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The Art of Club Throwing

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Every golfer has at some point throttled the daylights out of that inanimate steel or graphite-shafted object in their hands, blaming it for the errant shot they just hit — or more appropriately, mishit. Some, and I’d be willing to wager the vast majority, have gone a step further and chucked that sucker for all it was worth.

If you’re among the hurlers, don’t be ashamed. This transference of aggression is healthy, not to mention a heck of a lot less troublesome than slugging your caddy or playing partner. Take my word for it, writing down a crappy score on your card pales in comparison to being the defendant in a slam-dunk civil lawsuit.

But just for a moment let’s forget about the why and focus solely on the act itself. Some golfers, even those with spectacularly low handicaps, have turned this tantrum-esque spectacle into an art form. And while there are a plethora of varying styles and techniques, it seems all club-throwers tend to agree on one thing: Distance is all that matters.

According to an old report by the GCSAA (Golf Course Superintendents Association of America), certain clubs will travel farther than others. They labeled the driver the shortest throw-able club in the bag and claimed the putter was capable of achieving the greatest distance. Now while the GCSAA is a fine organization, I’ve never been one to accept anyone else’s findings for an experiment I could carry out myself. And so, armed with my trusty bag of steel-shafted Cobra metal woods and oversized irons, I ventured out to the nearest football field—with freshly painted hash-marks, no less—to accurately gauge each club’s chucking distance.

After a few practice tosses of varying techniques with my 7 iron—years ago, a pro I was taking lessons from told me, “when in doubt, use your 7”—I decided to throw all the clubs by the grip using the more common arm extended, full shoulder flinging motion. While I have seen golfers use the overhand javelin method, since I’ve had no training in proper Track & Field techniques, and have also never hunted for big game using a spear, atlatl, or similar implement, I believed my best results would be achieved via flinging.

Before I reveal the data, let me state for comparative purposes that I stand 5-feet 8-inches short, weigh 185-pounds, and have a rather muscular build with what I’d characterize as above average strength. I’m no Hulk, mind you, but I’m not a daisy, either.

All clubs were thrown on a level surface and, as luck would have it, it had rained the night before, thereby reducing the risk of added yardage from bouncing. Each club was thrown five times. The longest and shortest tosses were dropped and the remaining three were averaged. Miraculously, none of my clubs were bent, deformed or broken during the tests, which undoubtedly helped to keep the data consistent and accurate. Here are my results (rounded to the nearest quarter-yard):

1-Iron — 54.25 yards

2-Iron — 53.75 yards

3-Iron — 52.50 yards

4-Iron — 51.75 yards

5-Iron — 51.25 yards

6-Iron — 51.00 yards

7-Iron — 50.25 yards

8-Iron — 48.50 yards

9-Iron — 47.25 yards

Sand Wedge — 45.50 yards

Pitching Wedge — 43.75 yards

Putter — 54.00 yards

Driver — 41.00 yards

3-Wood — 39.75 yards

5-Wood — 38.75 yards

Granted, one could surmise that I was growing more tired as the experiment progressed but, full disclosure, at no time did I experience any fatigue.

Realizing there was much more to be learned I decided to throw other golf-related items, just to see how they stacked up.

Tees flew an average of 12 yards. Steel green repair tools averaged 36.50 yards. Golf balls traveled an average of 48 yards before striking ground (tack on an additional 23 yards for the subsequent roll). And for the record, there were no dramatic differences between 90 and 100 compression balls or between Surlyn and Urethane-covered balls. My golf glove averaged 3 yards (open) and 5 yards (crumpled). I attempted to toss a passerby (in lieu of a caddy or playing partner), but he was not keen on the idea and threatened me with bodily harm should I attempt it. I’ll trying posting on a forum for a volunteer and let you know. Lastly, I attempted to throw an electric golf cart but, just as the rear wheels came off the ground, I felt something rupture in my lower back and decided to cancel the attempt, as immediate medical attention was required.

So, what does all this prove—beside the fact that I have serious issues? In truth, I haven’t the foggiest, but it certainly disproves the theory that the driver is the longest club in your bag!

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An adrenaline junkie with an unusual and widely varied skill-set, Adam took “participatory journalism” to the next level, penning hundreds of high-octane feature articles for many of the hippest men's lifestyle publications including Maxim, Stuff, Razor and Robb Report. Some have been optioned for feature film development. Factor in a Cryptozoology degree from the U of Haiti in Port-au-Prince—perfect for Bigfoot safaris and Chupacabra expeditions—and Adam has pretty much covered it all. He's a far better writer than he is a golfer, although that might not be saying much! For those of you who actually enjoy my writing you might want to check out my latest book, Cracked Aces: The Wildest, Craziest, Most Unbelievable TRUE Poker Stories. Visit my website

27 Comments

27 Comments

  1. Frank

    Jan 19, 2015 at 3:43 pm

    After a four put (not the first in the round) i took a swing at the ball with my putter. But my aim was still useless and I hit the ball with the shaft.
    The shaft snapped and the head of the putter flew about 40 yards and almost nailed my best mate.
    I never even thought of just throwing the putter. I might have stood a better chance of hitting him 🙂

  2. rgb

    Jan 18, 2015 at 10:59 pm

    Back in the 60s a friend of mine threw his approach iron into the pond that his wildly duffed shot had landed in. It had not been his day, and with this the air was blue. Looking out his anger quickly melted away as he realized that he both liked and did not want to trash the now-discarded club. We were rolling, as was the next foursome that had caught up to us, as he waded fifty feet into and back out of the under-the-armpit-deep water. Got totally soaked and after 10 minutes of rummaging found his club. Ruined the club’s leather grip and his leather shoes which he had decided to keep on.

