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Golf Digest Issue 8, 2021 (Digital)

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37 Articles

Inside Our Photo Shoot for #JupLife

The scene is one you might encounter on any night out in Jupiter. IN AN INSTA-CLICK WORLD it’s easy to forget how much effort can still go into a single image. This month photographer Ryan Schude didn’t capture so much as create the tableau vivant that opens Golf Digest Writer-at-Large Alan Shipnuck’s feature on how Jupiter, Fla., became the hometown of professional golf. The set, or canvas, was the upstairs members lounge of 1000 NORTH, the emergent social hot spot where Shipnuck followed his reporting. (Many trails lead to this sanctum of leather furniture and libation overlooking the town’s lighthouse. Co-owners Michael Jordan and Ira Fenton tried but couldn’t think of a better name than the physical address.) Under Schude’s direction, 13 subjects became actors, including three guys with four majors apiece,…

Inside Our Photo Shoot for #JupLife

Sage words from a longtime resort looper

I’VE BEEN A CADDIE for nearly 20 years, with stints at some of the world’s best resorts. Although I’m not big on soapboxing, a lot of you could use some friendly advice. Before I tell you what you get wrong, let me start by telling you what you get right: You tip well. You’re generous about asking if I’d like a dog and a drink at the turn. It’s impossible to count how many players, many of whom I had for just 18 holes, send me cards and gifts during the holidays. Overall, you’re a good group, but you lack self awareness. Here are some things to work on: You’re too slow. Perhaps not too surprising but it seems like half of my job is prodding a group like sheep to…

Sage words from a longtime resort looper

It took 11 years, but I finally made it

JARED WOLFE PGA TOUR AGE 33 BORN LOUISVILLE, BUT LIVES IN PONTE VEDRA BEACH ‘I chipped in with whatever I won playing and from driving Uber.’ I’m 33, not the youngest PGA Tour rookie. I can’t play as many weeks in a row as the younger guys. I applaud the heck out of them. They deserve everything they’ve got, but I don’t know if they’ve felt a lot of defeat. When I have a five-or six-week stretch where things don’t go well, I don’t panic. I’ve been playing professionally for 11 years. There isn’t a lot I haven’t seen. I grew up in Louisville playing public courses with my dad and granddad. At my first high school practice, I pulled a ball out of my pocket to putt with that was different from the one I’d…

It took 11 years, but I finally made it

How to use data to set realistic expectations

Most amateurs have a distorted view of how good they are. I FINISHED LAST in putting at the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst. This was during my playing days when I could be rather headstrong on the golf course. The smallest disturbance would set me off. I’d fire at flags and try to jam putts in the hole like a poker player on tilt. After I stopped playing professionally, I decided to rededicate myself to competitive amateur golf with a more measured approach. This time, I decided to use my background in advanced mathematics to analyze data from TrackMan and the new strokes gained statistic, created by Mark Broadie, to turn course strategy into a set of unemotional decisions. I was determined to not repeat the mistakes of my youth. I created…

How to use data to set realistic expectations

Evaluating the work of Gil Hanse

The kings of golf is a concept that goes back to the Emperor Jones, the name used by newspapers in the 1920s for Bobby Jones. Sort of like the modern GOAT, it signified who was recognized as the reigning champion of the world. It often extended past their winning championships because it mixed popular acclaim with major achievement. Arnold Palmer was king even after he stopped winning, then it was Jack Nicklaus, followed chronologically by Tom Watson, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and, of course, Tiger Woods. Popular as he might be, Phil Mickelson was a prince at best; Rory McIlroy reached the top for a moment, but today there doesn’t seem to be one player who wears the undisputed crown. Tiger still rules. Among women, Mickey Wright was queen, then…

Evaluating the work of Gil Hanse

The greatest stretch of major-championship golf I’ve seen

IN AUGUST 2020, amid that difficult period when golf was played without fans and the world was at a low ebb because of COVID-19, I had a revelation about the ensuing 11 months I couldn’t keep to myself. On the eve of the PGA Championship at Harding Park, during a CBS media conference call, I proclaimed, “We are about to enter the greatest stretch of golf in major-championship history.” Part of my reasoning came down to just math—because of postponements and rescheduling, an unprecedented seven majors would be contested in less than a year, this coming after a stretch when no majors were played in 13 months. At least one prominent golf writer thought the prediction hyperbolic, but what followed delivered on my promise, and in an age when we are…

