Opinion & Analysis

You threw your club. Now what?

Published

11 years ago

Nov 26, 2012

Throwing clubs is a lot like paying taxes. Not everyone does it, but most of us do it at least once a year, and when we do it is generally not a pleasant experience.

Nobody starts a round saying, “I’m going to destroy the precious 5 wood that I thought highly enough to put in my bag.”

But sometimes things just work out that way. There’s only so much we can take from this unforgiving game. How come that punch shot through the trees always hits that one branch that if you were trying to hit it, it would take six days and 6000 golf balls? And only the shots you hit well hit that branch. The chunked or thinned shots through the trees never seem to hit anything — they just land in worse trouble. I mean c’mon man, you were only 1-over before that. But now, sigh….

The golf gods can be cruel. And like the ancient civilizations believed, sometimes they need a sacrifice. But like I said, it can be awkward and no one wants to end up playing alone because of a few indiscretions. So here is a guide on how your throwing will affect your playing partners, how to act when you do throw a club and how to apologize for your behavior afterward. To make this easier to understand, I have assigned terror levels for the different stages of tantrum-like behavior.

Click here for more discussion in the “Golf Talk” forum.

Level 1: Terror alert green

Includes: Gentle club slam, light digging of your wedge into the ground after a poor chip, hitting down a divot with your iron, medium decibel curse word.

Bottom Line: Apology not required.

How to act: Just act normal, nothing to see here.

Stuff like this happens every round and it’s really no big deal. The most important thing to do is to show your playing partners that things like this are not affecting you long term. There’s nothing worse than when you are playing with a guy and he gets so angry you’re scared to talk to him for 5 hours. But it’s very difficult to go through a round without getting a break or missing a putt that doesn’t require at least a moderate curse word. So let out the curse and stomp that iron down into the divot — just try to avoid doing it more then a few times. As long as you are a somewhat interesting guy and can make a few jokes too. No one is going to stop playing with you because of this.

Level 2: Terror alert blue

Includes: Hard club slam, club throw threat (you know when someone is going to whip a club but then quickly rethinks it), loud curse word, throwing ball into water, hacking at the ground with a wedge or iron, dropping putter after a short miss.

Bottom Line: Apology not required (conditional).

How to act: Quickly show there are no lingering effects.

OK, this is starting to get a bit more serious. But until now, with the exception of the putter-drop which is not all that threatening, the club hasn’t left your hand. This is good, because once the club leaves your hand you’ve entered a different level of tantrum. Your playing partners will probably feel a bit uneasy. The best thing to do is quickly show them you aren’t going to be affected by this: it was just a quick outburst, but you are past it. I’d sidle up to one of them as you walk toward the green and make conversation about something entirely different — ask them where they work, etc. It shows that you’ve already moved on and quells their concerns that you might be a crazy person on the verge of a breakdown. Don’t mention the shot you just hit, even in a joking manner, and certainly don’t say “I NEVER do that.” They’ll know you are still thinking about it and that’s not good. Move on quickly. If you do that, there no apology is required.

Level 3: Terror alert yellow

Includes: The short club throw (think Anthony Kim or Tiger slamming the driver down), tossing your wedge or putter back at your golf bag instead of bringing it back, curse word loud enough to be heard on multiple holes, hole-long general surliness.

Bottom line: Moderate apology required.

How to act: Sheepishly saying,

“Sorry about that guys, it won’t happen again.”

Now you’ve done it, you’ve crossed the line between, “Hmmm, this guy has a bit of a temper” to “Uh oh, this round could be really unpleasant.” But it’s not the end of the world. Almost every golfer you’ll ever play with has crossed into terror alert yellow at some point. You have to generally acknowledge your behavior is not appropriate, and you do that with the sheepish apology. Sheepishness is actually a great trick in this situation, because it shows you are embarrassed at your behavior. But also lends your playing partners to believe that this kind of behavior probably doesn’t happen much. A quick or angry sorry might say, “I do this all the time” and make you look like a politician caught cheating on his wife. The sheepish sorry says that you feel bad, you don’t do this often and it won’t happen again. As with Level 2, try to talk to them afterward about general stuff and move on.

Level 4: Terror alert orange

Includes: Full blown club throw, breaking clubs over knee, throwing putter into water, snarky responses to playing partners, walking ahead of the group in total angry silence, repeated false laughter at yourself, asking leading/trap questions to playing partners such as:

“Have you EVER seen anyone get luck like this!”

