“What is a ‘wedge’ anyway?”

Can that name be given to any iron-type club simply based on its loft? And if that’s the defining criteria, where do “wedge” lofts begin? And can clubs of all different design configurations still all be “wedges” just because they fall into that arbitrary range of lofts?

To the first question, my historical research indicates the term “wedge” first came into common use in the 1930s with the invention of the original sand wedge, generally credited to Gene Sarazen. As the legend goes, after flying with Howard Hughes and observing the use of flaps to make the airplane go up or down, he conceived the idea of a downward angle on the sole of a niblick to make it “reject” from the sand. So, after numerous prototypes and testing, the club that came to be known as the “sand wedge” was born.

Those clubs were about 55-56 degrees of loft, and quickly became widely adopted because of this revolutionary performance from bunkers. My guess is the term “wedge” was applied to that club because that’s exactly how you used it – you “wedged” the club between the ball and the turf – loft made the ball go up and the sole made the club “bounce” off the turf.

The professionals of the 1940s and 1950s began to use their sand wedge for more specialty shots around the greens, but most often relied on their highest lofted iron for most routine pitch shots. In sets back then, that club had 50-52 degrees of loft and was often called a “pitching wedge,” but some labeled it simply a “10-iron,” or in Ben Hogan’s case, the Equalizer.

But that club looked like the irons it matched, bearing little resemblance to the specialty “sand wedge” with its big flange and heavy sole, but I really don’t know why it was also called a “wedge.”

As iron lofts began to strengthen in the 1980s, the need for a “gap wedge” came about, as that valuable 50- to 52-degree iron was disappearing. Then at the other end of the set, the “lob wedge” appeared. Both of those clubs bore some resemblance to the sand wedge because they were most often presented as loft extensions in manufacturers’ wedge product lines.

So, now let’s fast-forward to 2023. Most iron sets have a “P-club” of rarely more than 45 degrees, and we’re seeing more and more with as low as 42 degrees of loft. Many of the iron models offer set-matching “wedges” labeled “A”, “G”, “S”, etc. to extend the iron design up into the higher lofts. These all look almost identical to the 6-iron in that set, because this industry is still caught up in the notion of “matched” sets. (But that’s a topic for another day)

In the “wedge” category, product lines can be confusingly broad, with lofts from 46 to 64 degrees and all kinds of specialized sole configurations. So, back to the original question — what is a “wedge?”

Think about it this way.

At the long end of your set, the club with 22 to 24 degrees of loft might be configured as a fairway wood, or a hybrid, or a hollow high-tech “driving iron,” or simply the 4- or 5-iron that matches your irons. Each golfer can determine which configuration serves him or her best at that loft and the distance it produces.

Likewise, the clubs at the higher loft end of your set might look like your 6-iron, or might look like a traditional wedge, or might look like one of the numerous specialty wedges with a wider sole. My “wedge” designs for Edison Golf don’t really look like any of those.

But just like those options you have to build out the long end of your set, each of those various ways to configure a higher-lofted club will produce different results.  So, can we really lump all of these high-loft options into a singular category and call all of them “wedges?”

Or is it time to come up with a totally different word to describe those high-loft clubs in our bags that have the assigned task of delivering consistent results at a range of distances as we get closer to the green?

I’m not sure I have the answer, but it should be fun for all of us to stop and ponder the question? Your thoughts, everyone?

Recommended Bets:

• Emiliano Grillo 
• Chez Reavie 
• David Lipsky 
• Carl Yuan

Historically, iron lofts progressed through the set at four-degree loft intervals, and .5-inch length differentials. This wasn’t happenstance at all, it was the result of rigorous testing by professionals and average golfers. Those technical differences typically delivered consistent distance gapping from the pitching wedge down through the set.

A review of the specifications of almost every set of irons on the market today, however, will reveal that loft differentials are now five degrees between the short irons and as little as two degrees at the long end of the set. This is totally counter-intuitive to how you can improve your short iron and wedge precision. Why in the world would you want to increase the distance differences between your shorter irons, which is where you most need distance control precision? After all, a 6-iron shot that is 25 to 30 feet long or short is pretty darn good, but it sucks if you have a 9-iron or wedge in your hands.

Understand that the “holy grail” of distance in golf club design is the combination of high launch and low spin. Achieving this is relatively simple – put as much mass in the bottom of the golf clubhead as possible.

So, the second major problem caused by the “launch monitor wars” is how modern irons are designed. The early “solution” to longer-hitting mid-irons was extreme sole-weighting with thinner faces. The newer technologies we’re seeing in irons combine even faster faces with heavy tungsten inserts in the sole of the club.

But the problem with almost all irons on the market – especially in the “game improvement” category – is that this same design and technologies are applied throughout the “matched” set of irons and even into “wedges” that display that same design concept. And that’s where your prime scoring clubs are being compromised.

High launch and low spin are great in a driver or fairway wood, and maybe even desirable in your middle irons — but that is the exact opposite of what you need to achieve consistent distance precision in prime scoring range when you have a short iron or wedge in your hands.

Almost all accomplished players have learned to hit their short irons and wedges with a penetrating ball flight and lots of spin to stop the ball in its tracks once it hits the green. So why would you ever want to play short irons and wedges that have all their mass at the bottom, which is designed to deliver the exact opposite of what you should be seeking?

Now, let’s go back to the title of today’s post.

Either your 6- or 7-iron is 28 to 30 degrees of loft – but have you ever stopped to think that this loft is closer to that of your driver than to where your “wedge” lofts begin (around 45 degrees)? I feel certain that no golfer in the history of the world has ever proclaimed

“I really like my 7-iron. Can you make me a driver that looks just like it?”

In fact, from your 7-iron down to your driver, you likely have at least four, if not five, completely different clubhead designs in order to optimize performance at a given range of lofts. That iron design might evolve to a driving iron design a few degrees lower, then most likely to a hybrid design a few degrees lower than that, then to a fairway wood as lofts get below twenty degrees, and finally to a driver at 9 to 12 degrees.

So, if it takes four to five completely different clubhead designs to optimize performance at the long end of the set, how realistic is it that only one design throughout your set of irons can deliver the performance and precision you need at the short end?

I’ve always believed that every club in your bag has a specific purpose and expectation. Fairway woods, hybrids, and long irons are to get you close to or maybe even on the green from a long-distance approach. With middle irons (5 through 7 or 8), your goal is to get on the green within a reasonable distance, or certainly not to leave yourself a tough greenside save.

Your “money clubs” are those with lofts above 37 to 40 degrees, as this is where you have a chance to get close enough for the occasional one-putt, whether that is for a birdie, par, or bogey. And this is the end of your set where you likely have not spent the time to make sure it’s just right.

To accent just how important this part of your set really is, did you know (if you discount the fact that almost all so-called par-5 holes on the tour are really just long par 4s for those guys) the entire PGA Tour is over par outside 9-iron range?

Something to think about, for sure.

Working on tee-to-green figures is a given for any golf punter, but there are a few ways to get there.

Over in Detroit, it may seem too easy to say ‘bombs away,’ but with Bryson, Matt Wolff, Joaquin Niemann, Cam Davis and Taylor Pendrith just some of the big drivers that have won or contended, we’ll take that as the metric for success.

British Masters

Back in leafy Warwickshire, the tee to green game is naturally vital, but there have been a variety of ways to get there.

Whether it’s off the tee or via the irons, the leaderboards of the past two runnings have contained nine of the top 10 from peg to short stuff. Enough evidence for me.

Let’s have the ‘simple’ formula of players in some form over the past few weeks, along with form at similar tree-lines or narrower tracks.

Contenders over the past couple of years Sebastian Soderberg, Richie Ramsay, Richard Bland and Guido Migliozzi may total a small sample but all point to form at Crans, Kenya, Valderrama and the AD Links, little surprise to anyone looking for players that thrive on quality ball-striking.

In that regard, Jordan Smith must hold interest even at 18/1. His latest outing resulted in a top-20 at the US Open and followed a brave attempt at regaining his European Open title. Still, I found it tough to split him and Adrian Meronk, two of the best players on the tour so have left them alone.

Not long ago, we might have expected Robert MacIntyre to have been contending for favouritism this week, so at double the price of the Polish star, I’ll take a chance that recent changes will see a return to the sort of form that beat Matt Fitzpatrick, Victor Perez and Rory McIlory in Italy in September last year.

Having had the Ryder Cup as his number one target for a while, the significance of that win at this year’s host venue cannot be overplayed. Indeed, recent changes to his coaching staff and caddie can only point to the belief that he has one target in his head.

“It is my main goal, my only goal for the next year,” MacIntyre said after winning in Italy. “I have done it on the golf course.”

He had been doing nothing wrong, but equally nothing outstanding before that second DPWT victory, “but we worked on a few things on Tuesday and Wednesday and I felt so in control of my golf ball this week.”

It’s a similar story coming into the British Masters.

April saw a run of three top-10 finishes, including in Kenya and Korea where, at both, he went off in the final group.

The 26-year-old’s recent improvements, from 68th to 18th in Munich and 80th to 14th at Green Eagle, must surely give him hope for upcoming tournaments, including the Scottish Open and final major of the year.

Last season’s 36th place finish here disguises that he was the only one of the top-10 ranked from tee-to-green that failed to finish in the top-20. Everything fired apart from the putter, with which he lost nearly five strokes on the field.

Runner-up at Hillside in 2019, he has a top-10 around this venue, at Valderrama, Joburg (Bland runner-up, Meronk third) and at the Gary Player Club. It’s a when, not if, and any slight improvement on last week’s gains from the fairway and with the putter will see him right there.

32-year-old Max Kieffer has given his home support much to cheer about when running-up at Green Eagle and finishing third in Muich a couple of weeks later.

Things could have been better for Kieffer, having disputed the lead for much of the European Open, a similar tale to his play-off defeat at the Austrian Open in 2021. That he could compete on a lengthy track that didn’t play to his advantage is a pointer to even better around The Belfry. 

A week after the five-hole trial against John Catlin, the German recorded a final round 62 to finish second again, this time in Gran Canaria.

Given Kieffer recently went 16th/5th in Korea and Italy, it’s worth holding onto him when in form. With his stats in rude health – third for driving accuracy, 20th for ball-striking, 34th in greens, and top-30 for putting average, and proven when in form, he goes on the plan.

Guido Migliozzi was a much bigger price when the market opened, but still represents value at 70.1.

The Italian was put in the class of ‘could-be-anything’ after his two impressive victories in 2019, one of which significantly came at the Kenya Open at Karen. 

It hasn’t been easy-going since then, but he ran up three times in 2021 – in Qatar (when beaten by a wonder-putt from Antoine Rozner) at Himmerland when thrashed by a rampant Bernd Wiesberger and, in-between, by Richard Bland around here, beaten after having missed a two-putt from a middle distance on the final par-five). The 26-year-old also put up top-10s at Crans and the U.S Open (!) for good measure, whilst a 12th at Karen is no harm.

Guido’s Qatar form links nicely with this week’s defending champion Thorbjorn Olesen, whilst his previous form at Valderrama and the Links give the hope that last week’s 10th is the catalyst for better to come on a more suitable track.

Figures have been trending nicely. Guido had a spurt through April that gave his many supporters real hope. However, after drifting away again, he left Munich recording positives in tee-to-green and putting, and he arrives at a place we know he can play.

I’ll add Ewen Ferguson simply as he is continuing to look too big for a multiple winner. 

It is just 14 months since the inexperienced Scot threw away a final day lead in Kenya before winning a grind in Qatar (Meronk third with Justin Harding, a perfect link to all significant tracks, in fifth place).

In August, the 26-year-old waltzed home with a stunning display at Galgorm Castle and would have made it three for the year but for an indescribably brilliant display on the dance floor by Oliver Wilson, whose only previous victory was the Alfred Dunhill Links.

So form ties up nicely, we just need to forgive two recent missed cuts. I can do that.

Fergy’s last eight starts have yielded consecutive top four finishes in South Africa, 10th at the KLM and 14th at Green Eagle, an event at which he held a place in the top-10 for 54 holes. The Scot continues to churn out quality figures for approaches (top-20 for all his last six completed starts) and tee-to-green (plus figures for all six). Should he repeat those, I’m expecting him to leave his two missed-cuts well behind.

Kiradech Aphibarnrat makes no sense stats-wise.

The Thai has had a mixed season, but the best reads well. Alphie has recorded top-six figures for irons and tee-to-green in Singapore (finished 49th), top-10 for both to finish 15th in the Soudal, and eighth for tee-to-green to finish in the top five in the KLM.

It’s clear he has issues away from his irons at the moment, but I can’t forget how he should have won at Wentworth in 2021, and has relatable form at Malaysia, Links, Nedbank and Italy.

It might be an ask on immediate form but it’s in May that he secured back-to-back top-15 finishes in similar company. Back him to do that again.

Rocket Mortgage Classic

Over in Detroit, the defending champion described the course as ‘easy’.

Okay, that’s pretty simple when cruising clear of Patrick Cantlay et al, but with recent rain now making it even easier, think of last week’s form at River Highlands, when softened greens made it a birdie-fest. Who knows what Big Tone will say of it now?

The event itself doesn’t make as much appeal as the one taking place at The Belfry, but I’ll row along with four players that should give us a run. 

Up top, it’s tough to split Tony Finau and the red-hot Rickie Fowler.

Finau looks ripe to go well again under even easier conditions than last year’s romp. With three of his five wins coming in 20-under or lower, the drop in grade out of ‘elevated’ status means he has to go well. He would be my choice for those looking for a safe place return at worst.

Another safe conveyance should be Sungjae Im, who drives me a bit mad with his lack of wins, but for whom this drop from the highest grade should be a boost.

Previous to missing three of his last five cuts, the Korean went on a run of four top-10 finishes in five starts before winning a lesser event on his home tour.

Sixth at Sawgrass works well with previous contenders Bryson, Cam Davis, Taylor Pendrith and Cam Young, while the seventh place at The Heritage works with most of those named, plus Patrick Cantlay, of course runner-up to Finau 12 months ago. 

Cantlay also ties form in with the Shriners at Summerlin (see the one-two from 2020), the scene of Sungjae’s most valuable victory (Wolff second, with Aaron Wise being another link between the comp courses).

With Wyndham form in abundance, his best game lines up with Si Woo Kim, a Memorial specialist that helps tie in Cantlay again. KIt also brings in Kevin Kisner, a similar short driver, whose form at Sawgrass and Heritage rides nicely alongside two top-10s around the Detroit track.

Fairway-finding should enable Sungjae to attack the pins as he can, and I can see both him and compatriot Tom Kim giving the Koreans plenty to shout about.

Let’s talk about Tom Kim. 

If the comp courses are correct, the 21-year-old’s two victories give him more than leading claims.

A five-shot victor over the first selection at Sedgefield, he then followed up with a three-shot victory over Cantlay and Matt NeSmith, a repeat contender at the Shriners.

Last week’s top-40 at the Travelers could have been so much better but for dropping 10 shots at the start of his back nine through rounds one and three.

Of note, however, is Kim’s final round 65, five-under on the card but one that could have been far better, consisting of six birdies and one eagle. That brings back memories of his final round at Detroit on debut last year, when he shot a best-of-the-day 63.