The greatest stretch of major-championship golf I’ve seen

GETTING KICKS HER

YIPS. STRUGGLES. FEELING LOST. A DECADE AFTER WINNING TWO U.S. AMATEURS, DANIELLE KANG IS FINALLY IN A GOOD PLACE AND READY TO INFLICT SOME DAMAGE She’s fiercely competitive but believes losing the Solheim Cup wasn’t all bad. She plays an individual sport but surrounds herself with a professional team and a group of close friends. She was a black belt in taekwondo but doesn’t let herself practice anymore. And she quickly became proficient at a game that’s notoriously diffcult. Kang started playing golf at 12 and qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open a year and a half later. She won the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2010 and 2011 and turned pro. Since then she has gone from not really loving the game and wondering when her first victory would come, to winning…

GETTING KICKS HER

When Danielle came to me two years ago, she had the driver yips. There was a stretch of hitting big pushes to the right or snap-hooks to the left, and she had started changing her swing out of desperation. To her credit, she was trying to do the opposite of what was natural, thinking her tendencies were how she got into trouble. But she was conflicted and would go to the first tee wondering if she could even take the club back—that’s the yips. When I heard what she was doing and watched her hit some balls, my mind went to something my dad always said: “Don’t take away what a player does naturally, just make it better.” We needed to draw on what she did well and adjust her swing…

IT’S DINNER TIME IN JUPITER, FLA., AND 1000 NORTH IS THE PLACE TO BE. THE RESTAURANT OPENED IN 2018 AND IMMEDIATELY BE CAME A NEXUS OF GERMAN ENGINEERING, ITALIAN TAILORING AND SOUTH BEACH PLASTIC SURGERY. Jutting into the Loxahatchee River is a private dock so that diners can arrive in style; Dustin Johnson has been known to cruise up in his 82-foot Viking. (The lounge upstairs, available only to the 300 members who pay $4,000 to join and $4,000 in annual dues, carries Fireball cinnamon whisky to whet the whistle of Johnson and his glamorous fiancee, Paulina Gretzky.) Michael Jordan gets a lot of attention for being a part owner, but the man behind the man is Ira Fenton, a low-key powerbroker who helped finance Jack Nicklaus’ The Bear’s Club across town.…

AMERICA’S BEST NEW COURSES

GOLF isn’t likely to come close to the kind of splurge it went on from 1986 to 2005, when more than isn’t likely to come close 4,900 new courses opened in the United States, almost 250 a year. Newcourse construction during the past decade has been as rare as rain in Los Angeles. During the 2010s, new course projects did not proceed without an audience clamoring to play them. Quality replaced quantity, and new course openings in the United States and Canada amounted to a small but delectable Michelin-starred menu that included highly ranked designs such as Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the courses at Streamsong (Fla.) and Sand Valley (Wis.), Ohoopee Match Club (Ga.), Congaree (S.C.), Old Macdonald (Ore.) and last year’s Best New…

AMERICA’S BEST NEW COURSES

“IF YOU WERE MY STUDENT…”

BEFORE WE START, KNOW THIS ABOUT ME: I DON’T TEACH GOLF TO PEOPLE, I TEACH PEOPLE TO PLAY GOLF. I DON’T HAVE SOME LIST OF SWING POSITIONS THAT EVERY GOLFER NEEDS TO COPY. I CAN’T TEACH YOU TO SWING LIKE TIGER WOODS. MY GOAL IS TO TAKE WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND MAKE IT WORK BETTER. YOU HAVE YOUR OWN WAY OF THINKING, YOUR OWN PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS. CHANGING THOSE ISN’T GOING TO HAPPEN IN A GOLF LESSON. WE NEED TO FIX THE ONE THING THAT’S CAUSING THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IN YOUR SWING. I CALL IT THE CANCER. WHEN WE FIND IT—AND WE WILL—YOU WILL GET BETTER. —WITH PETER MORRICE When you come to my lesson tee, the first thing I’ll do is distract you from the anticipation you’re feeling. You’ll warm up with…

