Every player across the world is constantly looking to improve their game, no matter if they’re a regular player or just enjoy a weekly round at the local course. When watching the professionals take to the course on TV, or if you’re lucky enough to go to a live tournament, it’s awe inspiring to see them play.
We can all learn something from the world’s best golfers. Below we take a look at some of their best hints and tips to get you striking the ball, and holing your putts, better than ever before.
Short game supremacy
One of the most memorable victors this year was Japanese player, Hideki Matsuyama. The 29-year-old became the first player from Japan to win a major when he won the 2021 Masters by one shot.
Matsuyama’s mastery from around the green is a real feature of his play. But how does he do it? You will see him try to keep his clubface level when chipping. Keeping his right wrist straight, the left bends and allows a better angle to create a shot which has a high trajectory and a soft landing. Matsuyama also keeps his knees flexed throughout the swing, ensuring that he doesn’t bob up and down, that could be a real approach shot killer.
Hit the greens with envy
Tiger Woods is obviously synonymous with success, even when he’s not playing. He recently gave support to the US Ryder Cup team as they dominated their opponents from Europe. So, who better to get the inside track to finish each hole confidently? Woods says preparation is absolutely vital and not only in practicing the putting action itself. Although not the most glamorous of training regimes, it’s helpful to know the greens. By having advance awareness of things like hole placement, breaks on the surface and even the direction of the grain. It gives players an extra confidence ahead of walking to the green. Allowing you to be fully prepared and concentrating on your putt.
Delivering with the driver
Jon Rahm’s strength and ability with the driver sets him apart from his contemporaries. Coming off his first major victory at the U.S. Open, he’s already been tabbed as a favorite for the Masters when the 2022 major season kicks off. Though it’s quite early as of this writing, the sports betting section on Ladbrokes has already posted official odds for the 2022 Masters, and Rahm is out in front.
The key to the Spaniard’s growing success is in his short and powerful swing. By not thinking what his hands are doing, he concentrates on moving his torso, arms and club together. Knowing instantly if it’s a good backswing by feeling it in his right hip, Rahm then loads up the weight on his right foot and thigh. Following that with a hard push into the ground on his downswing, Rahm generates the power to unleash the drives that so many want to replicate.
Photo Credit: Forbes
Avoiding the bunker blues
Rickie Fowler has been known to hit some spectacular shots from the green-side sand, arguably none more so than the one which saw him hole out from 50 yards at the 2016 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. So, how does the flamboyant Californian do it?
He recommends having a wide stance, placing your feet shoulder-width or further apart. Then with an open clubface, and 60-70% of your weight on the front foot, swing through the ball and keep going a little more. Fowler keeps his right knuckles facing the ground throughout the shot, helping the club glide through – rather than digging into the sand.
Photo Credit: Golf Digest
There you have it, thank you for reading. Don’t forget to keep an eye on our home page here at intothegrain.com for news, reviews and more tips to help you improve your game.
Cobra Puma Golf has been on a hot streak lately with some great equipment, highly desirable clothing and some great results from their tour staff. Last year’s KING F8 and KING F8+ drivers were very good – at least as good as most of the competition – but that wasn’t good enough for the engineers at Cobra.
Cobra has taken what they learned with the KING F8 driver and released the KING F9 SPEEDBACK driver. To no one’s surprise, they created a monster. As far as I could tell, the KING F9 SPEEDBACK driver was the most talked about driver at the 2019 PGA Show.
I say it all the time, but fitting matters. There are tens of thousands of possible club and shaft options out there these days, and simply changing shafts can alter the performance of a club dramatically. Fortunately, the Cobra KING F9 driver is available in three lofts (9, 10.5 & 12), has 2 adjustable weight ports, an 8 position adjustable hosel and dozens of custom shaft options.
We’re testing the Cobra KING F9 SPEEDBACK driver now and will be back here in the near future with some test numbers and a full review, so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out the photos and video below!
Not sure where that small nick in the paint came from…
PUMA Golf’s new IGNITE PROADAPT Shoes are here – Here’s a sneak peek!
