When Into the Grain, Try the "Thai Spinner" + Play Where The Badgers Play

TIPS & DRILLS
When Putting Into the Grain From Off the Green, Try the “Thai Spinner”
An unconventional but effective chip shot

jordanoelrichgolf

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To Recap…

Have you heard of the “Thai Spinner?” It’s a funky looking chip shot popularized by PGA Pro Kiradech Aphibarnrat to escape a very grainy lie without chunking it around the greens. In this video, Jordan Oelrich shows you the set-up:

-STEP 1: Grab your highest lofted wedge, ideally a 60 degree lob wedge.
-STEP 2: Set-up with the ball almost a foot behind your trail heel.
-STEP 3: Attack the ball with a short, aggressive and steep stroke like you’re trying to cut the ball in half. The ball should come off the club with barely any height and a ton of spin.

BUT WHY NOT JUST PUTT IT? Jordan didn’t quite stage this video properly, but when you have 3-4+ feet of fringe to get through and you’re into the grain, it can be difficult to gauge just how much the fringe will grab the ball and affect speed before you officially reach the green. The Thai Spinner gets you through the grainy part of the shot, and the ball should roll smoothly once on the putting surface.

It’s not for everyone, but it’s certainly fun to try!

COURSES
Play Where the Badgers Play
Also Home to the American Family Insurance Championship

University Ridge Golf Course
Verona, WI

Part 2 of our Back to School series continues… Of all the major collegiate athletic conferences, the Big Ten might offer the strongest set of home courses you can play - Michigan’s Home Course, Indiana’s Pfau Course & Ohio State’s Scarlet Course are all top-notch. And the University of Wisconsin’s University Ridge is no slouch either, coming in at #9 in Golf Digest’s Best College Courses ranking. The course also happens to host the PGA Tour Champions’ American Family Insurance Championship each year. A Robert Trent, Jr. course with two distinct nines, the front nine plays like a links course with wide fairways lined with prairie fescue and marshland, while most of the back nine was narrowly carved through of a dense forest.

The course gets its name because it sits right on the edge of the last glacier that retreated from Wisconsin ~11,000 years ago. The glacier left a backbone that formed the many hills and valleys that define the course. Fun fact: the terrain is ideal for cross-country skiing, and the course rents skis in the winter so that you can explore 17 kilometers of groomed trails that wind through 560 acres on the property.

But back to the golf- RTJ had a blast using the natural topography created by the glacial ridge to devise a varied layout that rewards quality tee shots and punishes ones that go a bit too far offline. You can definitely lose a few balls if you’re woods and long irons aren’t dialed. University Ridge is currently the 14th best course in the state, which is quite impressive considering the surplus of quality golf in the Badger state. For those unfamiliar, Wisconsin is home to 10 of Golf Digest’s Top 100 Public courses in America). As one reviewer wrote, “Hard to find any other college course that comes close in comparison. If anywhere near Madison this course is a must play.” On Wisconsin!

Rates: $69 - $139 during peak season

Check out this video from @amfamchampionship

bnbkvantage

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STATISTICS
Stat of the Day: Up-And-Down Conversion Percentage By Handicap
presented by…

The Stat: A 0 Handicap is 2.2x more likely get up & down when scrambling from < 50 yards than a 15 Handicap (55% for 0 HCP vs. 25% for 15 HCP).

The Takeaway: You might get tired of hearing it, but the stats don’t lie. It’s not birdies that separate great players from average ones… it’s the ability to avoid big numbers. And you know what helps avoid big numbers- the ability to save par when you miss the green in regulation.

For those that are curious- the PGA Tour average Up & Down percentage = 58.7% (and Xander Schauffele leads the Tour in 2024 at 70.9%).

TODAY’S TRIVIA
Answer to Win a Rapsodo Mobile Launch Monitor
(1 winner chosen on 8/31/24 across all August trivia entries, 1,000 respondents minimum)

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