Opinion & Analysis
How long between rounds?
I’m on a trip now where there won’t be any golf for almost three weeks. Since I live in Southern California and play year-round, this will be the longest I’ve gone without teeing it up in probably 14 years.
Three weeks seems like an eternity to not pick up a 7-iron to me, but I realized as I talked with other golfers before the trip that some of us endure even longer layoffs over the course of a year.
“I’m from New York,” Albert told me while playing a vacation round in Orange County. “I’m feeling like I’m just getting the hang of the game again after a few months off. We didn’t start playing until mid-March this year so I didn’t pick up a club from November until then.”
I asked him if he has to relearn the game each spring.
[quote_box_center]“No, I have the same swing — I just hit the ball shorter every year. No, really though, it’s the short game, the touch, that takes a while to get back to. By the end of the summer I’ll be in mid-season form, finally, and just about then it will start getting colder and once there’s frost our course closes for the season.”[/quote_box_center]
“Let’s see…the longest I’ve gone without playing is probably a month or two, but that was a few years ago,” C.J. from Long Beach said. He’s probably in his mid-40s and he’s a 5 handicap. “I usually play every weekend, once or twice, and I try to practice at least once a week.” He was on the driving range at Recreation Park.
“We have some nice short courses around here, too, so during the summer when it’s light late I’ll play there. If I had to go two weeks without playing I might go through withdrawal.”
Sometimes you’ll hear a pro golfer say after three consecutive tournaments that he needs a break, and when he comes back a few weeks later I’ll read how he never picked up a club for two weeks.
“I feel like I’d lose my swing if I went that long without playing,” C.J. said.
I found Matt at another driving range — this might sound like the set-up of a bad golf joke, but no, he was hitting balls off of the grass. “I haven’t played for like two months,” he said.
“But I’m playing with some old fraternity brothers Saturday at White Dove and I don’t want to look like a total fool,” he said while hitting driver after driver, each one struck solidly but often a little right, and then once, way right.
“See,” he said after the big slice, “that’s what I can’t do Saturday, but when you don’t play very often, it’s hard not to.”
I asked him why he doesn’t play more often.
[quote_box_center]“I like golf but it takes too much time, costs too much money, and it’s too hard to play well,” he said. “I get frustrated when I’m out there if I suck really bad. I need to play more to get better but because I don’t have much time or want to spend the money, that’s hard to do.”[/quote_box_center]
I played 36 holes one day the other week to celebrate my birthday and in my morning round one of the guys I was paired with, Rodney, said he had played golf at least once every month for 18 years and counting. That didn’t sound that impressive to me until he mentioned that he’d lived near Detroit for the first eight of those years.
“During the winter sometimes I’d drive down near Cincinnati to play if I had to, even then sometimes it was barely in the 40s outside.”
“That takes dedication,” I said, perhaps in understatement.
“Yeah, but it got me out of the house and on one of those drives I decided it was time to move to California. My wife says it was the best idea I ever had, besides marrying her.”
I asked Rodney how long he goes between rounds now. “Play every weekend and every Wednesday,” he said. “So I have no excuse for playing as badly as I am today. But Saturday will be another story, that’s when I’m with my boys and I’ll take their money.”
In my afternoon birthday round I played with a couple from San Diego. Carol made more pars than her husband, Edward, through the front nine but she confided to me, “He’s having a really bad day…”
“We’re going to play again tomorrow,” Edward said. “Maybe I’ll get my game figured out by then.”
Inconsistency is the one trait infrequent golfers usually share. They hit enough good shots to know they can do it and so they visualize and even expect that good outcome, but because they haven’t played enough to hone their skills they’ll sometimes hit embarrassing shots.
“I think if I could play twice a week every week,” Edward said on the back nine after he’d started making a few pars, “then I could really start playing well.”
I asked how long it had been since his last round.
“A couple of weeks. We’re doing some remodeling and I’ve been helping with that and it seems like there’s always something to do that stops me from playing.”
The other guy in our foursome was Evan. He told me that he played pretty much every weekend, but usually never picks up a club from Sunday afternoon to Saturday morning.
“Some Saturdays I feel like I’m just relearning the game for the first few holes, even if I go to the range to warm up before the round,” he said. “In some ways the Saturday rounds are almost practice rounds and I play my best golf on Sundays when I’ve played the day before.”
I told him I was going away and wouldn’t be near a golf club for more than three weeks.
He’d seen me kick my way around to a 43 on the front nine. “Good luck with that,” he said. “My advice: Don’t bet with anybody the first round back.”
How long do you usually go between rounds? Let us know in the comments section below. And check out the inspirational story of one golfer trying to shoot the round of his life at 7-ironpress.com. The book is called A Perfect Lie – The Hole Truth and you can get free shipping on the paperback with the code GOLFWRX, or $4 off the e-book when you enter the code GOLFWRX1 at check-out.
- LIKE25
- LEGIT2
- WOW2
- LOL1
- IDHT1
- FLOP3
- OB0
- SHANK15
Opinion & Analysis
The Wedge Guy: What really makes a wedge work? Part 1
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.