Bottom line: Apology required.

How to act: Wait a bit, then apologize. Try and make it heartfelt.

Once you’ve committed an orange level infraction, you really need to let time heal your wounds. Your playing partners ARE going to tell people about this in the clubhouse, and no matter what you say they are going to think you’ve done this before and will do it again. Have you ever watched Criminal Minds? People don’t escalate to Level 4 without committing prior bad acts.

The level 4 clubthrower probably has a sealed juvenile record and started fires as a kid, or maybe not, but you know what I mean.

You don’t start with a level 4. So take some time, then apologize to your playing partners — tell them you are working on it. If you are invited to have a beer after the round, a well-timed joke about needing to buy a new wedge can be appropriate. But mostly, if you ever the chance to play with these guys again, be sure to be on your best behavior. Only time going by without repeat infractions can make people think this was an isolated incident.

Level 5: Terror alert red

Includes: Threatening to fight people, breaking a club in two that ricochets and almost stabs someone, throwing a club through a nearby house’s window, causing serious course damage, unprovoked outbursts at course personnel, throwing the flag like a spear, etc. Generally, acting like Joe Pesci in Goodfellas.

Bottom Line: Apology? Have your lawyer send a notarized one.

How to act: Find a new course, change your name.

If you’ve committed a Level 5 infraction. Consult a psychologist. That’s your first step. Then if you wish to keep playing golf and have successfully completed therapy, you might want to find a new course and change your name to something nice sounding and non-threatening. Go with Ned Flanders or something like that.

Nobody is going to suspect Ned Flanders of being the same guy that almost stabbed a guy with a broken shaft while repeatedly asking, “How am I funny? You mean like a clown, like I amuse you?”

So there you have it. Go out and play golf, and don’t be afraid to make a little sacrifice to the golf gods here and there. Just know how to apologize, know when to draw the line and know how to get over it quickly. You’ll be OK. Follow the above guidelines and you’ll have no problem continually getting a game.

Click here for more discussion in the “Golf Talk” forum.

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Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: What really makes a wedge work? Part 1

Published

1 day ago

Apr 18, 2024

Terry Koehler

Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.

Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.

But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.

To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.

Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.

If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.

In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.

Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.

While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.

So, what about grooves and face texture?

Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.

Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.

But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?

The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.

So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.

And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.

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Golf's Perfect Imperfections

Golf’s Perfect Imperfections: Amazing Session with Performance Coach Savannah Meyer-Clement

Published

1 day ago

Apr 18, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

In this week’s episode, we spent some time with performance coach Savannah Meyer-Clement who provides many useful insights that you’ll be able to implement on the golf course.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 RBC Heritage betting preview: Patrick Cantlay ready to get back inside winner’s circle

Published

4 days ago

Apr 15, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

Just a two-hour drive from Augusta National, the PGA TOUR heads to Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Hilton Head Island is a golfer’s paradise and Harbour Town is one of the most beautiful and scenic courses on the PGA TOUR.

Harbour Town Golf Links is a par-71 that measures 7,121 yards and features Bermuda grass greens. A Pete Dye design, the course is heavily tree lined and features small greens and many dog legs, protecting it from “bomb-and-gauge” type golfers.

The field is loaded this week with 69 golfers with no cut. Last year was quite possibly the best field in RBC Heritage history and the event this week is yet another designated event, meaning there is a $20 million prize pool.

Most of the big names on the PGA Tour will be in attendance this week with the exceptions of Hideki Matsuyama and Viktor Hovland. Additionally, Webb Simpson, Shane Lowry, Gary Woodland and Kevin Kisner have been granted sponsors exemptions.

Past Winners at Harbour Town

2023: Matt Fitzpatrick (-17)
2022: Jordan Spieth (-13)
2021: Stewart Cink (-19)
2020: Webb Simpson (-22)
2019: CT Pan (-12)
2018: Sotoshi Kodaira (-12)
2017: Wesley Bryan (-13)
2016: Branden Grace (-9)
2015: Jim Furyk (-18)

In this article and going forward, I’ll be using the Rabbit Hole by Betsperts Golf data engine to develop my custom model. If you want to build your own model or check out all of the detailed stats, you can sign up using promo code: MATTVIN for 25% off any subscription package (yearly is best value).

Key Stats For Harbour Town

Let’s take a look at key metrics for Harbour Town Golf Links to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their past 24 rounds.

