The Koepka Principle: Why Your “Unorthodox” Game Might Be Your Greatest Asset Every week in my studio, I work with golfers who apologize for their swings. They’ve watched YouTube breakdowns of tour players’ mechanics. They’ve heard their buddies critique their grip. They’re convinced that if they could just swing “the right way,” everything would click. Then I tell them about Brooks Koepka, and something shifts. Here’s what fascinates me about Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour: he’s built a Hall of Fame career on a swing that doesn’t match the textbook. His grip is strong where most instructors would soften…

Pebble Beach’s Winter Warmth: Why Rory’s Return Matters More Than You Think There’s something about Pebble Beach in early February that strips away all the noise and gets down to brass tacks. After 35 years covering this tour, I’ve learned that the AT&T Pro-Am isn’t just another PGA Signature Event—it’s the first real measure of where the season’s heavy hitters actually stand. This week, we get Rory McIlroy returning from a four-tournament absence, and that simple fact tells you everything you need to know about how the modern tour operates. McIlroy won this event last year, but he’s chosen to…

Testing Golf Equipment for 15 Years: What Actually Works and What Doesn’t When The Daily Duffer launched in spring 2009, golf equipment marketing had already become a minefield of dubious claims. Driver companies were pushing adjustable weights. Iron manufacturers were claiming “forgiveness breakthroughs” every six months. And most golfers had no way to separate legitimate technology from creative storytelling. Fifteen years later, that problem hasn’t gone away—it’s gotten worse. The difference now is that we have better tools to cut through the noise. Launch monitors, 3D swing analysis, and precision fitting data have fundamentally changed how I approach equipment testing.…

Pebble Beach 2026: Why This $20 Million Signature Event Matters More Than You Think Rory McIlroy is back at Pebble Beach this week, and frankly, that’s the only storyline most casual fans need. The defending champion of one of golf’s most iconic events, kicking off his 2026 campaign at the place where he dominated last January—it’s the kind of narrative that writes itself. But here’s what strikes me after 35 years of following this tour: the real story isn’t McIlroy’s return. It’s what the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am’s $20 million purse tells us about where professional golf is heading, and…

Castlerock’s Quiet Excellence: Why Golf’s Hidden Gems Matter More Than Ever After 35 years covering professional golf, I’ve learned that the sport’s greatest stories don’t always unfold at marquee venues. Sometimes they whisper from the edges of the map, waiting for someone to pay attention. That’s precisely what I found when I recently turned my focus to Castlerock Golf Club in Northern Ireland—a course that’s been punching well above its weight for over a century while its flashier neighbors hog the spotlight. What strikes me about Castlerock is its refusal to apologize for what it isn’t while unapologetically excelling at…

Finding Your Perfect Mini Driver: How Equipment Choices Impact Your Game When Callaway’s new Quantum mini driver landed on the USGA’s conforming list this week, I knew it would spark conversations in our community. Equipment announcements always do. But here’s what I want you to understand: whether you’re considering a new mini driver or sticking with what you have, the real power in your game comes from understanding how these clubs fit into your strategy and swing. In my 15+ years teaching professional golfers, I’ve watched the mini driver category evolve dramatically. What started as a niche club—something only tour…

Pebble Beach Shapes Up as a Signature Test—and a Rory Redemption Story After 35 years covering this tour, I’ve learned that certain weeks carry more weight than others. The Pebble Beach Pro-Am, despite its playful pro-am format and California charm, has quietly become one of the most consequential tournaments on the schedule. This year’s edition, featuring a field that reads like a who’s-who of current golf, feels particularly consequential. What strikes me most isn’t just the quality of the field—though that’s undeniable. It’s the narrative threads converging on the Monterey Peninsula this week. We have a defending champion trying to…

What Scottie Scheffler’s Dominance Actually Tells Us About Equipment vs. Skill I’ve spent the last decade testing equipment on launch monitors, fitting golfers across every handicap range, and watching the industry obsess over marginal gains measured in RPM and launch angle. So when I read Pat Perez’s comments about Scottie Scheffler’s dominance—how he’s separated himself from the field in ways we haven’t seen since Tiger Woods—my first instinct as an equipment guy was to ask: what’s Scottie’s setup doing that’s different? Then I realized that was the wrong question entirely. “I still think that Rory is as close as I…

2025 Tech Revolution: How Modern Golf Is Reshaping the Game We Love After 35 years covering professional golf—and having spent several of those years lugging Tom Lehman’s bag around some of the world’s greatest courses—I’ve learned that the game evolves in waves. Sometimes those waves are gradual. Sometimes they hit like a tidal surge. What’s happening in 2025 feels like the latter. The technological transformation sweeping through professional and amateur golf isn’t just changing how we play. It’s fundamentally reshaping what the sport looks like, who watches it, and what it means to be competitive at every level. And unlike…

Tiger’s Ghost at Torrey Pines: Why One Course Defined a Career Tiger Woods won’t be in San Diego this week for the Farmers Insurance Open, but honestly, he doesn’t need to be. His fingerprints are all over Torrey Pines—literally carved into the record books, the greenskeeping charts, and the collective memory of everyone who’s watched him play there over three decades. In my 35 years covering professional golf, I’ve learned that certain players own certain courses. Jack had Augusta. Sam Snead owned Greensboro. And Tiger? Well, Tiger practically *is* Torrey Pines. Seven wins there. A limping, miraculous 2008 US Open…