or tee balls. Rather, the company’s clubfitting system, which identifies the proper shaft after a few swings, can also determine which of the two balls is the best option for you based on those same swings. pe rform ance innovation de mand

★★★★ ★★★★½ ★

feel rating (soft to firm) rb to u r rb to u r x

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snell mtb black/x $35 ▶ Snell golf balls have used the company’s direct-to-consumer platform to develop and tweak designs that reflect the needs of average golfers by listening to and learning from their online comments. Besides, as company founder and designer Dean Snell, a proven engineer at the top of design teams at Titleist and TaylorMade over the years, likes to say, “Having Dustin Johnson tell me he needs more or less spin on his 8-iron shot is not going to help me design a ball for everyday golfers.” These balls embody Snell’s belief in the benefits of a multilayer design with a cast-urethane cover, but they also offer two distinct alternatives: The MTB-X uses a soft yet smaller core with a thick, firmer mantle for more long-game speed and distance and more spin on iron shots. The original MTB Black is also a three-piece design but uses a softer mantle for a cushier feel and more controlled mid- and longer-iron spin for the flatter trajectory better players desire. Both balls use a low-drag 360-dimple pattern for a flight that resists ballooning in the wind.

vice pro pro/plus/soft $35 ▶ The internal construction of the three balls in this family are distinct in their specifications for firmness and resilience to target golfers largely based on swing speed and type. Outside, though, the casturethane cover is very much the same with a focus on maximising greenside spin. A participant in the directto-consumer game, Vice uses an online-fitting survey to help golfers narrow their choices. Still, the differences are clear: The Pro Plus uses two mantle layers and a cover with large, shallow dimples to better work for swing speeds of 110 miles per hour or more. The Pro Soft is designed for average swing-speed players (95 miles per hour or less) who are looking for soft feel with higher spin around the greens. Its three-piece, single-mantle construction features a compression that’s about a third less than the other two balls in the family. The standard Pro, also with a three-piece construction, has a softer compression than in the past but is still designed for swing speeds of 95 to 110 miles per hour. perfo rm a n ce i n n ovat i o n d em a n d

★★★★ ★★★★½ ★

feel rating (soft to firm) feel rating (soft to firm) to u r c g

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62 golfdigestme.com | october 2021

★★★★ ★★★★½ ★

feel rating (soft to firm) m t b b l ack

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YOU’RE A WHAT?

vice pro zero $30 ▶ Already established as a lower-price alternative through its direct-to-consumer approach, Vice now is offering a fourth urethane-cover model that uses an even less-expensive thermoplastic-urethane-cover (TPU) manufacturing process—and thus a price more like what you would see for some two-piece distance balls. That allows this design to promote more distance for average swings (it targets players with a swing speed of about 95 miles per hour, or about the middle of the road for typical male golfers) through a firmer compression than the cast urethane Pro and Pro Soft models. Using urethane in the cover allows it to combine with the softer mantle layer to produce better short-game spin than golf balls with non-urethane covers. The TPU cover also is designed for increased durability, another benefit for average golfers who not only have to pay for their golf balls but tend to hit more cartpaths and trees than other players do. The 344-dimple pattern is designed to produce a slightly higher but stable ball flight even in windy conditions. Its price is even more affordable with bulk orders, too. p e r fo rma n c e

★★★★

i n n ovat i o n

★★★★

demand

feel rating (soft to firm)

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★

wilson duo professional $35 ▶ Wilson balls have pushed boundaries in lower compression with its less-expensive, low-spin ionomer cover models like the Duo Soft+. But the Duo Professional takes those same demands of average golfers for a softer-feeling ball and imports them into the category of highperformance golf balls with multilayer constructions and, most important, urethane covers. In other words, the gentle feel and forgiveness that average golfers crave in a low-compression, two-piece ball lies at the core of this ball, and the urethane cover adds the potential for greenside spin that two-piece balls can’t match no matter how soft they feel. The Duo Professional features a compression that is a third softer than other typical urethane-cover models. The cover is about 40-percent thinner than its predecessor at barely twohundredths-of-an-inch thick. Although many average golfers prefer the soft feel of a low-compression core construction, it’s the combination of the thin urethane cover and the harder mantle layer that yields the higher spin that low-compression balls with non-urethane covers can’t create. The thin cover also means that more of the ball’s volume can reside in the core and mantle. Together, this helps create more velocity potential on full-swing shots. p e r fo rma n c e

★★★★

i n n ovat i o n

★★★★

demand

★

feel rating (soft to firm)

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▶ Can average golfers tell the difference between a ball with a urethane cover and a non-urethane cover?