White/Gray Violet
White/Gray Violet
Gray Violet/White
Gray Violet/White
Black/Dark Shadow
Black/Dark Shadow
PUMA Golf’s IGNITE PROADAPT footwear is almost here, and they look sharp! This is the shoe worn on the PGA Tour by fan favorite Rickie Fowler. They have the stable, full-grain leather upper design preferred by Rickie. In fact, he debuted PROADAPT earlier this season and relied on them during his recent victory at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
From the official press release – “During the footwear design and creation process, we work with our Tour team, utilizing their feedback to deliver shoes that reflect the feel and performance desired by the best golfers in the world,” said Andrew Lawson, Footwear Product Line Manager at PUMA Golf. “Rickie was involved from the earliest stages of design, expressing his desire for an upper that provides a ton of support with premium styling. Better players will love these shoes as they offer comfort, maximum stability, ground traction and motion control through your golf swing.”
The PUMA IGNITE PROADAPT footwear comes with a one-year waterproof warranty and feature technologies such as:
· Pro-Fit Insole – This ultra-soft, yet supportive PU insole provides excellent fit, performance and long-lasting comfort on the course.
· Adaptive Fit System – Dual-layer, decoupled collar construction utilizes premium full-grain leather materials and a molded comfort collar to provide the comfort of a running shoe, but the look of a high-end leather shoe.
· IGNITE Foam – Revolutionary and proprietary PU foam provides ideal energy return, responsive comfort, stable cushioning and superior step-in comfort eliminating typical new footwear “break-in period.”
· Pro-Form TPU – Premium TPU Outsole compound delivers high performance, grip and abrasion resistance on all surfaces.
· Tornado Cleat – a dual talon, low-profile cleat provides excellent traction and long-lasting abrasion resistance, and is easy to change out using the Fast Twist 3.0 system.
The PROADAPTs are available in three colors and will carry a retail price of $200.
The PUMA IGNITE PROADAPTs are available now for pre-sale on PUMGAGOLF.com and at select retailers. They officially hit stores on March 13, 2019.
The Masters Tournament is coming, and this year the anticipation has ramped up to levels not seen in years. Why? Tiger Woods is back and playing well. Ticket sales are through the roof as they always are at the Masters, but what’s really telling is the ticket prices. I saw that one person was selling two weekly grounds passes for over $20,000! The thing is, they’ll probably get it. That’s what some in the media call the “Tiger Effect.”
I’m especially excited for the Masters this year because not only are some of the young guns like Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson playing well, but Tiger and his old rival Phil Mickelson are also playing well in early 2018. There should be plenty of excitement at Augusta National Golf Club this year.
The Odds
It’s now time to check the odds and see who’s favored to win. I think we all know who the betting favorite is by now, right? Not so fast Tiger Fans…
Golfer
Odds
Dustin Johnson
+800
Tiger Woods
+900
Justin Thomas
+1000
Jordan Spieth
+1100
Phil Mickelson
+1400
Jason Day
+1600
Rory McIlroy
+1600
Jon Rahm
+1800
Justin Rose
+1800
Bubba Watson
+2000
Rickie Fowler
+2000
According to Sports Betting Dime, Tiger Woods may be the fan favorite to win another Green Jacket, but Dustin Johnson has the best odds at +800. Tiger Woods’ odds are at +900 and Justin Thomas is currently at +1000.
Predictions
If you are a frequent visitor to this website, you may recall that not too long ago I predicted Rickie Fowler would win a major this year. I still like Rickie to finally break through, and he’s my personal favorite to put on his first Green Jacket on Sunday evening. If you are the betting type – at +2000 odds one would be getting a pretty good return on investment…
Now that Christmas has passed and we start looking forward to the new year, I think 2018 will be a good year for golf, and like usual we’ll start it off in Orlando at the 2018 PGA Merchandise Show. The level of participation and overall vibe we get from the show can give one a good idea of how the year will go. There’s always lots of hope and lots of hype, but in my opinion it still comes down to golfers and how often they tee it up with their friends. In the end, the success of this game depends on people, not products. With that in mind, here are my bold predictions for 2018.
