The post Faces of the LPGA: Meet 31 game-changing personalities appeared first on Golf.

The post Faces of the LPGA: Meet 31 game-changing personalities appeared first on Golf.

As for this week’s stop? Major season is upon us. The Chevron Championship kicks off Thursday at the Club at Carlton Woods, in Houston. Here’s how to watch the action.

***

Aditi Ashok

Rookie LPGA year: 2017 
Golf hero: Don’t have one 
Favorite golf course: Emirates GC (Majlis) (Dubai, UAE) 
Go-to headphones music on the range: I don’t listen while practicing but, if I did, then, Green Day, Blink-182 and Miley Cyrus. 
Current TV obsession: Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) 
Go-to Starbucks order: Soy cappuccino 
Favorite meal: Masala dosa or samosas 
Insta handle: @aditigolf

Celine Boutier

Rookie LPGA year: 2017
Golf hero: Tiger Woods
Favorite golf course: Cypress Point GC (Pebble Beach, Calif.)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Pop
Current TV obsession: Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Go-to Starbucks order: Matcha latte
Favorite meal: Sushi
Insta handle: @celineboutier

Allisen Corpuz

Rookie LPGA year: 2022
Golf hero: Megan Khang
Favorite golf course: Pebble Beach GL (Pebble Beach, Calif.)
Go-to headphones music on the range: No music on the range
Current TV obsession: The Night Agent (Netflix)
Go-to Starbucks order: Chai latte
Favorite meal: Not picky. Anything!
Insta handle: @allysoncorpuz

Lauren Coughlin

Rookie LPGA year: 2018
Golf hero: Tiger Woods
Favorite golf course: Pinehurst No. 2 (Pinehurst, N.C.)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Pearl Jam; Metallica
Current TV obsession: Shrinking (Apple TV+)
Go-to Starbucks order: Sweet cream cold brew
Favorite meal: Thanksgiving
Insta handle: @l_coughlin

Brooke Henderson

Rookie LPGA year: 2015
Golf hero: Morgan Pressel and Annika Sörenstam
Favorite golf course: Cabot Cliffs GC (Nova Scotia, Canada)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Country
Current TV obsession: None
Go-to Starbucks order: Prefer Tim Hortons’ hot green tea
Favorite meal: Omelet with gluten-free toast and fruit
Insta handle: @brookehendersongolf

News

Nataliya Guseva

Rookie LPGA year: 2024
Golf hero: Tiger Woods
Favorite golf course: Teeth of the Dog GC (La Romana, D.R.)
Go-to headphones music on the range: UK rap; “Clash,” Dave
Current TV obsession: Receiver (Netflix)
Go-to Starbucks order: Grande iced latte with oat milk and one pump of sugar-free vanilla syrup
Favorite meal: Steak with red wine
Insta handle: @gusevatata03

Hannah Green

Rookie LPGA year: 2018
Golf hero: Karrie Webb
Favorite golf course: Merion GC (Ardmore, Pa.)
Go-to headphones music on the range: House music
Current TV obsession: New Amsterdam
Go-to Starbucks order: Matcha latte
Favorite meal: Steak and salad
Insta handle: @hannahgreengolf

Ayaka Furue

Rookie LPGA year: 2022
Golf hero: Ai Miyazato
Favorite golf course: Shadow Creek (Las Vegas)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Ayumi Hamasaki
Current TV obsession: Don’t have one
Go-to Starbucks order: Chocolate chip frappuccino
Favorite meal: Strawberries
Insta handle: @ayaka_furue27

Charley Hull

Rookie LPGA year: 2015
Golf hero: Seve Ballesteros
Favorite golf course: Pebble Beach GL (Pebble Beach, Calif.)
Go-to headphones music on the range: “Layla,” Eric Clapton
Current TV obsession: The Gentlemen (Netflix)
Go-to Starbucks order: Nothing. Don’t drink coffee.
Favorite meal: My mum’s bake crust
Instagram handle: @charley.hull

Moriya Jutanugarn

Rookie LPGA year: 2013
Golf hero: Tiger Woods
Favorite golf course: Kingsbarns GL (Fife, Scotland)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Thai pop music
Current TV obsession: Prison Break
Go-to Starbucks order: Iced cappuccino
Favorite meal: Thai noodles
Insta handle: @mo_moriya

Ariya Jutanugarn

Rookie LPGA year: 2015
Golf hero: Annika Sörenstam
Favorite golf course: St. Andrews (Fife, Scotland)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Thai pop music
Current TV obsession: The Night Agent (Netflix)
Go-to Starbucks order: Cappuccino with oat milk
Favorite meal: Sushi
Insta handle: @mayariya

Megan Khang

Rookie LPGA year: 2016
Golf hero: My dad
Favorite golf course: Boston GC (Hingham, Mass.)
Go-to headphones music on the range: It depends on what mood I’m in! It ranges from 2000s R&B to today’s pop and country hits.
Current TV obsession: The Crowded Room (Apple TV+)
Go-to Starbucks order: Always an oat milk latte!
Favorite meal: Steak frites with chimichurri sauce
Insta handle: @megan_khang

Andrea Lee

Rookie LPGA year: 2020/21
Golf hero: Tiger Woods
Favorite golf course: Augusta National GC (Augusta, Ga.); Cypress Point GC (Pebble Beach, Calif.)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Lauv
Current TV obsession: Love Is Blind (Netflix); Formula 1: Drive to Survive (Netflix)
Go-to Starbucks order: Matcha latte
Favorite meal: Korean food
Insta handle: @andrea_lee54

Jennifer Kupcho

Rookie LPGA year: 2019
Golf hero: Annika Sörenstam
Favorite golf course: Sycamore Hills GC (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Country
Current TV obsession: The Night Agent (Netflix)
Go-to Starbucks order: Caramel macchiato
Favorite meal: Mac and cheese
Insta handle: @jenniferkupcho

Nelly Korda

Rookie LPGA year: 2017
Golf hero: Tiger Woods + my sister (Jess Korda)
Favorite golf course: I don’t have one
Go-to headphones music on the range: No music during practice
Current TV obsession: Friends
Go-to Starbucks order: I don’t drink Starbucks
Favorite meal: Any breakfast food
Insta handle: @nellykorda

Jin Young Ko

Rookie LPGA year: 2018
Golf hero: Lorena Ochoa
Favorite golf course: No favorite golf course
Go-to headphones music on the range: No music on the range
Current TV obsession: None
Go-to Starbucks order: Dolce latte
Favorite meal: Galbi-jjim
Insta handle: @jinyoungko_official

Gaby Lopez

Rookie LPGA year: 2016
Golf hero: Lorena Ochoa
Favorite golf course: Augusta National GC (Augusta, Ga.)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Shakira
Current TV obsession: The Day of the Jackal (Peacock)
Go-to Starbucks order: White chocolate mocha
Favorite meal: Tacos
Insta handle: @gabylopezgolf

Leona Maguire

ookie LPGA year: 2020/21
Golf hero: Padraig Harrington
Favorite golf course: Pinehurst No. 2 (Pinehurst, N.C.)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Imagine Dragons
Current TV obsession: High Potential (ABC)
Go-to Starbucks order: Chai latte
Favorite meal: Roast Sunday dinner
Insta handle: @leonamaguire

Yealimi Noh

Golf hero: Tiger Woods
Favorite golf course: Shadow Creek (Las Vegas)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Pop
Current TV obsession: The White Lotus (HBO)
Go-to Starbucks order: Iced vanilla latte
Favorite meal: Good Mediterranean
Insta handle: @yealiminoh

Alexa Pano

Rookie LPGA year: 2023
Golf hero: Mickey Wright
Favorite golf course: Augusta National GC (Augusta, Ga.)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Drake; Tyler Childers
Current TV obsession: The Office
Go-to Starbucks order: Iced matcha with oat milk
Favorite meal: Chipotle’s steak burrito bowl
Insta handle: @alexampano

Hinako Shibuno

Rookie LPGA year: 2022
Golf hero: Justin Rose
Favorite golf course: Mission Hills GC (Rancho Mirage, Calif.)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Fujii Kaze
Current TV obsession: Major League Baseball
Go-to Starbucks order: Iced caramel macchiato
Favorite meal: Japanese food
Insta handle: @pinacoooon

Sarah Schmelzel

Rookie LPGA year: 2019
Golf hero: Annika Sörenstam
Favorite golf course: Muirfield GC (East Lothian, Scotland)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Taylor Swift
Current TV obsession: Summer House (Bravo)
Go-to Starbucks order: Iced half sweet vanilla latte
Favorite meal: Pizza
Insta handle: @sschmelly

Mao Saigo

Rookie LPGA year: 2024
Golf hero: Tiger Woods
Favorite golf course: Hamano GC (Ichihara, Japan)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Fujii Kaze
Current TV obsession: I don’t watch much TV
Go-to Starbucks order: Caramel frappuccino
Favorite meal: Sushi
Insta handle: @maomao_golf

Gabriela Ruffels

Rookie LPGA year: 2024
Golf hero: Karrie Webb
Favorite golf course: Pebble Beach GL (Pebble Beach, Calif.)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Pop
Current TV obsession: Gossip Girl
Go-to Starbucks order: Oat milk flat white
Favorite meal: Pizza
Insta handle: @gabiruffels

Maja Stark

Golf hero: Tiger. Or Jean van de Velde, specifically in Netflix’s Losers documentary
Favorite golf course: Pebble Beach GL (Pebble Beach, Calif.)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Anything, really
Current TV obsession: Currently deciding whether I like the new season of The White Lotus (HBO)
Go-to Starbucks order: I don’t go there enough to have one
Favorite meal: Tacos or sushi
Insta handle: @majastark1

Albane Valenzuela

Rookie LPGA year: 2020/21
Golf hero: Tiger Woods
Favorite golf course: Cypress Point GC (Pebble Beach, Calif.)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Any music… but no country, rock, metal, classic
Current TV obsession: Any French show
Go-to Starbucks order: Flat white
Favorite meal: Anything Italian
Insta handle: @albanevalenzuela

Angel Yin

Rookie LPGA year: 2017
Golf hero: Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods
Favorite golf course: Sand Hills GC (Mullen, Neb.); Emirates GC (Dubai, UAE)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Silence
Current TV obsession: American Pickers (History)
Go-to Starbucks order: I can make coffee at home
Favorite meal: Noodles
Insta handle: @angelyin

Ashleigh Buhai

LPGA rookie year: 2008
Golf hero: Ernie Els
Favorite golf course: Gary Player CC (Sun City, South Africa)
Go-to headphones music on the range: ’80s rock
Latest TV obsession: Chicago P.D. (NBC); Chicago Fire (NBC)
Go-to Starbucks order: Oat milk latte
Favorite meal: Filet steak
Insta handle: @ashbuhaigolf

Bailey Tardy

LPGA rookie year: 2023
Favorite golf course: Anywhere that’s sunny and 75 degrees with a golf course dog
Go-to headphones music on the range: Anything country
Latest TV obsession: Below Deck (Bravo)
Go-to Starbucks order: Caramel macchiato
Favorite meal: Chick-fil-A
Insta handle: @tardy_for_the_party_

Danielle Kang

LPGA rookie year: 2012
Golf hero: Inbee Park
Favorite golf course: Sherwood CC (Thousand Oaks, Calif.); Shadow Creek GC (Las Vegas)
Latest TV obsession: Friends
Go-to Starbucks order: Oat milk latte with two pumps of brown sugar
Favorite meal: My mom’s cooking
Insta handle: @daniellekang

Cheyenne Knight

LPGA rookie year: 2019
Golf hero: Kathy Whitworth
Favorite golf course: Shady Oaks CC (Fort Worth, Texas)
Go-to headphones music on the range: Christian; gospel
Latest TV obsession: Lioness (Paramount+)
Go-to Starbucks order: Iced shaken espresso
Favorite meal: Sushi or Mexican
Insta handle: @cheyenne__knight

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The post Rules Guy: Is it against the rules to use a weighted club? appeared first on Golf.

The post Rules Guy: Is it against the rules to use a weighted club? appeared first on Golf.

A playing partner carries a training aid — a weighted 7-iron — in his bag during rounds. He claims that it’s legal since he can hit the ball with it and counts it as one of his 14 clubs, though he has only ever used it for practice swings. I say otherwise. Who’s right? —Ray Chapman, Navarre, Fla.

Neither of you. No rule prohibits carrying a training aid, regardless of whether it’s a club or just some random device.

The problems happen when you use it. In this instance, because the training aid is a club, your playing partner was correct that it counts as one of his 14 sticks and that he may carry it. Since it is a training aid, however, he isn’t allowed to use it — even for practice swings. Doing so once during a round brings the general penalty; doing so another time with an intervening event in between would result in a DQ, under Rule 4.3a(6).

For more training aid guidance from our guru, read on …

Rules

Can you use a weight to warm up before each shot? Before the tee shot, and then again in the fairway? Does it matter if it’s a weighted club or just, say, a dumbbell? —Ambrose Rivera, via email

Ambrose, Rules Guy is here to (clap, clap) pump you up! Or at least pump up your Rules knowledge.

You cannot swing a weighted club under Rule 4.3(a)/6, as it gives you a potential advantage by helping you prepare to make a stroke. You’d get the general penalty of two strokes in stroke play and loss of hole in match play for the first offense and be disqualified for the second offense.

Likewise, you’d be running afoul by swinging a dumbbell as if it were a golf club. If instead you were using the dumbbell (or rubber tubing, or whatever) merely to stretch out/limber up, you’re probably in the clear.

Still, per Rule 20.2b, you should check with the Committee beforehand whenever you’re unsure of whether you can use a particular piece of equipment in a particular way. As Hans and Franz would say, “Hear me now and believe this later!”

Need help unriddling the greens at your home course? Pick up a custom Green Book from Golf Logix.

