Data Action Golf with Dr. Aaron R. Stewart

Wow! Did anyone see that coming? Jordan Spieth was sitting in the clubhouse with a seven under par in his pocket, and J.B. Holmes comes screaming out of nowhere to throw down an 8 under 63 to snatch it away. Amazing! Matt Kuchar finally takes significant steps to put his this David Ortiz, Mayakoba Golf Classic garbage behind him, and the steps he took should end it. I think other players on the PGA Tour are going to take note that the public isn't going to look too kindly on players who come across as greedy. With social media and 24/7 televised golf, there is just too much craving for new news to make hiding from even the slightest hint of bad behavior to get by. They will have to take note. And finally, we dive into more data to see if our expectations on par 3, 4, and 5 holes are realistic, and also our perceptions of bogeys. These stats are useful data for not only a good discussion, but hopefully to help us get our perceptions where they need to be. Let's tee it up!

#golf #pgatour #golfers #lovegolf #rapidgolfimprovement #golfday #whyilovethisgame #golflessons #golflife #anythinggolf #beautifulgolfcourses #lovegolf #betterdatabettergolf #dataaxisgolf #golfislife #golfball #golftournament #golfcourse #golfrange #golfnews #instagolf #golfswing #golfing #golfaddict

I tried to avoid it, but question have come from listeners about my thoughts on Sergio and Kuchar. We touch on both of those situation today, and that will be the last of it forever (unless we get another question) 👍. And we take a look at the career money leaders from the PGA Tour, how they got there, and how much they have averages over the course of their careers. There were some pretty big surprises. Let's tee it up!

#golf #pgatour #golfers #lovegolf #rapidgolfimprovement #golfday #whyilovethisgame #golflessons #golflife #anythinggolf #beautifulgolfcourses #lovegolf #betterdatabettergolf #dataaxisgolf #golfislife #golfball #golftournament #golfcourse #golfrange #golfnews #instagolf #golfswing #golfing #golfaddict

In the podcast yesterday I mentioned I don't recommend a 2-plane swing for amateurs, especially those who don't have much time for long practice sessions. Some proponents of the 2-plane swing claim it is a more natural movement and generates more clubhead speed. We will look at the data from Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm (2-Plane swingers) and Adam Scott and Justin Rose (1-Plane swingers) all mentioned in a recent article on biomechanics. This a classic argument of performance vs. consistency. Who comes out on top?  Let's tee it up!

#golf #pgatour #golfers #lovegolf #rapidgolfimprovement #golfday #whyilovethisgame #golflessons #golflife #anythinggolf #beautifulgolfcourses #lovegolf #betterdatabettergolf #dataaxisgolf #golfislife #golfball #golftournament #golfcourse #golfrange #golfnews #instagolf #golfswing #golfing #golfaddict

On Golf.com there was an interesting article entitled "Meet the biomechanist who's changing golf - and can help you gain distance." The article is about Dr. Sasho MacKenzie, who is a researcher of Human Kinetics at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. You may know him from the work he has done with the BodiTrak. In this article, it tells us of the easiest way to get more speed in our swing. Additionally, we look at some consistency numbers of top tour pros and see how their career average stacks up with their 2018 and 2019 numbers to see how they are trending. It's for fun. Let's tee it up!

Phil's wins for his 5th time on the hallowed grounds of Pebble Beach Golf Links. He started his round 3 strokes back and ended up winning by three after posting a seven-under 65 to lap the field. Phil also lets us in on why Pebble Beach is such a special place for him and his family. We take a look at Phil's stats and see where his performance was above his 2018 averages and carried him on to the win. We also compare Phil's statistics to our established benchmarks, to continue refining how we are going to track our games and make sure we get better this summer. Let's tee it up!

The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is upon us and Brian Gay and Scott Langley got out of the gates quickly with 64s at the Monterrey Peninsula Country Club Shore course. Phil Mickelson does something he hasn't done in about 20 years and finds himself close to the lead, in a tournament he has won 4 time previously. Phil loves the Poa Annua greens of his native California.  And, if you were forced to choose a swing you absolutely had to use the rest of your life, you had no other choice, would you choose Matthew Wolff's or Ho-Sung Choi's swing? Let's tee it up!

