News

GolfWRX Morning 9: Bellerive’s greens will be a story | Tiger’s life-changing drive | JT’s game-changing driver

Published

8 years ago

Aug 7, 2018

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt ([email protected])

August 7, 2018

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans.

1. Bellerive’s greens will be a story

Oh, good. But really, it has to be tough to get it right in St. Louis in August, and the PGA is doing everything in its power.

According to Golfweek’s Forecaddie, “The Forecaddie has been hearing about the struggles with Bellerive’s greens for nearly two years and finally got a first-hand look Monday. In a nutshell, the 2018 PGA Championship course will feature slow and tender greens that by Sunday may resemble a war zone.”

“Adding to Bellerive’s issues: Recently resodded zoysiagrass collars transition briefly to dirt on most greens before plunging down huge and healthy short-grass areas. The various stages of struggling turf leads The Man Out Front to comfortably declare that Bellerive is no putters’ paradise. Scoring, however, should be excellent given the softness of greens, immaculate fairways and dense zoysiagrass short-grass surrounds conducive to spinning lob-wedge recoveries.”

Full article

2. The solo car trip that changed Tiger’s life

Tiger Woods, as most know, made the 1,000-mile drive home to Florida after the 2001 WGC event at Bellrive was cancelled due to the September 11 attacks. Famously, it was during this drive that Woods decided to reconfigure his foundation and develop learning centers.

Golf Digest’s Joel Beall filed an excellent look at this moment in time

“Tiger Woods wasn’t sleeping because no one could. The country had been sucker-punched, and it was dazed, disoriented. So instead of enjoying the comforts of a bed before a World Golf Championship at Bellerive Country Club, Woods found himself at a gas station in the dark of night on Sept. 12, 2001, hours away from St. Louis, civilization and cell phone service. He had set off for Isleworth, his home, welcoming the 1,000-mile drive-against the horrific reality that was setting in-as a distraction.”

“Only it wasn’t. The road, as it can often be, was cathartic. And Woods didn’t like what it revealed. “I just felt that if I was the one in one of those buildings or on one of the planes, what would be left behind?” Woods said about the experience, years later. “And I basically thought I hadn’t done anything. Yeah, I can hit a golf ball wherever it may be, but that’s entertainment. I hadn’t done anything impacting.”

Full article.

3. Dialing in his driver was key to Justin Thomas’ dominant Firestone performance

It’s always interesting to see how players transition into new equipment; even more when they do so to massive success.

Titleist Tour Rep J.J. VanWezenbeeck had this to say about Justin Thomas’ move to the new TS3 driver.

“During a fitting in May prior to The PLAYERS, we found the TS3 9.5 gave him better ball speeds, with excellent launch to spin ratio, and preferred sound, feel, and look. He practiced with it over the next few weeks and put in at the US Open, the first week it was available for competition. At the Open Championship, Justin had his shaft shortened an 1/8″ to help with centering the hit and maximizing control with the higher ball speeds seen with TS.”

Thomas said this at Firestone about the process of getting dialed in…”I switched to a new driver at the U.S. Open, the new Titleist TS3. Yeah, I liked it right away. It was a little bit faster, which everybody likes. For me, my struggles with the driver’s always been strike, hitting a toe ball because I like to cut the ball with the driver. So when you’re setting up for a cut and you toe it and it goes left, that’s never good. So we’ve really been working hard trying to figure out why that is.”

“We got together with the (Titleist) guys at the French Open and we were talking and then again at the British. It doesn’t make any sense, but it worked, by making the shaft an eighth of an inch shorter. And we obviously had to change the weight a little bit. It’s made a huge difference.”

According to Golf Digest’s E. Michael Johnson, “The numbers were so good Thomas even gave the driver its own code name, playing off the TS designation. Thomas referred to the driver as “The S**t,” which in golf slang is high praise, indeed.”

4. Speeder Evolution V spotting

On Monday at the 2018 PGA Championship, GolfWRX spotted a new Fujikura Speeder 757 Evolution V shaft – the fifth generation Speeder Evolution.

But more than just photos, we also spotted a full spec sheet with a description of the shaft.

“All Evolution models incorporate a Multiaxial Reinforced Mid-Section, 90 Ton Carbon Fiber, Maximum Fiber Content, MCT, and Phantium finish. EVO V utilizes T1100G and Outer Bias Technology for superior feel and control. EVO IV will be the lowest launching and spinning, EVO 3 will launch slightly higher with similar spin, and EVO 5 will launch the highest with slightly increased spin.”

