News
Chamblee and McCord join forces with Tathata Golf
Former PGA Tour professionals and current analysts Brandel Chamblee and Gary McCord are throwing their weight behind a new golf training program, Tathata Golf. They’ll begin appearing in ads for the company some time this summer.
And a point of note: the two are unpaid spokespeople.
The program’s creator, Brian Hepler, says Tathata was inspired by elements of martial arts, the best golfers in history and elite athletes.
If this all sounds a tad too specious and New Agey, here’s a breakdown of what Tathata is all about.
The company was founded by the aforementioned Mr. Hepler in 2011 and is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. Its mission is “to help golfers and instructors everywhere become their greatness through unique practices designed to build strength within their golf game as well as their total life.”
As you might expect, a significant part of the Tathata training is mental. Hepler describes this element as “a curriculum, a path, and a truth … to quiet the golfer’s mind.” Reportedly, the program contains elements of neuro-linguistic programming and attempts to move past traditional sports psychology.
Regarding chipping, putting, and the other facets of the game, Hepler says, “We’ve gone through each position of the golf swing … and created a path for the golfer.” This “path” will be accessible to consumers in mid-June when the company rolls out its 60-day in-home training program, which, incidentally, Chamblee and McCord have both gone through.
While we’ll have to wait to see what”becoming your greatness” means in practice, it’s clear that Brandel Chamblee is a believer in the system. As he said:
“I’m not here for the money. I’m here for one thing and one thing only … I believe in what Bryan teaches. I’ve watched the best players in the world, I’ve studied them and there is something missing in the world of instruction today. There are commonalities that the greatest players have had that are being missed … what he is doing is correcting golf instruction”
The company’s Tathata Golf Certified Training Program is intended to help instructors distill complicated swing mechanics in a simple fashion, and thus accelerate learning.
More about the company from their press release:
“Tathata, in its truest sense means “suchness,” a sense of complete understanding and all-knowing. The essence of Tathata and suchness is found deep within the simple understanding of knowing who you are and being trained in such a way that you always have a sense of your greatness building.
Throughout our conversation, Hepler repeatedly brought up the example of holding a hockey stick and hitting a shot, as well as stepping up to a soccer ball to kick it. The young do both with confidence, self-belief, and without a concern about fundamentals and technique.
With Tathata, Hepler seeks a way to play golf that is more in line with the above than, say, the somber, mechanistic grind that is high-level junior golf today.
Beyond benefitting students, with Tathata Hepler hopes to illuminate “a simpler way to play the game. A faster way to play the game” and “a way for us to bring golf instruction together.”
It will be interesting to see who buys in (quite literally) to Hepler’s vision. Clearly Misters Chamblee and McCord do.
Check out Tathata’s website here.
I’m going to gush in this intro paragraph, to get the emo stuff done early. I’ve not pulled harder for a professional to win, than Cameron Young. I coach golf in New York state, and each spring, my best golfers head to a state championship in Poughkeepsie. I first saw Cameron there as a 9th grade student. I saw him three more times after that. I reconnecected with Coach Haas from Wake Forest, an old interview subject from my days on the Old Gold and Black, the Wake newspaper. He was there to watch Cameron. After four years at Wake Forest, Young won on the Korn Ferry Tour, made it to the big tour, almost won two majors, almost won five other events, and finally got the chalice about 25 minutes from the Wake campus. Congratulations, Cameron. You truly are a glass of the finest. #MotherSoDear
OK, let’s move on to the Tour Rundown. The major championship season closed this week in Wales, with the Women’s Open championship. The PGA Tour bounced through Greensboror, N.C., while the PGA Tour Americas hit TO (aka, Toronto) for a long-winded event. The Korn Ferry lads made a stop in Utah, one of just two events for that tour in August. The many-events, golf season is winding down, as we ease from summer toward fall in the northern hemisphere. Let’s bask in the glory of an August sunrise, and run down a quartet of events from the first weekend of the eighth month.
LET/LPGA @ Women’s Open: Miyu bends, but she doesn’t break
Royal Porthcawl was not a known commodity in the major tournament community. The Welsh links had served as host to men’s senior opens, men’s amateurs, and Curtis and Walker Cups in prior years, but never an Open championship for the women or the men. The last-kept secret in UK golf was revealed once again to the world this week, as the best female golfers took to the sandy stage.
Mao Saigo, Grace Kim, Maja Stark, and Minjee Lee hoped to add a second major title to previous wins this season, but only Lee was able to finish inside the top ten. The 2025 playing of the Women’s Open gave us a new-faces gallery from day one. The Kordas and Thitikulls were nowhere to be found, and it was the Mayashitas, Katsus, and Lim Kims that secured the Cymru spotlight. The first round lead was held at 67 by two golfers. One of them battled to the end, while the other posted 81 on day two, and missed the cut. Sitting one shot behind was Miyu Yamashita.
On day two, Yamashita posted the round of the tournament. Her 65 moved her to the front of the aisle, in just her fourth turn around a women’s Open championship. With the pre-event favorites drifting off pace, followers narrowed into two camps: those on the side of an underdog, and others hoping for a weekend charge from back in the pack. In the end, we had a bit of both.