Strokes Gained: Approach

Strokes Gained: Approach is exceedingly important this week. The greens at Harbour Town are about half the size of PGA TOUR average and feature the second-smallest greens on the tour. Typical of a Pete Dye design, golfers will pay the price for missed greens.

Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds

Scottie Scheffler (+1.27)
Tom Hoge (+1.27)
Corey Conners (+1.16)
Austin Eckroat (+0.95)
Cameron Young (+0.93)

Good Drive %

The fairways at Harbour Town are tree lined and feature many dog legs. Bombers tend to struggle at the course because it forces layups and doesn’t allow long drivers to overpower it. Accuracy is far more important than power.

Good Drive % Over Past 24 Rounds

Brice Garnett (88.8%)
Shane Lowry (+87.2%)
Akshay Bhatia (+86.0%)
Si Woo Kim (+85.8%)
Sepp Straka (+85.1%)

Strokes Gained: Total at Pete Dye Designs

Pete Dye specialists tend to play very well at Harbour Town. Si Woo Kim, Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk and Webb Simpson are all Pete Dye specialists who have had great success here. It is likely we see some more specialists near the top of the leaderboard this week.

SG: TOT Pete Dye per round over past 36 rounds:

Xander Schauffele (+2.27)
Scottie Scheffler (+2.24)
Ludvig Aberg (+2.11)
Brian Harman (+1.89)
Sungjae Im (+1.58)

4. Strokes Gained: Short Game (Bermuda)

Strokes Gained: Short Game factors in both around the green and putting. With many green-side bunkers and tricky green complexes, both statistics will be important. Past winners — such as Jim Furyk, Wes Bryan and Webb Simpson — highlight how crucial the short game skill set is around Harbour Town.

SG: SG Over Past 24 Rounds

Jordan Spieth (+1.11)
Taylor Moore (+1.02)
Wyndham Clark (+0.98)
Mackenzie Hughes (+0.86)
Andrew Putnam (+0.83)

5. Greens in Regulation %

The recipe for success at Harbour Town Golf Links is hitting fairways and greens. Missing either will prove to be consequential — golfers must be in total control of the ball to win.

Greens in Regulation % over past 24 rounds:

Brice Garnett (+75.0%)
Scottie Scheffler (+69.9%)
Corey Conners (+69.0%)
Shane Lowry (+68.3%)
Patrick Rodgers (+67.6%)

6. Course History

Harbour Town is a course where players who have strong past results at the course always tend to pop up.

Course History over past 24 rounds:

Patrick Cantlay (+2.34)
Cam Davis (+2.05)
J.T. Poston (+1.69)
Justin Rose (+1.68)
Tommy Fleetwood (+1.59)

The RBC Heritage Model Rankings

Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (24%), Good Drives (20%), SG: SG (14%), SG: Pete Dye (14%), GIR (14%), and Course History (14%)

Shane Lowry
Russell Henley
Scottie Scheffler
Xander Schauffele
Corey Conners
Wyndham Clark
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Matt Fitzpatrick
Cameron Young
Ludvig Aberg

2024 RBC Heritage Picks

Patrick Cantlay +2000 (FanDuel)

With the exception of Scottie Scheffler, the PGA Tour has yet to have any of their star players show peak form during the 2024 season. Last week, Patrick Cantlay, who I believe is a top-5 players on the PGA Tour, took one step closer to regaining the form that’s helped him win eight events on Tour since 2017.

Cantlay limped into the Masters in poor form, but figured it out at Augusta National, finishing in a tie for 20th and ranking 17th for the week in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. The former FedEx Cup champion will now head to one of his favorite golf courses in Harbour Town, where he’s had immaculate results over the years. In his six trips to the course, he’s only finished worse than 7th one time. The other finishes include three third places (2017, 2019, 2023) and one runner-up finish (2022). In his past 36 rounds at Harbour Town, Cantlay ranks 1st in Strokes Gained: Total per round at the course by a wide margin (+2.36).

Cantlay is winless since the 2022 BMW Championship, which is far too long for a player of his caliber. With signs pointing to the 32-year-old returning to form, a “signature event” at Harbour Town is just what he needs to get back on the winning track.

Tommy Fleetwood +3000 (FanDuel)

I truly believe Tommy Fleetwood will figure out a way to win on American soil in 2024. It’s certainly been a bugaboo for him throughout his career, but he is simply too talented to go another season without winning a PGA Tour event.

