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What Your Golf Bag Says About You

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There’s one thing that’s an absolute constant for golfers. While they change outfits, shoes, gloves, hats and golf balls between rounds (and maybe even golf clubs), rarely do you see golfers change their golf bags more than every other season… if that.

As such, the golf bag is possibly the most telling accessory for golfers. Looking at them, you can tell how often that person plays golf, whether they take carts or prefer to walk, and in some rare cases you can even tell their handicap.

If you don’t think you’re giving away information about your game with your golf bag, you’re wrong! See what your golf bag says about you below.

Staff Bag

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If you’re looking to induce eye rolls and general hatred toward yourself before even teeing it up, then trot out there with a staff bag… preferably with your name on it. In his bag, this guy has 50 pounds of Pro V1s, freshly spit-shined forged blade irons and no regard for caddies or cart boys.

Shoots around: 82, but it would have been lower if the greens were more consistent. Or you shoot 64 and take every dollar from your playing partners. Either/or.

Pull-Cart Bag

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You’re in phenomenal shape after walking and playing 18 holes almost every day for at least the past year (that includes playing through snow storms, hurricanes, heat waves and even Super Bowl Sunday).

You have a passion for the game unlike anyone else, and you aren’t afraid of what people think about your golfing addiction. You take the game very seriously and have contemplated trying to make it to the PGA Tour or Champions Tour (depending on your age).

Before you even finish 18 holes you ask your playing partners, “Anyone else up for another round?”

Shoots around: Par

Cart Bag (All-Black)

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You’re a simple man. You don’t do anything to stand out from the crowd, and you generally play golf every two weeks. Every time you play it’s usually with a business partner, and you’re more focused on making “the big sale” than improving your golf swing.

What people don’t know is that you’re wearing shoes that are more expensive than your playing partners entire set of clubs, and you’ve been playing golf since birth at your father’s country club.

Shoots around: 70… if you were keeping score.

Stand Bag with College Logo

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You’re a Division I stud… or at least you used to be. Walking into the pro shop you look like a normal guy, but on the range everyone is staring at you. They’re fascinated by your ridiculously high swing speed and 300-yard drives.

Shoots around: 75 (from the tips)… but it would have been lower if you didn’t stay out so late last night.

Sunday Bag

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You’re probably missing a few irons, but it doesn’t hurt your game because you’re constantly on the practice green working on lag putting. A common line: “Nothing better than a gorgeous day out on the course.”

Shoots around: 78, but with only 25 putts.

Cart Bag (Neon)

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You’re flashy. A little too flashy. You’re probably wearing shoes like these, and a flat brim hat. For some reason, you’re a huge Rickie Fowler fan, but you just picked up golf a few months ago.

On the first tee you explain that “you’re working on this new move,” and after the first shot you proclaim, “Wow, it usually it doesn’t slice that much.”

Shoots around: 99+, but you throw that scorecard away before anyone else can see it.

“Vintage” 1950s Bag

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You haven’t played golf in years. The only reason you’re out on the course is because you found a 7-year-old rain check and wanted to see if it still worked. After your approach shot to the first hole, you can be heard muttering, “Is my shaft supposed to be bent like this?”

Shoots around: 55 for 9 holes, but then you get another rain check. See you in 7 years!

Loudmouth Shagadelic Stand Bag

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You’re a huge John Daly fan who not only dresses like him, but  embraces Long John’s lifestyle. Every Saturday you call the pro shop to load your cart up with beer before you get to the course. By the fourth hole, you’re ready to go to Hooters and “keep this party goin!”

Shoots around: 97, but you broke 80 that one time… “remember?”

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Joe is studying business at the University of Georgia. He loves golf and occasionally writes for WRX when he's not studying, hanging out in downtown Athens, playing the university course, or leading his start up, LocalComfortsUSA.com. Local Comforts creates clothing for all cities around the US. Find your cities t-shirt today.

42 Comments

42 Comments

  1. Pingback: Best Golf Travel Bag Under $100 - Tee Off Goals

  2. Peter

    Apr 15, 2017 at 3:29 am

    Interesting differences in culture. Here in Northern Europe I would say 70-80% use a pull cart and thus a typical cart bag. The color (or some of them) might give a hint if the bag belongs to a woman or man, but thats all. Then there is maybe 25% who use a stand bag because they carry. Again, the bag itself doesn’t tell too much. Then there is one or two who still have the ancient and ugly kinbag, which tells they’ve been golfing for tens of years. The only one having a staff bag is the pro, and thats the only thing the bag tells, but everyone knows that already…

    I’d say the clubs tells a lot more:
    – a half set = beginner
    – only latest models = wannabe golfer, knows all the tips but not in practice
    – worn forged irons, 1-2 new clubs = skilled active golfer
    – worn irons, no new clubs = has been serious golfer, now less active, retired
    – new and old clubs mixed = active golfer of any age
    – scotty cameron putter = wants to show social status, putting average >2

    I could go on with more specifics…

  3. Nath

    Apr 2, 2017 at 7:30 am

    Not bad work there joe

  4. BubbaJonesIzzaDick

    Apr 1, 2017 at 6:30 pm

    +1 Chopper.

