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GUIDE

PREVIEW THE TOUGHEST VENUE YETP. 75 The

retooled
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MAGAZINE

AMERICA’S ClubTest
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40 NEW
Take Back Your Game! WEDGES &
� Exposed: Swing Secrets PUTTERS
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� Our Midseason REVIEWED
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HOW TO BE A
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BY JUSTIN ROSE
JUNE 2014 I GOLF.COM

The New Rules for Splitting

Fairways, Hitting Greens &
Draining Every Putt in Sight P. 107
 Adam Scott Zach Johnson

Henrik Stenson

Webb Simpson

Bubba Watson

Jason Dufner

Luke Donald

Steve Stricker
Jordan Spieth

Lee Westwood

Ian Poulter Jimmy Walker

THE #1 BALL
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66 YEARS
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#BestInClass Adjustable Perimeter Weighting makes long, Bertha Long.
 June 2014 Volume 56, Issue 6

MAGAZINE

2014 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW

Prime Time for Pinehurst 75
The U.S. Open returns to No. 2

Life is But a Dream 76

Last year at Merion, Justin Rose,
33, delivered on his promise

Crowned Jewels 79
Donald Ross’s most devious greens

Pinehurst 2.0 86
How the revamped course will play

By the Numbers 87
A statistical glimpse at Pinehurst

Once a Champion 88
For Michael Campbell, winning
the 2005 U.S. Open came at a cost

Double Trouble 96
Why this year’s back-to-back Opens
could create a “doomsday scenario”

COVER STORY Sam I Am? 98

Phil Mickelson can learn from

HOW
Sam Snead’s U.S. Open heartache

Tomorrow’s News Today! 104

TO BE A Here are your post-Open headlines

BIRDIE 28 New Putters

MACHINE
C LUB and 12 New Wedges
T ES T
2 0 14 Tested and Rated 117
Midsize Mallets 118
Justin Rose shares his new rules Blades 124
for splitting fairways, hitting High-MOI Mallets 128
greens, wedging it close—and Wedges 132
making every putt in sight. p. 107 ClubTesters’ Top Picks 136
(ISSN-1056-5493) is published monthly by TI Golf Holdings, Inc., Time-Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, NY 10020-1393. ©2014 TI Golf Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved. Editorial and Advertising offices:
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 June 2014 Volume 56, Issue 6

MAGAZINE

27
Fuzzy Zoeller
FRONT 9
Front9 Interview:
takes a look Fuzzy Zoeller 27
back at his
1989 win at
The Rules Guy 30
Winged Foot. Ask Stan the Starter 36
Peter Kostis 38
Mark Broadie on Stats 40
Johnny Miller 42
Dave Pelz 44
Nutrition: Healthy Golf Drinks 46
Swing Sequence 48

30 A penalty is “in the

bag” for one reader.
YOUR GAME
Two Steps to a Perfect Backswing 57
Hit Home Runs, Not Pop-ups 58
Get Laser-Focused on the Greens 62
A Perfect Address in 10 Seconds 64
Chip It Close From Nasty Rough 66
How to Fix Your “Death Move” 68
Your Deep-Bunker Escape Plan 70

62
Knee-knockers
Your Midseason Swing Checkup

PRIVATE LESSONS
72

made easy.
THE MOST PERSONALIZED GOLF
INSTRUCTION ANYWHERE

138
Low Handicapper 147
Put Some Bite on Your Pitches
Senior Player 148
The Bay Course at Launch It From the Rough
Seaview Golf Club is Power Hitter 150
a New Jersey gem.
The Skinny on Hitting Slim Fairways
High Handicapper 152
Bang Home 5-Footers All Day Long
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: JEFF NEWTON; ANGUS MURRAY; AIDAN BRADLEY; JASON RAISH (ILLUSTRATION)

Straight Hitter 154

Steal Snead’s “Core” Strength

BEST TRIPS
One Fine Bay 138
Seaview’s Bay Course shines again.
Ask Travelin’ Joe 140
Our expert on the best places to play.

REGULARS
Your Views 12
From the Editor 14
Teeing Off 20
Michael Bamberger 162

June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 7

 June 2014
MA G A Z I N E
TOUR
CONFIDENTIAL
Watch host Jessica
Marksbury and a guest
panel of writers from
Golf Magazine and
Sports Illustrated take
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Filmalter (above), a live on the game every Tour pros inside the great photos,
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with Brady Riggs, and column. This month, he like Ian Poulter (above) more. Facebook.
video instruction from tackles the ascension in this selfie from the com/SI.Golf
our Top 100 Teachers, of Jordan Spieth 10th fairway at Augusta
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UPPER LEFT: ANGUS MURRAY; UPPER RIGHT: ERIN PATRICE O’BRIEN; BOTTOM LEFT: MARK NEWCOMBE/VISIONSINGOLF; BOTTOM CENTER: COURTESY PINE NEEDLES; BOTTOM RIGHT: BRIAN HENN
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10 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014

 B U B B A W AT S O N _
OAKLEY GOLF APPAREL

DISRUPTIVE
BY
UNORTHODOX, UNTAMED AND UNIMAGINABLE ARE NOT QUALITIES
OF A PROFESSIONAL GOLFER, UNLESS YOU’RE BUBBA

DESIGN
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 OPINION
LETTERS Our readers sound off
AP PHOTO
A bird’s-eye view of Augusta National in 1933.
THE AUGUSTA OF OLD
I loved the 2014 Masters preview, and
I particularly enjoyed the gatefold
celebrating 80 years of innovation at
Augusta National (“Ahead of Its Time,”
April 2014). You could produce an entire
issue just on the photo featured on p. 104
(above). The changes to the course since
then are staggering. To name a few:
The bunker on No. 1, just visible in the
upper right, is now greenside. The large
fairway bunker on No. 2 is now on the
right side and much farther out. There
are no bunkers near No. 2 green; No. 3
now has a cluster of bunkers where there
was just one before. No. 14, the only hole
without a bunker today, apparently had
one of the largest on the course. Wow! We
knew Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones
were open to changes and lengthening,
but one can’t help wonder: If they were
here today, would their first thought be to
grab an ax and start clearing out all those
trees? Thanks for the great retrospective.
Jeff Sullivan, Hazleton, Pa.
I loved your timeline about the history of
JAMES WESTMAN
the Masters, but in my mind, there was
one big omission: no mention of Errie Ball,
who at age 103 is the only living player left
12 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
who participated in that first Masters, in
1934. I have known the legend for over 50
years and relish every moment.
Tom Haggerty, Chicago, Ill.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
I enjoyed Cameron Morfit’s article
on Tiger’s quest for his 15th major
championship (“Winning the 15th Major
Is Always the Hardest,” April 2014). I can’t
help but believe that the Woods/Mickelson
era is history. Having lived through and
observed American pro golf since the era
of Hogan/Snead/Demaret, I think we’re
on the cusp of a new generation every bit
as exciting as prior ones. Young players
like Jordan Spieth, Russell Henley and
Patrick Reed appear to be as good—or even
better—than most I’ve seen over the past
65 years, and it will only get harder for
Tiger to contend in the majors with such
stiff competition.
Bob Browne, Clarkdale, Ariz.
ADAM’S THE BOMB
I certainly enjoyed reading the Golf
Magazine Interview with 2013 Masters
champion Adam Scott (“Empire State
of Mind,” April 2014). His answers to
Adam Scott has high hopes for another major title.
Alan Bastable’s questions confirmed
what I already believed—he’s a class act.
I attended the Arnold Palmer Invitational
this year and, naturally, was rooting for
Adam. Although he didn’t win, my wife and
I noticed a small crowd gathered around
something after the award ceremony for
tournament champion Matt Every, so we
went to investigate. There was one player
still signing autographs an hour after the
tournament was over: Adam Scott. Yep, a
class act indeed.
Mark Hametz, Windermere, Fla.
LYLE’S LEGACY
It was wonderful to read about the gracious
and interesting Sandy Lyle in your recent
issue (“Do You Know This Man?,” April
2014). A few years ago, I had the good
fortune to play in a pro-am with Sandy.
One player in our group had a particularly
difficult day. After the round, Sandy quietly
took the player aside and said, “Let’s go
to the range.” An hour later, he was still
there, and I was thinking, “Wow! What
a great guy.” Thanks for confirming my
feelings with your interview.
Doug Betzold, Seattle, Wash.
NEXT ON THE TEE IN BIG ‘D’
While I always enjoy Joe Passov’s course
recommendations, I take issue with his
Dallas-area picks (“Time for Some Texas
Tee,” April 2014), especially the courses
with $200-plus price tags. Instead, I’d
suggest heading east to Rockwall to play
Tom Weiskopf’s Buffalo Creek, north to
the redesigned Watters Creek, south to
the renovated Cedar Crest (home of the
1927 PGA Championship) or west to Indian
Creek’s Lakes course in Carrollton. There
are no $200 fees there, just great golf. I
was born and raised in Dallas and have
played nearly every course in the area,
including the tracks Joe suggested. I
wanted to offer an alternative itinerary
that would include some gems that aren’t
on the “overly expensive” list.
Robert Hill, Austin, Texas
 ÒADAM SCOTT’S
ANSWERS TO ALAN
BASTABLE’S QUESTIONS
CONFIRMED WHAT I
ALREADY BELIEVEDÑ
HE’S A CLASS ACT.Ó
ÑMARK HAMETZ

THE PRICE OF SUCCESS

Peter Kostis’s recent column (“Now
Tiger Is the Hunted,” April 2014)
reminded me that Woods isn’t the
only victim of his own success—the
PGA Tour is, too. Huge tournament
purses allow the most popular golfers
to play a limited schedule and still
make millions, while the quality of
players entering the Tour each year has
increased dramatically. The result is an P R E S C R I P T I O N G O L F G L A S S E S
often unfamiliar Sunday leaderboard.
Thus, the million-dollar question is:
How do you maintain player quality,
TV ratings and tournament attendance?
I’d love to know the answer!
Jeff Mesojedec, Wixom, Mich.

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NEW DRAW-

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BIASED DRIVER
The Sweet Spot Adam Scott says he’ll
tee it up with whoever
DEEP A HIGHLY SUBJECTIVE GUIDE TO THE ponies up to purchase How long before “I’m starting

Tough to Play,
FEBRUARY 12, 2014
THOUGHTS WEEK’S HITS AND MISSES By Alan Bastable his Abu Dhabi bachelor
pad. (Fine print: Buyer
PGA of America
president
to putt as well
as I ever have. I
WITH... G-Mac is penning a monthly
must agree to a Ted Bishop have found the
SERGIO GARCIA column for BBC Sports, following
$100,000 nassau with
automatic presses and
lands his own
reality show?
secret.”
—Phil Mickelson,
in the footsteps of such Irish no strokes.) last summer
literary giants as O-Wilde, J-Joy
GOING PUBLIC and W.B. Yeatsizzle. “This is the
IS TWITTER worst putting

LEADING MAN A TRAP FOR

week I’ve had in
MISS SHANK! a year and a half.
TOUR PROS? It was horrific.”
HIT —Phil, last week
The next stop on the Jimmy Walker MEISTER OF Whatever
Barnstorming Tour? L.A.’s storied HIS DOMAIN Tiger Woods announced he
won’t play again until the
NAILED IT! happened to John
Riviera Country Club. How fitting, IT’S GOOD TO Honda Classic at the end
Merrick, defending
champion of this
because the Texan’s improbable season BE BERNHARD of February.
At which point
HIT week’s Northern
is playing out like a Hollywood script LANGER we’ll find out
Trust Open? This:
By Cameron Morfit if he can MISS 25 starts since
By Alan Shipnuck winning at the Riv.

Easy to Love
handle the One top 10.
pressure of
TONY & TIGER being the
cousin of
Clint Eastwood saves
THE CHAPTER Cheyenne
Pebble Beach’s tournament
director from choking on a D.A. Points ...
YOU’VE BEEN Woods. piece of cheese. Poor guy henceforth
WAITING FOR had Trouble With the Curd. D.Q. Points.
By Michael Bamberger
CLOCKWISE FROM BISHOP: LANDON NORDEMAN; FRED VUICH/SI; RINGO CHIU/ZUMAPRESS.COM; MARCO GARCIA/AP; GETTY IMAGES; MATT ROBERTS/GETTY IMAGES; KOHJIRO
KINNO; CORBIS

The David M. Clarke, Editor

Reviews
Are In!
W
ITH THE SPLENDOR
of the Masters behind
us, the sheer difficulty
of the U.S. Open ap-
“Well done, SI. Just fnished proaches. Our national
championship evokes images of shoe-
reading your new digital swallowing rough and glassy greens.
format and you Words such as “demanding” and “bru-
tal” are bandied about. That’s as it should
hit it on the screws. be. Part of golf’s beauty is how hard it
is. The game finds ways to test you,
The format is clean and whether you’re a recreational player at
easily intuitive.” your local muni or a Tour pro at this year’s
—Richard Gregory, M.D., Fresno, Calif. U.S. Open host site, Pinehurst No. 2.
No one gets off easy, not even U.S. Pinehurst No. 2’s treacherous 15th green.
Open winners. Remember Michael
“I love it—a great mix of Campbell, the qualifier who shocked the
content throughout.” world when he won at Pinehurst in 2005?
Not long after he took the trophy home
THE U.S. OPEN
—Heath Ropp, Ames, Iowa to New Zealand, Campbell’s game seemed EVOKES WORDS
to vanish. On p. 88, contributing writer
John Garrity recounts his visit with the
SUCH AS “DEMANDING”
“I particularly liked the 45-year-old pro at his home in Spain, AND “BRUTAL.” THAT’S
equipment coverage. And and explores what happens when the AS IT SHOULD BE. PART
the fact that I can open soap bubble that is the golf swing goes
pop. Another U.S. Open champion also OF GOLF’S BEAUTY
SI Golf+ Digital on my knows about adversity. In 1999, Justin IS HOW HARD IT IS.
Rose missed his first 21 cuts as a pro. Last
desktop computer year, of course, he fulfilled his promise at visionary, Mark developed the Strokes
Merion, claiming his first major with an Gained metric that has altered the way
is terrifc.” inspiring display of tee-to-green accuracy. putting is analyzed on Tour. He’ll bring
—Vince Coppolecchia, Ridgewood, N.J. This month, on p. 107, he shares his four the same game-changing insights to our
fundamentals for getting yourself dialed- pages. His debut topic is timely indeed:
in off the tee, from the fairway, and when What sets Bubba Watson apart, and
Subscribe to SI Golf+ Digital you’re hitting wedges and putts. what can you learn from the two-time
FOR FREE on Golf.com Finally, we welcome a new addition to Masters winner? See p. 40 to find out.
or download the FREE SI Golf+ Digital our golf-crazed family—someone who’ll Mark, welcome to Golf Magazine!
TOP: ANGUS MURRAY; PINEHURST: LARRY LAMBRECHT

app at the App Store.➜ make this challenging game easier for
you. Mark Broadie is the PGA Tour’s
New Issue resident golf-stats numbers cruncher,
Every Wednesday! and this month he christens his monthly
(* Reviews excerpted from actual reader column, “Every Shot Counts.” A true David M. Clarke, Editor
mail; edited for space and clarity.)

14 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014

 Manitou Passage
at The Homestead
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golftopcoursepegboard.com 16 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
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 1 of 3

TEEING
OFF

A Fitting
Conclusion
n In 2013, Bubba
Watson helped Adam
Scott don the green
jacket. In April, Scott
returned the favor.
Watson, 35, claimed
his second coat after
a front-nine charge
propelled him from
two strokes behind
20-year-old Masters
rookie Jordan Spieth
[inset] to two strokes
ahead in a two-hole
span. Bubba played
aggressively on the back
nine (see his 366-yard
drive on the par-5 13th,
which led to birdie)
en route to a three-
shot victory. As usual,
Augusta National stage-
managed the sunset.

MAIN PHOTO: TIM DOMINICK/

MCT/ZUMAPRESS.COM
INSET: DAVID CANNON/
GETTY IMAGES
 2 of 3

TEEING
OFF

The Scene
of His Prime
n The last time
Pinehurst No. 2
hosted the U.S. Open,
in 2005, Michael
Campbell held off
Tiger Woods to
shock the golf world
and take the trophy
home to New Zealand.
Then things got
complicated. Campbell
went into a slump, and
he’s made only one
U.S. Open cut since.
Golf Magazine’s John
Garrity visited the
45-year-old Campbell
at his home in Spain for
an in-depth portrait
(p. 88) of a man
looking for one last
Sunday chance.

PHOTOGRAPH:
ROBERT BECK/SI
 3 of 3

TEEING
OFF

The Winner
Finds Water
n Lexi Thompson and
her somersaulting
caddie—plus a few
new friends—take
the plunge into
Poppie’s Pond at
California’s Mission
Hills Country Club
after her first major
victory, at the Kraft
Nabisco Championship
in April. Now a four-time
LPGA winner, Thompson,
just 19, played like a
wily veteran, building
a big lead on the
strength of four
frontside birdies
and then carding
nine straight pars to
outlast runner-up
Michelle Wie.

PHOTOGRAPHY:
CHRIS CARLSON/AP
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 9
FRONT

THE MOST
IMPORTANT
THINGS
IN GOLF
THIS MONTH

FUZZY
Edited by
JESSICA MARKSBURY

MEMORIES
Thirty years after his U.S.
Open victory at Winged
Foot, FUZZY ZOELLER
reflects on what it
takes to win a major

It’s been 30 years since your U.S. Open win
INTERVIEW at Winged Foot. What’s the key to playing
well on the toughest course setup of the year?
Interview by Your patience level has to be very high, because the
Jessica Marksbury ball is going to take some stupid bounces. At Winged
Foot, the great thing for me was that I stayed away
Portrait by
from the big numbers. The big numbers in an Open
Jeff Newton
are the ones that kill you. You’re not going to make
a lot of birdies, but you can rebound from bogeys,
and par is the number.
Greg Norman made a great save for par on the 18th
hole of the final round, but you initially thought it was
a birdie. You famously waved your white towel in mock
surrender. Did you actually feel beaten?
[Norman] made a putt that, even if he stood there
for two or three days in a row and tried, he probably
couldn’t make again. It was a big swinger, left to
right, and it was fast. But great players do great
things. I felt beaten because you really couldn’t get
close to that pin unless it was a freak shot. They

June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 27

 9
FRONT FUZZY ZOELLER
had it set around a little ridge, and the
best you could do was get it to 20, 25
feet, and at the speed of those greens,
you don’t make many putts like that.
So I gave myself an opportunity from
about 25 feet, but my putt had eight or
nine feet of break in it. You don’t make
many of those.
Your par on No. 18 got you into an 18-
hole playoff with Norman. You pulled a
phone out of your bag and offered him
a “last call” on the first tee. Was that
an attempt at gamesmanship?
You have to understand, Greg and I were
friends. You have two friends battling
for a major championship, you might as
well have a little fun with it. And I was
playing very well. But I had a contract
with AT&T, so that’s the reason I carried
the phone in my bag. It wasn’t connected
to anything. It looked like it, because I had
a wire connected in the golf bag. But I said
to Greg, “Would you like to make a last
call, before we go out here and do this?”
It’s hard to imagine today’s
players doing something like that.
Oh, they wouldn’t do it. It’s a little
different today. Back then, we had more
of a family-type atmosphere out here. Now
it’s more individual.
Fuzzy celebrates
his eight-stroke
playoff victory at
the 1984 U.S. Open.
ON
GOLF.COM
For more
PGA Tour
info, go to
golf.com/
news
28 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
Norman was a contemporary of yours.
Why didn’t he win more than two majors,
in your view?
He had plenty of opportunities, I mean,
lots of opportunities. But that’s golf. It
wasn’t because he wasn’t trying. Trust
me, he was trying with every shot, every
swing. But there was always that one
high push right. Every player sees a shot
he wants to hit, and sometimes you pull
it off. Greg pulled off a lot of shots. But
when he got in the heat of the majors,
there was always that dreaded one shot
that people remember, the high righter.
Still, a great guy and a great golfer. I had
a lot of fun with him.
You won the U.S. Open five years
after your first major win, the
Masters, in 1979. Was it harder
to win the first or the second?
Just getting yourself in the position to
have the opportunity [to win one], you
find out what kind of man you really are.
Are you man enough, gutsy enough to hit
these shots that you really have to hit?
I mean, you have to do it in the majors.
It was a good feeling, knowing I wasn’t
scared, that I wasn’t going to back down.
You’re famous for being loose
and laughing. But what does
major pressure feel like to you?
I’ve been blessed with a talent for not
getting too fired up or too upset. My idea
of pressure is: Are you afraid to screw up?
And I’ve never been afraid of screwing
up. Some guys are afraid. And those
are the guys who always finish third,
fourth, fifth.
How do you react to a bad shot?
I react inside. When the heat really gets
bad, I whistle to let some steam off. Most
people say you should breathe in and out
rapidly, but hell, your heart’s pounding
hard enough! Whistling takes care of a
lot of that for me.
You have another successful venture,
Fuzzy Vodka. How do you drink it?
Usually with tonic water, because I have
to drink quite a bit in the evenings—you
know, entertaining and all that. But my
favorite is a slightly dirty martini. Awfully
good. But not too many of them! n
Fuzzy: Three
Things I Know
For Sure
You Have to Live Your Life
You’re gonna die. That’s it.
Everybody does. And you’ve
got to pay taxes. I don’t know
how you’ll beat any of those.
So you’ve got to live life
every day, because you never
know when the man upstairs
is going to pull your number.
And when he pulls your
number, there’s not a hell of
a lot you can do about it.
The Yips Can Be Fixed
Learn to make those two-
and three-footers. Amateur
golfers practice 40- and
50-footers all day long, but
you’re not going to make
many of those. If you make
those two- and three-
footers every time, it makes
those 40- and 50-footers
look a lot easier, because
you don’t have the fear of
missing the short one. What
you want to do is see and
hear the ball go into the hole,
like you’re programming a
computer. Start at a foot.
Guys out here that have the
“yippee-eye-ohs,” that’s
what they do to reprogram
the computer. And it works.
Golf Reveals Character
I’m an excellent judge of
character. You can tell the
character of a person by
watching him or her play
golf. Egos drive me nuts. I
always say, “Put your ego
aside here, bub. You’re not
as good as you think.” Me,
PHIL SHELDON/POPPERFOTO/GETTY IMAGES
I like to spend time with
basic, down-to-earth
people, the ones who don’t
get upset on the course.
Just go out and have fun.
 THE NEW VELOCITY.
POWERED FOR DISTANCE.
TO POWER YOUR GAME.

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©2014 Acushnet Company.
 9
FRONT THE RULES
ASK THE RULES GUY
GOT A RULE YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND? ASK THE
RULES GUY—HE WON’T THROW THE BOOK AT YOU!
COUNT HIM OUT?
Dear Rules Guy: I always arrive
at the course with two putters.
After practicing, I select the one
I want to use that day, strapping
DID YOU the second one behind my bag on
KNOW? the cart. During a recent match, my
opponent tried to penalize me for
You can having 15 clubs; I protested that I
watch video was only using the 14 clubs in the
rulings
featuring
bag. Who’s right? —Peter, via e-mail
Pretty sneaky, Pete. Better hope
Rules Guy
himself!
Download
A you’re never paired with TSA
agents. Since the second putter is
the tablet essentially attached to your bag, you’re
edition in possession of it, which means that
of Golf you are carrying 15 clubs. The penalty?
Magazine at Loss of two holes, per Decision 4-4a/9.
golf.com/ So if you’d been, say, all-square
allaccess through six, you’re now 2-down.
30 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
GRIP IT AND RIBBIT
Rules Guru: My shot rolled to the
edge of a water hazard but was
playable. Unfortunately, it had
come to rest next to a huge bullfrog!
When I got closer, the frog jumped
back into the pond, and my ball
went with him. What’s the ruling?
—David Nelson, Canton, N.Y.
I’m really not surprised the frog
A freaked—“bullies” are often
afraid of confrontation.
According to Rule 18-1,
the frog is considered
an “outside agency,” so
you get away with this
one. You may replace
your ball on the edge
of the water without
a penalty.
NO RE-LEAF
Rules Man: One windy day, a large
leaf settled over the hole as my putt
was headed right for the cup. My ball
landed on the leaf and stopped on
it, suspended directly over the hole!
I couldn’t remove the leaf without
disturbing the ball, but if the leaf
hadn’t been there, the ball would
have dropped. Is this a two-putt?
—Mark C. Nahmias, Tulsa, Okla.
If the leaf was in motion when
A your ball came to rest on it, Rule
19-1b requires the putt to be replayed.
If the leaf was still, it’s considered a
loose impediment, and you can lift
the ball, remove the leaf and replace
the ball on the closest spot to where it
would have come to rest (i.e., the lip).
So at least you have a tap-in.
TREE-MENDOUS
Hey, Rules Dude: My partner’s ball
landed between the cart path and
a tree. She took relief to avoid the
path, but this gave her relief from
the tree, too. I called foul. Was I right?
—Becky Allan, via e-mail
My, you’re quite the stickler, aren’t
A
ILLUSTRATION: JASON RAISH; RULES GUY: ERIN PATRICE O’BRIEN; FROG: ALAMY
you, Becky? (Are you wearing the
other half of my amulet?) But you need
to brush up on rules concerning free
drops. Decision 24-2b/7 allows a
penalty-free drop from the cart path.
If she then no longer has interference
from the tree, that’s just a bonus.
Got a Rules question?
Of course you do! Whatever it may
be, send yours to rulesguy@golf.com
and the question may be answered
in an upcoming issue of Golf Magazine.
Until then, play by the Rules!
 ™
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FRONT9 ETHICS & ETIQUETTE

ASK STAN
THE STARTER
Solving your stickiest golf
dilemmas since 2013

READ, DON’T WEEP CHUMP CHAMP

Mr. Starter: I prefer playing without a caddie. Stan the Man: Our club
My opponent in a club competition got the champion is 70 and plays to a
caddie who’s the best green-reader at 3 handicap, but in our weekend
our course. Wasn’t this unfair to me? skins game, he plays from the
—Greg Davidof, Grosse Pointe, Mich. forward or “senior” tees. He
urges me to join him, claiming

A Don’t get me started, Greg. I love caddies, and I

know the Rules of Golf are against me, but I’m
totally against loopers reading putts. You read that right. A keen-eyed caddie
that our age entitles us to bite
of a few yards, but it feels
wrong to me. What’s your take?
is an unfair advantage and violates the spirit of the game. One of golf’s basic —Anonymous, via e-mail
skills is weighing the lay of the land. I always hated when Fanny Sunesson
would crouch behind Nick Faldo, then scurry away when his putterface
was where she wanted it. It’s within the rules but shouldn’t be. My kind of
fellow reads his own putts, so be proud—you played like a man.
A First off, this guy doesn’t sound
worthy of his championship
title. Anybody who plays to a 3
but chisels off 25 extra yards on
long holes will wait a lifetime to
SILENCE IS GOLDEN NO PICKUP ARTIST tee it up with Stan. Second,
Dear Stan: My good buddy always Stanley: I play with a guy who forward tees have nothing to
shushes me on the tee, but I’m a makes a lot of “others,” like 10s do with age. They’re for shorter
talker. When’s the time to hush? or 11s. Shouldn’t you pick up on a hitters who need help getting
—Dan Schuler, Orem, Utah hole when the wheels come of? home in regulation. And then
—Fred Rosenzweig, Armonk, N.Y. there’s this: If your guy moves

A Dan, think of the peg going in the

ground as a warning, like when
they flash the house lights before a
Broadway show begins. As your
playing partner starts his routine,
finish your conversation. When he’s
over the ball, be quieter than Ben
Hogan in a library.
A If you’re holding up play, yes.
If not, a golfer’s entitled to take
his punishment. Now, if you’re bad
and slow, or if you’re ruining the
group’s overall flow, my rule? Put
it in your pocket when you reach
double-par.
up whenever he’s inclined, it
mucks up the handicap system,
which is based on full rounds
played from the same set of tees.
So my advice, Anonymous, is to
do what it takes to spank this guy
next year. Your club deserves a
real “champ.”
CURTIS WHALEY; STAN: MAT T COLLINS; CADDIE:ROBERT BECK/SI

AT YOUR
SERVICE Do the ALWAYS SOMETIMES NEVER

Make Stan’s right

day and
e-mail
him your
thing
quandaries When
to cleaning
askstan@
golf.com your clubs
on the
course...

