Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: Random thoughts on the Masters

Published

5 years ago

Apr 16, 2019

The first major of the year is history now, and true to form, it did not disappoint. Augusta National so often seems to find a way to deliver real drama and so many storylines right out of fantasy.

Tiger Woods has long been a polarizing figure in the game, it seems. But there is no denying that he combined shotmaking skills and steadiness under pressure …and more than just a bit of Augusta National savvy to earn this victory.

His shot to No. 12 showed that more than just about any other. How many times have we witnessed Masters rookies and relative rookies dunk their tee shot there by going at that right pin position? So Tiger watches Molinari, Koepka, and Finau make that mistake and takes the water completely out of play with his approach.

But what impressed me more about Tiger (or failed to impress by the others) was his ability to hit quality golf shots when it counted. How many of the others just could not put their drives in the fairway to give themselves good looks with their approaches? And how many hit below-average-to-poor approach shots to take birdie out of the picture and put bogey in it?

True to Masters form, we witnessed the drama of those who fired and fell back, giving us thrills and heartache along the way — Cantlay, Schauffele, Koepka. As is so often the case, the Masters is as much about who lost it as who won it.

Kudos to Tiger Woods for clawing his way back to the top of the heap in professional golf. Whether you like him or not, there’s no denying he played the golf course better than all the others. He never made the big mistakes and he hit the shots he needed too when he had to hit them. That’s the mark of a champion, right?

I read last night that he led the field in greens-in-regulation and was T1 in fairways. What a concept — hitting quality golf shots to beat a golf course!! He also stated that he had finally gotten his driver to where he could work it both ways with confidence. He always was a phenomenal iron player, with a scary short game and deadly putter. If he is feeling that way about his driver, the rest of this PGA Tour season might be one for the ages.

So now for some questions.

Watching this Masters for so many hours continued to punctuate how different the professional game is today than in the past, and how completely different it is from the one we recreational golfers play. Let me offer some observations as I watched the Masters unfold once again.

Understand, I’ve been watching this first major on the same course for well over 50 years, so I have a pretty deep pool of reference. With that in mind, might I ask some questions for us all to ponder?

What really defines a “par 5” hole? Historically, it meant a “three shotter,” but strategically-placed reachable par fives have always delivered drama. Bobby Jones said courses should have one or two of those, but that they should require a perfect high-risk drive to give the player that option. I really don’t think he envisioned “par 5s” that were reachable by the majority of the field with a medium to short iron. With players routinely hitting those to #13 and #15, can they really still be called “par five holes”? And how many true “par 5s” are there on the tour anymore? Aren’t these guys really playing courses that should have a par of 69 or 70?
Historically, at least through the 1990s, Augusta was a mid-to-long iron golf course. Greg Norman lost to Nicklaus in 1986 by flaring a 4-iron right on 18– when was the last time we saw that club for an approach there, except after a terrible drive? Is it the same challenge to play a course where the majority of approach shots are with a 7-iron or less in the golfers’ hands, as it is when the typical approach is with a 6-iron or longer?
But then, does that really matter? If you are hitting a 7-iron from 200, is it the same difficulty of a shot as if you have a 4-iron in your hand? What’s y’all’s take on that?
Just how good are these guys’ short games? It seems like they get up-and-down from everywhere, creating and executing an unimaginable variety of shots. At one point mid-way through the round, Molinari was a perfect 18-for-18 in saves this week! That is unbelievable, isn’t it? Do these short game skills make golf courses essentially defenseless unless they are tricked up? And do we really want to see that happen?

Those are my questions. I hope many of you will sound off with your take on them so I can learn from you.