  5. Tom

    Apr 1, 2017 at 5:43 pm

    I’m a former D2 player. I have my alma mater garb because I loved my career college day’s. I wear the team jersey, ball cap and have a banner in my front yard I go to sporting events yearly and am a booster. When I die I want my ashes spread over the campus from 5K feet. I don’t drink alcohol and I do enjoy talkin bout the good ol days at reunions. This hasbeen Love his country and served with pride after college. Married and settled in Seattle area. We raised two sons one a Marine and the other a fire fighter. I still have a full head of hair and all my teeth, walk the course(s) with my grandchild and wife of twenty eight years.

  6. Tom

    Apr 1, 2017 at 5:21 pm

    LOl over 500 shanks. pegged a lot of wrxer’s with the definitions.

  7. Jeffrey Purtell

    Apr 1, 2017 at 4:38 am

    What about my Callaway Razr staff bag (few years back now) that was priced at $400 reduced to $240. I had $150 in vouchers from winning Club champion and A grade Champion (2 different social clubs) so I only had to shell out $90 of my own money. Cant argue with that.

  8. aether

    Mar 31, 2017 at 7:49 pm

    Judging books by their cover…sad that people get profiled by the type of golf bag they’re carrying, just plain silly.

    • Tom

      Apr 1, 2017 at 5:23 pm

      aww yes a predisposition society we are. Same thing with clothes, cars, homes , girlfriends etc…..

  9. Dave R

    Mar 31, 2017 at 6:01 pm

    Good article hit the nail on the head for the loud mouth bag played with a dude that acted exactly the way you put it. Keep it up the college was right on also.

  10. golfraven

    Mar 31, 2017 at 3:25 pm

    Interesting and kind of huts the nerve. I can see me in type 3 before I moved to type 2 (carry bag on cart – although I had a cart bag all in black before).

  11. DD 214

    Mar 31, 2017 at 10:16 am

    ….Obviously, you’ve never seen the looks on Caddies faces when knobs with CART BAGS decide to walk occasionally, or show up at a pro-am with one and want to walk with the pro. Own a carry/stand bag as well. If you fly a couple times a year – even a club glove can’t protect your stand bag from a good crunch, and you aren’t walking 95% of resort or ‘winter golf destination’ courses, so after seeing countless standbags and drivers / graphite shafts crushed or broken, take some professional advice and travel with a sturdy bag with an internal cylinder like a cart bag or traditional style ‘staff’ bag – with or without logos

    Certainly many survive the flight. You may have survived dozens. You may even get the Airline to cover the damage although most insist on a rigid travel case if they’re gonna pay (nice cases, lotsa luck trying to get one in a mid size rental car….

    Just think of the hassle arriving for a well planned 4 day 6 round sortie and your new favorite driver’s broken –

  12. Tyler

    Mar 30, 2017 at 3:27 pm

    I’ve been using a Titleist lightweight black stand bag for about 4 or 5 years now. It’s nice and faded , I love it.

    My guess it was made by Sun Mountain. I’ve thought about getting a new bag but just can’t bring myself to retire it yet. I can’t find another one anywhere. It’s a two way divider. Woods and putter on the top, irons on the bottom.

  13. 0101010

    Mar 30, 2017 at 2:43 pm

    that’s not a cart bag image #6… way to go!

  14. Chopper

    Mar 30, 2017 at 2:43 pm

    I hope that I am a nicer guy than you when I get to be your age.

  15. Tyson Rochambeau

    Mar 30, 2017 at 2:30 pm

    Joe Burnett def has a staff bag with his name on it.

  16. Joe's Fan Club

    Mar 30, 2017 at 1:15 pm

    Joe,

    Go to class and study hard so you dont have to blog the rest of your life. This doesn’t seem like a good fit.

    Your biggest fan,

    -Joe’s Fan Club

  17. Huh?

    Mar 30, 2017 at 9:50 am

    I have a question. Why is it currently deemed to be acceptable that the golfing consumer is all but forced to purchase shoes, bags, shirts and pants boldly emblazoned with those unfortunate manufacturer logos all over the place? What became of discretion in labeling? I think bold branding is perfectly fine for the working professional golfer – in fact, I think they would all look so much better out there on the course if their shirts had even bolder, flashier graphics like the ones that professional bowlers wear, but if you are the one actually paying for the stuff, shouldn’t there be an option to be able to opt out of being an unfortunate, willing sign-board carrier for Titleist or TaylorMade or YourFavoriteBrandNameHere? Think about it, when was the last time anyone asked you what “kind of” shoes or shirt or pants you are wearing simply because they liked the looks or style or functionality of them?

