Our @AlexMyers3 rewrote the lyrics of "Chances" by Five for Fighting to detail his struggle over whether to bet on Tiger at the Masters. ?

(?: @AlexMyers3) pic.twitter.com/9Qfu4eARja

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) April 10, 2019

That turned out to be a pretty good omen for Tiger, huh? But a lot has changed since then and we’re not even sure when the Masters will take place again. Of course, a golf tournament is at the low end of peoples’ worries this week, so I promise to not be that guy bitching about not being at the Masters. That being said, I also promise to not be the guy bitching about the guy bitching about not being at the Masters this year. Let’s just agree to be nice to each other during these stressful times, OK? Cool. Now let’s talk about what else is happening—and not happening—in golf right now.

WE’RE BUYING

Indoor trick shots: If TikTok and Zoom are the big winners during this dark time, a close runner-up would be this budding genre. Some of the ones floating around the interwebs are unreal. Here’s the best from the amateur division:

I think we can all agree, this is winning so far? #golf #trickshot #quarantine pic.twitter.com/qbbPba3Op0

— Peter Finch (@PeterFinchGolf) April 3, 2020

Meanwhile in the pro division, the master, Joshua Kelley, just continues to raise the bar:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-CmavqhFo0/?utm_source=ig_embed

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-SKpZzhRO0/?utm_source=ig_embed

No one has ever made the transition to working from home more seamlessly.

This backyard mini-golf course: If you can’t go play golf (more on that later), there are creative ways to get your golf fix at your own house. And these guys might have come up with the best solution:

This backyard mini golf course is next level. ?
(?:Instagram/Connorwags) pic.twitter.com/zdt6DoyaxR

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) April 5, 2020

Well done, but where does one find that much Astroturf? Do these guys have an Astroturf guy? Is there such a thing as an Astroturf guy?

Sergio Garcia: People are quick to knock this guy when he does something bad, so it’s only fair to praise him for doing something good. Really good. The 2017 Masters champ and his family has donated more than $250,000 to Coronavirus relief efforts.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-QRKc3pc2-/?utm_source=ig_embed

That’s about $50,000 per green he damaged in Saudi Arabia last year! Sorry, couldn’t help it. Seriously, Sergio, that’s awesome.

WE’RE SELLING

The Open closed for business: The cancellation of the Open Championship is the biggest blow to the golf schedule yet, as first reported by our Joel Beall and Brian Wacker last week. Nice work, boys, but couldn’t you dig up something a little more positive? Anyway, this is a tough one, made even tougher by part of the report this decision was made so early in part for insurance reasons. Read this:

Hmm. I understand there is a lot of money at stake for the R&A—and it was pretty smart to take out a policy against a possible pandemic—but imagine if the USGA did that for the U.S. Open? Golf Twitter would get off their couches and storm Far Hills, N.J. Well, not now, because we are all under quarantine, but you get the point.

Other postponements: The U.S. Open has been moved to September but will stay at Winged Foot, the PGA Championship has been moved to August and will stay at Harding Park (for now), the Masters is headed to November, and the Ryder Cup will stay in its slot at the end of September. While this all sounds like great news, of course, the only thing we know for sure is the Masters isn’t moving from Augusta National. In other words, it’s all very tentative amid an ongoing global pandemic. Still, let’s keep our fingers crossed. In the comfort of our homes, of course.

Golf course arrests: Three Massachusetts men were arrested for playing golf on a Rhode Island course, a violation of the state’s current quarantine order. And there’s no question the trio knew what they were doing considering they met at a Rhode Island McDonald’s parking lot to load their clubs into a car with Rhode Island plates, and, well, this was the sign posted at the course:

Three (not fore) Massachusetts men arrested after golfing, charged with violating gov's executive order on quarantine (via @HannahDickison) https://t.co/OPwC27MNYX

— Tim White (@TimWhiteRI) April 2, 2020

Strange times, but rules are rules. And until Massachusetts lifts its ban on playing golf, these guys might want to check out those videos above for some inspiration. Or drive somewhere a lot farther away. Actually, don’t do that. Just stay put, everyone. Please.

