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Faldo’s ‘commercial’ dig at Rickie Fowler was narcissistic, unfair and hypocritical

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This week, Rickie Fowler opened up on his current struggles on the course, describing the enormous frustration he’s going through and the toll it’s even taking on his life at home.

Instead of Fowler being commended for his honesty during the most challenging period of his career to date, he found himself attacked. Not just by some nameless, faceless troll on social media either, but by a six-time major winner turned talking head: Nick Faldo.

Replying to Golf Digest’s article on Fowler, the Englishman decided he’d take a swipe at Fowler’s commercial success, saying:

“Good news is if he misses the Masters he can shoot another six commercials that week!”

He then doubled down on the comment, highlighting his own excellent achievements in the sport while knocking Fowler who is still looking for his maiden major win, posting shortly after: “What would you rather have, a boatload of cash or your name in three green books?”

Had Faldo bothered to read the article in question, then he’d have seen that Fowler is extremely hungry and putting in hours of practice to get back to the heights that saw him once ranked inside the world’s top 5.

If Fowler was content to do commercials instead of grinding away on the course as Faldo suggests, why will this week at Bay Hill mark his 6th appearance in the last seven weeks on the PGA Tour?

That schedule just doesn’t fit Nick’s narrative that Fowler is satisfied with things in his professional life.

Sadly, Faldo’s dig at Rickie had nothing to do with his golf game, nor did it even acknowledge how hard he is trying to turn things around.

It was a petty knock at a universally well-liked player from his peers to fans alike because he happens to do well for himself outside of the course as well as on it.

And let’s not forget how good Fowler has been on it, five PGA Tour wins (including The Players), 2 European Tour wins, and 11 top-ten finishes at majors—and he’s still just 32.

All that the Englishman’s cheap shot at Fowler’s commercial success did was amplify the undercurrent of jealousy within Faldo, who spends the majority of his time on social media plugging and endorsing a golf shoe.

Does anyone really think that Faldo wouldn’t snap up Rickie’s commercial opportunities if they presented themselves to him?

To knock Fowler’s current level of play is fair game, but to suggest he’d be happy to miss the Masters so that he can “shoot another six commercials that week” is out of line and does a disservice to the effort he puts in each day to get better at his craft.

Fowler has demonstrated time and time again that he is a class act, an excellent ambassador for the sport, and he deserves much better than a blindsided attack on Twitter from a prominent figure in golf media.

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Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected].

47 Comments

47 Comments

  1. Paulo

    Mar 9, 2021 at 12:03 am

    Faldo won more than Rickie. He knows about how to win. I agree with him on this one

  2. Connie

    Mar 6, 2021 at 11:46 am

    Nick Faldo doesn’t always need to say everything he is thinking, learn to edit.
    Mean is never attractive.
    Rickie is one of the nicest golfers, always supportive of his fellow players.

  3. dttruman

    Mar 6, 2021 at 6:14 am

    I respect Faldo a lot for his accomplishments and I also commend him for his objective and sometimes humorous observations when he calls a tournament. But his recent remark about Ricky Fowler isn’t like him at all and I would expect something like that to come from Brandel Chamblee who’s criticism of others always seems to be low class.

    • juliette91

      Mar 8, 2021 at 10:44 am

      I like Faldo’s humor–most of the time–and actually thought what he said was funny. No idea how Fowler took those comments but there’s no doubt Fowler is likely the leading commercial success on tour. He’s well liked and emblematic of a younger generation than the one the choose your jet! ads are targeting. I was a vendor to the advertising industry and it’s all about the appeal of the ad–and if you can get someone who is universally loved by the public well then the ad doesn’t even have to be that good for the campaign to be successful.

      There is a world of difference between the sense of humor here in the USA and in Europe. Just watch Tommy Fleetwood’s youtube sketches with other Euro pros. They really get after each other and like any real good humor there’s always a measure of reality. Fowler is struggling now and Fowler is on tv more than any other touring pro. He’s fair game.