“IF YOU WERE MY STUDENT…”

THE BEST TEACHERS IN EVERY STATE 2022/2023

AS RANKED BY THEIR PEERS ALABAMA 1 mark blackburn (7) Blackburn Golf Academy at Greystone G. & C.C., Birmingham 2 tony ruggiero (41) Dewsweepers Golf, Mobile 3 wayne flint Highland Park G. Cse., Birmingham 4 eric eshleman C.C. of Birmingham 5 morgan hale Dewsweepers Golf, Mobile 6 steven deboer Steven DeBoer Golf Academy, Cullman 7 brian speakman Blackburn Golf Academy at Greystone G. & C.C., Birmingham 8 eric brunner Dewsweepers Golf, Mobile 9 craig bocking Ledges of Huntsville 10 rea schuessler C.C. of Mobile 11 layne savoie Blackburn Golf Academy at Greystone G. & C.C., Birmingham 12 daniel alldredge Lakewood C., Point Clear 13 wade hamilton Montgomery C.C. 14 michael brisbane Azalea City G.C., Mobile 15 shane allen Heron Lakes C.C., Mobile ALASKA 1 joe butler Palmer G. Cse. 2 peggy gustafson Anchorage G. Cse. ARIZONA 1 pia nilsson (17) Vision54 at Talking Stick G.C., Scottsdale 2 mike malaska (19) Superstition Mountain G.C., Gold Canyon 3 stan utley (20) Grayhawk G.C., Scottsdale 4 martin chuck (26) Tour Striker Golf Academy at Raven G.C., Phoenix 5 lynn…

ERIKA LARKIN: FOCUS ON YOUR TRANSITION

If you get quick transitioning from backswing to downswing and never feel that magical pause between the two, you’re really missing a key move that leads to better ball-striking. What I want you to do to begin the downswing is let your arms “fall” before you start unwinding. Here I’m demonstrating (left). With your weight shifted fully onto your lead side (left side for righties) and your hips and torso yet to unwind toward the target, let your arms just fall toward the ground. This freefall is the pause that leads to better timing. You’re not trying to pull down on the club or start aggressively unwinding with the hips from the top of the swing. The transition of shifting your weight forward while letting your arms fall will get…

ERIKA LARKIN: FOCUS ON YOUR TRANSITION

RICK SESSINGHAUS: BUILD CHIPPING CONSISTENCY THROUGH SIMPLICITY

When I’m working with two-time major champion Collin Morikawa (above, left) around the greens, we experiment with a lot of different types of shots. I would coach you a little differently on chipping simply because you don’t play golf for a living. You need a more basic strategy that breeds confidence. If you’re willing to practice fairly regularly, I would have you work on only one swing, but with three different clubs—9-iron, gap wedge and sand wedge. That way, you’ll have options to hit the ball higher or lower without having to learn different techniques. The typical goal is to land the ball on the green fairly quickly and allow it to run to the hole like a putt. If you don’t have convenient access to a short-game area or…

RICK SESSINGHAUS: BUILD CHIPPING CONSISTENCY THROUGH SIMPLICITY

SHAUN WEBB: PRACTICE YOUR BACKSWING PIVOT

One of the most important facets of the golf swing can be rehearsed virtually anywhere—how you pivot to build a great backswing. Here I’ve got a club pinned across my chest (left), but you also can practice a quality pivot by crossing your arms and holding them across your torso. The thing I’d get you to do is mimic a backswing with this thought in mind: the hips tilt, the shoulders turn. Obviously, the pelvis rotates, too, as you can see here, but this swing thought gives you a great image of how to blend the turning and tilting elements of the pivot. What I’m trying to get you to avoid is a flat over-rotation of the pelvis, a common mistake that causes a host of problems. Check yourself in…

