Opinion & Analysis

Barney Adams: Calling golf “fun” is disingenuous

Published

8 years ago

Aug 26, 2016

The pile on the sport of golf is officially underway. I’ve received at least a dozen links to different stories about troubling times in the golf industry. We all know about Nike, and I received an email today about 800 courses closing over the past few years. Rumor has it that a TaylorMade sale is forthcoming and at a deep discount to annual sales; another one says Golfsmith is headed to a bankruptcy reorganization to clean up the business prior to a sale, and the list goes on. On the golf course side, the very high-end clubs and low-end clubs are OK, but the great majority in the middle are nervous… as in very nervous.

This article, while influenced by all the negative, isn’t about that. It’s about the game and marketing it to attract new players. Not professional golf, however; that’s television entertainment, is very successful, and is a world unto itself. This is about the game we play.

I watch (and read) the golf commercials promoting the game, and the consistent message is, “Play golf, it’s fun.” I think to myself, “Who authorizes these things? Is this someone’s relative who works in an ad agency who doesn’t play the game?”

So let me propose a “white paper” from which the bright advertising folks can come up with effective campaigns.

Golf is not “fun” in the traditional sense of the word. Golf is hard; it starts hard and stays that way. Fun is ice cream, sunny days and symphonies. Golf, on the other hand, says, ”Here I am, you sap. Do you have what it takes?”

And that’s exactly why it’s such a great game. We get to play against ourselves and the course in the company of friends. I mean, I read where Top Golf is fun and a great lead-in to the game. And you know what, Top Golf is a lot of fun. I know because my grandkids and I went, and we hit balls at targets, got points, drank beer (well, I did), had a competition and a lot of laughs. I kept track; I got points for two shanks, three skulls, one near toe-whiff, and on each occasion I was trying to hit a decent shot. Point is, Top Golf isn’t quite golf, in the fact that you’re not penalized for a poor shot, but rather you earn points. In the real world, I carry a ball retriever because I’ve grooved those shanks and skulls, and at no time do I remember associating them with fun on the course. I’ve not played Foot or Frisbee Golf; I’m sure they are fun, and I’m also sure they are not golf.

A great example of my point happened recently. I’m fortunate to play fairly regularly with Frank Beard, a phenomenal player with 14 PGA Tour wins, and at 77-years-old, we’d all kill to have his game. I’m talking to him on the range the other day and he’s showing me this swing thought he’s working on. I stood there thinking, is there some way to tell this story? This is real golf — a game you can play as a kid, adult and as a senior. It’s a game that will drive you nuts, and just when you think you have the “move” down, it turns out to be a quick source of duck hooks. A game where you make friends for life as you go on course and try to beat each other’s brains out. Public, private? Golf doesn’t care. Hungover, healthy? Golf doesn’t care. Back pain, bad mood? Good mood, new vitamins? Golf just sits there and waits for you to give it your best shot. You know going in that you won’t win because regardless of your skill level, you can always improve. For those of us in the less-skilled division, it’s small victories — the shots you remember are the ones that bring you back.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great professional athletes in my club-fitting days with hand-eye coordination that I’d kill for. Some got pretty good while others quit in disgust. That’s the thing, though, golf doesn’t care if you’re an ex-jock, cop, fireman, computer designer, movie star; I’ve yet to find a profession where golf rolled over and said, “OK, for you I’ll make an exception.” Golf also has an unimpressed attitude about “could haves” — you know, the “he could have played the Tour” players that never quite made it. It’s a bit like life; nothing is handed to you, you just have to go out there and do it.

And while I’m writing about facts, someone will soon do research and learn that there are literally millions of women who could take up the game and change participation demographics for the better. That hasn’t happened to date. There are lots of reasons, or perhaps speculations, and I have my own; women are smarter than men. We will play, hit balls and take lessons, determined to overcome golf’s challenge. Women, on the other hand, seem to realize there are more fun, worthwhile things to do. And I write this acknowledging some fine women players who do not make my quest any less-frustrating.

And there is both the issue and the answer. Golf isn’t fun — at least as the word is normally used. Golf is difficult, and no matter how long you play you will still be working at it. Ball in your court Mr. Advertising person.

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Barney Adams

Barney Adams is the founder of Adams Golf and the inventor of the iconic "Tight Lies" fairway wood. He served as Chairman of the Board for Adams until 2012, when the company was purchased by TaylorMade-Adidas. Adams is one of golf's most distinguished entrepreneurs, receiving honors such as Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in 1999 and the 2010 Ernie Sabayrac Award for lifetime contribution to the golf industry by the PGA of America. His journey in the golf industry started as as a club fitter, however, and has the epoxy filled shirts as a testimony to his days as an assembler. Have an equipment question? Adams holds seven patents on club design and has conducted research on every club in the bag. He welcomes your equipment questions through email at [email protected] Adams is now retired from the golf equipment industry, but his passion for the game endures through his writing. He is the author of "The WOW Factor," a book published in 2008 that offers an insider's view of the golf industry and business advice to entrepreneurs, and he continues to contribute articles to outlets like GolfWRX that offer his solutions to grow the game of golf.

70 Comments

Ude

Jul 6, 2017 at 1:28 am

MAGA

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Stretch

Sep 28, 2016 at 10:16 pm

Fun in golf is the challenge to do better. No matter how good the score there is always better. How to be better is to take the ego out the door and close it. To be the best one can be is to be able to control the ball which is to be able to control the spin. Swing mechanics block the players ability to create the shots that lead to fun outcomes.

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Sean

Sep 6, 2016 at 3:07 pm

To me it depends on how seriously you take the game. If you are out there to drink some beers with your friends and get away from the home or the office, it’s probably is fun. Some of us work hard at the game and can find moments of satisfaction, disappointment, frustration, and yes fun. But it’s a mixed bag. Is golf fun? Sometimes it is. And, sometimes it isn’t.