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A decade in the dark, an eternity in the sun: Tiger Woods’ extraordinary self-belief has assured his star will forever burn bright

Terry Koehler

Terry Koehler is a fourth generation Texan and a graduate of Texas A&M University. Over his 40-year career in the golf industry, he has created over 100 putter designs, sets of irons and drivers, and in 2014, he put together the team that reintroduced the Ben Hogan brand to the golf equipment industry. Since the early 2000s, Terry has been a prolific writer, sharing his knowledge as “The Wedge Guy”. But his most compelling work is in the wedge category. Since he first patented his “Koehler Sole” in the early 1990s, he has been challenging “conventional wisdom” reflected in ‘tour design’ wedges. The performance of his wedge designs have stimulated other companies to move slightly more mass toward the top of the blade in their wedges, but none approach the dramatic design of his Edison Forged wedges, which have been robotically proven to significantly raise the bar for wedge performance. Terry serves as Chairman and Director of Innovation for Edison Golf – check it out at www.EdisonWedges.com.

32 Comments

CG

Apr 18, 2019 at 6:23 pm

Raymond Floyd won the Masters in 1975 with 17 under. The course was over 7,000 yards. He was hitting a wood driver and fairway woods that were 2-3 inches shorter (I recall the famous 4 wood). He used wound balata balls that were marshmallows compared to today’s model, and irons that had shorter shafts with less loft throughout the set. Tiger just won with -13 on a course that’s about 400 yards longer today (about 22-23 per hole) and yet players these days hit drivers well over 300 when back then, 275 was a big hit. I think many people are over reacting.

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Odie

Apr 18, 2019 at 12:50 pm

Regarding distance, if the PGA Tour (not USGA) wants to do something about it they should have a “tour version” of current balls on the market that go 10-15% shorter. Now the tour pro flies it 270 vs 300. You can bring more “classic” courses back into play and recreational players can better relate to the tour pros they follow.

Bring strategy and shotmaking back to the tour.

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golfraven

Apr 18, 2019 at 7:29 am

One question really strikes me. Why were there three guys with leaf blowers and referees suddenly on the 12the green when Tiger was about to hit his putt? Have not seen this on any other tournament since I can remember watching golf? What did they discuss? Nobody seem to be mentioning this scenario?
Why is the 12th such a myth? Folks seem to be dropping balls into water more in the last round. Can someone clarify this for me please?

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- Ace
  
  Apr 18, 2019 at 8:35 am
  
  This happens all the time, clearing sand or debris from the green from previous players or if a gust of wind brought stuff onto the green. Tour events are meticulously maintained for the pros.
  
  Reply Report comment
Daniel Kidd

Apr 18, 2019 at 6:32 am

I’ll comment on the distance players are hitting it and how that gives the player a shorter iron into the green. Golf is always changing and technology causes much of that change. The players used to play hickory shafts and some felt like it was cheating to use steel. This change completely changed the game. How much has the ball changed since the days of stuffing it full of feathers?

Technology has always changed the game and it will continue to. I don’t know what the answer to this is…do we stop innovation so it all stays the same? I’m glad I’m not swinging hickory shafts and putting on furry greens that require mostly luck to bounce a long putt into the hole. But at the same time, I don’t want to hit driver lob wedge into every par 4. Obviously we can’t make all courses longer to accommodate distance gains.

To me, the distance problem is really only a problem at the professional level. Most of the guys I play with struggle to reach a 400 yd par 4.

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Joseph Greenberg

Apr 17, 2019 at 6:01 pm

Augusta mows the green surrounds so that contestants almost always have to hit into the grain. The greens are recognized as the most challenging to putt in the world. So if Francesco and his ilk go 18 for 18 in saves, bless and praise them. Also recognize that the greens couldn’t firm up, that your wedge gurus are making pros smarter by the month (DJ competing with Rickie, Jordan and Justin with a wedge in his mitts is Exhibit 1), and that metrics guys are pushing for concentrating more and more practice time around the green

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- Mardukes
  
  Apr 17, 2019 at 11:02 pm
  
  The pond next to the 11th green. When was the last time someone put s ball in it? IIRC it used to cause problems.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Pelling
    
    Apr 18, 2019 at 8:29 am
    
    It seemed like Tiger and Phil hit it way right off #11 tee and always ending up on that hard pan with a clear shot to the green! What’s up with that?
    
