Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: Has the game changed forever…or just “theirs”?

Published

6 years ago

Sep 23, 2020

I’m betting no one saw this coming through all the build up of how Winged Foot was going to be a “true” U.S. Open test – narrow fairways, deep rough and firm, fast conditions. I’ll bet very few had Bryson DeChambeau in their list of “most likely to”, even if you are an ardent fan of the young man.

No, I’m thinking most of us never saw it coming…I know I certainly did not. As I watched this year’s edition of our national championship unfold, I was struck by a number of oddities and acceptances.

First of all, with fairways “as narrow as 30 yards”, I thought surely these tour professionals would respect the gnarly rough and display an atypical set of shotmaking talents and skills, showing us finally that they can hit accurate drives when they have to.

Boy was I wrong. Did you notice how many were missing fairways even when they hit fairway woods and irons from the tee? That really shocked me, to be honest. I just believe that PGA Tour professionals would be able to navigate tee shots into 30-yard-wide fairways at a much higher percentage that we witnessed. The field average was closer to 25% than 50. But they proved that their strength and power can muscle the ball out of even that kind of rough with enough control to “tame” an otherwise beast of a golf course.

The other “acceptance” we all need to realize is that these guys are simply amazing around and on the greens. Their exquisite talents and skills allow them to hit a remarkable variety of recovery shots – chips, pitches, bunker shots, run-ups . . . Their talents are borderline mystical. And their putting skills are just as impressive. These guys (and their caddies) read greens with astounding accuracy and just do not seem to hit very many bad putts. Their misses more often look like the ball “wanted” to go in, but it just wasn’t to be.

So, what can we “mere mortal” golfers learn from all this?

I believe the first takeaway is that we play a totally different game than they do. Very few of us recreational golfers have the strength to continually muscle the ball out of even “normal” rough to put it in a position to successfully finish out the hole with a par or better. For most of us, I have no doubt that our best scores come when we hit the fewest shots from the rough. I challenge all of you to keep track of your “strokes lost” when your tee shot does not leave you in the fairway with a clean lie and open shot to the green.

Secondly, we do not have anything close to their skills around the greens. If you miss greens, you are more likely to make bogey or worse than to save par. Leaving the distance thing out of the equation, this is the largest chasm between the skills of tour player and regular amateurs. Day in and day out, these elite players get up and down more than 50% of the time, and very few amateurs approach 30% from my research. What’s the moral of that story? Spend more time practicing your creativity and execution on the shortest of shots…that is, IF you really want to lower your scores.

Finally, these guys are so darn good with the putter in their hands…It certainly doesn’t hurt that they putt on pool-table-perfect greens most of the time. Or that they have a great caddy to help them get an accurate read on most every putt. Or that they focus on positioning their approach shots and recoveries to give themselves the best look at the hole. But also realize that they practice incessantly on this part of the game.

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Terry Koehler

Terry Koehler is a fourth generation Texan and a graduate of Texas A&M University. Over his 40-year career in the golf industry, he has created over 100 putter designs and dozens of wedges. In 2014, he put together the team that reintroduced the Ben Hogan brand to the golf equipment industry with his TK 15 wedges and Ft. Worth 15 iron designs. Since receiving a U.S. Patent for his “Koehler Sole” in the early 1990s, he has been challenging “conventional wisdom” in the wedge category. In addition to inspiring multiple companies to emulate this sole technology, the performance of his wedge designs have stimulated all other companies to reposition some mass toward the top of the blade in their wedges. Terry is retired from his role as Chairman and Director of Innovation for Edison Golf, and remains active in the industry as an independent designer and consultant. But his most compelling work is in the wedge category. Since he first patented his “Koehler Sole” in the early 1990s, he has been challenging “conventional wisdom” reflected in ‘tour design’ wedges. The performance of his wedge designs have stimulated other companies to move slightly more mass toward the top of the blade in their wedges, but none approach the dramatic design of his Edison Forged wedges, which have been robotically proven to significantly raise the bar for wedge performance. Terry serves as Chairman and Director of Innovation for Edison Golf – check it out at www.EdisonWedges.com.

17 Comments

second hand machines

Oct 13, 2020 at 3:46 am

Howdy! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a collection of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us useful information to work on. You have done a extraordinary job!

Reply Report comment
JJ

Sep 25, 2020 at 2:10 pm

I’m afraid golf is going to go the way of tennis. The tennis audience lost interest in the men’s game when it came to just over powering opponents with a serve. I hope this does not effect golf in the same way.