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Art Pan

Sep 1, 2016 at 8:29 am

As one of the few who plays both ball golf, and disc golf (NOT FRISBEE golf), I will have to say that the same frustrations apply. It’s just as easy to release early, or grip lock, and in effect, duck-hook or slice your throw.
Tree bounces are far more prevalent. “It’s only a 4 inch wide trunk to the side of a 20 foot wide fairway” you think to yourself. Then you hit it, and your disc bounces 30 feet to the left into the woods. Then you’re stuck straddling a bush trying to throw around tree and praying you just make it back to the fairway. But you’ll probably just hit another tree.
I three putt less is DG, but it still happens. The ‘gimme’ distances are just different. 4 or 5 feet, you’re good. 10 foot, you make consistently if you’re good. outside 10 feet, I’ll probably 2 putt. Unless your putt misses, hits the ground on the edge of the disc, and then rolls. Behind you.

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- KK
  
  Sep 17, 2016 at 5:53 pm
  
  What the heck are you babbling about.
  
  Reply Report comment
- digitalbroccoli
  
  Sep 20, 2016 at 9:42 am
  
  I’ve played disc golf for thirty years, including 2 open qualifiers and I’ve never had an issue with someone calling it frisbee golf. Back it down a notch dude.
  
  Reply Report comment
golfraven

Aug 29, 2016 at 4:41 pm

Golf is always fun if you think that at same time you could sit and look at your email inbox and answer emails. Where would you rather be? Having fun or being a slave to the men. Fun is when you wheck it over 300 yards and when you inbox is empty and you can look at vids from your last visit to the golf range.

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mhendon

Aug 29, 2016 at 4:20 pm

Sorry Barney I have to disagree with you on this one. Golf is very fun to me. Maybe that’s because I’m able to play closely to the way the game was meant to be played but more importantly I try not to take it to seriously.

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Steve C

Aug 29, 2016 at 4:16 pm

One last point regarding the demise of golf. Golf is hard, takes time, and today’s generation of everybody getting a trophy (right now) does not appreciate the work necessary to be successful. Add that to short attention spans due to all of todays distractions (social media, music while playing, etc) and real golf does not stand a chance.

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- DaveT
  
  Aug 29, 2016 at 5:59 pm
  
  Steve C, that was my reaction as I read the story. There’s a generational difference in attitude, and I’m not sure as many millennials have the attitude that golf — as skillfully described by Barney — requires.
  
  Reply Report comment
Steve C

Aug 29, 2016 at 4:09 pm

My wife always gives me the business about how I get to go out and have fun playing golf. I have always told her I wasn’t having fun (as this story clearly states). Her response is “Well, then why do you go play?” It’s not possible to explain this reasoning, lack of common sense, idiocy , illogical behavior, etc. to someone that does not play the game. That all having been said, there are a few rare occasions that I have had a good time. But it was about the company, not the golf itself. Sadly, I am just as angry at the end of a round whether I shoot a 85 or a 70. I tell all my non-golfing friends to avoid the game as its not worth the frustration!

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- Barney Adams
  
  Aug 29, 2016 at 5:37 pm
  
  and my reaction is just the opposite. I tell my friends that at 77 I’m out there beating my head against the same lack of talent wall I’ve always had and I love every minute. Do I have fun Like a video game etc.. and the answer is ” Thankfully ,no” This is golf, it’s so much more.
  
  Reply Report comment
Deadeye

Aug 29, 2016 at 2:55 pm

Hmmmmm. If golf is retreating at the rate you say, and pro golf is doing so great as tv entertainment, who, in a few years, is going to be watching those pro golfers on tv? Surely not those women who have found smarter things to do. Anybody remember when pro bowling was BIG on tv? Those guys were good too. Just saying.

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Bob Jones

Aug 29, 2016 at 2:01 pm

I get to enjoy the company my friends in a beautifully landscaped environment while doing about the only athletic thing there is that I can do…and that’s not fun?

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Bobtrumpet

Aug 29, 2016 at 1:45 pm

Frank Beard – a name I haven’t heard for a long time. I loved his one-page columns at the back of Golf Digest years (decades) ago. Seemed to be a straight-shooter (in golf and the written word). Glad to hear he’s still doing well.

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Justin

Aug 29, 2016 at 12:52 pm

I think the main source of “NO FUN” is when you play golf and your game continues to regress. If you play your home course fairly often and shoot pretty close to the same score, that outlier where you shoot 5 strokes below your handicap becomes fun… no, wait, not fun.. it’s exhilarating. “Fun” is always what you make of it. Fun can turn sour in a heartbeat with the wrong frame of mind. Fun endures if you know how to extract it out of a situation and cultivate it. Now that I have a 1-year old daughter I have plenty of fun in my life. But getting out once a month or so to play golf with good friends has become a different type of fun. Would I like to play more like I have in the past? Who wouldn’t? Golf has transformed into an escape… not from my family or the other things I love, but from reality for those 4+ hours.

Golf is a game. That sentence could stand alone as a fair description, but it’s really so much more. The game I’ve loved since I could walk is a new chapter in many people’s lives. Stats show that more people are “giving up” the game or playing much less frequently. But to me that doesn’t mean we’ve lost that lovin’ feelin’ to hit the links. We are more consumed than ever with “having something to do” rather than making sure the substance of that thing to do is worth our time. “This will make a great picture for instagram” or “I can finally update my Facebook status because we went on vacation” have become far more important than the value of both self worth and appreciation for what others do for you.

I love golf because it’s not something you can own. And on the flip side, golf is not something that should own you either. It’s one of the few things you can do poorly and still want to come back and do again. You can be upset with golf, but never truly scorned… in the end it all falls on you the individual. Golf doesn’t need you and you don’t need golf, and that’s exactly why it’s fun.

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Mr. Wedge

Aug 29, 2016 at 12:29 pm

I hate all this hoopla about making golf easier. The true golfers enjoy a challenge (within reason). And if you are more casual and want golf to be easy, there ARE options out there. I’ve been to a ton of courses that are very wide open and more player friendly. Most also have at least 3 sets of tees to choose from. So teeing it forward is an option too. Don’t have time for a full 18? Most courses have 9 hole rates, so play 9. Golf participation, IMO, is most affected by the cost. Not just for playing, but equipment too. I don’t claim to know what the fix is. But the issue certainly is not because golf is not as “fun” as playing Candyland with my toddler.