Rickie Fowler Will Win a Major
2018 will be Rickie’s year. I predict that he will finally win a major tournament. He finished 2017 by winning Tiger’s tournament – The Hero World Challenge – in The Bahamas against a small but very strong international field. On the PGA Tour he enjoyed career highs in Top Tens (11), Top 25s (17) and Prize Money ($6,083,197). He also had the second lowest scoring average on tour at 69.083 and led the tour in sand saves at 68.66%. he’ll be pushed hard by good buddies Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, but I think he’ll use their previous major victories as motivation to join the club.
New Drivers, Prices Pushing $500
It should not come as a shock to anyone that most of the major golf companies will have new drivers for sale in 2018. Naturally, all of them will offer more forgiveness, better control and more distance. The driver is, of course, the most oft changed club in our bag and the promise of a few more yards to gain an advantage on your playing partners is often too attractive to pass up. That’s why the bulk of marketing dollars from companies like Callaway and Taylor Made go into driver sales. While the physics of hitting a golf ball has hit a scientific wall due to limits imposed by the USGA, companies are turning to more advanced materials and adjustability to sell new drivers that can be tuned specifically for each golfer. These changes are also pushing prices higher, and we’ll see the $500 mark become pretty standard for a new driver in 2018. Sadly, it won’t help, but more on that later.
Golf Participation Will Continue To Evolve
According to the National Golf Foundation (NGF), the number of people who played golf on a real golf course in 2016 fell 1.2 percent from 2015 to 23.8 million. Given statistical margin for error, these participation numbers have been more or less flat for the last decade. But the way in which we are measuring golf participation is changing. The NGF is now saying that defining golf participation only as playing 18 holes on a regulation course is too limiting. Thanks to the success of facilities like Topgolf and indoor golf simulators, the NGF was able to add more than 20 million off-course “participants” to the game of golf. 8.2 million of those people never stepped foot on a golf course. Most people that go to Topgolf don’t identify as golfers, but the NGF counts them anyway. If you hit a golf ball with a golf club, to the NGF you are a golfer. However you define it, in 2016 the number of beginning golfers grew 14 percent over 2015 – an all time high. And for the first time in five years, the number of “committed golfers” also grew. If you are reading this, you are probably one of the committed crowd. However you count, it seems the game of golf is seeing increases in participation, and that’s a good thing.
Tiger Woods Will Get Injured Again
Sorry Tiger fans, but you knew this was coming. He looked great at the Hero World Challenge about 3 weeks ago, but it remains to be seen how his surgically repaired back & knees will hold up. We’re talking about a professional golfer who’s had four knee surgeries, four back surgeries and injured his achilles in both legs. Twice. I believe the game of golf is better when Tiger is prowling on Sunday leaderboards, but at this point in his career I just don’t think his body will allow him to compete at the highest level for much longer. Let’s hope he has at least one good major run in him before his body fails him and he’s forced to retire, but expect him to spend some time in 2018 nursing injuries yet again.
I’ll Break 80 as a Righty & Lefty
I’ve played golf seriously since 1990 and I’ve managed to maintain a scratch or better handicap for almost 20 years, so obviously the first part of that prediction is a no-brainer. A plus handicap golfer like me will break 80 at least 90 percent of the time. But the second part will be much more difficult. I used to play left-handed more regularly before I moved to Florida in 1997, but since then I’ve played golf left-handed exactly twice, and it wasn’t pretty. My best round as a lefty was an 83, but that was about 25 years ago. My latest effort with a new lefty set I just scraped together last week was a confidence crushing 96, although I was very rusty and only playing with 11 clubs. I still need to find a driver, 5-wood and 3-hybrid for my lefty set. The goal of breaking 80 left-handed is quite ambitious, but I think I can do it with some practice. I’ll be chronicling this journey right here in the coming months.
