GOLF DIGEST - APRIL 2021

Tee Sheet 04/21

how to play. what to play. where to play.

14

Even the European Tour’s best sometimes struggle with stroke index 1 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club but you needn’t.

Features 18 Mini Tour’s Major Rethink MENA Tour Commissioner David Spencer outlines the new norm for the regional developmental circuit.

BY KENT GRAY

cover 20 Come and Get It Might it be that Dustin Johnson’s greatest strength is his mind?

BY DANIEL RAPAPORT

28 More Yards, Less Curve Turn your weak slice into something more like D.J.’s power fade.

BY RON KASPRISKE

34 Win Your Green Jacket Our experts will prep you to win your big event this year.

(Tailor service not included.).

42 Change Is in the Air Drastic moves are in keeping with the history of Augusta’s layout. BY DEREK DUNCAN

6 Editor’s Letter The Masters are back where they belong but the intrigue will linger beyond Sunday at Augusta National.

12 Perfect Match The annual Dubai Golf Trophy matches will feature women for the first time.

be at 1 14 Stroke Index 1 Tame the famed 5th at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

BY KENT GRAY

BY DANNY JAKUBOWSKI

The Starter 8 Laguna Golf Lăng Cô Welcome to the Vietnam course Sir Nick Faldo built.

Play 10 Takeaway Tips Your swing evolves from the initial move. Get it right from the get-go.

BY EUAN BOWDEN

4 golfdigestme.com | april 2021

34

16 Journeys Korea’s Sungjae Im hates losing.

WITH KEELY LEVINS

27 Al Hamra Competition Win a stay & play package at Al Hamra Golf Club and Double Tree by Hilton Resort & Spa Marjan Island.

66 Get Well Soon Tiger Woods, first tee, final round, 2020 Masters.

PHOTOGRAPH BY BEN WALTON

Hot List 2021 part 2 46 Putters The right putter isn’t about substance or shape—it’s about swagger.

60 Wedges The driver might start the hole, but the wedge adds the closing exclamation point.

Cover photograph by Dom Furore

adgc: courtesy of the club • green jacket: andrew hetherington • putter: dom furore

BY RON KASPRISKE

Editor’s Letter

“The PGA-European Tour partnership may not be the only show in town.”

editor-in- chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer managing partner & group editor Ian Fairservice editor Kent Gray art director Clarkwin Cruz editorial assistant Londresa Flores instruction editors Luke Tidmarsh, Euan Bowden, Tom Ogilvie, Matthew Brooks, Alex Riggs chief commercial officer Anthony Milne publisher David Burke gener al manager - production S. Sunil Kumar assistant production manager Binu Purandaran

Global Moves KENT GRAY kent.gray@motivate.ae • Twitter: @KentGrayGolf / @GolfDigestME

HIS COLUMN 12 months ago, entitled The Game of our Lives, reflected on a world struggling to come to terms with an invisible and increasingly formidable foe. It grappled with the postponement of the 2020 Masters and how utterly bizarre everything suddenly was.

If you remember, golf’s main narrative just before the pandemic had been how the mysterious Premier Golf League (PGL) had ridden into town intent on disrupting the established order of the professional game.

Then, almost overnight, there was no golf at all, a much scarier immediate threat to the PGA and European Tours.

Fast-forward to today and it is comforting to see the Masters back where it belongs, the first major of the year in the second week of April with Augusta National in full Georgia bloom. Can Dustin Johnson defend the green jacket inside six months?

Can Rory McIlroy rediscover his mojo and seal that elusive grand slam? Will Jon Rahm have to race away mid-tournament for the birth of his first child? At the other end of the spectrum, will ageless Bernhard Langer make the cut again at 63? Can anyone beat Bryson DeChambeau if the Incredible Bulk turns Augusta into a relative pitch and (locked-arm) putt?

Few occasions move the game quite like Sunday afternoon in Augusta but don’t be surprised to learn of an equally seismic moment, especially for our little corner of the golfing world, shortly after the 85th Masters.

T

6 golfdigestme.com | april 2021

The European Tour were offered an eyewatering wad of cash to saddle up with the PGL. History will show they opted for a strategic relationship with the PGA Tour instead.

It will be interesting to see what comes of recent Florida meetings between PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and his Euro counterpart Keith Pelley before Monahan attended his first (virtual) European Tour board meeting.

Bet on it being the game’s main narrative moving forward if the smile sported by European Tour chairman David Williams, the gent pictured between Monahan and Pelley above, is any indication.

But it may not be the only show in town.

The aforementioned announcement with a Middle East subplot will remain the stuff of smoke and mirrors until it’s not but by way of a cryptic tease, consider that the backers of the PGL have lost none of their global or fiscal ambition despite the European Tour’s polite rebuff. Also that just as you can’t change your family, nor can you change where you come from.

So, roll on the drive up Magnolia Lane, Lee Elder historically joining Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player for the ceremonial tee shots, heroic escapes from the pinestraw and (perhaps) a European winner for the first time since Sergio Garcia in 2017. How about Lee Westwood for a genuine green jacket fairytale? And stay tuned for coverage of the shots set to be fired well after the conclusion of the most dramatic back nine in American golf.

T H E G O L F D I G E S T P U B L I C AT I O N S editor-in- chief Jerry Tarde director, business development & partnerships Greg Chatzinoff international editor Ju Kuang Tan GOLF DIGEST USA editor-in- chief Jerry Tarde gener al manager Chris Reynolds editorial director Max Adler executive editor Peter Morrice art director Chloe Galkin managing editors Alan P. Pittman, Ryan Herrington (News) chief pl aying editor Tiger Woods pl aying editors Phil Mickelson, Francesco Molinari, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Tom Watson

Scan the QR Code to read, download and share the latest, and back issues, of Golf Digest Middle East.

head office: Media One Tower, PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAE Tel +971 4 427 3000; Fax +971 4 428 2270 dubai media cit y: SD 2-94, 2nd Floor, Building 2, Dubai, UAE Tel +971 4 390 3550; Fax +971 4 390 4845 abu dhabi: PO Box 43072, UAE Tel +971 2 657 3490; Fax +971 2 657 3489

london: Acre House, 11/15 William Road, London NW1 3ER, UK, E-mail: motivateuk@motivate.ae

GOLF DIGEST and HOW TO PLAY, WHAT TO PLAY, WHERE TO PLAY are registered trademarks of Discovery Golf, Inc. Copyright © 2021 Discovery Golf, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Volume 72, Issue 2. GOLF DIGEST (ISSN 0017-176X) is published eight times a year by Discovery Golf, Inc. Principal office: Golf Digest, 1180 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y., 10036. Discovery Golf, Inc.: Alex Kaplan, President & GM; Gunnar Wiedenfels, Chief Financial Officer. Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y., and at additional mailing offices.

golfdigestme.com /GolfDigestME Photograph by European Tour

8 golfdigestme.com | april 2021

Laguna Golf Lăng Cô A major champion architect and a stunning sea meets mountain landscape make this Vietnam course a must play hen sir nick faldo is the artist and Vietnam’s stunning central coast is the six-time major champion’s canvas, it’s a given the golf will be compelling. But Laguna Golf Lăng Cô, as recently as 2019 the country’s top-rated course, is more than just an alluring mix of links-style golf where ocean surf meets rocky mountainscape. With two award-winning hotels, this is a holiday destination within itself, not that you’ll want to bypass any of Vietnam’s other golfing gems. They do things right at Laguna Golf Lăng Cô with the club home to the Asian final of the global Faldo (junior) Series, as well as to a herd of water buffalo which help manage the seven-hectares of rice fields located in the middle of the course. The “bio mowers” helped Laguna Golf Lăng Cô harvest a record 28 tonnes of rice last year which was donated to the local community. With its own water bottling plant to allow the resort to completely eliminate plastic water bottles, the club sealed a EarthCheck Gold certification in 2019, just one of three clubs worldwide to achieve the accreditation. –kent gray

W

Photograph courtesy of Laguna Golf Lăng Cô

Play Swing basics with Euan Bowden

“It is important to ensure your body stays centred as you do this.”

Launch sequence Work on this drill to nail your swing from the get-go To initiate the takeaway, feel as though you are applying pressure in the club down and away from the ball. This will encourage you to keep the club wide and the arms connected to your body. It is important to

WATCH THE VIDEO ▶ Scan the QR Code to watch Euan bring this lesson to life.

ensure your body stays centred as you do this.

A mental image to help you achieve this feeling is to picture yourself holding a beach ball under water, moving it away from your body. In other words, you are trying to drag your club through the water as it goes away from the golf ball. The feeling will create a resistance that slows the club down, helping to produce a slow and controlled takeaway.

A driving range drill to help with this is to place an alignment stick parallel to your target, half way between your feet and the ball (main image).

A good takeaway will see your hands staying on the inside of the stick as the club head stays on the outside just as the club reaches a position parallel to the

ground. A lot of amateurs snatch the club away from the ball (top left), whipping the club head inside their hands and around their body, often separating the elbows as a result. Others pick the club up from behind the ball (top right), getting it working too far from the body. Both of these will make it hard to initiate the correct body movement.

Essentially, you should look to move the ‘V’ shape created between our arms at address straight back away from the ball, keeping the hands and club head low and wide. Work on this feeling and you’ll be on the path to sweet strikes in no time.

Euan Bowden is PGA teaching professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai.

joachim guay

HE TAKEAWAY IS crucial as the rest of the swing evolves from here. It gives you a chance to set width in the swing and trigger the correct body movement from the outset.

T

Country MEMBERSHIP Al Hamra Golf Club Membership for UAE Residents outside of RAK and International guests

AED

4,000 INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP

OFFER INCLUDES

12 Rounds per year 14 Day advanced booking window Reduced EGF membership fee Member's Guest Green Fee rates applicable after your annual allocation of rounds used Access to Member’s Tournaments & Events Access to practice tee Payment Options Available Joining Fee AED 1,000 - credited to your account for F&B spend or a complimentary TEC Card

SCAN to receive the special Golf Digest reader offer of an extra round with your membership

www.alhamragolf.com

Play Dubai Golf Trophy

Perfect Match

The annual Dubai Golf Trophy will feature women for the first time

taged pr or prize-giving photos rarely get a run in the pages of Golf Digest Middle East nowadays. We get that winning the club stableford is a big deal but those oft fuzzy/poorly lit trophy handover/ handshake shots quickly meld into one another and the results they illustrate don’t age well in a monthly publication.

Occasionally though, exceptions are thoroughly warranted.

The historic shot previewing this month’s 22nd Dubai Golf Trophy is one such editorial concession given the implications of the moment snapped for prosperity.

For the first time in the history of the Ryder Cup-style matches between the Emirates Golf Federation’s leading amateurs and the top-performing UAE PGA Tour pros, women will be involved.

It will be a gradual step, starting with the top two EGF Order of Merit players going up against two UAE PGA pros in a separate competition alongside the men’s matches on April 10-11. But from next year, men and women will compete side-by-side in an exciting development for the highlight of UAE golf’s domestic calendar.

“This change comes in light of the surge in women’s participation in the

S

12 golfdigestme.com | april 2021

region, influenced by the increased visibility of female professionals in teaching posts at golf clubs, and initiatives by the EGF to increase women’s participation in the game,” the Dubai Golf Trophy media release happily trumpeted.

Olivia Jackson’s rapid rise to local prominence is a case in point. The Emirates Golf Club teaching professional earned an invite into the Ladies European Tour’s Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic last year courtesy of becoming the first woman to win a UAE PGA event.

UAE resident Alison Muirhead, who competed as a professional in the Moonlight Classic, is an even longer term endorsement of the EGF programme.

“The Dubai Golf Trophy was founded on the principle of raising the profile of golf in the region and bringing both amateur and professional golfers from clubs all over the UAE together in a competitive and enjoyable format,” said Chris May, CEO of Dubai Golf who founded the Dubai Golf Trophy.

“The inclusion of women in the event for the first time consolidates this founding principle, as the event reflects the full landscape of golfers in the region, with women’s participation in golf across the UAE at an all-time high.”

EGF Vice Chairman Adel Zarouni

(from l to r) ▶ EGF Vice Chairman Adel Zarouni, EGF OOM leader Hyeonji Kang, EGF captain Ahmed Skaik, UAE PGA captain Mike Bolt, UAE PGA pro Olivia Jackson and Dubai Golf CEO Chris May

praised Dubai Golf for the initiative.

“The Dubai Golf Trophy has always been pushing the best golfers in the UAE to play at a top-level for the entire UAE golf season. By adding women to the event this will continue to add to the R&A’s Women in Golf initiative that EGF has pledged to incorporate into UAE golf.

“We also hope that this new addition will inspire more clubs to hire female teaching professionals while giving female amateurs an additional benefit for playing the EGF Order of Merit events.

Congratulations to the Dubai Golf team for making this a reality.”