On Saturday, Yamashita bent with 74 on Saturday, offering rays of hope to her pursuing pack. England’s Charley Hull made a run on Sunday closing within one shot before tailing off to a T2 finish with Minami Katsu. Katsu posted the other 65 of the week, on Saturday, but could not overtake her countrywoman, Yamashita. wunderkind Lottie Woad needed one round in the 60s to find her pace, but could only must close-to’s, ending on 284 and a tie with Minjee for eighth.
On Sunday, Yamashita put away the thoughts of Saturday’s struggles, with three-under 33 on the outward half. She closed in plus-one 37, but still won by two, for a first Major and LPGA title.
PGA Tour @ Wyndham: Young gathers first title near home
Cameron Young grew up along the Hudson river, above metro New York, but he also calls Winston-Salem home. He spent four years as a student and athlete at Wake Forest University, then embarked on tour. This week in Greensboro, after a bit of a break, Young opened with 63-62, and revved the engine of Is this the week once more. Runner-up finishes at the Open, the PGA, and a handful of PGA Tour events had followers wonder when the day would come.
On Saturday, Young continued his torrid pace with 65, giving him a five-shot advantage over his closest pursuer. Sunday saw the Scarborough native open with bogey, then reel off five consecutive birdies to remind folks that his time had, at last, arrived. Pars to the 16th, before two harmless bogeys coming home, made Young the 1000th winner of an official PGA Tour event (dating back to before there was a PGA Tour) throughout history. What’s next? I have a suspicion, but I’m not letting on. Mac Meissner closed with 66 to finish solo 2nd, while Mark Hubbard and Alex Noren tied for third.
Korn Ferry Tour @ Utah Championship: Are you Suri it’s Julian?
Who knows exactly when the flower will bloom? Julian Suri played a solid careet at Duke University, then paid his dues on the world’s minor tours for three years. He won twice on two tours in Europe, in 2017. Since then, the grind has continued for the journeyman from New York city. At age 34, Suri broke through in Beehive state, outlasting another grinder (Spencer Levin) and four others, by two shots.
Taylor Montgomery began the week with 62, then posted 64, then 68, and finally, 70. That final round was his undoing. He finished in that second-place tie, two back of the leader. Trace Crowe, Barend Botha, and Kensei Hirata made up the last of the almost quintet. As for Suri, his Sunday play was sublime. His nines were 32 and 31, with his only radar blip a bogey at ten. He closed in style with one final birdie, to double his winning margin. Hogan bloomed late…might Suri?
PGA Tour Americas @ Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates
Some tournament names run longer than others. This week in Toronto, at the Heathlands course at TPC Toronto, we might have seen the longest tournament title in recorded history. The OVOPBVCCBMA was a splendid affair. It saw three rounds of 62 on Thursday, but of those early risers, only Drew Goodman would stick around until the end. 64 was the low tally on day two, and two of those legionnaires managed to finish inside the top three at week’s end. Saturday brought a 63 from Patrick Newcomb, and he would follow with 64 on Sunday, to finish solo fourth.
Who, then, ended up winning the acronym of the year? It turns out that Carson Bacha had the right stuff in TeeOhhh. Bacha and Jay Card III posted 63 and 64, respectively, on day four, to tie for medalist honors at 23-under 261. Nathan Franks was one shot adrift, despite also closing with 63. If you didn’t go low on Sunday, it was about the check, not the championship.
Bacha and JC3 returned to the 18th hole twice in overtime. Card nearly chipped in from the thick stuff for birdie, while Bacha peeked and shoved a ten-feet attempt at the win. On the second go-round, Card was long with his approach, into the native grasses once more. He was unable to escape, and a routine par from the fairway was enough to earn the former Auburn golfers a first KFT title.
Card III and Bacha both miss their birdie tries on the first playoff hole.
We’ll play 18 again @OspreyOpen. pic.twitter.com/vNpHTdkHDg
— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) August 3, 2025
GolfWRX is live this week from the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season, the Wyndham Championship.
Photos are flowing into the forums from Sedgefield Country Club, where we already have a GolfWRX spirit animal Adam Schenk WITB and plenty of putters for your viewing pleasure.
Check out links to all our photos below, which we’ll continue to update as more arrive.
