We’re looking back at the top instructional and equipment articles from the past year

By Sabrina Naccarato

As one of the most unpredictable, uneasy, and overall weird years winds down, we’re looking back at some bright spots of 2020, which happens to be in the golf space. From honing in your short game to finally curing your slice and the unbelievable technological advancements that accompanied equipment releases this year, there was a lot to unpack.

So as we wrap up a year that desperately needs to end, we’re revisiting the top instructional drills and equipment stories that helped shine a light on 2020.

BEST OF 2020: Top 5 Instructional Drills

5. Get your ball to stop, drop and barely roll on the green

Picture this- you hit your approach shot into the green and it’s tracking real nice. The ball hits the green but unfortunately rolls off and now you’re facing an up and down shot to save par. But when you find your ball just off of the green, you realize there’s hardly any room between you and the pin, making the shot much tougher than you originally imagined.

So how are you going to get this ball up and out of the rough, land quick and not roll it a mile past the pin? We have a couple of tips to help you out of this exact scenario.

4. Ready to drive it long like the pros? These videos will help

Hit Long Tee Shots like Dustin Johnson & Rory McIlroy by combining their golf swings
What would you get if you combined Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy? A swing built for speed. By channeling Dustin Johnson in the backswing while he changes his knee flex to help create more turn and Rory McIlroy during the follow-through when he straightens his knee and bends himself backward to help generate power, you’ve got the ultimate golf swing.

Hit longer drives- accelerate through the ball
Something many golfers struggle with is slowing down their swing before impact, which can actually rob you of a lot of distance. VP of Instruction, Nick Clearwater breaks down what really happens before the club reaches impact and why it’s important that the clubhead speed increases in the downswing.

Learn to swing like Rickie Fowler
Director of Teaching Quality, Brad Skupaka, shows us how Rickie Fowler takes his hands back in his backswing, which leads to a more in-to-out swing. If you’re struggling with a slice or lack of distance, Brad explains how this is the perfect swing to emulate and shares a drill to do just that.

3. Fix your slice this off-season with an easy indoor drill

I’m sure you’ve seen golf instructors all over the internet using different types of training aids, gadgets, and tools to help mold the perfect golf swing. So have I, but, I’ve never once seen any instructor pull a utensil out of a kitchen drawer for the purpose of working on the swing path and clubface location. It might sound crazy, but Director of Teaching Quality, Brad Skupaka, is really onto something with this drill using a common dinner fork.

2. How to Cure Your Slice: Eight-part Video Series

A lot of people struggle with a slice. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot. Of all of the golfers who walk through the doors at GOLFTEC, 96 percent of them admit to hitting a slice regularly and begging, pleading to hit anything but a slice. Okay, that might have been a little dramatic but seriously, people hate slices.

And since so many people struggle with that one particular ball flight, we’ve written hundreds of articles featuring different drills and exercises to help combat the dreaded slice. In some cases, these tips and tricks have really helped but sometimes one article or video just isn’t enough. Because of that, we’ve created the holy grail of all slice-curing instruction. This eight-part series hits on every single thing that might be contributing to a golfer’s slice. So without further ado, here’s our Cure Your Slice Series.

1. Find the right putter style for your stroke

All too often Coaches have Students that come in for a putting lesson struggling with their consistency on the greens.

They tend to miss putts all over the place and believe it’s their stroke which is to blame – which, don’t get me wrong, it most often is. But, sometimes, it’s actually the style of putter they’re using that hinders their natural stroke instead of working with it, and this is what needs to be addressed.

So, that begs the question: Do you if you have the right putter style for YOUR game?

Let’s discuss some of the key elements in a putting stroke that can influence the the type of putter you should play, and then we can solve this potential issue with your putting you didn’t even know existed!


BEST OF 2020: Top 5 Equipment & Club fitting stories

5. Under the Hood: PING is bringing the heat with the new G710 irons

PING is turning heads with the new G710 irons, giving golfers an iron with a familiar feel but an aesthetic that we haven’t seen from them since the G30. We’re going to review these new beauties, take a look at a student success story and have a conversation about modern iron designs.

4. Under the hood: Mizuno is turning heads with the new ST200 driver

Mizuno, who is traditionally thought of as an iron company, introduced the new ST200 line of woods for 2020 featuring 3 driver models; ST200, ST200G, and ST200X. Today, we’re going to take a look at what you can expect from these new drivers.

3. Under the hood: What sets the Taylormade SIM apart from the rest?

When breaking down what makes a driver different from models of years past, it can be easy to get lost in the jargon. CG (center of gravity) and MOI (moment of inertia) are two things we measure on every driver and they’re also two things that many don’t understand.

Today we’re going to simplify these metrics and show you why the new TaylorMade SIM stands alone in the 2020 class of drivers.

2. Mavrik speculations, launch monitors and real-life fitting results

If you’re buying a new driver off the rack you’re likely doing yourself a disservice. If you’re buying one without first testing it on a launch monitor you’re just making a mistake. Quality launch monitors are extremely accessible today, but if you do not know what to focus on they can be overwhelming. This is why it’s best to have an expert club fitter help you through the process. But if you choose to go in alone there are three or four main numbers I would focus on aside from the obvious of distance and direction.

1. A rebel with a cause – the new Callaway MAVRIK driver

Last year we saw the first golf club ever developed with the assistance of A.I. and Machine Learning with the Callaway Epic Flash. Not only did this change the game for golf club engineering, but it also changed the game for Callaway. Once the company found success in utilizing a supercomputer, there was no turning back to the ways of old when it came to designing the face of a driver.

So, how does one outdo themselves when they’ve virtually revolutionized the entire golf industry? Add a more powerful supercomputer, apply A.I. throughout the clubhead, and thousands of virtual prototypes, and boom, you’ve got the most exquisite combination of distance, forgiveness, consistency and feel Callaway has ever built in a driver, a.k.a. the Callaway MAVRIK.


Honorable Mentions


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