I get it. Kirkland is sellingthree wedges for $199.99. A single Titleist Vokey SM11 costs about the same amount. Vokey has been one of the benchmarks in the wedge category for years while Kirkland is still, to many golfers, the wedge you pick up at Costco.

So rather than simply saying the Kirkland won, I wanted to look more closely at what happened when we put it head to head with the Vokey SM11.

Every buying guide at MyGolfSpy is informed by independent testing and millions of equipment data points, helping golfers separate marketing claims from measurable performance.

Kirkland vs. Vokey SM11: The overall results

Our 2026 wedge test included 15 models, 240 hours of testing and 11,400 shots. Every wedge tested was 56 degrees and golfers hit full swings, 50-yard shots in dry conditions and 50-yard shots with moisture added.

Here is how the two wedges finished.

Kirkland finished first overall. Vokey finished third. Kirkland was second in each of our three scoring categories while Vokey’s strongest performance came in spin.

Our wedge score is driven primarily accuracy with it accounting for 50 percent of the score. Spin accounts for 30 percent and consistency for 20 percent.

The spin numbers were closer than you might expect

This is probably the part of the comparison that surprised me most. On full swings, the Kirkland generated 9,429 rpm of spin compared with 9,062 for the Vokey. On a dry 50-yard shot, Kirkland averaged 6,891 rpm and Vokey 6,857.

Put those numbers next to each other and there isn’t much separating a $67 Kirkland wedge from a $200 Vokey.

Kirkland dropped to 6,668 rpm in wet wedge testing while Vokey produced 6,860 rpm. That’s part of the reason the SM11 earned our top spot for spin performance. Our spin category looks at full-swing spin, 50-yard dry spin, 50-yard wet spin and how much spin a wedge retains when moisture is introduced.

Kirkland was more consistent but the gap is small

Kirkland earned a 9.0 consistency score compared to 8.4 for Vokey. The difference wasn’t really about distance control. Carry numbers between the two were very close.

Kirkland’s advantage came more from dispersion. Across the test, it produced a tighter overall shot pattern which helped push its consistency score ahead. That doesn’t make the Vokey SM11 inconsistent. It does, yet again, make me say that Kirkland did a great job with this wedge.

Where the Vokey comparison changes

Here’s where I think the biggest difference between these two wedges appears and it has very little to do with our performance data.

The Kirkland set gives you a 52-, 56- and 60-degree wedge. You aren’t choosing different loft gaps, bounce options or sole grinds when you buy it.

Vokey SM11 gives you 27 different loft, bounce and grind configurations across six standard grinds. Just at 56 degrees, you can choose an eight-degree M Grind, 10-degree S Grind, 12-degree D Grind or 14-degree F Grind.

A golfer with a steep attack angle playing softer conditions may need something completely different from a shallow player who likes to open the face on firm turf. Vokey gives you the ability to build the wedge around those needs; Kirkland doesn’t.

There is also the loft issue. Maybe your iron set finishes with a 48-degree gap wedge and you want to move into 54 and 60. With Vokey, you can build around your iron set. The standard SM11 lineup runs from 44 through 60 degrees.

Which one would I buy?

This is where the Kirkland’s $199.99 price becomes difficult to ignore. You can buy three Kirkland wedges for the same price as one Vokey SM11.

Wedges are clubs you’re going to replace inevitably. Grooves wear and golfers who practice and play frequently can go through wedges considerably faster than something like a putter or a driver.

If the Kirkland lofts and sole design work for your game, our test gives you very little reason to dismiss them simply because of the name stamped on the club. In addition, if your grooves are worn and price has been holding you back from replacing, Kirkland just solved that issue for you.

If you need a particular loft, more or less bounce or a grind that works better with your delivery and the shots you play around the green, I’d rather have the properly fitted Vokey.

That’s probably the biggest takeaway from this comparison.

The Kirkland GEN 3 proved you don’t have to spend $200 on a wedge to get $200-level performance. You just need to know what the priorities are for your game.

The post Kirkland Vs. Vokey SM11: How Does The $67 Wedge Really Compare? appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

He swings between 110 and 115 mph, can get his good drives around the 300-yard mark and plays a PING G430 LST. He had already decided this would be the year he upgraded. Distance is not his problem.

His issue was that one drive could miss 30 yards left and the next could miss 30 yards right. He was punching out two or three times per round and was willing to give up a few yards if it meant keeping more tee shots in play.

So I brought his question to the MyGolfSpy Forum. Which of the newest drivers should he be testing?

There were some specific recommendations but the conversation kept coming back to the same answer.

The answer is more complicated than picking a new driver

The Forum kept coming back to fitting because there were too many variables we couldn’t see. Was the problem the head, shaft, length, loft, setup or the swing itself? Without knowing what happens to launch, spin, ball speed and dispersion when those variables change, recommending a different driver is still partly a guess.

There are a few clear-cut signs in this reader’s question that a fitting is the next step.

Your best drives are already good enough

This golfer can hit it 300 yards. Finding another five or 10 yards isn’t going to help much if he’s still punching out several times per round. If your best drives already have enough speed and distance, stop making the best shot your priority. Figure out why the bad ones are costing you so much.

Maybe a new driver helps. Maybe it’s the shaft, loft, length or setup. Without seeing what happens to the numbers when those variables change, it’s hard to know.

Your miss goes both ways

The two-way miss was probably the biggest red flag in this reader’s question.

One Forum member pointed out that a high swing speed doesn’t automatically mean you should play a low-spin head. A big left-to-right dispersion pattern also doesn’t automatically mean moving into a more forgiving MAX-style head is the answer. You’d want to know more about launch, spin and the rest of the setup first.

