Opinion & Analysis

Golf fiction: “I want to be the best there is”

Published

14 years ago

Feb 19, 2012

GolfWRX Staff

By D.C. Fasciglione

GolfWRX Contributor

“I want to be the best there is.”

It was a simple statement, not boasting, softly yet firmly spoken. The kid leaned comfortably, one arm resting upon the golf bag, legs casually crossed. The old man’s eyes narrowed and he nodded. He could tell the kid had game. From the moment stepping up to the first tee box the old man sensed confidence. That was a player’s bag. The university name was written all over it, along with the name T.R. Parrow in flowing red script against a white, simulated leather that matched the kid’s belt.

“You have honors, sir.”

“Just great. Probably the last time I’ll have ‘em.” The old man pulled his cart up and reached for his gamer. It was a relic from the last millennium, a Titleist 975D with a stiff graphite shaft. He teed it low, opened the face a touch, and let it fly.

“Sweet 3-wood!” the kid exclaimed.

“That’s a driver.” That’s how it’s done, he thought. Let the kid hit it a mile with some adjustable watermelon on a stick. Damnable thing’s so bright I need sunglasses to keep the glare outa my eyes. Besides, we know where that’ll end up. Woods. Good thing Dorothy packed the Cutter’s.

While the old man was quietly hunting for his bug spray the kid stepped up to the tee. There was an easy grace one couldn’t help but notice. Placing the tee in the ground didn’t cause a loss of breath or three shades of red in the face. The alignment and posture were perfect, and the old man noticed.

Thwaaack!!! Dang it all to H and back again he thought; that was fast. He missed the kid’s swing on account of finding an old, crusty, and half eaten tunafish sandwich below his sharpies and two or three tattered gloves.

“We’ll find it.”

“I hope so, sir. It’s in the middle of the fairway.”

“Everybody gets lucky once in a while.” The old man winked.

His irons gleamed in the sun, with the exception of the worn, nickle sized dull spots on the lower center of the club faces. The grinds were custom; seventeen years of plowing ball and turf made them so. The green was up ahead, inviting yet deceptively dangerous. The old man sighed.

“I guess I’ll hit first.” The kid was up ahead, too, about 50 yards up ahead. Dead center. Sitting high and pretty.

“Tempo, tempo,” the old man repeated under his breath. Little bit cool today, despite the sun, he thought. Hurting wind from the east; bursitis in the shoulders, also hurting. He reached for his 7-iron knowing that would put him on the first part of the green. “Don’t want to short-side myself.”

The club thumped against the turf. The ball rose steadily with a subtle fade intended to counter the wind. He couldn’t quite make out where it landed, but if he had ciphered correctly he thought it would be tight. He could feel it in his hands at the moment of impact.

The kid, who was waiting patiently, whistled. “Okay. Well played. Very well played.” The pair approached the lie, the kid with wedge in hand. Standing directly behind the ball the young athlete eyed the line. Once again, the old man thought, perfect alignment.

With a very compact, sawed-off swing the kid sent the ball into the air. It travelled like a missile, landing 6 feet to the left of the pin. Unfortunately, the ball spun back and further to the left, eventually coming to rest in the bunker.

“Bad mistake,” the kid mumbled. The old man realized the shot was exceptional, but a bit unlucky. Had the wind not kicked up the shot might have holed; it was that good.

“Unlucky is all,” the old man grunted.

The old man felt a little better. Other than the fact that the left wheel of his hand cart was incessantly squeaking, he felt less and less annoyed. His ball was within 15 feet of the pin, leaving him a slight uphill put for birdie. He felt strong. He felt smart. He felt young.

The kid was already in the bunker, sand wedge in hand. No shine on that club, the old man thought. Stance slightly wider than normal, knees flexed, club face wide open, the kid hesitated.

“Could you pull the flag, please?”

“Sure, kid.” The old man reached for the pin thinking, “Yeah right.”

Thump.

Click.

“Are you kidding me?” The old man was stunned.

“Everybody gets lucky once in a while. Maybe today’s my day,” the kid laughed as she tapped the sand from her shoes.

Shaking his head from side to side, the old man thought she had a game that could only be matched by her smile.

Opinion & Analysis

5 Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

Published

2 weeks ago

May 15, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.

Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.

First, meet Min Woo Lee

Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.

Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter

The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.

Third, meet Martin Kaymer

Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.

Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler

Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.

Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger

Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!

Club Junkie

Club Junkie’s Titleist GTS driver fitting results!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.

I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.

To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.

Follow Club Junkie everywhere:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clubjunkiepod/
X: https://x.com/ClubJunkiePod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clubjunkiepod
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@clubjunkiepod

Club Junkie

Club Junkie WITB, week 16: New Titleist GTS woods!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.

Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s

5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto

Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour

Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag