In our forums, our members have been reacting to an interesting statistic regarding driving accuracy on the LPGA and PGA Tour. WRXer ‘me05501’ kicks off the thread, saying:

“Russell Henley leads the PGA Tour this year in Driving Accuracy at 74.2%.

If he played on the LPGA his Driving Accuracy would rank 53rd.

Wondering what factors are most relevant here:

• Are these stats collected the same way or are there important differences?
• Do LPGA players prioritize hitting fairways because it’s more difficult for them to escape the rough, or perhaps to maximize GIR?
• Are the fairways on the LPGA Tour just that much wider on average?
• Finally, what would be the likely result of a PGA Tour pro prioritizing Driving Accuracy above all else? If someone could manage to sniff the 85% Driving Accuracy rate of top LPGA, would it be a winning strategy?”

And our members have been engaged in a lively discussion breaking down their theories as to why this is the case.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

• TLUBulldogGolf: “I can’t imagine the stats are done any differently. He hits it much farther than even the longest LPGA player, especially in the air, and compared to the most accurate the difference is even more stark. Most of the longer hitters on the LPGA are hitting fairways at a lower clip than Henley. LPGA set ups are probably a bit easier on average, not sure about fairway width. I imagine you’d have to give up too much distance to be that accurate, and he’s probably not off the fairway by much most of the time. He’s top 5 in distance from edge of fairway.”
• golferdude54: “Tiger averaged over 298 yards hitting over 70% of fairways in 2000. They’ve made the fairways wider and driver and ball technology has improved so much since 2000 and yet I’m positive no one is averaging over 298 yards while hitting over 70% of fairways.”
• bazinky: “In my opinion, it’s a mistake to look at golf driving accuracy without taking into account swing speed and driving distance. If you have two golfers that both hit the fairway on 80% of their tee shots, but one has an average driving distance of 260 and the other has an average driving distance of 300 yards, they are NOT equally accurate. A longer driver has to have a much lower off-line angle dispersion to hit the same number of fairways.”

Entire Thread: Why do LPGA pros have far greater driving accuracy than PGA Tour pros? – GolfWRXers discuss

In our forums, our members have been discussing Vokey wedges. WRXer ‘JPH’ is a mid-handicapper and kicks off the thread saying:

“Am I the only one who is very inconsistent with Vokey Wedges? I have three that are wonderful during practice but challenging during a round. I’m going to go back to my iron set gap and maybe return to the Cleveland cbx style soon. But honestly, have I bitten off more than I can chew? Thanks.”

And our members have been having been weighing in with their thoughts on the matter in our forum.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

• XHoop24: “Mid Handicap here! But play Vokey’s in the 54 and 50. I think it depends on how you use the wedge. On full shots, a set matching gap wedge will likely be more forgiving than, say a 50-degree Vokey. When I’ve tried a Vokey at 50 degrees, I had too many mishits on full shots that ended up short of the green to keep using it. But I’ve kept the 54 and 58 in the bag. I love the turf interaction on pitches, chips, and sand shots with both.”
• philly2kuk: “I’m a 12 and just switched from set gap to vokey gap to match my other wedges. It’s been great; suddenly nearer the pin and can pull off lots of different shots I couldn’t do before. However, if you’ve lost confidence, then it may be worth trying something else to satisfy that itch.”
• Tyler724: “I would guess you may have grinds that are not a good fit for you. I am a mid-capper and could not imagine going to a thicker cavity back wedge for my higher lofts. I play my set A (gap) wedge but use a 54 and 60-degree Vokey with no issues. Play around and find a grind you like and practice as much as you can to get comfortable with it.”

Entire Thread: “Vokey wedges for a mid-handicapper? – GolfWRXers discuss”

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Along with everything else that comes along during major weeks in golf, gearheads always look forward to seeing the special releases from the major OEMs.

Unquestionably, one of the standout items from this week’s event at Los Angeles Country Club has been TaylorMade’s staff bag and headcovers.

The bag, featuring colors that give off LA Lakers vibes and logos such as palm trees synonymous with the West Coast city, has got our members talking, with plenty of love for the new addition.

Here are a few comments from our members on the bag and headcovers, but make sure to check out the entire thread at the link below for more photos and to have your say.

• Frank Newport: “Very cool. Very Lakers. Best bag I’ve ever seen. The artist James Haunt did a great job of capturing the vibe of the city.”
• obsession: “Very polarizing design but I think it looks dope!”
• KyleKoz17: “I like that they aren’t afraid to throw some color in their stuff sometimes. The same old gets boring to me.”

Entire Thread: “‘Best bag I’ve ever seen!’ – TaylorMade’s 2023 U.S. Open staff bag is turning heads in LA”