ON TAP

Again, this was to be Masters week. And while it’s one thing for the Valero Texas Open to be cancelled, it’s another to not be watching golf from Augusta National. In fact, this composition from John Huston—not to be confused with golfer Jon Huston—perfectly sums up the mood:

Random tournament fact: On the bright side, CBS will air the 2004 final round on Saturday and 2019 final round on Sunday instead. As far as substitutes go, that’s some pretty strong programming. So grab some popcorn and enjoy as best you can.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Tiger will serve turkey and stuffing at the November Champions Dinner: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds
—That composer is going to hear from Augusta National’s lawyers: Even odds
—I’m going to cry again watching the 2019 Masters replay: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

A Tiger Woods sighting on Sunday is bound to brighten everyone’s week. Even better? We have an OFF-COURSE WHITE BELT! Alert the fashion police!

?NUCLEAR: Big Cat filling up his Range Rover in Florida this afternoon., in Golf clothes let’s go ? (via IG DM: travers080) pic.twitter.com/R1CTZZlnM0

— TWLEGION (@TWlegion) April 5, 2020

Then again, maybe he was coming to or from the course. In that case, he’s excused. In any event, Tiger Woods. Man of the people. Just out and about pumping his own gas. Love it. I just hope he washed his hands really good after.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Longtime PGA Tour caddie Heath Holt took advantage of raised cups at his course and fired the first Coronavirus-aided “59” by firing at the flagsticks all day. Literally. Check it out:

Historic! The best part is when he says his round was saved because, “Luckily, I made a couple 40-footer comebackers. . . for par.” Great stuff, Heath.

THIS WEEK IN TOUR PRO PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION (AND CHARITY)

You know what they say: The couple that raises money together stays together. OK, so we change what “they say” every week, but this is a cool gesture by LPGA star Danielle Kang and her boyfriend, PGA Tour rookie Maverick McNealy:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-ktCpNnVl3/?utm_source=ig_embed

And here’s more info on their #ChallengeEachOther campaign:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

comment below for any questions! Directions: Step 1. Come up with a challenge Step 2. Pledge the amount and challenge someone Step 3. Post and donate! Simple! Our communities need our help and we’re asking for YOUR help in order TO help. @challengeeachother

A post shared by Danielle Kang (@daniellekang) on Apr 4, 2020 at 4:06pm PDT

How cute are these two? I challenge them to sing a duet of “Anything you can do, I can do better.”

THIS WEEK IN OTHER TOUR PROS BEING QUARANTINED

Graham DeLaet has gotten into smoking meats:

5 day brine, 4 hr smoke. First time making bacon. It’s absolutely phenomenal. @BigGreenEgg Wow. ? pic.twitter.com/7pw23M2RQh

— DeLetty (@GrahamDeLaet) March 31, 2020

Bubba Watson is preparing for a second career as a trick-shot artist:

Snuck into @PensacolaGolf… #OffTheRoof #FirstTake #ClubDrop #urwelcome pic.twitter.com/tXrCFF6n18

— bubba watson (@bubbawatson) April 3, 2020

And Billy Horschel finally took down the King of Peloton, Rory McIlroy.

We got the ?. We finally able to knock of @McIlroyRory. He pushed me till the end but was able to hold him off! @alextoussaint25. Thanks for the push Rory! #weallgettingbetter pic.twitter.com/BBWu5pG0wh

— Billy Horschel (@BillyHo_Golf) April 4, 2020

Rory later Instagramemed it was supposed to be his “recovery day,” but let’s let Billy have his moment.

THIS WEEK IN GOLF TV PERSONALITIES BEING QUARANTINED

CBS’ Amanda Balionis has perfected whatever this is:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-nRooYp2m_/?utm_source=ig_embed

Yeah, we’re getting bored too, Amanda.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

U know what helps on a cold November day in Augusta, Georgia? A brand new green jacket

— max homa (@maxhoma23) April 6, 2020

Good call, Max. Although, some Masters-logoed mittens might be needed as well.

