What happens if your shoulders are too open at setup?

Out-to-In Swing Path: An open shoulder alignment often promotes an out-to-in swing path. This means the club moves across the ball from outside the target line to inside. As a result, players are more likely to slice the ball or pull it straight left, depending on face angle at impact.

Loss of Distance and Power: Proper shoulder alignment helps create a coiled, loaded position at the top of the backswing. If your shoulders start open, it reduces the amount of coil between your upper and lower body, leading to a weaker, more arms-driven swing. Less coil = less stored energy = less distance.

Inconsistent Ball Striking: When the shoulders are too open, it can throw off low point control – where the club bottoms out in the swing. Players often hit thin shots (ball first, little turf) or fat shots (turf first, then ball) because their swing path and body pivot are mismatched from the beginning.

Poor Clubface Control: When your path is altered by open shoulders, it affects how you deliver the clubface to the ball. Managing face angle becomes harder because your hands and arms are often trying to “save” the shot mid-swing, leading to unpredictable face positions at impact.

If you are slicing the ball, try closing your shoulders at setup, and if that doesn’t help, close your shoulders and fix your takeaway with my takeaway tip below. Closing your shoulders and fixing your takeaway will ensure the slice is gone.

At setup, place an alignment stick on the ground, pointing to your target. From here, place an alignment stick inside the one pointed to your target and place this one at a 45-degree angle. The stick placed at the 45-degree angle, like the yellow arrow in the picture above, will simulate club path. On your takeaway, it is important that your clubface is square. If your clubface is open, you will most likely hit a slice.

The takeaway is one of the most critical parts of the golf swing – it sets the tone for everything that follows. One common mistake that many golfers make is opening the clubface too early during the takeaway. While it might seem like a small detail, an open clubface at the start can cause major problems with swing path, ball flight and consistency.

Here’s a closer look at what happens when the clubface is open on the takeaway

Leads to an Open Clubface at the Top: If the clubface is open early in the swing, it’s likely to stay open throughout. At the top of the backswing, this results in a clubface pointing more toward the sky (open relative to the swing arc), making it harder to square it in time for impact. This often leads to slices or weak fades.

Promotes Over-the-Top Motion: An open clubface can trigger an instinctive reaction: during the downswing, players often come over the top to “save” the shot, trying to square the face. This steep, over-the-top move produces glancing contact, resulting in pulls, pull-slices and loss of distance.

Inconsistent Contact: When the face is open on the takeaway, players often compensate mid-swing by flipping the wrists or rolling the hands to square the face. These timing-based moves are hard to repeat consistently, leading to thin shots, fat shots, or even the dreaded double-cross (starting left and curving even more left for a right-handed player).

How to fix an open clubface on the takeaway

Trace the alignment stick at a 45-degree angle and check that the grooves of your clubface are pointing toward the ground and your right palm toward the ground. Imagine the logo on your glove pointing at the ball for the first few feet of the swing – this keeps the clubface square without manipulating your hands.

The takeaway is like a domino – if the first move is off, the rest of the swing is spent trying to recover. Pay attention to your clubface early in the swing, and you’ll set yourself up for more draws, better ball striking, more consistency and lower scores.

Below is a quick checklist to keep handy when you practice, to say goodbye to slices and hello to baby draws.

Checklist: Fixing an open clubface on the takeaway

Signs Your Clubface is Open:

Clubface points toward the sky early in the swing

Shots often slice or fade weakly

Struggle to square the face at impact

Inconsistent contact (thin, fat, glancing blows)

Quick Tip

Imagine the logo on your glove pointing at the ball for the first few feet of the swing – this keeps the clubface square without manipulating your hands.

For a video explanation of this article, e-mail me at kpikegolf@gmail.com.

The post Instruction – Set Up for Success appeared first on AvidGolfer Magazine.

Customer service at Tangle Ridge is always top-notch, as the friendly staff is always welcoming and kind during the check-in process. There is a driving range and a large putting green where players can hit some balls to get loose and roll a few nuggets to prepare for the round or work on those pesky four-footers. 

The snack bar area hasn’t changed much since the course opened 30 years ago, but you will still find regular players hanging out, nursing beers and recapping their rounds in the comfort of the dining area. And although they don’t feature a large menu of food, they have plenty to fuel up, including one of the meanest hot dogs in Metroplex municipal golf. 

The opening hole at Tangle Ridge is an early look into the fun elevation changes you will see throughout your round. The elevated tee box overlooks the dogleg left par 4 and offers a nice view as you put your first peg in the ground. A three-metal can be played for position, but a driver will offer the chance to put a scoring club in your hands on the very first approach. 

No. 2 is another example of the elevation featured at Tangle. The tee sits perched above the fairway below, and if the wind is blowing from the south, balls can hang in the air and ride the wind to the right, bringing O.B. into play. Longer hitters don’t necessarily need to hit a driver, but if you choose to do so, expect a short iron or wedge in, should you find the fairway. 

After a short, almost drivable par 4 at No. 3, players stand over the tee shot on the short par-3 fourth. This hole only plays 132 from the back tees but features a large bunker in front that can be a death sentence for your scorecard if you should come up short. No. 4 also usually plays directly into the wind, but with trees behind the green, you may not feel the extent of the headwind as you stand on the tee. Your best bet is to be sure to take an extra club and find the middle of the green. 

No. 5 is the first par 5 of this Jeff Brauer par-72 layout. Another hole with a distinct Hill Country feel, players can favor the left side of the fairway and watch as tee shots rocket off a speed slot down to the right center. It’s a long hole, so even with a big tee ball there is still plenty of work to be done, as most players will still have a long iron, hybrid or even three-metal remaining to a deep green well-guarded by bunkers and a large hill on the right. A par on this hole is a good score, but with a couple of well-struck shots, a circle can be scribbled on the card. 

No. 6 is one of the most interesting par 4s in the area. The tee box sits well above the landing area with the green just in the distance, some 310 yards away. With the elevation change, longer players can challenge the green, but any miss will likely find a bunker, as they are scattered about on the right and left. Find either of the two bunkers on the right, and you are presented with a very difficult 40–50-yard bunker shot to an elevated green with not much room to work with. It is a classic risk-reward hole that can yield an easy birdie or leave you dumping sand out of your shoes on the following tee box. 

Tangle Ridge features a dynamic finish to the opening nine. No. 8 is an interesting study in architecture, as modern clubs and balls have made this hole play very differently than it did 30 years ago when the course debuted. Longer hitters can keep driver in the bag and opt for a three-metal to keep tee shots short of the meandering creek that wanders across the fairway around the 300-yard mark. Should players feel the need to try for the green in two, a 275-yard, uphill carry remains, which must clear a grass- and water-filled depression just short of the green. If you do come up short, there is a chance you can locate your ball, but it will present a near-impossible up-and-down with the green towering above your head in front of you. The smart play is a lay-up second, leaving a short iron or wedge remaining. This hole requires all of your attention from tee to green, as there is a lot of trouble to navigate. Fall asleep for a moment, and a big number might be in your near future. 