SHAUN WEBB: PRACTICE YOUR BACKSWING PIVOT

TERRY ROWLES: PRACTICE THE TOUGH ONES, TOO

I bet you hit the vast majority of your practice shots from nice lies on the range. Our first lesson would focus on what you do when things aren’t so perfect—things like hitting it out of the rough. To hit these shots well, I’d first get you to read the lie and adjust your technique to make a steeper approach into the ball. Lies obviously differ, but generally, if the top third of the ball is clear of most of the grass, you can hit a 7-, 8-or 9-iron. If it’s deeper than that, splash it out with a sand wedge. To take on a full shot, open your stance slightly and play the ball just back of center—which will promote a steeper angle. When you swing, feel like you’re…

TERRY ROWLES: PRACTICE THE TOUGH ONES, TOO

KEVIN KIRK: GET EVALUATED WHERE IT MATTERS MOST

A lot of my best practice sessions with tour pros such as Patrick Reed (above, left) happen out on the golf course, but I wonder how many of you have ever had a playing lesson? Honestly, if you came to me for help, I’d tell you it’s the best place to assess your ability because it provides the most accurate look at how you play. I’d watch you take on a par 5, par 4 and par 3 with one ball for score, but I’d also add a short-game challenge (chip, pitch, bunker shot, etc.) on each hole. In addition to your swing mechanics, this format provides me an opportunity to see your mental routines, decision-making strategies, equipment and reactions to poor shots. The entire process takes less than an…

KEVIN KIRK: GET EVALUATED WHERE IT MATTERS MOST

When the Players Championship was cancelled after one round in 2020 because of the onset of the pandemic, Chris Como figured golf was headed for an extended disruption. “As I was on the plane back home to Dallas, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but I knew I needed a place to work that I wouldn’t get locked out of,” says the newly voted No. 2 on Golf Digest’s 50 Best Teachers ranking. He quickly traded his downtown apartment for a 3,100-square-foot, five-bedroom house that met one important benchmark—a main room with enough height and size to accommodate a basketball hoop and three-point line for down time, and a full 3-D camera system for teaching. Through early 2021, Como, Bryson DeChambeau (who lives minutes away) and teaching assistant Brian Ziegler (who…

The trend is unmistakable, travel industry members say. Once mainly the province of men, the annual golf getaway is changing fast. These days more and more women are loading up their clubs and hitting the road, experiencing the singular joy of a multiday golf vacation. “It’s fantastic to see,” says Teresa Zamboni, co-owner of Nancy Lopez Golf Adventures, a Florida-based company that specializes in women’s group trips. “It’s time for women to enjoy the same things guys have been doing for years.” Zamboni’s company, which she cofounded in 2014 with fellow LPGA professional Sue Powers, runs about a dozen trips a year (and Nancy Lopez comes along). This year’s trip to the Solheim Cup had 150 women—“and I could have brought 200 if we had the hotel space for them,” Zamboni says. Women’s…

‘AND THAT’S HOW IT’S DONE, BOYS!’

Everyone calls Sue Pels “Boss” on their trips because of her knack for organizing and her fearlessness in ensuring things run smoothly. Heading to a course for the first time, she’ll call ahead to let them know she’s bringing a group of 16 women in their 60s. But make no mistake, these women can play. “We may look like little old ladies, but we are good at golf,” says Pels, who lives in The Villages, Florida’s sprawling retirement community. “We’re not slow like everyone wants to think. We’re usually the ones complaining about slow play ahead of us.” Like most women in golf, they are used to the looks and eye rolls they get when arriving at the course. Pels says those eyes stop rolling as soon as onlookers hear the ball…

‘AND THAT’S HOW IT’S DONE, BOYS!’

