Author: Jamieson Weiss

Volume Four Hundred Ninety-Five

Sergio and Matsuyama win, Tiger Drops out, and Jordan releases some new kicks.

Hittin the Links While most of the country was watching the Super Bowl, there was a bit of golf going on this weekend. Stateside, Hideki Matsuyama won his second consecutive Phoenix Open in a playoff over Webb Simpson, dispatching the U.S. Open champ after four playoff holes. Across the pond in the U.A.E., Sergio Garcia captured his 12th career European Tour victory, going wire-to-wire in Dubai. Among the field of vanquished competitors was Tiger Woods, who dropped out before the second round with back spasms.

We’ll take a look at all of that plus an update from he USGA, a check-in on Nike Golf, and a stroll through the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale.

Let’s hit the links!

Continue reading “Volume Four Hundred Ninety-Five”

Volume Four Hundred Ninety-Four

It was an exciting week out on Tour, as Tiger Woods returned to his first full-field event in a year and a half, Jon Rahm picked up his first PGA Tour win, and Brittany Lincicome outlasted Lexi Thompson in the Bahamas.

Hittin the Links Welcome, golf fans! This week on Hittin’ the Links, we usher in the re-return of Tiger Woods to the PGA Tour, take notice of Jon Rahm’s first Tour victory, and check in on the LPGA. We also join Jack Nicklaus as he watches Roger Federer reach 18, attempt to keep straight who’s gaming what, and look forward to next week’s tournament in Dubai.

Let’s hit the links!

Continue reading “Volume Four Hundred Ninety-Four”

Bridgestone J15 Hybrid Review

Bridgestone ups the ante in the hybrid game.

Bridgestone J15HY HeroWhen I say “Bridgestone” to you, hybrids probably aren’t what come to mind right away. You’d think of golf balls, tires, Brandt Snedeker, the annual WGC event, and maybe even their forged irons. Hybrids would probably be well down the list.

Bridgestone has spent more than a decade trying to change that, but I’m not sure they’ve actually made much headway. They’re a little like Mizuno: hyper-specialized, but with the ability to occasionally surprise you when you don’t expect it. I played a Mizuno MX-700 hybrid for several years, and never thought twice about how strange that was because that club played go great.

The Bridgestone J15 is a lot like MX-700. No one is going to be beating any doors down to get their hands on a J15 hybrid, but the few who do are going to come away glad they did.

Continue reading “Bridgestone J15 Hybrid Review”

Ping G Fairway Wood Review

Ping makes their case as the industry’s best clubmaker.

PING 2016 G Series HeroAt last year’s TST Newport Cup, the guys and I got to tour PING’s facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. I’d never owned a PING club, but I was excited all the same. PING is known for being an engineering leader among OEMs, and their U.S. base of operations makes them a particularly intriguing company. Though they no longer cast and manufacture many clubs in America, they still have quite the impressive setup.

It wasn’t long before I knew I had to try the next PING product that came our way, if only to reap the benefits in real life of everything we got to see on the shop tour. So when the PING G series woods came up for review, I jumped at it.

Though they don’t have the splashiness of drivers or the utility of hybrids, fairway woods have been hot lately. TaylorMade used them to drive their marketing for several years, and recently PING has picked up the same mantle. The G series, now numberless, may be the most heralded set of fairway woods on the market right now.

Do they live up to the hype? Let’s take a look.

Continue reading “Ping G Fairway Wood Review”

Volume Four Hundred Ninety-Three

Tiger returns, Matsuyama wins, and Derek Jeter struggles.

Hittin the Links Hittin’ the Links is back! After a bit of a hiatus, (hey, at least it was shorter than Tiger’s) we’re back to recap the week that was in the game of golf.

It was a rather eventful one, as a 14-time major championship winner returned to the PGA Tour (kind of), a young up-and-comer got back into the winner’s circle, and the prospective 2018 European Ryder Cup captain gets leaked. We also check in with Retief Goosen, Tony Finau, and Derek Jeter.

Let’s hit the links!

Continue reading “Volume Four Hundred Ninety-Three”

Volume Four Hundred Ninety-Two

In this week’s edition, we take a look at Rory McIlroy’s victory at TPC Boston.

Hittin the Links Welcome, Hittin’ the Links readers! We’re not halfway through the FedEx Cup Playoffs, with the events in New York and Boston down. The Tour heads west next week, to Crooked Stick and the BMW Championship. But first, we’ll take a look back at last week, and the Deutsche Bank, where Rory McIlroy won by two strokes over Paul Casey.

We’ll also look into Beef Johnston trying out for the PGA Tour, a few European golfers testing out some hickory-shafted clubs, and hear from Peter Kostis on the Rules of Golf. All that, plus your Weekly Woods Wrap-up.

Let’s hit the links!

Continue reading “Volume Four Hundred Ninety-Two”

Volume Four Hundred Ninety-One

We take a look into Patrick Reed at the Barclays and a bevy of Ryder Cup news.

Hittin the Links Welcome back to Hittin’ the Links! This week was the first tournament of the FedExCup Playoffs, and as such, we’ve got you covered. We’ll take a look at champion Patrick Reed from several angles, and read about how Justin Rose finished the event out in a unique fashion.

We’ll also delve into Ryder Cup coverage, as the Barclays saw Zach Johnson leapfrog Rickie Fowler on the Ryder Cup list, and the European team’s captain’s picks have leaked. All of that plus a preview of the outfits and a look into Davis Love III’s own captain’s picks.

Let’s dive in!

Continue reading “Volume Four Hundred Ninety-One”

Volume Four Hundred Ninety

The women’s Olympic tournament wraps up golf from Rio in style.

Hittin the Links Hello all, and welcome to Hittin’ the Links!

This week, we’ll take a deep dive into the women’s Olympic golf tournament, where Inbee Park took home the gold. We’ll also check in with Wyndham winner Si Woo Kim and U.S. Am champ Curtis Luck.

We’ll also check in on a few more stores from the last regular reason event of the PGA Tour season, and this week’s Tiger Woods nostalgia moment.

Let’s hit the links!

Continue reading “Volume Four Hundred Ninety”

Volume Four Hundred Eighty-Nine

It’s Olympic time!

Hittin the Links Welcome to Hittin’ the Links! This week, we’ve got Olympic fever here at The Sand Trap. We’ll take a look back at Justin Rose’s gold medal-winning effort in Rio, and preview next week’s Women’s Tournament.

We’ll also laugh and cry with Bubba Watson, and check in on some of the action going on here in the U.S. All that, plus a quick look at Mizen’s newest set of irons. Let’s dive in!

Continue reading “Volume Four Hundred Eighty-Nine”