Another response suggested a useful fitting goal: get your good swings producing good results while making the bad swings more predictable. A fitting isn’t going to fix a bad swing. What it can do is help determine whether your equipment is making your existing miss harder to manage.

You have too many theories about what’s wrong

Look at how many possible fixes came up with this one golfer.

Should he move away from the LST head? Try a shorter shaft? Go heavier or stiffer? Add loft? Change the driver settings? Keep the G430 and work on his swing?

There are too many theories and variables and those start to creep into your head on the golf course.

Once the answer depends on what happens to launch, spin, ball speed and dispersion when you change individual variables, it becomes pretty difficult to diagnose on your own.

You’ve had the same driver for a few years

The golfer in this example has had the G430 LST in the bag for a few years. His swing and his game may not be exactly the same as they were when he first put it in play.

If you’re going to spend several hundred dollars on a new driver and potentially keep it in the bag for another three or four years, it makes sense to make sure you’re buying for the golfer you are now. Things like swing speed, your typical miss, launch and spin can change.

Where do you start with a fitting?

One thing I like about the PGA TOUR Superstore fitting setup is that you don’t have to commit to a full-bag fitting when you have one specific problem.

Their STUDIO fitting menu includes:

• Driver
• Irons
• Woods and hybrids
• Wedges
• Putter
• Full bag

For this reader, a driver fitting is enough to start answering the question. PGA TOUR Superstore uses TrackMan during the fitting and starts with the golfer’s current club as a baseline. From there, the fitter can test different heads, shafts and specifications against the numbers the golfer is already producing. The fitting process eliminates some of the guessing about what’s really wrong.

You may not need a new driver

That may be the most useful takeaway from this reader’s question.

The Forum wasn’t saying equipment didn’t matter. We just didn’t have enough information to know which part of the equipment, if any, needed to change.

Maybe another head tightens his dispersion. Maybe shaft or length makes the biggest difference.

Getting the numbers first gives you a much better chance of finding out before you spend hundreds of dollars on another driver.

That’s also the idea behind MyGolfSpy’s Find A Fitter Near You tool. Testing can show you how equipment performs across a group of golfers. A fitting helps determine how that equipment performs for you.

The post We Asked Which Driver This 115-MPH Golfer Should Buy. Nobody Would Pick One appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

I didn’t play any golf this week. I went seven days without a single round, the longest I’ve gone without teeing it up since I started this project in March. I blame the day job. I had a long work trip to South Dakota and there was no opportunity for any golf activities outside of awkwardly pretending my camera tripod was a golf club. Not playing golf is no way to live. I never want to do that again. I’m also worried that when I step onto the course again after this forced sabbatical that I will have forgotten everything I’ve learned over the last five months. 

Because I have learned a thing or two, especially when it comes to course management. It’s taken a while but a few simple concepts have finally sunk in and they’ve changed my approach to the game. To be clear, these aren’t groundbreaking discoveries. Honestly, it’s all stuff I’ve heard or read before but I’m a slow learner. I need to make a mistake several times over before the lesson sinks in. I wish I would have learned all of these lessons months ago but what can I say? I’m human. 

So, in an attempt to help you get better, here are four lessons I’ve finally learned about course management that are cutting strokes off my game. If you’re trying to get better, these lessons might help you, too. 

The lie matters. A lot. 

Is the ball sitting in the fairway or in the rough? How thick is the grass? Because I’ve finally learned that the lie is everything when it comes to club selection. If you can’t get at the ball cleanly, it’s time to club up because those blades of grass between your clubface and the ball are going to take some distance off. 

Oh, and the rough really matters when you’re close to the green. If it’s thick, you’re going to need a higher-lofted wedge to pop it out of the grass. And that rough also eliminates spin so expect the ball to roll. 

Wind is everything 

I never paid much attention to the wind until recently. I might have blamed the wind if I was looking for an excuse for a slice or hook but I never considered it a factor when choosing a club. But now I realize that a 10-mph headwind might require a club adjustment. Actually, it might require two club adjustments. There’s no shame in it. You might be strong but you’re not stronger than Mother Nature. 

Just club up already 

Seriously, nobody cares how far you hit your 7-iron, sometimes. You should probably just club up to a 6 or even a 5 and swing easier. In the last month, my game has evolved towards more partial swings on approach shots and it’s delivering more greens in regulation. It’s not a perfect science. There are plenty of situations where I have to swing a full wedge into a green because I need to go over a bunker or pond. And I hit into a lot of elevated greens because I play in the mountains which also requires a lot of loft. But, in general, clubbing up and swinging easy has been revolutionary. I’m thinking of getting “Just Club Up” tattooed to my forearm so I never forget this lesson. 

Maybe don’t hit the driver 

Hitting the driver is fun and if you don’t care about your score, you should pull it out all the time. Putt with the damn thing if you want. It’s just a game, right? But if you’re trying to score, the driver might not be the best club choice off that tight par-4 tee. 

I play a very narrow mountain course with a routing that takes the driver out of a smart player’s hand on a frustrating number of long holes. I’m a red-blooded American dude who says things like “red-blooded American dude” so I want to hit the driver all day but I’ve finally learned that laying up is the often the smart play. It’s all about landing zones and choosing the club that puts you at the spot on the fairway with the largest margin for error. Figure out that safe zone on every par-4 and par-5 and adjust your club choice accordingly. You will have fewer blow-up holes and, ultimately, lower scores.  

Again, none of this advice is revolutionary. A variety of golfers, including my own coach, have told me about these concepts over the last couple of years. I’m hoping you can learn from my mistakes and absorb these lessons quicker than I did. 

Dig deeper into one golfer’s struggle to get better at golf in middle age and read last week’s Scratch By 50 where Graham tries to figure out if he’s actually good at golf yet.