It’s all coming together after a very respectable top-10 at the U.S Open, and whilst Im has to be priced as he is, perhaps Kim deserves to be.

The hugely consistent Brian Harman is too tempting to ignore, particularly after a closing 64/64 had him run-up to Keegan Bradley last week. That wasn’t the first solid effort from a player that surprised me by being #27 in the world rankings.

Placed many times at Harbour Town, Sawgrass, and Sedgefield, Harman is the unsexy player of the world, never really given the respect his consistency deserves but, with similar conditions in front of him this week I’ll take him to overcome a pair of missed cuts over the last two years.

The diminutive 36-year-old has never played badly here, with a pair of 70s and 71s simply not good enough to make the weekend against low scoring. He hasn’t played here since 2020, but he arrives with his irons good enough to rank him in the top-20 for his last three completed starts.

I was tempted by the case for Taylor Pendrith but it lies purely with the driver and I’m not sure the rest of his current game is anywhere near the right form to exploit it. Instead, go for the totally unexposed Kevin Yu.

Chan-an Yu, or Kevin to his friends, qualified status on the KFT via the PGA Tour’s University programme, a complicated system that rewards the very best of college golfers. His full story is here.

That doesn’t really matter. What does is the excellent start he has made to his PGA Tour rookie season and his mid-season ranking of third off-the-tee, 37th for approaches and a combined ninth for tee-to-green.

Scoring-wise, the Chinese Taipei player ranks in sixth for par-4 birdies or better and 14th for the longer holes, expected of someone averaging 308 yards off the peg. 

Form is improving too in 2023, an opening 20th in Hawaii followed by 44th at Torrey Pines, seventh place at Pebble Beach and last week’s 49th at River Highlands, dropping from inside the top-10 at halfway. That follows some progressive hints at the end of 2022 when top-20 at the Sanderson Farms and third in Bermuda.

An Arizona graduate, Yu was third in the 2019 NCAA D1 Championship, behind none other than Matt Wolff, and in the same year won the Australian Master of the Amateurs, held at Royal Melbourne, a course that hosted Aaron Wise’s victory three years previously.

Yu’s glaring weakness is the short game but that will come. For now, get with a player for whom there is no visible ceiling and who brings what might be the most vital asset to the table.

Recommended Bets:

British Masters

• Robert MacIntyre 
• Max Kieffer 
• Ewen Ferguson 
• Guido Migliozzi 
• Kiradech Aphiebarnrat – Top-20 

Rocket Mortgage Classic

• Tom Kim 
• Sungjae Im 
• Brian Harman 
• Kevin Yu 

After a tiring US Open, new hero Wyndham Clark joins world numbers one to six at the long-standing Travelers Championship, whilst Adrian Meronk heads 10 players of the US Open field travelling from Los Angeles to Munich for the BMW International.

TPC River Highlands can play to the long hitter with little penalty from average rough, but both Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson, sharing four victories between them, take pains to mention the importance of being in the fairway. For players such as these, it is as simple as fairway, wedge, fairway, wedge.

BMW International

On the rotating courses in Munich, the class elements have proven superior, with Viktor Hovland, Ernie Els and Martin Kaymer leading the way. However, both Kaymer, Thomas Pieters and Matt Fitzpatrick have also been defeated by less fancied rivals, and there is a case for saying the very top of this particular market is easily opposable.

Best bet of the week remains two-time course winner Pablo Larrazabal in Germany. ‘Still’, because even though the bookmakers have cut the 30-1, he remains 10-odd points bigger than the likes of Rasmus Hojgaard (failed to convert at least four genuine chances at his last 16 events) and the same price as Romain Langasque, a player with obvious credentials but without a victory since August 2020.

The 40-year-old Spaniard is currently playing as well as he has done, with four wins in 27 starts, and credentials that fit the ideal profile for the event.

Pablo ranks 14th in overall performance on tour for the last six months, making gains from tee-to-green despite typical mercurial driving. Despite that, his short game is in top order, ranking in the top echelons of this field for scrambling, around-the-green and putting.

There is plenty of evidence of a linksy background to contenders here, and the selection’s form at Abu Dhabi (see Pieters for similarity) sees a victory from Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson, and a runner-up behind Tommy Fleetwood, and a top-10 containing Kaymer, Weisberger, Lee Westwood and Henrik Stenson, all players with wins or top placings here.

Form in Malaysia behind Shubhankar Sharma correlates nicely given the Indian’s two Abu Dhabi top-10s and a 7th place in Turkey (see last year’s champ). In second place, Jorge Campillo links nicely, as does Ryan Fox, with a 26th, 14th and third around Eichenried.

Despite the missed-cut at LACC, Pablo proved his well-being during the first round, being one of only three players to hit every fairway. Should he repeat that, or much of his form of 2023, he must go close to nabbing his third win of the year and his highest ever world ranking.

I’ll back up the main bet (by some way) with cross-doubles involving, among others, South African Zander Lombard, extremely unpredictable but who, this year, has a runner-up at Ras Al Khaimah (Meronk in fourth, Hojgaard sixth), 6th in Singapore, and another second place at home in Steyn City. It may be of note that Shaun Norris, winner of the Steyn City Championship in 2022, finished in the top-10 behind Hovland here a year previous.

I’m intrigued by the two runnings of the Rocco Forte Open, one of the great links correlations. According to OWGR, Lombard’s play-off loss to Alvaro Quiros in 2017 is his best ever effort, finishing a shot in front of last year’s BMW champ, Li.

Further to that, in 2018, the top 10 contained Andy Sullivan (fifth here in 2021), Dodo Molinari (third and 21st here) and Andrea Pavan (beat Fitzpatrick in 2019).

The first of the final two to go into the plan is Guido Migliozzi, who has shown enough in a 20th in Abu Dhabi, 23rd in Japan and 14th in Korea this year to think he may be on the way back to the form that won three events in his early career. In Kenya he beat subsequent BMW top-10 finisher Justin Harding, in Belgium another in Darius Van Driel, whilst he was too good for Hojgaard in France less than a year ago.

Past form sees a pair of top-15 finishes at the US Open and form at Qatar, Oman, Turkey and Crans.

Lastly, back to Sharma, he of that Maybank form, and a runner-up behind Pieters at Abu in 2022.

In that particular event, the top-20 contained Rafa Cabrera-Bello (a pair of bronze medals here), Hovland, Weisberger, Horsfield, Bjork and Hojgaard.

Best efforts in 2023 include a seventh place at Abu to start the year, while the last of three subsequent top-16 finishes came in the Netherlands less than a month ago. I’ll take the chance at the price.

Travelers Championship

Over at River Highlands, I can’t ignore the best player in the world.

At just one point shorter than for the US Open, Scottie Scheffler makes a great appeal against market rivals with question marks.

There is little point on repeating what the 26-year-old has achieved over the last couple of years. Oh, it’s six wins, a green jacket and four other major top-10s – but it simply has not stopped.

The 26-year-old’s worst finish this year is 12th, the last seven outings (including three majors) see an average final position of around seventh place, he ranks top five in almost every stat apart from the glaring loss on the greens.

It’s no exaggeration to suggest that, despite the putting woes, the favourite has been just two or three strokes away from listing another four ‘w’s on the card. With improving course form of 47th (11th at halfway) and 13th last year and with a measure of improvement with the flat stick last week – that’s enough for me. Shove him in your doubles with Pablo.

Alongside the obvious, I’ll take Tom Kim, whose tee-to-green game looked back to form at LA last week, and who has previously managed to overcome lack of course knowledge to thrash Wyndham specialist Sungjae Im and Summerlin constant Patrick Cantlay for his two wins last year.

It’s been an up-and-down year for the popular Korean but not without promise.

The year opened with a solid top five finish around the unsuitable Kapalua and a top six at the Dye-influenced American Express. Things have been up-and-down since but top-20 at Augusta and 23rd at Quail Hollow work fine given his fledgling career.

Whilst neither the second major nor Memorial were much to write about, he bounced back to form last week when becoming only the fifth player in US Open history to shoot a front or back-nine 29.

Ranking fourth for greens-in-reg, top-10 for tee-to-green and fourth for putting average, the 20-year-old sounded happy with his return to form and the outing on a shorter track has to suit even more.

Sahith Theegala made his professional debut at this event three years ago, and it’s about time he nabbed that first solo victory.

Much has been expected of the 25-year-old winner of the big three college awards, and he deserves to take revenge for unfortunate defeats at both the Phoenix Open and at this event last year.

His bad luck at the 17th hole in Scottsdale meant he couldn’t compete with Scheffler and Cantlay in the play-off, and he made an incorrect shot at the 72nd hole a year ago. Back 12 months and it’s doubtful this excellent prospect would repeat the decision to play straight over the lip of the fairway bunker.

Leave that aside and the 2022 season finished with three top six finishes, including a further runner-up at the RSM Classic, before he showed off some sparkling iron play alongside Tom Hoge to win a pairs event.

2023 has seen the selection make 14 cuts from 14, including finishing fourth at Torrey Pines and sixth at Riviera. A top-15 finish at Bay Hill completed a more-than-satisfactory trio of results at elevated events.

Since then, Theegala has recorded a top-10 at Augusta, fifth at Dye-designed Harbour Town and last week’s top-30 at the US Open, and he surely comes here ready to perform.

Chez Reavie, 2019 Travelers champion, is a solid bet at 200/1 after making his fourth cut in a row at the Canadian Open, his seventh from eight starts.

Since winning this event, the 41-year-old has finished 46th, 25th and eighth around here, whilst back-form also includes three top-20 finishes at Deere Run, a trio of top-10s at Riviera and a victory in Canada, the highlight of five top-25 finishes at that event, similar to the form he has shown here.

Through a number of players, including 2021 champ Harris English, his play-off loss at the Phoenix Open reads nicely, and whilst his win at the Barracuda last year was a league below this one, it came after a steady run of form that is similar to the one he is currently recording.

Just two months ago, Reavie posted a sixth place in Texas and an 11th at the Masters, whilst his 65 at the final round at Oakdale came via a closing 28, a rare beast indeed.

5/1 for a top-20 is a very tempting prospect for this course specialist, but we might as well have a go for the big one too.

Recommended Bets:

BMW International

• Pablo Larrazabal 
• Zander Lombard 
• Guido Migliozzi 
• Shubhankar Sharma 

Travelers

• Scottie Scheffler 
• Tom Kim 
• Sahith Theegala 
• Chez Reavie 
• Chex Reavie Top-20 

For architecture purists, it was a glorious day. For scoring purists, not so much. Three statistics provided by the United States Golf Association tell one side of a story: lowest round in Open history; lowest first-round scoring average in Open history, and sixth-lowest, opening-round scoring in major championship history. What does that mean to us? We’ll tell you in a bit, among the Five Things We Learned on Thursday at the US Open. For now, we’ll let former touring professional and current golf course architect Mike Clayton have a say, courtesy of Twitter.

“Two 62s lead the US Open – didn’t think I’d ever say that”. Dan Hicks (I think)
Weiskopf and Nicklaus shot 63s on the first day of the 1980 Open.
43 years and all the equipment progress you’d assume it might’ve moved a shot.

— Mike Clayton (@mikeclaytongolf) June 16, 2023

1. 62 … Say it louder, please … 62!

As mentioned above, before Thursday, 63 was the lowest score ever returned in a men’s US Open. On June 15th, 2023, the needle nudged a bit lower. Rickie Fowler (8th group off 10th tee) and Xander Schauffele (1oth group off 10th tee) teed off in the morning wave, but not so early that the greens were pristine. Fowler had a street fight with the longer, back nine, posting a pair of bogeys against five birdies. For Schauffele, it was a bit more elegant: three birdies and six pars. On their second nines, each had five birdies. For Fowler, three of them came on holes one, two, and three. They finished off a four-birdie streak that began on the 18th green. In Schauffele’s case, the stroke-saves were more spaced out.

If either Fowler or Schauffele believes in historical symmetry, specifically with the case cited above by Clayton, one of them will win this week, while the other will fade away. We certainly don’t believe in such nonsense, and we are hopeful that both will be around to contend on Sunday. For one day, let’s celebrate a pair of historic achievements, and raise a glass to feeling 62.

Records were made to be broken!@RickieFowler and @XSchauffele's historic 62s earned them @Lexus Top Performance of the Day co-honors. #LexusGolf pic.twitter.com/1wOixIfefH

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 16, 2023

2. The chasers

No one would ever claim that a tournament is over on day one, but it’s certainly nice to reside within the same area code as the leaders. Coming in at 64 were Wyndham Clark and Dustin Johnson. They are at different stages of achievement, to be sure. Clark won his first PGA Tour title this spring, by four shots in Charlotte, over Xander Schauffele. Quail Hollow is a major-championship venue, so Clark’s 64 should come as no surprise. Johnson is a two-time, major winner, including this event in 2016, at Oakmont. It’s even less of a surprise to find him near the top of the board. Both Johnson and Clark pegged their golf balls in the one o’clock hour on Thursday, so they should benefit from mild conditions on Friday.

Clark’s opening round was as topsy-turvy as Fowler’s. It included six birdies and an eagle (on his first hole!) against three bogeys. Johnson’s seas were smoother, with one bogey marring an otherwise-flawless card.

An opening 64 would give Wyndham Clark the #USOpen lead…

…in almost every year but this one! pic.twitter.com/Dhpg8RwQae

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 16, 2023

3. And at 65 we have …

Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman. McIlroy needs no introduction, but it is worth noting that he set the US Open championship scoring record in 2011, at Congressional. The soggiest Open in history took place that year, and McIlroy posted 268 to win by eight over Jason Day. That 2011 Open was McIlroy’s first major title, and was followed by three others over the next three years. Harman challenged for the 2017 US Open, held in Wisconsin at Erin Hills. He ultimately finished in a second-place tie, four shots behind Brooks Koepka and even with Hideki Matsuyama.

If not for a bogey at the last, McIlroy would have posted 64. As it was, his early run of birdies (five on the outward nine) were balanced by a back-nine malaise (one birdie and one bogey.) A bit like his major-championship record to date, if you will: early success, followed by an extended dry spell. For Harman, it was a bit worse. He stood six-deep through ten holes, on the same arc as Fowler and Schauffele. Coming home, the lad from Savannah stumbled over a pair of bogeys, adding one more birdie. It will surprise no one to see either or both in contention on Sunday.

Spin it back. Pour it in.

Another birdie for @McIlroyRory moves the 2011 champion to -6. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/YgYDDPMDNH

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 16, 2023

4. The drifters

Tom Kim was everyone’s darling in 2022. 2023 has been a different story. He posted 73 on day one. He’s not out of contention for a weekend stay, but will need to shoot at least four-under on Friday to reach round three. Tyrrell Hatton was in contention last week at the Canadian Open, through 54 holes at least. His final-round doldrums carried through to round one, south of the parallel. Like Kim, a tidy round on day two will see him through to the weekend, where anything can happen.