  3. Chet

    Jan 18, 2015 at 4:23 pm

    Played with a guy who was very proud of his faux wooden shafted clubs. He topped a three wood and then proceeded to take a crack at his push cart, which snapped the shaft. He was destroyed the rest of the day because his new father in law had painstakingly built him the set.

  4. White Tiger

    Jan 18, 2015 at 9:13 am

    After a short miss putt, I turn over and hit the ball with my putter with full power 2 feet in the air. There was my friend’s stand bag just beside the green. And on the bag, there was his 450$ range finder. The ball hit it even if we were barely seeing the range finder from where I was. My most accurate shot of the day!!! Lucky enough that it was working even after that at the cost of 2 strips of electrical tape for the waterproofing (hum!) and a supper for my friend and his wife… This is the last time that I throw something on a golf course…

  5. Chip

    Jan 18, 2015 at 12:46 am

    Is that carry distance or total distance?

  6. Mad-Mex

    Jan 17, 2015 at 9:55 pm

    Sorry but you MISSED THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Always,,, ALWAYS throw the club TOWARDS where you next shot will be shanked/sliced or hooked from, saves time.

  7. Phread59

    Jan 17, 2015 at 8:53 pm

    Totally, totally unprofessional, everybody knows that a few enraged hammering blows to a nearby object(tree preferred) or ground is necessary to warm up before the toss. A minimum of 3 astounding carefully vectored transfers of momentum Is the accepted amount of warm up before the actual hurling of the club.

    Tacky,tacky,tacky Mr. Slutsky, you need to watch more Mythbusters to hone your scientific approach more!

  8. Ken

    Jan 17, 2015 at 7:26 pm

    Played with a guy who launched his wedge after a poor approach. Unfortunately, it was a direct hit on his own bag. He cracked two grapite shafts. Expensive toss, but cheaper than a shrink.

  9. Rich

    Jan 17, 2015 at 5:23 pm

    I’ve thrown the odd club in my day and even had a playing partner tell me that another member in the group was concerned about it. I for one think it’s one of the funniest things when someone (especially an opponent) throws a club. You know you’ve got them on the ropes. Nice article, very funny stuff.

  10. Adam

    Jan 17, 2015 at 5:07 pm

    Im sorry but this is not scientific enough, could you please use a trackman next time. HAHAHA

  11. Philip

    Jan 17, 2015 at 4:10 pm

    Throwing a golf club doesn’t even rate as a thought in my world. Doesn’t alleviate anything for myself. Now throttling the living shite out of a particular wedge, that shall rename nameless for obvious legal reasons (I don’t want any one wedge to start feeling inferior to the rest), bending it into the ground and snapping it in half did nearly occur last season, but I digress.

  12. Ron

    Jan 17, 2015 at 2:48 pm

    Apparently the 1 iron goes further being thrown than it does hitting a golf ball! Funny article!

    • Barney Adams

      Jan 17, 2015 at 4:08 pm

      Once again a story with no regard to the senior golfer. That requires more research as the issue is releasing the club in rhythm and not simultaneously throwing a muscle or ligament or god forbid your back. Takes years to perfect.

  13. Connor

    Jan 17, 2015 at 2:03 pm

    “My golf glove averaged 3 yards (open) and 5 yards (crumpled).”

    HAHAHA!

  14. Joe

    Jan 17, 2015 at 2:01 pm

    lost all credibility with a one iron in the bag. Haven’t seen a one iron in a bag since the 80s

    • Adam Slutsky

      Jan 17, 2015 at 2:21 pm

      I agree about the 1-iron. I only carry it in the event I encounter rampaging Jihadists!

      • rgb

        Jan 18, 2015 at 11:04 pm

        Story goes that after he was struck by lightning at the 1975 Western Open, Lee Trevino was asked by a reporter what he would do if he were out on the course and it began to storm again. Trevino answered he would take out his 1 iron and point it to the sky, “because not even God can hit a 1-iron.”

  15. Brett Carter

    Jan 17, 2015 at 1:52 pm

    Thanks to this, now I’ll get a little bit of a smirk everytime I rear back to let one fly. For the follow up article, you may also want to look into # of times thrown without a break. That is the real art. The key (for me) is to make sure the club rotates in helicopter mode (parallel to the ground). Also, in addition to distance I think # of revolutions would be interesting. Sometimes its more of a release if you really get one spinning. Thanks for keeping it light…

    • Adam Slutsky

      Jan 17, 2015 at 2:22 pm

      Much appreciated, Brett! I’ll have to practice.

