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Golf Instruction with Steve Scott: How to hit out of a fairway bunker

Golf Instruction with Steve Scott: How to hit out of a fairway bunker

Golfsolutions February 04, 2021
Golf Instruction with Steve Scott: How to hit out of a fairway bunker https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

If you want to hit it solid out of fairway bunkers, approach it shallow and avoid the chunkers.

In this week’s episode of “Golf Instruction with Steve Scott,” learn how to properly hit out of a fairway bunker.

Scott, the PGA head golf professional at the Outpost Club, founder of the Silver Club Golfing Society and a PGA Tour Live analyst, has taken his thorough knowledge of the game and broken it down into digestible lessons from which anyone can benefit in Golfweek‘s series, “Golf Instruction with Steve Scott.”

Check out these step-by-step instructions and tips in the video above and share your before and after videos and photos with us on Twitter with #GolfweekInstruction.

Click here to watch previous episodes of “Golf Instruction with Steve Scott” including Gator-clamp putting, iron play and flop shots.

from Golfweek https://ift.tt/36HMydw
Bubba Watson revs up fans with driver on par-3 16th hole at Waste Management Phoenix Open pro-am

Bubba Watson revs up fans with driver on par-3 16th hole at Waste Management Phoenix Open pro-am

Golfsolutions February 04, 2021
Bubba Watson revs up fans with driver on par-3 16th hole at Waste Management Phoenix Open pro-am https://ift.tt/3muUKmc

Bubba Watson has long been one of the bombers on the PGA Tour. He can also be one heck of a showman.

During Wednesday’s pro-am at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Watson busted out his pink Ping driver — yes, driver — on the famous par-3 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale.

With an open stance and about a ¾-swing, Watson makes contact and sends the ball flying. Figures he would stick his shot on the green.

A smattering of fans were on hand in the arena to witness the feat, which is pretty remarkable considering from the tips that hole plays not much longer than about 160 yards.

 

During his first round on Thursday, Watson made par on No. 16 after his tee shot landed on the left fringe, about hole high to the back-pin location.

from Golfweek https://ift.tt/39M8zJQ
Jon Rahm said he’ll leave any tournament, even the Masters, to be present for son’s birth

Jon Rahm said he’ll leave any tournament, even the Masters, to be present for son’s birth

Golfsolutions February 04, 2021
Jon Rahm said he’ll leave any tournament, even the Masters, to be present for son’s birth https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Phil Mickelson once famously competed in the 1999 U.S. Open with his mind on home, as his wife Amy was close to delivering the couple’s first baby.

Fellow Sun Devil Jon Rahm could be facing a similar situation in April at the Masters, as his wife Kelley is pregnant with their first child.

For now, Rahm says he’s sticking to his playing schedule but is making backup plans.

“I think it’s second week of March is going to be week 36, and as my mom has told me, because she’s a midwife many times, starting that week it can come any day,” he said on Wednesday ahead of the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

“I’ve talked about it before and we’ve talked about it with her. No matter where I am and what I’m doing, if the phone rings I’m flying back, and I’m going back home to be there for the birth of my son. Before anybody asks, yes, if I’m at Augusta and I’m playing well and she starts getting, you know, starts, I’m flying back. I would never miss the birth of my first-born in a million years, or any born for that matter.”

The couple got married a little over a year ago. They met at Arizona State where he was the standout golfer and she was a track & field athlete.

Rahm’s already thinking ahead, so much so that he’s hoping to be allowed to bend one of the primary rules at Augusta National.

“I don’t know how we’re going to do it at Augusta because we can’t have our phones in. I might need to ask for an exception.”

from Golfweek https://ift.tt/3pLiftI
Letter: Lynch is OB on Patrick Reed and the gambling connection

Letter: Lynch is OB on Patrick Reed and the gambling connection

Golfsolutions February 04, 2021
Letter: Lynch is OB on Patrick Reed and the gambling connection https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

(Editor’s note: This letter to the editor was submitted in response to a column posted on Golfweek. Got an opinion? Sent it to us at [email protected].)