Last week’s playoff combatants tied again, a 72. Tommy Fleetwood, and especially, Nick Taylor, can be forgiven for the toll that contention takes on a body and a psyche. Both should produce a 67 over the second 18, to secure a spot below the cut line. Two-over was a popular number for semi-favorites. Shane Lowry, Cameron Young, Jordan Spieth, and Hideki Matsuyama all posted that score, and each had to be a bit frustrated by an inability to score over a course that offered ample opportunity.

Count it ?

An opening birdie for @ShaneLowryGolf. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/cY0njIlQ8h

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 15, 2023

5. The golf course Ins and Outs

In round one, at least, Los Angeles North proved to be friendly to strangers. Only seven of the 37 golfers under par have a major championship to their credit. In addition to the aforementioned duo, only Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith, Phil Mickelson, Scottie Scheffler, and Bryson DeChambeau reached red figures. Los Angeles North is an unknown commodity, and how she changes on a daily basis, is even more mysterious. Barrancas line and cross fairways, bunker edges and depths remind golfers of the Australian sandbelt, and greens welcome and reject all kinds of shots. Patience and creativity (as seen below) are the order of the week. Sure, we had some low numbers on Thursday, but wait until the tournament committee cuts elusive hole locations on firmer greens, as the week wears on. We’ll see a different golf course over the next three days, and tell a different story on Friday evening.

BANG! ?

Michael Brennan of @WakeMGolf with the shot of the day so far! #USOpen pic.twitter.com/gCc3DQyMwj

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 15, 2023

The frustrating thing to me is that there is a ton more dialog about driver shafts than there is about iron shafts, and the shafts in your wedges and putter hardly get any attention at all. Since my early days in the industry (over 40 years ago now) I was schooled by some super bright “oldsters” about shaft performance.  And as I’ve grown to be super-focused on the wedge category for over thirty years now, I continue to see proof after proof that simply getting the right shafts in your wedges can dramatically improve your scoring range performance.

One of the things I see way too often is a golfer’s bag with graphite shafts in his or her irons, in weights from 50 to 60 grams, all the way up to the heavier graphite shafts in the 90 to 100-gram range, and then they are gaming off-the-rack wedges with the heavy stiff steel shaft almost all stock wedges are fitted with. Guys and ladies, this is absolute madness.

More and more players are opting for graphite shafts in their irons to improve their distance and performance. Why in the world that same golfer would simply pick some wedges off the rack with shafts that are as much as 30 to 50 grams heavier is beyond me. There is simply no physical way you can put the same swing on your set-match “P-club” as on your off-the-rack gap wedge when those two clubs are that far apart in weight and balance.

And if I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times: “I just don’t think graphite is stable enough for wedges.” What utter nonsense! If a 60- to 75-gram graphite shaft is stable enough for tour players’ drivers at 120-plus miles-per-hour clubhead speed and the largest head in the bag, it is certainly stable enough for a wedge you’ll swing at 55 to 75 miles per hour. Anyone who thinks differently is simply wrong.

Though I’m now on the north side of 70 years old, I still have my skills (mostly) and can move the ball respectfully “out there.” I still play to a low single-digit handicap (with most rounds marred by the two or three occasional ‘brain dead’ efforts), and I’ll share that I have not had a steel-shafted club in my bag in over 25 years. Including my putter. To me, the simple fact is that carbon fiber technology (i.e. graphite) is so advanced and so high-performance, I see no reason to ever play a steel-shafted golf club.

In my hundreds, or thousands, of wedge fittings, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen performance change dramatically for a golfer when we put a shaft in his or her hands that is more closely matched to their graphite-shafted irons. And a very accomplished club professional I know, who is a master fitter for all brands, told me after watching our old SCOR wedge fitting process, “Terry, I’ve been doing this a long time, but I never thought shafts could make that much difference in wedges.”

At Edison Golf, we are mostly a KBS shop, but we build wedges on lots of different shafts, and I can tell you that graphite wedge shafts leave nothing “on the table” when compared to steel. In fact, in most cases, we can improve almost any golfer’s control and dispersion by getting them into the right graphite shaft.

And when it comes to soft, solid feel of impact, no steel shaft can compare to a quality graphite product, especially for the vast majority of players who are migrating to lighter and lighter steel shafts. To get steel shafts lighter, the walls have to be thinner, and that compromises the sensation of impact because there is less material to dampen vibration.

The last point I’ll leave you with is this.

To have a deft short game, you need to control that wedge precisely. And that takes hand and forearm strength. The simple fact is this: If you don’t have the “Popeye” forearms and hand strength of today’s tour professionals, you simply cannot make the same weight wedge do the things they can make theirs do. Lighten up your wedge shafts and give today’s many high-quality graphite offerings a try. My bet is you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

]]> https://www.golfwrx.com/715970/2023-u-s-open-betting-tips-back-this-liv-pro-for-glory-in-the-city-of-angels/feed/ 0 https://www.golfwrx.com/715378/the-best-bets-for-the-2023-scandinavian-mixed/ https://www.golfwrx.com/715378/the-best-bets-for-the-2023-scandinavian-mixed/#respond Tue, 06 Jun 2023 11:40:42 +0000 https://www.golfwrx.com/?p=715378 There could hardly be a more distinct difference between two courses holding consecutive events.

Last week, 20-year-old Tom McKibbin pounded his way around the 7500-odd-yards of Green Eagle to break his maiden in impressive fashion, courtesy of this outstanding approach shot to the 72nd hole. Remind you of anyone at that age?

Leading the tournament, 20-year-old rookie @tommckibbin8 hit this incredible shot into 18 to claim is first win on Tour. ?#PEO23 pic.twitter.com/F0Sl3hXo43

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 5, 2023

Fast forward not long and the DPWT arrives at Ullna Golf and Country Club for the third renewal of the mixed-gender Scandanavian Mixed.

The welcome initiative sees male and female players on the course at the same time, playing to the same pins. Only movement of the tee boxes distinguishes the challenge, and whilst there is water aplenty at this coastal track, yardages of no more than 7000 and 6500 yards should frighten none of the top lot in each sex.

Genders are one-all at the moment, with Jonathan Caldwell winning the inaugural event thanks to a lacklustre Adrian Otaegui, and the brilliant Linn Grant winning by a country mile last season.

Most will be playing their approach shots from the same distance this week and with neither particularly stretched, this may be the most open of mixed events yet.

Defending champ Linn Grant and fellow home player Madelene Sagstrom look on a different level to the rest of the European ladies this week, but preference is clearly for the 23-year-old winner of eight worldwide events, including her last two in Sweden.

Last season, the Arizona State graduate took a two-shot lead into the final round before an unanswered eight-birdie 64 saw her cross the line nine shots in front of Mark Warren and Henrik Stenson, her nearest female rival being 14 shots behind.

Since that victory, Grant has won two events on the LET, the latest being a warm-up qualifying event for the upcoming Evian Championship, held at the same course and at which she was 8th last year. The Swede is making her mark on the LPGA Tour,

Given the yardage advantage she has off the tee amongst her own sex, the pin-point accuracy of her irons and a no-frills attitude when in contention, this looks no more difficult than last year.  If there is a a market on ‘top female player,’ there may be a long queue.

He’s been expensive to follow for win purposes, but Alexander Bjork is another home player that will revel with the emphasis on accuracy.

There isn’t a awful lot to add to last week’s preview (or indeed the previous week’s) which both highlighted just how well the Swede is playing.

Recommended Bets:

• Linn Grant
• Alexander Bjork

Golf is hard. Winning is harder. Golf has created a lure where winning major championships is the hardest of all. The problem is that mathematically a win is a win. This means that valuing wins differently is actually an instance of the application of the endowment effect in golf.

Winning in golf creates an inverse normal distribution where winning can be very hard, then easy, and then very hard again. To win, players must evoke the “hot hand”; this is the idea that success breeds success. In golf, the reality is that birdies come in streaks; players typically enjoy a run of birdies over a couple of holes. The goal for every player is to hold this streak for as long as possible. The longer and more often they are able to do this, the more likely a player is to win.

Another question is, how much do players value wins? At the current moment, up to the PGA Jon Rahm sees winning as easier (or less valuable) with his recent win at the Masters and other early season events to accompany his U.S. Open win from 2021. However, that changed at the PGA, when he opened with a round in the mid-70s. All of a sudden the lure of the trophy distracted Rahm. Likewise, we saw both Corey Conners and Hovland hit extremely rare shots into the face of the bunker on Saturday and Sunday. These are shots that do not happen under distribution. In my opinion, the prestige of a major was at the root of these shots.

To overcome the barrier of becoming a champion, players must first understand that winning is not special. Instead, winning is a result of ample skills being applied in duration with the goal of gaining and holding the hot hand. The barrier for most players with enough skill to win, the endowment effect tells us, is that they overvalue winning. Doing so may prevent them from ever getting the hot hand. So maybe, just maybe, the key to winning more is wanting to win less. Easier said than done when one’s livelihood is on the line, but to overvalue a win at one specific tournament, be it the Masters or the two-day member guest, may be doing more harm than good.

Known for its potential to stretch to 7800 yards, this monster course in Hamburg is able to reduce itself to around 7300, a far less insurmountable proposition that allows the non-bombers to make use of their pin-point iron play.

Of the top 16 players last year (top 10 and ties) nine fell into the top 12 for tee-to-green, split into those that made it off-the-tee (six in the top-12) and those from approach play (total of four players). Go back to 2021 and champion Marcus Armitage won the shortened three-round event with a ranking of 40th off-the-tee, whereas four of the remaining top-10 ranked in single figures for the same asset.

It’s a real mix, and whilst I’m definitely on the side of those that hit it a long way, there are more factors at work here, particularly a solid relationship with the Italian Open, as well as events in the Czech Republic and Dubai, weeks that allow drivers to open up a tad.

Last year’s winner Kalle Samooja has a best of 2023 at the Marco Simone Club, a tournament won by Adrian Meronk, and with a top-10 containing the big-hitters Julien Guerrier, Nicolai Hojgaard and Daniel Van Tonder, with Armitage a couple of shots away in ninth place.

Like Armitage, the Finn also boasts a win in China (although at differing courses) where solid driver Sean Crocker (third) carries a link between the Czech Masters, being runner-up to Johannes Veerman (10th here, eighth Italy), and another bomber Tapio Pulkkanen, whose best effort this year has been at the Ryder Cup venue to be.

Of the 35-year-old Englishman, his only other victory came in the 2018 Foshan Open, where his nearest victims included Alexander Knappe, Mattieu Pavan and Ryan Fox, all constantly there in the lists for top driving, with Bernd Ritthammer (tied runner-up here 2019) in ninth place.

Amidst plenty of Crans and Alfred Dunhill form on various cards, 2022 Italian Open winner Robert Macintyre was the second of three that tied in second place here behind the classy Paul Casey in 2019, as well as tying with Matthias Schwab at Olgiata, Italy, in the same year.

The Austrian, now plying his trade on the other side of the pond, also brings in the third of three players that ran up here, a seventh place at Green Eagle, two top-10 finishes at Albatross and top finishes at the Dubai Desert Classic and China.

Current favourites Victor Perez and Rasmus Hojgaard both disappointed last week at the Dutch Open, and whilst that occurred in completely differing circumstances, they give nagging doubts to what would otherwise be solid claims on class alone.

The Frenchman hadn’t recovered from a week away at Oak Hill when missing the cut, but probably should have won here last year when eventually third, and his ball-striking doesn’t quite have the same sound at the moment. On the other side, the Dane star again had a chance to prove best last week, but for the fourth time in nine months, failed to go through with his effort after entering Sunday in the final two groups.

If wanting a player to link up all the chosen comp tracks, then Jordan Smith would be the selection, even at 20/1 or thereabouts. However, having been safely in the draw for the weekend after 12 holes of his second round at Bernardus, the 2017 Green Eagle champ completely lost control of his tee-to-green game, dropping nine shots in his last seven holes. The 30-year-old is made for this place, as his two further top-11 finishes indicate, but last week’s effort needs a large bunker of forgiveness and I’ll instead nail my colours (again) to Alexander Bjork, the man that beat Smith in China in 2018.

I was with the Swede last week based on crossover form, and this week he makes similar appeal being able to back up that Asian form with top finishes in Dubai, Abu Dhabi (see Casey) and Crans (Armitage and shock winner of this event Richard McEvoy). Of that sole victory at Topwin, it has to be of interest that former China Open specialist Alex Levy won the last running of the European Open at Bad Griesbach before finishing second and 13th here, whilst impossible-to-read HaoTong Li, the 2016 Topwin champ, was 18th on his only try around the monster that is Green Eagle.

Last week’s top-30 made it 10 cuts in a row for 2023, with some impressive displays through this first half of the year, including top-20 in Dubai, second in Ras and back-to-back fourth placings at both the Soudal and Italian Opens.

The 32-year-old ranks fifth for overall performance over the last 12 weeks comprising 32nd in total driving, 24th for ball-striking and 12th for putting. He is exploiting his excellent tee-to-green game, and now ranking in third for scrambling, remains one of the rare players that can recover well when missing their target – although at 19th for greens-in-regulation, this isn’t that often.

Bjork has made all four cuts here, with his last three finishes in the mid-20s, but is in probably the best form of his life. With doubts surrounding many of the rivals at the top, his constant barraging of the short stuff should see him challenging over the weekend.

Home favourite Yannik Paul has been well backed from a far-too-big early price, and there is a case for making him still value at 30+, but Jorge Campillo needs forgiving for an awful display from the front last weekend, even if that was an outlier to his otherwise excellent run, that includes a victory and top-10 in Italy.

There seem to be an awful lot of doubts about the top lot in the market (save a mere handful) so take a trip downtown and try nabbing a bit of value prices that will pay nicely should they nab a place.

Whilst Gavin Green would seem to be an obvious place to go, he sits in the range between 50/1 and 100/1,  full of untapped talent and players, that have least not had too many chances to put their head in front.

Jordan Smith won on debut here, so it’s not impossible, and whilst Jeong Weon Ko may need another year or two to reach his peak, he is one that appeals as a ‘watch’ for the rest of 2023.

The French-born Korean dominated his home junior scene before taking his time through the Alps and Challenge Tours, eventually settling in during the second half of 2022. From July to September, Ko played 14 times, recording four top five finishes, two further top-10s and a pair of top-20s, those results including a fourth place finish at the Challenge Tour finale.

His rookie season at this level started well with a 30th and fourth place in Africa, and he has since progressed steadily as the DPWT ramped it up a level.

Top-20 finishes in Korea, India and Belgium, where he was in second place at halfway, suggest he should soon be competing on a Sunday, whilst in-between those, a third-round 67 was enough to launch him to inside the top 10 at St. Francis Links.

On the tour-tips.com 12-week tracker, Ko ranks 12th with positions inside the top-30 for all the relevant stats.

15th for distance, 25th for greens, and top-10 for par-5s, he has a bit of Green about him but without the question marks. Whilst he hasn’t won on the professional stage, his second to bomber Daniel Hillier at the Swiss Challenge reads nicely, as does his top-15 at the Di-Data in 2021 when surrounded by longer hitters, and he appears to be of the quality that will leave these results behind in time.