THIS AND THAT

Larry David’s Riviera caddie fund seems to have sparked a bunch of similar efforts by other golf clubs. This is like the reverse of his “Spite Store” on Season 10 of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Amazing. . . . Trevor Immelman will take over for Ernie Els as Presidents Cup captain. He also joined us on this week’s Golf Digest Podcast, so please have a listen:

The U.S. Women’s Open is moving to December. As you probably guessed, it is not being held at Winged Foot. . . . And finally, I finally busted this bad boy open:

When I said, “Grab some popcorn” and watch some old Masters tournaments this weekend, I mean that in the most literal sense.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

What would my handicap be playing with raised cups?
How many white belts does Tiger Woods own?
How many days meals will that tub of popcorn last me?

The post A Tiger Woods sighting(!), a tour pro couple pitches in for charity, and a “59” you have to see to believe appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Wait, let’s make that two similarities: Both are also playing golf again.

While Woods’ return to form has taken shape incredibly over the last 21 months, and continued on Monday in Japan with a record-tying 82nd career PGA Tour victory, DeLaet’s comeback from a debilitating injury is just getting beginning.

Earlier this month at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, DeLaet made his first start on tour in 714 days. The Canadian was rusty, unsure of what to expect and missed the cut. At the same time, he took great satisfaction in being there. A week later, at the Houston Open, DeLaet found himself getting emotional on his way from the scoring trailer to the clubhouse after the second round.

The reason?

He had made the cut on the number, thanks to two birdies over his final four holes and a deft par save after missing the green on the par-3 ninth and rolling in a nervy seven-footer.

“It wasn’t a top-10, or being in contention, but it was something I could check off the list,” said DeLaet, who finished T-70. “If I had missed the cut, more doubt would have crept in. Instead, this was a little boost of confidence.”

This week, he’ll tee it up again in search of more, at the inaugural Bermuda Championship. Playing on a major medical extension, DeLaet has 24 events to accumulate 266 FedEx Cup points, which, combined with the 110 points he grabbed prior to getting injured early in the 2017-’18 season, would equal the points earned by the 125th player from that year. Doing so would let him keep his card for the 2020-’21 season.

With effectively a full-season’s schedule at DeLaet’s disposal, it’s an achievement that’s plenty doable—in his last full year on tour he finished 76th in the standings with 650 points.

Back to Houston. Barely making the cut generally isn’t the stuff of tears, especially for a 37-year-old veteran whose career includes an appearance in a Presidents Cup, a chance to compete in the Olympics, a spot inside the top 30 in the Official World Golf Ranking and more than $11 million in prize money (only thing missing is a PGA Tour win). But to understand why the man with the most recognizable beard on tour got so misty-eyed you have to understand the depths to which he fell.

Among DeLaet’s career highlights is competing for Canada in the 2016 Olympics. (Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

DeLaet had missed the last two years after undergoing a stem-cell injection in December 2017 that ultimately didn’t help regenerate the L4-L5 discs in his back. He followed that procedure with a second microdiscectomy in August 2018 (his first came in 2011). And while he didn’t end up needing the medical Hail Mary of a spinal fusion the way Woods did, there was a point when DeLaet thought returning to the game might not be an option.

In terms of pain, there were occasions when DeLaet was essentially bedridden for two or three weeks at a time. He never knew when it would come, either. One time, he was picking up his two young kids’ toys around the house and threw his back out just from that mundane exercise.

“Some days I was just stiff and sore and felt like an old man,” he said. “Other days the pain was acute.”

The mental strain had its ups and downs, too. Day to day, DeLaet felt mostly OK. But when there were repeated setbacks, he wondered if all he was putting himself through was worth it.

“It was such a roller coaster,” DeLaet said. “All the worst-case scenarios go through your head. I would think, Do I want to keep chasing this?

“I was OK at the time to live a normal life. I even thought about writing a retirement letter.”

Part of DeLaet’s motivation to press on were his kids, 3-year-old twins Roscoe and Lyla. Rather than them always asking when he was going to the doctor’s office next, he wanted them to be old enough to appreciate what he has done in his career.

DeLaet found inspiration elsewhere, too—from Woods’ victory at the Masters this past April, to his good friend Kevin Chappell shooting 59 at The Greenbrier in September. Though he didn’t watch much golf while injured, DeLaet did start to miss the game.

Once playing again, there were other obstacles to overcome. DeLaet can’t endlessly beat balls on the range, instead needing to limit his practice schedule. During tournament weeks, the most he can manage are nine holes on a Monday, another nine on Tuesday and a light day of practice on Wednesday.