1. Bring twice as many balls as you think you’ll need. Play what you know—and avoid resort-shop pricing. 2. Heavy items? Pack them in your golf bag, and consider using a shipping service like ShipSticks instead of bringing your bag on the plane so that you can travel light. 3. Use powdered sunscreen to bypass TSA liquid restrictions. Plus, it’s spill-proof (no slippery clubs) and doubles as pressed powder so that you can look fresh for the whole round. 4. Wear waterproof golf shoes. Don’t let weather get in the way of fun. 5. Become a hat person. Invest in a visor, cap or bucket hat. 6. Think golf-leisure. You might want to dress it up for the glam of a getaway, but don’t overlook the power of comfy (such as leggings and athletic tops)…

The Power Hitters

Even with 30-and 40-handicappers in the pairings, the name “Power Hitters” still applies to the group of women Leela Narang and Cynthia Howard traveled with earlier this year. The 12 women who came together for a one-night, two-round golf trip at New Jersey’s Hidden Creek Golf Club were powerful executives in the corporate world. Avid golfers who work in the golf industry, Narang and Howard invited women who were familiar with the game, but none had been on a women-only golf trip. They advertised the trip as a party with the opportunity to network with other powerful women. “We had matches just like the guys, we boozed just like the guys. We basically took the guys’ golf trip and copied it for women,” Narang says. Ranging in age from 26 to 52, the…

‘EVERYONE SHOWS UP READY TO PARTY’

Haley Hillesland and her friends have cloudy skies to thank for getting them into golf. During a beach excursion to Cape Cod in 2016, the weather failed to cooperate so, in search of a group activity, they booked a tee time. The foursome raced to a department store for something to wear, but the closest thing to golfwear were tennis skirts. Dressed for the courts rather than the greens, they sprinted back, arriving late and skipping the first hole. “We played only eight holes and probably took 300 swings each,” Hillesland says. “We were running around like idiots. But we loved it.” They’ve been working on their game—and making it a central theme of their girls’ weekends—ever since. They take an annual trip upstate to Lake George, N.Y., where one of…

‘EVERYONE SHOWS UP READY TO PARTY’

SIX TIPS FOR PICKING A GOOD DESTINATION

1. Climate Poll the group to understand everyone’s vision. Sunny play with beach access? Challenging winds with mountain-lined horizons? 2. Vibes Carefully vet all potential resorts or courses. Call beforehand to talk about your trip with their head professional or director of golf. Are they welcoming? They might offer special packages depending on your group’s size. 3. Activities Create a prioritized list of non-golf-related activities (such as vineyards, hiking, pools, spas, museums, nightlife and gastronomy) and find a location with the right options. 4. Difficulty Agree on an ideal tee length, say, a course with at least one tee less than 5,300 yards. 5. Theme Abby Liebenthal, founder of Fore the Ladies, a nonprofit dedicated to getting women to play, suggests picking a theme like “The Lily” or “Hearts and Darts.” 6. Season There’s nothing…

The Winter Birds

Five years ago, seven Michiganders were brought together by two things: golf and the fact that they knew the “Winter Bird,” a friend of a friend who owned a house in Naples, Fla. “Now we’re all great friends,” says Wendy Turner-Miller. “After that, we went every year. This group is a mainstay.” The ritual has grown to include as many as 20 women who gather every year to play golf by day and “hang out all night,” Turner-Miller says. She estimates the trips cost her $3,000 to $4,000 for flights, four nights in a hotel, food, course reservations and her share of the party bus they rent to chauffeur them. “It’s a whole situation,” Turner-Miller says with a laugh. “It’s great because you’re in a city where you don’t know anybody and don’t…

A BATTLE OF THE SEXES

It was the most heated golf matchup in modern history. No, not the Ryder Cup—this was bridesmaids versus groomsmen, and the anticipation reached an all-time high as we pulled into the golf club’s parking lot. The dudes were going down. The occasion was Michelle Wie’s 2019 wedding to Jonnie West. Everyone in the wedding party flew in a day or two early for the rehearsal dinner and the match at L.A.’s Riviera Country Club. Each team was decked out in matching swag. Our fearless leader, the bride, wore all white and opted not to play. Instead, she watched from a golf cart and chirped at our opponents. I’ve been to a few weddings since, but one thing is for sure: This one took the three-tiered vanilla cake. It’s worth noting that half the bridesmaids…

A BATTLE OF THE SEXES

WHAT IF YOU WANT TO COMPETE BUT SOME MEMBERS DON’T HAVE HANDICAPS?