For the record, the EGF amateurs, to be captained for the first time by an Emirati, Ahmed Skaik, will be seeking a sixth-straight victory over the Michael Bolt-captained UAE Pros. The 54-hole event will be played on the Faldo course at Emirates G.C. (morning foursomes and afternoon four-balls) on April 10 before the singles on Earth at Jumeirah Golf Estates the following day. — kent gray Photograph by Dubai Golf

Play Course Management

Stroke Index 1 Even the European Tour’s best struggle with the 5th hole at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Luckily, Danny Jakubowski, Group Director of Instruction for Abu Dhabi’s three Troon clubs, has the secret to taming one of the toughest par-4s in the Middle East.

Photograph courtesy Abu Dhabi Golf Club

5th

PAR 4

THE 5TH HOLE AT Abu Dhabi Golf Club is both breath-taking and nightmarish at the same time.

It’s a beautiful, sweeping par 4 that doglegs to the left, testing golfers of all abilities from every tee complex.

Here's my strategy to tame this potential card-wrecker.

off the tee: The landing area off the tee, while spacious and inviting, asks for a gentle draw in between strategically placed fairway bunkers.

Hitting it in the left hand bunkers will likely surrender any opportunity to hit the green in regulation so the most sensible play is to favour the right hand side. The right bunker, while further away and mainly out of reach, is the ideal starting line for your drive but beware as the prevailing wind is a left to right brute which often plays directly into your face. A slightly leaked tee shot to the right introduces rough and a potential chip out from waste area, so an accurate tee shot is a real key to success.

approach: The approach lends itself to another dilemma. As the second shot is generally a long one, the looming left hand greenside bunker is always a factor in the golfer’s decision making. Playing safe to the right hand portion of the green is the smartest option but clever architecture by course designer Peter Harradine means that the narrow opening is often hard to find as the slope tends to direct the ball towards the right hand potion of the green. In short, only a well-flighted approach will find the putting surface. holing out: There is some good news when you finally discover the putting surface: keep the ball

Black

469 yards

Green

440 yards

White

408 yards

Red

379 yards

Danny Jakubowski below the hole and you will be left with a reasonable attempt at birdie.

Local knowledge suggests that you should look at the line from both in front and behind the hole however, as there are some subtle slopes that can be hard to see. The 5th hole is both a physical and tactical marvel that will surely stand out during your round at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Good luck!

april 2021 | golfdigestme.com

15

Mind Journeys

Sungjae Im More than anything, I don’t want to lose REMEMBER LOVING GOLF since I was little, growing up in South Korea, winning little games, how fun golf was. But more than anything, I hated losing. My parents played, and by age 4, I would mimic their swings with objects around the house.

When I was 9, I was good enough to enter my first tournament. I had never broken 90 to that point, but that day I shot 77. I remember being super focused and nervous at the same time. The way those two feelings came together, it almost felt spiritual, and it resulted in a concentration I had never experienced before. After feeling that, I knew I could be a good player. I knew I wanted to play golf professionally. I never really thought about being anything else.

I

I played occasionally with my parents, but mostly with my coach and his friends. I kept improving and was named to the South Korean National team when I was 16. I received an exemption into one of the Japan Tour events, so I was able to play my first pro event there. I came back, gave up my national team spot and turned professional. I was 17. ●●●

That first season in Japan, it was a miracle that I kept my card.

Mentally, I wasn’t prepared for the pressure and the number of tournaments. I realised I had gone through that season without having any confidence in how I play golf.

The next season, I chose to believe in my style of play—steadiness, consistency—and it worked. I finished in the top 15 on the money list, and that was enough to exempt me into the second stage of Q school. ●●●

I qualified for the 2018 Web.com [now Korn Ferry] Tour season, and it couldn’t have started off better.

The first tournament, I won, and the second tournament, I was runnerup. In just the first two events, I had secured my PGA Tour card. I set a new goal to try to be the money winner for the season—which would mean I could play all the events on the

16 golfdigestme.com | april 2021

PGA Tour, except the majors.

I achieved that as well. ●●●

I felt ready for the PGA Tour.

Being able to practice with players I’ve admired was exciting and overwhelming. Tiger was the person I always wanted to see up close, see his swing, his ball flight. I was speechless the first time I saw him.

He has such a great imagination, and he can hit any shot he wants. He plays with so much confidence.

He has his own glow around him. ●●●

A few events into the 2019 season, I lost in a playoff at the Sanderson Farms Championship. I thought I had won before the tournament was over. I just lost my focus at the end.

Sebastian Munoz drained a difficult putt to force a playoff, and I wasn’t mentally prepared for that. When I had my next chance to win, at the Honda Classic, I didn’t want to make that mistake again. This time I was sharp and focused until the end, mentally prepared for a playoff against Tommy Fleetwood. Luckily, we didn’t have to go to a playoff, but I was ready for it had it come to that.

it to the weekend. I had gained some necessary confidence by finishing 22nd at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot and was happy to make the weekend at Augusta. Playing in the final group with Dustin Johnson was thrilling. ●●●

I started off strong and got the lead down to one shot. There was a moment when I thought, I could win the Masters today. Immediately after that thought I made a couple of mistakes, and Dustin ran away with it. I was humbly reminded that you have to stay focused. You can’t be greedy or try to predict what’s going to happen. Once you think that, things will go the other way. It was hard learning that lesson again, but I’m 22. I know I’ll have to keep learning. I’m still very proud of myself for finishing T-2. ●●●

I’m careful about the goals I set.

I don’t want to get ahead of myself— I’ve seen what can happen when I do that. But when I look at this season, I can’t ignore that it’s an Olympic year.

As it sits right now, I will most likely make the team, but you never know until the end. It would be such an honor to represent my country, and so tremendous to win a medal, that it’s honestly hard to even talk about. ●●●

●●●

Setting goals and playing tournaments isn’t as simple as it was when I was 9. Back then it was mostly about balancing the nerves and focus. Now I have expectations, and I have to keep my confidence up.

I try to balance those things by staying as humble as I can with the opportunities I have. But one thing has not changed: I still hate to lose.

—WITH KEELY LEVINS

Unfortunately, I had to learn that lesson again at my first Masters, in 2020. My goal going in was to make

Interviewed with help from Sungjae Im’s translator and agent, Danny Oh Photograph by Andrew Hetherington

sungjae im pga tour age 22 lives jeju, south korea

A mini tour’s

MAJOR RETHINK

The MENA Tour is set to resume in October but the new global norm means it is out with the old and in with condensed thinking

By Kent Gray

WITHIN DAYS OF Tour Commissioner David Spencer announcing that the on-again, off-again MENA Tour was officially on-again, the reality of our time was brought into sobering focus once more.

The on-going challenges of global travel forced the European Tour to abruptly postpone the Portugal Masters and radically reshuffle the remainder of its April-early May schedule. To the credit of European Tour chief Keith Pelley and his Wentworth-based team, the Tenerife Open was swiftly moved to fill the sudden Portugal gap and the €1 million Austrian Open reinstated to the schedule, albeit to start four days after the Masters at Augusta National and likely without many name players as a result.

Spencer knows a thing or three about pivoting

18 golfdigestme.com | april 2021

and pivoting again in the ▶ Scot Ryan Lumsden face of on-going challenges won the last MENA created by the pandemic.

Tour event, the He’d originally hoped to Journey to Jordan resume the MENA Tour in #2 Championship on March-April this year but March 4. A day later, has now released a super the development tour condensed 15 to 16-event was postponed due to schedule to start in Aqaba, the COVID-19 outbreak Jordan on October 1.

That will include the five outstanding 54-hole events from 2020 to be played in a breathless four week stretch from Oct. 1 with a mere day off in between events at Ayla Golf Club, the tour’s official destination partner. Thereafter, a 2021 season comprising 10-11 events will be squeezed into the even more rapid-fire period from November 1 to

December 20. All going to plan, some of the 2021 season events will be played in Oman (possibly Ghala) and the UAE (likely Al Ain, Al Zorah, Al Hamra and Tower Links with a possibility of other Abu Dhabi clubs). But then again, this is 2021, the golf year suffering a bad hangover from the year that changed everything.

Spencer is delighted to have retained all of the MENA Tour’s pre-COVID sponsors, including naming rights titleholder Arena. But to say that the landscape has changed is hardly breaking news.

“I do think about what we were trying to do on the MENA Tour, going from destination to destination, week after week. We wanted to provide our members the experience of playing on a larger tour,” Spencer said.

“But I think now we will see tours starting to play multiple events in one destination. And that is all tours.”

By resuming the season at Ayla Golf Club, with its on-site hotel, beach club, pools and ocean sports, the MENA Tour is going into a bubble that has become the new norm on the European Tour.

It is also an insurance policy against pandemic curve-balls. In theory, all 16 events planned could be played in Aqaba.

Surely two months in the same spot, looping the same course – as fun as Greg Norman’s Ayla design is – would be a massive turnoff for even competition and cash-starved mini tour players?

Spencer thinks not, suggesting the tour has been “absolutely inundated with requests” to fill the 132-max player fields given limited playing opportunities around the world.

A mixture of strokeplay and matchplay events will spice things up. “Courses can be set up differently as well. Most club members around the world play the same course over and over and seem to have a very enjoyable experience,” Spencer said.

Indeed, the commissioner is adamant the pandemic has transitioned tour golf ’s player-first mentality to commercial realism driven by a health and safety first ethos.

“Whether you are running the PGA Tour or the MENA Tour, you had to try to please everybody all of the time. In the new normal, that’s not possible,” Spencer said.

“Perhaps some people will fall through the cracks. What we’re trying to do with the MENA Tour is to make decisions that are as fair as possible for everybody.”

For “fair”, read cost-effective and logistically fesible. The decision to travel to Jordan is littered with potential pitfalls that are out of Spencer’s control but he’s planning to reduce the costs of travel and accommodation all the same.

With the majority of the developmental circuit’s players U.K. based, they will first require British Government permission to leave the U.K., will then need to quarantine for 14-days in a “green listed” Middle East destination – Dubai being the obvious option – before being permitted entry into Jordan. This all the while hoping the green status of their quarantine base isn’t changed by

▶ (right) The MENA Tour is a crucial piece in the development puzzle for players such as Dubai-based Indian amateur Arjun Gupta. ▶ (below right) Englishman David Langley holds a narrow lead in the 2020 Journey to Jordan moneylist race.

Whether you are running the PGA Tour or the MENA Tour, you had to try to please everybody all of the time. In the new normal, that’s not possible.

the Jordanian authorities during the fortnight.

Still, Spencer is optimistic. While players on other mini tours play for little more than entry fees, the “bulk” of events will retain the MENA Tour’s stock-standard $75,000 purses. Any “slight” reduction in prize funds would be “directly attributable to any increase in player costs in relation to regulatory health costs.”

Certainty is a rare commodity in life nowadays, much less in golf. In that regard, all the MENA Tour can do is plan for an Oct. 1 start and continue playing the lie as the year progresses. In others words, if all 16 events need to be played in Jordan, it’s far better than not playing at all.

Much will depend on COVID travel restrictions at the time with the tour to be guided by the vaccine regulations in each country.

“There is absolutely no doubt that we are all living in a new world and I do not see 2021 being too much different from 2020,” Spencer said in a memo to players.

“I do think that 2021 will be a year of recalibration and 2022 promises to be relatively normal, positive and calm. I am extremely confident that the plan that is set out is fully achievable.

“That being said, if there are further changes they will be done from pure necessity. We will make sure that the 2021 plan is fully confirmed to you all by June 15th, 2021 at the latest. This gives everyone three plus months notice before we recommence play.”

Three months. A relative eon in these strange times.

Photograph by Joy Chakravarty

2021

MASTERS PREVIEW

Five months after he ate up Augusta, Dustin Johnson, golf’s Zen master, is hungry for more

By DANIEL RAPAPORT Photographs by JENSEN LARSON PHOTOGRAPHY

You see Dustin Johnson coming from a mile away. His shoulders slice through the air, rhythmically bobbing side to side, almost a shimmy. The arms flop with blissful disregard while his head stays completely still in a bubble of tranquility. The word “walk” doesn’t do it justice; it’s more aerodynamic. “Strut” comes to mind, but that word implies performance, and DJ does not care who is watching.

He is an imposing figure—all of 6-foot-4, sinewy and lithe, full beard, pinch of dip. When the golf world is blessed with such an athlete, there’s a compulsive desire to place him in another sport. He looks like an NFL linebacker. Got a torso like a swimmer. Johnson, however, has the perfect body for golf. These extraordinary physical gifts are a huge reason why he is No. 1 in the world, the reigning Masters champion and the game’s alpha male.

Yet, as Johnson glides into his late 30s, it has become clear that what goes on between his ears—or, more importantly, what does not—might be his greatest strength. “His attitude is the best in the game,” says his coach, Claude Harmon III. “Other than Jack and Tiger, you can make an argument that he has the best mind in the history of golf.”