Hillier himself can be fancied, especially after last week’s fifth at the Dutch Open, but I’ll go with the man that beat him by a single shot last week in the shape of Deon Germishuys.

The DPWT rookie has already had a season to remember, leading home fellow South African Wilco Nienaber at U.S Open qualifying at Walton Heath at the beginning of May, and securing his ticket to his first major.

Interestingly, two of the other five qualifying spots were won by Alejandro Del Rey and Matthieu Pavon, all four names being some of the longest drivers on the tour.

That may well have been the boost that pushed the 23-year-old to record his best effort on the DPWT so far, his third at the Dutch Open marking another step up from the 15th in Belgium just two weeks previous, and a top-10 in Japan when just behind Macintyre, Paul, Smith and Campillo.

In what is a fledgling career, this event starts just a few days after the anniversary of his first victory on his home Sunshine Tour where he beat some of the country’s longest hitters to the biggest prize for a non co-sanctioned tournament, before nabbing his DPWT card via a 20th place ranking at the end of the Challenge Tour season.

The three mentioned top-15 finishes have all appeared on his card since the beginning of April, and this rapidly-improving player now has last weekend’s finish fresh in the mind, finishing in front of Meronk et al, despite not being able to buy a putt on Sunday.

A lot of what Deon is doing on the course reminds me of compatriot Dean Burmester, who had a terrific record at the Di-Data at Farncourt, something being repeated by the younger man (20th and 7th). Now signed by LIV, Burmy also had a solid record at Albatross and in Italy, where a best of fifth place should have been higher at the bizarre Chervo track, biased towards long-hitters but won by a demon putter instead.

I’m tempted by the names Tom Mckibbin, nowhere near a finished article and keen to attack this course, flusher Dan Bradbury, and bomber Marcus Helligkilde (still not convinced he is absolutely one-hundred percent), but they may only make the top-10/20 bets.

Kalle Samooja should go well in his bid to defend his crown, but I’m taking fellow Finn Tapio Pulkkanen to improve on his 18th here last year with the chance to again make his length count.

Having won both the Nordic League (2015) and the Challenge Tour Order of Merit (2017), the be-hatted one was always going to be a player to look out for and, in truth, it hasn’t really happened.

However, his case lies with the best of his efforts, all of which combine to believe that should organisers stretch this course to over 7500-yards at any point, then he is one of a few that could handle the layout.

Silver and bronze at the Czech Masters, Pulkkanen thrived on the open layout of the Dunhill Links, finishing top-10 twice since 2019.  Add those to a second (Hainan) and 14th in China, top-20 finishes in Dubai and Himmerland, as well as good finishes at the classier BMW at Wentworth and he just needs to show something to make appeal at one of only half-a-dozen tracks that he could be fancied around.

The 33-year-old led in Chervo in 2019 before showing he enjoys Italy with his best-of-the-season 16th at the Marco Simone at the beginning of May, where he should have done better, having been in the top five for all the first three rounds.

By no means one to place maximum faith in, he is similar to the likes of Veerman and Joakim Lagergren in that they suit certain types of tracks, and they are the only ones they could be backed at. This one, Green Eagle, together with Pulkkanen, seems like one of those times.

Recommended Bets:

• Alexander Bjork 
• Dean Germishuys 
• JW Ko 
• Tapio Pulkkanen 

This topic was stimulated by a conversation our golf committee had this past week regarding the course setup for our fall member-guest tournament, punctuated by the “whining” we heard from the tour players as they challenged a very tough Oak Hill Country Club in the PGA Championship.

The “third nail” was a statistic I saw a day or two ago that in a recent PGA Tour season – for the entire season — Dustin Johnson only hit one approach shot on a par-4 hole with more than a 7-iron! Imagine that — going a whole season (or even nine holes) without hitting more than a 7-iron to a par-4 hole.

Now, back to the conversation in the golf committee meeting about having all players in the member-guest play our regular white tees. These are my tees of choice because at my distance profile, they present a variety of approach shot challenges. For perspective, I’ll share that at 71 years old, I still average about 245-250 off the tee, and a “stock” 7-iron shot is 145-148 (I still play the Hogan blades I designed in 2015, and that is a 33-degree club).

Of our three par-5s, one is an honest three-shot challenge, one is often reachable with a 4-wood or 3-iron if I choose to challenge the water bordering the green on the right, and the other one plays straight into the prevailing wind, so reaching it with a 4-wood is a rare occurrence. The par-3s present me with an 8-iron to wedge, two 6- or 7-iron shots, and a full 3-iron or 4-wood.  Of the remaining 11 par four holes, I’ll typically hit four to five wedges, and run through the entire set of irons for the others.

Now, let’s contrast that with many of the guys I play with. From the forward gold tees, some of them are playing what effectively amounts to six to eight par 5s (three shots to get home) and a par 6, and they rarely get an approach shot with less than a 6- or 7-iron. So, respectful to their strength profiles, they are playing a course that is brutally longer than anything the PGA Tour players ever see.

Add to that the fact that most of us do not play courses with fairways anywhere near as consistent and smooth as those on the PGA Tour, so our typical lie is much different from the tour players. Our sand texture varies from hole to hole, as opposed to “PGA Tour sand” that these guys see week in and week out.

So, I’ll give you this thought and challenge about what tees you should play to make the game more interesting and still challenging. Think about the course you play most often and process it hole by hole from the green backward. Which tees should you play to give yourself the following challenges?

• At least one reachable par 5, and the others requiring no more than a wedge or 9-iron third shot.
• Par-3 approaches with one short iron or wedge, one long iron, hybrid or fairway wood, and two that present you with a 6- to 8-iron approach.
• Of the par 4s, an assortment that gives you several wedges and short iron approaches and no more than two that put a longer club than a 5-iron in your hands.

My bet is that almost all of you will find yourselves needing to move up at least one set of tees, if not two, in order to play the course like this. But wouldn’t golf be more fun if you had a reasonable chance to have a birdie putt on most holes if you hit two good shots? And if you weren’t wearing out your fairway woods and hybrids all the way around?

Just food for thought, so share yours…

More from the Wedge Guy

• The Wedge Guy: What’s in a name?
• The Wedge Guy: 4 essential tips to get more out of your equipment
• The Wedge Guy: What really needs fixing in your game?

In an era where elevated events secure the very best players, the undecorated Charles Schwab Challenge sees the re-appearance of both runners-up at Oak Hill. Scottie Scheffler’s impressive last round push once again secured his place at the top of the rankings, whilst Viktor Hovland seeks to avenge an unfortunate 16th hole, where his dreams of a first major were dashed by one single shot.

Colonial favours no ‘type’ of player other than one that is currently strong with approach play and can take advantage of finding these small greens. In that regard, the old-fashioned ‘greens-in-regulation’ stat becomes more important than usual, offering better chances of putting – after all, finding the short stuff but three-putting from 65 feet means little compared to landing the ball 20-odd feet from the pin and making half of them.

With such a strong representation from the world’s top 20 players, it is tough to find any long-shots that might compete. In that regard, I’ll play it light (as I have at the Dutch Open) and just watch re-runs of the 16th at the PGA at the ad breaks.

Clear favourite Scottie Scheffler trumps the man I consider his biggest rival in Viktor Hovland in a few ways. The 26-year-old was far less bothered about his second place last week, having re-ignited after a poor third round, and has last year’s runner-up finish to boost his chance. That he should have beaten Sam Burns is neither here nor there considering his two wins and numerous placings since, and he comes here leading the 12-week stats for greens and in a top five position for putting average. At 4/1 though, he is very hard to be with.

Hovland may well suffer a post-major hangover whilst all my Spieth bullets are lined up for Royal Liverpool in July, leaving our Mexico Open hero, Tony Finau, to take the main stage.

After four wins in 44 starts, the affable 33-year-old has long since shred his reputation of ‘not doing it’ with the start of his winning streak being at the 2021 Northern Trust where he beat Cam Smith in a play-off with Rahm in third, and a host of major contenders further behind. Flying finishes then saw the 33-year-old finish runner-up to Rahm here, and to Rory McIlroy in Canada, before beating lesser field by three shots at the 3M, Patrick Cantlay et al by five at the Rocket Mortgage and a Houston Open field containing Sheffler and Sam Burns by an easy four strokes last November.

It was hard to be too disapointed with 2023 after nine consective cuts, including top 10 finishes at Kapalua and Torrey Pines, and his victory over the then world number one, Jon Rahm, in Mexico was richly deserved.

For the eighth time this year, Finau ranked top-15 for tee-to-green, all off solid iron play, and I’ll ignore his last two being that he’s never taken to Quail Hollow and the finish just outside the top-20 is perfectly acceptable, while he never figured at Oak Hill, compiling some of his worst figures for a while.

In this week’s field he is top-10 for all of ball-striking, approaches and tee-to-green, whilst he brings vital course form to the table with seven cuts that include a runner-up in 2019 and fourth last season. Comp form is good, with four improving top-25s at a similar track in River Highlands, whilst his Texas form works out nicely with an easy win at the Houston Open.

For his last six appearances Big Tone averages just about fifth for off-the-tee, has three outings of 16th or better for iron play and averages better than 20th for tee-to-green.

Having been well away from the pressures of last week, Finau can make it a nap hand of wins inside 50 outings.

Respect to the likes of Sungjae Im and Russell Henley, but they plod rather than kick-on in contention, and I’m not sure that will work with such a top end. Instead I’ll take a chance with Brian Harman, a player for whom we can rule out half the events in a season and jump on when conditions are right.

Now 36, it’s easy to forget what the Sea Island resident does on the course, but the last two seasons have been impressive enough to have him well inside the top-50, and assurances of playing in all four majors.

2022 saw the diminutive former US Amateur run up two second place finishes at Mayakoba and Hilton Head, a track facing similar conditions to this week’s. To bolster his claims he finished third at the American Express and the higher-class St.Jude, confirming his top-10s at the Valspar, Wells Fargo, Travelers and The Open to be no fluke.

Of that lot, Copperhead links us nicely to Sam Burns, back-to-back winner of the Valspar and defending champ this week, whilst his eighth place at River Highlands was the lefty’s fifth top-10 in his last eight outings around the Connecticut track.

Harman tends to repeat form at tracks, so note his streak of cuts here from 2014 to 2021, and his three top-10 finishes. As for his miss last year, he fought back from an opening 77 to record 11 shots better in his second round.

The missed cuts at Quail and Oak Hill were by no means horrendous, if probably expected, and concentrate on the positive figures he records from being accurate. Harman finds something here, and could easily repeat his effort at Harbour Town in April when landing his first top-10 of the season.

Finally, have a shekel or two on Carson Young, a steadily progressive 28-year-old that has worked his way through the ranks via wins on the South America and Korn Ferry tours.

Now settling down after a rough start to his rookie year, he led the Honda Classic after the first round, and followed a week later leading the Puerto Rico Open until halfway, eventually finishing in third.

Results have been mixed but his last six efforts have seen missed cuts followed by top-20s at the Heritage, Mexico and Byron Nelson, all performances that have seen him in the top echelons for accuracy and green-finding.

This may be a tough ask on debut, but he’s coming off Tuesday’s impressive five-shot victory at US Open qualifying in Dallas, making nine 3’s in a row and thrashing the likes of Sergio Garcia and Graeme McDowell, making the prices for top-10 and top-20 very attractive.

Recommended Bets:

• Tony Finau – WIN
• Brian Harman – WIN/T5
• Carson Young – WIN/T5
• Carson Young – Top-20 

After a thrilling PGA Championship, we could have expected the quality threshold to drop a fair bit on both sides of the pond. Instead, at Colonial, we will be treated to the sight of the new world number one Scottie Scheffler; the man who maybe should have won his first major last week, Viktor Hovland; local hero Jordan Spieth and Tony Finau. That’s not to mention the rest of the world’s top-20.

The KLM Dutch Open can’t boast such a field, but the very top of the market contains the defending champion, Victor Perez, an excellent 12th at Oak Hill, and equally in-form Adrian Meronk, winner in Italy two starts ago and 40th last week in his second consectutive US major.

Once a highlight of the European Tour – think Seve, Langer, Monty, Miguel and Westwood – we have now lost the much-loved tight tracks that called for guile, replaced by Bernardus Golf, a newish, not-quite-formed, not links-not-parkland, course and a field, the like of which we see every single week.

In the end, does it matter? The job is to identify the winner, and even though the last two winners have done the job in contrasting styles, there are some very obvious clues about the top of the board at both the 2022 and ’23 runnings.

Inaugural Bernardus champ, Kristoffer Broberg, came into the event off  some slight promise. After long-term loss of form and injury, he snuck into notice at the Scandinavian Mixed, but it was the tournament after his emotional victory that catches the eye.

The Swede has only one other top-10 finish in over 30 outings since winning here, that coming at the Alfred Dunhill Links, where he shared a ninth place with Matti Schmid, the German he beat into second place in the Netherlands.

Fast-forward a year, and the defending champion, Perez, has his most notable victory at the 2019 Links, whilst his defeated play-off rival Ryan Fox also won at the same pro-am three years later.

The link (sorry) is very clear. Bernardus continues the theme adopted by designer Kyle Phillips. Responsible for the likes of Kingsbarns, Dundonald Links (home of the Scottish Open 2017), Yas Links (current host of the Abu Dhabi Championship) and the former home of this event, Hilversumsche Golf Club, it’s a surprise he did not have a hand in Rinkven Golf Club in Belgium, where Fox, Meronk and Marcel Schneider – all within two shots of Perez around here – finished in second, sixth and seventh at the Soudal Open a year previous.

Last season, Fox showed that coming off the PGA was not much of a hardship, but despite the nagging feeling that 6/1 coupled is actually a bit of value, I’ll just about ignore the jollies with the other side of the brain thinking this comes too quickly.

Others to catch the eye across the two events include Aaron Cockerill, Thomas’s Detry and Pieters, and my favourite of all for the week, Alexander Bjork, for whom a victory is very much overdue.

The Swede catches in the eye in more ways than just his 2023 form, but that has plenty to recommend him.

Bjork’s runner-up at Al Hamra in April saw him just in front of Meronk, with earlier Ras champion Fox a couple of shots ahead of Marcus Helligkilde (prominent for three rounds of the Dutch Open in 2021), Perez and Matt Jordan, a frustrating player but with a top five finish at the Links.

That was to be the third of nine successive cuts that include top five finishes in Italy (winner – Meronk – top 10 finish for Perez) and in Belgium, where on each occasion he put up some of the best stats in the field for irons and putting.

After ticking that off, look at his sixth place finish at what might as well be called Broberg’s Scandi Mixed, tied-third at the 2022 Hero Open – won by 2022  Soudal Open champion Sam Horsfield – and his seventh place here last season, when never out of the top 10.

The figures may prompt a negative comment about distance off the tee, but he has plenty of form in the desert (20/28 at Yas Links) where second shot control is more important, as well as in Himmerland, where iron players dominated. Find anything else? nah, me neither.

After a tough week, it was tempting to leave Bjork as a one-and-done but the designer-led theme leads me to Shubhankar Sharma, a player that would look to suit the old-style Dutch Open but improved from a debut 27th here to 14th last season, the best effort coming after three consecutive missed-cuts.