The post Scratch By 50: I’m Getting (A Little) Smarter appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

Some of us play our entire lives without experiencing an ace. I’ve never had one and still burn with jealousy every time I see someone celebrate an ace. I’ve hit thousands upon thousands of shots, have spent countless hours playing par-3s and have never experienced that one euphoric moment.

The Van Rossum family apparently does not have this problem.

Over a span of less than two months this summer, three generations of this Wisconsin golf family combined to make four aces (thanks to Rick Pledl at Wisconsin.golf for sharing this story).

And depending on how generous you are with the definition, they might have actually made five (more on that in a moment).

Before we start, a note for all the cynics: there were non-family members who witnessed all of these holes-in-ones. I don’t think we’re looking at the cheating scandal of the century here.

The ridiculous run started June 10 when 20-year-old Parker Van Rossum aced the 182-yard sixth hole at The Legend at Bristlecone. He used a 7-iron.

That alone would have made for a memorable family golf moment. Little did anyone know that it was just the opening act.

On July 23, Parker’s 75-year-old grandfather, Randy, made his own ace at Royal Scot Golf Course near Green Bay. Playing his home course, Randy used a hybrid from 151 yards on the sixth hole. Two aces by family members with 55 years of life in between them.

But wait, there’s more!

Nine days later, Parker’s father, Kevin, joined the party at one of the most celebrated golf properties in the country. The 48-year-old knocked in a pitching wedge from 139 yards on the eighth hole of the Short Course at Pine Valley in New Jersey (I won’t be hearing anything about how this doesn’t count. He made a hole-in-one on Pine Valley property, end of story).

At this point, three generations of the family had made holes-in-one in 52 days. That’s remarkable.

Somehow, they weren’t finished.

On Aug. 4, Kevin’s youngest son, 15-year-old Samuel, stepped to the 192-yard fourth hole at The Club at Lac La Belle during the second round of the Wisconsin State Golf Association Junior Boys Championship. Samuel hit a 5-iron and made the family’s fourth golf ace of the summer.

To recap: Grandpa, dad and two sons all made holes-in-one between June 10 and Aug. 4.

The odds of that happening have to be completely absurd. But the story gets even stranger.

On Aug. 1—the same day Kevin made his ace at Pine Valley—his 17-year-old son, Grayson, was playing his preferred sport of disc golf in Timberwolf, Mich. From 243 feet away, Grayson threw his disc into the basket for an ace.

“We all got holes-in-one,” Grayson now likes to remind the family.

Honestly, he should get to count it. I mean, come on, this is incredible.

My jealousy aside, the Van Rossums are exactly the type of family that deserves this profoundly weird run of golf fortune. Randy introduced Kevin to the game at Royal Scot years ago. Kevin passed it along to his three sons and the family now uses golf as a way to remain connected.

Now they are connected by 2026 aces.

Parker attends Marquette University and helps operate its club golf program. Samuel and Grayson attend Hartland Arrowhead High School (in Hartland, Wisc.) while the 75-year-old Randy still travels to watch his grandsons compete.

“I’m fortunate getting to still play with my dad and then passing it on to my three boys,” Kevin said. “It has definitely become a family focus and we prioritize it to spend time with one another.”

Four golf balls—and one disc—found the bottom of their respective targets. But the best part is that three generations were connected by all of them.

The Van Rossums didn’t just catch lightning in a bottle this summer.

They caught it five times.

The post This Family Made Four Aces In One Summer appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

30% off Sitewide at Jones

Next to Black Friday, this is about as big as it gets for Jones. The brand is taking 30% off sitewide for Labor Day, and the discount applies across the entire lineup, including stand bags, lifestyle bags and accessories.

We’ve written quite a bit about Jones at MyGolfSpy, especially the Rover, Heritage Trouper, and A2 Backpack. The bags look great, feel premium and hold up to regular use, while the A2 has become one of our favorite golf travel pieces. Jones rarely discounts this deeply across the entire site, so if you’ve had your eye on anything from the brand, this is one of the best times of the year to buy.

Up to 40% Off + An Additional 15% off at Under Armour with code EXTRA15

If you shop it right, Under Armour is one of the sneaky-best value brands in golf. For Labor Day, they’re taking up to 40% off a huge selection of golf apparel, with an additional 15% off using code EXTRA15.

And when I say huge selection, I mean it. There are tons of polos under $40, several under $30, shorts below $50, quarter-zips under $50 and golf shoes under $150. There’s a lot of legitimate golf gear here at prices that are hard to argue with.

This is an awesome sale.

15% off at B. Draddy with code LABORDAY15

As part of B. Draddy’s Labor Day Sale, you can save 15% with code LABORDAY15. That may not sound earth-shattering, but B. Draddy rarely goes on sale, so any opportunity to save is a more than welcome one.

If you’ve been thinking about trying one of their polos, this is probably the time to do it. I’m especially partial to the Gibson and Murph, both of which showcase what B. Draddy does so well with cotton: soft hand feel, excellent drape and a look that works just as well away from the course as it does on it.

I think B. Draddy polos are worth their salt at full price. At 15% off, they’re even easier to recommend.

Up to $280 Off Mizuno Golf Clubs

This is one of the best equipment sales in golf right now. Mizuno is taking up to $150 off JPX ONE drivers, $50 off fairway woods, $30 off hybrids and $280 off select irons.

The metalwood discounts are especially strong. The JPX ONE Fairway, our Most Wanted Fairway Wood of 2026, is $50 off, while the JPX ONE Hybrid, our Most Wanted Hybrid of 2026, is $30 off.

And then there are the irons. Mizuno already has one of the strongest reputations in golf when it comes to iron design and feel, so up to $280 off select sets is a substantial discount.

If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your fairway wood, hybrid or irons, there’s a lot to like here.

