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Pebble Beach restores a signature feature on its famed 18th hole

admin — Fri, 01 May 2026 03:32:05 +0000

If a tree falls on the fairway of a famous golf hole, does anybody notice? They sure do.

They also notice when it gets replaced.

On Thursday, Pebble Beach Golf Links posted photos of a fresh addition to its 18th hole, where a second cypress tree has been planted, replacing one that toppled during a Dec. 11, 2014 winter storm. The work restores a feature that had long complicated tee shots and layups on the fabled par-5 finisher.

The replacement tree came from the 17th hole at nearby Spyglass Hill. It now stands in the same spot once occupied by the storm-felled tree, roughly 30 yards closer to the green than its companion pine.

Ranked 15th on GOLF’s list of Top 100 Courses in the World, Pebble Beach opened in 1919 and has evolved over more than a century of life, undergoing tweaks both subtle and significant. In 1997, for instance, Jack Nicklaus was hired to build a new par-3 5th hole, a change that brought the hole to the edge of the bluffs overlooking Stillwater Cove.

Since 2010 alone, the course has undergone a slew of additional refinements — longer tees on the 2nd and 9th holes, restored bunkers, and recontoured greens designed to revive classic features and open up new hole locations.

The tree planting comes as Pebble fine-tunes the course ahead of the 2027 U.S. Open, which it will host for a record seventh time.

This is not the first time an iconic tree has been replaced at Pebble. In 2002, an 80-foot Monterey cypress was planted beside the 18th green, taken from the 1st hole to replace the original, which had died of pitch canker disease. That replanting — digging a giant hole, maneuvering a giant root ball into place — was something of a spectacle.

But it played out with less immediate fanfare in the age before Instagram.

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Mizuno Expands Signature Series with the Pro S-1 Muscle Back Irons

admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 03:29:19 +0000

Mizuno, renowned for its relentless pursuit of forging perfection, have unveiled the Mizuno Pro S-1 irons—an exciting new addition to its celebrated Signature Series.

Crafted for the discerning player, the S-1 is a bold step forward in Mizuno’s mission to deliver precision engineering, peerless feel, and continuously refined performance.

TRADITION

The Mizuno Signature Series reflects the company’s long-standing commitment to producing meticulously designed clubs that balance tradition with the needs of the modern golfer.

The Mizuno Pro S-1 follows the introduction of the hugely popular Mizuno Pro S-3 irons in January, offering players another standout option within the family.

The Mizuno Pro S-1 irons are pure muscle backs, designed for players who demand ultimate precision and workability.

At the core of the Mizuno Pro S-1 is Mizuno’s Grain Flow Forged HD process, carefully executed in Hiroshima, Japan.

Forged from a single billet of 1025E Pure Select Mild Carbon Steel, the S-1 delivers the unmistakably soft and responsive feel through impact that Mizuno is globally known for.

The inclusion of a copper underlay further optimises this experience, subtly refining vibration patterns to produce the purest, most satisfying feedback.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Developed and tested with input from tour professionals, the S-1 incorporates a Channel Back Design that redistributes mass for greater vertical stability and a more consistent centre of gravity.

This design works seamlessly with Mizuno’s Harmonic Impact Technology, which fine-tunes the feel by adjusting the club’s vibration frequencies to deliver even more responsive feedback.

Building on Mizuno’s continuous drive for improvement, the S-1 introduces a re-engineered sole that has been precisely shaped to optimise turf interaction.

WHAT’S NEW

Compared to its predecessor, the Mizuno Pro 241, the S-1 sole features a flatter camber, a sharper leading edge, and an additional degree of bounce.

The result is a club that offers greater forgiveness for shallower attack angles while reducing the chance of digging—giving players the confidence to commit to every shot.

Visually, the S-1 has been crafted to appeal to the modern, competitive golfer. It features a compact, tour-preferred profile with a square toe design, a thin topline, and straight edges that convey discipline and purpose.

The Soft White Satin finish not only complements its sophisticated appearance but also serves to reduce glare at address.

ELITE

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How to hit Gary Woodland’s signature stinger with 2 simple moves

admin — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 02:13:42 +0000

The stinger is a shot you turn to when precision matters most. Low, piercing and built for control, this ball flight cuts through the wind, stays under trouble and rolls out. While many pros can hit the stinger, few have made it a signature shot quite like Gary Woodland — as we saw this week at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

“The stinger has been a huge shot for me really my whole career,” Woodland said in 2023.

The origin of the shot, Woodland said, dates to his college golf days. As he told GOLF Top 100 Teacher Chris Mayson, the stinger became a solution when distance wasn’t the problem — control was.

“I’ve always hit the golf ball a long way, but when I was in college I had no idea where it was going,” Woodland said. “I was working with Randy Smith at the time and he’s like, ‘We got to find some way to get it in the fairway.’”

Let’s break down Woodland’s 3 keys for hitting a stinger.

1. Open stance, ball back

When hitting a stinger, Woodland says his priority is trapping the ball — and that starts with setup. He begins by opening his stance slightly to the target. Then Woodland moves the ball back in his stance.

According to Mayson, those adjustments work together to shape the proper path into the ball.

“He’s moved the ball back in his stance which actually gets the club coming to the inside,” Mayson says. “That’s why he’s moved his alignment more to the left to kind of offset that ball position.”

2. Glove logo at the target

“The biggest key for me is I want to hold the back [of my lead hand], so I want that Crown C logo at the target as long as I can,” Woodland says.

Keeping the back of his lead hand — or his glove logo — at the target allows Woodland to control his clubface through impact, which is key to trapping the ball. When he does that, the result is exactly what he’s after: a shot that comes out hot, low, and piercing.

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