Best efforts over the years are all on the tighter, tree-lined courses of Malaysia, Joburg and Wentworth, but amongst those are a further two outings at a Phillips course – runner-up and seventh in Abu Dhabi – the former when a shot behind Pieters (two top 10 finishes here) and tied with Rafa Cabrera-Bello, winner of the 2017 Scottish Open.

Recent results appear worse than they are, lying inside the top-25 at halfway in Korea and 18th after round one of the Soudal in Belgium.

Scott Jamieson was tempting after a solid run of results and past results in the desert, but, for the last pick, I’ll row in again on still-progressive Clement Sordet.

The 30-year-old Frenchman went into the Soudal Open a popular fancy after a pair of top-10 finishes in Korea and Italy, but blew his chance with an opening 77 before rallying with a second-round six-under 65. That effort confirmed he was still striking the ball well and continued his top-20 figures for approaches and tee-to-green.

With the added advantage of length, Sordet very much reminds me of the likes of Meronk, and it may be that he just needs that slice of luck to get over the line in this company.

It appears that punters are asked to forgive quite a lot when looking away from the top of the market, and whilst the likes Helligkilde, Pepperrell, Mansell et al will understandably have their fans, I’ll keep it very light this week.

Recommended Bets:

• Alexander Bjork 
• Shubhankar Sharma 
• Clement Sordet 

Despite the roll-call of winners containing the greats (Nicklaus and Woods leading many of the world’s best) the move to May has given the event that boost in profile, coming half-a-dozen weeks after Augusta, and a month before the US Open, itself just a few weeks ahead of The Open.

It remains a bizarre thing to me we are done with the four premier events by the end of July – the tennis Grand Slams run from January to August – and I’m certain we’d have a lot more fun splitting them up down the calendar and in very differing conditions, but the promotion of the FedEx Cup, Ryder Cup years and pressure on broadcasters has led us this way.

Considering the small sample of recent winners since the move, all of defending champion, Justin Thomas, Phil Mickelson, Collin Morikawa and Brooks Koepka have proven to be elite players. Koepka won the 2017 US Open as the first of four majors, Lefty was winning his sixth major, Morikawa subsequently won The Open a year later while JT won his second major, six years after landing the Wannamaker Trophy in 2017.

There will be plenty of content written about the course, so let’s keep it simple.

After this year’s championship, Oak Hill will be the most-employed course in PGA/US Open history. Changes have been made throughout the years though, with golf.com saying, “The Oak Hill where Snead cashed in big in 1941 was not the same Oak Hill of 1968, where Lee Trevino claimed the U.S. Open, which was not the same Oak Hill of 1980, where Jack Nicklaus ran away with the PGA.”

A revised Donald Ross course, think long short holes, followed by (modernised) long, long holes, sloping greens, and ultimately a choice for the player – try the tough tee shot fraught with danger, or a simplified but shorter route – the lengthening to a 7400-yard par-70 has to favour those that either bomb it off the tee, or are full of quality with their long iron approaches.

The front nine looks to be very much a defending half with a 503-yard par-4, 615-yard par-5 and tough narrowing, closing hole at 480-yard-plus. If they’ve survived the outward half, the course tempts players with the 430-yard 10th, sub-400-yard 12th, par-5 13th, driveable 14th and, 155-yard par-3 15th.

Given the winning scores here of 10-under (Jason Dufner 2013), 4-under (Shaun Micheel 2003) and 6-under by Jack Nicklaus in 1980, as well as the last four PGA Championships (averaging around 6-under for the three May events), this could be a grind.

Sure, driving looks vital, but I’d take a look at total driving with distance an advantage, although, as always, a current strong tee-to-green game with leanings to long irons, looks key.

Given everything said, being one of the elite – or having pretensions to being so – is requisite to winning this grind. Of the last 10 winners, only Mickelson was ranked outside the top-50, with 2018 champ, Jimmy Walker, out of the worlds top 25.

Looking at the top of the market, the results when selecting players with history on par-70 courses of 7300-yard and longer sees Scottie Scheffler with an impressive pair of runner-up finishes, and a worst of 32nd in seven starts. There is no victory, though, which puts him behind the likes of his rival for the number one slot, Jon Rahm, with a win at Olympia Fields and East Lake (Ross design).

Rory McIlroy has an enviable record of three wins at East Lake and a win at Firestone amongst his impressive collection at this range, but he went missing at Augusta and actually looked even worse at Quail Hollow, despite at least making the cut.

Cases are obviously made for the likes of Thomas and Hovland as well and there is no arguing with those that opt for either but I’ve got a funny feeling this might be the day when golf goes a bit crackers.

LIV intruder Brooks Koepka was put off by some adverse commentary during the lead up to the Masters, and again by the pace of play during the final round, but he has that victory at Shinnecock Hills and is a twice two-stroke winner of this event. The Norman-led tour doesn’t have anything like a grind on its menu but the 33-year-old is made for this, with a majors record that reads 35 outings, four wins, four times runner-up, five further top-fives, and four top-10 finishes.

Just before the start of last week’s LIV Tulsa, he spoke to the media.

“Yeah, this week just trying to make sure I tune everything up, get ready for next week. I like the majors. I like the discipline, the mental grind that comes with it all, the focus, and just use this week to get ready.

“That’s a huge thing. I’ve always done it. It’s not always about results the week before, but it’s about making sure that everything is starting to line up and I can see the progress and see where we’re going to be for next week.”

Examining the criteria set for all the players in the top-12 or so of the market, Koepka has the victories at the 7400-yard-plus Shinnecock and 7300-yard Bellerive alongside top five finishes at Baltusrol (2016 PGA), as well as multiple top six finishes at East Lake and Firestone, and has been top five in his only start at the Houston Open (weekend rounds of 65 twice).

Having just announced that he and wife, Jena, are expecting their first child, there is every motivation to put up a solid showing around a course that suits the former world number one in every way.

This event often throws up first-time major winners, and Tony Finau would seem the perfect candidate for another.

Whilst the 33-year-old has not shone in the two PGA’s of this length, that’s more of a surprise than expectation, and of course, both events were before an extraordinary turn of form and confidence that has seen the hugely-likeable big fella win five events in 45 outings.

Amongst those wins, he beat a top-class field at the 2021 Northern Trust (7300-yard par-72) that included the subsequent major winners Cam Smith and Jon Rahm, with two-time PGA champ Justin Thomas five shots off the pace in fourth.

2022 saw three wins, gagging up when back-to-back winner at the 3M and Rocket Mortgage Classic (Ross design) before waltzing clear at the 7400-yard-plus of Memorial Park, Houston.

In between all that, he flew at the end of the Canadian Open to be beaten only by Rory McIlroy, and at the Mexico Open to get bested by Jon Rahm, a defeat he avenged when holding off the world number one at the end of April.

Fifth to Koepka at Shinnecock, he filled the same position behind Rahm at Olympia Fields in 2020 and flew through the field over the weekend at last season’s finale at East Lake.

Tour-tips’ three-month tracker puts Finau in at #7 in the all-round listings, ranking him 17th in total driving, 14th ball-strking, 24th for greens in regulation, 24th scrambling and 31st for putting average. With some severe pressure on par-4 play this week, he ranks in eighth for that discpline and 13th for the longer holes.

In eight tries at this championship, his best run is since moving to this earlier slot (4/8/30 last three years), he’s a different player to the one pre-2020, and he can exploit an elite tee-to-green game, an attribute for which he ranks third over the 2022/23 season so far.

Given a history of injury concerns, it could have been foolish to put up Hideki Matsuyama on Twitter over the weekend, but I’m buoyed by his play over the weekend at the Byron Nelson, recording a combined nine-under for his first two rounds and ranking in the top echelons for approach shots on all four days.

2022 wasn’t great for the 2021 Masters champion, having to withdraw from The Players, Texas Open, 3M, St.Jude and Houston, but, when right, still managed a win at the Sony, and record a closing third at the Byron Nelson, another flying finish at the difficult US Open at Brookline (winner Matt Fitzpatrick at 6-under), and a top-10 at East Lake, where a third-round 63 equalled winner McIlroy, Thomas and Rahm for low round of the week.

2023 has been a year of steady improvement, with his two top-10 finishes (at Torrey Pines and Sawgrass) overlooking that he was ninth after three rounds of the opener in Hawaii, 12th after three rounds in Texas and in fifth place going into the final round at Augusta.

Possibly still carrying the niggle he discussed after his second round, Deki just lacked that confidence to attack on Moving Day last week, when everything stalled after a missed birdie opportunity at the gettable ninth. It was good to see him get revenge on that hole plus four others for a ** under final round and momentum heading onto this week.

The last few weeks have been nothing but an encouraging sign as he bids to add a good finish to his 10/10 cuts at the PGA in all its formats and perhaps relevant, Deki has some experience of Oak Hill when top-20 in 2013, and boasts some low rounds throughout his career at the Ross-designed Sedgefield, home of the Wyndham Championship (form of 3/11/15).

Whilst not the longest driver, the Japanese star struck a final round 61 to win at Firestone in 2017,  has three top 10s at East Lake, and a tied-second alongside Dustin Johnson at the 2020 Houston Open, where a weekend 66/63 brought him through from 26th at halfway.

Approach stats for Craig Ranch last week saw him rank sixth, 25th, 23rd and ** for the four rounds, leading to a high status for greens-in-reg. He may need to turn up with more gusto in his driver, but as long as he is fit, there is a percentage there in his locker, something he can easily work with.

Should this get nasty, there are a handful of players that should come to the fore.

Jordan Spieth seems obvious in single-figure winning tournaments, except from his Ross form (one runner-up and 17th at Pinehurst from seven starts). That isn’t the be-all-and-end-all for a player that is a three-time major winner, and coming off a fantastic run of form, but, having pulled out of the Byron Nelson with a wrist injury, I’m looking for clues that all is okay, before piling in for The Open at Royal Liverpool in July.

Justin Rose is a tempter for a high finish after his first win for four years at Bay Hill in February, and he can make up for Lee Westwood’s failure to exploit his good overnight position back in 2013.

It wasn’t the greatest of events, but he won easily and confirmed the promise he showed when ninth at Houston at the end of ’22 (third after three rounds) and when top-20 at Torrey Pines a week before the victory.

The experienced Englishman, who beat Phil Mickelson in a duel at the US Open at the ridiculously tough Merrion, certainly has the game to keep pounding away for par, and proved he has still got the game to compete with the elite when inside the final 10 players after three rounds at the Masters and, most recently, when in second place at halfway at the ‘elevated’ RBC Heritage.

A two-time runner-up at the Masters, Rose is also a 16-time a top-10 major player, with wins at the AT+T/Quickens Loans, Memorial and Torrey Pines to remind us just where he sits amongst the hierarchy.

The 42-year-old now sits at the highest ranking (low 30s) for over four years and it doesn’t take a long memory to remember that a 50-year-old Phil Mickelson won this event just two years ago. I’ll take the chance it’s tough enough out there for Rosey (yeah, I know, Butch, eh?) to land a decent payout on the specials.

Fellow Englishman Tyrrell Hatton is a real head-scratcher as he seems to hate everything, but is blinkin’ top class at this golf lark. He’s recently recorded a fourth place behind Rose at Bay Hill, runner-up at Sawgrass, top-20n at Harbour Town, third at Quail Hollow, all topped with last weekend’s *** at the Byron Nelson, a course that should not have fitted his grinding style of play.

Such was his play at Craig Ranch that he ranked **** ***** and he comes here carrying USPGA form of eight runs, two top-10 finishes and a most recent 13th at Southern Hills, dropping slightly from a halfway position of 10th.

The 31-year-old doesn’t ‘do’ Ross very frequently, but in four outings has a top-10 at Sedgefield and, perhaps more importantly, a top five in Detroit, the latter coming after a run of a win (Bay Hill) and third (lead after three rounds) at Harbour Town. He is absolutely the grinder amongst grinders.

In the end, yesterday’s finish might have just ruined his price, but (since 2006) and apart from Mickelson in 2021, every champion has finished in the top-28 in their event immediately before this major, with seven inside the top five and 11 inside the top-15.

We may need a pair of hardy players come Sunday afternoon, and in Rose and Hatton, we get just that.

Americans have won the last eight PGA Championships, and whilst it’s not hard to see young bucks Taylor Montgomery or Cameron Young getting involved,  I’ll turn to 2019 US Open champion Gary Woodland to revive former glories after showing a return to top form over the last 18 months or so.

The form of that victory needs no explanation, beating Koepka, Rose, Rahm and Xander Schauffele by three and six shots, with McIlroy and Stenson further behind. That was to be the highlight of the now 38-year-old’s long career, one that started 16 years ago and containing a next-best major finish of sixth place at Bellerive, a 7316-yard par-70 and home of the 2018 PGA Championship.

Indeed, looking at the Florida resident’s card, all of Woodland’s best major finishes have been within the last five years. Apart from the two efforts mentioned above, he has a fast-finishing eighth place finish at brutal Bethpage Black in 2019 and a back-door 10th at last year’s US Open, all signs that he’ll stick around should it get tough out there for the more finesse style of player.

2022 saw Woodland record top-five finishes at the Honda and at Bay Hill, whilst top-10 finishes at the Texas Open, afore-mentioned US Open and Houston all provide evidence for the wager.

Following a slow start to this year, Woodland found form at Riviera, where he was fifth after three rounds, before a recent run of six cuts that include a 14th place finish at Augusta and at Quail Hollow, where ironically he sat in ninth place going into Payday.

On the three-month tracker, Woodland ranks inside the top 35 over the last three months, based on his high position of fifth for total driving (in eighth for the season overall) 11th for greens-in-regulation and top-35 for both the par-fours and fives. The official season-long PGA Tour stats see him top-25 for tee-to-green, with highlights being top-10 rankings for approaches from sub 100-yards, 150-175 yards and 200+ yards, the latter surely an advantage on this monster.

It’s all not quite good enough to see him lifting the trophy on Sunday, but there is plenty there to think he’ll give a run for a place on the front page, or at worst inside the top-20.

Recommended Bets:

Outright

• Brooks Koepka – Each-Way
• Tony Finau – Each-Way
• Hideki Matsuyama – Each-Way
• Tyrrell Hatton – Each-Way
• Justin Rose – Each- Way

Specials

• Justin Rose – Top Englishman
• Tyrrell Hatton – Top Englishman
• Justin Rose – Top-20
• Gary Woodland – Top-10
• Gary Woodland – Top-20  

Shakespeare aside, though, the fact is that we do assign meaning to the names of things. We know what “beer” is (or at least should be). Likewise, the words shovel, hammer, water, and so on pretty clearly tell us what to expect when we see it and use it. A rake cannot pass for a shovel, a hair brush makes a pretty poor hammer, and a tall glass of sand wouldn’t really quench your thirst, would it?

But when it comes to names of things, the golf club industry has ventured far afield, especially when comes to the “pitching wedge.” Hear me out and you just might improve your scoring range performance.

This week’s post was “inspired” by a long-time golf industry friend of mine — a former PGA Professional and industry rep — who was coming back into golf after a few years off to tend to a young family. I was flattered that he called me to chat about wedges, leading with “What the h— has happened to irons?”

