My Favorite Golf Club

Tag: golfing

  • 2026 Valspar Championship Preview

    The PGA Tour’s Florida Swing wraps up this week at the Valspar Championship, a tournament that consistently punches above its weight in drama and difficulty. Held at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort, this par-71 layout is one of the most demanding non-major venues on Tour, culminating in the infamous “Snake Pit” closing stretch—holes 16 through 18—that routinely decides the champion.

    While it lacks the star power of the previous week’s Players Championship, the 2026 edition still boasts a deep and intriguing field—and perhaps more importantly, wide-open volatility.

    Key Storylines

    1. Xander Schauffele Headlines a Wide-Open Field
    With top names like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy sitting this one out, Xander Schauffele enters as the betting favorite. But “favorite” at Copperhead doesn’t carry the same weight it does elsewhere. This course neutralizes elite power and instead rewards precision iron play, course management, and short game execution. Schauffele’s recent form—highlighted by a strong showing at The Players—suggests he’s close, but closing on Sunday remains the question.

    2. Viktor Hovland’s Title Defense
    Defending champion Viktor Hovland returns with momentum, having posted multiple top-15 finishes this season. His elite ball-striking travels well, but his sometimes-inconsistent short game will be tested on Copperhead’s tight runoffs and tricky greens. A successful defense would signal that Hovland has truly evolved into a complete player.

    3. Post-Players Championship Hangover
    Cameron Young’s breakthrough win at The Players Championship looms large over this week. Historically, players coming off an emotional, high-stakes victory often struggle the following week—especially at a course that demands patience. Whether Young contends again or regresses is one of the tournament’s most fascinating subplots.

    4. The Rise of Emerging Talent
    The Valspar has a history of producing surprise winners, including massive longshots in recent years. Players like Akshay Bhatia, Ben Griffin, and Jacob Bridgeman arrive in strong form and fit the statistical profile required here: accuracy off the tee and elite strokes gained on approach. Don’t be surprised if a lesser-known name is in the final group on Sunday.

    5. Brooks Koepka’s Continued Reintegration
    Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour adds another layer of intrigue. While still rounding into form, his pedigree in difficult scoring conditions makes him a legitimate threat if his game sharpens over the weekend.

    What It Takes to Win

    Copperhead is not a bomber’s paradise. The narrow, tree-lined fairways and strategic doglegs place a premium on positioning over power. Approach play—particularly from 150–200 yards—and scrambling are the two most predictive metrics for success here. Players who stay patient and avoid big numbers through the Snake Pit tend to rise.

    Prediction

    This feels like a tournament primed for a player just outside the top tier to break through—or reassert themselves.

    Pick to Win: Viktor Hovland
    Hovland’s recent consistency, combined with his familiarity with the course, gives him a slight edge in a wide-open field. If his short game holds up under pressure, he has the tee-to-green superiority to separate late.

    Dark Horse: Wyndham Clark
    With prior success at Copperhead and the ability to get hot with the putter, Clark fits the mold of a Valspar surprise winner.

    Whoever takes home the hardware this week, don’t expect a runaway. At the Valspar Championship, chaos is part of the design—and come Sunday afternoon, the Snake Pit will once again have the final say.

  • Cameron Young Wins The PLAYERS

    The 2026 THE PLAYERS Championship, held at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, delivered the drama and unpredictability that have come to define the PGA Tour’s flagship event. In a thrilling final-round comeback, Cameron Young captured the biggest victory of his career, defeating Matt Fitzpatrick by one stroke to win the tournament at 13-under par (275).

    Young entered Sunday trailing third-round leader Ludvig Åberg by four shots, but a steady round of 4-under-par 68 allowed him to surge up the leaderboard as several contenders faltered under pressure on the back nine. The victory marked Young’s second PGA Tour win, following his breakthrough at the 2025 Wyndham Championship, and earned him $4.5 million and 750 FedExCup points from the tournament’s $25 million purse.

    Early Tournament Storylines

    The first two rounds produced several standout performances, but it was Ludvig Åberg who dominated the early part of the week. The Swedish star fired a sensational 9-under-par 63 in the second round, tying one of the lowest rounds of the tournament and taking control of the leaderboard heading into the weekend. His ball-striking and composure suggested he might run away with the championship.

    However, the Stadium Course—particularly its treacherous closing stretch—rarely allows a stress-free victory. By Saturday night, Åberg still led but by only three strokes, with a tightly packed leaderboard including Young, Fitzpatrick, and Xander Schauffele ready to challenge on Sunday.

    Sunday Drama at Sawgrass

    The final round unfolded with constant momentum shifts. Åberg began the day in command but struggled as the pressure mounted on the back nine. He ultimately carded a 76, tumbling down the leaderboard and finishing tied for fifth at 9-under.

    Meanwhile, Young methodically climbed the leaderboard with a combination of long drives and precise iron play. His biggest challenger down the stretch was Matt Fitzpatrick, who matched Young with a 68 and briefly shared the lead late in the round.

    The decisive moment came on the iconic 17th hole, the famous island-green par-3 that often determines the tournament’s fate. Young calmly converted a clutch birdie, while Fitzpatrick was unable to capitalize on his own chance.

    At the par-4 18th, Young delivered one of the most memorable shots of the week—a 375-yard drive, the longest recorded on the hole since ShotLink tracking began in 2003. That shot set up a simple approach and ultimately a safe par, while Fitzpatrick bogeyed to hand Young the championship.