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Steve

Aug 29, 2016 at 11:51 am

Golf is plenty fun under the right circumstances. Such as……when you can play in 3 and 1/2 hours. A five hour round is awful and the definition of no fun. As for the eulogy for golf that we keep reading about, you could’ve fooled me. I don’t play as often as I would like, but I have seen crowded golf courses this summer in North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio and Virginia. I see a billionaire marketing a set of clubs for $ 3000 and new Drivers from the big name manufacturers in the big box stores for nearly $ 400 — with new versions right about the corner. Of course at $ 400 I won’t be making too many impulse purchases. Scotty Cameron putters are kept behind a plexiglass case so they won’t be stolen. Nice. That’s ok….I can 3-putt with something cheaper.

But what the golf industry lost sight of is this generation’s obsession with time or the lack thereof. Reconfigure golf courses to 12 holes and make twilight rates earlier and more affordable, and people will play. To me, the golden age of golf was back in the 60s when everyone played with wooden woods, irons with a sweet spot the size of a tick and balls that we wouldn’t even hit on a range now. And people loved the game, didn’t complain about it being “too hard” while they adored Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus cuz they looked right at them in the gallery. Those were the days, but give me the chance to play 9 holes with 10 or 11 clubs in a bag I can easily carry without waiting for someone plumb-bobbing a putt in front of me and the game is magic again.

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The Truth

Aug 29, 2016 at 5:04 am

Women are not smarter than men. Give me a break with this P.C garbage. Women are more emotional and far less logical, they’re very easily influenced by a monkey see, monkey do culture. What sort of lifestyle is hyped up in the MSM to influence them? Oh yes, the degnerate Culrtural Marxist society that is destroying us both socially and financially. And who falls for it the most? Women of course, zero logic. If the traditional values of the West was still considered cool, more Women would be playing.

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- Ru Paul
  
  Aug 29, 2016 at 8:26 am
  
  You go girl!
  
  Reply Report comment
- Egor
  
  Aug 30, 2016 at 11:37 am
  
  @The Truth – many will disagree with you, but you did hit the nail on the head. You’re right.
  
  Reply Report comment
James

Aug 28, 2016 at 4:06 pm

I think you’re wrong Mr. Adams. All sports are difficult and can be “not fun” by your definition. I’m an old baseball guy and if you get a safe hit 30% of the time you’re an amazing player. Quite difficult to hit a round ball with a round stick with a ball thrown fast and with curvature. Still, that one great hit every couple of games is what you chase and the chase if fun. Same with golf. Not every round will be great but parts of it might be. The fun is chasing that better score or hitting a few more good shots in a round. Challenge is fun too. It invigorates the mind. If everything was easy we would all get bored with it. This is why golf is fun, it is the chase and the challenge.

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Smitty

Aug 28, 2016 at 3:56 pm

Sorry Barney but this was a big ol’ shank of an article. Golf is fun, but it’s not easy. Most things that are fun aren’t easy. Are marketers mis-representing themselves by saying “golf is fun”? Heck no. They get paid to promote and sell stuff and nothing about that tag line is misleading in the least. When you were selling clubs would you have told a potential new golfer that the game really isn’t fun but hey, come buy this club from me for hundreds of dollars?

I enjoy practicing and working on improving my game and putting practice into play every week on the course. Seeing a long putt drop, hitting a big drive down the fairway, or sticking a wedge close is what fires me up and keeps me coming back for more. That is why the game is fun to me, but those same things don’t define the game of golf for other folks.

A close friend of mine only gets to golf maybe once a year on his birthday because of family and work conflicts. There are a lot of shanks and lost balls that day, but it’s a blast and he’d never say otherwise.

Frankly, if I were a marketer or in advertising role in the industry I don’t think there is a single productive thing I could take away from this article. Additionally, one of your final paragraphs about women being smarter than men as the rationale for not taking up the game is utterly ridiculous. It might be time for you to hang up the poor efforts at “writing” and focus on doing some real things to help grow the game.

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Dennis Clark

Aug 28, 2016 at 1:40 pm

Read Michael Murphy’s classic “Golf in the Kingdom”…
“Our relationship to paradox is a barometer of our enlightenment”

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8thehardway

Aug 28, 2016 at 8:55 am

Ah, the women; exemplars of the worthwhile and conscience to us all. But before they were women they were cart girls… . Somehow they transitioned from flirting to wisdom, while we just kept golfing, Peter Pans locked in eternal battle with Captain Hook and Captain Slice. We never grew up and put aside the things of youth because golf is the opium, the green dragon that clouds our mind even as we chase him from hole to hole; $75 to $150 for a hit that lasts 4 hours and we can’t get enough.

Should we resist this sticky substance of a sport and, like the women you admire, ascend to a higher plane or should ‘advertising folks’ develop better marketing along the lines you suggest to attract more innocents to this addiction? Your proposition seems at odds with your value system.

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- ?
  
  Aug 28, 2016 at 11:13 am
  
  Maybe it’s time to lay off the drugs…
  
  Reply Report comment
- KK
  
  Aug 28, 2016 at 9:15 pm
  
  Are all women just cart girls of various ages to you? Lame.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - 8thehardway
    
    Aug 29, 2016 at 3:56 pm
    
    I had hoped to pose a developmental dilemma between one-dimensional representations of a cultural bias which reached it’s zenith in the saccharine sitcoms of the early 1960s.
    
    I guess that boat has sailed, but rest assured I do not regard women as grown up cart girls.
    
    Reply Report comment
Randy

Aug 28, 2016 at 1:13 am

We made it fun, for the last two years we have played two man scrambles for lunch almost every Tuesday, the only time it is not fun is the Tuesday one of the guys cannot make it and we have to play our own ball.

