<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The world of professional golf has been constantly evolving and shifting for the past couple of years. Thanks (or no thanks) to new technologies, tours and principles, golf media outlets and fans alike have had plenty to talk and speculate about. Particularly, in the past week or so, tight tournaments, controversial putting styles and even fines have opened numerous discourses across the golfing world. With the influence and accessibility of social media, many golf fans and media members have been posting their propositions and opinions to the public.<\/p>\n\n
Since the long, broomstick-like putter was introduced to golf, professional tours like the PGA Tour have had to combat the issue of \u201canchoring\u201d the putter against one\u2019s chest. The advantage of a long putter is added stability throughout the putting stroke. If someone were to anchor the putter against their chest or stomach, there is an added advantage that conventional putters do not provide, and, therefore, is illegal leverage. This past weekend, Akshay Bhatia secured his third PGA Tour victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational with his Odyssey Jailbird 380, either anchored on his chest or just inches away from being illegal, depending upon who you ask. In Brad Faxon\u2019s video below, you can see Bhatia\u2019s putter and stroke; notice his top hand and how challenging it is to see if he truly is anchoring his putter. Some figures in golf media have posed ideas on how to enforce anti-anchoring rules: ban the long putter, have playing putters call out anchoring, and more. Even in the video\u2019s comment section, you can see people call out Bhatia for anchoring.\n\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DVl_RnjDFFE<\/p>\n\n
In order for European golfers to remain eligible for the biggest tournament in team golf, the Ryder Cup, they must maintain their DP World Tour membership. Until he joined LIV Golf, Jon Rahm did not have to pay any fines or serve any suspensions on the DP World Tour. A hot topic around the international golf world is Rahm\u2019s unwillingness to pay these fines in order to remain eligible for the Ryder Cup. On Skratch\u2019s Instagram page, the hosts of the Dan on Golf YouTube show, Dan Rapaport and Ben Boskovich, summarize and add on to the Jon Rahm situation. Rahm does not want to pay the roughly $3 million and play in six DP World Tour tournaments (he chooses four and the DP World Tour chooses the other two); he also added that it is not about the money, it is about the principle. Rapaport mentioned that Rahm has no problem playing in four events of his choice; it is being stuck in between two tours and their schedules that has Rahm at a crossroads.\n\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DVgpUIIkYHZ<\/p>\n\n
The trend of \u201cmic\u2019d up\u201d videos across social media has only increased with new microphones and recording technologies. On the golf side of things, people have seemed to really enjoy hearing caddies and players interact with one another on the golf course. At the Arnold Palmer Invitational this past weekend, Daniel Berger and his caddie, Josh Cassell, had a relatively lengthy conversation about what shot\/club to hit into the 73rd green. Needing a clutch approach shot into a challenging green, Berger and Cassell went back and forth until they committed to a shot finishing short and left of the pin, giving Berger a decent look at par. Unfortunately for the pair, a bogey on the tournament\u2019s first playoff hole ended the tournament without a trophy in their hands, but Skratch\u2019s Instagram account did post a rather captivating clip of Berger\u2019s and Cassell\u2019s exchange.\n\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DVq25l0CUPx<\/p>\n\n
Thanks to social media, many in the golf world can stay up to date on the current events happening in a sport that has been behind closed doors for the great majority of its existence. While the things addressed in this piece have been topics talked about in the previous months, all of the posts shared and recent discourses have all occurred within the past week or so. The plethora of professional tours and, in turn, information about these tours, have people constantly thinking. Thinking, combined with social media, morphs into a bubble of diverse opinions and constant sharing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Discovery Project The world of professional golf has been constantly evolving and shifting for the past couple of years. Thanks (or no thanks) to new technologies, tours and principles, golf media outlets and fans alike have had plenty to talk and speculate about. Particularly, in the past week or so, tight tournaments, controversial putting styles … <\/p>\n