News

Morning 9: Golf ball biz big for 4 American towns | Tringale’s massive distance gains (and good advice for you)

Published

7 years ago

Sep 25, 2019

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt (ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com; @benalberstadt on Instagram)

September 25, 2019

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans. Might want to stick to the jumbo packs of toilet paper and steaks next time you’re at Costco…

1. Bloom off the K-Sig rose for good?

Apparently resurrected from the dead, the Kirkland Signature golf ball is once again deceased (seemingly by its own hand).

Our Gianni Magliocco…”Golfers who purchased Kirkland Signature four-piece balls are in line for a full refund after Costco began reaching out to customers of the product via email.”

“The original four-piece Kirkland Signature four-piece balls proved a success on their release back in 2016, but the new line has come under fire this summer, with the ball’s cover taking the brunt of the criticism.”

“Customers have claimed that the balls are prone to cutting up after short use, while the balls are currently rated 2 out of 5 from customers on Costco’s website.”

“In an email shared on Twitter by user @gerencher, which shows Costco actively refunding customers, the company stated that “Feedback we received since the item went on sale shows that some of the balls do not meet the high standards that are expected for the Kirkland Signature brand.”

Full piece.

All this said, good on the company for honoring its vaunted guarantee after serving up a batch of-what’s the technical term?- piece-of-shit golf balls.

(Refund letter from Costco’s VP/GMM Merchandising in the image above)

2. One-arm Murray

Golf Channel’s Jason Crook on a wounded Bill Murray tuning up for the Dunhill Links…”Murray, 69, was reportedly involved in a four-vehicle crash on Tuesday in St Andrews, but he didn’t let that stop him from getting some practice in, even if it meant he could only use one hand.”

“While no one was seriously injured in the crash, the “Caddyshack” actor showed up for his practice round at St. Andrews with a bandaged hand and a makeshift sling made out of a dress tie.”

Full piece.

Of course the sling was made out of a tie. That’s a given! Get well, Bill! (and never change)

3. Golf ball biz big for four American towns

Excellent feature from Bomb & Gouge on the place (and prominence) of the premium golf ball business in the U.S… “Unlike the rest of the equipment in your bag, the golf ball is still largely made in America. Not Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam or China. Rather, it’s New Bedford (Titleist) and Chicopee (Callaway) in Massachusetts. Or Covington (Bridgestone) in Georgia. Or Liberty (TaylorMade) in South Carolina. About nine out of every 10 premium golf balls sold in the United States come from one of four factory towns in three states.”

“Each of these operations mixes the highly technical elements of modern golf-ball manufacturing with workers whose multigenerational legacies often stretch back to the Great Depression. It’s these sophisticated manufacturing enterprises that have become the pride-and in some cases, the engine-behind these small towns, and in turn these small towns continue to propel the biggest ball companies, making a combined half-a-billion balls a year.”

Full piece.

4. Inside Tringale’s massive distance gains

PGATour.com’s Sean Martin…“Tringale’s clubhead speed increased 8.6 mph — from 111.3 to 119.9 mph — from 2018 to 2019. That’s the largest single-season increase in clubhead speed since the TOUR started recording radar data in 2007.”

“It was by far the largest increase last season, as well. The second-largest was 5.1 mph. No one else increased their clubhead speed by more than 4 mph.”

“…No one came close to Tringale’s improvement in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee last season, either. Tringale improved that statistic by 1.2 strokes gained per round. Sung Kang had the second-biggest leap, and he gained just 0.65 strokes per round.”

“To be honest, it’s been more of a byproduct than a goal,” Tringale said. “I got my body to work more in sequence. By doing that, I can let loose a little more and still be under control. I can swing harder and swing faster without the fear of it causing more errant shots.

Read the full piece to find out how you too can boom the golf ball! (seriously, though, quality, actionable advice for more clubhead speed)

Full piece.

5. Bahamas Strong Pro-Am

Golf Digest’s Brian Wacker…”Golf and the courses on the islands are low on the priority list, but the game has a deep connection in that part of the world with the Bahamas a popular destination for everyone from the casual fan to PGA Tour player. Which is why those in the golf community are trying to do what they can to get the people there, several hundred of whom work at Baker’s Bay, The Abaco Club and other courses, back on their feet.”