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Jon Hensey

Aug 27, 2016 at 8:01 pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZy2I9ZJkVY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaGGmgTn_G0

golf is FUN

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don7936

Aug 27, 2016 at 7:40 pm

Barney, what are you smoking? You made your living off of “dumb” men who bought your products?? i understand the point you’re trying to make but belittling the intelligence of 90% of your customer base is preposterous. BY logical extension, if women are too smart to play golf, only dummies will play it. Therefore men are dumb. Dude, that is the lamest thing I’ve seen on this site. Never mind the gratuitous “smart women” comment too prevalent in golf nowadays. If you’re willing to turn golf into a gender issue, publish your remarks at a site geared for women. You totally sold out.

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- kolfpro
  
  Aug 29, 2016 at 3:59 am
  
  OK now, keep your shirt on Tonto. Barney is not trying to insult you or golfers in general but it seems you are taking it that way. Remember, never take it personally even tho sometimes it is! 🙂
  
  Reply Report comment
cwt

Aug 27, 2016 at 6:32 pm

“You know going in that you won’t win because regardless of your skill level, you can always improve.”

Which is why Mr. 58 should have walked away from the game that very day!

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- Jim
  
  Aug 29, 2016 at 12:08 pm
  
  Just one put better, and it could have been a 57…….
  
  Reply Report comment
RI_Redneck

Aug 27, 2016 at 5:10 pm

Barney’s description of the game is very spot on IMHO. I don’t play for fun, never have. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the challenge, the comraderie, the exercise and the scenery……. but I don’t have fun. Every time I walk onto a golf course it’s to do battle. It’s always a battle between me and the course itself (and the designer, I guess), even in tournaments. I have won tournaments before and been completely disappointed with my performance because I didn’t play as well as I should have. I get the most fulfillment from playing my best on a really tough track. That’s probably the reason I seek out the courses I do when I’m traveling. I actually don’t think I got my money’s worth if I don’t feel like I’ve worked my a** off to get the score I got. Hey, maybe I’m a bit of a nut and that’s fine if you think so. But that’s just the way it is.

This game is designed to kick your butt, work you in the ground and reward you only when you try your best. That’s why I love it.

BT

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- Steve C
  
  Aug 29, 2016 at 4:20 pm
  
  Well said, Redneck. And todays generation just does not get it! Nor do they want to.
  
  Reply Report comment
Double Mocha Man

Aug 26, 2016 at 10:53 pm

That must have been a 600 yard par 5 since you hit your drive 410 yards…

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Double Mocha Man

Aug 26, 2016 at 10:48 pm

Golf is fun for the camaraderie among friends, the anticipation of that round, the fresh air, the 3 incredible “pro-like” shots you hit per round and the gin & tonic afterwards.

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- Double Mocha Man
  
  Aug 27, 2016 at 12:39 pm
  
  Actually those are nicknames for Ginger & Tonica… they’re both girls and they’re both legal.
  
  Reply Report comment
Sometimes a Smizzle

Aug 26, 2016 at 10:32 pm

i definetely agree with Barney. I feel like golf is fun in a different kind of way. I often play alone because i like the challenge and i like being alone after being around people all week. I experience satisfaction more then fun.

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- Double Mocha Man
  
  Aug 26, 2016 at 11:01 pm
  
  I often play alone because I’m afraid Smizzle will join my threesome. 🙂
  
  Reply Report comment
JThunder

Aug 26, 2016 at 10:17 pm

All sports are challenging and the enjoyment – for those who “get it” – is because it’s a challenge. This is why the push for 15″ holes is idiotic. You could make basketball a lot easier and – apparently – more “fun” by just having a huge waist-high barrel for the ball. I mean, why go through the effort and difficulty of throwing the ball up high to such a small target??

I’ll take issue with the mention of “symphonies” – to properly understand and appreciate the complexity of the music you’re hearing IS a challenge. This isn’t Barney or Bieber, it’s Bach and Beethoven. *Playing* orchestral music is a challenge of the highest order, and takes a lifetime of dedication and 8 hours practice a day to be professional.

The real semantic issue at hand is this; have we become so jaded and lazy that something challenging and difficult can’t be called “fun”?

If everyone is so worried about golf participation, I suggest they look long and hard at the state of the middle class; incomes, time spent at work (including emails at home), increased prices and decreased salaries and benefits, unemployment and underemployment/multiple jobs, plus social media, kids’ activities, etc. More really good 9-hole courses might help. Overcrowding at existing courses is a factor too, certainly in the Chicago area.

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- Nick Stec
  
  Aug 27, 2016 at 7:25 am
  
  THIS!!!! AWESOME.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Mat
  
  Aug 27, 2016 at 5:41 pm
  
  Agreed. As a former musician, I have a draw to golf that is very similar. I had a lot of fun as a musician… same ideas; camaraderie, working but never achieving perfection, and mastering a craft. I was a much better musician than I have ever been a golfer. The irony is that an activity like golf requires determination to get better, but it is a hobby that most of us put in the garage for days or weeks at a time. Those that practice every day, like music, are envied.
  
  “Fun” might not be the single best word, but how does one describe the drive as an artist for perfection?
  
  Reply Report comment
  - JThunder
    
    Aug 27, 2016 at 6:22 pm
    
    I guess it depends. To some people, “fun” is sitting on a beach doing nothing getting hammered. Some would have to be there surfing or playing volleyball or something. To some, it’s climbing a mountain or hiking a trail, painting a picture or whittling a sofa. It’s a certain kind of person – not necessarily “the very few” though – who enjoy accomplishment rather than idle fun. But if golf weren’t “fun”, why would anyone do it? It’s expensive, it takes time and lots of effort – I guess you can call it “enjoyment” instead of “fun”, but that nitpicks semantics. The same goes for artists – most genuinely enjoy and love what they do, and far less than 1% could claim to be “doing it for the money”.
    
    So, maybe the disconnect is in the Tiger Factor, and companies like Nike’s expectations. YES, a lot of people “tried” golf because of Tiger, and quit because it was “too hard” or they sucked, or it was too expensive, took too much time, was too hard to Tweet while doing, whatever. It was the Tiger Bubble – and just like the Housing Bubble, the eCommerce Bubble, the occasional tennis or soccer mania, it was BOUND to subside.
    