36 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014

 9 PETER KOSTIS
FRONT
TENSIONS
ARE RISING
Explosive, powerful swings don’t last. Adopt a
Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher & CBS Sports Analyst tension-free swing to protect yourself from injury.

T
IGER WOODS MISSED THE MASTERS THIS
year after having back surgery for a pinched
nerve, and that’s an injury that I’m sure many
recreational golfers can relate to. You’re always
going to have back issues in golf, because the
tension that produces the swing’s power puts pressure
on that part of your body. However, the explosive swing
practiced by some of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour
is a dangerous example for everyday golfers who aren’t
in the same physical condition as professional athletes.
Fundamentally, it’s important to figure out how
to keep pressure off your lower back in your swing.
shape—to keep his left heel down on the backswing.
Instead of striving for power from your coil, just focus
on playing tension-free golf.
How can you learn a tension-free swing? First, go to
YouTube.com and watch Snead’s swing. He had 45 to 60
degrees of hip turn and 120 degrees of shoulder turn. The
Slammer had a very powerful swing, but he didn’t resist
the movements of his lower body. Instead, he started
his downswing by planting his left heel. When the left
heel went down, it widened his knees and hips before
he started to unwind his shoulders, which is how he got
the spring that fueled his power. Not only is it effective,
it’s a much safer way to play.
To play Be safe with your workouts as
well, copy well. If you have a bit of a belly,
poor flexibility and limited core
the classic strength, then losing weight and
swings getting in shape will be good for
that have your game and will help prevent
injury. But excessive conditioning
endured. can be a bad thing, too. My son is
only 25 but has had two back surgeries; both injuries were
caused by workouts and exacerbated by his swing-for-
the-fences move. People think their games will improve
in proportion to how much they work out, and while that
may be true at first, the returns start to diminish as your
workout intensity increases—and eventually, you end up
hurting your scores and yourself. n

Tiger Woods’s explosive coil likely contributed to a

back injury that knocked him out of the 2014 Masters. PETER KOSTIS TWITTER TIP!
The reverse-C move of the 1950s and 1960s put tons of Got a swing question for building up to full wedges.
pressure on the lower back, and today’s modern, explosive Peter Kostis? Tweet him After that, make 30 full
golf swing—which creates power by restricting your at @peterjkostis swings with an 8-iron, but
lower body and coiling your upper body against it—is don’t hit any balls. Repeat
yet another “pressure cooker” recipe for disaster for One of the Twitter questions on day two, but build up to
KEEP IN that part of the anatomy. I get a lot is, “What’s the hitting balls with the 8-iron,
TOUCH If you want to play well (and play for a long time), copy best way to come back to then finish with 30 fairway-
KOSTIS: ANGUS MURRAY; WOODS: CARLOS M. SAAVEDRA/SI

the swings that have endured throughout golf history. the game after a layoff?” wood swings. On day three,
Follow The poster child for a tension-free swing is Sam Snead. The first step is to check hit some short and full
Kostis on Tom Watson also has a swing that was built to last. your grip, posture, ball wedges and short irons.
Twitter at @
peterjkostis. These two players were able to compete at a high level position and alignment. When you get to the longer
For all our for so long because their swings were built on timing From there, slowly build clubs, start with what I call
Tweeters, and technique, not on tension. up your swing. On day one, “full-motion, half-speed”
visit
golf.com/ There’s no valid reason for a recreational golfer— spend an hour hitting chips swings, and then finally full
twitterlist especially one who’s a bit overweight or not in great and half wedges, slowly swings with your driver.

38 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014

 ”WELCOME TO OUR WORLD”

Thom Richard is one of the few pilots in the world to possess the talent,
experience and courage required to compete in the final of the famous
Reno Air Races – the world’s fastest motorsport. Less than ten champions are
capable of vying with each other at speeds of almost 500 mph, flying wing
to wing at the risk of their lives, just a few feet off the ground. It is for these
elite aviators that Breitling develops its chronographs: sturdy, functional
and ultra high-performance instruments all equipped with movements CHRONOMAT 44
chronometer-certified by the COSC – the highest official benchmark in FLYING FISH
terms of reliability and precision. Welcome to the Breitling world.
 9 MARK BROADIE: EVERY SHOT COUNTS
FRONT
NEW
COLUMN!

A DRIVING
FORCE
Who’s the Tour’s best player off the tee? It’s Bubba!
In Mark Broadie’s debut column, the game’s foremost
stats expert reveals the secret to Watson’s success.

T
his is my first column for
Golf Magazine. Welcome. I
look forward to using this
space to illuminate golf
truths that are buried in
numbers, both on the PGA Tour and
in your game. Every month, I’ll use
hard statistical evidence to separate
fact from opinion, so that you can
better understand golf performance
and strategy, something that will
ultimately help you play better.
I’ve spent more than ten years
analyzing professional and amateur
golf-shot data, and since 2011 the
PGA Tour has been using my Strokes
Gained method for measuring
putting prowess. I’ve learned that
traditional statistics are often
flawed, while the logic behind the
newest approaches is both sensible
and compelling.
Let’s kick off this column by
looking at tee shots. How can we
identify the best driver on the PGA
Tour? The two traditional measures
of driving performance are Driving
Distance and Fairways Hit. Both have
their flaws. At each week’s Tour stop,
Driving Distance is measured using
only two holes, but this ignores most
of a course’s par 4s and par 5s! As for
Fairways Hit, that category fails to
distinguish drives that finish in the
first cut from those that finish in the
water—both simply count as a missed
fairway. Combining two flawed stats
MORE
One player hits a long drive down the
middle of the fairway to a position
where the average to hole out is 2.8
strokes. The drive moved the pro 1.2
strokes closer to the hole. Since an
average drive moves the player 1.0
stroke closer to the hole, this drive
“gained” 0.2 strokes against his
competition. Do this for all tee shots
on par 4s and par 5s—not just on
two holes—and calculate the results.
The result is Strokes Gained Driving,
Combining two
flawed stats to
create the Total
Driving category is
like trying to make a
cake out of sour milk
and spoiled eggs.
There’s a better way.
which has properties that just make
sense: Longer in the fairway is better
than shorter in the fairway. Fairway
is better than rough. Rough is better
than hitting into the drink.
HOW TO DRIVE IT LIKE BUBBA
“What frees Bubba to be so aggressive off the tee is a
So who’s the best “driver” on Tour—
that is, the best from the tee on par
4s and par 5s, which includes drivers
but also woods and some irons, too?
One man has finished either first or
second in Strokes Gained Driving
the last four years: current Masters
champion Bubba Watson. (As a
comparison, he finished T-75, T-35,
31 and 22 in Total Driving in those
years.) From 2010 to 2013, Watson
gained a whopping 1.1 strokes per
round against his Tour competition
from his driving. He reaches more
par 5s in two, hits shorter irons into
par 4s, and can drive shorter par 4s.
Those advantages add up. To put his
1.1-stroke advantage into perspective,
the putting leaders over the last four
years gained an average of about 0.9
strokes per round.
You might be thinking, “But I can’t
hit it as far as Bubba.” True. But you
can be more Bubba-like in other ways
off the tee. For example, on average,
Watson hits into a penalty situation
only 1.7 percent of the time off the
tee. The typical 90-shooter does that
twice as often. Cut your penalty shots
off the tee by half and you’ll save one
or more strokes per round.
After all, every shot counts. n
PGA TOUR LEADERS,
BROADIE: COURTESY MARK BROADIE; WATSON: ROBERT BECK/SI

clear mental picture of his shot shape,” says Top 100 STROKES GAINED
MARK! to create the Total Driving category
Teacher Brady Riggs. “To swing freely like him, fully DRIVING (per round)
is like trying to make a cake out of 1. Bubba Watson 1.25
commit to the kind of shot you want to hit—draw,
Mark Broadie’s sour milk and spoiled eggs. There’s 2. Dustin Johnson 1.09
new book cut, high, low. Making this your dominant mental
a better way. 3. Ryan Palmer 0.83
Every Shot image takes your mind off what could go wrong. It’s
Counts My new approach (which the liberating. The 90-shooter is too dogmatic about 4. Adam Scott 0.78
is now Tour is planning to adopt) is called ‘just hit it straight.’ High handicappers can hook it or 5. Gary Woodland 0.76
available in “Strokes Gained Driving.” It works (Through the 2014 Shell Houston Open)
bookstores fade it 30 yards with practice. So get creative with
and on like this. Suppose the average score your shot shape, and visualize it. That’s Bubba Golf!”
Amazon.com for Tour pros on a given par 4 is 4.0.

40 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014

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 9
FRONT JOHNNY MILLER

THE WORLD
IS FLAT
As today’s most accurate players prove, a
Golf Magazine contributor and NBC lead golf analyst flatter swing is the secret to finding fairways

Scan this photo

to watch a video of

S
OME GUYS just know how to hit it straight.
this tip. See p. 8.
Back in the 1980s, two-time Tour winner
Mike Reid finished first or second in driv-
ing accuracy six times, hence the nickname
“Radar.” In the 1990s and into the early
2000s, Fred Funk hit fairways at a near 80 percent
clip. These days, Zach Johnson is the man you’d bet your
kid’s college fund on to stripe one down the middle.
Interestingly, all three players have the same type
of flat swing. When I was playing in the 1970s, swings
were very upright. We’d get our hands way above our
right shoulder at the top and finish with them well
above our left shoulder. Our swings were so upright
that we had to arch our spines in a reverse-C to make
the move work. (My back aches just thinking about it.)
Flat swings were few and far between in my day. Now
everybody’s flat. I bet there are only three or four guys
on Tour in 2014 who swing the way I, Jack Nicklaus or
Matt Kuchar’s flat, low-hands swing creates more
any players of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s used to. Look at rotational speed than a steep swing. The result?
Matt Kuchar. His swing is so flat that his hands barely Straight drives that go deep.
get above his shoulders (photo, right). That’s not only
good for accuracy; swinging flat lets you turn faster JOHNNY KNOWS BEST
through impact, because you don’t have to work the
club up in your release. It’s pure rotation, and rotation My Top 3 U.S. Open Memories (from the booth)
equals speed.
Changing your swing plane isn’t that complicated. THE FINAL ROUND AT
Start by swinging your hands from shoulder to shoul- 1 SHINNECOCK in 1995. It was
der (below), and turn your body aggressively through my first time calling the U.S. Open.
impact. Your backswing will feel shorter, but that’s a Greg Norman looked dominant, then
good thing for most weekend players. You’ll make up wham!—Corey Pavin (right) stiffed a
for it with a faster release. And you’ll hit more fairways. 4-wood on No. 18. “He’s hit the shot
MILLER: ANGUS MURRAY; KUCHAR: JOHN ALBRIGHT/ICON SMI; PAVIN: CHARLES REX ARBOGAST

As the most accurate players of the last 35 years prove, of his life,” I said. No doubt it was.
flat is where it’s at.
TIGER’S 15-STROKE WIN
2 AT PEBBLE BEACH in 2000.
Low hands in ...and low hands (and a
the backswing. . . horizontal shaft) to finish. We were only five holes into
our Thursday coverage when
NBC’s Dan Hicks asked me on-
air to pick a winner. I said, “Tiger Woods by a record
MORE score!” I love Pebble Beach, and I love golf—and to
JOHNNY! see both played to perfection was unforgettable.

Watch a video TIGER VS. ROCCO, 2008. All credit to Mediate,

of this lesson 3 but I’ll never forget Tiger’s birdie putt on No. 18
on your iPad
or tablet. Visit on Sunday to force a playoff. The ground shook! And
golf.com/ Woods’s 217-yard 4-iron over water on Monday, leading
allaccess to birdie and forcing a 19th hole? Magical stuff, folks.

42 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014

FRONT9 DAVE PELZ

THE SOLE TRUTH

AND NOTHING BUT...
Should you play more bounce or less on wedge
Golf Magazine’s technical & short-game consultant shots? The right answer depends on your lie.

L
ET’S TALK BOUNCE. I bet you can rattle off
the lofts on each of your wedges, but what about
your bounce angles—or what bounce does? Many
players haven’t a clue, so they often hit greenside
shots with clubs that are working against them. I’ll spare
you the geometry of bounce angles and simply show you
how the appropriate amount of bounce to use changes
depending on your lie. In each of these four common
short-shot situations, you’ll see that I’ve paired a low-
bounce wedge (8 degrees, left) against a high-bounce
model (14 degrees, right), with identical lofts. It’s easy
to see when more bounce hurts you or helps you.

TIGHT LIE: SQUARE-FACE SHOT TIGHT LIE: OPEN-FACE SHOT

l Less bounce (left) positions the face for contact l With the clubfaces rotated open for higher-
between the fourth and sixth groove from the leading trajectory shots, less bounce allows the leading
MORE edge, which is ideal. More bounce (right) positions the edge to slip under the ball, even on a tight lie.
PELZ! face for contact on the second groove, which kills spin. More bounce (right) invites the chance for a skull.
WINNER: Low-bounce wedge WINNER: Low-bounce wedge
Dozens of
short-game
and putting
video lessons LIGHT ROUGH LIE: SQUARE-FACE SHOT LIGHT ROUGH LIE: OPEN-FACE SHOT
at golf.com/
pelz

FOLLOW
PELZ
INSTRUCTION: LEONARD KAMSLER; HEADSHOT: ANGUS MURRAY
Twitter
@dave_pelz

See a list of
upcoming l Less bounce sets the face in a decent position, l Less bounce settles the club so deeply into the
3- and 2-day but if you come in too low or “heavy,” you’ll catch the grass that you may actually whiff the shot! Added
schools ball too high on the face and leave the shot short. bounce pushes the clubface high enough above
and 1-day
clinics at More bounce settles the club for centered contact. the surface to give you a shot at catching it solid.
pelz WINNER: High-bounce wedge WINNER: High-bounce wedge
golf.com
 9
FRONT NUTRITION
GIVE YOUR
BOOZE A BOOST
Make an easy substitution in your favorite
post-round beverage and suddenly it’s health
food, says our expert. We’ll drink to that!
Make Your
Arnold Palmer with...
BAI ANTIOXIDANT
INFUSIONS
l Traditional Arnold
Palmers (lemonade and
iced tea) tend to be high in
sugar, but Bai’s lemonade
and tea flavored beverage
is only five calories. Just
add vodka and you’ll be
in cocktail heaven. This
drink is also loaded with
antioxidants, which help
repair cells damaged
from exercise and
being out in the sun. It’s
refreshing and rewarding.
Sharon
Richter
is a
registered
dietitian in
New York City
46 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
Make Your
Margarita with...
EBOOST
ACAI POM
l EBoost’s sugar-
free drink has a little
caffeine from green tea
to revitalize you after
18 holes. It also helps
replenish lost electrolytes
(which work to maintain
fluid balance and aid
muscle contraction)
while fueling you with
vitamins and minerals
like vitamin C, D and B12.
Try it with tequila for an
energizing pick-me-up.
Miguel
Ángel
Jiménez
always caps
off a round
with a glass
of Rioja.
Make Your Make Your
Piña Colada with... Cape Codder with...
VITA COCO OCEAN SPRAY
COCONUT WATER CRANBERRY JUICE
l A typical piña colada l Cranberry juice
is loaded with empty cocktail is mostly
calories. Vita Coco’s real sugar, but 100 percent
coconut water naturally pure cranberry juice is
JIMENEZ: STUART FRANKLIN/GETTY IMAGES; DRINKS (L TO R): GETTY IMAGES (4); BOTTOM ROW (L TO R): BAI; EBOOST; VITA COCO; OCEAN SPRAY
replaces the sugars naturally acidic and helps
you’ve just burned on clean the blood of toxins
the course, along with as well as reduce the
electrolytes lost through bacteria that contribute
perspiration. Add some to stomach ulcers and
rum and ice, and you’re urinary tract infections.
set. Feeling adventurous? So use the real thing in
Try fruitier flavors such your cocktail, and try it
as pineapple or peach with a splash of lemon-
mango coconut water. lime seltzer and vodka.
 9
FRONT SWING SEQUENCE

WATCH & LEARN

Just 23, rising star Patrick Reed has won three PGA Tour events on the strength
of his “send-it” swing. Use his secret move to unleash your biggest drives ever!
Good posture and His body, shaft and
balance are musts clubface positions
for big drives. are ideal. Copy this!
Patrick has both.

1 2 3 4
His upper body squares You’ve heard that
to the ball, letting elite players “swing
his arms deliver the out to the right”? It
clubhead from an looks like this.
inside path.

9 10 11 12
Analysis by Top 100 Teacher Like most Tour players, Patrick Reed can summon
GOLF.COM
KEVIN KIRK, The Woodlands Golf extra speed—and extra yards—whenever he likes. Reed
Watch Performance Center, The Woodlands, Texas calls this “sending it.” In his typical swing, he stops his
dozens of
PGA Tour backswing short of parallel (as in frame 5, above). On
stars hit the “send-it” swings, he goes past this point by increasing
shots you his lower-body rotation and the length of his arm swing (frame 6).
need at
golf.com/ Letting his body, arms and the club “gather” at the top so they can
sequences transition into the downswing in one piece makes this swing just

Give your old 401(k)

Investing involves risk, including risk of loss.
Be sure to consider all your available options and the applicable fees and features of each before moving your retirement assets.
 STATISTICS

THE LINE
ON REED
586th 23rd 0 3
Official World Official World Wins in Wins in
*Through the Shell Houston Open; Golf Rank in Golf Rank in first 37 PGA last 15 PGA
stats courtesy PGATour.com 2012 2014* Tour starts Tour starts*

Reed’s “stock” His “send-it” backswing The hips and knees are
backswing ends keeps extending—longer back to square, while his
here: nice and yet still controlled. upper body, arms and
compact. club stay coiled. Perfect.

5 6 7 8
Patrick’s eyes start to The chest, hips
“release” toward the and knees face the
target, but his head target. What a finish!
is still down.

13 14 15 16
as smooth as it is long. Another power secret is the way he switches Sequence by MARK NEWCOMBE/VISIONS IN GOLF
from a fairly level shoulder-turn plane in his backswing (frame 6) Portrait by FRED VUICH/SI
to a much more vertical one in his downswing (frames 11–13). This
moves his swing out to the right and shallows his angle of attack. Control Patrick Reed’s
(Being left and steep leads to pop-ups.) It also causes his trunk to swing with the swipe of a
decelerate, which transfers the energy in his body to his arms and TABLET
BONUS finger on the iPad and tablet
ultimately the clubhead. Try Reed’s technique—it’s the proven way editions of Golf Magazine.
to send one into the stratosphere. Visit golf.com/allaccess.

MORE FOCUS
Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Member NYSE, SIPC. © 2014 FMR LLC. All rights reserved. 676135.2.0
 9
FRONT SWING SEQUENCE

ALTERNATE SHOTMAKING
When my driver is off, I reach for a club that never misfires: my 1-iron

I
hate to admit it, but I’m one
of those guys who can drive
“There’s no the ball far (295.5 yards per
rule that says drive in 2014), but who doesn’t
you have to hit always know where it’s going.
And while I’m hitting more
driver,” Reed fairways than ever before (57
says. “Find a percent), I honestly don’t love
trusty alternative hitting driver on every hole, like
Hunter Mahan or Justin Rose
off the tee to find do. (Those guys are long and
more fairways.” straight!) For a while, I wouldn’t
even carry a 3-wood. Then the
guys at Callaway worked up a
special 1-iron for me. I rarely
miss with that club, and I can
hit it 290 yards without blinking.
If I didn’t have that club, I
wouldn’t have won the 2013
Wyndham Championship—
my first victory—and if I
hadn’t won that tournament,
I might still be searching for
the confidence I enjoy today.
The lesson: Work on your
driver swing, but find a reliable
backup. You don’t have to use
a 1-iron; a hybrid or a 3-iron
will do. Don’t try to mash the
Patrick Reed’s
1-iron—his ball like you do with a driver.
primary driver Practice swinging at 50
alternative—
helped fuel
percent, and swing your driver
three victories alternative with the same
in the span of tempo as, say, your 8-iron. This
15 events.
makes it easier to sync up your
body rotation with your arms,
a secret that good players use
to catch the ball flush without
losing their balance. After five
or six slow-motion swings,
Scan this photo gradually add speed. Soon
to see Reed’s swing in you’ll be knocking your hybrid
JEFF NEWTON

pure slow motion. See p. 8.

or long iron so far, you may
forget you even own a driver!

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Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Member NYSE, SIPC. © 2014 FMR LLC. All rights reserved. 676135.1.0
 BACK TO BASICS MARK HACKETT
Old Palm G.C.,
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
(Top 100 since 2009)

Two Steps to a Perfect Backswing

W
hen you see a player
Here’s the pull away from the
dynamic duo of pack—think Rory
McIlroy winning the 2011 U.S.
swing thoughts Open by eight strokes—he’s
you need to not dwelling on mechanics.
In fact, he may say that his
stay on plane— mind went “blank.” It’s a good
and instantly strategy. Why let thoughts on
mechanics gum up a swing
get your game that’s soaring on autopilot?
in “the zone” Playing in this unconscious
“flow” state isn’t limited to
Tour pros. You can do it, too, by
keeping your swing thoughts
(two, max) short and simple.
Emptying your mind of clutter
will fuel better scores and put
your swing in “the zone.”
Two Thoughts Only
When it comes to swing
thoughts, less is more:
Use two at the most. More
than that and you risk over-
thinking, which leads to
mechanical swings. Try my
two backswing thoughts:
1. Turn your left shoulder under
your chin while keeping the
upper part of your left arm
snug against your chest.
2. Point your left thumb
at your right shoulder.
Combined, these two
moves eliminate 90 percent
of the backswing errors
you’ve made in the past and
get the shaft and clubhead
where they need to be at the
top: on plane and ready to
deliver a powerful blow.

Play better.
Hit it farther.
Have fun.
With the Top
100 Teachers
in America, the
most elite team of
instruction experts Get perfect at the
in the nation top with two simple
swing thoughts:
Turn your left
shoulder under your
chin while pointing
Edited by your left thumb at
David DeNunzio your right shoulder.
& Michael Chwasky
ANGUS MURRAY (2)

DOZENS OF VIDEO LESSSON ON YOUR

IPAD. VISIT GOLF.COM/ALLACCESS.
June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 57
 YOUR GAME DRIVE IT LONGER DAVE
PHILLIPS
Titleist Performance
Institute, Oceanside, Calif.
(Top 100 since 2001)

Hit Home Runs, Not Pop-ups

Add big-time yards to your drives with a major-league weight shift

O
ne of the keys to creating power
and solid impact is shifting your
weight into your left hip during
your downswing. This move lets the
energy from your lower body transfer
into your upper body and arms (yep,
power in golf travels from the ground
up). To improve your weight shift, think
baseball, not golf. Imagine you’re a
batter at home plate and your right
hip is a baseball. As you swing from
the top, “throw” the baseball (and
your right hip) toward third base as
you start your downswing. This will
drive your weight into your left hip,
clearing the way for your hands and the
clubhead to whip through the impact
zone unimpeded and at top speed.
This only works if you have sufficient
mobility in your left hip. If you’re not
sure, take the test below. If you fail, visit
mytpi.com/golfmag for tips and videos
to improve mobility so you can clear
your left side like a big-league bomber.

...over here.
Get this...

Imagine that your right hip is a

baseball, and then try to pull the
ball down the left-field line for
a better weight shift and freer,
faster hands through impact.
ANGUS MURRAY (5)

LEFT-HIP MOBILITY TEST

Place one of your irons on the ground
on an imaginary target line. Set a SETUP PASS FAIL
second iron on the ground at about a
60-degree angle from the first (use
the photo at right for reference).
Set your feet flat on the ground
and perpendicular to the first iron.
Pull your right foot back six inches
and rest it on its toe. Now turn your
hips to the left as far as you can.

PASS: You can turn your hips

at least 60 degrees (parallel
Lift your right heel up and set Try to turn your hips If you can’t, you’ll keep
to the second shaft).
your weight on your left side. at least 60 degrees. losing yards off the tee.
FAIL: You can’t.

WATCH THIS ON YOUR IPAD OR TABLET.

VISIT GOLF.COM/ALLACCESS.
58 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
 #15
TEE BOX
DISTANCE
155 YDS
PLAYS LIKE
DISTANCE
143 YDS

Uphill and downhill adjusted shot distances, blind shot

pointer, and a token connection to the outside world.

Approach G8 puts precision GPS golf in your hands with features like PlaysLike Distance which tweaks shot
distances to compensate for uphill and downhill targets, and PinPointer which shows you where to aim your
blind shot. G8 even helps you stay connected with Smart Notification, which can easily be switched off.

Learn more at Garmin.com/Approach

© 2014 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries Photography by KaiaMeans.com Approach G8
 YOUR GAME INSTANT FIXES BRIAN
MOGG
Waldorf Astoria G.C.,
Orlando, Fla.
(Top 100 since 2005)

Get Laser-Focused on the Greens

Here’s the easy spectacular. Your make
percentage from this range?
way to become My guess is somewhere
automatic on around six out of 10. Yep,
you’re giving away three
four-footers strokes a round by missing
putts you shouldn’t. (I think
somewhere other than the
hole (or the high side of the
hole, if it’s a breaking putt) at
address. You can get away
with minor stroke errors
from short distances, but
your aim must be perfect.
tell if you if you’re aimed too
far to the left, too far to the
right, or dead on (photo,
below left). Once you fix
your aim, the rest is easy:
Keep the putterface pointed
in the same direction until

P
GA Tour players
attempted a combined
36,772 putts from
three to five feet last year.
They canned 31,832 of
them—about 1,200 rolls
shy of 90 percent. That’s
it’s fair to compare pros and
weekend players here since
we’re talking about putts
that anyone can make.)
KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE
If you miss from short range,
you’re aiming your putter
To improve it, purchase a
laser. (Plenty of options at
your local golf shop, ranging
from $25–$125 dollars. The
laser I use is built into my
putter.) Attach it to your
club and set up on a straight
four-footer. The laser will
you complete your stroke
(below right). Don’t worry
about tracing an arc in your
stroke on short putts or
allowing the putterhead
to rotate and release. Just
set the face square and
pop the ball straight in.

Scan this photo

to watch a video of
this lesson. See p. 8.

A laser can Keep the face

instantly pointed at the
improve your hole when you
aim on short make your
putts. Point stroke. If your
the face (and aim was correct
the laser) at address, the
at the hole. ball must go in.
ANGUS MURRAY (2); HEADSHOT: PRESTON MACK

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62 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
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 YOUR GAME ASK A HARMON BILL HARMON
Toscana C.C.,Indian Wells, Calif.
(Top 100 since 2013)
CRAIG HARMON,
McArthur G.C., Hobe Sound, Fla.
(Top 100 since 1996)

A Perfect Address—in 10 seconds!

If you want dead-center contact on every shot, it’s time to take a stand
HEY, HARMONS:
Scan this photo I always feel as though I’m “crowding”
to watch a video of the ball at address, especially with
this lesson. See p. 8. a driver. How do I know I’m standing
the correct distance from the ball?
ÑTim C., Brookline, Mass.

CRAIG Well, you’ve got one thing going

for you: Crowding the ball is better than
reaching for it. Our father, Claude, used
to say that “a golfer who stands too far
Take it from Craig: from the ball before he hits it stands
When the shaft points too close to the ball after he hits it.” He
at your belt buckle, had a great way of explaining things.
you’re standing the You know you’re standing the
correct distance from correct distance from the ball
the ball at address. when—after you sole the clubhead
on the ground with your knees flexed,
upper body tilted slightly forward and
arms hanging free of tension—the
butt of the club points at your belt
buckle. It’s that simple. If the butt
points above your belt buckle, you’re
standing too close; if it points below
your belt buckle, you’re standing too
far away. Either way, you’ll have a
hard time making solid contact.

BILL Boy, I hate to agree with Craig,

but he’s got it right—when the grip
points at your belt buckle, you have a
solid address. I’ll go one step further
and show you how to practice it:

1 Set a club on the ground

1 2
parallel to your target line
and an inch or two in front of
your feet, then bend down to
Bill shows you
pick it up, as though you’re
3 how to practice doing a barbell lift.
perfect posture.
2 When you get about halfway
up (roughly when your hands
reach your knees), stop. This is
your basic address posture, with
your arms hanging freely.