General Albums
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #2
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Scotty Kennon – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Austin Duncan – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Will Chandler – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kevin Roy – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ben Griffin – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ryan Gerard – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Adam Schenk – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kurt Kitayama – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Camilo Villegas – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matti Schmid – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
Pullout Albums
- Denny McCarthy’s custom Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Swag Golf putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Karl Vilips TM MG5 wedges – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- New Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matt Fitzpatrick’s custom Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
Kurt Kitayama just won his 2nd PGA Tour event at the 3M Open. Kurt is a Bridgestone staffer but with just the ball and bag. Here are the rest of the clubs he used to secure a win at the 2025 3M Open.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (11 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 7 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees, A3 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX
7-wood: Titleist GT1 (21 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Tour Prototype
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy 1.0PT
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS (with Mindset)
‘Why would anybody want to change that swing?’ – Brandel Chamblee says PGA Tour star was wrong to change his swing
‘The stupidest freaking thing I’ve ever heard’ – Billy Horschel slams Open idea suggested by Padraig Harrington
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Golfer proudly posts photo of ball mark on iron, receives immediate roasting
WITB Time Machine: Matthew Wolff’s winning WITB, 2019 3M Open
Oakmont Country Club bans Wyndham Clark over locker incident; Reveals specific conditions to earn reinstatement
Adam Scott puts Callaway blades in the bag at Wyndham Championship
Report: LIV star fires caddie and coach in shock shake up
Rickie Fowler makes equipment change to ‘something that’s a little easier on the body’
The championship formula: How 3 key stats separate winners from the field
Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Stella bryan
Feb 5, 2016 at 12:44 am
I am shocked at your comments. I just completed the Tathata 60 day course and it was the best golf training I have had in the 4 years l have been playing golf. It is disheartening that you all comment in such a negative way about a training program that is not only exceptional in the quality of its presentation, but also in the experiential building of the mechanics of the swing. Shame on those of you who dissed it without putting the time and energy into taking the full program, which is inexpensive compared to regular golf lessons! It is an amazing program and encourages a much more natural way of swinging the club than the normal lessons taught by most PGA professional. I don’t need to knock their techniques, but do know that for many of us that worrying about the angle of our spine being correct, or something equally mechanical, does not yield natural and athletic movements but simply interferes with our ability to swing in a free and simple manner. I am grateful for Tathata training and Brian’s genius in putting it together and would recommend the course to anyone.
Brock Landers
May 24, 2014 at 2:57 pm
Does this training aid make me a washed up hack who takes cheap shot after cheap shot at REAL players, on a consistent basis?….oh wait, I am describing Chamblee….nothing could ever make me as good as him. This guy is a DELTA BRAVO and McCord is about as funny as a tumor in your brain. These guys are idiots.
Double Mocha Man
May 24, 2014 at 3:24 pm
Now Brock, McCord is pretty clever/funny… he just needs to force it less often.
Bamicus
May 25, 2014 at 9:52 am
You nailed it Brock!
ButtFvck_Chandelier
May 24, 2014 at 1:42 am
How is this idiot still making money from the golf world? Disgraceful.
thefullsp
May 23, 2014 at 7:01 pm
Ohhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Just try yoga and believe you’re gonna hole everything. Boom! Job done. PayPal details on request 😉 Namaste
RG
May 23, 2014 at 5:08 pm
I don’t know what all the fuss is about. For a perfect golf game all one must do is align their Shakra with the Chi force, insert these in a static warp shell by combining matter and anti-matter in a dylithium crystal matrix. Add two jiggers of vermouth and gin and Voila! Perfection!
4pillars
May 24, 2014 at 11:31 am
I never realized golf was that simple.
Thanks for your clarity
mizzy
May 23, 2014 at 3:03 pm
The website seems to emphasize more on how to become an instructor than how they will help the client with the game. This model reaks of Multi-Level Marketing which will get people to pay to teach the methodology while pushing an inferior product to the end user.
mizzy
May 23, 2014 at 3:04 pm
reeks*
Bryan
May 23, 2014 at 2:18 pm
Brandel can’t – until he explains in lengthy detail how Tiger’s swing-plane and head movement won’t allow him to hit driver like he did with his “Butch” swing…additional thoughts and nonsense….diarrhea of the mouth…blah, blah, blah…
Tony Lynam
May 23, 2014 at 1:36 pm
I made it to the 2:08 mark of the video and could not take it anymore.
4pillars
May 23, 2014 at 1:24 pm
Perhaps Brandel will recommend it to Tiger.
DB
May 23, 2014 at 12:25 pm
So McCord endorsing another hippy pseudo scientific company out of Scottsdale?
I can hardly believe it.
The dude
May 23, 2014 at 8:54 pm
Ha!…..nailed it!
MFB
May 23, 2014 at 11:32 am
Is there a product that McCord has not made a commercial for ?
brtnsbs
May 23, 2014 at 11:14 am
I don’t get it, is this just a training program with drills to ingrain your swing either through mental practice or physical practice?
ca1879
May 23, 2014 at 11:13 am
Grasshopper, snatch the ProV1 from my hand…
I certainly hope this completely new and simple distillation of the one true approach to golf is better than all the other completely new and simple distillations of the one true approach to golf have been. More proof that people will fall for anything.
Zach Szczepanski
May 23, 2014 at 11:09 am
Very interested in going through this program. I was out in Scottsdale this winter and had the opportunity to speak with Brian and tour the facility. Great looking program. Interested to see how well it catches on.
John kuczeski
Jun 27, 2014 at 10:13 am
Zach,
Just curious, did you ever check out the program? Thanks!
IH8
May 23, 2014 at 11:09 am
Seriously? This sounds about as credible as a horoscope. And how does Brandel Chamblee reconcile his endorsement of this product, which aims at improvement, and his several comments on golf channel about how improvement is over-rated and experience is the be all and end all of greatness?