Sarah Forrest, a U.K.-based trip planner who goes by the “Traveling Lady Golfer,” has organized trips around the globe, from Argentina to Portugal. Her thoughts on handicaps: “If the ladies are a relaxed group who just want to have fun on the golf course, I wouldn’t worry too much about handicaps and maybe assign the highest she can get. Ladies are usually pretty honest with this kind of thing, so she’d tell me if I gave her too many shots. After all, it’s important that they have fun and don’t stress over the game. “They’re more serious? Then I’d assign an appropriate handicap to make sure she can take part without being pressured, but also not walk away with the prizes, as that wouldn’t be good for the other ladies. “On a trip…

THEIR CLUB CLOSED, SO THEY HIT THE ROAD

Earlier this year, Summit Chase Country Club outside Atlanta closed its golf course after selling the land to a home developer. Among many of the disappointed members were Maura Jacob and her playing partners. Before the course was shut down, the eight women would play together four times a week, but now that their standing tee times had come to an end, they needed to find a way to play together again. Their solution: a golf trip. A friend suggested they check out the courses at Fairfield Glade in Crossville, Tenn., which is about a four-hour drive from their homes. They found several companies offering stay-and-play packages. The one they chose, Tennessee Mountain Golf, had rounds of golf on three courses, plus four nights in nearby villas for $566 a person. This…

Strength in Numbers

Getting into golf can be intimidating– especially for a woman. However, it’s a little easier if you don’t have to brave it alone. That’s how this group of women met, and it’s what inspired them to start going on their golf trips. In 2007, Ann Gallagher joined a program at Castlebar Golf Club in Ireland called “Get into Golf,” which was created by Golf Ireland to make golf more accessible. Every week their group would practice together, and as their skills improved, they started to talk about going on a trip to Spain once they completed the two-year program. By the time they were booking flights and tee times, 40 women had signed up. Gallagher admits that she was among a few who were nervous about the trip. However, once they got…

THE 33 BEST DESTINATIONS FOR WOMEN’S TRIPS

WEST COAST/HAWAII Aviara G.C., San Diego. Hugging the Pacific, this resort features a variety of wellness options. Plus, it’s within 30 minutes of museums, food and shopping. Bandon (Ore.) Dunes G. Resort. It lacks the luxurious appointments and nongolf diversions of some resorts but more than makes up for it with six world-class courses and an all-are-welcome vibe. The Boulders, Scottsdale. Visually stunning desert resort offers a pair of 18s with multiple women’s tees and plentiful restrooms. Off-course activities include rock climbing lessons, horses, hot-air ballooning. The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colo. Elegant hotel has two courses and a spa overlooking the Rockies. It’s also popular for women’s fly-fishing getaways. Edgewood Tahoe, Stateline, Nev. Dramatic finishing holes feature gorgeous views of Lake Tahoe with the Sierra Mountains as a backdrop. Half Moon Bay (Calif.) G. Links. Just…

THE 33 BEST DESTINATIONS FOR WOMEN’S TRIPS

Jim Pavonetti is expecting a visitor. This guest hasn’t booked a tee time, but for the past five years, around May 31, he has materialized—even accounting for leap year. Pavonetti checks his desk calendar: May 31. Sure enough the black-crowned night heron shows up. Pavonetti is the superintendent at Fairview Country Club in Greenwich, Conn., about 30 miles north of New York City. The only sounds of life here are natural ones: cicadas humming, dragonflies whizzing, bees buzzing, ducks splashing. Tucked away along the state’s border, the 18-hole course’s enchanted flowering bushes appear animated by an opera of duskywing butterflies and beetles. A glossy black lake completes the fairytale setting. Pavonetti estimates Fairview has 86 wildlife species, not to mention an array of flora. “You can walk over to some of…

9 Steps You Can Take Now

(1) The most common advice from supers? Start small. Focus on actions you can take now rather than renovating your entire course or yard. This can be as simple as investing in a few bird baths or taking another step on this list. (2) Install bee, bat, butterfly or bird houses around the property to provide creatures with safe rest stops. (3) Convert a patch of unplayed grass behind a tee box or in your side yard into meadow, which is better at sequestering carbon dioxide than grass and offers more protection and sustenance for wildlife. (4) Plant a pollinator garden. Identify a plant or species you’re interested in and design a small garden around that. (5) Stick to native plants, which are naturally predisposed to support wildlife and thrive in your climate and…