New Clubs Still Won’t Help Your Game
That $500 driver you just bought with the fancy adjustable hosel and movable weights? You know, the one that promised more distance and forgiveness? It won’t really help your scores. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Even if that new driver really did give you more distance, the improvement likely won’t be noticeable, and your scores won’t improve. Why not? Because you still suck at chipping and putting, that’s why! The golf marketing machine has led you to believe that the driver is the most important club in the bag, but at best you’ll only use it for 14 shots on a regulation golf course. Despite all the advancements in technology the average golfer still shoots around 100. If that sounds like you, driver swings account for less than 15% of your score, and shots with the wedges and putter account for more than 65% of your score. That $500 is much better spent on lessons for your short game than on the shiny new driver.
USGA vs Amateur Golfers
I’m part of the growing number of amateur golfers that love the game and want to see if grow but are becoming frustrated with the direction the USGA is taking the game. When it comes to the rules of golf, we want to see things get simpler and help us play faster. While the USGA and PGA have given us some half-assed initiatives like “Tee it Forward” and “While We’re Young” to help the pace of play for amateurs, they continue to allow players on the professional tours to get away with 5+ hour rounds. When it comes to the rules of golf, we amateurs also keep getting the shaft. A couple of the biggest rule changes we’ve seen recently were squarely aimed at professional golfers, but didn’t really make a difference and instead have negatively impacted the amateur game.
The groove rule change in 2010 was designed to make it harder for professionals to control the ball out of the rough, placing a premium on hitting fairways in an effort to combat the “bomb and gouge” playing style of the Tiger Woods era. It didn’t work of course, as equipment companies countered with higher lofted wedges, more precise CNC machined grooves, shafts designed specifically for wedges that produce more spin, and softer golf balls with more advanced core and cover materials that spin more. The only people that suffered with this rule change were of course amateurs. Not possessing the athletic ability or club head speed to impart spin on the ball like a pro, the wedge game became that much more difficult for the rest of us because of a rule change made with less than 1% of golfers in mind.
The next major rule change banned the use of anchored putters. Everyone knows at least one person who used a “broomstick” or belly putter prior to the ban. Again aimed largely at the professional tours, the USGA and R&A were scared that an anchored putting stroke was an unfair advantage over the un-anchored stroke, even though PGA Tour putting statistics didn’t support that argument. They imagined entire generations of young golfers growing up with belly putters and decided they weren’t having it, so they banned the use of any putting stroke where the club is anchored to your body. How did it work? Well, I know a guy that still uses the putter, just not anchored. He says his putting hasn’t gotten any better or worst since the ban. An other guy I know using a long putter is a tournament level golfer but quit playing USGA sanctioned events in protest. At least those touring professionals can’t take advantage of anchored strokes any more even if it hurts amateurs everywhere. So how did the anchoring ban work out anyway? Well, the two best putters on PGA Tour Champions in 2017 were Berhand Langer and Scott McCarron. What do they have in common? Yeah, you guessed it. They both use a long putter. Nice work USGA.
I’m being pretty hard on the USGA, but it’s not all bad. In fact, the list of proposed rule changes for 2019 are very good, and I think they’ll make the game a little quicker, a little simpler and more enjoyable. It’s a good start for sure. Now, if we can just talk about making divots be treated as ground under repair…
The Acushnet Company – Fortune Brands’ golf business – announced today that it has sold the Cobra Golf Company to Puma AG. The sale includes the Cobra brand, all related inventory, intellectual property and its endorsement contracts. Cobra’s list of professional staff includes Camilo Villegas, J.B. Holmes, Ian Poulter, Jason Gore and David Feherty. Cobra Golf has had a great year so far, with Ian Poulter winning the Accenture Match Play Championship, Camilo Villegas winning the Honda Classic and finishing third at the Match Play, and J.B. Holmes has started his year with 2 top three finishes so far.
Acushnet plans to continue to provide services for an agreed upon period of time beyond the sale to facilitate the seamless transition as Puma breaks into the golf industry on the equipment side. Production, distribution, field sales and customer service will continue with the help of Acushnet for a time, until Puma has gotten up to speed.