3 Without moving anything else,

take your grip and sole the club on
the ground. Voila!—you’re now the
perfect distance from the ball.
ANGUS MURRAY (5)

It’s Your Turn to Ask a Harmon!

Shoot a question to Bill and Craig
at askaharmon@golf.com.

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64 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
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 YOUR GAME GET UP AND DOWN ANNE
CAIN
PGA Tour Academy
at World Golf Village,
St. Augustine, Fla.
(Top 100 since 2013)

Chip It Close from the Nastiest Rough

C
The “hinge-and-turn” move gives you power hipping from rough can be maddening. On
the one hand, you need ample power to cut
and touch from gnarly greenside lies through the thick lie. On the other, you need a
jeweler’s touch, or the ball will come out hot. A lot of
weekend players hit this shot like a bump-and-run,
Scan this photo but that doesn’t generate enough loft—the ball will
to watch a video of stick in the rough or roll too far. Here’s a better way.
this lesson. See p. 8.
WRISTY BUSINESS 1
My hinge-and-turn
technique gives you
the ideal combination
of wrist power and
club loft to get the
ball up and on the
green from a rough lie,
without a lot of rollout.

1 Set up with your

feet hip-width apart
and the ball in the
middle of your stance. Take a hip-width stance
(Don’t aggressively with the ball in the middle.
lean the shaft toward
the target—this delofts 2
the club too much.)
When your ball is 2 Using your wrists,
sitting down in hinge the club up
greenside rough,
you need more loft,
in front of you until
not less, to hit it up the shaft is parallel
and onto the green. to your torso.
3 Turn your left wrist
clockwise until the
logo on the back of
your glove points
toward the sky, then
turn your upper body
as you normally would, Hinge the shaft up until it
until the grip points matches your spine angle.
at the ball. Now swing
down and through. 3
Hinging the club up
(step 2) gives you
the speed and swing
steepness to cut
through the rough.
Turning your left wrist
(step 3) adds enough
loft to pop the ball up
and onto the green.
Practice this method
in three steps; when
ANGUS MURRAY (5)

you’re on the course,

blend them into a Turn your left wrist (and
single, easy motion. body) to open the clubface.

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 YOUR GAME HIT BETTER IRONS
How to Fix Your “Death Move”
Maintain your
right knee flex to
blast your irons
longer than ever
S
ome swing mistakes
you can get away
with (a little head
sway), while others you
can’t. One of the latter is
straightening your right
knee in your backswing.
START
Angle an alignment rod in the
ground so that it just touches
the back of your right thigh.
No!
If the rod juts into your leg
when you swing, you’ve
straightened your right
knee. Expect poor contact.
ANGUS MURRAY (4)
TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS AT
GOLF MAGAZINE FOR DOING BUSINESS
ON THE GOLF COURSE
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Sign up at Emeraldaisle.com
This seemingly small error
causes a host of problems:
that when you take your
address position, the end
A locked right knee makes just touches the back
you lose your spine angle
(leading to thinned shots
of your right thigh a few
inches above the knee
and slices), and limits (inset photo, below). Now
how far you can rotate swing. If you straighten
back (good-bye, power). your right knee, you’ll feel
Losing flex in your right the alignment rod jab hard
knee is what instructors into your leg. To keep the
call a “death move.” rod from poking you (and
to correctly maintain the
ADD SOME FLEX APPEAL flex in your right knee as
Set an alignment rod in you swing to the top), try to
the ground and angle it so feel as though your rear end
RICK
GRAYSON
Rivercut G.C.,
Springfield, Mo.
(Top 100 since 1996)
is “heavy” at address—so
heavy that you can’t move it
out of place. This should help
“ground” your swing and
stop you from straightening
your right leg. Do it right and
you’ll feel a lot more weight
over your right foot at the
top—weight you can shift to
the left on your downswing
for an explosive impact.
Scan this photo
to watch a video of
this lesson. See p. 8.
Yes!
For a coiled, power-rich
backswing, keep your
right knee flexed so the
rod doesn’t jab your leg.
The National Car Rental PGA ProAm Series features PGA Professionals and the amateurs they
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The PGA of America rights and logo are trademarks of The Professional Golfers’ Association of America.
 YOUR GAME ESCAPE THE SAND
Your Deep-Bunker Escape Plan
Here’s how to get the
height you need to clear
steep faces—and look
cool while doing it
Y
ou’ve short-sided yourself in a
deep bunker. You must pop the
ball almost straight up in the air
or it will ricochet off the face of the
hazard—and back into the sand. You
swing, hoisting the club high in your
follow-through, thinking that that will
make the ball float up and out. But it
doesn’t. Your ball is still in the bunker.
Why? When you lift the club after
ANGUS MURRAY (4)
Rotate fast to a full finish, with
your left elbow bent and your
right arm across your chest.
70 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
impact, you rob yourself of swing
speed—the key to creating both a
high launch (great for deep bunkers)
and extra spin (great for any bunker).
SPLASH, THEN ROTATE
Treat a deep-bunker shot as though
it’s just another swing from the
fairway. Set up as you normally would
but with the clubface and your stance
slightly open and the ball positioned
a bit forward of center. Then make
a nice, full backswing with plenty of
shoulder turn. On your downswing,
go after the ball (or, really, a spot
two inches behind the ball) hard—
as you would on an approach shot—
You did it right if the act of
dropping your hands and club
straight down post-finish...
FRED
GRIFFIN
Grand Cypress
Academy of Golf,
Orlando, Fla.
(Top 100 since 1996)
and splash the sand that’s behind
and under the ball out of the bunker.
Rotate into a finish position where
your left elbow is bent and your
right arm is across your chest.
This turn is the secret to escaping
deep bunkers; it creates the
clubhead speed necessary for a
high launch. You did it right if, at
the finish, you can drop your arms
straight down and place your
wedge in an imaginary scabbard
hanging off your left hip (photos
below). I’ll tell you what I tell my
students: Sheath your sword! Not
only does the move work; it’s a
cool-looking way to end your swing.
Scan this photo
to watch a video of
this lesson. See p. 8.
...makes it feel as though
you’re placing a sword in a
sheath hanging off your left hip.
WATCH THIS ON YOUR IPAD OR TABLET.
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 YOUR GAME LOSE YOUR SLICE MIKE
BENDER
Magnolia Plantation G.C.,
Lake Mary, Fla.
(Top 100 since 1996)

Give Your Swing a Midseason Checkup

Is your motion
grooved for a banner Scan this photo
to watch a video of No!
year, or has it already this lesson. See p. 8.
CHECKUP FAILED
gone bust? Find out Swinging outside-to-
in (to the left from the
with my impact test top) will spin the bag
to the left of the shaft.

I
This is a slicer’s move.
t’s the heart of the season, and your
2014 dreams of shooting your lowest
scores ever have yet to materialize.
Hey, bad habits can creep into even
the best swings. My impact drill tells
you if it’s time to reboot your motion.

BAG CHECK
You’ll need an impact bag (or a duffel
bag stuffed with towels) for this drill.
Stick a broken shaft in the ground and
set the bag
at its base.
Pretend that
the bag is
the ball and
address it
with a mid-
iron (photo,
above),
then make
a swing. The
bag will spin Yes!
either to the
left or to CHECKUP PASSED
the right of Swinging inside-to-
the shaft, out (to the right from
Set the bag against the top) will spin the
the shaft and then your depending on
bag to the right of
iron against the bag, as the quality of the shaft—great for
though it were the ball. your strike. hitting a power draw.

If the bag spins clockwise and to

the left of the shaft, your swing is too
outside-in, which means you’re slice-
prone. Yep, you’ve got some errors
to correct. Set up again in the same
position, but this time deliberately
swing out to the right of the shaft so
that the bag spins counterclockwise.
Keep at it until you can get the bag
spinning to the right of the shaft every
time, then remove the shaft and the
bag and hit some balls. If you replicate
your “good” swings from the drill when
ANGUS MURRAY (4)

it counts, your ballstriking will reach the

next level—and the second half of the
season will be a lot better than the first.

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72 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
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 Slice to Draw.

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 U.S. OPEN PREVIEW
PINEHURST No. 2 June 12-15, 2014
U.S. OPEN
North Carolina is now the
center of the universe, with
his and hers U.S. Opens
coming to Pinehurst
No. 2’s crazy crowned
greens and...hey, where’s the
rough? It may also be Phil
Mickelson’s last, best chance
COURTESY PINEHURST RESORT
at the title. Somewhere,
Donald Ross is smiling.
The statue of Payne
Stewart celebrating
his 1999 U.S. Open win
overlooks the 18th at
Pinehurst No. 2.
CONTENTS
Justin Rose
The defending champ opens up p. 76
Crowned Jewels
p. 79
Pinehurst’s four most devilish greens
A Whole New 2.0
Pinehurst: The 2014 edition p. 86
Campbell’s Comeback
Inside the 2005 winner’s slump p. 88
U.S. Men’s/Women’s Opens
Double trouble? Christina Kim weighs in p. 96
Mickelson and Snead
p. 98
What Sam’s struggles can teach Lefty
Phil’s Phantastic Phinish!
Win or lose, Phil will make it fun p. 104
June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 75
 U.S. OPEN
PREVIEW THE DEFENDING CHAMPION
Flanked by his family
and inspired by memories
of his late father, Justin
Rose, 33, delivered on his
promise at last year’s U.S.
Open. Was it the end of a
journey—or the start
of something big?
After you won the U.S. Open
at Merion, what did you donate
to the USGA museum?
A smelly old pair of shoes [laughs].
Why old shoes, rather than the 4-iron
you used for your appoach on the 72nd
hole, which helped seal your victory?
The shoes have my kids’ names—Leo and
Lottie—on them. And it being Father’s Day,
it was a symbol of the week for me. I’d love
to give them the 4-iron, but I want that club.
In terms of when your career turned
a corner, do you go back to the long
putt you made at the 2012 Ryder Cup
at Medinah, which flipped your singles
match against Phil Mickelson?
That was part of the puzzle of winning a
major, but it actually hurt me at the Bar-
clays [in 2013]. I had a putt to win from
25 feet, and I thought about the Ryder Cup
and draining it, and I knocked it five feet
by and missed it coming back.
As a 17-year-old amateur, you holed a
pitch shot on No. 18 to tie for fourth at
the 1998 British Open at Birkdale. Did
you get the impression that winning
majors would be almost easy?
Well, 21 missed cuts later, I did a good job
of proving to myself that it wasn’t going
to be easy. I had a three-year plan, which
came true; by the time I turned 20, I was
established on the European Tour. But it
was a rocky road to get there, and that
halted my development. It took me until
2010 to feel like I was past it.
Your most emotional moment at
Merion was when you looked skyward
after winning, in a tribute to your late
father, Ken. How old were you when
he started battling cancer?
It was in 2001—I’d just turned 21. He
76 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
LIFE IS BUT
A DREAM
Interview by Cameron Morfit Portrait by Preston Mack
battled it for a year or so. I look back at
2002 as the best year of my career because
I somehow managed to win four times
knowing that my dad was on the way out
at age 57.
How did you manage to stay focused
on golf when your father was dying?
I have no idea. But he was able to be at one
of my wins, the 2002 British Masters, the
biggest win of my career up to that time.
It got me to something like 30th in the
world. And he gave me an amazing pep
talk at the Open that year. I was playing
with Tiger, who was at the peak of his
powers, and I was just a young kid. My
dad said, “We’ve faced much more difficult
things than this.” I went out and shot 68.
I’ll always remember that. He passed away
two months later.
What did your father do for a living?
Pharmaceuticals. When he came to England
from South Africa, he had a chemical trading
business with another guy. That didn’t go
well, and he got caught up in the recession in
the UK—as a fortyish man from South Africa,
he had a hard time finding jobs. In the late
’80s my parents tried to set up a swim and
dance shop, but swimwear? Not the greatest
idea in England. That went under. It got to
the point where it was down to pennies for
meals at night.
Have you bought your mom,
Annie, a house back in England?
Yeah. My parents sacrificed so much, and
it’s nice to pay her back. My mom trolled
the motorways of the country, selling
swimwear door to door—hard work. But
that’s the majority of the world.
Switching gears, what’s your take
on the major venues in 2014?
I’ve not played Pinehurst, but really, be-
cause of the changes, no one has. [British
Open host] Hoylake I don’t know anything
about because I missed the ’06 Open
Championship, and I didn’t play it as an
amateur. And [PGA Championship site]
Valhalla, I played the Ryder Cup there in
2008, so I know it fairly well.
Is Valhalla a bad memory for you?
Europe took a Ryder Cup loss there.
Not really. On a personal level, I took a
lot of good things out of that one. I won
three out of four points and won my singles
match. And I beat Phil. Poor Phil.
Good grief. How many times
have you beaten him?
I’m three for three. I also beat him at the
WGC–Match Play [in 2007].
You’ve been building a house
in the Bahamas. Will it be your
full-time residence?
We’re going to try it. Our kids are young
enough to where we feel we can just come
back to Orlando if we want. We’ll keep our
house here. The Bahamas is an awesome
place for kids.
Is your new house going to have a man
cave for you and your son, Leo?
The garage on one side of the house has
the fake grass and couches, a hitting bay,
and a TrackMan.
How big will the house be?
Eleven thousand square feet.
Wow. Are you going to have more kids?
No—but we’ll have a lot of guests. Ernie
Els and Ian Poulter spend time in the
Bahamas. That’s the problem: You build
a house there, and the phone starts ring-
ing. “We met when? Oh, you want to come
to the Bahamas? [Sighs.] Okaaaaaay.” n
Rose at his Orlando home
with wife, Kate, daughter
Charlotte (aka Lottie), 2,
and son Leo, 5.

“I look back at
2002 as the
best year of my
career because
I somehow
managed to
win four times
knowing that
my dad was on
the way out.”
Don’t worry.
you can always
finD My Pro To Go.

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 U.S. OPEN
PREVIEW PINEHURST: THE GREENS

Pinehurst’s collection areas and

severe greens (the par-5 fifth,
shown), will be the ultimate test
of the players’ short games.

CROWNED
JEWELS
Bill Coore Bob Farren
Co-architect, Director of
No. 2 Grounds,
restoration Pinehurst

The genius of Pinehurst lies in Donald Ross’s confounding

convex greens. The term “crowned” doesn’t do them justice.
USGA/JOHN MUMMERT; HEAD SHOTS: SCOTT SAYERS; PINEHURST RESORT

They swell, ripple and heave, demanding superhuman

precision. Our experts illuminate No. 2’s four most devious
surfaces, which are sure to humble the world’s best putters.
OPEN HERE !
By Joe Passov Turn the page to see how Pinehurst’s greens reward
(and often punish) the world’s best short games.

June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 79

 U.S. OPEN
PREVIEW PINEHURST: THE GREENS

3
rd The third hole looks
inviting, even easy—
until you reach the green.

389 YARDS
PAR 4
USGA/JOHN MUMMERT

GO FOR THE GREEN, BUT DON’T GO OVER IT

A tricky, right-to- Back pins may
BOB FARREN: “The green left slope will usher lure players over
is drivable under the right errant drives and the green and
conditions,” says Bob Farren, approach shots into bogeyville.
Pinehurst’s director of into this bunker.
grounds. “But if you go over,
you’re in a sandy area, not
grass. The left side of the green
tilts to the left and down to
the bunker, so players must
be careful not to spin their
approach shots back into that
bunker. There’s enough slope
and pitch on the green to make
putting difficult, too. I feel The safe play: Hit it
here and just try to
that this and No. 5 are among
two-putt for par.
Ross’s greatest greens because
they’re right next to the house
where he lived. He spent so
much time there, he gave his BILL COORE: “Off the tee, the hole entices players to get as close as possible,”
full attention to them. When says Bill Coore, co-architect (with partner Ben Crenshaw) of No. 2’s
I’m on the course, I envision restoration. “But it’s tough to get up and down from anywhere around that
him on his porch, smoking his green. Since it cants severely back to front, the worst thing is to hit it over
cigar and watching golfers putt the green. It’s spectacularly contoured and crowned to accept a pitch shot.”
the third and fifth greens.”

ILLUSTRATIONS: GRAHAM GACHES

 5
th Coore considers the green
on this converted par 5 the
most extreme he’s ever seen.

576 YARDS
PAR 5
LAURENCE LAMBRECHT

LIKE STOPPING A BALL ON THE HOOD OF A CAR

COORE: “I’ve never seen FARREN: “It’s a reachable par 5, or a short-iron third shot, but the entire left side
anything like this green, of the hole is a train wreck. The left two-thirds of the green breaks so hard that
which is crowned so severely a lot of balls get putted off it. [USGA executive director and U.S. Open setup
that you can only place the major domo] Mike Davis wanted to see this as a par 5 so that they could
pin in the middle. Remember use great hole locations that were simply too difficult when it was a par 4.”
when some golfer compared
Bunker shots from
hitting the greens at the
here must get up
Stadium Course at TPC
and over a steep
Sawgrass to trying to land rise—and then stop.
a ball on the hood of a car?
Well, this really is like that,
but it’s a 1940s car with an
elongated hood. I’m not sure
there’s a green in golf where
the usable square footage
for hole locations is so small
relative to the overall size
of the green. I can’t imagine
that any more than a third
or even a fourth of the Putts from the
With the green right edge to a
green is pinnable. It’s
like the hood of a left hole location
pure Pinehurst.”
car, look for pins may roll off
placed in the middle. the green.
14
th While this green is less
severe, No. 14 has the most
penal bunker on the course.

473 YARDS
PAR 4

AVOID THE “MOST PENAL” BUNKER AT ALL COST

FARREN: “Since this is a
Putts and chips This is the last
long par 4, the green isn’t from the left side place you want
as severe as some of the (above the hole) will to be. Shots over
others, but it has enough require a deft touch. the green just
pitch in it to make every keep on rolling.
putt and chip interesting.
Any ball that winds up
above the hole will make
for a delicate next shot;
getting the speed right
will be a challenge. There’s
plenty of fairway in front of
the green, which will give
players the freedom to run Flirting with
the ball up onto the putting the deep right
surface, but if it goes over, bunker is asking
it’ll roll far away. If they hit for trouble.
the right side of the green,
the ball could slide into
the greenside bunker—and
that bunker is most penal.
Relative to the green, it’s
as deep as just about any COORE: “This green is beautifully designed to fit the shot hit to it: deep
bunker on the course.” enough to handle long- or mid-iron approaches but with less undulation.”
 15
th Coore/Crenshaw moved the
green to the right, making a
new, middle-right hole location.

202 YARDS
PAR 3
LAURENCE LAMBRECHT

STAY BELOW THE HOLE AND NO ONE GETS HURT

FARREN: “This COORE: “We expanded the green back to where it had been years ago, to
great par 3 has accommodate some pin placements that had been lost. The pros will see
two relatively new a right-side pin closer to the greenside bunker that wasn’t there in ’99
hole locations, one and ’05, when hole locations had been mostly in the middle of the green.”
about two-thirds
of the way back,
on a plateau that
wasn’t there before, Players will see a A new pin location
and the other one plateau that wasn’t is expected to bring
there in ’99 and ’05. the right bunker
middle-right. That
into play.
one was brought back
into play by moving
the green closer to
the right greenside
bunker. The right side
of the green has a lot
of pitch to it, and the
entire front third has a
lot of slope. If you find
your ball above the
hole, it’s bad news.”
Putts from here will
need to be hit firmly
up the steep slope.
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 U.S. OPEN
PREVIEW COORE/CRENSHAW RESTORATION
Pinehurst
2.0
No rough? At a U.S. Open?
In 2011, Bill Coore and Ben
Crenshaw masterminded the
restoration of Pinehurst. Here
are the five biggest changes
that No. 2 will throw at the field.
By Joe Passov
1
NO ROUGH!
For the first time in modern history, Bill
Coore says, the U.S. Open will be played
without its traditional rough. Coore/Cren-
shaw yanked out 35 acres of primary Ber-
muda rough that had flanked the fairways,
replacing it with hardpan, sandy scrub,
pine straw and wispy wiregrass.
NET EFFECT: Tougher. True, the fairways
are wider, but they’ll play firmer and
faster, especially on the edges where ir-
rigation heads were eliminated. With less
resistance from thicker grass, more balls
will race into the sandy scrub. Also, as
Pinehurst director of grounds Bob Farren
notes, “Players like to have control of their
ball. If they missed an old 26-yard-wide
fairway, they knew what they were getting
in three-inch rough. Now they won’t know
until they’re 10 feet from the ball what
they have. It could be clean hardpan, but
it also could be in a bad footprint, in loose
sand, or in a wiregrass clump.”
2
ALTERED VISUALS
Coore says the players who haven’t
seen No. 2 since 2005 “aren’t going
to recognize it.” Fairway widths increased
by 50 percent, and the place simply looks
transformed, now that sandy waste areas
have replaced traditional rough. The over-
all effect is a much more natural, far less
manicured track.
NET EFFECT: No change. Although Far-
ren points out that the course has been
LANDON NORDEMAN
lengthened, necessitating a few new or
altered tees, these are the best players in
the world—they’ll adapt.
86 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
Sandy scrub and native plants like goldenrod, sassafras, prickly pear and winged sumac
(maintained by assistant superintendent Alan Owen) have replaced the rough at Pinehurst No. 2.
3 5
DECISIONS, DECISIONS...
With the 26-yard-wide fairways in
2005, there was only one play—hit it
straight, with something less than driver,
if necessary. With 40-yard-wide fairways
it’ll be possible to cut corners on doglegs,
but at the risk of running into bunkers
or sandy areas. It will also be easy to run
into trouble spots while trying to hit to
the proper side of the fairway to leave the
best angle to the pin.
NET EFFECT: Tougher. And more excit-
ing for the fans, who get to watch play-
ers (shock! horror!) strategize their way
around a U.S. Open course for a change.
4
NO. 4 IS NOW A PAR 4,
AND NO. 5 IS A PAR 5
The USGA made a radical change. It
converted No. 2’s greatest hole, the par-4
5th (which played 476 yards in the 2005
U.S. Open) into a 570-yard par 5. At the
same time, they transformed the 569-yard,
par-5 fourth into a 530-yard par 4.
NET EFFECT: Easier. Coore says the fourth
green was always more receptive to a long
shot than the fifth, so unlike some par 5s
that were converted into par 4s (Winged
Foot, Olympic) it’ll work well as a longer
par 4. The fifth will sport more frighten-
ing hole locations than it did as a par 4,
but because of the downhill, right-to-left
slope of the fairway, most players will be
able to reach the green in two.
NEW GRASSES, NEW
IRRIGATION, NEW GREENS
Removing perimeter irrigation heads
will yield crispy brown turf along fairway
edges, so the farther that players stray from
the center lines (where the sprinklers are),
the more inconsistent the lie will be. New
A1/A4 creeping bentgrass will have the
greens playing firm. The par-3 15th fea-
tures an additional 600 square feet, and at
least two right-side locations will be new
to the pros. On the par-3 17th, Coore says
he “barely flattened the area behind the
front-right bunker that they were not able
to pin before.” And he set up the green for
a new front-left pin.
NET EFFECT: No change. The new right-side
hole locations at No. 15 will cause some
angst, and the firmer greens will rattle
players if the wind dries them out. That
said, breezes seldom blow too hard on this
inland site. And being in the hot, humid
southeast, they’ll have to spritz the greens
anyway, so there should be sufficient mois-
ture to mitigate the extra firmness.
THE VERDICT: Pinehurst will play like no
U.S. Open course in history. “I’m not sure
it will be tougher,” says Coore, “but there
will be more mystery. With the sand and
wiregrass, you’ll see some of the most
spectacular approach shots, and the most
bizarre. It will be the greatest variety of
shots you’ve ever seen in a U.S. Open.”
 PINEHURST STATS

PINEHURST COURSES AT RESORT: 8

Total number of holes: 144
RANGE BALLS: 25,000
RESORT EMPLOYEES: 1,250

By The Numbers Average number of rounds

per day: 1,050
HOTEL ROOMS: 480
Pinehurst’s famed NUMBER OF CADDIES: 110
Putter Boy stands Percentage of players on
17.5 inches tall. No. 2 who take a caddie: 82
U.S. PRESIDENTS WHO’VE
PLAYED PINEHURST: 7
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry
Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower,
Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford,
George W. Bush, Barack Obama
PRO EVENTS AT NO. 2: 74
50 North and South Opens;
USGA/JOHN MUMMERT
SQUARE FEET OF GREENS:
115,000
Stimpmeter on No. 2 during
regular peak season resort
play: 9.5-10.5
Stimpmeter on No. 2 at the
1999 and 2005 Opens: 12.0
TOTAL ACREAGE OF NO. 2: 196
Acres of manicured turf
(greens, tees, fairways)
prior to 2011 restoration: 90
Acres of manicured turf
after restoration: 55
Acres of fairway prior

10 PGA Tour events from ’73 to restoration: 28

to ’82; 1 PGA Championship,
Acres of fairway
1 Ryder Cup; 7 PGA Club
after restoration: 41
Professional Championships;
2 PGA Tour TOUR Acres of rough prior
COURSE RECORD ON NO. 2: Championships; and 3 USGA to restoration: 45-50

62 Hale Irwin (1977 Colgate Hall of Fame Classic) and

Tom Watson and Gibby Gilbert (1973 World Open)
championships open to pros—
2 U.S. Opens, 1 Senior Open
Acres of rough
after restoration: 0

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 U.S. OPEN
PREVIEW MICHAEL CAMPBELL
ONCE A T
CHAMPION
WINNING THE 2005 U.S. OPEN AT PINEHURST WAS
THE CAPSTONE OF MICHAEL CAMPBELL’S CAREER. HE
BECAME NEW ZEALAND’S GREATEST SPORTSMAN AND
EXPECTED TO WIN EVERY EVENT HE ENTERED. THEN
THE WEIGHT OF SUPERSTARDOM BEGAN TO CLOSE IN.
By John Garrity Portraits by James Rajotte
88 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
he expatriate golfer has his
morning coffee on the hotel
terrace. His table overlooks a
garden, which in turn provides
a prince’s view of poplar-lined
golf holes, a pond, and a rugged slope that
tumbles down to the shimmering Mediter-
ranean. “My home is literally there,” the
expat says, pointing over the first tee to
somewhere beyond the hotel’s trimmed
hedges and Roman-inspired statuary.
The expat, a handsome man of 45,
stands to exchange a kiss with his just-
arrived wife, an enchanting blonde who
performed as a body double in the movie
Sirens. (“I was Elle Macpherson.”) He
orders a hot chocolate for the younger of
his two sons, a gangly teenager with an
untamed crop of dark hair and a shy smile.
 “I love kissing a First thing, the expat says, we’ll take
his cart up the mountain road to his golf
trophy,” Campbell academy, where he’ll coach a couple of
says. “But 20 years promising juniors. Then, depending on
his mood, he’ll tend to some business or
of playing this game work on his game on one of the hotel’s
at the highest level three championship courses. “This is golf
paradise,” he says, watching a flock of birds
has taken a toll.” swoop over the putting green. “Everything
is at my doorstep.” He smiles at his wife.
“We’ve carved out a nice life here.”
Conclusion: The reports of Michael
Campbell’s demise are greatly exaggerated.
Not that Campbell’s life has been all
Campbell (shown at Roman statuary and supermodel lookalikes
his home in Benahavís, since his stunning victory at the 2005 U.S.
Spain) hasn’t won
since 2005. His Open at Pinehurst. Slowed by injuries and
ranking has fallen the weight of small-nation superstardom,
as low as the 800s. New Zealand’s favorite son has gone eight ➔