At last week’s Masters Tournament, Fleetwood made a Sunday charge and ended up finishing T3 in the event, which was his best ever finish at The Masters. For the week, the Englishman ranked 8th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 10th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking and 16th in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Harbour Town is a perfect layout for Fleetwood, and he’s had relative success at this Pete Dye design in the past. In his four trips to the course, he’s finished inside of the top 25 three times, with his best finish, T10, coming in 2022. The course is pretty short and can’t be overpowered, which gives an advantage to more accurate players such as Fleetwood. Tommy ranks 8th in the field in Good Drive % and should be able to plot his way along this golf course.

The win is coming for Tommy lad. I believe there’s a chance this treasure of a golf course may be the perfect one for him to finally break through on Tour.

Cameron Young +3300 (FanDuel)

Cameron Young had a solid Masters Tournament last week, which is exactly what I’m looking for in players who I anticipate playing well this week at the RBC Heritage. He finished in a tie for 9th, but never felt the pressure of contending in the event. For the week, Young ranked 6th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 6th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.

Despite being one of the longest players off the tee on the PGA Tour, Young has actually played some really good golf on shorter tracks. He finished T3 at Harbour Town in 2023 and ranks 20th in the field in Good Drive% and 16th in Greens in Regulation in his past 24 rounds. He also has strong finishes at other shorter courses that can take driver out of a players hand such as Copperhead and PGA National.

Young is simply one of the best players on the PGA Tour in 2024, and I strongly believe has what it takes to win a PGA Tour event in the very near future.

Corey Conners +5500 (FanDuel)

Corey Conners has had a disappointing year thus far on the PGA Tour, but absolutely loves Harbour Town.

At last week’s Masters Tournament, the Canadian finished T30 but ranked 20th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach. In his past 24 rounds, Conners ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 3rd in Greens in Regulation % and 24th in Good Drive %.

In Conners’ last four trips to Harbour Town, his worst finish was T31, last season. He finished T4 in 2021, T12 in 2022 and ranks 8th in Strokes Gained: Total at the course over his past 36 rounds.

Conners hasn’t been contending, but his recent finishes have been encouraging as he has finished in the top-25 in each of his past three starts prior to The Masters, including an impressive T13 at The PLAYERS. His recent improvement in ball striking as well as his suitability for Harbour Town makes Conners a high upside bet this week.

Shane Lowry (+7500) (FanDuel)

When these odds were posted after Lowry was announced in the field, I have to admit I was pretty stunned. Despite not offering much win equity on the PGA Tour over the last handful of years, Shane Lowry is still a top caliber player who has the ability to rise to the top of a signature event.

Lowry struggled to score at The Masters last week, but he actually hit the ball really well. The Irishman ranked 1st for Strokes Gained: Approach on the week and 7th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. As usual, it was the putter that let him down, as he ranked 60th in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Harbour Town is most definitely one of Lowry’s favorite courses on the PGA Tour. In his six starts there, he’s finished in the top 10 three times, including third twice. Lowry is sensational at Pete Dye designs and ranks 7th in Strokes Gained: Total in his past 36 rounds on Dye tracks.

Lowry is perfect for Harbour Town. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 5th in Strokes Gained: Approach, 2nd in Good Drive% and 5th in Green in Regulation %. If he figures it out on the greens, Shane could have his first win in America since 2015.

Lucas Glover +12000 (FanDuel)

This is one of my weekly “bet the number” plays as I strongly believe the odds are just too long for a player of Glover’s caliber. The odds have been too long on Glover for a few weeks now, but this is the first event that I can get behind the veteran being able to actually contend at.

Glover is quietly playing good golf and returning to the form he had after the understandable regression after his two massive victories at the end of 2023. He finished T20 at The Masters, which was his best ever finish at Augusta National. For the week, Lucas ranked 18th for Strokes Gained: Approach and 20th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.

Over his past 24 rounds, Glover ranks 9th in Strokes Gained: Approach and 13th in Good Drive %. Harbour Town is a short course that the 44-year-old will be able to keep up with the top players on Tour off the tee. He’s played the course more than 20 times, with mixed results. His best finishes at Harbour Town include a T7 in 2008, but recently has a finish of T21 in 2020.

Glover has proven he can contend with the stars of the Tour on any given week, and this number is flat out disrespectful.

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