Then there was his first start in Las Vegas, when DeLaet accidentally set his alarm clock to 2:45 a.m. on the eve of the first round. He bogeyed four of his first five holes, and on the ninth, he went to step into a shot and felt a twinge in his back. It went away after about five seconds, but on a few occasions he needed to stretch between shots.

DeLaet also has had to make a few minor changes to his swing to take pressure off of his back. A narrower stance has helped generate more rotation, something that was problematic at times even before getting injured. A flared right toe keeps his back from taking over.

Without a swing coach for the entirety of his career, DeLaet still managed to become one of the game’s best ball-strikers in his prime. Since his return, he’s solicited help from veteran PGA Tour fitness consultant Dr. Craig Davies, whom he has worked with since 2012 after undergoing his first microdiscectomy the year before.

“I’ve learned a lot about how the body moves, how it changes,” DeLaet said. “If I had to rebuild my swing, I’m not sure I would have come back.”

DeLaet is glad he did, though. He’s also learning another mantra that Woods has often espoused.

Said DeLaet: “It’s a process.”

The post Graham DeLaet and the valuable lessons learned when you miss two years on tour appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
Graham DeLaet has been on the sidelines since fall, dealing with recurring back issues. Unfortunately for DeLaet, it appears his return inside the ropes won’t be anytime soon.

DeLaet, who received a series of stem-cell treatments last October to alleviate pain, said on Tuesday the injections were unsuccessful. The 36-year-old announced he has opted for a second microdiscectomy surgery—the same procedure Tiger Woods had in 2014 and 2015—and will miss another six-to-12 months of action.

“Recent imaging has shown that my stem-cell injection treatment from last year has not helped regenerate my L4-L5 disc and in fact has gotten worse since the procedure,” DeLaet said. “I’ve seen multiple doctors over the past couple months with hopes of getting direction so I can be pain-free and play again.”

DeLaet started the season strong with a fifth-place finish at the Safeway Open but withdrew two weeks later at the CJ Cup. Not only has DeLaet missed time with back problems, he also took a leave of absence in 2016 during a struggle with the yips.

DeLaet has made 175 career PGA Tour starts, racking up $11.2 million in earnings. He represented Canada at the 2016 Olympics, has four professional wins and finished T-7 at last year’s PGA Championship.

The post Graham DeLaet out 6-12 months, opting for second back surgery appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
For the second straight year, Brendan Steele entered the final round of the Safeway Open lurking a few shots off the lead, needing a low round to contend. Last season, he delivered with a seven-under 65 that erased a four-shot deficit for his second PGA Tour victory.

On Sunday at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif., he didn’t need a 65, but his final-round three-under 69 was good enough to come back from two shots and defend his title with a 72-hole total of 15-under 273 to begin the 2017-’18 PGA Tour season.

Steele, 34, cruised on the front nine, going out in three-under 33. After dropping shots at the 12th and 14th, his lead shrunk to just one shot, with Phil Mickelson and Tony Finau making a charge. But Steele finished strong, making birdies at the par-5 16th and par-5 18th to win by two shots for the third victory of his career. He’s the first player in the Safeway Open’s 11-year history to win back-to-back.

After making eagle at the par-5 fifth and birdies at the ninth and 13th, Finau found himself just one off Steele’s lead. But his drive at the 14th was way off line, leading to a double-bogey 6. His final-round three-under 69 earned him a solo second finish at 13-under 275.

Mickelson, 47, also got within a shot of the lead after making birdie at the par-5 16th, and hilariously mocking himself in the process. But he made his third bogey of the day at the following hole, and finished with a two-under 70 to tie for third at 12-under 276.

Also finishing at 12 under was Chesson Hadley, who carded a final round one-over 73. It’s his fourth top-five finish in 46 starts on the PGA Tour.

Graham DeLaet and PGA Tour rookie Tyler Duncan, the leader after 54 holes, finished in a tie for fifth at 11-under 277.

The post Brendan Steele shoots final round 69 to defend title at the Safeway Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Alex Myers

Moving Day at the 99th PGA Championship grinded to a halt as par became everyone’s friend at a tough Quail Hollow. But there were still plenty of things to talk about, including a Cinderella story and two shots involving trees — one jaw-droppingly difficult and another jaw-droppingly dumb. Let’s get to it all with our latest edition of winners and losers.