June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 89

 U.S. OPEN
PREVIEW MICHAEL CAMPBELL: ONCE A CHAMPION

years without a win and seen his world ranking plunge

from the teens in 2005 to the 800s in 2012. His two
Presidents Cups and four World Cups are a distant
memory. He now shares a poignant association with
Ian Baker-Finch and David Duval, two former stars
whose skills, like Campbell’s, eroded after a career-
capping triumph.
“I’ve had time to reflect on what’s happened and
think about my future,” Campbell says, steering his
golf cart through a boulder-strewn canyon above
his home in Benahavís, on Spain’s Costa del Sol.
“I’m not quitting—competition is my passion. I love
kissing a trophy at the end of the week, but 20 years
of playing this game at the highest level takes its
toll, physically and mentally. I’m...”
He hesitates, searching for the right phrase. “I’m
beginning a new chapter in life.”
That new chapter actually began in the summer of
2012, when the Campbells abandoned a six-month
residency in Switzerland—which had proved too
cold for practice and too dislocating for their sons
Thomas, 15, and Jordan, 13—and moved to Spain.
Campbell assumed the title of “Brand Ambassador”
for the Hotel Villa Padierna Palace and arranged to
open a Michael Campbell Golf Academy on the site.
“Transition, that’s what I’m calling it,” Julie says
back at the hotel terrace. “We always wondered
when Michael would slow down. He can always
play the European Tour [as an honorary life mem-
ber].” Some players, she observes, design courses or
do TV while awaiting Champions Tour eligibility. Campbell believes that head a clearing shake. “I thought it was a dream.”
“But those are not natural progressions for Michael. a series of serendipitous It was no dream, but Campbell didn’t fully antici-
When I asked him what he likes doing outside of events led to him hoisting pate how his silver companion would change his life.
the trophy (below), which
tournaments, he said, ‘Teaching children.’ ’’ At first, it was all good. Campbell went on Late
now greets visitors to his
Campbell repeats that he isn’t quitting and that home (above). Show with David Letterman, wowed a “Sports Day”
he’s kept up his daily gym work. “But I’m not going audience at son Thomas’s school in England, and
to go from tournament to tournament and just hope enjoyed what he was told was the biggest ticker-tape
to do well. I’ve done that too many times in the past.” parade in New Zealand’s history—bigger even than
The road to golf paradise, he knows, is never the one for the Beatles. He also remained potent
more than a guardrail away from golf hell. on the course, capping his greatest season by tying

C
ampbell has no memory of his first hours
as the 2005 U.S. Open champion. No
recollection of the trophy ceremony with
runner-up Tiger Woods. No impressions
of the champion’s press conference.
“It’s a complete blank,” he says over lunch at
the hotel. “But I’ll never forget that around mid-
night, I had to drive my courtesy car back to Pine
Needles, where I was staying. The trophy was on the
passenger seat, so I put a seat belt around it”—he
performs the act in pantomime, ending with an
affectionate pat for the phantom trophy—“and I
said, ‘Are you okay?’ ” He laughs. “ ‘I’m good, how
INSET: DARREN CARROLL/SI
for sixth at the PGA Championship, winning the
World Match Play (worth a million pounds, then
the biggest prize in golf), finishing second on the
European Tour Order of Merit, and taking that
tour’s player-of-the-year honors.
But as time passed, the Pinehurst trophy seemed
to promise a career trajectory that Campbell couldn’t
sustain. “I came back quite strongly in 2006,” he
recalls. “I nearly won the Hawaii event. But then
I got a bit busy off the course.” Busy as in photo
shoots, paid outings, press conferences, meetings
with tax consultants, charity efforts. “Michael doesn’t
do well with distractions,” Julie says, arranging a
paper-thin slice of Iberian ham on a wedge of cheese.

are you?’ ” After some late-night partying, he was
jarred awake by a 6:30 a.m. wakeup call. “I’d put
the trophy on the bedside table, so I’m looking right
at it, and I go, ‘Sh--, I’ve done it!’ ” He gives his
90 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
“I used to ask him what he was thinking, and he’d
say, ‘Nothing.’ ” She laughs. “Really? Nothing? But
suddenly he had this bombardment of distractions.
It was too noisy.”
➔
 U.S. OPEN
PREVIEW MICHAEL CAMPBELL: ONCE A CHAMPION

Campbell, raised by Maori parents of limited events, shot 11 rounds of 80 or above, and only
means, was way out of his element. He played his
“While no had five rounds in the 60s. He was a cumulative
childhood golf in the company of sheep. He learned psychologist 89 over par for the six majors he played. Says Julie,
to putt on scruffy, wire-fenced greens. But even be- “A lot of his friends and peers said, ‘Well, Campbell
fore Pinehurst, he had become a world-class touring
told me to will bounce back, he always does.’ But he didn’t.”
pro who dressed well, drove luxury cars and owned do this,” Campbell’s swing, Yarwood insists, was never the
homes in London and Sydney. “Michael got embar- problem. “Michael’s got short legs, a wide back, and
rassed about how much money he was making,”
Campbell long arms for his frame, and that’s all conducive to
Julie says. “In New Zealand, everyone’s humble. It’s says, “every creating a simple, one-plane, one-axis swing. In recent
safe, you can leave your doors unlocked.” years he’s swung exactly the same or better than he
Uneasy with his growing wealth and celebrity, time there did when he won the U.S. Open. But the results have
Campbell created an eponymous foundation and was a roar been very poor. The only conclusion you can draw is
threw himself into fund-raising. “It was fun,” he that he’s got some psychological scar tissue.”
says, “it was fantastic.” But it was another distrac- for Tiger Convinced that he had to shake things up, Camp-
tion from the routines that had made him an 18-time [in 2005], I bell left Yarwood for another coach in 2010. Still
winner on four tours. “I’m good at focusing on one flailing, he returned to Yarwood in 2012 and showed
thing,” he says, “But when you chuck three or four imagined it improvement, posting six top-20s on the European
other things in the basket, I can’t do it. So that was
a mistake for which I take full responsibility.”
was for me.” Tour. “But I remember seeing him in the lead in
Hong Kong,” Yarwood says, “and he didn’t look
Another mistake was allowing his expectations like he used to. He looked nervy and tentative.”
to soar. “You expect to win every tournament you That “mental fragility,” as Yarwood describes
enter,” Campbell says, “and when it doesn’t happen, it, has been compounded by the corporeal kind.
it puts doubt in your mind.” He also fell victim to Campbell has suffered rotator cuff injuries to both
perfectionism, the false notion that “great” play- shoulders, and now his left ankle pains him with
ers never hit bad shots or commit mental errors.
Campbell’s record in the majors testifies to the
impact that these mistakes had on his game. Since
2006, he’s missed the cut in five straight Masters,
finished no better than T35 in the British Open,
and missed three of four cuts in the PGA Champi-
onship. He’s made it to the weekend only once in
eight subsequent U.S. Opens, his best finish being
a T58 in 2007.
“It’s hard to believe,” Davis Love III says of Camp-
bell’s slump. Love remembers the 2005 U.S. Open
champion as a dangerous Presidents Cup opponent,
and lumps Campbell in with David Duval as guys
“who looked so good and made it look so easy, and
then it becomes almost impossible.”
Love adds, “I know how you lose it. I don’t know
how you get it back.”
Campbell looks to every stride and swing. “The guy has gone through
ante’s Inferno imagines Hell as nine the heavens at the a rough time,” says Retief Goosen, who shot the

D circles of suffering. Jonathan Yarwood,

Campbell’s coach for most of the past
16 years, posits a simpler schematic.
“There’s two camps,” he says during a
call from his Florida-based golf academy. “There’s
a camp that can deal with the pressure of having
won a major, and there’s a camp that can’t.”
2005 U.S. Open.
Campbell, one gathers, is in the second camp.
“Michael has this warrior inside him,” Yarwood
explains, “this Maori warrior that wants to take on
the world. But there’s also this little shy guy from
New Zealand in there. It kind of accounts for the
JULIE JACOBSON/AP
final-round 83 that gave Campbell his opportunity
at Pinehurst. (Goosen adds: “And so have I.”)
But the real hell of it is the relentless scrutiny
that comes with Campbell’s previous success—such
as when CBSSports.com listed him fifth on its list
of “worst golfers to win a major.” Says Yarwood,
“You put a guy that’s got a tiny little crack under
the microscope, and it becomes a big fissure. And
all of a sudden the world can see everything.”
It’s a point that the Campbells, dining on the
hotel terrace, won’t challenge.
“The pressure was enormous,” says Julie, an At-

up-and-down career he’s had.” lanta-born Australian. “Especially in New Zealand,

The lowest of Campbell’s lows came during the because they treat their sports heroes as godlike
2009-10 seasons, when he missed 32 cuts in 41 figures, bigger than rock stars. But as soon as you
➔
92 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
Progressive Casualty Ins. Co. & afÄliates. Discounts not available in all states. 14B00256.C (04/14)
 U.S. OPEN
PREVIEW MICHAEL CAMPBELL: ONCE A CHAMPION

have a little dip, they cut you off at the ankles.”

Campbell nods. “You feel disheartened, really.
I was used to the highs, I’d been to the top of the
world in golf, and then...”
A wan smile completes his thought.

he trophy still looks great. It resides in

T the office/trophy room of the Campbells’

cliff house, which they’ve furnished with
favorite pieces from their English and
Australian homes. A stylishly austere
living room opens onto an infinity pool and yet
another panoramic view of the coast.
How he landed that trophy is a story—actually a
string of anecdotes—that the Campbells love to tell.
Serendipitous Element (SE) No. 1 was the quirk
that qualifying was held at Walton Heath Golf Club,
not far from their London home. “I was tired,”
Campbell recalls, “and I was first off at 7:30 in
the morning. I drove home from Wales on Sunday
night, and I said to Julie, ‘I’ve just played four weeks
in a row, good weeks, but I’m not sure if I want to Campbell, relaxing at SE No. 6 came as a shock. “All of a sudden, after
play tomorrow.’ And she said, ‘Just give it a try. Go home in Spain (above), six holes of the final round, I was leading. I was
and have some fun and see what happens.’ ” He didn’t flinch at Pinehurst 1-under, and Goosen was like 4- or 5-over. The
(below), even with Woods
smiles. “So I went.” setting off roars nearby.
meltdown from Goose was totally unexpected. And
SE No. 2: “I was playing with Steve Webster at obviously Tiger was close by. But it was on the tenth
Walton Heath, and we were both on the same score hole that it hit me. I saw it as an opportunity, not
going into the last hole. He hit it to 10 feet, I hit it to a threat. It was my time to shine.”
eight, and I was right in his line. I had to move my SE No. 7 was transcendent. “I still had nine holes
marker. He putted to the right edge, lipped out. So I to play, and I had the best player in the world track-
aimed for right-center, and it lipped in. I qualified, ing me down. He’d won Augusta two months before;
and Steve missed. So every time I see him, he says, he was the hot favorite. No psychologist told me
‘Where’s that bottle of champagne you owe me?’ ” to do this—it came from the heavens—but every
Michael laughs. “I owe him way more than that.” time there was a roar for Tiger, I imagined it was
SE No. 3: “I went to the Callaway van; they made for me. In my mind I was saying, ‘Thanks, thanks
me a belly putter. I was desperate. My first practice very much, thank you!’ ” Julie erupts with laughter:
round I tried it and putted even worse. Then Jona- “It’s delusional, but perfect!”
than [Yarwood, Campbell’s coach] turns up and “You have a choice of thoughts,” the once-and-
he goes, ‘What the hell is that?’ He grabbed it and always U.S. Open champion says, his gaze wander-
S. BADZ/GETTY IMAGES

literally threw it off the green. So we went over to
Pine Needles and worked on my putting. I gained
some confidence there, and I putted great that week.”
SE No. 4: “Tuesday, I played with Vijay Singh.
I tried a few bunker shots, and they were pretty
crappy. The ball was coming out heavy, no spin.
About the sixth hole, I said, ‘Veej, I’m having trouble
with my bunker shots, mate.’ So Veej said, ‘Just do
this, this and this.’ It was great, the ball came out
much better. That week I hit it in seven bunkers,
got up and down six times—and holed one!”
SE No. 5: “I wasn’t thinking I could win—until I
talked with Julie, the night before the final round.
She said, ‘Are you ready for this?’ She had a feeling.”
Julie says, “All of a sudden you’ve got one hole to
play, and you realize your life is about to change.
So it was important that we discuss it. I said, ‘Are
you ready for all the things that come with it?’ And
he just took a little breath and said, ‘Yeah.’ ”
ing off to the horizon, to the sea. “It all depends on
how you look at things.”
he expatriate golfer looks forward to June,
“A crack
under the
T hoping his ankle will let him play. The
odds against him reprising his Pinehurst
victory are astronomical; even if he were
fit, he’s not sure his game measures up
to those of, say, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth.
“When you know your chances aren’t great,” the
expat says, “it’s hard to get on the plane.”
He has seen guys his age—Darren Clarke, Ernie
microscope Els, Phil Mickelson—win majors on grit and guile.
becomes a But Campbell seems to have moved on. He may not
have his game of yore, but he’s still got his family,
fissure. The his health, his ambassadorship, his academy, his
never-gets-old view from the Sierra Blanca foothills,
world sees his Champions Tour dreams—and yeah, his trophy.
every flaw.” Paradise found. n

94 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014

 U.S. OPEN
PREVIEW U.S.OPEN/U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN
Double T
here’s been a lot of talk about
this year’s U.S. Open double-
dip, and that’s a good thing. The
U.S. Women’s Open is our most
important tournament, and it
Trouble
A two-time LPGA winner says
deserves the extra buzz. But among LPGA
players there’s definitely some apprehen-
sion about playing Pinehurst No. 2 the week
after the guys compete there.
If you’ve ever been to a PGA Tour event,
you know how the men tear up a course.
holding the men’s and women’s The divots are the size of a $30 steak, the
U.S. Opens at Pinehurst in back- pitch marks like craters. A U.S. Open venue
to-back weeks might create is even more vulnerable because the course
is pushed to the edge. The USGA wants
the “doomsday scenario” the greens brick-hard for the guys, and I
of an unplayable course— wonder how much they can soften them
but it’s an idea worth trying in a few days for us. It’s simple physiology:
Women don’t hit the ball as high or with as
By Christina Kim much spin, so if those turtleback Donald
Ross greens are too firm, the course will
be almost unplayable for us.
Divots are also going to be a problem. A
Kim’s pick USGA official told me only two holes will
to claim the have similar landing areas for the men
Women’s Open? and the women. That’s encouraging, but
“Whoever has there’s not much that can be done around
the biggest
cojones.” the greens; the balls will run off into the
same collection areas. Chipping at Pine-
hurst is tough enough if you have a nice
lie; doing it out of a divot will be brutal.
In March, USGA executive director Mike
Davis met with LPGA players to hear our
concerns. It was a nice gesture, and Davis
has that old-school attitude that I like. He
drew a lot of rueful laughs when he said,
“Divots are part of the game.”
Access to the course could also be dicey.
Getting to the Open early to acclimate to
the conditions is always tricky, given
logistics and LPGA regulations, but
this year we can’t get on the course
until the Monday morning after the
guys finish, and that’s if everything
goes well. North Carolina
in June is prime time
for thunderstorms—
it’s easy to imagine
weather delays push-
ing the Open’s finish
back a day. That’s the real doomsday sce-
nario—heavy rain for the men, delayed
play, and an 18-hole playoff on Tuesday.
JONATHAN FERREY/GETTY IMAGES
I can’t even imagine how much whining
there would be. Okay, actually, I can.
There’s also the human toll to consider.
It’s going to be hot and humid. Will the
USGA be able to keep all those critically
96 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
important volunteers happy and upright
as they suffer through a second week with
us? There are high hopes that the media
will stick around for our Open, but Pine-
hurst is an itty-bitty little town. It’s hard
to imagine all those reporters surviving
that long in the sleepy South. And fans
are gonna be cooked after watching all
the carnage of the men’s U.S. Open. Will
they show up or tune in to watch us make
the same bogeys?
Still, for all these concerns, I still think
this Open double-feature is a cool idea.
A lot of LPGA veterans will say the favor-
ite tournament of their career was either
the Women’s British at the Old Course
or the Women’s Open at Oakmont. It’s
awesome to be able to play these world-
class courses that the guys have made
famous, and Pinehurst is in that class.
It’s hallowed ground. I’m thrilled at the
prospect of playing there.
In the end, I think we’ll attract new fans
because of No. 2. The course will be the
star of the show, and people will be curious
to see how the women play the holes that
they’ve fallen in love with. Some players
Chipping at Pinehurst
is hard enough without
doing it from divots
the size of a steak.
will be pushed out of their comfort zones.
More than a few women on our tour are too
reliant on their lob wedge, and it’s going
to be great fun to watch the ball rolling
back to their feet. Personally, from around
those greens, I think bunting a 3-wood is
the way to go.
Who’ll win? It depends on who has
the biggest cojones. Suzann Pettersen is
a good pick—she’s the baddest bitch on
tour. Lexi Thompson has the same kind of
fearlessness, and she’s been playing U.S.
Opens since she was 12. Anna Nordqvist
will be tough to beat, too—she’s a supreme
feel player with incredible creativity in her
short game, and she’s playing with a ton
of confidence this year.
So, is this U.S. Open experiment going
to be complicated? Definitely. Is there po-
tential for disaster? Sure. But the USGA
has spent years figuring out the details.
I’ll put my trust in them. No matter what
happens, it’s gonna be a helluva ride. n
 U.S. OPEN
PREVIEW SAM SNEAD AND PHIL MICKELSON

SAM I AM?
Phil Mickelson is working every angle to fill the void—the lack of a U.S. Open
title—that haunted Sam Snead until his dying days. Like Lefty, Snead repeatedly
fell achingly short of winning our national championship. His pursuit became
almost pathological. As Pinehurst looms, only the names have changed. By Paul Rogers

Mickelson’s most recent

U.S. Open heartache came
at Merion last June, when
late mistakes proved
costly yet again.

98 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014

 fter coming up
A short, again, in
the U.S. Open
at Merion last
summer, Phil
Mickelson bare-
ly got out of bed for two days.
He’d blown tournaments before
and moped around the house,
but never like this. He was such
a shell of his usual self that he
began to worry his wife, Amy.
It was as though Mickelson
were the second coming of
Sam Snead, who stopped eat-
ing and lost 30 pounds after
a near miss at the 1939 U.S.
Open at Philadelphia Country
Club. It was there that Snead,
believing he needed to birdie
the last hole to win—a par, in
fact, would have won him the
title—made a triple-bogey 8
to finish fifth. He called it the
worst experience in 25 years
of tournament golf, and lost so
much weight, so quickly, that
his doctor persuaded him to
take time off, lest he suffer a
complete breakdown.
“If I’d murdered someone, I’d
have lived it down sooner than
the ’39 Open,” wrote Snead in
his 1962 autobiography, The
Education of a Golfer. He never
did win the U.S. Open and re-
gretted it until the day he died.
As Mickelson prepares to
take on Pinehurst No. 2 at the
114th U.S. Open, unabashedly
coveting the one title that would
complete a career grand slam,
he will no doubt study every
square inch of the course’s fa-
mous tortoise-shell greens. He
SNEAD: AUGUSTA NATIONAL/GETTY IMAGES; MICKELSON: ROBERT BECK/SI
will consider his bag makeup
(Two drivers? Five wedges?)
and how best to attack the
course’s two par 5s. After a re-
cord six runner-up finishes at
the U.S. Open, he will attempt
to mine every last piece of data,
no matter how seemingly triv-
BETTMANN/CORBIS
ial, in hopes of finally winning
the Open.
Sam Snead? The sweet-
swinging legend from the back
hills of Virginia is long gone,
so Mickelson probably won’t
give Snead a second or even
first thought. But he should.
Mickelson is, in many ways,
a latter-day Snead: a gifted
player, prolific winner and
colorful personality. Their U.S.
Open disappointments have
been strikingly similar; the
same can be said for their re-
action to defeat. “They’ve both
been explicit about the disap-
pointment, the pain, of not
winning,” says Gio Valiante,
a sports psychologist whose
clients have included Camilo
Villegas, Stuart Appleby and
Matt Kuchar. “That no doubt
makes it harder to not overtry.
When you want something that
badly and you’ve come close
and [you’ve been] hurt, you’re
apt to overtry.”
If anyone should have won
the U.S. Open, it was Snead.
A gifted athlete so naturally
limber he could kick his leg up
to the top of a doorway, he had
the most graceful swing in golf.
Even after his competitive days
were over, fellow pros would go
out of their way to watch him
rhythmically hit balls on the
range. Hogan built his swing
from the ground up. Snead
Snead, left, thought he’d won in ’37, but Guldahl came out ahead.
seemed born into his. His natu-
ral talent carried him to a re-
cord 82 PGA Tour victories. Yet
the best Snead ever did in the
Open was finish second—four
times, along with his 72nd-hole
collapse in 1939.
Several theories have sought
to explain why Snead never
won the U.S. Open. One is
that he refused to adjust his
game to the rigors of an Open
setup, failing to practice on
glassy putting surfaces and
“Laddie,”
Tommy Armour
told Snead in
1937, “You’ve
just won
yourself a
championship
worth more
than a seat
on the Stock
Exchange.” But
it wasn’t to be.
June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE
insisting on hitting high-spin
approaches that couldn’t hold
the steeply pitched greens.
Another explanation is that
after months of traveling and
competing in the first half of
the season, Snead was always
worn out by the week of the
Open. “He used to say his
biorhythms were off,” says
Snead’s son Sam Jr., known as
Jack. “He didn’t know if it was
between the ears or not, but he
never played well in June.” A
third theory, which Snead him-
self believed, is that Joe Dey,
the longtime executive director
of the USGA, didn’t like him
and therefore gave him unfa-
vorable pairings and starting
times in the Open.
But by far the biggest reason
Snead kept falling short was
the pressure he put on himself.
“He was an amazingly talented
athlete, and it was a shame that
he never won the U.S. Open,
because it meant so much to
him,” says Billy Casper, who
won two U.S. Opens, includ-
ing the 1959 edition at Winged
Foot, Snead’s last best chance
to claim our national title.
“Sometimes the things you
want, you want too much, and
that’s probably what happened
with him, because his talent
was really superior.”
Snead’s demons at the U.S.
Open went all the way back to
his Open debut in 1937. Trail-
ing by one stroke going into the
last round at Oakland Hills, he
eagled the final hole to shoot
71 and finish at 283, the sec-
ond-lowest score in the tour-
nament’s history at the time.
With only one player, Ralph
Guldahl, within reach of him
still on the course, Snead held
the clubhouse lead.
His score was so widely ex-
pected to hold up, he later wrote
(with a touch of hyperbole),
that about 5,000 fans “fought
to get into the locker room with
me, where sports-good people,
➔
99
 U.S. OPEN
PREVIEW SAM SNEAD AND PHIL MICKELSON
MAIN PHOTO: BETTMANN/CORBIS; INSET: AP PHOTO
sponsors, advertising tycoons
and others latched on, offer-
ing me all kinds of contracts.”
Tommy Armour, the legendary
Scottish pro, sauntered over
to Snead, then 25. “Laddie,”
said Armour, “you’ve just won
yourself a championship worth
more than a seat on the Stock
Exchange.”
The celebration proved
premature. Guldahl, who had
quit golf out of frustration
two years earlier and briefly
worked as a carpenter, played a
sterling final round, making an
eagle himself and shooting 69.
His 281 total set a new Open
record and bested a crestfallen
Snead by two.
“All at once it got real lone-
some where I was standing,”
Snead recalled. “You could
have shot off an elephant gun
in my corner of the room and
not winged a single sports-
writer. As runner-up, I was
nothing.”
It was with that memory in
mind, no doubt, that Snead
desperately tried to birdie the
72nd hole to break through in
1939. There were no leader-
boards back then, and if any-
one around Snead, including
his playing partner, Ed Dud-
ley, knew how Slammin’ Sam
100 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
stood, he didn’t speak up.
Although he was “loose as a
goose” until that point—he’d
done sit-ups and catsprings in
his hotel room the night before,
keeping his roommate, Gene
Sarazen, awake—Snead now
began to tense up. What’s more,
spectators thronged the fairway
on the par-5 18th, forcing him
to wait for an army of marshals
to clear the way.
When he could finally tee off,
Snead hooked his drive into a
patch of sandy ground. Instead
Said Snead,
a victim of
gamesmanship
in the ’47 Open:
“If a man can’t
defend himself
against a smart
psychologist,
he belongs in
the clubhouse
playing gin.”
of playing safe with an iron, he
grabbed his 2-wood and, from
275 yards, went for the green.
The shot took off low and
thin. “Giddyap! Giddyap!” he
shouted. But the ball skittered
just 160 yards into a bunker,
below a steep lip. Again, Snead
tried a heroic shot. Choosing
an 8-iron instead of a wedge
that would have easily cleared
the lip, he bladed the ball into
the sodded bank.
As Snead was preparing to
play his fifth shot, from anoth-
er bunker, someone in the gal-
lery told him he needed to get
up and down for bogey to tie
Byron Nelson, the clubhouse
leader, and force a playoff. His
hands shaking, Snead hit the
green with his next shot but
left himself a 40-foot putt. He
missed it long and, deflated,
missed the one coming back.
Mickelson knows the feel-
ing. At the 2006 U.S. Open at
Winged Foot, he strode onto
the 18th tee in the final round
needing a par to win. But for
the fact that Phil knew where
he stood on the leaderboard,
the scenario played out much
the same as Snead’s fiasco did
in 1939.
Rather than play safe off the
tee with a fairway wood or a
Snead suffered a near-total
breakdown after carding an 8
on the final hole in 1939 (left).
He watched in 1953 (above) as
Hogan, middle, accepted the
trophy for the fourth time.
long iron, Mickelson reached
for his driver and carved a
huge slice onto the roof of a
hospitality tent. After a drop,
he chose not to punch out safe-
ly and play for a bogey or a one-
putt par. Instead, he gambled,
trying to cut a 3-iron around
a tree, only to strike the trunk
and have the ball ricochet back
at him. Ultimately, Lefty was
left with a chip for bogey to
force a playoff. It didn’t come
close. He staggered off with a
double-bogey 6, handing a one-
stroke victory to Geoff Ogilvy.
“I am such an idiot,” Phil said
afterward.
ickelson’s run-
M ner-up finish
behind Tiger
Woods at the
2002 U.S. Open
at Bethpage also bore paral-
lels to a second-place finish of
Snead’s. Although Mickelson
played well all week, finishing
at even par on the famously
punishing Black course, Woods
was in a class of his own. With
his three-shot victory, he com-
pleted a stretch of six wins in
nine majors played. When
Snead lost to Ben Hogan at
Oakmont in the 1953 Open, the
stoic Texan was at the height
➔
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 U.S. OPEN
PREVIEW SAM SNEAD AND PHIL MICKELSON
Mickelson acknowledged
Woods’s mastery at Bethpage
in 2002 (inset) before beating
himself with a late collapse at
Winged Foot in 2006 (above).
of his dominance. The victory
marked Hogan’s sixth major
title in his last nine tries.
If that also-ran finish of
Snead’s could be explained
by the brilliance of his oppo-
nent, the same couldn’t be said
of his playoff loss in the 1947
U.S. Open at St. Louis Country
Club. There, Snead fell victim
to the sort of gamesmanship
for which he himself was well
known. If he’d encountered
MAIN PHOTO: HEINZ KLUETMEIER/SI; INSET: KATHY WILLENS/AP
it any other week of the year,
Snead probably would have
parried the ploy, but not when
a U.S. Open was on the line.
All even on the 18th hole in a
playoff against Lew Worsham,
a relative unknown, Snead hit
a good drive and placed his ap-
proach shot safely on the green.
Worsham’s approach found the
102 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
back fringe. Playing first, Wor-
sham hit the back of the cup
with his chip, the ball stopping
a few feet away. Snead, worried
about the pace of the green, left
his putt for birdie and the win
a few feet short.
Just as Snead was preparing
to putt out, Worsham asked the
referee, Ike Grainger, which
golfer was away. The gallery
fell silent as Grainger took out
a tape measure and knelt down
to determine the length of each
putt. Snead walked to the side
of the green to regroup. Sure
enough, he was away, by half
an inch.
“Sam looked daggers at Wor-
sham and putted it,” wrote one
reporter, “but it was a sad ef-
fort.” His sidehill putt, exactly
30 and a half inches long,
missed on the edge.
Worsham, facing an easier
uphill putt, banged it into the
hole. Snead was a bridesmaid
again. Though he called the
experience “the bitterest medi-
cine in the world to swallow,”
Snead later wrote that he bore
no grudge against Worsham.
“He did what he needed to do
to win, and if a man can’t de-
fend himself against a smart
psychologist, he belongs in
the clubhouse playing gin and
not out there with the big-time
cutthroats.”
What Snead needed to do
in that situation was tune
out the external distrac-
tion, says Bhrett McCabe, a
sports psychologist based in
Birmingham, Alabama, who
works with several players on
the PGA and LPGA tours. He
says there’s also a cautionary
tale in Snead’s and Mickelson’s
decisions to go for broke rather
than play safe when adversi-
ty struck. “I call it a riptide,”
says McCabe. “Just like you’re
swimming off the coast in
shallow water and the next
thing you know the current’s
strong, your mind is going a
thousand miles an hour and
you panic.” Jean van de Velde’s
meltdown in the 1999 British
Open at Carnoustie is an ex-
ample. The key to avoiding
such an unraveling, McCabe
says? Breathe deeply and do
whatever else it takes to slow
down, even stopping—like
a pitcher in baseball—to tie
your shoes. Then trust the
swing and the approach that
got you into contention.
The lesson holds true even
at the start of the week. “Don’t
change what you do because
it’s a bigger tournament on the
calendar,” says McCabe. “It’s
still a 72-hole tournament.”
For Mickelson, in other
words, the best thing he can
do to increase his chances at
Pinehurst may be to convince
himself to care less.
Care less? That’s a tall order.
Asked whether his father ever
stopped caring about his U.S.
Open failures, Jack Snead says,
“He talked about it until right
before he passed away.” n
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 U.S. OPEN
PREVIEW PHIL MICKELSON