  4. chip75

    Mar 5, 2021 at 9:24 pm

    Faldo got slammed when he was having bad Sundays early in his career, he was slammed for changing his swing after a no.1 year and he was slammed for tinkering when playing well. He was saying the incentive to win was getting less and less as prize money increased decades ago. Was it mean what he said? that’s up to Rickie, he seems like a nice guy, so hopefully he’ll have an, “I’ll show them!” attitude. But some folks don’t get Faldo’s humour, it’s pretty dry, I don’t know his relationship with Fowler.

    The other issue is the tremendous pressure the media puts on kids like Rickie, they’re always hailed as the “Next!” somebody, they’re never given a chance to bed in and are just lumped with enormous expectations, players progress differently.

  5. Cdub

    Mar 5, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    Faldo has become a big donkey. Hope Mickelson kicks him out of the booth soon.

    • matt

      Mar 6, 2021 at 12:44 pm

      if zinger wasn’t even worse I’d agree.. but yes both need to go

      • Captain Obvious

        Mar 6, 2021 at 3:14 pm

        God.. Zinger is the worst. 100 times worse than Faldo. Saying things like that rough is lush, green, thick.. it’s gonna be hard to hit it out of there today.. he should do the hotels.com commercials instead of me.

  6. Luke keefner

    Mar 5, 2021 at 5:38 pm

    When Fowler was voted most over rated player on tour, he promptly won the players. Maybe this is what he needs….

  7. Jack

    Mar 5, 2021 at 5:15 pm

    Faldo is arrogant – so what he said is expected from someone like him.

    On another note since, this is GOLFWRX, I think it is time Fowler leave Cobra and get retooled with one of the big boys. Clearly their equipment is not working well for him – should go rogue like many others and back to the Pro V1 too.

  8. Rod

    Mar 5, 2021 at 3:24 pm

    Faldo should stick to pitching Squairz……

    well actually he shouldn’t do that either

  9. C Bowen

    Mar 5, 2021 at 1:42 pm

    Hey Gianni,

    Your “commentary” is so typical of the “I got a trophy for just showing up” generation. Faldo was/is correct and my suggestion to you & Ricky: GROW A PAIR!!!

    • GMatt

      Mar 5, 2021 at 1:45 pm

      Well said… has anyone figured out if this hack even owns a set of golf clubs? Maybe he should be submitting his articles on another platform

  10. benseattle

    Mar 5, 2021 at 11:38 am

    I’m certainly no Faldo fanatic (his insistence on relentless puns is fingernails on a chalkboard) but Lil’ Gianni’s horror at a wisecrack just shows that now even golf writers are demonstrating we’re all just as delicate as can be. Sure, Twitter is a cesspool of unthinking, fast-twitch, top-of-mind mistake-makers, but to spend time denouncing Nick for yet a harmless jab is an excursion into pure snowflake territory. Oh, and by the way, thanks to this oh-so-sensitive world we live in, Faldo has now apologized for merely pointing out that Fowler’s bank account vastly exceeds his accomplishments. But I suppose a tender golf scribe has to write about SOMETHING.

  11. Robert Welsh

    Mar 5, 2021 at 11:26 am

    Mission accomplished for Faldo – getting people to notice him and talk about him, apparently ascribing to the “no such thing as bad publicity” mantra.

    He is a lousy announcer, fond of saying what he does followed by the player doing the exact opposite and playing an excellent shot as a result. Instead of insight he provides worthless blather and so he has to say something spectacularly stupid to gain notice.

    Same kind of modus operandi was seen when he tried to generate a tempest over Reed’s drop at Torrey. I play Torrey regularly and know that area just short and left of #10 well (unfortunately). Unless you are on the ground to see it, as were Reed’s playing partners and the Rules Official, you have no business making remarks like “the rest of the world is screaming at that one”.

    Most successful pros make far more money with endorsements and commercials than they do in prize money, and it has been this way for a long time, so why the cheap shot at Fowler ?

    To generate some publicity for himself at the expense of someone else, that’s why.