    I suppose it could be called “unfortunate” that the Tiger Bubble burst almost simultaneously with the economy. (Wait – what was that crash – the stock market or Tiger’s SUV window? Was that breaking Tiger’s back or the back of the middle class?) Again, anyone who expects “participation” (aka “CASH”) to be UP when the middle class are working 60 hours a week – husband and wife – and barely making ends meet. As for Nike pulling out of golf – I’m sure the cash they paid Tiger didn’t help. As for 800 courses closing – specifics of where and why? I’ve seen a few close here with owners cashing out on the land. NOT lack of golfers.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Bag Chatter
      
      Aug 29, 2016 at 8:36 am
      
      JT – You shouldn’t be on this site – you make way too much sense!
      
      Reply Report comment
oldpromoe

Aug 26, 2016 at 10:12 pm

I have played golf for 56 years. Golf is fun for me. I play almost every day and always enjoy myself. Great shots still thrill me. Good shots make me happy, Poor shots don’t concern me.
I play with people I like and one that I love.
During our long Manitoba winters, I hit balls indoors at the Dome every day. I find that to be fun too.
Barney, with respect, maybe you need an attitude adjustment.

Reply Report comment
- Barney
  
  Aug 27, 2016 at 12:23 am
  
  I generally don’t respond but I liked your comment. I’ve been playing for 65+ years and still read the articles on how to improve. I get sick of the “instant gratification ”
  Type ads and am promoting a little ” truth in advertising “
  
  Reply Report comment
- Mike W
  
  Aug 28, 2016 at 1:21 am
  
  I’m in Winnipeg too. Send me a PM and lets go have fun!
  
  Reply Report comment
Bernard

Aug 26, 2016 at 9:57 pm

Great article. I have always been annoyed by the way the game is sold. It is sold more like a Zumba infomercial than the challenging game that it is. The reward is in the journey to meet it’s challenges. It’s more martial arts or mountain climbing of the soul but it is not “fun”. Fun is only in the fleeting moment everything went correctly. Thank you Barney.

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Wayne J Bosley

Aug 26, 2016 at 9:48 pm

Exciting and Challenging ,,, like life,,,,,

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Steve

Aug 26, 2016 at 9:32 pm

Golf is better than work and as memorable as (marital) sex.

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Tom Duckworth

Aug 26, 2016 at 8:55 pm

Hit a drive about 40 yards along the ground on a par 4 yesterday…..mad and a bit embarrassed I sucked it up and followed that with an arrow straight 5 wood to the left of the green about two yards off the putting surface. Was it fun? No and yes. I’m still a little mad at myself for that crappy drive and proud of the fairway shot. I can’t think of many things I do where the battle is truly against myself. I don’t think golf will die out but it may very well become a game that very few will play in the future with old clubs that they have to keep fixing because they are hard to find. I hope people in the future will be able to understand what a great thing golf is. My granddaughter loves it but my grandson can’t put down his phone long enough to get the beauty of it.

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- Matt
  
  Aug 27, 2016 at 5:01 pm
  
  Pretty solid 260 yard 5 wood, true WRXer
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Dave
    
    Aug 27, 2016 at 8:50 pm
    
    How do you know it was 260?
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Matt
      
      Aug 29, 2016 at 8:21 pm
      
      Hit Driver 40 yards, just think it was a 300 yard par 4.
      
      Reply Report comment
Silverhead

Aug 26, 2016 at 7:17 pm

Just had that round today. Started with a par, got on the bogie train, dropped a 25 ft. birdie putt on #7, then made the turn onto the DOUBLE bogie train. Stopped keeping score by #14 and enjoyed the rest of the round.

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ooffa

Aug 26, 2016 at 6:55 pm

Of course it’s fun. Barney stop griping already it’s getting tiresome.

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KK

Aug 26, 2016 at 6:07 pm

Ice cream and symphonies are fun? Fail.

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- Double Mocha Man
  
  Aug 26, 2016 at 10:55 pm
  
  There is nothing better than Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, final movement. I’ll take a good live production of that over an eagle any day…
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Fredo
    
    Aug 27, 2016 at 3:42 pm
    
    KK, your the clown. You just haven’t realized it yet. Barney gives us thought provoking articles that need to be applauded!
    
    Reply Report comment
westphi

Aug 26, 2016 at 5:58 pm

Fun: “something that provides mirth or amusement”…that’s golf to me, and if Barney Adams is going to say I don’t play golf, I’d invite him to come play a round or reevaluate what he’s been playing all these years…

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Scooter McGavin

Aug 26, 2016 at 5:14 pm

Also, I’m going to take issue with your logic for why there aren’t as many women golfers as there could be. While you try to put a positive spin on it by making it sound like men are the dumb ones wasting our time and women are the smart ones finding “better things to do”. I’m not starting a debate about which gender is smarter or whatever, but your argument comes across as a veiled sentiment of “men have the drive to tough out the challenges while women don’t want to work hard”. I’m not asking you to take my word for it, but all I ask is you take a moment, step back, and reflect on those remarks and see if they could be construed in a patronizing or condescending way by someone else (namely of the opposite gender). I think the real reason behind the lack of women golfers is the history it has of being a man’s sport, and the boy’s club mentality that gets perpetuated to this day. While it’s not what it used to be, you can still find plenty of men that see golf as their time away from their wives/girlfriends/women/whatever and don’t want women to play. It’s present in everyday pop culture things like TV shows, movies, greeting cards, etc. that show men as the golfers and women as the nagging spouse that gets angry when she has to stay home with the kids on Saturday morning while the husband sneaks out for 18 with his pals. It’s even more apparent in the presence of all-male golf clubs. It’s a cultural issue that is not exclusive to golf, but a number of other sports: baseball, football, etc. I’m sure you’ve heard countless men in your lifetime crack remarks about nobody watching or caring about women’s sports. There’s your problem right there. The culture that men create and that some still perpetuate.

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- Scooter McGavin
  
  Aug 27, 2016 at 1:05 pm
  
  Thanks for proving my point with your sexist comment.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Gordy
  
  Aug 28, 2016 at 7:38 pm
  
  Whew…you’re the preachy person at the party who shows up and kills the laughter. So, let me guess..you majored in gender studies but work at a grocery store as the cashier?
  