Up to $1,000 Off Indoor Golf Simulators and More at Indoor Golf Shop

For a lot of us, Labor Day effectively marks the end of summer, which means indoor and winter golf season is already creeping into view.

Indoor Golf Shop is offering $1,000 off the Foresight Sports GC3, $500 off best-selling simulators, and 15% off golf mats and more. If you’ve been thinking about building a simulator, this is a good opportunity to make that first step a little less intimidating.

And if you already have an indoor setup, there’s always something else to upgrade.

15% Off Sitewide at Stewart Golf with code LABORDAY

If you’re a walking golfer, this sale is for you. Stewart Golf is taking 15% off sitewide with code LABORDAY.

The standout is the Stewart Q-Follow, which we named our Best Electric Push Cart with Follow Capabilities. The follow function is the obvious headliner, but what really makes it compelling is how naturally it fits into a walking round. You get the convenience of an electric cart without having to constantly steer it.

Stewart’s carts are definitely premium products, so 15% off across the site is a great discount. If you’ve been thinking about making the jump to an electric push cart, this is a very good time to do it.

The post The Best Labor Day Golf Sales (2026) appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

I was introduced to the game around five years old with an old cut-down 7-iron. By seven, I had a small set of my own clubs and I was more than ready for them. I wanted to play. I wanted to hit the ball farther and I wanted to hit targets.

Years later, after teaching hundreds of junior golfers and now coaching my own two kids, who both started around age two, I don’t think there is one perfect age to start a child in golf. Instead, I think it’s worth asking three simple questions.

Is your child ready to start golf?

Not all two-year-olds are the same. Neither are all five-year-olds.

I’ve worked with six-, seven- and eight-year-olds who weren’t ready for structured golf instruction because they couldn’t follow basic directions or stay engaged long enough for it to be safe and productive.

I’ve also seen very young kids who were ready.

If you’re wondering whether your child can start, I would look at three things.

1. Do they have enough strength to swing a golf club?
2. Can they follow a very basic direction such as “stand here” or “put your foot here”?
3. Can they stay engaged in an activity for 10 minutes?

That last one matters more than you might think.

A toddler losing interest in a toy at home isn’t a big deal. A toddler running onto a driving range to chase a golf ball is. You don’t need perfect behavior but you do need enough maturity that they can understand a few basic boundaries.

Starting at two doesn’t mean practicing for an hour

When my kids were two, “golf” usually meant 10 or 15 minutes.

In fact, I often ended the session before they did. I’d tell them we were going to hit balls for a little while and then I’d put everything away before they lost interest.

That was intentional.

I wanted them to want to do more the next time.

Some days, we hit balls. On rainy days, we might use a putting mat inside. Sometimes a significant portion of “practice” was simply trying to get the ball to balance on a tee or taking a ride in the cart and learning to rake a bunker.

Little things such as teeing up a ball are harder for a two-year-old than you may realize. Let them figure it out and don’t rush; the process it ends up being part of the fun.

Don’t confuse starting early with getting ahead

Do I think starting your child at two instead of four or five gives them a significant advantage?

No.

Annika Sorenstam didn’t start playing golf until 12, Nick Faldo started at 14 and Greg Norman at 16.

I’m not suggesting you wait that long if your child is ready. The point is that there isn’t some window that closes if your three-year-old isn’t interested or ready yet.

Starting young gives kids more time around the game but only if they enjoy being there. I’d much rather see a kid start at five and love golf than start at two and be tired of it by eight.

The biggest advantage has nothing to do with age

Starting your child young can be great but the age isn’t what matters most.

The kids who have the biggest advantage aren’t necessarily the ones who started at two. They’re the ones whose parents and coaches kept golf fun.

Golf became part of their routine. They got excited to go practice. They wanted to get new clubs. They asked to go play.

Once golf starts feeling like work, kids don’t want to do it. When golf feels like work to me, I don’t want to play.

So if your two-year-old can move a club, follow a few simple directions and stay safely engaged for 10 minutes, go ahead and introduce them to golf. I’m going to share more content about what steps I took early on to help my kids develop strong fundamentals and also share some mistakes you may want to avoid.

The post How Old Should Kids Be When They Start Playing Golf? appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

It’s been over 220 days since the College Football National Championship, and if you’re anything like me, you’re itching for hard hits, deep throws and Saturday morning action.

I’m not a big polo fan, but Rhoback has gone above and beyond with its Gameday Collection. I’m obsessed with every design especially the ones featuring my BYU Cougars.

I’ll keep this short and sweet but I’ve got a few pictures from the collection and a full list of teams. If yours is included, you’re going to want to take a look.

Please reference the entire team list below:

• Air Force Academy Falcons
• Alabama Crimson Tide
• Appalachian State Mountaineers
• Arizona State Sun Devils
• Arkansas Razorbacks
• Army West Point Black Knights
• Auburn Tigers
• Baylor Bears
• Boston College Eagles
• BYU Cougars
• California (UC Berkeley) Golden Bears
• UCF Knights
• Cincinnati Bearcats
• Clemson Tigers
• Colorado Buffaloes
• Connecticut Huskies
• Creighton Bluejays
• Davidson Wildcats
• East Carolina Pirates
• Florida Gators
• Florida State Seminoles
• Georgetown Hoyas
• Georgia Bulldogs
• Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
• Gonzaga Bulldogs
• Houston Cougars
• Illinois Fighting Illini
• Indiana Hoosiers
• Iowa Hawkeyes
• Iowa State Cyclones
• James Madison Dukes
• Kansas Jayhawks
• Kansas State Wildcats
• Kentucky Wildcats
• Louisville Cardinals
• LSU Tigers
• Memphis Tigers
• Miami Hurricanes
• Michigan Wolverines
• Michigan State Spartans
• Minnesota Golden Gophers
• Mississippi State Bulldogs
• Ole Miss Rebels
• Missouri Tigers
• Navy Midshipmen
• NC State Wolfpack
• Nebraska Cornhuskers
• North Carolina Tar Heels
• Notre Dame Fighting Irish
• Ohio State Buckeyes
• Oklahoma Sooners
• Oklahoma State Cowboys
• Oregon State Beavers
• Penn State Nittany Lions
• Pittsburgh Panthers
• Purdue Boilermakers
• Rutgers Scarlet Knights
• South Carolina Gamecocks
• USC Trojans
• SMU Mustangs
• Stanford Cardinal
• St. John’s Red Storm
• Syracuse Orange
• Texas A&M Aggies
• TCU Horned Frogs
• Tennessee Volunteers
• Texas Longhorns
• Texas Tech Red Raiders
• Utah Utes
• Vanderbilt Commodores
• Villanova Wildcats
• Virginia Cavaliers
• Virginia Tech Hokies
• Wake Forest Demon Deacons
• Washington Huskies
• Washington State Cougars
• West Virginia Mountaineers
• Wisconsin Badgers