‘SLY LIKE A FOX’ The conventional wisdom on Dustin Johnson, 36, goes something like this: He doesn’t say much, so he must not be very intelligent. When asked at last year’s Masters about his favourite Augusta National tradition, Johnson

22 golfdigestme.com | april 2021

deadpanned: “the sandwiches.” Not the green jacket, not the honorary starters, but the sandwiches. Was that the best he could come up with, or did he know what he was doing? In a zeitgeist when so many smart people seem eager to prove how smart they are, the challenge is to decouple those two qualities—to avoid mistaking silence for vacuousness. Yes, it’s true that Johnson doesn’t share much with the media. No, that is not by accident.

“We say that D.J. is sly like a fox,” says Butch Harmon, who began working with Johnson in 2009 before handing off that responsibility to his son in recent years. “If you listen to his interviews, he doesn’t give you much—a lot of yes or no answers. That’s done on purpose so that he doesn’t have to do a lot of interviews. He’s smart that way.”

The Harmons are not the only ones in awe of D.J.’s vibe.

After playing with Johnson for the first two rounds of the 2020 Masters, which Johnson would go on to win by five, Rory McIlroy described D.J.’s approach as, “See ball, hit ball. See putt, hole putt, go to the next.” It was a heartfelt compliment, perhaps with a hint of envy. Some players stand on the first tee at Augusta National and see trees left, a bunker right and future headlines racing through their heads. Johnson sees a welcoming canvas for his power fade—nothing more. “I try not to overcomplicate stuff— shots,” Johnson says. “Obviously, I’ve played enough golf; I understand the game very well.”

Therein lies Johnson’s genius—a preternatural ability to remove narrative from the equation and focus on what he can control. Perhaps the adage “golf is a thinking man’s game” needs an update given new insights into the brain and what peak mental performance looks like.

“I have spent my life teaching people to not think, as crazy as that sounds,” says Dr. Bob Rotella, the legendary sport psychologist. “Too many thoughts, especially in golf, can be paralySing. Dustin has a wonderful ability to be very interested in what he’s doing but to underreact to everything. He never panics. Nothing seems to bother him.”

Athletes pay people like Dr. Rotella to help them quiet their minds in the most pressure-packed moments—to hone the process rather than the outcome. The process is within one’s control, the outcome not so much. It’s possible to play well and shoot a bad score, but few golfers are able to reconcile that paradox. D.J. is one of the lucky few.

“When he hits one in the water or out-of-bounds,” says Claude, “I’ll ask him afterward if he wants to go hit balls, and he’ll say, ‘Nah, not really, I’m good. Didn’t really hit it that bad today.’ He’ll shoot over par and say, ‘I made one bad swing today. But I also made a lot of good swings.’

Most players, they’re all caught up in their score, in the bad things. Dustin is able to remove that from his thinking.”

Johnson does not get advice from a sport psychologist, yet he might be the best embodiment of what they preach.

He does not read self-help books. Nor does he read much at all, especially not since sons Tatum, 6, and River, 3, were born. He does not practice mindfulness—at least not consciously. “I probably do my own kind of meditation, without even knowing,” he says. “I’ve never really thought about what I do. I just do it. I’m pretty good at doing that.”

This Zen appears to be a D.J. thing rather than a Johnson thing—at least according to his younger brother, Austin, who has been Dustin’s caddie since 2013. “I don’t know

where it comes from,” Austin says, “because I didn’t catch on to whatever he caught on to. He’s been that way for as long as I can remember, in life and in golf.”

Most caddies double as on-course psychologists, or at least sounding boards for when their players want to vent.

An integral part of the job is knowing when to step in with words of encouragement and when to give your player a kick in the butt. Austin’s job—looping for a man who named his boat Just Chillin’—is a little simpler in that way.

“Very rarely, if ever, do I have to say stuff like that,” Austin says. “We’re talking once or twice a year. He does more of that for me than I do for him.”

‘I’M JUST SENDING IT, BRO’ The Zen has been there since Johnson was a kid, but becoming an all-timer requires more than a good golf swing and a chill aura. There is raw talent, and then there is refined greatness. Johnson’s jaw-dropping potential was clear as soon as he arrived on tour as a soul-patched 23-year-old out of Coastal Carolina—the swing speed, the touch around the greens and the why-not attitude.

But the tour has a knack for exposing players’ shortcomings, and Johnson’s was volatility. He played a draw on almost every shot, which led to a violent left miss in pressure moments, and his “strategy”—if you could call it that—bordered on reckless.

“He was a free-wheeler,” says Butch Harmon. “As he used to say, on every hole, ‘I’m just sending it, bro.’ He didn’t take anything into consideration other than being totally aggressive on every shot.”

At the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, Butch and Johnson butted heads in a telling back and forth. Johnson was starting his week on 10, a drivable par 4 with a devilish green. Harmon knew Johnson could drive the putting surface and knew damn sure he would want to, but he pleaded with his then-26-year-old student to lay up and attack from the fairway because driving the green would almost certainly result in a three-putt.

Bro, I’m sending it, and I’m driving the green.

“Sure enough, he drives it on the front and three-putts,” Butch says. “That was D.J. back then.”

Johnson would miss a playoff that week after being penalised for grounding his club in a bunker on the 72nd hole. He was so impossibly talented that he could compete, and win, despite himself. Johnson won six tournaments in his first five years on tour and had great chances to win multiple majors: at Whistling Straits; earlier that year at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, where he had a three-shot lead heading into Sunday only to implode and shoot 82; and at the 2011 Open Championship, where he push-sliced a 2-iron out-of-bounds to quash his chase of Darren Clarke.

By nearly anyone’s standards, it was a phenomenal start to a professional golf career. But Johnson is not anyone, and those close to him sensed he was underachieving.

Around that time, in 2013, he started dating Paulina Gretzky, the daughter of a man who did not underachieve.

“What we’ve given him as a family is the belief that he can be successful every week,” says Wayne Gretzky. “What we’ve given him is a belief that one win a year, for a guy of your ability, is OK—but you can do way better than that.”

Something needed to change if Johnson was going to realise his potential, and the mid-2010s proved to be

24 golfdigestme.com | april 2021

D.J. has a wonderful ability to underreact to everything. He never panics.

a transformative period that molded Johnson into the polished player he is today. First, Paulina and the Gretzkys came into his life. Then, while she was pregnant with their first son in 2014, he took a leave of absence from the tour to seek professional help for “personal challenges.”

“I’ve obviously been through about every situation you could possibly throw at me,” he says. “So there ain’t nothin’—it’s going to be very hard to rattle me.”

After returning in 2015, he had his best chance yet to finally win the big one. After two perfect shots into the par-5 finishing hole at Chambers Bay, Johnson stood over a 12-footer for eagle to win the U.S. Open. Sixty-two surreal seconds later he tapped in for par, and Jordan Spieth had won his second straight major. There was fear, at least from the outside, that Johnson might never recover. He had now had four majors in his grasp and blown all of them. The heartbreak was piling up, and this, a three-putt from 12 feet in front of the world, was the most crushing blow of all.

After the defeat, Paulina, Austin, Austin’s then-girlfriend/ now-wife Samantha and longtime agent David Winkle rode silently as Johnson drove the courtesy SUV back to the rental house. No one knew what to say; the entire team had been punched in the gut. Winkle gave D.J. a love tap on the shoulder to let him know everything was going to be OK. Johnson had had enough of the touchy-feely stuff. He pulled just off the road and turned to his inner circle with a firm message: “Lighten up! Guys, it’s just golf.”

The next day, Johnson flew to the Gretzky summer home at Coeur d’Alene in Idaho. He teed it up with Wayne and crew 21 days in a row and did not speak of that three-putt once. Nothing that Johnson could do would change what happened—so why give it an ounce of thought?

“That’d be like me losing Game 7, then going the next two weeks and playing pickup hockey with my buddies every day,” Gretzky says. “It’s unheard of. I knew he would get over Chambers because he just loves the game that much.”

The turning point came that December, when Johnson was testing new TaylorMade woods on the range of Sherwood Country Club in Southern California. He and Butch had been working to develop a fade off the tee, but Johnson wasn’t yet comfortable taking it from the range to the course. But when he couldn’t keep his drives on the planet ahead of a round one day with his old hook, he decided he would give it a try. “Think I shot 61 or something,” he says. “I’m like, All right.” Next day, Johnson hit a cut every swing. Shot 62. The next day he faded every one again and shot another 62 or 61. Three days in a row. “I was like, All right, I’m playing a fade.” It was literally that simple.

AED 99 only

Get three left- or right-handed Golf Digest-branded cabretta leather gloves when you sign up to a three-month subscription to the region’s leading golf title.

To subscribe, visit golfdigestme.com/subscription

“When he’s on, he’s the closest thing to Tiger Woods we’ve seen.”

—BUTCH HARMON

For most tour players, a significant change would be considered only after extensive launch-monitor testing, a coach’s input, an equipment tweak and a review from both houses of Congress. As such, perhaps no anecdote better illustrates the delightfully uncluttered nature of D.J.’s mind than this switch. He was 31, squarely in his prime, the No. 8 player in the world, the winner of nine PGA Tour events— and all that came with the draw he had played his entire life. Then, one day on the range before a casual round with the boys, with nary a launch monitor nor an instructor in sight, he decided he would switch to a cut. He has been a fader ever since. It was that simple.

FULFILLING A DREAM Using a fade that limited his misses but didn’t cost him yards (he has been in the top 10 in driving distance every year he has been on tour), course-management discipline and a precise wedge game, Johnson made the leap from ultra-talented underachiever to one of the best players of his generation. The major breakthrough came one year after the Chambers calamity, at the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont, where he handled a messy final-round rules situation (and an eventual one-shot penalty) with characteristic aplomb. Again: Can’t control it, so why worry?

“I liken him to a cornerback in the NFL,” Butch says.

“Gets beat plenty of times, but always straps it up and goes to the next play.”

The wins piled up during the next three years. Johnson reached No. 1 in the world for the first time in Febrary 2017 at age 32, something of a late bloomer in an age of 20-something phenoms. The one-win-a-year cadence hastened to three or four a year. The funny thing about winning a lot, though, is that people start to care only about the results in the four majors. Despite more close calls— a blown 54-hole lead at the 2018 U.S. Open, runner-up finishes at the 2019 Masters and the 2019 PGA Championship—Johnson had yet to add a second major to his growing trophy mantle. That was the narrative: extraordinary talent, great player, wins a lot, only one major. The couch shrinks had their theories: He tries too hard on Sundays, or he doesn’t try hard enough. Plays too aggressive, or not aggressive enough. Can’t close. The man himself, for what it’s worth, never cared a lick.

“I care about what my friends and family think about me, I do,” Johnson says. “But people I don’t know—I don’t form an opinion about someone I don’t know because I don’t know them. Why do they think they have the right to

26 golfdigestme.com | april 2021

have an opinion on me when they don’t know me? You can ask anyone who knows me—their opinion about me is going to be a lot different than what random people think.

“One thing I don’t care about is what the media says.

I couldn’t care less. Truly.”

The major-curse talk peaked after the 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park, where Johnson played his way into another 54-hole major lead. Remarkably, this came less than a month after shooting 80-80 at the Memorial and pulling out of the 3M Championship after a first-round 78. “Golf is about having a long memory of the good things and a short memory of the bad,” Rotella says.

“Dustin truly understands that.”

This time, at least, Johnson couldn’t blame himself for another major disappointment, shooting 68 that day at Harding Park only to be leapfrogged by a 64 from Collin Morikawa, 23, who was playing just his second major.

More scar tissue? Please. Two weeks later, Johnson shot a second-round 60 and a four-day total of 30 under par to win The Northern Trust. That field featured the top 25 players in the world, and the runner-up finished 11 strokes back. Yes, the near misses are part of Johnson’s legacy, but so are weeks like those when he makes this most complicated game look astonishingly easy.

“Golf IQ-wise, he’s a genius,” Butch says. “You combine that with the physical—when he’s on, he’s the closest thing to Tiger Woods we’ve seen. If he’s on and everybody else is on, he’s going to win. The only difference is, Tiger Woods was on for 20 years.”

Two weeks after his Northern Trust tour de force, Johnson won his first FedEx Cup title and entered the one-off November Masters as a clear favourite. Taking advantage of a gentler Augusta National, he played the first three rounds in 16 under par to earn his fifth 54-hole lead at major. He had gone 0-4 previously, but this time he had his biggest lead yet: four shots, setting the scene for a collapse or a coronation. When he chunked a chip into a bunker on the second hole, the Twitter fingers sprang into action. It was happening again. Surely nightmares of majors past were tormenting his thoughts. How could they not be?

“The only thing I was thinking, I can’t believe I just chunked that chip. And that was it. Honestly, I knew I was playing well.” He played his last 13 holes in five under to shoot 68 and finish at 20 under—breaking the 72-hole tournament scoring record (held by Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods) by two. “He was very aware that winning the Masters was an opportunity for him to change the narrative, which in life, you rarely get an opportunity to do,” Claude says. “You’re put in a hole, and you can’t get out of it. He knew if he won that, the narrative changes.”

