Opinion & Analysis

2020: The year of the DIY golfer

Published

5 years ago

Dec 26, 2020

If there is one thing 2020 gave us, it was the desire to both try and learn new things. On a personal level, beyond the general “golf stuff” and club building, which there was plenty of—I started cooking more.

Biscuits have quickly become a favorite.

This year gave a lot of golfers the opportunity to play more often and reinvest in their games, and this reinvesting lead to many learning more about what goes into their clubs, and what they can do to better understand their equipment.

At GolfWRX, a big part of what I do is trying to help golfers take ownership of their clubs and become more educated about the dos and don’ts of club repair and fitting.

This is a culminating list of my top “Do it Yourself” pieces, and if you haven’t already tried a few of these tricks, then there is no time like the present.

Top 3 ways to easily customize your clubs

This piece went in-depth on a couple of different subjects that can easily be tried at home with a small investment in some tools and also includes how to change ferrules and stamp your own clubs.

Building a home hitting net and simulator

Golf and winter don’t get along very well, which is why so many golfers head indoors to practice facilities that offer year-round climate-controlled environments. The problem for many is these facilities can be busy and often require booking well in advance, which doesn’t work well for those seeking last-minute “driving range” flexibility.

So what is a diehard golfer to do? Build your own home hitting bay/simulator of course, and in my case, build it on a budget to offer fun and flexibility all winter long.

Lie angles are a crucial club spec

We covered lie angles from a number of different—how do I say it—angles this year. The reason being is they are an often overlooked club spec that many golfers don’t quite understand.

Lie angle plays a crucial role in club performance, specifically related to the direction a golf shot will travel after impact. It plays the largest role in launch direction and spin axis, which, when properly controlled, leads to tighter dispersion and straighter shots.

The most overlooked reason you miss wedge shots

DIY Club Fitting: Vertical Line Test

Opinion & Analysis

AVL: My U.S. Amateur local qualifying experience

Published

6 days ago

Jun 5, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

This past Monday, I played in the U.S. Amateur local qualifier at Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon. A full tee sheet from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., the top 11 scores would make it to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying.

I teed off at 10:48 a.m.. With the 7:30 am tee time, you can get a feel for the leaders’ pace, and they were off and running on the challenging setup at Rock Creek.

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Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.

With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.

Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!

Club Junkie

Building my 2026 gamer WITB: Ranking the contenders and new putter projects – Club Junkie Podcast

Published

1 week ago

Jun 4, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

The annual What’s In The Bag build is underway, and on this episode of Club Junkie, Brian breaks down the clubs currently leading the race for a spot in his 2026 gamer setup. From drivers and fairway woods to irons, wedges, and shafts, he ranks the equipment that’s performing best and explains what’s separating the front runners from the rest of the field.

Brian also heads into the workshop to discuss several putter projects currently on the bench. From head options and shaft choices to build ideas and testing plans, he shares what he’s working on and which putters could become serious contenders for the bag this season.

If you’re a gear junkie who loves equipment testing, club building, and the never-ending pursuit of the perfect setup, this episode is for you.

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Club Junkie

Tour Edge Exotics mini driver review + TaylorMade Spider ZT Max first look – Club Junkie

Published

2 weeks ago

May 28, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of Club Junkie, I put the new Tour Edge Exotics Mini Driver to the test and break down the performance, forgiveness, distance, and where it fits compared to a traditional driver or strong fairway wood. If you have been curious about adding a mini driver to the bag, this one is worth a look.

I also dive into the new TaylorMade Spider ZT Max putter that was recently spotted and discuss the growing zero torque putter trend. Plus, there is a closer look at the new Project X Titan Yellow shaft showing up on the PGA Tour and what makes it different from other profiles currently out there.