Cool Fedex Cup Infographic –
Produced by Aford Awards a UK manufacturer of golf trophies as well as other glass sports trophies.
GolfRedefined Offer
Sometimes we hear about offers that would be of interest to our member base. Here is one that was brought to us by a new golf startup. We thought some of our members that play often and love equipment might be interested…
GolfRedefined.com, a new golfing membership site is looking for up to 50 testers of its new service. Members can choose the driver of their choice, play with it for as long as they want, send it back and then receive their next choice.
Membership means you can always play with the driver you want, swap it for another and repeat until you find the one that suits your game best. No purchase, no restrictions. Simple.
Interested golfers should email golfredefined@gmail.com with “MyScoreCard.com” in the subject line for a discount code and further instructions.
MyScorecard receives no payment if you sign up – we just thought a few of you might have some interest and wanted to share the discount. Happy trialing!
Where do you stand?
The USGA just published a breakdown of handicaps for all Male US golfers.
We thought it would be fun to compare against our own member base, and so published both in graphical format below:
The graph shows the % of golfers that fall within each handicap number on an average course.* For example, about 2.5% of all golfers are ~24 handicaps. On average, golfers than maintain handicaps fall within the 13-14 range.
So now you know what the say when someone asks you “What is the average handicap?”. But note that this information is only for golfers that maintain a handicap. Many more do not, and so the average score for all golfers is about 100 (which might correspond closer to a 25 handicap).
The blue bars on the graph represent the USGA information, while the red bars represent the breakdown of handicaps on MyScorecard. Pretty close! We were hoping to tell you that our members are significantly better than the overall distribution, but on the flip side it’s nice to see that golfers of every skill level enjoying MyScorecard.com
Any questions, let us know.
*For golfers that maintain handicaps. Indexes are rounded, since handicaps are expressed to one decimal place. Or you can consider it as the course handicap on an average course (with slope of 113).
New Year’s Resolution
In this video parody, Ben Crane (who has taken lots of flak from fellow players and fans for his excruciatingly slow play) resolves to improve his speed. What’s your new year’s resolution?
Magicians on the European Tour
Promo video for the European Tour with some amazing tricks (I’m still not sure how he catches that ball) but perhaps the most impressive one was hitting an approach off the back of the club to within 15 ft of the hole. (Click here if you don’t see the player below).
There have been magicians on the pro tour for some time – check out this highlight of Seve Ballasteros putting magic at a 1984 exhibition match. (Click Here if you don’t see the player below).
Cycles of Greatness on the PGA Tour
The chart below shows the cycles of greatness on the PGA tour since its inception in 1916 through 2004. The chart includes 57 players that have won at least 15 events on tour, as well as the most dominant players, whose rise and fall are graphed out over time. Click on the link to be taken to a page where you can zoom in and view the details of the chart (and can also buy a print, if you would like).
Bubba Stands out from the Rest
The below chart, appearing in a recent GolfWorld article, looks at the number of “long bombs” by professional golfers vs. their height. One conclusion that can be drawn is the lack of correlation between height and number of super-long drives. The other is that Bubba Watson really stands out from the pack, with 50% more 350+ yard drives than his nearest competitor.
Luckiest Golf Shots Ever?
We’re starting a new competition on the Scratch Pad – luckiest and best golf shots ever. We’ll post two competing shots and you let us know which ones you think is best. Or if you think you have a better one, point us to it.
For this round, we have two competing shots – one from the PGA and one from the European tour; one in a tournament, and one in a practice round; both involving water.
First up, Darren Clarke on a long par 5:
Next up, Vijay Singh on a short par 3:
So, whom would you vote for?
Greatest Masters Shots Ever
As we prepare for the quest for another green jacket, we thought it would be fun to relive some of the greatest masters moments in history.
2010 – Mickelson’s shot from the pine needles
With two pine trees, a creek, and over two hundred yards between him and the pin, Mickelson delivered a blistering iron off the pine needles through the trees to four feet. it was perhaps one of the gutsiest shots ever played – the birdied hole led to a 67 and his third green jacket.
2005 – Tiger’s chip from the collar
Trailing Chris DiMarco, Woods knocked his tee shot over the green, where it came to rest against the collar of the first cut of rough. After taking stock of the situation, he hit a low spinning pitch, landing the ball 25 feet above the hole. The ball bit and then trickled down to the cup, hanging ever so briefly onto the lip before dropping in. The crowd erupted, and Tiger went on to win the green jacket in a playoff.
1987 – Larry Mize’s chip in
At the end of 72 holes, Larry Mize and Greg Norman both led the pack in the 1987 Masters. On the second hole of a sudden-death playoff, Norman hit his approach shot to the edge of the green, while Mize sprayed his second some 150 feet right and long. Norman looked destined to win his first green jacket until Mize bounced his third shot onto the green and into the hole. With Norman unable to sink his birdie putt, Mize won his first and only major championship.
1987 – Nicklaus’s Final Masters
At the 1987 Masters Nicklaus made a monumental back-nine charge, shooting a 30 that featured an eagle-birdie-birdie stretch on 15, 16, & 17. The round featured a number of clutch shots, but the tricky 12-footer he holed for birdie on 17 most resonates in people’s memories. Nicklaus went on to par the 18th and carded a 65 – he then watched his competitors falter, giving him his 6th green jacket.
1935 – Gene Sarazen’s Double Eagle
Unfortunately we don’t have a video, but Gene Sarazen’s historic hole-out for double eagle went a long way toward helping popularize the Masters (then called the Augusta National Invitational). Deciding between a 3-wood and 4-wood, he chose the latter and hit a towering shot that flew some 235 yards, cleared a greenside pond, and dropped into the hole. The deuce tied Sarazen for the lead with Craig Wood – he then went on to win the only 36-hole playoff in Masters history.
These guys are good – part 2
Following up on our Every Shot Imaginable post, the European Tour has come out with a new promo video, this time defending Scotland against imaginary pirates.
Every play “hit the target” on the golf range? Well, it’s a bit like that, except you are aiming for the 3 foot mouth of a barrel, bobbing in a dinghy 150+ yards out to sea in high winds.
These guys are good.