Does this mean the Evolution 5 is actually the replacement for the Evolution 2? It seems the wording of the spec sheet implies that, but we will have to see when Fujikura releases its press materials regarding the new shaft.

5. Is Tiger running out of gas?

Rex Hoggard begs the question: “Just how much gas does Woods have left in the tank?”

“At the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, at one of his personal playgrounds, at a tournament he desperately wanted to win, Woods looked lethargic. In many ways, that’s understandable. He’s nearing the end of a long season. He played poorly Saturday and plummeted down the leaderboard, dashing any hopes of title No. 9. And he’s 42, with a brittle body that last year underwent a Hail Mary back fusion to prolong his career.”

“Statistics backed up the fatigue factor, as his measured swing speed continues to decrease:

* 122.6 mph (Quail Hollow)

* 119.4 mph (Players)

* 118.5 mph (Memorial)

* 118.0 mph (Quicken Loans)

* Sunday at Firestone, he clocked in at 117.7 mph

6. Smylie on social

Smylie Kaufman, once one of the most active and revealing pros on social media, has had enough amidst a terrible season.

“Social media doesn’t help,” Kaufman told Golf Digest. “That place sucks. It was so great for me for so long, but it was never anything good the last six months. When I go to Twitter, it’s like reading the newspaper for me. Well, I don’t wanna see Tom or Joe telling me how bad I suck when I read the newspaper.”

7. ZJ x 2

Here’s an interesting (or perhaps not) bit of trivia ahead of the PGA Championship: there will be two Zach Johnsons in the field…creating the opportunity for you to wager on the low Zach Johnson (probably not).

AP report…”The other? Well, he’s not quite a household name. He’s Zach Johnson of Farmington, Utah, who works as the assistant pro at Davis Park Golf Course in the suburbs of Salt Lake City. He’s one of 20 club pros who qualified into the 156-man field, and will be, for at least two days, on the same playing field with Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and, yes, Zach Johnson.”

“Tournament organizers called the club pro recently and asked him if it was OK for him to go by ”Zach J. Johnson” for the week to eliminate confusion. “I don’t think they called and asked him first,” Zach J. said of his namesake. ”It was more like: ‘Here’s what you’re going by. Hopefully you’ll like it.”’

8. The cricketer and the golf mishap

England bowler James Anderson saw his shot cannon into a tree root and hits him in the face. Indeed, he saw it up close.

And of course there’s video. Glad he’s OK.

9. Who wears (short) shorts?

Blasphemous as the site of male professional golfers’ legs may be to some, they were on full display at Bellerive, as the PGA permits shorts in practice rounds.

Here’s a shorts-wearing Jordan Spieth, below. A quick glance at the shots of the players who elected to bare their lower legs revealed what it always does: longer, looser shorts look sloppier on the golf course (for fit/average body types) than something along the lines of what Mr. Spieth donned.

News

Most birdies without breaking par – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

9 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user is wondering how many birdies other players have had in a round while still failing to break par. @Lalan45, unfortunately, asked the question after a unique experience of their own.

They wrote:

“Today I managed 8 birdies but still shot even par, could have been a round to remember! What’s the most birdies you’ve made in a round and still didn’t break par?”

Our members in the forum shared their own experiences with successful rounds that still resulted in a score over par. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

kwcsports: “I’ve had 5 a few times, still shot 80+ haha.”
jda: “I played a course for the first time, had 8 birdies, 9 doubles and an eagle. The infamous no-par round. I kept the scorecard. Every shot had a creek that I did not know about, or I was within 8-10 feet for a birdie look. To this day, I have no idea if I should be really jacked up or mad about that performance.”
jvincent: “I think my record is either 5 or 6. Probably shot 75.”
Instron4204: “3 birdies and shot a 92…man I suck!”

Entire Thread: “Most Birdies Without Breaking Par.”

News

Best current stock shaft 2026 – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

9 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user is asking for thoughts on the best stock shafts offered in 2026. Stock shafts are the shafts included with a club when it’s purchased from retailers or OEMs.

@DTorres asked:

The last couple years has seen a lot of updates and additions to no upcharge stock shafts, which do you think is the best offering in 2026?