    • justinm

      Mar 30, 2017 at 7:05 pm

      Not to undermine your very well written and heavily pondered reply….. but there are a number of companies who offer bags with VERY few to no logos at all. Shoes can get wacky with colors but nearly every brand offers dozens of color-ways and options that even you would consider conservative (some even hide their logos on the bottom). Shirts occasionally have a large logo, but every apparel company on earth also offers shirts with single small logos and in plain colors. As far as pants go…… I don’t know any companies other than loudmouth that are hocking pants “boldly emblazoned with those unfortunate manufacturers logos”.. if you are angry with the quarter sized adidas logo on your buddy’s sleeve while he sits next to you in the cart, maybe you should re-sort your priorities.

      • Huh?

        Mar 31, 2017 at 1:13 pm

        Justin. My priority is to find the absolute best marketing strategy to get avid golfers to buy even more golf related products. And although I admit to having once pondered the deeply existential branding problem that faces all golfing amateurs when getting dressed to go play around of golf – which is : Do I look more ridiculous if all my logos match? Or do I look more ridiculous if they don’t? – I am wondering if the best answer would be to provide consumers the option of avoiding having to deal with that nagging existential doubt if at all possible. In all truth, it doesn’t bother or “anger” me (to use your words) to see various graphics and logos stuck on to my golfing buddies’ apparel. If they want to identify themselves as being the “branded” property of the Circle T Ranch (can you say : “moooo”) or if they just simply want to let everyone know that they just broke out of jail, I could really care less. But I always have to ask myself – ‘Do they actually want to identify themselves in that way? Or are they identifying themselves in that way simply because they can’t avoid it?’ And I think that was the point I was trying to make – I was just wanting to throw that out there since this article makes what I think is the flawed assumption that everyone who plays golf actually “identifies” with the branding and styling of their golf bag.

      • Grizz01

        Mar 31, 2017 at 9:20 pm

        Kinda agree with you. All that flash on a bag (to me) tell others to steal my bag. I never use the head covers that comes with the clubs. It just sreams steal me while he is in the bathroom or clubhouse.

        • Double Mocha Man

          Apr 1, 2017 at 8:05 pm

          Take your clubs with you when you have to tinkle. Seriously, I agree with you… I worry a bit when my clubs are out of my sight. And I replace the gaudy headcovers with simple one-size-fits-all headcovers… I do not want to advertise what is under that artificial leather.

          • Nomad Golfer

            Apr 21, 2017 at 11:32 pm

            Agree. Plain knitted covers and dull irons in a nondescript bag doesn’t give away any clues to the deadly weapons contained within, and take your bag with you to the toilet – better sure than sorry later.

  18. Jack

    Mar 30, 2017 at 2:39 am

    Those scores are too low lol. Basically if you see any of these bags they are shooting good scores except for the drunk John Daly fan. Time to get that loudmouth bag lol.

    • Jim

      Mar 31, 2017 at 2:50 pm

      Gotta tell ya, most of my – call ’em beer cart regulars, not drunks – JD fans are all in the 75-82 range, good gear (not necessarily the MOST current or expensive, but all good quality) and the bags – all over the place…stand, cart, staff….One of the better ‘sticks’ – with a $1200 driver – who does bomb it 8/11 times, has a 39.99 Dick’s house brand bag – because he actually honestly doesn’t give a crap about THAT….

      AND, (maybe not surprising) I played in a big-deal pro-am maybe 10yrs ago (?)…the second foursome waiting on our tee had a guy whose bag looked like it was 30 years old, dirty, torn and actually had safety pins on the cargo pocket. Clubs were all Ping – wood woods & Eye irons….
      I won’t write his name, but let’s just say his last gig was being in charge of the entire US monetary system….

      peeps are strange….

      as I understand it, the proshop at his club finally just gave him a new one….

  19. Ian

    Mar 30, 2017 at 2:12 am

    The BIG RED bag is so wrong, but I can’t stop looking at it.

  20. Mike Hollingsworth

    Mar 29, 2017 at 11:28 pm

    Terrible article, and the author’s “start up” on his bio is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard of.

  21. Teaj

    Mar 29, 2017 at 10:16 pm

    I kind of found it fun to read, why is everyone so serious or am I missing a joke.

  22. madeinguam81

    Mar 29, 2017 at 8:45 pm

    #9 Hybrid Stand/Cart Bag

    You ride 100% of the time but you also like the idea of walking, even though you NEVER will. No biggie, because remember that one time your old cart bag tipped over in the parking lot? Well, you will forever need a bag with a stand.