The post College Football Is Back: These Polos Are Made For Game Day appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

Some might argue that the course plays fastest in the afternoon and that, therefore, it’s the best time to play, while others will swear that the views during a sunset tee time are unmatched. While both opinions are valid, there can only be one true winner.

I understand that these are my opinions and I’m counting on the MyGolfSpy family to provide their input in the comments.

These are the five best times to play golf ranked.

#5: Midday

I think most of us can agree that a midday tee time is the biggest loser on the list with the summer heat being the main catalyst for its last-place spot.

Depending on where you live, you might be dealing with some brutal midday weather. For example, an Arizonan is used to temperatures exceeding 100 degrees from June to September. Does that keep them off the golf course?

Picture this: It’s 2 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon. It’s 106 degrees outside and the courses are offering 50-percent discounts to fill up the tee sheet. You put on some light clothing and sunscreen, load up on electrolytes and end up playing a discounted 18-hole round with the course to yourself.

If you can brave the heat, many courses are emptier than usual during the hellish summer afternoons. Tee times are easier to book, you can play at your own pace and you’re in your own little utopia. Grab some snacks and drinks, be ready to sweat and suck it up, buttercup.

I talk a big game but golf in 100-plus-degree weather can be miserable. Even with the best solutions in the game, you’re going to feel hot and sweaty and you’re likely to feel drained after playing.

#4: Late afternoon

Thanks to a major gap between midday and the rest of the tee times, early afternoon avoids last place.

The early afternoon can offer slightly cooler temperatures and will get you back home in time for dinner and some time to relax before bedtime. On top of that, it can be a good way to decompress after a stressful day.

On the flip side, it’s also one of the busier times with many golfers coming straight from work to catch a quick round. The course typically plays slower and you’re dealing with a myriad of different golf archetypes. When people are coming from work, it’s easy to be late for your tee time which can cause delays for everyone on the course.

While cooler temperatures and the ability to be home in time for dinner are the pros, the cons balance it out with slower pace of play and warmer than preferred temperatures.

Fourth place is the right spot for an early afternoon tee time.

#3: Mid-morning

Mid-morning steals the next spot with the 9:30 a.m.–11 a.m. window offering quiet on-course play and cooler weather.

If you tee off mid-morning, you’ll typically avoid the first wave of golfers and you should notice a slight lull in busyness. The pro shop workers are sure to have a bit more pep in their step and if you eat a hearty breakfast beforehand, you’ll be a well-oiled machine, prepped and ready to go low.

There are real downsides to mid-morning tee times, though. If you tee off at 10 a.m., you have very little time before your round to get things done and your day is mostly gone after the round is finished. It’s an awkward time to play golf if you’re looking to be productive outside of your round.

With mid-morning landing smack dab in the middle, there’s no reason to feel ashamed if this is your favorite time to play golf. I’d compare liking mid-morning tee times to liking vanilla ice cream—there’s nothing wrong with it but you’re missing out on what’s best.

#2: Sunset

Ain’t nothing wrong with silver, right? Sunset tee times capture second place in an epic finish.

A sunset tee time equals unmatched views, a nice quarter-zip and the perfect nightcap to a long day. If you’re playing sunset golf, you’re typically less concerned about playing fast and more concerned about enjoying every second with those you love most. Your camera roll will be filled with every scenic photo opportunity possible and a snack in your hand with a drink in the cupholder will make life complete.

Sunset golfers risk not finishing their rounds due to teeing off so late in the day and you may encounter other golfers who are less concerned about pace of play or typical etiquette. If you catch a quick nine during sunset, you can also expect to have little to no time left in the day to prioritize other things.

Sunset narrowly misses out on first place with some people viewing the top two as 1A and 1B. If your favorite time to play golf is sunset, we don’t blame you.

#1: Sunrise

If you’re surprised by this, you’re probably not fit to be a detective. The stage was set and we inched closer and closer to the best time to play golf: sunrise.

If you’re anything like me, you set out your outfit the night before like a little kid preparing for their first day of school and you have a hard time falling asleep due to the excitement of heading to the first tee. You set six alarms to make sure you get up in time and you open your digital golf GPS to plan each shot in an attempt to visualize your best round yet.

You pick up your caffeine of choice on the way to the course, maybe grab a quick bagel or donut and zoom over with your favorite pregame tunes on blast.

The wind subtly bites at your skin and you give a quick handshake to your friends as you meet them at the range to hit some balls. You know that you’ve got the entire day ahead of you once the round is over and that, if the rest of the day sucks, at least you got to play golf.

The only downside is the tiredness that can follow which often calls for a quick nap. This isn’t a problem unless the “honey-do list” is packed to the brim that day.

