Opinion & Analysis

GolfRedefined aims to make club swapping easier

Published

11 years ago

Apr 21, 2013

There is a fair chance that the average GolfWRX reader has a few drivers hidden in their closets.

Maybe they are tucked away so the wife doesn’t find them and then have the nerve to ask you why you have four different drivers that say “Superfast” on them, yet you still refuse to buy anything but discounted detergent while buying groceries. Or maybe that is just me. But if you have more Callaway Razr’s than disposable ones, GolfRedefined thinks it has the solution for you.

GolfRedefined.com is a new exchange-based website offering golfers the option of signing up, paying a monthly fee and then requesting and trading for their choice of a large selection of fairly current drivers (just drivers for now). The selection and monthly fees are dependent on one of the three different packages you choose.

The monthly pricing starts at $24.95 per month or $69.95 per quarter for what is called the “birdie” program, and this, like all membership levels, allows you to request any driver that falls into that package, and then trade it for others basically an unlimited amount of times as long as you are a member. There is a shipping fee of around $12 to $15 as well that gets tacked on for each new driver you receive, while sending them back included pre-paid shipping.

Stepping up a notch in terms of driver selection, there is a “hole in one” plan as well that will bill you just under $100 quarterly and give you access to the newest drivers on the market. Then there is the “eagle” plan that will set you back just under $40 a month and is targeted at seasonal golfers.

Annually, the “eagle plan” would cost more than the “hole in one plan,” while offering an older selection of drivers. But it gives golfers the option of paying monthly, while the “hole in one” plan mandates that golfers make a quarterly commitment.

Obviously the idea with this site is to capitalize on the fact that many golfers like to tinker with a lot of drivers. Its target market is likely the guy who is tired of buying a $399 driver and then seeing a commercial promising him more distance or forgiveness, and not really being able to afford shelling out more money to try it out. Or of course the guy who loves his driver one day, and then wants to wrap it around a tree the next when he misses 10 fairways.

With GolfRedefined, you could change your current driver for another without paying full retail. And with an “eagle” package, you’d have access to basically any big name driver on the market including the new ones. Sounds great on paper if you are an obsessive tinkerer, and the website touts its merits in its FAQ section. But the math does make for some interesting things to ponder.

First off, there are a couple of reasons I couldn’t join. The service is only offered to the continental U.S. and it currently does not offer left-handed clubs. So while GolfRedefined is not a possibility for me right now, I wonder if it would be if I happened to be a right-handed golfer from say, Minnesota (I like people from Minnesota, they pronounce their “o” like we do, and thus they are all honorary Canadians in my book), would this service interest me?

Well, the “birdie” package costs roughly $300 a year and the drivers offered to those consumers is a mix of relatively new but not current models (Ping G15, Cleveland TL310, Taylormade R11, Diablo Octane to name a few). The website’s FAQ also says the average client makes about four trades a year which would bring the total to roughly $360 if I factor in shipping charges. So would I pay $360 for this service, to use four drivers in 2013?

To be honest, probably not, as I actually already own three of the four drivers I listed above (a G15, Tl310 and Octane) and my local golf store still has all of them new for between $95 and $150 factoring in U.S. conversion. I just bought my Cleveland TL310 for $95. You could buy two or three brand-new drivers offered in the “birdie membership” for less than the price of a year’s payments. And they are yours, you own them and can trade them in later for credit. You can’t do that if you have to return them to the site. So the price point of that program is maybe a bit of a concern.

The top-of-the-line “hole in one” program might make a bit more sense to a hardcore club-swapper. If you keep your membership for a year you’d pay roughly $400 plus the shipping dues. That would bring you to roughly $460 a year if you are an average member making about four trades. That is more expensive than almost any premium driver on the market but if you planned on using three or four a year, as well as upgrading every year, I could see how that might be appealing to someone who always wants to try something new, and maybe have a status club in the bag. But I could also see how if you ever found something you really liked and wanted to stick with it, you’d feel you were spending a lot to use it. Though I suppose people who stick with drivers is not really GolfRedefined’s target audience.

Speaking of target audience, I also wonder about whether the obsessive tinkerer has much use for a completely stock driver. For example, he site does not reference an ability to change the grip, adjust the length, or hot melt/lead tape the head for swing weight purposes. This might not be a problem for 99 percent of the golfers out there, but obsessive tinkerers seem to comprise the main target market of this website. I wonder how many players out there switch drivers four times a year but also want to play them all completely stock?

I would also be interested in hearing reviews of actual members. While the FAQ section seems to be geared heavily at customer satisfaction, it is also pretty vague in regards to stocking levels and damage policy. The site does promise to try to have all new drivers in stock at all times, but there is no guarantee of turnaround time. There is also no guarantee that the shaft flex of your choice will be available either. Do they stock more regular then stiff? Any X flex? These also might be concerns for the compulsive tinkerer. As far as the damage policy goes, you are covered for “everyday” wear and tear but I’m not sure what that is. What about skymarks? The site promises all clubs are in “new” or “new like” condition. If I skymark a driver do they throw it out? Do I get charged for it?