    Shoots around: Low 80s, but you should be penalized for not shutting up about how your bag is the “best of both worlds.”

  23. Sl

    Mar 29, 2017 at 5:47 pm

    Get back in your cave, Joe. You shouldn’t be writing anything at all.

  24. Bob Parsons

    Mar 29, 2017 at 4:00 pm

    You forgot the PXG Bag! The guy with the ugly swing, expensive clubs, and lack of score keeping.

    • Jim

      Mar 31, 2017 at 7:17 pm

      Dear Mr P, sorry to tell you the only guy I’ve yet to see with a PXG rig and an ugly swing is you! (we’ve sold about a hundred full sets if your clubs, and maybe 150 drivers – but sadly maybe only two dozen or so staff bags) In fact, several of our 10-18 hcp folks were so encouraged after their fitting/demo sessions and deciding to make the investment in your products, after reviewing their stats AND swings on High Speed video & 3D biometric analysis they agreed there were a couple of swing issues they could indeed improve upon, so they signed up for lesson packages with me as well – Thank You for helping inspire then. The Irons were built immediately – with slight ‘grow into’ shaft specs so we could work with the clubs over the winter…They agreed to wait til spring for a second Trackman & High Speed video fitting to compare the before and after stats as I was certain they’d change after the lessons. I’m happy to say all 8 guys and 1 lady were able to significantly increase both load on the shaft during transition, increase club head speed and all improved their release. All 9 people ended up with much better fitting shafts.

      Weather still sucking here, had our PGA Spring Meeting on
      LI this week but they were able to let carts on the course….

      SO, with all that monster improvement goin’ on, once they
      start playing and breaking old personal bests, I hope they’ll
      all come in and order customized PXG staff bags from us
      too!

      Thanks Mr P for making the best clubs for folks with pretty repetitive swings and a true love for the game, but still need very forging clubs – Hey, you know who we are – your number ONE account in N.East…Come by for a lesson so I can scrape some of the UGLY off your swing too 😉

      Regards…

  25. James

    Mar 29, 2017 at 1:49 pm

    #6 says Cart Bag, yet the picture is of a carry bag….

  26. Double Mocha Man

    Mar 29, 2017 at 1:39 pm

    I think you missed a few bags, but that’s okay. I’m the guy with the black (Titleist) bag that shoots in the mid to low 70’s. I like my bag to be neutral. I’d prefer to let my game scream (or not) than have my bag scream stuff.

    • Chopper

      Mar 30, 2017 at 2:47 pm

      I’m not always scratch, but when I am, I humble brag about it on golfwrx.

      • Double Mocha Man

        Mar 30, 2017 at 3:27 pm

        I wish I was scratch. Not there yet. And as for bragging about things on GolfWRX I do not hit 300 yard drives.

        • Everyone on golfwrx that reads the comments

          Mar 30, 2017 at 4:39 pm

          A lot of your posts got a lil brag to em

          • Double Mocha Man

            Mar 30, 2017 at 6:14 pm

            You must be one of those guys who easily drills your drives over 300 yards.

            • The Beau Show

              Mar 30, 2017 at 6:59 pm

              gotta have the last word, do ya brag boy?

      • Mocha man 4 pres

        Mar 30, 2017 at 3:37 pm

        Always look forward to mocha man’s classic comments.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open betting preview

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As the Florida swing comes to an end, the PGA Tour makes its way to Houston to play the Texas Children’s Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course.

This will be the fourth year that Memorial Park Golf Course will serve as the tournament host. The event did not take place in 2023, but the course hosted the event in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Memorial Park is a par-70 layout measuring 7,432 yards and features Bermudagrass greens. Historically, the main defense for the course has been thick rough along the fairways and tightly mown runoff areas around the greens. Memorial Park has a unique setup that features three Par 5’s and five Par 3’s.

The field will consist of 132 players, with the top 65 and ties making the cut. There are some big names making the trip to Houston, including Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Tony Finau, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala.

Past Winners at Memorial Park

  • 2022: Tony Finau (-16)
  • 2021: Jason Kokrak (-10)
  • 2020: Carlos Ortiz (-13)

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 Memorial Park

Let’s take a look at several metrics for Memorial Park to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their last 24 rounds:

Strokes Gained: Approach

Memorial Park is a pretty tough golf course. Golfers are penalized for missing greens and face some difficult up and downs to save par. Approach will be key.

Total Strokes Gained: Approach per round in past 24 rounds:

  1. Tom Hoge (+1.30)
  2. Scottie Scheffler (+1.26)
  3. Keith Mitchell (+0.97) 
  4. Tony Finau (+0.92)
  5. Jake Knapp (+0.84)

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee

Memorial Park is a long golf course with rough that can be penal. Therefore, a combination of distance and accuracy is the best metric.