Try all you might but like the 1972 Miami Dolphins, sunrise tee times are undefeated.

Did I get the order right or is there a fierce enough competitor to knock sunrise tee times off the throne? Let me know in the comments!

The post The 5 Best Times To Play Golf Ranked appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

However, I’m not one of those who bends a knee at Mizuno’s altar. The fact that it makes very, very good irons puts Mizuno in elite company.

The key word here, friends, is company. There are other members of that elite society.

I’m not sure if you’ve been paying attention but the golf industry is trending toward a new iron category. We’re seeing a new style of club that isn’t a player’s cavity-back. They’re a skosh too large, more forgiving and many don’t even have a cavity. On the other hand, they’re a skosh smaller, less forgiving and weaker lofted, so they don’t really qualify as player’s distance irons.

It’s a fine line to toe, something Wilson managed to pull off with its Staff Model XB. Curiously, and perhaps appropriately, Wilson put a name on the category, calling the XB a “player’s performance” iron.

That appears to be where the new Mizuno Pro S-4 iron is sitting. As with any Mizuno forging, it’s a compelling stick. And even though it’s an extension of the Mizuno Pro Signature line, what makes it more compelling is the growing trend it represents.

Mizuno Pro S-4 Irons: What is “player’s performance?”

To be clear, Mizuno isn’t calling the new S-4 a player’s performance iron. I am. Spec-wise and intent-wise, the S-4 fills a gap. When there’s more than one or two irons filling that gap, that gap becomes a category.

In golf, emerging categories get names.

Player’s performance sits between player’s cavity-back and player’s distance. Player’s cavity-backs, we can all agree, are better-player irons. They’re compact with just a hint of forgiveness. They’re for ball strikers who realize blades, while fun, are for the truly insane.

Player’s distance irons are aimed at two subsets of golfers. First is the emerging player graduating from game-improvement irons. They’re getting better and want something more compact but still with enough forgiveness and firepower. 

The other subset is the better player who’s a little long in the tooth and doesn’t generate the same power as in the good old days. They’ve played better-player irons forever and have an expectation of what an iron should look like. Father Time, however, has taken away speed and distance. Player’s distance irons make them feel young again.

The problem with player’s distance irons, however, is playability. The recipe is almost always the same: Hollow-body construction, low center of gravity, a thin face and strong-ish lofts for ball speed. What you get is an iron that goes like hell but doesn’t spin very much. They rely on descent angle to hold greens.

They’re more precise than game-improvement irons but low spin puts a cap on playability.

With the new S-4 irons, Mizuno is taking a page from the Wilson playbook. And, yes, we can say that. Wilson came out with the XBs in January. Mizuno is doing it in September.

Deal with it.

The S-4 are loaded with Mizuno DNA

Unlike the hollow-body Wilson Staff Model XB, the Mizuno Pro S-4 is all Mizuno. It’s a single-piece 1025E grain flow forging with Mizuno’s signature copper underlay to enhance feel. There’s just a hint of cavity along with a muscle feature to concentrate mass low in the head. For all the world, it’s reminiscent of the circa 2011 Mizuno MP-59.

The lower CG, along with a wider sole than its slimmer brother, the S-3, helps promote a higher launch. Higher launch, boys and girls, usually leads to a steeper descent angle.

The wider sole and subtle perimeter weighting adds a nice dose of stability and forgiveness. Where the Mizuno Pro S-4 gets interesting, however, is in its loft structure. Like the Wilson XB irons, the S-4 loft matrix is noticeably weaker than those of standard player’s distance irons. The 7-iron clocks in at 34 degrees whereas a standard player’s distance iron is in the 29- to 30.5-degree range. If you tested the S-4 head-to-head with a TaylorMade P790 or PING i540, it won’t win on distance.

The combination of a low CG with what we might call “traditional” lofts gives the Wilson XB an intriguing combination of loft and spin. That should apply to the Mizuno Pro S-4 as well. Additionally, the S-4 is outfitted with progressive head geometry. That means the longer irons feature increased offset, wider soles and a deeper CG. It’s no secret that ball-striking success rates get spotty once you hit the 5- or 6-iron, even for better players. Wider soles, deeper CGs and more offset can only help.

The sound and the fury

No matter how hard you try, you can’t separate feel from sound. Our senses try to tell us otherwise but our senses lie. In golf, we feel what we hear. Mizuno, the proclaimed kings of feel, know this as well as anyone.

Mizuno has invested heavily in what it calls Harmonic Impact Technology, HIT. When Mizuno develops an iron, the entire design focuses on precisely tuning vibrations characteristics. The goal is to create a solid, refined impact sensation which is primarily sound-focused.

The science of HIT is to control vibrations so they don’t last very long and hit only the right frequencies, typically below the 6,000 hertz range. Through careful study, Mizuno has learned that the 6,000 to 7,000 hertz range leads to a sound golfers characterize as “harsh” or “clicky” as opposed to “soft” or “solid.”

The combination of materials (the single-billet 1025E carbon steel), the process (Mizuno’s exclusive Grain Flow HD forging) and geometry (specifically around the topline) each play key roles is achieving a solid, forged feel at impact.

As with the rest of the Mizuno S-series, the new S-4 features a V-shaped sole it calls Triple Cut. The Triple Cut sole features a high-bounce leading edge, reduced camber in the middle for a kind of flatter midsole and aggressive trailing-edge relief. Think of it as a wedge grind on an iron.

The idea is to improve turf interaction, creating a sole that will enter and exit the turf a little more cleanly. The design helps with transition through the set, allowing Mizuno to keep the sole widths more uniform as the irons get shorter.

Built to combo?