Maybe that’s why Johnson succumbed to emotion on the 18th green. It was a jarring scene, like seeing your dad cry for the first time—you didn’t know he was capable of it. But if there ever were a time to activate the tear ducts, this was it—a victory in the biggest golf tournament in the world, an hour’s drive from where he grew up across the South Carolina border, and after so many close calls. Maybe he was thinking of all that as he struggled to find words—of Pebble and Whistling and Harding, of his maturation, of his children and his legacy. Or maybe it wasn’t that complicated.

“As a kid, dreaming about winning the Masters—to do it, I thought that was pretty f______ cool.”

Stay & Play

Competition

Win!

A STAY & PLAY PACKAGE FOR YOU AND 3 MATES!

Golf Digest Middle East has partnered with Al Hamra Golf Club to give one lucky reader the chance to surprise three mates with a stay and play package for four people at Ras Al Khaimah’s premier course.

This incredible prize includes an overnight stay at the DoubleTree by Hilton Resort & Spa Marjan Island and two rounds of golf over two days.

Prices start from AED 550+ per person for stay and play packages (4 people, 2 rooms, based on 2 people sharing), ideal for a weekend staycation or end of season tournaments for golf groups and societies. This prize/deal includes a drinks package at Al Hamra Golf Club (starting from AED 150 per person) for three hours of post-round rehydration. Enquire through reservations@alhamragolfclub.com or call 07 244 74 74.

Simply follow us at @golfdigestme, find and like this post and you’ll be entered into the random draw. Share it with your friends or tag them to increase your chance of winning. Winner to be notified on April 30. Good luck!

@golfdigestme april 2021 | golfdigestme.com

27

DUSTIN JOHNSON HAS BEEN among the PGA Tour’s elite since his first full season in 2008. A victory in every year of his career is testament to that. But closer inspection of his game reveals that D.J. has gotten better in recent years—a lot better—because of his ability to fade the ball, a consensus of experts say.

“Dustin can make the ball do whatever he wants, but the reality is, he almost exclusively plays a fade,” says his coach, Claude Harmon III, citing Johnson’s perennial top-10 presence in the PGA Tour’s strokes gained/tee-to-green stat as evidence that shaping the ball left to right has helped him win majors and become the top player in the world.

Adds Johnson, “I used to draw it all the time, but about six years ago, I had a stretch where I couldn’t keep the ball on the planet. So one day I said, I’m only playing a cut today—and I shot 61.

Next day, hit a cut, shot 62. Next day I shoot another 61 or 62. I was like, OK, I’m always playing a fade. I found that my misses got tighter and I wasn’t losing any distance.”

Setting distance gains aside for a moment, what if you could turn a weak slice into a reliable fade? What if your misses were just off the fairway instead of in deep rough? What if you could borrow from Johnson’s swing?

How much better would you be?

“If slicers copied a handful of things Dustin does, their ball-striking would improve a lot,” says instructor David Leadbetter. “Dustin is a gifted athlete, he could probably bowl a 200 lefthanded. You might not think copying his swing is realistic, but there are many facets of it that aren’t too difficult to employ. And the reality is, the closer you can get to copying those things, the closer you will get to controlling your ball flight.”

We asked Harmon, Leadbetter and fellow instructor Jim McLean to identify parts of Johnson’s swing that would turn a slice into a reliable fade for the average player. There are several, they said, and if you copy them, you’ll get more than just better accuracy.

“If your ball curves less, it’s probably going to travel farther up the fairway,” McLean says. “Combined with contact closer to the centre of the clubface, that means more distance without swinging harder.”

Turn the page to learn more.

28 golfdigestme.com | april 2021

Dustin Johnson has perfected the power fade.

What your swing can take from it

By RON KASPRISKE

CHECK THE ALIGNMENT OF YOUR FEET AND YOUR SHOULDERS

It’s sometimes indiscernible, but Johnson typically sets up aligned slightly left—or open— in relation to the target line (right). That alters his swing just enough to keep the clubface a little open in relation to his swing path at impact, and that’s what makes the ball fade. Unfortunately, an open face also can produce a wicked slice if you don’t adjust your stance.

“It’s fine to have the feet a bit open, but you need closed shoulders to cool off that severe, out-to-in swing path that’s causing a slice,” Harmon says.

“The average right-handed slicer swings on a path 10 degrees left of the target line. D.J. swings 5 degrees left. If you could cut your left swing path in half, you’d be OK.”

GET OFF TO A WIDE START

Most slicers limit body rotation as they take the club back, which narrows the arc of their swing.

Johnson turns away from the target with his arms and body moving in unison (left), which keeps his swing arc wide—poised to deliver a more powerful and reliable downswing.

“This is something any golfer can copy,” McLean says. “His body motion in the takeaway is perfect.” If his swing arc were to narrow, like it does in an amateur swing, he would have to regain its original width during the downswing or he’d mis-hit it. He also wouldn’t be able to consistently generate good power without staying wide, McLean says.

MAKE SURE YOUR LEAD WRIST DOESN’T CUP

Slicers get to the top of the backswing with a cupped lead wrist, causing the clubface to open. Johnson’s clubface is shut at the top (left), meaning he doesn’t have to alter anything about it in the downswing to avoid a slice.

“Note his bowed left wrist—that’s key to his power fade because it’s what keeps his clubface from opening,” Leadbetter says. “Hitting the ball with a square or shut clubface is going to feel really solid, especially to slicers who are used to hitting the ball with a glancing blow. And when the closed clubface at impact makes them miss the fairway to the left instead of to the right, they’ll then intuitively start improving their swing path to straighten out their ball flight.”

april 2021 | golfdigestme.com

31

MOVE MORE VERTICALLY INTO THE BALL

Johnson’s right shoulder drops as it rotates toward the target and his right elbow tucks into his side in the downswing (below). “If you look at a slicer’s swing, the right shoulder is moving out, not down, and the elbow is away from the body,” Leadbetter says. The closer you come to copying the look of Johnson’s downswing, the more you will limit the outside-in swing path that’s causing the big slice. You’ll also keep the club in position to accelerate through the impact zone. “Slicers are often decelerating as they approach the ball, which is a real distance killer,” Leadbetter says.

32 golfdigestme.com | april 2021

DON’T TRY TO CURVE IT, JUST HIT IT HARDER

“Your goal should be less about how much the ball is curving and more about how solidly you hit it,” Harmon says. “D.J. compresses the ball and produces a lot of ball speed, but his ball curves a lot more than you’d think—and that’s OK if you pick a specific start line left of the target so the ball ends up where you want it.” You might not be able to hit it as hard as Johnson (below), but any improvement in solidness of contact will start to transform a weak slice into a power fade, Harmon says.

FULLY EXTEND YOUR ARMS AND CLUB THROUGH IMPACT

“You need full extension through the ball. That’s a difference maker for power,” McLean says. The radius typically narrows in a slicer’s swing, resulting in the classic chicken-wing look of the lead arm around impact. If you have maximum extension through the hitting area (below), your drives will straighten, and you’ll pick up yardage at your current swing speed, McLean says. To get a feel for extension, hold a club upside down and swing it, trying to make a swooshing noise as it passes over the ground. Re-create that noise when you hit shots, and you’re swinging more like D.J.

2021

gutter credit tk

MASTERS PREVIEW

34 00 golfdigestme.com golf digest | issue |x april . 2021 2021

Photograph by First Lastname

FOLLOW OUR 3-WEEK, GET-READY PLAN TO LEARN HOW TO PRACTICE, PLAY AND PEAK FOR YOUR BIGGEST EVENT OF THE YEAR

By MICHAEL BREED AND DR. ARA SUPPIAH WITH PETER MORRICE Opening photograph by ANDREW HETHERINGTON

RANGE ONLY, SWING BASICS, HOOKS + SLICES, WHAT TO EAT

IRON PLAY

check your contact For starters, we have to make sure you’re hitting the ball solidly, which means controlling the low point of the swing. What’s the low point? It’s where the clubhead hits the ground, and with every club except the driver, that point should come just past the ball.

The key is the trail arm (the right arm for righties). On the downswing, the trail arm is straightening (right), but you don’t want it to fully extend until after the strike. If it straightens before impact, the low point moves back, and you hit the ball fat or thin. That’s why so many amateurs struggle to make consistent contact.

This week, practice hitting iron shots focusing on your trail arm staying bent and then straightening past the ball.

You’re going to love hitting it flush.

DR. ARA SAYS

NUTRITION Keep your energy up It’s so important to fi nd out what you can eat to stay energiSed without spiking your blood sugar.

Check the nutrition label on snacks

you like. Do the math. Add up the protein, fiber and fat content. If that sum is more than the total carbohydrates, it’s a good snack.

DR. ARA SAYS HYDRATION Calculate your intake

Studies show if you’re 2 percent dehydrated, your athletic performance drops 10 percent! First, weigh yourself, and then create a plan to drink half of your weight (in ounces) of water every day.

Make it a habit: Set an alarm, even mark “water holes” on your scorecard, like Nos. 3, 7, 12 and 16.

DRIVING

make a bigger turn

protein bar by joe harrison, water bottle by vectors point: from the noun project

When you’re hitting driver, you need to make a big motion. Most people think about turning the lead shoulder to make a full backswing, but I want you to try something different: Focus on rotating your trail shoulder behind your head (above). Turning the trail shoulder pulls the whole upper body into action.

Grab two alignment sticks, place one on

your target line and hold the other across your shoulders, with each hand on the opposite shoulder. Practice turning back by pushing your trail shoulder behind you with your lead hand. I bet you can turn 90 degrees in relation to the stick on the ground. Do that, and you’ve got all the power you need. Hit drivers on the range with one thought: trail shoulder back.

BALL FLIGHT

experiment with curves One of the basic skills in golf is curving the ball—on command.

If you practice hitting big curves, you’ll start to understand how to tone them down. Most importantly, you’ll figure out which shape is more natural and controllable for you. So head back to the practice tee to hit some more drivers.

Curve starts with the clubface. To hit draws, take your grip with your trail hand coming onto the club from a low angle by your trail leg (above, left). This will seat the grip more in the palm, which promotes a closed clubface—and a draw. Practice

Instruction photographs by J.D. Cuban and Walter Iooss, Jr.

hitting tee shots with this type of grip, and notice that the more you set your trail hand on the underside of the grip, the more draw you put on the ball.

To hit fades, bring your trail hand onto the grip from a high position, with your arm extended in front of you (above, right).

This will put the grip more in the fingers, which promotes an open face—and a fade. Hit some tee shots and, again, experiment with the trail-hand position. You’ll see that putting it more on top of the grip creates more fade.

Early on, I want you to create some big curves. Don’t worry that you’re hitting wild tee shots. The point is to understand how to make the ball turn. Next week we’ll work on control.

april 2021 | golfdigestme.com

37

RANGE AND COURSE, BALL CONTROL, WEDGE PLAY, HOW TO BREATHE

ACCURACY

dial in the curve

DR. ARA SAYS

BREATHING Wait for the exhale I’m a huge fan of intentional breathing for relaxation. But keep in mind, it’s the exhale that matters. A great way to practice

38 golfdigestme.com | april 2021

this is to breathe through a straw.

You’ll see it takes a long time to fully breathe out. That long exhale is what dissipates the stress.

clouds and gusts of wind by akhmad taufiq from the noun project

We talked about creating curve by adjusting the trail hand. Now we’ve got to mold that into predictable shots. The key here is understanding that the direction you swing the club through impact—left or right—has a huge effect on how open or closed the face is when it hits the ball.

Let’s start with the draw. We know that setting the trail hand more under the grip produces a draw, but now combine that with swing path. Set an alignment stick on your target line but angle it out to the “push” side (right side for righties). Align your body to the stick and swing through in that direction. The ball should start right and curve left. Notice the more you swing to the right, the more the ball draws.

Now switch to the fade. Place the alignment stick on the “pull” side and line up your body to the stick.

Remember, you’re setting your trail hand more on top of the grip—the fade grip. Hit some drives, and you’ll see the ball starts left and curves right. And the more left you swing, the more the ball fades.

One of these ball flights is going to feel better to you. Try to really connect with one shape and start building your confidence in using it.

WEDGES

develop your own two-swing system

The challenge with wedge play is, you can’t just plug in a club and make a full swing like you do from longer distances. You need to be able to cover a multitude of distances, and do it systematically so you’re not improvising all the time. Sound familiar?

Let’s assume you have three wedges. With two swings for each one, you’d have six shots inside 100 yards—that’s a good start. If your range is well marked, great, otherwise shoot distances with a range finder or drop a headcover every 10 yards to create a yardage grid.

Here’s how to develop two swings. Stick a tee in the ground even with the ball you’re hitting and another one two feet closer to the target. Take your longest wedge and hit some shots turning your lead shoulder back until it points at the first tee. Record how far the shots go. Then hit shots turning your shoulder to the forward tee. Record distances. Do this with two more wedges, and it’s like having six of them in your bag.