He went on to explain that he had just been through a fitting and was “prescribed” one of the new iron models from a major brand (who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty). He was floored that the “P-club” which most people call a “pitching wedge” was built to 42 degrees of loft.

Let’s venture back a few decades when iron sets took on numbers. That last club after the 9-iron – the one with the highest loft of 50 to 52 degrees – eventually came to be known as the “pitching wedge.” MacGregor often numbered that iron “10”, and others simply put “W” on it, but the club was the same, about 35 inches long and loft of 50 to 52 degrees.

Those professionals of the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s learned to be masters with their “pitching wedges,” hitting all kinds of magical scoring shots from about 115-120 yards and in. They could hit them low, high, and in between. They could turn the ball over or hit a little cut. They could make the ball hit and stop on a dime, or release and roll out a bit.

Even though they all carried a “sand wedge,” the legends recognized it as a specialized tool for bunker play and only certain shots around the green where the enhanced bounce and loft would give them a bit more flexibility with their creative shotmaking. For most, the “pitching wedge” was the prime scoring club.

But as perimeter weighting evolved, iron lofts began a path of constant strengthening, to a point where the “P-club” really wasn’t a wedge at all. It can be argued — no, proven — that true “pitching” capability ended when the loft of that club dipped below 48 degrees. By the way, those legendary pros and elite players also mastered bump-and-run shots, most often turning to their 8-iron or 9-iron, which had loft of, you guessed it, about 42-44 degrees of loft.

So, here we are in the 2020s. Golf hasn’t changed all that much, but your bag of tools sure has. You certainly need a selection of clubs in your bag in a range of lofts from 20 to about 45 degrees for your full-swing approach shots to give you consistent distance gapping so your approach play can be optimized. It’s your preference as to how many of those are irons, hybrids, or high-loft fairway woods – whatever makes you better.

But you also need a true “pitching wedge” of 49-53 degrees of loft, in addition to one or two wedges of more loft for those more challenging greenside recoveries. In modern golf club parlance, you might call that club your “gap wedge,” but it can be so much more than just the club you use when you are inside “P-club” range.

Our research indicates most golfers will see more consistent distance control and improved spin if you will learn to hit your less-than-full wedge shots with your “true pitching wedge” of 49-53 degrees of loft. The dynamics of that club greatly reduce the ball’s tendency to slide up the clubface, which always costs you distance control and spin. And it is actually more forgiving of shots hit slightly fat or thin. So there’s that, too.

I’ve been accused of being “old school”, and maybe I am, but calling a golf club one thing doesn’t make it something it isn’t. And your “P-club” is no longer a true pitching wedge any more than calling your 5-iron a driver makes it one.

More from the Wedge Guy

• The Wedge Guy: 4 essential tips to get more out of your equipment
• The Wedge Guy: Method or feel?
• The Wedge Guy: What really needs fixing in your game?

Max Homa backed up his win at the traditional home with victory over Keegan Bradley (18th in 2021), whilst fifth-placed Rory McIlroy added yet another high finish to an extraordinary course record. Further down, Stewart Cink, Brian Harman and James Hahn gave credence to the belief that the course mattered not, but a gnarled experience does.

There were highlights from the younger brigade, with the brilliant maiden Cameron Young getting involved, but this was the Wells Fargo as we know it, where contenders are generally major standard and with enough nous about them to know the rare occasion to attack the course.

Third on his only try, Viktor Hovland called Quail Hollow, “more of kind of a driving range golf course,” whilst two-time winner Max Homa revealed the secret to be, “a lot of 7-irons, 8-irons in, drive it in the fairway.”

Drive it long and straight, have your irons from 170-yards on point, and grind very well if you do miss the greens.

Favourite at around 8/1, Rory McIlroy’s course form is disgusting.

From 11 tries, the world number three has three wins, one runner-up, a fourth place, a pair of eighth-place finishes and a 10th, 16th and 22nd place. However, he seems to have returned to having directional problems with his driver, something that won’t do around here and surely makes single-figure odds of much less appeal than they might have done.

Full respect to Tony Finau, hero of last week’s column, whose usual tee-to-green game would be a massive asset here. However, despite his numerous high finishes in major championships, he has yet to catch fire around Quail (and didn’t around Potomac), recording a best finish of 16th, and that eight years ago.

With Xander Sceuffele unconvincing this year so far, and Viktor Hovland still lacking with the short game, despite openly pleased with the improvement he is making, the stage is set for Patrick Cantlay to win his seventh PGA Tour title, leaping one victory above Max Homa, a player he has a bizarre similarity with.

The world number four loves Muirfield, where he holds two crowns, a third and one fourth – Homa has a fifth and sixth placing. Cantlay has a runner-up from two attempts at TPC Scottsdale, Homa with a sixth and 14th. The world number seven has a recent and best sixth at the Valspar in Florida, and his rival was runner-up on his only start in 2017.

Finally Homa has a win, second, fifth and 10th at classic Riviera, whilst the selection can’t match the victory but has a record of third, fourth and three further top-20 finishes around a course with very similar properties to this week’s test.

If that’s not enough, they’ve also both been called out for slow play this season – Homa during the Match Play, and Cantlay a few times, most notably when in the second-last group at the Masters.

Ignore the controversy as Cantlay himself is doing and look at the golf. He’s the bet of the week.

The 31-year-old Jupiter Island resident has not been out of the world’s top five players since winning a play-off against Bryson DeChambeau at the BMW Championship in 2021, and the following year racked up 10 top-10 finishes from just 20 starts, including a win at his favoured BMW (although on a different course), play-off losses at the Pheonix Open and Heritage, second place behind a rampant Tony Finau in Detroit and a final runner-up spot at his beloved TPC Summerlin, when chasing Tom Kim too hard down the stretch.

2023 has been almost as impressive. No wins as yet, but third behind Jon Rahm and Max Homa at Riviera is top class, as was his one-shot defeat behind play-off protagonists Matt Fitzpatrick and Jordan Spieth at the elevated RBC Heritage last time out.

In between, Cantlay had chances at Bay Hill before finishing in fourth, whilst he was in that same position going into the final round at Augusta.

Overall rankings have the selection in third place for form over the past three months, third in total driving, 16th in greens-in-regulation and ninth in putting average. He leads the par-5 performance and is 12th for par-4s whilst his ranking of eighth for bogey-avoidance this year gives an easy impression that this course really should suit despite a moderate record from a small sample.

Cantlay was a more-than respectable 33rd at the 2017 PGA Championship held here, and recorded three wins from four matches at the 2022 Presidents Cup last September, so I’m happy to ignore the missed-cut on the number in 2021, his only outing at a full 72-hole stroke play event.

Anyway, who was it that also missed their cut on their first outing at Quail? Ah yes, Max….

We may not have Rahm or Scottie here, but this does look to go the way of one of the classier players in the field. In that respect, it’s tough to go too far down for potential champions, and 2018 championJason Dayshould make obvious appeal after a comeback season, I’m not certain he has the length to compete for a full 72 holes, something that found him out at Augusta.

At double the price, row along with Keith Mitchell, now just outside the top-50 having been ranked closer to 200 in 2010.

The 31-year-old Sea Island resident has an improving record here, with a debut 35th being followed by eighth and third in 2019 and 2021. The former came after a missed-cut at Harbour Town, whilst the best of his efforts followed a finish of 69 at Copperhead – he can play this track without resorting to recent memory.

Although he has only one victory on tour, Mitchell’s win at the 2019 Honda Classic came courtesy of a one shot victory over Rickie Fowler, the 2012 Wells Fargo champion, and fourth-placed Lucas Glover, winner of this week’s event the year previous.

Other notable efforts include top-five finishes at Bay Hill and Riviera (behind major-class Rahm, Homa, Cantlay and Zalatoris) whilst top-15s at the Byron Nelson, Players and Valspar all read well.

Although form seemed to have dropped since the Genesis Invitational, he will have been buoyed by a fifth place finish alongside Sungjae Im at the pairs competition, taking last week’s Mexico event out of his schedule to prepare for this week.

The selection ranks fifth over three months and second over six in the all-round rankings list, mainly off a top-10 for total driving and a solid putter, both aspects being a huge contributor to a solid display here this week.

Of interest to any first-round leader backers may be Mitchell’s regular fast starts. On eight occasions since the start of 2022, Mitchell has had eight top-10 placings after the opening round, five of those inside the top eight, four in the top five. Top that with his three outings here finding him in second, eighth and fourth after Thursday’s finish, and he’ll be worth a look at 60/1 or thereabouts.

If improving Hayden Buckley did not need to scramble, he would be worth a serious look at around 90/1 given his best form ties in with the main contenders.

Top-10 finishes at Summerlin, Jackson, Texas and most recently fifth at the classier-than-usual Heritage are pointers to the potential of the 26-year-old, who highlighted his profile with a 14th at the U.S Open at Brookline (tied third at halfway).  Constantly finding on the field from tee-to-green, he hasn’t shown enough in the classic events mentioned above to warrant a play. Soon, though.

Maybe controversial but despite his admirable consistency at the top level, I remain unconvinced that Sungjae Im has the oomph to get over the line in this type of event. Either way, both are worth a look in the ‘top’ markets, with the Korean’s drift in the outright market making his top-10/20 odds rather appealing.

There are cases to be made for the likes of tee-to-green wizard Emiliano Grillo and Wyndham Clark with 14 cuts in a row, but the former major champion Gary Woodland, playing better than his numbers, is the one for the top-10/20 bet for the week.

The 38-year-old winner of the 2019 U.S Open has back-form at all the right places, with form not only in majors, but at Bay Hill, Muirfield, Scottsdale and at the Honda, all courses that provide links to formlines around Quail.

Whilst he may not have the where-withall to win, his record shows that he repeats form at the same tracks, almost matching his 2014 fourth place here in 2021, when overcoming a missed-cut at the Valspar to lead for two rounds before finishing fifth.

In the 10 starts of 2023, the four time major top-ten player has shot 65 in the second round at the Sony, been top-five after the opening round at Torrey Pines, within the top-10 for the last three days at Riviera, and was top-10 for three rounds at Augusta before finishing 14th.

Woodland’s most recent outing at the Fianu/Rahm match-up in Mexico saw him just outside the top-20 going into Sunday, when he would have found the birdie-fest far removed from his talents.

There are no gimmes with Woodland but he’s at his best when the field can’t get away from him with mid-60 rounds throughout. This should be nothing of that type and he can land his fourth course top-20.

Recommended Bets:

• Patrick Cantlay
• Keith Mitchell
• Keith Mitchell – First-round-leader
• Gary Woodland – Top-10
• Gary Woodland – Top-20

Soon after our initial conversation, we agreed to study the mental health of college coaches. College coaches were of particular interest for a host of reasons. First and foremost, few understand the scope and intensity of the job. A pair of golf coaches (head coach and one assistant coach) coaching at the NCAA Division 1 level essentially perform the same amount of work as an entire football or basketball coaching staff. This includes countless hours of recruiting, fundraising, and navigating through endless paperwork. Recently, the worlds of collegiate coaches were transformed by not only the COVID-19 pandemic but the emerging role of the transfer portal and Name Image Likeness (NIL) rules.

In total, we had nearly 50 (32 Division 1, 16 Division 2/3) NCAA coaches participate in our study, which set out to better understand depressive and anxiety symptoms, burnout, and job turnover intentions. The study demonstrates that coaches have significant stress caused by both their administration and their student-athletes which leads them to consider other jobs, or getting out of coaching altogether. This of course is not surprising. But several findings stood out to us: on average, the coaches we sampled worked 56.30 hours per week (with a standard deviation of 20 hours), with many coaches working up to 80 hours a week.

We found that coaching stressors (e.g., administrative tasks, practice plans, pressure to win, dealing with parents) were associated with greater job burnout. We also observed that workplace stress (e.g., lack of control and autonomy, poor work-family balance, little recognition, and overwhelming work demands) predicted higher burnout, depression, and anxiety among collegiate golf coaches. On the positive side, we found that greater perceived organizational support from their athletic department was associated with better mental health among coaches, but this did not seem to mitigate the pernicious effect of the negative stressors faced.

The troubling part of the study is how many coaches deal with stress and their environment. Since many are elite former athletes, they feel that the stress and demands of their job are normal. This means that often they operate at a dizzying pace, far outside of what might be considered “normal” for years on end. This can have troubling effects not only on their own mental and physical health but also on their relationships with friends and family, as well as their student-athletes. And perhaps even more concerning, very few (less than five percent in our data) reported seeking professional help (counseling, therapy).

In my opinion, the role and scope of coaching college golf do not align with reality. Too many coaches are asked every day by donors, administrators, and student-athletes to operate in ways that are inappropriate and overburdening. This drains the passion from what coaching really should be about; producing world-class human beings that will live happy, productive lives after their college days.

While I admire many of my friends in the business, I do think it is time that we had a conversation about their mental health and well-being. These outstanding men and women deserve far better than what they are getting. I hope our study fuels that conversation. The lives of coaches, and by connection their student-athletes, depend on it.

It didn’t take long to realize journaling needed to be implemented in my golf game. I had read about great players, including multiple major winners using journaling as a tool to bring out the best in their game. I was always reluctant, being unaware of the research and science of the benefits.

I had been using a golf performance app designed by Karl Morris (Mind Caddie) for note-keeping after my rounds. I then started using the journaling portion of the app. After more research, I changed to a classic physical journal to handwrite in.

Sitting down and spending time writing in a journal is massively beneficial for multiple reasons. In short form, here are the biggest reasons why journaling can be beneficial to your golf game and mental health, which in my opinion, are correlated.

1. Makes you mindful and present

When you sit down and write in a journal, it makes you present in the moment. The act of writing on paper with a pen makes you focus your attention on what you are currently doing, writing. This can be used as a distraction for your brain to take a step back and view what you are journaling about from a different perspective.

This brief break from your influenced thoughts also gives you time to reflect. Imagine reflecting on your round when you are more clear-minded, not fresh off a bogey on the last hole. Creating this habit also trains your brain to be mindfully present in the moment, a skill that can be trained and will undoubtedly improve performance.

2. You can become what you think

People often become what they tell themselves. If you constantly tell yourself you are a poor putter, then you will become one. As Harvey Penick once said, “Make sure you go to dinner with good putters.” The energy of players’ attitudes around you will undoubtedly contaminate your thinking. Start the habit of changing the story.

For journaling, I have found it helped to write down the three best shots I hit during that round. Our brains naturally focus on the bad shots, as that has more of an impact on our thought process. Taking the time to write down the good shots reverses that natural thought process and can change your brain over time to what you have done well.

3. Programming commitments

The typical day ahead of you rarely goes as planned. In golf, you are almost certainly going to be faced with obstacles. Whether it be an unexpected change in weather, playing with a slow playing partner or just physically not feeling up to par, setting a commitment will help you weather the storm.

Before your round, write down a commitment you can maintain throughout the round. Examples include, “I will be a good playing partner despite what happens on the golf course today” or “I am going to do a great job of learning from my bad shots today”.