Those uniform sole widths make combo sets a heck of a lot easier to pull off as does a consistent loft matrix. The new Mizuno Pro S-4 shares the same lofts with its S-series brothers, the S-1 blade and S-3 cavity-back. Consistent sole widths make the transition from S-4 to S-3 and S-3 to S-1 considerably less hinky-looking and more playable.

We can only guess where the missing S-2 model could fit.

Speaking of models, do you realize that as of right now, Mizuno has a total of nine iron models in its offering? That’s right, Mrs. Buehler, nine irons.

What in the name of Callaway is going on here?

Well, it’s important to understand that Mizuno is focusing more on intent and player desires than merely checking off category boxes. Mizuno says the S lineup is its Signature series, ideally focusing on the Tour and better players. It also considers the Signatures series to be “timeless.” That means they’re not technology-dependent because technology evolves. The line also is intended to have a four-year life cycle.

The M-13 and M-15 irons, launched earlier this year, is considered “timely.” Those irons are more technology-focused with complex multi-material construction and design elements that chase ball speed, trajectory and other launch monitor-inspired metrics. Mizuno says those will have a more industry standard two-year life cycle.

The JPX line flexes into the high-single digit to higher-handicap crowd. It’s a mainstream offering that also features multi-material construction and Mizuno’s highest technology. The JPX line includes the JPX 925 Forged and the power trio of the JPX 925 Hot Metal, Hot Metal Pro and Hot Metal HL.

Is nine a lot? It sounds like a lot

I don’t care who you are, nine iron models are a lot of iron models. Mizuno, however, has been consistent in its talking points. It says there’s no single iron profile that can satisfy every golfer’s needs, which is kind of obvious. But behind the curtain, we should also understand there’s no single iron profile that can satisfy every golfer’s wants. Nine models cover both needs and wants, especially for the ever-persnickety better player.

You want a clean, timeless-looking iron that doesn’t rely on ever-evolving technology? Mizuno has the S-series. You want clean-looking with the latest tech? The M-series has you covered. If you want forgiveness, versatility, options and the latest tech, you have JPX written all over you.

Mizuno Pro S-4 irons: Specs, price and availability

Hey, lefties, great news. The Mizuno Pro S-4 irons are almost available in a full set for you.

Almost.

Righties get the full spectrum in 3-iron through pitching wedge. Lefties will have to be content with 4-iron through pitching wedge.

The stock shaft is True Temper’s DG Mid 115 with the Golf Pride Z-Cord the standard grip. Mizuno has traditionally offered one of the widest arrays of no-upcharge shafts and grips in the business.

Pricing is indicative of our modern world. The S-4 will run $215 per stick, the same as the S-1 and S-3 (not to mention the M-13 and M-15). They’ll be available online and at retail starting Sept. 17.

For more information, visit MizunoGolf.com.

The post It’s Official: The New Mizuno Pro S-4 Irons Prove We Have An All-New Irons Category appeared first on MyGolfSpy.

Even typing that sentence makes me a little uneasy.

I do love me some blades, though. But as that great diplomat Harry Callahan once said, a man’s got to know his limitations.

So, when a lovely set of the new MacGregor Toney Penna Tour Forged MB irons showed up on my doorstep, this faithful correspondent faced a moral dilemma. Do I keep them safe in my office where they can’t hurt anybody or do I put them into play because I think I can game them?

Well, since you’ve read this far, I’m pretty sure you know which path I chose.

Truth be told, this experiment went better than I thought it would. No one got hurt and I didn’t break a 5-iron over my knee. And, no, the entire playing field didn’t stop what they were doing to laugh hysterically at me.

Although there were a couple of occasions where they could have.

Join me, my friends, on this little journey. We’ll have some laughs together and, if we’re not careful, we might just learn something, too.

Blades? Are you insane?

Let’s get one thing on the table. “Crappy,” as stated in the headline, might be a little misleading (it was the editor-in-chief’s idea, not mine). I’m a solid enough single-digit handicap with healthy self-esteem, so I like to think I’m a bit removed from “crappy.” However, at the merry old age of 66, any help an iron can give me is a good thing. My go-to set this year has been the Wilson Staff Model XB irons, a marvelous combination of playability with some juice. The backups have been the Tour Edge Exotics Forged CB irons. They feature a truly pleasing feel with more forgiveness than you’d expect in a player’s cavity-back.

However, according to Arccos, my most nagging weakness this season has been my approach game (putting hasn’t done me any favors, either). On rounds that I’ve broken 80, approach has been acceptable. On those that I haven’t, well …

So why, then, even try an iron that’s going to be harder to hit? Shouldn’t I be going in the other direction?

A reasonable person might certainly make that decision. But that would make for a rather boring article, wouldn’t it? I like to live life on the edge, baby. That’s how I roll.

So, blades it is!

Where did this potential golfing nightmare take place?

Say what you will but I’m not totally stupid. I wasn’t going to try this harebrained experiment with anyone I know. That includes my golfing arch-rival, aka cousin Paul. There’s no need to give him any more trash-talk material. He has more than enough already.

No, the ideal spot was a day job work trip to Whitefish, Mont. That’s most of a continent away from anyone who knows me. Even better, since it was a work trip, it would be customer golf. You’re supposed to let customers win, right?

Hacking it up with blades should do the trick.

This experiment took place over three days on the marvelous North Course at the Whitefish Lake Golf Club. It involved three lengthy range sessions (mats only, which complicated things), one nine-hole round and two 18-hole rounds. My bag included the standard tools: Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond Max driver, TaylorMade R7 Quad mini driver, Wilson Dynapower Carbon 4-wood, Cleveland RTZ wedges. The new additions, along with the MacGregor blades, included the Tour Edge Exotics TI-Utility 4-iron (a splendid little club) and a new putter from a company called Chamber (more on that in the coming weeks).