Got a question about the Rules? Ask the Rules Guy! Send your queries, confusions and comments to rulesguy@golf.com. We promise he won’t throw the book at you.

The post Rules Guy: Is it against the rules to use a weighted club? appeared first on Golf.

The post Make a perfect downswing and hit more fairways. Here’s how appeared first on Golf.

The post Make a perfect downswing and hit more fairways. Here’s how appeared first on Golf.

Here’s how to practice making an on-plane downswing by better syncing your arms and body.

1. Lay down a club extending from your front foot, settle into address and place your gloved hand on your sternum, making sure your front elbow points at the target. 

2. Using only your trail arm, swing to the top, turning your upper body until your front elbow points well behind the ball. 

3. Now, the secret sauce: Shift your lower body toward the target while allowing the club to drop. This move is the exact opposite from the cast you’re probably doing now.

The goal is to keep your front elbow pointing behind the ball. If you can reach this position, all you have to do is turn through impact and release your hands. The result: big drives that never leave the target. 

Mike Malizia is a GOLF Top 100 Teacher and is the director of instruction at the Club at Admirals Cove in Jupiter, Fla.

The post Make a perfect downswing and hit more fairways. Here’s how appeared first on Golf.

The post Should you turn to YouTube for quality golf instruction? appeared first on Golf.

The post Should you turn to YouTube for quality golf instruction? appeared first on Golf.

Gary McCord: Peter, something insane is happening in golf: YouTube instruction videos. Once you start watching, you can’t stop. It’s a rabbit hole.

Peter Kostis: At one time, teachers made a living giving real lessons. Now, there are new methods, basically fueled by marketing and money. And because people are making money, they’re putting random tips out there, yet the average golfer has got a 0.002 percent chance of picking the right tip for their problem.

GM: Yep. 

PK: Gary, I do go online, generally with a glass of red wine and at night, and look at this stuff. I’m going to say it right now: 10 percent of it is good, 10 percent of it is quite good and 30 percent probably won’t do anyone any harm. The rest? Just miserable. You end up getting a glimmer of hope until you go out there and hit balls and then you realize this stuff doesn’t work. 

GM: So where does it go from here? Are we stuck in a “quick fix” mentality for good? 

PK: It’s like those ads that say you can lose 20 pounds next week. In golf, it’s become gain 20 yards tomorrow. Gosh, if I could do that, I’d be playing on Tour, even at my age! 

GM: One thing that I did get from YouTube golf lessons — and helped me actually restructure my swing — was the stuff from Mac O’Grady. That’s good stuff. 

PK: There are multiple ways to learn a motor skill, like swinging a golf club. Two primary ones are visual and kinesthetic. Looking, watching and feeling. And that’s how you play golf primarily, right? You use your eyes and your feel and off you go. So I have no problem with people looking. I have a bunch of Sam Snead [pictured] sequences on my phone. I love his swing. Looking at swings is a great way to learn. While you can’t really copy them, I think it’s good to mimic their flow, rhythm and effortlessness. Just absorb. If you improve the rhythm of your swing, you can improve a lot of different things. That’s where I think the internet really does the most good for the average golfer. Watch Nicklaus. Weiskopf. Hogan.

GM: Agree. 

PK: Anybody can tell you what you’re doing wrong. Only a few people can tell you what to do that’s right. That’s what makes a great teacher. If YouTube learning is your thing, at least ask around to sort out what’s good and what’s not. 

GM: It’s a new world. In the meantime, I’ll continue down the YouTube rabbit hole. I’m hooked. 

PK: I’ll be right behind you.

PGA Tour coach Peter Kostis and former Tour player and golf personality Gary McCord riff on all things golf in their podcast “Off Their Rockers.” Subscribe and watch for free at Youtube.com/@kostismccord.

The post Should you turn to YouTube for quality golf instruction? appeared first on Golf.

The post Use this technique to easily hit a wedge when your ball is in a divot appeared first on Golf.

The post Use this technique to easily hit a wedge when your ball is in a divot appeared first on Golf.

First things first: Check how much green you have to work with. If it’s ample, throttle down to your gap wedge, position the ball a bit farther back in your stance, set the majority of your weight over your front foot and lean the shaft toward the target.

These setup changes will almost ensure ball-first contact and negate any problems with the ball sitting down in a divot. The ball will come out low and fast but with enough backspin to hold the green.

If, however, you’re short-sided, opt for your sand or even lob wedge. Stand closer to the ball, keep the shaft more upright, open the face and make more of a “cut” stroke.

Job done.

Parker McLachlin is a GOLF Teacher to Watch and short-game expert. Learn more from McLachlin at shortgamechef.com. For more great tips from McLachlin, sign up to become a Short Game Chef member below.