Golfweek columnist Eamon Lynch is prone to inflammatory pieces that often land in the deep rough.

His most recent jab on the Patrick Reed rules dustup at the Farmers Insurance Open airmailed the out-of-bounds stakes by a wide margin.

How Lynch somehow ties gambling in on this episode is a head-scratcher that will leave your scalp bleeding. He inexplicably tries to portray gambling — one of man’s more seedy pursuits — as something honorable and above reproach, or it should be or something.

“But there are no ShotLink metrics for integrity, and just one seed of doubt can be corrosive in sports gambling. Folks who lose bets often cry foul, as an hour spent at any table in Vegas will illustrate, but the bedrock upon which betting in golf must stand is transparency, a firm belief among punters that everything is above board, that scores have standing, that rules are equitably applied.”

Has Lynch watched an NFL game in the last 20 years? How about the NBA? Does he think the rules are equitably applied in those contests? When was the last time LeBron James was called for traveling even though he routinely tucks the ball and rushes like a running back going for a first down?

A lot of fans thought the Green Bay defensive back shouldn’t have been called for interference on a Tampa Bay receiver in the recent NFC Championship game even if he had a firm grip on the guy’s jersey and was obviously impeding his route. It was a call so obvious Stevie Wonder could have made it. $154 million was legally bet on the Super Bowl last year. Shaky officiating doesn’t seem to be hurting the take on the NFL

Possibly a bigger question is why the PGA Tour — with its near-constant push to promote the squeaky clean image of the game and its players — has chosen to get involved in gambling. Do they not realize that problem gambling is a disease that has ruined millions of men and women and destroyed the lives of countless families?

To Lynch and the PR flaks, it’s all good,

“Like most major sports leagues, the PGA Tour has announced several partnerships in the betting space, eager to secure its share of a lucrative revenue stream. It’s smart business. The scope for gambling on golf is almost limitless — on winners, on hole scores, on shot results.”

What’s next …. “Gambling, the official addiction of the PGA Tour?”

Wayne Mills is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America and a Senior Course Rater for Golfweek Magazine.

from Golfweek https://ift.tt/3tuOyzA
Srixon Z-Star, Z-Star XV golf balls

Srixon Z-Star, Z-Star XV golf balls

Golfsolutions February 04, 2021
Srixon Z-Star, Z-Star XV golf balls https://ift.tt/2O7nfLm

Gear: Srixon Z-Star, Z-Star XV golf balls
Price: $42.99 per dozen
Specs: Three-piece, urethane-covered ball (Z-Star); Four-piece, urethane-covered ball (Z-Star XV). Available in white and yellow.
Available: Feb. 26

For elite golfers, sacrifice when it comes to selecting a golf ball is not an option. They want distance off the tee, demand feel on approach shots and won’t compromise spin around the greens. For 2021, with the release of the seventh generation of the Srixon Z-Star and Z-Star XV, the Japanese company believes it has a pair of options that can give accomplished golfers precisely what they want.

The three-piece Z-Star features a large core that is very soft in the center and gradually gets firmer near its edges. Srixon refers to it as a FastLayer core, and it is designed to provide more ball speed off the tee with a softer feel.

Srixon Z-Star (2021)

Srixon Z-Star. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The core is encased in a mid-layer, which has been made firmer, then covered by an updated urethane cover. Srixon gave the ball a new 338-dimple pattern that the company said will make it more aerodynamic and better able to bore through the wind. The cover itself also is slightly thicker, so the grooves in short irons and wedges should be able to grab it more effectively to generate spin on approach shots, chips and pitch shots.

To further enhance spin, Srixon added a coating to the ball called Spin Skin. Srixon has used Spin Skin coatings in the past to improve performance on short-game shots. This version has an additive the company calls Slide-Ring Material (SeRM), which is designed to distribute the force of wedge shots more evenly to increase durability.

Srixon Z-Star XV (2021)

Srixon Z-Star XV. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

With the four-piece Z-Star XV, Srixon put a greater emphasis on increasing distance. The ball has a soft, fast inner core that was updated for 2021 to be “more springy” for enhanced ball speed. By encasing it in a firmer core, then a mid-layer that is firmer still, Srixon can reduce spin off the tee and with longer clubs while still maintaining speed.