Some of the fun things about Tangle Ridge are the short par 3s. Now, that’s not to say they’re easy, but they aren’t the hulking 200-plus-yard behemoths that have become so popular among modern architects. No. 9 is another example. Playing just 152 from the back tees, this hole is all about pin placement. If the pin is up front, throw your shot over the flag and watch it catch the slope and nestle up next to the pin. However, if the pin is on the back right, it becomes a much more daunting effort to get close. Anything chunked comes up short in the water, and anything short or long will find sand. You need to be precise here, but since the hole isn’t very long, it makes things much more user-friendly. 

After a couple of short par 4s at No. 10 and No. 11, comes another par 3, which plays about 165. There are bunkers surrounding this par 3, and a large green means precision irons are beneficial to prevent three-putts. 

The next par 5 of the day comes at No. 13. This tee shot is perfect for players who can fire a high draw around the dogleg left. Those who play a fade need to be careful, as starting a ball in the middle and fading it to the right can rifle down a hill and run the risk of finding out of bounds on the right. Find the fairway, and this is a green light to attack in two, as most longer players will be only around 190-200 yards away. There is a little more room to the left of the green than it appears from the fairway, so be mindful that you can bail out left to avoid the group of bunkers that sit short right of the putting surface.  

One of the most picturesque holes at Tangle Ridge is No. 14. This dogleg right along water is gorgeous from tee to green. A fountain in the middle of the water feature offers a great place to take a couple of pictures with the group before teeing off. A more conservative play with a hybrid or three-wood might be the best way to attack this hole, as the fairway can run out for the longer hitters if they choose to hit driver. The approach plays slightly downhill and over the aforementioned water and fountain, so anything short will be taking a swim. Play one more club than the number and try to find the middle of the green here. You might not make three, but you won’t make six either. 

A picturesque par 3 comes at 17, which is the longest par 3 on the course at almost 200 yards from the tips. It’s over another water feature, which adds some visual stimulation and gets the blood pumping, especially if you have a good round going. Be aware that this hole will usually play with the wind a touch, but be mindful that the breeze will hit your ball when it gets above the tree line. It’s a great par 3 and a fun penultimate hole. 

I have always been on record saying I love courses that end in par 5s. There is so much opportunity to end on a high note. Tangle Ridge offers players one last chance to card a birdie or better on its 521-yard finisher. Players must first tackle a tee shot that is a tough carry over water. The farther right and more aggressive you get, the longer the carry … oh, and there is a pesky bunker right in the middle of the split landing area. Should you choose to be aggressive, play at the trap with a power fade to find the right side of the landing area and give yourself the chance to get home in two. However, if you are sitting on the lead or protecting a score, then take the more conservative left route, and this should help take potential big numbers out of play. Two huge bunkers guard the green, so be aware that a missed shot on approach can lead to a dicey up-and-down attempt. This hole is a great final stanza, and one that can certainly be feast or famine. 

Tangle Ridge has it all, and as prices continue to rise for municipal golf, Tangle Ridge has quietly maintained itself as one of the best overall value plays in the entire area. Conditions are always solid, the course offers some great topography you just don’t see much of in DFW, and the staff always makes you feel welcome and important. Tangle Ridge has been in my regular rotation for almost 30 years, and with the value and fun layout, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed should you add it to yours. 

The post Course Review – Tangle Ridge Golf Course appeared first on AvidGolfer Magazine.

Like many golfers who have experienced this cycle of frustration, you might resign yourself to inconsistency, thinking, “That’s just golf.” Even leading biomechanists in the field concur with the perception of the golf swing’s difficulty. Dr. Ralph Mann has described it as “enormously complex,” and Dr. Steven Nesbit considers it “one of the most difficult biomechanical motions in sport.’

Why IS the Swing So Complex?

Mainly because golfers are required to rotate their shoulders around a forward-flexed spine. The result is that the lead side (left for right-handed golfer) lowers and the trail side rises, because rotation around a forward-facing chest is always accompanied by side bend.

This steepens the arms’ and hands’ plane at the top. Even when golfers attempt to swing “inside” or “deep,” as do Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau, especially with their drivers, the arms remain steeper than they could because of the side bend of the torso, along with the changes in hip and knee levels. 

To then have to synchronize the body and the arms in the downswing is what causes all swing issues.

Why is Synchronization Such a Problem? 

While the pelvis and chest/shoulders rotate on a fairly horizontal plane, the arms tend to rotate on a more vertical plane. How and when should a golfer match up these disparate movements?

Keep in mind that the arms and hands are lighter and easier to move and receive significantly more neural signals from the brain to facilitate their muscle activation. Conversely, the torso is a heavy and relatively slow-moving segment with limited nerve supply from the brain. 

Additionally, our brains are wired for goal-directed movement, a trait so ancient that it allowed our hunter-gatherer ancestors to easily reach for fruit from trees or bring food to the mouth. This inherent programming favors moving the hands straight down toward the ball – an efficient and intuitive action that utilizes gravity as a movement strategy rather than excessive muscle force. In fact, it is this neurological and biomechanical predisposition that contributes to the prevalence of over-the-top downswing movements.

So, the problem lies in having to somehow slow down the arms and force them to hang back (shallow?), so that the pelvis can catch up.

But the swing doesn’t have to be complex. There are scientific, researched ways to simplify your swing for best-possible results. 

A New Way to Understand Your Swing

As a golf professor and movement-science specialist (including PhD-level coursework in biomechanics, anatomy, neuroanatomy and motor control), I’ve focused on simplifying the golf swing by analyzing how the body can achieve optimal movement. 

The result is my unique swing evaluation, powered by the XView app created by IdeasLab, which enables you to quickly pinpoint your source of swing issues, such as distance loss, directional misses, and even injury. The evaluation is then followed by a simple, scientific solution.

Try the Evaluation in Five Easy Steps

Get X View Golf: Search for XView Golf in the App Store, download it, and enter the code “kiran25” for a free seven-day trial.

Record a video: Record a slow-motion swing at 240 fps from a down-the-line view, keeping the entire club visible at all times. Import it into XView Golf.

Trim the video: For a faster analysis, use the slider on the XView screen to trim your video, keeping just enough swing from the start of the backswing to the finish.

Draw two lines: Use the line feature on the right side of your screen. Draw a line from your ball to your hands at the top of your backswing (the Top Line). Draw another line from the ball to your hands at impact (Impact Line). 

Track your hand path: Click on “Path” in the top bar on your screen, then click on the fourth-from-left icon (only) at the bottom of the screen. That will give you a downswing Hand Path.

What is the Top Line?

It is defined in the vertical plane from a down-the-line perspective – an indication of how high your hands are relative to the ball-ground plane.