    Reply Report comment
- IAIN HUTCHINSON
  
  Apr 18, 2019 at 3:40 am
  
  I am not sure if I agree with this statement. I read an article just before this years masters which said that the greens are amongst the highest in first putt success but also the highest is 3 putts. So if the read is right they are true and will hole out. But if you miss they are very difficult to stop and produce the greatest number of 3 putts. Would be interested is hearing what the pro’s say about this interesting statistical conundrum
  
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  - Mario B
    
    Apr 18, 2019 at 6:12 pm
    
    Mostly because the holes are often in a small depression and all shots on the right side of a ridge will feed towards it but shots reaching the wrong part of the green will get a strong slope on the last few yards making 3 putts quite common (13, 14, 16, 18 for example)
    
    Reply Report comment
Bob Jones

Apr 17, 2019 at 5:24 pm

Augusta National is becoming obsolete, just like St. Andrews Old is. In his book, Golf is My Game, Bobby Jones described how to play the course during tournament time. For example, No. 16 was a 2, 3, or 4-iron. I remember seeing that on TV. Today it’s a 7, 8, or 9-iron. No. 13 used to be a 3-shotter because few players wanted to risk going for it in two. Now, who doesn’t do that, which is why the club bought land from neighboring Augusta CC to lengthen it, and they hit the green easily in two. Etc. In 10-15 years, if that long, ANGC will be exposed beyond fixing.

As for the hole values, you could call every hole a par 4 and the total scores would be the same. Like they say, par is just a number.

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- Gary Maxwell
  
  Apr 17, 2019 at 6:08 pm
  
  I don’t think Augusta is obsolete. I do think they should acknowledge the fact that there are no par 5s on the course during the tournament.
  
  Reply Report comment
just a thought

Apr 17, 2019 at 5:03 pm

I don’t want the technology or equipment advances taken away… the advancement of the game is not decided by the 150 best in the world.

At 250 yds begin tightening the fairway till it is no more 20-25 steps wide at 300… reward the long straight tee shot but punish the hell out of the player that isn’t so straight.

When it’s all said and done their greatest skill arrives from 100 yards in….they are phenomenal

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Howard Clark

Apr 17, 2019 at 4:40 pm

The “second cut”, as the inane announcers continue to call it, was fairway height at many courses. No rough, no golf.

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Brad

Apr 17, 2019 at 3:09 pm

The Masters and the Open should be played with drivers having a maximum size of 275cc or made of actual wood. Let’s see how the pros play these courses without the massive boom stick in their hands…

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Rev G

Apr 17, 2019 at 8:23 am

I think there is some truth to saying that a 200 yard shot with a 4 iron in the past is similar to a 200 yard shot with a 7 iron in today’s game. Especially when you consider that the lofts of today’s 7 iron is between a 5 iron and 6 iron of the past. And then you factor in today’s ball that spins so much less, you need more loft to get the ball up in the air.

Augusta is so perfectly manicured, the greens are so smooth – it really makes it much easier for the pros – and as noted above, the fairways roll out so much, giving the pros even more length.

One of the other golf websites, showed a statistic saying that the pros putt much better at Augusta from inside of ten feet than at the average tour stop. That can only be accounted for by the fact that the greens are so smooth and true. They do tend to have on average more 3 putts, but that is not surprising considering the large slopes on the Augusta greens. But the pin placements are usually in relatively flatter spots.

I think if you slowed the fairways and greens, grew up some more rough you could definitely make it longer and tougher.

But should they make it tougher, it sure is fun to watch, and the best golfer for the week won. Tiger hit the most fairways and greens and simply out smarted the rest. It was great theatre.

