The article below was written by Steve Carroll of National Club Golfer.
Let them grow, or shave them short? A trio of greenkeepers explain how they care for a golf green during the colder months.
Height of greens – it’s a metric that many of us are obsessed about. We think it makes them quicker and we’d love for our putting surfaces to be slick all year long.
But winter brings challenges. Grass doesn’t grow as quickly, for a start, and courses need to be careful they don’t damage their plants by further stressing them when the weather is at its coldest.
For Your Course, produced by the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association, we spoke to three course managers from across the UK to understand how they overcome common problems that arise on golf courses during winter.
This week, we’re looking at the height of cut on greens during the winter. And we’re also going to consider how best to protect those vulnerable areas of golf courses that always seem to be at risk when the mercury seriously drops.
Tackling these debates are Mark Crossley, the course manager at Prestbury, in Cheshire; Greg Fitzmaurice, a master greenkeeper who is the course manager at Hunley, in North Yorkshire; and Chris Rae, who is the course manager at Orkney, in the Northern Isles.
What height of grass do you like your golf greens to be in the winter?
Greg Fitzmaurice: “We don’t cut that short anyway, but we do raise the height of cut on the greens. At the moment [August] we’re at 4.5mm, which is probably on the high side for the average club, and we’ll go up to between 5-6mm.
It’s a judgement call but we normally knock them up about a millimetre and time that with a bit of a feed and maybe topdress as well.”
Mark Crossley: “We’ll start to raise our heights of cut from early October from 3mm upwards in increments of 0.5mm until we hit 5mm at some point in November, and that just adds a bit of protection to the plant.
When growth slows down and you get the onset of disease pressure during the late autumn months, having a healthy plant is pivotal, especially now as we’re losing products left, right and centre. The stronger the plant is going into the winter period, the stronger it’ll be coming out of it.”
Chris Rae: “We normally cut to about 4.2mm and we can’t go much lower than that with the wind here. We don’t have irrigation so we can’t soften the greens, and we’ve got a couple on slopes so that’s borderline for us anyway.
Any lower than that and I’d probably get the sack because people will have balls rolling back to their feet. In winter we incrementally increase it until we get up to 6.5mm.”
What are the best ways of protecting vulnerable areas?
Mark: “We look at that from a pre-emptive point of view, as opposed to a reactionary point of view. We take preventative measures and get the ropes and the hoops out there sooner and make sure there’s no damage that could last all winter and into the playing season.
It’s about educating the staff as well in areas where they shouldn’t drive in wet conditions as that is just as important as educating the members.”
Greg: “We’re quite lucky as we’re able to get rid of water fast, so we don’t get areas of standing water all the time. It’s more about pinch points where there’s not much room for moving golfers around, and what we’ve done there is installed hardstanding paths. We’ve only got two or three areas of the course that could do with fixing from that point of view.”
We wear golf gloves for a number of reasons. The main one is
grip; when we wear a golf glove, the friction between our hand and club grip
throughout the swing is hugely enhanced.
We also play golf in a mix of climates and conditions, and a
good-quality glove will help you maintain a strong grip, whether it’s hot and
sweaty or cold and wet.
The last thing you want during a swing is for your grip to slip, but the best golf gloves will bolster your hold on the club and give you more confidence in the follow-through.
Why do golfers wear gloves?
Gloves protect your hands and provide an extra layer of
padding. When the temperature on the course rises, the breathable material used
in golf gloves helps keep your hands cool and dry.
Flexibility is key when shopping for golf gloves. Your glove
should allow a full range of motion in the swing while fitting you snugly, based
on the measurements of your palm circumference and middle finger length.
Quality golf gloves are typically made from leather, as this
offers a superior feel and fit, as well as being soft and flexible. Leather
also tends to keep its shape better, but it can be expensive, so many popular golf
gloves use a blend of leather and other materials.
PGA Tour winner Aaron Rai is well known for wearing two gloves, but generally speaking, most golfers only wear a glove on their lead hand (left for a right-hander and vice versa), as this is where the club sits.