TOMORROW’S NEWS...TODAY!
MOR NING
EDITION
Monday,
June 16,
2014

PER
YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPA

inehurst!
GOLF U.S. OPEN

Pain at P
Mickelson’s Phil’s bizarre
“I kne w I was entitled to
relief,” Mickelson said. “The
thing is, my ball was sitti ng
butt er-p ecan up nice ly on the ice crea m,
seventh runner-up ice cream shot and there was no guarantee I’d
finish, his str an ges t left a sour taste .
get as good a lie if I dropped
there in the rough.” His caddie,
yet, prolongs U.S. Jim “Bones” Mackay, argued
Open agony for the free drop, but pulled
3-wood when Mic kelson ex-
Rep ort by John Garr ity tended his hand.
PINEHUR ST, N.C. — Zach John - “Phil is the most imaginative
son made 18 stra ight pars on golfe r alive, and he’s not afraid
Sun day to win his seco nd of risk,” Mackay said. “That’s
major, but it was Phil Mic k- just how he’s wired.”
elson’s encounter with a tub Johnson, watching from the
of butter-pecan ice cream that middle of the fair way, could
decided the 114t h U.S. Open. only sha ke his hea d whe n
Mickelson, tryin g to win his Mickelson’s aggressive swipe
first U.S. Open and complete sent the ice crea m tub spin-
akin g of wonder what he was thinking
a care er grand slam, post ed pain ful and hear tbre ning and launched his ball high
es.” It was the fifth with that ice-cream shot.”
and an eagl e in all my loss t and deep into a grandsta nd
eight bird ies USG A, Mic kelson had a two -sho
his final-round charge, only to time , acco rdin g to the left of the green. The Iowa City
those lead on the 18th tee, where he
hand Johnson a one-stro ke vic- that Mic kels on had used
d the massive gallery nati ve calm ly sma cked his
l-rou nd surp rise
ds in a fina 6-iron approach to the middle
THIS PAGE: SIMON BRUTY/SI; OPPOSITE: SAM GREENWOOD/GETTY IMAGES

exac t wor
tory with a triple-bogey on the ce. by hitt ing 3-ir on inst ead of
pres s conf eren of the green.
72nd hole. It was Mickelson’s was first in driver. Unfortunately, his well-
up fini sh in John son, who Mic kels on was still lyin g
seventh run ner- the wee k, stru ck ball landed on a sprin-
America’s oldest major, a re- driv ing accu racy for only three after taking a free
icat- kler head and ricocheted into
cord that TV ana lyst John ny said win ning at No. 2 vind
y waste to the right drop, but his choice of a 7-iron
e strat - the sand
Miller called “proof that Phil ed his mist ake- avoi danc for the downhill chip left Miller
200 7 of the fairway. From there he
is the best U.S. Open player of egy and prov ed that his sputtering into his microphone
fluke. “I tried to punch out, but his ball
his generation. Or may be just Mas ters title was no
through the legs of and wife Amy peeking through
Phil , be- scoo ted
the biggest knucklehead.” feel real ly sorr y for her fingers. Addressing the ball
t shots scampering fans and bounced
Mickelson, who took only 30 caus e he hit mor e grea off his left foot for added loft,
I’ll hit in a year,” into a vendor’s half-empty tub
seconds to check and sign his toda y than . [continued on pg. D4]
John son said. “But you have to of ice cream, knocking it over
scorecar d, calle d it “the mos t

104 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014

 Given the topsy-turvy travails of Phil Mickelson at the U.S. Open, you’re
bound to read one of these two stories come Monday morning By John Garrity
MOR NING
EDITION
Monday,
June 16,
2014
GOLF U.S. OPEN
Phinally! It’s Phil!
Lefty averts yet
another disaster;
heroics net first
U.S. Open victory,
career grand slam
Report by John Garrity
PINEHURST, N.C. — No longer
a bridesmaid, fina lly a bride.
Phil Mickelson won the U.S.
Open on Sunday, employi ng
a hot putter and one ridicu-
lously bold stroke to claim the
four th and fina l piece of his
career grand slam. Six times
a run ner-up in his country’s
olde st and mos t pres tigious
championship, the man known
as “Lefty” won it the hard way,
using a broken 5-iron to birdie
the fina l hole.
“It’s the craz iest shot , the
greatest shot, I’ve ever seen,”
said Jimmy Wal ker, who fin-
ishe d a stroke back afte r a
bogey-free round of 69.
Fou r strokes beh ind when
Sunday daw ned, Mic kelson,
44, was on no one’s radar until
he birdied holes 11 through 14,
mak ing putt s of 4, 8, 16 and
32 feet. Just like that he was
Mickelson gave a
tip of the cap after
putting out on 18.
in the lead, but a bogey at 16,
where his hooked drive rattled
around in the pines, dropped
him into a tie with Walker and
a fading John Huh.
After missing an 8-footer for
birdie on the par-3 17th, Mick-
elson found the middle of the
18th fair way with his strong
3-wood. That left him 181 yards
to a back-right hole location—
“a stoc k 8-iron draw,” as he
explained later. Unfortunately,
there was no 8-iron in Mickel-
son’s bag, thanks to his much-
criticized decision to play Pine-
YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPA
PER
hurst No. 2 with seven wedges.
After a leng thy disc ussion
with his caddie, Jim “Bones”
Mackay, Mickelson pulled his
5-iron, which was bent rather
severely at the hose l from a
shot on No. 16, where he’d hit
off a tree root . “Ph il figu red
the loose clubhead would take
about 30 yards off the carr y,”
said Mac kay. “I kne w better
than to argue with him. That’s
just how he’s wired.”
Watching the NBC feed in
the clubhou se, the eventual
runner-up heard analyst John-
June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE
ny Miller say, “Jimmy Walker
is your U.S. Open champion.”
“But I wasn’t ready to cele-
brat e,” Wal ker said . “Ph il’s
skills are astronomical.”
Wal ker may hav e und er-
stat ed mat ters . Mic kels on’s
clubhea d flew off at impact
and landed 50 yard s up the
fairway, but his ball mimicked
an 8-iron draw, landed on the
green, and curled up to the hole
to a deafening roar from the
grandstands. Minutes later, he
tapped in for a fina l-round 67,
a four-round tota l of 5-under-
par 275—and redempt ion.
“Th is is the greatest feel-
ing I’ve ever had in the game,”
Mickelson said. “It’s probably
the greatest round of my career.”
The victory gives Mickelson
wins in all four majors—three
Masters, one PGA, one British,
one U.S. Open—and prov ides
closure for his legion of fans.
The champion insisted that
his “broken bow” approach on
No. 18 was not his best shot
of the tournament. “I won this
one on Thursday,” he said, ref-
erencing his full-swing flop
shot with a 75-degree wedge
out of a greenside divot on the
[continued on pg. D3]
105
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COVER
STORY

HOW
TO BE A
BIRDIE
MACHINE
BY 2013 U.S. OPEN CHAMPION JUSTIN ROSE
I’M A GUY WHO KNOWS HOW TO GO LOW.
HERE ARE MY NEW RULES FOR SPLITTING
FAIRWAYS, HITTING GREENS, WEDGING IT
CLOSE—AND MAKING EVERY PUTT IN SIGHT. ➔

with David DeNunzio

Photography by Angus Murray

June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 107

JUSTIN ROSE BIRDIE MACHINE

I
’ve birdied 3,025
holes in my PGA Scan this photo
Tour career for a video lesson with
Justin Rose. See p. 8.
(through this
year’s Masters),
including a
career-high 384
in 2006. And
my 15 birdies at the U.S.
Open last year paced the
field—and helped me bag
my first major. The talent
level on Tour is so high
that you need a ton of
birdies just to survive, let
alone win majors. Circles
on the scorecard are
necessary to my day job,
but for recreational golfers,
birdies are like gold. I get
it—most of my friends are
mid-handicappers, and
I see what birdies do for
their games. Birdies erase
mistakes, build confidence
and, let’s face it: They make
the game a lot more fun.
I know how to birdie
holes, so I’ll let you in on a
little secret: You can’t even
attempt to make birdie if
you don’t hit greens. And
it’s difficult to hit greens
if you don’t hit fairways.
That’s why my scoring
plan favors accuracy over
MY DRIVER SWING: Slow to fast and all the way through
all else. Follow my simple
Hands and club Think “smooth”
driving, iron- and wedge- reach the top at coming down,
the same time. not “fast.”
swing secrets and you’ll be
staring at more birdie putts
than ever. And just to make
sure you don’t waste a
golden opportunity, I offer
my best putting tip ever.
Get ready to start seeing
red—on your card.

108 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014

 01 NEW RULES
FOR HITTING
FAIRWAYS
THE SMOOTHER YOU SWING,
THE STRAIGHTER YOU’LL HIT IT

I was No. 1 in total of your backswing probably hit a slice! I

Make your swing reach
peak speed a few
inches past the ball.
Why? It gives you more
velocity—and a better
chance of squaring the
face—at impact.
driving (a combination
of distance and accuracy)
heading into the U.S.
Open at Merion last
summer, and I ended
the season fourth. I’ve
spent a lot of time in the
gym in recent years to
increase my power, and
I even took a page from
Jack Nicklaus’s book
and started lifting my
front heel during my
backswing to get more
hip turn. The five or 10
yards I’ve added is great,
unfolding in succession. picture a second ball a
I even count them off few inches in front of
sometimes: “Shoulder the real one, and try
turn, right elbow fold, to “hit” both. This
wrist hinge, arm lift,” technique ensures that
and so on. Swinging I swing beyond the
slowly allows your impact point so that the
body and the club to face continues to square.
reach the top of your For extra distance, reach
backswing at the same top speed at the second
time, which makes your ball. This way you’re
transition extra-smooth. always accelerating
I believe that if you’re through the hitting zone.
smooth and solid at
the top, you’ll probably
be smooth and solid STATS THAT MATTER

but really, distance is
secondary to accuracy
when it comes to setting
up birdie opportunities.
MY VERY BEST
DRIVING TIP!
Drives fly straight when
you swing with good
rhythm. Take the club
back so slowly that you
can feel the segments
at the bottom—which
is where it counts.
When you start
back down, make sure to
swing all the way through
the ball. A lot of weekend
players slow down at or
just after impact with a
kind of chopping motion;
they think this will help
square the clubface. It
doesn’t. In fact, you’ll
14.8%
Chances that a Tour
player makes birdie or
better after missing
the fairway. Birdies
are few and far
between when you
approach from rough.
(Through 2014 Masters)

Let speed build If the face isn’t Reach top speed

up gradually. square here, it a few inches
won’t be square past the ball.
at impact.

June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 109

JUSTIN ROSE BIRDIE MACHINE

02 NEW RULES O ne thing that’s helped me This compresses the ball more
become a good iron player is (my new feel for impact), and
FOR HITTING learning to feel impact. Be- it stabilizes the club through

GREENS
fore I started working with the hitting zone, which helps
Sean Foley, I’d strike the ball the ball fly straight.
with the shaft standing al-
POST UP ON YOUR FRONT LEG most straight up and down. MY VERY BEST
TO STABILIZE THE CLUBFACE It worked, but my shots didn’t IRON-SWING TIP!
sizzle. Sean has helped me add G etting the shaft leaning
more shaft lean at impact. forward at impact, with your
hands ahead of the clubhead
and the clubface stable, isn’t
as simple as just “lean the
shaft forward.” It’s really a
whole-body event. The key is
to shift the vast majority of
your weight to your front foot
Once you ...shift 90 percent on your downswing—I’m talk-
complete your of your weight over ing 90 percent of your weight.
backswing... to your front foot Think of it this way: If you shift
by impact. everything forward, then your
hands shift forward—and stay
ahead of the clubhead. Getting
your weight forward also stops
you from “hanging back” on
your right side, where you’re
forced to flip the clubhead with
your wrists just to make con-
The hands lead tact with the ball. Flippers are
the clubhead. usually slicers.
WEIGHT

STATS THAT MATTER

75.9%
Chances a Tour player will
MY IRON SWING: Weight always moving left into impact hit the green in regulation
from a fairway lie.

52.5%
I shift my weight ...while staying ...and maintaining
forward. . . grounded... my spine angle.

Chances a Tour player

will hit the green in
regulation from anyting
but a fairway lie. Hit
more greens by hitting
the fairway first!
(Through 2014 Masters)

➔
110 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
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JUSTIN ROSE BIRDIE MACHINE
03 NEW RULES When you’re swinging your
woods and irons, it’s all about
FOR WEDGING creating power from the
IT CLOSE
ground up: You drive with your
legs, then your hips, then your
arms and finally your hands.
USE MORE UPPER BODY That’s the ideal downswing
THAN LOWER BODY chain of events. When you get
to your wedges, however, it’s
the opposite; your upper body
LOW SHOT
Clubhead in line with the
forearms for low wedge shots.
Turn your upper
body more than your HIGH SHOT
lower for crisp, extra-
tight wedge shots.
Clubhead above the forearms
for high wedge shots.
112 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
does more of the heavy lifting,
so to speak, while your lower
half stays very quiet.
I’ve learned this just re-
cently, and it has made all
the difference in the world.
Now when I want to hit a soft
wedge shot, I turn all my focus
to my upper body and make
sure I rotate it first and fastest
on my downswing. I even set
up to encourage more upper-
body turn, addressing the
ball with my chest open and
my hips square. My goal? To
re-create this arrangement at
impact. Do it right and it’ll feel
like your hands are traveling
to the left of the target after
impact, rather than straight
down the line.
MY VERY BEST
WEDGE TIP!
I feel like the most accurate
wedge players are the ones
who can control trajectory, so
it’s vital to develop more than
one stock short-game swing.
To hit a low shot (good for
back pins), finish your swing
with your hands and the club-
head in line with your forearms
(top photo, left). This sharply
reduces the launch angle. To
hit a high shot, line up your
hands and forearms in the fin-
ish, but release the club up and
to the left (bottom photo).
STATS THAT MATTER
55%
Chances that a PGA Tour
player will make a putt
from 5–10 feet...
30%
...and from 10–15 feet.
Knocking short shots
even five feet closer can
mean the difference
between birdie and par.
(Through 2014 Masters)
➔
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JUSTIN ROSE BIRDIE MACHINE
04 NEW RULES
FOR SINKING
PUTTS
KEEP YOUR STROKE UNDER
YOUR EYES—AND DON’T PEEK
Keep your eyes still
when you putt and
track the putterhead
from start to finish.
114 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
Over the years I’ve tried to
be perfect with my putting
stroke. That’s not the way to
make birdies, because there
were times when my stroke
was perfect and I couldn’t buy
a putt. You’re better off work-
ing on improving your green
reading than overthinking
your stroke.
The way I read greens now
is to walk behind the ball in
a semicircle. Using my feet,
I’ll try to feel the point on the
green where I go from walk-
ing downhill to walking uphill
(or vice versa). Finding this
“inflection point” (it’s not
hard to do with practice and
added awareness) gives you
important clues about how
the putt will break: If your
ball sits left of the inflection
point, it breaks right; if it sits
to the right, it breaks left. And
the farther the ball is from the
inflection point, the more it
will curve.
MY VERY BEST
PUTTING TIP!
I’ve tried a lot of putting tips
over the years, but the one I
keep going back to is “keep
your eyes still.” As soon as you
start peeking, you’re toast. If
your eyes move, then so will
your body, and this will ruin
any chance you might have for
centered contact. I challenge
myself to watch every inch of
my putting stroke—if I keep my
eyes still, I won’t miss a moment
of action. Even on long strokes
I’ll use my peripheral vision to
track the putterhead back and
through. Listen for the ball to
drop, don’t watch it.
STATS THAT MATTER
Birdie Conversion
Percentage (2013)
1. Phil Mickelson 35.0%
2. Tiger Woods 33.3%
3. Rory McIlroy 33.1%
It’s no surprise that the
three players who best
convert birdie chances
have 21 total majors.
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 NEW GEAR

C LUB
T ES T TITLEIST SCOTTY
CAMERON SELECT
2 0 14 NEWPORT 2 BLADE

28 New
Putters &
12 New
Wedges NIKE METHOD

TESTED &
MOD 60
MIDSIZE MALLET

RATED TITLEIST VOKEY

DESIGN SM5
WEDGE

Attack more pins, drain

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: BRIAN HENN (2); JAMES WESTMAN; MICHAEL CHINI

more putts and shoot lower

scores with this year’s top
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PING SCOTTSDALE
Edited by Rob Sauerhaft TR SENITA B
Reviews by Michael Chwasky, HIGH-MOI MALLET
Mark Dee and Rob Sauerhaft

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June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 117

 C LUB
T ES T
2 0 14

A
H, THE SHORT GAME—golf’s great
equalizer. Being able to save strokes from
inside 100 yards lets you post your best
possible scores, not to mention beat that
“It seems to swing down the line
by itself, has a soft yet substantial
click, and controls distance well.”
—Zach Fasman, Handicap 10, Age 64

bomber two lockers down. By contrast,

golf is maddening when you give away shots around The milled carbon steel
clubhead weighs 353
the greens. But you need more than technique. You grams, has a plumber’s
neck and 3° loft.
need the right tools. Whether you want to take your
short game to the next level or just banish those card-
wrecking holes, sink your teeth into our all-new reviews
for 28 putters and 12 wedges.
Over the course of two weeks at World Golf Village
Resort in St. Augustine, Fla., our ClubTest panel hit
thousands of putts on the practice green and the course.
For your benefit, we divided putters into blades, midsize
mallets and high-MOI mallets. As for wedges, our
exclusive research partner, Hot Stix Golf, custom-fit each
JAMES WESTMAN
tester for loft and bounce angle and recommended clubs
based on TrackMan launch-monitor data. You owe it to
yourself to be custom-fit for a new putter or wedge, too.
To wrap up the ClubTest 2014 series, we’ve included Bettinardi BB32
$300; golf.com/clubtest
our 40 testers’ top picks among all the drivers, fairway
woods, hybrids, irons, wedges and putters. As always, WE TESTED: 35” shaft length
for more on ClubTest 2014, download the Golf Magazine PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: One of the top models; a
app to control 360-degree views of the clubs, watch slightly heavier than standard head with added
videos featuring our testers, and much more. Also, tap heel-toe weighting allows testers to intuitively
dial in distances; off-center hits are forgiven.
on the “See, Try, Buy” link on Golf.com to get additional FEEL: The Bettinardi BB32 offers top-shelf
response; so well balanced, it’s nearly
club reviews (See), sign up for fittings (Try), or purchase impossible for the clubhead to move off line;
new gear (Buy). a pleasant click at impact and a Goldilocks-like
feel—not too hard or soft but just right; plenty
of sweet feedback on center hits.
LOOK: Half-moon shape is a little beefier in
the toe, but the heel-toe weighting is elegantly
WHAT’S INSIDE
� Midsize Mallet Putters p. 118
SEE incorporated; fine craftsmanship is evident
in the clubface, and the white alignment line
helps testers keep the head on track.
� Blade Putters
� High-MOI Mallet Putters
p. 124
p. 128
TRY CONS
A few guys complained about limited feedback

BUY
on misses; the upright lie and offset neck aren’t
� Wedges p. 132 for everyone; some guys don’t care for the red
grip and red and blue logos on the face and sole.
� Testers’ Top Picks p. 136 BOTTOM LINE: One of the top-rated putters in
@ the midsize mallet category. This one delivers the
stability, consistency and overall performance
of a mid-mallet with all the feedback of a blade.
Smooth rolling and deadly accurate, the BB32
Trade in your current clubs at shop.golf.com/tradein could benefit players of any level.