OK, I’ve been a bit tough on GolfRedefined, but in all fairness, with any program you are never tied in to anything long term (the longest commitment seems to be three months) and you can quit at any time. In the end, spending $25 to $40 a month to try out a bunch of drivers and see where it goes could be fun. The site does say that if you decide you want to keep a driver, they will sell it to you and allow you to cancel when your term is up. So there is that. I could also see this being of value to someone who only plays a few months a year, wants to use a $350 driver, but doesn’t want to pay for one. If you take the “hole in one” membership and pay $100 for three months, you could use a Ping G25 this golf season for only $100. That isn’t bad.

Feel free to check out the site for yourselves and form your own opinions (click here). Worst case you have another option of how to go about acquiring clubs, and for any golfer, that is a good thing.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans betting preview

Published

16 hours ago

Apr 22, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.

TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.

Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.

However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.

Past Winners at TPC Louisiana

2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)

2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks

Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)

Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.

This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.

McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.

Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)

Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.

Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.

Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)

Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.

NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 LIV Adelaide betting preview: Cam Smith ready for big week down under

Published

16 hours ago

Apr 22, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

After having four of the top twelve players on the leaderboard at The Masters, LIV Golf is set for their fifth event of the season: LIV Adelaide.

For both LIV fans and golf fans in Australia, LIV Adelaide is one of the most anticipated events of the year. With 35,000 people expected to attend each day of the tournament, the Grange Golf Club will be crawling with fans who are passionate about the sport of golf. The 12th hole, better known as “the watering hole”, is sure to have the rowdiest of the fans cheering after a long day of drinking some Leishman Lager.

The Grange Golf Club is a par-72 that measures 6,946 yards. The course features minimal resistance, as golfers went extremely low last season. In 2023, Talor Gooch shot consecutive rounds of 62 on Thursday and Friday, giving himself a gigantic cushion heading into championship Sunday. Things got tight for a while, but in the end, the Oklahoma State product was able to hold off The Crushers’ Anirban Lahiri for a three-shot victory.

The Four Aces won the team competition with the Range Goats finishing second.

*All Images Courtesy of LIV Golf*

Past Winners at LIV Adelaide

2023: Talor Gooch (-19)

Stat Leaders Through LIV Miami

Green in Regulation

Richard Bland
Jon Rahm
Paul Casey

Fairways Hit

Abraham Ancer
Graeme McDowell
Henrik Stenson

Driving Distance

Bryson DeChambeau
Joaquin Niemann
Dean Burmester

Putting

Cameron Smith
Louis Oosthuizen
Matt Jones

2024 LIV Adelaide Picks

Cameron Smith +1400 (DraftKings)

When I pulled up the odds for LIV Adelaide, I was more than a little surprised to see multiple golfers listed ahead of Cameron Smith on the betting board. A few starts ago, Cam finished runner-up at LIV Hong Kong, which is a golf course that absolutely suits his eye. Augusta National in another course that Smith could roll out of bed and finish in the top-ten at, and he did so two weeks ago at The Masters, finishing T6.

At Augusta, he gained strokes on the field on approach, off the tee (slightly), and of course, around the green and putting. Smith able to get in the mix at a major championship despite coming into the week feeling under the weather tells me that his game is once again rounding into form.

The Grange Golf Club is another course that undoubtedly suits the Australian. Smith is obviously incredibly comfortable playing in front of the Aussie faithful and has won three Australian PGA Championship’s. The course is very short and will allow Smith to play conservative off the tee, mitigating his most glaring weakness. With birdies available all over the golf course, there’s a chance the event turns into a putting contest, and there’s no one on the planet I’d rather have in one of those than Cam Smith.

Louis Oosthuizen +2200 (DraftKings)

Louis Oosthuizen has simply been one of the best players on LIV in the 2024 seas0n. The South African has finished in the top-10 on the LIV leaderboard in three of his five starts, with his best coming in Jeddah, where he finished T2. Perhaps more impressively, Oosthuizen finished T7 at LIV Miami, which took place at Doral’s “Blue Monster”, an absolutely massive golf course. Given that Louis is on the shorter side in terms of distance off the tee, his ability to play well in Miami shows how dialed he is with the irons this season.

In addition to the LIV finishes, Oosthuizen won back-to-back starts on the DP World Tour in December at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritus Open. He also finished runner-up at the end of February in the International Series Oman. The 41-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers of 2024, regardless of tour.

For the season, Louis ranks 4th on LIV in birdies made, T9 in fairways hit and first in putting. He ranks 32nd in driving distance, but that won’t be an issue at this short course. Last season, he finished T11 at the event, but was in decent position going into the final round but fell back after shooting 70 while the rest of the field went low. This season, Oosthuizen comes into the event in peak form, and the course should be a perfect fit for his smooth swing and hot putter this week.

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Opinion & Analysis

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

Published

5 days 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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