I’m Not Sorry You Made a Mistake

The comments on ConcessionGate have mostly been limited to who was in the wrong. I take a more in-depth look at how Petterson could have done more for the Solheim Cup by not apologizing.

Thrash TalkIt’s been said that there is no such thing as bad publicity. That even if someone is saying something bad about you, they are still talking about you and therefore it is better than if they never spoke your name. Many different companies and the Kardashians live by this mantra. So when Suzann Pettersen apologized for her role in ConcessionGate, I asked myself if this was really the best decision.

On social media everyone is praising the decision to apologize. Before the apology she was getting roasted by all the American fans, and even a few former European players for her decision. It was hard to find anyone on her side. As the dust has settled a little more now, many people are saying that she was within the rules and Lee was just at fault as Pettersen was. Lee has the moral high ground, but Pettersen was not completely to blame. The action seemed to fuel the Americans and it helped them to produce a Medinah- or Brookline-like comeback to win the event. The incident and ensuing comeback was outstanding theater.

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Titleist Introduces 716 Irons and Utilities as well as 816 Hybrids

Titleist’s five new sets of irons as well as two new models of hybrids promise to add distance and forgiveness to your game.

Bag DropIf there was ever a company that sticks to a pattern, that company is Titleist. Over the last decade or so, the company has got into a habit of releasing drivers and woods one year, and irons the next. This year, we get the new irons, as well as new hybrids and utility irons. Like normal, there will be a total of four new sets of irons; the 716 MB and CB as well as the 716 AP1 and AP2. There are also two new models of hybrids, or for those that would rather a more iron-like look at address, a utility club. No matter what your skill level, Titleist should have something that will fit your game well.

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The Newport Cup Is About the People

The Newport Cup had fourteen SandTrap members meet and find that we had as much fun meeting each other as we did playing golf.

Thrash TalkI have been trying for years now to convince my wife that golf has never really been about golf, but rather an opportunity to hang out with my friends. That if I didn’t play golf that I would have found some other hobby, like wind surfing where I would have gone out to hang out with friends who were just as into wind surfing as I was. The idea is to hang out with people who enjoy the hobby as much as you.

Now the reality is, I did not get into golf because of any friendships. I started at golf because it was something that I could go out and do on my own. All other sports required someone, or a group or people to play. I played plenty of sports as a kid, football, baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis, but they all required someone else to participate. With golf I could go play eighteen holes or go to the putting green all by myself. Nobody needs to hit the ball back to you in golf.

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Volume Four Hundred Fifty-One

It’s Jason again, Tiger’s back (again), and the U.S. in a stunner!

Hittin' the LinksThere’s just one week left of the 2014-15 PGA TOUR season. Despite missing the cut twice in the FedEx Cup Playoffs Jordan Spieth remains in atop the standings, but Jason Day is closing in.

And in Germany, a possible breach of etiquette lead to a fired up U.S. team rallying from four points back in the Solheim Cup.

Let’s hit the links.

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Volume Four Hundred Fifty

Ko’s major win, Haas’ picks, and Jenner’s tees…

Hittin' the LinksIt was an off week for the FedExCup playoffs, but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t interesting golf stories to follow.

The LPGA held the final major of the year on Lake Geneva in France on one of the most gorgeous courses of the year, even when it’s playing barely 6,000 yards.

At Royal Lytham and St. Anne’s, the Walker Cup pitted the best amateurs from the U.S. against those from Great Britain and Ireland.

But wait, there’s more! Let’s hit the links.

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TaylorMade Introduces M1 Driver, Fairways, Hybrid and PSi Irons

Gone from the company’s lineup is the “R” Series, now being replaced with the M1. In addition, the TaylorMade makes improvements to their Face Slot Technology with the new PSi Irons.

Bag Drop TaylorMade, as we all know, is a company that makes release after release. Recently, @boogielicious was able to attend the TaylorMade event in Connecticut where the company unveiled their new driver, fairway woods, and irons and he asked about this issue. The response was surprisingly straight forward. The company sees itself as a leader in golf technology and likes to get the latest and greatest out as soon as possible, rather than sit on it. At times, that can make the company seem a bit gimmicky, but they don’t care.

With the new set of clubs, TaylorMade seems to have put to bed the popular “R” series. In its place, there is now the M1 driver and woods. The company also continues to build upon their face slot technology with the new PSi irons. Read on to get the details on the new clubs.

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Volume Four Hundred Forty-Nine

Two down, two to go… the playoffs continue

Hittin' the LinksBig three or big four? The best young guns in the game? Rickie Fowler made a strong argument this week in his case for belonging in the heart of the conversation. Forget the Golf Boyz, Rickie. I think we have the makings of a great boy band, and I’d trade swings with any member of R2J2.

Next week, the LPGA will hold golf’s final major of the year, the Evian Masters. And the FedExCup Playoffs continue outside of Chicago at the BMW Championship. Speaking of which, in case you need them, here are the current playoff standings.

Let’s hit the links.

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Callaway XR Pro Driver Review

Callaway released their follow up to the extremely popular X2 Hot Pro driver with the XR Pro model. How does it match up? I take it for a spin and find out.

XRPhysics tells us velocity multiplied by time equals distance. Distance is something that all golfers are looking for. We all want it; frankly we can’t get enough of it. But just telling golfers that you are going to give them more distance just doesn’t work anymore. We are tired of hearing it. Heck, if it were true I would be hitting 320 yard drives last season. We just won’t believe you anymore.

So Callaway has come up with a creative strategy for telling us their XR line of drivers are going to help us hit it father. They don’t simply tell us we are going to get more yardage, they tell us we are going to get more speed. Speed is really a simplified version of the velocity ingredient in our physics lesson above. The XR line of drivers is designed and built for outrageous speed. I for one appreciate the creativity from their marketing department and after getting to try their XR Pro driver I also appreciate their engineering department as well.

XR

For this review I was given a 10.5 degree Callaway XR Pro driver with a stiff Project X shaft. Let’s see how it performed.

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Bridgestone J15 Driving Forged Irons Review

Can a hidden-cavity iron (from a company better known for golf balls) perform like the best players cavity backs?

The Bridgestone J15DF IronIt’s been some four years since Bridgestone released the J40 line of irons. I had always admired the good looks of the J40 Cavity Backs. So when I heard that Bridgestone had a new line out, I had to take a look.

With Bridgestone and Tourstage, the company has owned two of the most popular brands in Japan for some time. In the U.S. Bridgestone sells a lot of golf balls, but you can hang out at a bag drop for the better part of a morning before a set of Bridgestones comes through. Maybe that should change.

Bridgestone’s 2015 product line is their most extensive for the U.S. market in some time. (The entire J40 line featured just a Cavity Back set, a Dual Cavity Back set, and a Combo set that mixed the two. The J15 lineup includes, from most workable to most forgiving, the J15 Muscle Back, J15 Cavity Back, J15 Driving Forged (J15DF), J15 Dual Pocket Forged, and J15 Cast.

I typically play cavity-back irons on the more workable end of the spectrum (though I suffer from that choice at times). So initially it was the J15CBs that caught my eye with their sleek lines and no frills good looks. Not to mention that when I heard the words “dual forged” I pictured those older hollow-bodied, thick-soled driving irons that came out about a decade ago. But as I learned more about the Driving Forged irons, I became quite interested in finding out how they perform.

And then I saw them.

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