Opinion & Analysis
The Wedge Guy: Buyer beware?
It was nearly 20 years ago, when a close friend and business partner suggested I sometimes shake up my blog posts by getting “deep in the weeds” with valuable information about golf equipment and the industry around it. Over a couple of beers and a great burger, we came up with my alter ego, “The Texas Wedgehog,” and his mantra, “Rootin’ out the truth.”
From time to time, I’ve donned that persona to dive into topics that are a somewhat edgy and that might seem a bit sacrilegious for a guy that has made his living in the golf equipment industry for over forty years now. But in my first life as an ad guy, one thing that I despised was advertising that was less than truthful about a product or service. I share that same set of values about the golf equipment industry.
So, today I want to share a couple of recent stories with you that seem to suggest that maybe we should approach buying golf equipment with a bit more research and exploration, rather than to just take manufacturer’s claims and published information at its face value.
This is not to demean the industry or any of its players. Golf club design and marketing is a fast-paced environment, and all golfers have benefited from the vast amount of science and manufacturing technologies that are applied to helping us hit better golf shots. There are a lot of great products for us to choose from.
But as I have noted in prior articles, there is a limit to what golf clubs can do for your game, while there are also great attributes to equipping yourself with modern and meaningful technologies. The point of today’s article is that you need to be careful and maybe inquire a bit deeper before you just assume things about the clubs you are considering, or that you have purchased. Just a couple of examples why . . .
Case Study #1 – What does “forged” really mean?
I often like to try things other companies are producing, so I recently purchased a set of modern blade irons – you know, the ones that claim to have added technologies to make blade style irons more “techy.” And because I’m a die-hard fan of forged irons, I selected a forged model, evidenced by the fact that “FORGED” was stamped right there on the hosel.
The first thing I did when I unpacked them was to run them through my loft/lie machine to make sure the lofts were accurate and to adjust the lie angles to my own spec of 2* flat. At least that was my goal.
I’ve adjusted lie angles on hundreds of clubs in my golf life, and anyone who has done that can quickly tell the difference between a forged head and a cast one. Forgings bend easily, and most castings are brutally hard and unmalleable. These were definitely not fully forged, as it took all my strength to move the lie angles even two degrees; at most they only have a forged face in their multi-piece construction. To me, putting “FORGED” on the hosel is more than misleading, it is downright untruthful. So, now I wonder if I can trust anything else this company says about its products?
Case Study #2 – Shaft flexes can be anything
My club’s general manager asked me why I thought his new irons from Company ‘A’ were performing so differently than his previous irons from Company ‘B’. Though both were similar modern blade designs, and both had shafts that were indicated as “stiff” flex, he was hitting the new irons out on the toe consistently and much higher. So, I suggested he bring both sets to the Edison shop and we’d put them through all the measuring devices to see just what might be causing that issue.
I will add that the two sets of irons had different shafts in them, the first set being one major shaft brand’s mid-weight steel shaft in a “stiff” flex, the newer set having a lighter weight shaft (by 10 grams) from a different major brand shaft company, also marked “stiff.”
But that’s where the similarity ended. Once I put them on the Mitchell Digital Frequency Analyzer, his performance issue came very clear. The newer set of irons delivered frequency readings of 28 to 35 CPM lower than his earlier set, which equates to three full flexes! So, with that much softer shaft in his new set, he was obviously experiencing more “shaft droop” through impact, which was causing the toe hit pattern and higher ball flight.
A major challenge of the golf club industry is that there are no recognized “standards” for anything. Not lofts, not lengths, not in shaft flex designations. Heck, companies don’t even agree on how club length should be measured, much less what a standard length might be. That makes it tough to compare one club to another in a fair manner.
My goal with this blog is to share things I’ve learned in a lifetime of golf and 40+ years in the golf equipment industry. These case studies definitely prove that you should be very careful when purchasing equipment to make sure you get what you think you bought.
If I were a consumer, I would always insist that a new club be put on measuring equipment before I ever hit it to make sure I’m getting what I think I purchased.
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19th Hole
Vincenzi’s LIV Golf Singapore betting preview: Course specialist ready to thrive once again
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
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
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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Mike
Jul 24, 2022 at 10:54 pm
I agree with many of your points regarding the lack of standards. However, when it comes to shaft frequencies, I think it’s important to understand that CPM readings do not necessarily equate between different brands and types of shafts. Your statement that a difference 28 to 35 CPM’s equates to 3 flexes is true ONLY if you are talking about the same model shaft! In your example, you are comparing different shaft models, so it is not a fair statement.
I have had a frequency analyzer for over 30 years, and have learned to use the term “adjustment factor” when comparing different shafts. Without getting too technical, I have used single frequency matching in my clubs, where I build all clucs to the same frequency…no need to get into a discussion about that here :-). In the past, I had a set of clubs shafted with TT Dynamic shafts measuring 300 CPM. When the Rifle shafts came out in the 1990’s, I started testing them and found that at 300 CPM they played much stiffer than the TT Dynamic shafts. Through trial and error, I learned that a Rifle shaft built to 291 CPM felt and played similar to my 300 CPM TT Dynamic shafts. Hence, I would call that a 9 cycle adjustment factor. Today, I am using a particular model of Fiberspeed iron shafts which I build at 277 CM, a 23 cycle adjustment factor. If I were to build the Fiberspeed shafts to 300 CPM I would find them to be WAY too stiff!
Again, I mention this so that people don’t simply use a CPM number to evaluate or compare the stiffness of different shafts.
MICHAEL
Jul 23, 2022 at 6:03 pm
Had a TERRIBLE experience w/ Mizuno. Ordered an iron set 2 deg upright & I couldn’t hit them for crap; every shot felt as if it were hit off the toe. Took them back to Golf Galaxy where I purchased them. They put all 7 irons on the lie angle machine & ALL were 2 to 3 degrees flatter than I ordered. They called Mizuno & Mizuno tried to blame it on them (even though the order form CLEARLY stated 2 deg upright). The Galaxy staff got into a huge yelling match on the phone w/ Mizuno (I witnessed all of this) before Mizuno FINALLY agreed to take the irons back & adjust them properly.
I know many folks swear by Mizuno but after that experience I never looked at another Mizuno club. The lesson here: when you receive your irons, as the article says, CHECK THEM!!!
Boisepro59
Jul 26, 2022 at 11:04 am
Have been in the industry 40 years and have to say Michael that your experience with Mizuno is extremely rare.
Having some experience with Golf Galaxy I would say the fault would lie more with them
than Mizuno, especially if the GG staff was “yelling” on the phone.
Ryan
Jul 22, 2022 at 12:35 pm
I’m betting TM
Geoffrey
Jul 22, 2022 at 11:04 am
We need to know the names of companies putting “forged” on a club that is perhaps only partly forged. Please name names.
Brian
Jul 23, 2022 at 12:34 pm
I mean…they’re pretty obvious. TM does it with their hollow irons, same with Callaway and their Apex/Pro line. Same with Titleist’s TS100 and Srixon ZX-5. Pretty much any player’s distance irons, with the exception of Mizuno’s 921 Forged which is a true one-piece forging, are multi-piece constructions where only the face or body is actually forged.
Mr. Amazed
Jul 21, 2022 at 5:21 pm
Groundbreaking
SpaceGolfer
Jul 21, 2022 at 4:32 am
Well it’s certainly not a news that there are assembled heads where only the face is forged…but usual is also declared into the specs…unless is intentionally not.
Hard to believe that with your knowledge of the market you were not aware of this.
If it’s a case of misleading advertising then name the company.
Andy
Jul 20, 2022 at 1:23 pm
Call the companies out!