  12. silver 76

    Mar 5, 2021 at 10:17 am

    Anybody who watches golf knows that Nick Faldo is a class “A” jerk!!! Yeah he is a Hypocritic A–Hole!!

  13. drgolfaholic

    Mar 5, 2021 at 10:13 am

    Could serve as the best motivation that push RF out of his recent slump if he ignores it and continues working hard. Or RF can get caught in the unproductive back and forth spat

  14. George Stevenson

    Mar 5, 2021 at 10:13 am

    Haaaa. We need more funny.

  15. GMatt

    Mar 5, 2021 at 10:02 am

    Typical snowflake article, whether Faldo is a sick or not his comment was not only spot on, it was pretty funny. People get so butt hurt these days and can’t take criticism as it’s bullying….toughen up grow some balls. I like Rickie but you can’t argue he hasn’t done much other than winning The Player and a nice run of runner ups in majors

  16. John

    Mar 5, 2021 at 9:47 am

    Faldo has never had any class. He proved that when he was sneaking behind a fellow professional’s back, having an affair with his wife. Thankfully, we don’t hear too much of him in the UK these days but, it’s clear from these comments that he hasn’t changed.

  17. Gary

    Mar 5, 2021 at 9:41 am

    When I read narcissistic, hypocritical, and unfair I immediately thought this was a story about a GOP politician…

    • The dude

      Mar 5, 2021 at 10:18 am

      Fail….

    • Team America

      Mar 5, 2021 at 10:42 am

      Dirka..Durka… you win the internet for the day.

    • Joe Biden

      Mar 5, 2021 at 12:57 pm

      That’s just because you actually listen to what the liberal media has to say…. it’s called indoctrination bud

  18. Avrm

    Mar 5, 2021 at 9:29 am

    Fowler’s financial return is grossly out of proportion to his relatively modest accomplishments. Faldo’s comment was spot on and a nice antidote to the media cheerleaders who have for years over hyped Fowler. We need more, not less, cynicism in media golf commentary.

  19. Ron John Dupraine

    Mar 5, 2021 at 9:25 am

    Cancel culture….Don’t blame Faldo for sharing his opinion. He is entitled to it, and CBS pays him big bucks to give it. Also I’m a Rickie fan, and who cares what Rickie Fowler wants. Let him live his life, and decide what he wants…. if he wants something I’m sure he’ll give it his all…

  20. Helen Cronin

    Mar 5, 2021 at 9:19 am

    Faldo is a jealous jerk he also had jealous comments about Tiger when Tiger was struggling. He is a jerk I do not like him as a sports commenter. He should be telling us how hard it is out there to make it instead of knocking the players. He thinks he was great but he had problems too out there. Ricki is a fan favorite and good for golf just like Tiger was, Faldo was not a fan favorite.

    • Dr Watson

      Mar 5, 2021 at 9:30 am

      Americans hate Faldo, Europeans love him. He has just as many fans as haters.

      • Jim

        Mar 5, 2021 at 9:50 am

        You couldn’t be more wrong. Apart from the English, pretty much no one in Europe cares for him. This is why he now does his pundit in the States. No one over here is interested in anything he has to say.

  21. Ricki-is-overrated

    Mar 5, 2021 at 9:08 am

    So we have found the Fowler fan boy.
    Rickie seems like a good kid, but let’s be honest, way over hyped and considering his struggles on the course lately, Faldo isn’t wrong. It’s not a good look.

  22. TG

    Mar 5, 2021 at 8:51 am

    Faldo can’t be saying this if he’s shooting boat loads of commercials himself. What’s the difference? Rickie could tear down his broadcasting performance; perhaps Faldo would win more broadcasting awards if he wasn’t busy flogging crappy golf shoes?

  23. GodShamgod

    Mar 4, 2021 at 7:16 pm

    Faldo is definitely a jerk for saying this and kicking a guy while he is down. Even the new nicer version of Faldo is still the same rotten person inside.