Get over the ball thinking, This is going in

“Let the energy of the stroke flow into the ball.” The stats say I made 37 putts of 10 feet or more during the FedEx Cup Playoffs and gained 16.5 strokes on the field. Those are just numbers. All I know is that I felt like I was starting to putt like myself again. I was confident in my mechanics, putter and process, but mostly I was comfortable in the moment, locked in on making the best stroke possible each time out. At times, I was surprised when a putt didn’t go in. I guess there’s something to that. Confidence breeds success. If you want my advice on how to hole more putts, start with a smart and effcient pre-shot routine. This includes “stalking” your putts. Walk around the green to get…

Get over the ball thinking, This is going in

What’s in My Bag

AGE 23 LIVES Bradenton, Fla. STORY Six wins on the LPGA Tour, including the 2021 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Also won the 2021 Olympic Gold Medal. SISTER ACT I’ve been swinging golf clubs since I started walking, using those cute plastic golf clubs at first. As I got older, I was never really lacking for golf equipment. I was always getting hand-me-down clubs from my older sister, Jess, and I would be very happy when I would get a full set. I was that annoying little sister who got everything. —with e. michael johnson CLUB YARDS* DRIVER 253 3-wood 240 7-wood 230 19˚hybrid 202 5-iron 187 6-iron 178 7-iron 163 8-iron 155 9-iron 140 pw 128 50˚ 115 54˚ 100 58˚ 84 * CARRY DISTANCE DRIVER SPECS Titleist TSi1, 10°, Graphite Design Tour AD IZ 6S shaft. ▶ Ever since my rookie year, I’ve struggled to find a driver that suits me. I like to…

What’s in My Bag

Four ways to boost swing speed

WHILE WORKING on my master’s thesis in biomechanics at Cardiff Metropolitan University in Wales, I learned how one’s mind-set can impact driving performance. Of the 28 elite golfers I studied, those who emphasized distance over accuracy not only hit it longer, they hit it straighter. By free-wheeling it, they were able to improve their sequencing and increase ball speed. The message? Let it ride! What follows are four drills based on my research that are designed to boost your clubhead speed and untap your distance potential. Let’s start with my Confident-T drill. Without a ball and club, assume your normal posture with both arms extended, forming the letter T. Allow both arms to tilt as you turn and coil your upper body back (above, left). Then as you swing forward,…

Four ways to boost swing speed

It’s key to controlling distance around the greens

THERE’S NOTHING NEW about practicing pitch shots with only your dominant hand. It helps you get a better feel for how the club’s path should shallow out and glide along the turf, not dig into it. But did you know this practice method also can be used to sync the swinging of your wedge with the rotation of your body? That harmony is key to hitting these shots a predictable distance. The club and your upper body should be moving at roughly the same speed as you swing through. By placing your non-dominant hand on your chest as a reminder like I am here, you’ll soon get a feel for the proper blending of arm swing and body turn for these short shots. Neither the club nor the body should outrace…

It’s key to controlling distance around the greens

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION

Statement required by 39 U.S.C. 3685 showing the Ownership, Management and Circulation of GOLF DIGEST, published monthly (eight issues) for Oct. 1, 2021. Publication No. 0017-176X. Annual subscription price $27.94. 1. Location of known office of publication is One World Trade Center, New York City, NY, 10007. 2. Location of the headquarters or general business offices of the publisher is 850 Third Avenue, New York City, NY, 10022. 3. The names and addresses of the General Manager and Editor are: General Manager, Christopher Reynolds, One World Trade Center, New York City, NY, 10007. Editor, Max Adler, One World Trade Center, New York City, NY, 10007. 4. The owner is: Discovery Golf Inc., published through its Golf Digest division, One World Trade Center, New York City, NY, 10007. Corporate address is Discovery Golf Inc., 850…

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION

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