Total Strokes Gained: Off the Tee per round in past 24 rounds:

  1. Scottie Scheffler (+0.94)
  2. Kevin Dougherty (+0.93)
  3. Cameron Champ (+0.86)
  4. Rafael Campos (+0.84)
  5. Si Woo Kim (+0.70)

Strokes Gained Putting: Bermudagrass + Fast

The Bermudagrass greens played fairly fast the past few years in Houston. Jason Kokrak gained 8.7 strokes putting on his way to victory in 2021 and Tony Finau gained in 7.8 in 2022.

Total Strokes Gained Putting (Bermudagrass) per round past 24 rounds (min. 8 rounds):

  1. Adam Svensson (+1.27)
  2. Harry Hall (+1.01)
  3. Martin Trainer (+0.94)
  4. Taylor Montgomery (+0.88)
  5. S.H. Kim (+0.86)

Strokes Gained: Around the Green

With firm and undulating putting surfaces, holding the green on approach shots may prove to be a challenge. Memorial Park has many tightly mowed runoff areas, so golfers will have challenging up-and-down’s around the greens. Carlos Ortiz gained 5.7 strokes around the green on the way to victory in 2020.

Total Strokes Gained: Around the Green per round in past 24 rounds:

  1. Mackenzie Hughes (+0.76)
  2. S.H. Kim (+0.68)
  3. Scottie Scheffler (+0.64)
  4. Jorge Campillo (+0.62)
  5. Jason Day (+0.60)

Strokes Gained: Long and Difficult

Memorial Park is a long and difficult golf course. This statistic will incorporate players who’ve had success on these types of tracks in the past. 

Total Strokes Gained: Long and Difficult in past 24 rounds:

  1. Scottie Scheffler (+2.45)
  2. Ben Griffin (+1.75)
  3. Will Zalatoris (+1.73)
  4. Ben Taylor (+1.53)
  5. Tony Finau (+1.42)

Course History

Here are the players who have performed the most consistently at Memorial Park. 

Strokes Gained Total at Memorial Park past 12 rounds:

  1. Tyson Alexander (+3.65)
  2. Ben Taylor (+3.40)
  3. Tony Finau (+2.37)
  4. Joel Dahmen (+2.25)
  5. Patton Kizzire (+2.16)

Statistical Model

Below, I’ve reported overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed.

These rankings are comprised of SG: App (24%) SG: OTT (24%); SG: Putting Bermudagrass/Fast (13%); SG: Long and Difficult (13%); SG: ARG (13%) and Course History (13%)

  1. Scottie Scheffler
  2. Wyndham Clark
  3. Tony Finau
  4. Joel Dahmen
  5. Stephan Jaeger 
  6. Aaron Rai
  7. Sahith Theegala
  8. Keith Mitchell 
  9. Jhonnatan Vegas
  10. Jason Day
  11. Kurt Kitayama
  12. Alex Noren
  13. Will Zalatoris
  14. Si Woo Kim
  15. Adam Long

2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open Picks

Will Zalatoris +2000 (Caesars)

Scottie Scheffler will undoubtedly be difficult to beat this week, so I’m starting my card with someone who I believe has the talent to beat him if he doesn’t have his best stuff.

Will Zalatoris missed the cut at the PLAYERS, but still managed to gain strokes on approach while doing so. In an unpredictable event with extreme variance, I don’t believe it would be wise to discount Zalatoris based on that performance. Prior to The PLAYERS, the 27-year-old finished T13, T2 and T4 in his previous three starts.

Zalatoris plays his best golf on long and difficult golf courses. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 3rd in the category, but the eye test also tells a similar story. He’s contended at major championships and elevated events in the best of fields with tough scoring conditions.  The Texas resident should be a perfect fit at Memorial Park Golf Club.

Alex Noren +4500 (FanDuel)

Alex Noren has been quietly playing some of his best golf of the last half decade this season. The 41-year-old is coming off back-to-back top-20 finishes in Florida including a T9 at The PLAYERS in his most recent start.

In his past 24 rounds, Noren ranks 21st in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, 30th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green, 25th in Strokes Gained: Total on long and difficult courses and 21st in Strokes Gained: Putting on fast Bermudagrass greens.

In addition to his strong recent play, the Swede also has played well at Memorial Park. In 2022, Noren finished T4 at the event, gaining 2.2 strokes off the tee and 7.0 strokes on approach for the week. In his two starts at the course, he’s gained an average of .6 strokes per round on the field, indicating he is comfortable on these greens.

Noren has been due for a win for what feels like an eternity, but Memorial Park may be the course that suits him well enough for him to finally get his elusive first PGA Tour victory.

Mackenzie Hughes +8000 (FanDuel)

Mackenzie Hughes found himself deep into contention at last week’s Valspar Championship before faltering late and finishing in a tie for 3rd place. While he would have loved to win the event, it’s hard to see the performance as anything other than an overwhelming positive sign for the Canadian.