wilson staff model staff model/r $45 ▶ These balls are engineered for the most skilled players through their multilayer, dual-mantle construction. In fact, the construction of both balls is the same, with identical cover, core and mantle layer specifications. The dual mantles include a highly resilient inner layer and a firmer outer layer. The two contribute to better energy transfer and less spin off of longer clubs. The firmer outer mantle works in concert with the soft urethane cover to produce more spin on shorter shots. However, there is a striking difference between these two identical designs. The R version comes with an uncoated cover. That lack of a coating is designed to avoid the inconsistencies in surface coverage of the finalcoating manufacturing process. Without that possibility, Wilson engineers found the “raw” finish produced more consistent distance and reduced dispersion compared with balls with a coating. They also found that the uncoated R model generated more friction on shots with higherlofted clubs than its own standard model, resulting in more short-shot spin. perfo rm a n ce i n n ovat i o n d em a n d

★★★★ ★★★★½ ★

feel rating (soft to firm) sm sm r

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84% Most golfers said they had heard of a “urethane cover” before and knew it improved spin. But more than 10 percent said they hadn’t heard the term or thought it improved distance.

48% After hitting a series of chip shots with each type of ball (all markings were blacked out), nearly half said they liked the non-urethane cover ball better, saying it felt softer and spun more.

93% Among better players (better than a 5-handicap), nearly all saw the spin advantage of urethanecover balls. Many said they had to change their shot type to get the nonurethane balls to stop close to the hole.

october 2021 | golfdigestme.com

NON-URETHANE

bridgestone e12 contact

srixon q-star

$30 ▶ When you have a team of rubber and polymer engineers at your disposal, it would be foolish not to lean on them. The result for Bridgestone is a three-piece ball that uses a Contact Force dimple that features a raised area in the centre. The idea is that the raised dimple creates more contact with the clubface at impact compared with traditional dimples. That results in a more efficient transfer of energy and an ability to activate the core of the ball better for faster ball speeds and less sidespin off longer clubs.

$27 ▶ The feel and spin are impressive for a two-piece ball. Though the ionomer-cover Q-Star won’t be a choice for elite players, it addresses the distance and approach-shot spin needs of golfers who typically buy in this category. To unlock more ball speed, the core is soft in the centre and gets progressively firmer toward the perimeter. But distance is only half the equation. A super polymer is used to help strengthen the molecular bonds in the cover material, producing a blended exterior designed to get more grab from the grooves on short irons and wedges.

p e r fo rma n c e

★★★★★

i n n ovat i o n

★★★★★

de m a n d

★★★

feel rating (soft to firm)

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callaway erc soft $35 ▶ Let’s face facts: Players looking at balls in this category dream of hitting that shortgame shot with lots of spin to stop it but don’t have the skill to pull it off. The threepiece ERC Soft accepts that fact and uses a cover with a collection of ionomers and an impact-modifier additive from Dow Chemical to improve the high-launch, low-spin formula that works so well for distance on full-swing shots. It also produces softer, higherlaunching short-game shots. Once on the green, the Triple Track lines on the ball assist alignment for those having trouble finding the target.

perfo rm a n ce

★★★★★

i n n ovat i o n d em a n d

★★★★ ★★½

feel rating (soft to firm)

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taylormade soft response $35 ▶ TaylorMade figured that a smart way to make a ball for the masses was to gather input from thousands of golfers. The wants were clear: more distance with a softer feel. To get there the company used u-shape dimples to promote increased lift and less drag, allowing the ball to stay in the air longer at lower spin rates— a good recipe for distance, especially for those without fast swing speeds. The low, 35-compression core and soft-ionomer cover provide the cushy feel. Can you hit that 40-yard spinner wedge? Probably not. But get back to us when you can.

pe rform ance

★★★★★

perfo rm a n ce

★★★★★

innovation

★★★★★

i n n ovat i o n

★★★★½

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64 golfdigestme.com | october 2021

d em a n d

★★★

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titleist tour soft

maxfli softfli

$35 ▶ Depending on your skill level, these balls might offer more scoring potential than the Pro V1/Pro V1x for a bit less cash. The Tour Soft has plenty of pop off the tee and decent short-game spin thanks to a large core for distance and a slightly firmer cover that works with the core to produce better short-game spin. A new dimple design produces a penetrating trajectory for better aerodynamics. The distinctive T-shape side stamp is a bonus for those who like an alignment line for putting. This is plenty of ball for people who don’t play for a living.

