The differences between private and public golf clubs are numerous. It’s typically more than just money that sets the two apart.
This week, Golfweek’s fitness guru and long driver Averee Dovsek explains different rules that are not commonly talked about when it comes to etiquette at private clubs.
It can be stressful showing up at a nice club and not knowing what to expect. Take these few tips and apply them the next time you show up to play to feel prepared and go low.
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The latest College Football Playoff rankings are out, and to the surprise of absolutely no one, chaos in the SEC has left some fan bases less than thrilled with how everything is shaking out.
Obviously, there are still multiple rankings left before the committee drops the final ones on Sunday, December 8 after conference championship weekend. But that’s never stopped college football fans from debating playoff resumes, quality wins and losses, who’s passing the eye test with style points and who’s just lucky to be considered.
Here’s For The Win’s super unserious take on how the many playoff contenders’ fan bases are feeling about the latest rankings, probably.
Everyone wants to be able to shallow the golf club in your transition to the downswing.
Everyone wants to be able to shallow the golf club in your transition to the downswing.
This week, Golfweek’s fitness guru and long driver Averee Dovsek explains how to shallow the club in your transition and how to stop coming over-the-top in your golf swing.
A few simple adjustments within taking the club back, the width between your shoulders and hands at the top and getting your hands high at the top of your swing will make all the difference.
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It’s not a great feeling when you’re in between clubs on the course.
This week, Golfweek’s fitness guru and long driver Averee Dovsek explains how to take off five to 10 yards from a traditional full-yardage swing when in between clubs.
A few simple adjustments with grip, stance and shoulder turn will allow for the ball to carry a shorter distance when successfully completed. These adjustments may also help lower the ball flight, and this shot can be used on windy days to help knock down the ball.
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Now, in the 11th season of the College Football Playoff, the field expanded to 12 teams and 11 total games with a first round and quarterfinals added to the semis and title game.
While there will surely still be debates about who should have gotten in, who didn’t deserve a spot and what seeds were earned or not, most college football fans would probably agree that expansion was necessary. And with it comes an extended postseason with playoff games beginning in mid-December and the title game pushed back to January 20.
So what would make the 12-team College Football Playoff a success in its first season?
For The Win’s college football show, Before The Snap, was joined by The Solid Verbal podcast’s Dan Rubenstein and Ty Hildenbrandt to zoom out and consider what factors would make the playoff expansion a win.
1. Incredible first-round games on college campuses
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Dan Rubenstein, The Solid Verbal: I think it’s incredible games on campus because if we have incredible games on campus that first weekend… it’s going to generate buzz, right? There’s nothing like a great game deep into the season that is going to get and keep people excited for the playoff.
So whether it is Penn State hosting a game, whether it is Miami hosting a game, whether it’s Texas hosting a game, there is going to be something new and novel about having a December game on campus. Maybe that goes to overtime, maybe that gets us a matchup we’ve never seen or rarely seen. That, I think, would for me [make the 12-team playoff a success] because I think we’re gonna end up seeing a lot of the familiar teams later on in the playoff. But if we can get that early, that’s almost a justification for the move.
2. A regular season that doesn’t feel watered down in hindsight
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Ty Hildenbrandt, The Solid Verbal: If we make it through the full regular season without it feeling like things got watered down, that would be a huge plus because that was the argument against this system. “Oh, they’re going to add the playoff.” “Oh, losses aren’t going to have the same weight that they did before.” “People won’t watch.”
I have not detected that thus far, and maybe it’s because it’s a weird year in college football, and we don’t have any obvious powerhouses this season [besides Oregon]. … It feels to me like we have not gotten to that point yet where people are saying, “Yeah, this feels watered down. We don’t like the product.” So if we make it the full way through, that would be a plus.