- LIKE19
- LEGIT6
- WOW1
- LOL1
- IDHT2
- FLOP2
- OB1
- SHANK1
Golf's Perfect Imperfections
Golf’s Perfect Imperfections: Amazing Session with Performance Coach Savannah Meyer-Clement
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.
- LIKE0
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
19th Hole
Vincenzi’s 2024 RBC Heritage betting preview: Patrick Cantlay ready to get back inside winner’s circle
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.
- LIKE30
- LEGIT5
- WOW2
- LOL1
- IDHT1
- FLOP2
- OB0
- SHANK2
-
19th Hole1 week ago
Dave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
-
19th Hole3 weeks ago
Things got heated at the Houston Open between Tony Finau and Alejandro Tosti. Here’s why
-
19th Hole1 week ago
Tiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
Report: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
-
19th Hole5 days ago
Two star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
-
19th Hole4 days ago
Neal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
-
19th Hole3 days ago
Report: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
Addiction, spinal fusion, and scam artists – Everything Anthony Kim revealed in candid interview with David Feherty
Joew2328
Jul 29, 2015 at 2:47 pm
I play in a golf league 2 nights a week, and try to get in at least 18 holes on the weekend. Unfortunately, I live in Michigan so every year I am forced to take a 2-4 month hiatus from the game. It is kind of nice to “reinvent” your game every off season though.
Chet Steadmana
Jul 18, 2015 at 9:27 pm
Until this past April, it had been 53 weeks since I last played. The comment in the article about time and cost rings true. First round back was a terrible 93 on a course I had never seen before. Two weeks later, shot a nice 79. I probably won’t play again for another few weeks, but find it pretty easy to come back after a long layoff. When I haven’t played for a while, I don’t get overly aggressive. The third or fourth round back normally brings me back to earth though.
Golfgirlrobin
Jul 12, 2015 at 12:25 am
The longest I’ve ever gone was four weeks when I hit a root with a six iron and separated a rib from my sternum. Turns out you can’t play through that one.
Otherwise, never longer than a week. Even when studying for the bar exam, I needed to get out and play or the the stress would have killed me.
felchone
Jul 11, 2015 at 3:58 pm
Lol…try being a golf nut in Saskatchewan. No golf happening around here for at least 5 months of the year. 3 weeks with no golf isn’t going to be getting much sympathy from this part of the map haha
Regis
Jul 8, 2015 at 2:59 pm
I’ve been playing since I was 13. I’m 64. My entire life has been spent on the East Coast so for the most parts long winter layoffs are the norm. When I resume I usually put in one range session then hit the course. By the 7th or 8th hole I’m amazed at how well I’m playing, tee shots, wedges, putting. But then like the proverbial squirrel , I start to implement all the swing tips I’ve stored over the winter from mags, TV and internet. And then my game deteriorates to its norm. Crap. I need a lesson.
Scott
Jul 8, 2015 at 1:11 pm
I’ve gone 31 years avoiding a wife and kids so I’m good to play everyday. You just gotta decide what’s more important in life. I think I made the right choice
headymonster
Jul 8, 2015 at 1:03 pm
I have a driving range mat in the garage and a cheap carpet I use for putting. I can get a few swings/putts in taking out the garbage. Keeps game in check.
Double Mocha Man
Jul 7, 2015 at 9:46 pm
Gavin, Doc… If your daughters could talk they’d tell you to go out and play. Makes for a happier papa. Then come home and hug them and describe all the details of that lone birdie you made. Your little girl will hang on every word, unlike your golfing buddies.
Lucas
Jul 7, 2015 at 6:16 pm
almost 24 hours on a bad day.
Gavin Lee
Jul 7, 2015 at 4:47 pm
Other than a 9 month span when I thought I was giving the game up, the last three months have been the longest I’ve gone. After my daughter was born in May, the golf course became a bit of a mythological place…How long is appropriate to wait after your kids is born to go back?
Doc Todd
Jul 7, 2015 at 8:27 pm
Depends on your situation I suppose. My daughter is 14 mo now and I feel guilty of not seeing her except through a baby monitor half the week that I find myself not going to the course when I so badly want to. An easy solution would be to have the weekend mornings free to golf, but I feel guilty that my wife is up early on the weekdays so I let her sleep while I take the baby duty. If my wife were an early riser I would be in a much better position on the weekend, but she could sleep till 10 am everyday.
Scott
Jul 8, 2015 at 1:43 pm
My son was born 2 weeks ago, and I’ve already played twice. We’ve had people over a lot, so wife isn’t alone, but honestly there isn’t a heck of a lot I can do right now.
I expect next year to be more challenging actually, once he’s more active.
Danny
Jul 7, 2015 at 4:45 pm
Time away from the game helps your swing and mentally, but your short game touch goes away so it’s a net wash.
Scooter McGavin
Jul 7, 2015 at 9:07 pm
Lol. True. There’s no magic or voodoo to it. It’s a skill-based activity, so the more you practice the better you get.