The 2nd Cut Newsletter: Edition #31
The 2nd Cut 2024, Tiger Logo, 7-Wood, Lag Putting, Jackie Burke, Nick Dunlap and Stat of the Week
"Golf is an awkward set of bodily contortions designed to produce a graceful result." - Tommy Armour
📰 Edition #31 📰
Welcome back to The 2nd Cut Newsletter!
ICYMI, check out last week’s Deep Dive: My 2024 Golf Goals
I have to admit I was surprised by the response to this post. Many of you emailed me with questions, and some even gave complete breakdowns of their own goals. To all who wrote me, thank you.
I love getting your feedback, ideas, questions, and comments, so feel free to email me anytime. You can either reply to one of my emails or directly at the2ndcut@substack.com.
📫 In today’s Newsletter: The 2nd Cut 2024, Tiger Logo, 7-Wood, Lag Putting, Jackie Burke, Nick Dunlap and Stat of the Week
If you’re new here, this newsletter is designed to provide valuable insights, tips, and ideas from around the internet to improve your golf game.
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1 - Newsletter every Wednesday
1 - Deep dive every Friday
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The 2nd Cut in 2024
I started this newsletter in June of 2023, not fully knowing what I wanted it to be or how it would work. Here we are, 31 editions, 24 deep dives, and 80 posts later.
I’ve learned a ton about writing, golf, substack, social media, and more. I also learned that I still have a lot to learn.
But the best part has been interacting with you, the reader, which has grown considerably since the beginning and continues to grow each week. I’ve had some great conversations and have been amazed by your collective knowledge.
With that said, what would you like to see more of from this newsletter this year? I have some ideas, but I want to hear from you. What do you like? Not like? What would you like to learn about or see featured? Please comment below or email me.
Again, thank you for reading and subscribing. It means a lot.
🐦 Tweets of the Week 🐦
In Tiger branding news…
According to Sports Business Journal:
“Three trademarks for a “Sunday Red brand” have been registered through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by TaylorMade Lifestyle Ventures LLC. The trademarks filed “include three distinct logos: a ‘Sunday Red’ spelled out in all caps, a leaping tiger depiction, and the acronym 'SDR' placed around the leaping tiger.”
A couple of weeks ago, I guessed something like this might happen:
This isn’t an original thought, but I don’t know how Nike never created a Tiger brand with him doing the iconic fist pump, ala the “Air Jordan” logo. They had the TW logo (which Tiger owns, btw), but that never got to iconic status.
So where will he go from here? I don’t know. Maybe he will start a new Tiger line for Taylor Made, which is rumored to be making a bigger push into apparel.
It’s not a sure thing, but what do you think of the logo?
Another 7-wood was found in the wild, featuring Max Homa. Watch how soft this ball lands. Read Edition #30 for more on why 7-woods are gaining popularity. Link
Ross makes a great point in this tweet below re: putts 10 feet and in vs lag putts. Link
Many amateurs attempt to make long putts when you should just try to get it as close as possible to the hole.
For anything outside 15 or 20 feet, I’m mentally picturing a circle around the hole where I want the ball to stop, whether short, left, right, or long. This approach should help reduce 3-putts and lower your scores.
📺 💻 T2C Media 📺 💻
I knew of Jackie Burke, but I honestly didn’t know much. Jon Martin’s post details Burke’s impact on the game of golf. Below is a snippet from that post, Death of a Golf Legend.
This week golf lost one of its all-time greats, Jackie Burke, Jr. Many of you may never have heard of Jackie Burke. His playing career was over-shadowed by Hogan, Snead and Nelson. His teaching was not as celebrated as others of his era such as Toski, Penick, Flick and Merrins. Yet, Jackie Burke, Jr. is a legendary figure in golf. I never met him, but I wished I had the pleasure. There was no one I admired more from a distance than Jackie Burke, Jr.
Click here to read more and check out Jon’s newsletter Go Golf, which is great.
Nick Dunlap, the 20-year-old sophomore at the University of Alabama, became the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour in 33 years.
Unfortunately, he had to forfeit the $1.5 million winnings due to his amateur status. Check out the video below for some highlights and an interview with Dunlap.
🔢 Stat(s) of the Week 🔢
Lou Stag comes through again. The chart above from Lou perfectly illustrates the correlation between GIR’s hit and distance. Link
The further you are, the lower the odds of getting on the green. It’s that simple, and it’s why distance is such a huge advantage.
Also, referencing this chart is a good way to set better expectations for yourself. How often have you been 150 yards out in the fairway and mad you didn’t get on the green? (I have and still do this way too much)
As you can see above, a five index gets on the green just 50% of the time from this distance, and a scratch golfer is only on 61% of the time.
Awareness of the odds and setting better expectations can vastly improve your mental game.
⛳ Thanks for Reading ⛳
Thank you everyone for reading and subscribing.
Til next time.