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The post Use this technique to easily hit a wedge when your ball is in a divot appeared first on Golf.

The post Perfect your body and club positions to generate ball-first contact appeared first on Golf.

The post Perfect your body and club positions to generate ball-first contact appeared first on Golf.

Make a slow-motion swing, then stop right about where you see me here. Three things to look for: 1) Your hands are slightly in front of your trail leg, 2) the shaft is parallel to the ground and 3) the face of the club is slightly closed. 

Approach Shots

Nailing these three pro-proven delivery elements are what allow you to unwind freely and produce shaft lean at impact, which is the secret to compressing the ball. If you stop your downswing and notice that any of these elements are missing, work your way into them, even if it means adjusting how you’re holding the handle.

Once you can copy what you see here, go back to address without moving your hands. This is your new setup, one that may feel a little uncomfortable at first, but will produce that crisp, ball-first contact previously reserved for Tour pros.

Martin Chuck is a GOLF Top 100 Teacher who runs the Tour Striker Golf Academy at Raven GC in Phoenix.

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The post How to make Augusta National’s delightfully simple chicken salad sandwich appeared first on Golf.

The post How to make Augusta National’s delightfully simple chicken salad sandwich appeared first on Golf.

***

Ask anyone who has set foot on Augusta National’s hallowed ground about their Masters week experience and they’ll likely be eager to share two revelations: The course’s elevation changes are unbelievable. And the food prices? Unreal!

Indeed, the concessions at Augusta National — like so much of the property — are a throwback to simpler times. The prices are refreshingly low, ranging from $1.50 for snacks and sandwiches to $6 for a glass of chardonnay — and nothing is made to order. Patrons line up to grab what’s available — in a tidy, logoed bag — and head on their merry way.

The concessions menu of two dozen or so items has remained largely unchanged of late, save for a few well-received additions over the years, like the coveted Georgia peach ice cream sandwich. When a new menu item does join the Masters concessions pantheon, it’s treated with considerable fanfare. Such was the case with the chicken salad sandwich, which made its Masters menu debut in 2021, complete with its own introductory Instagram post.

The public’s appetite to replicate the Masters’ simple yet beloved concessions staples is immense. During the pandemic, the club began releasing Taste of the Masters hosting kits, which included staples like pimento cheese and egg salad along with branded coasters, cups and more. The kits sell out every year.

While Augusta National is famously tight-lipped when it comes to sharing proprietary information like recipes, chicken salad is blessedly simple to make at home, though there are some best practices to keep in mind.

Lifestyle

Marc Johnson, executive chef at Santa Lucia Preserve in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., serves a popular curry chicken salad at his club and says the key to making chicken salad sing at home comes down to a few key elements: quality ingredients (like whole roasted chicken), good mayo and seasoning. You can get as creative as you want from there.

“I like to put a little fruit in there, too, to balance the fattiness of the mayo,” he says.

Slather the salad on a bun or white bread and pair it with a pilsner and potato chips, and you have a Masters-week meal worthy of a green jacket.

Basic Chicken Salad

-1 cup roasted chicken
-1/4 cup mayonnaise
-2 tbsp chopped celery
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Squeeze of lemon

In a bowl, mix the chicken and mayonnaise. Add celery sparingly, and salt and pepper to taste. “You want celery for the crunch factor and texture,” Johnson says. “But it can add a bitter note to the mixture, so a small amount goes a long way.”

The final step: a squeeze of lemon. “A little acid gives a nice balance and brightens everything up.”

The post How to make Augusta National’s delightfully simple chicken salad sandwich appeared first on Golf.

The post You don’t know pressure until you know Masters pressure appeared first on Golf.

The post You don’t know pressure until you know Masters pressure appeared first on Golf.

The fans and the moment put the players on edge, and the players and the moment return the favor. The ghost of Bob Jones puts everybody on edge, along with the tee shot on 18 and the prospect of a basement interview in Butler Cabin. That ghost hovers low; that chute on 18 is skinny; that basement gets crowded.

Here’s Francesco Molinari, Sunday morn, 2019 Masters, putting on his work clothes with a two-shot lead. Dark pants, off-white shirt — this is not a flashy man. He looks at himself in a mirror and an involuntary question crosses his mind: How would these colors go with the world’s most famous green sport coat? “Of course, you don’t want to think about that,” Molinari said in an interview several months after that Masters. “But you do.”

You haven’t hit a shot and the tourney is playing with your head.

For a player in contention, the claustrophobia can set in on the first tee. No, before that. It can set in on the practice green behind the first tee. No, before even that. It can start in the clubhouse. Yep, there. You can’t breathe, your skin is clammy and an obsessive plea is running through your head like a Norfolk Southern freight train chugging through downtown Augusta: Please don’t look at me.