Im a bit of a shaft nerd and recently during my Members Testing with the Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond I found the updated Project X Denali Frost Black to be a fantastic stock shaft. I absolutely did not mesh well with the original Denali. Just curious what other people think are the current best Stock shaft offerings out with new models and stock Ventus options and LinQ options popping up here and there.

We were given the option for any stock shafts for our members review. I went with the 70g Black Frost 6.5 because it’s a shaft I don’t have, it’s an updated version of the original Denali and hear little about. I typically use a Diamana WB, GD VF or a HOF Raptor. I’m not saying it was neck and neck with any of those but it was a pleasant surprise I’m not accustomed to in stock shaft offerings.

Our members in the forum have been offering up their own thoughts on the best stock shafts available in 2026. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

rsballer10: “IMO – MCA Ka’ili White Darkwave, Tensei 1k Black/white, UST Lin-Q White. People are free to spend their money however they see fit, but for me personally the shaft catalogs these days have enough options that I don’t see the value of a $400 upcharge. I have never had a problem finding a no upcharge shaft that fits the bend profile and weight that I need. Whether the paint job is good enough or not is above my pay scale.”
bcflyguy1: “Project X Titan Black. I’ve had one in 60TX in my Quantum TD Max for several weeks now. Have to give Titlieist their flowers for finding a way to make it available as a featured option; very shrewd bit of business and one that I suspect will be duplicated by the other companies. TT/PX have a certified banger on their hands with Titan.”
CTG77: “Undoubtedly, it’s the Tensei 1K RIP shafts from Titleist. The Tensei line gives about 98% of the performance of a Ventus VeloCore+ shaft at a tiny fraction of the cost if you’re looking for a blue or red profile. The white is not an exact match for Ventus Black, but it’s closer to it than the non-VeloCore+ Ventus shafts that come from Callaway or formerly came from TaylorMade.”

Entire Thread: “Best current stock shaft 2026.”

News

GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

A reminder from your friends at GolfWRX: Father’s Day is June 21. And as we do every year, we’re rounding up the best gifts for dad.

As we say every year, there’s no better golf-related Father’s Day gift than a round of golf with pops. Be it a country club or your favorite muni, take the time to get together to play 18 if you can.

Let’s get to the gifts.

Ghost Golf Qualifier Diamond Polo

We like the new polos that Ghost is offering, as the fabric and fit are so good. These new Qualifier Collection polos breathe well, are lightweight, stretch with your swing, and of course look great. You can wear them on the course, in the office, or just out at a casual event and they will fit right in.

Buy here.

STR8-Strip Grip Tape Remover

If your dad is an equipment aficionado and tinkers with his clubs, this tool works wonders. Removing grip tape has never been easier, just put a little head on the tape and the STR8-Strip peals it right off the shaft without any damage.

Buy here.

Why Golf: Putting Thing

When it comes to practice, it is good to have a purpose. This “Putting Thing” sure does it. We know from personal experience how challenging it can be and how rewarding it is on the practice green. This also provides some competition for your kiddo to see who will unload the dishwasher or do the next chore around the house.

Buy here.

OluKai Lae‘ahi Men’s Breathable Slip-On Shoes

Riding to and from the course in style and comfort is always a good thing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a nice feature to slide into your shoes and get to the tee time. For the post-game shoe, at your locker or while putting your clubs away in the car. Nice to slide into a shoe that looks good anywhere. Pair that with meeting the family for dinner, no need to change!

Buy here.

Therabody Theragun Relief

A little wellness goes a long way. Keeping loose is a good way to go when it comes to the weekend game or treatment during the week. If there is a little ache or pain, the Theragun is there to help out. Help loosen up the back for a pre-game warm-up or cool-down.

Buy here.

World Cup golf apparel

Something for the soccer dads. Embrace the World Cup fever this summer on the course with custom gear to support the nation of your choice.

Buy here.

FootJoy Pro SL spikeless golf shoes

Give the old man a break and save his feet with the Footjoy Pro SL Men’s Spikeless Golf Shoes for some added comfort on the course.

Buy here.

Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS speaker

Combine all the hits as well as some game improvement with the Wingman 2 Golf GPS Speaker by getting audible distance readings from 38,000+ courses worldwide through the Wingman 2 remote or speaker.

Buy here.

Personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

The No. 1 ball in golf is a safe bet, and the Pro V1 fits the largest chunk of the bell curve if you don’t know what ball pops plays. Add personalization for a, well, personal touch!

Buy here.