What is the Impact Line?

It is an indication of how steep your hands are at impact. If the Top and Impact Lines are a close match, the hand-steepness relative to the ground has not changed much. This can be good or bad. 

Good if the hand steepness is not excessive to start with. 

Bad if top-of-backswing hand steepness is excessive and the golfer cannot adequately reroute the entire platform (head, scapulae, shoulders, pelvis and legs) to deliver the arms, hands and club to the ball from an inside path. It could be said that the hands are steeper than they need to be whenever the lead side lowers and the trail side rises during the backswing.

What is the Downswing Hand Path?

The Hand Path tracks the movement of the mid-hands during your downswing and helps you to easily assess what your hands do to get from the top to impact. 

A fairly straight-line path indicates that the hands are dropping vertically. Golfers will always have a straight drop-down of the hands from the top or shortly thereafter, unless they have enough skill and practice to attempt a sophisticated body motion in conjunction. If you analyze your own hand path during the back- and down-swings, you’ll observe that your downswing path is much steeper. This further supports the idea that the hands always try to drop downward and forward in the downswing. 

A considerably curved hand path, as seen in the swings of Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau, for instance, reveals a substantial and complex rerouting of the body to maintain the hands in a “shallower” position. This rerouting appears visually to shallow the shaft, while it can increase downswing complexity and cause timing difficulties.

Why Shallowing is Not Easy or, for Many, Impossible

Shallowing the club, which involves dropping the torso and trail-side scapula backward, may facilitate a more inside path to the ball, but is a complex maneuver that’s difficult to execute consistently. Especially because it’s a natural downswing hand path  

Consider the intricate coordination required: The motor control system must orchestrate the lowering of the elevated trail side, the lifting and rotating of the lowered lead side, the descent of the arms, hands and club with straightening of the wrists, and the synchronization of the body and arms in a precise ground-up sequence. Executing this change of direction from backswing to downswing is a demanding motion. 

Furthermore, given the downswing’s rapid execution (occurring in 300 milliseconds or less), a slight mistiming between torso movements and hand delivery can result in inconsistent strikes. This is true even for highly skilled golfers like Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau, especially when they are anxious, stressed or fatigued. 

Interestingly, both McIlroy and DeChambeau position their hands quite “deep” in their backswings (further back from the target line), with their drivers. Even when the hands are “deep,” as long as body and leg levels have to change during the downswing, the hand path becomes complex. 

From the top, DeChambeau (even with his driver – not shown here) reroutes his hands (yellow curve) probably by keeping his thorax facing away from target at the start of his downswing (looping yellow curve). However, his hands soon return to a rather steep downswing path (yellow line overlaps green line). Hence, his occasional inconsistencies.

In contrast, McIlroy manipulates his downswing hand path (yellow curve), so that it is substantially behind and shallower than his backswing path. This is a rare and very intricate motion. David Duval of the PGA TOUR Champions also has a similar shallower downswing hand path and has said, when interviewed (see April issue), that what he struggles with most is his transition.

How do TOUR Champions players cope? The conventional swing is challenging for older golfers, due to the difficulty of executing rapid pelvic rotation, along with coordinating all other movements. The body is being asked to do too much, in too little time, and with too many moving segments. Even when they are able to rotate the pelvis, the required pelvis-thorax separation cannot occur and everything tends to move down and forward together.

A case in point is that of Padraig Harrington. He fears a leftward miss and says that he attempts to counteract that through a “constant” release rather than a “late” one (see the April issue for the exact quote).  Regardless of his intent, he demonstrates an almost identical Impact Line (red) to his Top Line (blue), indicating a steep hands drop-down, despite at first attempting to keep the hands back (yellow line). The resulting upper body rotation to an open position at impact causes his arms and clubface to move left of the target. That, in turn, leads to his dreaded pulled and hooked shots, when he cannot compensate adequately and in time.

Notah Begay III also exhibits an extremely steep hand path, with his Top Line and Impact Line nearly identical (the precise steepness is unclear due to a poor camera angle). During a March ’25 Galleri Classic interview (see the April issue for details), he expressed frustration with blocked shots. 

He says that his hands get stuck behind as he rotates his pelvis. The cause of his difficulty stems from attempting a complex pelvic rotation in the first place, because it forces the highly coupled thorax to move downward and forward, too. As every part of his torso is now “open” to target, naturally his trail arm is stuck behind him, but that is merely incidental to his problem. What matters is that his hands descend steeply and inevitably, creating inconsistency of face angle at impact. 

The ball flight ensuing from a steep hand drop-down can be inconsistent. As Kirk Triplett famously said at the Hoag Classic TOUR Champions event (see the April issue for details), you’re often forced to “take what your clubface gives you.”

Imagine if you could design your setup and swing so that the clubface gave you exactly what you wanted – every time? Keeping in mind that a steep hands drop-down is practically inevitable, why fight it?  

What’s a Viable Solution? 

The key is to design your address position and backswing correctly, eliminating the need for any too-late mid-downswing corrections in the remaining milliseconds to impact. 

Begin by setting up with your hands slightly higher at address to encourage the arms and shaft to move to the top in a straight line with no intentional wrist bend. 

Next, make your backswing while keeping your head and trail-side waist in place (no lifting or shifting), so that your shoulders can be level at the top. This will produce a less steep Top Line for any given club, compared to a typical swing. There will, as a result, be greater ball-striking consistency and reduced lower back injury risk.

Once you’ve mastered this initial setup and backswing, the next step is to push your lead arm and club shaft “in” toward your right heel, creating a more “closed” position. This action will result in your arms pushing your trail scapula and thorax back away from the target line, without any intentional rotation. 

That, in turn, will stretch key swing muscles – pectorals, latissimus dorsi, obliques – allowing them to contract powerfully during the downswing for increased power at impact. The inside backswing arm movement naturally encourages a more inside path for the hands and club on the way down.

The downswing is made, as it should be, with no conscious thought. It unconsciously incorporates your entire wish-list of requirements. There is a slight, toward-target weight shift, ample vertical force, and any required rotation. This approach allows you to harness your body’s inherent elasticity for clubhead speed and distance without any unnatural, forced movements or risk of injury. It is far more effective than relying on exaggerated hip turn, wrist lag, or excessive “ground force.”

Effortless Position and Power

Note the relatively shallow Top Line for an iron (left) and wood (right), followed by an almost straight hand path and well-matched Impact Line. 

This indicates limited rerouting in the downswing. Plenty of club speed and straight direction are generated as a result of an adequately inside path of the arms and club in the backswing. 

A Holistic Approach to the Golf Swing

This is more than a swing “fix.” The prescribed movements are the result of 32 years of research, much of which has been published and rigorously refined. This approach is a reverse-engineering of the requirements of optimal impact and represents a complete rethinking of joint movement, grounded in the body’s natural mechanics. It is the 21st-century solution to great golf.