“With the sale of Cobra, we have the opportunity to devote all of our resources to the global growth of our industry-leading Titleist and FootJoy brands,” said Wally Uihlein, Chairman and CEO of Acushnet Company. “At the same time, Cobra is a strong brand with a heritage of innovation, and we wish the quality associates guiding the brand future success. Golfers and our valued partners will remain the key focus throughout the impending sale and we are confident that our customers will continue to be serviced to our high standards.”
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Pending regulatory approval, the date of the sale is expected to be early in the second quarter of 2010, and all Cobra Golf business will be conducted by Acushnet Company until that time. All Acushnet Company associates dedicated to the Cobra business are expected to become employees of PUMA. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
"Through the acquisition of Cobra Golf, we reinforce PUMA’s commitment to our sportsperformance business by strengthening our growing and successful Golf category," said JochenZeitz, Chairman and Chief Executive of PUMA. “Cobra Golf has a history of innovativeperformance products fused with an edge and is therefore a perfect fit for PUMA, reinforcingour overall mission of becoming the most desirable Sportlifestyle company. With Cobra Golf,PUMA will capitalize on the many opportunities in the Golf category and upside potential aheadof us.”
Based in Carlsbad, California and founded in 1973, Cobra Golf produced one of the first utility clubs - the Baffler - long before use of such hybrid clubs became popular. Cobra's innovation continues today with recent releases such as the new ZL and S2 Drivers, as well as the Baffler Rail Hybrid. In 1996 Cobra Golf was acquired by Fortune Brands and has since then been managed together under the Acushnet Company umbrella with its other golf brands.
“Titleist and FootJoy are powerful golf brands that are poised for long-term growth,” continued Uihlein. “This laser focus and our longstanding commitment to deliver superior performance and quality will strengthen golfers’ trust in the Titleist and FootJoy brands in all global markets.”
The most prominent Puma spokesman is Rickie Fowler, who has sported Puma's apparel on the PGA Tour for only a few tournaments but is already making a mark, not only with the flashy style (or lack thereof) but with his great play, earning several top 5 finishes in his young professional career. One has to wonder if Rickie will be encouraged to move from Titleist brand equipment (Owned by Acushnet) to the newly acquired Cobra Golf. It will also be interesting to see what happens with the Cobra Golf brand. Will Puma rebrand Cobra equipment as its own or retain the well known and respected Cobra brand clubs?
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This week at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, the PGA Tour season comes to an end with the Children’s Miracle Network Classic. There are many good stories to tell this week, like David Duval sitting at 125th on the money list, trying to keep his playing privileges. There is also the story of Rickie Fowler, fresh off his near miss in the desert, needing a good week to wrap up his tour card for 2010 without having to go through Q-School in December. Several pros took a few seconds when walking by to check out the former amateur sensation and his swing. Seems many players wanted to see what all the fuss was about. For many, this week is the last chance to salvage a season or cash in a large check. Kevin Streelman holds a two stroke lead in the Kodak Challenge, and if he can hold on to win he will pocket one million in cash for his trouble.
I visited the driving range and putting green at Disney's Palm and Magnolia courses to snap some pictures and peer into a few golf bags to see what's new and hot out on tour. I also stopped by the Cleveland Tour Van to snoop around a bit. Those of you who frequent this site will notice several articles on Cleveland products, and you will soon see many more. Cleveland has been very generous in sending us clubs to test out and has granted me a level of access to their products that is normally reserved for tour players and staff. I feel it's necessary therefore that I disclose that intothegrain.com is in no way affiliated with or being paid to promote Cleveland Golf and it's products. We strive to provide unbiased and accurate information and reviews, and we've invited several companies to participate. Once they agree to send us equipment to review, you can be sure we'll post it! Now - on to the pictures!
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The Masters Tournament is coming, and this year the anticipation has ramped up to levels not seen in years. Why? Tiger Woods is back and playing well. Ticket sales are through the roof as they always are at the Masters, but what’s really telling is the ticket prices. I saw that one person was selling two weekly grounds passes for over $20,000! The thing is, they’ll probably get it. That’s what some in the media call the “Tiger Effect.”