FootJoy is the leading glove manufacturer, and this is its premium
offering.
This is a hugely popular glove on Tour. It’s made from
Cabretta leather, so it offers plenty of feel and comfort. Where it truly
excels, though, is moisture management, so you’ll always have a perfect hold on
the club, even when it’s hot out on the course.
Looks-wise, it’s strikingly simple but arguably as good as it gets in this market.
Ping has always made premium golf gloves, and this Cabretta
leather glove is super-soft with pre-curved fingers, finger vents, and
perforations to optimise breathability.
There’s also a wristband to encourage moisture wicking and promote the perfect fit.
This is arguably one of the most recognisable golf gloves on
the market, so it deserves a mention for that alone.
The StaSof excels at durability, making it very popular with
the world’s best players, who might not want to change their gloves after every
round.
“It’s a great golf glove. I want to have a glove that I can use more than just once or twice; I like to wear it for four or five days in a row during a tournament. The fact that the durability of the StaSof can withstand after that many rounds, with all the golf swings involved with that, is unbelievable,” says Billy Horschel.
Any Titleist glove is going to be stylish and simple but
still offer outstanding performance—the Players Flex is no different.
This glove is slightly thicker than the Players version, but the netted satin panels provide supreme comfort and flexibility. You can expect this glove to keep performing for plenty of rounds.
Another popular choice on Tour is this high-grade Cabretta glove,
which is great around the greens if you prefer to chip and putt with your glove
on. There are several additional reinforcements in key areas to minimise wear,
especially in the spots that tend to experience higher friction.
G/Fore is a leading brand in style, colour, and substance,
and its gloves are no different. Gone are the days of simply white golf gloves
with few options for any other colours.
The men’s collection has six colours to suit every palette. Each glove is precision-crafted from premium Cabretta leather and has embroidered detailing on the tab.
This is a fantastic-looking glove with a performance and
price to match.
It’s engineered to encourage breathability through the larger gaps in the fingers and is made from the finest AAA Cabretta leather. The blue and grey colour options are also simple and classic-looking.
Nike may no longer make clubs, but the iconic swoosh is
still very much visible when it comes to gloves—thanks to Rory McIlroy.
Although at the higher end of the price range, this glove noticeably features more perforations than others in the back of the hand and in the fingers, while the surrounds are made from premium leather.
The exceptional breathability of this glove makes it a
popular choice on Tour. It has a lot going on, with material along the back of
the hand to promote moisture control and a mesh to improve fit and flexibility.
It’s also great in hot weather and, like all FootJoy gloves, looks very smart.
The best golf gloves for bad weather
Given the conditions many of us have to contend with when golfing in the UK, we couldn’t resist including include a couple of options, especially for when we’re playing in bad weather.
Aaron Rai wears these on the PGA Tour because he loves the
breathability the soft mesh back and water-resistant material provide. The ‘bad’
news, though, is that if you want to properly mimic Rai, you’ll, of course, have
to purchase two!
However, the good news is that they’ll last you a long time.
What’s true is that it’s certainly fantastic value, with a
soft feel and ultra-durable and breathable material. There’s additional leather
on the palm and thumb, and you can purchase in packs of two and three, so there
are no arguments from a value-for-money perspective.
It’s the perfect choice if you hit a lot of balls out on the range.
The article below was written by Steve Carroll of National Club Golfer.
Dr Fred Yelverton, a specialist in weed science and turfgrass at North Carolina State University, reveals the impact of warmer and wetter conditions.
Big storms. Rain that never seems to stop, and heatwaves when it does. Our weather seems more unpredictable than ever. And as the reality of climate change becomes more apparent with every flood or wildfire we see on our TV screens, it’s starting to have very real effects on our golf courses.
Dr Fred Yelverton, one of the world’s pre-eminent turfgrass weed specialists, is an expert on the effects of climate change on turfgrass management and pests.
