Opinion & Analysis

Growing Up Golf Part 10: Mixing It Up

Published

13 years ago

Feb 13, 2013

As you learned in “Growing Up Golf Part 9: The Aggravation Factor” my daughter decided she wanted to leave half-way through her golf class last week. The reason for her early dismissal: she wasn’t having any fun.

Well, I am glad to say that in her very next class she didn’t want to leave. I actually had to say to her that class was over and we have to leave or the hot chocolate waiting for us at Dunkin’ Donuts will be cold.

So what was different from this class compared to last weeks class? One word: fun. She was having fun. The class instructors changed things up a bit from our normal routine. This week instead of playing tic-tac-toe with our putters, they set up plush toys in the squares and had the kids putt to different animals. Seeing how 3-year-olds can get bored putting to a hole, I saw nothing wrong with this idea; in fact I thought it was great. It still teaches them distance control and they have to line up their putt. They still get excellent practice and it’s fun for them at the same time.

I watched all the kids putting and you could see the fun they were having. There were smiles across the room and excitement when they hit their intended target — these kids were having a blast. Now I am not saying that they don’t have fun on other days, but because this was a new activity there was a feeling of excitement, same as when a child gets a new toy or game. They were no longer just going through the motions, they now were really focused on hitting the plush animals.

When we switched to the hitting nets, there were also new objectives added. For one, we were inside which my daughter loves. She is not a fan of hitting under the heated tees (and to tell you the truth, even as a Midwesterner, I can’t blame her).

In station No. 1, the instructors set up some cups in a pyramid formation and the kids had to chip a ball and try to knock them over. In station No. 2, they had two hoola-hoops set up, one on the ground and one hanging from a rope. They had to chip one ball into the hoop on the ground and then hit a shot through the hoop hanging. Again this brought new excitement for the kids in the class. It was like pulling teeth to get them to switch stations and even harder to get them to stop and clean up for the day.

This is exactly how golf needs to be when we first introduce it to young children. If we can keep this kind of excitement during the beginning stages of development they will want to keep coming back for more. When we left class that day, my daughter said she couldn’t wait until next week when we get to go back again. As a dad who loves golf and is trying to pass it onto his children, I couldn’t have been happier.

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Opinion & Analysis

AVL: My U.S. Amateur local qualifying experience

Published

5 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

6 days 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.