The Z-Star XV has the same 338-dimple pattern now found on the Z-Star.

Srixon said both balls will fly slightly lower than the previous generation, but the Z-Star XV will still fly higher than the Z-Star.

from Golfweek https://ift.tt/2YJJCIO
Srixon Z-Star, Z-Star XV golf balls

Srixon Z-Star, Z-Star XV golf balls

Golfsolutions February 04, 2021
Srixon Z-Star, Z-Star XV golf balls https://ift.tt/2O7nfLm

Gear: Srixon Z-Star, Z-Star XV golf balls
Price: $42.99 per dozen
Specs: Three-piece, urethane-covered ball (Z-Star); Four-piece, urethane-covered ball (Z-Star XV). Available in white and yellow.
Available: Feb. 26

For elite golfers, sacrifice when it comes to selecting a golf ball is not an option. They want distance off the tee, demand feel on approach shots and won’t compromise spin around the greens. For 2021, with the release of the seventh generation of the Srixon Z-Star and Z-Star XV, the Japanese company believes it has a pair of options that can give accomplished golfers precisely what they want.

The three-piece Z-Star features a large core that is very soft in the center and gradually gets firmer near its edges. Srixon refers to it as a FastLayer core, and it is designed to provide more ball speed off the tee with a softer feel.

Srixon Z-Star (2021)

Srixon Z-Star. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The core is encased in a mid-layer, which has been made firmer, then covered by an updated urethane cover. Srixon gave the ball a new 338-dimple pattern that the company said will make it more aerodynamic and better able to bore through the wind. The cover itself also is slightly thicker, so the grooves in short irons and wedges should be able to grab it more effectively to generate spin on approach shots, chips and pitch shots.

To further enhance spin, Srixon added a coating to the ball called Spin Skin. Srixon has used Spin Skin coatings in the past to improve performance on short-game shots. This version has an additive the company calls Slide-Ring Material (SeRM), which is designed to distribute the force of wedge shots more evenly to increase durability.

Srixon Z-Star XV (2021)

Srixon Z-Star XV. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

With the four-piece Z-Star XV, Srixon put a greater emphasis on increasing distance. The ball has a soft, fast inner core that was updated for 2021 to be “more springy” for enhanced ball speed. By encasing it in a firmer core, then a mid-layer that is firmer still, Srixon can reduce spin off the tee and with longer clubs while still maintaining speed.

The Z-Star XV has the same 338-dimple pattern now found on the Z-Star.

Srixon said both balls will fly slightly lower than the previous generation, but the Z-Star XV will still fly higher than the Z-Star.

from Golfweek https://ift.tt/2YJJCIO
Bryson DeChambeau in the hunt, David Horsey leads at Saudi International

Bryson DeChambeau in the hunt, David Horsey leads at Saudi International

Golfsolutions February 04, 2021
Bryson DeChambeau in the hunt, David Horsey leads at Saudi International https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

After missing the cut in his previous two appearances in Saudi Arabia, David Horsey is leading the way at the Saudi International.

The 35-year-old Englishman was on 59 watch after beginning the event on a roll. He began his round with two birdies and then went on a roll after the turn. He began the back nine with five straight birdies, adding two more on 16 and 17 to sign for a 61 at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.

“It’s a shock, actually,” Horsey said, according to the European Tour. “I’ve been playing rubbish the last couple of weeks. Didn’t feel like I controlled my ball the first two events.

“Had a conversation with a pal back home last night, talking a few things through and suggested something that I work on away from the tournament. I thought, well, can’t get any worse, so I may as well try it and here we are.”

Horsey missed the cut in his last two events, a T-67 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and a T-89 at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

One shot behind Horsey is Stephen Gallacher who birdied five of his last six holes take solo second after Round 1. Bernd Wiesberger shot a bogey-free 64 to claim third. Five golfers including Bryson DeChambeau sit T-4 at 5 under. The reigning U.S. Open winner began his round with a bogey on 11 but rattled off three birdies in four holes to complete his first nine. He added four more birdies on the front nine to finish 5-under 65.