The recommended movements are designed to maximize distance and directional control, while minimizing inconsistency and injury. The arms drop down from the top, with late and forceful big-muscle action for greater club speed. When a swing aligns with the body’s design constraints, it transforms from constant trial-and-error to a repeatable, fluid and powerful movement.

If you are an elite golfer wishing to learn this simple yet powerful swing and receive personalized guidance tailored to your learning style, contact me at www.YourGolfGuru.com. Partial implementation of this method is discouraged, as it may simply substitute one set of inconsistencies for another.

The post Golf Science – The Golf Professor’s Evaluation appeared first on AvidGolfer Magazine.

The first step to hitting the ball in the air is the proper grip. There are many ways to grip the club, but I find when you are first learning this is the best way to grip the club as it gives you more control of the clubhead to allow you to hit the ball in the air more consistently.

Step 1: Grip

Start by allowing the grip to rest diagonally across the base of your fingers, not in the palm. From here, point your left thumb straight down the grip, pointing to the clubhead with your index finger pointing to the ground. Your thumb should point down the shaft, creating a “V” shape between your thumb and forefinger. The sharp end of the “V” should point toward your right shoulder. From here, interlock your right pinkie with your left index finger and finish by wrapping the remaining fingers of your right hand around the grip.

Step 2: Gate Drill

Place a golf ball on a tee. From here, place your clubhead next to the tee and place a tee outside of the end of your clubhead (toe of the clubhead) and outside the inside of the clubhead (heel of the clubhead). This makes a gate for you to swing through now. The goal is to hit the middle tee out of the ground underneath the ball.

For this drill, get tees with lines on them. Start with the bottom line on the tee even with the ground where you can see all the lines on the tee when you set up to the ball. Once you hit three out of five golf balls in the air, lower the tee to the next line and hit three out of five balls in the air. Then lower the tee again to the next line and so on until you get to where you don’t see any more lines on the tee when you set up.

Step 3: The Swing to Get the Ball Airborne

Place your clubhead next to the middle tee and hinge your hips back, bending forward and bending your knees slightly. Now that you are in the correct setup position, go to the top of your backswing and have your right hand resting slightly above your right shoulder as if you are holding a pizza box above your right shoulder. The biggest key when you do this is to make sure you stay in your posture and do not stand up out of your posture. From here, swing down and focus on hitting the tee from under the ball. Once you do this, finish with your right hand over your left shoulder on your follow-through mirroring your backswing. The biggest key on your follow-through is that your right shoe is showing, right knee is facing your target and eyes are facing your target. If you’ve ever heard someone say keep your head down, this is one of the biggest myths in golf. You do not want to keep your head down; it will make you hit on top of the ball or hit the ball thin. If you ever watch the 72-time LPGA Tour-winning Annika Sorenstam, she is already looking at her target before she makes impact with the ball. This is proof that you do not need to keep your head down. Your head can rotate right and left but cannot move up and down or front and back. You want to try and keep your head as still as possible when swinging, but when you hit, follow the ball with your eyes. You will see the ball go in the air much more often following the ball with your eyes after hitting than keeping your head down. Following the ball with your eyes and allowing your head to turn gives you a lot more flexibility for your arms to extend to hit the ground to send the ball in the air.

The post Instruction – Getting Your Ball Airborne appeared first on AvidGolfer Magazine.

For starters, Sherrill Park features a true muni-style clubhouse. There is some gear inside if you forget anything essential, and don’t forget to check out their GOAT-themed apparel with “The Ronny” Golf Park featured prominently to celebrate Ronny Glanton, who is the longtime pro at Sherril and one of the most important figures in Metroplex municipal golf.

The clubhouse grill offers your standard municipal track staples like burgers and dogs, but also has other items like chicken tenders or a delicious patty melt. It’s not super fancy, but the food is solid, and the dining area really offers that great city-owned course vibe that you remember from playing with your old man as a kiddo. 

There is a driving range, chipping area and massive putting green, each of which you can use to dial in your game or get loosened up pre-round. 

No. 2 opens with a tough little par 4 that requires a tee shot that carries Spring Creek, which meanders through the property. On a day where the wind is blowing from the south, this tee shot will play much longer, so be sure to choose appropriate tee boxes. Carry the creek and find the fairway, and players will be faced with nothing more than a short iron to a green that is very deep front to back. Pin placements set at the back of this putting surface can add a full club. It can be a tough opening hole, especially if the wind is blowing. 

The second hole offers one of the major design changes from the old layout. A pond was removed to make the hole more user-friendly, and a waterfall was added to provide some visual appeal. The hole isn’t very long, playing around 350 yards from the tips, so longer hitters can be aggressive and look to put a scoring club in-hand, or choose to lay back and play for position. 

No. 3 is a great elevated tee shot which offers a great look at the fairway below. Longer hitters can reach a small creek that crosses the fairway, so a three metal or hybrid might be the play off the tee. The green has some character, making even shots that find the center tough to two-putt. 

The first par 3 of your round on No. 2 comes at the fourth. Playing at close to 190 from the tips, this hole offers a chance to chase the ball up to the green with something that lands short. Missing long here is a no-no, as the green falls off to an abyss of grass and awkward stances, making for a tough up-and-down.

The lone par 5 on the outward nine of this par-70 layout comes at No. 5. This tee shot trundles downhill and should favor the left side of the fairway for the best angle. Should you choose to go for the green, you will need to cover a creek that crosses about a hundred yards short of the green. It’s a gettable par 5 with a good tee shot and a great opportunity to gain a stroke before back-to-back par 4s that feature water. 

The first of those par 4s is the sixth. This isn’t a long par 4, but water all down the left can be a deterrent from banging driver. Sure, you can hit the big dog, but depending on wind conditions and pin placement, a conservative approach with a long iron or hybrid might make more sense. A large bunker also guards the green on the front left, and over the back of the green is no cupcake either, so being precise with your approach is paramount. 

No. 7 is another short par 4 flanked by water. Players can be aggressive, but the closer you get to the green, the more the fairway narrows. Hitting an iron or position would make the most sense here, as finding the fairway is very tough. More water must be carried short and right of the green, and over the back leaves a nasty chip, so be mindful of distance control on your approach. 

After the short par-3 eighth hole, you come to the final par 4 of the opening nine. There isn’t much trouble off the tee to speak of, so those who want to grip and rip can swing away and try to make the hole as short as possible. Just be sure to favor the left side of the fairway for the best angle of approach. 

No. 10 plays back downhill away from the clubhouse, and water on the right is in play for the longer players. A three metal or even hybrid is a smart play for position, and be sure to double-check the approach number as this massive green can leave players with a very long putt from front to back if irons aren’t precise.  

The short par-4 11th hole is another look at Spring Creek, as it runs through the fairway. Big hitters can challenge carrying the creek, but the risk vs. reward is probably not worth it, so another conservative play is the best option. The elevated green is guarded by the creek on the left, so choosing a more conservative shot to the center of the putting surface is the best play, especially when there is a sucker pin on the left portion of the green. 