#golf #pgatour #golfers #lovegolf #rapidgolfimprovement #golfday #whyilovethisgame #golflessons #golflife #anythinggolf #beautifulgolfcourses #lovegolf #betterdatabettergolf #dataaxisgolf #golfislife #golfball #golftournament #golfcourse #golfrange #golfnews #instagolf #golfswing #golfing #golfaddict

The USGA has issued "clarifications" to rule 10.2b(4). Yes, that is how they list the rules. It is the rule that no caddie should assist their player line up. Instead of having a simple rule in the first place, the rule to convoluted and silly. So now they issue a clarification, which is two pages in an 8pt font. This clarification may add some additional insight to the intent of the rule, and I used the word "may" on purpose. But what it definitely clarifies is that the USGA is not about simplifying the game, because they simply don't know how. It is Data Axis Golf's belief that they must base their salaries on a per word basis. This is out of hand, let's give the USGA some free advice from those of us who are simple-minded. Let's tee it up!

#golf #pgatour #golfers #lovegolf #rapidgolfimprovement #golfday #whyilovethisgame #golflessons #golflife #anythinggolf #beautifulgolfcourses #lovegolf #betterdatabettergolf #dataaxisgolf #golfislife #golfball #golftournament #golfcourse #golfrange #golfnews #instagolf #golfswing #golfing #golfaddict 

New research published yesterday seems to contradict the research done previously by Dave Pelz. What gives? This puts Dave Pelz in a tough spot, will he release his data now? If he doesn't, he runs the risk of losing credibility in the golf world. This will be interesting. 

While this new research is hardly comprehensive and is a far cry from being strategically helpful, it does add to the body of work, which is great. The data is now more muddled than ever, but with more data comes a better chance we will really get an answer to the flagstick question. Let's hope more will take up the flagstick battle cry and provide us with real research, transparent research that we can trust and can actually use to improve our chance of playing well.  

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/putting-with-the-flagstick-in-could-be-a-mistake-new-golf-digest-study-from-cal-poly-professor-shows

#golf #pgatour #golfers #lovegolf #rapidgolfimprovement #golfday #whyilovethisgame #golflessons #golflife #anythinggolf #beautifulgolfcourses #lovegolf #betterdatabettergolf #dataaxisgolf #golfislife #golfball #golftournament #golfcourse #golfrange #golfnews #instagolf #golfswing #golfing #golfaddict

The USGA has made glaring mistakes and myriads of poor decisions over the last decade. It has become so common place that pretending they have their act together just isn't possible anymore. The USGA is broken. They are essentially Pam Am, or Blockbuster, or Kodak, but instead of being allowed to fail, they are propped-up and protected by their charge to oversee the game of golf in the United States. But is that right? Are they too protected to fail, even despite their inability to manage effectively? Something either needs to change in the USGA, or they need to be removed from their position of governance. They may need to be dethroned. What is Donald Trump's cell phone? Let's tee it up!

#golf #pgatour #golfers #lovegolf #rapidgolfimprovement #golfday #whyilovethisgame #golflessons #golflife #anythinggolf #beautifulgolfcourses #lovegolf #betterdatabettergolf #dataaxisgolf #golfislife #golfball #golftournament #golfcourse #golfrange #golfnews #instagolf #golfswing #golfing #golfaddict

Dustin Johnson shoots 4 round in 60s to become the inaugural Saudi International Champion in a desert far, far away, while Rickie Fowler gets his long awaited win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open for his 5th PGA Tour victory. The 16th hole again stirs up some controversy, and Brandon Grace learns the hard way that galleries drowning in pools of liquid courage can be less than good sports. What shall we do with a tournament that is arguably the most environmentally responsible stop on the PGA Tour, while also being the most irresponsible when it comes to common human behavior... Let's tee it up!

#golf #pgatour #golfers #lovegolf #rapidgolfimprovement #golfday #whyilovethisgame #golflessons #golflife #anythinggolf #beautifulgolfcourses #lovegolf #betterdatabettergolf #dataaxisgolf #golfislife #golfball #golftournament #golfcourse #golfrange #golfnews #instagolf #golfswing #golfing #golfaddict