  Reply Report comment
Dj

Aug 26, 2016 at 5:11 pm

Uh I find golf fun myself. Just because it’s challenging doesn’t mean it’s not fun. Weird article

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Mike

Aug 26, 2016 at 5:07 pm

Nicely written piece.

“Fun” usually implies instant gratification. The reward from golf is greater than that.

At times, golf can seem like meditation. No one ever called meditation “fun”.

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alexdub

Aug 26, 2016 at 4:58 pm

Great write-up Barney. Golf is always striving, never arriving.

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Scooter McGavin

Aug 26, 2016 at 4:51 pm

Symphonies are hard too…

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Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: What really makes a wedge work? Part 2

Published

2 days ago

May 9, 2024

Terry Koehler

In my last post, I explained the basic performance dynamics of “smash factor” and “gear effect” as they apply to your wedges and your wedge play success. If you missed that post, you can read it here.

At the end of that post, I promised “part 2” of this discussion of what makes a wedge work the way it does. So, let’s dive into the other two components of any wedge – the shaft and the grip.

It’s long been said that the shaft is “the engine of the golf club.” The shaft (and grip) are your only connection to all the technologies that are packed into the head of any golf club, whether it be a driver, fairway, hybrid, iron, wedge or even putter.

And you cannot ignore those two components of your wedges if your goal is optimizing your performance.

I’ve long been an advocate of what I call a “seamless transition” from your irons into your wedges, so that the feel and performance do not disconnect when you choose a gap wedge, for example, instead of your iron-set-matching “P-club.” In today’s golf equipment marketplace, more and more golfers are making the investment of time and money to experience an iron fitting, going through trial and error and launch monitor measuring to get just the right shaft in their irons.

But then so many of those same golfers just go into a store and choose wedges off the retail display, with no similar science involved at all. And that’s why I see so many golfers with a huge disconnect between their custom-fitted irons, often with lighter and/or softer graphite or light steel shafts . . . and their off-the-rack wedges with the stock stiff steel ‘wedge flex’ shaft common to those stock offerings.

If your wedge shafts are significantly heavier and stiffer than the shafts in your irons, it is physically impossible for you to make the same swing. Period.

To quickly improve your wedge play, one of the first things you can do is have your wedges re-shafted with the same or similar shaft that is in your irons.

There’s another side of that shaft weight equation; if you don’t have the forearm and hand strength of a PGA Tour professional, you simply cannot “handle” the same weight shaft that those guys play to master the myriad of ‘touch shots’ around the greens.

Now, let’s move on to the third and other key component of your wedges – the grips. If those are not similar in shape and feel to the grips on your irons, you have another disconnect. Have your grips checked by a qualified golf club professionals to make sure you are in sync there.

The one caveat to that advice is that I am a proponent of a reduced taper in your wedge grips – putting two to four more layers of tape under the lower hand, or selecting one of the many reduced taper grips on the market. That accomplishes two goals for your scoring.

First, it helps reduce overactive hands in your full and near-full wedge swings. Quiet hands are key to good wedge shots.

And secondly, it provides a more consistent feel of the wedge in your hands as you grip down for those shorter and more delicate shots around the greens. And you should always grip down as you get into those touch shots. I call it “getting closer to your work.”

So, if you will spend as much time selecting the shafts and grips for your wedges as you do choosing the brand, model, and loft of them, your scoring range performance will get better.

Vincenzi’s 2024 Wells Fargo Championship betting preview: Tommy Fleetwood ready to finally land maiden PGA Tour title

Published

5 days ago

May 6, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

The PGA Tour season ramps back up this week for another “signature event,” as golf fans look forward to the year’s second major championship next week.

After two weaker-field events in the Zurich Classic and the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, most of the best players in the world will head to historic Quail Hollow for one of the best non-major tournaments of the year.

Last season, Wyndham Clark won the event by four shots.

Quail Hollow is a par-71 measuring 7,521 yards that features Bermudagrass greens. The tree-lined, parkland style course can play quite difficult and features one of the most difficult three-hole stretches in golf known as “The Green Mile,” which makes up holes 16-18: two mammoth par 4s and a 221-yard par 3. All three holes have an average score over par, and water is in play in each of the last five holes on the course.

The field is excellent this week with 68 golfers teeing it up without a cut. All of the golfers who’ve qualified are set to tee it up, with the exception of Scottie Scheffler, who is expecting the birth of his first child.

Past Winners at Quail Hollow

2023: Wyndham Clark (-19)
2022: Max Homa (-8)
2021: Rory McIlroy (-10)
2019: Max Homa (-15)
2018: Jason Day (-12)
2017: Justin Thomas (-8) (PGA Championship)
2016: James Hahn (-9)
2015: Rory McIlroy (-21)

Key Stats For Quail Hollow

Strokes Gained: Approach

Strokes gained: Approach will be extremely important this week as second shots at Quail Hollow can be very difficult.

Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds

Akshay Bhatia (+1.16)
Tom Hoge (+1.12)
Corey Conners (+1.01)
Shane Lowry (+0.93)
Austin Eckroat (+0.82)

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee

Quail Hollow is a long course on which it is important to play from the fairway. Both distance and accuracy are important, as shorter tee shots will result in approach shots from 200 or more yards. With most of the holes heavily tree lined, errant drives will create some real trouble for the players.

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee Past 24 Rounds:

Ludvig Aberg (+0.73)
Rory McIlroy (+0.69)
Xander Schauffele (+0.62)
Viktor Hovland (+0.58)
Chris Kirk (+0.52)

Proximity: 175-200

The 175-200 range is key at Quail Hollow. Players who can hit their long irons well will rise to the top of the leaderboard.

Proximity: 175-200+ over past 24 rounds:

Cameron Young (28’2″)
Akshay Bhatia (29’6″)
Ludvig Aberg (+30’6″)
Sam Burns (+30’6″)
Collin Morikawa (+30’9″)

SG: Total on Tom Fazio Designs

Players who thrive on Tom Fazio designs get a bump for me at Quail Hollow this week.

