Volume Four Hundred Eighty-Three

DJ wins, JD falls apart, and a preview of the U.S. Women’s Open.

Hittin the Links Dustin Johnson, he formerly of the 800-lb major championship gorilla, appears to be breaking through big time. With his most recent win, this time at Firestone, Johnson now has three WGC wins, and continues to move up the career wins list. Johnson’s 11 PGA Tour wins look more and more impressive by the year as the PGA Tour searches for a dominant star player to fill the Tiger void.

On this week’s Hittin’ the Links, we take a look at DJ’s win, JD’s collapse, and more from this week on the PGA Tour. We also check in with Stacey Lewis, who has some opinions on the Olympics, take a look at the best food at the turn, and learn how to get a tee time at The Old Course.

Let’s get to it!

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What’s New and Notable

New drivers from Titleist, two new lines from Srixon, and more toys coming soon.

Bag DropNew releases on their way from Titleist, Srixon and Odyssey, plus a few items you can take advantage of right now.

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TaylorMade M2 Fairway Wood Review

Building on the success of the M1, Taylormade introduces the M2 line of woods and hybrids.

taylormade_m2_fairwayBuilding on the success of the M1, TaylorMade introduces the M2 line of woods and hybrids that feature all the benefits of the M1, apart from adjustability. Keeping with the same looks and lower price point, the M2 line targets the player looking for distance and forgiveness with a more competitive price tag.

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Volume Four Hundred Eighty-Two

Billy Hurley picks up his first win, Charlie Woods nearly breaks through, and the PGA Tour cancels the Greenbrier.

Hittin the LinksBilly Hurley III was the highlight of the weekend, winning the Quicken Loans National to earn his first career PGA Tour victory. He was joined in the winner’s circle this week by Lydia Ko on the LPGA Tour, Henrick Stenson on the European Tour, and very nearly by Charlie Woods on the junior circuit.

We’ll also check in on the rapidly declining Olympic golf player pool, see how Oakmont looks after the U.S. Open, and find out why there won’t be a Greenbrier Classic this year. All that plus Gary Player being Gary Player.

Let’s hit the links.

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TaylorMade M2 Irons Review

How high and how far do you want to hit your irons?

TaylorMade M2 IronThe TaylorMade M2 irons promise to do two things that should benefit a whole lot of golfers out there: hit golf balls a long way and with a high trajectory.

Actually, those two are closely related for most players. Since the majority of us don’t swing at anywhere near the speed of a pro, getting the ball up in the air so it can travel as far as possible is our best bet to knock it past our buddies. So those two M2 promises are a crucial combination that a lot of players will be looking for.

So how well do they deliver? Read on.

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What the USGA Got Wrong at Oakmont

The USGA has an important job in the U.S. Open of doling out penalties, at Oakmont this year I explain why they did a pretty awful job

Thrash TalkDustin Johnson is no rookie when it comes to penalties assessed in the final round of a major. Who can forget his famous bunker episode at the PGA Championship a few years ago? At that time, he merely missed out on a playoff, but the rule was clear and even he himself admitted he’d made a mistake. There is no question he grounded his club and no question he was in a bunker. It was really hard to tell it was a bunker – I know I had no idea – but many people did and it is his job to notice such things.

Fast forward to this year’s U.S. Open. He was Dustin again in a rules quandary. Did he in some way cause the ball to move during his practice stroke on the fourth green? This is the question that everyone is interested in answering. Now that the dust has settled a little on this issue we are starting to see that some mistakes were made and many – far more than I thought – professional golfers are not clear on the rules.

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TST Staff Predictions for the 2016 U.S. Open

The 2016 playing of the U.S. Open is set to begin at Oakmont with just about everyone playing well. Let’s see what the TST staff expects for this year’s event.

Thrash TalkIf you love a good test of golf, then without question you love watching the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. The members love to tell anyone who’ll listen that they slow the greens down when the pros show up. They love to test themselves and watch the professionals test themselves as well.

This season brings the three big names in golf – Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, and Rory McIlroy – all playing well and primed to contend on the weekend. Expectations could not be higher for a young gun showdown.

With all these exciting expectations lets see what the staff expects for this year’s event.

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Volume Four Hundred Eighty-One

It’s almost U.S. Open time. You can almost hear the knees knocking.

Hittin' the LinksIt rained once again on the Memorial. But despite the soft conditions, players were mainly backing up on Sunday.

Matt Kuchar came out after Sunday’s rain delay and promptly made double-bogey. Dustin Johnson just might be the best tee-to-green player on the tour, and its worst putter. It sure looked like it this week.

With the U.S. Open starting in just 10 days, the big three are looking solid but not invincible. Jason Day and Rory McIlory were in the conversation until late on Sunday. Jordan Spieth looked a little shaky over the weekend but had his game working earlier in the week. With the way they are playing, as well as with some strong performances by others, Oakmont could be a whole lot of fun.

Let’s hit the links.

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Harry Taylor Design Wedges Review

Harry Taylor is probably a name you are not familiar with, but he has been in the golf industry designing clubs for years. Now he has decided to enter the market with a line of precision milled wedges.

XR16In many ways, picking a wedge can be extremely similar to picking a putter. While the designs don’t vary quite as much (there are no mallet wedges), still there is a great deal of personalization and customization that is available to golfers today.

When I look into golfers’ bags at their wedges, I very often see one of two scenarios. One is what I would describe as a pot luck of wedges. One wedge won at a tournament, one they bought when they lost one on vacation, really, no rhyme or reason to the selection. The second scenario is an off-the-rack set of two to three wedges made by a brand name club manufacture which may or may not (usually not) have been fit for them.

The reality is wedge fitting is important. Because of the customization, mainly the bounce and flange design differences, one wedge might be better for you based on your swing over the one you’d otherwise be tempted to pick off the rack. A great deal of craftsmanship goes into a wedge. Golfers should pay more attention.

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