Hughes has played great golf at Memorial Park in the past. He finished T7 in 2020, T29 in 2021 and T16 in 2022. The course fit seems to be quite strong for Hughes. He’s added distance off the tee in the past year or and ranks 8th in the field for apex height, which will be a key factor when hitting into Memorial Park’s elevated greens with steep run-off areas.

In his past 24 rounds, Hughes is the best player in the field in Strokes Gained: Around the Greens. The ability to scramble at this course will be extremely important. I believe Hughes can build off of his strong finish last week and contend once again to cement himself as a President’s Cup consideration.

Akshay Bhatia +8000 (FanDuel)

Akshay Bhatia played well last week at the Valspar and seemed to be in total control of his golf ball. He finished in a tie for 17th and shot an impressive -3 on a difficult Sunday. After struggling Thursday, Akshay shot 68-70-68 in his next three rounds.

Thus far, Bhatia has played better at easier courses, but his success at Copperhead may be due to his game maturing. The 22-year-old has enormous potential and the raw talent to be one of the best players in the world when he figures it all out.

Bhatia is a high upside play with superstar qualities and may just take the leap forward to the next stage of his career in the coming months.

Cameron Champ +12000 (FanDuel)

Cameron Champ is a player I often target in the outright betting market due to his “boom-or-bust” nature. It’s hard to think of a player in recent history with three PGA Tour wins who’s been as inconsistent as Champ has over the course of his career.

Despite the erratic play, Cam Champ simply knows how to win. He’s won in 2018, 2019 and 2021, so I feel he’s due for a win at some point this season. The former Texas A&M product should be comfortable in Texas and last week he showed us that his game is in a pretty decent spot.

Over his past 24 rounds, Champ ranks 3rd in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 30th in Strokes Gained: Total on long and difficult courses. Given his ability to spike at any given time, Memorial Park is a good golf course to target Champ on at triple digit odds.

Robert MacIntyre +12000 (FanDuel)

The challenge this week is finding players who can possibly beat Scottie Scheffler while also not dumping an enormous amount of money into an event that has a player at the top that looks extremely dangerous. Enter McIntyre, who’s another boom-or-bust type player who has the ceiling to compete with anyone when his game is clicking on all cylinders.

In his past 24 rounds, MacIntyre ranks 16th in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, 17th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green and 10th in Strokes Gained: Total on long and difficult courses.

MacIntyre’s PGA Tour season has gotten off to a slow start, but he finished T6 in Mexico, which is a course where players will hit driver on the majority of their tee shots, which is what we will see at Memorial Park. Texas can also get quite windy, which should suit MacIntyre. Last July, the Scot went toe to toe with Rory McIlroy at the Scottish Open before a narrow defeat. It would take a similar heroic effort to compete with Scheffler this year in Houston.

Ryan Moore +15000 (FanDuel)

Ryan Moore’s iron play has been absolutely unconscious over his past few starts. At The PLAYERS Championship in a loaded field, he gained 6.1 strokes on approach and last week at Copperhead, he gained 9.0 strokes on approach.

It’s been a rough handful of years on Tour for the 41-year-old, but he is still a five-time winner on the PGA Tour who’s young enough for a career resurgence. Moore has chronic deterioration in a costovertebral joint that connects the rib to the spine, but has been getting more consistent of late, which is hopefully a sign that he is getting healthy.

Veterans have been contending in 2024 and I believe taking a flier on a proven Tour play who’s shown signs of life is a wise move at Memorial Park.

 

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Opinion & Analysis

Ryan: Why the race to get better at golf might be doing more harm than good

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B.F. Skinner was one of the most important psychologists of the 20th century, developing the foundation of the development of reinforcement, and in doing so, creating the concept of behaviorism. In simple terms, this means that we are conditioned by our habits. In practical terms, it explains the divide between the few and far between elite instructors and college coaches.

To understand the application, let’s quickly review one of B.F. Skinner’s most important experiments; superstitions in the formation of behavior by pigeons. In this experiment, food was dispensed to pigeons at random intervals. Soon, according to Skinner, the pigeons began to associate whatever action they were doing at the time of the food being dispensed. According to Skinner, this conditioned that response and soon, they simply haphazardly repeated the action, failing to distinguish between cause and correlation (and in the meantime, looking really funny!).

Now, this is simply the best way to describe the actions of most every women’s college golf coach and too many instructors in America. They see something work, get positive feedback and then become conditioned to give the feedback, more and more, regardless of if it works (this is also why tips from your buddies never work!).

Go to a college event, particularly a women’s one, and you will see coaches running all over the place. Like the pigeons in the experiment, they have been conditioned into a codependent relationship with their players in which they believe their words and actions, can transform a round of golf. It is simply hilarious while being equally perturbing

In junior golf, it’s everywhere. Junior golf academies make a living selling parents that a hysterical coach and over-coaching are essential ingredients in your child’s success.