    Notable Moments and Final Leaderboard

    The week also featured memorable highlights throughout the field. Chad Ramey recorded a hole-in-one on the 169-yard 13th hole during the final round, adding another dramatic moment to an already eventful Sunday.

    Behind Young and Fitzpatrick, Schauffele finished third at 11-under, while Robert MacIntyre placed fourth.

    Significance of the Victory

    For Cameron Young, the victory represents a major milestone. Long regarded as one of the most talented players without many wins, he delivered a composed performance under intense pressure at one of golf’s most prestigious tournaments. Winning THE PLAYERS not only elevates his status on the PGA Tour but also positions him as a serious contender in upcoming major championships.

    As always, the tournament reaffirmed why THE PLAYERS Championship is often called golf’s “fifth major.” The demanding design of TPC Sawgrass, the volatility of the leaderboard, and the drama of the closing holes combined to produce another unforgettable week on the PGA Tour.

  • Why Your Pre-Shot Routine May Be Hurting Your Game

    How many times have you taken a practice swing that felt so smooth and pure, only to step up to the ball and hit a terrible shot? In this post, we’re going to examine why practice swings may be detrimental to your game and why you should consider reevaluating your pre-shot routine.

    For a long time, I had an elaborate pre-shot routine every time I stood over the ball on the golf course. I would take multiple practice swings, rehearsing every swing thought that was in my head – wrist angles, swing plane, weight shifts, you name it. I would review my mental list of swing thoughts, preparing myself for the upcoming shot. Of course, when it actually came time to address the ball and hit it, I would feel paralyzed by all those swing thoughts swirling around inside my head.

    Don’t sway!

    Don’t overswing!

    Don’t let the left wrist cup at the top of the swing!

    Don’t let the right elbow get too high!

    Don’t slide too far forward in the downswing!

    This way was not working for me. That’s why last year, I made the decision to completely overhaul my pre-shot routine, most notably eliminating all practice swings. My new pre-shot routine is now much more simple: 

    1. Pick a target down the fairway.
    2. Pick an intermediate target a few feet ahead of me.
    3. Put the club behind the ball and aim the face at the intermediate target.
    4. Set my feet parallel to the target line.
    5. Grip the club.
    6. Waggle the club and shuffle the feet a few times.
    7. Swing.

    No more allowing myself to get drowned in endless swing thoughts, just free-flowing swings now. Visualize the shot, address the ball, and hit it. I’ve gotten to a point at which I know my swing enough that I don’t need to do a bunch of practice swings to calibrate myself. I simply rely on my feels, and I trust my body to create the shot I want. 

    The Problem with Practice Swings

    The main reason why practice swings feel so great compared to the real thing is because there’s no feedback to tell us otherwise. With practice swings, our bodies are relaxed and the club whooshes effortlessly through the hitting area. If I could just repeat that, you say to yourself, it’ll be a great shot. With no ball on the ground, however, it’s impossible to truly know whether that practice swing was actually good or not. 

    A lot of people ask why there’s a difference between the practice swing and the real swing, but they’re thinking about it wrong. In reality, they aren’t doing anything different that’s causing a bad shot – they’re simply making the same mistake both times. For me, eliminating practice swings helped me avoid this issue. That’s not to say that I don’t still have swing faults or hit bad shots, but I no longer trick myself into poor habits through practice swings with no feedback.

    To be clear, I have no problem with pre-shot rehearsals that focus on a specific part of the swing – Justin Thomas’ takeaway rehearsal, for example – because that is a tangible feel to latch onto, but I believe that full practice swings are useless and can only serve to hurt you. 

    The next time you’re out on the course, I’d highly recommend forgoing practice swings altogether, even if it’s only for just one hole. See the ball, hit the ball – Let your feels take over. I think you’ll find that your swing will be more free, and hopefully, your scores will be lower.

  • What Tees Should You Play From?

    Check the ego at the door, focus on your score!

    There seems to be a lot of debate over which tees players should play from. A lot of people think they need to play from the back tees because that’s where “real golfers” play, even though it’s hurting their scores. I simply don’t understand that type of thinking. You’re not any less of a golfer just because you play from the middle or front tees. You’re just as much of a golfer as anyone else.

    I have a simple way to determine which tees to play from: Make sure your average drive goes at least half the distance of the longest Par 4. This is where you need to be honest with yourself — It’s not about the longest drive you’ve ever hit, it’s about your average drive, the one you hit nine times out of 10 on the course.

    For example, let’s look at the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale. The longest Par 4 on the scorecard is No. 14, clocking in at 490 yards. Let’s say your average drive goes 230 — I know, one time you hit it 272, but your good ol’ stock shot runs 230. If you hit it 230 on this hole, you’d be left with 260 in. That’s more than the length of your average driver, which means you have no chance of reaching the green in two. When playing a Par 4, the goal should be to hit the green in two and get a GIR (unless you’re a high handicapper in which case it’s often better to lay up), and so playing the back tees here would be doing a disservice to your game. Even from the middle tees this hole measures 461 yards, next to impossible to reach the green in two with a 230 yard drive. From the front tees it’s 426 yards, which probably means a long iron for your second shot, but at least you’ve got a shot. And so if this is you and you’re playing the Stadium Course at some point, it might be in your best interest to play from the front tees — Your scorecard will thank you.

    In conclusion — Check your ego at the door, focus on your score!