This isn’t everybody, but it is a couple dozen players, early on Sunday afternoon: You’ve been to the range and now you’re in the clubhouse, only to use the loo. The clock is ticking toward your tee time, toward Jim Nantz’s syrupy 2 p.m. greeting (Grammy’s watching at home), toward 7 p.m. and the start of 60 Minutes, when this peculiar and exquisite torture will be over and the wait for next year will begin.

And now there’s this nice clubby man in his green coat looking your way. His wife in her yellow floral shirt, looking your way. Their semi-grown kids tagging along like prep-school Mini-Mes. And your worst fear is coming true: The guy is talking to you. He’s saying some wildly appropriate thing like, “Good luck out there today. We’re rooting for ya.” You really don’t know or care what he’s saying. You’re shrinking into yourself.

You know who you are. You’re Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Max Homa, various others in Category 1. You’re excitable and emotional, and this Sunday-at-Augusta, I-can’t-breathe thing is in your DNA. Or maybe you’re in Category 2, with Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau, excitable and emotional like your brethren in C1 but more determined to hide it. You are not in Category 3, with Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka and Cameron Young and others who can make the Leaders on Parade walk from nine green to 10 tee and barely feel a thing.

But Tiger, man — what gives? You’ve done the Sunday-at-the-Masters thing 24 times. On most of those Sundays, you have killed your pre-round warm-up. You’ve looked good on the putting green. But then you make that walk through that allée of people from the practice green to the first tee and something happens.

We get it. It’s intimidating. You’re surrounded, on that tee. Both sides of the fairway are lined with fans, some with binoculars, and they’re staring holes through you. There are members and guests on the second-floor porch in the clubhouse standing and watching. You’re perspiring, and we really do get it. The real, this-counts world is crashing in and there’s nowhere to hide. Your record, your experience, your exemplary warm-up suddenly don’t mean a thing. In that setting, Tiger Woods would hit, at least on a few memorable occasions, some of the most wildly offline shots you could ever imagine. Sunday at Augusta. You can say this without having a doctorate in clinical psychology: It had to be the stress.

If you have one, as Bhrett McCabe does, you can say a lot more. McCabe is a psychologist who tells the golfers he works with — Jon Rahm, Sam Burns, Billy Horschel — that they need to start thinking about Sunday long before the tournament begins. “By Sunday, it’s too late,” McCabe said recently. “Sunday at the Masters is Alabama and Michigan at the Rose Bowl. It’s an elevated experience.”

On the 6th hole, the downhill par 3, everybody — players, caddies, Pinkertons, fans, tournament officials, camera operators — comes together in the name of ball-in-the-air awe. The green is 100 feet below the tee and the pin is on a wee shelf in the back right. The face-meets-ball acoustics are perfect, but it doesn’t matter, because now that ball is in the air with a mind of its own. For about four seconds, there are thousands of eyeballs on a single golf ball and nobody is saying boo. “There’s total, complete silence,” Jim “Bones” Mackay, the former caddie and now NBC Sports on-course reporter, said recently. “It’s so intense.” And it is. Everybody is in the moment. There are no cellphones. There are no distractions. There’s nothing but that ball in the air.

The next par 3, the short 12th, is even more intense, because, by now, it’s getting late. The fellas come off the 11th green and look left (all together now) to see what the flag on 12 is doing. What the players don’t want to do is look straight ahead at the 12th tee. That’s because the box is small and the crowd is thick. Thick and almost too respectful: the opera-house clapping for contenders and past champions, the deathly silence when a player is over his ball. You don’t like the tee height but you really don’t want to start over. The tension can mess with you. “Twelve,” said Tom Watson, “is the most stressful shot on the golf course.” Does Tom Watson strike you as the sort of person who uses that word casually?

Then there are two moments of exquisite privacy, for the players and their caddies, the 12th green and the 13th tee. On 12, you can actually hear a birdie putt (rare) go in. That’s because the nearest cheering spectators are almost 200 yards away and it takes a split second for their hysteria to reach you.

Then your last break of the day, in the back-of-the-box privacy of the 13th tee. You could practically shout over to somebody playing next door at the Country Club and ask for a hot dog. There’s a restroom back there, the last best one of the day. There’s a bench. There’s often a wait. You might eat something, drink something, do a deep-breath thing. You’re literally in the shadows. For a brief while there, nobody can see you. Then you reemerge into the afternoon sunshine. For the rest of the day, you’re on display, like a movie star at an awards show. It’s showtime, Augusta-style.

You rinse one, playing into the 15th green, and the gallery in the grandstand offers a mournful play-by-play chorus, hope segueing into despair: Oh! Ooh-oh-oh-oh? Urrrrrr.