“On Oct. 8, Brad Faxon and Justin Leonard will co-host a pro-am at Old Marsh Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Among those already committed to play are Justin Thomas, Jack Nicklaus, Jessica Korda, Ernie Els, Greg Norman, Lucas Glover, Billy Horschel, Jaye Greene, Corey Conners, Brett Quigley, Marina Alex and Charl Schwartzel. Funds raised will go directly toward relief efforts.”

Full piece.

6. Pettersen + Easterbrook?

The AP’s Doug Ferguson…”Suzann Pettersen is now linked forever with Syd Easterbrook, an English golfer and little more than a footnote in Ryder Cup history.”

“At the core of what made the Solheim Cup so special was it being decided by the final shot of the tournament at Gleneagles on Sept. 15. Pettersen rolled in a putt from just over 6 feet to beat Alex Marina, 1 up, and give Europe the victory. The ending became even better when Pettersen, a captain’s pick, announced her retirement.”

“…to make a putt from the last match on the course to determine who wins? That happened only once before, way back in 1933.”

“Horton Smith, who the following year became the first winner at Augusta National, dispatched Charles Whitcombe to level the matches at 5½ points each. It came down to Easterbrook and Denny Shute, who were all square playing the final hole at Southport and Ainsdale.”

Full piece.

7. New Trump Scotland course greenlighted

BBC Report on the approved track and surrounding development…”Plans for a second golf course at US President Donald Trump’s resort in Aberdeenshire have been approved.”

“The 18-hole MacLeod course would be built to the south and west of the controversial original course, which opened at Menie in 2012.”

“Councillors on the Formartine area committee approved the plans for the second course by eight votes to four.”

Full piece.

8. Smart putter grip

Golf Digest’s Mike Stachura…”In cooperation with gripmaker SuperStroke, Arccos unveiled an adapter that allows its sensors to work with the company’s CounterCore and Traxion putter grips. SuperStroke’s Countercore grips allow the user to counterbalance their putter grips with a weight that fits in the butt of the grip. That weight prevented the Arccos sensor’s post from screwing securely on the top of the grip. Likewise, the SuperStroke Traxion putter grips feature a “Tech Port” that allows for counterbalancing the grip.”

Full piece.

9. Long-term commitment to swing changes key

Good stuff from Andrew Wright at National Club Golfer...

“It’s hard to jump full throttle into something that you’re not quite sure is going to work.” This statement from Danny Willett in his post-victory interview jumped out to me as something that amateurs of all levels can learn from.

“…I’m not saying that you need a huge swing overhaul to improve your golf, but if you’ve gone to the effort of seeking the advice of a professional, it’s vital that you commit to the instruction you’ve been given.”

“If it takes major champions years to reap the rewards of a change, then why do we give up at the first sign of trouble?”

“We’re all human and this game will get the better of us more often than not. Our swings, which feel great one day, can feel completely alien the next. You would be in an elite group of one if you didn’t experience this at some point so it’s important to stay positive and keep your eyes on the prize – whatever that may be.”

Full piece.

News

Testing Lorem Ipsum

Published

9 hours ago

May 13, 2026

Pro Shop

What is Lorem Ipsum?

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

Why do we use it?

It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy. Various versions have evolved over the years, sometimes by accident, sometimes on purpose (injected humour and the like).

News

2026 PGA Championship betting odds

Published

2 days ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

Scottie Scheffler leads the betting ahead of the second major championship of the year, with the World Number One a +345 favorite to get his hands on a second PGA Championship.

Rory McIlroy who won the Masters back in April is a +800 shot to complete half of the calendar slam at Aronimink Golf Club this week, while Jordan Spieth can be backed at +5900 to become a career grand slam winner.

Here is the full betting board for the 2026 PGA Championship courtesy of DraftKings.

