Volume Four Hundred Two

Beam me up, Scotty. Who’s this latest two-time PGA TOUR winner? And the Ryder Cup picks are in and the winners are…

Hittin' the LinksLabor Day has come and gone. There are just a few more weeks of summer according to the calendar, but there are still big events in golf to be played.

We’re at the midway point of the FedExCup playoffs and your new points leader is… Chris Kirk. It’s still anyone’s race, of course. At least anyone who is still playing. The field will narrow again this week, from 70 at the BMW Championship to just 30 who will make the trip to Atlanta for the TOUR Championship.

And the teams are now set for golf’s other big event of fall, the Ryder Cup. Which team looks better going in? We’ll be debating that for the next three weeks, but it’s almost certainly the Euros on paper (not that the U.S. made much advantage of that in the past). For now, let’s hit the links.

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Talking to Andrew Fischer, Bubba Watson’s Former Fitness Coach and Founder of FishFit

Chatting with the man behind FishFit, a comprehensive golf fitness app from Bubba Watson’s former conditioning coach.

Throwing DartsFirst, thanks to all the TST readers and forum members who submitted questions over on the forum. Also, a big thanks to Andrew Fischer for the answers.

Fischer was Bubba Watson’s conditioning coach, and has a new smartphone app out called “FishFit,” which is available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

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Dear Sean, I Think it is Time We See Other People

Recently Tiger Woods has fired his coach Sean Foley. I take a look at where both of them go from here.

Thrash TalkI can remember when I first learned that Tiger and Sean Foley were going to work together I was expecting Tiger to dominate again, and quickly. Sean was a rising star, with a stable of players such as Sean O’Hair who at the time was playing great, Hunter Mahan, Justin Rose, lots of guys who were and still are rising stars. Tiger was returning from scandal and a very broken relationship with Hank Haney, but was and still is the best player to ever play the game. The match looked very good.

Sadly it was a completely majorless relationship. The question of whether Tiger got better is near impossible to answer because he was so often injured that only in 2013 could we do any type of analysis of his performance. 2013 was a great year, with five wins (in big events, including The Players, which he’s struggled to win in the past) and Player of the Year honors, but he didn’t win a major. I for one thought it was only a matter of time until he got number fifteen in the trophy case.

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Ping G30 Irons Review

PING’s latest offering in the game improvement irons category is all about distance and forgiveness.

PING G30 Irons SetI’m not a PING guy. It’s not that I have anything against the company, but there are so many choices out in the market that I’ve just never really given them proper consideration. It may be because some other companies shove their marketing in your face all the time, or PING’s pros don’t have the star power (Bubba excluded) of some of its competitors. Either way, I have never given them a fair shake, so when the opportunity arrived for me to review a set of PING G30 irons, I jumped at it.

As a high handicap player, I made a switch to a set of game improvement clubs last year and I haven’t looked back since. I like to hit high iron shots that land softly on the greens. I also like to know that when I miss the center of the clubface, I’ll still be able to get the ball somewhere near the vicinity of my target. I don’t get to spend as much time on the golf course as I’d like, so it’s nice to know that my inconsistent contact won’t hurt my score too much.

Cue the G30 irons. They are the latest offering in the G line of clubs. Like its predecessors, the G30 irons are game improvement clubs. This means they are designed to promote a higher launch angle, increase distance, and maximize forgiveness; everything I’m looking for in an iron. How do they perform in my hands? Read on, to find out.

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Callaway Expands Apex Line with Musclebacks and Utility Irons

Crafted with the tour in mind, the new Apex Muscle back irons feature a classic design with some added playability.

Bag DropThis past year, the golf world saw Callaway revive a couple of old favorites with the reintroduction of the Big Bertha woods and Apex irons, the latter of course being made famous under the Ben Hogan name. Earlier in the month the Big Bertha’s received their first update with the V series and now it’s time for a new set of Apex irons. It should be no surprise that Callaway takes feedback and suggestions from its tour players seriously, so when they asked for a new blade, the company got to work; the result is the new Apex Muscleback irons. In addition to the new blades, the company has new matching utility irons to go along with them.

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Volume Four Hundred One

Tiger steals headlines with a break up, Hunter comes through despite hiccups, and Phil goes with the Phloppadoppalus.

Hittin' the LinksTiger made the news again this week without swinging a club. First as “caddy” for Jimmy Fallon, and most recently by ditching his swing coach of four years.

It’s playoff time and the TOUR players are chasing the big bucks. Karma paid dividends to Hunter Mahan this weekend, as he not only got the win, he jumped into the lead in the FedExCup standings and also likely made the Ryder Cup team. Not a bad weekend. That being the case, just two more open spots remain on Coach Watson’s team. There’s a lot to play for as the TOUR heads for the Deutsche Bank.

Let’s hit the links.

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New JPX and MP Irons from Mizuno

Mizuno adds to their line up with updates to both the MP and JPX irons as well as new wedges.

Bag DropOver the last few years, Mizuno has updated 2 of its MP iron sets each year as well as updating the JPX line of clubs. This year, the updates include the new MP-15 irons, a slight cavity back aimed at the better player as well as the MP-H5, the MP club for the not so good. In addition to those, Mizuno has unveiled the new JPX 850 irons. These clubs are unique from anything else out on the market as they include Boron in the forging process. Read on to get the details on each.

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TaylorMade SLDR Irons Review

Do the SLDR irons live up to the hype of their name, or are they a set soon to be forgot?

SLDR heroAnybody who has paid any attention at all to the golf equipment industry in the last few years knows that TaylorMade tends to flood the market with club after club, each promising to add more yardage than the last. While that hasn’t changed too much, the company has slowed things down and trimmed their offerings back a bit. Earlier in the year, the company re-introduced the Tour Preferred line of clubs which featured muscle backs, muscle cavities, and cavity back models. While consumers should be able to find a set that fits their game there, the company has given us one more option, the SLDR irons.

With the SLDR irons, TaylorMade hopes to follow the success that they have seen with the drivers and woods of the same name. Many golfers found longer drives by lofting up with a club with low and forward CG, and with the SLDR irons, the company hopes to add more distance throughout your bag. Read on to see if we think the SLDR irons are as good as TaylorMade says they are or if they are just another set soon to be replaced and forgotten.

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Is Eleven Years Old too Young to Play in a U.S. Open?

At eleven year’s of age Lucy Li is the youngest golfer to ever get through a sectional qualifier for a women’s US Open. I explain why she was to young for the biggest stage in the women’s game.

Thrash TalkThe darling of the 2014 Women’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst this year was not the winner Michelle Wie but eleven-year-old Lucy Li. Her colorful outfits and bubbly personality stole the show for anyone who watches women’s golf. She handled the pressure of being only eleven at playing in one of the biggest events in women’s golf. But this begs the question, is eleven years old too young to play in a U.S. Open?

Note that Lucy was not even the youngest player who attempted to qualify! She was the youngest to qualify but there was a nine year old, Alexa Pano from Florida, who was not successful but gave it her best effort. My daughter is still quite young, but nine years old seems on the young side to be playing in the biggest stage of women’s golf. At nine, I never gave a thought to giving press interviews people asking me questions in press conference. Is this too much at such a young age?

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