Let's Go Bowling + the Best Golf Course Transformation of 2024

TIPS & DRILLS
Who Knew A Bowling Drill Could Solve Your Early Extension
PGA Pro Ryan Hager demonstrates how to avoid this common mistake

ryanhager_pga

View more on Instagram

To Recap…

The Big Lebowski must have been a great golfer, or at least a great dude to have in your foursome. He may not have had much of a short game, but we’d bet his iron game was pure. Early extension is the cardinal sin when it comes to your tee and approach shots, but if you’re a bowler, you already know the fix. Follow PGA Pro Ryan Hager’s advice, and try the bowling drill anytime you feel yourself thrusting at the ball prematurely:

-STEP 1: Put most of your weight on your lead foot and drop your rear foot back, putting a small amount of weight on your rear foot toes.
-STEP 2: Holding the club at address position in only your lead hand, practice rotating your hips and shoulders with your trail arm extended.
-STEP 3: Once you’ve got the motion, grab a club to practice the same feel first without a ball, and then graduate to hitting balls at half and 3/4 speed.

The goal here is avoid early extension and “feel some internal hip rotation through impact without your trail side thrusting towards the ball,” as Ryan states.

COURSES
Golf Digest’s 2024 Best Transformation
An Alister MacKenzie course most recently touched by Gil Hanse

Lake Merced Golf Club
Daly City, CA

Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, CA is a story of redesign after redesign, and 3 of the most famous course architects of all-time have had a hand in shaping the incredible layout we know today. The course first opened in 1923, and at the time, it had ~230 bunkers, an extreme number for courses of the era. However, Alister MacKenzie was tapped in 1929 to lead a redesign and brought Lake Merced into the limelight. MacKenzie (who designed Augusta National and Cypress Point) reduced the number of bunkers to just 90 and added his signature style with intricate green complexes and strategic mounding.

And yet, major suburban expansion and the construction of Interstate 280 in the 1960s forced significant changes to MacKenzie’s layout. The course was altered dramatically by designer Robert Muir Graves, and much of MacKenzie’s vision was blurred. In the 1990s, however, Rees Jones did what he could to address agronomy issues and enhance playability. The Jones renovations were lauded, and the course went on to host both the LPGA Mediheal Championship and the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.

But there was still something missing. MacKenzie’s original vision had morphed and shifted through all the renovations, and Gil Hanse was tapped in 2022 restore it. Hanse's team moved 75,000 cubic yards of earth to recreate historical features like sandy waste areas and deep barrancas. Using “the club’s massive collection of historical photos, aerials and maps, he was able to restore bunkers and greensites to near-perfection,” rebuilding all 18 greens in the process. In 2024, Golf Digest named Lake Merced the top transformation of the year. Well done, Gil, well done.

Rates: Private course, membership by invitation only

Check out this flyover from @thegolfhawk

thegolfhawk

View more on Instagram

STATISTICS
Stat of the Day: Fairways Hit by Handicap
presented by…

The Stat: The difference between a Scratch golfer and a 30+ Handicap is just 16% when it comes to Fairways Hit.

The Takeaway: At first, you might be thrown by the numbers, but this data only tells half the story- there are a few factors not accounted for. First, a Scratch golfer is often teeing off from the back tees or challenging themselves to play more difficult courses compared to a 30+ Handicap. Second, shot dispersion is not factored here. A Scratch golfer will naturally have much better misses than a 30+ Handicap, often narrowly missing the fairway. On the other hand, a 30+ Handicap might take themselves out of the hole entirely before they ever have a chance to hit an approach shot to the green.

Golf is about consistency, and you’ll have far more chances to score when playing from the fairway (or even the first cut of rough). Just don’t take yourself out of the hole before you leave the tee box!

TODAY’S TRIVIA
Answer to Win a Set of 3 Mizuno T24 Denim Copper Wedges
(1 winner chosen on 11/30/24 across all November trivia entries, 1,000 correct respondents minimum)

LIKE THIS EDITION?
Forward it to a friend! —> —>

SPONSORSHIPS
Feature Your Brand in this Newsletter!

We have a growing audience of 19K+ loyal readers and an additional 19K Facebook + 15K Instagram followers. If you’d like to promote your brand or course to our audience, click the button below!