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson and 13 others including Lee Westwood and Tyrell Hatton sit T-17 is at 3 under.

from Golfweek https://ift.tt/39L9Tg2
Don't miss these 7 amazing homes on golf courses available right now

Don't miss these 7 amazing homes on golf courses available right now

Golfsolutions February 04, 2021
Don't miss these 7 amazing homes on golf courses available right now https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

We’re guessing you’ve settled into a routine this winter, watching golf on TV while hoping spring is fast approaching so you can get back on the links.

If you live in chilly climates, this is about the time you start fantasizing about a move to a warmer region of the country, one in which you make 18 holes a daily staple.

With that in mind, we’re rolling out another edition of golf course properties currently for sale, with a few in warmer spots that will be sure to please.

But for those still looking for functionality, we’ve added a couple from areas in which skiing and golf coexist.

from Golfweek https://ift.tt/3tu1Yvp
What do some PGA Tour pros think of legal sports betting?

What do some PGA Tour pros think of legal sports betting?

Golfsolutions February 04, 2021
What do some PGA Tour pros think of legal sports betting? https://ift.tt/39IEuLl

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Sports betting is now legal in 21 states and another five recently passed bills.

Media outlets are spending more time discussing wagers and new TV shows are springing up to promote the odds and ends of sports gambling.

This week, during the live TV coverage of the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Golf Channel and NBC, streaming service Peacock Premium will debut what it’s billing as the “first-ever betting companion show during a PGA Tour event – a live second-screen experience entitled NBC Sports Edge BetCast.”

NBC will have 10 hours of this content – 2 ½ hours a day – spread out over the four days of competition. A big focus will be how golfer’s odds change throughout the course of a round or the week.

Arizona is not among those states were betting is legal, so fans on site at the Phoenix Open this week won’t be legally betting on a particular golfer.

But beyond this week’s event, how will legal sports betting affect the PGA Tour? Three golfers in the field at the Phoenix Open were asked for their opinions.

Webb Simpson

Yeah, I’m not well-versed in this area. I’ve been in conversations with guys where the only thing it seems like most guys are worried about is while we’re playing, is there going to be more chatter before and after shots or before and after made or missed putts, guys out there gambling on us. Hopefully the PGA Tour has a very strict plan on that kind of banter from spectators to players. Hopefully they’ll put a strict plan in place that we’re not going to have kind of the comments from the bettors out there during the round. That’s obviously something we’ve never dealt with. Hopefully we don’t have to. That’s just one potential problem I see.

Justin Thomas

It seems to be the way, gambling and the live gambling on sports. Obviously as a player, selfishly, I worry about any sort of sketchiness going on with whether it’s communication within someone that’s out on the grounds and could potentially yell or do something to affect a person that would have, say, a wager or something and that’s a serious, serious concern. We’re out here playing. … this is our job and we’re out here trying to win golf tournaments and a lot of people are supporting families and supporting themselves. I would hope it would never come to that. But at the end of the day you can’t sit there and tell me that that’s not a realistic chance. I would hope that it wouldn’t happen, but I’m sure it’ll turn out great, and yeah, I’m interested to see how it goes.

Jon Rahm

I’ve never put a bet on a sports game in my life, so I have no clue about this. Like none whatsoever. … I mean, somebody having $20 on me making or missing the putt is not going to affect what I do. I can tell you that. I’m pretty sure most of us players have a lot more on the line by making or missing a putt. It’s not what I’m thinking about. It’s something that’s been going on since I was a pro. It’s been going on for a long time. A lot of times you hear fans and they’ll bet between each other. I mean, it’s part of the culture, I would say everywhere. I’m a person that didn’t grow up betting on sports, but it’s becoming bigger in Spain, bigger in Europe. It’s already big here. It’s part of the entertainment, as well. Again, I don’t know much about it, but, I mean, I don’t have a problem with it. Fans got to do what they’ve got to do to enjoy the day.

from Golfweek https://ift.tt/2Mz5rbx