The first par 3 on the back nine crosses back over the creek in the opposite direction. The narrow green can be hard to hold, so a high cut that lands softly is the best play should you have that shot in your bag. There is a bunker in front of the green that isn’t a bad miss if you feel you won’t be able to hold the green with a longer iron. 

After a pair of short par 4s, players reach the longest hole on the course and the lone par 5 on then inward nine. This par 5 weaves back uphill and plays are a muscular 573 yards from the tips. Although it usually plays downwind, the gentle climb up the hill to the property line makes this feel like it plays longer than it does. A drive up the right center of the fairway is the best play, and even with a good tee shot and an extended flagstick, it can be tough to see the flag. There isn’t much trouble on the hole to speak of, it’s just long and requires brute strength to get there in two. It’s one of my personal favorites of the No. 2 layout. 

A beautiful downhill par 3 comes next with a green flanked by a trio of bunkers. Pins on the left should be avoided, as two of those sand traps can collect balls short or long in that direction. If you want to go flag hunting, hope that the hole is cut in the middle of the green. 

After another short par 4, the final hole at Sherrill Park No. 2 is a par 4 that plays back over the same creek you saw on No. 1. Use the bunker on the right as a good target line, and the grade of the fairway will work tee shots back to the middle. It’s a great view that climbs the hill back to the footprint of the clubhouse. It’s not horribly tough, so No. 18 offers one final chance at a birdie as you finish up your loop. 

Sherrill Park is a great facility to loop 36. Have some breakfast, hit up one of their two courses, then lunch and play the other course in the afternoon. Now that No. 2 has reopened, I would suggest checking it out to see the new greens and some of the other sprucing up of this fun layout. 

Sherrill Park has it all, including some of the nicest staff members anywhere in DFW. Glanton is one of our most beloved pros in the area, and he’s almost always there to greet players with a smile. There is a reason he was awarded the 2020 PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year. 

Overall, if you live in the area or nearby, Sherrill Park is a no-brainer. Both courses are fun and enjoyable. If you aren’t near Richardson, be mindful of your tee time, as traffic can be a real bear getting in and out of the area depending on when you play. Given the pair of courses and overall value, Sherrill can get crowded, so be sure to have a plan when preparing to book your time. 

Two courses and a great municipal vibe. Sherrill Park should be right in your wheelhouse. 

The post Course Review – Sherrill Park No. 2 appeared first on AvidGolfer Magazine.

The perfect opportunity to test that hypothesis came during the PGA TOUR Champions’ West Coast swing, which began with the Hoag Classic at the Newport Beach Country Club in Orange County, California. It was followed by the Galleri Classic presented by Spotlight Casino 29 at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage/Palm Springs, Southern California.

It all began with a question posed to Jack Nicklaus, who was the guest speaker at the Hoag Classic Community Breakfast sponsored by Hoag Orthopedic Institute. What thoughts did the G.O.A.T have in his heyday when he was making his best shots? “I never worried about the mechanics. Mechanics is you take it from here, put it here, take it here. I never did any of that. I swung the golf club and put it in a path that I felt like I needed to, for the shot I wanted to play. And I had the shot in my head, and I made my body do what I wanted it to do.”

Fast forward to the Tour players of today. Which of our hypothesized issues could they possibly have? The TOUR Champions’ players are all legends of yesteryear, with decades of experience in managing their way around a golf course, handling their short game and putting extremely well. Now have the added bonus of modern equipment – clubs and balls – that gives them an edge compared to their days on the regular Tour. The question posed to all those interviewed was, “What do you still struggle with in your swing, and what ball flight does it result in?”

Padraig Harrington, a great seeker of golf swing information, and a keen teacher of golf to average golfers on social media, had a very prompt reply. “I think most guys, when we get to this age, we fear the left-hand side of the golf course. Drawing the ball is for young guys, and I think when you get a little older, you’ve hit one too many shots left. Anything going left is very upsetting for me. If I’m hitting hooks, (I’m) not playing good golf, and I would have a fear of that.” 

What causes his hook?  “I tend to stop and back up a little bit and lean back, and I’ve not released the club. And then I have a very unfortunate reactionary late release. So the cure for it is to be brave and release the club from the top of the swing, which most amateurs don’t want to do. If you don’t want to hit it left, release the club as hard as you can from the top of the backswing, and that’s going to be a constant release. Whereas most hooks are somebody trying not to release the club, and then it gets too late, they’re stuck and it flips.”

Another golfer who in keenly analytical about all aspects of golf is Kirk Triplett. He has struggled with a lack of consistency and, “I just end up in a groove where I just kind of play my miss (short right) all day.”

Can he guarantee the short-right miss? “Yeah. But if I hit a good one—I’m afraid of hitting a good one. I can’t really plan for that. I’m putting more effort in and getting less energy to the ball.” For Triplett, it’s mainly a need to hit a solid enough strike to control the ball flight characteristics.

“As a competitive golfer you play in so many different conditions, you have to have a strong ball flight, or you have to be able to control the parameters of your ball flight – trajectory and spin – and you can only do that by hitting the ball in the middle of the face. If you don’t hit the ball in the middle of the face, you’re going to get what the face gives you. You’re not going to be able to choose how to play a shot. If you have a left or right wind and all you can do is hit the ball low off the heel, you’re going to have to aim way too far left to be able to control the ball. So those are the things that have been frustrating for me in the last few years.”

One of the greatest-ever European golfers, Colin Montgomery, stated that his main woes all revolved around trying to get onto his toes at impact. “I struggle with my feet and my heels, which means a struggle with the hook. If you’re too far away from the ball, you tend to struggle with a hook because you hit the ball off the toe, and that causes a hook. I’m trying to get on top of the ball on my toes, and that encourages a better ball flight—I’m higher, I’m taller – and (have) better ball flight because I’m on my toes and not on my heels.”

Notah Begay III claimed, “I struggle with getting out of sequence between my upper body and my lower body. My lower body gets a little too fast, and then what happens as a result is that the club – what a lot of golfers can relate to – gets behind me, and then I usually just miss it right … a blocked shot.”

One golfer, Cameron Percy, had a simple solution to his problem. “I struggle hitting fades – I hit a draw – bad! Lots of pulls.” What should you do to hit more fades? “Hit more balls with a visual thing in front of me – I aim too far right.” 

José Maria Olazabál and Corey Pavin both suffer from a lack of distance. While the former smiled and said about his struggles, “Everything, nowadays,” he added that he tries to hit a high draw with his driver to make up for the length he has lost. The latter said, “The biggest thing I work on is to make a good shoulder turn going back. That’s probably the one thing that it’s the hardest thing for me to do, so I work on that most of the time. The bigger your shoulder turn, the further you’re going to hit it and usually the more solidly you’ll hit. It’s just something I’ve always struggled with. I tend to take it a little outside when I take it back, and that limits shoulder turn, so I try to take it inside a little more.”