    But that doesn’t menman he is wrong. Rickie definitely wants to win and succeed. But he also wants to milk his commercial opportunities. There is nothing wrong with that but sometimes it is tough to have both.

    It is no coincidence that about half the winners since the new year have not been under an equipment contract. Some of it might be the ability to shop around but don’t underestimate the demands TM, Cway, Cobra etc put on a player. Maybe if Rickie stripped away, Cobra, Puma, Mercedes and State Farm he wouldnt be a thinly stretched.

  24. Geoedgar

    Mar 4, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    Says the guy getting paid to tell us to buy new golf shoes that will give you extra distance?

    • BigGG

      Mar 5, 2021 at 6:18 am

      Say’s Faldo who has won a lot more majors.

    • Kuuchie Doochie

      Mar 5, 2021 at 9:33 am

      That is currently his job to give us opinions. CBS pays him a boatload…

  25. Sir Nick

    Mar 4, 2021 at 1:14 pm

    This was pure sarcasm/dry wit from Faldo (and frankly he’s not wrong). Why does this writer take the position of staunchly defending Fowler’s underperforming career? Did he need to put 250 words together for an article and this was the way to go? I recently played golf for the first time in 3 months with a buddy of mine who never stopped playing during the winter. I beat him and said “man, you played all winter, I would have thought you’d have been better than that”. We laughed and had a beer because HE ISN”T SO DAMN SENSITIVE and can take a joke!

  26. VPL

    Mar 4, 2021 at 9:17 am

    Sorry, Faldo wins on this one. The articles author is a complete moron making the statement that Faldo is jealous – he won 6 majors and who knows how many other events worldwide, Fowler couldn’t and won’t even carry Faldo’s bag in the history books. Too many players have allowed mediocrity to rule the day. Let’s not forget that very few players win majors, in fact I found that “454 majors have been played. A total of 225 different men have won majors and, of these, 83 have won at least two.” It is golfers themselves that have painted a picture of major wins being the standard by which they will be judged Like in any business, there is no shame in being a success without having become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. If you ask me Fowler spent a good part of his career developing a persona, using his off course life activities and his childish matching outfits as part of this persona. This brought him attention and endorsment money but he forgot to bring the game. Where did he think he was going in the era of Tiger and DJ? Those guys showed up with game first and took the other benefits later OK, he won The Players but does anyone remember any of the other four?, it’s not like they were “wins for the ages” Finally, never mistake popularity for talent.

  27. David Landig

    Mar 4, 2021 at 9:13 am

    Typical pompous Faldo. I think his screensaver is a picture of himself.

    • Big GG

      Mar 4, 2021 at 5:36 pm

      Funny. Johnny Miller always said things like this. People like you never said a word.

      • Get Scoobie

        Mar 4, 2021 at 9:46 pm

        And Johnny Miller is no longer commentating.

      • Ron Hole

        Mar 5, 2021 at 9:38 am

        Miller was a pompous ass… face it, these guys are paid to give controversial opinions. Plus Faldo is and was better than Miller on the course, and in the booth..

      • Jim

        Mar 5, 2021 at 10:44 am

        This is accurate

  28. K

    Mar 4, 2021 at 8:17 am

    As someone previously stated. Hopefully Faldo had good intentions trying to fire Rickie up.
    If not it shows a complete lack of class on Faldos part. So what if Rickie doesnt make it to Augusta this year? In what universe does that have any effect on Faldos life? Even if Rickie misses The Masters and DOES go shoot 6 commercials so what? Rickie will get paid and with the way Rickie is im sure some charity out there will benefit from that.
    Being a 3x past Masters champion and a bit of an ambassador to Augusta and The Masters it seems Nick would demonstrate a bit more class/respect when using their name. Could you imagine Mr. Ridley or any member throwing out comments such as this? Would NEVER happen

  29. Mark

    Mar 4, 2021 at 7:47 am

    You have an excellent grasp of the twat that is Faldo.