Scottie Scheffler +345 – (Check 0ut his WITB here)

Rory McIlroy +800 – (Check out his WITB here)

Jon Rahm +1300
Cameron Young +1500
Bryson DeChambeau +1700
Xander Schauffele +1850
Matt Fitzpatrick +1950
Ludvig Aberg +2000
Tommy Fleetwood +2600
Collin Morikawa +3500
Brooks Koepka +3900
Justin Rose +4300
Russell Henley +4600
Si Woo Kim +4700
Justin Thomas +4800
Robert MacIntyre +5300
Patrick Cantlay +5300
Viktor Hovland +5400
Tyrrell Hatton +5500
Jordan Spieth +5900
Sam Burns +6000
Hideki Matsuyama +6200
Adam Scott +6400
Rickie Fowler +7000
Chris Gotterup +7400
Patrick Reed +7400
Min Woo Lee +7800
Ben Griffin +8000
Sepp Straka +8400
Shane Lowry +9000
Akshay Bhatia +9200
Maverick McNealy +9200
Joaquin Niemann +9200
Jake Knapp +9200
Jason Day +9600
Kurt Kitayama +10000
J.J. Spaun +10000
Harris English +10500
Nicolai Hojgaard +11000
Gary Woodland +11000
David Puig +11000
Michael Thorbjornsen +12000
Jacob Bridgeman +12000
Keegan Bradley +12500
Corey Conners +14000
Alex Fitzpatrick +15000
Sungjae Im +15500
Sahith Theegala +15500
Harry Hall +15500
Alex Noren +16000
Thomas Detry +16500
Marco Penge +16500
Kristoffer Reitan +17000
Alex Smalley +17000
Wyndham Clark +17500
Sam Stevens +17500
Keith Mitchell +17500
Daniel Berger +18500
Ryan Gerard +20000
Nick Taylor +20000
Rasmus Hojgaard +21000
Dustin Johnson +21000
Pierceson Coody +23000
Aaron Rai +24000
Jordan Smith +24000
Angel Ayora +24000
Bud Cauley +25000
Matt McCarty +26000
Jayden Schaper +26000
Brian Harman +27000
Taylor Pendrith +27000
Ryan Fox +27000
J.T. Poston +27000
Cameron Smith +29000
Ryo Hisatsune +29000
Michael Kim +29000
Max Homa +29000
Denny McCarthy +29000
Tom McKibbin +30000
Rico Hoey +32000
Matt Wallace +32500
Ricky Castillo +33000
Haotong Li +33000
Michael Brennan +34000
Max Greyserman +36000
Stephan Jaeger +37500
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +37500
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +39000
Aldrich Potgieter +40000
Andrew Novak +42000
Patrick Rodgers +42500
Daniel Hillier +42500
Max McGreevy +46000
Billy Horschel +48000
Chris Kirk +48000
Ian Holt +49000
Casey Jarvis +49000
William Mouw +50000
Steven Fisk +50000
John Parry +50000
Nico Echavarria +52500
Garrick Higgo +52500
John Keefer+55000
Matthias Schmid +57500
Austin Smotherman +57500
Sami Valimaki +60000
Andrew Putnam +60000
Lucas Glover +62500
Daniel Brown +62500
Jhonattan Vegas +75000
Emiliano Grillo +80000
Mikael Lindberg +85000
Adrien Saddier +100000
Bernd Wiesberger +100000
Elvis Smylie +110000
Stewart Cink +130000
Kota Kaneko +130000
David Lipsky +150000
Chandler Blanchet +150000
Andy Sullivan +150000
Joe Highsmith +180000
Adam Schenk +200000
Travis Smyth +200000
Davis Riley +225000
Martin Kaymer +400000
Brian Campbell +400000
Padraig Harrington +450000
Kazuki Higa +450000
Jordan Gumberg +450000
Ryan Vermeer +500000
Austin Hurt +500000
Tyler Collet +500000
Timothy Wiseman +500000
Shaun Micheel +500000
Y.E. Yang +500000
Michael Block+500000
Mark Geddes+500000
Luke Donald+500000
Bryce Fisher+500000
Jimmy Walker +500000
Jason Dufner +500000
Jesse Droemer +500000
Jared Jones +500000
Garrett Sapp +500000
Francisco Bide +500000
Zach Haynes +500000
Paul McClure+500000
Derek Berg +500000
Chris Gabriele +500000
Braden Shattuck +500000
Ben Polland +500000
Ben Kern +50000

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 PGA Championship

Published

2 days ago

May 11, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site for the second major of 2026: The PGA Championship from Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

The tournament’s location, just outside Philadelphia, and its status as a major championship mean GolfWRXers are in for a treat: WITBs from a strong field, custom gear celebrating the PGA Championship, and the rich culture of the City of Brotherly Love — we have noted a relative absence of cheesesteak-themed items thus far this week, but most of the rest of the usual suspects are well represented.

Check out links to all our photos below.