Finally, Mario Tiziani said that the thing he works most on is tempo, as it tends to get too fast sometimes, especially during his takeaway. He feels the need to prevent a quick takeaway and let it sequence correctly. At the same time, David Duval cited a similar issue and spoke about rhythm, especially during transition, being his biggest issue.

It can be seen that even the best golfers have swing issues that they are constantly trying to fix. Unfortunately, while these seniors may have picked up bits and pieces of older golf swing concepts, and some of them keep abreast with the latest trends in the golf swing, too, there is minimal understanding of “cause and effect.” That will be discussed for all of these pro golfers, in anatomical terms, and using a unique phone-based app to demonstrate, next month.

The post Golf Science – Swing Thoughts from the Greats appeared first on AvidGolfer Magazine.

It’s a different story at the TGR Learning Labs in Anaheim, California, however. Here, many of the fifth to 12th graders who avail of the variety of learning opportunities available, often “Don’t fully understand who Tiger Woods is, although they see his name etched on the side of the building” (fastcompany.com). 

This amazing institution is run by the TGR Foundation that was set up by Tiger and his father, Earl Woods, in 1996. The TGR Foundation was established to expand the Woods’ family legacy of sharing and caring. It started with golf and later expanded to focus on education after 9/11, when Tiger said to his dad, “It doesn’t feel right, after what just happened, to have golf be a priority,” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ0LPuweBgA  ). Tiger’s vision for the Learning Lab was to create safe, inspiring spaces for kids to “learn, grow and chase after their dreams.”

As TGR Foundation and its Learning Labs is the main beneficiary of the annual Genesis Invitational, a signature event of the PGA TOUR, it seemed appropriate to make a deep dive into everything about this unique institution, soon after the event took place. To learn more about what has been offered to the over 200,000 mostly underserved children who have enrolled in its many programs over the past 19 years of its existence.  

The President of TGR Learning Labs and National Programs is Hrag Hamalian, an experienced educator whose life’s work has been to facilitate the growth and education of underserved children. He founded his first school at age 23, specifically to improve the opportunities for under-resourced kids, which is why the TGR Foundation’s work of moving students from passion to education to career really spoke to him. “My goal is to show how TGR Foundation has such a phenomenal impact on lots of kids,” he avers. 

While The Genesis Invitational raises funds for TGR Foundation activities, the core of it, for Hamalian, is that it provides exposure for their students during the event – whether it be in public speaking or as tee starters, or for media interviews, behind-the-scenes tours, or job shadowing with professionals. Moreover, it “Exposes the world to our work,” thus helping grow the TGR Foundation community and harness funding through local communities, corporate partners, foundations and individual philanthropists.

What does the flagship TGR Learning Lab in Anaheim have to offer? STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) education, health and well-being, and career and college readiness. Some of the courses offered (which grow and expand all the time, often based on students’ suggestions) include drone technology, multimedia production, computer science, forensic science, chemistry, podcasting, anatomy and epidemiology, biodiversity and entomology, biotechnology, website and app coding!

The STEAM courses are offered as after school programs, School Day programs, Saturday workshops, field trips and summer programs. So that every child interested can participate according to their own schedule and interest level. There are also career explorer/college access programs. While the School Day programs and field trips begin in fifth grade and have a career-connected learning component, the career explorer and college access programs are open to middle and high school students.

Moreover, adds Hamalian, the “Earl Woods scholar Program – which is a very high-touch program – includes mentorship, financial support and long-term support over the course of four years for students to get through college.”

It does not end there. The Learning Lab also provides educator professional development, including the prestigious STEM Studio. Where else on this planet can students – and their teachers – be exposed to all that … at absolutely no cost. 

Every year, 8,000 to 9,000 school-aged kids participate in Learning Lab activities, and now, the Learning Labs is expanding nationally – to West Philadelphia in April 2025 and Los Angeles in 2026. Each program in the new locations will blend education, career-preparation and a sport – golf in Philadelphia and tennis in Los Angeles. Which is why Hrag Hamalian is excited about his job, entailing building new centers in new cities, bringing the staff there, authentically engaging the community, and adapting the existing programming model to serve the kids in the new locations.

Naturally, as TGR Foundation was founded by GOAT golfer Tiger Woods, every student who goes through the TGR Learning Lab Anaheim, through the field trips, usually gets a golf club in their hand and gets to participate in some form of golf activity. For students who want to take that a step further, the Learning Lab offers Saturday workshops and clinics and after-school classes. They actually also have an after-school class called the “science of golf.”

The TGR Learning Lab, thus, is in excellent hands, with people such as Hamalian and Gyla Bell, the Senior Executive Director of the Anaheim Learning Lab, and many other highly qualified and enthusiastic individuals continually promoting the growth and development of this unique learning facility. In fact, the word “teacher” or “instructor” has been replaced here with “learning facilitator” – a sure indication of the kind of impact these dedicated people hope to have.

What does Tiger Woods himself feel about how his entire plan has unfolded and how it continues to grow?  He was asked, two years ago, by Damon Hack of the Golf Channel, “When you think of the impact it will have going forward for students, what are you most excited about?” Tiger explained how amazing it was to see students return after joining the workforce or going to college, eager to share and, in turn, having new students intern for them. “That’s what’s crazy, and that’s the cycle that I want to see,” he said. 

Which is why, despite everything that he has achieved and will continue to achieve, TGR Foundation and its Learning Labs will live on as perhaps Tiger’s greatest legacy. 

The post Golf Science – Tiger’s Greatest Legacy appeared first on AvidGolfer Magazine.

Which brings me to this month’s Ask the Superintendent question: what is aeration and why do we need to do it? So, sit back and let me give you the ABCs of aeration so you can understand the methods behind the madness and help teach others the impact a quality aeration program has on highly maintained turf grass, both on the course and on our home lawns.

Aeration Basics

Aeration, by the most basic of definitions, is the process of puncturing the soil’s surface with small holes or slices to reduce compaction and help air, water and nutrients better penetrate the soil. This helps improve overall turf/plant health and reduces the need for pesticides and other inputs. Depending on the type of grass, aerations are scheduled to improve growing conditions during the peak season for the turf. Warm-season grasses are usually aerated during the middle of the summer, allowing for the most positive impact to the soil and plant, especially roots, while cool-season grasses are aerated when temperatures are cooler, allowing the turf to respond to the process with optimum results. 

When it comes to putting greens, I am sure you have asked your favorite golf club and superintendent why we are aerating the greens when they are just really getting good. The answer is complex, but we are highly maintaining putting green turf and often mowing it at or below .125 or one-eighth of an inch. It is critical that we manage the root zone for optimal health and part of that requires us to manage the amount of organic matter in the root zone upper four inches. Organic matter is essential for a smooth surface, but if the percentage of organic matter becomes too high it can seriously damage the grass. 