Earlier this year, giving a speech at the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition in Harrogate, he outlined some of the impacts he’s witnessing on the ground with golf and climate change…
Golf and climate change: Is it affecting the UK’s golf courses?
Our courses are getting wetter
“When we discuss global climate change, how that is impacting rainfall levels is a mixed bag.. Some places may get drier, and some places may get wetter. It appears that in the UK you’re getting wetter.”
Yelverton referenced figures which showed the amount of annual rainfall had increased by 100mm (around four inches) in the last 140 years.
For somewhere like Newcastle upon Tyne or Swansea, that’s the equivalent of an entire January’s worth of additional rainfall. For drier parts of the country, it’s an even more significant addition.
“The patterns of rainfall are also changing,” said Yelverton. “You’re also experiencing much more severe rainfall events.”
Longer summers lead to more growing days
We’ve had a global increase in temperatures of 1.4˚C in the period between 1880 and 2020. It might not sound a lot but its impact from a turfgrass management and weed standpoint are profound.
Yelverton revealed figures showing the UK growing season, when plants are most active, was 27 days longer from 2012 to 2021 than from 1961 to 1990.
“Longer summers is basically what it is saying,” he said. “So a 1.5˚C increase in temperature doesn’t sound like much, but when you put it in concepts like this, it is a big deal. Twenty seven days, that’s a lot. And that has profound impacts on turfgrass management.”
Warmer nights reduce turf recovery time
It’s not just during the day where we’re seeing the mercury rise. Night-time temperatures are on the increase and they’re on a steeper incline too.
“That has huge implications for turfgrass management,” Yelverton said. “Cool season turfgrasses, such as you find in the UK, rely on night-time temperatures to recover during periods of high stress, such as the height of summer.
“But as night-time temperatures start to warm, they don’t get as much opportunity to recover.”
Golf and climate change: Pests and diseases are on the move
Yelverton said: “In the US, we’re seeing pests moving north – insects, diseases, and weeds. If there was a weed that was common in Florida, we now have it in North Carolina. If there was a weed common in North Carolina, it’s now up in New York.
“We see this gradual movement of vegetation. I don’t think there is as much of that going on in the UK and it’s because you’re an island. That slows things quite a bit, but you’re already beginning to see weeds and diseases steadily creeping northwards as the climate warms.”
Hotter temperatures are changing the types of turf that thrive
Yelverton explained that in the 1990s in North Carolina, putting greens on golf courses were generally around 80 per cent bentgrass and 20 per cent Bermuda.
But as the state has warmed, particularly at night, so have the types of grasses now being used on golf courses. He said, as of 2021, it was around 70 per cent Bermuda and 30 per cent bentgrass.
“In my career, we have totally changed putting green surfaces and it is predominantly because our night-time temperatures are getting warmer,” Yelverton said.
“Particularly in southern areas of the UK, turfgrasses that traditionally formed putting surfaces are transitioning to species that are more accustomed to a warmer climate.
“These have different maintenance requirements, leading greenkeepers to adjust their practices and learn new techniques.”
While a great set of clubs can do
wonders for your handicap, the right selection of golf accessories can make
your rounds smoother and easier. With some top golf accessories at hand, you
can focus on your driving and putting without any irritations or distractions.
The 10 essential golf accessories we’ve
picked in this article won’t necessarily turn you into a professional golfer. But
they can help improve aspects of your game, make your rounds more enjoyable,
and even make you a more courteous player.
From humble golf towels to high-tech rangefinders, read our pick of the 10 best golf accessories.
Must-have golf accessories
These are the essential golf accessories you need in your golf bag. No golfer should be without them.
1. Golf gloves
Whilst golf gloves may not initially sound overly important, remember that your hands are the only part of you that makes contact with your clubs. Plus, the way you hold your clubs is a vital part of your game.
A good golf glove is non-negotiable
for any golfer. It provides a better grip on clubs than skin alone, reduces the
risk of blisters, and enhances your overall comfort. Now you can concentrate on
playing rather than on any pains or niggles.