DR. ARA SAYS

ENERGY SNACKS Get up or calm down Some people need an occasional pick-me-up, and others need to take the edge off. For the first type, I suggest caffeine gum or gummies.

For the second, CBD works great— again, gum or gummies. Decide which type you are, try a few options, then stock your golf bag.

ON COURSE

jelly bear by atom from the noun Project

test your progress

In Week 1, we didn’t venture off the range, but now I’d like you to start playing a few holes after your practice sessions (left). The point of these excursions is to field-test the things you’ve been working on: contact, curve, wedge distances.

Then, focus your practice on what you see.

On the last day of this week, play a full 18 holes. Keep score and putt everything out; no extra shots or free drops. Make it mean something, and don’t let yourself off the hook easily.

Use Dr. Ara’s breathing technique when you face a challenging situation. The point is, get a good read on what you trust and what you don’t when you’re feeling some butterflies. You’ve got one more week to shore things up.

april 2021 | golfdigestme.com

39

COMPETITIVE PLAY, SHORT GAME, FINAL CHECKS, WHAT TO PACK

GREENSIDE

own the basic shots Around the greens, most golfers need to simplify. Like we said with the wedges, you need a clear system for picking and playing shots so that they feel familiar and reliable. I want you to start with one basic chip shot and once basic pitch shot. You’ll learn to adapt them; getting the baselines is the key.

For the chip, pick a wedge or 9-iron, stand very close to the ball, and set the shaft as vertical as you feel comfortable (right). The club should favour the toe with the heel slightly off the ground, and your weight should be on your front foot.

Take your putting grip and choke down.

Now, just use your putting stroke. You’ll quickly get used to this easy shot.

For the pitch, I suggest not using your most lofted wedge—go one club up— because more loft just means a longer swing and more variables. Take a wider stance than the chip, play the ball just forward of centre, and open the clubface slightly. I want your only swing thought to be: Turn the chest, back and through.

It’s simple, and highly effective.

DR. ARA SAYS PRESSURE Breathe in a box

PUTTING

train your stroke with these three drills For short putts, set up a track with alignment rods that’s just wider than your putterhead and points to a hole. Work on swinging your putter through this track to hit square, straight putts.

From mid-range distances, speed and line are equally important. Set up a gate with tees about a foot in front of you on a breaking putt.

40 golfdigestme.com | april 2021

Practice rolling putts through the gate at the right pace to break into the hole. Repeat on a putt that breaks the opposite way.

From 25 feet and out, speed control is king.

Lay down a club 18 inches behind the hole. Hit long putts that either fall in the hole or stop past it but short of the backstop.

Here’s another anxiety buster. It’s called box breathing.

Picture a box in front of you. Trace each side of the box with your forefinger and do this: First side: Breathe in for a count of five.

Second side: Hold that breath for five.

Third side: Breathe out for five. Last side: Hold for five.

Do this before a stressful shot—it’s instant relaxation.

DR. ARA SAYS

MEDICINE BAG Don’t get caught without Carry acetaminophen for aches (or a fever); a muscle rub for stiffness (menthol types also help bug bites); bandages for blisters; zinc for the

onset of a cold; allergy medication; a nasal inhaler for congestion, and salt tablets for restoring hydration.

Pack these, and you’re covered.

FINAL PREP

allow yourself some confidence

medical by adrien coquet from the noun Project

The day before your big event, I want you to accomplish two things: Be competitive, and get some final reps in the weakest area of your game.

Set up a morning round with players who like to compete, even do some betting. The idea is to hit shots and roll putts with something on the line. Go through your pre-shot routine on every swing; don’t be careless.

Use the swing keys you’ve been working on.

After the round, reflect on what you did well and what you didn’t. You’ve got one final practice session to get comfortable.

If you don’t have a glaring problem, do a short review of everything we’ve covered, spending equal time on the range and in the short-game area.

One final message from Dr. Ara: Get a good night’s sleep— it’s the ultimate competitive edge. We know you’re ready to do this, so enjoy the experience and bring back that green jacket!

2021

MASTERS PREVIEW

CHANGE

THE AIR A U G U S TA N AT I O N A L’ S O N G O I N G Q U E S T T O B E

W

IS IN

THE PERFECT COURSE

By DEREK DUNCAN

When Augusta National purchased several acres behind its 13th tee from neighboring Augusta Country Club in 2017, there was little mystery as to why. The tantalising par 5, playing 510 yards, has been relegated to a drive and short-iron approach and no longer puts Masters contestants in those heart-in-the-throat secondshot scenarios it was meant to.

Extending the tee at the 13th, something projected to happen any year, is the logical way to reestablish the hole’s integrity.

Such a substantial alteration to one of golf’s most famous holes, potentially lengthening it as much as 80 yards, might seem like a drastic move. But drastic moves are in character with Augusta National’s heritage, and it would be just the latest impactful adaptation the club has made during the past 40 years—and particularly in the past 20—to counter the increases in power, proficiency and distance in the professional game.

The most fundamental architectural modifications of the original Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones design were completed by the 1950s (including the relocation and reconstruction of greens, the simplification of bunker forms and the building of a new 16th hole).

Subsequent changes have focused on three objectives: preventing the course from being overwhelmed by modern tour pros and equipment; enhancing the live and televised spectator experience; and maximising improvements in agronomics and maintenance. To these ends, Augusta National has added more than 500 yards to the course since 1999 (for a total of 7,475), planted trees to narrow fairways, reshaped mounds and hollows around greens and introduced a second cut of rough. The fact that

these revisions haven’t produced drastic scoring fluctuations is probably proof that they have been effective—scoring averages per decade, beginning in the 1980s, are 73.97, 73.40, 73.89 and 73.22.

The revisions since 1999 also demonstrate a philosophical nimbleness: To preserve certain historical continuities, Augusta National has sacrificed others. The narrowing of select holes through tree planting places a premium on straight driving that is at odds with the shot-shaping that defined play at the Masters since the beginning.

Much of the adventuresome spirit, exploited by players like Arnold Palmer and Seve Ballesteros, has been lost in making the course more durable against the modern game.

Historians love to illustrate— and lament—all the ways Augusta National has deviated from the design MacKenzie called “The World’s Wonder Inland Golf Course.” But the following changes enacted over the past several decades have had an equally profound effect on the course’s

‘‘

7

THE PAR-4 SEVENTH If Alister MacKenzie returned today, he would not recognise the seventh. The hole he designed was actually gone by 1938 when architect Perry Maxwell moved the green back to an elevated ridge and built deep bunkers into the front face. But for the next 50-plus years it played (along with the third) as the only other short par 4, a 360-yard reprieve after the battlefields of four, five and six. That was largely abandoned in 2002 when the seventh was lengthened to 410 yards and truly obviated before 2006 when the tees were pushed to 450 yards.

With nearly 100 yards in extra distance and pines lining the landing area, it’s the most claustrophobic driving hole on the course.

If the tournament committee wanted a harder par, they got it: In the 17 Masters between 1983 and its lengthening, more than 800 birdies were carded; in the past 15 tournaments, as a 450-yard hole, there have been 500.

1956

2020 11

T H E 1 1 T H H A S E V O LV E D INTO ONE OF THE HARDEST HOLES ON THE COURSE.

THE PAR-4 11TH Even after Robert Trent Jones made major modifications to the 11th in 1950, shifting the tee 40 yards back and to the left of the 10th green and damming a stream to create the current greenside pond, it remained a challenging but not particularly formidable hole statistically. The green was raised and refortified several times during the 1990s, but players could still aggressively drive the ball over the crest of the hill into attack position from a garden spot that was nearly 100 yards wide between the trees.

After the 2001 Masters, when Phil Mickelson had just 94 yards remaining for his second shot, the club embarked on a lengthening

mission with architect Tom Fazio.

They stretched the 11th to 490 yards (from 455), and during the next five years boosted it again to 505 yards and installed pines that closed off the right half of the hole, creating a more pronounced left-to-right drive.

The narrowing, by nudging drives off the right side, eliminated the previous range of approach angles and forced the line of play more directly along the edge of the pond.

The 11th went from being a tough par 4 to regularly being the most card-destroying—in 11 of the past 18 Masters it has been Augusta National’s hardest hole (and never out of the top three) with a stroke average of 4.36. It was always said Amen Corner begins with the second shot on 11. Now it begins with the drive.

2001 44 golfdigestme.com | april 2021

2020

15

THE PAR-5 15TH Like the 11th, the 15th was once a bomber’s paradise. Though a stand of pines always prevented players who hit down the left from going for the green in two, they could navigate nearly as far right as they wanted, even into the 17th fairway, and potentially have a shot. Big hitters knew they could catapult drives off a series of mounds on the right side of the fairway for extra yards.

Before the 1999 Masters, nearly 20 pines were planted in the right rough, and the mounds were removed. As those trees have grown during the past 20 years, they have formed a barrier that, bracketed by the now fully mature pines on the left, creates a narrow gateway to the green. These and other tweaks, including slope adjustments around the green, have had little effect on scoring (eagles occur at roughly the same rate as in the 1990s), but the players are hitting into the green from about the same places on the same line. The 15th remains exciting as an inflection point in the tournament drama, but it’s a less multi-dimensional hole than it was when incoming shots came from an array of distances and directions.

PhotograPhs: Dom Furore (13th), Ben Walton (15th); IllustratIons By ChrIs o’rIley

1997

2020

THE CONVERSION TO BENTGRASS GREENS One of the most critical alterations made in the past 40 years might not be noticeable to the eye. In 1980, the club converted its greens to Penncross bent, replacing the old strain of Bermuda (which was overseeded with rye) that was becoming impossible to make play fast. The intended effects became evident as players marveled at the quickness of the greens, and only one winner the rest of the decade finished in double

figures under par (Ben Crenshaw in 1984, at 11 under) compared to five of the previous six champions.

As the grass matured, the staff could achieve a new standard of speed and uniformity, to the point that the greens were sometimes too fast because of the severe contours. If conditions were hot and dry, the greens became rock hard, and it was not unusual for putts to coast entirely off the surfaces. If they were

Visit GolfDiget.com and search “complete changes to Augusta National” to see our interactive guide.

softened by rain, approach shots might spin backward off the greens.

As a result, green surfaces with the most pronounced transitions, including four, six, eight, nine, 14 and 18, had to be rebuilt to reduce the slopes. The green contours continue to be massaged and updated with improved strains of bent, but the exacting Augusta greens we now know trace back to that first 1980 conversion.

april 2021 | golfdigestme.com

45

J.D. Cuban

hot list 2021

46 golfdigestme.com | hot list 2021

Listed alphabetically

in association with

putters

THE PERFECT ROLL PLAYER the right putter, mallet or blade, isn’t about s u b s ta n c e o r s h a p e — i t ’ s a b o u t s wa g g e r . w e c o n s i d e r e d 7 5 e n t r i e s ; 3 3 m a d e t h e l i s t.

For club fitting visit www.egolfmegastore.ae/accufit

▶ Putters are where freedom in golf-club design truly lives. What else can explain a category in which a shape that looks like a discarded metal detector works as well and feels as good as one that looks like a museum-quality piece of jewelry? We cannot in good conscience claim that there is any such thing as one perfect putt-er. In their current form and function, mallets and blades seem more like two sides of the same bitcoin, exploding exponentially in value with every purely struck roll. Each offers a unique take on golf’s ultimate confidence game. The modern mallet, with its unshakable stability on off-centre hits and its nearly self-correcting aim, seems to solve every balky stroke’s worst nightmares. Meanwhile, the lure of today’s blades goes beyond their naturally clean lines—new materials and face designs bring on a roll as true and forgiving, too. Even better is how these new and classic designs, with the high-tech methods in today’s putter fittings, make our strokes smoother than the greens we are putting on. Because when we have the right putter in our hands, nothing seems wrong. ▶

Photographs by Dom Furore and Ben Walton

mallet putters

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

bettinardi

RRP AED 1,799

INOVAI 7.0

look • sound • feel

★★★★ demand

★½

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“So smooth off the face, this felt effortless.

Reservations about the look? Please.

Not the way this putter performs.”

▶ If mallets have a go-to, it’s “moment of inertia,” that stability on off-centre hits that turns full-on misses into near-makes—if not makes. Well, this is Bettinardi’s highest MOI putter ever produced.

Grown from the shape made famous by Jim Furyk’s U.S. Open win in 2003, the head is fully milled with soft stainless steel in the face and a military-grade aluminum body. The design optimises weight distribution with its hollowed-out body, allowing for maximum forgiveness on off-centre strikes and a more stable-feeling head during the stroke. A stiffer shaft promotes a more controlled putting motion back and through, regardless of the player’s style of stroke.

The two-tone aesthetic, three neck options and two-part sightline are all designed to help you frame the ball and aim true.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★½

bettinardi

RRP AED 1,845

QUEEN B (2021)

look • sound • feel

★★★★★ demand

★★

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“The beautiful finish gets you excited, like finding a heads-up penny. Good heft, balanced, with a pure roll every time.”