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- Pelling
  
  Apr 18, 2019 at 8:34 am
  
  If you look at the conditioning of today’s golfers (Tiger, DJ, Adam Scott, etc.) and compare it with players in years past, there is no mystery why the ball goes farther…
  
  Reply Report comment
John

Apr 16, 2019 at 9:25 pm

One word. “Merion”. Pros were torched at that too short of US Open ourse

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- Bob Jones
  
  Apr 17, 2019 at 5:14 pm
  
  Yes, because the USGA had it unbelievable tricked up with really narrow fairways and rough the height of which hadn’t been seen before. It was an admission that unless the course was later beyond recognition it wouldn’t stand up to the modern player.
  
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lee kocanda

Apr 16, 2019 at 8:47 pm

I totally agree.coursesfor tour players are to easy for todays pros .tighten fairway landing areas and grow the rough. make these guys grind .myself and my golfing buddies love u,s.opens where par is good. it seems to me that the tour hierarchy think people like seeing a bob hope birdie fest .

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Lash

Apr 16, 2019 at 7:10 pm

Everyone always talks about what Bobby Jones envisioned…what club should be hit into which green. And if that is still the goal, there is a solution. The fairways back in the day, didn’t have 50 yard roll outs, and the greens weren’t 11-13 on the stimpmeter either. Yeah, a 4 iron into the green is a great shot, but back in his day a green would hold the shot because it was more receptive. They have added slope and made them faster that what Mr. Jones also envisioned. If you want the players hitting longer irons in, take the course back to the way it was….a little slower, and a little furrier. Also pinch in the landing areas and grow the rough. Things can be done without adding more length.

But you can’t have it both ways….folks like the long ball, and a lot of folks don’t want to see pros embarrassed ( hear me USGA). They want to see great golf, great towering shots, great approach shots rewarded, no courses tricked up, and golfer rewarded for great shots, creativity, and for getting g hot at the right time.

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Jeff Baldwin

Apr 16, 2019 at 4:57 pm

Good questions!
My opinions only:
1. “Par” is just a number. To win, you shoot a lower score than everyone else. I would say that right now the par 5 holes are more like the difficult par 4s, but does it matter? then again, 13 under isn’t a demolition of the course, and not a new low score, even though the course was soft. True, there have been adjustments over the years, but I don’t see a problem.
2. Obviously, the equipment has changed the game. But the old 4 iron isn’t that much different from today’s 6, so perhaps the difference is not as much as it sounds like. Sticking an approach from 200 still isn’t an easy task, is it? Which leads to…
3. To me it doesn’t really matter. They still have to make the shot. They can’t hit 12 from 150, so…
4. Yes, their short games are crazy. I think that emphasis on the short game has really gone up as more statistics have been available, rather than just “feeling”. I sure hope people don’t see that as a driver to trick things up. Perhaps a little fluffier rough, and things like that, but if you are near, but not on the green, you should not be penalized more than if you were farther out, right? I think the amazing and imaginative short game shots are the most fun to watch! It’s not a totally recent thing, Watson’s Open, Tiger a bunch of times over two decades, Seve, the list does go on. Bottom line is that, yes, these guys are good!

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- Hrannar
  
  Apr 17, 2019 at 5:54 am
  
  Well in most tour pros bag are blades with traditional lofts. My guess is that Tigers 7 iron is not much different than a 30 year old 7 iron blade. Similar design and same loft. It still is a stroke play game and the best score wins. It however doesn’t make discussion of how the course plays and is set up mute. They do drive 40-50 yards longer and have shorter approach shots as a result. Why not make the par 5 holes play a 5 like they were meant to in the beginning. I also think the second cut was too short, almost no penalty not hitting the fairway. The Majors should be hard.
  
  Reply Report comment
DB

Apr 16, 2019 at 2:49 pm

If they wanted to make the Par 5s harder all they would have to do is narrow the fairways and let the rough grow longer. They didn’t do that so obviously they like the way it’s going.