SG: Total on Tom Fazio Designs over past 36 rounds:

Patrick Cantlay (+2.10)
Rory McIlroy (+1.95)
Tommy Fleetwood (+1.68)
Austin Eckroat (+1.60)
Will Zalatoris (+1.57)

Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermudagrass)

Strokes Gained: Putting has historically graded out as the most important statistic at Quail Hollow. While it isn’t always predictable, I do want to have it in the model to bump up golfers who prefer to putt on Bermudagrass.

Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermudagrass) Over Past 24 Rounds:

Taylor Moore (+0.82)
Nick Dunlap (+.76)
Wyndham Clark (+.69)
Emiliano Grillo (+.64)
Cam Davis (+.61)

Course History

This stat will incorporate players that have played well in the past at Quail Hollow.

Course History over past 36 rounds (per round):

Rory McIlroy (+2.50)
Justin Thomas (+1.96)
Jason Day (+1.92)
Rickie Fowler (+1.83)
Viktor Hovland (+1.78)

Wells Fargo Championship Model Rankings

Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (27%), SG: Off the Tee (23%), SG: Total on Fazio designs (12%), Proximity: 175-200 (12%), SG: Putting Bermuda grass (12%), and Course History (14%).

Wyndham Clark
Rory McIlroy
Xander Schauffele
Shane Lowry
Hideki Matsuyama
Viktor Hovland
Cameron Young
Austin Eckroat
Byeong Hun An
Justin Thomas

2024 Wells Fargo Championship Picks

Tommy Fleetwood +2500 (DraftKings)

I know many out there have Tommy fatigue when it comes to betting, which is completely understandable given his lack of ability to win on the PGA Tour thus far in his career. However, history has shown us that players with Fleetwood’s talent eventually break though, and I believe for Tommy, it’s just a matter of time.

Fleetwood has been excellent on Tom Fazio designs. Over his past 36 rounds, he ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Total on Fazio tracks. He’s also been incredibly reliable off the tee this season. He’s gained strokes in the category in eight of his past nine starts, including at The Masters, the PLAYERS and the three “signature events” of the season. Tommy is a golfer built for tougher courses and can grind it out in difficult conditions.

Last year, Fleetwood was the first-round leader at this event, firing a Thursday 65. He finished the event in a tie for 5th place.

For those worried about Fleetwood’s disappointing start his last time out at Harbour Town, he’s bounced back nicely after plenty of poor outings this season. His T7 at the Valero Texas Open was after a MC and T35 in his prior two starts and his win at the Dubai Invitational came after a T47 at the Sentry.

I expect Tommy to bounce back this week and contend at Quail Hollow.

Justin Thomas +3000 (DraftKings)

It’s been a rough couple of years for Justin Thomas, but I don’t believe things are quite as bad as they seem for JT. He got caught in the bad side of the draw at Augusta for last month’s Masters and has gained strokes on approach in seven of his nine starts in 2024.

Thomas may have found something in his most recent start at the RBC Heritage. He finished T5 at a course that he isn’t the best fit for on paper. He also finally got the putter working and ranked 15th in Strokes Gained: Putting for the week.

The two-time PGA champion captured the first of his two major championships at Quail Hollow back in 2017, and some good vibes from the course may be enough to get JT out of his slump.

Thomas hasn’t won an event in just about two years. However, I still believe that will change soon as he’s been one of the most prolific winners throughout his PGA Tour career. Since 2015, he has 15 PGA Tour wins.

Course history is pretty sticky at Quail Hollow, with players who like the course playing well there on a regular basis. In addition to JT’s PGA Championship win in 2017, he went 4-1 at the 2022 Presidents Cup and finished T14 at the event last year despite being in poor form. Thomas can return as one of the top players on the PGA Tour with a win at a “signature event” this week.

Cameron Young +3500 (DraftKings)

For many golf bettors, it’s been frustrating backing Cam Young this season. His talent is undeniable, and one of the best and most consistent performers on the PGA Tour. He just hasn’t broken through with a victory yet. Quail Hollow has been a great place for elite players to get their first victory. Rory McIlroy, Anthony Kim, Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark all notched their first PGA Tour win at Quail.

Throughout Cam Young’s career, he has thrived at tougher courses with strong fields. This season, he finished T16 at Riviera and T9 at Augusta National, demonstrating his preference of a tough test. His ability to hit the ball long and straight off the tee make him an ideal fit for Quail Hollow, despite playing pretty poorly his first time out in 2023 (T59). Young should be comfortable playing in the region as he played his college golf at Wake Forest, which is about an hour’s drive from Quail Hollow.

The 26-year-old has played well at Tom Fazio designs in the past and ranks 8th in the field in Strokes Gained: Total on those courses in his last 36 rounds. Perhaps most importantly, this season, Young is the best player on the PGA Tour in terms of proximity from 175-200 in the fairway, which is where a plurality and many crucial shots will come from this week.

Young is an elite talent and Quail Hollow has been kind to players of his ilk who’ve yet to win on Tour.

Byeong Hun An +5000 (FanDuel)

Byeong Hun An missed some opportunities last weekend at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. He finished T4 and played some outstanding golf, but a couple of missed short putts prevented him from getting to the winning score of -23. Despite not getting the win, it’s hard to view An’s performance as anything other than an overwhelming success. It was An’s fourth top-ten finish of the season.

Last week, An gained 6.5 strokes ball striking, which was 7th in the field. He also ranked 12th for Strokes Gained: Approach and 13th for Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. The South Korean has been hitting the ball so well from tee to green all season long and he now heads to a golf course that should reward his precision.

An’s driver and long irons are absolute weapons. At Quail Hollow, players will see plenty of approach shots from the 175-200 range as well as some from 200+. In his past 24 rounds, Ben ranks 3rd in the field in proximity from 175-200 and 12th in proximity from 200+. Playing in an event that will not end up being a “birdie” fest should help An, who can separate from the field with his strong tee to green play. The putter may not always cooperate but getting to -15 is much easier than getting to -23 for elite ball strikers who tend to struggle on the greens.