Many golfers prefer gloves made from synthetic materials due to their superior durability and flexibility, but some prefer the feel of leather. Try on a range of styles to find which you prefer. Ensure the glove you pick fits snugly without being too tight, allowing for easy movement and precise control.
2. Golf balls
There’s more to golf balls than
meets the eye, especially higher-quality balls. Different types of golf balls
suit different players, styles of play, and swing speeds. They also offer
varying degrees of control, distance travelled, and spin.
Picking the right type of golf ball
for you can have a profound impact on your game. Beginner golfers may fare
better with softer balls that have more give and are more forgivable when
you’re out on the course. More experienced players may prefer harder balls that
offer better control and feedback. As with picking gloves, it’s worth
experimenting with a small number across a range of balls to find the best for
you.
Golf tees are simple-looking pieces
of kit, but they play a crucial role in your game. A good tee can help you
raise your balls to the optimal height and launch angle. This can contribute to
longer, more accurate, and more consistent drives.
Golf tees are available in a wide range of materials, heights, and styles. Wooden and bamboo tees are more traditional and eco-friendly, but tees made from plastics and other synthetic materials often offer better durability. Different heights of tees are suitable for different clubs, but you can buy packs of tees offering a range of heights. You can also buy adjustable tees too. As with golf balls, it’s sensible to try out a selection of golf tees to find the ones that suit you the best.
4. Golf umbrella
The weather is hard to predict—even
for the experts—and even a glorious summer’s day in Britain can quickly turn
into driving rain. You don’t want to play wet-through, as this will do nothing
for your game.
A large and sturdy golfing umbrella that can cope with whatever the British weather throws at it is essential. It will be a lifesaver during unexpected rain showers and can even provide shade on those rare scorching days.
Look for golf umbrellas with a large canopy that are lightweight but durable enough to withstand wind and rain. Ventilated designs can also help prevent the umbrella from being blown inside out.
5. Divot repair tool
Every golfer is responsible for
maintaining the condition of the course, and you should aim to leave each hole
in the same condition you found it—a divot repair tool is essential for this. They
help you easily repair areas of damage to the grass on courses caused by your
swing or by the ball landing. A divot repair tool will ensure surfaces remain
smooth and fair for everyone and that you uphold good course etiquette.
Divot repair tools are fairly cheap pieces of kit. They’re available in a variety of styles, either metal or plastic, with one or two prongs. They fold away neatly and sometimes have attached tools, too.
‘Nice-to-have’ golf accessories
These additional golf accessories can also help you make the most of your precious time on the course.
6. A rangefinder
A trusty rangefinder is invaluable for accurately measuring distances on the course. A rangefinder will help you determine how far you are from the pin, as well as other key points along a course, like bunkers and other hazards. It helps you make informed decisions on driving distances and what clubs you should pick. Rangefinders are also great fun to use.
When it comes to golf rangefinders, you’ve got a few options. Laser rangefinders are the most common, as they’re simple to use and accurate over long distances. GPS golf watches are also an alternative that can track your location on a course.
Rangefinders usually offer a variety of features. These include different battery sizes, slope-adjustment technology, and visual options where you can paint circles around pins for that extra bit of confidence about the measurements you’ve made.
7. Golf shoes
Whilst golf shoes aren’t strictly
necessary, they’re an accessory that plenty of golfers appreciate. The right
pair of golf shoes can help improve your stability and balance, ensuring you
get the most out of your driving, chipping, and putting. Golf shoes are also light
and comfortable.
If you’re interested in investing
in golf shoes, take your time trying on as many as possible to get the right
fit and the best feel for you. Look for shoes that are breathable, waterproof, and
offer arch support. Spiked shoes can offer better traction on grass, too, especially
on wet courses.
On the other hand, spikeless shoes can be worn both on and off grass and are more versatile.
8. A golf towel
A quality golf towel is a useful,
versatile, and low-cost accessory. You can use a golf towel to keep your hands
clean and sweat-free, plus you can wipe down balls and clubs to keep them dry
and spotless.