▶ While “technology” in the latest mallets can sometimes overwhelm our senses, consider the Queen B that familiar face across a crowded room, quieter perhaps, but no less exciting. Its classic lines and restrained half-mallet shape satisfy the golfer seeking off-centre-hit stability without sacrificing a traditional, stylish appearance.

This year’s model retains Bettinardi’s “micro-honeycomb” milling pattern on the face, designed to provide a firmer and responsive feel.

As usual, the head is a one-piece milling, this time from soft carbon steel, and its shape positions the centre of gravity in line with the centre of the face. The crescent-milled neck creates the toe-hang angle that works with a moderate arcing stroke. The rose gold PVD finish strikes an elegant yet practical tone, reducing glare at address.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

clevel and

RRP AED 895

FRONTLINE

look • sound • feel

★★★★ demand

★★

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Easy to align and even better on distance control.

Gets it going quickly and keeps it on line.”

▶ Moment of inertia has been the value proposition when it comes to putters. The higher the MOI, so the reasoning goes, the higher a club’s forgiveness. Not only does Cleveland challenge that ideology, it makes the case that higher MOI putters roll the ball farther off line than they should. Cleveland’s response is the Frontline, which puts weight close behind the face—the opposite of where you would put it to maximise MOI. Cleveland says this not only keeps the club square through the stroke but reduces sidespin at impact. An S-shape groove pattern regulates ball speed across the face, and the putters feature Cleveland’s aim line set at 21.35 millimeters above the sole. That matches the midpoint of the ball, making it easier to sense the proper alignment regardless of your eye position at setup.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

48 golfdigestme.com | hot list 2021

Listed alphabetically

in association with

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

edel EAS

look • sound • feel

★★★★ demand

★

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“This is a perfect example of where less is definitely more. The sweet spot is so good that it feels like an iron.”

▶ Edel putters have made their bones on the premise that by removing weight from the toe, there is less resistance to the way the toe opens or closes during the stroke. In other words, there’s less torque. Less torque, or the proper balancing of that torque, encourages a repeatable stroke. Edel’s mallets, while occupying a larger footprint, remain true to that premise with hollowed out areas in the toe. A hex-shape milling pattern on the face—with larger spaces near the sweet spot and smaller spaces away from centre—promotes speed control and less distance loss on off-centre strikes. Edel’s interchangeable weighting system (up to 30 grams) allows players to dial in a desired tempo to help with speed control, and 10 interchangeable alignment plates let you custom tune your line.

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

evnroll

RRP AED 1,245

ER/V-SERIES

look • sound • feel

★★★★½ demand

★★½

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Easy to set up. That thicker grip almost guides my hands. The whole putter is simple and effective, and the roll is pure.”

▶ All clubs have a sweet spot, but Evnroll boasts a sweet face. In chasing zero dispersion, Evnroll uses variable-width channels spanning the face, wider in the centre and gradually narrowing toward the toe and heel. This construction progressively redirects the ball down the target line at impact. The ball-size sole cavity on the mammoth ER11 positions mass outward and rearward, with two adjustable weights on the club’s outer edges to push a very high MOI. Most models also offer the V-Series adjustable shaft that makes changing hosels as easy as adjusting your driver (including using the same wrench). Evnroll’s “gravity grip” mixes a lightweight foam with an internal 70-gram steel rod to keep the hands and the putter face angle moving in unison before, during and beyond impact.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

o dy s s e y

RRP AED 1,395

2-BALL TEN/TEN

look • sound • feel

★★★★ demand

★★★★ p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“What they’re doing here really enhances alignment. A good swing weight that puts a consistent roll on the ball.”

▶ This wide-body shape combines the looks of the legendary 2-Ball putter and recent hit Ten model to give mallet fans a performance upgrade in stability and alignment. Odyssey says the new form improves ball-speed consistency nearly 40 percent because of less twisting at impact. In addition, multiple alignment options include lines, no lines and the Triple Track markings seen on the company’s golf balls. The face features roll-enhancing “hinges” within a redesigned insert composition that’s intended to produce a slightly firmer sound and feel and faster initial forward spin. The putter also features a lighter, more stable Stroke Lab shaft in which the graphite-steel composition redistributes the weight closer to the hands for better consistency in path, tempo and impact location.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

april 2021 | golfdigestme.com

49

mallet putters

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

o dy s s e y

RRP AED 1,250

WHITE HOT OG

look • sound • feel

★★★★★ demand

★★★★★ p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Love the muted, soft sound and the gentle sensation at contact.

Even misses feel good.

Ball rolls out beautifully.”

▶ To the uninitiated, OG stands for “original gangster,” which easily defines the reputation of the first White Hot inserts when they were introduced two decades ago. The pure feel and sound seemed inimitable, and despite a multitude of iterations over the years, tour players have continued to pester Odyssey for the original. Odyssey’s team listened, and the White Hot OG insert uses the same two-part urethane mix as when it debuted. Firm to the touch, the feel is still soft at impact with a strong rebound for faster ball speed.

A lighter, more stable Stroke Lab shaft offers some modern help for improved consistency throughout the stroke. Fitting its label, the lineup of milled cast stainless-steel heads includes original shapes like the Rossie and the OG of OG’s—the 2-Ball.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

ping

RRP: TBC

2021 PUTTERS

look • sound • feel

★★★★★ demand

★★★★½ p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“A Mack truck on a shaft.

It brings the thunder but still results in maybe the softest connection and rollout tested.”

▶ Ping worked so hard on this year’s lineup to meet and exceed all the varying aim, alignment, forgiveness, feel and roll demands that there wasn’t anything left for a name beyond just “2021.” The seven models, which do have individual names, all start with a soft yet responsive dual-durometer insert. The front layer is softer to foster precision on short putts; the back layer is firmer for more energy on long putts. Shallow grooves across the face enhance that soft feeling and offer consistent feedback. Tungsten weights add stability. The mallets feature multi-material constructions from stainless steel, tungsten and aluminum to promote stability on off-centre hits. The maximum-forgiving Harwood (pictured), with tungsten weights in all four corners, is even available in an armlock option.

Coming soon to eGolf Megastore, visit egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

ping

RRP AED 1,395

HEPPLER

look • sound • feel

★★★★ demand

★★★★ p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“The coloring makes the club look cool; it has great feedback at impact and a nice balance from the shaft to the head.”

50 golfdigestme.com | hot list 2021

▶ These days, a putter’s groove story is a major part of its technological appeal. The Heppler’s story is simple: It doesn’t have one. Through research Ping discovered that a contingent of players prefer a firmer feel and crisp sound that’s hard to achieve through inserts or milling, which is why the Heppler’s face is free of any channels or patterns. In its place is a solid, machined face.

The stainless-steel and soft-aluminum (about a third the density of steel) construction allows more mass to be placed in the back of the putter for better perimeter weighting and stability on off-centre hits.

As a bonus, the copper-and-black finish provides alignment and framing help. Finally, with a simple twist of a wrench, an adjustablelength shaft accommodates any length from 32 to 36 inches.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

Listed alphabetically

in association with

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

pxg

RRP AED 2,295

BATTLE READY

look • sound • feel

★★★★½ demand

★½

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“I like more traditional clubs, but this felt very easy to hit and was not overly complicated.

I felt instantly confident over the ball.”

▶ PXG’s commitment to putters is not just another luxury from a luxury brand. It’s a total pursuit of face and weighting technologies with an emphasis on fitting. First, each head features full customisation through changeable screw weights in the sole (including the heavier-headed armlock version) and three hosel options. This allows the same head style to work in one of two toe-hang choices and in a face-balanced, double-bend version for those who prefer more of a pendulum stroke. Each option combines a milled construction with heavy tungsten at the extreme perimeter to boast a deep centre of gravity to more easily keep the club on its intended path during the stroke. Finally, different-size pyramids in decreasing density across the face help ensure consistent speed on mis-hits.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

tay l o r m a d e

RRP AED 1,395

SPIDER S/SR

look • sound • feel

★★★★½ demand

★★★

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“The weight and feel of the putter are top-notch.

The alignment markings are like a runway. The rollout seems automatic.”

▶ Sometimes the best way to redistribute mass is to take it all away, replacing it completely with air. That’s the technological story here because the middle of these putters is cut away entirely. This optimises stability for the highest moment of inertia of any Spider putters. The first step in the process is the light-aluminum body, one that uses less mass so that the perimeter is heavier for better balance. Heavier steel weights are positioned at the club’s edges, pushing about a third of the weight to the perimeter. The back bar of the SR model even houses a separate tungsten weight to double down on stability. The face insert has grooves angled at 45 degrees for a smooth roll and distance control, and the white alignment section frames the ball and the path before the stroke is started.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

tay l o r m a d e

RRP AED 1,395

SPIDER X/EX

look • sound • feel

★★★★★ demand

★★★★½ p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Easy to look at, and the lines and dots make it balanced at setup. I’m able to get the ball rolling without much effort.”

▶ You only mess with the game’s hottest mallet when you discover a material difference. The new vision seen in the EX model includes an aluminum body rather than the steel constructions of the past to allow for more high-density material around the perimeter to increase stability. It also puts more mass directly behind the face for enhanced feel at impact. The new face insert features an aluminum piece fronted by a thermoplastic-urethane layer. Eight beams work with seven face grooves to slightly deflect and rebound at impact, grabbing the ball to encourage a forward roll and to provide a crisp click. A new fluted shaft contributes to the softer feel and maintains the control usually reserved for stiffer shafts. The Spider X, meanwhile, gets an upgraded “hydroblast” finish for a smoother look.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

april 2021 | golfdigestme.com

51

mallet putters

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

titleist

look • sound • feel

SCOTTY CAMERON PHANTOM X

★★★★½ ★★★★ demand

★★★★ p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“I like the simplicity of the head and the ability to set up on the ground square. Easy to align and good on shorter putts.”

RRP AED 2,795

▶ Scotty Cameron doesn’t make only jewelry-like blade putters. His mallets can be inventive, multimaterial affairs that resemble the kind of Touch of Modern fixture a hip architect might design an entire smart home around. Here, black anodised lightweight 6061 aluminum extends as one piece through the flange, allowing for solid feedback and a softer feel. The aluminum combines with swept-back wings milled from heavier 303 stainless steel with customisable steel heel-toe weights to produce a head with ample stability on mis-hit rolls. The neon-green sightlines help with alignment, and a matte finish reduces sun glare. Finally, the larger, less-tapered grip creates balance and consistency in your stroke.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

titleist

look • sound • feel

SCOTTY CAMERON SPECIAL SELECT

★★★½

★★★★★ demand

★★★

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Great balance and swing weight—feels so natural in your hands. Easy to align, and the roll was consistent and exceptional.”

RRP AED 2,375

▶ Sometimes the way forward is looking into the past. The latest Special Select lineup takes that view. Gone is the inlay that was a staple of more recent Cameron putters. In its place is a classic milled construction from a single piece of stainless steel. It’s a switch that seeks to improve consistency and enhance feel across the face, with input from Cameron’s stable of tour players. In addition, the aircraftgrade aluminum plates on the sole free up weight to be redistributed to the perimeter for better off-centre-hit performance. The thicker, less-tapered lower section of the grip balances hand action for a more reliable stroke. Finally, a mid-bend shaft provides a facebalanced feel for straight-back and straight-through strokes.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

clevel and

look • sound • feel

HUNTINGTON BEACH SOFT PREMIER

★★★★

★★★½ demand

★★

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“A James Bond club: classy with a matteblack finish.

The angles draw your eyes toward the centre. Terrific weight and balance.”

52 golfdigestme.com | hot list 2021

RRP AED 695

▶ On the surface, it appears Cleveland has merely added a color scheme to its successful HB Soft line. The new PVD gray-satin finish does reduce glare, but the changes are more than decorative.

The Premier challenges a player to think about the grip choice, guiding those with arcing strokes to a skinnier grip and those with straight-back, straight-through actions to a wider Lamkin SINKFIT Pistol grip. The faces have a deep milling pattern with grooves concentrated in the centre and spaced apart near the heel and toe.

The idea is that changing friction normalises speed off the face for consistent roll. Each pattern’s density matches a clubhead’s overall stability so that the two work together for reliable ball speed.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

Listed alphabetically

in association with

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

o dy s s e y

RRP AED 2,095

TOULON DESIGN

look • sound • feel

★★★★½ demand

★★

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Confidenceinspiring at address with its clean setup.

The sound was the right kind of quiet.

The ball rolled very straight off the face.”

▶ Unlike the hair-band rock concert clanging of some mallets, Toulon Design’s approach is to stay restrained in shape and materials.