Winner: Kevin Kisner

The Kiz played his final three holes in three over — and needed a lucky bounce off a bridge or it would have been worse — but if you start a round tied for the lead and you end it in first place by yourself, it’s a good day. Playing in the final group with World No. 3 Hideki Matsuyama and former World No. 1 Jason Day, Kisner looked at ease. And as he goes for his first top-10 finish at a major, let alone his first victory, he’ll tee it up with a slightly less intimidating figure in the final pairing on Sunday. Speaking of. . .

Winner: Chris Stroud

REMINDER: Less than a week ago, this guy had no plans of even playing in this event. But he got in with his first PGA Tour title in his 290th start at the Barracuda Championship and is he ever taking advantage of this unexpected opportunity. Stroud shot 71 to move up to T-2 heading into the final round. And if you expect him to go away on Sunday, well, you’ll probably be proven right. But just remember that crazier things have happened at this tournament, most notably John Daly getting into the PGA even later than Stroud in 1991 when he won as the ninth alternate.

Loser: Jason Day

After a shaky start, the Aussie rallied with three consecutive birdies on 14-16. But threw it all away on the final two holes, highlighted lowlighted by a quadruple-bogey 8 on 18 when he made one of the most curious choices you’ll ever see on his second shot. The hole was to the left. Jason went to the right.

This was a very tough spot for Jason Day. pic.twitter.com/IY5vtAKabK

— Golf on CBS (@GolfonCBS) August 12, 2017

Seriously, Jason, WTF were you thinking here?!

Jason Day my man what are you doing?

Quad on the last costing himself at least a shot at it tomorrow #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/Sr38K7uTId

— Ben Murphy (@BenMurphyTV) August 12, 2017

Jason’s wife, Ellie, didn’t enjoy watching her husband throw his tournament chances away, either.

Oh my heart hurts. And I am melting. Golfffff. ??

— Ellie Day (@ellielaneday) August 12, 2017

It’s going to be a long night in the Day’s motor home. However, there was one guy who got out of a similar jam. Twice. . .

Winner: Louis Oosthuizen

Golf fans are familiar with the South African’s silky smooth swing, but on Saturday, Oosthuizen showed how creative he can be when it comes to ball-striking. Check him out doing his best contortionist impersonation to hit another green in regulation:

Louis did WHAT?!#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/fA1bDQcpu0

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 12, 2017

From there, it almost didn’t even matter how Oosthuizen played. That’s how good that shot was. But he did play pretty well, shooting 71 despite getting treatment for his forearm after that miracle shot, and needing to have his 8-iron replaced at one point. And on 18, in a similar spot to where Day would be moments later, Oosthuizen pitched out to the fairway (SENSIBLE!) and got up and down for a par that kept him at five under.

Loser: Rickie Fowler

If you’ve watched even an hour of TV coverage this week, you’re probably sick of hearing about Quail Hollow’s “Green Mile.” But Fowler showed why the course’s difficult closing stretch gets so much hype. Lurking in great position to win a first major, Fowler arrived on the 16th hole at five under. He walked off the 18th hole one under, making it look likely that his major pursuit will have to wait until next year.

Winner: Justin Thomas

But it wasn’t all bad news for the #SB2K17 crew on Saturday. Jordan Spieth shot 71 and Thomas shot 69 to get to within two shots of Kisner’s lead. It’s the second time in the past three majors that JT has booked a late tee time on Sunday. But outside of him winning his first major, it’s the one member of the Baker’s Bay Boys who isn’t at the PGA who had the best week, because Smylie Kaufman got engaged. And he dropped down on one knee and everything.

This will forever be my favorite fairway! I can’t wait to marry you, Smylie Kaufman! #fairwayfinds

A post shared by Francie (@fairwayfinds) on Aug 12, 2017 at 6:56am PDT

Well done, Smylie.