    If his ex-wives read this, they would be nodding in agreement.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans betting preview

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

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

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

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

Past Winners at TPC Louisiana

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

2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks

Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)

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

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

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

Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)

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

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

Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)

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

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

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 LIV Adelaide betting preview: Cam Smith ready for big week down under

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After having four of the top twelve players on the leaderboard at The Masters, LIV Golf is set for their fifth event of the season: LIV Adelaide. 

For both LIV fans and golf fans in Australia, LIV Adelaide is one of the most anticipated events of the year. With 35,000 people expected to attend each day of the tournament, the Grange Golf Club will be crawling with fans who are passionate about the sport of golf. The 12th hole, better known as “the watering hole”, is sure to have the rowdiest of the fans cheering after a long day of drinking some Leishman Lager.  

The Grange Golf Club is a par-72 that measures 6,946 yards. The course features minimal resistance, as golfers went extremely low last season. In 2023, Talor Gooch shot consecutive rounds of 62 on Thursday and Friday, giving himself a gigantic cushion heading into championship Sunday. Things got tight for a while, but in the end, the Oklahoma State product was able to hold off The Crushers’ Anirban Lahiri for a three-shot victory. 

The Four Aces won the team competition with the Range Goats finishing second. 

*All Images Courtesy of LIV Golf*

Past Winners at LIV Adelaide

  • 2023: Talor Gooch (-19)

Stat Leaders Through LIV Miami

Green in Regulation

  1. Richard Bland
  2. Jon Rahm
  3. Paul Casey

Fairways Hit

  1. Abraham Ancer
  2. Graeme McDowell
  3. Henrik Stenson

Driving Distance

  1. Bryson DeChambeau
  2. Joaquin Niemann
  3. Dean Burmester

Putting

  1. Cameron Smith
  2. Louis Oosthuizen
  3. Matt Jones

2024 LIV Adelaide Picks

Cameron Smith +1400 (DraftKings)

When I pulled up the odds for LIV Adelaide, I was more than a little surprised to see multiple golfers listed ahead of Cameron Smith on the betting board. A few starts ago, Cam finished runner-up at LIV Hong Kong, which is a golf course that absolutely suits his eye. Augusta National in another course that Smith could roll out of bed and finish in the top-ten at, and he did so two weeks ago at The Masters, finishing T6.

At Augusta, he gained strokes on the field on approach, off the tee (slightly), and of course, around the green and putting. Smith able to get in the mix at a major championship despite coming into the week feeling under the weather tells me that his game is once again rounding into form.

The Grange Golf Club is another course that undoubtedly suits the Australian. Smith is obviously incredibly comfortable playing in front of the Aussie faithful and has won three Australian PGA Championship’s. The course is very short and will allow Smith to play conservative off the tee, mitigating his most glaring weakness. With birdies available all over the golf course, there’s a chance the event turns into a putting contest, and there’s no one on the planet I’d rather have in one of those than Cam Smith.

Louis Oosthuizen +2200 (DraftKings)

Louis Oosthuizen has simply been one of the best players on LIV in the 2024 seas0n. The South African has finished in the top-10 on the LIV leaderboard in three of his five starts, with his best coming in Jeddah, where he finished T2. Perhaps more impressively, Oosthuizen finished T7 at LIV Miami, which took place at Doral’s “Blue Monster”, an absolutely massive golf course. Given that Louis is on the shorter side in terms of distance off the tee, his ability to play well in Miami shows how dialed he is with the irons this season.

In addition to the LIV finishes, Oosthuizen won back-to-back starts on the DP World Tour in December at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritus Open. He also finished runner-up at the end of February in the International Series Oman. The 41-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers of 2024, regardless of tour.

For the season, Louis ranks 4th on LIV in birdies made, T9 in fairways hit and first in putting. He ranks 32nd in driving distance, but that won’t be an issue at this short course. Last season, he finished T11 at the event, but was in decent position going into the final round but fell back after shooting 70 while the rest of the field went low. This season, Oosthuizen comes into the event in peak form, and the course should be a perfect fit for his smooth swing and hot putter this week.

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Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: What really makes a wedge work? Part 1

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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.

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