But like Miles Davis’ early jazz period, these create modern performance within conventional constructs. The secret is an emphasis on roll and feel that starts with one-piece milled carbon steel heads that have deep cross-hatched friction elements on the face. They channel vibration for optimal sound and feel. Inside each diamond pattern is a small groove designed to improve the consistency of the roll. The pattern extends across the face to help off-centre and on-centre strikes alike. The charcoal finish minimises glare and provides a compact look. Finally, the steel-tipped graphite Stroke Lab shaft option redistributes weight for a consistent, smoother motion.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

tay l o r m a d e

RRP AED 1,395

SPIDER FCG

look • sound • feel

★★★★ demand

★★★

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“The feel is familiar after just a few putts.

The alignment design gave me the confidence to putt aggressively.”

▶ Part of the FCG’s goal is to perform like a blade—inspired by the centre of gravity found in traditional blade-style putters. Having a CG position close to the face makes the putter easier to release than a deep CG mallet, especially for those who typically use blades and play with an arcing stroke path. By using an aluminum body and taking away weight with cut-outs in the sole, the CG’s depth gets more blade-like. Tungsten weights on the heel and toe and a highdensity copper insert behind the face keep weight forward and offer forgiveness. TaylorMade’s downward facing grooves on the insert reduce backspin to improve the initial roll. The help players seek in a mallet, however, is found in FCG’s alignment: Its T-shape sightline frames the ball and ingrains a visual of the proper path.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

mallets gain acceptance on tour

tom pennington/getty images

Blade use has decreased among the top 25 in the world

▶ Until 20 years ago, golfers using mallets were eyed as suspiciously as those using anchored putters: Only players who can’t putt well used them.

But that thinking has changed. The iconic Ping Anser and Scotty Cameron blades are still very popular, but the larger, more stable mallet has made sizable inroads. A closer look at putter use and success among the top 25 players in the World Ranking at the end of 2020 is revealing. That group is fairly evenly split with 13 using mallets and 12 using blades. But the average ranking of mallet users is three spots higher (12 to 15). On the greens, mallet users outperformed blade-putter users with an average strokes gained/ putting rank of 49 to 79. Mallets also picked up nearly double the amount of strokes compared to blades (.304 to .154). Seven of the top 25 players finished the season with a negative mark in strokes gained/putting. Five of them used blades. Maybe they should try a mallet. —emj

april 2021 | golfdigestme.com

53

bl ade putters

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★½

bettinardi

RRP AED 1,845

QUEEN B (2021)

look • sound • feel

★★★★★ demand

★★½

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“The bronze finish is so attractive that it inspires better putting.

My putts roll well with a sturdy, solid feel.”

▶ You’ve likely heard that putter design is more art than science, but designer Robert J. Bettinardi has long demonstrated that the art is the science. The Queen B series of one-piece, milled-carbon-steel blades is perhaps his most clear expression of that understanding.

The tweaks made for 2021 are subtle but functional: The heads have a slightly different shape from past models, including a wider flange to help with consistency through the stroke. However, a thinner, tour-inspired topline prevents the putter from appearing bulkier.

The new rose gold PVD finish gives the Queen B an elegant look, but it’s also functional—more durable with cleaner sightlines and reduced glare. Finally, the Queen B’s “micro-honeycomb” milling pattern on the face provides a firm, responsive feel.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

bettinardi

RRP AED 1,995

STUDIO STOCK (2021)

look • sound • feel

★★★★★ demand

★★½

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Great feel; the ball rolls out like it has its own gyro stabiliser.

Doesn’t take much effort to swing the head.”

▶ The first thing Bettinardi fans will notice is the same clean shape of the Studio Stock series. Then, they will see a completely new face.

With input from its tour staff, the company has rolled out a series of asymmetrical grooves that are engineered to create more topspin at impact. This shortens the distance the ball needs to begin its endover-end forward roll. The result is distance consistency on putts of any length. The roll technology didn’t mess with the feel of these models—all single-piece milling from stainless steel, as usual. The “diamond blast” finish offers a sleek look and less glare, and the black sightline on the flange helps with alignment. An array of hosel and head-shape options—including an armlock version of the wider, heel-shafted SS28—cater to any player’s stroke preference.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

edel EAS

look • sound • feel

★★★★ demand

★

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“The round grip made me feel more in control.

Quality looks.

Impact felt cushioned but solid, like every putt was well struck.”

54 golfdigestme.com | hot list 2021

▶ Edel’s central philosophy—removing weight from the toe—is about creating the optimal torque so that you have more control over the putter as the face angle opens and squares during the swing. But the fight against too much torsional resistance is just the start. A hex-shape milling pattern, with larger spaces near the sweet spot and smaller spaces away from centre, allows for speed control and minimal distance loss on off-centre strikes. Edel’s interchangeable weighting system lets players cater to their aspired tempo for additional control. Meanwhile, the 1.0 is more traditional (which Edel says helps right-aimers aim left), and the 2.0 has a concave radius on the back edge for a neutral-alignment option.

There are even customisable sightline plates to dial in your aiming preferences.

Listed alphabetically

in association with

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

evnroll

RRP AED 1,945

ER/V-SERIES

look • sound • feel

★★★★½ demand

★½

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“The thin, elongated grip seems unusual, but it made everything feel stable.

The tone was expressive, resonant.”

▶ Classic lines, yes, but Evnroll designer Guerin Rife continues to chase innovation in roll, dispersion and even fitting. To turn the putter’s sweet spot into a sweet face, Rife designed variable-width channels on the face that start out wider in the centre and get gradually narrower toward the toe and heel. This construction enhances forward roll and progressively redirects mis-hits down the target line at impact. The series includes shorter, wider heel- and toe-weighted flange blades that are milled at two weights to maintain the swingweight at any length. The same heads in the V-Series can be matched with any of four hosels—switched out easily with the kind of wrench used on adjustable drivers. An internally weighted “gravity grip” is intended to better link the hands and putter throughout the stroke.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

o dy s s e y

RRP AED 2,095

TOULON DESIGN

look • sound • feel

★★★★½ demand

★★½

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“A good feeling right at set up. The ball sounds crisp off the face. I never had any trouble finding the sweet spot.”

▶ The Toulon line is for the golfer who desires a premium collection of classic designs with modern help. Each model features a face pattern of deep cross-hatched grooves that channel vibration to better control the club’s sound and feel. Inside each diamond shape in the pattern is a small groove designed to improve the consistency of the roll. Unlike previous Toulon putters, the milling pattern extends across the face to improve roll on mis-hits, too. Toulon uses a charcoal finish for this line to not only minimise glare but to provide a compact, modern look at address. Each putter can be fit to seven-, 20- or 40-gram sole weights based on the player’s feel preference.

Finally, each model comes with the Stroke Lab option, a combination steel-and-graphite shaft that improves tempo and consistency.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

o dy s s e y

RRP AED 1,250

WHITE HOT OG

look • sound • feel

★★★★★ demand

★★★★½ p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Right up there with the best you’ll find—topshelf. Love the response at impact.

Sounds quiet but solid on all lengths.”

▶ Now, this really is a blast from the distant past. The first White Hot putters produced such a cult following that tour players have continued to ask for the decades-old insert. So Odyssey decided to bring it back for the buying public as well. The new White Hot OG (“original gangster”) features the same composition and construction of the original insert. The two-part urethane design somehow balances a sound and feel that’s soft yet responsive. Thanks to a consistent rebound at impact, the insert delivers a reliable roll, too. Though the insert stays true to the original, the exterior of the putter is full of current thinking. This includes offering a wider-blade option and a new version of the Stroke Lab shaft. The steel-tipped graphite shaft is now seven grams lighter but just as stable for better stroke tempo.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

april 2021 | golfdigestme.com

55

bl ade putters

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

ping

RRP: TBC

2021 PUTTERS

look • sound • feel

★★★★½ demand

★★★★ p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Muted and an almost incalculable feel at impact.

The ball calmly rolls out with pace.

Softness is the name of this game.”

▶ Just about everyone has copied Ping’s legendary Anser for decades, but nobody can make modern versions like the originator. These new Anser-style models are cast out of 17-4 stainless steel and feature tungsten weights in the heel and toe to enhance stability. However, the real juice starts with feel from a two-layer insert designed for two types of putts. There are two densities to the insert material, which is used in running-shoe designs. The soft front layer helps with precision on shorter putts, and the firm layer on the back provides energy on longer putts. To aid that soft feeling, the face features shallow grooves that provide consistent feedback no matter where you strike the ball on the face. The club has a black finish to reduce glare at address and a white line to help with alignment.

Coming soon to eGolf Megastore, visit egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

ping

RRP AED 1,295

HEPPLER

look • sound • feel

★★★★ demand

★★★½ p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Casual smoothness at contact and a delicate roll.

The short, slight sound at feedback grows subtly with each longer putt.”

▶ Through extensive research, Ping found that a lot of golfers prefer a firm feel and crisp sound that’s hard to achieve with inserts or milling. So as most putters tout the power of their grooves, Ping went the opposite direction, producing a putter that is free of patterns, milling and channels. In its place is a solid, machined steel face to get that firm and crisp sound. Both blade models are all-steel construction and include the true-to-the-original Anser 2 with a distinctive angled heel ballast and the ZB3 model with a larger cavity that makes it play more stable than it looks. The copper-and-black finish is designed for alignment and framing help. Finally, a stiffer adjustable-length shaft is standard in all putters in the Heppler line.

Wish to be fit for your stroke type? That’s available, too.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

pxg

RRP AED 2,295

BATTLE READY

look • sound • feel

★★★★½ demand

★½

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Cool, modern look. Love the way it sets up so solid and square. Ball comes off the face with a smooth roll any place you hit it.”

56 golfdigestme.com | hot list 2021

▶ The four blade options here represent only part of PXG’s commitment to putter fitting through the Battle Ready line. Previous versions of these putters were milled out of stainless steel, but these have both stainless-steel and aluminum bodies with high-density tungsten inserts. The sole also features two adjustable weights.

PXG’s designers used this mix of light and heavy mass to boost the moment of inertia of the club by 15 percent. This increased stability on off-centre hits keeps the head on its intended path through the stroke. The heads are still completely milled to maximise feel, but a new pyramid-textured face pattern of varying size decreases in density farther away from the centre. The purpose is to help toe and heel misses roll more like on-centre strikes.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

Listed alphabetically

in association with

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

tay l o r m a d e

RRP AED 1,295

TP PATINA COLLECTION

look • sound • feel

★★★★ demand

★★★½ p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Excels in all areas: short putts, long putts, feel and roll. The easy heft lets you make an aggressive move through the ball.”

▶ TaylorMade gets attention for its modern Spider mallets, but its TP Patina Collection reflects a more classic look and finish. Still, nodding to the Spider’s technological influence, the TP Patina now has a thicker face insert than past models. The soft-aluminum insert is attached using screws to eliminate space between the body of the putter and the insert to ensure a solid feel. The insert also features downward-facing grooves that reduce backspin on the launch of a putt for a quicker forward roll. The tarnished black-copper and nickel finish provides a clean and compact profile. An array of fresh but classic blade shapes and necks appeal to multiple playing preferences. Adjustable screws (2.5 to 20 grams) can vary the weight through a custom-fitting or with the separate purchase of weights.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

titleist

look • sound • feel

SCOTTY CAMERON SPECIAL SELECT

★★★★

★★★★★ demand

★★★★★ p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Great balance of firm and soft produces a sweet roll on all distances.

Slim offset profile is sleek yet felt substantial.”

RRP AED 2,375

▶ After a few years of using a face inlay, this Cameron line has gone back to the drawing board. Or should we say, back to its roots, replacing the inlay with a single-piece milled construction. This change is meant to improve consistency and enhance feel across the face (input Cameron received from tour players wanting a more solid feel). The mid-bend shaft offers a face-balanced feel for strokes that like to work straight back and straight through. The traditional Newport models incorporate heavy tungsten heel and toe weights, and the wider squareback uses an aluminum soleplate with steel weights so that mass can be redistributed along the perimeter for better stability. This also allows for sleeker shaping and thinner toplines.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

clevel and

RRP AED 895

FRONTLINE

look • sound • feel

★★★★ demand

★½

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Attractive face. Good feel and nice balance in my hands.

Rolled very well with a soft, sturdy feel on all putts.”

▶ Forget about the idea of using a deep centre of gravity to create stability on off-centre hits. That property, “moment of inertia,” is overrated, Cleveland’s design team believes. The company’s research says a higher MOI leads to mis-hits going farther off line. Instead, Cleveland wants to shift the weight from the back of the club to the front. Mass directly behind the face helps keep the club on path through the stroke while reducing sidespin at impact. To address forgiveness, the face features an S-shape groove pattern to help regulate ball speed regardless of the impact spot. The Frontline also features Cleveland’s aiming technology in which marks set at 21.35 millimeters above the sole of the putter match up with the centre point of the ball for easier alignment regardless of address position.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

april 2021 | golfdigestme.com

57

in association with

bl ade putters

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

clevel and

look • sound • feel

HUNTINGTON BEACH SOFT PREMIER

★★★★

★★★★½ demand

★★

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Traditional blade design might not immediately jump off the page, but performance on mid-range and short putts will.”