Whitefish, Montana is, in a word, spectacular. It’s on the doorstep of Glacier National Park and the mountain landscape will take your breath away. More golf-specific, its elevation of nearly 3,000 feet above sea level will make you feel young again. My home course, Breakfast Hill in Greenland, N.H., is so close to the Atlantic that it’s essentially at sea level. That extra Montana elevation is worth roughly five to seven more yards of carry, slightly higher flight and a little less curvature. For the most part, that’s about one less club.

Enough with the foreplay! Tell us what happened!

OK, OK.

As we all know, mats are liars. My first practice bucket had me thinking I had somehow found my inner Seve Ballesteros or, more appropriately, my inner Toney Penna. I was hitting gorgeous high draws, serious low cuts and laser-accurate fades. The forged MacGregors had a throwback feel. At $599 per set, they’re a virtual no-brainer.

Modern forgings feel wonderful but a little on the firmer side and, frankly, not totally indistinguishable from a top-shelf casting. I have an older set of MacGregor VIP MB/CB irons (circa 2001) that I dearly love. Those have a noticeably softer, smooshier, feel compared to any of today’s forgings, regardless of manufacturer. These Toney Penna Tour Forged MBs were more reminiscent of those old VIP irons or even the 1999 Hogan Apex blades.

After falsely believing I had unlocked a new level to my game on the range, I teed off and soon learned that reality has a way of crushing your dreams. The first two holes at Whitefish North are driver-wedge so it wasn’t until the third hole that I actually had to hit a blade for real. It’s a long par-4 and while my drive wasn’t horrible, I had a 5-iron to the green. It got most of the way there. As you’d expect, blades don’t give you much love if you miss the center by even a little.

The fourth hole is a par-3 that played 178 that day. I hit the 5-iron again and, again, missed the center. The shot went straight and actually made the green but left me with a long, long birdie putt. The rest of the round was more of the same but I was able to scramble to keep from collapsing.

Second verse, same as the first

The next day was a full 18 on the North course (if you get the chance, play it. The back nine is spectacular!).

I scraped together twin 41s for a total of 82. Here’s what Arccos had to say:

“Your iron play came in 0.3 strokes ahead of your skill today – the breaks landed in your favor. Putting came in 2.6 strokes behind your skill today – some of those breaks did not go your way.”

Arccos has a very subtle sense of humor.

Iron play improved as the round went on which was good news. Front-nine performance was a lot like the day before with the exception of a pitching wedge on the eighth hole to about two feet for birdie. After being reminded that mats are lying sacks of mule excrement, I stopped trying to hit a fade or draw and just focused on making good swings.

A man’s got to know his limitations.

The 14^th and 16^th holes showed why blades aren’t for everyone. I hit good drives on both holes but I mishit a 7-iron slightly on 14 (you can tell by the crack sound) and put it in the left front bunker. A foozled 5-iron on the par-5 15^th left me in a bad spot to hit the green. I settled for bogey on both. The par-4 17^th, however, was a highlight. I badly pulled my drive left, leaving me no way to reach the green other than going over the pines. I was able to open up a pitching wedge enough to get over and the ball ended up 20 feet from the pin.

Final round: A dose of redemption

I’m not sure what to make of the final round at Whitefish. It could be an indicator that blades might not be a bad idea after all. It could just as easily be a false promise that will suck me into a vortex of doubt, self-loathing and a terminal case of the shanks.

As an eternal optimist, I’m going with the former.

The final-round 77 featured two birdies (one thanks to a 9-iron to inside four feet on 12) and a 78 percent GIR stat. Arccos summed it up thusly:

“Your usual weakness was today’s hero. Approach – of all things – carried this round.”

Sounds like a snarky, back-handed compliment, doesn’t it? Arccos and I might need to have a little chat about its attitude.

“Your approach game was the engine, gaining over a stroke and getting quality looks all day,” said the Arccos AI-generated summary. Putting, however, remained a bugaboo, with three three-putts.

What does this experiment mean?

For starters, it means I’m going to continue the experiment. And work on my putting.

Golf is about two things: making the most of your bad shots and making the most of your good ones. Everyone is going to hit bad shots, especially those of us who play golf for fun. In that sense, a more forgiving iron is your friend and ally. Forgiveness, in that sense, is about making the most of your mishits. It can be the difference between making the green or landing in that deep, nasty left front bunker. Those six to 10 feet of distance differential can be the difference between a two-putt par and two shots out of the bunker plus another two putts for a double bogey.

Blades, on the other hand, are first-wife-level forgiving. However, when you hit blades pure and they end up close to the pin, it’s a sensation like very few others. It’s all purely subjective but those Toney Penna Tour Forged MBs have the feel I remember from the old days. And while it’s hard to quantify, I think the Arccos data backs up a certain level of precision that maybe I wasn’t getting before.

This, friends, is where reliable data from an Arccos or Shot Scope tells you the truth as opposed to the story you want to hear. Four and a half months of data say my approach game has been, well, shitty. Two-and-a-half additional rounds suggest potential improvement, but more data will tell us the truth.

This experiment is continuing so we’ll see if Whitefish was an anomaly. A larger sample size should provide more meaningful data.

As for meaningful professional feedback, my teaching pro Steve Thomson from Golftec in Danvers, Mass actually saw some wisdom on the decision and provided some sound guidance.

“For a golfer who tends to hit it low and left (that’s me!), blades can help. You’ll hit it higher with more loft and you’ll spin it more with the higher CG,” he said.

“Provided, of course, you find the center every once in a while.”

He’s funny. Maybe not Arccos funny, but funny, nevertheless.

So, let’s hear from you out there in MyGolfSpy land. Have you tried a similar experiment? What have your results been?

The post Can A “Crappy” Golfer Play Blades? appeared first on MyGolfSpy.