With this commitment in writing, it will serve as something you can control during the round and can revert back to mentally. Focusing on the controllable areas will steady the ship when things go awry. Focusing on outcomes you can’t control can put you in a mental tailspin.

4. Accountability

Holding yourself accountable for the day is a great tool to keep yourself in check. For daily life, processing what you did well and didn’t do well will promote self-awareness, giving you clarity on changes that need to be made. After your golf round, this time of reflection will serve as how well you held your “commitment” on the round.

As for my end of the day journaling, I have a section titled “Well/Not Well/Improvements Needed”. This usually contains one or two sentences where I have to self-reflect on those areas and how I can improve. Once this part of journaling becomes a habit, you will find yourself not wanting to have to write down the “Not well” part of the day. This indirectly forces you to be mindful and take a better approach to daily situations.

5. Facilitates a swing change

Making a swing change is difficult for even a professional player. The best way to go about it? Focus on building a new brain circuit on top of going to the range trying to build “muscle memory”.

A new movement first starts in the brain, so we should focus more on creating a strong memory of that movement. The best way to do this is simply write down in your notebook what you are working on. This can include distinct feels on the motion. To take it a step further, develop the habit of writing it down before bed, as the research shows before sleep is the optimal time to learn.

From reading biographies about philosophers, presidents, CEOs, Athletes, and top performance experts, journaling has always played a role in their lives. Only needing paper and a pen, anyone can do this at anytime. Start small with your golf journal, form a productive habit and see where it takes you.

Work Cited

Morris, Karl. “The Mindfactor Course”. Holiday, Ryan. “The Daily Stoic”. Nichol, Gary “The Lost Art of Golf”. Dr. Julie Smith, “Why Has No One Told Me This Before”

http://www.kelleygolf.com

Twitter: KKelley_Golf

As for the result, as home favourites Kanaya and Hoshino struggled to keep up, the likes of the classier DP World Tour players came to the fore, suggesting that bridging the gap between top local and top grade is a touch harder than first thought.

The tour moves to yet another Jack Nicklaus design this week, this time the self-titled track at Incheon, South Korea. There looks to be little in the comparison to last week’s Japanese track, although two-time Incheon winner Sangmoon Bae and 2015 Ishioka champion KH Lee have both won the Byron Nelson championship on the PGA Tour, suggesting the class again should rise to the top this week.

At around 400 yards longer than last week’s test, this may have been even more suitable for Lucas Herbert, especially given the high-ranking players in the 2015 Presidents Cup. Back then, Louis Oosthuizen, Hideki Matsuyama and Bae top-scored for the Internationals, while Phil Mickelson, Zach and Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson scored heavily for the US. Of note, 2021 Masters champion Matsuyama also won the 2016 Japan Open, beating KH Lee into joint-second spot.

None of those play here this week, but that doesn’t detract from the top of the market.

Of the top, Jordan Smith, Robert Macintyre and Rasmus Hojgaard hold obvious claims. The Scot certainly caught the eye last weekend after a four-under back-nine but he’s often let punters down when sub-20/1, and whilst this course should suit better than Japan, he surely has one eye on defending his Italian Open title in a couple of weeks time.

The Danish youngster may need another run-out after almost two months away, but he’s also let winning positions go in France, South Africa and Ras Al Khaimah over the last six months and his fortitude in contention needs to be seen again.

Smith is tougher to knock, with what should be a relevant history at likely comparative tracks at Himmerland, Green Eagle and Ras, all long enough for a connection with the test this week.

Whilst the stats need to be viewed with a touch of caution, the Englishman continues to find fairways and greens at will, ranking highly in all vital categories at Singapore, South Africa and Japan, a factor that may give him the edge over those looser players off the tee.

This is a definite downgrade for Masters qualifier Adrian Meronk, but he may be another that needs a run on a strange track, whilst Yannik Paul will need to tidy up his driving to allow him to continue his Smith-esque tee-to-green game.

The main selection has plenty of form in Asia, with a pair of top five finishes in China, as well as a seventh place in Malaysia. In a similar vein, and just one shot behind Smith in Japan, Jorge Campillo comes here in rich form and was another to catch the eye last week.

The Spaniard is at home with a test of ball control and, as suggested by his wins in Morocco (9-under), Qatar (play-off in -13), and just six weeks ago in Kenya when recording a comfortable two-shot win, he can compete with the best in every type of condition whether a birdie-fest or a war of attrition.

Where Smith goes, Campillo follows, tying with him when third in the 2018 China Open and finishing two places higher a year later. The well-travelled Spaniard can add another top-10 in the same place, as well as two top five finishes in Malaysia and a run of form that reads fourth in India, win in Kenya and a closing ninth in Japan, finishing with four unanswered birdies in his last ten holes.

For performance over the last three months, the mercurial 36-year-old is 16th in overall ranking on stats site Tour Tips, helped by 27th in total driving, 20th in ball-striking, 29th in greens, 39th in scrambling and 27th for putting average – something beautiful about that consistency, and requiring very little improvement to figure here.

I’m waiting another week for one of last week’s main fancies, Antoine Rozner, who is another that might need a sighter to get back on an impressive form train, while at least one more of last week’s eye-catchers make the plan.

Callum Hill and Guido Migliozzi also appealed after their starred efforts last week, with the Italian favoured following his first three rounds of 69/68/64 in China. The Italian was unfortunate to lose to a demon putting display by Rozner in Qatar but, that, along with top finishes in Denmark, Dubai and at the European Open go alongside three wins at this level in making his claim. That is, if last week was no flash in the pan and if he, like Macintyre, hasn’t been thinking too much about Marco Simone next week.

Instead, I’ll take a chance with the player ranked number one for total driving over the last three months, Alexander Knappe.

The German’s best form reads very well in the context of this event, with his best effort (according to world rankings) being a win at the Di-Data in Fancourt, a 7400-yard (roughly) course that saw him beat big-hitters Dean Burmester, Daniel Hillier and JC Ritchie amongst others.

That third win on the Challenge Tour came six years after his two wins at the Swiss Challenge (similar yardage, altitude accepted) and, more significantly, at the Hainan Open in China, again beating a long driver in Pep Angles at a course that bombers Grant Forrest and Tapio Pulkkanen have both finished as runners-up.

As well as topping the table for prowess off the tee, the 34-year-old is mid-30 ranked for greens, a tempting combination, especially after looking at his play in-running.

Although he has missed half his cuts in 2023, when he has been right he has recorded a never-nearer third in Thailand and a closing sixth in India, before leading the Steyn City field into Sunday. Although he could not finish it off, the performance confirmed the type of track he needs – with the co-sanctioned event having been won the previous year by the previously mentioned home lad, Ritchie.

A bogey-free 64 saw him leap up the board to eighth place after two rounds last week, whilst an early double, and a few too many dropped shots saw him drop away to 35th by the time the cheques were signed.

Knappe is expected to find a bit more on a track that must suit better than the comparatively claustrophobic Ishioka, and whilst Knappe isn’t the nap of the week, he represents the best value on the card at 80/1.

Recommended Bets:

• Jordan Smith
• Jorge Campillo
• Alexander Knappe

In a recent podcast, we did, with the CEO & Founder of Katalyst, Bjoern Woltermann, set the tone for what the EMS training is all about and what potential it has for every golfer out there, amateur or professional:

[Minute 02:09] “We’re talking about a new way of working out for the first time in 3000 years. Because for 3000 years, if we think about it, the Olympic Games are still the same, right? We wrestle, and we throw things, and we run, and we lift things. You know, it sure to be a rock, and now it’s a little bit more refined, but at the End of the day, we measure how much we can lift over our head. That’s literally what we measure.” – Bjoern Woltermann, CEO & Founder of Katalyst

This technology has been used for decades in physical therapy and rehabilitation settings but is now gaining popularity as a workout tool. One of the main benefits of EMS training is that it allows people to achieve maximum results in minimal time. A 20-minute EMS session can be equivalent to a two-hour traditional gym workout. This is especially beneficial for busy professionals and those with hectic schedules who struggle to find time for exercise.

Whether you want to lose weight, build muscle, or improve your overall health, EMS can help you achieve your objectives more efficiently than traditional exercise. Another advantage of EMS training is that it can be customized to suit individual needs and fitness goals. Within a month (Mid-March to Late-April) of utilizing the Katalyst Suit, the team at Wisdom in Golf claims to have seen profound gains in their golf swing, improvement with mind and body connection that is enhanced by the suit, and a better sense of well being.

Here is what Shawn said after using it for a month:

[Minute 35:09] “I did notice in the last week and a half I feel stronger over the ball, and I’m feeling more capable, and that’s, that’s a really fun feel to have for your confidence. So then I proceed to go through my practice session […] my beginning clubhead speed lately has been 102mph-104mph, and I can ramp it up to 110mph-112mph clubhead speed, and that’s pretty much where I have been staying. Last year it was at 114mph clubhead speed”, [35:53],” I haven’t been at 117mph clubhead speed since my 40s, I’m 57 years old, so I ramp it up to 114mph, Wow that’s pretty cool!”,[36:52],” Here I am at a 117mph clubhead speed at 57 years old, and I’m thinking I’m the king of the world right now, and then when I had a nice moment of gratitude, and I thought of you guys {Katalyst Team}.” – Shawn Clement

Furthermore, EMS is low impact and can be adapted to suit all fitness levels, making it an excellent option for people of all ages and abilities. It’s also ideal for those with joint or mobility issues, as the electrical stimulation can be used to target specific muscles without putting additional stress on the joints. Overall, EMS training is a highly effective and versatile workout tool that can benefit every demographic. With its time-saving and customizable approach, it’s no wonder why it’s quickly becoming a popular choice for those looking to achieve maximum results in minimal time.

Listen to the full podcast here.

Additional resources:

• Katalyst Website
• EMS Meta-Studies

With wide, welcoming fairways and holding paspalum greens, the Vidanta Vallarta course offers no particular challenge to anyone above average on the tour, and yet clearly has its bias. At 7400-yards and a par of 71, the Greg Norman track has been used just once before at this level, and it was the obvious factor in driving distance that contributed most to the leaderboard.

The Spaniard led home the driving distance stats last season with six of the next 10 players ranking in the top 12 for bombness. Is that a word? It should be. In newer parlance, go down to 15th placed Chez Reavie to find a player posting negative off-the-tee figures. If you ain’t hitting it, don’t come in.

As for the world number one, he came to Mexico ’22 having slipped from the very top to third place, his top-three finishes in Hawaii and at Torrey Pines not enough to hold off the charging Scottie Scheffler. This time, he arrives having won four events in nine starts, including the Tournament of Champions, American Express, Genesis and, two weeks ago, his second major. Even when entitled to be mentally exhausted, a week later he raised himself up the board at Harbour Town from 92nd after day one, to a never-nearer 15th by check-time.

If that is not enough, the 28-year-old has posted 19 top-10 rankings for driving distance in just 29 starts since the start of 2022, and 12 top-five placings for greens-in-regulation.

If Rahm wants to win, he does it at his leisure. It’s not my job to say lump on a short-priced fav, but there is no blame attached if you make him the standout of the year so far and act as such.

At 5/2-ish, however, he is approaching Tiger Woods territory and that should allow us to eke out a run from a trio of players for whom this course should suit.

At world number 16, Tony Finau‘s claims are clear and he may well be that one that offers a stonking each-way bet to nothing at around 15/2.

Amazing ???? https://t.co/pZQr5P616e

— Tony Finau Golf (@tonyfinaugolf) February 23, 2023

After 10 leaderboard finishes in majors, Finau was never going to sit on just a lone victory at Puerto Rico, a course with obvious correlation to Vedanta and with a history of long-hitting winners. That said, even the most loyal of fans could not have seen his four victories in under 40 starts.

Those wins include the 2021 Northern Trust where he beat Cam Smith in a play-off with Rahm in third, and a host of major contenders further behind. Flying finishes then saw the 33-year-old finish runner-up to Rahm here, and to Rory McIlroy in Canada, before beating lesser field by three shots at the 3M, Patrick Cantlay et al by five at the Rocket Mortgage and a Houston Open field containing Sheffler and Sam Burns by an easy four strokes last November.

Whilst he hasn’t set the golf world alight in 10 starts this year, Big Tone has made all nine cuts in strokeplay events with six top-10 finishes reminding us all he still has it. He leads the tour in overall approach play, significantly ranking 11th for irons from 175 to 200 yards and is in the top-five for total strokes gained.

Finau will enjoy the open spaces of this event, as he has done when eighth and 16th at Mayakoba, as well as bringing good memories after an improving set of numbers here last year – 71/68/66/63.

Like the favourite, Finau did not have to turn up at the Heritage last time – bizarrely ‘elevated’ considering its position in the calendar (a week after Augusta) – an effort that is easily forgiven.

Look around him in the market. Wyndham Clark is playing excellent golf but has thrown away several chances to break his maiden, including at the Corales in March and last week’s pairs event, the Zurich Classic; Patrick Rodgers owes his fans a few quid as another long-standing non-winner; Alex Noren really should have won on the PGA Tour by now but still lacks, whilst Maverick McNealy is another 35/1 or under that needs to find a bit more when in contention.

Finau is easily the most convincing opposition to the jolly, and I’ll back him up with a pair that may be on the way back to their best.

A single victory on each of the European Tour and Korn Ferry Tour are all that Byeong Hun An has to show for 12 years as a paid golfer, but the hints are there that something will happen soon.

Whilst more famous for that tribute song, the 31-year-old US Amateur champion looked as if both injury and loss of form would keep him from kicking-on from a six stroke victory at the flagship BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, and it surely pleased most that he was able to win again after nearly seven years.

The Florida resident has shown enough since re-qualifying for the big stage in September last season, opening with an always-prominent fourth place at the Fortinet Championship before improving on a pair of mid-field finishes to be 17th in Bermuda.

2023 has seen the affable Korean-born player improve from outside the world’s top 200 to a current 144th after making all eight of his 72-hole strokeplay weekends, efforts that include a fast-finishing 12th at the Sony, 21st at Honda (top-10 going into Sunday) and sixth place in Texas, all events that are wind significant.

Benny then followed up his solid showing at San Antonio with a quiet 13th place finish alongside SH Kim at last week’s pairs event, certainly enough to think he should be contending on a course that will reward his current standing of eighth for distance off the tee, and will be more forgiving to his more wayward drives.

Having been seventh at the higher-class Valspar Championship and then winning the Corales, it is surprising that odds of over 70/1 are available about Matt Wallace, a player that won 10 events from 2016 to 2018.

‘Believe in yourself, your abilities and your own potential. Never let self-doubt hold you captive. You are worthy of all that you dream of and hope for.’

Roy Bennett pic.twitter.com/YSwSwFvEpl

— Matt Wallace (@mattsjwallace) March 27, 2023

With a profile that hardly speaks of consistency, the Englishman can find form from nowhere, as he did in 2021, when missing two cuts before 18th at Bay Hill and recording figures of mc/mc/mc before a top-15 at Shriners and fourth at the Zozo.

There was similarity to his play in 2022, missing eight cuts and a best of mid-60 finish before fifth and 18th on the DP World Tour and finding form at both the 3M and Rocket Mortgage in-between several missed weekends.