Look for a golf towel made from absorbent materials like microfiber, as this is effective at removing dirt and absorbing moisture. You can get golf towels that come in sets and with fittings like clips or magnets so that you can conveniently attach them to your golf bag.
9. A golf travel bag
Whilst a golf bag is a requirement rather than an accessory, smaller golf travel cases and travel bags have become much more popular recently.
Rather than being a full bag, golf travel bags are smaller, lighter, hold fewer clubs, and are more portable. They’re useful if you’re travelling and can’t bring a full golf bag, but they are also ideal if you’re heading to a driving range or a pitch-and-putt course and won’t need your full set of clubs.
Some golf travel bags are larger and come with wheels and padding, making them a great option for air travel. Others are smaller and lightweight and are more suited to carrying a smaller number of clubs for practice sessions.
10. Training aids
Golf is a game of precision and skill where effective practice is needed to improve. While the best kind of practice is usually out on the course, there are plenty of golf training aids available that can help you at home, too. Now, you can work on your game even if you only have a spare 30 minutes.
You can get training aids to help improve all aspects of your game. These include indoor putting mats, driving nets, chipping nets, launch monitors to diagnose your swing, grip trainers to improve your hand placement, and swing aids and trainers like smash bags.
Good golf practice aids can help you focus on the aspects of play you most need to improve, whatever time you have and wherever you are.
The article below was written by Matt Chivers of National Club Golfer.
Tiger Woods was estimated to be golf’s first billionaire in 2022. In fact, only LeBron James and Michael Jordan of the basketball world could say they were worth nine digits at the time.
15 majors and 82 PGA Tour wins plus the manner in which he completed them saw him become rather popular and wealthy. A Nike deal for over two decades and several other endorsements helped too.
Woods is arguably the best golfer ever, with Jack Nicklaus being his opposition in this debate. But there is no debate on who has had and still has the greatest influence over the sport.
His presence is still felt in the majors and in the boardrooms as Woods helps the PGA Tour navigate financial warfare with the Saudi group that owns LIV Golf, the PGA Tour’s rival league.
But it is conceivable there would be no demand to watch golfers, to pay golfers and to pay to see golfers without Woods. He was the original needle mover and this is why he is a billionaire. But what about today’s crop of stars? How much are the wealthiest players worth in 2024?
The LIV Golf League paid mammoth fees to attract players such as Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson. In reaction to that, the PGA Tour increased its purses to nail down what is left of its own roster. Players on both sides of the fence have been healthily compensated as a result.
With this in mind, let’s run down the highest-paid golfers in 2024 and discover if any of them are approaching the billion-dollar benchmark that Woods has set in recent years. Back in June, this is who Forbes Magazine had in the top 10:
Highest paid golfers
1. Jon Rahm
2024 earnings: $218 million
Jon Rahm joined the LIV Golf League in December 2023 for a reported figure above $500 million. The two-time major champion has won once on the breakaway tour and in his PGA Tour days, he won 11 times and earned over $52 million. Reports suggest the sign-up fee wasn’t given to Rahm in full initially, which factors into his earnings figure.
2. Rory McIlroy
2024 earnings: $83 million
Rory McIlroy has been a cash machine since joining the PGA Tour in 2010. This year, he has won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the Wells Fargo Championship for a fourth time.
With longstanding partners like Nike, TaylorMade, Omega and Optum, McIlroy maintained another huge earnings figure this year both on and off the course.
3. Tiger Woods
2024 earnings: $67 million
Despite only playing five times in 2024, Tiger Woods has still earned nearly $70 million according to Forbes. The 48-year-old started his new clothing brand Sun Day Red in February after splitting with Nike after 27 years.
4. Scottie Scheffler
2024 earnings: $61 million
What Scottie Scheffler hasn’t won in 2024 isn’t worth winning. The World No.1 ticked off the Masters, the Players, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the RBC Heritage, the Memorial, the Travelers, and the Tour Championship.