Winner: Graham DeLaet

The Canadian was in full struggle mode before flipping the switch for a remarkable four-hole stretch. DeLaet almost aced the par-3 13th, then he almost aced the par-FOUR 14th:

THIS … for just the second par-4 ace in PGA TOUR history …

???? #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/fCMhxBddrE

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 12, 2017

After clearning that up for eagle, he added another eagle on 15 and then made a long birdie putt on 16. The six under stretch vaulted him to T-10 entering the final round. “When that putt went in [on 16], one of those things, you shake your head,” DeLaet said after. “It was pretty unreal.”

Loser: Adam Scott

After making the cut on the number, Scott got a reprieve that he squandered on Saturday with a 74. And with the Aussie, currently ranked No. 61 on the FedEx Cup points list, planning on missing the first two playoff events for the birth of his second child, that likely means Sunday will be the last round of a disappointing year in which he didn’t record a single top-five finish. Not in a major, but anywhere. Not good.

Loser: Pace of play

The final group teed off at 2 p.m. They finished at 7:40 p.m. Yes, there was Jason Day’s adventure on 18, but still, FIVE hours and 40 minutes to play a round of golf? “I’ve seen pro-ams that are faster than this,” CBS’ Jim Nantz said. That’s probably the meanest thing Jim Nantz has ever said, but he speaks the truth. Pick it up, guys.

The post PGA Championship 2017: The winners & losers from Day 3 at Quail Hollow appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Moving day at the PGA Championship hasn’t been as thrilling as the wild third rounds that the U.S. Open and Open Championship provided. One might say we were spoiled.

But Graham DeLaet nearly saved the day with what would have been a historic shot at Quail Hollow’s14th hole. The PGA set up the short par-4 to be drivable today, and players are taking dead aim. DeLaet brought new meaning to “dead aim” with his tee shot:

THIS … for just the second par-4 ace in PGA TOUR history …

???? #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/fCMhxBddrE

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 12, 2017

Not only a near ace on a par-4, but the Canadian only needed 3-wood to almost jar it. Useful, useful shot. DeLaet, who made par in the first and second round at 14, tapped in for his eagle-2.

Had it dropped, it would have been just the second hole-in-one on a par-4 recorded in PGA Tour history, the first coming at the 2001 Phoenix Open when Andrew Magee did it on the 17th hole at TPC Scottsdale. And to think, it was almost the second in under a month.

The post PGA Championship 2017: Watch Graham DeLaet nearly make an ace on a par-4 at Quail Hollow appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Ben Hogan died 20 years ago, but for a few hours on Tuesday he lived again on the practice tee at Colonial.

The Hawk won what’s now called the Dean & DeLuca Invitational five times, and there’s a statue of him by the clubhouse. But we thought of a more intimate way to feel him: by blowing the dust off a couple of his drivers and a Hogan model 1-iron, and putting the odd, old sticks in the hands of PGA Tour professionals. Who, for the most part, couldn’t hit them.

“Forty-three inches, D-2, extra-stiff Apex 5 shaft,” said Mike Wright, the head professional at Shady Oaks, the keeper of the Hogan flame and of his old locker. “This one’s persimmon, this one’s laminated. Tipped. Zero bulge and roll.”

Those last specs might need some explaining. “Laminated” means layers of wood—often maple–glued together. Most purists in the “wood-wood” era insisted on solid blocks of persimmon. But Hogan manufactured clubs, and he loved to experiment, and he found laminates to be perfectly fine. “Tipped” means that the bottom of the shaft was driven through the club head, for still more stiffness; Ben’s clubs were about as limber as telephone poles. “Bulge and roll” is the side-to-side and up-and-down curvature along a wood’s face, an ingenious late-19th century invention that corrected a bit for mishits. Hogan did without B&R because he didn’t mishit much, and he wanted to know when he did.

“How big is this thing?” asked Stewart Cink. He uncovered his white, Taylormade R15 5-wood and compared; the metal club’s head was plainly bigger.

“Probably still some of his sweat in these grips,” said Cink, waggling the approximately 200 cubic centimeters of heavy Hogan lumber, less than twice the size of today’s drivers.

A closer look at the driver and grip from Hogan’s club

Time and hours of abrasion from the owner’s ungloved hands had worn the rough rubber “cord-line” grips to slickness. Hogan had run a piece of string underneath the grip and a little to the right so that his hands fell naturally into a “weak” position. That rib and the other custom features in the Hogan drivers virtually eliminated his bugaboo, the unexpected hook.