Let’s be clear, no one of any intellect has any real interest in golf — because it’s not that interesting. The people left, including most coaches and instructors, carve out a small fiefdom, usually on the corner of the range, where they use the illusion of competency to pray on people. In simple terms, they baffle people with the bullshit of pseudo-science that they can make you better, after just one more lesson.

The reality is that life is an impromptu game. The world of golf, business, and school have a message that the goal is being right. This, of course, is bad advice, being right in your own mind is easy, trying to push your ideas on others is hard. As a result, it is not surprising that the divorce rate among golf professionals and their instructors is 100 percent. The transfer rate among college players continues to soar, and too many courses have a guy peddling nefarious science to good people. In fact, we do at my course!

The question is, what impact does all this have on college-age and younger kids? At this point, we honestly don’t know. However, I am going to go out on a limb and say it isn’t good.

Soren Kierkegaard once quipped “I saw it for what it is, and I laughed.” The actions of most coaches and instructors in America are laughable. The problem is that I am not laughing because they are doing damage to kids, as well as driving good people away from this game.

The fact is that golfers don’t need more tips, secrets, or lessons. They need to be presented with a better understanding of the key elements of golf. With this understanding, they can then start to frame which information makes sense and what doesn’t. This will emancipate them and allow them to take charge of their own development.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Valspar Championship betting preview: Elite ballstrikers to thrive at Copperhead

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The PGA TOUR will stay in Florida this week for the 2024 Valspar Championship.

The Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort is a par 71 measuring 7,340 yards and features Bermudagrass greens overseeded with POA. Infamous for its difficulty, the track will be a tough test for golfers as trouble lurks all over the place. Holes 16, 17 and 18 — also known as the “Snake Pit” — make up one of the toughest three-hole stretches in golf and should lead to a captivating finish on Sunday.

The field is comprised of 156 golfers teeing it up. The field this week is solid and is a major improvement over last year’s field that felt the impact of players skipping due to a handful of “signature events” in a short span of time. 

Past Winners at Valspar Championship

  • 2023: Taylor Moore (-10)
  • 2022: Sam Burns (-17)
  • 2021: Sam Burns (-17)
  • 2019: Paul Casey (-8)
  • 2018: Paul Casey (-10)
  • 2017: Adam Hadwin (-14)
  • 2016: Charl Schwartzel (-7)
  • 2015: Jordan Spieth (-10)

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 Copperhead

1. Strokes Gained: Approach

Strokes Gained: Approach grades out as the most important statistic once again this week. Copperhead really can’t be overpowered and is a second-shot golf course.

Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds (per round)

  1. Tony Finau (+.90)
  2. Nick Taylor (+.81)
  3. Justin Thomas (+.77)
  4. Greyson Sigg (+.69)
  5. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (+.67)

2. Good Drive %

The long hitters can be a bit limited here due to the tree-lined fairways and penal rough. Playing from the fairways will be important, but laying back too far will cause some difficult approaches with firm greens that may not hold shots from long irons.

Golfers who have a good balance of distance and accuracy have the best chance this week.

Good Drive % Over Past 24 Rounds

  1. Brice Garnett (+91.3%) 
  2. Zach Johnson (+91.1%)
  3. Sam Ryder (+90.5%)
  4. Ryan Moore (+90.4%)
  5. Aaron Rai (+89.7%)

3. Strokes Gained: Ball Striking

Adding ball-striking puts even more of a premium on tee-to-green prowess in the statistical model this week. Golfers who rank highly in ball-striking are in total control of the golf ball which is exceedingly important at Copperhead.

SG: Ball Striking Over Past 24 Rounds:

  1. Xander Schauffele (+1.32)
  2. Keith Mitchell (+1.29)
  3. Tony Finau (+1.24)
  4. Cameron Young (+1.17) 
  5. Doug Ghim (+.95)

4. Bogey Avoidance

With the conditions likely to be difficult, avoiding bogeys will be crucial this week. In a challenging event like the Valspar, oftentimes the golfer who is best at avoiding mistakes ends up on top.

Gritty golfers who can grind out difficult pars have a much better chance in an event like this than a low-scoring birdie-fest.

Bogey Avoidance Over Past 24 Rounds

  1. Brice Garnett (+9.0)
  2. Xander Schauffele (+9.3)
  3. Austin Cook (+9.7) 
  4. Chesson Hadley (+10.0)
  5. Greyson Sigg (+10.2)

5. Strokes Gained: Total in Difficult Conditions

Conditions will be tough this week at Copperhead. I am looking for golfers who can rise to the occasion if the course plays as difficult as it has in the past.