  16. GatorCalaway

    Jan 17, 2015 at 12:37 pm

    There is nothing i repeat nothing like the sound of a well thrown driver that passes the ball and the womens teebox on its way to the fairway. I prefer the sidearm discus type throw.

  17. tom stickney

    Jan 17, 2015 at 11:43 am

    Now that’s a funny article!!!!!!!!!!!!

  18. D man

    Jan 17, 2015 at 11:20 am

    This is excellent

  19. Mikko U

    Jan 17, 2015 at 11:19 am

    Where’s the hybrid? It might top the list being heavy and having a long shaft.

  20. James

    Jan 17, 2015 at 11:10 am

    All this time, I figured the 3 wood would have flown furthest, nice amount of weight, long, but not overly light like the driver. Although, your decision to throw other golf related items had me rolling.

  21. Jcorona

    Jan 17, 2015 at 11:06 am

    Horrendous, really. Golf is not a “hold my beer and watch this” sport. The fact that this was even approved by WRX is mind blowing.

    • Gloover

      Jan 17, 2015 at 11:15 am

      You don’t get it. He is performing this experiment (sober) so we don’t have to. Golf as a sport remains pristine.

    • Me Nunya

      Jan 17, 2015 at 12:28 pm

      2/10
      Not ready for bridge duty.

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19th Hole

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

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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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Opinion & Analysis

Ryan: Lessons from the worst golf instructor in America

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In Tampa, there is a golf course that boasts carts that do not work, a water range, and a group of players none of which have any chance to break 80. The course is overseen by a staff of crusty men who have succeeded at nothing in life but ending up at the worst-run course in America. However, this place is no failure. With several other local courses going out of business — and boasting outstanding greens — the place is booked full.

While I came for the great greens, I stayed to watch our resident instructor; a poor-tempered, method teacher who caters to the hopeless. At first, it was simply hilarious. However, after months of listening and watching, something clicked. I realized I had a front-row seat to the worst golf instructor in America.

Here are some of my key takeaways.

Method Teacher

It is widely accepted that there are three types of golf instructors: system teachers, non-system teachers, and method teachers. Method teachers prescribe the same antidote for each student based on a preamble which teachers can learn in a couple day certification.

Method teaching allows anyone to be certified. This process caters to the lowest caliber instructor, creating the illusion of competency. This empowers these underqualified instructors with the moniker of “certified” to prey on the innocent and uninformed.

The Cult of Stack and Jilt

The Stack and Tilt website proudly boasts, “A golfer swings his hands inward in the backswing as opposed to straight back to 1) create power, similar to a field goal kicker moving his leg in an arc and 2) to promote a swing that is in-to-out, which produces a draw (and eliminates a slice).”

Now, let me tell you something, there is this law of the universe which says “energy can either be created or destroyed,” so either these guys are defying physics or they have no idea what they are taking about. Further, the idea that the first move of the backswing determines impact is conjecture with a splash of utter fantasy.

These are the pontifications of a method — a set of prescriptions applied to everyone with the hope of some success through the placebo effect. It is one thing for a naive student to believe, for a golf instructor to drink and then dispel this Kool-Aid is malpractice.

Fooled by Randomness

In flipping a coin, or even a March Madness bet, there is a 50-50 chance of success. In golf, especially for new players, results are asymmetric. Simply put: Anything can happen. The problem is that when bad instructors work with high handicappers, each and every shot gets its own diagnosis and prescription. Soon the student is overwhelmed.

Now here’s the sinister thing: The overwhelming information is by design. In this case, the coach is not trying to make you better, they are trying to make you reliant on them for information. A quasi Stockholm syndrome of codependency.

Practice

One of the most important scientists of the 20th century was Ivan Pavlov. As you might recall, he found that animals, including humans, could be conditioned into biological responses. In golf, the idea of practice has made millions of hackers salivate that they are one lesson or practice session from “the secret.”

Sunk Cost

The idea for the worst golf instructor is to create control and dependency so that clients ignore the sunk cost of not getting better. Instead, they are held hostage by the idea that they are one lesson or tip away from unlocking their potential.

Cliches

Cliches have the effect of terminating thoughts. However, they are the weapon of choice for this instructor. Add some hyperbole and students actually get no information. As a result, these players couldn’t play golf. When they did, they had no real scheme. With no idea what they are doing, they would descend into a spiral of no idea what to do, bad results, lower confidence, and running back to the lesson tee from more cliches.

The fact is that poor instruction is about conditioning players to become reliant members of your cult. To take away autonomy. To use practice as a form of control. To sell more golf lessons not by making people better but through the guise that without the teacher, the student can never reach their full potential. All under the umbrella of being “certified” (in a 2-day course!) and a melee of cliches.

This of course is not just happening at my muni but is a systemic problem around the country and around the world, the consequences of which are giving people a great reason to stop playing golf. But hey, at least it’s selling a lot of golf balls…

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans betting preview

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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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