Train Like Tiger
Bellerive Country Club golf pro Brett Moomey noticed a considerable difference in the average golfer’s physique while walking the range at the BMW Championship last year. “Most of the guys looked more like football and basketball players than the stereotypical golfer with a gut,” he says. Since word got out that Tiger benches more than 300 pounds, golfers have hit the gym in waves. Trainers at some country-club fitness centers offer golf-specific training with an emphasis on strength and speed.
Between Ball and Green
Remember the days of stepping off yardage from a sprinkler head? For today’s high-tech golfer, those days are a vague memory. Range finders—binocular-like devices that measure distance—were once more common among deer hunters than birdie hunters (explaining why brands like Bushnell are popular). But in recent years, range finders and GPS devices have sprouted up all over courses, eliminating the guesswork for golfers. Now you can stare down the fairway and say with certainty, “It’s 208 to the pin.”
Get a Grip
Gargantuan grips aren’t for everyone. Still, PGA player K.J. Choi and a handful of locals swear by the huge handles, including the SuperStroke—an invention that Choi ordered after watching an infomercial. The oversized grip supposedly reduces wrist movement and forces players to use their shoulders to make more accurate putts. Does it actually work? As one local pro says, “People will try anything when it comes to putting.”
Hip to Be Square
The geometry of golf is changing. For some amateur golfers, it’s out with the old and in with the square—driver, that is. “There were Japanese companies making those years ago, but it’s caught on here during the last several years,” says a pro at Bogey Hills Country Club. And with the sudden popularity of square drivers, fairway woods are following suit. So what’s up with the shape-shifting? The main advantage comes at the moment of impact. A square shape means less twisting and a more forgiving drive. An added bonus: At address, the flat front provides an extra boost of confidence.
Just Adjust
It used to be that custom clubs were synonymous with PGA-caliber players. Now it’s not unusual for Scotty Six-Pack to be seen swinging a custom Scotty Cameron. “We’re seeing a lot more tour-style fitting from companies,” says Bellerive’s Moomey. Clubs of all sorts—especially putters and drivers—now come with interchangeable parts. Putters can be adjusted to your liking with removable weights. Club length is also changing, with replaceable shafts that offer the span you see fit. A good rule of thumb: The longer the shaft, the longer the drive—but the lower the accuracy.