3. An air of unpredictability, especially early in the playoff
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Ty Hildenbrandt, The Solid Verbal: Just this air of unpredictability. If we have that with the playoff, that would, in and of itself, be a success. I think, part of the vibes we have picked up from our listeners over the years — why they don’t like the playoff as much, why they hate talking about the playoff is because it feels like it is the same teams. It feels like, oh, it’s going to be Alabama, or it’s going to be Georgia, it’s going to be Clemson or Ohio State. …
But if we can get to that point where it doesn’t feel like this is pre-ordained, and there is a real, legit reason to watch the first round on campus … kind of like you get with the NCAA tournament where you’re intrigued by the teams that are in it, you’re not necessarily sure who’s gonna win — that would be a success in my eyes.
4. A Group of Five or Cinderella team winning at least one playoff game
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Michelle Martinelli, FTW: What I was thinking would make it a success is we do have those staples, and I think an expanded College Football Playoff actually helps the haves more than the have-nots, and we will see the usual suspects back in the playoff. But I think another indicator of what would make it a success is if one of those lower-ranked playoff teams, or a Group of Five team, makes it to the semifinals and sees success there — whether it’s Boise State or Indiana or BYU or someone who’s never been in the conversation really in the four-team playoff.
I think that if we look back at past years of teams, like Cincinnati, who actually made it in, or we go all the way back and look at UCF, who definitely felt like they should have made it in 2017, I think that would make it a success is if we see some of these lower-ranked playoff teams who are not typically in the playoff conversation, making it past the first round.
Ty Hildenbrandt, The Solid Verbal: You need the Cinderella, right? Every good tournament has the Cinderella. You need the Cinderella that everybody else can root for if their team isn’t in it. That gives them a reason to watch, gives them someone to rally behind.
5. A first-round upset on an opponent’s campus
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Blake Schuster, BetFTW: A higher-ranked team losing a home game on campus would be incredible scenes. But similarly, a first-round conference rematch on campus ending with the home team rushing the field would be just as iconic. The only thing the College Football Playoff absolutely must avoid is blowouts.
An unexpected case of the hooks is a golfer’s worst nightmare.
This week, Golfweek’s fitness guru and long driver Averee Dovsek explains how to troubleshoot a hook without ruining the round. Golfers should be able to identify ball position and grip to help navigate the diving right-to-left shot shape.
A hook is not an ideal shot shape and it can lead to many lost balls. It’s important to make slight changes to keep your score and mental game on track.
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Golfweek’s Averee Dovsek explains how to troubleshoot a slice without ruining the round.
Playing a round of golf when the unexpected slices set in sends most golfers into a panic.
This week, Golfweek’s fitness guru and long driver Averee Dovsek explains how to troubleshoot a slice without ruining the round. Golfers should be able to identify their aim and grip to help navigate the unforeseen shot pattern.
Many golfers let a few errant shots dictate the entirety of their round and shot pattern. It’s important to make slight changes to keep your score and mental game on track.
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Many professional golfers say that accuracy from 100 yards and in is the biggest reason amateurs can’t lower their scores.
This week, Golfweek’s fitness guru and long driver Averee Dovsek breaks down the backswing into four separate positions. Each move and position will signify a carry yardage that golfers can think about when trying to pitch with more accuracy.
Great golfers such as Lydia Ko, Jordan Spieth and Steve Stricker have practiced this method.
Every golfer’s yardage will be different and this should be practiced on the range before taking it to the course.
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As hurricanes and storms move across the country, there’s not a ton of outdoor golf practice going on.
This week, Golfweek’s fitness guru and long driver Averee Dovsek demonstrates a downswing drill that can be completed at home. This drill is great for working on rotation or coiling into the backswing position and how you transfer to the next portion of the golf swing.
Many golfers get stuck at the top of their swing and don’t know how to transition into the downswing, but this easy swing thought can take your sequencing to the next level.
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Mastering both a draw and a fade is crucial to working the golf ball in your favor on the golf course.
This week, Golfweek’s fitness guru and long driver Averee Dovsek demonstrates some notable footwork and swing thoughts to hit a silky draw or fade like the professionals.
These shots may come in handy when trying to bend the ball around a big tree, follow the curvature of a fairway or flight the ball a specific direction in the wind.
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