118 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014


The 400-gram head is
counterbalanced by a
175-gram weight in the
JAMES WESTMAN
17Ó grip, which shifts the
MICHAEL CHINI
balance point higher for a
pendulum-like stroke.
Boccieri EL MID-WEIGHT H1-M
$170; golf.com/clubtest
WE TESTED: 38” shaft length
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: There’s a learning
curve with this super-heavy putter; once
testers grow accustomed to the pendulum
approach—taking the club back and letting
the head swing through, instead of hitting it—
short and long putts become easy to execute.
FEEL: Testers continually reference its
extreme heaviness, which helps take the
hands out of the equation—a plus for anyone
struggling to find a smooth stroke; a few testers
rave about the quiet click at impact; extra
weight means little twisting on off-center hits.
LOOK: Center-shafted, semicircular,
satin-finish head with a long counterbalanced
grip that can be held at various lengths;
a simple design with a single long sightline
that encourages proper setup over the ball.
CONS
Not for players who like a lot of feedback—it
can be difficult to differentiate between center
and off-center hits; some guys have difficulty
getting an acceptable rhythm and tempo with
the heavy club; this putter takes time to master.
BOTTOM LINE: Because of its weight, this stable
putter stays on line. It’s great for anyone who
wants to quiet down overly active hands.
MIDSIZE MALLET PUTTERS
The 17-4 stainless
steel head has a
deeper CNC face-
milling pattern than
the previous model,
for softer feel.
BRIAN HENN
cleveland classic collection
hb 2 $100; golf.com/cleveland
WE TESTED: 34”, 35” shaft lengths
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Light clubhead gets
putts rolling quickly off the face—no need
for any extra oomph during the stroke;
fans of this putter say it’s easy to get
a feel for distance on longer putts.
FEEL: Many testers like the understated
response at impact, which is quite similar
on center strikes and off-center hits;
advocates describe it as sweet, soft and
comforting, with just enough feedback.
LOOK: One of the better-looking models;
the compact head is simple, elegant and
all business—players who use blades will
appreciate the look; matte black finish reduces
glare, while the white alignment line stands out.
CONS
The light weight of this Cleveland putter
seems to detract from overall stability and
distance control; feel at impact is muted,
no matter where you catch it—a definite
turnoff for some testers; a few guys
find that the club sits a bit too toe-up.
BOTTOM LINE: The club’s weighting lends
itself to a fluid, arcing stroke. While the HB 2 has
some forgiveness, it requires a deft touch and
may be best for low- to mid-handicappers.
ÒThe topspin is intoxicatingÑ
itÕs akin to rolling the ball with
the palm of my right hand.Ó
—Barry Fasenmyer,
Handicap 1, Age 50
Milled stainless
steel head has
ÒPolymetalÓ
grooves and an
arced topline.
nike method mod 60
$300; golf.com/nike
WE TESTED: 34”, 35” shaft lengths
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Testers rave about the
deep-milled grooves, which grip the ball and
immediately get it rolling toward the hole;
distance control and speed are spot-on
overall—stellar on center hits—with
some forgiveness on slight misses.
FEEL: Tops in the test—a slightly heavy
head that’s well balanced and easy to keep
on line; soft yet responsive feedback on
all hits, with off-center strokes imparting
slightly more vibration and just a little twisting.
LOOK: A lovely shape and size with a few high-
tech industrial touches; the brushed-satin finish,
single black alignment line, and symmetrical
grooves add to the overall attractiveness.
CONS
The smallish clubhead and concentrated
toe weighting may make the putter appear
visually intimidating to some players; the
Mod 60 isn’t ideal for guys who struggle
to use a putter with significant toe hang.
BOTTOM LINE: One of the top-ranked models.
The Method Mod 60 could be a winner for
just about everyone, but especially for
mid- to low-handicap, arc-stroke players
who want help with distance control.
June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 119
 C LUB
T ES T
2 0 14
MIDSIZE MALLET PUTTERS
An updated black-
and-white “Versa”
alignment pattern
highlights the face
angle at address and
during the stroke.
MANFRED KOH
BRIAN HENN
odysSey versa jailbird
$170; golf.com/callaway
WE TESTED: 35” shaft length
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Top-notch on shorter putts
because of easy alignment; lightweight head
requires a bit of a learning curve on longer ones.
FEEL: Quiet, soft and solid on nearly all contact;
balanced weighting keeps the head on
line without twisting, almost as if it’s locked
onto a track; gets more comfortable and
easier to dial-in distances with practice.
LOOK: A zebra in a box, or maybe a convict
on a stick—jokes aside, the bold black and
white stripes, combined with three simple
dots behind the ball, help testers line up
putts and keep the head on line for a
straight-back-and-through stroke; the
head is larger than most mid-mallets.
CONS
Not everyone can get past the bold stripes—
some testers find them more distracting than
helpful; for a handful of guys, it takes plenty of
practice to get proper distances on longer putts.
BOTTOM LINE: While its look wins a few fans
right out of the box, the results are even more
persuasive. Best for straight-back-straight-
through swings, the Versa Jailbird’s weighting,
balance and distinctive visuals lead to a fluid,
controlled stroke for many testers.
120 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
“Effortless, user-friendly putter with
great feedback matched by results.”
—Charles Brown, Handicap 14, Age 31
Milled, variable-
depth grooves
(deeper in the
middle of the
face, shallower
on the edges),
offer consistent
run-out regardless
of impact location.
JAMES WESTMAN
ping scottsdale tr craz-e
$180; golf.com/ping
WE TESTED: 34”, 35” shaft lengths
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Exceptional from
inside 15 feet and on off-center contact;
excellent roll, while testers agree that
the face grooves help on off-center hits.
FEEL: Extremely easy to putt with; very
stable through the swing and at impact,
with no torque; the ball feels light coming off
the face on center hits; contact with the
Scottsdale TR Craz-E is more muted on misses.
LOOK: Lots of visual help builds confidence;
the matte black finish combines with a ghost
image of two balls and a white center line
to give it a striking appearance.
CONS
Some testers want more feedback (and a less
metallic sound) than this offers; a few guys say
that the light head requires extra oomph (and
practice) for longer putts; although an “arc
stroke” model is available, many testers think
the weighting and head size mostly benefit
straight-back-and-through swings.
BOTTOM LINE: One of the better-performing
models. A friendly, confidence-building design
that’s easy to line up and swing, with help on
direction and distance. Almost second
nature on putts from 15 feet and in.
The multi-material
head boasts an
aluminum body
with a stainless
steel face.
rife prodigy
$200; golf.com/clubtest
WE TESTED: 34”, 35” shaft lengths
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Not perfectly intuitive
on long putts but acceptable after enough
practice; stellar feel, fine balance and high-
energy transfer get the ball rolling and keep it
on line; some distance loss on off-center hits.
FEEL: Solid, substantial head weight quiets the
hands and fosters a smooth, flowing, back-
and-through stroke; soft as butter on impact
but still imparts a spring effect off the face; no
penalizing feel or instability on off-center hits.
LOOK: Clean, square lines and lots of alignment
help—a large cutout in the rear and a subtle
white line along the silver flange; slightly larger
satin silver mallet with black face and topline
provides a helpful visual behind the ball.
CONS
May take practice to hone distances because
of the heavy head and soft but springy face;
the blue grip distracts some guys and is too
narrow for others; not much contrast between
the white alignment line and the silver finish.
BOTTOM LINE: Among the liveliest midsize
mallets tested, with enough stability,
forgiveness and feel to make it worth a
look. The Prodigy’s head weight helps golfers
of all levels produce a smoother stroke.
➔
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 C LUB
T ES T
2 0 14
MIDSIZE MALLET PUTTERS
The face-balanced,
stainless steel head
suits either square-
to-square strokes
or strokes that
feature more arc.
MICHAEL CHINI
BRIAN HENN
seemore fgp ptm3
$195; golf.com/clubtest
WE TESTED: 34”, 35” shaft lengths
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: The red-dot alignment
system leaves players free to focus on speed
and distance; the lively clubface gets the
ball rolling quickly; testers consider it
quite accurate from 20 feet and in.
FEEL: The light, center-shafted head
makes it easy to create a pendulum stroke;
the putter and ball come together for a crisp,
zen-like moment on center contact; stable
on most hits, especially for straight-back-
straight-through strokes.
LOOK: The red-dot alignment aid builds
confidence—once it’s hidden behind the shaft,
it’s time to pull the trigger; smallish and simple,
the clubhead has a glare-free matte finish
and a milled-diamond pattern on the face.
CONS
It sounds strange, but testers say it’s easy
to become too aggressive—guys are overly
confident with their alignment; not for players
who want to maintain a forward-press stroke;
the head weight is too light for some guys.
BOTTOM LINE: Lively and extremely easy to
line up. Anyone struggling with aim can’t
go wrong with the SeeMore system, which
generates tons of confidence over the ball.
122 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
A 130-gram grip
counterbalances
the heavier than
standard head for
added stability.
BRIAN HENN
taylormade spider mallet
$200; golf.com/taylormade
WE TESTED: 35”, 38” shaft lengths
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Testers like the fact that
they can fit themselves to different shaft
lengths using the extra-long grip; a powerful,
heavy putter that propels the ball off the face;
deadly on short putts thanks to the weight and
the counterbalanced grip; mis-hits stay on line.
FEEL: Solid and stable on misses; head weight
powers through the ball, making short putts
difficult to mis-hit; vibration-dampening face
insert produces a light, metallic click on center
hits and a pleasant, if muted, feel on misses;
the extra-long red grip has a soft, tacky feel.
LOOK: Compact half-moon head has a
contrasting, black and white color scheme
with plenty of visual aids to boost confidence.
CONS
While the overall weight is heavy, the head itself
feels light to some testers, making practice
necessary to develop distance control and a
sense of feel on longer putts; long grip and array
of alignment graphics don’t work for everyone.
BOTTOM LINE: The counterbalance quiets the
hands and helps you find a smooth pendulum
stroke that’s lights out from inside 10 feet
but takes time to figure out from long range.
Best for players who struggle with short putts.
The new GoLo 5 has
a milled stainless
steel head with a
“Silver Mist” finish.
“A precise instrument
that feels pure on all hits.
I could enjoy practicing
an hour a day.”
—Lynn Altadonna,
Handicap 14, Age 69
titleist scotty cameron golo 5
$350; golf.com/titleist
WE TESTED: 34”, 35” shaft lengths
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Responsiveness and
immediate roll produce reliable distances; very
forgiving—even off-center hits roll on line and
get close; great balance and weighting make
it easy to judge how far to take it back.
FEEL: Testers couldn’t say enough about the
soft, pure feel off the clubface, which gives
the ball a smooth push at impact; its weight
promotes a steady, rhythmic stroke.
LOOK: Tops in the test; classic, sleek and
powerful, with angles as smooth as a
’57 Chevy; the clubhead looks as though it’s
machined from a single block of brushed steel
and has an effective, bold, black sight line.
CONS
Adjustable weights in the heel and toe must be
fitted by a professional; the heft and balance of
this putter covers up mis-hits so well that some
testers desire more feedback; there can be a
learning curve—the heavyish head causes a
few players to over-hit their initial putts.
BOTTOM LINE: The top-rated putter in the test.
It provides an exceptionally fluid feel at impact.
Ample forgiveness and spot-on weighting
encourages an effortless swing, which can
improve both your stroke and scores.
➔
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 C LUB
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BLADE PUTTERS
The soft carbon
steel head has
an elegant
honeycomb
face pattern.
BRIAN HENN
BRIAN HENN
Bettinardi BB1
$300; golf.com/clubtest
WE TESTED: 35” shaft length
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: The BB1 is a reliable
performer—the heavyish head helps to get
lag putts to the hole using a somewhat
normal stroke; requires a pure motion
and clean impact for best results.
FEEL: Excellent response on center hits;
usable feedback lets you know what you’ve
done on off-center strikes; tacky grip keeps the
hands and club well connected; nice weighting—
the putter rolls the ball very well with little effort.
LOOK: One of the top-rated models; gorgeous
craftsmanship that fits the eye; the milled
pattern on the face is stylish and tasteful;
a straightforward, useful alignment aid.
CONS
You get what you deserve without a tremendous
amount of help—delivers harsh penalties and
inconsistent roll on marginal strokes; a handful
of dissenters believe it looks a bit plain at
address; a few testers don’t get as much
precise feedback as they want.
BOTTOM LINE: Built for purists who favor
feedback over shot correction. This one
rewards pure putters who strike it well.
Be sure to bring your “A” game, because slight
off-center hits will concede some performance.
124 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
A 175-gram
weight in the grip
counterbalances the
375-gram steel head.
MICHAEL CHINI
Boccieri el lite-weight q2-l
$170; golf.com/clubtest
WE TESTED: 38” shaft length
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: A nice option for guys
who have trouble getting long putts to the
hole—just take the club back and let the weight
carry it through the ball; despite the weight, it
consistently puts a gentle roll on the ball—you
don’t have to hit at it, just focus on your stroke.
FEEL: The counterbalance keeps you steady
throughout and takes the wrists out of the
stroke; mild sensation at impact no matter
where you hit it, although the sound is different
on misses; a few guys report surprisingly good
feedback given how heavy it is.
LOOK: Standard blade, no distractions, with a
basic alignment line; the long green grip is odd
at first but works well if you like to vary hand
position for different-length putts.
CONS
Heavy feel requires an adjustment period; can
be difficult to gauge speed because of its weight
and sound—hollow “clink” sound deceives on
distance and makes it difficult to tell if you made
good contact; look elsewhere if you want tons of
feedback; a few guys find it too big and clunky.
BOTTOM LINE: Heavy, counterbalanced club that
quiets hands on long putts and stays stable on
short ones. But a hollow feel can hinder control.
“Putts roll true,
and the agile
head provides
confidence with
each stroke.”
—Jon Kotraba,
Handicap 10,
Age 48
A deeper face-milling
pattern than in
previous models leads
to a softer impact feel.
cleveland classic collection
HB 1 $100; golf.com/cleveland
WE TESTED: 35” shaft length
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: A well-balanced putter
that delivers consistent, predictable results
with no hot spots or surprises; heavyish
clubhead with subtle feel makes it easy
to calibrate speed and distance.
FEEL: Soft, muted and stable, with a gentle
thump on pure hits; good weight and balance—
doesn’t require any extra effort to get it moving;
the ball seems to stay on the putterface a bit
longer than with some other models.
LOOK: An Anser-style head with understated
good looks; subdued, non-glare, matte black
finish with conservative alignment graphics;
single white aiming line stands out against
the black finish.
CONS
A few testers struggle with speed control
on longer putts; the clubface is almost too
soft and lacks enough feedback for some
guys; not the most forgiving on toe hits,
with noticeable distance loss.
BOTTOM LINE: One of the top putters
tested. Some golfers might not take this
one seriously, given the price point, but that
would be a mistake. The HB 1 looks slick,
feels smooth, and offers reliable results.
 “What a great
feeling to be in
control at all
times. This one’s
a real confidence
booster.”
—Robert Record,
Handicap 12,
Age 39
This heel-toe
weighted blade
has a milled face
and 90-degree
toe hang.
MICHAEL CHINI
BRIAN HENN
nike method MOD 90
$300; golf.com/nike
WE TESTED: 34”, 35” shaft lengths
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Among the better offerings
for controlling distance; just enough jump off
the clubface to get putts to the hole with ease;
grooves get the ball rolling right away and true.
FEEL: Solid, responsive feel with a deep
resonance on good putts, very stable through
the impact zone with no over-rotation; fosters
a rhythmic stroke—the head just flows through
impact; feels great, some guys rave about the
smooth, consistent roll off the face.
LOOK: Unique styling—very thin, long blade with
a gently arced sole and topline; new age Bulls
Eye, a rare center-shafted blade, stands out in
a sea of Anser-style heads; distinctive milled
face with black grooves on the sweet spot.
CONS
Several testers are turned off by the look—
the club features an unusual curved blade with
red inserts in the heel and toe and seems to set
up with the toe up; not stable enough for a few
guys on slight misses; the heavyish weight and
odd shape can make it high maintenance.
BOTTOM LINE: Among the higher-ranked
models. The Method Mod 90 is one of the most
distinguishable putters tested—very strong
performance, but the look is hit or miss.
“The feel, roll and
look all justify a buy.”
—John Moore,
Handicap 13, Age 49
Oval depressions
increase friction
between the
COURTESY PING
ball and face for
added control.
Odyssey metal-x milled #1
$300; golf.com/callaway
WE TESTED: 34” shaft length
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: The Metal-X Milled
face grabs onto the ball to initiate forward
roll; dependable, true roll on slight misses—
putts lose only marginal distance.
FEEL: One of the best in this category; very
responsive, pleasant sensation; guys can almost
sense the face gripping the ball; a soft, quiet pop
at impact on solid strokes, not as jumpy as some
other blade putters; two adjustable sole plugs
allow for head weight customization.
LOOK: Smoky black head and cool oval
depressions on the face make for an attractive
package; the face blends nicely with the overall
color scheme; alignment line is just enough
to let you know that it’s there.
CONS
The yellow-green paint job on the grip may
skew a little too young for traditionalists; a few
guys find that the ball comes off the center of
the face too hot and without enough feedback,
which causes a loss of control.
BOTTOM LINE: One of the top-ranked putters.
Game-improvement features are cleverly
integrated in a traditionally shaped head—
the face grid delivers a consistent roll, and heel-
toe weights keep it stable on off-center hits.
“It excels on off-
center contact,
with little to no
distance loss.
Very cool!”
—Alex Hsi,
Handicap 8, Age 36
Variable-depth
grooves are
engineered to
produce similar
ball speeds
between center
and off-center hits.
ping karsten tr anser 2
$150; golf.com/ping
WE TESTED: 34”, 35” shaft lengths
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Top-shelf results—
perhaps the widest sweet spot in the
category; rewards good putts without
punishing bad ones—outstanding distance
correction and speed control on heel and
toe hits; slightly off-center putts roll out
almost as well as center strikes do.
FEEL: Smooth, controlled roll—stable, soft and
pure on center hits with a little click off the heel
and toe; a few guys really like the midsize grip;
misses feel similar to center contact.
LOOK: Old school, polished copper head with
contrasting bright white grooves has lots of
fans; very easy to align; no issue with glare.
CONS
Varied views regarding impact—the face feels
too explosive for some testers, while others find
that feedback can be too muted; a handful of
guys don’t care for the copper color, and a few
don’t want to look down at bright white grooves.
BOTTOM LINE: One of the highest-rated blades.
Loads of help in a putter with a classic profile—
the groove design really works. The copper
color is polarizing, but those who loved
the Pings of yesteryear find themselves
rekindling the old flame.
➔
June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 125
 C LUB
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BLADE PUTTERS
The heel-shafted,
stainless-steel head has
a full toe hang design.
JAMES WESTMAN
BRIAN HENN
seemore fgp ptm2
$195; golf.com/clubtest
WE TESTED: 35” shaft length
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Consistent, precise
distances on lag putts; testers get serviceable
results on slight misses; the FGP PTM2 makes
rolling the ball on a straight line simple.
FEEL: Satisfying, high-pitched ping sound;
descriptive impact sensation with a slight
pop; poor strokes with this heavy head are
acknowledged with a duller response but no
harshness; midsize grip suits some not all.
LOOK: Excellent approach to alignment with the
two-tone shaft and SeeMore’s effective “stop
light” visual aid in the heel—you’re not lined up
correctly if you see the red dot behind the shaft;
thick, short head offers a sense of control.
CONS
Smaller sweet spot than some others requires
a consistent, fundamentally sound stroke;
a few testers think there’s too much going on
visually; shorter head with a wide topline isn’t
the most attractive to a handful of guys.
BOTTOM LINE: There’s enough alignment
help for lesser-skilled players and enough
feel and performance for low-handicappers.
It’s easy to use, and SeeMore’s visual aid
along the heel can improve your stroke
by improving your starting position.
126 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
The PureRoll face insert
(80 percent Surlyn,
20 percent aluminum)
BRIAN HENN
produces a smooth roll.
taylormade ghost tour
daytona 12 $150; golf.com/taylormade
WE TESTED: 34”, 35” shaft lengths
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Easy roll and a
forgiving clubface lead to consistent
speed control; good choice for faster
greens; you know it when you miss it, but
you’re not heavily penalized distance-wise.
FEEL: Several testers say the lighter head
transmits a rubbery feel at impact; putts hug
the green the whole way—face grooves get the
ball rolling quickly with no hopping or hot spots.
LOOK: White head with black accents gives the
appearance of a classic heel-toe blade with
enhanced optics; the alignment tool—a bar code
with a series of thin black and white lines on
the flange—promotes a straight takeaway and
helps testers see the line during the stroke.
CONS
For some testers, the head is too light to judge
long putts with; the black and white visual aid
in the flange is distracting and even dizzying to
a number of guys; too soft at impact for many
testers; not everyone loves the white clubhead.
BOTTOM LINE: Fans of the Ghost Tour Daytona
12 like its look and controlled roll. Still, it’s an
acquired taste—the visual package can be
a turnoff, and the light impact feel might
prove too soft for you.
“I’d buy two—one to play with
and one in case they stop making it.”
—Patrick Kennedy, Handicap 6, Age 45
Deep, milled grooves
produce a soft sound
and feel, while heel-toe
weights add balance
and stability.
titleist scotty cameron select
newport 2 $350; golf.com/titleist
WE TESTED: 34”, 35” shaft lengths
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Tops in the test;
outstanding control even when impact varies;
a real pleasure on lag putts; great feedback
makes it easy to gauge speed and distance.
FEEL: A buttery soft feel, but it’s substantial
enough to put a great roll on the ball; testers
enjoy the feel as the ball leaves the clubface;
the milled face gives consistent feedback
throughout the length of the blade; no
surprises at impact; balanced weighting
improves tempo and leads to a solid response.
LOOK: The benchmark by which all others are
measured—gorgeous, sophisticated look; a
classic, clean blade with a lovely satin finish;
simple, effective black sight line on the flange.
CONS
The stock grip leaves something to be desired—
some guys find it too thin and/or slippery; one or
two testers comment that off-center hits don’t
react quite as well as they’d like and tend to
come up short; a handful of testers wonder how
big the improvements are over previous models.
BOTTOM LINE: The top blade tested. Elegant in
its simplicity, which leads to effortless putting.
Great balance, lovely feedback, a consistent roll
and a big enough sweet spot for most players.
➔
 C LUB
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HIGH-MOI MALLET PUTTERS
Comes center-shafted
(pictured), heel-shafted, or
COURTESY CLEVELAND
as a counterbalanced 39”
model with an additional
40 grams in the head and
BRIAN HENN
95 grams in the grip.
Cleveland Smart Square
$140-$180; golf.com/cleveland
WE TESTED: 34”, 35”, 39” shaft lengths
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Solid feel, above-average
forgiveness and a useful visual aid make it easy
to lag putts close; off-center hits go in the right
direction and accelerate nicely after impact;
commendable consistency across the face.
FEEL: Head-heavy, with a soft, succinct pop; off-
center hits are a tad firmer—just a little nudge to
let you know you missed it; most straight-back-
straight-through swingers benefit from seeing
the squares through the stroke.
LOOK: Visual aid is intuitive, effective, and useful
for keeping the club on track down the line; the
head looks compact compared with a few others
in the group, despite the oversize visual aid.
CONS
Not everyone goes for the alignment aid—some
guys find the squares distracting, others think
they’re tacky, and a few struggle to use them
for fine-grain aim on short putts; weighty head
gives a couple of panelists trouble, especially
from long range; one or two testers say the
face is noticeably less lively on off-center hits.
BOTTOM LINE: Sure, it’s a bit of a design rip-off.
But the domino-style visual aid provides a rubric
for guys who need help with aim, and the putter
provides enough feel and control to suit others.
128 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
“I fell in love—marvelous
alignment tool, putts
hug the surface, and I
know instantly when I
make a good stroke.”
—Eric English,
Handicap 10, Age 46
“Polymetal”
JAMES WESTMAN
grooves lift the ball
from the turf to get
it rolling faster.
Nike Method MOD 00
$300; golf.com/nike
WE TESTED: 34”, 35” shaft lengths
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Center hits are dead-on;
the Method Mod 00 cuts out three-putts and
tolerates misses; the ball grips the turf off the
face and holds its line with determination—
some say it takes the break out of short putts.
FEEL: One of the top-ranked models for feel;
easy to use—gets your hands in a great position
and flows from there; one of the more sensitive
high-MOI mallets, with a quiet, metallic click at
impact and legible feedback; well weighted, with
a good deal of meat behind the heel and toe.
LOOK: A tester favorite, refined, tasteful and
traditional; soft silver finish and half-moon
shape; array of sight lines looks like an homage
to the Ram Zebra and makes aiming a breeze.
CONS
Not as stable as many of its spaceship-style
peers—some panelists say toe misses lose
integrity; off-center strikes can also feel
marginally unpleasant and can hop off the face;
head is lighter than it looks, which can throw you.
BOTTOM LINE: One of the best tested. A low-
stress companion that swings smoothly, feels
sweet on center hits, and puts a clean roll on the
ball. It should suit mallet-players looking to get
back to basics or blade guys wanting more help.
A reengineered White
Hot face insert delivers a
satisfying sound and feel.
“The smoothest-swinging
putter produces the most
consistent roll in the
group. I’m sold.”
—Kevin DiNapoli,
Handicap 12, Age 57
Odyssey White Hot Pro Havok
$160; golf.com/callaway
WE TESTED: 35” shaft length
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: One of the best; supreme
forgiveness—heel, toe—you could probably hit
one off the grip and still get a good roll to the
hole; very consistent and surprisingly dialed
in for something this big; doesn’t take long to
figure out, and once you do, expect gimmes.
FEEL: Easy to swing, especially for straight-back-
straight-through strokes; promotes a pendulum
that flows toward the hole; very soft, with little
differentiation between solid and squirrely
contact; lighter overall than most expect.
LOOK: Ideal for those who struggle to line up;
black topline and long, white boxed lines make
it easy to square and track to the target; most
testers like the negative space in its design—
plus, it’s easy to pick your ball up off the green.
CONS
Some guys say the feel is a bit thin; subdued,
metallic clink bothers other testers; clubhead
can be too light for serious mallet-heads.
BOTTOM LINE: Among the highest-rated
models. A top-tier option at a mid-market
price, well suited for square strokes from
high-handicappers on down. Accurate,
forgiving, and, best of all, productive, with high
marks for distance control and ease-of-use.
 A 50-gram weight
in the grip serves to
counterbalance the
400-gram head for a
belly-putter-like feel.
“Its most outstanding feature?
I make lots of putts with it!”
JAMES WESTMAN
—Jon Dobberstein,
BRIAN HENN
Handicap 5, Age 44
Ping Scottsdale TR Senita B
$200; golf.com/ping
WE TESTED: 38” shaft length
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Exceptionally forgiving;
redeems poor strokes and gives you sweet-spot
results from off-center strikes; after adjusting
to the counterbalance, most guys dial it in well.
FEEL: Top-notch; heavy head with back-
weighted design practically swings itself,
actively improving suspect strokes; crisp,
consistent and Barry White smooth through
the ball; grooved aluminum face replicates
the crisp sound and sensation of an old-school
Ping putter; midsize grip molds to your hands.
LOOK: A beefed-up mod on Ping’s (now midsize)
Craz-E—large but not off-putting; almost a
gothic look, with a lot of angles, curves, and a
long sight line that flow together toward the
face; easy to aim on short to mid-range putts.
CONS
Counterbalance requires an adjustment period,
and to a few guys it’s a radical change; testers
who rely on their hands can struggle, especially
on longer putts; overall heft presents distance-
control problems for one or two testers.
BOTTOM LINE: Meet this year’s high-MOI
mallet champ. The Scottsdale TR Senita B is
a fluid, well-executed design that, after a little
introduction, works beautifully for any stroke.
Milled aluminum
head has three
removable steel
plugs to vary weight
SCHECTER LEE
between 335 grams
and 360 grams.
SeeMore SB1
$275; golf.com/clubtest
WE TESTED: 37” shaft length
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Surprisingly natural—
most guys adapt quickly and report excellent
results; little loss of speed or direction on faulty
contact; counterbalance works much better
from long range than a lot of testers expect.
FEEL: One of the higher-rated models; extra
length and weighted grip promote a silky stroke;
clean, compressed sensation akin to a forged
iron; launches putts with purpose and pop; head
doesn’t waiver through the stroke and provides
an instructive bit of feedback on misses.
LOOK: Large clubhead looks substantial
behind the ball, while the long single sight line
is comforting; SeeMore’s simple alignment
check promotes consistent setup and aim.
CONS
Some don’t care for the alignment indicator,
and it doesn’t work with a forward press; a few
panelists have trouble transitioning to the added
length; handsy testers tend to struggle with
distance and don’t care for the balance.
BOTTOM LINE: With top-shelf feel and
surprisingly good performance on long
putts, this counterbalanced mallet can fit
a range of styles, making it a solid choice
to replace your banned belly putter.
Daddy Long Legs’
130-gram grip
counterbalances
the head and boosts
MOI by 60 percent.
TaylorMade Daddy Long Legs
$200; golf.com/taylormade
WE TESTED: 35”, 38” shaft lengths
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Nearly the entire face
delivers a quick, tight roll that grips the green;
putts track to the hole and seem to take less
break than with most others; extreme stability
and alignment aid minimize directional misses.
FEEL: The long, weighted club almost wants to
swing itself; encourages a smooth, repeatable,
rhythmic pendulum stroke; the insert smoothes
out hot spots, minimizes unwanted rebound
and creates a consistent feel.
LOOK: Huge, futuristic design, although the color
scheme slims it down; kitchen-sink approach to
alignment works well by mixing curves, straight
lines, contrasting colors and a few crisscrosses.
CONS
Some testers describe impact sensation as
“artificial,” and more say it lacks the warmth
and depth of a good metal putter; dampened,
dull feel can make gauging distance a chore;
detractors question its over-the-top look.
BOTTOM LINE: TaylorMade’s easy-swinging,
oversize design doesn’t require much precision
for a flat-out smooth roll. It could work well for
almost any ability, grip or style but is best suited
for those who struggle to line up and who don’t
mind sacrificing some feel for forgiveness.
➔
June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 129
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HIGH-MOI MALLET PUTTERS
A rear balance bar
moves extra mass away
from the ball to boost
stability, while sole
weights closer to the
face improve feel and
forgiveness.
“Dummy-proof! I’m rewarded with
CHAD MATTHEW CARLSON
good results regardless of where I
strike it, and the ball rolls true.”
BRIAN HENN
—Victor DeMarco, Handicap 15, Age 50
Titleist SCOTTY Cameron
Futura X $350; golf.com/titleist
WE TESTED: 34”, 35” shaft lengths
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Best in class; easy to dial
in and remarkably intuitive for its size; putts
roll out and hold the line off nearly the entire
face; exceptional precision for a club this big.
FEEL: One of the top-rated; a face-balanced
putter that syncs up well with straight-back-
straight-through strokes; lightweight for the
amount of metal in there but supremely stable,
with easy, natural acceleration; firm, energetic
response is consistent across the whole face.
LOOK: Techie, with some top-dollar touches;
testers liked the glare-proof gunmetal finish
and red accents; easy for most guys to aim,
since the design curves work well with the
central alignment bar to draw the eyes forward.
CONS
To some testers, it looks too big and bug-
eyed; extreme stability cuts down a bit of the
feedback for a few guys; one or two testers
find that putts come off the face hot—it takes
touch to navigate downhillers or fast greens.
BOTTOM LINE: One of the best models tested.
The Futura X makes short work of long putts,
topping the high-MOI mallet category in
distance control and not lagging far behind
in feel. There’s no denying it’s a gimme genie.
130 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
The “I-Lock”
visual alignment aid
lets players know
when their eyes
MANFRED KOH
are over the ball.
Wilson Staf Vizor Level 2 M3
$150; golf.com/wilson
WE TESTED: 34”, 35” shaft lengths
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Consistent distance
and speed off the face, with an instant, end-
over-end roll that’s easy to command; forgiving
enough for most guys—little difference in roll
or range based on where you catch it; well
suited for slick greens and downhill putts.
FEEL: Lighter head is a plus for those who
don’t like swinging a mammoth putter;
thicker-than-nomal grip minimizes the
hands’ involvement; acceptable impact feel—
muted but fairly consistent from heel to toe.
LOOK: For many testers, the “I-Lock” visual
alignment aid makes it easy to get their eyes
over the ball while setting the hands in position
to facilitate a square stroke; long track on top to
get things aimed the right way; the head keeps a
somewhat compact look despite its gadgetry.
CONS
The “I-Lock” can be confusing and gives a few
testers too much to think about over the ball;
detractors say impact feel ranges from bland to
numb to plain dead; lag putts can be a challenge
because of the light head and minimal feedback.
BOTTOM LINE: Part putter, part training aid, the
Vizor provides a useful mechanical check for
guys who haven’t grooved a consistent setup.
The steel body
has a two-piece
face consisting of
a stainless steel
“C-Groove” insert
and thermoplastic
(yellow) backing.
Yes! milly tRUE aLIGNMENT
$180; golf.com/adams
WE TESTED: 35” shaft length
PROS
DISTANCE CONTROL: Very good for touch
putts and faster greens; center strikes and
slight misses track out similarly; quick, tumbling
roll gives most mid-range putts a chance, and
it can feel automatic inside four feet.
FEEL: Sweet spot feels like metal, with a firm,
focused feedback to the hands—a succinct,
satisfying click; enough differentiation between
good and bad contact; toe and heel hits feel
slightly tinny but not overly unpleasant.
LOOK: Distinctive highlighter-yellow and
black color scheme makes it easy to align;
small, straightforward, squarish shape; “true
alignment” (TA) sole hump—it helps putter sit
square for proper aim—raises some eyebrows.
CONS
Many testers are turned off by its gaudy
appearance; a handful of guys want more
forgiveness—off-center strikes can lead to
problems for line and speed; sole keel kicks
some testers’ hands too far inside the ball.
BOTTOM LINE: You’ll have to learn to love the
look. For the right player, it feels focused, rolls
true, and offers some touch. It’s worth a try for
guys with a locked-in, square-to-square stroke
who regularly negotiate slick or sloping greens.
➔
HELP KEEP
THESE KIDS
IN PLAY. 175,000 KIDS WILL BE
DIAGNOSED WITH
CANCER THIS YEAR.
Children are our greatest hope for the future.
Let’s be their greatest hope too.

Cancer strikes infants and children. For teens

and young adults, survival can depend on
treatment by a pediatric oncologist, designed
specifically for them.

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation and Stand Up To

Cancer are funding groundbreaking collaborative
research to bring the most effective therapies to kids
fighting cancer. To learn how you can help keep
these kids in play, go to stbaldricks.org/inplay and
standup2cancer.org/pediatrics.

Julia Hernandez
Diagnosed at 16,
in remission.