And sometimes — sometimes — the players become fans. The players, every last one of them, grew up watching the tourney. They know what it’s like, to be a fan. On Masters Sunday, they hear what the spectators hear. Brooks Koepka, Ian Poulter and Webb Simpson were on the 17th tee when Woods played his tee shot on the par-3 16th, when Woods was contending for his fifth coat. Verne was calling it on CBS for Grammy at home, and Michael Phelps, lanky retired swimmer, was about six feet behind Woods, in the first row of spectators, separated from the action by a thin rope. Tiger’s ball took the green’s slope and started trickling down the hill and for a while there it looked and sounded like it might go in. Koepka and Poulter and Simpson heard it all. Walking down 17, Koepka said, “That was f—ing awesome.” Koepka. You wouldn’t think it.

Woods won that year, six years ago. That’s how it goes every year. One guy wins. The other players, pretty much, get out fast, returning to their lives and their regrets, getting ahead of the crowds, leaving the hysteria behind.

Until next April.

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The post Dewar’s 21-year-old Stone Toasted Scotch whisky is the first to utilize a unique finishing process appeared first on Golf.

The post Dewar’s 21-year-old Stone Toasted Scotch whisky is the first to utilize a unique finishing process appeared first on Golf.

Dewar’s first began double aging — the process of blending matured Scotch whisky, then placing it back into casks to mature even further —in 1881. The result: a supremely smooth and balanced finished product that made Dewar’s a household name for more than a century.

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Dewar’s pushed the bar even higher by introducing double-double aging in 2019. Double-double aging is a four-step process that starts with the maturation of single malt and single grain whiskies for over two decades. Those whiskies are then vatted separately, matured further and eventually combined for one final maturation before being finished in a special cask. This process produced a 32-year-old Scotch whisky that won Best Whisky in the World at the International Whisky Competition in 2020.

Now, Dewar’s has introduced the latest double-double iteration: a 21-year-old Stone Toasted Scotch whisky ($140; dewars.com). This Scotch whisky has been further elevated with a unique finish in magma-stone-toasted French oak casks, making Dewar’s the first whisky brand in the world to utilize the process, which is more prevalent in the high-end wine industry.

Stone toasting involves placing heated magma stones inside a metal cylinder in the casks to delicately and gradually “toast” them over the course of several hours. The heat opens the oak’s pores, and the finished whisky is enriched by a smooth symphony of flavors, which include notes of honey, caramel, stewed apples, pears, cinnamon, toasted oat and cereal grain.

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The post 5 holes that will decide the Masters (hint: not on the back 9) appeared first on Golf.

The post 5 holes that will decide the Masters (hint: not on the back 9) appeared first on Golf.

Statistically speaking, the two most difficult holes at Augusta National, consulting stats that go all the way back to 1942, are Nos. 10 (0.298 str0kes above par) and 11 (0.304). Add in the peril that awaits on No. 12 (a 150-yard par 4 that plays just as difficult as the 240-yard par-3 4th, according to the numbers) and it’s not hard to accept that getting off to a good start at Augusta National, especially on Sunday, is often more important than how you finish. But, in a word, it is hard.

Any golf fan knows what the leaders need to do on Nos. 13 and 15 (two of the most beautiful — and birdie-able — par 5s in major championship golf ), but for many decades those watching on TV could only see the back nine. Today, thankfully, you can see it all, and, if you watch closely this year, you’ll realize that the front nine — specifically, the first five holes — are the ones that truly make or break a player’s chances.

Adam Scott, the 2013 champion knows. In a recent interview with GOLF’s Claire Rogers, the Aussie revealed that the most nerve-racking shot in golf, year-in and year-out, is the first at Augusta. And that’s on Thursday.

I’m lucky in that my primary teaching location, Fusion ATL, is, as the name suggests, Augusta-adjacent in Atlanta. Many of my students are Augusta National members. I’ve coached some of the guys you have seen or will see play for a green jacket. And I’ve had the honor of playing there many times. Like many of my GOLF Top 100 Teacher colleagues, I know the place well. And each time I visit or walk with a player/student, I’m reminded of the same thing: The holes most fans know the least about are the ones they need to get to know better. They’re nasty. And they hit you right from the start.

No. 1: Tea Olive (Par-4)

Most golf courses open with somewhat of a “warm handshake.” Tee it up and have fun. Augusta doesn’t. The opener is a killer and has become increasingly difficult over the years with the addition of a few extra yards — and a lot of trees.

The view is nice: When you look to your left, you see the expanse of most of the entire property. Phenomenal. As you turn your gaze back to the fairway … well, not so nice.