5. Cameron Smith
2024 earnings: $47 million
Cameron Smith allegedly banked $100 million for joining LIV Golf in 2022, shortly after winning The Open at the home of golf. He has won a little under $40 million while flying the flag of Australia with Commissioner Greg Norman, having already won just short of $30 million on the PGA Tour.
6. Bryson DeChambeau
2024 earnings: $44 million
Like Smith, Bryson DeChambeau was allegedly given nine figures to join the Saudi-funded league in 2022. His earnings on the new tour where he captains Crushers GC will shortly surpass the $30 million mark.
Now a double US Open-winning champion from Pinehurst, DeChambeau’s YouTube channel has skyrocketed in popularity, reaching well more than 1 million subscribers.
7. Brooks Koepka
2024 earnings: $43 million
Five-time major-winning beast Brooks Koepka admitted he received at least $100 million for joining LIV Golf. He won his most recent major at the 2023 PGA Championship and has accumulated over $30 million in earnings since leaving the PGA Tour.
Koepka has also maintained lucrative partnerships with Nike and Srixon.
8. Viktor Hovland
2024 earnings: $40 million
Viktor Hovland found the keys to the treasure chest at the end of last season when he won the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship. He won the $18 million FedEx Cup bonus and has just under $30 million in prize money earnings.
9. Phil Mickelson
2024 earnings: $38 million
Phil Mickelson did follow Tiger Woods past the billion-dollar mark in his golf career, but reportedly lost large chunks of this through gambling. Nonetheless, Lefty was reportedly given $200 million to become the face of LIV Golf back at the very start in 2022.
Mickelson won just over $96 million on the PGA Tour and although his LIV career hasn’t been as fruitful, this golf icon is among the wealthiest players in 2024 and essentially of any year.
10. Dustin Johnson
2024 earnings: $37 million
Since the first LIV Golf event in June 2022, Dustin Johnson and Talor Gooch alternate in the list of the players who have earned the most money in the new league. With over $50 million in earnings with LIV and over $70 million on the PGA Tour, DJ still keeps his place as one of the highest-paid players in 2024.
The article below was written by Hannah Holden of National Club Golfer.
The New Zealander has had a strong 2024, capping it off with a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and a Major Championship at the AIG Women’s Open.
What equipment did Lydia Ko use to lock up her third Major Championship at the AIG Women’s Open?
Lydia Ko had been a PXG staffer since 2017, but they parted ways in early 2022 when her original five-year deal ended.
Originally Lydia kept most of her PXG golf clubs in play, but her bag has become much more eclectic since then. Let’s take a closer look at the Olympic Champion’s bag…
What’s in Lydia Ko’s bag?
The first club Lydia switched when her PXG deal ended was her driver. She followed in the footsteps of numerous LPGA tour stars by opting to put a Titleist model in play. Since then, she has made another switch and put the Ping G430 LST driver in the bag.
She has followed suit with her fairway woods option, which includes two Ping G430 fairway woods and a Ping G430 22-degree hybrid.
Ko has also swapped to a completely new set of irons. She has two models of Proto Concept irons in play. The C07 in her 6-iron and C05 from 7 to 9-iron. Lydia put these irons in play back in January and won the Gainbridge LPGA the following week.
She has also, rather interestingly, added a Titleist T200 5-iron to her set-up with some lead tape on the back of the club head. If you are wondering about the colourful grips, they are Iomic Sticky 1.8 golf grips in numerous funky colours.
She carries four brand new Titleist Vokey SM10 wedges and opts for a 46° instead of a traditional pitching wedge.
Ko rounds out her bag with a centre-shafted Scotty Cameron GSS putter and the Pro V1x golf ball.
Lydia’s last piece of equipment? Her brand new Ecco Biom G5 LK golf shoe. Lydia helped co-design the shoes with Ecco. If you look closely, you can see the Hibiscus flower and Fern detailing. These pay homage to Lydia Ko’s country of birth, South Korea, and the country where she grew up, New Zealand, respectively.