Reply Report comment
Bill

Sep 25, 2020 at 11:18 am

Bryson was the best on this course this time. No doubt!
I don’t like the long putter. I don’t think they should allow green reading books during tournament play. The new drop rule is ridiculous! The way it’s being applied they might as well let them place the ball always. To have the ball roll 1/2” and be outside the drop zone is nuts. Second time it rolls outside the drop zone should be a 1 stroke penalty and re-drop etc. etc. And go back to the 2 club drop area. No free drops for sprinkler heads around the green.

Reply Report comment
Connor

Sep 24, 2020 at 10:06 am

This thinking is outdated. The stat closest correlated to great putting stats is average proximity from the hole on the approach shot. So, really, we should be working on our ball striking in the range we see most of our approaches. Like 80-150 yards.

Reply Report comment
Juan

Sep 24, 2020 at 4:22 am

I think that the have the green book with all the breaks and with that Its easier to putt. Forbid the books and everything will be the Ok. Long shooters tend to win more.

Reply Report comment
Chris Rock

Sep 23, 2020 at 9:48 pm

Thanks to the admin. for blocking my input! I’ll say it again. The USGA and the RNA missed the boat on the broom handle putters! Any putter over 36″ should have been ruled illegal from the get go! Kuch, Langer, Webb Simpson and The Nutty Professor would not have won half the tourney’s they have won without ’em. These long putters are still a joke!

Reply Report comment
- Joe Blow
  
  Sep 24, 2020 at 4:02 pm
  
  ding ding ding. we have a winner. I have no issue with what BC does – except anchoring the putter to his forearm.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Bob Jones
  
  Sep 25, 2020 at 12:36 pm
  
  I’m 6’6″ tall and have a 38″ putter. I’ll go to a 36″ putter if the rest of you go to 30″ putters.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Bob Pegram
    
    Sep 26, 2020 at 1:59 am
    
    Good point!
    I have the same issue with clubs. I am older and less flexible so I can’t bend over and turn my hips during the swing without wrenching my back. So I use longer clubs so I can stand more upright and protect my back even when I swing hard. They don’t give much more distance, but they sure make me more comfortable and more accurate. (I have long legs, a shorter torso and shorter than typical arms as well as a flat swing. All of those and my inflexibility make me need longer clubs.)
    
    Reply Report comment
  - Funkaholic
    
    Sep 28, 2020 at 9:40 am
    
    Way to miss the point Lurch.
    
    Reply Report comment
Johnny Penso

Sep 23, 2020 at 9:09 pm

Bryson gained strokes in every category. It’s not like he gained 15 off the tee and lost strokes on approach, putting and around the greens. He simply performed at a high level in all aspects of his game, much like the old Tiger used to do. If his putting is on and he hits the ball reasonably straight he’s going to contend just like he has for the past few months.

Reply Report comment
Gordy3279

Sep 23, 2020 at 7:03 pm

Mike Davis is out at the USGA..reason why..he ran the U.S.Open into ground. Him winning at -6 was pathetic.

Reply Report comment
- Eclectic Taste
  
  Sep 24, 2020 at 2:10 pm
  
  He was the only guy under par, just like Tiger at Pebble in 2000. Not pathetic, example of a highly skilled golfer beating the rest of the field.
  
  Reply Report comment
iceman

Sep 23, 2020 at 4:55 pm

I still feel that it is not fair to say that the long hitters have poor accuracy. If you have the same launch direction and spin axis tilt the guy who hits it 220 yards is on the edge of the fairway amd the 330 yard guy will be in the trees. To be hitting it 330 and only be 3 or 4 feet into the rough is actually highly accuratw driving.

Reply Report comment
- Moosejaw McWilligher
  
  Sep 23, 2020 at 6:59 pm
  
  This is 100% correct – not to mention, the fairways are much narrower for longer drivers because of the angles – unless it’s a totally straight hole.
  
  Much easier to hit fairways when you’re short. Or when you top it.
  
  Reply Report comment
jackwoods@gmail.com

Sep 23, 2020 at 4:46 pm

media fishing for clicks with this guy he did it for one weekend can he do for years to come like brooks K flash in pan

Reply Report comment
- G
  
  Sep 23, 2020 at 11:00 pm
  
  Dude he has 8 wins and a major at 27? Flash in the pan? Someone now. That’s ridiculous
  
  Reply Report comment

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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.

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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