The trees begin roughly 150 yards off the tee box, and the hole gently moves to the right. But I wouldn’t call it a dogleg, because the tee shot is pretty much straight. The best golfers in the world now can hit high fades without blinking, as six-time winner Jack Nicklaus did. Maybe you’ve heard that Augusta National favors a draw player. Not anymore. Big, long fades are the shots du jour come April in Georgia. No. 1 is a medium-length par 4 by today’s major standards, but, as you watch in person or from your couch, count how many players use anything but driver off the first tee. You’ll use the fingers only on one hand.

The bunker on the right side of the fairway on No. 1, like many bunkers at Augusta, has very clean edges. But it’s deep, which limits your options when going for the green if and when you find it. Point is, there isn’t much bailout on ANGC’s opener.

Players who get conservative off the tee are left with an extremely long second. No fun. But, say a player hits a great drive. They’re in the fairway staring at a mid-iron to the green. Here’s where you first learn what Augusta’s all about. The greens look big, as the one on No. 1 does, but really they’re only as big as the area directly surrounding the pin. Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones — geniuses. 

Par is birdie on this hole. Players who card four here are likely to gain a half shot on the entire field over four days. Maybe that doesn’t seem like a lot, but it adds up. And this is just the opener. 

No. 2: Pink Dogwood (Par-5)

On to the 2nd, Pink Dogwood. Beautiful sounding name. Beautiful hole. From the tee box you think it’s a dogleg, but it isn’t. You’ve got to hit it pretty straight off the tee — then the dogleg comes into play.

It’s a par 5. It’s early in the round. It’s potentially a birdie hole for sure. But it’s also tricky. There’s a creek that runs along the left-hand side of the hole that most fans don’t know about. But the bunker on the right—that’s the scary thing. As you stand on the tee, it’s the only thing you really see. Smart players, many of whom have green jackets in their closets, have approached the tee shot on No. 2 with the same thought: Be aggressive, but choose a conservative target. Sounds simple, but this kind of game management takes discipline. The best line: just off the left edge of the bunker. If the ball draws a little, great. If it doesn’t—and if you’re long enough—no biggie either. But for years players have thought they needed to carve something special here. You don’t. Watch Bryson or Ludvig: They’ll just pound it here.

No. 3: Flowering Peach (Par-4)

The 3rd hole at Augusta, Flowering Peach, is a fantastic, short-ish par 4. What’ll be interesting to watch this year is that the tree in the right half of the fairway is no longer there (thanks to Hurricane Helene). It was, for years, the only thing players had to worry about.

When I first played Augusta, decades ago, nobody hit driver on No. 3. Not only because of that tree but the bunkers on the left, which loomed just in driver range. In many ways, the inherent danger has probably messed up a few players over the years, derailing their chances of winning at Augusta on what should be a very simple hole. This year, take note of how many players hit pitch shots into the 3rd green. We all know how Augusta has tried to “Tiger-proof ” the course, but here’s an example where length is your friend, not some unique ability to carve a fairway wood or long iron to avoid the bunkers or the tree that may or may not be there come this Masters. Today’s players realize that hitting it as close to the green — instead of laying up to a preferred yardage — is the best route to a green jacket, especially on No. 3.

No. 4: Flowering Crabapple (Par-3)

Players reach the first par 3 at Augusta National on No. 4. The name of the hole is Flowering Crab Apple. Perfect, because it sounds sweet, but crab apples are actually very sour. It plays 240 yards — driver for you and me, but, for the competitors, it’s more like a 4- or 5-iron. Again, here’s where power pays off. If you had to guess which par 3, the 240-yard 4th or the 155- yard 12th, has the lower scoring aver – age, what would you guess? I’ll spare you the Google search: The average score on each hole since 1942 is exactly the same, give or take a decimal point.

No. 5: Magnolia (Par-4)

Now, No. 5. Players are about an hour into their rounds. Nobody used to talk about the 5th until ANGC significantly lengthened it a few years back, adding some 40 yards. For years it was a hole that simply was the one you played after No. 4 and before you teed off on No. 6.

Now, it’s a breath-taker. It’s beautiful, but it’s hard. Like Nos. 10 and 11, the goal here is to simply hold serve, which is what each of the top-five finishers (Scheffler, Åberg, Fleetwood, Homa and Morikawa) did at last year’s Masters. (DeChambeau, who placed sixth, actually birdied the thing.) At one point in tournament history, players statistically carded an average of par on this hole. Since the changes, it’s now, coincidentally, the fifth hardest hole at ANGC, averaging 0.266 strokes over par.

So how to win a green jacket? As ever, dominate the par 5s. Make it through Amen Corner. And now … manage what’s the most unheralded and least-known part of the course: the starting five. They offer no mercy and few roars. They favor length over shot-shaping. My advice? Bet on a bomber.

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