Monday, September 9th, 2024 Edition

What’s in Their Bags? – The most popular equipment on the PGA Tour

– by Thomas Hamden / Balls & Bogeys

Per Thomas: Not all PGA Tour pros get to play their favorite ball, driver, set of irons, etc. This is because many are compensated handsomely to play the latest and greatest models manufactured by the companies whose logos emblazon their hats, collars, and bags.

We had a chance recently to sit down with the head of PGA Tour relations for one of the big three “OEM’s”. This gent negotiates the contracts with the pros and ensures his company’s endorsers are teeing it up with the gear that when featured in articles like this, or close-ups on TV, will fly off the shelves. No cheating allowed.

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Topgolf Callaway Brands to split into two independent companies

– by David Dusek / Golfweek

Per David: “Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp. announced Wednesday that its board of directors intends to pursue the separation of its two primary businesses, Topgolf and Callaway, making them two independent companies…”

B&B POV: First off, we aren’t big investors, and certainly not financiers or PE execs. However, when Callaway bought the majority of Topgolf in March 2021, everyone in the golf industry knew the golf boon wasn’t slowing down anytime soon fueled by the pandemic and the outdoor nature of the sport. For many newbies at the time–and there were tens of millions of newbies across the US–Topgolf was one of the easiest “social” entrees to the sport. “Let’s go try golf. Topgolf looks fun and it’s cool.”

Now that the golf market has slowed down—the volume of players, rounds, equipment sales, etc. is returning to pre-pandemic levels—the split of Callaway equipment/gear and Topgolf venues makes sense, especially with Topgolf Callaway stock down as far as it is.

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Exclusive: Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler to face Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka in TV battle

– Eamon Lynch / Golfweek

Per Eamon: “Golf’s long-simmering civil war is about to become prime-time entertainment.

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will face Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in a made-for-TV match later this year, Golfweek has learned…”

B&B POV: Rory and Scheff vs. Bryson and Brooksie in December. On TV. PGA Tour stars vs. LIV stars. What will the event look like? What will they be playing for? And, is this a precursor to more events comprised of players from both professional circuits.

So many questions with so few available answers TV ratings gold in the works! We are excited to watch and anxious to learn if this event represents an olive branch of sorts between PGA Tour and LIV, or this is just a money grab by four of the games biggest names.

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How to catch a sandbagger

– E. Michael Thompson / Golf Digest

Per E: “George Thurner remembers the phone call. The handicap chair of a prominent golf club reached out to him after the same player won all three of the major handicap events for two straight years. The club couldn’t figure out how this accountant in his mid-50s was gaming the system. He was turning in all his scores, and the handicap committee checked with those he played with to make sure those scores were accurate. Still, he kept winning…”

B&B POV: Sandbagging in golf should come with a minimum penalty of 3 years in match/tourney purgatory. Repeat offenders should be banned to a driving range with bad balls and never be seen again.

Thanks to Cap Patrol, a new software platform whose algorithm takes into consideration 43 data points to catch cheats, or at the very least to establish why some players’ handicaps are unconsciously bouncing up and down, is leveling the playing field for everyone teeing it up in the Member-Guest or Tuesday afternoon 9-holer outing. But let’s not kid ourselves: The Gentlemen’s Game is played by humans, and some humans will always be comfortable living in the gray area hoping to gain competitive advantage over their golf adversaries especially when money and Big A Trophies are on the line.

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Tour Confidential: Solheim Cup preview, golf’s next made-for-TV match

– by GOLF Editors

Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we preview the Solheim Cup, discuss golf’s newly announced made-for-TV match and share our picks for the best deals in golf. And if you’re looking for our writers’ thoughts on last week’s Presidents Cup captain’s picks, you can read up on that here.

B&B POV:

Who will win this year’s Solheim Cup, the Ryder Cup-like event featuring the best American and European female professionals? We are going with the Americans. They’re the deeper team and we bleed red, white and blue!
Who will be the Solheim Cup’s MVP? Our vote: the sassy assassin, England’s Charley Hull. She’s playing well and her popularity is soaring, especially across socials and the interweb.
LIV’s Brooksie and Bryson will be teeing it up against PGA Tour’s Rory and Scheff in a made-for-TV event in December. Why should we care? As long as the format isn’t silly, this will make for great TV and a stellar match. Who knows, maybe during the broadcast we’ll all be treated to an early Christmas present in the form of an announcement of an actual PGA Tour/PIF alignment.
Do we really believe the PGA Tour/LIV All-Star event hints at a deal in the works? No. But the superstar contestants will each be making a boatload of greenbacks while keeping us yearning for a professional golf truce.
Why did LIV schedule their first events to compete for eyeballs directly with some of the PGA Tour’s top events, including Tiger’s Genesis Inv. at The Riviera Country Club? Because rich people aren’t by default smart, but they sure as hell are rich, and this decision is just PIF flexing their gold bullion muscles. Fans will still tune into the PGA Tour in mass, albeit not at the clip they were before professional men’s golf turned stupid.
What’s the best course you’ve ever played for $100 or less? Excluding free rounds as a guest at courses like Augusta National and Riv, we’ll go with Pasatiempo 10 years ago. We played on an off day and at the twilight rate. The experience and course were amazing. Even though it’s rated top 100 in the US, it’s still underrated, and worth every penny they charge golfers today.