Samuel L. Jackson
Stand Up To Cancer and
St. BaldrickÕs Ambassador
Photo by Nigel Parry

St. BaldrickÕs Foundation is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization funding childhood cancer research.
Stand Up To Cancer is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a 501(c )(3) charitable organization.
 C LUB
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WEDGES
39 percent larger grooves
than the clubÕs predecessor
produce 25 percent more
spin from the rough.
ÒI swear I feel the grooves
at impactÑthis can stop
the ball from almost any lie.Ó
—Don Wilson,
Handicap 14, Age 69
SNAP36
Cleveland 588 RTX
WE TESTED: 50°/10°, 52°/10°, 54°/8°, 54°/12°,
54°/14°, 56°/10°, 56°/14°, 56°/16°, 58°/8°,
58°/12°, 58°/14°, 60°/8°, 60°/12°, 60°/14°
with True Temper Dynamic Gold steel shaft
PROS
PLAYABILITY: A true player’s wedge that
lets you manufacture all types of shots from
the fairway and around the green; very good
from tight lies, hard sand, and uneven spots
in the fairway; capable of just about any
flop or pitch shot in the book.
DISTANCE CONTROL: The 588 RTX is predictable
on full and half-shots; testers know how much
spin it’ll produce and where shots will stop;
soft landings and little sidespin make it
easy to dial in for most guys.
FEEL: A wonderful combination of solid,
The 58¡ S wedge
(pictured) has a
wide sole with lots
of bounce to prevent
excess digging in the
SNAP36
sand or rough.
132 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
Callaway Mack Daddy 2
WE TESTED: Standard grind in 52° (loft)/
12° (bounce), 56°/14°, 60°/10°; “U” grind
in 60°/10°; “C” grind in 60°/14°. All with the
True Temper Dynamic Gold S300 steel shaft
PROS
PLAYABILITY: One of the highest-rated
models; the Mack Daddy 2 is great from
all types of sand—fluffy to wet and firm;
greenside rough and uneven fairway lies are
a snap; can hit it low or high with relative ease.
DISTANCE CONTROL: Among the top clubs
tested; very consistent on solid hits and
relatively forgiving on misses; predictable
results nearly every time, even from rough; it’s
easy to hit high-spin shots that stop on a dime.
FEEL: A real strength—the club has a very
assertive, aggressive sensation through impact
$120; golf.com/cleveland
concentrated contact and a soft, forged-like
impact sensation; some added vibration will
let you know when you’ve missed it.
LOOK: Beautiful player’s shape that anyone
would be proud to display in his bag; classic,
clean, and even a little old-school; provides
all the confidence and familiarity of the
old 588s with a really sharp finish.
CONS
Not a ton of game-improvement capability
for less accomplished players; a few testers
would prefer a softer feel than this one has
to offer; some guys say it’s not the best
option from more difficult bunker lies.
BOTTOM LINE: The 588 RTX wedge is
a traditional-looking design that’s a
SNAP36
delight to play around the green.
Cleveland Smart Sole
WE TESTED: 42° (C wedge) and 58°
(S wedge) with Cleveland Traction steel shaft
PROS
PLAYABILITY: The S wedge (pictured) is
basically automatic on most bunker shots
and better than expected on approaches
from the fairway; testers could effectively
bump and run shots with the C club; the S
handles straightforward chips and pitches
fairly well, but again, it shines from soft sand.
DISTANCE CONTROL: Dialing in distances from
the sand is the S club’s forte; ample weight in
the club promotes consistent swings, and you
get equally consistent distances around the
green; once you’re used to the chipper, it’s dead
on from the fringe, short rough and fairway lies.
FEEL: Tons of stability through the hit—no
$120; golf.com/callaway
but a soft, forged feel that’s never harsh, even
on mis-hits; some testers have anointed this
model Callaway’s best-feeling wedge yet.
LOOK: Classic and high-tech at the same time;
testers definitely feel like a “player” when they
line these up; aggressive face milling gives the
impression that you’ll spin the heck out of the
ball; testers like both the chrome finish and
the darker slate finish (pictured).
CONS
Heavy head feel isn’t to everyone’s liking; a few
traditionalists don’t like seeing the pronounced
face-milling pattern; produces a slightly lower
trajectory than some testers would prefer.
BOTTOM LINE: The Mack Daddy 2 is one of
the top-rated models. It feels great and
offers plenty of control and spin.
ÒRotexÓ face milling
combines with 16 percent
larger grooves to increase
spin, especially when the
face is laid open.
$100; golf.com/cleveland
twisting; surprisingly responsive and pleasing
at impact; the chipper glides through turf and
the ball shoots off effortlessly.
LOOK: At address, the S wedge doesn’t look
that different from a 588, which is amazing
considering its sole width; the low-profile C
wedge looks like an old-school chipper and gives
plenty of confidence that you’ll strike it solid.
CONS
Some complain that the C club is a one-trick
pony and not versatile enough for their needs;
the wide-sole S club can make more advanced
shots tricky; both clubs lack the soft feel that
some testers expect from a premium wedge.
BOTTOM LINE: Broad-sole design aimed at
players who want to solve basic short-game
challenges without much concern for versatility.

A notched “K-grind”
sole adds versatility
from all manner of lies.
SNAP 36
Fourteen DJ-11
WE TESTED: 56°/10° with Nippon N.S. Pro
950GH HT steel shaft and 60°/9° with True
Temper Dynamic Gold S400 steel shaft
PROS
PLAYABILITY: The wide sole blasts through
rough and sand; it’s adequate for the full
gamut of shots, including flops; a handful
of guys say it’s easy to alter trajectory;
sole design allows you to keep the clubface
square and still loft the ball around the green.
DISTANCE CONTROL: No big jumpers or
unpredictable outcomes; consistent from
the fairway; easy to judge greenside and
on sand shots; our testers typically get
reliable results from trouble areas.
FEEL: Consistently solid sensation across the
face; as stable as most wedges at impact;
Custom stamping
is available, as well
as seven custom grinds
for a variety
MICHAEL CHINI
of swing types
and conditions.
Cobra Tour Trusty
WE TESTED: 48°/8°, 50°/8°, 52°/8°,
54°/10°, 56°/8°, 56°/12°, 58°/8°,
60°/6°, 60°/10°, 62°/8°, 64°/8° with True
Temper Dynamic Gold S200 steel shaft
PROS
PLAYABILITY: Cuts through all kinds of
turf without a problem; the sole grind really
shines around the greens, where it gets you
out of trouble time after time; fairly solid, if
unspectacular, from the sand and tricky lies.
DISTANCE CONTROL: Tight dispersion pattern,
including mis-hits; easy to lock in specific
distances from the fairway and fairly predictable
on greenside shots; no problem getting it right
when you put a solid strike on the ball.
FEEL: Full shots provide a crisp sensation and
enough feedback to let you know how well you
$185; golf.com/clubtest
nice and soft without any jarring or unwanted
vibrations in the hands; a number of guys find
the forged feel to be more pleasing than
some better-known brands.
LOOK: Large, round clubhead and a touch of
offset inspire confidence at address; a smallish
cavity gives it a bit of a game-improvement look,
which is a good thing for guys who struggle with
their wedge play; the DJ-11 looks expensive
with its tasteful, high-quality satin finish.
CONS
Not as much stopping power around greens as
some others; the DJ-11 doesn’t stand out from
the pack in any specific area of performance;
MICHAEL CHINI
the meaty sole doesn’t appeal to everyone.
BOTTOM LINE: A wide-sole model with game-
improvement attributes and a soft, forged feel.
Hopkins CJ-1
WE TESTED: 50°/8°, 52°/8°, 58°/12°, 60°/12°
in Full sole grind with Hopkins OTM steel shaft;
60°/12° in Wide sole grind with Hopkins OTM
steel shaft; 56°/14° in Arc, Channel, Heel, and
Shelf sole grind with Hopkins OTM steel shaft;
54°/12° in Heel/Toe grind with Hopkins OTM
graphite shaft; 56°/14° in Full sole grind with
Hopkins OTM graphite shaft
PROS
PLAYABILITY: Testers applaud the array of sole
grinds for a range of playing conditions—guys
hit chips, pitches, and bunker shots well; the
heavy head destroys tough lies and sand;
controls full shots from lots of different lies.
DISTANCE CONTROL: Good, predictable results
on most greenside shots; does the job on full
shots when you know your exact distance;
$120; golf.com/cobra
hit it; very stable through trouble and not bad
from the fairway, even if you miss it a bit; for
some, it delivers a pleasing impact feel, even
if it’s not the softest of all the clubs tested.
LOOK: A fairly large, round head gives the
impression that it’s easy to hit; clean lines set
up nicely and aim easily at address; traditional
styling sits well on the turf or in your bag.
CONS
Not the softest feel or best-sounding
model; a few panelists notice slightly less
spin than with others tested; it’s not the
best on shots that require an open clubface;
overall performance in sand could be better.
BOTTOM LINE: The Tour Trusty has a familiar
shape with a sole design that can go through
just about any lie you encounter.
A wide sole leads to more
consistent turf interaction,
while “reverse taper”
weighting (more mass higher
in the blade) raises the CG.
$100; golf.com/clubtest
pretty consistent when struck well.
FEEL: The solid weighting makes it easy to
sense where the head is throughout the swing;
minimal twisting creates a stable sensation;
ball comes off the firm face with zip.
LOOK: No complaints—a good profile
that sets up well; traditional shape that’s
reminiscent of classic wedges; the milled
face functions as an alignment tool.
CONS
Face feels harder than many prefer; some
models perform better on full swings from the
fairway in terms of distance and accuracy; a few
guys say shots roll out a bit more than they like.
BOTTOM LINE: Solid all-around performer with
a large selection of sole grinds and a look that
you’re likely to recognize and appreciate.
➔
June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 133
 C LUB
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WEDGES
Loft-specific grooves
are wider and shallow on
higher lofts and deeper
MICHAEL CHINI
and narrow on lower lofts.
Nike VR X3X
WE TESTED: “Toe Sweep” in 56°/10°,
60°/10° with True Temper Dynamic Gold
steel shaft; “Dual Wide” in 56°/8°, 60°/8°
with True Temper Dynamic Gold steel shaft
PROS
PLAYABILITY: One of the highest-rated clubs;
easy to open up and add loft when needed;
can easily get the ball out of the toughest
bunker lies; functional around the green and in
the fairway; in general, the Toe Sweep model
(pictured) performs better around the greens,
while the Dual Wide is stronger on full swings.
DISTANCE CONTROL: One of the best; delivers
time after time; remarkably consistent on full
swings from the fairway; a snap to dial in from
around the green; reliable—few unpredictable
results from the sand or trouble lies.
The Wide sole (WS) is for steep
swings and soft conditions. Thin
sole (TS) suits shallow swings
and firm conditions. Standard
sole (SS) is for the balance of
SNAP36
playing conditions and swings.
134 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
Mizuno JPX
WE TESTED: 50°/6°, 52°/8°, 54°/10°,
56°/10°, 56°/14°, 58°/10°, 58°/14°, 60°/5°,
60°/9° with True Temper XP 105 steel shaft
PROS
PLAYABILITY: Performs nicely from a variety
of lies; plenty good for full shots from the
fairway, with adequate spin and trajectory
control; excellent at basic bunker shots
and serviceable for the tougher ones.
DISTANCE CONTROL: Predictable from the
sand and from awkward distances around
the green; the JPX offers plenty of control
from the fairway, playing almost like a
normal iron; most guys have no problem
hitting specific targets, even on minor misses.
FEEL: Smooth at impact with little vibration;
responsive but with a very soft touch—similar
$110; golf.com/nike
FEEL: Well-struck chips and pitches
deliver positive feedback to the hands;
evenly distributed, well-balanced weighting
throughout the swing; nothing in the way
of harshness, even on mis-hits.
LOOK: The Dual Wide has a classic, refined look
that makes you proud to have it in your hands—
compact head tells you that it’s a player’s club all
the way; Toe Sweep has a modern-looking sole.
CONS
Toe Sweep looks and plays a little bulky for some
guys; not quite as soft as the best of the group;
not a tremendous amount of help on mis-hits.
BOTTOM LINE: One of the top-rated models.
MICHAEL CHINI
The VR X3X heads are strong, dependable
performers that provide a lovely mix of
playability and distance control.
Ping Tour
WE TESTED: Standard sole (SS) in
50°/12°, 52°/13°, 54°/13°, 56°/13°,
58°/10°, 60°/10° with Ping CFS steel shaft;
Wide sole (WS) in 56°/13°, 58°/10°, 60°/11°
with Ping CFS steel shaft; Thin sole (TS) in
58°/6°, 60°/6° with Ping CFS steel shaft
PROS
PLAYABILITY: Good ability to control and
vary trajectory on full shots and pitches;
the Ping Tour gets the ball out of just
about any lie in the rough; grooves provide
a lot of bite; bunker shots check up nicely.
DISTANCE CONTROL: Spot on—easy to land
shots where you want from varied lies; very
solid on shorter approach shots from the
fairway; reliable on chips and pitches.
FEEL: Very stable, with a pleasant, compressed
$100; golf.com/mizuno
sensation to past forged wedges from
Mizuno; stable on shots from the rough.
LOOK: The large head sets up square and
looks forgiving; it’s easy to see the loft of
the club at address, which inspires some
positive vibes; the round toe and relatively
traditional shape fit most panelists’ eyes.
CONS
The large clubhead is just too big for some
testers to hit with supreme confidence; not
as agile from difficult lies as some others;
the JPX doesn’t separate itself from the
rest in any one category, and a number
of testers are left wanting more.
BOTTOM LINE: The slightly oversize
club offers solid game-improvement
performance with a pleasingly soft feel.
Toe sweep has a wide sole near the toe
and a narrow sole width at the heel to
get the ball out of bunkers and rough.
“A solid, repeatable
sensation from full shots
to chips.”—Owen Dahl,
Handicap 13, Age 42
$130; golf.com/ping
feel at impact; surprisingly soft when
the ball comes off the clubface; good
balance and feedback lead to precise
results around the greens.
LOOK: Clubhead looks equally good open
or square; the combination of a traditional
shape and a high-tech cavity make it appear
playable and forgiving at the same time;
most panelists like the dark, anti-glare finish.
CONS
Head is a little lighter through the swing than
some guys prefer; industrial look isn’t everyone’s
favorite; despite various sole width options, a
few testers dig in too deeply on occasion.
BOTTOM LINE: The Ping Tour offers a
marginally different look from many others,
along with precise greenside performance.
 The “V-sole”
combines Scor Scor4161
high- and
low-bounce
areas for
WE TESTED: 41°, 45°, 49°, 53°, 57° with Genius
shotmaking 7 graphite shaft; 42°, 46°, 50°, 54°, 56° with
versatility. Genius 10 KBS Tour 90 steel shaft; 43°, 47°, 51°,
55°, 59° with Genius 12 KBS Tour 120 steel shaft
PROS
PLAYABILITY: The V-sole performs admirably
from all types of lies; easy to hit high shots
from the fairway without too much spin;
excellent around the greens, including the
rough and bunkers; great for flop shots.
“They’ll be in my bag DISTANCE CONTROL: Testers could control
spin and yardage on nearly every swing;
when my current more consistent and accurate than most
wedges wear out.” of its competitors—for many guys, Scor wedges
—Ken Meltzer, throw a lot of bull’s-eyes; good touch around
Handicap 1, Age 56 the greens, with a lot more forgiveness than
SNAP36
$135, steel; $150, graphite; golf.com/clubtest
FEEL: One of the best for balance and weighting
translates to blue-ribbon responsiveness;
testers feel exactly where and how well they
hit it; offers all the feedback you need if you
miss it—without jarring the hands.
LOOK: One of the favorites; classic
muscleback with a brushed finish gives
testers confidence in the address position.
CONS
Small blade size can be a bit intimidating to
higher-handicappers; a few guys say mis-hits
feel a little clunkier than some other models;
need to be struck solidly to produce enough spin.
BOTTOM LINE: One of the top-rated wedges.
A strong all-around performer available in
a ton of lofts. These are a great option,

you’d expect from a compact head. even if you’re not familiar with the brand.

TaylorMade Tour Preferred $130; golf.com/taylormade

WE TESTED: Classic grind in 56°/12°, 58°/10°
with KBS Tour-V steel shaft; ATV grind in
56°/12°, 58°/10° with KBS Tour-V steel shaft
PROS
PLAYABILITY: These clubs can execute just
about any shot you can think of; very good
performers (both the classic sole grind and
ATV grind) on full shots from the fairway as
well as from most bunker lies; playing from
greenside rough is a cinch; some guys believe
it’s the most versatile TaylorMade wedge to date.
DISTANCE CONTROL: Easy, consistent yardages
with a fair amount of help on slight misses;
laser-like on half shots from fairway lies.
FEEL: Among the better models for crispness
solid and stable even when you miss it a bit.
LOOK: The Tour Preferred is one of the panelists’
favorites; the classy, satin finish has a refined
look; the heel-and-toe grinds make these
sticks appear to be easy to hit; one of
TaylorMade’s best-looking wedges.
CONS
Some testers say the Tour Preferred model
The stainless steel head has
feels a little harder than others; a few guys
a micro texture on the face
comment that spin rates on shorter shots to increase greenside spin.
could be higher; a handful of testers say it’s
not as easy as it should be to get sufficient
“Superb trajectory,
height on flop shots around the green.
BOTTOM LINE: The Tour Preferred is stopping power and control.”
—Mike Roynan,
MICHAEL CHINI

one of the better performers in the test.

on chips and pitches; the moderate head TaylorMade’s best wedge to date offers Handicap 14, Age 42
weight appeals to many testers; the club stays top-of-the-line looks and precision.

Titleist Vokey Design SPIN MILLED 5 $130; golf.com/titleist

WE TESTED: “F” Grind in 50°/12°, 52°/12°, FEEL: Top-shelf response—exceptional blend

56°/14°; “M” Grind in 54°/10°, 56°/10°,
58°/08°, 60°/08°; “S” Grind in 54°/10°,
56°/10°, 58°/10°, 60°/07°; “K” Grind in 60°/11°.
All with True Temper Dynamic Gold steel shaft
PROS
PLAYABILITY: The highest-rated club—
the choice of sole grinds certainly factors in
Deeper “TX3” grooves
here; about as consistent as it gets; easy to
produce added spin on
shots from the rough. execute any greenside shot; if you can imagine
it, the SM5 can pull it off; excels at awkward
distances and dreaded in-between shots.
“The best I’ve played. DISTANCE CONTROL: The top-ranked
Great consistency, feel model; it’s so easy to control shot to
MICHAEL CHINI
of feedback and solidness at impact; weight
is excellent and balance is as good as any
wedge tested; seems to have a softer
feel than previous Vokey models.
LOOK: Clearly a favorite among all handicap
levels—a cut above the rest in appearance;
nearly everyone loves the classic wedge design.
CONS
A few testers say the wide array of sole grinds,
lofts, and bounce options can be overwhelming,
so it’s best to work with a fitter; not the most
forgiving on misses; a handful of steeper
swingers hit heavy shots from time to time.
BOTTOM LINE: The best wedge model tested.

and results.”—John Dottore, shot from the fairway and around greens;
Handicap 20, Age 49 minor adjustments to swing length or It excels in every performance category and
clubface angle take care of distance concerns. looks really good doing it.
➔

Month 201? golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 135

 WINNING GEAR
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TESTERS’
6 Jon Dobberstein 13 Jef Bones
Handicap 5 Age 44 Height 5’10” Weight 225 lbs. Handicap 9 Age 66 Height 6’1” Weight 190 lbs.
Occupation Project manager Occupation Golf club fitting and repair
Residence Prior Lake, Minn. Driver distance 293 yards Residence Little Elm, Texas Driver distance 228 yards

TOP PICKS
Driver: TaylorMade SLDR Driver: Cobra Bio Cell+
Fairway Wood: Not tested Fairway Wood: Not tested
Hybrid: Callaway X2 Hot Pro Hybrid: Titleist 913H
Iron: Titleist AP2 714 Wedge: Not tested Iron: Titleist AP2 714
Putters: Titleist S. Cameron Select Newport 2; Wedge: Scor Scor4161
Ping Scottsdale TR Senita B Putter: Not tested

Our band of 40 hardy testers 7 Patrick Kennedy 14 michael kaye

share their absolute favorite Handicap 6 Age 45 Height 5’8” Weight 150 lbs.
Occupation IT manager Residence San Jose, Calif.
Handicap 9 Age 56 Height 6’1” Weight 185 lbs.
Occupation Engineer Residence Bradley Beach, N.J.
Driver distance 240 yards Driver distance 241 yards
models—drivers through Driver: Titleist 913D3 Driver: Cobra Bio Cell
putters—from ClubTest 2014 Fairway Wood: Not tested
Hybrid: TaylorMade SLDR
Fairway Wood: Cobra Bio Cell+
Hybrid: Not tested
Iron: Callaway Apex Pro Iron: Nike VRS Covert Forged
Photography by Jesse Reiter Wedge: Not tested Wedge: Callaway Mack Daddy 2
Putter: Titleist S. Cameron Select Newport 2 Putter: Bettinardi BB32

1 Barry Fasenmyer 8 Dan Zegura 15 Doug Lair

Handicap 1 Age 50 Height 5’11” Weight 190 lbs. Handicap 6 Age 48 Height 6’4” Weight 215 lbs. Handicap 9 Age 55 Height 5’9” Weight 180 lbs.
Occupation Agency director Residence Pittsburgh, Pa. Occupation Attorney Residence Decatur, Ga. Occupation Stay-at-home dad Residence Austin, Texas
Driver distance 292 yards Driver distance 275 yards Driver distance 225 yards

Driver: Nike VRS Covert 2.0 Tour Driver: Titleist 913D3 Driver: Titleist 913D2
Fairway Wood: Not tested Fairway Wood: Not tested Fairway Wood: Callaway X2 Hot
Hybrid: Titleist 913H.d Hybrid: Callaway X2 Hot Pro Hybrid: Not tested
Iron: Titleist AP2 714 Iron: Mizuno MP-54 Iron: Callaway Apex
Wedge: Scor Scor4161 Wedge: Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled 5 Wedge: Not tested
Putter: Nike Method Mod 60 Putter: Not tested Putter: Boccieri EL Lite-Weight Q2-L

2 Ken Meltzer 9 Mike Gorski 16 Eric English

Handicap 1 Age 56 Height 6’1’’ Weight 190 lbs. Handicap 7 Age 52 Height 5’9” Weight 165 lbs. Handicap 10 Age 46 Height 6’2” Weight 245 lbs.
Occupation Writer and teacher, classical music Occupation Real estate appraiser Occupation Deputy chief of police
Residence Decatur, Ga. Driver distance 233 yards Residence Glendora, Calif. Driver distance 256 yards Residence Richmond, Va. Driver distance 262 yards

Driver: Callaway Big Bertha Alpha Driver: Callaway Big Bertha Driver: Cobra Bio Cell
Fairway Wood: Not tested Fairway Wood: Titleist 913F FW: Cobra Bio Cell+ Hybrid: Not tested
Hybrid: Ping i25 Hybrid: Not tested Iron: Nike VRS Covert Forged
Iron: TaylorMade Tour Preferred MC Iron: Titleist AP1 714 Wedge: Not tested
Wedge: Scor Scor4161 Wedge: Not tested Putters: Odyssey Metal-X Milled #1;
Putter: Not tested Putter: Nike Method Mod 00 Nike Method Mod 00

3 Chris Klamkin 10 Alex Hsi 17 Zach Fasman

Handicap 2 Age 29 Height 5’10” Weight 200 lbs. Handicap 8 Age 36 Height 5’9” Weight 210 lbs. Handicap 10 Age 64 Height 5’8” Weight 185 lbs.
Occupation Software sales Residence Hoboken, N.J. Occupation Dir. of sales and marketing Occupation Attorney Residence New York, N.Y.
Driver distance 280 yards Residence Pinole, Calif. Driver distance 250 yards Driver distance 250 yards

Driver: Callaway Big Bertha Alpha Driver: Nike VRS Covert 2.0 Tour Driver: Titleist 913D2
Fairway Wood: Not tested Fairway Wood: Cobra Bio Cell+ Fairway Wood: Ping i25
Hybrid: Titleist 913H.d Hybrid: Not tested Hybrid: Not tested
Iron: TaylorMade Tour Preferred MC Iron: Titleist AP2 714 Iron: Callaway Apex
Wedge: Not tested Wedge: Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled 5 Wedge: Not tested
Putter: TaylorMade Daddy Long Legs Putter: Ping Karsten TR Anser 2 Putter: Bettinardi BB32

4 Drew Isaacman 11 Jef McKinney 18 Jon Kotraba

Handicap 3 Age 47 Height 5’10” Weight 170 lbs. Handicap 8 Age 53 Height 6’2” Weight 225 lbs. Handicap 10 Age 48 Height 5’11” Weight 185 lbs.
Occupation Owner, outdoor furniture refinishing Occupation Police lieutenant Residence Aylett, Va. Occupation IT director Residence Montvale, N.J.
Residence San Diego, Calif. Driver distance 249 yards Driver distance 276 yards Driver distance 275 yards

Driver: Cobra Bio Cell+ Driver: Callaway Big Bertha Alpha Driver: Cobra Bio Cell
Fairway Wood: Not tested Fairway Wood: Not tested Fairway Wood: Cobra Bio Cell+
Hybrid: Callaway X2 Hot Pro Hybrid: Titleist 913H Hybrid: Not tested
Iron: Mizuno MP-54 Iron: Titleist AP2 714 Iron: Callaway Apex
Wedge: Not tested Wedge: Ping Tour Wedge: Not tested
Putter: Cleveland Smart Square Putter: Not tested Putter: Nike Method Mod 90

5 Tommy Dee 12 Greg Sutton 19 Jack Record

Handicap 5 Age 37 Height 5’7” Weight 160 lbs. Handicap 8 Age 50 Height 5’10” Weight 180 lbs. Handicap 10 Age 38 Height 5’11” Weight 250 lbs.
Occupation Dir. of business development Occupation Insurance sales Residence Jacksonville, Fla. Occupation Software sales Residence Atlanta, Ga.
Residence Hawthorne, N.Y. Driver distance 249 yards Driver distance 257 yards Driver distance 257 yards

Driver: Titleist 913D3 Driver: Nike VRS Covert 2.0 Tour Driver: Callaway Big Bertha
FW: Cobra Bio Cell+ Hybrid: Not tested Fairway Wood: Not tested Fairway Wood: Nike VRS Covert 2.0 Tour
Iron: Wilson Staff FG Tour M3 Hybrid: Ping i25 Hybrid: Not tested
Wedge: Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled 5 Iron: TaylorMade Tour Preferred MC Iron: TaylorMade SpeedBlade
Putters: Odyssey Metal-X Milled #1; Wedge: Not tested Wedge: Not tested
SeeMore FGP PTM3 Putter: SeeMore SB1 Putter: Yes! Milly True Alignment

136 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014

20 Mark Barrette 27 Ed Inderbitzin 34 don wilson
Handicap 11 Age 42 Height 6’3” Weight 215 lbs. Handicap 13 Age 45 Height 5’8” Weight 165 lbs. Handicap 14 Age 69 Height 5’6” Weight 170 lbs.
Occupation Corporate trainer Residence Glendale, Ariz. Occupation Sales manager Residence Tacoma, Wash. Occupation Retired zoologist Residence Gainesville, Va.
Driver distance 274 yards Driver distance 271 yards Driver distance 214 yards

Driver: TaylorMade JetSpeed Driver: Cobra Bio Cell Driver: Callaway X2 Hot FW: Not tested
Fairway Wood: Callaway X2 Hot Fairway Wood: Cobra Bio Cell+ Hybrid: Yonex EZONE XP
Hybrid: Not tested Hybrid: Not tested Iron: Ping Karsten
Iron: Callaway Apex Iron: Callaway Apex Wedge: Callaway Mack Daddy 2
Wedge: Not tested Wedge: Scor Scor4161 Putters: Titleist Scotty Cameron GoLo 5;
Putter: SeeMore FGP PTM3 Putter: Titleist S. Cameron Select Newport 2 Ping Scottsdale TR Senita B

21 Tom Jennings 28 John Moore 35 Victor DeMarco

Handicap 11 Age 60 Height 5’11” Weight 205 lbs. Handicap 13 Age 49 Height 6’1” Weight 235 lbs. Handicap 15 Age 50 Height 6’ Weight 235 lbs.
Occupation CEO, chamber of commerce Occupation Merchandising planner Occupation Mechanical contractor
Residence Winder, Ga. Driver distance 230 yards Residence Katy, Texas Driver distance 231 yards Residence Austin, Texas Driver distance 269 yards

Driver: Ping G25 Driver: Titleist 913D2 Driver: Callaway X2 Hot

Fairway Wood: Tour Edge Exotics XCG7 Fairway Wood: Callaway Big Bertha Fairway Wood: Ping G25
Hybrid: Not tested Hybrid: Not tested Hybrid: Not tested
Iron: Ping G25 Iron: Nike VRS Covert Forged Iron: Cobra Baffler XL Combo
Wedge: Not tested Wedge: Not tested Wedge: Not tested
Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron GoLo 5 Putter: Odyssey Metal-X Milled #1 Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron Futura X

