By Brad King Scott Patten says the idea originally germinated with his father, Dean, a retired engineer who spends most days of the week playing golf in their hometown of Apex. As part of his retirement gift, the elder Patten received a golf rangefinder that he often found himself misplacing during a round. Eventually he…
Renowned club fitter Randy McGinnis has moved locations and has taken over I-85 Range in Mebane near Tanger Outlets. McGinnis had leased a driving range and club fitting business for 15 years about 7 miles away, but the property had been cut in half a few years ago by one of the range’s owners, prompting…
Lonnie Poole Golf Course is known for its unique design on the rolling hills near downtown Raleigh. Now, N.C. State’s golf layout is getting noticed for its focus on player development. “The course has been growing its golf staff over the past year, adding Daniel Spurling, our player development coordinator, to our team of PGA…
By STUART HALL Ten days is all Mike Thompson needed to receive the first return from his investment in a new SkyTrak launch monitor. Playing in a Virginia State Golf Association’s Senior Open qualifier, on a Meadowbrook Country Club course he had never seen before last year, Thompson, of Richmond, Va., fired a 67 to…
By STUART HALL Last summer, as Jordan Spieth turned his attention toward preparation for the Open Championship, the third leg of his Grand Slam pursuit, his approach raised a few eyebrows. Though Spieth had played St. Andrews’ Old Course only once — in 2011 prior to the Walker Cup as an amateur — he chose not to…
By Robert Kimball Some people would argue that golfers are the easiest people to buy presents for because you can never go wrong. Sure, we like the “hole-of-the-day” desk calendar and the occasional sweater vest, but what really gets us going is new equipment. One look at the money spent by golf equipment firms on…
Triangle Golf Today editor’s bag now sporting “world’s finest forged irons” By DAVID DROSCHAK When Golf Etc owner Joel Iacovelli informed me an average wedge lasts about 40 rounds before the grooves start diminishing I cringed. Why such a reaction? Well, believe it or not, I’ve been playing the same irons for 26 years. That’s…
By STUART HALL The claims by equipment manufacturers are as enticing as those of a carnival barker. Their product will produce more distance, reduce spin rate, improve ball control and help shape shots. In general, your game can only improve, so just step right up. The claims are mixed with technical terms like launch angle,…
By Jay Allred Most golfers walk into a golf shop, pick up a putter and start trying to see if they can make a few putts from 10 feet to decide if the flat stick fits their game. In a few months they are in search of another putter, but Edel Golf is trying to…
Former caddy for Payne Stewart shifting golf careers By DAVID DROSCHAK Mike Hicks has read thousands of left-to-right putts on the PGA Tour during his 33 years as a caddy, toted the bag for major champions Payne Stewart and Justin Leonard, traveled the globe, and witnessed professional golf’s psychological pressures up close and personal. A…