Also I’m not terribly concerned about players hitting 7-iron instead of 4-iron. Like you said, in the old days 4-iron was a 200-yard shot. Now for most players that is 6 or even 7-iron. But also the old irons were lofted weak. A 4-iron was probably 26+ degrees. Ironically it seems like the only person still playing the older lofts is Tiger.

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- Lance
  
  Apr 16, 2019 at 10:04 pm
  
  Generally the older long irons were 2 iron at 18 degrees 3 iron at 21 degrees 4 iron 24 degrees
  
  Reply Report comment
dat

Apr 16, 2019 at 2:30 pm

I get that everyone is in shape, better ball, better equipment – but these courses are just too short for these guys. Look at #5, where they lengthened the hole – and it played at par. That’s about how all the holes should be, but not every course has the kind of money AGNC has. And that’s part of the problem. If one course can arbitrarily extend a hole or two, but others cannot, the only equalizer then is the golf ball.

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- Steven M
  
  Apr 17, 2019 at 7:16 am
  
  No it isn’t. This drives me mad. The ball isn’t the problem. Grow the grass longer, make the course tighter. People understand how to hit it longer thanks to TM/GC Quad. Along with a change in approach as to how they play golf now. They’re not tickling it around like the days of Faldo who plotted his way around. They go for broke and hit it hard.
  Tighten the course up, and watch people plot they’re way round again.
  
  Reply Report comment
Ben

Apr 16, 2019 at 2:02 pm

I guess you have to look at it from two points of view. Course design or competition. Yes the course is designed in relation to par and for pros that is mostly a non factor. They shoot under par everywhere. But they are competing for the lowest score, so the score is in relation to each other not designated par. Stress of competition becomes the course they are playing. As we all seen on Sunday and past masters hole 12, a short iron par 3 closed the door on many. That’s a relatively simple shot on any other day of the year. I wouldn’t get too caught up on how long the courses are, what clubs are being played or what par is. Lowest score wins.

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PSG

Apr 16, 2019 at 1:48 pm

Its silly to adjust the “par” of holes to the score average. Wait, #12 at TPC Louisiana plays to a score average of 4.67 during the Zurich Classic. Make it a par 5! You’ll never get it 100% right, so don’t try. Its fine the way it is.

And given that the scoring average on tour is 71.57, par 72 seems exactly right.

Reply Report comment
- Ace
  
  Apr 18, 2019 at 8:33 am
  
  Get outta here with your facts and data!
  
  Good point though, sometimes the players get hot at the right time like Tiger winning majors by over 12 strokes or Rory winning by a ton while the rest of the field is struggling for par.
  
  Reply Report comment
percy freeman

Apr 16, 2019 at 11:41 am

Terry,
If they don’t change the ball for the pros then the only defense Augusta could have would be to grow REAL ROUGH and tighten the landing areas (see US Open rough).

what else is there? they are out of real estate…..

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- Johnny Penso
  
  Apr 16, 2019 at 2:11 pm
  
  Longer par 5’s and riskier tee shots are what is needed to bring a bit more of the challenge back to golf tournaments. Laying it out there 320 with little fear of trouble, getting a 30 yard roll and hitting a 9 iron in, is a par 4 not a par 5. Narrow the fairway at 280-350, put in some trees and bunkers and make the tee shot risky. Some par 5’s should have smaller greens with a narrow path to roll the ball up if necessary. No par 5 should be under 550 yards these days, making even a perfect tee shot leave at least a 200 yard approach and the player who plays safe off the tee not able to reach the green in two. The whole idea of risk/reward is gone on most par 5s these days.
  
  Reply Report comment

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19th Hole

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

Published

4 days ago

Apr 30, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

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

Published

4 days ago

Apr 30, 2024

Brendan Ryan

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

Published

2 weeks ago

Apr 22, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

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

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

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

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

Past Winners at TPC Louisiana

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

2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks

Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)

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

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

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

Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)

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

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

Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)

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

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

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