We use aeration to control organic matter, often we target 18 percent removal of organic matter annually, which is verified by advanced soil testing. We often incorporate topdressing with clean and properly sized sand to help us manage organic matter, reduce healing time and smooth the surface (which helps increase ball roll or green speed). Aeration is a critical cultural practice that produces healthy turf and sustainable playing conditions for golf courses. Superintendents schedule aerations well in advance but can shift these dates if weather conditions warrant a shift to protect the turf. Ask your superintendent or golf professional for the current schedule and plan your expectations accordingly. 

What is an Aerifier and Aeration Tines?

The machine that actually performs the aeration is called an aerifier, and there are many quality makers and models available for greens or fairways. They come in many colors and sizes. Most golfers are familiar with the term aerifier, but there is a lot of confusion around the aeration tine. Let’s take a quick look at the basics. The aeration tine is the replaceable part of the aerifier that actually penetrates the soil. A coring or hollow tine is hollow in the center and actually removes a section of soil and roots when used, thus creating a core that can be removed from the area and replaced with sand or other amendments. Hollow tines can be specially tipped with harder metals to last longer and take a cleaner, less stressful core, and they may also be side-eject or top-eject. The side-eject tine is better for small-sized tines, preventing soil and roots from clogging the tine. These tines are available in various sizes; the most popular are ¼,” ½”and 5/8”.  A pro tip is to know if these sizes are OD or ID, short for Outside Diameter or Inside Diameter; a half-inch OD tine is smaller than a half-inch ID tine. 

This matters when you are recovering from aeration and trying to reach a specific percentage of organic removal in a certain number of aerations. The size and spacing of aeration tines determine how much material is actually removed. Conversely, solid aeration tines do not remove a core, but rather are a single metal piece that opens a channel for air and water exchange by forcing materials outward and downward. This allows recovery much sooner but does not actually remove organic matter from the soil. Often superintendents use both types of tines, especially on putting greens or tees at different times during the year to balance playability and cultivation requirements. We also use spooning tines on larger aerifiers to cultivate lesser maintained turf areas such as roughs, as well as commercial and home lawns. Spooning tines are usually attached to a roller or drum that is lifted and lowered and is ground-driven. This type of aeration is aggressive and does create a core. You can rent smaller walk-behind models from most garden centers or hire a local lawn care contractor.

Honorable Mention

There are several other types of cultivation/aeration that are tools that superintendents use to manage turf that should be mentioned, as they are commonly partners to the larger aeration processes. Slicing or spiking is using a metal blade to make a slit or slice in the upper part of the soil and root zone to relieve surface tension and improve water absorption and increase root health. 

Vertical mowing or verticutting when the blades are set below the soil line to remove small amounts of compacted soil. Vertical mowing to remove leaf tissue only helps with leaf and light management but does not have the same impact as mowing below the soil line. Deep drill aerations or verti-drain aerations are very helpful with managing secondary organic matter layering and managing the health of the entire rootzone. These can often go up to 8” deep and can also be paired with other traditional core aerations in extreme circumstances. 

DryJect aerations are another option where we blast sand into the root zone usually with other amendments to quickly change the composition of the root zone soil. We will cover these in greater detail in future articles, but for now know that these are specialty processes that are designed to address specific conditions that impact soil health and turf quality. If you have questions, by all means, ask your superintendent. 

Conclusions

Aeration is a cultural practice that helps create healthy soils, plants and excellent playing conditions. The processes around aeration can include multiple types of tines (sizes and spacing) as well as sand topdressing and the addition of fertility and soil amendments. Turf type and maintenance history dictate when and how often aeration occurs. It is best to aerate turf when it’s at its healthiest. Soil samples and testing can accurately determine organic content of soils and help establish goals to remove a percentage of the organic matter annually; 18 percent is a common amount. 

Aeration is a normal part of the maintenance of high-quality turf, and you should ask your superintendent any questions regarding aeration scheduling and processes. Aeration is an inconvenience today that protects the future of the turf assets, but it is the “ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure” adage. Be patient, stay informed and work with club management to make things optimum for everyone. 

The post Ask the Superintendent – ABCs of Aeration appeared first on AvidGolfer Magazine.

If you want the ball to go left or draw more, rotate your hands to the right on the club at setup, having both thumbs to the right of the logo on the grip. When you do this, you will see more knuckles on your left hand, allowing the ball to go more left. The more knuckles you see on your left hand and the more of your right palm you see, the more left the ball will go. 

If you want the ball to go right or fade more, turn your hands to the left on the club. The more your thumbs are left of the logo on the grip, the more right the ball will go. The less knuckles you see on your left hand and less of the palm of your right hand you see, the more right the ball will go. 

For more solid contact, address the ball with the grip slightly ahead of the golf ball at setup. Have the grip point to the inseam of your left pants leg. This will promote your hands to be ahead of the ball at impact, helping you compress the ball and have more solid contact when hitting. 

Here is an important drill to help with more solid contact when hitting. Place an alignment stick six inches behind the golf ball and start with small swings, swinging in length from hip high to hip high without a golf ball, practicing brushing the grass in front of the alignment stick. After doing this, focus on hitting the ball in front of the alignment stick. If you hit the alignment stick, this means your weight was on your trail foot at impact, which will cause you to either top the ball or hit it thin. Your weight needs to be on your lead side at impact. 

For more tips or questions, e-mail kpikegolf@gmail.com

The post Instruction – Grip and Ball Flight appeared first on AvidGolfer Magazine.

The 21st century PGA TOUR caddie is a far cry from the pot-bellied, beer-chugging, hot-dog eating person of the past. They’re younger, fitter, and typically former players who, at one time, had their own ambitions to compete, and thus have an insider view of the game at the highest level.

During the PGA TOUR’s 2025 Farmers’ Insurance event hosted at Torrey Pines in San Diego, several caddies were amused and pleasantly surprised to be asked whether they would be willing to be interviewed for an article, rather than their famous golf bosses. Geno Bonnalie is one of the most experienced caddies of those interviewed, as he has been with Joel Dahmen for almost 11 years. Naturally, the first question for him was, “What’s with all the ups and downs – are the issues physical, mental, or perhaps something to do with injury?” Bonnalie responded, “It’s just golf. Golf is a very hard sport to play consistently. I think it’s very cyclical … always up and down. When you’re playing good, it’s great, when you’re playing bad, it feels like you’re never gonna play good again.” 

Bonnalie and Dahmen grew up together and have been friends for a long time. Did he ever have any ambitions to be a pro himself? “Yeah,” Bonnalie said, “but I just wasn’t good enough.” How do so many caddies know this, one wondered? In his case, it was that “Joel always beat me very badly even as kids, so I knew that he had it and I did not, even though I was an OK player.”