RRP AED 695

▶ The right putter isn’t only about the event at impact. The design also considers how the clubhead gets to the ball. That’s why this line features two grip options. They not only give players a choice but provide guidance in fitting: a thinner grip for those with arcing strokes and a standard grip for those with a straight-on, facebalanced path. Of course, these putters do the work at impact, too.

The face’s deep milling pattern is more dense in the centre and then gradually spaces apart. The changing friction produces more consistent roll by enhancing the energy transfer on mis-hits so that they roll more like on-centre hits. The pattern is unique to each head shape to match up with its natural stability on off-centre hits.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

mizuno

RRP AED 1,095

M.CRAFT

look • sound • feel

★★★★½ demand

★½

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“The matte finish tones down any glare.

Impossibly soft feel gives you the control and conviction to go at the cup.”

▶ It isn’t just that Mizuno likes the idea of forged premium 1025 mild carbon steel in its irons. No, its team understands the metal and how to engineer feel. That’s why its putters are forged from the same metal, and it’s why the line in its second year added new models, including a wide-body blade. (Truth be told, the mallets are almost compact enough to be blades, too.) These putters are forged then CNC milled, ensuring a precise shape that delivers soft feel at impact. The deep-milling process across the face also creates more consistent roll. With Mizuno’s heritage in fitting, it’s only logical that each head uses two switchable sole weight ports. The choice of three pairs of weight screws, included for free, allows all golfers to find the right weight balance for their strokes.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

seemore

RRP AED 1,265

SI2/SI3 RST HOSEL

look • sound • feel

★★★★½ demand

★½

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“The shaft angle lines up perfectly and helps your hand position.

Soft feel, with perfect weight that lets you feel the head at all times.”

58 golfdigestme.com | hot list 2021

▶ SeeMore putters are known for their RifleScope Technology, a process that involves hiding the red dot on the top of the putter behind the shaft at address. This sets up perfect alignment between golfer and club, and ensures the putterface is square to the target. These new models evolve that alignment story by catering to players who want their hands slightly forward, like in offset plumber’s neck blade putters. SeeMore’s new plumber’s neck enters the clubhead closer to the sweet spot than normal for improved feel and a more stable stroke, all while keeping the RifleScope aid intact. SeeMore’s help goes beyond alignment. A new aluminum insert provides a crisp feel at impact and more consistent roll. Ensuring the best setup, all SeeMore putters can be customised for length, lie and weight.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

Listed alphabetically

J.D. Cuban

hot list 2021

60 golfdigestme.com | hot list 2021

Listed alphabetically

in association with

wedges

BRAND NEW CLASSICS e v e r y c l u b h a s a r o l e , b u t o n ly t h e w e d g e c a n p l ay o f f e n s e a n d d e f e n s e . w e c o n s i d e r e d 3 0 m o d e l s ; 1 1 m a d e t h e l i s t.

For club fitting visit www.egolfmegastore.ae/accufit

▶ It’s too easy to call the driver the most sophisticated and difficult-to-understand piece of equipment in the game. Consider the wedge instead. The driver might start the hole, but it’s sometimes the wedge that adds the closing exclamation point. Asked to perform an endless array of score-saving tricks, the wedge in its many lofts, sole grinds and bounce options requires more versatility and variety than a Swiss Army knife halfway up the Matterhorn. It’s not just matching up the correct mix of lofts with the short irons in your bag, or even the subtleties of sole grinds and bounce options that help move the wedge properly through the turf. Today’s wedges are full of subtle angles and curves and interior weighting that heighten the edges of grooves or shift the centre of gravity to provide consistent spin and distance from fairways, bunkers and rough.

Wedges are manufactured to tolerances once reserved for precision military-grade parts. And yet, to look at them, they all reflect a classic symmetry that would fit in Gene Sarazen’s bag. They hold the real key to your score. Explore their beautiful complexity. ▶

april 2021 | golfdigestme.com

61

wedges

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

c a l l away

RRP AED 745

JAWS MD5

look • sound • feel

★★★★½ demand

★★★★ p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Super versatile, gave me confidence in the sand, fairway and rough.

Forgives those chunkier moves, too.”

▶ The MD5’s primary objective is providing more spin on those partial shots closer to the green. Callaway designers believe that a key to spin is making the groove edges come in direct contact with the ball at impact. So rather than traditional vertical-groove walls, the grooves on the higher lofts feature walls that angle away from the base, not only exposing the edges for better grab but also allowing a more aggressive edge under USGA rules. Milled ridges between the grooves also help with spin. A new low-bounce version added to the company’s wide-sole option provides heel relief for the higherlofted wedges. The MD5’s head shape progresses from a more traditional shape in the high lofts to a compact design in the lower lofts for a seamless transition into the short irons.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

clevel and

RRP AED 675

CBX2 • CBX FULL FACE

look • sound • feel

★★★★½ demand

★★★

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Good weight, not too heavy or light. Easy to control.

Consistent distance and just the right amount of spin. Lands softly.”

▶ Cleveland took a different approach when it focused an entire wedge line on the 84 percent of golfers (its estimate) who play gameimprovement irons. (Why play a blade wedge when you would never play blade irons, they asked.) The wedges emphasised forgiveness, shape, sole and even the shaft while retaining the tour-grabby grooves it’s known for. Its second generation of regular-Joe wedges brings even more help, removing weight from the back cavity, hosel and heel. This nudges the sweet spot toward the toe where Cleveland says average golfers tend to hit it, so even less-than-perfect shots feel pretty good. A gel insert behind the face helps soften vibration to deliver a more solid feel at impact. There are even larger, high-loft options in which the grooves stretch all the way across the face.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

clevel and

RRP AED 645

RTX ZIPCORE

look • sound • feel

★★★★★ demand

★★★½ p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Perfect size, easy to open up and great turf interaction.

Lots of spin, gives you the confidence to go at the pin.”

▶ The RTX ZipCore might look like a classic wedge, but under the hood it’s as modern as it gets. Instead of a traditional one-piece construction, the ZipCore features a new low-density material inside the lower hosel, neck and sole area that is four times lighter than the steel it replaces. This engineering allows for weight to be saved so that the centre of gravity can be repositioned more in line with the sweet spot—50 percent closer compared to earlier RTX wedges.

This also ensures the head rotates less on high and low misses. That stability means you can count on your shots coming off with consistent distance and spin. Finally, the new grooves are not only sharper and deeper, there are two more of them this year to catch the ball at impact, grab the cover and generate the spin you desire.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

62 golfdigestme.com | hot list 2021

Listed alphabetically

in association with

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

cobra

RRP AED 745

KING SB

look • sound • feel

★★★★ demand

★½

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Extremely versatile and forgiving.

That notch works. Goes through anything— turf, rough, sand, shag carpet.”

▶ SB stands for “snake bite,” and in that spirit the grooves are designed with sharper angles and curves so that the edges can more easily “bite” into the ball’s cover for more backspin. The clubface’s cross-sectional groove area is larger than past Cobra wedges to allow the club to perform better out of the rough and to repel water and grass in wet conditions. Three distinct features help increase spin throughout the wedge set: a variable-thickness pattern between the grooves, a unique surface that fosters more spin on shorter wedge shots and a progressive groove design—deep, narrow grooves on the lower lofts and shallow, wide grooves on the higher lofts. Available in three grinds, seven lofts and in One Length, which has been engineered to perform at a 7-iron length and swingweight.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

mizuno

RRP AED 595

T20

look • sound • feel

★★★★½ demand

★★

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Good weight.

You can really feel the head throughout your pitches and sand shots. Easy to open up the face on tight lies.”

▶ If feel is vital to your short game, Mizuno believes its new forging process answers that call. The goal is to concentrate the grain structure in the heart of the impact area for direct feedback where you hit it most. For those seeking more spin, Mizuno has an answer for that, too. Much like the tread pattern on tires, the subtle vertical texture of the face aims to increase friction in dry conditions and channel moisture upward and away from the face when it’s wet. Mizuno’s loft-specific groove design—narrow and deep in the stronger lofts, wider and shallow in the weaker lofts—matches groove shape to the typical shots played by each loft. There’s also an extra groove low for better grab on partial shots, and weight placed high within a tapered-blade shape promotes spin and stability on off-centre hits.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

tay l o r m a d e

RRP AED 735

MILLED GRIND 2 • HI-TOE

look • sound • feel

★★★★½ demand

★★★★ p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Glides through the sand. Checked up easily on bump-andruns. The rust face is compelling and effective.”

▶ Tour players often prefer wedges unfinished. The raw look is more than an aesthetic affectation. They believe that the groove in its pristine form is at its sharpest. That’s the goal here, too. Without the layer of protective chrome, which might be unevenly administered, the raw groove can push the edge—literally. The face design features more grooves, each narrower, deeper and with a sharper edge radius than past models. Laser etching between grooves adds friction. All the soles are milled so that curves and bounce angles are precisely and consistently set, wedge after wedge. The lineup, which benefits from the all-purpose Hi-Toe and Bigfoot designs, added a Tiger Woods-created option recently, the result of 15 years worth of notes, measurements and data on every wedge Woods has played.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

april 2021 | golfdigestme.com

63

in association with

wedges

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½

titleist

RRP AED 709

VOKEY DESIGN SM8

look • sound • feel

★★★★★ demand

★★★★★ p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Classic looks.

The soft finish hides glare.

Responsive in your hands and feels quick through the sand and rough. Easy to command.”

▶ When we talk about centre of gravity in wedges—especially moving it forward—we have to realise there’s not much room to go. Unless of course you want the centre of gravity floating in front of the clubface— which, as it turns out, is where Bob Vokey and his team pushed it for the SM8. The CG hovers in front of the wedge face due to lengthening the hosel and adding tungsten to the toe. This minimises dynamic loft at impact for a consistently stable feel, particularly in half-wedge shots. The CG is progressively located throughout the range of lofts, getting higher in the higher lofts to better optimise flight and spin.

Vokey’s spin-milled grooves return with two groove shapes based on loft to optimise spin. Rows of microgrooves cut between the grooves are designed to get the most spin on partial shots.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

c a l l away

RRP AED 595

MACK DADDY CB

look • sound • feel

★★★★ demand

★★★

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Because of its size, it’s not a club I’d tend to pick up.

But, man, this wedge really works out of any lie you can create.”

▶ This is for the player who needs certainty and forgiveness more than an array of sole grinds and bounce options. It serves the dual role of providing a smooth transition from the short irons (with better spin) to full-service assistance with the short shots around the green and, thanks to a wider sole design, from the sand. The cavity-back construction frees up the design to add perimeter weighting to raise the off-centre hit stability so that mis-hits fly and feel more like centre hits. Grooves extend all the way across the face in the sand and lob wedge to increase spin and control— and confidence—no matter the impact location. The company’s proprietary grooves found on its tour-level wedges are used here, too, with edge sharpness for better grab and increased friction for Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

better control. performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

pxg

RRP AED 2,995

SUGAR DADDY 0311

look • sound • feel

★★★★ demand

★

p l ay e r c o m m e n t

“Oodles of spin with no extra effort.

The heft makes your swing feel soft but powerful.

Strong, clear sound on all hits.”

64 golfdigestme.com | hot list 2021

▶ The Sugar Daddy is a modern-looking wedge that will win over any traditionalist with its performance. Weighting high in the toe raises the centre of gravity and moves it closer to the centre of the head, increasing spin and giving the club versatility on pitch and openface shots. A proprietary weighting system, featuring lightweight titanium and heavier tungsten weights, optimises the club’s stability on off-centre hits. The club is CNC milled, a process that improves groove performance—delivering high spin and increased control—but ensures all design and aesthetic elements are made exactly the way the product was drawn up. Multiple soles are offered in the higher lofts: a versatile sole designed to perform in all types of conditions and a narrow sole for tighter lies.

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

Listed alphabetically

Experience movies and magic like never before At Sharjah’s newest entertainment destination

VOX Cinemas, Magic Planet and Yalla! Bowling Now Open at City Centre Al Zahia

voxcinemas.com | magicplanetmena.com

Get Well Soon

▶ Tiger Woods, 1st tee, final round, 2020 Masters.

66 golfdigestme.com | april 2021

Photograph by Ben Walton

Taking you from the classroom to the boardroom.

UOWD is proud to introduce “The Edge”, a first-of-its-kind 12-month career readiness journey that combines cutting edge tools from business, coaching, psychometrics and behavioural science, with mentoring from world-class experts to prepare students for their future career.

The Edge is embedded into all new UOWD degrees and is provided to newly enrolled students free-of-charge.

Students will receive a personality profile to evaluate whether their choice of degree matches their personality type.

800-UOWD (8693) or +971 4 2781800 | info@uowdubai.ac.ae www.uowdubai.ac.ae/gd

The Edge will prepare graduates to be workplace ready, with critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

BIG BANG UNICO GOLF Black texalium case. In-house UNICO movement, equipped with a unique mechanism dedicated to golf scoring.