22 Kris Madsen 29 Lynn Altadonna 36 Eric Jack

Handicap 11 Age 51 Height 5’9” Weight 210 lbs. Handicap 14 Age 69 Height 5’7” Weight 180 lbs. Handicap 16 Age 55 Height 5’10” Weight 250 lbs.
Occupation Retired firefighter Occupation Retired engineer Residence Stowe, Vt. Occupation CPA Residence Draper, Utah
Residence Slingerlands, N.Y. Driver distance 249 yards Driver distance 217 yards Driver distance 218 yards

Driver: Ping G25 Driver: Callaway X2 Hot Driver: Cobra Baffler XL

Fairway Wood: Cobra Bio Cell Fairway Wood: Not tested Fairway Wood: Callaway X2 Hot
Hybrid: Not tested Hybrid: Cobra Bio Cell Hybrid: Not tested
Iron: Nike VRS Covert Forged Iron: Yonex EZONE XP Iron: Ping Karsten Wedge: Not tested
Wedge: Ping Tour Wedge: Not tested Putters: Nike Method Mod 60; Titleist Scotty
Putter: Not tested Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron GoLo 5 Cameron Futura X

23 Kevin DiNapoli 30 Rich Bernstein 37 David Sullivan

Handicap 12 Age 57 Height 5’7” Weight 165 lbs. Handicap 14 Age 64 Height 5’10” Weight 200 lbs. Handicap 19 Age 46 Height 5’9” Weight 190 lbs.
Occupation Physician Residence Whitefish Bay, Wis. Occupation Retired dir. of administration Occupation Claims supervisor Residence Boston, Mass.
Driver distance 253 yards Residence Waretown, N.J. Driver distance 222 yards Driver distance 213 yards

Driver: Cleveland 588 Altitude Driver: Callaway Big Bertha Driver: Callaway X2 Hot
Fairway Wood: Not tested Fairway Wood: Tour Edge Exotics XCG7 Fairway Wood: Not tested
Hybrid: Yonex EZONE XP Hybrid: Not tested Hybrid: Nike VRS Covert 2.0
Iron: Cobra Baffler XL Combo Iron: Nike VRS Covert Forged Iron: Nike VRS Covert 2.0
Wedge: Not tested Wedge: Not tested Putters: TaylorMade Spider Wedge: Nike VR X3X
Putter: Odyssey White Hot Pro Havok Mallet; Wilson Staff Vizor Level 2 M3 Putter: Not tested

24 Robert Rex Record 31 Charles Brown 38 John Dottore

Handicap 12 Age 39 Height 5’8” Weight 150 lbs. Handicap 14 Age 31 Height 5’8” Weight 220 lbs. Handicap 20 Age 49 Height 5’7” Weight 170 lbs.
Occupation Physician Residence Birmingham, Ala. Occupation Executive director Occupation Real estate sales Residence Orlando, Fla.
Driver distance 272 yards Residence Washington, D.C. Driver distance 251 yards Driver distance 263 yards

Driver: Cleveland 588 Custom Driver: Cleveland 588 Altitude Driver: Cobra Baffler XL
Fairway Wood: Ping i25 Fairway Wood: Not tested Fairway Wood: Not tested
Hybrid: Not tested Hybrid: Adams Pro Hybrid: TaylorMade JetSpeed
Iron: Nike VRS Covert Forged Iron: Callaway X2 Hot Wedge: Not tested Iron: Callaway X2 Hot
Wedge: Not tested Putters: Nike Method Mod 90; Ping Scottsdale Wedge: Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled 5
Putter: Nike Method Mod 90 TR Craz-E; Nike Method Mod 00 Putter: Not tested

25 Bud Adler 32 Clyde Burdick 39 Jim Esther

Handicap 13 Age 72 Height 5’10” Weight 215 lbs. Handicap 14 Age 65 Height 6’ Weight 260 lbs. Handicap 22 Age 61 Height 5’11” Weight 190 lbs.
Occupation Retired Residence Gold Canyon, Ariz. Occupation Retired, data analytics Occupation Physician Residence St. Louis, Mo.
Driver distance 220 yards Residence Jeffersonville, Vt. Driver distance 247 yards Driver distance 206 yards

Driver: Yonex EZONE XP Driver: Cleveland 588 Altitude Driver: Yonex EZONE XP
Fairway Wood: Not tested Fairway Wood: TaylorMade JetSpeed Fairway Wood: Not tested
Hybrid: Nike VRS Covert 2.0 Hybrid: Not tested Iron: Nike VRS Covert 2.0 Hybrid: Ping G25
Iron: Yonex EZONE XP Wedge: Not tested Putters: Titleist Scotty Iron: Cobra Baffler XL Combo
Wedge: Not tested Cameron Select Newport 2; Nike Method Mod Wedge: Not tested
Putter: Odyssey White Hot Pro Havok 60; Ping Scottsdale TR Senita B Putter: Titleist S. Cameron Select Newport 2

26 Owen Dahl 33 Mike Roynan 40 Kevin Kehoe

Handicap 13 Age 42 Height 5’9” Weight 170 lbs. Handicap 14 Age 42 Height 5’10” Weight 175 lbs. Handicap 23 Age 52 Height 5’7” Weight 165 lbs.
Occupation Financial consulting Occupation Attorney Residence Collegeville, Pa. Occupation Fine artist, painter-photographer
Residence Tacoma, Wash. Driver distance 241 yards Driver distance 223 yards Residence Heber, Utah Driver distance 229 yards

Driver: Mizuno JPX EZ Driver: Cleveland 588 Altitude Driver: Cleveland 588 Altitude
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade JetSpeed Fairway Wood: Not tested Fairway Wood: Not tested
Hybrid: Not tested Hybrid: Tour Edge Exotics XCG7 Hybrid: Ping G25
Iron: Nike VRS Covert 2.0 Iron: Yonex EZONE XP Iron: Ping Karsten
Wedge: Nike VR X3X Wedge: TaylorMade Tour Preferred Wedge: Not tested
Putter: Not tested Putter: Not tested Putter: Nike Method Mod 90

June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 137

BEST TRIPS
WORTH YOUR MONEY THIS MONTH

One Fine Bay

Donald Ross’s charming Bay Course at Seaview shines once again
Stockton Seaview Hotel
& Golf Club (Bay) Galloway, N.J.
6,397 yards, par 71; green fees: $29-$119
609-748-7680, stocktonseaview.com

SPEND YOUR
MONEY WELL
By Joe Passov

Photo by
Aidan Bradley
W
ITH BOTH U.S. Opens—the
men’s and the women’s—
returning to Pinehurst No. 2
this month, Donald Ross’s design skills are
back in the spotlight. That makes June the
perfect time to visit the Jersey Shore, down
Atlantic City way, to Seaview Golf Club’s
Bay course. Located on the marshy edge
of Reeds Bay, it was originally designed
by Hugh Wilson (of Merion fame) as an
exclusive private track. Ross remodeled it in
1914-15, and the course went on to a storied
history. It has hosted presidents (Warren
G. Harding and Dwight D. Eisenhower),
golf legends (Sam Snead won the 1942
PGA Championship here), and three LPGA
Hall of Famers (Nancy Lopez, Annika
Sorenstam and Juli Inkster all captured
the ShopRite Classic on the course). Thanks
to a centennial renovation early this year,
the linksy, small-ball charmer (some 6,400
yards) is brimming with youthful energy.
The redesign added a compelling bunker
complex, stretched the course a bit (brand
new tees on four holes), and generally
highlighted the course’s old-school feel.
Regrassed and squared-off tee boxes,
wooden bunker rakes and pins, and the
double-pennant-style flags conjure thoughts
of yesteryear. Ross would feel right at home.
Take your two-putt
on the Bay Course’s
par-5 ninth, which
has devlishly subtle
green undulations.
June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 139
BEST TRIPS THE TRAVELING GOLFER

Ask Travelin’ Joe

HE’S BEEN WHERE YOU’RE GOING

A Sound Investment
Dear Joe: The Links at Lighthouse Sound is the
My brother and I are course to play in Ocean City, Maryland.
heading to the East Coast
in June, with time for one
round in Ocean City, Md.
What’s your pick in the area?
—Johnny Robert,
Pepper Pike, Ohio

If you and your brother are

pretty good players, The
Links at Lighthouse Sound
($55-$169; 888-554-4557,
lighthousesound.com) is
Ocean City’s can’t-miss
course. The cart-bridge
CHRIS JOHN

ride to the ninth tee alone

will linger long in your
memory, as it zips you
through hardwoods and Dear Joe: All four big courses at public course in the U.S. and
wetlands. Still, it’s the Two buddies and I are Bandon Dunes ($75-$295; is unforgettable. And you
variety-filled Arthur Hills heading to Oregon for two 888-345-6008, bandondunes. have to play the resort’s
design that captivates rounds at Bandon and one com) are compelling, but eponymous track, the seaside
most. The 430-yard, par-4 more in Portland. What’s there are two you must play. David McLay Kidd design
fourth, called “Marshside,” your suggested itinerary? Tom Doak’s Pacific Dunes that started the Bandon
sports a peninsula green —Barry Baldwin, Naperville, Ill. is Golf Magazine’s top-rated ball rolling. For a trophy
jabbed into Assawoman Bay track, Portland’s top choice
and a pair of superb risk/ is Pumpkin Ridge’s Ghost
reward par 5s, the seventh Creek ($50-$125; 503-647-
and the 12th. For a bogey- 9977, pumpkinridge.com).
golfer-friendly track, try Its private sibling, Witch
Rum Pointe Seaside Golf Hollow, is more famous,
Links ($45-$159; 888-809- having hosted the U.S.
4653, rumpointe.com), a Women’s Open and
kinder, gentler Pete and Tiger’s 1996 U.S. Amateur
ROB PERRY; TRAVELIN’ JOE: ANGUS MURRAY

P.B. Dye creation with wide win. But Ghost Creek is

fairways and Sinepuxent frightfully good, too. David
Bay panoramas. And my Duval won the 1993 Nike
value pick? Eagle’s Landing Tour Championship there,
($35-$95; 800-283-3846, and its 6,839-yard, par-71
eagleslandinggolf.com), a Bob Cupp design is fraught
Michael Hurdzan product, with beautiful peril—
which wows with water creeks, wetlands, woods
and wetlands on 16 holes. Wetlands and forests converge at Pumpkin Ridge’s Ghost Creek. and tall fescue grasses.
➔

140 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014

DESIGN IT.
GRIND IT.
SPEND LESS.
At Hopkins Golf you can design custom wedges specifcally
for your game and add custom grinds for where you play.
And since you’re buying direct there’s No Retail Mark-Up,
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 Play Spyglass Hill during

BEST TRIPS twilight hours and you’ll

save almost $200.

TWILIGHT
ZONES
From lower rates to
stunning views, some
courses were meant to be
played in the gloaming.
JOANN DOST

If you love lush sunsets

and saving on fees, teeing
off at twilight is a perfect
option. With extra daylight 2 THE BOULDERS 3 WHISTLING 4 SUNSET VALLEY
in June, now’s the time to RESORT (SOUTH) STRAITS (STRAITS) GOLF COURSE
do it. These four courses Carefree, Ariz.; Haven, Wisc.; Pompton Plains, N.J.;
are a delight at dusk. 480-488-9028, 855-444-2838, 973-835-1515,
bouldersclub.com americanclubresort.com golfmorriscounty.com
Prime Time Fee: $75-$250 Prime Time Fee: $370, Prime Time Fee: $31
1 SPYGLASS HILL Twilight Deal: $55 in June, plus mandatory $60 (locals, walking, weekday)
GOLF COURSE which includes cart and caddie fee, and tip. to $79 (nonresidents,
Pebble Beach, Calif.; chilled, scented towels. Twilight Deal: $260, with with cart, weekends)
831-625-8563, Summer in the Valley of the no caddie required at twilight. Twilight Deal: Flat rate
pebblebeach.com Sun is hotter than—well, just Rates start four hours before of $18.50 for “All Golfer
Prime Time Fee: $385 about anywhere. However, official sunset, as calculated Types” lets you walk after
(walking); $35 (cart) Carefree sits 1,250 feet by the National Weather 5:00 p.m. through the end
Twilight Deal: $195 above Phoenix, so it’s actually Service. The nine-hole rate of August. June sunsets
(walking); $35 (cart). slightly cooler and breezier of $205 applies 2.5 hours fall roughly at 8:30 p.m.
Twilight times change than my hometown. (On before sunset. Just 30 miles from USGA
throughout the year. In June, average, the mercury hits If you play this PGA headquarters, this 6,483-
they usually start at 5:00 p.m. about 100 in Carefree in June, Championship site (one yard Hal Purdy design will
The most dramatic and but it’s a dry 100!) Coolest of Dye’s best) as darkness never host a U.S. Open, but
memorable holes at Spyglass of all is the South course’s comes, be careful not to it’s playable, scenic golf with
are early—the sand-duney front nine, where the ancient, plunge into Lake Michigan a trio of strong closing holes.
stretch of 2 through 5 that massive boulders come or one of the layout’s And there’s no better-named
skirts the Pacific Ocean. into play on half the holes. 1,000-plus bunkers. track to play at twilight.

Birdies and eagles are great, but bears and elk have their
Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge place in golf, too. This rustic, elegant lodge in the heart of
Jasper, Alberta the Canadian Rockies boasts a superior Golden Age Stanley
Thompson course. Jasper’s 463-yard, par-4 18th is a joy, racing
downhill through bunkers and pines, a scenic close to an
DEAL enjoyable romp. (And it’s the only course on which I’ve seen
OF THE bears, elk and a wolf—on the same day!) At par 71, 6,663 yards,
MONTH Jasper isn’t long, but it packs a punch with two 230-plus-yard
par 3s, and holes 14, 15 and 16 (a par 3 between two short 4s)
all require precision irons to avoid the blue-green waters of
Lac Beauvert. Whether you’re holed up in the main building
or in one of the outlying cabins, this is a cozy, back-to-nature
golf adventure that also includes four-star Fairmont service
and amenities such as a spa and fine dining. Book the Jasper
Luxury Golf Package. You get lodging, two rounds of golf and
cart per room, club storage, practice facility use, free Internet,
LONNA TUCKER

breakfast for two and gratuities daily at Cavell’s Restaurant

Elk help make up the
gallery at Jasper Park. and Terrace. June rates start at $579 CAD per night, based on
double occupancy. 888-270-3374, fairmont.com/jasper/golf

142 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014

ANYTHING FOR GOLF

golfsmith.com
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 Lessons
P R I VA T E
JUNE 2014

FOR MORE INSTRUCTION THAT FITS YOUR GAME, GO TO GOLF.COM

Quickly return
the club to
impact, then
stop your follow-
through at
waist height.

Get your thumbs

pointing skyward
going back, and
keep the clubÕs
butt end angled
to the ground.

Put Some Bite on Your Pitches

Your pitch shots typically find the green,
but they rarely settle close enough to the
LOW
HANDICAPPER hole to give you a reasonable birdie putt.
You play well To get your pitches to check up nice and
but want to tight, you need to generate the green-
shave those grabbing spin that the pros do.
last few
strokes of First, hinge your wrists quickly on the
your handicap. backswing, getting your thumbs to point up
to the sky and the butt end of the grip to point
at the ground. This sets up a sharp, descending
blow through impact. Then, just as quickly,
bring the clubhead down into the ball with a
bent trailing wrist, abruptly cutting off your
finish so that your hands stop at waist height.
The faster you bring the club to a halt after
impact, the more the ball will climb up the
clubface’s grooves. That’s how you generate the
rotation needed to make your shots hit and spin!

Illustrations by GR AHAM GACHES June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE 147

 SENIOR
PLAYER
You have
lost some
flexibility and From the top,
power, but pull your hybrid
you can still
play well. down with your
left shoulder
while pushing
Launch It From with your right.
the Rough
Hybrids are miracle clubs from the
rough. Their low, deep center of gravity
and wide sole make it easy to launch
the ball from tall grass, and their lighter
weight promotes more clubhead speed.
Here’s how to wield these high-tech
weapons and power out of tough rough.

ACCELERATE YOUR SHOULDERS

Position the ball just forward of center in
your stance, with your weight favoring
your front side. Grip down an inch or
two on the handle for added control and
stand closer to the ball than normal.
Hinge the club up sharply on the
backswing and, from the top, pull
the club down with your left shoulder
while pushing it with your right. This
creates the speed needed to swing
the clubhead through the heavy stuff
without snagging it on the grass.
Work your right shoulder down under
your chin and chase after the left,
which will ensure that both shoulders
stay in motion through your finish.
If your shoulders stop moving, you’re
likely to flip the clubhead at the ball
and catch too much grass.

GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014

 RELEASE YOUR HANDS
It takes more than an aggressive shoulder
turn to power the clubhead through the
rough—you need some hand speed, as well.
A correct That requires a proper release. To get it,
bow your right wrist as you release the
release of the clubhead through the ball (i.e., roll your
hands, with a right forearm over your left). This creates a
slight cupping slight cupping—or bending—of the back of
the left wrist that accelerates the clubhead
of the left wrist, through contact and into the follow-
looks like this. through. The club will exit to the left,
on the proper plane, further maximizing
the clubhead’s speed through the grass.

June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE

 POWER
HITTER
You hit the
ball a long
way, but your
game needs
control and
consistency.

The Skinny
on Hitting
Slim Fairways
Some fairways are so narrow
that they resemble green ribbons.
They look slimmer still with trees
closing in on you, not to mention
thick, scrubby bushes obscuring
your view of the small landing
area. Here’s the skinny on how
to split tight fairways.
Choke down an
GRIP IT LOW, TEE IT HIGH inch or two on
With a driver, grip down about a your driver for
half inch on the handle and tee
the ball up slightly higher than
more control
normal, so that half the ball sits and accuracy.
above the top of the clubhead.
Gripping down increases your
control, improving your chances
of finding the sweet spot. And
a more elevated position on the
peg promotes contact higher up
on the face, which will generate
less spin and a straighter flight.
Of course, if you struggle to hit
narrow fairways with your driver,
hitting 3-wood or hybrid—with
higher launch and less spin—
offers the same enhanced control.

GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014

DIAL IN ON YOUR TARGET
Choose a target—a white yardage
marker, perhaps, or a far-off
bunker—and make rehearsal
swings several yards behind the
ball, looking straight down the line.
Ignore the ball, the trees and the
trouble; rather, focus on the target
and visualize the shot shape (draw,
fade, etc.) that will produce your
desired result. Step up to the ball
and make an aggressive swing.
Don’t second-guess yourself—the
more committed you are to your
game plan, the more confidence
you’ll bring to your swing.

Ignore the
trouble—focus
your attention
on your target
and make an
aggressive swing.

If your shoulder
points toward
the fairway
and the shaft
is across your SPRINT PAST THE FINISH LINE
The world’s best sprinters are
back, you’ve still accelerating five yards after
made a crossing the finish line. Take
full finish. the same approach with your
downswing. Accelerate your arms
into a full finish so that your right
shoulder points down the fairway
at your target and the clubshaft
is behind you, diagonally across
your back. Hold this finish for a
count of three. This will ensure
the proper acceleration through
impact, improving your chances
of finding the short grass.

June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE

 Bang Home 5-Footers All Day Long
From five feet, the average PGA Tour
HIGH player holes out more than 80 percent of
HANDICAPPER the time. But for the recreational golfer,
You have this distance is far from automatic. While
potential
but must
they seem simple enough, these knee-
solve some knockers are just long enough to expose
fundamental stroke flaws and make those butterflies
problems. flutter. Here are some tips to give you
confidence over these testers.
LINE UP THE CLUBFACE
Using a Sharpie, draw a line straight
down the center of the ball through the
logo. Place the line perpendicular to your
target line and set the putterface down
parallel to the line on the ball. In your
stroke, try to return the face square to the
same line. The ball will roll tightly end
over end, not wobble off line. Drain-o!

For perfect aim

on short putts, draw
a line on your ball
and use it to square
your putterface.

A square face gives

you end-over-end roll,
while opening or closing
the face creates
unwanted sidespin.

GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014

PLAY THE BREAK
On short breaking putts, aim at a spot
around the hole other than the center
of the cup. Many golfers try to knock
these putts straight in, only to lip them
out or miss them on the short side. As a
drill, place a tee on the edge of the cup at
five o’clock for right-to-left benders and
seven o’clock for left-to-right breakers.
Then see if you can hit each putt high
enough for the ball to just skirt over
the high side of the tee and still find the
hole. The more you use the entire hole—
not just the center of the hole—as an
aiming point, the more putts you’ll bury.

Practice breakers by
placing a tee on the cup
at five or seven o’clock
and using the tee as
your aiming point.

HOW TO ADJUST YOUR SPEED

In this drill, Whether the putt is uphill or
strike uphillers downhill, you should hit the
firmly enough ball with enough speed that if it
for them to hit misses, it’ll finish about 12 inches
past the hole. This ensures that
the tee before you don’t hit the putt too hard
dropping. (and leave yourself a three-foot
comebacker) or too softly (and
not reach the hole). To better
develop a sense of speed on
uphill putts, stick a tee into the
liner of the hole on the far side
of the cup (as shown) and hit
For downhill the ball firmly enough for it to
five-footers, hit strike the tee before dropping.
putts at a speed Repeat the drill for downhillers,
that will let but this time try to make putts
without your ball hitting the tee.
them fall without Get good at this, and you’ll never
touching the tee. miss from five feet.

June 2014 golf.com / GOLF MAGAZINE

 Steal Snead’s “Core” Strength
They called Sam Snead “Slammin’ gradually accelerate, reaching peak
STRAIGHT Sammy” for a reason: He was an speed at impact.
HITTER exceptionally long driver. His secret? To achieve this “delayed” power,
You keep the A smooth, effortless transition. Snead imagine that an apple is skewered on the
ball in play, never rushed the clubhead from the top; center of your clubshaft. Your goal: Sling
but a lack of
distance puts instead, he’d start it down slowly and the apple into the ground just beyond
pressure on the ball. As you start down from the top,
your game. picture the apple slowly sliding down
the shaft, working its way toward the
clubhead until it flies off the end just after
impact. This technique delays the start
of the downswing long enough to keep
the clubhead lagging behind your hands,
which creates whip-like speed that you
can unleash through the hitting zone.

To get Snead’s
legendary speed,
imagine that an apple
is skewered on your
shaft. You want to sling
the apple to the ground
just beyond the ball.

GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014

 DANIEL STEIGER

Diamonds & Steel

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IT ALL STARTS WITH
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 LEFTY, LEFTY, HE’S OUR MAN!
E
ven Amy Mickelson, not a golf
historian, can name for you
the five men who have won
the modern career grand slam:
Sarazen, Hogan, Nicklaus,
Player and Woods. All her husband needs
to become No. 6 is his own national
championship. He’s been the runner-up
a half-dozen times, the first of them
coming at Pinehurst in 1999, site of this
month’s U.S. Open. He turns 44 on the day
reserved for the playoff.
May I reclaim my amateur status for
the next 750 words or so? I’m rooting for
Phil. I’d like to see him hoist that little
silver jug with the winged lady on its lid
late on Father’s Day. Phil in ’14. Buttons
are available at campaign headquarters.
At the 1999 Open, Mickelson trailed
Payne Stewart by a stroke after three
rounds and announced he’d be a no-
show for the Monday playoff if one was
required. He said he’d be flying home
Sunday night to be with his any-day-
now pregnant wife, regardless of the
scoreboard totals. You could easily argue
the merits of stay-and-play. Still, he was
revealing his priorities in an impressive
way. Stewart won by a shot in regulation
and held Phil’s head like a bowling ball.
Three months later, at the Ryder Cup
at the Country Club, Phil was greenside
when Justin Leonard holed that 45-foot
bomb on No. 17. As many of the American
lodge brothers made a mad charge for
their new hero, Mickelson turned his
back to the action and celebrated with
the person behind him. He double-high-
fived Amy and smiled at her manically.
The man who likes his wife. You couldn’t
stage this moment if you tried.
Twenty-nine days later, Stewart, the
team’s crankshaft, was killed when the
private plane he was in suffered a me-
chanical failure. Mickelson lived big even
as a middle-class kid in suburban San
Diego, but that four-month stretch—
when he stood at the plate and saw
defeat, birth, victory and death—only
deepened his resolve to seize the day.
162 GOLF MAGAZINE / golf.com June 2014
After so much
heartbreak at
the U.S. Open, Phil
Mickelson could
use your backing.
He’s got mine.
Amanda Mickelson was born right
on schedule, on that Monday in June
reserved for the Pinehurst playoff. Phil
went to Amanda’s middle-school gradu-
ation last year, the day before the open-
ing round at Merion, red-eyed his way
to Philadelphia and at the end of the
week collected his sixth piece of USGA-
issue runner-up silver. On their vaca-
tions, the Mickelsons sometimes divide
and conquer, and earlier this year Amy
and Amanda (with Phil’s encourage-
ment) made a mother-daughter getaway
not to a tiki beach for rich people but
to the mosques and ruins of Turkey.
Learn something is a family mantra. So
is see the world.
Now Mickelson returns to the roll-
ing North Carolina sand hills and to
Pinehurst No. 2, the crowning achieve-
ment in the design career of one Donald
Ross. Augusta National, on a tumbling
former plantation in an old Georgia
river town, plays that same role in Dr.
Alister MacKenzie’s interesting life and
high times. There are other similari-
ties: wide fairways, pine-needle rough,
slopey greens, pray-for-me chip shots,
sweet tea in the clubhouse. Mickelson’s
three wins at Augusta will serve him
well at Pinehurst.
Phil was 12 when he sat at home and
watched the 1982 U.S. Open at Pebble
Beach, where his grandfather had once
been a caddie. He remembers Watson,
who won, and Nicklaus, who didn’t, but
also the stylish Bill Rogers, who had a
piece of the Saturday night lead before
fading on Sunday. Why couldn’t he keep
it going? Phil’s always had an analytic
bent. Ten months later, he was glued
to the family TV as Seve dashed off a
four-stroke win at Augusta. The dream
factory was open for business.
Friday night of this year’s Masters,
Phil and Amy boarded a plane for home.
Pinehurst was in Phil’s head before the
jet reached cruising altitude. Mickelson
had played his two Masters rounds with
Justin Rose, the Merion winner. Rose
knows what Mickelson is still figuring
out: You don’t have to put on a Superman
outfit to win a U.S. Open. Your best golf
is more than enough. What you can’t do
is let up, not for a second.
Our good wishes can only help. Hogan
didn’t need them and Woods doesn’t
either, but Palmer did and Mickelson
does, too. He lets us in. Wouldn’t it be
nice to see this thing completed?
“I’m lucky,” Phil said the other day. “I
always have some big thing to work on,
some big thing to look forward to. Last
year I overcame the biggest disappoint-
ment in my career with probably the
biggest accomplishment of my career.”
He was referring to his painful second-
place finish at Merion, and to his un-
likely victory a month later in the British
Open at Muirfield. Now he’s trying to
repeat history, in a manner of speaking.
The MC at Augusta stunned him. This
U.S. Open looms large, the largest ever,
ILLUSTRATION: KEITH WITMER
at least for Phil and those in his wake.
I’m in. You? —Michael Bamberger
© 2014 ACUSHNET COMPANY. EXPLORE FOOTJOY.COM PETER UIHLEIN | BROOKS KOEPKA

The Mark of a Player

®

PER FO R MAN CE GO LF APPAR EL

 DISTANCE +
FORGIVENESS

DISTANCE
YOURSELF DISTANCE +
CONSISTENCY

FROM YOUR
OLD IRONS. When choosing your next set of irons, remember
it’s not just how far they go. It’s also how high they
launch, how straight they fly, how softly they land,
how solid they feel and how great they look. In other
words, how consistently they perform on every shot. DISTANCE +
CONTROL
At PING, we have an iron engineered for every golfer.
Find the model that’s right for you. You’ll be better for it.
Visit a PING® Fitting Specialist or ping.com.

©2014 PING P.O. BOX 82000 PHOENIX, AZ 85071 GM614