Strokes Gained: Total in Difficult Conditions Over Past 24 rounds

  1. Xander Schauffele (+1,71) 
  2. Min Woo Lee (+1.39)
  3. Cameron Young (+1.27)
  4. Jordan Spieth (+1.08)
  5. Justin Suh (+.94)

6. Course History

That statistic will tell us which players have played well at Copperhead in the past.

Course History Over Past 24 rounds

  1. Patrick Cantlay (+3.75) 
  2. Sam Burns (+2.49)
  3. Davis Riley (+2.33)
  4. Matt NeSmith (+2.22)
  5. Jordan Spieth (+2.04)

The Valspar Championship Model Rankings

Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (27%), Good Drive % (15%), SG: BS (20%), Bogeys Avoided (13%), Course History (13%) Strokes Gained: Total in Difficult Conditions (12%).

  1. Xander Schauffele
  2. Doug Ghim
  3. Victor Perez
  4. Greyson Sigg
  5. Ryan Moore
  6. Tony Finau
  7. Justin Thomas
  8. Sam Ryder
  9. Sam Burns
  10. Lucas Glover

2024 Valspar Championship Picks

Justin Thomas +1400 (DraftKings)

Justin Thomas will be disappointed with his finish at last week’s PLAYERS Championship, as the past champion missed the cut despite being in some decent form heading into the event. Despite the missed cut, JT hit the ball really well. In his two rounds, the two-time major champion led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach per round.

Thomas has been up and down this season. He’s missed the cut in two “signature events” but also has finishes of T12 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, T12 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, T6 at the Pebble Beach AT&T Pro-Am and T3 at the American Express. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and 6th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking in the field.

Thomas loves Copperhead. In his last three tries at the course, he’s finished T13, T3 and T10. Thomas would have loved to get a win at a big event early in the season, but avoidable mistakes and a balky putter have cost him dearly. I believe a trip to a course he loves in a field he should be able to capitalize on is the right recipe for JT to right the ship.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout +6000 (FanDuel)

Christiaan Bezuidenhout is playing spectacular golf in the 2024 season. He finished 2nd at the American Express, T20 at Pebble Beach and T24 at the Genesis Invitational before finishing T13 at last week’s PLAYERS Championship.

In his past 24 rounds, the South African ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and 26th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. Bezuidenhout managed to work his way around TPC Sawgrass last week with minimal damage. He only made five bogeys in the entire week, which is a great sign heading into a difficult Copperhead this week.

Bezuidenhout is winless in his PGA Tour career, but certainly has the talent to win on Tour. His recent iron play tells me that this week could be a breakthrough for the 35-year-old who has eyes on the President’s Cup.

Doug Ghim +8000 (FanDuel)

Doug Ghim has finished in the top-16 of his past five starts. Most recently, Ghim finished T16 at The PLAYERS Championship in a loaded field.

In his past 24 rounds, Ghim ranks 8th in Strokes Gained: Approach and 5th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. In terms of his fit for Copperhead, the 27-year-old ranks 12th in Bogey Avoidance and 7th in Strokes Gained: Total in Difficult Conditions, making him a great fit for the course.

Ghim has yet to win on Tour, but at one point he was the top ranked Amateur golfer in the world and played in the 2017 Arnold Palmer Cup and 2017 Walker Cup. He then won the Ben Hogan award for the best male college golfer in 2018. He certainly has the talent, and there are signals aplenty that his talent in ready to take him to the winner’s circle on the PGA Tour.

Sepp Straka +8000 (BetRivers)

Sepp Straka is a player who’s shown he has the type of game that can translate to a difficult Florida golf course. The former Presidents Cup participant won the 2022 Honda Classic in tough conditions and should thrive with a similar test at Copperhead.

It’s been a slow 2024 for Straka, but his performance last week at the PLAYERS Championship surely provides some optimism. He gained 5.4 strokes on approach as well as 1.88 strokes off the tee. The tee-to-green game Straka showed on a course with plenty of danger demonstrates that he can stay in control of his golf ball this week.

It’s possible that the strong performance last week was an outlier, but I’m willing to bet on a proven winner in a weaker field at a great number.

Victor Perez +12000 (FanDuel)

Victor Perez is no stranger to success in professional golf. The Frenchman has three DP World Tour wins including a Rolex Series event. He won the 2019 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, as well as the 2023 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, which are some big events.

Perez earned his PGA Tour card this season and enters the week playing some fantastic golf. He finished in a tie for 16th in Florida at the Cognizant Classic and then tied for third in his most recent start at the Puerto Rico Open.

In his past 24 rounds in the field, Perez ranks 11th in Strokes Gained: Approach, 1oth in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking, 6th in Good Drive % and 15th in Bogey Avoidance.

Perez comes in as a perfect fit for Copperhead and offers serious value at triple-digit odds.

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