Given their long-time relationship, what does he do for Dahmen? Most especially, he helps him have a “Positive mental attitude. He trusts me. I feel like I make smart decisions,” Bonnalie said. “Obviously, there’s times where I make mistakes and make a wrong decision, but I think my golf IQ is pretty high. And we have a great relationship to where I can be truthful and tell him what I think. Sometimes I’m wrong and I get in trouble, but I always have a reason for what I do.” 

Mainly he believes that strategizing around the golf course – when it’s time to take a risk versus be smart – realizing that pars and sometimes even bogeys are a great score. Trying to minimize doubles is what’s important.

Does Bonnalie have any aches and pains from lugging around a golf bag he estimates to weigh 45 lbs. for over a decade? He does have feet and some back issues, but right now feels healthy, and stretches sometimes.  And for his hard work, a caddie such as him can expect a base weekly salary plus anywhere from five to 10 percent of his player’s earnings, depending on the relationship with the player.  

David Flynn is Trey Mullinax’s caddie. If he is even half as efficient a caddie as he is at responding to questions for this interview via text, he must be a great support system for his player. This 32-year-old has been caddying professionally since he was 22, but also grew up caddying at country clubs since he was 15. As with most modern caddies, he got into caddying because, “I played in college and was no way near good enough to play professionally,” Flynn said. “A friend and teammate asked me to caddie for him a little bit, and I liked the job and … well, 10 years later, I’m still doing it.” 

Flynn and Mullinax worked together for almost five years from 2016-2020, then spent a few years apart, and reunited last year. He’s also worked for Kevin Tway and Robby Shelton, as well as a few others.

What does he do for his players? “Every job is different out here … and to be perfectly honest, even day-to-day, week-to-week, the job can change with a player,” Flynn said. “There’s certainly a factor of helping with strategy on the course. But ultimately, I think this job is about being good company, as a player has to be around his caddie a lot and in a lot of different circumstances. Some more intense than others. A good caddie is someone a player wants to be around, trusts in a pressure situation, and can rely on for anything from showing up on time to telling the hard truth.”

Sadly, Flynn does have a few aches and pains to show for his many years of caddying for professional golfers. “This is the only body I’ve got and I’m afraid I haven’t treated it kindly by lugging around that darn bag for 10 years!” he said. 

Another caddie who lugs around a famous bag is Will Wilcox, who caddies for Sungjae Im. Will actually played the Korn Ferry and PGA Tours for four years. He’s 38-years-old now and does have some aches and pains but says “It’s not too bad.” In fact, perhaps it is to be expected given that he caddied for Im for 27 of 52 weeks last year, carrying around a 30 lb. bag, which is “Not too heavy, but is a little awkward,” he said. 

The remuneration for the job probably made it all worthwhile, with a base weekly salary of $2000 and seven percent of his player’s earnings – given that Im made $10 million in 2024. Wilcox helps his player a lot and is able to offer advice on, “Picking the number, determining how long it’s going to be playing, what club to use, how the lie is going to impact the shots, and I also read most of the putts.”

The person who caddies for in-form Justin Lower is Chad Gonzales. “This is my third year with him,” says Gonzales. He did try to play competitively himself early in his career, but it was a financial struggle and it “Just wasn’t working out.” What he does do best for his player is to “Keep my player calm, comfortable and confident,” as well as help in the prep work along with the coach, by ‘walking the course’ and knowing everything his player might require of him. 

He also looks at a lot of PGA TOUR data – from the last few events as well as from previous years. This helps him offer suggestions on the best way to play the course. For instance, where did most of the field make birdie where his player did not? He also looks at “feet of putts made” (the sum of all actually holed putts on every green totaled over all 18 holes). For Lower, a good number is about 80 to 85. Gonzales is an enthusiastic 36-year-old caddie who works with his player’s trainer once or twice a week to stay fit and avoid any pain.

Another golfer whose game is improving in recent months is Rico Hoey. His caddie, 38-year-old Brian Martin, has been with him for two years, prior to which he caddied for Kurt Kitayama. “I used to play and then I had to figure out a way to make some money.” Martin said. He found it easy to caddie for pros because of his playing background, as players prefer caddies who have played with them in the past and can rely on what they’re saying more.  Martin has been “on the road” since he finished school and mainly helps his players have a positive mindset. When someone is hitting the shots, they might see something negative like a water hazard, while he only sees good shots and where the golfer should go. 

“Everyone gets mad and upset or angry or whatever it is – you just gotta try to pull them back to know that they’re good enough to start a good stretch,” he said. Martin goes to the gym “all the time,” even though his golf bag currently weighs only 25 lbs, compared, as he says, to the typical 40 lb. ones. 

A more recent addition to caddie ranks is 28-year-old Dan Woodbury, who has been caddying for Trevor Cone for three years. “Trevor and I were college teammates – we played golf together at Virginia Tech (where Woodbury earned a finance degree). We were college teammates and just good buddies, and he asked me to start caddying for him,” Woodbury said. 

Did Woodbury ever have playing ambitions of his own? “I did, so I was doing that before he asked me, and I was ready to give it up and look into the finance world and do something else … and just got lucky with the timing of it,” he said. Which helped him to remain in the golf world, something he loves, especially as he’s in good shape and his average-for-Tour 40 lb. bag does not seem to be a bother for him.

What he uniquely brings to the table for Cone is a mixed bag. A lot of it for him happens from Monday through Wednesday before a tournament starts. Observing how Cone practices and getting ready for the tournament each week. Then, course management-wise what to hit off tee boxes, targets, reading greens – he says he wears a lot of different hats. His best skills are green reading and building a practice schedule. “For each of us, we all do different jobs – depending on what our players want,” Woodbury said. 

Raphael Campos has a relatively young 23-year-old caddie, Cameron Smith. “I grew up playing golf. I played in college, and I really wanted to go down the golf route,” Smith said. “I was playing a lot and I felt like I got as good as I could, and I couldn’t beat the best guys around me. It’s a very fine line in golf between being good and great. I’m still an amateur, so I can play tournaments whenever I want to.” 

Smith has already been caddying for four to five years. This young caddie does not find the 40 lb. bag he carries around to be a big deal and said, “It’s not too bad – you kind of get used to how much it weighs.”   

The caddie of the 21st century is a younger, fitter, more enthusiastic version of those of bygone years and probably quite eager to partake of a piece of the ever-increasing pie that is the PGA TOUR purse. Even the 18-hole walk over ever-lengthening, hilly courses and the unnecessarily heavy, balance-diminishing golf bags do not seem to deter these brave men or be a cause for complaint. No one seemed to be dissatisfied with the job and, in fact, said that “Caddying is a great way to stay in the game competing” or “It’s fun” or “I wanna keep doing this for the rest of my life.” 

Thus, the PGA TOUR is not only profitable for the players themselves and the many charities it serves, but also for another group of happy campers – the caddies.

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