Although the 33-year-old has made just six cuts from 10 starts this year, he started with a pair of top-20s at Abu Dhabi and Dubai before being inside the top 13 through three rounds of the Honda, and then produced season-best results at Copperhead and Dominican Republic.

Being an opposite event meant Wallace needed a similar performance in Texas to qualify for the Masters, but ultimately he faded after an opening 69 to finish just inside the top 30.

The biggest improvement to the world number 115 has been in distance off the tee. In his four most recently completed PGA Tour starts, Wallace averages around 8th for driving distance, whilst his last three events (Valspar, Corales and Texas) see him average 15th for greens-in-regulation.

When asked by Matt Kuchar about his driving prowess, Wallace replied, “So I said it was the combination of driver, the confidence, a little bit different in club dynamics for myself.”

Perfectly happy in the wind and back being confident about his game, he can shake off missed cuts at Harbour Town and at last week’s Zurich Classic to go on another solid run.

Recommended Bets:

• Tony Finau – WIN
• Byeung Hun An – WIN/TOP-5
• Matt Wallace – WIN/TOP-5

Do you really need a full set?

I believe a great number of golfers are doing themselves a disservice by carrying a full complement of 14 clubs. When I was just starting out at about 6 years old, I had a 2-wood, 5-iron, 9-iron, and putter. What more did I need on that little 9-hole golf course? I could get close to the green with 3-4 shots with the 2-wood and 5-iron and then chip and putt to finish it off. As I gained strength and distance, I graduated to a set that had a driver and 3 wood, and 3-5-7-9 irons, and putter. That took me all the way to consistently shooting in the low 40s for nine holes.

The reality is that until I could hit the ball far enough to experience at least a 10-yard gap between irons, I didn’t need them all. This wisdom applies to many golfers today, particularly women, seniors and juniors that don’t hit it all that far. If you don’t hit a 7-iron at least 120 yards, I suggest you take out either the odd- or even-numbered irons and go play a few rounds. I think you’ll find, at the very least, it makes the game simpler, and at the best, lowers your scores by reducing your confusion.

Do you really need a driver?

This follows the prior point. Even as big as they are these days, the driver is a hard club to master. By my observation, too many golfers really can’t handle a club of that length with that low of loft. I challenge you to honestly answer this question: “Is your driver one of your most consistent clubs?”

If it isn’t, play a few rounds hitting your 3-wood off the tee and see what happens. I can share this with you from the golf club tech side – if you don’t hit a driver longer than 200 yards, you will likely get more distance from your 3-wood on average, as it will optimize your carry distance.

Do you really ‘know’ your irons?

If you’ve bought a new set of irons in the last few years, chances are that you are playing a set with lofts that are a club stronger than your old set. The iron manufacturers have been altering lofts and lengths so that they can win the “launch monitor battle” by having the longest-hitting 6- or 7-iron. The “victims” of this nonsense is that modern “P-clubs” are as low as 43 to 45 degrees of loft, and that is simply NOT a wedge! You cannot “pitch” the ball with a club of that low of loft.

Are you playing the right ball?

If your answer is “whatever I can find” or “whatever is on sale,” then you are not optimizing the science of the golf ball that is available to you. And you’ll never get the most out of your putting and short game by playing a variety of balls that feel and react differently from the scoring clubs. All of the top-tier golf balls today go plenty far, and no premium brand makes inferior products. Since the game of golf is all about scoring, I’m a big proponent of playing a softer, higher-spinning ball to give you better control around the greens. You will not lose any distance, but this type of ball will sharpen your short game. And that’s what scoring is all about.

So, there you have my four tips for getting more out of your equipment. I’m looking forward to hearing from all of you with those that you think should be added.

More from the Wedge Guy

• The Wedge Guy: Method or feel?
• The Wedge Guy: What really needs fixing in your game?
• The Wedge Guy: It’s not all about distance

Now as the threat of the virus abates, a recent study showed that many of the new golfers are leaving the game in search of other activities. If you are familiar with Korea’s golf environment, the reasons are understandable. Although we are the world’s third largest consumer of golf, the high costs to play the game keep the entry barrier high. Playing a round of golf is much more affordable and easier in the US and Canada to be sure, but today I would like to talk about a new form of golf that has enjoyed tremendous growth and popularity here in recent years.

A new strain of golf virus that is sweeping Asia and coming to America is… Park Golf! (Picture: www.gigagolf.co.kr)

Park Golf… Say What Now?

Park Golf is a new type of golf that started in 1983 in a small town in Japan. The founders of Park Golf wanted to play a game of golf that was easily accessible and playable for people of all ages while keeping the name, rules, and equipment as simple as possible.

As the name implies, Park Golf literally means playing golf in a park. Using pretty much the same rules as regular golf, the goal is to get the ball into a hole using the fewest strokes. The game is played on a small 9- or 18-hole course about 1/10th the size of an actual golf course, and even uses the same words like par, birdie, eagle, out of bounds, etc.

The key difference is that Park Golf only requires a single club that resembles a croquet mallet with zero-degree loft and a plastic ball the size of a billiard ball. Imagine a faster-paced game of croquet with the rules of golf and voila. Park Golf, or as I first called it, Geriatric Golf.

Right. So why would any self-respecting golfer find this miniaturized version interesting at all? When it first came across my desk a couple years ago, my snort of derision was heard across the office upon reading that it was comparable to REAL golf for fun and enjoyment.

Give me a break. But then it kept popping up again and again throughout the year; how fast it was growing, how so many cities and provinces throughout Korea are allotting funds and land to encourage the ‘sport’, and so on. The tipping point where I finally decided to see what the hubbub was about was when I noticed that a Park Golf course was operating within walking distance from my office.

Park Golf has it all, complete with bunkers, rough and fairways, and even OBs.

Overall, it took me over a year to actually work up enough curiosity to stand on the first tee box with a mallet club in my hand. However, I was soon surprised to find myself obsessing about how to hit the ball straighter and further – all things that I would normally do at Golf. Of all the similarities it has with Golf, the addictive nature had to be the biggest.

Park Golf, Past And Present

Unbeknownst to most, Park Golf has been around for a while and this year actually marks the 40th anniversary of the sport. Since it was first conceived in 1983 in the small non-descript town of Makubetsu, Japan, it is now actively enjoyed in over 18 countries including the United States, Canada, China, Australia, Taiwan, and Central America.

For some addictive golf action at a fraction of the price, Park Golf can’t be beat (Picture: DestroyerGolfPark.com)

In Japan alone, there are now more than 5 million players (or “parkers” as they call themselves) and over 700 Park Golf courses playing under the official rules set out by IPGA (International Park Golf Association). In Korea, Park Golf has also grown rapidly since its introduction in 1995, and owing to the incredibly addictive nature of the sport (it is golf, after all), the number of courses and players has nearly doubled year on year to rival those of Japan. 

In addition, the number of new Parkers is growing by hundreds each day, so much so that even large OEM manufacturers like Callaway, Mizuno, and Honma have jumped in to make equipment for the sport. What began as a humble game in a small Japanese town, Park Golf is now supported globally with an official Park Golf Association in many countries, all following a systematic framework of game rules, equipment, and hosting of various domestic and international competitions around the world.

Dick Beyer in his trademark mask at Destoyer Park Golf, America’s first PG course (www.destroyerparkgolf.com)

It may also surprise you to know that Park Golf is also alive and well in America, just 40 minutes outside Buffalo in the town of Akron, New York. A quick search on Google found that the game was introduced to the US in a big way by Hall of Fame professional wrestler Dick “The Destroyer” Beyer.

During his career in Japan, he fell in love with the game and began dreaming of introducing the sport to the US. As a result, America’s first DESTROYER PARK GOLF was launched in 2013. The par-66, 18-hole course is proudly owned and maintained by the married couple, Kris Beyer and Chris Jones, who are both die-hard advocates for the game. Details of their story can be read here.

Park Golf Rules & Equipment

Park Golf rules for the golf course and equipment are created and strictly governed by IPGA, formerly named Japan Park Golf Association (https://ipgaa.com/ in the US). Similar to golf, it is played on a Park Golf course with 18 holes that make up a golf round. Each hole is 20 to 100 meters long and the hole width is 8 inches in diameter and fitted with a flag pin. The par 66 course is approximately 1/10th the size of an actual course and is made up of par 3, par 4, and par 5 holes. A typical round can take up to about 90~120 minutes, depending on the pace of play and skill level.

Birthplace of Park Golf, the town of Makubetsu in Japan (Picture courtesy of Park Golf NPGA on YouTube)

True to the founders’ original philosophy of keeping the game simple, you only need one club, a ball, and a rubber tee. The mallet-shaped club can be made of wood, carbon, and steel, and uses a thicker carbon shaft than a regular golf club. It too is regulated by rules that it must be no more than 86cm in length and no more than 600g in total weight.

The club face is reinforced with a carbon face to absorb the impact of a plastic ball weighing around 90 grams, and has zero loft (it takes some skills to get the ball airborne past the knee!). As a side, I was worried that hitting a bigger heavier plastic ball might cause injury, but the mallet club and its shaft absorbed any shock that the impact produced. It felt ‘pure’ when hitting out of the middle of the club face, and the exhilaration from a shot struck well was just like those in regular golf. 

Park Golf equipment is simple. Just add skills. (Picture: www.parkgolf.or.jp)

The tee box is typically a golf mat 1.25m x 1.25m in size. Balls are made of special plastic materials and are teed up on rubber tees for stroke play or match play. Like regular golf, it can be played with up to 4 players, but can also be played alone. Similar rules and etiquettes from golf are followed and there are marked areas for out-of-bounds where penalty strokes are imposed.

Park Golf may seem that it is easier to play, as it requires less number of clubs and shorter holes. Dubbed as being “croquet on steroids” however, the game is quite formidable and is not be compared to mere pitch and putt. One challenging aspect is that the ball usually rolls along the ground for most of the hole, and gauging the right amount of oomph to send the ball to desired distance requires both experience and muscle control. For me, it was maddeningly engaging as I expected to dominate the sport on my first outing. To the guffaws of the seniors I joined to play my first round, I failed to break 90 despite playing golf for 35 years. It was on. 

Benefits of Park Golf

The great advantage of Park Golf is its inclusivity and accessibility. The whole family can enjoy it together at a fraction of the cost it takes to play Golf. For example, the price of a round of Park Golf near me is between 2,000 and 5,000 Korean Won, and less than $10 a round in the US.

The town of Makubetsu in Japan is like the St.Andrews of Park Golf (Picture courtesy of Park Golf NPGA on YouTube)

You can probably guess why Park Golf is so popular in Asia given the steep green fees and the long hours it takes to play a round on a regular course. With Park Golf, the entry barriers are low and it offers plenty of fresh air and exercise compared to indoor golf simulators. The break-out industry is also helping local communities in many ways, and have shown to benefit the social well-being and welfare of senior citizens by fostering healthier lifestyles, new connections, and friendships. 

Furthermore, Park Golf is growing at a tremendous speed both here and overseas because it can be enjoyed by men and women, boys and girls of all ages. Puh-lease, right? You’ll never catch me playing this glorified putt-putt. I’ll give up regular golf on my deathbed, you say? Yep. I said it too. But in this age of sitting and staring at mobile phone screens all day, Park Golf may just be the perfect leisure activity for the whole family to enjoy well into ripe old age.

A family affair. (Picture courtesy of Park Golf NPGA on YouTube)

My mom and dad recently visiting from Canada had a blast playing with me. As golfers themselves, they were making jokes about Park Golf too. But they were soon into how similar it felt to actual golf. After the quick round, my dad wondered aloud if they’d be around to play a round with me and my own son, who just turned one. A small lump caught in my throat, and I said a small prayer inside wishing that three generations of our family can one day stand on the tee box together.  

So What Is It Really Like?

My first round of Park Golf was late last May as a walk-on with a friend. This fact in itself is amazing, since NO regular golf courses in Korea allow walk-ons or joins. The mini-course was quite busy with mostly older seniors but a few middle-aged folks were playing with their children. I watched with interest as an older gent hit his tee shot toward the green with a wooden mallet and thought this would be a walk in the park, pun intended. 

A short 5-min walk from my office at $7 a round. Best lunch hour, ever. More than 3 hundred of these in Korea so far and growing.

I was in for a rude awakening as I carded back-to-back triple bogey on the first two holes. Luckily my friend didn’t fare any better, so we decided to put a small wager on our Ryder Park match and the rest was history. For the next month, we spent our lunch hours power-walking to the course next to the office and screaming at the ball to either get there or sit down. The older parkers looked at us scrambling around their turf in amusement, but we were too immersed to notice most of the time. After all, those narrow holes flanked by OBs were no joke.

OB stakes suck regardless of whether its Park Golf or regular golf. (Picture: www.parkgolf.or.jp)

By the end of the summer, my best score was +2 over par and I even managed to card a hole-in-one; something I never did on a larger golf course. It was a great ego boost, and I was strutting around like a peacock until I overheard a septuagenarian behind us saying he shot 12 under par that morning. It’s good to have goals.

I think the fun and benefits of Park Golf is often underestimated due to its simplicity at first, especially by golfers. Again, it takes legit skills to make a larger 80~100g ball fly a hundred meters with a zero-lofted club. Like regular golf, distance control is very important and can take a while to be able to control the roll for distance over uneven terrain. And don’t even get me started on the topic of backspin. Imagine using only a putter to play a 300-yard hole and you get the idea. 

Once you tee up the ball, it can’t be touched until you hole out.

My experience with Park Golf was every bit as competitive and stimulating as a normal round of golf. With the low cost and easy accessibility here in Korea, I can only foresee the sport getting bigger and bigger. In addition to the aforementioned OEMS, many Korean golf club manufacturers have also turned their attention to creating Park Golf clubs which can run you up between $300~$1000 for a single club. Luckily, local courses also rent clubs and balls for about $2 to further lend themselves to easy access and enjoyment.

A renowned Korean golf club manufacturer Giga Golf has said it has seen huge demand growth for Park Golf equipment (Picture: www.gigagolf.co.kr)

Interestingly, I have recently learned that fierce competition exists between Japanese and domestic manufacturers in the equipment sector for Park Golf, so you just know that this sport will break out globally soon. For those who are in urban planning or social welfare sector of local and municipal government, this could be the next big local attraction to elevate your city’s status. I know I’d love to see Park Courses when I visit Vancouver.

In all fairness, the first instinctive response of most golfers reading this will be dismissive. Sure, I get that. We already play the greatest game on earth, so why settle for a discounted version? I did the same. My advice, though? Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. There are now over 15 million parkers and more converts like me coming every day. 

Check out the power swing and the accessories on the waist clip. Niiiiiice. Gotta look good no matter what sport we play. ((Picture: www.parkgolf.or.jp)

I started golf towards the end of Jr. High and missed out during grade school because I thought it was for old fogies. In high school, friends who didn’t play golf said the same thing and laughed at my Argyle pants. I often wonder how their addiction to golf is going now. I bet they wished they started sooner.

The moral of my story is we’re not getting any younger. So if you get a chance to swing a mallet, go ahead. Live life, I dare you. You’ll be glad you did.