Winning a “signature event” feels like a tall task for An this week with so many elite players in the field. However, he’s finished T16 at the Genesis Invitational, T16 at The Masters and T8 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The 32-year-old’s game has improved drastically this season and I believe he’s ready to get the biggest win of his career.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s LIV Golf Singapore betting preview: Course specialist ready to thrive once again

Published

2 weeks ago

Apr 30, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

After another strong showing in Australia, LIV Golf will head to Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore looking to build off of what was undoubtedly their best event to date.

Sentosa Golf Club sits on the southern tip of Singapore and is one of the most beautiful courses in the world. The course is more than just incredible scenically; it was also rated 55th in Golf Digest’s top-100 courses in 2022-2023 and has been consistently regarded as one of the best courses in Asia. Prior to being part of the LIV rotation, the course hosted the Singapore Open every year since 2005.

Sentosa Golf Club is a par 71 measuring 7,406 yards. The course will require precise ball striking and some length off the tee. It’s possible to go low due to the pristine conditions, but there are also plenty of hazards and difficult spots on the course that can bring double bogey into play in a hurry. The Bermudagrass greens are perfectly manicured, and the course has spent millions on the sub-air system to keep the greens rolling fast. I spoke to Asian Tour player, Travis Smyth, who described the greens as “the best [he’s] ever played.”

Davis Love III, who competed in a Singapore Open in 2019, also gushed over the condition of the golf course.

“I love the greens. They are fabulous,” the 21-time PGA Tour winner said.

Love III also spoke about other aspects of the golf course.

“The greens are great; the fairways are perfect. It is a wonderful course, and it’s tricky off the tee.”

“It’s a long golf course, and you get some long iron shots. It takes somebody hitting it great to hit every green even though they are big.”

As Love III said, the course can be difficult off the tee due to the length of the course and the trouble looming around every corner. It will take a terrific ball striking week to win at Sentosa Golf Club.

In his pre-tournament press conference last season, Phil Mickelson echoed many of the same sentiments.

“To play Sentosa effectively, you’re going to have a lot of shots from 160 to 210, a lot of full 6-, 7-, 8-iron shots, and you need to hit those really well and you need to drive the ball well.”

Golfers who excel from tee to green and can dial in their longer irons will have a massive advantage this week.

Stat Leaders at LIV Golf Adelaide:

Fairways Hit

1.) Louis Oosthuizen

2.) Anirban Lahiri

3.) Jon Rahm

4.) Brendan Steele

5.) Cameron Tringale

Greens in Regulation

1.) Brooks Koepka

2.) Brendan Steele

3.) Dean Burmester

4.) Cameron Tringale

5.) Anirban Lahiri

Birdies Made

1.) Brendan Steele

2.) Dean Burmester

3.) Thomas Pieters

4.) Patrick Reed

5.) Carlos Ortiz

LIV Golf Individual Standings:

1.) Joaquin Niemann

2.) Jon Rahm

3.) Dean Burmester

4.) Louis Oosthuizen

5.) Abraham Ancer

LIV Golf Team Standings:

1.) Crushers

2.) Legion XIII

3.) Torque

4.) Stinger GC

5.) Ripper GC

LIV Golf Singapore Picks

Sergio Garcia +3000 (DraftKings)

Sergio Garcia is no stranger to Sentosa Golf Club. The Spaniard won the Singapore Open in 2018 by five strokes and lost in a playoff at LIV Singapore last year to scorching hot Talor Gooch. Looking at the course setup, it’s no surprise that a player like Sergio has played incredible golf here. He’s long off the tee and is one of the better long iron players in the world when he’s in form. Garcia is also statistically a much better putter on Bermudagrass than he is on other putting surfaces. He’s putt extremely well on Sentosa’s incredibly pure green complexes.

This season, Garcia has two runner-up finishes, both of them being playoff losses. Both El Camaleon and Doral are courses he’s had success at in his career. The Spaniard is a player who plays well at his tracks, and Sentosa is one of them. I believe Sergio will get himself in the mix this week. Hopefully the third time is a charm in Singapore.

Paul Casey +3300 (FanDuel)

Paul Casey is in the midst of one of his best seasons in the five years or so. The results recently have been up and down, but he’s shown that when he’s on a golf course that suits his game, he’s amongst the contenders.

This season, Casey has finishes of T5 (LIV Las Vegas), T2 (LIV Hong Kong), and a 6th at the Singapore Classic on the DP World Tour. At his best, the Englishman is one of the best long iron players in the world, which makes him a strong fit for Sentosa. Despite being in poor form last season, he was able to fire a Sunday 63, which shows he can low here at the course.

It’s been three years since Casey has won a tournament (Omega Dubai Desert Classic in 2021), but he’s been one of the top players on LIV this season and I think he can get it done at some point this season.

Mito Pereira +5000 (Bet365)

Since Mito Pereira’s unfortunate demise at the 2022 PGA Championship, he’s been extremely inconsistent. However, over the past few months, the Chilean has played well on the International Series as well as his most recent LIV start. Mito finished 8th at LIV Adelaide, which was his best LIV finish this season.

Last year, Pereira finished 5th at LIV Singapore, shooting fantastic rounds of 67-66-66. It makes sense why Mito would like Sentosa, as preeminent ball strikers tend to rise to the challenge of the golf course. He’s a great long iron player who is long and straight off the tee.

Mito has some experience playing in Asia and is one of the most talented players on LIV who’s yet to get in the winner’s circle. I have questions about whether or not he can come through once in contention, but if he gets there, I’m happy to roll the dice.

Andy Ogletree +15000 (DraftKings)

Andy Ogletree is a player I expected to have a strong 2024 but struggled early in his first full season on LIV. After failing to crack the top-25 in any LIV event this year, the former U.S. Amateur champion finally figured things out, finished in a tie for 3rd at LIV Adelaide.

Ogletree should be incredible comfortable playing in Singapore. He won the International Series Qatar last year and finished T3 at the International Series Singapore. The 26-year-old was arguably the best player on the Asian Tour in 2023 and has been fantastic in the continent over the past 18 months.

If Ogletree has indeed found form, he looks to be an amazing value at triple-digit odds.

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