Knowing this, Cink, 44, who was among the last on tour to use a flammable club, tried to hit a hook. Did he ever; the ball veered like a drunk driver swerving five lanes left. His next two tries sliced right, over the yellow ropes and into the rough on Colonial’s adjacent fifth hole.

Chris Stroud, practicing next to Cink, laughed. Then he tried the half-century old club, and laughed again, as he, too, swatted a couple hard to the starboard side.

“He didn’t like to hit it left, did he?” said Stroud. “But the club head is very stable at the ball; it just doesn’t move. It’s beautiful.”

As the clubs moved up and down the tee, the hit-and-giggle pattern continued. J.T. Poston’s banana balls cracked up Billy Horschel. Tim Herron’s line drives got big laughs from three caddies. Jason Kokrak swung, and swung again, and the guy manning the Trackman chuckled, amused by the numbers coming up on the launch monitor.

Launch angles with the throwback club were much lower, around 9 degrees instead of Kokrak’s usual 11. Spin rates were dramatically higher, 3,100 rpm versus the usual 2,200; thus, the curve balls everyone was hitting. Ball speed was 164 mph against the 179 Kokrak gets with his Titleist 917D2. As for distance: Kokrak’s tournament roll-included average of 304 yards contrasted with his max carry of 271 with the old club. Of his 10 drives, most flew in the low 260s.

The size of Hogan’s driver compared to today’s standard club is striking

Kokrak, from Warren, Ohio, 6-foot-4 with a program weight of 225, looks like he could have played offensive line at Ohio State. The club appeared to be too small for him, and the acoustics seemed too puny, too. Even with Kokrak’s lusty attack, wood on ball sounded like a knuckle rapping on a door, while nearby the cataclysmic threek! of 460cc titanium heads reminded us that modernity was close at hand. Still, Kokrak got into it, and a small crowd gathered behind him. Caddies, reps, two writers, and a physio.

“Heavy and flat,” said Steven Bowditch of the weight and the lie angle.

“I kinda leave it off to the right,” commented Daniel Summerhays.

“My launch is a little low,” understated Herron.

“Felt awesome when I hit one in the middle of the face,” said Poston, 24. “I don’t really remember these. I think my grandpa had ‘em. … My regular driver’s gonna look enormous.”

“I played Hogan woods in college and growing up,” said Keith Clearwater, 57, the 1987 Colonial champ. “And for a few years I snuck one in my bag on tour.”

“What’s the loft on this? Two degrees?” asked Tony Finau. He swatted out a couple of drives—solid shots, probably 260 in the air—and then he snapped a photo of his big modern driver next to the little old one.

“We really should be using balata balls,” pointed out Graham DeLaet. Exactly: with a softer-covered ball with rubber-bands wound around the center, the distances would be still less and the area over the fence even more dangerous.

“Let me try that 1-iron,” Kokrak said.

Ah, the 1-iron. Hogan is identified with it. He hit one of golf’s most famous pressure shots with the unfriendly-looking stick, his second to the 72nd hole in the ’51 U.S. Open at Merion. The two things people always say about the longest long iron were quickly said. Someone compared it to a butter knife. And an equipment rep repeated Lee Trevino’s old joke about holding a 1-iron above his head in a lightning storm, because “not even God can hit a 1-iron.”

But Vaughn Taylor could. “What’s the loft on this—zero degrees?” he asked. Then he struck three square shots in a row, with his slow, rhythmic swing, and said, “That little blade narrows your focus.”

Jordan Spieth put the Hogan 1-iron behind a ball—then declined to hit it. “Ouch,” he said after his first shot with the driver, a short soft slice you could have caught barehanded. But he nailed his second try, and the ball sizzled through the air.

“What if you had to use a whole set of these,” asked his caddie, Michael Greller. “Could I beat you?”

Spieth thought for a moment. “No,” he answered. “I’d adapt.”

A few spaces away, the ghost of Ben Hogan burned a cigarette and narrowed his eyes. He threw the butt down, took another swing, and then he faded away.

The post How would modern tour pros do hitting Ben Hogan’s old clubs? We had them try, and it wasn’t pretty appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.