$20 ▶ As its name suggests, the Softfli emphasises a soft feel that’s achieved through an ultra-low 35 compression. But soft feel is not its only attribute. The low-compression core helps create faster ball speeds by reducing spin, and the dimple pattern promotes a higher flight. The Surlyn cover provides durability (an important trait for most everyday players) and features a bold side stamp in which a pair of black lines frame the name of the ball to help you aim when putting. The price also is appealing for those who tend to go through a sleeve per round.

p e r fo rma n c e

★★★★★

i n n ovat i o n

★★★★

demand

★★★½

feel rating (soft to firm)

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callaway supersoft/max $23 ▶ Callaway’s Supersoft line of balls has resonated with golfers for years. That’s because many golfers need more distance and higher flight and want it at a palatable price. The Supersoft line checks these boxes with twopiece, low-compression balls designed to boost distance for average golfers. A new cover blend borrowed from the ERC Soft provides better greenside performance. The oversize Supersoft Max is 4-percent larger in diameter to help golfers with slower-swing speeds launch shots higher through the bag. pe rformance innovation de m and

perfo rm a n ce

★★★★

i n n ovat i o n

★★★½

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★½

feel rating (soft to firm)

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rzn distance $20 ▶ Look past the large logo and alignment lines on the ball. The technology in this three-piece ball gives you plenty for the price. It all starts with the resin core first brought to market by Nike in 2006. The core features an x-shape surface pattern that creates added surface area to allow for a more efficient energy transfer. On the cover, microdimples improve lift and drag, particularly at the end of the ball’s flight. This is a fresh development using a proven technology that allows you to save a few bucks in the process.

★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★★★★

perfo rm a n ce

★★★★

i n n ovat i o n

★★★½

d em a n d

★

feel rating (soft to firm) s upersoft max

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................... october 2021 | golfdigestme.com

NON-URETHANE

snell get sum

titleist velocity

$21 ▶ Yeah, the name elicits giggles, but this direct-toconsumer ball is sneaky good for a two-piece. The soft, lowcompression core results in a low-spinning ball off the tee. That’s a welcome feature for those who tend to hit wayward shots because less spin helps keep those strikes from going monumentally offline. The soft Surlyn cover is more than durable enough and helps avoid the rock-like feeling of some two-piece balls while delivering enough speed for the distance-challenged. So should you Get Sum? It’s at least worth considering. p e r fo rma n c e

★★★★½

i n n ovat i o n demand

★★★½ ★

feel rating (soft to firm)

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for more info, visit

egolfmegastore.ae

$28 ▶ Although the Titleist Velocity doesn’t grab headlines like its Pro V1/Pro V1x tourplayed family, those that use the ball know what they want: distance, distance, distance with a hint of ability to stop the ball on the greens. A larger, faster core in this version takes care of the distance end of the equation. Stopping power in a two-piece Surlyn-cover ball, however, takes some doing. In this case, it’s created not by spin but by a 350-dimple pattern that helps create a higher flight on approach shots that comes down steeper, limiting rollout.

srixon soft feel $20 ▶ When a golf ball goes through 12 iterations, the people creating it probably have learned a few things over that time, such as how to maintain an extremely cushy feel while enhancing distance. To achieve that, Srixon changed the way the core gradually transitions from soft in the centre to firmer toward the perimeter. This provides increased resiliency for more rebound at impact. The thin ionomer cover (just .063 inches thick) has a 338-dimple pattern that helps reduce drag and provides more lift as the ball slows down during its descent. The result is increased carry.

perfo rm a n ce

★★★★

i n n ovat i o n

★★★★

d em a n d

★★★½

feel rating (soft to firm)

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wilson duo soft+ $20 ▶ The Wilson Duo line of golf balls has become synonymous with soft feeling, two-piece distance balls. Still, making a ball that feels soft and flies far is a distinct challenge. For Wilson’s Duo Soft+ line, the secret sauce was a change that was made to the core formulation that increased velocity up to two miles per hour on 90-mile-per-hour swing speeds. Though more distance was a priority, the ball did not sacrifice its soft heritage despite the cover being slightly firmer. The 35 compression provides more than enough of the cushion for which this line is known.

pe rformance

★★★★

perfo rm a n ce

★★★★

innovation

★★★★

i n n ovat i o n

★★★★

de m and

★★½

feel rating (soft to firm)

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66 golfdigestme.com | october 2021

d em a n d

★★½

feel rating (soft to firm)

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Painting by Abdulrahim Salem

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Sculpture by Ana Laserna Villa

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Golf Digest - October 2021

Articles inside

Saudi Ladies International

Tour Technique

Ryder Cup Recap

Ocktoberfest Tourney

Stairway to Success

Editor’s Letter

Smooth Move

Summer School